HARDCORE Gym write-up for PLUSA
Santa Cruz maybe known for many things like top notch surfing from The Point to The Lane, or the hippies political struggle to legalize marijuana, or a whole host of other laid back and freaky things… but one thing you wouldn’t think is that it’s a hot bed for powerlifters. I guess this article/write up is part two of the article that appeared in the August 2002 issue about the Garage gym in Aptos called Iron Maiden. The gym has moved, 2 or 3 times since then, and a few more members have joined the original crew.
After a brief stint next door to a commercial gym (bad idea… lifters + fitness geeks=shitty training environment… incase you hadn't noticed) we moved back to where powerlifters seem to be most comfortable, a garage. We moved from Downtown Santa Cruz, up into the surrounding mountains, this time to Ben Lomond, into a garage gym where lifting could be the priority once again. JACK’S Gym. Named for the gym cat Jack, who lives up in the rafters. We are lucky enough to have an sweet set up. We have an original Monolift , Forza competition benchpress, training platform, power rack, a pro reverse hyper, GHR, 45degree back ext., 14 inch cambered bar, Safety squat Bar, Texas squat and power bars, #85lb Log, Axle, Stones up to #285, med balls up to #100, a video camera hooked up to a TV for instant form feedback and review, over 400 lbs of chains, more bands than you could shake a stick at, and 2250 lbs of 45 lb plates, and plenty of more poundage from 35, 25, 10, and 5 lb plates. Of course all of the best equipment in the world is not going to create good lifters if the lifters aren’t motivated and willing to work hard. Our lifters have both heart and a deep desire to work hard through injuries, tiredness, and all the other crap that we have to put up with as powerlifters. Oh yeah, and a loud-ass stereo system, too!
Most of our lifters are from Santa Cruz and the surrounding areas. We have lifters as young as high schoolers, and well, some old guys who probably don’t want their age in print. We have two lifters with artificial hips, and plenty of other guys who have gone under the knife to be able to keep lifting. The great thing is the amount of experience in the gym. There is always some one who can offer some advice as far as form, exercise choice, or how to get the most out of your shirt our suit. Another thing that is special about our gym and lifters, is that form is a big deal. All of our lifters are taught by example how to pick up on “your little nuances and slight shifts and form breaks”, which has made a huge difference in the health and longevity of all our lifters. We utilize various styles of training, but we follow a modified Westside template for squatting, rotating full gear squats, goodmornings (and gm variations), deadlifts (and variations), and box squats (with different bars and boxes) for our max effort squat work. And we all more or less follow the Westside template for bench work, although we probably work in our bench shirts more than the template calls for.
Our lifters range in weight from 130 lbs to 315bs and in age from 18 to 65… Our top lifter is Charlie Telesco, Chuck T. AT age 23, he’s been training with us for the past three years, and has gone from a 198lb weakling, to a 260lb lifting machine. He totaled Elite at his last meet at Diablo Barbell with #1957. Chuck’s fired up and leading the way for all the guys at the gym! From our senior crowd (or should we say master crowd) is Richard “Doc” Hencke, John “Cuts” Crites, and Diederik “The Flying Dutchman” Lagerwerff. What can I say about these guys?… they keep us in our places with their constant barrage of advice, insults, and compliments. Evan Hansmann is our Strongman Freak! And at 23, 6’6” and 315lbs he is a freak! Justin “Chircdog”Chirco is our bench specialist, and is planning on a 500 raw bench at his upcoming meet. Our current crew also consists of hardcore female lifter/trainer Bianca Stone, USAPL Referee Will Satterwaithe, and lifters RJ Roberson, Ben Kutcher, and Jordan Ritchie.
And a special thanks to lifter, Steve Vencil, for the use of his property for Jack’s gym. Without him… we’d all be lifting at Gold’s or 24hour fitness, or somewhere! Aaarrgghh!… No Way!… I’ll quit lifting first!… I can never go back… I couldn’t train in one of those places… they are not for what we do… it’s like trying to read a Muscle and Fitness magazine (torturous!). Between workouts at Jack’s and at the outdoor gym at Shaffer Park… I feel like the luckiest guy around… I’ve got a fired up crew to lift with, and a couple of awesome places to train. You can usually find Evan and I out at Shaffer on Sunday mornings, then up at Jack’s for training during the week. Lord knows I’ve got a ways to go as I’ve only totaled 17hundred+ at my last two meets as a 220er… but with all this around me I can’t help but keep getting stronger! I’m aiming towards 8, 5, & 6, for a1900 total. Check us out at Jack’sGym.net to see all of the crazy shit we do. Jack’s has two mottos to train by: 1. Learn to Train, Train to Learn And 2. Don’t be a Pussy! We combine positive attitude with the right environment with some gut busting effort… and it all adds up to PRs and gains for our whole team.
Thanks Rick,
Here’s to all iron bothers (and sisters) everywhere,
Keep hittin’ PR’s!
Best Regards,
Deric Stockton and the whole Jack’s Crew.
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