Exercise Q&A’s by Anthony Ricciuto

Your PLUSA magazine column has really made powerlifters think about the whole nutrition thing – not only about their performance but also from a health perspective. I too, got lost in the “Need a Bigger Total” tunnel vision that so many powerlifters suffer from, but that all changed when my training partner who is 46 years old had a heart attack. This happened right in front of me in the gym. The rush of the paramedics, the lifeless look on his face and the whole shock of it all really sent me for a loop. I am happy to say that he survived the heart attack but the doctor said he was very lucky since most people that have such a severe attack die before they hit the floor. It has really opened my eyes and made me really think about life differently. I hope this doesn’t sound soft but it really scared me when that happened to my partner. He has 2 kids and a wife and a whole life outside powerlifting ahead of him. I, myself suffer from high cholesterol and high blood pressure so this has made me take a better look at what I need to do to improve my health. I just had my body fat checked and I am at 36%. I weigh 268 pounds right now. This means that I am carrying 96.5 pounds of pure fat on my body! This scares the hell out of me because I know this can’t be good for my heart in the least. I know this is way over the limit and is a cardiovascular nightmare just waiting to happen. I would like to work with you for program design to help get my health on track and I want to make some changes before I end up in the same boat as my friend. The sad thing is, I might not be as lucky as him. Please consider taking me on as one of your private clients because I want to make it to be a grandfather one-day and if I keep up with the way I am going I know I will just be another American Heart Attack Statistic.

I can fully understand where you are coming from with what happened to your friend. I work with a lot of top level athletes and many times the only thing that is in their mind is to be the best. Now don’t get me wrong, if you are going to be a champion at any sport you have to have this attitude or you will never make it to the top. But the sad fact is you can’t sacrifice everything to get to the top only to fall off the scene of stardom just after getting there because of health conditions. I get a ton of emails from people in the same situation as you. They suffer from medical conditions like high cholesterol, Type II Diabetes or High blood pressure and yet they do nothing to fix the problem. Yes, they throw back some meds that their doctor prescribed them but that’s it. Believe me there is a lot more to optimal health then using drugs to bring down your cholesterol all the while you are sucking back fast food and donuts like the world is going to end. I see people like this all the time and it makes me shake my head in amazement because they don’t realize what they are doing to their long term health. I am not saying that you can’t cheat here and there with your diet, but the way a lot of powerlifters eat it is a non stop 24 hour-7 days a week gorging feast of foods that ultimately lower your life expectancy. There is a fine line between enjoying yourself once a week to a cheat meal and living a life of fast food, processed junk foods, refined carbs, saturated fat and unlimited amounts of sodium on a daily basis.

Your friend is very lucky that he survived such an ordeal because there are thousands every year that are not so lucky. I have tried time and time again with my column to open the eyes of the powerlifting community to the importance of sports nutrition not only for performance enhancement but also for preventative health maintenance. I know a lot of you die-hard powerlifters will read this and think, “Hey this nutrition guy is a real wuss.” But the fact is a heart attack can take you from the stardom of powerlifting success to a guy lying in a hospital bed with tubes stuck in your nose and arms just to keep you alive. You make think, “Hey that won’t ever happen to me I can squat over 900 pounds, I am a beast” but think again. You are only as strong as your weakest link and if your cardiovascular health is that weak link then you are setting yourself for some big trouble down the road. I guarantee it! Just look at all the different powerlifters that you see dying at a young age. All you have to do is look at many of the different issues of PLUSA to see a dedication of different lifters that passed way before their time. It’s situations like the one you mentioned above that really make you appreciate things and look at life in a bigger picture of things. I love powerlifting as much as the next guy so if you want to increase your performance and live long enough to lift as a Masters competitor then cleaning up your nutrition plan and detoxing should be priority number one.

My question is about private consultations and program design. I know that you provide it for many of the best powerlifters and strength athletes in the world. Do you work with just the average Powerlifter? I am also a woman who is 36 years old. I know that you have done some work with the strongest women bench presser Karen Sizemore and multiple world champion Amy Weisburger. I am new to the sport and I will let you know that I am not in the same league as them. I really love the sport and what scares me is that I am guilty of many of the things that you have mentioned in your columns in PLUSA. I am horrible with my food choices and until I started reading your column I really didn’t care what I shoved in my mouth. I also have high cholesterol. I will be the first to admit in your column that I was totally ignorant in regards to sports nutrition for powerlifters. Is there any way you could help me out?

Don’t worry if you diet has been bad in the past you don’t have to confess your nutritional sins to me. I am just joking. All in all, I would be delighted to work with you. As you know I run a very tight schedule working with up to 16 clients a day. Yes as you can see from that I am a bit of a workaholic, but since I love what I do it’s not a problem. What you need to do is give me a call and we can definitely get together for a consultation. I do work with just average powerlifters too so I don’t want you to think that I don’t have time for the little guy. It’s just that at the professional Powerlifting level, having every extra edge is a must so that is another reason why I have worked with so many National and World Champion powerlifters. At that level if your diet is not perfect your closest competition will make you eat dust. This is just the case with many of my champions as some of them have experienced this first hand. With my practice it’s a first come first serve basis and I usually have a waiting list to get in with me depending on how crazy my schedule is. Don’t worry about your nutritional past mistakes, once you are under my guidance you won’t have to worry as I will get you on track. Your total will be at its best and I will also make sure that you improve your blood profiles as well. Set up an appointment and get that total to the next level!

Hey nutrition man, I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know that I think your PLUSA column sucks! PLUSA is a powerlifting magazine, not some journal of dietetics. IF I wanted to learn more about nutrition I would stop by Weight Watchers. You mentioned that you have some doubters out there so I will let you know that I am your number one doubter. Come on, this whole nutrition thing is so bodybuilder like it makes me want to go and throw up. Next, you will be telling us to shave off our body hair and rub oil all over ourselves. I am not any ripped bodybuilder, but I am not a slob either. I don’t know what my body fat percentage is but as a guess, it can’t be much over 14 or 15%. If all the powerlifting heroes of the past ate what they wanted to without following a customized plan, then you can forget about me trying out one of your wuss-ass celery stick and rice cake diets. I am a real man and I eat like one so you can stuff all your new age “Cleanse This”, Pilates style yuppie programs where the sun doesn’t shine!

Hey, take a few deep breaths and put down your Hungry Man TV dinner that you have your furry knuckles wrapped around. So you don’t like my column, do you really think you hurt my feelings? I could care less if you like my writing or not. During my time here at PLUSA magazine, I have received tons of positive response from lifters all over the world who are now incorporating my nutritional ideas into their powerlifting plans. If you think my theories are stupid, then maybe you are the one who probably would benefit the most. I am not here trying to force my ideas down your throat, but I am here to help those who would like to educate themselves on how to improve their performance through proper nutritional practices. If you don’t like my column, then don’t read it!

Why on earth would I want powerlifters to get all shaved down like bodybuilders, and I don’t know how you came up with the conclusion that my nutritional plans are based around eating foods which won’t increase performance. I construct nutritional programs for my elite athletes which is much different then a bodybuilding plan. If that were the case, none of my athletes would be getting any results at all, as bodybuilders and powerlifters are after two different end results – big time! Speak with any of my star clients who will tell you the type of impact I have made on their training and performance. Many of my clients have hit all time bests in the gym and in competitions. For example, one of my newer clients, World Record Holder and Champion- Phil Harrington has hit some unreal numbers as of late under my nutritional guidance. Under my guidance, his numbers have been steadily improving like never before! His recovery is better, his volume workload has increased, his body fat is lower, his endurance is up, and his strength has gone through the roof. It would be extremely entertaining to hear their response in regards to having eat rice cakes and celery sticks!

Anthony Ricciuto: Current Sports Nutrition and Science Editor for Powerlifting USA magazine. Anthony set a W.N.P.F. Drug free Teenage (14-16 years class) World Record in the Deadlift of 500 pounds in the 220 class that still stands today. Anthony no longer competes in Powerlifting but is a dedicated strength coach and sports nutritionist. He has also served as the Head National Coach for the Canadian Powerlifting Team at the World Championships for 5 years. Anthony specializes in working with strength athletes of different sports for training and nutritional program design.