the POWER MAG NEWSLETTER
monday
oct 30, 2000
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1.....RICKEY
DALE says.....
rain....rain.....go away............we
are getting deluged here in oklahoma (and texas as
well).......but at least this gives all the weight trainers
no place else to go, so everyone has been in the gym full
time lately and pumping away......
again 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
christmas for anyone interested in the iron
game.............
try "the POWER FORUM" at http://members.boardhost.com/powerforum/
..........talk
to others and have your say..........
2.....POWERLIFTING
PARAPHERNALIA AND TRIVIA.....
still no winners on
last weeks trivia question....another hard one.......well
here is one more hint....(i am sure this will do
it)........the supersuit was not originally manufactured and
made for powerlifting but for ??????????...come on
guys...put on that thinking cap.....
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.
3.....POWERLIFTING
ROUTINES AND INFO.....
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.) and second because once you
lose muscle mass (because of lighter training due to injury
or other reasons) 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 73, 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 (when you are not 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
some 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.......
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. 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 to make the holiday
season one of enjoyment.
and check out the
incredible supplement specials at
www.crainsmuscleworld.com/supplements.asp
5.....PARTING
THOUGHTS.....
hope to see some of you this weekend at
the a.a.u. worlds in mesquite, nevada...again drop by and
say hi....
thanksgiving is coming and so the food binge
is creeping upon us..so you need to get into shape to
prepare for it.......
and oh yea.........OU is number
1....
Rickey Dale Crain
5 time world champion
CRAIN'S
MUSCLE WORLD, LIMITED
www.crainsmuscleworld.com
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
crain@ionet.net
celebrating
our 22nd year in serving you
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