november 26, 2001
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1.....RICKEY DALE says.....


good day to all.......is everybody getting over the tryptophan blues???????

UGH, I ATE TOO MUCH. And I am sure most of you inhaled an overdose of carbs and fats, but to be fair you can always say you got plenty of protein too.

Today's newsletter will be brief (unless i get carried away) as I am way behind because of Thanksgiving but will try to make it up to you next week. Remember this time of the year your metabolism slows down and we also make a habit of upping our sweet intake, so be careful; so you don't have to go on a weight loss binge at the beginning of the new year.

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 will be embarking on a new year...2002.... in about 1 month......so make big plans and set big goals as to what you would like to accomplish in it.....but start now...do not wait til then like everyone else does.....

..... 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********************

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

and the answer to last week's trivia question is bob gaynor.........and the winners are aaron pete of san francisco, california.......mike fitzpatrick of massapequa park, new york and jim hart of lincoln, nebraska........good guess....

and this week's trivia question..........??????........what lifter totaled 2100 in the 220 lb class and won the uspf senior nationals while still a teenager (he also placed second at the ipf worlds the same year.....??????......

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.............(and christmas will be here before you know it)

*********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 month or more to do so....many would make look nice in a frame for a home gym or such.....

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 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.....

vitamin c....vitamin c....vitamin c..........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.asp

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

well we are at about 1200 or so 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 (try is the key word here) to get them in........we will not put in any routines that do lend itself to strength or power gains (no matter if you think they are that...high rep routines 10-15-20 reps do not enhance strength or explosive power gains...proven scientific as well as observational fact).....so please do not feel offended if we do not put these in ......

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

as i sit here looking out the window and watching the snow fall....i find it has quite a calming effect....and it is quite beautiful.......i think to myself.....what a great life............much better than the alternative........

IN HIS NAME
Rickey Dale Crain