This month I had the privilege of speaking to one of the sports up and coming 275's, okay...so in reality he is already up and has arrived! <g>.  Pat McGettigan (remember this name...I am predicting it here), will for sure leave a very big impression on the PL world.  A very nice guy who has been extremely helpful to me for no other reason than I just asked for some help.  One of a handful of 800+ pullers circulating around right now Pat also backs his spectacular pulling prowess with some big squats and benches as well.  Look back at a few of the USAPL National results and you will see Pat’s name up in the top placing for the past few years.  He is also listed in the IPF results for his contributions to last years World team (see what I mean...).
Anyway, I won’t ramble on too much here...let you get right to the meat of the matter and hear what Pat has to say himself!  A very accomplished lifter and I foresee a great battle at this years Nationals between Tony L. and Mr. McGettigan.

Let's start with biographical stuff, age, height, weight, occupation, etc.?

Age - 30
Height 6'-2"
Weight - 280
Occupation - Controller

What got you started in PL?  Were you active in other sports prior/along to PL'ing?

I started lifting at age 14 to be a better athlete and gain weight.  I was 6' tall in 8th grade and 130 lbs.   My brother Matt got me started lifting (he is the football strength coach at Iowa State).  Lifting weights helped me tremendously in high school with football, wrestling and track.  It also helped me earn a football scholarship to the University of Wisconsin.  I was a four year letter winner.  After football I was just lifting to stay in shape and a couple buddies told me to do a meet.  One guy was my training partner and he is a former WWF wrestler know as Beautiful Bobby and the other was Chris Doyle, he is the Strength coach at Iowa. Once I did my first meet I was hooked.

What are your best lifts and what are some of the meets that stand out as particularly rewarding for you?

Best Lifts: Squat - 770, Bench - 475, Dead - 804.5 Total - 2030.  My most rewarding meets were my first nationals and the IPF World's.  My first nationals no one knew who I was and I believe I was in 9th place going into the deadlift and I pulled 771.5 to end up in 2nd place.  No one expected me to place that high so it was very rewarding to me.  The IPF Worlds is the
most amazing meet I have been to yet.  I was in awe of the lifters there and was honored to compete and represent the USA.  My goal is to make it back.

 What kind of training regimen do you tend to follow?  Anything particularly unique that you have added for your specific needs?

I train on M,W,F and Sat.  I train my core lifts during the week and on Saturday I do Bench assistance.  Most of the time I train Raw.  I have combined a lot of lifting programs to fit my needs.  I do a lot of Louie Simmon's stuff combined with other stuff I have picked up.  I am constantly asking other lifters what they are doing because the most common thing that
I find happens is that a routine becomes stale and you tend to quit making gains.  I am always trying to shock my muscles.

Do you feel that any particular muscles need specific attention (i.e. back, hips, etc.) over others?

I think your abs and lower erectors are the most important muscles to train.  I work my erectors every day I train.

What do you feel is the most important aspects of a training regimen (i.e. mental, routine, diet, perseverance, etc.)?

I think all aspects of training are important, but I would have to say that the mental part is the most important.  I constantly have to prepare myself mentally for workouts and meets.  In order to compete at your peak level you have to work extremely hard on all aspects of training.

Who has been your inspiration and/or motivation to achieve the great things that you have so far?

I am not sure if I have really achieved anything great yet but I appreciate the kind words.  My biggest inspiration is my wife and she is my biggest supporter.  I also draw motivation from other lifters that I see.  There is nothing more motivational that seeing a guy squat 900, pull 850 or bench 600. It makes you realize how much work you have left to do and there is still a long way to go.

Where do you want to get to (in regards to your lifts) in PL before you hang up the belt?

I want to win nationals and place in the top 3 at worlds.

Since you are one of a limited number of 800+ pullers active today could you give us any technique tidbits or specifics that you feel are vital to getting a good pull?

The deadlift is an extremely mental lift.  There are not many people who actually like to train the deadlift.  I do some semblance of deadlift work every week.  I believe too many people think that their deadlift will be fine as long as they squat a lot.  I train deadlift just as hard as I train every other lift.  I also try to approach the deadlift with a little more attitude that the other lifts and I just "grip and rip".  I do not spend a lot of time down at the bar.  Once I get my hands on the bar I try and explode as soon as possible.

 Do you have any plans of moving up a weight class to get the extra pounds on your total that usually accompanies a class jump?

I do not have any plans on moving up a class yet.  I am comfortable at 275 and have some more goals to meet before I move up.
Wade Note: Darn!! :^)

What has been your greatest accomplishment in PL so far?

Probably my USAPL National deadlift record and being a member of team USA for IPF Worlds.

 Who, in your opinion, are the great lifters going right now (i.e. the ones we should keep our eyes on)?

This is a tough question because there are so many great lifters out there right now.  I lift in the USAPL so those are the guys I have seen lift. Guys like Brad Gillingham, Sean Culnan, Tony Leiato, Tony Harris, Jeff Douglas, the Benemerito's, Wade Hooper, Chris Turner and David Ricks.  There are too many to mention actually.

Anything I have missed that you would like to comment on?

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to do this interview and I hope it is helpful.  I would also like to thank all the people that help me especially my sponsors: Titan Support Systems, Safe USA, HAC and Midwest Nutrition.

Thanks a bunch Pat, I hope your training is going great and wish you all the best of luck in the future!
 
 

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