MONROE — When Eli Burks was in high school in Missouri, he entered the Push-Pull competition at the Show Me Challenge. Although he had never done power lifting prior, he showed up and won it.

Flash forward to last month, when Burks, a family medicine doctor with the Monroe Clinic, brought home first place in his weight class at World Classic Powerlifting Championships in Sweden.

“I have yet to peak out,” Burks said. He said he deadlifts 825 pounds, squats 700 and benches 460 — yet he weighs about 235.

Burks won gold in the 105kg (231 pounds) weight class. 

During college at the University of Missouri, Burks was the president of the Strength Club. A former wrestler and athlete in high school, he wanted to continue being an athlete, but also wanted to compete in a sport with a chance for longevity well into his 30s. Powerlifting gave him that opportunity.

In 2015 he won nationals, in 2016 he won a world’s meet and later that year qualified for the Strongman worlds. 

He came to Monroe two years ago and spent the first six months building a gym in his basement. He worked out at Anytime Fitness before his gym was completed. 

“There were some limiting factors (at Anytime Fitness),” Burks said. “Like the number of weights that fit on a bar.”

He said that keeping a workout partner is most difficult due to scheduling conflicts. He works upwards of 90 hours a week, and many times doesn’t get a chance to work out until 9 p.m. to midnight. So instead he does it himself with his own discipline.

“I’ve got a few sponsors; The Strength Guys and coaches send me my workouts,” Burks said.

Burks also said that his hectic schedule makes finding time to compete an issue. He said when he plans to be gone to a competition, he’ll work more the week or weeks before and the week following his travels. 

Trimming the stresses that come with the sport — like maintaining a specific weight — is something Burks has conquered more and more. He said he used to hit the saunas before weigh-ins to drop weight, but now he simply stays right at or a couple of pounds over his weight class, which can come in handy when traveling overseas. 

Traveling itself can also be stressful, from the change of time zones to any of a variety of other variables. He once had a flight in Munich that was running late and he almost missed a competition. He said the governing body of the sport also has approved hotels for competitors have to stay in or face a fine.

But Burks doesn’t let the hassle get the best of him. During his most recent trip to Europe in June, he went from Copenhagen to Stockholm in Sweden sightseeing and enjoying the culture with his fiancée, Amber.

While he thoroughly enjoys competing and powerlifting, Burks said he knows “it’s just a hobby.” And now, at 32, he’s aware that real life might start affecting how much and how often he can be competitive. He and Amber are set to wed in January and starting a family shortly after could be in the cards, too.

“I’ll compete as long as my body can tolerate it. The question is how does lifting fit in with life? Most other competitors own their own gym and don’t work other jobs,” he said.

Burks said his biggest holdup will be when his placing starts to see a dramatic drop.

“At this point I’ve had so much success, it would be mentally hard getting 30th place — others think 115th is good. I think the difference comes once you’ve tasted victory,” Burks said.

For now, he’s set to compete in the Strongman in February in Arizona in hopes of qualifying for the world competition again. He said to keep his mind and body fresh, he alternates between powerlifting and Strongman every other year.

“After winning worlds in 2016, I took most of the next year off to focus on Strongman,” Burks said. “I’ll probably do it again next year.”

Burks also suggested a bump up to the 120kg (264 pounds) weight class, which means he would need time to gain the weight, because it “wouldn’t happen overnight.” In an Instagram post the day after winning in Sweden, Burks said “I think the strongest I felt was when I was about 250 pounds moving into strongman nationals in 2016.” At the worlds he was “at 226 without a cut.”