Charles Poliquin Interview
by Zach Marcy
This interview was very exciting for me to do. I've been a long time fan of Charles Poliquin and his methods. I was first introduced to Charles through Muscle Media 2000 (now Muscle Media) back in 1994. My career as a personal trainer had just started and my workout methods needed to be improved upon. I was tired of going by what the magazines said and the pseudo advice the guys in the gym had given me.
It was time to get behind the art and the science of training so I went out researching. One of the few strength and bodybuilding coaches that I identified with in theories was Mr. Poliquin. He was focused on functional training methods for some of the best Olympic athletes, but he knew quite a bit about muscle hypertrophy (muscle growth). With the track record he possessed and the philosophies he lived by Charles became the natural choice of strength and weight lifting guru for myself and thousands of others.
Zach Marcy: Charles, just so our readers get the nitty gritty on you, can you give us a basic background?
Charles Poliquin: I first got involved in strength training through martial arts. At age 14, I became the second-youngest karate student in Canada ever to achieve a black belt. It was my karate sensei who first introduced me to weight training. One day I came to the dojo and I was the only one who showed because of raging blizzard. My sensei Web Corcoran couldn't see teaching karate to a class of one, so we spent the time lifting weights."
I never stopped lifting weights, and my career unfolded quite naturally from that point. I received my Bachelors degree in kinesiology and began coaching athletes before returning to further studies to earn an Masters in exercise physiology. Early in my studies I realized that the majority of research in exercise physiology concentrated on aerobic exercise. In order to find research on strength training, I had to turn to European journals, particularly those from Germany. So I set about teaching myself German to complement the French and English in which I was already fluent.
Today I am better known for his achievements with Olympic and professional athletes. He has coached athletes in 23 Olympic sports and from 9 different countries. He is presently coaching mainly N.H.L. and N.F.L. players. I have written over 600 articles on strength coaching for numerous lay and peer-review publications, and his work has been translated into English, Swedish, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Slovakian, and Japanese.
Zach Marcy: Your clients have an amazing track record of success. Here is a brag segment of the interview. Who have you trained and what are some of the amazing accomplishments that some of these athletes have achieved?
Charles Poliquin: Some of the athletes I have coached include:
Myriam B?rd, 3 times Olympic medallist and world champion in biathlon
Marc Gagnon, world champion and Olympic medallist in short-track speed skating
Natalie Lambert, world champion and Olympic medallist in short-track speed skating
Pierre Lueders, Olympic Gold Medallist in 2-man Bobsleigh.
Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues, Norris Trophy winner, strongest slap-shot in the NHL, Olympic Goal Medallist
Edgar Martinez of the Seattle Mariners, one of the most successful hitters in major league baseball.
Nanceen Perry, world record holder, 4x200 meters, Olympic bronze medallist in 4 x 100 meters in Sydney Olympics.
Sandie Richards , Olympic bronze medallist in 4 x 400 meters in Sydney Olympics.
Chris Pronger, St. Louis Blues, winner of Norris and Hart trophies, Olympic Goal Medallist D
avid Boston, Arizona Cardinals, Wide Receiver and Pro Bowl athlete