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Ruth Welding
Age: 45
Home: Chicago IL
Years in Powerlifting: 23
Number of Contests: "Way too many to count!"
Ruth Welding started weight training at the urging of Pat Malone, inventor the formula that bears his name, as a grad student at Perdue University. Her first endeavour was Olympic style lifting, but soon she got into PL. Over the years she has been Masters champion, 4 times runner up at the Womens Open, and was 3rd at the very first IPF Womens Worlds. Aside from PL, Ruth is involved in Track and Field and is the current American record holder for Masters in the Discus, and 3rd in the World.
In training, Ruth uses a blend of many different styles, doing heavy deads only every secone week, bench and squats heavy once per week. She does not use much for supplements beyond vitamins and a little creatine, though this is partly due to the financial concerns and the current problems of tainting of supplements. She is a lifetime drug free lifter. Ruth also enjoys doing refereeing as an IPF Cat II ref, and thinks that being part of the sport outside of lifting is even more fun than lifting itself.
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Tom Weeks
Age: 48
Home: Peterborough NH
Years in Powerlifting: 20
Number of Contests: 60 or more
Tom Weeks started in the strength sports in high school, graduating into PL soon afterwards. Tom does not train to any specific style, but is partial to the rubber bands for deadlifting, as done by Louis Simmons Westside club. He finds that he must train a lot smarter as he gets older to avoind injury, he can't train as hard or as often as when he was younger. His wife Cheryl trains at the same gym, but on a more body-builder fitness routine.
Tom has been state champion numerous times, and national Master champion the past 3 years. He is a lifetime drug free lifter, strictly oppsed to drug use in sports, and thinks that is is most unfair to think of purchasing supplements that may have been tainted with banned substances.
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Sue Hallen
Age: 44
Home: Chicago IL
Years in Powerlifting: 8
Sue Hallen works as a consultant to IBM, and her demanding workload leaves little time for regular training. What she loses in consistency she makes up for in intensity. Obviously it works for her, being Master champion for the last 4 years, 3rd in the Moose Jaw Worlds, and 7th in the Womens Worlds in Frydek-Mistek this year.
Sue's busy schedule menas that she only trains squats and bench once each per week, and deadlifts just once every 2 or 3 weeks. She is also a dedicated lifetime drug-free lifter - "Never have. never will!"
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Jim Pope
Age: 43
Home: Northern VA
Years in Powerlifting: 17
Jim Pope is a law enforcement officer in Virginia, nad has been involved in Law Enforcement and Police and Fire contests, as well as USAPL meets for many years, with many national titles to his credit. Jim uses no supplements, and a basic periodization style routine, as taken from the Dr. Squat web site.
Jim's best lifts are 730 - 515 - 755, for a 2000 total. Speaking from the audience of the Master Worlds, Tom was enjoying his first Worlds, and the drug free atmosphere. (unfortunately Jim bombed out on his bench in the contest). He feels that USAPL is doing a very good job to get rid of drugs in PL.
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Linda Schaefer
Age: 41
Home: Denver CO
Years in Powerlifting: 5
Beinf from the Denver area, Linda trains often with well known USAPL member Andrea Sortwell. Linda's favourite lift is by far the deadlift. In her very first workout she pulled 135 lb for 1o reps, and loved it right away. Her other lifts are not too bad either, as she holds the American Master sqauat reords, but deads will always come first for Linda. At nationals this year she had a world record 208 kg all the way up twice, but could not get them passed on lockout. (she tried this weight here in Moose Jaw twice but could not get them quite all the way up).
Linda follows a basic periodization routine, but with plenty of rest to help her recover from a recent knee injury. He goal right now is a pull of five plates - 495 lb or 227.5 kg. She does not use drugs, claiming that "anyone who does is lying to themselves and their country about who is really pulling the weight". She also does not use any supplements, "just lots of steak and eggs".
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