Sixteen-Year Old Poly Student Breaks Powerlifting Records



If you picture weight lifters as 18- to-30-year-old men with giant rippling muscles, think again. A multi-generational team of local residents of all shapes and sizes – ranging from Timofey Krasnoperov, 16, a Polytechnic school senior from Pasadena, to Phelps Wood, a 79-year-old San Marino businessman – won 7 gold medals and set new state records hefting barbells at the recent Southern California United States Powerlifting Association (USPA) state championship meet.

Along with Tim and Phelps, the group included Keith Wiggins, 45, and Dom, 44, of South Pasadena; and Amber Grace, 13, Alex Acosta, 22, and Chris Grace, 44, of Temple City. The meet was held in Long Beach on October 3.

What all these people have in common is that they train at the Mission Fitness Center in San Marino. The gym is owned by Chris Grace, 43, and his wife Wendy. Chris broke powerlifting records last year, and has become such an enthusiast for the sport that he has inspired gym and family members of all ages to give competitive lifting a shot.

The sport of powerlifting involves three exercises:

• A deep squat, in which the hips descend below the knee, with a barbell resting on the shoulders.
• A bench press, done lying flat on a bench, lowering and raising a barbell.
• A dead lift, leaning forward to pick a barbell off the ground, then standing up straight, holding it with arms extended downward.

Judges tell the contestants when to lift, when to pause, and when to rerack or set down the barbell. Obeying those cues, and maintaining balance are as important as muscle power. In general, the larger a competitor is, the more he or she can lift, so participants are sorted into different divisions depending on gender, age and weight.

Timofey Krasnoperov, the 16-year-old Pasadena resident and senior at the Polytechnic School , only started powerlifting a year and a half ago. At his first meet last spring, he won gold medals and set state records. For the October meet, he was hoping to set an American record, which would require a 543 lb. deadlift. But, Timofey reports, he paused at the wrong moment, so judges disqualified that lift. “I ended up with an easy 523 lb. deadlift,” he says. He also squatted 402 lbs., and benched 242 lbs, enough to earn the gold medal in his category. Timofey is philosophical about the glitches. “I got so mentally hyped that I forgot my usual calm style. I lifted with raw adrenaline rather than really using my fine-tuned form. But overall it was a good meet.” The high school senior finds time to train while maintaining a challenging course load at Pasadena’s Polytechnic school, and applying to top universities. “For a 16- year-old, he’s very, very disciplined,” Chris noted.

For videos and more images of the Mission Fitness team at the meet, go to https://instagram.com/missionfitnesscenter/. Information about the gym is at http://missionfitnesscenter.com/index.php.

Polytechnic School, 1030 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 396-6300 or visit www.polytechnic.org.

 

 

 

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