Post by Mike White on Sept 19, 2006 7:02:14 GMT -5
Marc “Spud” Bartley is the funniest man in Powerlifting. He is also the 2nd place winner in the heavy weight division of the WPO at the 2006 Arnold WPO Finals. Marc tied the 1st place winner Chuck Vogelpohl with a total of 1162.50 kilos (2567.874 lbs.) but Chuck weighed 2.9 kilos less. How close is that?
Living in Columbia, South Carolina, Marc and his better-half Susan operate a gym called South Carolina Barbell. They have an active web site at: www.southcarolinabarbell.com . Marc may be reached via their web site. Please check them out.
1. Mike White: Tell us a little about Marc “Spud” Bartley.
Spud Bartley: I am originally from Indiana but I have been in the South for so long I don't remember much about Indiana except corn, dope and lots of chicks with no make-up. Now, it's ya'll and sum beech after 26 years in South Carolina. I got the name "Spud" when I moved here in the early 80's, yes 80's which is classic now, from the 5'6" NBA Dunk Champion Spud Webb. Not that I could dunk or anything, but I ran around and around everyone like Spud did and aggravated the crap out of the neighborhood guys so I got the nickname there. Some people think it's a potato thing or Spudds McKenzie the Party Dog from the Budweiser commercials in the 80's, yes the 80's. I did try to be the party dude and drank pretty much from the 80's to the late 90's so I am pretty sure I have toasted my liver. I did manage to graduate somehow from the University of South Carolina with two B.S.(he said b.s..ha..ha.) Degrees; one in finance and one in business economics and a 3.0!! I worked in the transportation industry as a floor supervisor and dispatch manager(nothing glamorous and very, very boring) until 1999 when I got shit-canned for standing up to my boss who was a Vietnam Vet and ex drill sergeant who drank all day at work and yelled at everyone the drunker he got. At this time, I had met Don Thompson who owned the gym I goofed off at. He needed a training partner so he gave me a part-time job and eventually I learned how to personal train people and built up a large clientele in about a year and a half.
I now live with my common law wife, Susan, six cats and the wimpiest Pit-Bull on Earth, Amber. She stays at the gym all day and gets treats and licks baby's faces all day long. I have owned SC Barbell (southcarolinabarbell.com) for five years now. It was originally Don Thompson's place but he sold out in 2000 and then I bought it out a year later from the other owners. I have been personal training for 8 years or so now because I couldn't cut it in the real world. I call it hiding out because I never know what is going on in the real world unless somebody comes in and tells me about it, I don't know. It's my own private fantasy world. I don't make much money at it but it keeps me happy and it's honest work, maybe. I sit in various chairs around the gym and tell people what to do all day. Not many jobs better than that so I am very fortunate and have a great crew of people who support me and the gym.
2. MW: What or who got you interested in Powerlifting?
SB: I started lifting, like most guys, at age 13 and did the same basic routine still used by most Coaches today. Bench, arms and shoulders Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thanks to Bodybuilders and their vast knowledge base and the wonderful publications from Joe Weider I managed to be an idiot in and out of the gym for the next 17 years wasting my time. Everyone knows the story, you get back into the gym hard and heavy but after awhile you get stale and can't make any gains muscle or strength wise so you quit, get fat, and then make a comeback
6 months or a year later.
So on one of my many comebacks, kinda like a Rocky movie, in 1998 I officially met Don while almost puking out behind the gym after some, what I thought was heavy at time, squats (about 455 or something like that,) he asked me to join him in powerlifting. I say officially because at the time I had been a member of his gym for a year or so and had not met the dude. He was Lean Donnie back then at about 230 or so and more fucked up then he is now. He had just made his first pilgrimage to the Great Westside and met King Louie and was quite enthusiastic about it so I said sure. I didn't have a training partner, and besides, I knew I wasn't going anywhere the way I was going.
The funny thing was all my life in the gym I acted like a powerlifter but lifted like a bodybuilder. I always tried to lift more each and every session but the route I was using was not going to take me anywhere as with most dudes who go the gym and call themselves bodybuilders. So this was a win-win. I did not know the impact it would have on my life that it has had. I just figured it would kill some time and I would get to lift regular with some kind of goals to reach. Of course, Don didn't know much more than I did about powerlifting at the time but we rambled on. Another guy joined us, John Manly, and we commenced to trial and error and error and error. You get the point. We lifted at the “commercial gym” and got ridiculed nonstop for using chains, bands, sleds until we started seeing a lot of success. Who's laughin' now you bastards? Now, everyone is getting on the band wagon and trainers call themselves "Athlete Trainers" and pretend to understand training without going through the fires of hell first. Sorry, occasionally I rant a little bit, but that's the story of my beginnings.
3. MW: What style of training do you normally practice?
SB: When I started, it was straight Westside template all the way. It is by far the best set up for training ever devised. It is simple, covers most of the bases and is measurable and you can take the basic format and apply it to ANY SPORTS PROGRAM.I followed it to the letter for about 3-4 years until my gains slowed down and of course the boredom factor began to set in.
I still follow the basic outline of four day training but I have hybrided it to continue my progress. I don't do the normal speed work anymore which would be speed bench and speed squat. Now it is speed deads at 60% for threes, high pulls, prowler sled work and leg presses for my dynamic days on lower body and on upper dynamic day, I do pause-rep work at 60% or light floor press work and the usual auxiliary work.
Max days are three week cycles of an exercise with a de-load week. I have found the de-load week to be one of the best things I have ever instituted. It gives you a mental and physical break from the rigors of training plus I am getting to be an old bastard.
The Max work starts with lots of stupid band tension, followed by circa max with less band tension and gear and finally straight gear work up to 90 or 95% with a couple of weeks of de-load to recover.
I am sure this will change in the future as it has to keep moving but it is working well so far for me and the team.
4. MW: What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment so far?
SB: Conquering a lot of my fears with the aid of powerlifting and in general freeing myself to become what I am supposed to be in life. I just realized one day that I am in complete control of what I do. I am a long way from completing my mission but I have a great life in a great country that I, along with the help and support of a lot people, created. Things just didn't fall into my lap. No rich relatives. No gimmies. Most of the problems and pain in my life were at my own hands and most people waste their time and lives blaming this person or that person, the government, their parents, their genes, some chemical imbalance or whatever. You control what you do, what you say and most of all your happiness and destiny. That's my soap box rap.
5. MW: What’s next for you with regards to Powerlifting?
SB: Well, I have a few more goals to reach in the 275s and then I am going to drop some weight to maybe 230 or 240. I know I have said this before but I have accomplished a lot at the 275 weight class and feel it's about time to move on in another direction. Basically, I am tired of being fat, panting nonstop and I want to be able to wipe my ass without stretching out or warming up. I would like to limit the number of full meets and become a specialist, you know a bench or deadlift only dude. Sounds like heaven to not have to train all three balls to the wall year round. The deadlift may be a stretch unless I can use straps like the strongmen do. I am also working on some training manuals, other articles and such. Eventually, I plan to write the very unauthorized biography of life with Donnie. It will be a bestseller. I will continue to coach as long as guys want me to help them out. There is nothing better then helping someone reach a goal that they never thought they would get. When people say they could not have done it without me, I tell them they are the one who did it, I am only the guide.
6. MW: What do you see for the future of Powerlifting?
SB: Powerlifting will never unite because no one can agree on anything about it. It will remain poor and obscure also because of all the infighting that goes on in forums and at meets and even in the very few publications that are out there. I think people should find what appeals to them most and go with it, be it raw, limited gear or unlimited federations. I just want to lift where the guys are lifting the most weight plain and simple.
Do I want everyone to get along? Of course I do. I have just witnessed the reality over the past 8 years and it never seems to get any better especially in the forums where everyone talks trash about everyone else and then hides behind fake names. Nobody says the things they say in the forums to anyone's face so I don't give them any validity or really go in them much. The money may get better but with my luck it will be after I step away.
The future of Powerlifitng is what each person finds in it for themselves. If you give it everything, you will reach your goals sooner or later. The battle will make you a better person if you let it. This is what separates Powerlifting from all other sports, for me. You are the one at the wheel. If you cry and complain all the time about this and that, then that is what you will take away from it.
7. MW: What advice would you give to beginners?
SB: a. Do your homework. Read articles, books, whatever you can get your hands on that will help.
b. Don't be an arrogant ass. Listen to what people have to say and don't pretend to know everything (humble would be a good word). I can't tell you how many times people have asked me questions and then blown off what I have said or tried to talk over me because they have the book answer and want to prove to me how intelligent they are. If you haven't done it, then you don't know shit. Shut up and listen.
c. Follow the Westside template to the "t" for the first two or three years and then experiment and customize your program. Form, technique and skill will take you wherever you want to go. The only thing I would change is add gear work and more deadlifting in. The basic format does not call for any gear work and only small amounts of deadlifting.
d. Don't over gear yourself. Pick lighter gear that you can move around in to perfect form. If you buy super gear but don't know how to push back or find a groove it, you will end up hurting yourself. One ply is great for the beginner.
e. Do lots of raw work and build your base strength up. This is also a critical error many beginners make. You can't put size on in gear all the time.
f. Do only 2-3 meets a year. This will allow a beginner to take the appropriate time between meets to build strength and size and also learn gear.
8. MW: Tell us how you design your training cycles. When do you add equipment and when do you add bands, chain, etc?
SB: About 12-15 weeks out I start the training. It used to be 10-12 weeks out but since I am old now I need my de-load weeks so this has extended my cycle. It looks something like this with a de-load in between waves:
Max days
Supra Max with multiple bands on squat (briefs only)/ Rack pulls and bench with multiple bands raw off boards(3 weeks)
De-load
Full Gear squats/Sumo heavy RDLS and Shirt Circa Max with bands off boards on bench (3 weeks)
De-load
70-85% brief work(Russian)/Full Gear for doubles on squats and Reverse band or more rack pulls /bench is doubles and triples off boards with shirts
De-load
After all the hard work is done, the squat is two weeks of 50% de-load with briefs only. No pulls. Openers on bench and light board work
Dynamic work
60% Speed deadlifts and/or high pulls along with leg press and Prowler sled work
60% Paused bench work off 2 and three board or light floor press
The dynamic days don't change much throughout the cycle except towards the end when I will put the suit on for a couple of heavy singles to get used to the suit again.
9. MW: What is Spud, Inc. Products?
SB: Right now, the Spud Inc. Strap Line is heavy duty performance tools designed to make life a little easier for the lifter. They are not new products to the world, just better products. I currently carry about 13 different strap products ranging from ab straps to wrist straps to the latest buckle up strongman harness. These products are made from some of the strongest rigging material on Earth! I tell people you can train with them and then if your car breaks down you can take the straps and tow your car to your trailer or your mechanic! I am working on new strap products every day. Check them out at southcarolinabarbell.com or EliteFTS.com.
In the very near future, I am working on a specialty bar collection for the Buffalo bar, cambered squat and bench bars, etc. They will be slightly thicker and a more durable bar. Additionally, we are almost done with NutritionUpgrade.com. This is a full online premium supplement store at cheapo prices. The cool thing is many of the products I sell have been personally tested by either me or people at my gym so you know they work.
10. MW: You are without a doubt the funniest man in Powerlifting. Tell us a funny training story.
SB: Well, the first one that comes to mind involves my good friend Tiny Thompson as do most of my stories as he is an easy subject and whose world views are not of most normal people. In fact, he should be examined by many doctors to make sure it never happens again. One TT is enough!!
Everybody knows Wednesday is squat night for us. Dudes from everywhere just start showing up and soon asses and masses are pulled together much like a black hole. Now, this black hole which used to be the old Compound is not big, maybe, in the gym part about 800 sq ft. You have 12-15 dudes huddled in this area, most over 300lb, and we called it the Compound for a reason: small metal building with a barbed wire fence to keep the Action Labor bums from breaking in or us from the World, a mad anything-moving-so-I'll-hump-it-Bulldog named Buddy which is as ironic a name as you can get if you catch my drift and finally a David Koresh type owner whose statements and actions would land most people in the looney bin.
TT's big thing with me is to play small jokes on me to get a certain expression on my face. I would call it the "What the “f” are you doing mixed in with total dismay with sprinkles of that's the stupidist shit I have ever seen kind of looks." An example would be long before we were squatting over a thousand occasionally he would load over a thousand on the bar so I would see it when I walked in just to see the expression on my face. Now this bastard only gets off the couch for a couple of things: chicks, weights or food - that's about it. So, for him to load a thousand pounds up with 100s by himself just to get me is quite a feat.
On this particular Wednesday, I was already very angry because I hated going over there at night because I have to get up at 4:00am to open the gym at 5:00am so I am pissed off and walk in. What I think as a normal night is going on as usual, dudes doing various things to get ready for squatting but there is one catch that I didn't notice at the time but as I reflected on it, it became apparent. He had everyone in on it and I could feel lots of extra looks this night. TT was already working which I thought strange because he is always the last to get going. I think it's a fat thing but I didn't give it too much thought. Then I see him doing hanging abs, you know where you hang your arms in straps and pull your legs up over head. This is a mainstay in the ab routine but something isn't quite right while he is working. So, I focus a little more and stop dead in my tracks when I realize what he has done. He has this rotten pair of bikini underwear that he has had since he was a 242er but wears just to disgust people. They are a leopard pattern or something retarded like that, torn and the ass is stretched and worn out from all the traffic if you can picture it without throwing up. So, you guess now what I have witnessed. Ass-es Gi-gantis in the flesh literally, flying in the air defying all gravitational laws with skid tracks and all!! I vomit a little and just stare like you would at a train wreck and the place erupts in laughter, mostly TT. He laughs a little like Stewie off Family Guy for like 10 minutes straight and it is funny but like everyone else in the room we just wanted him to put some cloths on. By the way, he didn't put any shorts on for like 30 minutes.
I want to thank you guys for the opportunity to do the interview. It's always an honor to me that someone wants to hear what I have to say and I certainly appreciate it. As far as other people to thank, I would thank my old lady Susan first. She is the one who aggravates me when I don't want to get going and focused when I don't want to focus. I got to thank my team as well. Without good training partners and a strong base of support from friends and family, I couldn't do the things I do. Believe in yourself even when you are scared out of your mind and make a try no matter what. Oh, and my favorite, earn your living honestly. I think that about covers it. Thanks again!!
Spud
Living in Columbia, South Carolina, Marc and his better-half Susan operate a gym called South Carolina Barbell. They have an active web site at: www.southcarolinabarbell.com . Marc may be reached via their web site. Please check them out.
1. Mike White: Tell us a little about Marc “Spud” Bartley.
Spud Bartley: I am originally from Indiana but I have been in the South for so long I don't remember much about Indiana except corn, dope and lots of chicks with no make-up. Now, it's ya'll and sum beech after 26 years in South Carolina. I got the name "Spud" when I moved here in the early 80's, yes 80's which is classic now, from the 5'6" NBA Dunk Champion Spud Webb. Not that I could dunk or anything, but I ran around and around everyone like Spud did and aggravated the crap out of the neighborhood guys so I got the nickname there. Some people think it's a potato thing or Spudds McKenzie the Party Dog from the Budweiser commercials in the 80's, yes the 80's. I did try to be the party dude and drank pretty much from the 80's to the late 90's so I am pretty sure I have toasted my liver. I did manage to graduate somehow from the University of South Carolina with two B.S.(he said b.s..ha..ha.) Degrees; one in finance and one in business economics and a 3.0!! I worked in the transportation industry as a floor supervisor and dispatch manager(nothing glamorous and very, very boring) until 1999 when I got shit-canned for standing up to my boss who was a Vietnam Vet and ex drill sergeant who drank all day at work and yelled at everyone the drunker he got. At this time, I had met Don Thompson who owned the gym I goofed off at. He needed a training partner so he gave me a part-time job and eventually I learned how to personal train people and built up a large clientele in about a year and a half.
I now live with my common law wife, Susan, six cats and the wimpiest Pit-Bull on Earth, Amber. She stays at the gym all day and gets treats and licks baby's faces all day long. I have owned SC Barbell (southcarolinabarbell.com) for five years now. It was originally Don Thompson's place but he sold out in 2000 and then I bought it out a year later from the other owners. I have been personal training for 8 years or so now because I couldn't cut it in the real world. I call it hiding out because I never know what is going on in the real world unless somebody comes in and tells me about it, I don't know. It's my own private fantasy world. I don't make much money at it but it keeps me happy and it's honest work, maybe. I sit in various chairs around the gym and tell people what to do all day. Not many jobs better than that so I am very fortunate and have a great crew of people who support me and the gym.
2. MW: What or who got you interested in Powerlifting?
SB: I started lifting, like most guys, at age 13 and did the same basic routine still used by most Coaches today. Bench, arms and shoulders Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thanks to Bodybuilders and their vast knowledge base and the wonderful publications from Joe Weider I managed to be an idiot in and out of the gym for the next 17 years wasting my time. Everyone knows the story, you get back into the gym hard and heavy but after awhile you get stale and can't make any gains muscle or strength wise so you quit, get fat, and then make a comeback
6 months or a year later.
So on one of my many comebacks, kinda like a Rocky movie, in 1998 I officially met Don while almost puking out behind the gym after some, what I thought was heavy at time, squats (about 455 or something like that,) he asked me to join him in powerlifting. I say officially because at the time I had been a member of his gym for a year or so and had not met the dude. He was Lean Donnie back then at about 230 or so and more fucked up then he is now. He had just made his first pilgrimage to the Great Westside and met King Louie and was quite enthusiastic about it so I said sure. I didn't have a training partner, and besides, I knew I wasn't going anywhere the way I was going.
The funny thing was all my life in the gym I acted like a powerlifter but lifted like a bodybuilder. I always tried to lift more each and every session but the route I was using was not going to take me anywhere as with most dudes who go the gym and call themselves bodybuilders. So this was a win-win. I did not know the impact it would have on my life that it has had. I just figured it would kill some time and I would get to lift regular with some kind of goals to reach. Of course, Don didn't know much more than I did about powerlifting at the time but we rambled on. Another guy joined us, John Manly, and we commenced to trial and error and error and error. You get the point. We lifted at the “commercial gym” and got ridiculed nonstop for using chains, bands, sleds until we started seeing a lot of success. Who's laughin' now you bastards? Now, everyone is getting on the band wagon and trainers call themselves "Athlete Trainers" and pretend to understand training without going through the fires of hell first. Sorry, occasionally I rant a little bit, but that's the story of my beginnings.
3. MW: What style of training do you normally practice?
SB: When I started, it was straight Westside template all the way. It is by far the best set up for training ever devised. It is simple, covers most of the bases and is measurable and you can take the basic format and apply it to ANY SPORTS PROGRAM.I followed it to the letter for about 3-4 years until my gains slowed down and of course the boredom factor began to set in.
I still follow the basic outline of four day training but I have hybrided it to continue my progress. I don't do the normal speed work anymore which would be speed bench and speed squat. Now it is speed deads at 60% for threes, high pulls, prowler sled work and leg presses for my dynamic days on lower body and on upper dynamic day, I do pause-rep work at 60% or light floor press work and the usual auxiliary work.
Max days are three week cycles of an exercise with a de-load week. I have found the de-load week to be one of the best things I have ever instituted. It gives you a mental and physical break from the rigors of training plus I am getting to be an old bastard.
The Max work starts with lots of stupid band tension, followed by circa max with less band tension and gear and finally straight gear work up to 90 or 95% with a couple of weeks of de-load to recover.
I am sure this will change in the future as it has to keep moving but it is working well so far for me and the team.
4. MW: What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment so far?
SB: Conquering a lot of my fears with the aid of powerlifting and in general freeing myself to become what I am supposed to be in life. I just realized one day that I am in complete control of what I do. I am a long way from completing my mission but I have a great life in a great country that I, along with the help and support of a lot people, created. Things just didn't fall into my lap. No rich relatives. No gimmies. Most of the problems and pain in my life were at my own hands and most people waste their time and lives blaming this person or that person, the government, their parents, their genes, some chemical imbalance or whatever. You control what you do, what you say and most of all your happiness and destiny. That's my soap box rap.
5. MW: What’s next for you with regards to Powerlifting?
SB: Well, I have a few more goals to reach in the 275s and then I am going to drop some weight to maybe 230 or 240. I know I have said this before but I have accomplished a lot at the 275 weight class and feel it's about time to move on in another direction. Basically, I am tired of being fat, panting nonstop and I want to be able to wipe my ass without stretching out or warming up. I would like to limit the number of full meets and become a specialist, you know a bench or deadlift only dude. Sounds like heaven to not have to train all three balls to the wall year round. The deadlift may be a stretch unless I can use straps like the strongmen do. I am also working on some training manuals, other articles and such. Eventually, I plan to write the very unauthorized biography of life with Donnie. It will be a bestseller. I will continue to coach as long as guys want me to help them out. There is nothing better then helping someone reach a goal that they never thought they would get. When people say they could not have done it without me, I tell them they are the one who did it, I am only the guide.
6. MW: What do you see for the future of Powerlifting?
SB: Powerlifting will never unite because no one can agree on anything about it. It will remain poor and obscure also because of all the infighting that goes on in forums and at meets and even in the very few publications that are out there. I think people should find what appeals to them most and go with it, be it raw, limited gear or unlimited federations. I just want to lift where the guys are lifting the most weight plain and simple.
Do I want everyone to get along? Of course I do. I have just witnessed the reality over the past 8 years and it never seems to get any better especially in the forums where everyone talks trash about everyone else and then hides behind fake names. Nobody says the things they say in the forums to anyone's face so I don't give them any validity or really go in them much. The money may get better but with my luck it will be after I step away.
The future of Powerlifitng is what each person finds in it for themselves. If you give it everything, you will reach your goals sooner or later. The battle will make you a better person if you let it. This is what separates Powerlifting from all other sports, for me. You are the one at the wheel. If you cry and complain all the time about this and that, then that is what you will take away from it.
7. MW: What advice would you give to beginners?
SB: a. Do your homework. Read articles, books, whatever you can get your hands on that will help.
b. Don't be an arrogant ass. Listen to what people have to say and don't pretend to know everything (humble would be a good word). I can't tell you how many times people have asked me questions and then blown off what I have said or tried to talk over me because they have the book answer and want to prove to me how intelligent they are. If you haven't done it, then you don't know shit. Shut up and listen.
c. Follow the Westside template to the "t" for the first two or three years and then experiment and customize your program. Form, technique and skill will take you wherever you want to go. The only thing I would change is add gear work and more deadlifting in. The basic format does not call for any gear work and only small amounts of deadlifting.
d. Don't over gear yourself. Pick lighter gear that you can move around in to perfect form. If you buy super gear but don't know how to push back or find a groove it, you will end up hurting yourself. One ply is great for the beginner.
e. Do lots of raw work and build your base strength up. This is also a critical error many beginners make. You can't put size on in gear all the time.
f. Do only 2-3 meets a year. This will allow a beginner to take the appropriate time between meets to build strength and size and also learn gear.
8. MW: Tell us how you design your training cycles. When do you add equipment and when do you add bands, chain, etc?
SB: About 12-15 weeks out I start the training. It used to be 10-12 weeks out but since I am old now I need my de-load weeks so this has extended my cycle. It looks something like this with a de-load in between waves:
Max days
Supra Max with multiple bands on squat (briefs only)/ Rack pulls and bench with multiple bands raw off boards(3 weeks)
De-load
Full Gear squats/Sumo heavy RDLS and Shirt Circa Max with bands off boards on bench (3 weeks)
De-load
70-85% brief work(Russian)/Full Gear for doubles on squats and Reverse band or more rack pulls /bench is doubles and triples off boards with shirts
De-load
After all the hard work is done, the squat is two weeks of 50% de-load with briefs only. No pulls. Openers on bench and light board work
Dynamic work
60% Speed deadlifts and/or high pulls along with leg press and Prowler sled work
60% Paused bench work off 2 and three board or light floor press
The dynamic days don't change much throughout the cycle except towards the end when I will put the suit on for a couple of heavy singles to get used to the suit again.
9. MW: What is Spud, Inc. Products?
SB: Right now, the Spud Inc. Strap Line is heavy duty performance tools designed to make life a little easier for the lifter. They are not new products to the world, just better products. I currently carry about 13 different strap products ranging from ab straps to wrist straps to the latest buckle up strongman harness. These products are made from some of the strongest rigging material on Earth! I tell people you can train with them and then if your car breaks down you can take the straps and tow your car to your trailer or your mechanic! I am working on new strap products every day. Check them out at southcarolinabarbell.com or EliteFTS.com.
In the very near future, I am working on a specialty bar collection for the Buffalo bar, cambered squat and bench bars, etc. They will be slightly thicker and a more durable bar. Additionally, we are almost done with NutritionUpgrade.com. This is a full online premium supplement store at cheapo prices. The cool thing is many of the products I sell have been personally tested by either me or people at my gym so you know they work.
10. MW: You are without a doubt the funniest man in Powerlifting. Tell us a funny training story.
SB: Well, the first one that comes to mind involves my good friend Tiny Thompson as do most of my stories as he is an easy subject and whose world views are not of most normal people. In fact, he should be examined by many doctors to make sure it never happens again. One TT is enough!!
Everybody knows Wednesday is squat night for us. Dudes from everywhere just start showing up and soon asses and masses are pulled together much like a black hole. Now, this black hole which used to be the old Compound is not big, maybe, in the gym part about 800 sq ft. You have 12-15 dudes huddled in this area, most over 300lb, and we called it the Compound for a reason: small metal building with a barbed wire fence to keep the Action Labor bums from breaking in or us from the World, a mad anything-moving-so-I'll-hump-it-Bulldog named Buddy which is as ironic a name as you can get if you catch my drift and finally a David Koresh type owner whose statements and actions would land most people in the looney bin.
TT's big thing with me is to play small jokes on me to get a certain expression on my face. I would call it the "What the “f” are you doing mixed in with total dismay with sprinkles of that's the stupidist shit I have ever seen kind of looks." An example would be long before we were squatting over a thousand occasionally he would load over a thousand on the bar so I would see it when I walked in just to see the expression on my face. Now this bastard only gets off the couch for a couple of things: chicks, weights or food - that's about it. So, for him to load a thousand pounds up with 100s by himself just to get me is quite a feat.
On this particular Wednesday, I was already very angry because I hated going over there at night because I have to get up at 4:00am to open the gym at 5:00am so I am pissed off and walk in. What I think as a normal night is going on as usual, dudes doing various things to get ready for squatting but there is one catch that I didn't notice at the time but as I reflected on it, it became apparent. He had everyone in on it and I could feel lots of extra looks this night. TT was already working which I thought strange because he is always the last to get going. I think it's a fat thing but I didn't give it too much thought. Then I see him doing hanging abs, you know where you hang your arms in straps and pull your legs up over head. This is a mainstay in the ab routine but something isn't quite right while he is working. So, I focus a little more and stop dead in my tracks when I realize what he has done. He has this rotten pair of bikini underwear that he has had since he was a 242er but wears just to disgust people. They are a leopard pattern or something retarded like that, torn and the ass is stretched and worn out from all the traffic if you can picture it without throwing up. So, you guess now what I have witnessed. Ass-es Gi-gantis in the flesh literally, flying in the air defying all gravitational laws with skid tracks and all!! I vomit a little and just stare like you would at a train wreck and the place erupts in laughter, mostly TT. He laughs a little like Stewie off Family Guy for like 10 minutes straight and it is funny but like everyone else in the room we just wanted him to put some cloths on. By the way, he didn't put any shorts on for like 30 minutes.
I want to thank you guys for the opportunity to do the interview. It's always an honor to me that someone wants to hear what I have to say and I certainly appreciate it. As far as other people to thank, I would thank my old lady Susan first. She is the one who aggravates me when I don't want to get going and focused when I don't want to focus. I got to thank my team as well. Without good training partners and a strong base of support from friends and family, I couldn't do the things I do. Believe in yourself even when you are scared out of your mind and make a try no matter what. Oh, and my favorite, earn your living honestly. I think that about covers it. Thanks again!!
Spud
