JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?jJ  kmD TrsaW?x_R.[S#$}jUP= _,Uv)FQՇ9kļ;ڄKQ9װX_-;ҪNrqadb_:`m Vx_Tlז6,BcV%Z֜t1dCPzVkQ'3=$9&.( ) 7O }9( ^C*j\R O [H1\r^ ʣ<TIcZZC~e{Kx(3!ǯAk*ˍk_IvI|Crqkյ{k(,H3>OƸ$ϥ˪ԍ8B0ӹpG"Wk7]y`u,Ge9 viOfN ~#[5ȞFydE#\ I[C|̹@FuJm>FYroE |+S?gQ٣VpdrB{~UJKx'GH_*)ku%c\´+F5 {Ѻ#2qZP\C8ⱴm 4ٝW;eTI浥j8iΒɭ"rnc2FFǐmlkv_?8#ėRCHv~~BmcPr#tKaE^ XB-nzZrB~UZդR}5i_xTpːEyi{mlTqU@JIb)B re<:[he5aH"FTZ+7M TRH 2O法֌9.UKUK 8\khZPĪ##5:\b;Ec_7b 7WArO t)"9GP}AhT\D[AKElbR`][Ƈ-tTRi=U'dq(bE2(('So|]Xd9]q޹ 8 ^+Ad 4{ʳfDH.;&̦{ecXIaxTkFMj~r.+9ʃҾ` \.k-.W906yDESQEQEQEQER0ʑKEyg;n."IT1f'excK7la  WGG<|ƙKSq|d#*+ʼOKQO[2K(<?Z$/-DNXg3 ( ( (-7<ӨN@[9Sϙ{u 7BbԮ2?<+M<7 g~!ccxP < i `(\k? iWI[bxka>rodTEu35nl|)lVܻucĺ-4w9$v:EU8曙rӌ OZm9uX*j{GҺ8[HY(d֢KU97w;NJuzQEQE&h1-PHyQIh&](v5i(R9+>+kE cpZAF8z 5VӐ!Y"_SnIՋF ۏZk[I O:I>U*2e&}QGP]/׫DQlYZ/þ_m=>|q/\nbx*UeMsRުZFju )k((((s- QEk\B )4 o'Շ-Q@=OE`j6zpUT Hcx)~ĞޕipؘAxEM004i[ ӳ['ns[pb$Sԃ0€\W##=q,W;U\7QU/(=fa݄quW,]3g5@Q@Q@ 4PP(()9O-:1PEQEQEQEEPg magazines and studying the now classic books on strength training such as those by Joe Bonomo. A 1968 graduate of San Francisco State College, Schmitz played on the defensive line and earned MVP honors for his team. But at 5 10 and 200 pounds he didn t have the size to play in the NFL, so when his final season ended on the college gridiron he decided to change his athletic focus to Olympic-style weightlifting.<br>After receiving his degree in physical education in 1968, Schmitz became a co-owner of Alex s Sports Palace Gym in San Francisco on Mission Street. The gym was a hardcore, free weight facility, or as Schmitz says,  The Sports Palace was a triceps and biceps, squat and bench, snatch and clean-and-jerk type of gym. It had two lifting platforms, but when Schmitz came on board there was only one member who practiced competitive weightlifting, Walt Gioseffi. Gioseffi and Schmitz became good friends, and Gioseffi helped Schmitz learn many of the finer points of the classical lifts: the Olympic press (which was dropped from lifting competition after the 1972 Olympics), the snatch and the clean and jerk. Schmitz eventually reached a level where he could Olympic press 281, snatch 275 and clean and jerk 347 at a bodyweight of 200 pounds.<br>As Schmitz s training knowledge grew, so did the number of Olympic lifters and potential Olympic lifters interested in training at Alex s gym. One of the first was Dan Cantore, a future Olympian and American record holder who peaked with best lifts of 281 in the snatch and 358 in the clean and jerk at 148 pounds bodyweight.  Cantore and the other lifters who were now training at the Sports Palace were really good, says Schmitz.  I watched them, helped them at contests, and as the Sports Palace lifting team evolved I found myself taking on a greater role in their training. I really liked what I was doing, and began to realize that coaching was my calling so I just stayed