Over the next few weeks a Bremen man will be finishing his training in preparation for an international weight-lifting competition in Nevada.
Rickie Michaud, of Bremen, will compete in the World’s Bench Lifting Competition in Las Vegas, which will run from Sunday, Nov. 15 through Monday, Nov. 23.
Michaud will lift on Thursday, Nov. 19 and heads to Las Vegas as part of a team from Stork’s Power Lifting, based in Winterport.
Though this will be Michaud’s second competition, following his debut at a competition in Rhode Island around a month ago, he has substantial experience with the sport.
“I started lifting with my family in middle school and lifted every day through high school,” Michaud said.
Lifting is not the only sport Michaud has experience with. As a high school student in Millinocket, he competed in both football and hockey.
Michaud said the mental toughness he learned playing football has helped with his current lifting competitions.
Though Michaud took a break from the sport following high school, he recently reimmersed himself in lifting after he set a bucket-list goal of lifting 300 pounds 11 months ago, giving himself a year to accomplish the goal.
The competitive weight lifter has since surpassed the goal and recently reached a mark of 475 pounds lifting with a bench shirt.
Lifting without a shirt, his personal best is 395 pounds, and during his first competition in Rhode Island, he reached a mark of 325 pounds.
He said when one lifts a large amount of weight, every muscle has to work to successfully complete the task.
“When you are putting up some high weight totals, it’s a full-body workout,” Michaud said.
Prior to setting his goal of lifting 300 pounds, Michaud’s maximum lift was 275 pounds.
Michaud said technique and form are critical for the success of any lift and that in a competitive scenario, mental toughness is just as important as physical strength.
“You have to be as mentally strong as you are physically,” Michaud said.
He said he was nervous for his first competition but was excited to take part in the competitive atmosphere.
Michaud said other lifters taking part in the competition were helpful, lending tips and the benefit of experience to athletes new to the sport.
“As a whole, power lifters are pretty helpful. If they aren’t in your weight class, they try to help,” Michaud said.
He said he looks forward to competitions, and they help with training since they provide a goal to work toward on a day-to-day basis.
“Training-wise, it gives you a goal to achieve. It provides you an opportunity to showcase all your hard work,” Michaud said.
The Bremen lifter started working out at Stork’s, run by Al Stork, 2 1/2 weeks ago.
Michaud said the training at Stork’s differs slightly from his normal routine and has helped him improve as an athlete.
“Normally I do a higher number of reps, but there I do one rep at a max or heavier weight,” Michaud said.
Though competitive lifting may seem like an individual sport, with each lifter competing against other athletes in the same weight class, it is also a team event, with lifters earning points for their teams through strong performances.
Before returning to the sport, Michaud kept up his lifting through his work. He works on a crude oil tanker, Florida Voyager, in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and spends his downtime working out.
However, until setting his goal of 300 pounds, he lessened his workout regimen when he was not on one of his 2 1/2-month stints on the vessel.
Of his goals at the upcoming competition, Michaud said he is looking to compete with the best in his weight class.
“It’s to take first place,” Michaud said.
There are a few different lifting categories at the upcoming competition, including raw and geared lifting events.
Michaud will take part in the double-ply lifting competition, where lifters don a poly or denim bench shirt during their lift.
According to www.musclemagfitness.com, a bench shirt is a stiff, supportive shirt that improves performance in the bench press. “The bench shirt is basically artificial shoulders and pectoral(s) (chest),” according to the website. “The shirt resists the bench press movement (like compressing a powerful spring), thereby giving a boost off the chest.”
The upcoming World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters competition in Las Vegas features roughly 700 competitors, representing 12 countries.
Michaud said he is looking forward to continuing to improve as a lifter and hopes to take part in future lifting competitions.
“I’m just getting into it. I think I started out doing alright and as time progresses I’ve been able to get better,” Michaud said.
