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Campeonato Brasileiro ANF-WPC

No fim de semana passado, dia 19 de maio, foi realizado o primeiro Campeonato Brasileiro ANF-WPC (World Powerlifting Congress). Tivemos 16 atletas participantes, um a mais do que eu previa.

O campeonato teve uma organização impecável: os equipamentos – suportes de agachamento e supino, plataforma, barras e anilhas – eram novos, de dimensões adequadas a todos os levantadores e rigorosamente dentro das especificações técnicas de todas as federações sérias; os anilheiros e spotters eram estudantes de Educação Física ou educadores físicos devidamente instruídos por mim e selecionados, além dos critérios educacionais, segundo critérios de força (deveriam ser todos homens e capazes de executar um levantamento terra com no mínimo o dobro de seu peso corporal); os árbitros estudaram detalhadamente o livro de regras do WPC, devidamente traduzido e disponibilizado ao público com antecedência, e foram instruídos num curso rápido por mim, árbitra internacional certificada do WPC; os mesários todos tinham curso superior, o responsável pela súmula é um programador e os tempos foram seguidos de maneira rigorosa.

A estrutura física do campeonato foi organizada por Cláudio Gomes Pereira, profissional da área de eventos e feiras, que utilizou todo seu know-how na produção de eventos e cenários para criar espaços da mais alta funcionalidade e esteticamente impressionantes. Os banners foram por ele planejados e colocados numa ordem que dava conforto ao público e atratividade ao evento.

Os atletas foram instruídos no congresso técnico. Como a maioria não tinha familiaridade com a estrutura de campeonatos de powerlifting propriamente dito (“full Power”), alguns se confundiram e foram rapidamente instruídos pela organização.

O que podemos concluir disso tudo? Em primeiro lugar, em quatro anos de existência legal e total regularidade jurídica da ANF, nunca houve um evento de fato de acordo com o que eu considero os critérios de qualidade e respeito ao powerlifting exceto este. Como tantas vezes eu disse, suspendi todas as competições de 2011 até agora por este motivo e não faria mais nenhuma enquanto não tivesse certeza absoluta quanto ao respeito a estes critérios. O famoso “powerlifting de fundo de quintal” nunca mais se aproximará da ANF.

A segunda coisa que concluo é que vieram para o campeonato exatamente os atletas que deveriam vir: os que podem prosseguir numa linha correta no powerlifting. Muitos são atletas já de altíssimo nível. Outros são iniciantes. Não importa. São eles a base desse novo crescimento.

Duas decisões que tomei geraram inicialmente estranhamento, mas hoje faz sentido a muita gente: a ANF será mantida apenas RAW (sem equipamento suporte) e apenas com campeonatos full Power e de supino (para sempre). Os três anos não equipados são o tempo de maturação que eu considero necessário para que nos equipemos adequadamente para estes eventos e para que as equipes treinem para os mesmos. A escolha  pelo full Power e supino é simples: qualquer um que faça levantamento terra pode agachar. Powerlifting é um esporte de perfeição cinética: ele é uma metáfora para o movimento humano. É feito dos atos de AGACHAR, EMPURRAR e PUXAR. Como vários adeptos da “old school”, minha posição é que isso é o esporte – o resto são deformações. O supino não: tem muita gente com lesões que justificam a existência de eventos só de supino. Já que existem, que se abra para todos.

Todas estas decisões foram tomadas depois de consulta com as matrizes. Eu mantenho contato permanente com os presidentes de nossas federações internacionais e os consulto sobre todas as decisões tomadas no Brasil. Jamais faremos campeonatos com siglas combinadas (“ABC/WNT”, nomes hipotéticos). Isso é desrespeito com os organismo de sanção, os quais têm suas próprias culturas e livros de regras. É meu princípio ético respeitar a organização à qual filiei a ANF.

Caminharemos devagar e na linha estabelecida da qualidade. Temos amigos crossfiteiros interessados no powerlifting graças a isso. Servimos este tipo de público: pessoas que apreciam o ESPORTE , seu caráter de jogo. Por isso, também, minimizamos as premiações: troféu, apenas para melhor atletas open. O resto serão medalhas pequenas e prêmios que eu considero de muito maior relevância, como livros, equipamento e suplemento. É meu compromisso EDUCAR a população de novos atletas dentro do espírito da MERITOCRACIA, ou seja, fazer algo pelo prazer e respeito pela “coisa bem feita”.

Finalmente, uma palavra sobre anti-doping e drogas. Abaixo está a nota pública de esclarecimento que eu divulguei:

ESCLARECIMENTO SOBRE ANTI-DOPING, OU MELHOR, A AUSÊNCIA DO MESMO (último esclarecimento do dia, galera, amanhã vou dar aula): a ANF é filiada ao WPC e à IPL. Eu escolhi estas federações segundo inúmeros critérios, a começar pela seriedade, consistência na arbitragem, nível dos competidores e, não menos importante, AUSÊNCIA do teste anti-doping. Fiz isso porque, como Professora Doutora em Estudos Sociais da Ciência e Política Científica, como consultora da Organização Panamericana de Saúde para informação técnica em saúde e como bioquímica, sou rigorosamente CONTRA a REPRESSÃO às drogas. Dados históricos e epidemiológicos mostram que a “guerra às drogas” não protege ninguém e gera terror. Dados sociológicos e político-institucionais mostram que os testes de dopagem servem apenas interesses políticos. Eu escrevo regularmente para as melhores revistas de treinamento no país sobre DROGAS, educando a população sobre sua natureza, efeitos e riscos. Só assim cada pessoa poderá decidir o que é melhor para si. Não é correto um Estado-babá tomando decisões pelo cidadão. Quanto ao princípio de justiça esportiva e equanimidade, ela não resiste à lógica: equipamentos, dieta e todo tipo de preparo modificam as vantagens dos competidores e se todos têm acesso aos mesmos recursos, estão equânimes. Como autoridade técnica no tema, afirmo que apenas a INFORMAÇÃO e a EDUCAÇÃO permitem uma TOMADA DE DECISÃO DE BOA QUALIDADE. Nunca, jamais, apoiarei o teste de uso de substâncias e muito menos a perseguição a usuários de qualquer tipo de substância. O princípio básico de que só se deve reprimir o comportamento que prejudique um terceiro vale no mundo, no país e no esporte. Afirmo isso eu, Dra. Marília Coutinho, presidente da ANF.

Mantenho-me coerente com meus princípios políticos e ideológicos há décadas: não é agora que vou me desviar do bom caminho. No entanto, não poderiam estar mais errados aqueles que supõe que eu seja conivente com o abuso de drogas. É uma decisão minha e da diretoria da ANF que o uso de QUALQUER substância proibida ou  mesmo suspeita no local das competições levará a banimento instantâneo do usuário. Não haverá, em campeonatos da ANF, uma única seringa no banheiro, como tristemente é regra em campeonatos de powerlifting Brasil afora . Além disso, a ANF terá, dando seguimento ao que eu já faço, um programa de educação para drogas. Meu compromisso é com a educação, não com a repressão.

Tivemos marcas boas, como se pode ver neste link. Todas os atletas foram arbitrados da mesma maneira, primando pela CONSISTÊNCIA DE ARBITRAGEM. A profundidade do agachamento é particularmente rigorosa.

Tivemos fotógrafos profissionais registrando o evento e produzindo imagens artísticas e de qualidade inigualável. Temos vídeos para quem quiser verificar os movimentos.

Perguntam-se se vou organizar campeonatos internacionais, como sul-americanos. Sim, quando eu sentir firmeza para tanto. Foi exatamente assim como os campeonatos no país.

Estamos re-inventando este esporte. É meu papel, e daqueles que comungam com meu pensamento, desvincular o que hoje fazemos de tristes histórias passadas de desrespeito a regras; de mesquinharia e rivalidades discrepantes com o espírito marcial que deve reger todo o esporte nobre; de abuso de drogas (quase sempre associadas à repressão a seu uso, como o anti-doping); de abuso de poder; de jogos de interesses e manipulação de resultados. Há quem diga que é uma guinada elitista. Estão certos. Infelizmente, para poder cumprir seu papel social, é preciso que antes uma elite educada esteja firmemente comprometida com o projeto.

É este meu papel.

Álbum da fotógrafa Maria Claudia Vergal

Álbum do fotógrafo Adilson Martins

25 de maio de 2013 0 Comments

Steve Pulcinella talks about Highland Games and Strongman – interview form 2011

 

Steve Pulcinella, strength athlete with outstanding achievements in many different sports, coach, writer and owner of Iron Sport, a powerful resistance trench against mainstream fitness, gave me this interview in 2011. It was translated into Portuguese and published at Musculação & Fitness, a Brazilian training magazine. The original interview is here.

Anything you would like to add to the background provided in your personal profiles

I have been doing strongman and highland games professionally now for 20 years. Before that I had done track and field throwing and powerlifting. My wife Jalaine Ulsh was a former NABBA champion figure competitor and now trains and competes as an Olympic weightlifter.

 It is argued that modern Strongman competitions derive from the Highland Games traditions. What are the most important differences between the two sports?

The Highland games consist of all throwing events, it’s also a little more technique oriented. Although the highland athletes are big strong guys they are nowhere near the size of the top pro strongmen. The early events of strongman events definitely had their roots in highland games. They were all tests of manhood in Scotland

 

How is the HG community organized?

Right now the HG community is still just individual festivals all around the world. There really is no central governing body.

 

Are most HG athletes also SM athletes or is there some specialization/segmentation?

Thirty years ago all the strongmen did highland games and vice versa but now the athletes are largely specialized. It had a lot to do with the sport of strongman really coming into its own now.

What attracts you most to HG?

For me it is competing in front of larger crowds which made it a lot more exciting and fun. Most powerlifting meets I did and strongman contests really didn’t have crowd appeal but some of the festivals we go to we might be doing events with thousands of people watching us. Its gets you pumped when you turn a big caber and you get a good crowd reaction from bleachers full of people.

Which were your most important achievements in this sport?

I guess I would have to say in strongman it was winning the 1993 North American Championships and in Highland Games it was winning the 2000 Loon Mt NH games. That was just a special win for me. But in all it really is the friends you make over the years.

Could you tell us something particularly interesting to the lay public about your experiences/events in the HG? (they always ask why you wear the kilt)

Yes, the kilt is always the big draw, chicks dig it. After the national championships this year about ten of us huge guys walked into a crowded family restaurant with our kilts on and the looks on everyone’s faces watching us all walk through there was hilarious.

How do you see its growth around the world?

HG has grown by leaps and bounds. When I first got involved the internet was not really around yet so the sport was still kind of an underground thing. Few people knew about it and even fewer people knew how to get involved with it. Now it seems to be exploding not only in north America but all over Europe too.

With your students/athletes/gym members, do you employ HG/SM derived movements?

How are they useful?  Strongman event training is extremely useful for many sports, it is a highly functional style of training that strengthens every part of the body. Just about every athlete in my gym incorporates stone lifting, tire flipping and sled dragging into their weekly routines.

Do you think the SM/underground training approach will become mainstream in the US?

Or elsewhere? I know in the US it has exploded in the last five years. There is not one college and high school football program that isn’t tire flipping, pushing trucks and sled dragging for greater explosive strength.

 

 

25 de maio de 2013 0 Comments

Memória de minhoca

Na verdade eu nem sei se minhoca tem memória ruim. Devia saber: afinal, sou bióloga, estudei minhocas, mas não me lembro muito delas.

Acabo de receber a notificação de um comentário numa postagem sobre um vídeo interessante. Vi que eu fui a primeira a comentar, comentei que achei genial mas não tenho a menor idéia sobre do que se trata mais… Daí lembrei de um dia, depois de defender minha tese, em que sentei para ler um livro “novo” (agora eu tinha tempo). O livro estava cheio de anotações – eu devia ter comprado num sebo. Fiquei espantada com o quanto as anotações coincidiam com as minhas opiniões (novas!) sobre o conteúdo. Então achei surpreendente como a caligrafia – uma letrinha apertada de forma  – parecia com a minha. Só então me dei conta de que tinha lido o livro inteiro e ainda feito anotações detalhadas, mas não lembrava nada. Agora lembro, era “As palavras e as coisas”, do Foucault.

Hoje eu alongava enquanto o Joel começava a aula das 18:30h na Crossfit Brasil e fiquei olhando um pouco apreensiva, pensando que era sorte eu ser apenas um ornamento móvel ali e não uma atleta de Crossfit. Caso contrário em pouco tempo eu não me chamaria mais Marilia, e sim Burpee: a pessoa que erra ou não lembra o nome de outra do grupo paga um certo número de burpees. Certamente eu passaria a aula inteira fazendo burpee.

Eu ainda acho que todos os homens se chamam Tiago, Diego, Rafael ou Marcos. Com algumas exceções.

Acho que algumas áreas do meu cérebro são realmente muito deficientes.

24 de maio de 2013 1 Comment

Shawn Lattimer talks about migrating from Powerlifting to Arm Wrestling

Shawn and Rob

Shawn Lattimer, one of the strongest SHW powerlifters until the late 2000s, made a major change in his sports career: he became an Arm Wrestler. A few years later, he was already at the top positions of the American AW national ranking. A successful engineer, Shawn talks about the different demands of each sport and his experience migrating from one to the other. This interview was given to me in January 2011.

fig 2

 

  1. You have interrupted your career in powerlifting and migrated to arm wrestling. What would you say were your greatest accomplishments and richest learning in powerlifting?

My greatest accomplishment in Powerlifting is actually a tie.  In 2003 I won my first pro competition in the WPO with an 810 lb. bench press, which was 2nd in the world at the time.  It was also a personal best for me.  My in meet record prior to that was 700, and my gym best was 765.

That is a tie  in my mind with my all-time best lift of 905 lbs. in 2007.

I believe I was the 5th man in the world to bench 800 lbs. or more, and I was the 5th or 6th man to bench 900 lbs. or more.

My richest learning form powerlifting is patience.  I may still hold the record for missing 900 lb bench attempts in competition.  I believe I missed with 900 or more about 17 times in competition before finally achieving the 905 lift.

  1. How have you decided to become an arm wrestler? Did you have experience with this sport before?

I essentially became bored with powerlifting.  I competed for 12 years, and I worked my way from a 460 lb. bench in my first meet all the way to 905.  I toyed with the idea of chasing the 1000 lb. mark, but after the road to 900, I simply saw no allure.

A co-worked of mine is a well-respected armwrestler.  She won the world championship title in 2005 right handed.  We were discussing training one day over lunch, and I mentioned my need to find a new challenge.  She suggested armwrestling, and gave me contact information for a team that trains near me.  I decided to take her up on it and contacted Team New Jersey.  From there forward, I became and arm wrestling addict.

Prior to this, my only armwrestling experience was at the lunch room table in high school, and a single armwrestling competition I foolishly entered having no knowledge of the sport (circa 1999).  Needless to say, I hurt for a long time after that competition.

  1. Did you feel right away that you were naturally gifted for AW? Could you comment on the following factors that may or may not have influenced your success in AW: a. motor skills acquired from multiple sports; b. skill learning speed; c. background in powerlifting; d. being an engineer; e. being naturally strong; f. any other factor that you may think of

Gifted—–yes and no.  I am gifted in the fact that I have a huge hand and incredibly strong fingers.  I also had very strong wrists without ever really training them specifically.  However, I found quickly that being strong as a powerlifter means absolutely nothing on an armwrestling table.

Armwrestling is a very counter-intuitive sport.  Everything that you think should work, is exactly incorrect.  Everywhere I was strong, had nothing to do with armwrestling.  Everywhere I was weak, I needed to be strong.  I spent 3 months being beaten by a 16 year old team member.  The 154 pound lightweight was too strong for me to practice with…….

In particular, the bicep is incredibly important in armwrestling.  I effectively ignored my biceps for years, as they are not of high importance in powerlifting.  It took me a full year to get my bicep power up to acceptable levels for armwrestling.

Additionally, armwrestling requires power in the form of a static contraction.  You want to lock your arm in position and move with your body.  Powerlifting is a dynamic contraction, there the joints are in motion.  The two types of strength are not on the same plane.  I had to completely re-learn my motor skills and my methods of apply power.

An interesting positive factor: Armwrestling is highly dependent on tendon strength.  Holding static contractions places a lot of strain on tendons.  Tendons grow, recover, heal, etc. in the same way as muscles, but at a tiny fraction of the speed.  I was lucky enough that the severe overloading I put my body through prepared my body relatively well for armwrestling.  It took me about 6 months to get over the constant deep “toothache” type pain in my tendons.  Many other novice armwrestlers require 1-2 years.

The last advantage I have had is my natural tendency to invest my brain fully into anything I attempt.  I spent years understanding and fine tuning my bench technique by analyzing all of the tiniest portions of the motion and the attributes of powerlifting gear.  I am doing the same thing with armwrestling.  In this way I have found I am able to better play to my strengths and protect my weaknesses from my opponents.  Essentially, the same mindset that makes me a good engineer does help me in sports as well.

  1. Do you feel your background in powerlifting helped your evolution in AW ? Why? (or why not)

My background has helped in some ways.  As I mentioned before, patience is a huge factor.  Additionally, I learned long ago that I have weaknesses.  I learned how to identify, attack and eliminate weaknesses.  This knowledge  has very direct applications in armwrestling.  Many competitors refuse to acknowledge weaknesses, and other acknowledge them but lack the insight to eliminate them.  I’ve been lucky enough over the years to learn how to address my own weaknesses.

  1. Is any part of your training routine from powerlifting retained for AW or has it changed completely? What has been retained, if any?

I actually retain a lot of my training, but not specifically because its best for armwrestling.  In large part, habit plays a big role.  I have eliminated a few things, like heavy bench lockouts, bench shirt work, board presses, etc.  I have modified some of my routines, like shoulders, to use single arm movements to activate additional core and stabilizing muscles.  I stopped squatting and deadlifting several years ago due to lower back injuries, but otherwise I still do a streamlined version of the workouts I have always done.  I have added a lot of armwrestling specific work for biceps, wrists, grip, rotation, etc.  Recently I even started working on doing pullups.

  1. Briefly, how is your AW training and competition preparation? How do you build your periodization in AW?

Actually, I don’t periodize my training.  Most of my armwrestling specific weight work is high repetition with heavy weight, aiming for 12-15 reps for endurance.  I tend to work towards fatigue more so than any specific weight/rep/set goal.  For the most part, I would say 30% of my strength is built with weights; the remainder is built during practice sessions on the armwrestling table with team mates.

Week to week the training is basically the same.  The week leading into a tournament I suspend my training.

  1. Training frequency and intensity: is it the same, similar or different from PL? Some training systems employ 90-100% efforts every week, year round. How does that apply to AW? How many meets do you think a top AW may manage during one year?

The training is the same, but different at the same time,  The level of intensity is the same, and the effort placed into the training is always 90-110% for table work.  Work with the weights may vary significantly.  However, less of the body is negatively affected by armwrestling, such that recovery times are a bit faster.  Generally, table work goes to failure due to fatigue.

Different armwrestlers do a varingy number of tournaments per year.  I average about 10 per year.

  1. CNS overtraining: does it occur in AW?

I really don’t feel that CNS overtraining occurs with any regularity.  Generally, you are not placing the body into an overload condition.  The bigger issue is fatigue.  Overtraining in armwrestling tends to lead to tendonitis more so than anything else.

  1. How frequently (weekly, monthly) do you think you must train under a competitive setting (competition table, either with opponent or cables)?

I prefer to do table work once per week.  My team holds a practice session every
Sunday for about 3 hours.  We drill technique and work on strength and endurance.  I feel that the table work is the most critical item in armwrestling.

  1. What kinetic chains and/or muscles are most recruited in AW and how do you feel an experienced powerlifter adjusts to eventual changes in that respect?

The majority of the upper body is involved in armwrestling.  The forearms, biceps, and shoulders are the major players, with lesser involvement from the lats, erctors, abs, triceps, pecs, etc.  The adaptation isn’t all that difficult, but finding so many neglected areas can be a bit depressing.  I was amazed at how weak I was in specific areas, when I had felt that I was generally all-around strong.

  1. Do you believe it is possible to keep “double-sports-identity”, training and competing both PL and AW? If not, what lift would be most affected by the incorporation of AW?

It can be done.  There are a few competitors who participate in both sports.  I believe it is very difficult to rise to the top of both sports at the same time, but a truly superior athlete could do it.

I think the bench press would be most affected.  At least in the gym, the soreness I get from armwrestling significantly limits my ability to train the bench.

  1. Last but not least, how are you enjoying AW? If you would like to say something about the sports environment, subjective feeling, etc., go ahead.

I absolutely love the sport.  It has the same camaraderie and “brotherhood” that powerlifting has.  The head to head nature of the competition is more fun for me; and the rush of competing is truly addicting.  The fact that the sport is a chess game at its heart has a special attraction for me.  I have to be ready with an attack, a defense, a counter attack, and a second defense…..in less than 30 seconds.  And I have to prepare myself based solely on my previous knowledge of the opponent and reading his setup and grip at the table.

I’m having a great time, and I’ve been relatively successful in the 2 years I have been in the sport.

 

17 de maio de 2013 0 Comments

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