Aikey and Lagevin break powerlifting records
By ZENDA FARRELL| Milton Independent Sports Writer
Jimi Aikey and Josh Langevin are in the business of breaking records - personal records, state records, New England records and national records for powerlifting. This dynamic duo started training together about a year ago and entered their first competition three months later. Since then they have bested every record set in their respective weight divisions. Now they are on a mission to not only beat their own records, but set world records.
Twenty-five year old Milton native Jim Aikey, longtime fitness guru is a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. He graduated from MHS, where he was a varsity wrestler for one year. He has been working at Ultimate Fitness in Milton for 5 years. This is where he met his lifting partner, Milton resident Josh Langevin. Josh graduated from Spaulding High in ’03. He wrestled varsity for 4 years, was a member of the 100 wins club, a state finalist in ’02 and winner of the Northern Vermont Athletic Conference in 2002/2003 in his weight class. He currently coaches the MHS wrestling teams and referees youth to junior varsity level wrestlers.
“I moved up here from Barre and joined Ultimate Fitness. I was a wrestler in high school and lifted for toning. Jimi noticed me and asked me if I wanted to try something different. We started training together and spotting each other. We have been lifting together for a little over a year now and competing for 9 months,” says Langevin.
Powerlifting comprises three lifts: the squat, bench press and deadlift and competitions may be comprised of one, two or all three of the lifting disciplines. The goal is to maximize one’s strength and to achieve a personal record in each lift for a single repetition.
Athletes are categorized by sex, age and bodyweight. Each competitor is allowed three attempts at each lift, the best lift in each discipline being added to their total. The lifter with the highest total is the winner. In cases where two or more lifters achieve the same total, the person with the lightest bodyweight wins.
Jimi and Josh competed in the 2006 World Lightweight World Champion 100% RAW held at the Sheraton in Burlington, Dec 9, 2006. RAW means drug-free and no special support or equipment, including wraps, only a belt is allowed. Jimi, who weighs in at 174.5 captured the number one rank in the 181-pound Open Lifetime Division with a deadlift of 545.6 pounds, a squat with 474 pounds, a bench press of 336.2 pounds, totaling 1355.8 pounds.
Josh weighs in at 161.3 pounds and competes in the 165 weight class Junior Division. He took 6th place in this meet with a deadlift of 451.9 pounds, a squat with 352.2 pounds and a bench press of 270.1 pounds, totaling 1047 pounds.
At the New England & AAU Powerlifting Championships (dual meet) held on March 31 in Barre, Langevin won his class with 153 kg squat, 130 kg bench, 210 kg deadlift, totaling 492.5 kg or 1087 pounds and set new New England records for all three lifts. Josh also set a new AAU record for his 210 kg deadlift and won first place in this division as well.
Jimi also won his class with 220 kg squat, 157 kg bench, 250 kg deadlift, totaling 627 kg or 1382 pounds and set New England records for his squat and deadlift.
Their training schedule isn’t for sissies. Jimi eats 7 meals a day including protein shakes, oatmeal, brown rice, chicken, steak to support the energy output. He designed a program of conjugated periodization, a system which incorporates three basic pathways to promote strength. “We work out 5 days a week, for anywhere from 90 minutes to three and a half hours, depending on the day and what the program calls for. The conjugated periodization combines dynamic training for speed, max effort for strength and moderate repetition for size. We do moderate to high reps, also called assistance exercises, everyday for recovery and size, combined with dynamic days or max effort days. On dynamic days, I strap resistance bands around the bars and lift faster than I normally would. On max effort days, we work up to 90% max or above. We keep it all at 90% if possible so when we compete, we have been working at 90% or more of our best, every day. Some weeks we have to go a little lower to avoid wear and tear on the joints. I design a program from ideas I find online and if it works for me, I use it again. ”
Loosely translated, dynamic effort means lifting a non-maximal load with the greatest speed possible and is coupled with compensatory acceleration. This method improves the rate of force development and explosive force by applying as much external force as possible to the barbell.
The repetition method, also known as the bodybuilding method, is best for muscle hypertrophy and is defined as lifting a non-maximal load to failure, or until you just can’t lift it anymore. It’s during the fatigued state when the muscles develop maximal force.
Finally, max effort, considered by many experts to be the superior method of training, places great demands on both intramuscular and intermuscular coordination while stimulating the nervous system.
Josh had this to say, “I started this because I wanted to have some fun doing something different. Jim has always done it. Every week we try to set new personal records (PRs) and continually improve. Jimi’s goal is to be the best in the world. He wants to set world records.”
The next meet will be held in Milton at Ultimate Fitness on Saturday, July 7 and it will include outdoor push-pull, strict curl and single lifts, all 100% RAW and AAU sanctioned. Come out and watch – you will be amazed!
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