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Basically, during this six-month period, I will go through various phases of training in order to accomplish different goals.
Our sport requires speed, strength, and technique. We can't focus on everything at the same time, so I start by building general strength.
Then, I will focus on specific strength needed to perform the competition lift. In the next phase, I will start to focus on speed and power while maintaining strength.
Finally, I practice my technique and timing of the competition lifts. Three to four weeks later, I am ready to step on the competition platform and lift big weights!
RT: Back home for you in Canada, you must've had a tremendous following watching your every move during last year's games in Beijing. How did it feel to represent your country during the Olympics?
MD-P: Oh, I was very proud. During the Games, we all wear our country's outfit and it's great to feel that you can belong to a team.
Especially with the fact that my sport is an individual sport, it is not often that I get the chance to feel like I am part of a team.
In Beijing, we would take the time to know everyone we met that would wear the Canadian outfit and it was great.
I also received very nice comments and feedback from people all over Canada telling me how great I did and how well I represented the country.
I was not expecting that at all, because I felt like I should thank them for letting me represent our country!
RT: As I watched your performance in the games, I was just left in awe at how you were able to do something which I know I could not possibly do, even if I was given all the training and practice in the world.
Just how close is that margin between the haves and have-nots in your sport?
MD-P: I would really like to say that, with proper training, anyone can reach a decent level. And I really used to think that. But it's not true.
Many skills that are required to be a good weightlifter have to be developed at a young age. And some things just can't be learned, they are purely genetic. Speed, power and balance cannot improve much after 12 years old.
As for developing straight, even with proper nutrition there is a lot of individual difference that can't be ignored. There is a huge difference between the amount of weight that can be lifted by a great athlete and a regular one.
Most guys in the 85 kilograms weight class, for example, will never be able to lift 180 kilos at the clean and jerk.
Very good athletes only will reach this level. But the world record in this weight class is 218 kilos. It shows that even between good and great athletes the margin is huge.
RT: Now for those who may not know much about you or your sport...what's one interesting aspect of your weightlifting?
MD-P: As crazy as it might sound, I don't have any biceps. And I don't do much at bench press. I say that because I am always asked to show my big arms or how much I can bench press when someone hears that I lift weight.
So I always have to explain that the part of our body that we use to lift the weight are mainly our legs and back. Our upper body strictly has a stabilization purpose, it doesn't lift the weight.
Also, good weightlifters can jump really high and run really fast (only for sprints, though, not for long distances). It's because our body is trained to be powerful.
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