Bench pressing 225 pounds is child’s play for senior Justin Aflatooni. Aflatooni has been bodybuilding since freshman year to increase his finesse at his chosen sport of water polo, and is now one of the strongest students at Homestead.

Over the course of four years, Aflatooni has more than doubled his body weight through lifting, reaching his all time peak in strength last summer. “The most I’ve ever bench pressed was over the summer, when I was working out every day, when I benched a max of 285,” said Aflatooni. “I was basically living the life of a bodybuilder over the summer.”

Aflatooni’s strength from weight lifting is valuable in water polo, where controlling your opponent in the water is key. “My strength allows me to manipulate my opponent,” said Aflatooni. “If I am fatigued and my opponent is not, I can keep him in place. It allows me to overpower my opponents.”

Aflatooni may actually be too powerfully built for his own good, according to varsity water polo coach Doug Russum. “I told Justin and a few other guys to back off the lifting because it has a tendency to slow you down in the water. Strength only goes so far, but you need to be limber and fast too.”

Aflatooni has moved beyond brute strength and become a much more well-rounded player since last year. “His strength got him only so far, but he didn’t know the game as well before,” said Russum. “Over the last year he’s developed a much better knowledge of the game; he is now one of our top players.”

Aflatooni is also a skilled martial artist, coming in handy in the often violent sport of water polo. “I am a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do,” said Aflatooni. “I’m not practicing it to get my next belt [right now], but I want to get my third degree before I go to college.”

The benefits of his strength aren’t isolated to water polo and martial arts, however. Over the summer Aflatooni made an impromptu wager with another bodybuilder, winning a reward worth hundreds of dollars. “I beat a personal trainer in a strength and endurance contest and won my friend a six-month free training pass at 24 Hour Fitness,” said Aflatooni.

Aflatooni’s plans for physical power don’t stop in high school, and he has dreams of pursuing his love of water polo through college and into adulthood, with fellow polo player senior Geovid Kali. “Geovid and I are going to go pro in Italy after college,” said Aflatooni.