Judd Biasiotto - Psych

I vividly remember the first time Isaw him. It was at the All-Star Powerlifting Championships in Statesboro,Georgia. The pre-competition scene was typical of most powerlifting meets. The air was charged with excitement and nervousness. Competitors werescreaming, pacing, and sniffing ammonia capsules. All of them were burning upvaluable energy, except one. Judd Biasiotto lay asleep on a foam pad.

The weight being lifted on theplatform reached 450 pounds, yet Biasiotto, who was competing in the 132-poundclass, remained fast asleep. When but five lifters had yet to lift,Biasiottos coach woke him up. He rose, pulled up the straps of his suit, andstarted wrapping his knees.

I had to laugh. How could such astrong athlete be so foolish as to miss his warm-ups? Just anotherpowerlifting moron, I thought. Thats all this clown is. But whenBiasiotto stepped on the platform to attempt his opening lift, my opinionchanged drastically. Within 10 seconds, he brought about a physiologicaltransformation that could only be described as bizarre. His facial featuresseemed to change before my eyes. The hair on his arms and legs stood up, andhis breathing became deep and rhythmic. His muscles actually seemed toincrease in size. The whole scene was a little scary.

Without a single warm-up, Biasiottounracked the weight, descended, and then exploded up with it for a new ADFPANational record. The lift was ridiculously easy. Eight more times during themeet, Biasiotto repeated his astonishing transformation, and eight more timeshe made seemingly effortless lifts. By the end of the day, Biasiotto hadsurpassed 7 ADFPA National records and captured the outstanding liftersaward. He left me and 1500 others wondering where he got his power. Who wasthis man?

People who have seen Judd competeuse words like amazing, unbelievable, and unique when talking about him. Dwight Chandler, who witnessed Judd perform at the Southern States PowerliftingChampionships, described him this way for Powerlifting U.S.A. magazine:

Ive never seen an athlete get moreout of himself than Biasiotto. Looking at him, it would appear that he was atennis player, or a golfer, indeed not a powerlifter. His muscularity isminimal; however, his strength is awesome. His mental control is something tobehold, and something that more lifters need to develop. He seemed capable ofchanging his mood at a moments notice. It is the closest thing Ive seen tothe David BannerHulk transformation that appeared on television. Perhaps thisexplains how the Hulk and Biasiotto are capable of performing such outrageousstrength lifts. Actually, Biasiottos lifting, which consisted of manyrecords, was not half as exciting to me as his mind over matter control.

I often wondered how Judd was ableto bring about such changes. Was it hypnosis or was it some other mind controltechnique? I wanted to know for certain, and I wanted to be able to use thattype of control for my own lifting. I contacted Judd. I found him to beintellectually stimulating and more than helpful. We became close friends, andI discovered a few things about him that I can only describe as amazing. Heholds a masters degree in exercise physiology and a doctorate in sportspsychology. Furthermore, he has worked with professional baseball teams andnumerous athletes in a number of sports. His articles and talks toorganizations, such as the International Athletic Association and the UnitedStates Sports Committee, have helped Judd to become one of the most renownedsports psychologists and hypnotists in the United States.

His insights into individualsports, especially powerlifting, far exceed those of most sportspsychologists. He is not just another psychologist consumed by the reward ofdealing with team sports. Judd also understands the emotions, pressures anddifferent psychological needs of the athletes involved in individual sports. Through his research, Judd has learned to control his heart rate, brain waves,and most importantly, his thoughts. The secret to his great strength lies inthese abilities. Through scientific means he has achieved world class statuswith a body that is not genetically constructed for powerlifting.

Judd Biasiotto is indeed a light inthe darkness within the world of powerlifting. He has introduced psychologyinto a sport where it was relatively nonexistent. Through scientific researchand hard work, his efforts are revolutionizing the sport and its practices.

For years, many lifters, includingmyself, have tried to convince Judd to put his thoughts on paper for others. Our attempts always failed. Early in 1983, Tim McClellan, the assistantstrength coach at Arizona State University visited Judds home. McClellan convincedJudd of the need for his esoteric information in the powerlifting world. Hefinally succeeded where all others failed.

The start was a feature article inPowerlifting U.S.A. on the comeback that Judd made after major back surgery...a comeback that gave him the number one ranking in the American Drug FreePowerlifting Association throughout 1982 and 1983. The end result was hisdesire to outline his vast experience in this book, which I feel is the bestsports book ever written.

This book, like his others, is in aclass by itself. Youll love it, and because of it, your performance willimprove significantly. I promise.

George Herring,

WorldPowerlifting Champion