CLUB NEWS
(reprinted from
Ringside Vol. 1 Issue 1)
Judging from the
mail and phone calls received, the response to the United States
Wrestling Club has been tremendous.
Hundreds of wrestling fans across the country have responded to our
USWC membership drive and it looks like the club is going to be a
big success.
To become a member of the USWC, Just send a $15 membership fee to
the United States Wrestling Club, P. O. Box 3854, Charlotte, NC
28203. Don’t forget to include your name, address and zip code.
Being a member entitles you to discount tickets on a regular basis
to wresting matches in your area. You will also receive the Club
Newsletter, “Ringside” every two months. This will feature in-depth
stories on your favorite wrestlers, along with photos, club news and
other items of interest to wrestling fans.
You will also received a colorful membership card, which will
entitle you to special 10 percent discounts on wrestling posters,
t-shirts, wrestling jackets and other items.
And there’s a big bonus. As a member, you receive at a discount,
Wrestling Magazine, a publication which highlights wrestling on the
local and national level. It also features profiles and interviews
with the wrestlers, as well as some first class photos of your
favorites.
As a USWC member, you get Wrestling Magazine for just $10 for six
issues, and it’s a regular $18 value.
Don’t wait – join the United States Wrestling Club today and get in
on all the action.
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Ricky Steamboat – Wrestler and Body
Builder
(Reprinted from Ringside Vol. 1 Issue
1)
One of the reasons professional wrestling superstar Ricky Steamboat
has made it to the top of his sport is that he maintains a sleek,
powerful physique.
Certainly Steamboat has one of the best-built bodies in wrestling,
and the strength it generates has helped him win many matches he
might otherwise have lost.
To become a professional wrestler takes hard work, but Steamboat had
to work that much harder to perfect his body. Years of sweat and
sacrifice are required to produce the kind of physique which
ultimately helps make champions.
“I started body-building about seven years ago,” said Steamboat. “I
do a lot of traveling in my job as a wrestler and I was fortunate
enough to have a lot of friends who operate gyms in various cities.
They let me slip in and have a few workouts.”
“But in my home, Charlotte, NC, I worked out regularly at a gym.”
Steamboat’s routine usually consists of steady workouts with weights
and body-building machines six days a week. “I’m really involved in
it when I’m getting ready for a body-building competition,” he
added. “Right now, I’m competing in the regional level
(Mid-Atlantic) and to prepare myself, I spend several hours each day
working out.”
“But it’s a bit different in the off-season, when I have more time.
I usually work out four days a week then.”
Body-building not only improves the look and tone of the physique,
it also helps in the ring.
“Keeping your muscle tone and strength is like building a set of
shock absorbers,” Steamboat said. “If your muscles are tight, you
are less susceptible to injury. Getting slammed around in the ring
and falling to the mat can seriously hurt you. But you will avoid
most injuries if your muscles are tight.”
Steamboat added that ligaments and tendons are often twisted during
a match, and injury can result if the wrestler’s muscle tone isn’t
good.
“You have to remember that in my profession, a lot of the moves and
holds applied goes against your joints,” Steamboat said. “You have
to have the proper muscle tone to make sure you can absorb the
pressure. I’m sure football players have to be the same way. They
have developed the same basic reasoning.”
Steamboat’s workouts can be rigorous. Working with dumbbells,
weights and Nautilus machines is a tedious process – and at times a
painful one. When Steamboat undergoes several weightlifting
repetitions, it’s not unusual to see him sweat, strain and groan.
He advises that no one who wants to become involved in body building
undertake the exercise he does. It takes time to rise to his level
of proficiency. And no one should attempt any sort of body building
program without a doctor’s approval.
“To develop a good body takes a great deal of time,” Steamboat said.
“You must first learn to be patient. Guys come up to me and ask if
they lift weights for six months, will they look like me? There is
no way.”
“I would recommend that a person start out very lightly. Don’t go
and see how much you can lift right away – we calling that ‘maxing
out’. Just lift what you can for 12 to 15 repetitions for six to
eight weeks.”
“If you can increase your repetitions from 15 to 20, then add some
more weight. Find your levels and work out at them. Then, maybe
after six months, you can take a chance and see how much you can
lift.”
Steamboat emphasized that the
biggest thing for any body builder is to stay healthy.
“If you suffer an injury and can’t work out, you will quickly lose
what you have gained,” he said. “Suppose you have added a half-inch
to your arms. If you injure yourself, you’ll lose that in just two
to three weeks, and it will have taken you six months to gain it.”
Diet plays an important role in body building and Steamboat pays
careful attention to his. “When I am preparing for competition, I go
on a low-fat, low-carbohydrate diet,” he said.
“This means I reduce the intake of carbohydrates and fats and take
in more protein. I don’t eat bread, pasta or any sweets. I eat a lot
of fish and chicken. Steak is a good provider of protein, but it
also has fats.”
“You need the protein to repair and rebuild your muscles’ tissues,
which you tear down during body building.”
When he is not preparing for competition, Steamboat relaxes his diet
only a little. He eats fruits (which he also eats in his more
strenuous program), steak, baked potato and sometimes, even dessert.
“Usually, I take one day in the week and just let go,” he said. “I
eat pretty much what I want. It helps break up the monotony.”
Ringside Editor -
Steve Waid
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