At Slim's Place

Putting the finishing touches on a 6-3/8" X 3/8" CRS bar at Slim the
Hammerman's place.

Pat Povilaitis
The Human Vise

Bending a Horseshoe

Bending a draft horseshoe at Slim the Hammerman's Salute dinner.

Pat Povilaitis
"The Human Vise"

Wokout Tip

First and foremost I want to again thank everyone who took the time to sign up to my newsletter. I've seen many old friends as well as some new faces joining, and I'm glad to have everyone aboard.

If you know someone who may be interested in my site, please let them know. Also. if you have a site, be sure to contact us if you would like to put up a banner:
http://www.humanvise.com/banners.html I'll try to send out emails and tips as my schedule permits

Well another year is in the books, and 2006 was filled with quite a few milestones for me.

One major one is I hit the big 4-0 last May. Yep that's right, 40 years on this planet! In truth I never gaveit much thought as it happened, never had a mental blowout, didn't buy a cane or bifocals, just saw it as another day.

For me the milestone is that I still have the mental outlook of a 20 year old. Physically I'm still improving, of course I'm always keeping tabs on the body and a keen eye on recovery (Anyone who tells you they can recover at 40 likethey did at 20 is a liar, plain and simple).

I often catch myself saying 'If I only knew then what I know now I'd really be dangerous'. I need to stop doing this, because as I see it I really have the best of both worlds. I still feel like that 20 year old but I also have the knowledge and experiences I have earned with blood and sweat. I credit everything to proper training and attitude.

I get a lot of questions about how I'm able to do what I do, how can I 'turn on the switch' when I need to, how do I 'make things look so easy'.

I chalk just about everything up to basic training principles, patience, determination, and a refusal to accept second best. What I will try to do over the course of these newsletters is give some tips on both mental and physical aspects of training which have helped me along the way. If you read my tips and say 'boy he really didn't tell me anything' you might as well jump ship now because I'm not a purveyor of instant gratification.

Tip #1: Always leave a training session on a positive note. I cannot understate the importance of this.

I am human, flesh and blood like everyone else, about 170lbs worth to be exact. If you slice me up you won't find Titanium bones contrary to some opinions) or Kevlar skin.

Believe it or not, I have those days where I'm just not feeling it in the gym, struggling with stuff I usually dominate. I try to evaluate whether it's a lack of concentration, or a physical sign I need to back off.

If I make a decision to pack it in I will always pick some kind of exercise to end up where I know I can either hit a PR or otherwise leave on a positive note.

Think about it, if the last thing you touch on the way out is something in your mind you have 'failed miserably at' this is what remains in your head until the next time you train.

Say I underperform my expectations on a stone workout and decide to exit stage left. I'll grab a heavy gripper and mash some reps or grab a big horseshoe and twist a heart. It can be anything that makes you feel good about your session, do those things you ignore when thebig stuff is happening. Trust me, your mind will be fresh, positive,and motivated for the next session.

Above all, refuse the urge to 'down yourself'. Statements like'I'm a wuss' or 'man I really suck' are self-fulfilling prophecies.

All the best in 2007, gonna be some kind of ride!

Pat Povilaitis

Thank you from The Human Vise

We have had a great reception to the new website so far and I just wanted to personally thank everyone who has signed up to my email list so far. Obviously with everyone looking forward to the holidays, this may not be the best time to launch a website but we figured its better to get the ship in the water as quickly as possible so away we go.

With that being the case, we are trying to let as many people as possible know that the site is up and running.

If you could do me a favor and alert all your friends who might be interested or post a link to the site on your favorite message boards, that would be great.

Also, if you do have your own website you may want to put upone of our Offical Human Vise Banners.

Take a look here right here.

Contact us if you are interested.

If you poked around the site, I am sure you noticed that there are areas that arent quite finished. As a side note, if you have any pictures from any of my performances that you would like to send in, we would definitely be interested in putting those up somewhereon the site.

Over the next few weeks updates will be sporadic as the holidays areunderstandably a very busy time for everyone (myself included). Once things cool down a bit, we will have a chance to get some things rolling.

I can say though that we have some big plans for 2007 so stay tuned.

Pat Povilaitis
The Human Vise

A Work In Progress

As I'm sure you have probably noticed, there are a few areas of the site which are still works in progress. Been busy as hell with work and such, in fact, I'm actually on the way out the door to a performance at the moment. As time progresses, we will continually be adding new material.

Pat Povilaitis
The Human Vise

Welcome

Welcome to my new website, please check back regularly for new updates.

Pat Povilaitis
"The Human Vise"