We are a group of PSU students practicing the art of Olympic Weightlifting.
[Currently, we're simply a small number of people who gather regularly at the PSU gym during open gym times, but we're working on becoming an official recreation club for Winter term, 2008. If you are interesting in joining please email coach@psuweightlifting.com]
All beginners are welcome. No experience required.
Becoming proficient at weight training, especially in the Olympic Lifts, enables one to see progress in an area that is quite easily quantifiable. Unlike other areas of life, Weightlifting allows one to gauge their progress quite easily, and is therefor a boon to ones self confidence that carries over into those areas of life that are far less easy to quantify.
Women are particularly encouraged to come and try it out. Women often mistakenly believe that strength is the domain of men. However, weight training not only benefit’s women at least as much as it does men, but women are particularly well suited to Olympic style weight training which focuses on leg and back strength, as opposed to arm strength.
The PSU Weightlifting Club is a place where we strive to better ourselves. Weightlifting is a microcosm of life. In it we have clear bench-marks. We need bench-marks against which we can measure progress, not just in the weight-room, but throughout the entirety of our lives.
Among the goals then of this club, is that the lessons learned “under the Iron” will carry over into the real world.
Dear Nicholas:
Congrats on starting a O-Lifting club – that is great! You have 3 great opportunities to submerge into O-Lifting. 1 is Coach Mike Burgener, as he knows his stuff. 2 and 3 would be to attend a National meet and talk one-on-one with several top coaches. This is how my coaches learned a lot fast and avoided a lot of pitfalls. We host O-Lifting at the Arnold in Columbus, Ohio (March 2-4 this year) and will have the top 40 lifters there for the US World Team Trials. The other meet is mid-April and is in Reno, NV, closer to you. That is the National Collegiates and will be televised. (usaweightlifting.org will have more info on this meet at some point in the near future). Just an idea…if you would like to attend the Arnold, drop me a line and we can introduce you around. Best of luck – its a great sport to be involved with.
nick,
there is another registered club in your area started by dan grissom in aloha, his # is 503- 356-0106.
we have a 7 meet schedule in oregon. email me and i’ll send the schedule along to you along with the meet results from our last meet on 2/3/07.
tom
(541) 953-7946
I’m curious if there are any meets in the U.S. that combine O-lifting with powerlifting for a 5-lift competition? I’ve been out of training for a few years, but would be interested in finding a meet in ‘08. Any ideas??
Thank you!
Jim, In florida they have an odd competition that many highschools participate in that combines the Clean and Jerk and the Bench press. But, I’ve not seen a 5 lift competition. I’m sure part of the reason is that it already takes so long to run a 2 lift contest, they’d have to make a 5 lift contest over 2 days to accomodate it. That’s expensive.
But, it would be interesting. I actually wish they’d just bring back the Press. Even though I personally suck at it, it would bring more people into the sport.
Ella, you’re welcome
Damn, I just moved from Hillsboro to Seattle. Wish I would have known about you guys. I even taught as an adjunct in the PSU planning school! Where was I?
Those Eleiko weights you were competing on at Creswell were my donation to Tom and his “juvie” program at the Lane County detention center. Boy do I miss those now that i live in an apartment and train at 24 Hour fatness!
People in these clubs have always looked at me doing the lifts as sort of an oddball old man. I’m usually just stuck in the rack over in the corner.
Just starting Crossfit here in Seattle at Level 4. Should kick my butt (I’m a geezer former weightlifter with a ton of flab to move around) but at least they do the lifts.
Keep up the good work. I like your webpage and training advice. I’ll look you up if and when we move back to Puddletown. We miss Oregon!
Happy New Year
Bob Yakas
206 327-0808
Sweet! I hope you look us up when you’re back in town.
Off campus we train at Loprinzi’s gym on 42nd and SE Division.
And for anyone else reading this: I run an off campus club for non-students, and students who want more, that does its training there 3 days a week. You can goto http://www.pdxweightlifting.com for more info.
Hi
this might be a little weird but someone named bob yakas left a message on this web page and i was wondering if he may be related in some way. i’m in NZ and as far as i know there are only about 5 people listed under the name yakas. i see that he is in seattle but wondering if there is a connection??? i know that nic yakas went to the usa back in bout 1914 or something like that.
love to know:::???
I may be interested in lifting with you. I start PSU this Fall. Will be a junior.
Saij,
Moving back to Puddletown in May. I will look you up. Could be fun getting back in it. Read the article on your web page about the state of lifting in the NW. Sounds like Bill Brian – he was always on about 24 Fitness and the pathetic response they had to Oly lifters. Great guy and a good lifter from the “old days” in Portland lifting.
Thanks to crossfit, Oly lifting has taken on a new and exciting role in what I believe to be the best thing to happen in the fitness industry. I’m a NSCA-CPT (inactive) and have been following this industry since the 70’s. My day job is as an Urban Designer. Was a time when Oly lifting on the west coast may as well have been in the circus.
The east coast, with York Barbell Club, and the midwest, where I hail from, was the center of O lifting in this country. Bodybuilding (with Loprinzi’s being a NW center in the 60s and 70s) and powerlifting took over on the west coast.
looking forward to being back in PDX and to meeting you and your group of lifters.
All the best,
Bob Yakas
Hey, sounds great Bob. We’ll look forward to meeting you.