Author Archive

0January 15, 2012
EFS Classic: 10 Things I Learned from Vincent Dizenzo

I hope some of these things help you. They’ve helped me a ton!
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By Matt Rhodes
18February 2, 2011
New Jersey State Meet

All warm-ups felt terrible. I just couldn't get myself situated.
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By Matt Rhodes
5August 3, 2010
Snatching Victory from the Jaws of Defeat

I walked away from the event for about 20 minutes, pouted, and then pulled it together.
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By Matt Rhodes
15June 7, 2010
A Day in Rhodestown

Rhodestown isn't as fun as it seems, now is it?
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By Matt Rhodes
13May 25, 2010
How to Properly Deload

Rest, recover and prepare the body for the next block of hard training.
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By Matt Rhodes
9May 13, 2010
Give Perfect Hannies

Fear was definitely a motivating factor. The other thing is pride.
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By Matt Rhodes
5April 8, 2010
IPA Meet Recap: Matt Rhodes

If you have a chance to do one of Gene's IPA meets, you really should.
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By Matt Rhodes
0March 17, 2010
7 Signs You’re Weak

No need to clutter up the airwaves with loud, useless grunting that only makes you look weak.
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By Matt Rhodes
0March 9, 2010
Rhode Rules

We will not be drinking Kool-Aid. Rather, Liquid D-Bol in Gatorade, EVERY DAY!
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By Matt Rhodes
Hardcore or Dumbass?0September 17, 2009
Hardcore or Dumbass?

For those of you who read my log, you know I’ve been struggling with a nagging groin/hip injury. For those of you who don’t, you’re missing out. I’m a pretty funny guy. I probably have the best sense of humor ever! No joke.
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By Matt Rhodes
Rhodestown0October 10, 2008
Rhodestown

"Shutting it down" means that I'm backing off for a while
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By Matt Rhodes
Getting Ready to Powerlift0June 14, 2008
Getting Ready to Powerlift

This article is inspired by a few people but one in particular. He’s the newest member of the Southside crew and goes by many names—Panda, Bomb, and Malibu. Panda is new to powerlifting. He’s been going to a personal trainer on and off for about five years, however, the trainer is useless. About ten months ago, [...]
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By Matt Rhodes
Bench Shirt Training0April 14, 2008
Bench Shirt Training

I’ll start out by saying that I’m not a bench specialist, or even a guru, for that matter. I’m putting together the ideas that we use at Southside Gym that have given our group two, 800-lb benchers (Vincent Dizenzo, 800 lbs at 308 lbs and Rob “T.T” McCray, 830 at SHW). We train with a group of [...]
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By Matt Rhodes
Raw Squatting0March 14, 2008
Raw Squatting

It seems that the “in” thing to do is to lift raw or RAW. The RAW brigade has their own thoughts on lifting, the use of gear, and other things. Honestly, I could care less what they think. Wear a belt and knee wraps if you want. Raw, to me, is sans the suit and briefs. [...]
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By Matt Rhodes
Six Hundred Pounds of Raw Bench0February 14, 2008
Six Hundred Pounds of Raw Bench

In June of 2007, my training partner, Vincent Dizenzo, set an IPA World Record with a 600-lb unequipped bench press. Vincent had been chasing that number for two years. He suffered through some injuries and setbacks but finally got himself healthy and mentally focused. He put a 16-week plan down on paper and followed it to the [...]
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By Matt Rhodes
Matt Rhodes’ 3-Day Westside Split0April 10, 2005
Matt Rhodes’ 3-Day Westside Split

About a year and a half ago I was physically and mentally drained from powerlifting. I have to admit that I was actually thinking about training like a bodybuilder.
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By Matt Rhodes