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I met Jesse at the New England Strongman Showdown and his performance was just amazing. You should be seeing him at the World's Strongest Man this year.
B True
http://www.olympus.net/personal/cablebar/JesseSM.htm
JVA: Well Jesse, it's been awhile since our last interview, so let's cut to chase by telling everyone what your vital statistics are?
JM: For the vitals, I turn 22 years old on Sept 14th 2001. I stand 6' 4" tall, and as of 8/20/01 I weigh 275 pounds in shorts.
JVA: What are some of your PR's now?
JM: In the gym my best Olympic style squat is 550 lbs, which I did a year ago. I've been squatting in an upright, high bar position. However, I found that by carrying the bar lower on my back, I can very easily add at least 50 lbs to that. It's surprising how much tougher a proper upright position squat is compared to a squat where you can lean forward and use more hips and back.
The Olympic style squat puts much more emphasizes the quadriceps. In strongman, I feel you need raw strength in the quads for certain events such as the truck pull. I also carry the yoke high on my traps. The power style squat doesn't build the functional leg strength that the olympic style squat does. In my opinion, the parallel squat has no place in any strength training regime with the obvious exception of competitive powerlifters.
JVA: Do you do your squatting with re coil gear?
JM: All I wear is a Velcro Olympic lifters belt and neoprene knee sleeves to keep my knees warm.
JVA: Exactly what kind of knee sleeves?
JM: You know, the Rehband (sp) type that Wade Gillingham sells.
JVA: What about your other gym lifts?
JM: I've Front Squatted- 460X1, 405X5, Deadlifted- 680 prior to hurting my hamstring* tendon 6 months ago, Romanian Deadlifted- 440X3 very easily, and did a Deadlift Hold with 800 lbs for 15 seconds (lifted it from knee height). This wasn't that hard on the grip, but it felt like my arms were going to be pulled out of my shoulder sockets. So I had to
put it down. Also deadlifted 625 easily with a 2" thick bar.
*NOTE: The hamstring problem was initially a football injury done doing spin drills.
JVA: What about your overhead?
JM: Military Press- 275X3, Push Press- 330X3 and 315x5, Incline Press- 330X3, Jerk from the rack- 425, Clean and Jerk- 400 and Snatch- 325 (both were done in December 2000). I've also Power Cleaned- 355X3 and 375X1, and Power Snatched- 290.
JVA: Great pulling, but your MP seems a little low?
JM: Yea, I know, you keep nagging me to do more strict pressing, and I'm working on it!
JVA: Hold it!!! Hold it!!! I have to ask! How much can you banch???
JM: Ha ha!!! I know how much you hate that exercise, and I agree that they aren't that valuable, but about a year and a half ago I didn't have access to a good weight room with a platform. So I did some BP's for a couple of months, and got it up to about 400 lbs. For me, if I can clean and jerk any given weight, I can bench it after only a few bench workouts.
JVA: Interesting! I had a similar correlation between my BP and Jerk. But I believe it's from all the overhead pressing we do, not just the jerk by itself.
JVA: What about your curl?
JM: I've done a good strict one, back against the wall, with 185 lbs. and can do several reps alternating thumbs up hammer curls with 90 lb dumbbells.
JVA: You're known for your grip. Are you doing anything differently?
JM: I haven't been working on the grippers because I left them at a friends house in Montana. Just training the actual events has been strengthening my grip. I've been doing all my assistance work with a thick bar. I think the thick bar builds great strength in the hands and forarms while your curling, pressing, or whatever.
JVA: Exactly what are you doing on the farmers walks?
JM: Just what you told me some of the big name guys are doing! I start out very heavy (over 300 lbs each hand) and walk several short distances 80 to 100 feet and try to keep my foot speed up. Then I lower the weights and walk/sprint for maximum speed.
JVA: How close are you to closing the Ironmind #4 gripper?
JM: Ha ha! Honestly, not even close.
JVA: You mentioned training speed on the farmers walk, don't you also have a similar approach with the yoke?
JM: Not exactly! You didn't tell me about that style of training until after I competed in the Big Sky Strongest Man, and since that time there hasn't been a yoke race scheduled in any contests. So I haven't trained on the yoke. However, I will definitely give that approach a try when a yoke race is scheduled in my future. I also plan to do some super heavy partial squats with the yoke where I lift the weight and just stand there with it.
JVA: Speaking of the yoke, how heavy and how far have you walked it?
JM: I've walked about 100 feet for two sets, the full length of the barn, with 800 lbs, and I think my time was about 24 seconds both sets.
JVA: Explain the barn for people who aren't familiar with where you train?
JM: I do all my implement training at my grandpa's farm, and his barn has a concrete strand (drive through) which is exactly 100 feet long. It's perfect, particularly when it's raining.
JVA: So, you do your implement strongman training separate from your weight room exercises?
JM: Yes, as you know, I've had a home garage gym for many years at my parents house, and that's set up with everything I need for weight room training. Actually, for me, all I really need is a platform, bumper plates, a bar, and a rack.
JVA: How is your training program laid out?
JM: I like to train in the mornings before work 5 days per week, and do implements 1 to 2 days per week. I usually save Saturdays for the implements at the farm. And I might add another implement day during the week in the evening at the farm if time permits. However, I generally like to keep my evenings as free as possible to spend time with my 2
year old son Dawson.
JVA: Speaking of your son! How has he influenced your future plans?
JM: Well, I decided to leave Montana State U, where I've been playing football for the last 3 years, and finish my last year and a half of college on the internet. I've found I don't like football that much anyway. Also, anyone who's been a father understands why I don't want to deprive myself of being with my son.
JVA: Yes I know what a good dad you are, and how those extended stays away from home affected both of you.
JVA: I understand you'd like to be a coach or gym operator someday. Tell us more what your future plans are?
JM: Yea, I'd really like to own a gym some day.
JVA: You mentioned you've had a home gym for many years. Exactly how long have you been weight training?
JM: Well, I started when I was in 8th grade, but I was just messing around. After my 9th grade season of football I decided I didn't want to pay for collage so I bought a bar, a rack, and some plates. I weighed 170 at 6'3" at the time.
Within a year I was up to 180 pounds and started at tight end and defensive end on the football team. Unfortunetly I was doing the retarded routines that I found in the pump magazines. So the 10 pound weight gain was less than I would have probably gained had I not been lifting at all! However, the summer between 10th and 11th grade I found MILO the magazine. MILO, for those of you who don't already know, is the BIBLE for strength athletes. After reading only 3 back issues, I totally changed my training regime.
I started training for strength instead of just trying to get sore. At the end of my junior year I competed in my first power meet in the 198 class where I went 400 squat, bombed 260 bench, 440 dead. By the end of my senior year I weighed 226 and placed 2nd in the WA state high school power meet in the 220 class with 500,295,540.
Now, even though I was competing in power lifting, I was training like an Olympic lifter. I was watching the training videos from Ironmind, and following the course in Jim Schmitz's olympic lifting book, "Olympic Lifting for The Beginning and Intermediate Lifter". J.V., I understand you know Jim?
JVA: Yes, I've known Jim Schmitz for many years. He's one of the main guys for the sport of OL in the USA, and has coached the likes of Ken Patera and Bruce Wilhelm. I even lifted against Jim a couple of times.
JM: Who won?
JVA: I did. Jim was a little better snatcher, but he couldn't come close to my presses or clean and jerks. Anyway, who's interviewing who here?
JM: Ha ha! Sorry, go ahead!
JVA: So you say even though you were Powerlifting you trained like an Olympic lifter! Why?
JM: Even before I met you J.V., I instinctively knew that the Olympic lifts were the best way to develop functional power and strength. My best olympic lifts in high school were a 220 snatch and a 300 clean and jerk.
JVA: So appears, that even at a young age, you're no stranger to most strength training protocols?
JM: That's right. I've done bodybuilding, or rather tried to do bodybuilding. Also Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and now Strongman.
JVA: I take it you don't like bodybuilding?
JM: Yep, I found out early on that that was not the way to get strong. And strength is all I care about. I couldn't give a rats tar star what I look like as long as I'm strong. Just stick to the basic core movements, keep the reps low, and the weights heavy.
JVA: I remember, you had an immediate interest to learn the OL's correctly, and your self taught technique, at the time I met you, was pretty good. What got you started doing OL movements?
JM: As I said previously, I saw the immediate athletic advantages of doing the quick and precision movements over the slow PL type exercises, and I felt the the OL's would better improve my performances in football, wrestling, and track.
JVA: So you've done several sports? How well did you do in wrestling and track?
JM: I didn't wrestle until my junior year in high school. I can honestly say that I was afraid of getting my butt kicked. But the wrestling coach was also my football coach and he talked me into coming to practice. I got pinned my first match! I think I could have been a good wrestler had I started earlier. Recently I wrestled in the intramural tournament at Montana State and that was a blast! I never weighed over 212 while wrestling in highschool. So it felt awesome to wrestle at my current weight of 275! I took down the 3 time Montana State high school heavy weight champ three times in the first one minute round, and pinned him 20 seconds into the second to win the championship.
In high school, in track I competed in the decathlon. Some best distances and times were: 100m 11.4 (10th grade), 1500m 5:16, 110 high hurdles 15.6 (at 226 bodyweight!), long jump just over 21', triple jump about 40', high jump 6'2" (never practiced), standing threw the disc 158', and three stepped the javelin 185', but threw over 190 in practice a few times.
JVA: Now getting back to your learning the Olympic lifts! When I first met you, you could execute a perfectly good Power clean and Power snatch, but you weren't doing the squat versions. Why?
JM: Simply stated, I was lazy. I rarely squatted, and when I did, I didn't put much effort into it.
JVA: Why was that?
JM: I took two years of weightlifting, 9th and 10th grade. We were actually GRADED on how much we could bench and military press. We were never required to squat. I would power clean and power snatch over in a corner while the other dorks benched. I probably would have squatted come to think of it, but we only had a half hour to lift. I would usually lift after practice again at home, but that was just more bodybuilding crap when I should have been squatting.
JVA: Now, just to review, what type of OL gains did you make after you seriously started to focus on the full squat versions of the lifts?
JM: As you may remember, in Dec 1998 I was only snatching 220 lbs at about 240 body weight. And you might remember you worked with me during Christmas break. I then entered my first OL meet one month after going back to school in January 1999. In that contest I snatched 242 lbs and C&J'd 286 lbs.
JVA: Why such a low C&J in that first meet? You had done 300 lbs at home before going back to school?
JM: I blame that all on the strength coach that was at Montana State at the time! He didn't have a clue how to strength train people.
JVA: Why? What happened?
JM: Well, when I got back after Christmas break in Jan. 1999, the coach had us (the football team) doing all this bodybuilding stuff. And the worst part was, this coach expected the smaller backs and receivers to handle the same weights as us linemen were using. We had one guy totally wreck his knee when a leg press literally bent his knee back the wrong way.
JVA: Exactly what did this clown of a coach have you doing?
JM: An example of his leg program: Squats- 5 sets of 10 reps, Lunges- 3 sets of 20 reps, Leg Extensions- 3 sets of 15 reps, Belt Squats- 3 sets of 20, Stiff Leg DL's- 3 sets of 15 reps, Leg Curls- 3 sets of 10 reps.
JVA: So what happened on that training regime?
JM: I got weaker! I couldn't even stand up after racking a 300 lb clean. And as if being lighter and weaker wasn't bad enough I developed severe back pain.
JVA: I seem to remember you saying something about having to sign a contract?
JM: Yes! You won't believe it! I used to SNEAK into the weightroom on my own time to do snatches. I got caught once and was warned not to do it anymore, and the second time they made me sign a contract saying I wouldn't "power lift" or I would forfeit my scholorship.
JVA: Power lift???
JM: Yea, that's what the coach called Olympic lifting. He didn't know he difference.
JVA: Did your weakened condition, from all this bodybuilding stuff, also affect your performance on the football field?
JM: Did it! I was so stiff I couldn't move properly.
JVA: So what finally happened?
JM: Our team had a losing season, and at the end of the FB season the athletic director cleaned house and hired a new coaching staff.
JVA: Did things improve?
JM: You bet they did! They wised up and promoted the assistant strength coach Brett Tudsbury to head strength coach, and because Brett is an Olympic lifter himself, I was given more autonomy with my weight training workouts.
JVA: So I take it you then started to improve?
JM: I didn't improve so much during spring ball and the regular football season, but when I could totally focus on my weight training my lifts soared.
JVA: Give us an example of your gains?
JM: From Dec 1999 to Dec 2000, my Snatch went from 275 lbs to 325 lbs, and my C&J went from 341 lbs to 400 lbs.
JVA: Any increase in body weight?
JM: Not really. At the 1999 American Open I officially did a 275 lb SN and a 341 lb C&J at about 275 lbs bwt, and that was with only 3 weeks to train after the 1999 football season. Then one year later, when I did the 325 lb SN and 400 lb C&J, I also weighed about 275 lbs.
JVA: Now, you've never done your best OL's in a contest. Why is that?
JM: With 3 months of spring ball, and then another 4 to 5 months of regular season football, I've never been able to get in my best shape when there has been a convenient contest to enter.
JVA's NOTE: I witnessed Jesse snatch 325 lbs in training in early Dec 2000, and I saw his 400 lb C&J on Dec 11th, 2000. We had planned to go to the 2000 Oregon Open WL Championships which was scheduled for Dec 16th, 2000, but icy roads held us back.
It's my opinion, had he been able to make it to that meet, Jesse would have officially SN'd 150 kg/ 330 lbs and C&J'd 185 kg/ 407 lbs, which would have been 60 lbs over the Senior OL Nationals qualifying total.
Jesse's 400 lb. Clean and Jerk.
JVA: Now, bringing us up to the present, your goals seemed to have switched away from Olympic lifting to Strongman. Why is that?
JM: As much I love Olympic lifting, I feel I have much more opportunity in Strongman. The best anyone can do in Olympic lifting is the Olympics, and for the last one, the U.S.team was only allowed 2 men, Oscar Chaplin and Shane Hammon. With those kind of odds, and the lack of media coverage Olympic lifting gets, I think I have better future in Strongman. Plus, as any strong man will tell you, what we do is FUN!
JVA: Does that mean you've abandoned Olympic lifting for good?
JM: Not at all! I still feel that Olympic lifting is the best strength training protocol there is, and I still hope to do an Olympic lifting meet or two occasionally in the off season from Strongman.
JVA: Thanks Jesse for being so honest and candid with your answers. I'm sure your fans will appreciate it.
JM: I have fans? wow. Hey, it's my pleasure. Thank you J.V.
B True
http://www.olympus.net/personal/cablebar/JesseSM.htm
JVA: Well Jesse, it's been awhile since our last interview, so let's cut to chase by telling everyone what your vital statistics are?
JM: For the vitals, I turn 22 years old on Sept 14th 2001. I stand 6' 4" tall, and as of 8/20/01 I weigh 275 pounds in shorts.
JVA: What are some of your PR's now?
JM: In the gym my best Olympic style squat is 550 lbs, which I did a year ago. I've been squatting in an upright, high bar position. However, I found that by carrying the bar lower on my back, I can very easily add at least 50 lbs to that. It's surprising how much tougher a proper upright position squat is compared to a squat where you can lean forward and use more hips and back.
The Olympic style squat puts much more emphasizes the quadriceps. In strongman, I feel you need raw strength in the quads for certain events such as the truck pull. I also carry the yoke high on my traps. The power style squat doesn't build the functional leg strength that the olympic style squat does. In my opinion, the parallel squat has no place in any strength training regime with the obvious exception of competitive powerlifters.
JVA: Do you do your squatting with re coil gear?
JM: All I wear is a Velcro Olympic lifters belt and neoprene knee sleeves to keep my knees warm.
JVA: Exactly what kind of knee sleeves?
JM: You know, the Rehband (sp) type that Wade Gillingham sells.
JVA: What about your other gym lifts?
JM: I've Front Squatted- 460X1, 405X5, Deadlifted- 680 prior to hurting my hamstring* tendon 6 months ago, Romanian Deadlifted- 440X3 very easily, and did a Deadlift Hold with 800 lbs for 15 seconds (lifted it from knee height). This wasn't that hard on the grip, but it felt like my arms were going to be pulled out of my shoulder sockets. So I had to
put it down. Also deadlifted 625 easily with a 2" thick bar.
*NOTE: The hamstring problem was initially a football injury done doing spin drills.
JVA: What about your overhead?
JM: Military Press- 275X3, Push Press- 330X3 and 315x5, Incline Press- 330X3, Jerk from the rack- 425, Clean and Jerk- 400 and Snatch- 325 (both were done in December 2000). I've also Power Cleaned- 355X3 and 375X1, and Power Snatched- 290.
JVA: Great pulling, but your MP seems a little low?
JM: Yea, I know, you keep nagging me to do more strict pressing, and I'm working on it!
JVA: Hold it!!! Hold it!!! I have to ask! How much can you banch???
JM: Ha ha!!! I know how much you hate that exercise, and I agree that they aren't that valuable, but about a year and a half ago I didn't have access to a good weight room with a platform. So I did some BP's for a couple of months, and got it up to about 400 lbs. For me, if I can clean and jerk any given weight, I can bench it after only a few bench workouts.
JVA: Interesting! I had a similar correlation between my BP and Jerk. But I believe it's from all the overhead pressing we do, not just the jerk by itself.
JVA: What about your curl?
JM: I've done a good strict one, back against the wall, with 185 lbs. and can do several reps alternating thumbs up hammer curls with 90 lb dumbbells.
JVA: You're known for your grip. Are you doing anything differently?
JM: I haven't been working on the grippers because I left them at a friends house in Montana. Just training the actual events has been strengthening my grip. I've been doing all my assistance work with a thick bar. I think the thick bar builds great strength in the hands and forarms while your curling, pressing, or whatever.
JVA: Exactly what are you doing on the farmers walks?
JM: Just what you told me some of the big name guys are doing! I start out very heavy (over 300 lbs each hand) and walk several short distances 80 to 100 feet and try to keep my foot speed up. Then I lower the weights and walk/sprint for maximum speed.
JVA: How close are you to closing the Ironmind #4 gripper?
JM: Ha ha! Honestly, not even close.
JVA: You mentioned training speed on the farmers walk, don't you also have a similar approach with the yoke?
JM: Not exactly! You didn't tell me about that style of training until after I competed in the Big Sky Strongest Man, and since that time there hasn't been a yoke race scheduled in any contests. So I haven't trained on the yoke. However, I will definitely give that approach a try when a yoke race is scheduled in my future. I also plan to do some super heavy partial squats with the yoke where I lift the weight and just stand there with it.
JVA: Speaking of the yoke, how heavy and how far have you walked it?
JM: I've walked about 100 feet for two sets, the full length of the barn, with 800 lbs, and I think my time was about 24 seconds both sets.
JVA: Explain the barn for people who aren't familiar with where you train?
JM: I do all my implement training at my grandpa's farm, and his barn has a concrete strand (drive through) which is exactly 100 feet long. It's perfect, particularly when it's raining.
JVA: So, you do your implement strongman training separate from your weight room exercises?
JM: Yes, as you know, I've had a home garage gym for many years at my parents house, and that's set up with everything I need for weight room training. Actually, for me, all I really need is a platform, bumper plates, a bar, and a rack.
JVA: How is your training program laid out?
JM: I like to train in the mornings before work 5 days per week, and do implements 1 to 2 days per week. I usually save Saturdays for the implements at the farm. And I might add another implement day during the week in the evening at the farm if time permits. However, I generally like to keep my evenings as free as possible to spend time with my 2
year old son Dawson.
JVA: Speaking of your son! How has he influenced your future plans?
JM: Well, I decided to leave Montana State U, where I've been playing football for the last 3 years, and finish my last year and a half of college on the internet. I've found I don't like football that much anyway. Also, anyone who's been a father understands why I don't want to deprive myself of being with my son.
JVA: Yes I know what a good dad you are, and how those extended stays away from home affected both of you.
JVA: I understand you'd like to be a coach or gym operator someday. Tell us more what your future plans are?
JM: Yea, I'd really like to own a gym some day.
JVA: You mentioned you've had a home gym for many years. Exactly how long have you been weight training?
JM: Well, I started when I was in 8th grade, but I was just messing around. After my 9th grade season of football I decided I didn't want to pay for collage so I bought a bar, a rack, and some plates. I weighed 170 at 6'3" at the time.
Within a year I was up to 180 pounds and started at tight end and defensive end on the football team. Unfortunetly I was doing the retarded routines that I found in the pump magazines. So the 10 pound weight gain was less than I would have probably gained had I not been lifting at all! However, the summer between 10th and 11th grade I found MILO the magazine. MILO, for those of you who don't already know, is the BIBLE for strength athletes. After reading only 3 back issues, I totally changed my training regime.
I started training for strength instead of just trying to get sore. At the end of my junior year I competed in my first power meet in the 198 class where I went 400 squat, bombed 260 bench, 440 dead. By the end of my senior year I weighed 226 and placed 2nd in the WA state high school power meet in the 220 class with 500,295,540.
Now, even though I was competing in power lifting, I was training like an Olympic lifter. I was watching the training videos from Ironmind, and following the course in Jim Schmitz's olympic lifting book, "Olympic Lifting for The Beginning and Intermediate Lifter". J.V., I understand you know Jim?
JVA: Yes, I've known Jim Schmitz for many years. He's one of the main guys for the sport of OL in the USA, and has coached the likes of Ken Patera and Bruce Wilhelm. I even lifted against Jim a couple of times.
JM: Who won?
JVA: I did. Jim was a little better snatcher, but he couldn't come close to my presses or clean and jerks. Anyway, who's interviewing who here?
JM: Ha ha! Sorry, go ahead!
JVA: So you say even though you were Powerlifting you trained like an Olympic lifter! Why?
JM: Even before I met you J.V., I instinctively knew that the Olympic lifts were the best way to develop functional power and strength. My best olympic lifts in high school were a 220 snatch and a 300 clean and jerk.
JVA: So appears, that even at a young age, you're no stranger to most strength training protocols?
JM: That's right. I've done bodybuilding, or rather tried to do bodybuilding. Also Powerlifting, Olympic lifting, and now Strongman.
JVA: I take it you don't like bodybuilding?
JM: Yep, I found out early on that that was not the way to get strong. And strength is all I care about. I couldn't give a rats tar star what I look like as long as I'm strong. Just stick to the basic core movements, keep the reps low, and the weights heavy.
JVA: I remember, you had an immediate interest to learn the OL's correctly, and your self taught technique, at the time I met you, was pretty good. What got you started doing OL movements?
JM: As I said previously, I saw the immediate athletic advantages of doing the quick and precision movements over the slow PL type exercises, and I felt the the OL's would better improve my performances in football, wrestling, and track.
JVA: So you've done several sports? How well did you do in wrestling and track?
JM: I didn't wrestle until my junior year in high school. I can honestly say that I was afraid of getting my butt kicked. But the wrestling coach was also my football coach and he talked me into coming to practice. I got pinned my first match! I think I could have been a good wrestler had I started earlier. Recently I wrestled in the intramural tournament at Montana State and that was a blast! I never weighed over 212 while wrestling in highschool. So it felt awesome to wrestle at my current weight of 275! I took down the 3 time Montana State high school heavy weight champ three times in the first one minute round, and pinned him 20 seconds into the second to win the championship.
In high school, in track I competed in the decathlon. Some best distances and times were: 100m 11.4 (10th grade), 1500m 5:16, 110 high hurdles 15.6 (at 226 bodyweight!), long jump just over 21', triple jump about 40', high jump 6'2" (never practiced), standing threw the disc 158', and three stepped the javelin 185', but threw over 190 in practice a few times.
JVA: Now getting back to your learning the Olympic lifts! When I first met you, you could execute a perfectly good Power clean and Power snatch, but you weren't doing the squat versions. Why?
JM: Simply stated, I was lazy. I rarely squatted, and when I did, I didn't put much effort into it.
JVA: Why was that?
JM: I took two years of weightlifting, 9th and 10th grade. We were actually GRADED on how much we could bench and military press. We were never required to squat. I would power clean and power snatch over in a corner while the other dorks benched. I probably would have squatted come to think of it, but we only had a half hour to lift. I would usually lift after practice again at home, but that was just more bodybuilding crap when I should have been squatting.
JVA: Now, just to review, what type of OL gains did you make after you seriously started to focus on the full squat versions of the lifts?
JM: As you may remember, in Dec 1998 I was only snatching 220 lbs at about 240 body weight. And you might remember you worked with me during Christmas break. I then entered my first OL meet one month after going back to school in January 1999. In that contest I snatched 242 lbs and C&J'd 286 lbs.
JVA: Why such a low C&J in that first meet? You had done 300 lbs at home before going back to school?
JM: I blame that all on the strength coach that was at Montana State at the time! He didn't have a clue how to strength train people.
JVA: Why? What happened?
JM: Well, when I got back after Christmas break in Jan. 1999, the coach had us (the football team) doing all this bodybuilding stuff. And the worst part was, this coach expected the smaller backs and receivers to handle the same weights as us linemen were using. We had one guy totally wreck his knee when a leg press literally bent his knee back the wrong way.
JVA: Exactly what did this clown of a coach have you doing?
JM: An example of his leg program: Squats- 5 sets of 10 reps, Lunges- 3 sets of 20 reps, Leg Extensions- 3 sets of 15 reps, Belt Squats- 3 sets of 20, Stiff Leg DL's- 3 sets of 15 reps, Leg Curls- 3 sets of 10 reps.
JVA: So what happened on that training regime?
JM: I got weaker! I couldn't even stand up after racking a 300 lb clean. And as if being lighter and weaker wasn't bad enough I developed severe back pain.
JVA: I seem to remember you saying something about having to sign a contract?
JM: Yes! You won't believe it! I used to SNEAK into the weightroom on my own time to do snatches. I got caught once and was warned not to do it anymore, and the second time they made me sign a contract saying I wouldn't "power lift" or I would forfeit my scholorship.
JVA: Power lift???
JM: Yea, that's what the coach called Olympic lifting. He didn't know he difference.
JVA: Did your weakened condition, from all this bodybuilding stuff, also affect your performance on the football field?
JM: Did it! I was so stiff I couldn't move properly.
JVA: So what finally happened?
JM: Our team had a losing season, and at the end of the FB season the athletic director cleaned house and hired a new coaching staff.
JVA: Did things improve?
JM: You bet they did! They wised up and promoted the assistant strength coach Brett Tudsbury to head strength coach, and because Brett is an Olympic lifter himself, I was given more autonomy with my weight training workouts.
JVA: So I take it you then started to improve?
JM: I didn't improve so much during spring ball and the regular football season, but when I could totally focus on my weight training my lifts soared.
JVA: Give us an example of your gains?
JM: From Dec 1999 to Dec 2000, my Snatch went from 275 lbs to 325 lbs, and my C&J went from 341 lbs to 400 lbs.
JVA: Any increase in body weight?
JM: Not really. At the 1999 American Open I officially did a 275 lb SN and a 341 lb C&J at about 275 lbs bwt, and that was with only 3 weeks to train after the 1999 football season. Then one year later, when I did the 325 lb SN and 400 lb C&J, I also weighed about 275 lbs.
JVA: Now, you've never done your best OL's in a contest. Why is that?
JM: With 3 months of spring ball, and then another 4 to 5 months of regular season football, I've never been able to get in my best shape when there has been a convenient contest to enter.
JVA's NOTE: I witnessed Jesse snatch 325 lbs in training in early Dec 2000, and I saw his 400 lb C&J on Dec 11th, 2000. We had planned to go to the 2000 Oregon Open WL Championships which was scheduled for Dec 16th, 2000, but icy roads held us back.
It's my opinion, had he been able to make it to that meet, Jesse would have officially SN'd 150 kg/ 330 lbs and C&J'd 185 kg/ 407 lbs, which would have been 60 lbs over the Senior OL Nationals qualifying total.
Jesse's 400 lb. Clean and Jerk.
JVA: Now, bringing us up to the present, your goals seemed to have switched away from Olympic lifting to Strongman. Why is that?
JM: As much I love Olympic lifting, I feel I have much more opportunity in Strongman. The best anyone can do in Olympic lifting is the Olympics, and for the last one, the U.S.team was only allowed 2 men, Oscar Chaplin and Shane Hammon. With those kind of odds, and the lack of media coverage Olympic lifting gets, I think I have better future in Strongman. Plus, as any strong man will tell you, what we do is FUN!
JVA: Does that mean you've abandoned Olympic lifting for good?
JM: Not at all! I still feel that Olympic lifting is the best strength training protocol there is, and I still hope to do an Olympic lifting meet or two occasionally in the off season from Strongman.
JVA: Thanks Jesse for being so honest and candid with your answers. I'm sure your fans will appreciate it.
JM: I have fans? wow. Hey, it's my pleasure. Thank you J.V.
