Muscular thighs and derrieres can catch the eye of just about anyone. But for Bill Nichols of Naperville, they have special significance.
Those are the muscles that could provide the power to beat him in strength contests he attends at least several times per year, whenever job and family permit.
The 34-year-old, 271-pound power-lifting father of three is a four-time winner of the Natural Athlete Strength Association (NASA) national
championships, most recently held in March in Oklahoma City. He`s also an undercover Naperville policeman.
Nichols` record lifts include a 959-pound squat lift, 556 bench press and 765 dead lift at his first world championship in Dayton, Ohio, in 1987.
It was during that competition that Nichols injured his left arm, which had to be surgically repaired when the weights caused tendons to slip out of place.
”A year later in 1988, I was making a comeback and I blew two cervical vertebrae in my neck completely out. I was squatting over 1,000 when I did it,” he said. ”Those two horrible things set me back dramatically.”
In 1990 he took fourth place at the NASA nationals and in 1991 he took both nationals and the world competition with the same drug-free power-lifting organization.
Aside from those injuries, Nichols considers himself a healthy guy, made healthier perhaps by the rigorous training program he puts himself through.
”The problem is that we, and power lifters like us, have the normal day of working and taking care of our families and our homes. On top of that, we put our bodies through turmoil trying to break down muscle fiber to be repaired naturally on its own.
”In my opinion, the immune system is doubly taxed,” he said. ”I get colds like everybody else but I take a lot of supplements to combat that.”
Nichols said his problems with injuries arose from pushing himself to extremes.
”In retrospect, I should have seen a chiropractor more often. I should have listened to my body, but I didn`t,” he said.
Lynn, Nichols` wife of nine years and his biggest fan, supports her husband`s power-lifting avocation.
The former accountant gets her exercise these days by taking care of the couple`s three preschoolers. She said she doesn`t mind her husband`s weight-training time away from home but feels by not being able to cheer him on at competitions, she`s ”missing out on an important part of Bill`s life.
”It (power-lifting training and competitions) occurred before we were married,” Lynn said, ”and it gives him so much enjoyment it`s worth the time he spends away from home.” Lynn hopes the entire family will soon be able to cheer Dad at meets.
While Nichols said he felt his performance at this year`s natural nationals was disappointing, at slightly under 2,000 pounds total, he still took the NASA No. 2 spot as strongest man in the country. In late June, he traveled to Las Vegas and nabbed power lifting`s crown: the 1992 championship title in a world competition.
The atmosphere at such competitions is a cheery one, as both spectators and contestants alike shout their encouragement. The wintergreen odor of muscle relaxant permeates the air.
The athletes test their weight-lifting abilities in 60-second melodramas of squat, bench press and dead lifts.
NASA`s version of the sport separates itself from weight lifting by demanding that its competitors be strictly drug-free. To prove it,
participants must submit to sporadic drug testing, both by urinalysis and polygraph.
Lifters around the nation have responded favorably to the requirements, and the 6-year-old organization numbers some 5,000 members strong. The recent competition in Oklahoma City drew more than 600 entrants.
Nichols, who believes athletes are what they eat, said, ”There`s no better steroid than food,” adding that athletes should maintain a diet high in protein and carbohydrates and low in fat.
Also, workouts must be consistent.
”You can`t go into the gym once a month and expect to make gains,” he said. ”It is a mystery how the body does what it does, but basically, when you`re in the gym you`re tearing yourself down. There`s millions and millions of micro tears occurring in muscle fiber. Your body subsequent to the training, while you rest, is recuperating with the help of proteins and minerals and food.”
The third part of Nichols` super-muscle formula is rest.
”When you`re training for muscular strength or muscular development, you need at least eight to 10 to sometimes 12 hours of rest per day.”
The final aspect, and perhaps the most important, Nichols said, is a lifter`s mental attitude. Nichols, who uses mental imaging to enhance his competitive edge, said the idea of a bone-crushing 900 pounds resting on a human`s spinal column will ”mess your head up a little bit. It`s not playing golf.
”You have to believe that you`re getting stronger. You have to believe you`re doing the right thing.”
Partner Mike Cross power lifts with Nichols as well as works with him as a fellow detective.
”Bill and I are good friends,” said Cross, who has been investigating crimes as well as working out with Nichols for five years.
”We leave the police department behind when we get to the gym,” Cross said.
”In power lifting (as opposed to body building), it`s the strongest that should survive and no judge can say that this power lifter looks stronger than that,” Nichols said. ”It doesn`t matter what he looks like, it`s how much he lifts.”Bill Nichols shoulders 835 pounds with some of his power-lifting friends helping out.
