CHRISTINE ROVNAK NEFF
Une championne américaine de la WABDL qui a passé 500 lbs au soulevé de terre ...
Palmarès Photos Interview ( english ) Interview ( français )
CHAMPIONNE DU MONDE DEADLIFT - 90 kg WABDL : 2007
Record
Personnel SQUAT - 82,5 kg : 200 kg
Record
Personnel BENCHPRESS - 82,5 kg : 143 kg
Record
Personnel DEADLIFT - 90 kg : 229 kg
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INTERVIEW réalisée par Kat Ricker ( Février 2008 )
KR : La championne du Monde de soulevé de terre Christine Neff ( Rovnak ) est
l'une des rares femmes à pouvoir soulever plus de 227,( Kg au soulevé de
terre. Elle fait du powerlifting depuis 11 ans et depuis 9 ans en compétition.
Elle détient des records nationaux et du monde dans plusieurs catégories et
plusieurs fédérations. Et je suis fier de dire que c'est ma sœur.
Christine a tirée à la WABDL, APA, APF, USAPL, AAU,
USPF ...
Ses records : record du monde du soulevé de terre
WABDL en 2007 à 229 kg en - 90 kg Open.
143 kg en - 82,5 kg ( 125 kg sans maillot ), 200 kg au squat ...
Est-ce que tu
t'étais préparée à être une recordwoman du monde au soulevé de terre ?
CN : Pas du tout.
Le fait que je détienne le record du monde est encore pour moi surréaliste. Je
suis une des rares femmes au monde à soulever plus de 227,5 kg, pourtant je
suis toujours étonner qu'après une compétition les gens viennent vers moi
pour me serrer la main et pour me faire des compliments.
KR : Est-ce que ce
mouvement est facile pour toi ? Combien de temps as-tu mis pour être
compétente dans ce mouvement ?
CN : Le
soulevé de terre a toujours été plus facile pour moi que les autres
mouvements. Comparé au développé couché, j'ai eu besoin de m'entraîner
très peu pour arriver où je suis. Malheureusement cela a fait de moi une
faignante qui me donnait le sentiment que je n'y arriverais jamais.
KR : Est-ce
que le soulevé de terre est ton mouvement préféré ? Est-ce qu'il l'est
toujours ?
CN : Absolument.
Le soulevé de terre, dans certains cercles,
est considéré comme le mouvement " bluecollar " du powerlifting.
Durant mes premières années de compétition, je ne faisais pas de soulevé de
terre. On voyait rarement les personnes s'entraîner à ce mouvement, et dans
une salle normale, l'endroit où l'on pouvait le faire était plutôt
embarrassant, surtout pour ceux qui ne savaient pas ce que c'était. J'ai été
influencé pour pousser au soulevé de terre en voyant d'autres filles en fin de
concours faire de grosses performances.
Ce mouvement n'est pas populaire, surtout par le fait que l'on ne peut pas
facilement l'influencer avec des combinaisons. Prenons le développé couché
par exemple. Dans les années 80 et au début des années 90, pousser 220 à 270
kg faisait des hommes des champions. En suivant l'évolution, quelqu'un a eu
l'idée de changer les maillots simple en armure scientifique. Nous sommes
allés à des denim, double-denim, les concurrents prenant des maillots 3 fois
trop petit, avec des ponts de 10 cm et des maillots fendus dans le dos. J'ai lu
l'interview d'une fille qui venait juste de faire 180 kg et qui admettait
qu'elle faisait tout juste la moitié sans maillot. Maintenant je vois des
débutants à la salle dépenser de l'argent pour s'acheter des maillots avant
de savoir pousser correctement et des compétiteurs se briser les avants bras
parce qu'ils ne sont pas construit pour supporter de 350 à 450 kg. Il y a un
temps et une place pour chaque chose, et que les compétiteurs soient équipés
ou pas c'est leur décision. Dans
beaucoup de compétitions j'utilise un maillot( mais pas les supers maillots ),
mais je pense que le soulevé de terre lui est plus naturel. Les combinaisons de
soulevé de terre ne peuvent vous faire gagner 50 kg sur votre soulevé, et
s'entraîner sans partenaire est possible. Dans une compétition tout le monde
veut voir le développé couché, mais tout le monde ne reste pas pour le
soulevé de terre.
KR : Décris
nous ton entraînement, et comment il diffère entre la saison et hors-saison ?
CN : Je suis
fervente partisane que le travail lourd est bon pour le mental. Si vous
relâchez votre corps durant la période hors saison, vous risquez de revenir
plus faible et moins enthousiasme que si vous étiez resté discipliné ...
INTERVIEW by Kat Ricker ( February 2008 )
KR : World Champion
deadlifter Christine Neff (formerly Rovnak) is one of the few women in the world
who can deadlift more than 500 pounds. She has been powerlifting for 11 years
and competing on and off for nine. She holds world, national and state
powerlifting records in various weightlifting classes in various federations.
And,
I’m proud to say, she’s my sister.
Christine Neff : Age:
27, Height/weight: 5’11” 192 pounds, Hometown: Coeur d’Alene, ID
Has competed with: WABDL, APA, APF, USAPL, AAU, USPF
Stats: World record 502.6 pound deadlift in 2007 for WABDL in
the open women’s 198 pound class, signed by Gus Rethwisch.
Bench 315 pounds at 181 assisted, 275 pounds at 181 raw; Squat 440#. For more
details on competition history, see bottom.
Did you set out to
become a world record holder in this lift ?
CN :
Not at all. The fact that I
hold the world record is still surreal to me. I am one of a few women in the
world pulling over 500#, yet I am always surprised when people walk up to me
after a competition with compliments and handshakes.
KR :
Did
this lift come easy to you ? How long until you felt competent ?
CN :
The
deadlift HAS always come easier to me than the other
lifts. Compared to bench pressing, I have had to train very little to get where
I am now. Unfortunately, knowing this has allowed me to be lazy and (give me)
the feeling that achievement is constantly just out of my grasp.
KR :
Is
the deadlift your favorite lift? If so, was it always ?
CN :
Absolutely.
Deadlifting is, in some circles, considered to be the bluecollar lift of the
powerlifting world.
During
the beginning stages of my competing, I did not deadlift. People are rarely seen
training this lift, and a normal gym setting can be an embarrassing place to do
it, especially to someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. I was somewhat
influenced to try it after watching several very strong women pull at the end of
our competitions.
It
is not as popular, nor can it be as easily influenced by the use of supportive
gear. Take benchpressing for example. In the 80s and early 90s men benching in
the 500-600 pound range were elite. Somewhere along the line, someone got the
idea to change the single-ply bench shirt into scientific armor. We went from
having denim then double-denim, to lifters wearing shirts 3x too small for them
with 4 inches of stitching across their chest and a split down the back. I read
an interview from a girl who benched just below 400 pounds openly admitting that
she gets at least half of that from her shirt. Now I watch amateur lifters in
the gym spending money on shirts before they even have their true form down, and
lifters shattering their forearms in competition because they were not built to
support upwards of 800-1000#.
There
is a time and place for everything, and whether someone lifts equipped or not is
their decision. In many competitions, I too wear a shirt (though drawing the
line at a double poly), but feel the deadlift is more raw in form. Deadlift
suits cannot add 100# to your pull, and training without a partner is possible.
At a competition everyone shows up to watch the bench, but the Lifters are the
ones left watching at the end.
KR :
Describe your training, and
how it differs between on and off-season.
CN :
I
am a strong believer that heavy lifting is mostly done in the mind. If you allow
your body to soften up during “offseason”, you take the chance of coming
back weaker and less enthusiastic than you would have been if you’d stayed
disciplined and focused.
Training
the deadlift is different than the other lifts in the sense that overtraining is
very easy to do, and for that reason, I do actual deadlifts only leading up to a
competition or occasionally on a back night at moderately heavy weights.
If
I deadlift every week, I find my body and mind becoming bored. Instead, I focus
on working my hips on the sled or by doing squats/hack squats. My grip leaves
something to be desired, so I also do forearms and try to keep the rest of my
body tight.
About
6-8 weeks from a competition, I will begin doing heavy deadlifts twice a week.
On the first night, I use the same form as I would in competition. On the second
(about 3 days later), I like to stand on a platform or plates and do
hyperextensions. Both nights I do sets 6” above and 6” below the knee from
the Smith Machine with weights I normally wouldn’t be able to pick off the
ground with the intent to work the sticking points and refining my form.
Additionally, I move my focus away from arm exercises and anything not directly
tied to the deadlift. The last week before competition, I stop deadlifting
altogether and give my body time to rest.
KR :
Does
your philosophical approach to deadlifting differ between the on and off-season
?
CN :
I
am ALWAYS working to shatter my previous records in
competition, but I seem to do worse if I train the deadlift every week. My focus
is pointed more at keeping everything strong all the time and training the
deadlift primarily leading up to a competition.
KR :
What
goes through your head while you’re executing a deadlift ?
CN :
Clear
your head and walk up to the bar like you hate it. Ignore the crowd, and don’t
look down when you place your hands. Take a deep breath in, bend your knees, and
set your hands. Push down with your legs and roll your shoulders while exhaling,
pull with all your might. Then try not to pass out.
KR :
What are the biggest mistakes
you see others make in their deadlifts ?
CN :
Form
is a real killer in the deadlift. Some people are gifted with bull muscle
strength and have the ability to pull up great amounts with their knees locked
and backs bent. Eventually, however, the increasing amount of weight can cripple
the spine. Having a firm stance and utilizing the large muscle groups in the
legs and pelvis will allow for steady improvement and keep a body healthier in
the long run.
KR :
Are
the mistakes generally the same between regular lifters and competitors ?
CN :
I
think competitors are less likely to have sloppy form because they can
appreciate the lift from a judging point of view. However, there are always a
few, both competitors and regular lifters, more concerned about showing off than
the gradual climb to core strength. This probably has more to do with individual
personality, but does not improve ability to lift in any way and annoys the rest
of us in the gym.
KR :
What
was the best piece of advice you ever got on your deadlift ?
CN :
My
husband Roger, who has taught me almost everything I’ve talked about so far,
told me to relax and stop thinking so much.
I had to learn the hard way that nagging myself to death to do better can be
sabotage.
You
cannot become discouraged when a particular night in the gym yields less weight
than it did the night or week before. Daily activities, diet, and frame of mind
directly affect the ability to lift and the more you think about how badly you
are doing, the worse you do.
An
example of battling my expectations happened just before I broke the world
record. I had been out of lifting for too long and became easily discouraged.
When I wasn’t rapidly progressing, I beat my self up mentally. It had gotten
so bad that the last session in the gym before the competition I couldn’t even
budge 465# off the floor, which was 20# lighter than I’d been lifting the week
before !
After
getting a firm talking to and taking a week off, the day of competition came. I
kept my head clear and allowed my training to take over…then pulled the best
numbers of my life.
Adrenaline
can do wonders, so don’t worry if you haven’t pulled what you want to in
practice. Training in a family gym, probably listening to music that is not your
choice, and being stared at by parents or teenagers that have no idea what you
are doing is much different than standing under the lights on a stage covered in
sweat and chalk looking out over a crowd.
KR :
Give us a bit of background
about you as a competitor.
CN :
I had very little opportunity
to play sports in high school, but have always had a fanatical drive. Being 6’
tall, I was the largest girl in my class and convinced I wanted to be a model.
Unfortunately, I felt I was built more like a football player than a model, and
the tiny girls surrounding me didn’t help. I would get up very early in the
morning to run before classes, then finish the day in the school gym before work
trying to get stick thin. It was only after I entered college and met my future
husband that I got into serious lifting. At the time, I thought bodybuilders
were gross, and was afraid to lift real weights for fear of getting manly and
muscular. Roger, a 2-time Olympic World Team wrestler, had been lifting and
competing all his life. He showed me proper form and encouraged me to work out,
but never pushed me to lift heavy. About 8 months into our relationship, he
invited me to watch him at a powerlifting meet. I had never seen one before, and
made the assumption, as many do, that I would be watching a bodybuilding show.
Several hours into it, Roger asked if I would be interested in trying it out
since I was having such a good time. Embarrassed and self-conscious, I refused
and told him it wasn’t for me. For some reason or another, he took that as a
yes and secretly entered me into the novice teenage bench competition. I was so
scared I cried. When the time came for me to get onto stage, I walked up, turned
my back to the crowd and proceeded to bench press the bar and 15# on each side.
Oddly enough, there were no other girls in my division that day and I took home
the trophy for a 75# bench press. There on out, I was hooked.
My
most embarrassing moment of lifting came a year or two later in Seattle. The
competition was in a hotel conference room, atop a stage overlooking 2-300
people. Anthony Clark, who was still alive at the time, had a t-shirt stand set
up in the back of the room along with several other venders. All in all, a
relatively large event. Several lifters were there that day, but I was among the
youngest and least experienced. I had forgotten to bring a singlet, so I bought
one off the back table and got ready for my lift. Those of us competing sat in
the front rows below the stage, and when you were about 3 people out, you’d
stand at the bottom of the steps and wait your turn. I was standing there in my
brand new singlet, and when the judge called my name, Roger took my t-shirt and
led me to the bench. The only thing I had on under the singlet was my sports bra,
and I didn’t know that was against regulation rules. The judge took one look
at me, looked at Roger, and asked very politely into the microphone if I could
go back off stage and put my clothes on. The competition was put on momentary
hold while everyone in the room watched me walk down and crawl back into my
shirt.
In hindsight, I am probably the only person that remembers that incident, but I
never made that mistake again!
KR :
Who are athletes you look up
to and why ? Have any specifically influenced your deadlift ?
CN :
I respect a person who
remains humble and clears their own path, who despite of money made in their
sport, gets up every day and keeps going. They are the ones that influence me,
deadlifting or otherwise.
I
respect Michael Jordan for talking kindly of others when he himself ruled the
world.
I
respect Becca Swanson for breaking social norms for women and deadlifting more
than most men.
I
respect the dinosaurs that trained with only a belt and chalk, who weren’t
afraid to bleed from their eyes, and whose records remain to this day.
KR :
Have
you met your goals for this lift ? What’s your plan for what it means in your
future ?
CN :
My
goal is to lift 600#. Four years ago, if asked the same thing, I would have said
I wanted to deadlift 500#, but every time I reach that mark, it moves up. The
hungry feeling of dissatisfaction is probably something all competitors feel
when setting goals for themselves, and is what separates them from the pack.
KR :
More
stats ...
Note earlier records were under maiden name Rovnak
World Deadlift Record WABDL 485.0# 198 open women (also set that in Junior Women
division and holds the state and national title)
WABDL National bench press record 305.2# 181 junior women
WABDL National DL record 457.2# 181 open women
USAPL State bench record 275# 198 lb open women
USAPL State DL record 450# 198 open women
APF National BP & DL record in 165 junior women division
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