My name is Andrew Mauff. I am a Samoan Australian powerlifter, a husband, a father and an athlete competing in my early 50s.

Powerlifting has become an important part of who I am. It is a sport that rewards discipline, consistency and resilience. The weight does not care about your age, your reputation or what you achieved yesterday. Every time you step under the bar, you must be prepared to earn the lift again.

That honesty is one of the things I love most about the sport.

Over the course of my powerlifting career, I have achieved more than I once believed possible. I have earned a top five world ranking in my class, set eight national records and four world records, and competed in both full power and unlimited equipped bench press events.

I am enormously proud of those achievements, but I do not believe they represent the end of what I can do.

I believe there is still a much bigger total in me.

My next challenge is called Road to 1055, a campaign to transition fully into multi ply powerlifting and build toward a 1,055 kg total, surpassing the current all time world record benchmark.

It is an ambitious target. It is supposed to be.

A 1,055 kg total cannot be achieved through enthusiasm alone. Multi ply powerlifting is a highly specialised form of the sport. The equipment allows athletes to handle enormous weights but learning to use it safely and effectively requires specialist coaching, technical development, experienced support and many hours under the bar.

The squat suit, bench shirt and other equipment do not perform the lifts for you. They change the mechanics of each movement and magnify every technical mistake. Before I can challenge the record, I must acquire the right equipment, learn how to use it, develop the strength and technique required, and prove myself progressively in competition.

Fortunately, I already have one of the most important pieces of the campaign in place. My current coaches are recognised as some of Australia’s leading equipped powerlifting coaches. Continuing to work with coaches who understand both me as an athlete and the technical demands of multi ply lifting gives this campaign a strong and credible foundation.

The plan is to approach 1055 methodically.

The first stage will be purchasing and correctly fitting the specialist multi ply equipment I need. From there, my coaches and I will build the technique, confidence and physical capacity required to handle increasingly heavier weights safely.

The next stage will take that development onto the competition platform. I will compete at appropriate sanctioned events, including interstate competitions where necessary, to gain experience, establish progressively larger totals and demonstrate that the record is moving within reach.

Only then will we select the right competition and make the attempt.

This is not a promise that breaking an all-time world record will be easy or guaranteed. Records of this size exist because they are exceptionally difficult to beat. There will be hard training cycles, missed lifts, setbacks and changes to the plan along the way.

My commitment is to pursue the goal properly, openly and relentlessly, and to document the complete journey, not just the successful moments.

I have established a dedicated lifting Instagram page to record this process, @mandrew_1055. Supporters will be able to follow the training, equipment development, competitions, milestones and setbacks from the beginning of the campaign through to the eventual record attempt.

My first-year fundraising target is $16,000.

Funds raised through the Australian Sports Foundation will help cover:

• Approximately $3,000 for multi ply suits and supporting equipment

• Weekly specialist coaching at $100 per week

• Federation memberships and competition entry fees

• Interstate flights, accommodation, car hire and local transport

• Competition preparation and other eligible athlete performance costs

These expenses are significant, particularly because suitable multi ply competitions and specialist opportunities are not always available close to home. Travel requirements can vary considerably depending on where the necessary competitions are held.

Your support will help put the equipment, coaching and competitive opportunities around me to give this record a genuine attempt.

Road to 1055 is about more than one number.

It is about testing the limits of what I can still achieve as an athlete in my 50s. It is about representing the strength, resilience and determination that have shaped me. It is also about showing that ambitious goals do not have an expiry date.

I am not beginning this campaign without a track record. Four world records, eight national records and a top five world ranking show that I have already demonstrated the commitment required to compete at a high level.

Now I am asking for support to take on the greatest challenge of my powerlifting career.

Whether you contribute financially, share the campaign or follow the journey, you become part of the team helping me move from where I am today toward that 1,055 kg goal.

Every training session, every competition and every kilogram will take us one step further along the Road to 1055.