Interview with Jay "ICE Trainer" Piccirillo Interviewed by Ben Tatar of CriticalBench.com - December 2007
Jay Piccirillo the owner of Jayicetrainer.com is a complete monster that has succeeded in powerlifting, bodybuilding and strongman competitions. He has a lot of knowledge and insight into all different aspects of hardcore training and I guarantee you that you are in for a loaded interview!
1) CRITICAL BENCH: Jay, welcome to Critical Bench. I've done interviews for a long time with many greats in the game and I'm excited about your interview! Jay, tell us all about yourself!
I'm 36 years old, happily married to my wife, Lisa and proud father to
my 8 month old son, Gennaro.I was born and raised in Bridgeport,Ct,and
I currently reside in North Branford,Ct. I own Ultimate Physique,LLC .which
consists of one on one and online personal training. I also manage and
operate the family business ''Micalizzi's'' which is a wholesale and
retail operation of homemade Itallion ice and Ice cream. We've been in
business for over 30 years.
2) CRITICAL BENCH: So, you used to be a powerlifter, bodybuilder, and a
strongman competitor. Which one did you enjoy the most and what were the pros and cons of each?
Becoming State champion, National champion and representing the USA at
the WPC world championships were the highlights of my powerlifting
run. Working out with all my buddies and entertaining children and
families during the Powermania era were some of the best times I ever
had, and getting in the best shape of my life for the Mr. Connecticut
competition was awesome. The pros are when I get stronger and leaner. The
cons are when I'm on a restricted diet, and have an injury.
3) CRITICAL BENCH: Give us your old bodybuilding routine!
I do 4-5 days per week of weight training, cardio done on an empty stomach in
morning, one bodypart per week, Combination of compound and isolation
movements, 3-5 exercises per bodypart, 8-15 reps[upper body], 12-20
reps[lower body]. An example of my chest workout would be:
4) CRITICAL BENCH: Impressive. How did your old powerlifting routine differ?
3-4 workouts per week geared towards the Squat, Bench, and Deadlft, 1-2
assistance movements catered towards those exercises, very little or no
cardio, a lot of deep tissue massage, 20 minute power naps prior to training
and stretching. An example Squat workout would be
Later in my
career I used the Westside methods [max effort, and dynamic workouts].
5) CRITICAL BENCH: Give us your old strongman routine!
I did a combination of everything. This includes: Sled pulls, farmer's walk with
dumbbells, sprints, stadium stairs, Westside training [Max effort and speed
workouts].
It chronicles all my competitions and events, offers advice on
training, nutrition, injuries and offers services for anyone
interested in getting the results they desire.
7) CRITICAL BENCH: You do online personal training. Tell us a bit about
that!
Basically, I customize workouts and nutrition plans based the individual's
goals and needs. A lot of folks who already go to the gym, are familiar with
working out, but need someone to ''map out and guide the way'' for them. I
e-mail all workouts for each week for a total of three months. It provides
everything; exercises, sets/reps, nutrition, supplements, and cardio. I also answer all personal e-mails during this time.
8) CRITICAL BENCH: You served as the President of the Powermaniacs Charity Organization. What was that like?
In 1995, I put together the ''Dream Team'' of the areas finest including
athletes who competed in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting, Olympic
lifting, Wrestling, Strongman, Karate, Boxing, Tug of war, etc. Every athlete
had his and her own ''gimmick'' with nicknames and costumes. We made
appearances all over Farfield County and made hundreds of kids and
families happy. This concept was way ahead of its time and probably could
have gone ''hollywood''. As time went on, the ''players'' just couldn't seem
to get along. I became the ''babysitter'' for everyone. It had a great run-
1995-2000.
9) CRITICAL BENCH: Sounds cool, minus the babysitting. Critical Bench is good friends with Brian Cannone
and we know that Fitness Atlantic supports you. Tell us about your friendship with Brian!
Brian Cannone has been a dear friend of mine for over 20 years. He's a
great, honest, humble person who's a great ambassador for the sport of
bodybuilding.
10) CRITICAL BENCH: So far in your IRON journey, what has been your
craziest, funniest, most memorable and most hardcore moment?
The craziest and most hardcore was training at the Southside gym, Armstrong
Barbell club, and New Haven Gold's getting ready for the major
competitions. The most memorable moment was becoming National Champion in 1997.
11) CRITICAL BENCH: What adversities have you had to overcome?
Losing my Dad to cancer at 13 and not having him be present to witness my
success.
12) CRITICAL BENCH: That must have been hard. What are your favorite exercises and what are your favorite supplements?
My favorite exercise depends on my mood-I love and
hate them all! My favorite supplements are Creatine, Glutamine, ZMA, Nitric
oxide, Whey, Omega 3's, and a good quality meal replacement.
13) CRITICAL BENCH: How do you feel about the current status of
bodybuilding, powerlifting and strongman? In particular what would you
like to see change in bodybuilding, powerlifting and in strongman?
Take out the ''Mickie Mouse'' federations in Powerlifting, clean up some of
the judging in bodybuilding, and increase the money rewards in Strongman.
14) CRITICAL BENCH: Give us your top 5 tips for bodybuilding, powerlifting
and strongman!
1] Be patient
2] Train hard
3] Eat good food
4] take quality supplements
5] Let your body rest and heal itself.
15) CRITICAL BENCH: There is a huge world outside of weightlifting. What
do you enjoy doing when you aren't competing or working out?
WWE wresting matches, Horror movies, Fine dining, Heavy Metal
concerts, fireworks, massages and vacations!
16) CRITICAL BENCH: I heard you and your wife just had a baby. What was
that experience like? What goals will you set for your kid?
It was the greatest experience of my life. The best part about it is when
you come home pissed off about work, people, finances, etc, you look at that
baby's face and forget about everything that's negative in life!
I will set goals for him to be as successful as possible and give him the
best life has to offer.
17) CRITICAL BENCH: If you never lifted weights, how do you think your
life would be different today?
I might have gotten into some trouble without it. It put me on a
straight path.
18) CRITICAL BENCH: How do you see the future of the Iron world?
More outrageous powerlifting totals and freakier physiques!
I just wish there would be less ''he said, she said'' shit on the internet
boards, and magazines.
19) CRITICAL BENCH: How did you get the nick name "icetrainer"?
It came from the Powermania days with my ''JayIce'' gimmick.
20) CRITICAL BENCH: Jay it was great talking to you. In closing is there
anything else you would like to say or anyone who you would like to thank?
Thank you, Ben very much for this interview. I would like to thank Kenny
Fantano, Frank Formachella, Joe Sartarrelli, all my past training partners
and colleagues, my family, and God for giving me all these
opportunities! Please check out my website: Jayicetrainer.com. God bless!
Jay Piccirillo the owner of Jayicetrainer.com is a complete monster that has succeeded in powerlifting, bodybuilding and strongman competitions. He has a lot of knowledge and insight into all different aspects of hardcore training and I guarantee you that you are in for a loaded interview!
