MARCH, 2010 INTERVIEW OF JON MARSHALL

1. What have you been up to lately?

Just running my Health clubs ( Snap Fitness 24/7 ) in Tucson.. Training hard with my team for the Tom Manno Western States Nationals on May 1st. Team POWER & inTENsity is looking strong

2. How many years have you been competing?

I started competiting when I was 13.. I am turning 37 this July.. I did take a 5 yr break fo rpersonal reasons from 2003- 2008

3. What are your biggest squat, bench press, deadlift and total numbers?

Best squat is 700, best bench 425, best deadlift 611 @ 198.. Best total is 1642 @ 198

4. What titles, records and achievements did you accumulate in your powerlifting career?

I have won 14 Nationals with NASA and 2 with USAPL back when it was ADFPA.. I have won 4 World Cups with NASA, and have been named Powerlifter of the Year 4 times.. I have broken over 150 State, National and Worlds during my career.. But during my break i lost all my reocrds so i plan on getting them back this year.

5. Describe your training philosophy?

Volume.. I train heavy squat and Deads on Monday, bench assistant work on Tues, Core and Rotator Cuff work on Weds, Light deads and Sqaut assistants on thrs, and heavy benches on sat..

6. Do you compete equipped (squat suit, bench press shirt & deadlift suit) or unequipped (no suits) or both?

Im an Equipped lifter.. I have a sponsorship form Titan so i use their squat suits and briefs.. Im also sponsored by APT PRO GEAR so i wear their bench shirts and wraps..

7. What is your favorite lift, squat or bench press or deadlift or all three?

I love the squats..

8. What is the most impressive lifter you competed against?

Competed against , idk there are so many great lifters out there..

9. Who do you think is the greatest lifter of all time?

My Idol - Ed Coan..

10. How has the sport changed when you first started competing?

The Gear has gotten alot better which is good and bad.. I compete in single ply gear.. All the multi ply equipment frustrates me.. Takes away form real lifting.. teh gear is suppose to support you and help you not get injured not do all the work for you..

11. How do you prepare for an upcoming competition?

cycle my lifts til about 7 days out then ill do my openers..

12. Describe your nutritional intake for an upcoming competition?

You will laugh.. i never have been good on nutrition.. I eat fast food every day.. im a junk food junkie..

13. How many meets do you compete in a year?

usually do about 5 a yr..

14. Who is your greatest competitor?myself..

no one can push me like i push myself.. i have too many goals out there..

15. How does today’s judging compare to yesterday judging?

Ii think judging has gotten away form what the rules state.. lots of lifts are being done that shouldnt pass but are because of who they are..

16. There are probably 50 different federations. Do you think this is a good thing or bad thing?

Bad.. it cuts down on the true competion.. i miss having 15 - 20 guys in my class to compete against..

17. Is the IPF World Championship still the top and most prestigious title to win?

I think so....

18. Do you think drug testing is a good thing or bad thing?

good.. i have nothing against guys who use, but just dont compete against me...

19. What is your greatest memory from competing?

my 1st national win when i was 15.. it was in st louis .. after that my dad took me out and celebrated on a steam boat

20. What advice & tips would you give to a beginner powerlifter?

stay raw as long as u can to build true strength. and do things correctly.. dont cheat yourself

21. How was powerlifting changed your life?

keeps that competive drive alive. in all aspects of my life..

22. Do you stay in touch with lifters you compete against?

as much as i can..

23. If you are competing currently, when is your next meet

and what numbers are you looking to put up?

may 1st is my next meet.. going for a 650 squat, 425 bench and 550 dead..

24. While you were competing, what is your main goal? Bigger total, bigger deadlift, more titles,etc.

just hittign the numbers i set for myself adn makeing my team mates better..

25. Any major injuries you sustain while competing or training for upcoming meet?

nope.. train smart, train safe and train hard...

26. What do you think about pro powerlifting or pro bench press meets that give out cash? love it.. nice fo rus lifters to get paid..

27. Why did you decide to compete?

my 1st strength coach for sports when i was 11 was big time time into it.. he took me to a high school meet when i was 13. i beat some of the football players. the high school coach was a powerlifter.. and made sure i was goin to play ball and compete for him..

28. What would you like to change about today’s

powerlifting competitions?

less feds and less eqiupment...

29. What would you like to change about today’s powerlifting judging?

make its fair but strict and consistant

30. What is your #1 or most prestigious meet you ever competed in your career?

NASA Natural Nationals.. is always a great meet in my books..

31. Why do some lifters hate on some other lifters, especially through the internet?

Jealousy...

32. Do you compete in any other strength sport such as olympic lifting, strongman, highland games,etc?

no... when i was younger my dads boss wanted me to compete in olympic lifting but i couldnt get eth form down..

33. Which lifter do you admire the most or look up to?

Ed Coan

34. Anyone you would like thank for helping you along the way in your Powerlifting career?

Tery Schmidt my 1st coach, Coach Mac my high school coach, Danny BLack, Rich Peters, Rich Kahle, and of course my TEAM..

Thank you Jon!

TRAIN HARD

"BIG WILLIE" J.T. HALL

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Complete Results

http://www.nasa-sports.com/Results/Results HSNatsPL.htm

All the Picutres taken over the 2-day event

http://s980.photobucket.com/albums/ae288/Buffmom/NASA High School Nationals Day 1/

http://s980.photobucket.com/albums/ae288/Buffmom/NASA High School Nationals Day 2/

Cade Oller, OK - Power Sports &
Equipped PL Coefficients- Power Sports 6.1359
Equip PL 7.8995

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MARCH, 2010 INTERVIEW OF MIKE "RAGE" MILLER

1. What have you been up to lately?

Running my gym, training my clients, looking forward to the warm weather. I am MMA training and working with a promoter in Ohio and Carmelo Marrero and Stonebreaker MMA here in PA

2. How many years did you compete?

About 8 yrs

3. What were your biggest squat, bench press, deadlift and total numbers?

squat 1220, bench 805 deadlift 730 I think total was 2625

4. What titles, records and achievements did you accumulate in your powerlifting career?

Well a few but the most important, I was the first guy to squat 1200, I was like 3 or 4 to bench 800 I was the first guy to squat 1000 and bench 800 in a full meet, I had the second highest squat by body weight formula for awhile

5. Describe your training philosophy?

LOL If the bars not bending your just pretending..

6. Did you compete equipped (squat suit, bench press shirt & deadlift suit) or unequipped (no suits)?

I've done em all

7. What is your favorite lift, squat or bench press or deadlift or all three? squat for sure

8. What is the most impressive lifter you competed against?
I have competed against allot of great guys.. My favorite guy to lift against was Mike Ruggiero From Westside

9. Who do you think is the greatest lifter of all time?

ME!

10. How has the sport changed since you stop competing?

Not really sure, haven't followed it much,

11. How did you prepare for an upcoming competition?

Well I tried to do everything right in my training cycle in hopes that I was ready to go and it always seemed to work.

12. Describe your nutritional intake for an upcoming competition?

I ate everything that was not nailed down or walking away from me

13. How many meets did you compete in a year?

4 or 5 full meets

14. Who was your greatest competitor?

You mean my greatest competition ... I don't know man, I never really worried about beating anyone, I just tried to hit the numbers in my head

15. How does today’s judging compare to yesterday judging?
I gue3ss it's the same

16. There are probably 50 different federations. Do you think this is a good thing or bad thing? Bad for sure, why do you think no one makes any money at the sport you can't get 5 guys who powerlifter to agree on the toppings of a pizza let alone federation rules

17. Is the IPF World Championship still the top and most prestigious title to win?

No The Metal Militia bench wars


18. Do you think drug testing is a good thing or bad thing?

Well if your on Drugs it's not such a good thing huh!!

19. What is your greatest memory from competing?

The day I benched 700 Lbs with Bill C and the day I squatted 1,000 lbs in York

20. What advice & tips would you give to a beginner powerlifter?

Golf... Train with someone who know what they are doing.. assholes are a dime a dozen

21. How was powerlifting changed your life?

HA!! well lets see I have torn tendons ligaments and scare tissue all over my body Kirian Kidder owes me $2,000.00 I'm not gonna get into the drug use and side affects.. Oh I have a 10 bed room house with 3 harleys and my kid is going to Princeton oh wait that's not me... All kidding aside, I really enjoyed powerlifting until the end, I met some amazing people to many to name, But my Metal Militia family is still around and will always be, they have always been my side and even though we loose touch we can pick up right where we left off...
22. Do you stay in touch with lifters you competed against?

Yes all of them
23. Do you plan to compete again or not?

If you are competing currently, which meets and what numbers did you put up?
I want to bench 600 again one more time in a meet

24. While you were competing, what was your main goal?

are you kidding me .. uhm to look hot in my squat suite, To be the strongest powerlifter on the planet

25. Any major injuries you sustain while competing or training for upcoming meet?

It would take to long to write them down

26. What do you think about pro powerlifting or pro bench press meets that give out cash?

It's a professional sport the guys should get paid

27. Why did you decide to compete?

In the beginning because I had a love and a passion for strength


30. Anyone you would like thank for helping you along the way in Powerlifting career?

My wife Deb and my kids
Bill Crawford
Sebastian Burns
John Graube
Zane and Sandy
Joe Mazza
Bobby Fields
Steve Castone
Jeff McVicar
Brian Ulrich
Big Stan
Rick Brewer
Gerard
John Inzer
\There are so Many people who were part of my life then who helped me and supported me.
The powerlifting portion of my life was truly amazing, it was an incredible experience that I thought would never end. I had an incredible journey, got to travel and see great things and inhuman feats of strength, I got to experience the human condition in a way most people cannot fathom.

thank you

THANK YOU RAGE!

TRAIN HARD

"BIG WILLIE" J.T. HALL

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20 Minutes of Walking Cardio

Benchpress

     1 set of 20 reps, (add weight) 1 set of 10 reps, (add weight) 1 set of 10 reps, (add weight) 1 set of 5 reps, (add weight) 1 set of 3 reps, (add weight) 1 single rep set

4 Board Bench

     1 set of 6 reps (with 105% of my current full range 1RM)

3 Board Bench

     1 set of 3 reps (with 105% of my current full range 1RM)

2 Board Bench

     1 single rep set (with 105% of my current full range 1RM)

4 Board Bench

     1 set of 5 reps (with 105% of my current full range 1RM)

Benchpress

     1 set of 18 reps (with 60% of my current benchpress 1RM)

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

     5 sets of 8-12 reps (increasing the weight each set)

Standing Dumbbell Front Shoulder Raises

     3 sets of 20 reps

Triceps Pushdowns on a Universal Cable Machine

     6 sets of 8-12 reps (pyramiding the weight up and down)

Seated One Arm Tricep Extensions on a Nautilus Nitro Machine

     3 sets of 10-12 reps with each arm (increasing the weight after the first set)

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Today was my form day for some of the lifts im practicing for the national meet this june. They were the one armed deadlift and the one arm clean and jerk. It was basically just working on technique with moderate weight. However at the end I did set up a barbell in the rack and did a couple one arm jerks with the barbell in the heavy range. The hardest part was taking it out of the rack which took away a lot of energy. I would like to get 200lbs this way. I got 160 and 185 after struggling with taking it out of the rack...so if i could find some way of taking it out easily I may be able to improve that weight. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. God Bless!

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INTERVIEW OF RYAN CELLI

1. What have you been up to lately?
As you may already may know, my wife and I own and operate Celli’s Fitness Center. This keeps us very busy, as we are open 80 hours a week. We also do all the personal training, which has really picked up this year. The few hours I am not at the gym I am spending as much time as I can with my 6 year old son Noah.

2. How many years have you been competing?
I did my first meet Sept of 1989. So it’s been about 20+ years.

3. What are your biggest squat, bench press, deadlift and total numbers?
Raw(no knee wraps)@ 198- squat 611, bench 534, deadlift 650, total 1807
Single ply @ 198- squat 705, bench @220 639, deadlift @ 220 710, total @ 198 2000.

4. What titles, records and achievements did you accumulate in your powerlifting career?
It’s really not about records to me. I have a few, but don’t get too excited about them. The sport is too watered down with too many feds and divisions. I held the all time raw 198 total record for 1 yr @ 1807. I plan on getting that back soon, as well as breaking the all time 198 raw bench of 565 someday. The all time records have more meaning to me.

I still think winning the New England Record Breakers best Pound for Pound lifter was a great accomplishment. I beat out some of the best lifters to walk the planet, Donnie Thompson, Brain Siders, Scott Smith, Sam Byrd, Mike Miller.

5. Describe your training philosophy?
My training philosophy is based largely around feel. I train by how I feel. If I feel good, then it’s a heavy day. If feel like the bar speed is slow and I feel like I need a break, I may try a different main exercise with added bands or chains or both to change it up. I may just to do speed work or maybe some reps! I train consistently and am constantly changing reps and exercises. Some common things you will see in my training are consistency, training 3 days a week, training bench only once a week, proper form and technique each and every rep of every each and every set and working out hard and heavy!

6. Do you compete equipped (squat suit, bench press shirt & deadlift suit) or unequipped (no suits) or both?
I compete in both raw and single ply. I have done some multi ply in the past also.

7. What is your favorite lift, squat or bench press or deadlift or all three?
Honestly, I love all three. All of them challenge me at different times, and I love figuring out how to improve the one giving me the most trouble.

8. What is the most impressive lifter you competed against?
Anyone that gave their all!

9. Who do you think is the greatest lifter of all time?
Of all time….The one with the largest total, Donnie Thompson.

10. How has the sport changed when you first started competing?
It hasn’t. The sport is the same, different equipment.

11. How do you prepare for an upcoming competition?
I train the same all year around. I feel I could be ready of a competition in maybe 6 weeks, If I needed to. Typically as the meet gets closer, I will make sure I’m sticking with the main lifts instead of variations of them. I will also use a pyramid type of rep scheme. As the meet gets closer the reps drop.

12. Describe your nutritional intake for an upcoming competition?
I eat whatever I want. As a meet nears, I may pay more attention to trying to reach 300 grams of protein and make sure I’m taking my supplements religiously. Those would include, Results, Nitrean, Opticen, fish oil, flax oil, probiotics, green drink, and amino acids.

13. How many meets did you compete in a year?
I have been averaging about 2-3 full a year.

14. Who is your greatest competitor?
Myself

15. How does today’s judging compare to yesterday judging?
Seems the same to me.

16. There are probably 50 different federations. Do you think this is a good thing or bad thing?
It is a bad thing. We need to all unite under the 3 divisions, Raw, Single ply, Multi ply.

17. Is the IPF World Championship still the top and most prestigious title to win?
Yes.

18. Do you think drug testing is a good thing or bad thing?
Personally, I would get rid of the testing. We all know drug testing and drug free are 2 different things.

We are all looking for an edge, you can’t tell me otherwise. I know creatine isn’t a drug but, Creatine is performance enhancing! I’ve been to “drug tested” meets and I’ve never seen so many competitors downing concocted drinks and swallowing fistfuls of pills. Where do we draw the line?

What if your test level is off the charts genetically? Is that fair to someone that has low testosterone??

19. What is your greatest memory from competing?
There are so many….. as far as the “greatest” that’s a hard one. I would say, winning my first bench meet where I benched 175 raw at 110 lbs as this is where it all began.

Of course I will never forget….all the road trips to various state, national, and world meets as a teenager with the whole Prince’s Gym team, winning and setting a bench record that still stands today, 275 @ 132 16-17 yr old division at the WPC Worlds in Vegas, competing and winning the pound for pound best lifter in the first and only New England Record Breakers, and winning best lifter full meet and bench only at the first Raw Unity Meet. I remember the first time pulling 700, bench pressing my first 600+ at USPF RI Nationals, and squatting my highest competition squat to date, 705 in front of a huge crowd at the LA Fit Expo.

20. What advice & tips would you give to a beginner powerlifter?
Seek out someone that can teach you proper form and technique. Without this you will not make it very far. Keep in very simple, train 3 days a week. Squat, bench, deadlift, and don’t forget to train all your body parts! Back, biceps, triceps, shoulders, pecs, quads, hamstrings, calfs and abs!

21. How was powerlifting changed your life?
Powerlifting seems to BE my life. All things revolve around it. I think it has kept me focused and taught me patience, and discipline.

22. Do you stay in touch with lifters you compete against?
I try to! There are so many awesome people in this sport. Some of the best people you will ever meet.

23. If you are competing currently, when is your next meet and what numbers are you looking to put up?
I plan on lifting in a RAW United meet in June. I hope to put up my highest raw total to date.

24. While you were competing, what is your main goal? Bigger total, bigger deadlift, more titles,etc.
When I compete it is always to up my total.

25. Any major injuries you sustain while competing or training for upcoming meet?
I have been truly blessed with minimal injuries. I tore my adductor in 2006, and had a bad pectoral strain in early 2009.

26. What do you think about pro powerlifting or pro bench press meets that give out cash?
I think they are great. I’ve heard some people say money will ruin the sport, but I disagree. I think money is a good thing and will bring the best lifters. Unfortunately, I think for the sport to move on, these Pro meets will have to be done raw to get the money and to make it to TV.

27. Why did you decide to compete?
My stepfather thought I would do well. I had a 175lb raw bench at 16 and only weighed 110lbs. A few months later I had it up to 230lbs.

28. What would you like to change about today’s powerlifting competitions?
I’m not sure I would change anything, all the ones I’ve lifted in have been fun and well run.

29. What would you like to change about today’s powerlifting judging?
I just wish it would be more consistent. Almost all the rules in all the feds are the same! Break parallel on the squat, pause and lock out the bench, and lock the knees and hips on the deadlift. Simple. Depth is NOT hard to call!

30. What is your #1 or most prestigious meet your ever competed in?
Well, I have to go by the one I had the most competition in on this one. That would be APF Senior Nationals, 1995. I took 3rd place. Totaled 1603 at 165 in single ply old school gear. There were 5 or 6 of us in the 165’s. I haven’t had that many people in my weight class since then!

31. Anyone you would like thank for helping you along the way in Powerlifting career?
I have many to thank. My wife Dana, I wouldn’t be where I’m at without her support. My good friend, training partner and coach, John Casciato. Dana and John have been my backbone in my career. I have a great group of training partners right now too. I’m curious to see where my training goes from training with them.

I also want to thank all on the members of Celli’s Fitness, ThePowerlifting.com, and Wannabebig.com, as they are all always very supportive of me.

I can’t leave out all of my sponsors. Chris Mason and Daniel Clough from AtLarge Nutrition, Peter Alanis from Titan Support Systems, Ken Anderson from Anderson Powerlifting, Alan Thomas from APT Pro Gear, Tom Simon from West Carry Barbell, Craig Inaba from Oxygen4Energy. Ty and James from Supplement Central.

THANK YOU RYAN CELLI

TRAIN HARD

"BIG WILLIE" J.T. HALL

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It was a beautiful day today on Marylands Eastern Shore. Hope everyone is having a great day. Today I started off with some Muscle Cleans...This simply is a power clean with using no leg drive just back, and whatever else it takes to "muscle" it up. I worked up to 260lbs with this. After this I did some safety squat bar good mornings from the low pins. I did all singles and worked up to near 400lbs. I was some what happy with this because we all know how hard it is to use the safety squat bar since it places all the weight high on the back near the neck. To finish the training off I did something a little different...I did some keg rows...I have a keg filled to maximum capacity. I did 2 sets of 5 reps...then added a chain going around the keg, and did another 1 set of 5 reps. I used a sumo stance with this so i didnt smash my feet, and i also think it made it harder. Hope everyone has a great evening! God Bless.

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Thanks to Planet Muscle for naming me Promoter of the Year in their upcoming May 2010 issue. I greatly appreciate the recognition and receiving this award really brightened my day.

http://www.planetmuscle.com/

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BRINGING DOWN THE WALL WITH A MIGHTY BLOW

TRAIN HARD

"BIG WILLIE" J.T. HALL

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NASA APRIL POWERLIFTING SCHEDULE

http://www.nasa-sports.com/Events_Powerlifting.html

3rd-  Kansas State,   Equip & Unequip Powerlifting, BP, Power Sports and Push Pull, Salina, KS

10th- Ohio State, Equip & Unequip Powerlifting, BP, Power Sports and Push Pull, Springfield, OH

11th- Power Sports Nationals, Curl, BP, Deadlift and Total, Springfield, OH

17th- Iowa State, Equip & Unequip Powerlifting, Power Sports and Push Pull, Des Moines, IA

24th- NASA WV State, PL,BP,PS,PP Championships (Ravenswood, WV)  Greg Van Hoose

24th- New Mexico State, Equip & Unequip Powerlifting, Power Sports and Push Pull, Gallup, NM

TRAIN HARD

"BIG WILLIE" J.T. HALL

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I hope everyones week is going well. Tonights training started off with some snatch grip standing overhead strict presses. I feel if everyone wants to strengthen the overhead press(as well as there shoulders and other pressing movements) changing up the grips is a very good thing. My grip was as wide as I could take it while being able to take it out of the rack. I worked up to 300lbs. With that 300lbs I used a bit of a layback style that the russians made famous in the 60s/70s. After those I went on to some push press for some doubles. Worked up to 350lbs x 2. I then did 3 sets of 10 reps in the tricep push down...and then did some gripper work. God Bless and have a great week!

Here is a vid of the training...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFfjoYbZrPs

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