When patrons at the Triton College Fitness Center in River Grove receive guidance from personal trainer Alejandro “Alex” Jimenez, they should definitely follow his recommendations. After all, Jimenez is a reigning world champion. The 28-year-old from Cicero claimed victory in the 165-pound category at the World Powerlifting Congress held in November at the Sheraton Lisle […]
When patrons at the Triton College Fitness Center in River Grove receive guidance from personal trainer Alejandro “Alex” Jimenez, they should definitely follow his recommendations.
After all, Jimenez is a reigning world champion.
The 28-year-old from Cicero claimed victory in the 165-pound category at the World Powerlifting Congress held in November at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville.
He achieved the highest point total among lifters in his class across three different events.
What’s it like to be a world champion?
“Pretty good,” he replied. “I’m extremely proud of all the effort — the blood, sweat, and tears — I put in over the last 20 weeks.”
Standing at 5-foot-6 and weighing 159 pounds, Jimenez lifted between two to three times his body weight during the competition.
His top performance in the squat was 501 pounds. In this event, the lifter supports the bar with weights positioned on his shoulders, squats down, and then stands up while carrying the weighted bar across his back.
In the bench press, where the lifter lies back on a bench similar to those at a typical gym, he achieved a lift of 320 pounds, which is nearly double his weight.
For the deadlift, where the lifter pulls the bar from the ground up, Jimenez managed an impressive 587.50 pounds, exceeding three times his body weight.
He attempted to lift more, but nature had other plans.
“I passed out at 600 pounds. Lights out,” he said about his last deadlift effort. “I’m fine. It took about 30 minutes to recover.”
Jimenez began weight training during his sophomore year at Morton East High School in Cicero.
“I didn’t know anything about coaching anyone. I just focused on my workouts. Everything I learned, I picked up from YouTube,” he shared.
While training with seven friends, a PE instructor noticed and suggested, “since you have half the class with you, why not involve the rest of the class,” Jimenez remembered.
“We collaborated and established a (weightlifting) class on Fridays,” Jimenez recounted.
Years later, his enthusiasm for lifting has not waned, as he continues to strive for personal bests. Why does he persist? It’s all about “the reward,” he explained.
“You invest a lot of effort to reach your max, and when it aligns perfectly with your hard work, it’s incredibly gratifying,” Jimenez stated.
He aspires to share that rewarding experience with the individuals he trains at the fitness center, where he is a manager, as well as at his own gym, Barbell Fitness in Bensenville.
When asked for advice for non-competitive lifters, Jimenez replied: “Definitely patience.”
“There is so much to weightlifting,” he emphasized. “It involves mastering the movement, understanding the purpose behind it, how to perform it, what benefits it provides your body, and why certain exercises are necessary.”
After completing high school, Jimenez obtained his personal trainer certification and an associate degree in exercise science at Triton College.
He subsequently earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Concordia University.
While weightlifting offers benefits, it is not without its dangers. Over the years, Jimenez has faced several injuries.
“I’ve strained muscles, pulled various things, broken blood vessels, but fortunately nothing career-ending. It’s not something I lose sleep over,” he remarked.
Jimenez is contemplating competing next year at the Amateur World Powerlifting Congress, which is part of the WPC.
In the meantime, he is delighted to enjoy this year’s world championship, which led to “a big celebration” at a local Paisans Pizzeria & Bar.
“I ordered a double-dough extra-cheese pizza, had a Guinness, and then went straight to sleep,” Jimenez said.
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
