Episode 34: Hard-won Life and Lifting Lessons from KC Mitchell

Strength icon KC Mitchell, aka "That 1-Leg Monster," shares his incredible story of struggle and redemption in this wide-ranging discussion. He lost a leg and nearly lost his life to an IED in Afghanistan, then battled back to become a competitive powerlifter with help from legends like Ed Coan, Mark Bell, Rich Piana and many others. Now he may be eyeballing… bodybuilding?

Highlights:

- Why he still revisits photos of the incident that almost took his life, and how it feels now

- His pre-injury training: Lots of fighting, plus "curls for the girls"

- What powerlifting has to offer CrossFitters and other lifters

- What the old KC thought of powerlifting (and powerlifters)

- His a-ha moment, in the darkest days of post-injury narcotics abuse

- Why he threw away his Doritos along with the pain pills and booze

- His unique relationship with pain

- What his first few weeks back in the gym looked like

- His first free squats—and the video of them that went viral

- Lifting with the big boys at Metroflex Long Beach

- His relationship (and pancake eating contests) with the late Rich Piana

- Why he shies away from "adaptive" lifting competition

- His epic first powerlifting meet story

- His "crazy" squat theory: "If I sit 402 pounds on my back, it's going to push me down to a point to where it's going to push me past that pain part."

- Backstage with Ed Coan before his final deadlift: "I'm not going to tell you the weight, but you need to pull it."

- How Hany Rambod talked him into (probably) doing a bodybuilding show

- Why he admires athletes like Kris Gethin

- The simple beauty of the deadlift

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