Kjell Bakkelund returns to Barbell & Beyond following his stunning second-place finish at Sheffield 2026 — complete with a world record deadlift and a weight class reveal nobody saw coming. In this episode, Kjell pulls back the curtain on the months-long plan to return to the 66kg class, the mental and nutritional adjustments that made it work, and how nearly 20 years of competition experience gives him edges that don't show up on a leaderboard.We also get into his coaching philosophy, his approach to autoregulation, why he prefers percentages over RPE, and what he's building toward for the rest of 2026.Hosted by Carli Dillen & Luke SelwayWant to know more about coaching? Visit us at www.barbellandbeyond.online/

(00:00) Introduction
(00:14) Training Frequency: From Six Days a Week to Three
(02:56) Post-Sheffield Recovery — What Happens the Week After a Big Meet
(05:10) Mental Flexibility: Why Elite Athletes Don't Panic When Plans Fall Apart
(09:24) The Sheffield Strategy: Why He Opened Heavy and Stayed Focused on Himself
(11:47) The F1 Movie That Changed Everything — Deciding to Return to 66kg
(15:18) The Weight Class Deception: How He Convinced Everyone He Was Going 74kg
(22:16) The Weight Cut That Actually Worked — More Calories, Better Sleep, Fewer Mistakes
(26:46) Inside His Coaching Team: Nutrition, Mental Coach, and Head Coach
(34:53) The Sheffield Experience Advantage — What 20 Years at the Same Meet Gives You
(38:54) Attempt-by-Attempt Breakdown: Squat, Bench, and the World Record Deadlift
(47:24) Meet Day Mentality — PRs at 37, Stoicism, and Why Satisfaction Matters
(53:19) What the Prize Money Goes Toward (And Why the Family Is Always First)
(57:47) Coaching Philosophy: How Kjell Teaches Autoregulation to His Athletes
(01:03:56) RPE vs Percentages — Why He Trusts the Numbers Over Feel
(01:11:41) Pre-Lift Routines and the Mental Cues That Unlock His Best Lifts
(01:13:15) What's Next: Worlds, November Sheffield, and Staying at 66kg
(01:20:50) The Future of Powerlifting — What the Sport Needs to Keep Growing