Powerlifting Champion Jennifer Thompson
Jennifer Thompson is now one of the strongest people in the world. But before she started Powerlifting, she had no idea she was even strong. We talk the rising popularity of Powerlifting, the secret to her World Record Bench Press and outlifting the guys at the gym. Then, we countdown the Top 5 Green Flags.
Jennifer Thompson:01:22
Pointless: 52:12
Top 5: 01:12:55
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Interview with Powerlifter Jennifer Thompson
Nick VinZant 0:12
Welcome to Profoundly Pointless. My name is Nick VinZant. Coming up in this episode powerlifting and green flags,
Jennifer Thompson 0:21
I would say probably low self esteem, I was real nervous and timid. And I found like, the more I was training, the better, I was sort of feeling and I was feeling a little more competent and a little stronger. And we ended up just falling on to a powerlifting competition on our honeymoon, and Venice Beach, California Muscle Beach, they had a benchpress competition. And so once someone is brave enough to, you know, enter a powerlifting meet, they all of a sudden have like this tribe, I think people can be amazingly strong, and the average person just doesn't get it.
Nick VinZant 0:55
I want to thank you so much for joining us. If you get a chance, subscribe, leave us a rating or review. We really appreciate it really helps us out. If you're a new listener, welcome to the show. If you're a longtime listener, thank you so much for all of your support. So our first guest is one of the strongest people in the world. This is powerlifting champion Jennifer Thompson. Were you born strong? Or do you feel like you got strong,
Jennifer Thompson 1:25
I was definitely not born strong. I definitely got strong.
Nick VinZant 1:30
What got you into it.
Jennifer Thompson 1:32
I was a runner all through high school. And when I was in college, I was doing like road races. I like to run with my dad. He was a runner. And one of my roommates in college, we just lived in a rental house and we all commuted to school. He was way interested in weightlifting and he actually had a gym in the bottom of our rental house. And so like at four o'clock, every day, all his friends would show up and they would go down and they would play music and they would lift and they would have a great time though, they kept inviting me down to come learn how to lift weights with them. But I was still in a time where like, women didn't really lift weights, they're worried about being bulky, you know, or looking like a man. And I guess I was maybe just a little intimidated by it. But one day, I'm like, Okay, I will go down there, he had kept asking. So I'm like, I'll go down there and I'll give it a go. And so they kind of showed me how to do everything. And I loved it. So I completely stopped running because honestly, I didn't really enjoy it that much. But I wanted to like not gain, gain college weight and stay in shape. And it was kind of something I had in common with my dad. But I started just full on lifting weight. And I learned to love it.
Nick VinZant 2:52
When do you think that like okay, when you went from like enjoying this to really going after it to getting into competitions to doing that kind of stuff.
Jennifer Thompson 3:01
I was yours. Like I just sort of huddled around in it, you know, a workout and then I'd leave it for a while and I'd come back. But I really was enjoying just like the changes in my body, you know, just looking stronger and gaining some muscle. And I was a pretty under confident person I was had, I would say probably low self esteem, I was real nervous and timid. And I found like the more I was training, the better I was sort of feeling and I was feeling a little more competent and a little stronger. And so then I several years into it, I started really getting into a program and sticking with it and lifting with the guys. And then I was catching up to them. Like as far as their weight were going like no longer was I like just doing dumbbells or putting baby weights, you know, on the bar, I was starting to actually put something significant on there. And so I was like I'm getting, I'm getting kind of strong. And this was back, you know, and then the 90s and in the 90s we didn't really have internet and things like that, you know, still very slow there was no YouTube there was no nothing. So I honestly I knew I was getting strong but I couldn't I didn't know where I fit in. I didn't want to be a bodybuilder because that's really kind of what you did with your strong. I read a lot in the muscle fitness magazines had all these workouts and stuff and I really admired the way that women looked but I was not really interested in getting on a stage and posing in a bikini it just was not comfortable with that. And then the other thing they had back then was fitness, where the girls would do all the tumbling and you know it was a fitness competition but I didn't have a gymnastics background or a chilling background. So like that wasn't even really something that I could even entertain and we just had my the one of my roommates they ended up marrying and and we ended up just falling onto a powerlifting competition on our honeymoon and Venice Beach, California Muscle Beach He had a benchpress competition. So I walked up to it, I was looking at it and I started talking to some people like I couldn't do this. And so they just kind of directed me in the right place. Back then there was a magazine called powerlifting, USA. And that's where they lifted listed all the meats coming up. And like you literally would take the entry form out and fill it up, put your check in there and mail it to the meat director. You know, and that's how you entered. And so I think I did my first one and then 1997 or eight, I can't remember. Wow, yeah. And then once I had there, like, I realized, like, I was like, bench pressing the world or the American record, like I had broke all the records my first time out. Like, I had no idea I was that strong,
Nick VinZant 5:47
then okay, but were you breaking the records, because you were just that strong? Or like, the record was the record because nobody was really kind of doing it.
Jennifer Thompson 5:58
I think I like to think it was because I was just I'm gonna go with that one. Yeah, that's
Nick VinZant 6:05
the one I would go with to right now. Like, I'm just really that strong. So when people think of like, right, like, I kind of think of weightlifting and bodybuilding, what what is powerlifting? Like? How would you kind of just how was powerlifting different than weightlifting or other kind of types of exercise
Jennifer Thompson 6:24
was it's just different exercises is the squat bench and deadlift. weightlifting is the SNATCH and the clean and jerk, I kind of think about powerlifting as being more like, I guess the normal person's events, you know, like, if you go into the gym, any weekend warrior, or just someone that loves to train as bench pressing, or squatting, maybe not deadlifting. But if they're just kind of normal exercises, you see do a lot, the squat, or the weight training, the weight lifting, excuse me, though, snatch, and if they injure, that requires like a lot of flexibility, a lot of technique, it's not something that you would just be able to walk up and do, right, as just two very specific exercises. So I mean, it's really the difference between powerlifting weightlifting is the exercises, and then basically at a meet you, you get three opportunities, and each event so for, you always start with the squat, and you get three attempts at the squat to get your, your highest squat path. There's lots of rules. And then you do the bench, same thing event and then the deadlift, and then you take your biggest lift and each one and add them up for the total. And then whoever has the highest total ones, is just feel like it's very basic, normal and easy understand.
Nick VinZant 7:34
Yeah, it's probably like, whoever's the strongest person wins, right? It's, I would imagine it's divided into weight classes and all that kind of stuff. No age groups. Yeah. Now what weight class? Can I Can I ask that question? Right? Okay. Um, what
Jennifer Thompson 7:48
we don't worry about our like weight and our bodies and stuff in powerlifting. We celebrate women's sizes, you know, we always want the thick thighs and the peach but
Nick VinZant 8:00
so what now throughout your career, like what weights have you competed at? Is that the thing that changes over time?
Jennifer Thompson 8:05
Well, it is funny because they have changed the weight classes like multiple times, because I started in nine and I still compete now. So my, and it's all in kilos, because the international sport. So my very first weight class was 60 kilos, which was 132 pounds to compete in that in a while. And then they changed it to 63 kilos, which was 130 8.8 pounds. But I did that for a while. And then just two years ago, they switched him back. So at this point, like going down to 132 was way too low. I put on too much thighs. So now I'm up in the next weight class, which is 140 8.8.
Nick VinZant 8:48
So at that way, what's your squat? What's your most ever like your best squat best? deadlift?
Jennifer Thompson 8:56
is 360. My best bench is 327 and a half. And then my best deadlift is 457.
Nick VinZant 9:04
You can benchpress 327 pounds. Yeah, as the world
Jennifer Thompson 9:08
record.
Nick VinZant 9:13
Holy crap, that's okay. So I'm not super into fitness. Right? But I work out I played sports in high school. I can't do more than 225 I feel pretty strong in a gym doing to 25 like holy crap. It's
Jennifer Thompson 9:28
actually the world record for my weight class. And then like the several above it, it's still the world record for the bigger weight classes. So it's, it's pretty good.
Nick VinZant 9:36
Okay, I don't know how to ask this question, but I have seen some powerlifting stuff where like, what is it a benchpress? Like you would see in the gym, somebody's like, takes it off all the way down all the way back up. Or is there kind of a trick to it?
Jennifer Thompson 9:51
We have to hold it on our chest for one count. You have to take it down wait for them to tell you press and then lock it out. It's like a plot As depress
Nick VinZant 10:01
man, I feel like I'm revealing some of my ignorance here in this, but I can't believe you can do that much like, I wouldn't have not thought somebody that size could physically be able to do that.
Jennifer Thompson 10:11
I get that a lot. And then I get a lot that they assume I'm using performance enhancing drugs. But I'm in a drug tested. A drug tested organization. I've been drug tested. I'm actually I was just drug tested on Saturday, they showed up and said, Okay, pee in this cup.
Nick VinZant 10:31
But have okay, but are you? You're not doing them currently, or you've never done.
Jennifer Thompson 10:35
I've never done them in my entire life. I think I have. My husband likes to keep track of this stuff, because he thinks it's cool if I think I've had over 60 drug tests in my career.
Nick VinZant 10:46
Why? I don't know if this is like, but why not? Right? Like, how come you've never just like, Man, I wonder what I could do if I did this?
Jennifer Thompson 10:53
Well, why don't need it? Well, I don't need it. But I'm also I still like to maintain my femininity. And it's pretty hard to do that. When you're taking performance enhancing drugs. I think they're just not healthy for you. They're bad for you. So I'm very much into my health and eating well. And I just said, I know people do it. And that's fine. That's their choice. There's powerlifting organizations that don't drug test, you know, so you if you're interested in using performance enhancing drugs, you can you know, go do it. But not where I left.
Nick VinZant 11:31
I would just be so tempted to find out like what I would want like, what if I did this, man?
Jennifer Thompson 11:37
Yeah, but you're not a girl? What if I said, What else? I do this, but it would make me start growing boobs? Would you do it?
Nick VinZant 11:44
Yeah, I probably wouldn't do it. Yeah, that's a little bit different.
Jennifer Thompson 11:50
It makes you start having a high voice. And then boobs, and then maybe your penis would shrink up? Would you do performance enhancing drugs to see how much you could live?
Nick VinZant 12:01
I mean, maybe if I could do a lot. Like if I went from like doing 250 to 500? I'd be like, okay, a lot about you. I know it does? Well, I would do it. Because I would be curious of like what I was capable of,
Jennifer Thompson 12:15
I guess I feel like it's different. Because like, powerlifting no one's really making a lot of money at it, right? It's not like the NFL. If you take performance enhancing drugs, and you perform while you're making like huge bank, you know, or something like this, you know, for our meats, like we have prize money at our events and stuff. So you might win a few grand, if you're good, but it's not like you could live off it. So for me, that wouldn't make sense. And it's not everything I am I'm also a teacher, I really it's important for me to set a good example for my students and my own children. And I just don't think that's healthy to do that.
Nick VinZant 12:53
It's not for you. But would you Are you an anomaly in that or to most people tend to kind of side with your side. And it's just the media blows it out of proportion.
Jennifer Thompson 13:03
I honestly think it's probably split, like I left in USA Powerlifting, we drug test a whole lot of the athletes to try to keep it as clean as possible. Right. So I generally think most of the people that lifted my organization are clean. Now, of course, that's not 100%. You know, that's silly. But I do think that I think people can be amazingly strong and the average person just doesn't get it.
Nick VinZant 13:30
Well, that's the thing that I have kind of at least learned from this podcast is that there's levels to things you can be really good at something and then somebody who is exceptional. It's just a whole nother world.
Jennifer Thompson 13:43
Right? Well, I, I have been told that I'm probably the best bench presser and the world ever, and a third female. So I mean, you're comparing yourself to someone that's just exceptionally good.
Nick VinZant 13:58
Now, why are you so good at that?
Jennifer Thompson 14:02
Well, I wasn't Oh, I mean, it's been I didn't just all sudden be able to lift this weight. I've been doing it for 25 years, you know, and I've just been putting on a strength for a very long time. You know, I started off with I think I worked my way up to 215 I think 215 might have been my first competition bench. And then I've just gradually gotten stronger. I think some of it is really good programming we've kind of over the time learned how to do it really well with the right exercises and have been very good at nailing down the technique so that I feel like it's really couldn't get much better than it is now. I think I I like it so you work harder at the things you'd like to think especially as a woman like we're not we don't have strong upper bodies. And so when I first started weight training, it was the thing I put the most gains on, you know, was my upper body because you know, we don't use a lot of chest and biceps in our everyday life, you know, as women. So I think I think those factors all had a lot to do with it.
Nick VinZant 15:07
Yeah. Well, you said that number, I would have honestly thought that that wasn't physically possible for a woman regardless of size.
Jennifer Thompson 15:14
But I mean, it is like the best. But if you look at like the women in my weight class, I mean, they're doing 275.
Nick VinZant 15:22
So it's not super like out.
Jennifer Thompson 15:25
I mean, it's a lot but like the women today now that I think to like their, for powerlifting, women with a winning division is growing gigantic like for so powerlifting itself as a sport is growing in leaps and bounds since COVID. And then the women's side, I would say, like when I first started powerlifting, and like in the late 90s, I would probably would have guessed maybe 25 to 25%, maybe 20 to 25% of it was women, like we couldn't even fill out like a whole, like, what we call a flight is like who you lift with, like, there's 14 people in a flight. And you you compete with those 14 people. And we couldn't even do a whole weight class of 14, you know, at the national level. Where now is we have 100 and each weight class. And we're almost to where we're 5050 Men do women and powerlifting
Nick VinZant 16:22
have women has that been? Is it harder to get women to sign up than men?
Jennifer Thompson 16:27
Not anymore. I think social media has had a huge positive impact. Because, you know, like I said, when I started, a lot of women don't go into the weight room, because they're worried that they're going to look like, you know, the bodybuilders they see or they're gonna lose their femininity, or they're just going to grow gargantuan, you know. And I think now with social media, there's so many of us like posting what we're doing in our bodies, and people are saying, you know, oh, well, I can still do this and still look feminine and still look like a woman like, this is not going to make me start growing hair and weird. isn't, you know, stuff like that. So I think social media has brought it and now we have girls and high school powerlifting. Now, you know, and then we have our, I helped coach for Midland University. So we have the collegiate nationals every year. And, you know, there's 1000 Women competing at the collegiate nationals Do you know, so? You're seeing it more as a sport, you're seeing women get into it earlier in life? So that's just ramping up our number?
Nick VinZant 17:32
Do you think it can get to the point where people can make a living solely off of doing that?
Jennifer Thompson 17:38
Um, I'm not sure. Like, there's people that do like online coaching and stuff like that, or open their own gyms, whatever. So they're able to sort of maintain their, like, an income with that, I think unless our sport gets mainstream, and we pick up like some major sponsors, probably not. It's hard to say, I mean, it's growing so huge right now, like our number, our membership numbers are like off the charts. I'm the State chair for powerlifting in North Carolina here for USA Powerlifting. And we can't have enough competitions, like they fill up within two days, and then we have to start a waitlist. And it's crazy, and we're putting on one every other month, you know, it's just like, we can't almost keep up with the demand. It's been not
Nick VinZant 18:22
is that d is any part of that, like a shift in how people working are working out. Because I feel like before, you know, when I always think of women working out like it's just Alright, go to the elliptical machine.
Jennifer Thompson 18:35
Well, I think there's like just so much more available. Now. Now we have YouTube, you know, so we have resources for people to go to to find out how to do things, people follow, you know, their favorite lifters. So that's good. Now we have online coaching. So if you don't have a coach near you, you can have an online coach to kind of help you get started. But the one thing about powerlifting is we have like an amazing community, like the people are supportive and welcoming and fun to be around. And so once someone is brave enough to, you know, enter a powerlifting meet, they all of a sudden have like this tribe, or this community of people that super supportive and they're all kind of into it for the love of this commonality. And it's the one thing that's kept me in this sport for so long, we've been so many wonderful friends over all the years that we still hang out with we talk about our training, we, you know, throw ideas back and forth, especially the women is there's been a huge increase in women starting in their 40 there which has been so cool like that. I don't know if I sort of relate to that. So I'm gonna be 50 in a couple of weeks here. So I think that generation when they were probably in their 20s like I was, it wasn't as popular but now they see all these women in this or, and are starting to think well, maybe I can do that. And even physicians are starting to recommend, you know, some sort of weight training for bone density and health. So they that we're seeing a huge influx of like what we call our masters, lifters, Masters is 40 and up age group. And so now we have all these women that are entering in their 40s and finding these other women. And then they're just creating these really great relationships and support systems. And it's just thinking fun.
Nick VinZant 20:29
So when you go into a competition, right, like so you have three chances at each lift, is there a strategy to that are you just like, I think this is the most I can do when do that
Jennifer Thompson 20:39
there's a strategy. Usually, like you have your first one you call your opener. And it's kind of a rule of thumb that you would pick a weight that you could do for three reps, because it's like the entry and like, you don't want to ever like start so high, you don't get a lift in, right. And there's rules of performance, like for the squat, you have to squat with your, the crease of your hips has to hit below your knees. So it has to be a fairly deep squat. And there's a couple other little rules. So you have three referees that are judging your lift to determine if it's good or not. So you want to start with a weight that you can easily handle so that you're looking good to the referees, and you're getting like a number on the scoreboard. And then usually your second lift is somewhere near your one rep max, but one that you feel fairly confident that you're hit. And then your third one you go for broke.
Nick VinZant 21:30
You just kind of go for it. Right? That makes sense? Yeah. Why wouldn't you kind of open up with the second? Do like the second one that's like, okay, it's pretty close? Like, why would you leave yourself with two lifts to really two attempts?
Jennifer Thompson 21:44
That's a little risky, we kind of think about the first one is being like your last warm up. Because there's a lot when you're competing, there's a lot of pressure, right? So if you just get that first one, easy one, and they're like the threat pressure feels off, off of you a little bit. And it's, I mean, there's a lot of mental aspects to this, right. And so you've got, you've got to go out and stand in front of a bunch of people, and lift this way and get judged. And so there's, you know, there's the mental aspect of this competing as well. So I mean, you could definitely, like go for broke on your first one. But, you know, if you miss your out like you're done. I mean, that's the way I do it. And most people do it. But I mean, everyone's got their own, you know, some people have certain percentages they do if they want their third one to be this one, they're the percentage wise open with this one. But I mean, you only have so many heavy lifts and yourself as well. So my theory is why would I waste energy and strength on the first one, I'd like to save it for my second and my third one.
Nick VinZant 22:49
I don't know if this question will make any sense, this could just be a me thing. But anytime I've ever tried to like I'm gonna try to really do this thing. I've never been able to feel like I fully turned my body on, like to recruit everything is that a thing that you have to learn to do? Or is this like, Hey, man, I don't know what you're talking about.
Jennifer Thompson 23:10
Now you have to practice you have to practice hitting what we call one RMS or one run one rep maxes. So throughout our training, we're practicing your body, you know, you have your central nervous system. And that has to be able to react to that kind of weight load. And so if you're just going through your workouts, doing sets of reps of five, or eight or whatever, and then all sudden, you just try to go for your maximum, your body's probably not prepared really, to hit that type of weight. And then we also have certain exercises that we do to help us with that, like, for me, I do what we call heavy holds. So like for the benchpress. And for the the squat, like I'll put an obnoxious amount of weight on it. And I'll just hold it for a static hold for 15 seconds, just so I get used to holding like that crazy heavy weight and so then it doesn't feel so like shocking, when I'm going for a one rep max. And then we do what we call overloads. We at we've put like a lot of weight on with some bands to help us lift the weight like off the bottom but then you're pressing the rest yourself. So you do like the various exercises to kind of prepare your body to be ready to handle a one rep max.
Nick VinZant 24:21
What leading up to a competition right? Like what is your typical training look like?
Jennifer Thompson 24:26
Oh, it's complicated.
Nick VinZant 24:29
What's the
Jennifer Thompson 24:31
everyone kind of has a different way they like to do it too. I mean, I have a certain way. I have a programming app that you can get where I have like 10 of the programs that I like to use on there that you can you know, subscribe and use, but we go through different phases. I'll go through like I hate what we call hypertrophy phase what you're doing lighter, right, but tons of reps to increase your overall base base strength. But then when I get to a competition, I go to what might call my competition phrase, where one week I'm working on the speed Need of how I perform the lift. And then next week I'm working on how much weight I'm worth, I can lift, and I flop them back and forth.
Nick VinZant 25:08
Right now, are you just doing those three lifts generally leading up to it? Are you doing all kinds of stuff?
Jennifer Thompson 25:13
I'm doing all kinds of variations. And assessories
Nick VinZant 25:18
how the like, okay, a typical workout, like, how long will that take you that? Are
Jennifer Thompson 25:24
you in there for like, hour and a half, two hours?
Nick VinZant 25:27
I remember this old powerlifting joke. It's like, No, man, I gotta set like at nine o'clock. Right? Like, how would you? Is there a lot of rest? You just bang this thing out?
Jennifer Thompson 25:37
No, you have to take I mean, the idea is you're trying to live you know, a lot of ways you have to let your muscles reaction Junaid and get ready to go for the next one. That idea is not to get a cardio workout. And the idea is to build as much strength and muscle as possible. So we probably take four to five minutes in between each set.
Nick VinZant 25:58
So is there anything about your body, right? Like, is it? Is it better to be taller or smaller someone's
Jennifer Thompson 26:06
powerlifter like I'm an I'm not a I'm not probably like, what would be typically, like, best for powerlifting have very long arms, which for the bench, a shorter arm is easier, right? And have really long femurs which makes squatting, you know, way more distance up and down. So generally, if you're built for powerlifting, you're sort of a shorter limbs person. Now, that doesn't mean you can't be good, but that's just kind of like, you know, with the squat and the bench or the deadlift, you know, you're just pulling the weight off the floor. So if you're shorter, you know, there's less distance to pull. And same thing with the squat. So like, Yeah, I mean, kind of shorter, compact. People are better, but that certainly doesn't make up everybody.
Nick VinZant 26:55
Yeah, it sounds like you're just kind of strong as shit, honestly. Yeah. What are your words? anybody in your family like that? No. It's just you. Hmm, it's
Jennifer Thompson 27:09
just me. How strange my sister like has like allergic reaction to exercise? She does. And my mom, you know, when I had a hard time, like they didn't even like girls do PE you know, when she was in school? So I mean, maybe she would have been strong. I don't think she ever really tried. And my dad was like a good distance runner and a basketball player. But he never really, I mean, he does wait now actually, he's 8081 years old, and he goes to the gym every morning. And he can still benchpress a decent amount.
Nick VinZant 27:43
Okay, how much is your dad bench pressing? I feel like I need to.
Jennifer Thompson 27:45
It's like, like 185 but at 81
Nick VinZant 27:49
years old? Yeah. So I feel like your strength probably comes from your dad. Yeah. Um, are you ready for some harder slash listener submitted questions? Oh,
Jennifer Thompson 28:00
let's do it.
Nick VinZant 28:01
What is your favorite and least favorite exercise.
Jennifer Thompson 28:04
My favorite actually is the deadlift. Even though I'm best at the bench, I just love the deadlift. It's kind of like you only have to do half the lift because you're just pulling it up from the floor, and then you can just drop it. You're only doing half. So I like that. My least favorite is the squat or, and the other one I would say is Bulgarian split squats. Those
Nick VinZant 28:25
are horrible. That's the worst thing in the world.
Jennifer Thompson 28:29
Yeah, they're so good for you. But off are they awful?
Nick VinZant 28:34
It's just like, it's just like, you have to like I do those. And I have to like mentally prepare myself like, okay, like the whole day
Jennifer Thompson 28:46
they're gonna burn.
Nick VinZant 28:48
Exercise you wish was a powerlifting exercise? Like, ooh, if they put in whatever. All I would love to do that one.
Jennifer Thompson 28:57
Yeah, I would love for them to put strict curling in.
Nick VinZant 29:02
That's a big just a bicep curl. Right? But you like if we get up against a wall? Yes. How much can you do?
Jennifer Thompson 29:08
Um, I think my best is 110
Nick VinZant 29:12
I had so much like, wow, that's a lot. Holy crap. Are you strong? But do you think that like, did you get into this at an age where you felt like, you know what, I I hit my peak. This is the most that I could ever do. Or did you get into it? Like maybe after your physical prime?
Jennifer Thompson 29:33
Well, I think um, like I I was surprising myself the whole time. I was able, and it kept just going up. So I just, I didn't put a ceiling on it. I just kept trying to do it was like an addiction. I just tried to get, you know, higher and higher. And you know, like now that I'm a little bit older, the gains aren't as big. You know, like I'm happy if I can put a few pounds on every year. As long as it's done gaming, I'm happy. But like, I guess no, not really. Because I was already like, Wait, like, even in the beginning, I was surpassing like my, what was even possible for me. I was like, holy cow, I'm doing more oh my god, I'm doing more I can't believe I'm doing this way. So then I just I stopped like questioning it I just kept going.
Nick VinZant 30:26
But how will you react to when it starts to come down?
Jennifer Thompson 30:29
I don't know, I'm sad about that. But I feel like I'm just going to be like the representative of the geriatric population. And I'm going to keep busting down barriers as long as I can.
Nick VinZant 30:46
I do love that every once in a while you see that video of like the 100 year olds running 100 meter dash, and they're still running, it's like 20 seconds, but like they're still doing it. They're still the fastest person in the world.
Jennifer Thompson 30:57
We had our Southeast Regional Championships USA Powerlifting. Last Saturday, and we have this lady, her name is Ruth, and she broke the American record and the deadlift, I think she did over 200 pounds. And she'd only been lifting for a few years. Everyone was going crazy. I mean, it was just so cool to see someone at that age pulling that kind of weight.
Nick VinZant 31:22
How old was she? 70? Oh my gosh, yeah. How are you? Oh, God, this is one of our questions is just says how are your knees?
Jennifer Thompson 31:30
Great. I haven't had really, the only the only problems I've ever had is a hip problem. With my right hip. That's the only injury I've really suffered from powerlifting. I think it's because I sumo deadlift which makes your feet kind of wide. And so I had to do have a laparoscopy I shredded my labrum tendon in your hip. And so I had to go out and have them surgically fix it. And it's always just, it's never like, it's always a little wonky. Some days are great, some days aren't. But that's really the only injury I've ever had. And powerlifting because I think this is kind of one of the differences between men and women also, I think like as women like, we listen to our bodies a little bit more, we're more concerned about doing it correctly than like loading on way more weight than can we possibly do not to give men a bad name, but they're kind of more like that. And so that's why I love working with women, when I do seminars and things like that I love the women because they're not like, worried about showing me how much they can lift, they just want to know how to do it right, you know, so they're not going to help hurt themselves, and they're going to execute the lift correctly. And so I think just being that way, my whole life and just listening when things start feeling a little off, I can always back off. And that's kept me like healthy.
Nick VinZant 32:51
I've always heard that women are actually proportionately stronger than men. Hmm, that might be true, but that men are just stronger because like, we're, we're just bigger. I guess
Jennifer Thompson 33:02
you have more muscle mass, you know, that's for sure. And, yeah, so even with like the benchpress everyone always asks me like, how am I how do I deal with shoulder problems, I've never had shoulder problems. I just always, you know, got into like, a great position. I don't use my shoulders a whole lot. I roll them back and squeeze my shoulder blades together to kind of use them a little less. And I just I have I've been just, I think smart about it.
Nick VinZant 33:32
This one just says what's with the suits,
Jennifer Thompson 33:34
the suits Oh, there is another aspect of powerlifting it's called a quit powerlifting I do what's called classic or raw powerlifting which is what you would normally see in a gym, you know, t shirt, shorts, whatever. They do have a quick powerlifting which is where they have like bench shirts, deadlift suit, squat suits, and you put these super thick material items on they help you lift more basically is what it is.
Nick VinZant 33:59
What's the point of that? I guess? Right? Like why? It kind of sounds like not cheating, right? Yeah. Finding. Yeah, what's the point of it? Well,
Jennifer Thompson 34:11
I don't know. Like when I very first started powerlifting that's all there was there was no raw or classic powerlifting it was all equips you had to wear a squat suit agenda suit and a bench shirt. The theory is that back in the 70s when Paljor was getting going, they started realizing if they were tighter T shirts, you know they could get a better bench and then they started wearing thicker material and then it was just sort of this I don't know this like oh, if we keep adding more equipment, we can lift more weight and when and it just went to astronomical proportions. So I think and 2008 is when USA Powerlifting started offering raw or classic lifting and once that happened equipped lifting went to almost none inexistent, and then our numbers started going crazy with the raw powerlifting. Because if it was hard, I never really got a lot out of the equipment because basically what it's doing is it's compressing you to make kind of like a spring when you live. And the more kind of, if you're not real squishy, like you don't have a lot of extra weight, you don't get a lot out of the quick Mexican yet compress you. So I've always been very thin, and like kind of long, stringy muscles. So like my, I think my best bench with the equip the bench shirt on was like 330. And I think my best squat was 405. And I actually surpassed my deadlift and deadlift suit. I think my best deadlift was like 395, or something. And this was, you know, a long time ago, but I never liked it hurts like, it cuts you up when you use it, it's horrible.
Nick VinZant 35:54
It kind of seems like not cheating, but like, it's not real.
Jennifer Thompson 36:00
It's hard to say like, I won the World benchpress championships with a 320 pound benchpress they really didn't do it. I always really had a hard time with that. But at that point in powerlifting, if you didn't put on the shirt, you were at a huge disadvantage, because everybody else was wearing it.
Nick VinZant 36:18
If this is you say it's you, it kind of sounds like it might be you. But who's the Michael Jordan of powerlifting?
Jennifer Thompson 36:26
Um, I don't know, that's pretty hard to say honestly. It's the female side is so competitive right now I feel like it's changing every single year. Especially on the international side. Like on my side, a lot of our we have we just we started a Pro Division, which now you can get a pro card and get invited to the pro events, which are basically where you can win money and things like that. And so at the Arnold last year, it's Arnold Classic is almost towards the neggers big event he holds, which is a big deal. But so you do it by what we call dots, which is kind of basically a formula that tries to even out all the weight classes. So like pound for pound who miss lifted the most. And I took for last year. And the first place, girl. She was in this 57 kilo weight class, I think but anyway, so she won, but then someone else just beat her like, I mean, there's nobody like there's no one holding steady in that position. Probably the last five years. It's been ever even on the men's side, too. I mean, there's so many people getting into it now that you think like this guy's you know, going to win. There's a podcast called quinoa lifts, and they kind of like commentate on all powerlifting. And they just did this podcast and like, who's era are we in now. And I had an era. You know, I won four world championships in a row for powerlifting. And I won seven for the benchpress. And so there was a time where I was for three years in a row. I was the best power lifter in the world. So they gave me that era. But now we don't know who's era it is because nobody has been able to maintain that spot more than one.
Nick VinZant 38:19
Is there on the men side. Is there somebody that's looked at as being like, oh, that's probably the best. It's just all over the place. Right?
Jennifer Thompson 38:27
Right now it's all over the place. There was like, one of our super heavyweights was Ray Williams. And he was like the best guy to beat for few years. But again, now it's like and even we had Taylor Atwood he was raining for a while. Really good. And Russell or he they had several like three or four years that they were the top dog. But now it's anybody.
Nick VinZant 38:51
What What music do you listen to before I left?
Jennifer Thompson 38:55
Oh, I always listened to AC DC thunderstruck.
Nick VinZant 39:00
How come why? How come that?
Jennifer Thompson 39:02
It gives me goosebumps when I don't listen to it and training. I only listened to it in competition cuz I'm afraid if I listened to it too long, it'll lose its effect. As soon as that starts coming on. By hair starts right I mean, get now my hair starts rising on my arms and I'm getting all like, jacked up and like just so that's it.
Nick VinZant 39:26
Do you ever have people slap you on the back? No, I don't like that. What's the deal with that? Why are people doing it? Some people feel
Jennifer Thompson 39:33
like it just get them going. Some people slap in the face. Some people use ammonia, you know what ammonia is? You know, like they always smelling? You know like if you were to pass out smelling salts. Yeah, they'll sniff that and get a real dude. And then go and I think all those sorts of things are really kind of methods to get your game face on and get the nerves out of the way. So your nerves can really tear you down like you can get up there and you could be like all Crap, I missed this in training how I'm gonna get this now like, what if this happens? What if I miss? What if I blah, blah, blah. So all those are methods to try to clear out the brain and get you focused and amped up.
Nick VinZant 40:14
I feel like something like if I'm doing something and I think to myself, Oh, that feels heavy, I'm done. Like, however much weight it is, it doesn't matter if it's like 135 I'm like, well, that's heavy. Um, it's over for
Jennifer Thompson 40:26
me? Well, again, it's like the training, we're picking up heavy stuff a lot. You know, and it's, and I do tell myself, like, when I'm going for that sort of lift, I told myself before, I guess it's gonna be heavy, it's gonna be heavy, be ready for it to be heavy. Go down with it and see if it comes up. What's the worst thing you have spiders on every side to grab it from you. So I, especially with the squat, and a squat is my weakest event. And it's the one I feel the least confident about. So when I'm up there, and I'm getting under it, and I walk it out, I just taught myself go down and see if it comes up.
Nick VinZant 41:04
Will you have people though, in competitions that may be like they've got one or two great events and then terrible and other ones? Does that happen? That's
Jennifer Thompson 41:13
the nice thing about powerlifting. Usually, somebody has one thing that's like their best event. And then you have to work hard at the other ones. There's now a whole lot of people that are great at all of
Nick VinZant 41:22
it. Why wouldn't you be great at all three of them. And I think like if you're strong, you're strong.
Jennifer Thompson 41:27
Yeah, but certain certain things lead to different like, if you have a huge ass and hamstrings, you're gonna be great the squat, you know, or if you have shorter arms and big upper body, you're going to be great at the bench. And for the deadlift, you know, The taller you are, the harder it is, right? So, a lot of people have great squats have terrible deadlifts, because it's kind of a little bit different. So it's all the muscles that you're gonna use and where your strength is. That
Nick VinZant 41:52
is their trash talk. Oh, sure.
Jennifer Thompson 41:56
I'm like friendly trash talk, you usually don't see like a lot of like ugliness and powerlifting. Even the guys that are like going head to head like, you know, you got the top threes guys back there, they're back there slapping each other on the back, you know, like, let's go and maybe inside their head, they might be wishing they'd missed but outside really being very supportive. Same thing with the women like, you know, we're all competing against each other. But it's a it really is not. There's no nastiness really back there, where when you come off the platform, everyone's high fiving everybody else, you know, because even though you're competing against other people, you're really kind of competing against yourself as well, you're trying to outdo yourself. So. So it's really it's not, in my experience, it has not been like nasty trash talking stuff, at least on where I left,
Nick VinZant 42:53
that that's actually kind of that's actually one of our listener submitted questions is, are you kidding? are you competing more against yourself or the other people?
Jennifer Thompson 43:02
Um, I think probably both, you know, like, you're always trying to we, we use the term PR personal record. So you're always trying to PR your lifts, you know, out do what you did last time, a minimum li when you go into competition, you're at least hoping bare minimum, you're gonna be hard something, then there's records, you know, you want to break a record. And it depends on the competition. You know, what you're going for, like a nationals, you know, you're trying to win the national championship. And there is a little competitiveness in the deadlift. Because when you lift in powerlifting, like once you put in, I'm gonna lift this weight, you can't change it. So if I say I'm gonna bench 275, on my first one, I gotta do 275. If I miss it, I can either repeat it, or I can go up, I can never go down. So there's a little bit of competition that way, and then with the deadlift on your very last deadlift, because this is how you determine who when you know, you're adding up your total as you go, you can change your last deadlift twice. So like, let's say we're competing against each other. And my total is 10 pounds above yours right now. So you're going to choose a deadlift. 10 pounds over mine to try to beat me. But when you put that in, then I can put mine over yours. And then you can put yours over mine.
Nick VinZant 44:24
Oh, so you're trying to get a little bit of
Jennifer Thompson 44:27
strategy in the end, but usually don't see that too much until you get to the national and world level. At the local level. You don't see that too much because the competition is just not that high.
Nick VinZant 44:38
So have you ever like bluffed somebody been like Yes. How does that work? Explain like what's your like? What's happening?
Jennifer Thompson 44:47
Um, well, like so my husband is my coach and I'm his coach. And my husband's like, he's really good. He's been our national coach, he coaches for the college. He's very good with powerlifting and numbers and understanding How things work so like, it really it's good to go in with like a huge to have the biggest opener in the deadlift sometimes and so he'll like but some of noxious number like and for my deadlift my open or mean you can change it five minutes out and then he might drop it back down just to see where everyone's putting their number in and then we'll drop in where we want to go.
Nick VinZant 45:22
So there is kind of a gamesmanship that was there. That's only for the deadlift, though the other ones only for
Jennifer Thompson 45:27
well, and then we have bench only meets also where you just do we're only doing bench press. And you can do the same thing on this third lifted the bench press and a bench only me.
Nick VinZant 45:37
I'm future the sport.
Jennifer Thompson 45:41
It's bright. I think it's really good. I, I think we've got a good plan. I think I think our society as a whole is wanting to be healthier. But I think a lot of people are going into some sort of exercise we have so much science is that is how much better weight training in particular is for you. And just your overall health and your bone structure and things like that. But I think it's something anybody can do. Like, you don't have to have like a skill set really to do this. Like you don't have to be great at dribbling a ball. Or you don't have to be great at shooting an arrow or whatever, you know, you don't have to have like a natural skill. Anybody literally can do this sport, you just have to get in and learn how to do it. And then a lot of it comes down to just how dedicated and how badly do you want it to say how far you go in the sport. So I think we have that going for us that you know, just literally, you can you could literally right now just become a member and go try a powerlifting meet and see how it goes. And then I guarantee you'll probably never leave.
Nick VinZant 46:51
That's pretty much all the questions we got what's kind of coming up next for you? How can people get a hold of you that kind of stuff?
Jennifer Thompson 46:57
Oh, let's see I have bench nationals coming up in Phoenix, Arizona, August 5. So that's my next competition. And then I have a three lift which is squat bench and deadlift is the next nationals is it's the timber 15th in Memphis, Tennessee. So those are the next things that I'm currently training for right now. I've got a couple of seminars coming up one in Chicago, and one in Atlanta in August, and then one in LA in October. So I enjoy that aspect of it. I love working with people in real life and like just really helping them get stronger. I just really enjoy it, I have a pretty good eye for for just helping people do little things that make things easier and better. So and I just enjoy meeting new people. That's fun also, for you can follow me on Instagram, I'm always putting, I try to make sure what I post is fairly useful. So I try to put like, this is how I do this are this really helps when you do that, or you know, so I try to make it pretty useful, informative. And that's Jen Thompson 132. I also had a tic tac, my older son is 19. And we like to do like challenges. And they're like, Well, do you who can benchpress the most or who can do the more most pull ups or who's got the biggest biceps like that. And some of that, my my tick tock, I enjoy doing that with him. And then I have a website, 132 pounds power.com for just any kind of information. And I have my training app, which is Thomsons dot programs dot app. If you want to do my train my exact training, what I do is on there and it's an app that you can do and record all your training and keep tracking trician and all that really wonderful stuff. Oh, and I have a YouTube with tons of tutorials on there. It's 132 pounds of power I just finished doing I think a 14 segment quick bench tips. Like I just broke it down from the very beginning. Like this is how you set your feet. This is how you set your hands. This is how you set your shoulders.
Nick VinZant 49:04
Do you ever just go into a regular gym? Like what's the reaction if you go into like Planet Fitness and
Jennifer Thompson 49:09
yeah, like we do like when we're on vacation, you know, or we're just our gym is at our home so generally we just chained down in our garage gym. But when we go on vacation we do and usually a lot of staring and then every once a while someone will just come up and talk to you like hey, like I was just visiting my mother and name lifting and one of the things that there and some guy walked up to me he goes you're obviously somebody who are you
Nick VinZant 49:37
I mean if I saw like if I went to the gym that I go to, which is like $19 a month and I walked in there and saw a woman benching 315 pounds, I would be fucking shocked. Like holy crap.
Jennifer Thompson 49:52
It's a little unnerving sometimes because you can see like in the mirror, everyone's staring at you. So for me like it just You're below awkward. The kind of fun too, because usually, at least a few people come up and talk to you. And I love talking about powerlifting. So
Nick VinZant 50:09
I want to thank Jennifer, so much for joining us if you want to connect with her, we have linked to her on our social media accounts. We're Profoundly Pointless on threads, tick tock, YouTube, and Instagram. And we've also included her information in the episode description. If you want to see her do some of these lifts that we've talked about, we have a YouTube version of this episode that will be live on July 13, at 4:30pm Pacific. Real quick, I want to take a second and thank one of the sponsors of our show HelloFresh. And right now HelloFresh has a special offer for our listeners where you can go and get 50% off plus free shipping. With HelloFresh you get farm fresh, pre portioned ingredients and Seasonal Recipes delivered right to your doorstep. We got it recently. And it was it was honestly really good, really easy and save a bunch of time. I'm on this big cutting down on waste kick. So getting pre portioned ingredients helped cut down on food waste, you get step by step instructions, they have over 40 recipes, so you can try something different. And what I really liked about it is that you don't have to think about like, what am I going to have for dinner? How long is this going to take? Everything is really right there. And it was could not have been easier. And like I mentioned right now we've got a special discount for listeners, all you have to do is go to hellofresh.com/pointless 50 and use code pointless 50 for 50% off plus free shipping. We're gonna go ahead and put that information in the description. But again, that's hellofresh.com/pointless 50 and use code pointless 50 for 50% off, plus free shipping. HelloFresh is America's number one meal kit. And I was skeptical at first, but it's worth checking out it really is. Okay. Now let's bring in John Shaw and get to the pointless part of the show. What would you say is your greatest feat of strength?
John Shull 52:20
You know, probably when my wife broke her ankle and she was laying at the bottom of our stairs. And I picked her up like she was out of a movie and let her like it was a scene out of a movie, carried her up the stairs, put her in the car and took her to the hospital.
Nick VinZant 52:36
Okay, did now wait a minute, when you say pick her up? Are we talking all four limbs off the ground? Or was she kind of helping you a little bit and you were taking more credit than you should have?
John Shull 52:48
Oh, no, she she was dead weight. Actually, she'll she'll even tell you that. She I've never been sexier than when I quick 10 second intro, she wanted to buy a weight bench and I told her do not buy the weight bench. We don't need it. So I we had gotten to a big fight this both. Before we had children. I went out to the bar and was having drinks fill in pretty good. She decided to carry the weight bench down the stairs. Mess the second stair, you know and broke her ankle so she's calling me while I'm out. And listen everyone who's listening to this I get it. I was a terrible I think I was a boyfriend at the time. Maybe a fiancee I don't remember. But either way. I know I was terrible. Regardless, I didn't answer her phone calls at first, or text messages because we were fighting. And then I finally answered one and she's like, you know, hysterical?
Nick VinZant 53:38
How many phone calls last text message did you ignore while your wife was in agony? On the basement floor? And you were out drinking?
John Shull 53:47
I mean, I mean, I mean, I don't know, probably less than 10 times of her calling less than, yeah, it was a lot. I just I just didn't want to touch a lot. We were fighting. You know, we were having a couples fight. And we were married, by the way, because we were living in this house. So we weren't married, but we didn't have children.
Nick VinZant 54:02
So you ignored the mother of your children, agonizing on the floor to drink at a bar with your buddies.
John Shull 54:12
Sure if that's the that's the civil sentence. You're gonna go within Yes, that is accurate.
Nick VinZant 54:18
Okay, what's the timeframe? What's the timeframe between when the first call came in? And when you finally decided, oh, maybe I should see if my wife is in trouble.
John Shull 54:27
I mean, probably 20 minutes. I mean, it's not like I wait, maybe, you know, it's not like I had her weight powers. But I mean,
Nick VinZant 54:33
kind of a long time. What if she was trapped into the weight branch? She could have she made she could have expired
John Shull 54:39
would have been her own fault then. What are you a public information officer could have expired could
Nick VinZant 54:47
have as she could have passed her mortal coil.
John Shull 54:49
She was. I mean, she was hurtin she had never, never broken a bone before. So
Nick VinZant 54:54
oh, she broke a bone. No.
John Shull 54:57
I mean, sprained it they She had a severe like the worst brand you can have, but I swear, like she broke it.
Nick VinZant 55:04
So wait a minute, did you being able to pick her up completely erased the fact that you ignored her phone calls for 20 minutes?
John Shull 55:12
Yes, absolutely.
Nick VinZant 55:15
I don't know if that should? I don't know. I don't think that I don't think that I think she's probably lying to you. I think in the back of her mind. She's like, Well, maybe if you were to answer the phone. You're the person you love most in this world is calling and you just looked at the number and said decline.
John Shull 55:31
Obviously, I'm a terrible person. I understand that. I would not do that now. But you know, I also didn't understand the gravity of the situation. You know, your mind changes as you get older. Okay, so it's a true you fell down the stairs as a bone sticking out? No. Okay, then get up the stairs. But yeah,
Nick VinZant 55:49
yeah. It's only when you get older. Do you guys like oh, somebody might be in trouble? Probably. Wow. So you feel good about that, though. So what we've basically learned is that you ignore your wife while she's agonizing in pain at the bottom of the basement, and then claim that that's your greatest moment is carrying her back upstairs after you kind of caused her to fall down the stairs in the first place.
John Shull 56:12
I see I didn't and that's that's actually been the point of contention. Ever since that story.
Nick VinZant 56:18
Well, why didn't you carry the weight bench down? You should have been the one carrying the weight bench down.
John Shull 56:23
I agree I should have been but I was I was doing it out of protest or not doing it out of broke does was I didn't want the stupid thing in the basement in the first place.
Nick VinZant 56:31
Where did you want it?
John Shull 56:32
I didn't want it at all. It was one of those like, hey, my coworker is giving this or saw. Yeah, no, I don't want another thing to put in the friggin basement. And
Nick VinZant 56:45
have you used the weight bench since besides anything for any form of how many times for exercise purposes, has the weight bench been used?
John Shull 56:54
Probably less than a dozen times.
Nick VinZant 56:56
Okay. Okay. So yeah, that's that's tracks.
John Shull 56:59
Well, it's heavy. I mean, if you've ever carried like a, you know, a weight bench, I mean, probably 40 pounds.
Nick VinZant 57:04
Yeah, that was really the responsible use it was to allow it to not do that in the first place.
John Shull 57:09
No, I'm not taking any blame for that. She shouldn't have carried it or not even brought it home.
Nick VinZant 57:14
Or it's her fault because you wouldn't do a job and she has she sounds like a go getter. She sounds like somebody who's going to get stuff done.
John Shull 57:19
I shouldn't be nice to her because the day we record this, it's her birthday today. So you know, I should not be speaking ill of her.
Nick VinZant 57:26
No, you shouldn't be he already did. Sorry. I
John Shull 57:28
don't doesn't matter. But yeah, okay. Probably do you have one of note.
Nick VinZant 57:33
Um, I don't know if it's a feat of direct strength or a feat of strength endurance, but I once moved. A tie. Well, I once moved our entire house. And this is with me, my wife and two kids out of one house into storage, out of storage, into the moving truck into a new house. All of that in one weekend, as the only time that I've ever felt like my tendons were sore from just simply holding, like simply holding on to something. My tendons were store were sore, and there was an upstairs in a basement. And I had to do that all by myself. While my white wife watched our three month old, I felt I felt like a pocket man. I'll tell you that. I felt like like, Man, I did something today.
John Shull 58:23
It is different as you get older, like the things that you know, that you take pride in, that you think are feats of strength when all these young kids that are listening to us are like these are things of strength years, little guys,
Nick VinZant 58:36
right? And what I'm always made by amazed by is if we went back in time to like us 50,000 years ago, or 100,000 years ago like that they would beat the shit out of us. Like their physical abilities were probably so far advanced above what ours are now it's it's probably incredible.
John Shull 58:56
I don't know if I agree with that. Because I feel like we're much bigger people now than then.
Nick VinZant 59:01
But we're not that much bigger. We're bigger weight wise. I think we're only a couple of inches taller. But I was reading a book. The only book that I've read in the last 10 years. It said we used to walk like 20 miles a day.
John Shull 59:14
Yeah, I mean, that's I endurance wise, I'm sure but pure strength wise, I don't. I don't I think we've only gotten stronger. I think that's part of the problem as society is we value the wrong kind of endurance and strength
Nick VinZant 59:28
is gonna turn into a whole thing, isn't it? It's gonna turn into a whole thing
John Shull 59:32
I've got I'll stop. I'm done. All right. Okay.
Nick VinZant 59:34
All right. Let's just
John Shull 59:36
move on to some people who deserve me, giving them shout outs. Let's see here. Antoine Trudeau. To get one to start with Robert Herrera. Angel Felix Shawn campy, a friend casado. Joe Byram Josh Meyers One Espinosa, Bernardo, Malta Jr. and Kobe Granberg reciate Kobe
Nick VinZant 1:00:09
solid. Kobe is a solid name you gotta be from the Midwest though.
John Shull 1:00:14
So it's funny because the next segment that I'm debuting on the podcast is us just sitting here making bodily noises. Okay,
Nick VinZant 1:00:23
which one are you going to go with?
John Shull 1:00:24
No, you go first just start farting. Make fart noises?
Nick VinZant 1:00:27
I really can't do that on command to be honest with you. Well, that's
John Shull 1:00:30
terrible. Anyone can do it. But no, that is not the segment. The segment and we can blame Elon Musk for this. Because usually at this point in the podcast, I go over some things. We have a little fun, which we're gonna have, I think, but one of those things includes a poll on Twitter. Well, if you've been following that debacle, Twitter is a kind of say, God, damn, it's a goddamn shit show. You
Nick VinZant 1:00:54
just did. Yeah, either way.
John Shull 1:00:56
It's a shit show. It's ruined. And I don't I don't think it's ever going to come back to ever what it was. Not that anyone cares about my opinion. And I'm not a tech know how but it seems like Twitter is gone forever.
Nick VinZant 1:01:12
Without getting in any kind of politics or stuff like that. There does seem to be even from a neutral observer, there does seem to be something that's kind of been lost about it. Like what it just you just lost interest in it a little bit. Whether that's because of what it has been become the controversies. What however, you wanted to find them around it, but it's just kind of lost interest, like, done with that.
John Shull 1:01:35
I just, I think a lot of it's the negativity. And I know that's most social media. But I feel like you don't hear hear it as much coming from an Instagram or even a Facebook anymore. I feel like anything negative about Twitter's as well deserved. And I don't I don't think it's because of Elon taking it over. I think he just wanted to control something any fucking dying ship.
Nick VinZant 1:02:00
I mean, I will say again, without getting into politics, I lean a little bit left of center. And I used to get like tweets recommended to me that were a little bit left of center. But recently, all I've gotten was like stuff that like, whoa, that's not anywhere in lines with the port. I personally think. So I do think that there was a shift that a lot of people have kind of like, I don't really like this very much anymore.
John Shull 1:02:26
Yeah, I will. It's funny you say that, and I won't get into it. But I'm gonna say one sentence about it. And that is I think, because of the last presidential election cycle. I think nobody wants to go through any of that, again, no matter what side of the aisle you're on. And I think people are starting to get that more and more. And I'll you know, I just think people are done with it. They don't they don't want to see that anymore. And
Nick VinZant 1:02:49
no, I think anytime they great. I think that you can extrapolate this to all of society is that you can watch an argument for a little while. And then after like, Oh, okay. I don't want to see this anymore. I think that's just kind of the phase that we're at. Right? Like I'm tired all this. I don't have time for that.
John Shull 1:03:08
So all right, in saying that, I came up with this fantastic idea.
Nick VinZant 1:03:14
Okay, so a statement, a bold statement, we're clear that your idea that has never been done yet is already fantastic, but okay, that's fine.
John Shull 1:03:21
We're gonna say really, it's gonna have a little fun with it. And if it's ruined, I'll come up with something for the next podcast or if anyone has an idea, send it our way, and I'll do my best to ruin it. Okay. Okay. So this is called Profoundly Pointless fact. Or Fiction.
Nick VinZant 1:03:34
Okay, all right. I get this two weeks, that we'll do this not because it's not good, but because you'll lose interest
John Shull 1:03:41
know if it's good. And you don't give me one word answers. Because this can be a 32nd thing or a 10 minute thing. So see what happens. I have four different four different topics, I guess. I'm gonna say a sentence and you we'll start with you telling me if they're true or false, and then we can go from there, right? Okay, first one here. Hey, hippos jaw, when opened to the full extent, is wide enough to fit a sports car inside of it.
Nick VinZant 1:04:09
What kind of sports car are we talking about? We talking about a Chevy Corvette. We talking about a Mazda Miata? I just need some specifics here. i There's a lot of kinds of sports cars. Some are pretty big. Some are pretty small.
John Shull 1:04:21
I'm thinking a mid sized convertible.
Nick VinZant 1:04:25
Okay. Yeah. I mean, yeah, I would think that that is probably true. I've seen some pictures of hippos opening their jaws and they look like they're
Speaker 3 1:04:33
probably big. So why can't you just answer that I like I feel like I just gave you just one
Nick VinZant 1:04:37
specific answer. You're talking about right like, it'd be anything.
John Shull 1:04:42
It is correct. A full grown hippo. When opening their mouth to full the full extent can fit a Lamborghini,
Nick VinZant 1:04:52
then think of how much food that thing could eat.
John Shull 1:04:54
Yeah, and how fast of swimmers they are too. That's scary. They're mean
Nick VinZant 1:04:58
animals. I think they can A lot of people, yeah, well,
John Shull 1:05:01
you know how Okay, all right, second one here. Can you see the Great Wall of China? From space? No. That is correct. According to NASA, the Great Wall of China is frequently built as the only manmade object visible from space, said, however, it cannot be seen from space, it was debunked by a Chinese astronaut. And for some reason textbooks have never been changed, and is still often claimed as being true even still taught in schools as being true. But how
Nick VinZant 1:05:39
did they know how do they know it wasn't just one astronaut with really good eyesight?
John Shull 1:05:45
I don't I mean, if you want to look up his his credentials, it's Yang. L. i Wei is the astronaut that apparently made this claim so
Nick VinZant 1:05:55
that he said that you could or he said that you could not you cannot see it from space. Maybe he has bad eyesight? How do we know this? Do we know information on the high side of the different astronauts that have tried to see the Great Wall of China? These are specifics that need to be involved? How do you know if you couldn't see it? How do you know you were looking in the right place?
John Shull 1:06:12
Like whatever the Chinese space program, you don't have to be able to see anything?
Nick VinZant 1:06:16
Because you go up into space and be like, That's Nebraska?
John Shull 1:06:20
Um, no, well, maybe if you're up there long, No, you wouldn't be able
Nick VinZant 1:06:25
now you couldn't do that. So maybe everybody else was just looking in the wrong place? I would say this is unsolved.
John Shull 1:06:35
I guess? Well, I guess we'll add that one of the unsolved category, even though it's clearly been debunked
Nick VinZant 1:06:39
by one guy by one guy.
John Shull 1:06:43
So how many astronauts would it take for you to believe it?
Nick VinZant 1:06:47
Three people looking at exactly where it should be? Then I could believe it. But otherwise, how do I know that these people don't have bad eyesight? Or that they're looking in the wrong place?
John Shull 1:06:58
I don't know. I mean, you're I guess you're asking very valid questions in a weird way.
Nick VinZant 1:07:05
It just seems odd that that would be something that somebody just made up.
John Shull 1:07:10
I mean, I I don't know. But I love that this is totally planning and what I
Nick VinZant 1:07:13
was hoping it would be what did they see that they thought it was the Great Wall of China?
John Shull 1:07:17
Pointless? I don't mean, it probably could be mistaken for a mountain range at that level, you know, I don't know. Because you're seeing it from a flat surface, you're not seeing the height right?
Nick VinZant 1:07:28
And you ever looked at a map man, like mountains are big, pretty well, China is not that width wise.
John Shull 1:07:35
Alright, here's another one for you. Do you actually think that you swallow eight to 24 Spiders while you sleep during your lifetime? That is the average number of spiders people think you may swallow during your lifetime while you're sleeping?
Nick VinZant 1:07:54
No, I don't think that's true. How would you ever ever find that out? You would have to monitor somebody sleeping in a random room somewhere to see how many spiders they actually saw. So unless somebody sat there in somebody else's room, monitoring how many spiders crawled into their mouth, there's no way that they could have the average for this. There's no way to figure that out.
John Shull 1:08:16
I'm not gonna lie to you or three for three right now. That is correct. According to Scientific American, and I have no idea if that's a credible website or not, or
Nick VinZant 1:08:29
sounds like it isn't as science in it.
John Shull 1:08:31
I, well, I don't want to be too, too quick to jump the gun. But our research consultant is out of town this week. But that they say that spiders don't intentionally crawl into your bed. And they for sure would not crawl into your mouth while you're sleeping. Because of the vibration that you give would give off while you're sleeping. Whether that be snoring, heavy breathing, etc. Spiders are afraid of us naturally. So they wouldn't do anything from from going into your mouth on purpose yet alone, let alone being swallowed. Which, you know. Yeah, so you are correct that it has been debunked. And the quote here is spiders regardless much like a big rock and that is from Bill cheer. Former President of the American Iraq neurological society.
Nick VinZant 1:09:21
Okay, see now I believe him. Why would they think of us as a big rock?
John Shull 1:09:28
I mean, I can I can go on here. Spider telepathy,
Nick VinZant 1:09:30
what the fuck does he know?
John Shull 1:09:34
Bill Rob, anyone knows bill,
Nick VinZant 1:09:36
please share probably knows. I mean, he's probably like they could figure these kinds of things out right? Like if I was a spider would you want that's the thing like most animals don't want anything to do with us. I think in the United in the animal kingdom. We are fairly big compared to other things in the world.
John Shull 1:09:52
Like, you know, it's he goes on to add in this this quote, If a sleeping person has their mouth open, they're like List snoring, creating vibrations that would warn spiders of danger. And spiders would go nowhere near that person's body, let alone their mouth.
Nick VinZant 1:10:08
Would that be their spider sense would go off?
John Shull 1:10:10
Oh boy. I gotta tell you I watched a cocaine bear over the weekend. And you want to talk about animals? I don't even know what I watched. I have no idea. Alright.
Nick VinZant 1:10:21
Movie kind of didn't do a lot. No, it's really do a lot.
John Shull 1:10:25
It's uh, yeah, the true stories is probably more fascinating than the, you know, story that they did on in Hollywood. True. Stranger Than Fiction, man. All right, the last one. So your three for three. Can you be perfect on your, I guess the debut. But here it is. It's estimated. Is this true or false factor fiction? That it's estimated typical pencil as enough graphite to draw a line 35 miles long. True. Damn
Nick VinZant 1:10:58
fourth, I get that one. Right. That seems like a ridiculous amount. Right? Yeah, right.
John Shull 1:11:02
I'm I cited that choice actually. Because I didn't believe it. 35 miles long from one number two pencil Get the out here.
Nick VinZant 1:11:11
Is there any other pencil besides the number two? Have you ever had a number one or number three pencil?
John Shull 1:11:18
No, are there such things? Wait, I feel like I might have had a number three at some point. But I don't really recall.
Nick VinZant 1:11:29
I'm looking at it at whatever I do you have it set then else are you done?
John Shull 1:11:32
No. That's the for you and for for for like now I gotta I gotta challenge myself.
Nick VinZant 1:11:36
So a pencil makers manufacturer number one to 2.53 and four. And sometimes other intermediate numbers. The higher the number, the harder the core and lighter the markings. So number two is actually fairly low on the list. Or high on the list. Okay, all right. I mean, bright behind number one. Well,
John Shull 1:12:00
what's better number two or number one?
Nick VinZant 1:12:03
Number one is usually always the better. It's easier and faster. Okay, is that your whole thing? Did that replace all of your questions? Yeah, that's okay.
John Shull 1:12:12
I'm just thinking about redoing it. You know, maybe I felt like that was good. We'll see. Next week. I'm going to stump you though. That's my guarantee. Check us out next week because I will stump you you will not go for for for next week. How
Nick VinZant 1:12:22
do you feel about me going for four on the very first thing, which one did you think was like that's gonna get?
John Shull 1:12:27
Ah, well, I thought the spider one because that's a real misconception that or the one that or the the Great Wall of China? I thought both of those would get you because those are misnomers. right people. You know, think that that's true. They think that both those claims are absolutely true. So, bravo, you went nothing. But hopefully people found a little bit of entertainment and some pointless knowledge in our last topic, or segment.
Nick VinZant 1:12:54
Okay, so then are you ready for our top five? I am. Okay, so our top five is top five green flags, red flag usually like, Oh, that's a sign that somebody's going to be a little bit a little bit something, but a green flag sign that someone is actually a good person. So top five green flags for people.
John Shull 1:13:16
So my number five is, it's probably could be number one. But we'll see where our lists take us. So my number five is having good hygiene. Um, by that if I have to be more specific, you know, somebody and this is just me, by the way, so don't no one take offense to this. But this is what I look for. Somebody like who has, you know, clean fingernails? Maybe it looks like they've showered in the last day. You know, somebody, just somebody that looks put together to a certain extent.
Nick VinZant 1:13:46
I think you kind of disparaging a lot of blue collar America. Some people work hard.
John Shull 1:13:51
No, listen, that's not that's not what I'm saying. I'm not, you know, I'm not saying but just for me. I mean, you know, if, if I'm coming at it from like, going on a date point of view, not going to work. Like if, if I'm in a factory and I see a person, a man or a woman, whatever you're into, doesn't matter me if there was dirt interfering? Okay, fine. That's normal. But like, if we're out and about or like if I'm at a dance club, which hasn't happened in 10 years, and I miss it, but I see somebody with dirty fingernails like I'm gonna start wondering like, why are they here with dirty fingernails?
Nick VinZant 1:14:25
Okay, I can understand that. I would say that my red flag related to hygiene is if the person looks sticky. If they just kind of look like they might be sticky, that's usually a big red flag.
John Shull 1:14:38
I'm gonna need you to elaborate on what that means. I can't even
Nick VinZant 1:14:41
elaborate they just have like a sticky look to them. Like Oh, you look like you might be sticky. Okay, all right. I have never seen somebody like that
John Shull 1:14:50
into our like, minute thing that you post on social
Nick VinZant 1:14:53
that's I don't look if somebody looks sticky. Next time look around at people and see somebody like oh, they look like they might Be kind of sticky. That's that's to me is a red flag. My number five, my number five green flag is being on time. Somebody who is punctual. Usually a pretty good person because they respect their time and they respect your time.
John Shull 1:15:18
That's a good one. Yeah, I can't argue with that being on time, as is probably one of the most important things because like you said, it shows respect. It's not just, you know, it goes all the way around, I guess is what I'm saying. It's a very good thing to have all the way around.
Nick VinZant 1:15:35
I agree. Okay, what's your number four.
John Shull 1:15:37
So my number four green flag. And this is a physical trait yet again. But somebody that has a good, honest laugh or smile, like you can usually tell right away if someone is a good person, by how they laugh or smile.
Nick VinZant 1:15:54
Yeah, I would say somebody with a good laugh is usually going to be tolerable. For sure. Yeah. Okay. I can even tolerate somebody who laughs a little bit too much, right? Like that may annoy you but it's not a sign of a big character problem. Like, oh, you're having too much fun is not usually an issue. You can't laugh at everything, like a fucking idiot. But yeah, fucking idiot. Fucking moron. Um, my number four is returned to the shopping cart.
John Shull 1:16:25
Okay, I mean, yeah, I mean, okay, fair enough. I mean, I probably would have, I probably would have put that at number five, I was willing to put that on my list, but
Nick VinZant 1:16:35
they probably should have been ahead or below
John Shull 1:16:40
that, again, being my number three green flag is kind of similar to that. And I have somebody who opens doors for others.
Nick VinZant 1:16:48
I don't consider that to be a green flag. I think that's just what you should do as a person living in society is opening doors. I don't know if I've ever had somebody that really directly did not hold a door that they saw you. And you were reason you are close enough to to three steps and did not hold a door. Really, I don't think that's ever happened. I can't think of a single instance in which somebody has not held a door. Within reason. Like you were close enough. And they also saw you.
John Shull 1:17:20
Yeah, I mean, I've had people, you know, two steps in front of me, let it shut. You know, I've had the worst is when you know, those revolving doors, where you walk through, I've had people like just say, Fuck you guy and like, pinch me in there. Like at one time, or I got stuck halfway in there. Like Thank you, whoever you were.
Nick VinZant 1:17:42
What were you How did you now that's probably going to be your fault. What did they do that you got stuck in there? Did you try to like did you have bad depth perception and think you could fit? Well? No, too early. Did you go too late? Did they speed up? Like this kind of sounds like it's probably
John Shull 1:17:58
operator at Chinese astronaut I just couldn't see. Well. I just couldn't see what was going on. No, no, it was pretty simple. I my wife darted in. And I figured I'd have enough time. And the person on the other end. Either didn't see me or just didn't care and pushed at a faster pace than I thought was gonna happen. And I got like my right arm trapped. And you know, I was able to get it out. But then I get hurt for a quick second. And I you know, but by then my wife was calling me the idiot because I was supposed to wait. You follow her? And this person was long gone. So at the end of the day, you're right. I look like an idiot. And I will probably was the
Nick VinZant 1:18:39
I mean, there's a revolving door. You can just wait. Or you can just wait for a second. It's not even that long. You can just like wait for like, and then you get in the next side. It's like
John Shull 1:18:49
driving on the highway. Right? You see an opening in a lane, you go for it. And that's what I did. But I crashed.
Nick VinZant 1:18:56
crashed and burned. Yeah, that's your fault, man. Yeah, well, my number three is a firm handshake. Okay, good handshake. Now, it can't be they can't be trying to overgrip you they can't be trying to show like, ah, they can't do that. But a good solid in their firm handshake.
John Shull 1:19:15
Do you remember through all the handshakes you've given or have gotten? Like the ones that have been absolutely terrible? Yeah, yeah. I,
Nick VinZant 1:19:26
I categorize them into three different things. Actually, I categorize them into several different things. There's the limp one. But full grip, like they got your whole hand. They've got the location and the placement correctly, but it's a limp one, then you've got somebody that maybe is going to grab too much on the fingers or too much on the palm like they kind of miss it. Then you've got the people that will hit you with a firm handshake, but they're not going to look you in the eyes. That's the one that that almost sticks with me the most is like, oh, but you didn't do that. And I've had a few people who try to do Like crush it, but I go rock climbing. So it's fairly, you know, you're not usually going to outgrow me, because I have fingers straight.
John Shull 1:20:08
Yeah, you do. My number two green flag is people who do not look you in the eyes during conversation.
Nick VinZant 1:20:18
I don't know, wait a minute, they don't look you in the eyes when that'd be a red flag.
John Shull 1:20:24
Or I'm sorry, they do not don't do I apologize?
Nick VinZant 1:20:27
I think most people do. Don't most people do that now.
John Shull 1:20:30
No, not really.
Nick VinZant 1:20:33
My number two is along those lines. But it's different. And it's something that I've only noticed his apparent. Mind. Number two, green flag is eye contact with children. If somebody is talking to a child and bends down to get eye to eye with them. That's somebody who's just taken putting some time and effort.
John Shull 1:20:52
Or it's creepy. Could be one of the two.
Nick VinZant 1:20:54
I don't think that that's creepy. I think that that's like, you're talking to the child you're getting down there and having a conversation with them on their level, as opposed to talking at them. You're treating them like a person.
John Shull 1:21:07
So a stranger kneels down to talk to one of your boys. You're gonna be okay with that.
Nick VinZant 1:21:12
Strangers don't do that. Strangers are creepy.
John Shull 1:21:16
Okay, all right. I mean, I'm just saying, Man, fair enough. I'm sure number one. Somebody who listens
Nick VinZant 1:21:24
to nobody listening to John, no way you feel like people aren't listening to you, man.
John Shull 1:21:28
No, but I think I think that's the most important quality that somebody can have, physically or emotionally or mentally whatever, is just being a good listener. And it's very easy to see that green flag even if you don't know that person. Because you can just tell if they're, you know, if they're being a good listener. That's that it's, I don't know, that's, it's fantastic. And it may be a week number one, but it's to me, it's you know, you can't find enough good listeners. What? See, yeah, well, while he's doing this fucking podcast, you know, for four and a half years, five years now whatever it is.
Nick VinZant 1:22:06
I think it's you're going to agree with my number one and then realize that it is actually number one. My number one green flag is if animals like