Rich Lansky Florida Strength and Power HoF inductee 2025

By Strength and Power Hall of Fame

A brief personal history:

I grew up in N.J. and began lifting weights at 14 years old, starting with a sears bench and 80lbs of old standard York plates in our basement. In high school, I joined the local Livingston YMCA, starting in the universal gym area and soon moved to the free weight room, where the local lifters taught me the basics. Not a lot of science but loads of hard work and fun. I earned my BS at Syracuse University, where I joined local gyms and devoted myself to getting bigger and stronger. I learned powerlifting from some of the competitive lifters there. My training partner was a graduate assistant with the Syracuse Strength staff and started teaching me the science behind strength training. After graduation, I moved to Florida and began competing in iron sports, switching back and forth between bodybuilding and powerlifting in the late 80s. I competed in NPC, ADFPA, APA, AAPF, and WABDL, lifting in local, state and national meets during the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. I took a break from powerlifting competition to focus on coaching the Olympic sport of weightlifting in 1996, eventually coaching at the national and international level for the better part of two decades before entering the education field. During this time, I worked as a strength and conditioning coach at both the high school level and college club level, as well as running a private training facility and working with professional athletes from the NFL, CFL, MLB, MLS and Olympians. Lifting weights, competing and coaching have been part of my life the better part of five decades. I met my wife, Ann, 35 years ago in the gym. The gym and training hall are where I met lifelong friends, mentors and coaching peers. The weights are not as heavy as they used to be and the bar speed is not as fast, but I keep at it every week.

 

What led you to your sport:

Since I was a youngster, I have always been fascinated by feats of strength. As an eight-year-old, I remember watching Alekseyev jerking tremendous weight overhead during the opening of wide world of sports on tv. Once I started lifting weights, I was hooked for life. Strength training improved my self-esteem, boosted my self-confidence and helped my athletic performance in club and high school sport. In college, I was always one of the stronger and more muscular guys in the gym and was encouraged by the local powerlifters to start competing. When I started working in the strength and conditioning profession, I started applying the science of strength and power development to my own training and was able to achieve success on the platform, eventually setting records and winning state and national titles. I have always stressed the importance of mental preparation as well as physically training for competition, which eventually led me to earning my Master’s degree in Applied Sports and Exercise Psychology. I use these same principles of physical and mental preparation both with my own training and that of the athletes I coach.

 

Achievements:

*1989 NPC Sunset Classic Lightweight and Novice Overall Champion *1991 and 1992 ADFPA Florida State Meet Top Five Placer 181 class *1992 ADFPA Central Florida Silver Medalist 181 class *1992 APA Florida State Middleweight 165 class Champion *1992 APA National Championships Middleweight 165 class Champion *1992 APA United States Deadlift Middleweight 165 class Champion and Overall Best Lifter *1992 APA Florida Lifter of the Year *1993 APA Drug- Free Deadlift Nationals Middleweight 165 class Champion and Overall Best Lifter *2006 AAPF Frank Kostyo Memorial Championships 181 class First Place *2007 Tony Conyers Deadlift Extravaganza 3rd Place Overall *2008 WABDL Florida State Deadlift Championships 181 class First Place *2015 WABDL Florida State Deadlift Championships 165 class Open and Masters First Place *2016 AAPF Frank Kostyo Memorial Championships 165 class Open and Masters First Place and Overall Best Lifter *2023 APA Frank Kostyo Memorial Championships 181 class Masters First Place

State, National and World Records:

*Set APA Drug-Tested State Records for Florida in Squat, Deadlift and Total 165 class in 1992 and 1993 *Set APA Drug Tested National Records in Squat, Deadlift and a total 165 class in 1992 and 1993 * Set APA Drug Tested World Record in Deadlift in 165 class in 1993 *Set WABDL State Record in Deadlift in 181 class in 2008 *Set WABDL Masters 47-53 group State Record Deadlift in 165 class in 2015 *Set AAPF Masters 50-54 group Drug-Tested State Records in Squat, Bench, Deadlift and Total in 165 class in 2016 *Set APA Masters 55-59 group Drug-Tested State Records in Squat, Deadlift and Total in 181 class in 2023 *Powerlifting USA Top 100 rankings in Squat, Deadlift, Total in 165 class

 

Accomplishments.

*1997 Special Olympics Florida Powerlifting Coach of the Year *1998 Sarasota County Good Heart Community Service Award *Multi-time Winner of USA Weightlifting Florida LWC Coach of the Year *2007 USOC Doc Councilmen Sports Science Award for Weightlifting *2014 Samson Strength / American Football Monthly National High School Strength Coach of the Year *2015 Tampa Bay Lightning Manatee County Outstanding Educator Award *2018 National High School Strength Coaches Association Southeast Regional Coach of the Year *2022 NSCA National High School Strength Coach of the Year *2022 National High School Strength Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee *USA Weightlifting Coaching Accomplishments *As Head Coach for Team Florida Weightlifting - won Team Titles at National Junior Championships, Under 23 National Co- Ed Championships, American Open Championships and Senior National Championships *Coached five different senior national champions *Coached two national junior champions *Coached one Pan Am champion and a second medalist *Coached two world university team medalists *Coached one IWF Team USA vs AUS champion *Coached two senior world team members *Coached three junior world team members *Coached one youth world team member * Team USA Official Coaching positions on Junior World Team, World University Team, USA vs AUS team, Senior Pan Am Team, and Junior Pan Am Team. *Florida High School Weightlifting Coaching Accomplishments Multiple county team titles Multiple district team titles Multiple individual state champions

 

Other Activities:

*USA Weightlifting Level 5 Sr. International Coach *USA Weightlifting National Referee *USA Weightlifting Coaching Committee Coordinator *USA Weightlifting Collegiate Committee *USA Weightlifting High School Developmental Committee *USA Weightlifting Board of Directors *USA Weightlifting Meet Director - 2003 National Junior Championships, 2005 American Open, 2006 National Junior Championships, 2006 Pan Am Qualifier, 2008 National Youth Championships *APA National Referee *FHSAA High School Weightlifting Advisory Board *NSCA State Advisory Board *NHSSCA State Director *Special Olympics Powerlifting State Director *Executive Director for Team Florida Gulf coast Weightlifting, a not for profit organization that uses the sports of drug-free weightlifting and powerlifting to improve the social, psychological and physical well-being of southwest Florida’s youth and young adults. *Published author - NSCA Journal of Strength and Conditioning, Pure Power Magazine, Training and Conditioning, StrengthPlus Magazine, chapter in Human Kinetics book, Strength Training for Football

Author: By Strength and Power Hall of Fame Completed: yes Created: Mon Aug 18 01:28:32 UTC 2025 | Last Updated: Sun Aug 24 22:49:47 UTC 2025