POWERMAG.ORG
august 13, 2001
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1.....RICKEY DALE says.....

NEWSFLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...we have changed the name of the newsletter to POWERMAG.ORG........and the web site.... WWW.POWERMAG.ORG ....... for it will be up within the month......all the back issues of the previous newsletters since 1999 will be on it also........(IN A MONTH OR SO.......)

and the beat goes on.....

.........i get 200 plus e-mails a day plus phone calls......it is impossible to answer them all as complete as many would like but i do answer them all....so be patient....and in reality you can probably find the answer by combing through the back issues of the newsletter found on the web site.....

2.....POWERLIFTING PARAPHERNALIA.....TRIVIA and STUPID QUESTION OF THE WEEK........

and the winner of the trivia question from last week IS brian hudyma of lakeville, minnesota......with the answer of joseph "joe" spack.....
HE WAS THE ONLY SMART ONE AWAKE THAT DAY...I GUESS.......

and the new trivia question of the week....?????..... is.......what world class powerlifter in the heavier classes actually won a senior nationals with a deadlift and squat that was twice of what his bench press was?????? (hint......he was a national and world record holder in the squat and deadlift).....

I would like to make a comment on lifting (squat) shoes.... (will talk another time on the footwear for deadlifters and bench pressing). Every sport (and I mean every sport) has a little different requirement for footwear, that is why we have specialty shoes available to all athletes of every persuasion. In powerlifting the main concerns are ankle support, traction (no slippage) and lightness (with strength you should not feel like your feet are stuck in mud when walking with the weight). I have sold, at one time or the other just about every weightlifting shoe that has been available over the past 20 plus years. There seemed to be a deficiency in all of them of some type or the other. All were either developed for olympic lifting, or field olympic events or were converted shoes from another sport. So we at CRAIN'S decided to start from scratch and develop one of our own squat shoes. (and yes we make it in a America). Using the above criteria as well as others plus input from hundreds of lifters we designed what we considered to be the ultimate squat shoe. After the first year or two of production we even made a few changes based on the consumer card we put in with the shoes. We listened to what the lifter had to say and responded. First a shoe must be light, 2-3 lbs per pair (unless it is a size 15, which we stock). We use a pigskin inner lining for comfort and a cowhide outer for the stiffness, but kept it light and maneuverable. You will not feel like you are walking thru mud when setting up for a heavy squat. Why in the world would you wear a heavy pair of 5 lb combat boots and take the chance of stumbling with 500-600-700 or more on your back? Very foolish indeed. There are two Velcro straps, one around the ankle to tighten up so your ankle will be kept as vertical as possible, and the one on the instep so your foot will not slip in the shoe. We recommend the straps and not the shoestrings be used for the tightness aspect. I personally loosen up the straps after each lift, like you do a pair of wrist wraps, then cinch them back up for the big ones. It is in a wrap around design, like a wrestling shoe, which is the best design to keep the foot still and able to move about. Many or most people nowadays tend to wear street shoes and/or tennis shoes that are a size too big. That seems to be the style. When they first put on the power (squat) shoe it may seem uncomfortable because they have not been wearing a shoe that actually fits their foot. The all leather shoe will gradually conform to your foot and you will become used to the tightness (I actually wear it so tight as to the point of being uncomfortable), just as you do the power suit or power wraps when you first put them on. Remember tightness is the name of the game. The tighter you are and/or feel the better you will lift. After studying all the heels of the many different shoes, and looking at different styles of squatting we believe a heel of 3/4" is the ideal height for the shoe. It will increase your leverage to the point of adding 10-20 lbs. over and above a shoe with no heel. And it looks sharp (good) also. A perfect shoe with a perfect design. We have even had olympic lifters, shot putters and discus throwers who like it and use it for their sport. Anyway, another product to enhance the safety of your lifting and to enhance the strength aspect for a bigger squat.

..........I cannot emphasize enough the idea of protection in lifting. The heavier the weight gets and the older the lifter is, being macho may land you in the hospital or with an extended lay off on your favorite lift. You can still get stronger, as fast or faster in gear.

once again we are featuring two new books on the market you all have got too get......"the metabolic diet" by dr mauro dipasquale and the new and very entertaining book, "brother iron, sister steel" by dave draper.........these make nice gifts for anyone interested in the iron game.............(and christmas will be here before you know it)

3.....FORM.....STYLE.....TECHNIQUE.....and ROUTINES.....

I would like to address for a minute today, the problem of muscle loss as we get older. I have studied the over 40/50 /60/70 year old lifter for sometime now, as we have trained many of these in the past 10-15 years. (and as i and my brother and father are one)......I have made some observations I would like to pass along. The older you get the lower your reps will become (out of necessity), mainly because of the irritation of the joints (i.e. arthritis, etc.). Secondly as you age you lose muscle mass (because of lighter training due to injury, recovery abilities by the body or other reasons) and it is very difficult to get it back (if you can at all). Up to that age you can get by on periodically going light or taking a short rest. As an older athlete you cannot do this and expect to recover fully. I noticed in my father, age 74 both by observation and by what he has told me, (which confirms it) that you need to keep your weight at no less than 75-80% of max most of the time (UNLESS you are injured or recovering from an injury). When we were younger we could recycle and drop to 50% and start back up again with no ill effects. At his age if he did this, there would be more permanent muscle loss than normal because of his age. So for the older lifter it is better to do lower reps and higher weight, as much as possible with shorter mini-cycles . Never going below 75% unless it is for rehab purposes. My father primarily does singles/doubles and/or triples, never any higher. If the weight drops too low due to higher reps, too much muscle mass will be lost, (much of which cannot be recovered). As I get older I am seeing the same thing occur. Remember, keep the weight up, get your rest from less sets not less weight.

4.....NUTRITION and SUPPLEMENTS.....you are what you eat.....

we have a few expired drinks of all kinds (they are still good) that we are selling for below cost......first come...first serve....all kinds...proteins drinks...fat burning drinks......etc.......and also a few closeouts in protein bars still........

With the heat still upon us this time of the year, people are more run down and stressed out than usual. You can help overcome a lot of this with extra vitamin C-complex (not just ascorbic acid). Dr. Linus Pauling, the father of vitamin C, suggested for athletes 3-5 grams per day or more and under stress or when starting to feel sick, go ahead and double it. This is good advice, so everyone needs to up the vitamin C (the whole c-complex) to make it through the hot times when you are losing liquid (and with it other nutrients)...........

.....and check out the incredible supplement specials at
www.crainsmuscleworld.com/supplements.asp

5.....PARTING THOUGHTS.....

good luck to all the usa lifters at the world games in japan this weekend...hope some of it ends up on t.v.........

well we findly are back over 1000 subscribers after a virus hit us in the spring.........we are always looking for meet results and pics and guest workouts...........e-mail them to us and we will try to get them in........

thanks again for all the help some of you all give to me in providing info for the newsletter..

IN HIS NAME
Rickey Dale Crain

5 time world champion
2000 powerlifting hall of fame inductee

CRAIN'S MUSCLE WORLD, LIMITED
as I

APPLETREE MINISTRY
www.appletreeministry.com

3803 north bryan road
shawnee, oklahoma 74804-2314 usa

800-272-0051
405-275-3689
405-275-3739 fax
405-627-0134 cell
rcrain@charter.net

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