Denilson Monteiro made a strong statement at the FNSL Southeast streetlifting championship, establishing himself as one of the most formidable athletes in the -87 kg category. Vice-champion of the competition, he sits down with us to look back on his performance and what the day taught him.
Introduce yourself in 10 seconds: name, weight category.
Denilson MONTEIRO, -87 kg, personal trainer and streetlifting athlete.
How did you discover streetlifting?
I discovered streetlifting thanks to Baki – because of Baki, or thanks to Baki, haha – and also through the people who were training at my gym, Annecy Street Events.
Why did you decide to compete at the FNSL Southeast?
It was a little test. I wanted to see where I stood, and it was a good way to assess myself and fine-tune things for what comes next.
Weighted muscle ups – easy or mission impossible?
Right now, 20 kg just won’t go in competition. And on top of that it’s my weak point, so we’ll sort that out in training, plain and simple.
Did you hit your target weights on weighted pull-ups, or did you leave wanting more?
I’m leaving a little unsatisfied. I wanted to lock in a solid 75 kg, but the pull wasn’t there today, so next time.
And what about weighted dips?
It wasn’t harder than expected, but I didn’t do what I wanted. I was aiming for 120 or at least 117.5 kg – I ended up hitting 115 kg.
With all that accumulated fatigue, how did you feel going into squats?
On squats, it was a battle. I had no choice – I wanted my podium and I got it.
If you had to sum up your competition in one word?
Exciting. Exciting because there were twists and turns, and guys, streetlifting is 4 movements – anything can happen right to the end.
