Probably the most adorned weightlifter in Olympic historical past explains his historical past with energy coaching.
Final up to date on July thirtieth, 2024
For a lot of athletes, the journey to the Olympic podium begins a long time earlier than the opening ceremonies. In some instances, nations will spend thousands and thousands to scout, choose, and develop future medalists. Others are discovered by happenstance, as was the case for Greek weightlifter Pyrros Dimas.
By Olympic pedigree, Dimas is broadly thought to be probably the most completed Olympic lifter in historical past, having received three consecutive gold medals plus one bronze in weightlifting between 1992 and 2004. However as Dimas tells it, he wasn’t referred to as to greatness or kidnapped by a paperwork — he was simply actually, actually robust for his age.
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In a Jul. 22, 2024 interview with strongman Martins Licis, Dimas, 52, recounted his origins in weightlifting and the “second” he acknowledged his life would change ceaselessly.
Pyrros Dimas: From Housebreaking to Barbells
“I used to be selecting fruit from a home close to my faculty,” Dimas says as he describes his childhood in Tirana, Albania. “A coach noticed me there. I used to be anxious he was the proprietor of the home.”
The person was a weightlifting coach who pitched then-7-year-old Dimas on attempting out for the game. The coach, not talked about by identify, met with Dimas’ mother and father for his or her blessing to introduce him to the barbell after faculty. He took to it shortly.
200-Pound Squats at Age 7
In nations with sturdy, nationwide youth athlete improvement techniques, prospects are allotted to totally different Olympic sports activities primarily based on their aptitude in fundamental health checks like sprinting, leaping, and body weight workout routines.
Dimas, who had no inclination towards Olympic lifting, displayed extraordinary muscular energy on his very first day of instruction.
By the Numbers: Right here’s a quick rundown of Dimas’ profession medal achievements in weightlifting.
“I bear in mind doing 90-kilogram (198.4-pound) squats on my first day,” Dimas remembers. “Everybody was confused. ‘What is that this?’ They requested.”
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In accordance to the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management & Prevention, the common 8-year-old boy weighs between 46 and 78 kilos — Dimas, with none energy coaching expertise, squatted roughly 2.5 occasions his personal weight. If that’s not a north star for a would-be weightlifting athlete, what’s?
Is Weightlifting Protected for Kids?
Dimas credited his unusual ranges of energy at a younger age to having a really lively childhood. “I used to be chosen as a result of the coach seen my legs. I walked all day and performed soccer,” he explains.
A excessive every day step rely and workforce sports activities are hallmarks of a wholesome routine for a kid, however what about lifting weights? Opposite to in style perception, weightlifting — and even testing a 1-rep max — is just not harmful for kids:
- One scientific evaluate from 2009 concluded, “Participation in virtually any kind of sport or leisure exercise carries a danger of damage … A well-supervised energy coaching program has no higher inherent danger than some other youth sport or exercise.” (1)
- A 1993 research of junior Olympic weightlifters recorded that the muscular energy gained from correct energy coaching can enhance bone mineral density and bodily resilience. (2)
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“Bodily resilience” actually helped propel Dimas, a Greek nationwide, from the streets of Albania into the historical past books. Dimas famously received three gold medals on the ’92, ’96, and ’00 Olympic Video games, plus a bronze-medal end in ’04 in entrance of a house crowd in Athens, Greece.
Dimas remembers inserting his lifting sneakers on the platform; a standard gesture for weightlifters signaling their retirement from competitors. He describes receiving a “13-minute” standing ovation — “The folks gave me the actual gold medal.”
Since 2017, Dimas has served because the Technical Director for USA Weightlifting and can coach the 5 American weightlifters performing on the 2024 Olympics in Paris between Aug. 7 and 11. He continues to carry out squats.
Extra Weightlifting Information
Editor’s Word: BarBend is the Official Media Companion of USA Weightlifting. The 2 organizations preserve editorial independence except in any other case famous on particular content material initiatives.
Featured Picture: @pyrrospyrros / Instagram