Hayden Bowe has accomplished many accolades in the world of weightlifting and powerlifting, creating personal and competition records in numerous events. He set such records at the Hybrid Showdown II, setting records in the squat, bench, and deadlift- he lifted a total of 785kgs/1730lbs total in this event. Although Bowe always wanted to be an athlete, his first love was hockey, as he grew up in a hotbed for the sport in Canada. 

Early in Bowe's hockey career, he realized that he was one of the smaller players, only reaching 5'9 as an adult. He grew up training in the same gym as the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, so he never lacked in motivation when aspiring to reach his athletic heights. Although he never made it to the big leagues in hockey, he trained thousands of individuals in weight training for hockey, as well as in general. Bowe emphasizes the tremendous importance of having correct technique when lifting weights, as improper technique may force someone who is lifting to overcompensate with other muscle groups, leading to improper muscle development and even injury. 

"Don't use other muscles to compensate for a lift, don't target a sticking point, rather target the issue causing the sticking point".

During Bowe's weightlifting career, he tore his patellar tendon and wasn't able to perform exercises like the clean, jerk, or snatch for months. Upon his return, he fell in love with powerlifting and immediately hit personal records in the clean and the jerk event, even though he hadn't performed such lifts in about 6 months. A lot of this success can be attributed to the importance Bowe placed on technique during his events. He says that an individual has to practice a certain technique to the point where it becomes the default technique- the longer an individual practices such technique, the stronger they will get. He says that if a failing point is reached, it is because of the weight being too heavy, not improper use of technique.

"I always tell new lifters to stick to a good technique, base your training off good technique. There should be reason why someone shouldn't be able to hit their personal record with proper technique."

Bowe also encourages people to look at other prime movers and muscles like the glutes, when someone is trying to build a muscle like their back. He uses exercises like glut bridges or hip thrusts as viable examples to start progressively overloading as a supplemental lift. He notes that glutes translate into better squats and deadlifts, emphasizing for an individual to not change their course, but to find new methods to implement to improve their lift. He believes one main issue facing individuals who lift is that they identify an issue, but don't give themselves time to adapt to a new stimulus. He underscores the importance of the saying, "less is more", and makes it a focal point when saying that individuals can always get better. He supports this statement by saying that most powerlifters are in the sport because they are still making progress in their lifts.

Bowe has worked with thousands of athletes, including working as a weight trainer for younger athletes who play hockey. Technique is especially important for younger athletes in the weight room, as it becomes the main building block to proper strength training. Bowe's methods have become so successful that he co-founded the Hybrid Performance Method with his girlfriend, Steffi Cohen- Cohen is also a champion powerlifter. The Hybrid Performance Method rotates between 4 and 5 training days a week and incorporates weightlifting, powerlifting, and bodybuilding. The method was so successful that it surpassed 500 members after just a few months.

To learn more about Hayden Bowe, follow his Instagram @hayden.bowe