For one sales executive, doing the heavy lifting takes on a unique meaning.
By Laura Thill
Nick Marinis makes competitive weight lifting look easy. But, don’t be fooled. Despite the Blickman Inc. executive vice president’s impressive track record, he’s clear that this is not an easy sport. In fact, advancing in competitive weight lifting is somewhat of an evolution, he points out. “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do,” he says. “It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”
Still, his recent performance makes the sport – or art form – look more like magic. After a yearlong respite, Marinis recently returned to training and competition, and it didn’t take him long to make up for lost time. He qualified to compete nationally in June, at which time he took first place and set a new world record for his age and weight group. This November, he will head to West Palm Beach, Fla. for a world championship competition.
“This isn’t my first world champion competition,” Marinis says. “I began high-level competition in 1999, and since then I have won six world championships and set five world records in three different weight classes.” His competitions have taken him through as many as 15 states, Canada, Russia and South Africa. Next year, if all goes well, he will enter the worldwide competition in Spain. (World championship meets alternate between the United States and another country.)
Although it would be tough for one to pick up the sport in middle age, those who have trained since their teens or 20s often continue to compete well into their 50s, 60s and even 70s. Generally, the longer weight lifters train and compete (including following a specific diet high in protein and vegetable carbs), the more likely it is they will move up in weight class. “I started out at 148 pounds, moved up to 165 pounds, and now compete at 181 pounds,” Marinis says.
The early days
Marinis’ athletic success began well before he became serious about weightlifting, though. “When I was growing up, I was a naturally good athlete,” he recalls. It was easy for him to climb ropes, lift weights and make the hurdles, and he excelled in wrestling and baseball as well. On the one hand, his athletic prowess helped offset the challenge he faced growing up with “a prolific stutter.” On the other hand, “the attention made me increasingly shy,” he says.
It wasn’t until high school that he honed in on weight lifting and competition. “A coach saw me and invited me to work out at his power lifting gym,” he says. “The first time I visited the gym, the guy at the counter told me the gymnastics meet was down the street,” he laughs, referencing his pre-weight lifting size.
In 1999 Marinis hooked up with his first serious weight lifting coach and began focusing on national- and world-level training. He has been with his current coach for about 12 years. “My coach is a world champion himself and deserves my medals as much as I do,” he says.
Down to the last minute
Weight lifters may train for three months leading up to a competition, notes Marinis. In the end, though, it all comes down to about five minutes of performance time. “Physically, you may feel great one day and lift 500 pounds,” he says. “Next week, however, you might only be able to lift 400 pounds. The timing is a science.” Competitors get three lifts, each of which takes about 1½ minutes, he explains. His specialty is bench lifting, however power lifting also includes squats and dead lifts.
“There are three judges who look at competitors’ form and foot placement,” he continues. “Each judge carries a red light and a white light.” Two red lights, and you are disqualified that round, he adds. “It’s very strict, much like gymnastics. If your balance is off and you fall out of form, you are disqualified, even if you complete the lift. And, everything is measured in kilos, which is more accurate than pounds. So, you can win or lose by 1/10 of a kilo!” (National competitions are stricter than state level, he notes, and international competitions are the strictest yet.) Even when lifters foil their first two lifts, they should not give up before the competition is fully played out. “I have seen guys miss their first two lifting attempts and then win the competition on their third lift,” says Marinis.
Perhaps it goes without saying that the more nutritionally sound a weight lifter’s diet is, the more likely it is that he or she will excel. “My diet is relatively clean overall,” says Marinis. “But, before a competition, I increase my protein and carbohydrate (vegetable) intake. I also need to keep a certain amount of fat in my diet. And, I take a whole-food multivitamin, which contains no synthetic products and is better metabolized by the body.” Indeed, good nutrition and hydration, along with a “systematic approach” to training and lifting, have helped him avoid injuries, he notes. Muscle tears, which are fairly common for weight lifters, can be quite serious, he adds.
Never too old
Although it would be difficult to compete at weight lifting at an older age without having built up to it through the years, almost anyone at any age can take up the sport, says Marinis. Take, for example, his 78-year-old father. “He recently broke his hip and the upper part of his leg,” he says. “I rehabbed him by having him lift weights, drink plenty of water, take a multi-vitamin and eat nutritionally, and within six months, he was walking with a cane. His orthopedic surgeon couldn’t believe it.
“A negative-resistance program is the closest thing there is to a fountain of youth,” he continues. “People aren’t made to be sedentary. The more we sit, the stiffer and achier we get.”
As for Marinis, he is 52 and has no plans to step away from champion weight lifting anytime soon. He consistently benches 550 pounds, with an all-time best of 630 pounds. His performance is motivating, he concedes. But, perhaps one of the best parts of the sport is the camaraderie, he notes. “The camaraderie in power lifting is unique,” he points out. Particularly since one never knows how he or she will perform on any given day, there’s not a lot of ego involved. “Everyone knows that what you lift today, you may not lift tomorrow. So, we all cheer for one another.” Higher weight classes cheer for lower classes, and each country cheers for the other.
“You never know who will be the strongest one in a match until the match has ended,” he says. “It’s different every time. At the end of the day it’s you vs. you!”