Darkside Strength, A Community

Darkside Strength, A Community

By: Dieter Altschwager

Many of the Darkside strength regulars already know who I am but for anybody that doesn't my name is Dieter Altschwager. I grew up and went to school in the little town of Denmark. Once I graduated high school I got my associates degree in Fire science at NWTC. I then got hired as a Green Bay Metro Firefighter and have been there for two years and counting. And during that time I had found a love and passion for lifting and once I found the right gym and people my passion truly flourished into something I never thought possible.

When I first got into weight lifting I had no idea that I would find life long friends and a Community that supports each other both in the Gym and in everyday life. I started out lifting like most lifters at my local YMCA when I was in Highschool and I didn't really have a clue on what I was doing. I however did have the drive and willpower to get better, So I spent many hours researching how to workout and what to eat. I spent around two years lifting at the YMCA and by that point I had realized that my true passion in the Gym was Powerlifting. I also realized that I needed personalized training and a powerlifting atmosphere that the YMCA did not have. So then for a few months Jacob (My gym partner) and I looked around for other gyms and didn't have much luck. That was until Clint (Jacob’s father) met Brian at his dental practice and Brian told Clint all about Darkside Strength and what it offers. That is when my journey into powerlifting truly began.

I have now been training at Darkside under the tutelage of Louie and Brian for around two years. While learning from Louie and Brian I have learned that before I came to Darkside strength I pretty much knew nothing about Powerlifting. However the wealth of knowledge and experience that Louie and Brain have as a coach has allowed me to put on around 200 pounds onto my total. Here are a few examples of what I have learned from Louie and Brain. The number one thing being how to hold tension in a lift and how important that truly is. As well as what truly hard training looks like, many people will claim to work hard in the gym. To those people I invite you to come and lift with our morning crew, you will find out what truly hard training looks like. In my time at Darkside Strength I have competed twice in USAPL local meets both being at Limitless Gym. In my most recent competition I won my weight division and took fourth overall. I would be lying if I were to tell you I was not nervous at each meet leading up to the first lift. However once you get over the first lift jitters you find yourself enjoying the thrill of pushing your limits and to try and go for gold. I found that competing in these meets is the most fulfilling thing I have done in my lifting career. I am now training for my next meet and that will be the USAPL Wisconsin State Competition, and with the guidance of Louie and Brian I hope to go for gold.