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Dunn, Gall press on and on and on Photo by Jim Craven Susan Gall, left, and Rhonda Dunn each won world titles at the recent World Bench Press and Deadlift Championships in Portland. Both local lifters own world titles By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Powerhouse Gym of Medford has two female world powerlifting champions and world-record holders pumping iron in its weight room. Rhonda Dunn of Phoenix and Susan Gall of Medford recently set world records and won world titles in their respective weight and age classes at the World Bench Press and Deadlift Championships in Portland. Dunn, 34, won the age 34-39 sub-master 156-pound weight class in the bench press with a world-record lift of 193 pounds. Gall broke the world record for the same age grouping at 148 pounds with a deadlift of 330.5 pounds. Jerry Capello is the lifting instructor at Powerhouse Gym, and both lifters credit his knowledge and expertise for being key components to their attempts to win world titles. "Jerry has a knack for maximizing what his lifters can lift, especially women, and bringing out the best in his lifters," says Gall, who primarily works out under the guidance of her husband, Steven Gall, a former age-group world-record holder in the deadlift. Steven Gall is the state champion and record holder in the deadlift with a lift of 485 pounds at a meet two weeks ago. Gall credits her husband for pushing her to greatness in lifting. "He knows how to push me, but give me confidence," she says. ``He's made a big difference." Dunn feels the same way about Capello. "Jerry motivates me," says Dunn. "Jerry taught me to use my brain instead of just muscle to get psyched up to lift. He wants me to get psyched so I think I'm the best before I lift. I do think I'm the best." Steven Gall says he isn't surprised over his wife's rapid improvement. "She started out lifting 135 pounds (in the deadlift)," he says. "She's gone up to 335 pounds fast because of her consistency and her drive to get better. We've used different workouts that provide a shock to the muscles and make them respond better and faster. "She's taken advantage of a high-protein diet to get a lot stronger," says Jerry. Dunn and Gall took up powerlifting last spring for differing reasons. But their climbs to the top of the world in their divisions have been dramatic. "I mainly started lifting to lose weight," says Dunn, a former Medford High softball player who lives in Phoenix. "I've lost about 30 pounds, and I'm not done. "I want to lose more weight, and lift more," says Dunn. "That's my goal from now on. I'm into lifting for the long run. I want to keep doing it." Why? "It gives me confidence," says Dunn. "It's not easy to lift all that weight. I figure if I can do that, I can do just about anything." Gall says she took up lifting to spend more time with her husband in Powerhouse Gym and to rebuild what she described as her "sagging body." "I've always been pretty strong," says Gall, who is a freelance copy editor specializing in editing book manuscripts for national publishing companies. "But after having two kids and sitting in my home office eight hours a day, I found my body was trashed. "I needed to do something to rebuild it," says Gall. "Since I've always been pretty strong, and my husband was down here lifting most days, I decided to join him for lunch at the gym and work out as well." Dunn and Gall say they lift and train together, at times, at Powerhouse Gym. They don't travel together to meets, but they support each other at various competitions. "There's kind of a misnomer about lifters," says Dunn. "Most people think lifters are pretty cocky. I guess it's because they are lifting so much weight and boosting their egos. "But they aren't that way at all. They are, for the most part, nice people and they help each other out and support each other in meets." Dunn says she can bench press up to 225 pounds on a good day. "It doesn't happen every day, but I can do it," she says. "I guarantee there isn't any other woman in my gym who can bench press over 200 pounds in my gym (Powerhouse), but me. "I want to get stronger and keep doing it to lose weight and stay in good shape," says Dunn. "I enjoy lifting. I like the feeling I get from getting stronger and stronger. It feels real good after a workout." Gall says female lifters need to know they probably won't get too big and bulky from lifting heavy weight consistently. "That's just not true," she says. "Most women don't get that buff at all. They get stronger, but it doesn't show as much as it does on a man." Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,