The Eleven-Pound Bar

by Nicholas Racculia, PhD, SSC | September 09, 2026

ryan relosky bench pressing at a meet

Every coach remembers the first day a particular trainee walks into the gym. Most fade into memory over the years. A few remain. And of those few, some grow more vivid over the years. Ryan Relosky falls into the last category.

My day job is a finance professor at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Also at Saint Vincent College is the Bearcat B.E.S.T. (Building Excellence through Skills Training) Program which “provides 18-21 year-old students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a college experience with same-age peers” that advances progress in four areas: “academics, vocational training, independent living, and social skills.” [1] In the 2017 academic year, a group of student, staff, and faculty volunteers developed a minimally-modified Starting Strength novice linear progression barbell program for a group of B.E.S.T. students.

We met with the Bearcat B.E.S.T. students twice a week for the fall and spring semester. We focused on the primary lifts (excluding the power clean for most and substituting lat pulldowns where chin-ups were not possible/practical). Progress was excellent; it inspired much of our later work with lifters from Acme Providers [2] and generated useful expansions of tactile cues. [3] Our approach was simple – we treated the B.E.S.T. students as lifters who happened to have special needs, rather than special needs individuals who happened to be lifters.

One of the students in the B.E.S.T. program was Ryan Relosky. Ryan hadn’t yet found his passion in life, so he decided to give strength training a try. The first day did not go well; he had extreme difficulty and discomfort holding the 11-lb aluminum trainer bar in his left hand when we first introduced the deadlift. He struggled to get the bar into the correct position on his back for the squat; physical limitations prevented this. Overall, his first attempts at strength training were fairly disastrous. The reasons became apparent only after I learned Ryan's history.

Ryan’s First Semester Results in the Bearcat B.E.S.T. Strength Training Class.

Ryan was born on March 15, 1997, and appeared healthy at birth. His parents noticed, at just under five months old, that he consistently reached only with his right hand. Evaluation by a neurologist eventually revealed that he had suffered a moderate-to-severe stroke during or shortly after birth, resulting in left hemiplegia confirmed by MRI.

The challenges compounded. His left-sided weakness was accompanied by reduced fine motor control and cognitive delays. At only eighteen months of age he developed a seizure disorder, including a grand mal seizure severe enough that he nearly died in the emergency room before being life-flighted to Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. His recovery required months of medication adjustments before his seizures were finally brought under control.

Even after that, the rehabilitation never really ended. Years of physical, occupational, and speech therapy followed, along with Botox injections and surgery to lengthen the fascia in his left leg to address heel cord tightness (all of which helped, but did not resolve the extreme tightness). As an adult he still walks with an abnormal gait, experiences balance problems, and regularly battles cramping and spasms in his left hand.

After that first day, I expected Ryan to select a gentler elective, but he showed up again. And again. His path to strength came slowly at first, then quickly. Many false starts with squatting eventually settled on using the safety squat bar. The deadlift gradually took shape with that aluminum trainer bar (and 10 lb bumper plates) giving way to the standard bar with iron plates. The novice linear progression led him to some truly magnificent lifts, including a few state and world records. Readers will recognize that each milestone was built upon tens of thousands of sets of five across thousands of training sessions.

Author, Ryan, and author’s son doing their best Rip Impressions.

Each session encountered challenges. Imagine facing each heavy deadlift set knowing the following: by the second or third rep, the left hand will involuntarily and painfully cramp, regardless of the many preventative measures taken to mitigate. Compound this with extreme tightness in the left leg, so much so that it is virtually impossible to pull from the ideal starting position. Now imagine consciously choosing to fight through those pain barriers with rabid determination to get stronger.

Ryan’s grit and determination are the primary drivers of his accomplishments. But he has a secret weapon worth mentioning – his father, coach, and most ardent cheerleader, Ron Relosky. Ron is indefatigable in his love and support for his son. He is with Ryan every training session helping him load plates and belt up. He has gotten quite good at recognizing the inevitable form breakdowns that affect us all. He is constantly cheerful and supportive. While Ryan takes his lifting very seriously, it’s Ron who keeps his son centered, focusing on the long-run goals over any short-term setbacks. Ryan’s grit is uplifted by Ron’s patience and devotion. Watching them work out together, laugh together, and occasionally get frustrated together demonstrates the pricelessness of that often-undervalued role of father.

Ryan with proud parents Ron and Monica.

As expected, Ryan’s programming uses the basic barbell lifts. He pulls, presses and benches using standard equipment and form. He must use the safety squat bar for his squats, but they are deep and as close to the model as the left side of his body allows. Use of the safety squat bar precludes him from lifting in full powerlifting meets, but he excels in the push-pull contents. Since his first sanctioned meet in September 2018, Ryan has competed in over 20 events through both Special Olympics and the 100% Raw Powerlifting Federation, qualifying for State and World Championships several times. He consistently places first or second in his weight class.

Highlights of Ryan’s Strength Journey.

Today, Ryan sets world records in the 100% RAW Powerlifting Federation’s Special Olympian division. At the May 2026 100% Raw 2025 Great Lakes Championships, he set a record 275.5 lb bench press in the 308 lb weight class. He also holds the Pennsylvania Special Olympian bench press record in the 275 lb weight class with a lift of 270 lbs. [4] And that young man who just a few years prior struggled to hold the 11 lb aluminum training bar with his left hand established a world record 413.3 lb deadlift at the November 2025 100% RAW Powerlifting World Championship in Ashland, Virginia in the 308 lb weight class. [5]

November 2025 413.3 lb Deadlift World Record.

Ryan is not content just competing. He has committed himself to helping others begin their path to strength. For many years, he was a regular spotter volunteer during the years we trained the Acme Providers (adults with severe disabilities). The volunteer work morphed into a desire to coach. He shadows many of my private coaching sessions and has begun to branch out on his own. He earned his first certification on July 20, 2022, as an International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) Certified Powerlifting Instructor. He added a Certified Exercise Recovery Specialist on May 14, 2024, and a Specialist in Strength and Conditioning on July 5, 2026.

Away from the platform, Ryan is as recognizable for his enthusiasm as his strength. People who know him know that he is quick to laugh, enjoys joking with training partners, and has an infectious excitement whenever the conversation turns to barbells. Yet the moment training begins, that easy smile gives way to intense focus. Ryan approaches each set with a seriousness that reflects years of hard-earned progress and respect for every pound added to the bar.

Ryan's passion is strength. It gave him confidence, purpose, and eventually a profession. He did all of this with barbells, programming that got as close to an ideal linear progression as possible, a devoted family, sheer grit, and a stubborn determination to spit in the face of adversity. It introduced him to lifelong friends, a community he loves, and a way to help others become stronger themselves. Today he sets world records and is dedicated to coaching new lifters, but he has never forgotten that 11 lb bar.