Topic: Marty Schnorf Interview with Joe Dube'

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Weightlifitng Online Magazine Joe Dube Interview Link

April & March 2005

Q = Joe, how did you get interested in and started in weightlifting? How old and how much did you weigh?

A =  I was in a grocery store with my mother in 1958 and saw an old Strength & Health magazine on the mag rack. I bought it and saw pictures of Tommy Kono, Paul Anderson, Isaac Berger, Vinci, etc. I was amazed and the bug hit me right in the face. I knew then that this is what I wanted to do. My brother Virgil also wanted to give it a try. We did not come from a family that had extra's to purchase a barbell set so we decided to save what little money we came across, lunch money, cutting grass, etc. We bought our first set of weights and decided to do some bodybuilding as we needed to put on a little muscle before tackling the Olympic Lifts.

Q = Who was your first coach? How long had you trained and what did you weigh when you first competed and at what weight?  

A = I guess my first coach was my older brother Virgil and I was his. We studied S & H mag. pistures and sequence shots of lifters in the Olympic 3. I trained for about a year and half before my first meet. My first meet was the Duval County High School W-L Championships. I took first place in the 181 lb. class with lifts of  200-190-250. My weight was 175.

Q = How did you train at first? What others influenced your training in the early periods?

A = I trained mostly on the 3 lifts. I started with the split snatch and then alternated with the squat snatch. I did a lot of reps on the lifts working on my speed. I made a lot of misses in the squat snatch before I started clicking them in the right groove. There has been many  influence's in my early career. Paul Anderson, Tommy Kono, Ike Berger, N. Schemansky to name a few. I always had my face in W-L magazines studying the lifter and their training methods and so forth.

Q = How did your training evolve as you got older?

A = During the early years of my training I worked mostly on the three Olympic Lifts. I did a few assistant exercises such as B. & F. Squats, Dead Lifts and Incline Presses. The more I learned through reading Strength & Health magazine and also Iron Man, I included other assistance movements to help build my strength up. I would keep a constant lookout for any additional info about training that would help my lifting. As time went by for some years, my lifts came to a standstill. I needed something new that would give me a kick in the butt and get me moving again,  I had a tremendous amount of strength but was not using it in the most effective way. I knew that I needed to maybe change my technique and do it fast.  Walter Imahara, my friend and teammate suggested trying the "Frog" Style in my Snatch. I tried it and it proved to be just what I needed to get that Snatch moving again. It helped me keep the bar closer to my body,  bringing in to my upper thigh for the explosion and jump in the last part of the pull. I used this style for quiet some time and later I widdened my feet some to get that extra needed leg in the first part of the pull. But, I did keep my toes and knees pointed out. Lifters need to sometimes experiment to see what technique is best for them. Everybody does not have the same body structure, and what works for one may not work for the other.
     
Q = How often did you train when you were at your best?

A = My early years in training I would train 5 days per week. I was young then and could recuperate faster. When I was at my best I would train 3-4 days per week. I was lifting heavy loads and needed the extra time to recuperate. I would cut back on assistance movements the closer the competition got. Then I would work more on the Olympic Lifts.
     
Q = Who were some of your training partners when you were at your peak?

A = My brother Virgil when we trained at home or at the Y. He was always there when I needed him. My other brothers (Twins) Alfred and Clifford, were there helping me also. Some of the other training partners were Walter Imahara, Bob Bednarski, Ernie Pickett, Russ Knipp to name a few.
     
Q = Take us through your memories 1968 Olympic Trials:(I think this is what you meant?)

A = It was a very close neck & neck battle and came down to the last lift. WOW, Pickett and Bednarski didn't want to just give it to me!  That was a tough one to win. I do admire a lifter that has the fight and will to succeed.
I was tho, not going to denied again to make the Olympic Team. I had failed miserably in the 1964 Trials because of a freak accident a few weeks before the meet, resulting in me staying home. I did put up an effort anyway.
     
Q = My Pre-Meet Training:

A = At the Nationals a few weeks before the Trials, I had trained considerable hard and was overtrained, just that simple.I didn't want to make this mistake again for the Trials. I cut back on some of the things I was doing in training. I also got more needed rest and watching my eating habits.

Q = Joe, what were the highlights of your lifting career? What were your alltime best lifts - press, snatch, c&j, front and back squats?

A =
*Winning the Gold Medal in the 1969 World Weightlifting Champioships in Warsaw, Poland. Super heavyweight.
*Winning the Bronze Medal 1968 Olympic Games, Mexico City, Mexico. Heavyweight.
*Invited to the White House by President of the United States, Richard Nixon after winning the 1969 World Championships.
*Invited and performed on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

My Best Lifts in Lbs.:
Offical: Press: 462 1/4, Snatch: 369, Clean & Jerk: 473
Unoffical: Press: 475, Snatch: 385, Clean & Jerk: 485

B. Squat: 710X17 reps., 745X5 for 4 sets ( hardly ever did any low or single attempt records, only before meets with lighter weights and lower reps ).

F. Squats: 625X5 for 3 sets.

Q = Who were the greatest lifters you ever saw, American and foreign?

A = I have seen and been around a lot of great lifters during my career. The ones that stick in my mind are: Tommy Kono, Paul Anderson, Norb Schemansky, Ike Berger, Bednarski, Alexeev and I could go on and on.

Q = Give me a short comment or two about each of these people - sort of a capsule summary.

A =
*Bob Hoffman: He was always very kind to me and everyone else I saw him come into contact with. Sometimes he would come up to me and slip into my hand a $100 bill, or a few on occassions. Then he would say " I see you brought your muscles with you today". We need a lot more of Bob Hoffman's today for our Sport. He did things in a BIG WAY!!.

*Bob Bednarski: He was my friend and a very fierce competitor. He had a lot of confidence in himself and that was good. I tried to keep in contact with him from time to time. I talked to him just a few days before he died. I was totally shocked. I will miss his friendship.

*Leonid Zhabotinski: He was a very competitive lifter with a lot of experience on the platform. He hardly ever missed any attempts. I would like very much to get into contact with him.

*David Rigert: A very polished and Powerful Lifter.

*Ken Patera: I didn't know or get close to Ken that much. But, he was a very Strong and Powerful Lifter.

*Based on your involvement with lifting and what you know, how would you try and change WL in the US to make it better?

*I would try and get some changes made in our State (Florida) and Country School Systems that would benefit and support our Sport of Olympic Weightlifting on a competitive level. I think this should be one of the priorities for our Weightlifting Federation. The Bench Press should not be included with the Clean & Jerk in School Competition between Schools. The Snatch needs to be included and eliminate the Bench Press. This does not help our Sport at all!

Q = How would you like the sport of WL to remember Joe Dube?

A = I would like to be remembered as a Lifter that loved the Sport and gave it his ALL. That I did not shy away from the feirce competition that faced me and had that competitive spirit to go all the way. Also, one that spoke from the heart about things that needed attention for our sport to make it better.

Thanks Marty so much for giving me this opportunity to express myself for this Website. I hope the readers enjoy it.

Take Care,

`Joe Dube' Sr.