Post by lovelace on Jan 7, 2009 20:09:23 GMT -5
Can you give us some background information (age, weight,where you are from, what you do for a living and your family situation)?
My name is Jim O’Brien. I am 36 years old married with two boys ages 13 and 10. I live in Springfield OH.
When did you get saved and how?
It was in 2002. My wife and I both went to the alter at our church.
How long have you been powerlifting and do you compete in other sports?
I have competed in powerlifting for several years. At first it was a couple of bench press meets and then on to full meets. I wrestled in school and now coach my boys’ wrestling team.
What denomination of Church do you attend? Our church is what you would call a Bible church I guess. If it’s in the Bible it’s the truth. If it’s not we don’t focus on it. I think a lot of denominations try to put a man’s personal convictions over what is in the Bible but that’s not our way.
What are your best lifts in competition? To date I have a 585 squat, 405 bench and a 435 deadlift. I’m really working on the deadlift.
Who are some individuals you look up to in religion and powerlifting? For religion I think my dad is the best example. He recently became a minister and he is one of the few people I know who actually lives like he preaches. He walks the walk. Powerlifting has so many exceptional lifters out there so it’s hard to pick anyone in particular. I admire anyone who puts in the effort and continually strives to do better at each meet.
How do you balance powerlifting into your life being a Christian? “Balancing” the two sounds like there’s a give and take. There are many similarities between the two so I don’t have to balance them. Both take commitment, effort and understanding.
Do you train others or are you a trainee? I train WITH people but I don’t train them, nor am I a trainee. We work things out together for the good of both of us. We bounce ideas off of each other and rely on each other’s coaching.
What organizations do you lift in? I have done NASA(once),APA and APF. I plan to do an IPA meet in the spring.
What is your favorite Bible verse? I had to think about this one for a while but I think “Jesus wept” is probably one of my favorites. It’s easy to remember but it says a lot in just two words. It tells us that even though Jesus is the son of God with power over all things he became human and experienced our emotions. He knows what we are dealing with each day and not just sitting on a throne watching from a distance.
What is your favorite food? Anything my wife cooks. She’s an awesome cook. However, she has decided recently, that we all need to eat a healthier diet so I may need to change my answer to this one.
What kind of workout do you currently use? Ex..Westside, Progressive,etc.etc. It’s kind of a “Sheiko-esque” type of thing with a few of my own twists thrown in there. Al Caslow helped me set it up. Hopefully I’ll get as much benefit out of it as he does.
Favorite Religious and non-Religious book you have read (other than Bible)? I recently read a book called “What the Bible Doesn’t Say”. It’s about popular misconceptions about what’s actually in the Bible. I also just finished a book of Edgar Allen Poe’s complete works. He’s a strange guy but a lot of his stories are interesting.
What is the most exciting thing you have witnessed God do?
A couple of years ago my friend and training partner’s daughter was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Soon after she had surgery to see what the extent of the cancer was. My dad called a lot of area churches and asked them to pray as well as our church. My friend called after the surgery and told me that while the doctors had her in surgery they couldn’t find any cancer! There was no explanation other than God had healed her!
What is your favorite lift? I’m having a lot of problems with my bench at the moment so I would have to go with squats.
What manufacture of powerlifting equipment do you wear? Mostly Inzer but I love my Titan Boss briefs.
What weight class do you compete in and do you hold any state, American or World records? I compete at 198 but no records as of yet. With guys like Shawn Frankl it’s going to be tough.
As a “Christian”, what is your view on Anabolic Steroids or Anabolic Androgenic Steroids? I think as Christians we are to follow the laws of our government as long as they don’t conflict with God’s law so, with steroids being illegal, I stay away from them. However, since they are legal in some countries, that causes issues with international competitions for foreign athletes. It’s kind of a difficult issue to take sides on sometimes but they aren’t for me.
Do you have any final comments?
Thanks for the chance to do this interview. There are so many people more noteworthy than I am.
My name is Jim O’Brien. I am 36 years old married with two boys ages 13 and 10. I live in Springfield OH.
When did you get saved and how?
It was in 2002. My wife and I both went to the alter at our church.
How long have you been powerlifting and do you compete in other sports?
I have competed in powerlifting for several years. At first it was a couple of bench press meets and then on to full meets. I wrestled in school and now coach my boys’ wrestling team.
What denomination of Church do you attend? Our church is what you would call a Bible church I guess. If it’s in the Bible it’s the truth. If it’s not we don’t focus on it. I think a lot of denominations try to put a man’s personal convictions over what is in the Bible but that’s not our way.
What are your best lifts in competition? To date I have a 585 squat, 405 bench and a 435 deadlift. I’m really working on the deadlift.
Who are some individuals you look up to in religion and powerlifting? For religion I think my dad is the best example. He recently became a minister and he is one of the few people I know who actually lives like he preaches. He walks the walk. Powerlifting has so many exceptional lifters out there so it’s hard to pick anyone in particular. I admire anyone who puts in the effort and continually strives to do better at each meet.
How do you balance powerlifting into your life being a Christian? “Balancing” the two sounds like there’s a give and take. There are many similarities between the two so I don’t have to balance them. Both take commitment, effort and understanding.
Do you train others or are you a trainee? I train WITH people but I don’t train them, nor am I a trainee. We work things out together for the good of both of us. We bounce ideas off of each other and rely on each other’s coaching.
What organizations do you lift in? I have done NASA(once),APA and APF. I plan to do an IPA meet in the spring.
What is your favorite Bible verse? I had to think about this one for a while but I think “Jesus wept” is probably one of my favorites. It’s easy to remember but it says a lot in just two words. It tells us that even though Jesus is the son of God with power over all things he became human and experienced our emotions. He knows what we are dealing with each day and not just sitting on a throne watching from a distance.
What is your favorite food? Anything my wife cooks. She’s an awesome cook. However, she has decided recently, that we all need to eat a healthier diet so I may need to change my answer to this one.
What kind of workout do you currently use? Ex..Westside, Progressive,etc.etc. It’s kind of a “Sheiko-esque” type of thing with a few of my own twists thrown in there. Al Caslow helped me set it up. Hopefully I’ll get as much benefit out of it as he does.
Favorite Religious and non-Religious book you have read (other than Bible)? I recently read a book called “What the Bible Doesn’t Say”. It’s about popular misconceptions about what’s actually in the Bible. I also just finished a book of Edgar Allen Poe’s complete works. He’s a strange guy but a lot of his stories are interesting.
What is the most exciting thing you have witnessed God do?
A couple of years ago my friend and training partner’s daughter was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Soon after she had surgery to see what the extent of the cancer was. My dad called a lot of area churches and asked them to pray as well as our church. My friend called after the surgery and told me that while the doctors had her in surgery they couldn’t find any cancer! There was no explanation other than God had healed her!
What is your favorite lift? I’m having a lot of problems with my bench at the moment so I would have to go with squats.
What manufacture of powerlifting equipment do you wear? Mostly Inzer but I love my Titan Boss briefs.
What weight class do you compete in and do you hold any state, American or World records? I compete at 198 but no records as of yet. With guys like Shawn Frankl it’s going to be tough.
As a “Christian”, what is your view on Anabolic Steroids or Anabolic Androgenic Steroids? I think as Christians we are to follow the laws of our government as long as they don’t conflict with God’s law so, with steroids being illegal, I stay away from them. However, since they are legal in some countries, that causes issues with international competitions for foreign athletes. It’s kind of a difficult issue to take sides on sometimes but they aren’t for me.
Do you have any final comments?
Thanks for the chance to do this interview. There are so many people more noteworthy than I am.
