Anton Pliesnoi Interview

A native of Ukraine Anton Plesnoi is a member of the Georgian national weightlifting team. At the last World Championship, which was held in September in Thailand, Anton became the world champion in the snatch and won the bronze medal in total, having shown in total a really good result (181 kg  + 213 kg = 394 kg). 

How did weightlifting appear in your life? Did you use to do any sport before the weightlifting?

As a child, I used to try many kinds of sports (athletics, Greco-Roman wrestling, volleyball, combat sambo, football and even karate for 2 years) but nothing interested me. When I was 11, I tried weightlifting and realized that it fit me, as well as my frequent competitions and constant progress motivated me to move forward very much.

Why did you move from Ukraine to Georgia?

I was considering a big choice of other countries, but Georgia had the best conditions and an important plus – the training with the strongest man on the planet and under the guidance of his coach.

Were you going to Georgia as an already experienced athlete? What are the main differences in the training process of the national team between Ukraine and Georgia?

The Georgian team cherishes and cares about each athlete, so they calculate the load, depending on the well-being of everyone. And the athletes are loaded to their limits in Ukraine, if you are physically strong you can withstand and lift, if not, you just break.

Tell us about the climate inside the team? How is it to train next to the strongest man on the planet?

The Georgian national team is a family in which I was immediately accepted, and it’s a place where they will always help you with advice or some deed. Training with Lasha is a huge motivation and understanding that there is no limit to human capabilities.

How are your daily regime and training process organized?

The training mostly takes place in Dusheti, but we also go to other bases in Bakuriani, Batumi … some bases are in the mountains at an altitude of more than 2000 m above the sea level. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday there are big double workouts. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday there is one easy workout, which consists of some auxiliary and technique work. On Sunday I have a well-deserved rest. I always stretch before and after training, spending at least an hour a day on it, and on the days of light training, I do a lot of exercises on rehabilitation and prevention of injuries. On Saturdays we go to sulfur baths in Tbilisi. A couple of times a week we also have massages and physiotherapy.

Is Georgian cuisine delicious?

The cuisine is very tasty, but my stomach does not always cope with it because of the large amount of spicy food.

We all know Giorgi Asanidze as a great athlete. Today he is one of the most successful coaches in the world. How is it to work with such a specialist?

Giorgi Asanidze is the best head coach in my entire career. He always talks to me before each workout, making a plan based on my well-being and preferences and he never ignores my opinion.

What weaknesses are you working on as an athlete now? What do you want to change in yourself to become even better?

I need to add more brute force in order to increase my result in the future, and there are also some mistakes in the snatch and jerk, that I still have to work a lot.

You have made great progress over the past year, compared to the last World Championship – plus 8 kg in the snatch and plus 7 kg in the jerk. What is your secret: the methodology, the technique?

I treated my injuries that were preventing me from progressing for a long time. It was thanks to my friend and at the same time a massage therapist Max, who helped me to rethink the behavior of my injuries and taught me how to properly affect the muscles for the fastest recovery. 

What are the best results in snatch, jerk and squats, that you have ever lifted?

     Snatch – 181 kg

     Jerk – 220 kg

     Back squats – 270 kg

What is your favourite exercise?

I don’t have a favourite one, I enjoy any exercise, especially when I get into the movement as clearly as possible.

What achievements and kilograms are you dreaming of?

I want to set the world records in my category and I try to make every effort to do this.

Tell a funny or silly story about yourself in the time of competitions or trainings.

When I was in the Ukrainian team, my teammates didn’t share something and started to fight, I wanted to stop them. As a result, they had almost no signs of the fight, but I went to the hospital to sew my lip up…

You are already an experienced and award-winning athlete: give some tips for beginners? What is important in training? What do they need to pay attention to?

The main thing is to train regularly, monitor your health, and do stretching.

TRAIN TOGETHER – TRAIN RIGHT!