#353 Building a Powerlifting DYNASTY | Bradley Bechel

Dave Tate's Table Talk

Dave Tate

Health & Fitness, Fitness

4.9 • 586 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2025

⏱️ 120 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We welcome Brad Bechel to this episode of Dave Tate's Table Talk Podcast!

Brad Bechel is the Head Coach of the McKendree University Powerlifting Team and a cornerstone in the collegiate powerlifting scene. With a lifting career dating back to the early 2000s, Brad has worn many hats in the strength world—athlete, coach, gym owner, physical therapist assistant, and Army veteran. His well-rounded background and relentless work ethic have fueled one of the most consistently successful collegiate programs in the country.

Since taking over as head coach in 2021, Brad has led McKendree University to multiple top-five national finishes at Collegiate Nationals and helped produce standout athletes, including two collegiate national champions and two IPL world champions. His team also secured an IPL North American Team Championship under his guidance. Prior to that, he served as the team's assistant coach from 2019 to 2021, helping to lay the groundwork for their current dominance.

Brad's coaching philosophy centers around developing strong foundations, especially among youth and junior athletes. He sees strength training as more than just lifting—it's a tool for discipline, confidence, and lifelong growth. His passion for mentoring the next generation is evident both on the platform and off.

Beyond McKendree, Brad serves as the USAPL Illinois State Chair, actively shaping the sport at a regional level. His experience spans federations and athlete levels, making him a well-rounded and respected leader in powerlifting. From 2014 to 2018, Brad worked as a physical therapist assistant and gym owner, which gave him a deep understanding of movement quality, recovery, and athlete longevity.

Brad's educational background includes a B.S. in Healthcare Management and an A.A.S. in Physical Therapist Assisting. He also served in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2009, a period that helped forge the discipline and leadership he brings to every coaching role.

Follow Brad's coaching and team updates on Instagram: @coach_bradly_bechel

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Transcript

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0:00.0	How do we get this to transition from a sport that we love, a hobby sport,
0:04.0	to something that's actually real and concrete?
0:06.0	We got to build a foundation and we see a lot of youth sports.
0:09.0	Those are usually our farms and feeders that turn into great athletes.
0:12.0	And I think that can be the same system for collegiate powerlifting.
0:15.0	I am not a fensnop.
0:16.0	If you lift and you train hard and you're a good athlete and you're a good kid,
0:20.0	I don't give a shit you lift in your backyard all right time to sit down keep it real and cut the
0:34.5	bullshit welcome to table talk all guys, we're back with another
0:38.6	episode of Table Talk. Today, my guest is Brad Beckle. He's the head powerlifting coach
0:46.1	at McKendry University. Yes, sir. And Illinois State Chair of USAPL, is that true? That is correct.
0:54.5	Okay, I'm just checking.
0:57.2	And you've been around the sport for a very long time, so I do kind of want to go back into the history here and then spend some time in the Army as well.
1:07.2	Yes.
1:07.5	And what I'm really super fascinated in is the Collegiate Powerlifting
1:14.5	sector, because just maybe five years ago, it came on my radar that there were certain
1:21.6	universities that were offering scholarships. And it's like, are you kidding me? You know,
1:26.2	because it's still kind of a little under the radar with that and coming up through the sport for as long as I have, it's always been Olympics, you know, it's just never going to happen. We can talk about that. Yeah. But this, I mean, this is big. You know, it's a big deal. I really think it is. Yeah. It is. especially like you's just something that we, especially like you've been around for so long and you've seen like, hey, how do we get this to transition from a sport that we love, a hobby sport, and it's something that's actually real and concrete. And a big ideology I have is I think we got to build a foundation and we see a lot of youth sports and peewee sports and that stuff. And those are usually our farms and feeders that turn into great, great athletes.
2:05.0	Athletes in the road. And I think that can be the same system for collegiate powerlifting. And the aspect of getting funding now and it's recognized that there are so many power lifters or federations or athletes out there that schools are like, hey, like, we recognize this.
2:18.6	It's a growing sport. Let's get behind it. And that's something I am really proud of the
2:22.5	university. I work for McKinjury University is how much they've supported the growth
2:26.8	of power lifting so far. When I took over the team in 2021, we had right after COVID, 11 and amazing 11 kids for them to stick around and after the team, essentially after COVID that was almost non-existent.
	...

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