Liberty alumni Todd Campo shares story behind his powerlifting world records

What if I told you that some of the most successful powerlifters in the world came from Liberty Mountain? World record holder and Liberty staff member Todd Campo’s story is one of many that reflects why Flames alumni are so prominent in the world of powerlifting. 

Recently turning 71 years old has not bogged down Campo after his 50-plus years of powerlifting. With his journey beginning in 1969 as a 15-year-old high school wrestler, Campo said “I was a skinny wrestler, and I knew I needed to get stronger.” 

Thus began his lifetime journey as a powerlifter. Serving in the Marine Corps as well as the Los Angeles Police Department, Campo has led a life of physical and mental fortitude. 

“As time goes on, I’m not as motivated, but I’m disciplined,” Campo said. “I tell people, when your motivation wanes, that’s where your discipline kicks in. When you’re a wrestler and marine, it’s in your DNA.” 

Campo has lifted since he was 15 years old, but did not start competing until his time serving in the Marines. 

“I was always good at bench, but not world-class,” Campo said. “I started competing when I was in the Marines.” 

Since he started competing, Campo has earned 16 federation world records as well as multiple all-time world records — some as recent as last month. 

“As I got older, I didn’t lose very much,” Campo said. “Once people get in their 50s, they fall off and get hurt.” 

Age has not slowed Campo down, as when he was 68, he was able to bench raw for 391 pounds in the 198-pound weight class and equipped for 491 pounds in the 220-pound weight class, both world records for the 65 to 69 age group. Benching equipped is when the athlete has a supportive shirt to take pressure off the shoulders while benching raw is with no support. 

After these impressive feats, Campo had to undergo a full shoulder replacement due to the years of fatigue and use. Doctors said that he would only be able to lift up to 40 pounds post-surgery, but that option was not good enough for Campo. 

“I started doing my homework,” Campo explained. “I found a doctor that was doing a new shoulder replacement and performed it on Louie Simmonds.” 

Simmonds is a guru of powerlifting, the “Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan of powerlifting,” according to Campo. 

“He benched 300 (pounds) 12 weeks after the operation,” Campo said. 

Seeing that, Campo successfully completed the surgery and was able to bench 300 pounds, only 11 weeks post-operation. 

“I said if the Good Lord has it, I’m going to see if I can get back,” Campo said. “I’ve been working hard the last year and a half and now that I’ve turned 70, I want to go after all of the 70-year-old age group world records.” 

With undying motivation and persistence, Campo was able to make his return to competition in September in Roanoke. Intended to be a warm-up meet since it was his first  competition back in action, Campo benched both raw and equipped, setting a second of all-time record for raw. 

“I had the worst couple of weeks. I was sick, I wasn’t sleeping; I said, ‘Why am I doing this?” Campo said. “The Lord was so gracious, I just felt good that day.” 

His story just got more interesting from there, attempting to set the all-time record for equipped, Campo dropped the 430-pound bar on his stomach. 

“The first thing in my brain was ‘Am I going to die?’ I couldn’t breathe,” Campo recalled. “I laid there for a minute or two until I caught my breath, and someone said, ‘He has another lift.’ I said, ‘Lord, can I actually do this again?’”

Campo had witnessed a similar situation years ago in a competition and the man was never able to lift again. 

“I told myself that that’s not going to happen to me,” Campo said. “I’m going right back under this bar.” 

Six minutes and a few breaths later, Campo threw up the 430-pound world record as if it were nothing. 

“It’s like the Lord took it out of me,” Campo chuckled. “I went in for my normal Monday morning workout and couldn’t even bench the bar.” 

Coming out of the scary, yet movie-like situation, Campo has missed two weeks of training to recover but will return to competition in November at a veteran’s tournament in North Carolina. 

Campo is not only an elite athlete but also a scholar with a Ph.D. in biblical studies. With a heavy emphasis on his spiritual life, he blends mind, body and spirit to be at his best consistently. 

“I’ve always used it as my platform to try and share about the Lord,” Campo said. “The one thing I want people to remember when they’re successful is who gave you this.” 

Campo believes that even with the decades of hard work he has put in, at the end of the day, it comes down to God giving him the ability and gifts that he has. 

“Spend as much time on your knees as you are in the gym,” Campo encouraged. “Keep your balance, keep your roots and feed people good information.” 

Along with his spiritually-based thinking is also his knowledge and wisdom about health and nutrition. 

“I’m very interested in health and nutrition. I study the top research scientists all the time,” Campo said.

He has gone through a variety of diets and ways to eat clean and observed that he was his strongest while on the keto diet, but was clear that it is subjective to where an individual is. 

“You can’t outwork a bad diet. Get rid of processed food and bad sugars, get your carbs from vegetables, and get away from the seed oils, if not you are going to have metabolism issues and heart disease,” Campo said.

Campo, however, is not the only powerlifter with solid advice and roots at Liberty. 

“There is a group of powerlifters that are either Liberty staff or alumni that are not just good, but world-class,” Campo said.

Liberty is renowned for producing world-class powerlifters — individuals such as Spencer Mather, Lucas Pribble, Duncan Hudley and the legendary Bill Gillispie are all products of Liberty University. 

Gillispie is a former Seattle Seahawks strength and conditioning coach as well as Liberty director of strength and conditioning. 

“Bill has a lot to do with success (at Liberty),” Campo said. “He knows so much, and he puts it all into a spiritual context which is good for people to see that.” 

With top powerlifters such as Gillispie and Campo at Liberty, there have been many aspiring powerlifters who have gained success and knowledge from some of the greatest in the sport.

Bessire is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X