Last year I interviewed Jason Manenkoff, owner of the Iron Arena Powerlifting & Performance over the phone. The interview questions were designed to help students like me understand the field of training in a more practical sense. Though I took a lot of great information from our interview, I was left with more questions than answers as I realized that Mr. Manenkoff has an abundant reservoir of information in many aspects of life, business and training that can be extremely useful for a hungry college student looking to start a career and become a respected leader in the exercise science field.

Mr. Manenkoff and I spoke for roughly 10 - 15 minutes which were packed with insight regarding the in’s & out’s of what he does. Though I was anxious before the interview not knowing exactly what to expect once the phone rang, it was delightful to be greeted with a friendly hello and a comfortable space for conversation.

One of the primary roles of a powerlifting coach is educating their lifters before the competition.  We sometimes overlook how little novice lifters know.  Routine logistics and procedures are likely foreign to first-timers. Preparing them ahead of time can help reduce their anxiety and stress while increasing the probability of an optimal performance.

So here it is, the 1st Edition of GEAR’D Up/ Iron Rebel Powerlifting Edition. We will be airing every Monday night 7pm PST and we will cover topics such as training, PED use (drugs), diets, and topics pertaining to current issues.

Iron Arena Powerlifting & Performance, is Hoboken NJ's only training facility equipped to surpass the needs of Competitive Powerlifters and Performance Athletes. We have interviewed Jason Manenkoff to learn some more about it. 

Interview by Mariliacoutinho on September 27, 2015
http://www.mariliacoutinho.com/mind-coach-jason-manenkoff/

There are currently over 20 active powerlifting organizations in the United States.

In the Raw versus Multi-ply debate little is certain. The debates usually trickle down to name calling and generic tag lines such as “if you can’t lift it raw you can’t lift it” or “if it’s so easy put on a shirt and do it.” 

Some powerlifters fail to prioritize the tools of their trade. In order to elicit elite performance, it's paramount that you have the proper equipment and train in the appropriate environment.

There has been a recent emergence of online powerlifting coaches, each of them making impressive claims and boasting of coaching abilities that would make Vince Lombardi Packers green with envy.

Squatting off of pins in the power rack, also known as Anderson Squats have found a way into my training and are here to stay!

While to some it may seem self-explanatory, asking for a lift-off and a “spot” when bench pressing is one of the many things I’ve seen being done incorrectly. 

An invaluable tool we use here at Iron Arena is a piece of equipment called “The Prowler”. 

“Is your gym like CrossFit?” 
“What do you think about CrossFit?” 
“Would CrossFit work for me?”

"How much do you bench?"
This is a commonly asked question by both the laity as well as gym rats nationwide. The Bench Press is perceived by many as the ultimate test of ones manhood in the Iron Game.

Based on the positive feedback I’ve received from our readers after my previous article entitled “Bench Press Tips and Tricks” was published, I have decided to follow up with a Part II.

In Part I of this series I touched upon our distant relatives lack of preparation prior to engaging in physical activity, namely “the hunting game.”

I’ve been asked by members of the VPX forum, athletes whom I train, friends of mine,  and even the Senior Editor of the VPX website “When the hell are you going to write an article about bench pressing!”

I don’t know what it is about warming up that triggers us humans (myself included) to get real lazy and skip this important pre-workout ritual, when we know it is in fact in our best interest to participate from a performance and injury prevention standpoint.

The Deadlift is the king of all exercises. It's been called the "Deadlift" since Ancient Roman times, when low-ranking soldiers would be givne the task of removing fallen comrades from the battlefield, in effect, lifting a dead weight off the ground (that was in fact, a literally "dead" weight).

Judging by late night television infomercials, training, cardio, and diet have only recently been discovered. So who would have thought that in America, the concept of a training routine combining weight training, aerobic exercise and a formalized diet plan is as old as the country itself? 

Every so often I get a message on Facebook that goes something like this…
“Yo J, I wanna get my ass into tip top shape bro. Can you point me in the right direction?

With summer getting close, the one thing on many gym goers mind is “what can I do to lose that extra 10-15 lbs...

An athletes ability to run a fast 40 yard dash, dunk a basketball, kick a field goal, or take down an opponent in hand to hand combat are all highly determined by explosive strength.

Over the past few years, I’ve gotten a ton of questions from people asking how they can increase their max number of Chinups/Pullups.

During the Golden Era of Bodybuilding (1900-1980’s), the three movements that make up the sport of powerlifting were used by virtually every bodybuilder during their preparation.

From http://www.inexhale.com/the-bench-march-2011/in March 2011
How in the world can a 165 lb person bench press well over twice his body weight or perform a 534 lb deadlift?