From: Tim Victor Subject: Re: Where to begin in PL? Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 20:16:50 -0500 Jeff Schindel wrote: > > Calvin Hass wrote: > > > > Hi there... > > > > I've been bodybuilding for a while now, and have recently considered the > > possibility of powerlifting (competitive). > > > > What are the weight class limits? For 180-200lb, what is a minimum total > > before considering some local amateur "natural" competition? (I haven't seen > > any comps, so I don't know what the typical totals are) > > > > Where I stand right now is this: (not much yet) I could diet > > down to about 180 (or whatever suitable upper-end of a class) and hit a > > gym total of about 1180lbs. Unfortunately I have a weak bench, but is > > this enough to even consider it? If not, what would be a good target total? > > > > Thanks for any advice, > > Cal. > > -- > > Calvin Hass chass@unixg.ubc.ca Weights, Windsurf, Mountain Bike, > > University of British Columbia Trials, Ski, Formula SAE Racing > > ... N O F E A R ... > > Thats an ok total for your weight class. I don't look at the lower > weight classes much to know what the weight limits are, but I *think* > its 181 to 198 so come in at 180. Also, go compete just to test > yourself, not to try to win your very first contest. At that total you > won't get blown away in provincial level contests, but neither will you > "clean up". Compete!! its fun an you'll likely learn something. > > BTW: My total will likely only be maybe 100 lbs more than yours and I'm > gonna compete at provincial level. I'm not gonna win, but its my first > contest, and hey, ya gotta start somewhere. Then again, I'm in Sask. so > the competition isn't as stiff here. > Good luck! Jeff, Great attitude. Alot of people never get off their ass for fear that they won't win a contest. The whole point of competing, as far as I'm concerned, is to have fun and improve oneself. If everyone waited to compete until they were ready to post a 2000 total, the sport would shrivel up and die. Have fun, eat alot and lift really heavy things. -- Tim Victor tvictor@erols.com ------------------------ From joncane@erols.com Sat Feb 21 07:56:21 PST 1998 Sounds like the training program you've laid out is logical, though personally, I've never been a fan of stiff leggged DL's for PL, especially sumo DL'ers. I think you're right to focus on technical aspects if you are working with a good strength base and no competitive experience. As the meet gets closer, you may want to try one day where all compeitive lifts are done. Usually, by the end of a meet, you're not able to pull, what you can without having benched and squatted first. BTW, I agree wholeheartedly that the weight she can double should be her opener, and with your desire to go 9 for 9. The biggest mistake I see made by novice lifters is a lack of knowledge of PL rules (i.e. not waiting for "rack" calls, or "squat" calls". There's nothing worse than seeing a lifter get reds on a technicality. These rules will vary somewhat, depending on the Federation that's sanctioning the meet. If you let me know who's meet it is, I may be able to give you more specifics. Also, be sure to go to the rules briefing before the meet. The weight classes for women are 97, 105,114,123,132,148, 165, 181, 198...same as men. Until recently, USA Powerlifting (formerly ADFPA used different weight classes, but that should have all changed by next month). Please feel free to E-mail if I can answer anything else. Hope this is helpful. Jonathan Cane From jburnell@jps.net Sat Feb 21 07:59:20 PST 1998 On Wed, 18 Feb 1998 03:56:59 GMT, ROBO and Sonia (ROBO and Sonia) wrote: >Well, Sonia just found out about a competition that will occur in about a month. >She's been squatting lately (nothing too heavy, 225 tops, belt only) but she >hasn't been doing any barbell presses (all dumbbells - 65s) and hasn't been >doing any regular deadlifts as of late either, as she's been working stiffs >pretty hard. >She wants to do the contest as an "intro" to the world of powerlifting. We both >figure the experience of having to pause a bar on her chest while keeping her >$*%(ing feet down!!! will be good. She squats ridiculously low as it is, so >squat depth isn't a problem. She doesn't hitch on deads at all, her back is her >best bodypart by far. >I figure that we'll have her work almost entirely on technique the next month. >She already probably has sufficient strength to do okay,(she will lift belt >only, as she has been lifting) and our primary goal will be 9 fer 9 at the meet, >as opposed to weight., but that is just a guess, since she has never done >singles before. My questions: > >1) should she worry about trying to build strength? Am I jumping the gun by >just focusing on technique? We won't really be going to failure on anything. >I'm looking more for technique and confidence-building than anything right now. Failure is not important here. Technique is important but get her used to the commands. Check my AAU page or the ADFPA page for the basic rules. and weight classes. Also, the NASA classes are differentl ,Keep in mind that the USAPL (AFDPA) will now be using the IPF bench rules...ie command at the START of the lift NOT on the CHEST. Basically, most guys just have their coach call the 'Press' command from the wings. > >2) I know, stupid question (just look it up Beare!) but if anyone gets the urge >to post women's weight classes, I'd be much obliged. They vary by organization but here are some guidelines : 97,105,114,123,132,148,165,181,198,198+ Get an entry form ASAP. It will tell you the weight classes of the particlular organization > >3) As far as workouts are concerned, we figure a 3-day/week deal, doing > >day 1 - benches, dips, rotator work and abs >day 2 - squats, stiff leg (moderate weight), calves and abs >day 3 - sumo deadlifts (she likes these much better than conv), chinups, more > rotator work, farmer's walk, and abs > >For the big 3, we'll do 5s this week (3 sets) and next, triples the week >following (4 sets), doubles the week following (5 sets), and then figure her >double weight will be her opener, then we'll go from there at the contest. Robo , this sounds ok but I guess you've got three to four workouts until the meet so I'd work up to a max triple for the next 3 or 4 workouts. Base here squat and bench openers onher max triple. You can have her do a double on the last workout if you want but it's better to leave it on the platform rather than in the gym. The reason I suggest this is this. SHE will get nervous on meet day. Everyone does, especially in the first meet. NOTHING will make the day go better than NAILING her openers. Getting that first squat and bench in will set her mind a bit at rest and get her confidence to peak for her next attempts. I'd probably make a couple of minor changes in the program. After the sumos, I'd have her do some rack pulls(do these conventional style- trust me she'll hate em but they will help the lockout) from below the knee. These will help with the lockout and keeping her back tight/straight on the max attempts. I'd also add a couple of sets of tricep work on the bench day - close grips or something. And maybe some shoulder work -presses or plate raises instead of the dips at this point. The lockouts will work the grip too. Aw, hell, since like you, check this out. It is from one of my pages. You should also check my New Lifter Page for some Tips that Tom McCullough wrote. The three competive lifts are the Squat(my personal favorite), the Bench Press and the Deadlift. Most people who have been to a gym have seen these exercises. Their performance in a meet is goverened by strict rules which, I am sure, will be quite different from what you see in most gyms on a daily basis. The rules vary slightly depending upon which organization you choose to lift in but the basics are the same. The first lift of the day is the SQUAT. To get 3 white lights on your squat you must walkout, setup with your knees locked, and wait for the command, "SQUAT". You have one minute from the time the bar is loaded with your weight to get to this position. Once you receive the command you must squat down until the top of your thigh at the hip is below the top of your thigh at the knee. This is the 2nd most important thing you must do. Remember, if you don't go down far enough your squat is no good. The most important thing you must do comes next......you have to stand back up! Hitting proper depth is the easy part. Lets face it, if you could get 1500 lbs. out of the racks you could hit depth with it BUT STANDING UP would become the most important thing in your life after that. When you do stand up DON'T MOVE. One extra step could cost you an otherwise perfect lift. You must wait motionless until you receive the "RACK" command. You may then rack the bar. Two more times and you're done. Once you make it through the squats you will get a chance to show off your skills at the worlds favorite lift; the BENCH PRESS. Keep in mind that 99.9% of all the bench presses you will see in the gym would not get passed in a powerlifting meet. Bouncing, butt lifting and the ever popular "flying foot dance" will all draw red lights from the officials. The rules state that you must pause at the bottom until the bar is motionless and wait for a "Press" command.( See note regarding IPF bench press rules ) Thats right, YOU HAVE TO STOP WITH THE BAR ON YOUR CHEST. But I'm skipping ahead. First, you lie on the bench and take the bar out. I recommend that you get a handoff from a spotter. You will need to conserve all your energy for the task at hand. Next, lower the bar to your chest UNDER CONTROL and come to a stop. DON'T relax. You must stay tight and be ready to explode upon receipt of the signal. The head official will give the signal when, in his opinion, the bar has come to a full stop and is MOTIONLESS. There is no time limit on how long you will stay at the bottom . Learn to descend under control as this makes it easier to come to a stop and may get you a faster "Press" signal. When you receive the command drive the bar to arms length and hold it there. Do not rack it. You must wait for the final "RACK" command. Then you may rack it. IPF rules call for a START signal when you receive the bar AT ARMS LENGTH. You then lower the bar to the chest and pause. The difference is that the head judge will not call a press signal! You go go when you think you have paused enough. Then the lights tell you if you were correct. There is still a "RACK" command. The Bar Hits The FLOOR After the benches things get harder. Now, you DEADLIFT. Most meets are won during the deadlifts. So, if you aren't a good deadlifter, you had better build up a huge lead with your squat and bench. Once the bar is loaded the head official will raise his arm. That is your signal to begin. This is the simplest lift to describe. You simply pick the bar up and hold it until you receive the "DOWN" command. Sounds simple enough. Well, it ain't. First of all, if your form and technique are poor you won't be able to pick up the weights. Second the pull must be one smooth motion. The bar can stop but it can not go back in a downward direction. Once your knees start to open (unbend) they are not allowed to close(rebend). the bar may stop but resting it on the thighs will also get you red lights. You will get three attempts and then you will get your rewards; hopefully a PR lift and a trophy or medal but at least now you can go EAT!!! >Squats will be rock bottom ( as always), benches will be paused every rep, and >deadlifts will be done "single-style", i.e. a set of 5 will consist of 5 >consecutive singles, where she puts the bar down, and releases and repositions >her grip between reps. I like the idea of singles and generally 99% of the time I think thats the way it should be done. BUT since you only have 3 weeks to train I'd recommend this. Have Sonia use the 35s for her sumos and only descend until the plates are 1" from the floor. The plates will not touch the ground once she begins. Concentrate on keeping the torso as upright as possible and working the adductors/hams/ glutes HARD. Do the warmups the same way. These should make her SUPER strong off the floor. BIG TIME. (sorry, I felt like BP for a second). Follow these with the rack pulls, etc. Also make her last deadlift day 8-10 days out from the meet. She can still squat up to the last week but that is it. Generally, I lift on Sunday and my last Squat is the previous Sunday and my last deadlift is 10 days (two Thursdays) before the meet. The extra back rest really helps. Also if she really wants to cheat!! Have her creatine load again during the last five days beforethe meet. Despite the awesome scientific/moral evidence displayed by Orion and Pouthier I have found that the extra loading phase before a meet combined with the extra recovery time works well. >dips will be done heavy, about 3-5 sets of chins (more for grip than anything, >that is a weak spot with her) and abs will be done on this nifty little ab >machine, for sets of about 10-12, nice and heavy, to make sure her midsection >can hang with the heavy singles. For farmer's walk, I'm looking for max weight >for 3 sets of 30 seconds. >I'm not worried much about flexibility training, as she is ridiculously >flexible. >Any other thoughts/comments much appreciated, either by email or mfw (I read >this newsgroup periodically) This was popped on us yesterday (obviously lack of >preparation precludes any true maximum training), so we are kinda left >scrambling. Thanks in advance. > >ROBO and Sonia > Jason W. Burnell Deepsquatter's World of Powerlifting http://home.jps.net/cburnell/deepsquatter.htm From rmanndelete@escape.ca Sun Apr 5 09:12:25 PDT 1998 On 1 Apr 1998 20:11:51 GMT, pwrfem@aol.com (PWRFEM) wrote: >In article <35229A6B.66840B05@tico.com>, John Wash writes: > >>Yeah, that's the way to get people to help you on misc.fitness.weights. Flame >>Burnell, the nicest guy on the whole damned newsgroup. >> >> > >If there is a reason for me to wear egg on my face then I will do so humbly. >But, there was no reason for Burnell to respond to my post the way he did. I >have posted before and recieved some God awful responses. That is why I asked >for advice from folks who know more than the average lifter. I have not been >in this NG for too long so , no, maybe I did not recognize his id. If all can >be forgiven I would like to start over. I have enjoyed reading this NG and >would like to post more but I don't want anyone to think I am a bitch after all >this. >Now that I have puckered up, smooched and all with yolk in my eyes, My most >humble apologizies to you, Burnell. >Oh, and John, I am a female. Explain much? >Now, about the advice I need. Nicely puckered. The trouble is that few powerlifters do it as anything more than a hobby, an obsessive one perhaps but there isn't any money to be made. I compete, it's a hobby, but I compete. Equipment. A good place to start is to read the rules for the organization in which you intend to lift. That said. There is mandatory equipment and optional equipment. Mandatory: Singlet, shoes, socks, non-supportive underwear, plain t-shirt (or a meet shirt or one with a legal sposor's logo) Optional: Squat suit. It is impossible to recommend a brand as they all fit differently. I can't wear an inzer suit because it doesn't seem to give me any support in the butt at the bottom of the squat. I tied one on and could get the straps up by myself even though it squeezed the breath out of me. Marathon and Titan suits are brands which have been recommended to me although I have never had a chance to use one yet. Shirts. I have used a Crane and an Inzer Blast shirt. Both gave about the same amount of support. The Inzer shirts come in Blast, HD Blast, HPHD Blast and EHPHD Blast or #1,#2,#3,#4 As a beginner, you might not want to go straight to the #4, it hurts. The best bencher at our club uses a #4 and the next best uses a #3 A 1 or 2 should do you to start with. Knee Wraps. If you use a suit, use wraps. Most of the brands are good. I have Titan Reds. Inzer Iron Wraps are good too. Store brands are not as good, they are too stretchy. Shoes. For squatting a pair of boots or a shoe with a good solid sole and lateral support are best. A small heel raise might help you as well. I use hiking boots, many use work boots. Soft, spongy runners are not too good. for benching: yes, believe it or not, shoes can be quite strange when it comes to benching. The foot plant is important and your heels cannot raise off the floor so many people go to extrodinary lengths to put raised heels on their shoes. As long as they are solidly attached they are legal. Karen Wilkinson used a wedge glued to her shoes which must have been close to 6" at the heel at our recent nationals. I've also seen many guys with added heels on their shoes/boots. This is a personal thing and is arrived at with experience. Our best bencher just uses runners or work boots with a 1/2" lift inside. If you have trouble reaching the floor solidly you can ask for a box or plate to put your feet on. Deadlifting: Most try to use the flattest, lowest shoes they can find. Usually this means either wrestling boots or gymnastic slippers or aqua socks. Wrist wraps. Are allowed within certain restrictions. A suit can also be worn for deadlifting and can help straighten out the body but can also bring your shoulders forward which will make it difficult to lock out. Belt. Size restrictions as to width and thickness. No nylon, velcro belts. No visible names. They are available in double and single prong and also a lever type. Stay away from the double prong as they can be difficult to use under pressure. The lever type are the best but it takes some fiddling to get them just right and they are either on or off. If you want one to train in as well as compete get a single lever. Check out www.ipf.com for a good run down on the various equipment restrictions and there is a link to Titan there where you can see the various pieces of equipment. I hope this helps. I wasn't going to post at all after your original post so Jason wasn't the only one ticked off. Bob Mann-------http://www.escape.ca/~rmann From jburnell@jps.net Sun Apr 5 09:14:38 PDT 1998 I am training for a powerlifting meet in November. Can anyone tell me what equipment I will need, > re: suits, Here's the rundown as I see it from Mount Oblympus. If you are a narrow to medium stance squatter get an Inzer Z - Suit . It hurts like hell in the legs but you will get used to it. (he he he and you thought you didn't like me before) The customer service at Inzer Advance Designs is excellent. They always have the suits in stock and ship 2nd day air. Get two; one two train in and one for the meet Wear the meet suit the last workout just to make sure it is broken in. Make sure you wash them a time or two as the material will shrink a bit. DO NOT PUT IN DRYER. If you are a wide stance squatter, you might prefer the Marathon suit as its a bit easier to sit back into. I don't feel the same POP out of it but is a bit different in the way it fits. Getting a suit from Marathon can be a pain at times. Both suits are legal in AAU, USAPL, NASA and USPF. If you are going to do an APF meet ......well, the buy 2 (or more) rule still applies, just put em all on. Actually, the equipmet rules there are way different so any thing goes there. As for the deadlift, if you feel uncomfortable in a tight suit get a Champion Suit fro Inzer one size bigger than your squat suit. Or, if it doesn't bther you just wear your Z-Suit. Marathon also makes one hell of a deadlift suit. A lot of people don't like it because it smashes yout testicles back into your abdomen. I doubt that will be a concern for you. Of course, it might help to say that all these thing will be affected by body size and build. > shirts, I like the Inzer shirts but most of the Big Benchers that I know use the Frantz shirts. They say they get more out of them. Personally, I'd get an Inzer HD shirt to break in. Again get two. > shoes, If you like a solid base and a heel, you cant beat the SST Pro from Safe Usa. They will make them custom to fit your feet and will make any heel height you want. One point: get your shoes early. You want to get used to them and not throw them on on meet day. If you are a wide, stance, hip/hamstring squatter get a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors. The have no heel and allow you to sit back. They are also about $100 cheaper. > straps, Um...straps aren't allowed. But if you mean knee wraps. There is but one answer: INZER IRON WRAPS Z. Actually, I've got a pair of the A wraps and I'll use them for training as they are like squatting on a cloud but the Z wraps (red stripe) are AWESOME. I've used Double Goldlines and these are even better. I've used Titan Signature Series but they never stayed in place and seemed to cut off my circulation too much etc. Never liked them. The Z wraps are tighter, they stay in place.....yet they are still comfortable. They Kick butt. >belt, If I had it all to do over again I'd buy a Lever belt. Just order one >from Inzer when you get your other stuff. I'd recommned silver and black. >and what >companies have the best quality apparell? Inzer and Titan and marathon all all have good stuff. In my opinion you can't go wrong with Inzers stuff. havibng said that I will say that each lifter will find that certain gear fits his/her style and body a bit different so you will have to do a bit of experimentation. For a new lifter, I'd readily recommend the Inzer stuff. Its relatively inexpensive and will get you in some quality stuff from the start. >Competition legal. Also, at what >point in my training will I need to start using this stuff? Id recommend the last 5-6 weeks. A squat suit and wrap will definitly change your groove and you'll feel really funny for the first few training sessions. Just squat in a cage or use spotters. >I am training at 75% max right now, so I am sure I don't need them yet. But >at what percentage will I need to start using them? Actually, that is about perfect 75-80%. That way the weight is sort of heavt but still controllable. Trust me, you don't want to start at 95% your first time in a squat suit. Your next post would be from the hospital media room. Jason W. Burnell http://www.deepsquatter.com/ Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 18:23:51 -0600 From: Bob Mann Subject: Re: Strength_List: making weight At 11:32 AM 11/23/98 -0500, Suka wrote: >My meet is in 6 days and according to the scale at my gym I weighed 223.5. >How can I make sure to be under 220 on Sunday? I did have alot of salt >yesterday beforehand. Are you likely to gain weight weight when you rest >the week before a meet? I think I may be able to make weight just by eating >instinctively and walking my dog in the woods instictively, as stupid as >that sounds. Would less salt, less fat and maybe avoiding real high carbs >help me lose 4 - 5 pounds? I plan on drinking more water and checking my >weight periodically too. >Thanks in advance, >Suka Zimmerman > Why lose 4-5 lbs when you only need to lose 3.5? Anyway, the trick is to cut out the simple carbs rather than the fat. No sugar, milk, pasta, bread etc. for a couple of days and a long hot bath the night before with no water until after weigh in. You can drink plain tea or coffee (artificial sweetener is ok)to speed it up as well. If you start this early, you can easily lose 5 pounds without starving yourself. Carbs hold water, especailly simple carbs. Drink a lot of water for the next three days and then cut back/switch to tea. If you do all this, plus the nerves, you'll probably come in light. Make sure you have a couple of large bottles of Gatorade to rehydrate and carb up after the weigh in. - -- Bob Mann http://www.escape.ca/~rmann Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 13:26:52 EST From: WestsideBB@aol.com Subject: Re: Strength_List: making weight Over time powerlifting makes us heavier due to increases in muscle mass and bone density. Still weight can be lost immediately before contests without significant decrements in strength. The key is to start early. If you're training heavier than your weight class limit, make sure to watch your intake so that you don't get too heavy. In your case, 3.5 pounds will be easy to lose. Your nerves alone should enable you to lose the weight. I regularly drop between 2-4 pounds the day before a meet just because I realize that my body is about to go into battle. Regardless, here are some strategies that I have employed to lose as much 8-12 pounds the week of the meet. 1. Check your weight at the same time everyday. Preferably the time that you will be weighing in...just to be consistent. And on the actual scale if you have access to it. 2. During meet week, come off of creatine. This should immediately enable you to lose a few pounds. Don't worry, one week without creatine will not make you weaker, you have already built your strength. 3. Omit any prepared foods for 48-72 hours before weigh-ins. They are too high in sodium. Drink tons of water. This will keep you hydrated. I suggest a gallon three days out from weigh-in, a gallon and a half two days out, and two gallons the day before. You'll be urinating so frequently that this combined with low sodium levels should flush a few pounds out of your body. Supplement with potassium and calcium the week of the meet to prevent cramping. A multivitamin supplement high in antioxidants will also help. 4. The day before weigh-ins, eat your last meal no later than 7pm. This will give you an empty stomach at weigh-in time. No more water or food until after the weigh-in. 5. Use the sauna as a last resort!!! Saunas dehydrate you and will make you weak especially if you sit in them long enough. At the '97 USPF Senior Nationals, I had to sauna in the am before the meet in order to get 5 pounds off. What a mess! I made weight and tried to rehydrate but it was too late. I had an awful day (3/9) and was cramping constantly, by the grace of God...I still placed 5th. My helpers literally had to hold me down on the floor at times to prevent my hip flexors from pulling my legs into my stomach. Never again!!! 6. Immediately after weigh-ins start to drink Pedialyte. This is the electrolyte drink used for babies that are dehydrated from diarrhea, vomiting, etc. Bag the Gatorade...it has little of what you need. If you can't tolerate the taste of Pedialyte (it's pretty nasty)...mix it with juice. I now drink grape Pedialyte mixed with grape juice on meet day even if I didn't have to lose weight. This stuff works. Pound the water and Pedialyte after weigh-in and you should be good to go. *Remember that simple carbs are of little value to the powerlifter except immediately after a workout to replenish glycogen and initiate recovery. Stick to a very limited amount of complex carbs during meet week. Remember what a Carbohydrate is! It's carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Excess hydrogen and oxygen makes H2O=water. Enough said. **If you routinely have to lose more than 5% of your bodyweight just prior to a meet, I strongly recommend moving up to the next class. You'll be glad you did and in time as your body matures and becomes accustomed to your new leverages, you'll be stronger. ***These are just a few tips that have worked for me. It's not the gospel for everyone but it's a useful skeleton to follow. Andrea Sortwell, Cheryl Auld and others have gone into more detail and their methods work as well. Good Luck and Stay Strong!!! Matt Gary Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 18:35:37 -0600 From: Bob Mann Subject: Re: Strength_List: newbie question: to diet or not to diet? At 04:56 PM 12/7/98 -0600, Vitore Selca wrote: >Hi, > >For those who don't read misc.fitness.weights: I am a beginner >aspiring powerlifter (female; don't let the name fool you). I've >been training for about a year and am preparing for my first >competition in early May. I've been doing some research on dieting >since I was hoping to compete in the 132# (USAPL) weightclass and >am several pounds over. However, friends have been encouraging me >to compete in the 148's, train hard, eat like a monster and see what >happens between now and May. Hellooooo Viki. A difficult choice. Fat and happy or thin and.... If you decide to get down to 132 you can paln on losing about 5 lbs just from some minor adjustments to your diet. What I do is to cut out all sugars and starches about a week out. This includes bread, milk (lactose), potatoes, fruit, pasta etc. I also stop the creatine at the same time. During the first part of the week you supersaturate yourself with water drinking as much as you can. The last couple of days I cut out the water and drink plain tea instead. Stay near a bathroom. The night before weigh in I take a long hot bath and then go to bed. This alone should account for a couple of extra pounds. Since you need to lose 9 pounds you might want to start cutting some of it out earlier. You can eat as much as you want of lean meats, fish and vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, beans etc. High fibre types. I usually end up eating more than usual because the lower blood sugar makes me feel hungry. The weight will still come off although most of it will be from water loss. After weigh in I have a high carb meal and rehydrate as much as I can along with about 10 grams of creatine. The alternative is to get as close to 148 as you can comfortably and relax and have a good meet. - -- Bob Mann http://www.escape.ca/~rmann Date: Sat, 16 Jan 1999 17:53:35 -0600 From: Keith Hobman Subject: Re: Strength_List: Oh crap! Mike (the next victim of pre-meet hypertension) wrote, >Oh man, I can't tell you just how depressed i am at the moment. My meet is >next Sun (24th). This week has been pure hell...its my last heavy full week >before the meet. I lifted Monday and all was fine. I missed Tues because I >felt sick most of the afternoon at work and decided to go home and rest. I >make this up on Wed and am ok but then I can't lift Thurs because I had to >coach a Basketball game but I went in last night to make it up..I did rack >lockouts and I did not even get within 15 lbs of what I did the week before >and my elbow was extremely sore. I felt like crap. I lifted this morning >and did my box squats in full gear..I went up and the weights I handled last >week were heavy this time..I have not been feeling good for the last 4 or 5 >days and this time I am at the point that I could just scream! I am going >to do a light bench for speed on Monday...I sure hope I don't fall off pace >next Sunday in Baltimore...DAMN DAMN DAMN!!! > >By the way, the last couple weeks I have been trying to use my bench shirt >but my partners have not shown up for various reasons that I did not know >until afterwards. Its been a couple years since I last used a shirt and >this is definately going to cause problems if I can't at least get into it >on Mon for a few sets! > >Man, now I am starting to know what Keith felt like the last few months... > Mike, its obvious you are right on the edge of overtrained. PERFECT!!! It probably means you've pretty much trained as hard as possible for this meet and are going to have a great meet. I'm serious. The bench shirt thing sucks. If at all possible try to get into one at least once before the meet. But other than that taper off a bit and start working on the old psyche. Don't lift heavy this next week except for the bench if you can get the shirt on. Be carefull with assistance work *especially* rack lock-outs. Remember, the idea of the lockout is to train your grip, so don't go for a max in it. If your feel your grip is okay for the deadlift you are okay. If it isn't okay it won't improve in one week. Above all don't let a bad day (or week) get you down. YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN WEAK IN A WEEK!!!! If I was coaching you I'd say you are right there. You're on the edge, you've paid the price, you are ready for some big lifts. From here on in the most important thing to train is above the shoulders. Don't get negative, don't despair, get positive, know you can do it and hold yourself back in the gym. Save it for the platform where it counts! Good luck. Lift well - do some extra grunting for an injured brother! - - Keith Hobman Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 16:21:01 EST From: Bradykinin@aol.com Subject: Strength_List: Oh well...back to training... For those of you interested (and I know Keith is) I just wanted to give you a rundown on how I did in the USAPL La State Meet this weekend. It'll be short since I didn't make it past the bench... It was pretty nasty. As the meet got closer, I really got to preoccupied with my bodyweight and wound up cutting a few pounds right before the meet. I made it into the 198s but didn't exactly feel up to par when my flight was called for the squat on Saturday morning. I chose to open up with 405. This is a pretty good gym weight for me and I figured I could take it down and get rolling. Man...can I tell you when I took it out of the rack, it felt like I had a truck on my back. I kind of lost my nerve, but took it down anyway. Got two whites from the side refs for depth, but the head ref red-lighted me saying my setup and lockout was shaky...well, this being my second meet, I was really rattled. Coach told me to take a deep breath and nail 455 on my second. Took it out on the rack and it felt like two trucks. This really got to me because I've tripled this weight in the gym. Racked it and found that I had two reds from the side refs for depth...but what was worse, I was feeling like I was about to hork my dinner from the night before...before my coach could get to me, I waived my third attempt (and took the subsequent brow beating from Reed, my coach, for doing so) and got out of my gear... In the warmup area, my bench didn't feel worth a damn either...so by this time I can't even think. Got to the platform and couldn't lock out 265 to save my life. Three misses. Now, I know that 265 isn't much, but I'm still new at this and benching is not my forte BUT STILL, 265 moves pretty easy in the gym... So, I get to think about my mistakes while watching some pretty inspired lifting by guys like Paul Fletcher (who came really close to having a 2000 total in this meet) and Todd Earnest. Here's what I came up with: 1. I got preoccupied with my bodyweight the last three or so weeks before the meet. This wasn't a good thing because I SHOULD have been thinking about my lifts. 2. I'm not at a level where I can do drastic things like try to cut weight and not have it upset the fragile balance that a new powerlifter has. Changes you make to the old body maginfy themselves when the body is placed under stress. 3. I'm not certain that not lifting the week before the meet was such a good idea. I didn't feel at peak form come meet day and the weights didn't assume their natural comfort when I got under them. My efforts for the next eight to ten weeks are going to focus on overall conditioning and technique perfection. USAPL officiating is tough...much, much tougher then NASA...and your technique has to be flawless. I like this idea though and I'm going to work with some weight and volume combinations that will allow me to both solidify my position in the 198s and get my technique down pat. If you guys can think back to your newbie days to when you might have run into some similar problems, I'd love to know how you regrouped and overcame these little sticking points... And Keith, thanks a lot for the help and encouragement so far!!! Ryan Date: Sun, 17 Jan 1999 16:27:25 -0600 From: Keith Hobman Subject: Re: Strength_List: Oh well...back to training... Ryan wrote, >For those of you interested (and I know Keith is) I just wanted to give you a >rundown on how I did in the USAPL La State Meet this weekend. It'll be short >since I didn't make it past the bench... - ---- snip a lot of good stuff ---- I was very fortunate in my first meet that I got to drive down to the meet with an experienced lifter, Mike Armstrong, who kept me on even keel. I think all meets are a bit of a roller-coaster ride, but the first one - whewww!! Survival is the key. Its funny how a meet can go. My brother Darren did much the same thing as Ryan. He made his opener, but lost the lift by stepping forward before the judges signal. He made it in his second attempt and then lost his third, a beautiful, low, limit squat by stepping forward. It blew his psyche. He started bouncing his bench off his chest and just barely made his opener on his third attempt. Then he went and crushed his deadlifts - and had a great meet. All because he just barely got his bench in. Ryan didn't and now is dealing with discourgament. Ryan, you put a lot of effort into the meet. Congrats on that. Also you've learned something and are taking the attitude that you are going to take what you've learnt and apply it. I really admire the spirit and attitude you are showing here, especially since I know how discouraging it is to put the work in and not get to show it on the platform. One thing I would suggest is to train mentally for a meet. Do 120% overloads in the squat walkout and bench un-racking so the weight doesn't defeat you. Other than that - it looks like you lost some strength making weight. It happens and its very hard to judge how you are going to be affected. Louie doesn't believe in tapering for the meet, but some of his lifters do. Dave Tate likes to taper - hard to argue with his meet lifting. I'm still not sure which is best - but I do know you don't gain much strength the last 10 days. What is important is what gets you mentally prepared for the meet and everyone is different. Anyhow, I don't have the answers for you, but thanks for the report and again ... Your courage and determination certainly fires me up! Thanks! - - Keith Hobman Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 13:29:31 -0600, MDT From: "FS ANDERSON SEAN K" Subject: Re: Strength_List: Meet-day eating I'll second what Roger said about carbing up the night before. I have been a believer in the "stay hundry" school of thought of Fred Hatfield and others. Basically you have a light meal of complex carbs about three to four hours before you are due to start lifting. During the meet I avoided eating but kept up water intake. This worked for my first two meets but in my third meet, due to the length of the meet by the time deadlifts came up I had been 12 hours without any fuel and it showed. In the next meet I threw in some granola bars (for carbs and quick energy) "just in case" - again I finished a light breakfast at 7:00 a.m. only to find it was not until 4:00 p.m. that I did my first squat and not until another two hours before I got to deadlifts. The granola bars supplied some needed blood sugar and energy but the deadlifts were still nothing to boast about. In my last meet I brought along three bottles of Science Foods' "Extreme Size" which are loaded with complex carbs and protein. I slugged one down before deadlifts and they went great. Basically I'd say if you must have anything during the meet keep it simple and easy to digest - the Gatorade and banana blend that Roger described sounded revolting but it I gather he can get it down easily and it supplies carbs and energy needed in a hurry. I would avoid anything greasy, anything with spices or sauces, and anything that is going to sit in your stomach a long time to digest. Sean Anderson Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 17:23:37 EST From: WestsideBB@aol.com Subject: Re: Meet-day eating Meet day eating...whew! I've got some horror stories about this topic, but I'll try to stay on the topic. I've definitely learned the hard way when it comes to meet-day eating. Here are some basic prescriptions that I follow and highly recommend: (Remember...everyone is different.) IF YOU HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT TO GET INTO YOUR CLASS: 1) Start early. 2) No food or fluid intake after 7pm the night before an am weigh-in. 3) After making weight, immediately start drinking Pedialyte. It can be purchased at any grocery or drug store. If you can't tolerate the taste, mix it with you favorite juice. I suggest the grape flavor mixed with grape juice. Pedialyte, for those of you who don't know, is the solution given to babies experiencing nausea, dehydration, and diarrhea. It's full of vitamins, sugars, and electrolytes that will help replenish what you've lost and will help prevent cramping. I'm telling you from experience, Gatorade ain't got nothing on this stuff! 4) Eat one or two cans of peaches or fruit cocktail in heavy syrup. It'll go down easy and will give you some quick energy due to it's high sugar content. Be careful though because some of you who are sensitive with your blood sugar levels may wanna try something else that's a little lower on the glycemic index. 5) Don't eat anything that's too drastic or out of your normal diet. Foreign foods, even if healthy, can be a curse and might come back up sooner than you think. 6) If the meet is short, you may not need much fuel. But if the meet is long, I live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because they go down easy (for me) and they're loaded with carbs, fat, and protein. You may want to try to get some food that is easily assimilated, easily digestible, and loaded with carbs and fat. Remember fat is a good thing on meet day because it's our most concentrated source of energy. If you're worrying about how lean you look on meet day and whether or not the side judge is gonna notice the lateral head of your triceps when you lock out your bench...pick another sport. 7) Stay hydrated! Drink as water much as you can. Not only will it help prevent cramping, but it will make you thicker. Over 90% of your muscles are composed of water. Drinking a lot will make you fuller and heavier and will make you feel more secure under such heavy loads. 8) If you've lost a lot of weight the last week, I also recommend supplementing with Potassium a week out. It will help prevent cramping and trust me on this one you don't want cramps. I've had them so bad before that I've had to have my training partners literally hold me down between attempts. Translation: one ugly scene! IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT: 1) Congratulations because you're gonna feel a whole lot better than your fellow lifters who had to lose weight. 2) Eat pretty much whatever you want prior to competition. I'm not advocating a free-for-all binge-a-thon here, but you can stand to fuel up on the good stuff. Lots of complex carbs a few day before will help keep your glycogen stores high. 3) As always...tons of water. 4) A sensible breakfast loaded with carbs and some fat. 5) Whatever floats your boat and doesn't upset your stomach during the meet is probably gonna suffice. **Sorry if this message seemed long-winded. I hope this info helps as I have experimented with many forms of meet-day nutrition and have finally found what works for me. Ultimately, digestion takes energy as well...so don't overdo it with food on meet day. Eat smart, train smart, and be strong! Matt Gary ate: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 18:09:26 -0600 From: Tony Cardella Subject: Re: Strength_List: Why do powerlifters snort ammonia? "Kenneth A. Coia, Jr." wrote: > I've visited a few powerlifting web sites and read something about sniffing > ammonia capsules before lifting. > > 1. What is snorting ammonia supposed to do? I haven't used it in awhile, but it helps you breathe alittle. It also gives you alittle mental "kick" before you lift. That is unless you inhale too much. > 2. How many of you actually do this? Haven't done it for awhile. > 3. Does it work? (i.e., does it make you lift more) I would say yes. It works for some people but not everyone. I would try it in the gym first and see if it works for you. I don't like to do it very often but for meets I usually use it for 2nd and 3rd attempt squats and deadlift. - -- - -Tony Cardella webmaster@goheavy.com http://www.goheavy.com Date: Fri, 29 Jan 1999 11:15:49 -0500 From: "Mike Brookman" Subject: Re: Getting used to SQ/DLing without a mirror >Every gym I've trained in has mirrors, which I use to check my form while >squatting and deadlifting (although less so with squatting, because it's >good to keep your eyes focused on one spot). I lift in front of mirrrors too, not by choice just happens to be where the squat rack is..:) I try to get the feel of proper depth on squats so that I don't have to worry about whether my form is right or not when there is no mirror at the meets...which there won't be anyway..But then when I go to get under the bar for the squat I make sure to keep my head down and not look at the mirror for proper placement of the bar on my back...I get under and then turn around to each side with my head only and see where the bar is positioned on the knurlings..Then I step out without looking at the mirror and then once I am setup I focus on a spot near the ceiling and never look at the mirror..after a while it all becomes second nature.. As for the deadlift, if you need a mirrror to check your form on the deadlift then you have more problems to worry about..:) Mike Brookman Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 21:49:16 EST From: WestsideBB@aol.com Subject: Re: Strength_List: Warming up period at a meet Ken, as others have stated, I would highly recommend taking at least 10-15 mins from your last warm-up set to your opening attempt. This is especially true in the squat as wrapping your knees, getting your straps up, and belt on can significantly raise your heart rate. Trust me, you'll thank yourself. I have learned the hard way and have rushed my warm-ups. This almost always leads to either a missed or super-tough opener. Like a previous person mentioned, count the number of guys/gals in your flight and plan on one minute per lifter. In other words if you've got 10 lifters in your flight, you'll have roughly 10 mins between attempts. The single best advice I can give about warming up is to start early. Remember you can always slow down your warm-ups but it's damn hard to speed them up! Stay strong, Matt Gary Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 23:20:10 -0700 From: Jeff L Fahrenbruch Subject: Re: Strength_List: Warming up period at a meet Warm up is a very individual thing. I personally, in the bench for example, go 135x15 225x8 315x3 wait about 5min. 345x1 ( approx 10 min prior to attempt of 420-430). I know many who don't warm up this much. I find at 46, I need this much for my shoulders to feel comfortable. I also find that doing 1 warm up at about 80% seems to "prime" the CNS to lift at higher intensity. I would suggest you experiment in the gym a bit and find what makes you comfortable. Remember, variables such as warm up facilities and the amount of lifters may have a bearing on your warm up. Jeff L Fahrenbruch MPT CSCS Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 11:00:11 EST From: WestsideBB@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Strength_List: Meet question Lyle: As far as attempts go at meets, I don't put much faith in percentages. Follow these guidelines and you should be safe. The opener is just what it says it is....an opener. Only Coan and Karwoski and other beasts can win with their openers so don't fall into that trap of opening big to impress the crowd. Nobody gives a damn what you open with, it's what you finish with. I highly recommend opening with something you can at least triple in the gym. My friend, Kirk Karwoski, always told me to open with (especially in the squat) my best triple minus 20 pounds. The idea is to just get in the meet. Your best triple minus twenty might be a joke of a lift for you but at least you'll be in the meet and have a ton of confidence. Your second attempt should be right around your max depending on how you feel that day. Your third attempt should be based upon the 2nd. If it felt heavy just bump it up a little for a PR if possible. If it was light, go for broke! Each lift is a little different for everyone depending upon what you consider to be your best lift. For example, I have the most faith in my deadlift. I usually treat my opener like my last warm-up and then go for a PR on my second attempt so I have two shots at it if I miss it. But if competition is close then I'll change my plans. I did this at the States last year but had to tie my competitor on my second deadlift because I had him on bodyweight. This forced him to attempt a PR on his 3rd. So strategy can also play a role. The moral of the story is to open LIGHT then have fun. If you open too heavy, you'll never get a chance to see what you were really capable of on that day. In November 1996 I bombed out of the State Championships in the deadlift. Kirk came up to me, put his arm around me....looked me in the eyes and said as only he can say, "Everyone is allowed to bomb ONCE and ONLY ONCE." Stay strong, Matt Gary Date: Sun, 16 May 1999 23:27:53 EDT From: WestsideBB@aol.com Subject: Strength_List: GREATNESS & ATTEMPT SELECTION Too many powerlifters have no clue as to how to select their attempts. Many of us are proponents of Louie's methods and line of thinking. He has frequently advocated entering a meet with a "gameplan" and all of your attempts predetermined. This is where I disagree. Certainly we all should enter a meet with a good idea of what we are planning on lifting. This rough "gameplan" should always be subject to change depending upon the conditions set forth on that given day. Openers should be easy. Period and end of report. You don't win a meet with your opener unless your Ed Coan. Kirk always told me to open with my best triple in the pre-meet training cycle. In fact, he recommended that I even subtract 20 pounds from my best triple in the squat because it is the first lift of the day and will build confidence. Then you can make your move(s) afterwards. Anyone who has seen Karwoski compete knows his squatting abilities. He doubled 1,000 in training and often opened with 400 kg (881) in competition. Why? Just to get one under his belt and to get the butterflies out. If the opener feels heavy adjust your second attempt accordingly. For God's sake I cannot understand why so many people move their weights up after missing a lift. I always believed that regardless of the circumstances (now some of you will come up with this long laundry list of when you can prove me wrong) you should never increase your weight if you've missed an attempt. I am looking at the results from the Bench Press portion of the Arnold Classic and I notice four lifters who after missing their openers, increased their weight on their 2nd attempts. Guess what? Only one lifter successfully completed their 2nd attempt. There's a shock. Ultimately, we should all lift within our limits while pushing ourselves to our own absolute boundaries of strength. I'm not stupid and/or afraid of any weight, I'm just realistic. Until someone can consistently string together some very big lifts, on a consistent basis, in all three disciplines, for a good length of time...I will hesitate to call them great. Matt Gary, CSCS Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 14:43:29 -0700 From: Deepsquatter Subject: Re: Strength_List: Question about warming up at meets MStern999@aol.com wrote: > > I am warming up by doing some easy reps and about 10 min before the start I am > doing my opener (because of being nervous. My opener is the gym-triple). Manual, that is a waste of energy. If you've done the work in the gym and have gotten adequate rest and nutrition there is no reason to take your opener in the warmup room. > Questions: > -how do you warm up? Squat: Generally I warmup to about 50-100 lbs under my opener. For example my last meet, my last warmup was about 550. I opened with 650. Warmups generally are 6-10 at 135, 5 or so at 225 and maybe a double or a single with 315. From there on I just take singles at 405 and 495 and my last weight. This varies as the conditions of a warmup room are not all the same. BUt you get an idea. Warmups should just get you ready to lift the big weights on the platform. Bench: My last warmup was around 330. Opened with 396. Deadlift: USUALLY, I'll go around 75 lbs under my opener. This time I went up 135x5, 225x2 and 315 and 405 for 1. I opened at 650. > -how do you keep from getting cold? Sweats. Jason W. Burnell STRENGTH ONLINE: http://www.deepsquatter.com/strength/ Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 03:42:47 EDT From: MStern999@aol.com Subject: Strength_List: warming up/staying warm at meets Andy wrote: >>From a more experienced lifter, Andy Scardino, I learned the tip of bringing a windbreaker/jacket, long gym pants, and a baseball cap to contests. After warming up the jacket and cap etc. helps prevent cooling down and chills before your lifts.<< - - Does he put these on between attempts? - - Any stretching between attempts? Or what else are you doing b/w attempts besides waiting and watching the other lifts? Manuel Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 13:37:36 -0600 From: andesean Subject: Re: Strength_List: warming up/staying warm at meets Manuel: Regarding warm-ups, stretching and wearing gym pants, jackets, or caps between lifts: Andy Scardino and I will do a lot of stretching before our warm-ups (that is, before either of us picks up an actual weight - exception here - I use a 5 lbs DB for some rotator cuffs exercises but this is more stretching than warm-up). We then do our warm ups for the squat or bench. Once we feel we're ready for the opener and have squat suit on or benhc shirt or whatever we put on jacket or cap of whatever is needed to keep from getting cold and spend most of the time befoer the opener or between lifts mentally rehearsing the lift and not being distracted by other lifters, conversations etc. Only after the thrid attempt (of the squat) do we change suits and go back to warming up for the bench. Again we stretch, warm up, and put on the bench shirt either for a final pre-opener lift (especially if the shirt is new) or else put the shirt on only before the opener. Befoer the opner and between attempts we also wear a jacket (usually just draped over the back and shoulders - not easy or advisable to try to put in on with bench shirt on. I am one of those who never removes my bench shirt between attempts nor do I loosen my belt between attempts. Others do but I just try to wear them and spare myself the waste of energy in putting them on and putting them off seveal times in the course of competition. Oh yes, I nearly forgot. . . even if you lossen the belt keep it on . . . it will help keep the lower back warm. After the final bench attempt we don't do a lot of sttretching or warm-up for the deadlift. The warm-up and stretching for the squat and the squat attempts themselves have pretty much prepared you for the deadlift. Sometimes we might do a few low weight signles with 135 or 225 or 315 to get used to a deadlift suit but anything more than that is too likely to burn you out. An Olympic Lifter who also powerlifts that I know, Travis Mash, will do clean and jerks with low weights as a way fo preparing himself for the deadlift. Since I don't do OL I don't do this myself but I am mentioning it as a possible alternative in case you already do some OL. Anyhow in the last meet while others were complaining of being cold I felt myself hot throughout the competition and seldom wore a cap or jacket between lifts. I carbed up substantially the morning of the competition and was pretty psyched up. In any case where we are, in the Rocky Moutnains, elevation about 4,500 feet just below the 45th parallel, it can get very cold here in winter and be chilly even in early summer. In lower altitudes and higher laitudes, like Western Washington, there is a lots of humdiity and dampness that can really chill you during a competition. In points south of Pocatello and lower elevations the staying warm part may not be so much of an issue. When I competed in Ardmore, Oklahoma in the Sooner State Games last year staying warm was NOT an issue but rather air conditioning (or the lack of it rather) was the issue. When I wokred out at the GOld's Gym in Palm Springs this last week I found that although the windows of the gyl faced north there was so much heat and sunlight outside that I was being warmed even by the infra-red being relected from other surfaces back through the windows into the gym. Another issue is your body type. Scardino and I are pretty chunky endo-mesomorph types and we tend to stay warmer mroe easily. If you're more lanky and tall you may need to keep warm-up pants, jackets, and a cap available even in warmer climes. A final pooint: You head radiates and is a poitn fo convection for about 25% of your body heat. Just putting on a cap alone would go a long way to preventing you from becoming chilled or cooling down during a meet. The lolngest meet where Scardino and I had to rely on these methods to keep warm was the USAPL NEvada State Open meet hled last Sept. in ELko which had two platforms and went on from 10:00 a.m. to about 7:00 p.m. Our flights didn't start until afternoon. In addition to having caps and clothes we also found it helpful to have some carb snacks with us . . . usually I resist eating anything during a meet but for me this was the "mother of all meets"(!) in terms of length. Hope all this long-winded advice has been useful to you Best Wishes Andy Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 16:06:36 -0700 From: Deepsquatter Subject: Re: Strength_List: warming up at meets/what to do b/w lifts MStern999@aol.com wrote: > You are right. But I am very nervous especially in the beginning that I have > to be sure that I can do my first attempt when I go to the platform. It is > only an easy gym-triple anyway. Probably with more experience (I have only 2 > meets yet) I get emotionally stronger. Definitely work on that. If you know the opener is 'just an easy gym triple' then don't waste the energy doing it in the warmup room! I've actually seen guys take their opener in the warmup room only to miss it on the platform....not the position you want to be in. If you are very nervous, take a training partner or coach with you to the meet....someone that will force yo to stop! > > I am also curious what you are doing after you finished your squats/ > benchpress. I had to wait more than an hour (and that was a small meet) after > sq and bp and I feel I did not used that time very well. If there is a break..I'll down a protein shake, head to the bathroom to relieve interabdominal pressure so to speak and shower (if there is a LONG BREAK) or just wash up a bit. Anything to keep calm and funk free. Other than that, I just relax until it's warmup time. I usually don't watch the other flight that's lifting.. if I do I tend to get too INTO IT and start yelling etc which just burns up more energy. > > >>Deadlift: USUALLY, I'll go around 75 lbs under my opener. This time I > went up 135x5, 225x2 and 315 and 405 for 1. I opened at 650. << > > I did not know you were THAT strong. Well, I opened there.....unfortunately, that's as far as I got that day. - -- Jason W. Burnell: Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 18:04:02 EDT From: WestsideBB@aol.com Subject: PL Body Types I think it boils down to genetics. Powerlifting involves many things but one's ability to lift weights is largely due to their leverages and limb length. For example, the traits of most good benchers are shorter arms, thick shoulders, chest and upper back. While deadlifters possess a shorter torso with longer arms. Those built to squat often have a short femur (thigh bone) and wide hips/thick waists. While most people rarely exhibit all of these genetic traits, it is possible to excel at all three lifts with a combination of body types. For example, one may have a short upper arm (humerus) but a long forearm thus giving the impression of long arms. With this structure they may be able to bench and deadlift well. Ed Coan is a great example of this. He has a short upper arm and longer forearms. He also has a medium length torso with short thighs (femur) but long shins, thus giving the impression of longer legs which help the deadlift. I guess the old saying is true, "Some guys have all the luck." All kidding aside, Eddy needs no luck. He is the strongest regardless of body type. And remember limb length is all relative to your total body size. It's very possible to be short yet have long limbs and vice versa. I hope this makes sense. Stay strong, Matt Gary, CSCS Date: Tue, 05 Oct 1999 09:10:05 -0400 From: Rick Matthews Subject: Strength_List: Thanks; Monolift Thanks for all the words of encouragement from everyone-- Ken, Bob, Jim, Roger, Cozy, Mike, Jeff, Wade, Robert, Kieth, Wade! (Hope I din't forget anyone!) Everyone on this list has been great! Kieth asked about the monolift and whether or not it threw me off. In a nutshell, yes it did-- but not too bad. I didn't realize you had to get "measured" for your settings until I saw all the guys in my class going up there before our flights started. So, I asked someone what was going on, and he told me you had to get measured. I had no idea how the thing really worked, and was temped to ask if I could just walk out my attempt. But, when I got up there, I realized that there wasn't much room on the platform to walk out. Anyway, I had them raise it up, and up, and up (it was about 10" higher than a lot of other people had it). When the bar looked like it was about 3" lower than where it sits on my shoulders (I squatted high bar), I told them to stop. I stepped under it by bending my knees a little and then stood up. The bar cleared the hooks on the monolift by about 1", and that's where I told them to set it for me. I really had to think about my setup on all my attempts. I'm used to setting the bar on my shoulders and taking 1 step back with each foot. Then, I shift my feet out (slightly wider than shoulder width), then squat. Well, with the monolift I got under it with my feet shoulder width apart, picked up the bar, the arm of the monolift swung away, and I was "stuck" in a narrow stance on my first attempt. Not knowing if I could or should shift my feet out, I took the Nike approach and "Just Did It." The OLers would have been proud! :) On my second and third attempts I remembered to get under the bar with my feet where I wanted them. Once I picked it up and the hooks swung away, I was all set. I can really see how the monolift saves a lot of energy in squatting by eliminating the walkout. At the same time being used to the walkout makes the whole thing feel very strange. There was a monolift in the warmup room, but the big guys had it set too low for me and had the bar was loaded way beyond what I use for warmups-- actually well beyond my max :) I didn't feel like saying "uh, hey guys, how 'bout raising that there thing up and stripping a few of those 100s off?" So, I warmed up in the hydraulic stands with my regular walkouts. So, my first ever squat in a monolift was the real deal, and went pretty well even though it freaked me out at first! Another thing about the monolift that was interesting was it allowed each lifter to have the hooks set where they wanted them (in or out). Most had them in because they had really wide hand placements. I had mine out because my hands are placed near the rings. But they changed that thing over very quickly between attempts and I was amazed how fast people were getting there attempts in. I wrap my own knees, and had to start when the person ahead of me was walking up to the bar. That way, right when I finished wraping I walked up and the bar was all ready to go, but had no time to spare. I would have been in trouble if I would have dropped one of my rolls and had to re-roll it! That's another thing I learned-- it's probably a good idea to have 2 pairs of wraps with you that you are equally comfortable using. I had 2 pairs, but did not want to use the second pair because I don't like them as much. Think I'll go call Inzer right now... Rick Matthews Date: Wed, 03 Nov 1999 14:12:36 -0600 From: "Robert Smith" Subject: Re: Strength_List: RE: 467@198 Joe M. >>> "Scott Wood" asks: >What truly is the rule. Bar must be controlled and come to a dead stop before >pressing the weight up? I wonder why they moved to this rule change. Seems >when the press command is given....their is not a doubt?? There were several informative responses to Scott's first question. The rule is that, after receiving the START command, the lifter lowers the bar until it is motionless on the chest for a definite and visible pause, then the lifter presses the bar to lockout and awaits the RACK command. One of the IPF Technical Committee Reports suggests that a pause of one second is sufficient. I agree with Linda and Deep that you should watch and see how the lifts are being judged and make an adjustment in your pause if it seems necessary. As for the reason that the IPF went to this rule, it has to do with the nature of international competition. Some countries felt that certain referees were predjudiced and required excessively long pauses as a means of punishing certain lifters for their national origin. With no PRESS command, it was thought that now two out of three judges (instead of just the head judge) would have to be predjudiced or make a mistake in order for a lifter to get a raw deal on the pause. When I first heard of this rule, my thought was "Why fix something that isn't broken?" Now that I've lifted under this rule a few times, I don't find it to be a problem. Just remember to wait for the START command after the lift-off, before taking the bar down to your chest. - -Robert Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 07:38:46 -0500 From: "Thomas Incledon" Subject: Re: Meet in a couple of weeks > Probably one of the most important points is to make sure whatever it is > you eat is something which is familiar to you. Something which is easily > digested, not sugary and not fatty. What do you eat before you train? > That might be a place to start. I missed the preceding posts on this thread, so if I repeat anything, my apologies. The above is very sound advice. > My favourite after weigh-in is white bread or pikelets (you folks probably > call them hot cakes) made from white flour. This type of food may stimulate a high glucose response, which may not be ideal for a pre-competition meal. > . What is good to eat or drink after > > weight ins? First: If one had to dehydrate to make weight, then drink lots of fluids. Any of the over the counter sports drinks are fine. One can also dilute some orange juice or eat some fruit with water. If you tend to get stressed out a lot I would also add a teaspoon of glutamine to your beverage. It will not do much for your performance, but it may help reduce the catabolic actions from all the cortisol you will be secreting due to the stress of competition. Plan on drinking fluid at regular intervals, even if you are not thirsty. I have seen many of my friends get very depleted by the time deadlifts come. With all the emphasis on supplements many people over look the simple point of maintaining hydration. I tend to drink a lot of my meals because they are easier to digest. If the competition is set up to run efficiently this is certainly a good idea. If you do eat whole foods, keep them small, lower in fat, and as stated above stick to foods you are familiar with. Avoid meet site produced sandwiches, hot dogs, etc because you can not control what is in them or how they were prepared. An acute case of GI discomfort can kill a heavy deadlift in a hurry. As far as supplement strategies, I am looking into the use of pre-workout stimulants such as: tyrosine DL-phenylalanine DMAE acetyl-L-carnitine and others I think they may be beneficial but I have no data to offer any insight as to how much and when. We are also getting ready to look at some acetylcholine esterase inhibitors. I have been very impressed with the animal data so far, but again it is premature to offer any insight. If you are creatine loaded, then creatine won't have much impact on performance at this point (it's already there in your muscles). Caffeine has stimulant effects, but the dosage requirements for habitual caffeine consumers and non-consumers will vary due to tolerance. Depending on the federation and guidelines used caffeine at certain limits is banned usually this is at dosages of 9 mg per kg of BW. There is some variability in clearance so I would say to be safe use a lower dose of 6 mg per kg of BW, that way you will be sure to not exceed the legal limits. Stacking caffeine with tyrosine, and aspirin may potentiate the effects. I hope the above was helpful. If you would more specific information on timing of delivery let me know. Later, Tom Date: Tue, 23 May 2000 19:46:18 EDT From: WestsideBB@aol.com Subject: Re: Strength_List: BOMBING OUT - (Long) In a message dated 5/23/2000 4:26:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Mcsiff@aol.com writes: << Which lifters are renowned for technical prowess and regularly making 9 out of 9 attempts in top competition? Mel Siff >> Mel brings up an interesting topic here. I've posed this question before and many fled from it. Far too many lifters nowadays are considered "great" lifters. Greatness is a term I do NOT use loosely. For example, no one can deny the fact that Ed Coan is a great lifter. Not only does Ed lift the most tremendous poundage, but he's consistent. He makes a very high percentage of his lifts. Most anyone can enter a competition, select easy attempts and go 9 for 9. Ed has regularly gone 7, 8, or 9 for 9 while choosing challenging attempts. In fact, his biggest total of all time was performed with challenging attempts and he made them all. On the other hand, I've seen many lifters lift big weights but miss many attempts. Does this constitute greatness? Not in my book. I'll give you an example. There is a local lifter from Maryland that I've known since 1994. I've watched this man transform his already big physique through hard training and anabolics. He stands 5'8" and weighs 275 pounds. He regularly competes locally and has done many national, regional, and world (IPA) level meets. Here's his problem...EGO. I'm no genius, nor am I a sought after lifting coach, but if I chose his attempts I could guarantee a much higher success rate. I've watched his bench press go from the low 500s to 600 pounds over this time. At the last competition I attended, he open with his best...600. It absolutely killed him to make that lift. Why open so heavy? Why open at your best? Nobody gives a damn what you open with. It's all about where you finish. Pocket your ego for a second, open lighter and finish heavier. Consequently, he went on to have too pathetic misses at 625, that never left his chest. I'm not taking anything away from his strength whatsoever. A 600 pound bench press is amazing at any bodyweight, but his attempt selection leaves much to be desired. The same goes for him in the squat and deadlift. I've never seen this man make more than one attempt per discipline. Pre-meet, I can always tell onlookers that this guy will go 3 for 9. My point is this: YES, he lifts big weights in all three disciplines, but that does not make him a great lifter, not even a good one. He bats 3 for 9 every contest, that's a poor percentage. Choosing attempts is an art that takes the ability to judge your body on that given day and a knowledge of where you stand against your competitors. Ego should play no role in the process. It is far better, in my opinion, to choose wisely and make a higher percentage of attempts, regardless of the amount lifted. Ultimately, consistency over time is one of the main steps on the path to greatness. Stay strong and train harder than the next, Matt Gary Thu, 04 Jan 2001 18:54:05 -0000 From: "Dean Reece" Subject: Re: Meet-day Menu This is what I do: Pancake breakfast beforehand. Maybe some scrambled eggs, toast and hasbrowns on the side. Maybe some yogurt or fruit juice too. Stay away from breakfast meats. Breakfast should be 2+ hours before you squat. Milk is OK here. Bannana before you squat. Lots and lots of water. Use the restroom before you suit up. Of course Murphy says you will have to pee again as soon as you get the suit on. If your suit is tight, you will need help (yes this sucks). After you squat, a turkey sandwich, or at least a couple of powerbars. If its a real real long time between flights, like hours, eat whatever you like. My personal favotite during a 4 hour wait was 3 chocolate milkshakes (real ones) and a plate of french fries. Just nibble before you pull. Somehow I keep gravitating towards the bannanas, easy on the stomach. After the meet, make sure you carbo load using your favorite malted beverage. This will aid in your recovery. Dean