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Just about everybody would like to say he holds a world record of some sort – besides one for something stupid like swallowing goldfish.
Well, Ron Nicodemus has three records now.
Nicodemus, a Fort Wayne quality control manager who is a powerlifter on the side, went to the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation’s world championships in Milton Keynes, England, last weekend. And as he had hoped, Nicodemus came home with three records for his age and weight group.
Nicodemus, lifting in the under-145-kilogram class for people between ages 45 and 49, bench-pressed 468 pounds, squatted 530 pounds and did a 601-pound deadlift, for a combined total of 1,599 pounds. His bench press, squat and combined lifts were records.
Nicodemus said he could have done better in the deadlift, but by the time they got to that part of the competition, he was exhausted.
The event was disorganized, he said. Lifters had to register by 7 a.m., and the deadlift competition didn’t start until 8:30 p.m., more than 13 hours after the competition opened.
A 14-hour day will take it out of anyone, especially when the day involves lifting hundreds of pounds over and over again.
But Nicodemus did set some records, he got to see England – at least the area north of London – and he got to experience English cooking, which, thankfully, was mostly American franchises such as T.G.I. Friday’s and Pizza Hut.
Most important to Nicodemus, he set the records raw – that is, without using special equipment to make it easier to lift and without using performance-enhancing drugs such as steroids or humane growth hormone.
Use of performance-enhancing drugs use is common in the body-building and powerlifting field, Nicodemus said, and competitions that have drug-free and “open” categories only emphasize that.
Anyone who follows the news knows about athletes in other sports who have relied on steroids and other drugs to improve their performance. They’ve admitted it – or been caught.
Nicodemus’ goal, though, has always been to see what he can accomplish with his body naturally. Now he can say he set records for his age in a drug-free competition – where the competitors were tested.
Meanwhile, times are changing, Nicodemus said. In the past three to five years, drug-free competitions have been growing, and more athletes are lifting raw, shunning the special shirts and knee wraps that help the muscles contract and artificially give a lifter more strength.
Reasons for the diminishing use of drugs include the risk of getting caught with steroids and other compounds, which are generally illegal, and questions about whom athletes can trust, he said.
“I know of guys who have bought steroids and been burned,” getting a vial of olive oil instead of the real drug, Nicodemus said.
The expense of drugs and figuring out how to get them – having to go on the black market – are also issues, Nicodemus said.
At the same time, more athletes are realizing they can accomplish a lot naturally, relying on a good diet and supplements, he says.
“Guys who are drug-free are putting up some pretty impressive weights,” Nicodemus said.
What about him, though? What’s next?
Well, he’s been focused on the competition since August, and he’s tired.
“The meet took so long, and the training took its toll,” Nicodemus said. “I just want a break.”
