Meet Vasa Samataua: Elite Strength, No Fuss

Elite-level powerlifter, full-time operations manager, father of two, and self-described “simple man”, Vasa brings a refreshingly grounded approach to strength sport.

From 1000kg+ totals to balancing family life and training, discover more about the mindset behind one of Australia’s most experienced powerlifters below.

Hey, I'm Vasa

I’m a competitive powerlifter based in Sydney, Australia, and I’ve been involved in strength sports for well over a decade. Over the years, I’ve competed across multiple federations, earned more than 10 competition wins, and stepped onto some of the biggest platforms in powerlifting, including ProRaw and Big Dogs.

My training is built around progressive overload, long-term consistency, and adapting to real life. Between work, family, and training, no two weeks ever look exactly the same, so I adjust my programming week by week depending on what life throws at me.

I’m coached by Sebastian Oreb, whose approach to technical lifting and long-term athlete development has had a massive influence on how I train and compete. My focus is always on improving over time, staying healthy, and continuing to perform at a high level for years to come.

Outside the gym, I work full-time as the National Operations Manager at Ezi Recruitment while also raising two daughters who compete across netball, athletics, and Oztag. A lot of my mindset around discipline, balance, and consistency comes from trying to be present across all areas of life - work, family, and sport.

At the end of the day, I just genuinely enjoy lifting. I take training seriously, but I’m also pretty relaxed as a person. For me, it’s about continuing to improve while balancing work, family, and competing at a high level for as long as possible.

Together with Bulk Nutrients, I want to help show what it really takes to perform across sport, career, and family life, and the role good supplementation can play in supporting consistency, recovery, and long-term performance.

Vasa’s Approach to Nutrition

Honestly, my nutrition approach is pretty simple - if I remember to eat, I’ll eat.

With work, family, and training all happening at once, sometimes I get so busy that eating becomes more of a timing issue than anything else. Other days, when I finally do sit down for a meal, I can absolutely put food away. We’re talking pizzas, wings, big feeds - whatever sounds good at the time.

I don’t really overcomplicate food. I enjoy eating, I enjoy good meals, and I’ve always been someone who can eat a lot when I’m hungry. For me, it’s less about following strict food rules and more about making sure I’m fuelled enough to perform, recover, and keep up with everything going on in life.

At the end of the day, consistency matters more to me than perfection. I keep things practical, realistic, and sustainable around my lifestyle.

Average Daily Calorie Intake: It honestly depends on work, family, and training. Some days are flat out and I forget to eat, while other days I’m eating up to 12,000 to recover and keep up with training demands.

Is there a type or style of diet you follow? Not really - I eat everything. I genuinely enjoy food and don’t like overcomplicating things when it comes to eating. For me, it’s more about balance, enjoying meals, and making sure I’m fuelled for training, work, and everyday life.

Are there foods you avoid? Why? Probably just eating too much cheese. I love it, but let’s just say there’s a limit before things start going downhill.

Are there foods you crave? Pizza, lamb, BBQ, pork, ribs… honestly, pretty much everything. I’ve definitely got a big appetite when I’m hungry. Add in ice cream, Black Forest chocolate, coconut roughs, and a super cheesy pasta, and I’m happy. I just genuinely enjoy good food.

What's your go-to cheat meal? Pizza, easily. It’s cheap, quick, easy to get, and perfect when I need a heap of calories after training or a busy day. Hard to beat a good pizza.

My Day on a Plate

Honestly, it really depends on how busy life gets and how hungry I am that day. Some days I’m super organised, other days I completely forget to eat until I realise I’m starving.

If I’m really hungry though, breakfast could easily be 3–4 steaks, 12 eggs, or even a whole loaf of bread. I’ve always had a big appetite when I actually sit down and eat properly.

Most days are pretty simple and practical because I’m always on the move with work, family, and training.

Breakfast

Usually something quick and filling. This could be eggs, toast, leftovers, or a Bulk Nutrients Whey Protein shake with water if I’m rushing out the door.

Morning

Bulk Creatine Monohydrate with water on the way to work. Sometimes I’ll throw my whey protein in the same shaker to keep things simple.

Lunch

Whatever’s practical and easy to eat while working. Usually meat-heavy meals, rice, wraps, burgers, or takeaway depending on the day.

Dinner

This is usually where I eat the biggest. Steak, BBQ, lamb, ribs, pasta, pizza - anything high in protein and calories that actually fills me up.

Snacks

Honestly, whatever I feel like eating at the time. Ice cream, chocolate, leftovers, bread… I’m not too strict with food and I enjoy eating.

At the end of the day, I keep nutrition pretty relaxed. I don’t follow strict meal plans or avoid foods - I just try to eat enough to support training, recovery, work, and family life.

Weekly Workout Plan

My training is built around progressive overload powerlifting, with a strong focus on getting better over time rather than chasing short-term results.

I don’t follow a super strict week-to-week program because life changes too much between work, family, and training. Some weeks everything runs perfectly, I hit every session, recover well, and stay fully on track. Other weeks, life gets busy and I just adapt where I need to. That flexibility has been one of the biggest keys to staying consistent over the long term.

Most of my programming is adjusted weekly depending on how recovery, work, family commitments, and training are all lining up. The goal is always to keep progressing while making training sustainable around real life.

My training is heavily focused around the main powerlifting movements:

Squat

A huge focus for building overall strength and total performance. Most squat work is programmed with progressive overload in mind, alongside accessory movements to build stability and strength through the lower body.

Bench Press

Bench has always been a major part of my training. A lot of my upper body work revolves around improving pressing strength, technical consistency, and staying efficient under heavier loads.

Deadlift

Deadlifts are one of the biggest indicators of overall strength, so a lot of my training is built around improving positioning, execution, and recovery between heavier sessions.

Alongside the main lifts, I include accessory work based on what needs improving at the time. That can include rows, hamstring work, upper back training, tricep work, or anything else that helps support long-term progress and injury prevention.

At the end of the day, my approach is pretty simple - train hard, recover properly, stay adaptable, and keep showing up consistently. That mindset has helped me balance powerlifting with full-time work, family life, and competing at a high level over many years.

Latest Results

Do you have any medium/long term goals you're working towards?

One of my biggest recent goals was qualifying for Nationals, which I achieved recently. I’ve now qualified for both the APL and WRPF Nationals, and potentially Worlds for both as well.

The next goal is simple - I want to win Nationals.

Long term, I just want to keep progressing, stay competitive at the highest level possible, and continue enjoying the sport while balancing work, family, and training.

Have you had any exceptional results (in competitions or otherwise) in the last few years? Let us know what they are!

Over the years, I’ve competed in 17 sanctioned powerlifting competitions, alongside a few unsanctioned and strongman events. Across those competitions, I’ve achieved 10 overall wins and 14 podium finishes.

Some of my major results include winning events such as APL NSW Battle of the West 2026, WRPF NSW State Titles 2026, ProRaw 12, and multiple GPC competitions across Australia.

I’ve also competed at elite-level events including Big Dogs and ProRaw, which are recognised as some of the highest-level competitions in powerlifting. Some standout performances include a 3rd place finish at ProRaw 14 in 2024 and a 4th place finish at Big Dogs 5 in 2024.

One of my biggest performance milestones so far has been achieving a 1035kg total at Big Dogs 5, alongside multiple 1000kg+ totals throughout my career and several federation records.