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I never set a goal on 'the perfect distance' I simply worked to beat the towel.&nbsp; Often people would watch me train but I didn't notice them much because I was so focused on that towel.&nbsp; </P> <P>"While training for the Olympics, Oerter adopted the training philosophy of Norm Schemansky: work hard for 45 minutes with no coaxing, no looking at mirrors and no B.S. talk. &nbsp;Norm quickly became one of Al Oerter's greatest heros.&nbsp; Oerter worked hard lifting 12 months a year.&nbsp; So, at age 32 when he won his fourth Olympic Gold Medal, he was 6'-4" and weighed 295 pounds.&nbsp; He was able to arrow grip Bench Press 525 for two reps, Squat (touch a bench at parallel) for 5 reps at 725 pounds, Hang Clean 5 reps at 350 pounds, perform swinging, explosive curls for 5 reps at 325 pounds and do dumbbell alternate presses, flys and curls with 100 to 120 pound dumbbells.&nbsp; "I had a strong back from doing the old Jefferson Lift," remembered Oerter.&nbsp; "I used up to 450 pounds even at a young age."&nbsp;</P> <P>Oerter doesn't think that it is possible for an Upper Limit athlete to avoid injuries.&nbsp; "If you work at elevated levels," reasoned Oerter, "you must expect some injuries.&nbsp; You don't look for injuries but you must push yourself. &nbsp;That is the only way to become stronger."</P> <P>In Rome, Oerter slipped on a muddy ring in the preliminaries and ripped the cartilage loose from his rib cage.&nbsp; "That was devastating," remembered Oerter, "I couldn't sleep, eat or throw. It really hurt!"&nbsp; The doctors told him there was nothing they could do.&nbsp; But, Oerter persisted.&nbsp; So, the doctors agreed to try a method where they froze the muscle, taped it, gave him ammonia capsules and then hoped for the best.</P> <P>Since each competitor gets to keep their best throw from the previous days preliminaries, Oerter could have stayed in the top eight without over extending himself.&nbsp; However, he said, "I just thought about the four years of hard work and those 1460 days. &nbsp;I did not want to cheat myself."&nbsp; Then during finals each competitor was allowed three throws.&nbsp; But because of the excruciating pain, Oerter decided to make the 2nd throw his last.&nbsp; "So," tells Oerter, "on that second throw I gave it everything I had."&nbsp; He threw an Olympic record!</P> <P>When asked about the struggles experienced in training for the Olympics, Oerter replied, "Barriers in life happen all the time.&nbsp; You have got to step it up.&nbsp; If you back down, you never learn anything about life or yourself."&nbsp; Later in his career Oerter did have Olympic coaches who would really push him but he always knew it was to make him better.</P> <P>Al Oerter was also a great success in the business world. Ironically, he worked with computers and advanced technology. Currently, Al Oerter is living in Colorado.&nbsp; And he is still a lean, but powerful 260 pound man.&nbsp; Although he is retired, he stays quite busy as a motivational speaker for a variety of corporations and as a husband, father, and grandfather.</P> <P>We thank Al for the opportunity to tell his story......................... </P>th Mike Gentry and Jim Druckenmiller for this article. They are both Upper Limit people of the highest order.<br>Virginia Tech Strength Program<br>Under the direction of Mike Gentry, the strength and conditioning program has become a major part of the success of Virginia Tech Football, Resulting in three consecutive bowl appearan