RICKEY
DALE CRAIN
interview:
by Igor
N. Jolevich
Rickey
Dale Crain - Profile
-
Born
February 18, 1953
-
Phoenix,
Arizona
-
-
5 Time World Champion
-
10 Time National Champion
-
Has competed for 35 years and broken over 100 National, International and
World Records
-
2 Time All-American Powerlifter in College
-
Winner of the 1976 Pan American Games
-
-
Author
of 2 books:
-
"To Squat
Or Not To Squat"
-
"The Meet Don't Start Til' The Bar Gets On The Floor
-
Author
of 1 Video: "To Squat Or Not To Squat"
Best Contest
Lifts:
|
Weight class
|
Squat
|
Bench Press
|
Deadlift
|
Total
|
|
148 lbs (67.5 kg)
|
630 lbs (286.3 kg)
|
350 lbs (159 kg)
|
661 lbs (300.4 kg)
|
1609 lbs (731.3 kg)
|
|
165 lbs (75 kg)
|
800 lbs (363.6 kg)
|
440 lbs (200 kg)
|
716 lbs (325.4 kg)
|
1890 lbs (859 kg)
|
|
181 lbs (82.5 kg)
|
|
450 lbs (204.5 kg)
|
733 lbs (333.1 kg)
|
|
Best Workout
Lifts:
|
Squat
|
Bench Press
|
Deadlift
|
Snatch
|
Clean & Jerk
|
|
810 lbs (368.1 kg)
|
450 lbs (204.5 kg)
|
738 lbs (335.4 kg)
|
235 lbs (106.8 kg)
|
285 lbs (129.5 kg)
|
Igor:
How did you get attracted to powerlifting?
RDC:
MY FATHER WHO IS A POWERLIFTER STARTED ME AND MY BROTHER OUT IN THE SPORT
WHEN WE WERE JUST A FEW YEARS OLD......(3-4 YEARS OLD)
Igor:
Were you drawn into the sport by body building or were your intentions
to take part in powerlifting from the beginning?
RDC:
ALWAYS BEEN A POWERLIFTER...I ENTERED IN 2 BODYBUILDING CONTESTS...I WAS
THE FIRST MR. SOUTH DAKOTA IN 1975 AND GOT SECOND THE NEXT YEAR....THAT
WAS MY BODYBUILDING EXPERIENCE...IT WAS JUST AN AFTER THOUGHT...AS I HAD
ALREADY LIFTED IN OUR STATE MEET THAT DAY AND IT WAS THAT NIGHT...
Igor:
During your exceptionally long lifting career, did you have a supervision
and with whom did you train?
RDC:
MY FATHER FIRST TRAINED ME IN THE BEGINNING....BY THE TIME I WAS 18-19
YEARS OLD (HAD ALREADY BEEN COMPETING FOR 8-9 YEARS AT THAT
TIME)...I HAD PRETTY MUCH
DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED MY OWN ROUTINES...FORM..STYLE..TECHNIQUE...ETC...
I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE AROUND NATIONAL CALIBER LIFTERS MOST OF MY
EARLY CAREER..SO I LEARNED LOTS FROM THEM...
Igor:
I often read your posts on various training forums and I'm under the impression
that you are a proponent of the traditional training for powerlifting.
RDC:
TRADITIONAL IN THE SENSE THAT THE BASIC POWERLIFTS COME FIRST AND THE TYPES
OF TRAINING ARE PERFORMED TO SUPPLEMENT THEM......AFTER LIFTING FOR 35
YEARS I HAVE SEEN MORE GADGETS AND WORKOUT ROUTINES COME AND GO...AND OVERALL
THE BASICS ARE WHAT THE LARGE MAJORITY OF THE BEST LIFTERS USE...AND I
PERSONALLY BELIEVE ALWAYS WILL USE...IF YOU LOOK AT OTHER SPORTS..THE BASIC
SPORT IS STILL THE MAIN TRAINING TOOL FOR THEM....
Igor:
Can you give an example/suggestion how a PL routine should look like? (days
per week, which exercise on which day, and what factors need to be manipulated
if any? reps? sets?)
RDC:
THE BASIC DESIGN WE HAVE USED FOR 20-30 YEARS..(AND WE HAVE TRAINED ALMOST
30 NATIONAL AND WORLD CALIBER LIFTERS IN THE SMALL TOWN OF SHAWNEE OF ALL
AGES....GENDER...) IS MONDAY......SQUAT.........THEN SUPPLEMENTARY WORK
LIKE PAUSE SQUATS....CALF WORK....LEG EXTENSIONS/LEG CURLS....AB WORK....SOMETIMES
BOX SQUATS....SPRINTS....SOMETIMES LEG PRESSES...BUT MAINLY A GOOD HEAVY
SQUAT WORKOUT...
TUESDAY......BENCH
PRESS........LOCK OUT BENCH PRESSES......DECLINE BENCH
PRESSES.....CAMBERED BAR BENCH PRESSES......AB WORK.....
THURSDAY......DEADLIFTS.............DEADLIFTS
OFF A BOX.....LOCKOUTS.......AB WORK....CALF WORK...LEG EXTENSIONS/LEG
CURLS/LAT PULLS/SPRINTS
FRIDAY.......CLOSE
GRIP BENCH PRESS......INCLINES....FRONT-SIDE-BENT ROW LATERALS...
PRETTY
BASIC...ALWAYS CONCENTRATING ON FORM....SPEED ON OUR WARM UP SETS.....FRED
HATFIELD AND MIKE BRIDGES WERE THE ONES THAT REALLY EMPHASIZED THESE TWO
IN THE MIDDLE 70'S AND BROUGHT THEM TO THE FOREFRONT...EVEN THOUGH I HAVE
ALWAYS USED SPEED IN MY TRAINING I NEVER REALLY PROMOTED IT UNTIL THEY
STARTED EMPHASIZING IT....SO THE CREDIT SHOULD BELONG TO THEM.....
Igor:
I’ve noticed that you emphasize form, style & technique in lifting.
RDC:
BY FAR MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ROUTINES....
POWERLIFTING IS THE ONLY SPORT WHEN THE FIRST THING A PERSON ASKS IS WHAT
IS YOUR ROUTINE.......TALK TO SOMEONE INTERESTED IN OTHER SPORTS I.E. GYMNAST...SPRINTER...ICE
SKATER...ETC.....AND YOU WILL FIND THE INTEREST LIES IN FORM...STYLE AND
TECHNIQUE.....NOT IN WHAT THEIR WORKOUT/ROUTINE IS.....WE HAVE IT BACKWARDS...THSI
HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE BODYBUILDING CULTURE IN THE U.S.A......IT IS
A SHAME.....THAT IS WHY THE STRONGEST LIFTER DOES NOT ALWAYS WIN...BUT
THE ONE WITH THE BEST FORM AND MEET PRESENCE...
Igor:
Does this concern only the Olympic lifts (snatch, clean & jerk) or
the 3 powerlifts as well?
RDC:
THE OLY LIFTS ALSO...I ADMIRE THEM FOR THAT.
Igor:
Can you give our readers some general hints which should be incorporated
into a routine that can affect an increase in the bench press?
RDC:
THINK ANY ROUTINE WILL WORK AS LONG AS IT IS SET UP TO CYCLE FOR THE MEET
ITSELF.....
Igor:
What should be the major concern in lifts like the squat & deadlift
and what kind of approach should be result producing?
RDC:
ONE NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO CYCLE FOR THE BIG ONE AT THE PROPER TIME (I.E.
AT THE CONTEST)....IT DOES NO GOOD TO GET TO THE MAX 2-3 WEEKS EARLY OR
TOO LATE...ONE NEEDS TO LEARN TO TIME IT FOR THE MEET....
Igor:
I see that you advise doing each lift once a week. What is your opinion
about ‘heavy’ and ‘light’ days within the same week?
RDC:
I BELIEVE LIGHT DAYS ARE USELESS....NO ONE HAS EVER GIVEN ME A SENSIBLE
REASON FOR HAVING A LIGHT DAY...I AM STILL WAITING......I BREAK UP MY UPPER
BODY-BENCH PRESS WORKOUT INTO TWO DAYS...DIFFERENT EXERCISES....BUT THE
SQUAT AND DEADLIFT...JUST ONCE PER WEEK......ALLOWS FOR GOOD RECOVERY TIME...
Igor:
Can you give us an explanation why lifters hit plateau’s?
RDC:
OVERTRAINING IS USUALLY THE ANSWER......BUT SOONER OR LATER AGE AND BODY
WEIGHT WILL BE THE DECIDING FACTOR...EVERY ONE HAS A POINT OF DIMINISHING
RETURNS....WE JUST NEED TO LEARN TO POSTPONE IT FOR AS FAR OUT IN THE FUTURE
AS WE CAN....
Igor:
Do you advice periodization in training - progressing from higher reps
(10-8) to lower reps (5-1) or do you advice a different approach?
RDC:
IF YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT PYRAMID LIFTING...THE ANSWER IS NO......WE SET
UP OUR ROUTINES DIFFERENT....TIME AND SPACE DOES NOT PERMIT......MY SQUAT
BOOK...."TO SQUAT OR NOT TO SQUAT" TOUCHES ON THE REASONING BEHIND THIS...
Igor:
Can you comment the importance of speed or acceleration in the 3 powerlifts?
RDC:
SPEED IS VERY IMPORTANT...BUT THE TIMING OF IT IS MORE CRITICAL...
(I.E.
FORM...TECHNIQUE)...
Igor:
What do you think about the ‘dive bomb’ technique that some current powerlifting
stars like Shane Hammond execute? He lowers this almost un-imaginable load
with little visible caution and then explodes up…
RDC:
I AM NOT IN FAVOR OF IT.....THERE HAS BEEN SOME FORM OF IT FOR SOME TIME....I.E.
PAT MALONE AND HIS GIRLS TEAMS OF THE 70'S AND 80'S....JOHN BLACK AND SOME
OF HIS LIFTERS....AND MANY OF THEM WERE TREMENDOUS WORLD CLASS LIFTERS....I
JUST BELEIVE IN THE LONG RUN INJURIES WILL BE THE END RESULTS.....SPEED
OBVIOUSLY HELPS IN THESE CASES...BUT WE NEED TO TRAIN FOR THE LONG RUN...NOT
THE SHORT RUN...
Igor:
During all these years in lifting did you suffer from any injuries and
what were they?
RDC:
As in any sport...i have suffered from my share of injuries....had my share
of surgeries...but by lifting smart they have been less than i feel they
would have otherwise been and i have tried to learn from them......and
because i have developed rehab methods that are superior to what you would
normally get from a doctor i was back on the platform sooner than they
expected....
Igor:
What assistance exercises would be the most beneficial for powerlifters
in general?
RDC:
basic ones..as i mentioned above...the most beneficial ones for POWERLIFTING
ARE WEIGHTED AB WORK......IT HELPS YOUR SQUAT AND DEADLIFT...PROVIDES A
GREAT SUPPORT FOR THE WEIGHT....
Igor:
Which powerlifting federation is by your opinion currently the most agile
and promises to enforce the sport of powerlifting world-round?
RDC:
I AM NOT SURE WHAT THE QUESTION REALLY IS.....AND I REALLY DO NOT WANT
TO
ANSWER THIS ...I HAVE LIFTED IN THE USPF, IPF, AAU, APF, WPC, NASA, USAPL,
IPA....SO I
TRULY SUPPORT POWERLIFTING IN ALL AREAS...AS A VENDOR AND A SPONSOR IN
MANY
MEETS OF MANY FEDERATIONS.....IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO COME RIGHT OUT AND
PUT
DOWN SOME FEDERATIONS...I HAVE MY PREFERNCES...BUT I HAVE PROVIDE SUPPORT
TO
ALL OF THEM AT SOMETIME OR THE OTHER....(I.E. WE DO NEED SOME MERGERS AND
COOPERATION WITH SOME OF THEM, THOUGH)....
KEEP
LIFTING...
RICKEY
DALE CRAIN
