AUBURN — Isaac Lane is a football player.

He’s goes to the gym diligently nearly every day and works at building a better body for his role on Edward Little’s offensive line.

Recently, the EL junior put that work into a slightly different direction. The football player became a powerlifter – and a successful one at that.

“It was interesting,” Lane said about his first try at the sport. “I’d never done anything like that before. It was kind of cool.”

Lane competed in the Maine Games Powerlifting event at the end of March. It was his first-ever competition. The 5-foot-4, 180 pounder won a gold medal in the 181-pound class for 17 year olds. He also set the state record for the squat in his division. He beat the record by 10 pounds with a lift of 450.

“It was the first one I ever did,” Lane said. “I’ve never really done competitions before.”

It was an event that Lane hadn’t even been training for. He’s been working with Josh Barajas, an assistant football coach at EL, for two years. Barajas happened to see information on the Maine Games in Brewer and looked into it. He checked out the website and talked to some powerlifting friends of his.

“I told them his numbers and guys that had been lifting for awhile, they were impressed,” said Barajas. “They said we should get into it. I really didn’t know what to expect.”

The event featured lifts that Lane was doing regularly. They adjusted the workouts a little bit in preparation for the Brewer competition.

“We set small goals leading up to it,”  Barajas said. “The major one was breaking the record for squad. He’s pretty far advanced in that. He did pretty good all around.”

One of the biggest challenges for Lane was enduring the lengthy competition and all that comes with it. It was an experience he’d never had. Typically, Lane hits the gym and works steadily for two hours. During the competition, his first lift was around 9 a.m. and his last lift was around 5 p.m.

“It was an all day thing,” Barajas said. “It was kind of crazy, but it was a good experience. It takes a lot of patience. You do your one lift and then you sit back for three hours. You have to stay patient and stay focused.”

Lane spent that downtime watching and learning while staying loose and ready.

“I’d warm up by lifting and trying to stay mentally prepared,” Lane said. “I learned some different kinds of lift techniques from watching people warm up.”

Lane isn’t sure how much more powerlifting he’ll do. There’s an event next month at Carrabec High School that he might compete in. Otherwise, it’s something he might consider doing after high school.

“Because the lifts — the bench, squat and the dead lift — are all things he does regularly for football, those are good football workouts,” Barajas said. “He can always get right back into it if he wants to.”

Lane’s true goal is to continue to work hard and prepare for football season. He was a starter on the offensive line last year and continues to build his strength to compete against bigger opponents.

“On any night, he’s outweighed by 30 or 40 pounds,” said Barajas. “I always tell him that if he wasn’t lifting, he wouldn’t be able to play because he doesn’t have the size.”

Lane started lifting regularly when he got to high school. Barajas, being a good friend to Lane’s older brother, offered to help train him. They’ve been working steadily together for two years.

“He’s going from 160 pounds to 180 pounds,” Barajas said. “He works out for five or six days a week. He’s the kind of kid that does whatever you want him to do. When he’s here, he’s always ready to work. He’s dedicated. If he puts his mind to it, he can definitely get it done.”

Lane says he can tell the difference during football season when he works out and when he doesn’t. He also sees a significant difference in his endurance because of his training.

With Lane’s progress and so many other kids competing in powerlifting events, Barajas says that could become another sport many kids could benefit from. At the Brewer competition, there were numerous groups that included 10 to 15 kids. Most were either high schools or part of powerlifting programs.

“We have a really nice weight room here,” said Barajas of Edward Little. “I think maybe it’s something that other kids can pick up. I talked to other coaches. There were football players, hockey players, basketball players and a lot of wrestlers. They don’t just lift. It shows that a lot of schools are benefiting from having lifting programs if you’re willing to put in the work.”

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