Topic: News: Mike Gattone Trains Star Thrower With Weightlifting

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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Mike Gattone Trains Star Thrower With Weightlifting
By Joe Stevenson

Jim Theologes makes an hour-plus drive to Buffalo Grove twice a week to lift weights.
 
It's a long distance to toss around some iron, but the Huntley junior does not perform just any workout.

Theologes trains with Mike Gattone, the owner of WCS/Gattone Sports Performance and former U.S. Olympic weightlifting coach. Gattone puts Theologes through a series of lifts that increase power and explosiveness, which benefit Theologes when he enters the shot put and discus rings.

Since starting with Gattone about a year ago, Theologes has dropped 40 pounds in weight, while getting stronger and quicker. He already has thrown significantly better in both events than he did last season.

"I started weightlifting a lot more and watched what I ate so I could slim down and be faster in the ring," said Theologes, who weighed about 245 pounds when he started training with Gattone. "It's made me a lot faster, improved my speed, and my strength has gone up, too, from weightlifting."

Theologes' best shot put this season (54-0 1/2) was more than a foot better than the Class AA state-qualifying distance (52-9). He is near the qualifying distance in discus (155-0) with his season-best of 150-10 1/2. At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Theologes does not exude a striking presence in the rings next to throwers who outweigh him by 50 pounds. At least until he throws.

"You think of people lifting weights to bulk up," Huntley coach Jim Rolando said. "Jim's lost weight and he's much quicker. He likes the competition. He's been working really hard and he's really positive for the whole team."

Theologes was a talented thrower before – his best throws last year of 49-4 in the shot and 142-4 in the discus both ranked No. 3 among local boys throwers.

"I come out here and hear guys who bench 350," Theologes said. "They're real big and stuff, but I understand how my technique works."

With Gattone's training, Theologes is ready to reach another level.

"What we do with athletes varies by each athlete," said Gattone, who trained 2000 Olympic gold medal women's weightlifter Tara Nott. "Our training system is very individualized. Jim's been with us a while and we've been able to do some things. We work on his core strength because he is twisting and spinning in the ring, and work the upper body as well."

Gattone said Theologes' workouts consist of snatches (taking the bar from the floor to overhead in one motion), cleans (taking the bar from the floor to shoulders in one motion), squats, overhead presses and bench-press variations.

"He has gotten so much more athletic," Gattone said. "It's allowed him to use his inherent power and speed. He has a ton of upside."

Other exercises are worked in, with most helping Theologes become more explosive, which in turn increases his quickness through the ring. Matt and Pat Whalen, brothers who each won Class AA state shot put titles for Jacobs and now throw in college, also trained with Gattone. Theologes also threw with the Whalens over the summer.

"They teach me a lot about the release and stuff, but I teach Pat about the rotation," Theologes said.

Theologes' father, Greg, taught him to spin in the shot put when Theologes was in the fifth grade. Pat Whalen, who throws at Ohio State, only recently started spinning, so Theologes sometimes offers him some advice on that technique.

Greg Theologes is impressed with what Gattone and his staff have been able to do with Jim in one year.

"Nothing gets past their eyes," Greg said. "Every set when I watched him work out there, they're giving him technique tips and help. They give you praise, but there's always something to improve on. It's a great environment to improve on."

Gattone said he feels Jim Theologes deserves all the credit.

"His dedication, driving probably an hour or hour-and-a-half, it's a big deal," Gattone said. "He's shown a lot of commitment."