ALGONQUIN, IL — Lawrence DeSantis was just 16 years old when he began competing in powerlifting, a sport that would eventually take him to national competitions and earn him a college championship.
But a back injury in 1984 brought his competitive career to an abrupt halt.
Nearly four decades later, the Algonquin resident decided to give the sport another shot. Now, at 67, he's a two-time world champion with his sights set on a third title.
DeSantis will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, next week to compete in the World Powerlifting Congress World Championships on Nov. 17. He hopes to deadlift between 430 and 440 pounds — more than twice his body weight.
And if things go his way, this won't be his last championship.
"I have had a goal to win it at least three times," DeSantis told Patch. "Being that I am close to a world record, I am going to continue until I break a world record at the 65-69 age group or the 70-74 age range."
DeSantis, who weighs about 177 pounds, will compete in the 181-pound weight class in the Masters 65-69 division. He previously won world titles in the deadlift-only competition in 2022 and 2024.
His interest in powerlifting began while he was a student at Chicago's Lane Technical High School.
At the time, DeSantis was a wrestler who discovered he had a particular talent for weight training.
"In high school, I was a wrestler and a good one, but I noticed I was better at weight training," he said.
He began following the sport through Powerlifting USA magazine and entered his first competitions as a teenager.
In 1976, he placed second at the National Teenage Championship in New Hampshire. Three years later, he won the 1979 National College Powerlifting Championship in Pensacola, Florida, competing at a body weight of just 132 pounds.
He continued competing through college and into adulthood, once recording a 474-pound squat, 303-pound bench press and 501-pound deadlift at the Purdue Open, where he placed second.
But in 1984, back injuries sustained while squatting forced him to step away from competition.
For the next 37 years, he stayed out of competitive powerlifting.
Then, in 2021, he returned, this time concentrating exclusively on the deadlift, an exercise that involves lifting a weighted barbell from the floor to a standing position.
Within a year, he was competing at the world championship level.
He won his first World Powerlifting Congress title in 2022 and followed it with another championship in 2024.
DeSantis and his wife moved to Algonquin from Carol Stream in 2015. These days, he trains from his home gym, without a coach, and follows a routine that looks much different from the workouts of his younger years.
"When I was young, I trained 3-4 days a week. Now that I am in my sixties, I train twice a week," he said.
On Mondays, he focuses on his core, legs, arms and shoulders. His second workout, usually Wednesday or Thursday, includes deadlifts and exercises targeting his back and abdominal muscles.
He typically performs five or six sets of deadlifts, with five to eight repetitions per set, and saves his maximum lifts for competitions.
DeSantis, who is also a registered naturopath, ordained minister and director of the New Eden School of Natural Health, credits his knowledge of nutrition, exercise and wellness with helping him remain competitive as he ages.
He said his return to the sport wasn't easy, particularly after the back injuries that ended his earlier career. But he has avoided major setbacks over the past five years.
His wife and daughters have supported his return to powerlifting, and family members have traveled with him to past competitions. This time, however, he'll make the trip to Louisiana on his own.
Regardless of what happens at this year's championship, DeSantis has no intention of retiring from the sport anytime soon.
He hopes to continue competing into his 70s and possibly even his 80s, with a world record still on his list of goals.
And for older adults who might think their days of lifting weights or competing in sports are behind them, DeSantis has a message.
"You are never too old to start and there is more to gain than to lose," he said.
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