POWERMAG.ORG


march 11, 2002
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1.....RICKEY DALE says.....

GOOD DAY TO ALL.........SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER.........
and everyone is hard at work training to increase their strength...speed...agility...or maybe just trying to get into shape...

Powerlifters, athletes and bodybuilders seem to be just as gullible sometimes as the general public in buying what is advertised in the magazines. Do not believe everything you hear, especially since most of it is written by the people selling the products. The basics are the best.

We are now almost 1/4 the of the way into the new year...2002....so how are those goals you set on jan 1 coming along??????.....when you make big plans and set big goals as to what you would like to accomplish.....starting is easy....continuing on your quest is hard...especially with all the difficulties and bumps in the road you will encounter along the way........keep the faith and be dedicated........

..... Beware of "everything" you read in print, even question my advice. Remember, I believe through the years with all my experiences, training partners and talking to all of the greats in powerlifting and other sports, I have narrowed it down to what I believe is the best training and nutritional regiment. As well as the proper form, style and technique. But I can always learn.

.........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.....

**********we are also in the process of changing hosts and webmaster for our website.....please be patient during the changeover********************our new webmaster (mistress) gabrielle bove has done a tremendous job....but we still have a ways to go...be patient...or she will get you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

and the answer to last week's trivia question is.....pudgy stockton..............i thought it was a hard one but i received 20-30 correct answers.........and the winners are........paul kelso from japan......donna "let's give rickey a hard time" slaga from canterbury, connecticut......and don graham of zanesville, ohio.......way to go guys (?????)

and this week'S trivia question is.....??????......WHO WAS A TWO TIME ALL-AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYER AND ALSO A MR AMERICA WINNER....???....

also a few stupid comments of the week courtesy of chris rice........."i'm not very strong but i make up for it with bad technigue"......or "i'm not very fast but i make up for it by not having enough flexibility"....

let me know what your pet peeves and gripes on equipment or supplements are.........or what positive results you have achieved. As in any sport, equipment is invented, designed and used to further the advancements and safety of the sport. (usually it is always two fold) Using the equipment should always be sensible........ always give new equipment a chance to prove it's worth. When trying something new, use it for a while till you adjust your style and form to it. Do not give up on it too soon. I have seen too many lifters that are not patient enough to work with the new gear and seem to fight it...... be patient, it will work for you.

**********below is the answer to all the questions i have received on footwear for training......it will also be put on the web site for further reference by anyone needing it....************************

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 sport specific 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/athletic 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.......

*********i just got in a large collection of old powerlifting....bodybuilding.....fitness mags from the 30's....40's....50's....60's....70's.....many of them i will be keeping...but before i start advertising them i want to make them available to anyone who is a subscriber........lots of different names of mags.....e-mail for a description...i am still going through them and i am sure it will take me a few more months to do so....many would look nice in a frame for a home gym or such.....many of these now have been sold...but still plenty left.....

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 get it back 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 75, 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..... but also do keep it above 85-90% for extended lengths of time...to avoid overtraining...which is easier to do also as you age.....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.....

vitamin c complex....vitamin c complex....vitamin c complex..........keep it coming to ward off all the colds and flu....'nuff said....

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

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

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

GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GOING TO SAINT LOUIS THIS WEEKEND FOR THE USAPL NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS...COME BY AND SAY HI...SEE YOU THERE....


IN HIS NAME
Rickey Dale Crain, b.b.a., i.s.s.a.

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

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