Sampsellta - Featured Member August 2015!!

[phoenix13]

Our Featured Member for August 2015 is Sampellta. Ty, thank you for taking the time to be interviewed. Thanks everyone who voted last month. It's a great read. Enjoy!


1. What is your name? Any nicknames?

Ty Sampsell.

My most prominent nickname is Todd. It was started by my girlfriend to irritate me and kind of just stuck. Also, since I’m a redhead I have been called Red, Big Red, Red Beard, and of course Ginger.

2. Where do you live?

I currently live in Indiana in Western Pennsylvania. I plan on ending up in Pittsburgh though.

3. What do you do for a living or what are you studying?

I currently work full-time as a Transition Specialist for a pharmaceutical company. In the fall though I am going back to get my Masters in Applied and Industrial Chemistry with a specialization in Biochemistry.

4. Are you in a relationship? Do you have any kids?

I am in a relationship with a girl that I have been in love with since I was 16 but we didn’t start dating until I was 19. And since she will never get on IM, I can say that she is a soon-to-be-Fiancée without ruining the surprise.

5. Did you play sports in high school or college? Which one(s)?

In high school I played baseball, football, golf, and wrestled. I continued to wrestle at a D3 college for just one season before giving it up.

6. Have you ever competed in BBing, PL’ing, strongman? Competition highlights?

I haven not competed in any of these though I am planning to do a Powerlifting meet soon. Hopefully in October.

7. What motivated you to start lifting? How old were you?

I first started lifting when I was 10 years old. It was my third year of wrestling and my dad got me into lifting to help me for Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling States.

More recently, after lifting on and off for 9-10 years and after getting away from wrestling I took a break from everything. Well, that break lead me to ballooning up to a fat, soft blob so I started lifting again to not look and feel like shit and now I just want to get into powerlifting.

8. How would you describe your current training protocol?

Currently I am running 5/3/1. I run 3 months of a hypertrophy phase via Boring but Big and then run 3 months of a strength phase by using the Simple Strength Template.

9. What advice do you wish you would have received (and taken) when you started training?

I wish that someone would have started me off on a program like Starting Strength. I initially started on a 3 day a week push, pull, legs program that I think limited my beginner gains.

10. What goals are you working to achieve this year inside and outside of the gym?

Inside of the gym I want to get a meet under my belt. I also want to hit a 500/400/600 by the end of the year.

Outside of the gym, I am taking my Dental Admission Tests and would like to obtain at least a 20 academic average on those. I would also like to obtain a 4.0 GPA my first semester as a graduate student.

11. Do you have any special skills or hobbies?

I’m a bit of a nerd so I like to play Clash of Clans on my phone. And I also like to golf. I wouldn’t consider either of these things special though.

12. What kind of music will be on when you get into the car?

My radio is usually set to a rock station so whatever that is playing is what I’m listening to.

13. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?

I would have dinner with Yogi Berra. The man is absolutely hilarious, arguably the best catcher to ever play, and I can only imagine some of the stories he would have about some of the guys he played with.

14. What is the ONE thing you always get when you go grocery shopping?

Eggs. I usually eat anywhere my 6-18 eggs a day.

15. What does a typical day of eating look like for you?

It depends. If I feel I am not too heavy/soft then I do a “see food” diet. I just make sure I get in at least 1 gram of protein/lb of bodyweight and stay at my caloric limit and my carbs and fats are whatever. If I am looking like hell, then I usually do a Keto diet to get my weight down. My Keto diet usually coincides with my Boring but Big phase and “see food” diet with the Simple Strength Template.

16. How often are you late for work or school?

Never. I was raised with the mentality of: “If you’re 10 minutes early, then you’re on time. If you’re on time, then you’re late. If you’re late, then you’re fired.”

17. Have you ever had two dates in one night?

Negative.

18. What is one thing you could tell us about yourself that we would be shocked to know?

I can’t think of anything.

19. Have you had any major injuries? If yes, how did you deal with it?

Not pertaining to lifting: grade 3 AC joint separation and a broken humerus. Nothing for the AC joint. Time for the humerus.

Pertaining to lifting: fatty liver with inflammation. To take care of it I just sat around for 3 months until I got healthy again.

20. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

I think I would move overseas, perhaps Ireland or Southern France. I have never been to either but I can see myself at either.

21. How many drinks does it take before you get drunk?

2-3 for a buzz. Probably 6 to get drunk.

22. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? Where?

I have three tattoos. An anatomically correct heart on my chest. A tribal style dove on my left, inner bicep. A 10” tall pissed off panda on my right, outer calf.

23. Do you train with a partner or by yourself?

I currently train by myself. I think I would like to lift with a partner because I know it would help push me to become stronger and keep me safe, but I like the therapeutic/holistic aspect of putting in my ear buds, drowning out the world, and moving some iron.

24. What is your favorite lift?

Deadlift.

25. What is your strongest lift?

Big surprise…deadlift.

26. What is your relationship with cardio? (dating, married, it’s complicated, HIIT, fasted, etc)

It’s complicated. I have a hill next to my house and love doing hill sprints but can hardly ever convince myself to walk the 150 feet to the hill.

27. Most embarrassing moment?

I was a catcher during my baseball career. My most embarrassing moment was a spurt of my high school baseball career in which my anxiety was so bad that I would also short throw the ball back to the pitcher because I would get anxious, death grip the ball, and release it too late.

28. If you could have any one superpower, what would it be?

The ability to reach into my pocket and always have exact change.

29. What motivates you in life?

My envisioned future with my girlfriend. All I want is to eventually become a dentist and provide her and myself with lives that neither of us have ever had.

30. What personality traits do you look for in a partner?

Pretty, a bit sassy, and supportive which I currently have.

31. If you died today, would your affairs be in order?

Hahaha. I’m so fair in debt from undergrad that nothing in my life is in order let alone if I were to die.

32. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would get rid of my anxiety. I think that sometimes my fear of failure holds me back from putting my best foot forward. This has been something that I have been struggling with since at least 1st grade. I remember taking a standardized test in first grade and crying (literally crying, tears and all) to the teacher because I didn’t feel like I knew the answer to one question.

33. Last book you read?

“Junkie” by William S. Burroughs.

34. If time and money were not an issue, what would you do with your life?

I would continue on my journey to pursue dentistry because I need some semblance of a routine in my life. I would pay for my girlfriend to go get her PhD. I would also probably travel a good bit.

35. Why do you come to IntenseMuscle.com everyday?

I initially came to IM to look into just what the hell DC training is. I stayed because I felt a sense of community here that doesn’t have jackasses and inaccurate information like other sites.

[TLopez]

Great interview.

Do a meet. It'll motivate you to be better. And, btw, those are great #'s for a meet. What weight class (in case I missed it)?

[fat TODD]

Thanks. I'll compete at 275. I'm sitting in the mid-260's right now.

[phoenix13]

Congrats on the soon to be engagement.

How tall are you?

Do you need/want the Masters in chemistry to get into dental school, or is it something that interests you additionally?

[fat TODD]

Thanks Phoenix.

I'm 6'1".

It's a combination of both. I am going for my Masters to improve my resume for dentistry school but it does interest me also. I could have gone back to get my Masters in Biology (I have my BS in Biology), but I was getting bored with it. Biology just felt like it was memorization without application so I decided to pursue Chemistry because I know it will be more of a challenge.

[phoenix13]

Where there is no challenge, there is no change.

How long has dentistry interested you?

[53greystreet]

Thanks. I'll compete at 275. I'm sitting in the mid-260's right now.

Most excellent, eat your way into the meet, this is the way to do it. I see so many lifters wanting/trying to cut weight for their first meet. There is already enough to be concerned about, removing making weight from the equation makes things much smoother

[fat TODD]

Where there is no challenge, there is no change.

How long has dentistry interested you?

I first looked into dentistry when I was 14 for a career exploration class my freshman year of high school. I feel in love with the money mostly and the idea of basically playing with mini power tools sounded like a good time. Then I got to college and got kind of lazy and thought about drifting away from it. Then I did an internship with both a general dentist and an oral surgeon and realized that if any career would make me happy, it would be in the form of dentistry.

[fat TODD]

Most excellent, eat your way into the meet, this is the way to do it. I see so many lifters wanting/trying to cut weight for their first meet. There is already enough to be concerned about, removing making weight from the equation makes things much smoother

That's what I figured. I was sitting around 250 when I first thought of doing a competition. I thought about cutting to 242 but I'm not breaking any records any time soon so I figured, "screw it, I might as well push to 275 and get bigger numbers."

[phoenix13]

... dentistry ...basically playing with mini power tools

I love it! Make a good living + enjoy what you = awesome.

Do you plan to stick with 5/3/1 up to the meet?

[Collabera]

Very much enjoyed this. Good luck with the engagement! Any idea on how you are going to ask her?

Do you have any nagging little injuries from lifting? Things that are so far not serious?

[fat TODD]

No idea how I will propose. Just gonna wing it probably. Whenever it feels right.

I think I have shoulder impingement but I have never been diagnosed. For the past month or so, my shoulders have had a dull, achy pain that sometimes gives a shooting pain. My knees also ache sometimes but they don't hurt at all. I also strain a muscle every once in a while but nothing severe. I can usually move my days around and hit it within the week without any pain.

[fat TODD]

Also, I would like to thank everyone that nominated and voted for me. It's an honor to be a featured member.

[Heckman]

Nice interview! I especially like #20.....Follow your dreams if you want to live somewhere different. My wife and I moved to Southern France almost a year and a half go....low key, stress free and very inexpensive to live here.

[fat TODD]

Nice interview! I especially like #20.....Follow your dreams if you want to live somewhere different. My wife and I moved to Southern France almost a year and a half go....low key, stress free and very inexpensive to live here.

My girlfriend speaks semi-fluent French (it was fluent but she hasn't spoke it in 3 years). She visited France when she was in high school and absolutely loves it. We want to move to Nice when we retire. What part of Southern France are you in?