Loser Talk

I hate loser talk.  I can’t stand nay-saying, no doing, lazy, sniping from the back bench, slugs.  I am sure that you all can think of examples of this pathetic behavior.  “That will never work.”  “Management won’t let us do this.” “No one will care.”  These are lines that are often uttered by the non-productive leeches of society.  If you have these people in your circle, there are a couple of good choices to make regarding them. 

Run away as fast as possible.  People of this description are nothing but cancers on productivity.  If you spend too much time around these life suckers, you will start to pick up their traits.  My wife, my son and I were in a restaurant just a couple of weeks ago.  There was a child within earshot of our table that was of a similar age as my boy (about a year and a half).  This little girl would occasionally let out a bit of a squeal, which my son uncharacteristically mimicked.  He was just picking up on her behavior.  We are no different.  You become part of what you are around.  It is hard to avoid, but it is true.  Get away from losers, and get around winners. 

The other possible way to handle these folks is risky, but can have big payoff.  Use these negative cretins as motivation.  Use them as the only thing they are good for, to step on and move to higher ground.  You don’t have to worry about pushing them aside unfairly, or cutting them off, because they have no meaningful aspirations anyway.  No harm, no foul.  This one is especially useful if you work closely with them and can’t get meaningful distance from them.   Absorb their loser talk, and say “oh yeah, I’ll show you!”  Aside from the conversion of oxygen to carbon dioxide, providing winners with motivation is their only purpose.

This is officially a rant against the nay-sayers of the world.  Put them into the same category as the obese dietician, the weak strength coach, the toothless dentist, the broke financial advisor, or teenager claiming wisdom.  They can give their opinion, but it is not worth hearing.

I Am a Genetic Freak...

… well, not really.  Well let me take that back.  I do have certain gifts.  I don’t know which gifts are genetic and which are learned.  I am a decent athlete with a pretty good work ethic.  I also have a pretty good background in different athletic events.  I am however, not built to play center in the NBA.  My mother could have tried the cute little, “you can be anything you want to when you grow up” but that one was pretty destined to be out of the question.  My 5’7” stature is more suited to sell popcorn at the basketball game than to play in it.  Everyone has strengths and weaknesses in every facet of life.  Intellect, physical prowess, sense of humor, and taste in movies are just a few.  I happen to know that Smokey and the Bandit is the single greatest film ever made.  See… great taste in films.  It took me several tries to get a C in college algebra.  Math genius… not so much.  This aside, I do know that we each have strong points and weak points.  What you must do is learn to exploit your gifts and battle your deficiencies.  I have the uncanny ability to just look at food as fuel about 99% of the time.  I however am not a natural barbell snatcher.  In most of my competitions, I was behind everyone going into the clean and jerk.  I however have pretty strong legs and was able to comeback and win some, because my clean and jerk was much better.  As a result, I work on snatching every single training session.

The point of this piece is to change your paradigm a bit.  Don’t just quit on something just because it doesn’t come easy.  If I hear one more time, “but I have never been flexible”, or “I am addicted to carbs” or “I have never been a great runner”.  I frankly don’t care.  The world doesn’t care.  All it cares about is behavior and results.  The size of the cross you have to bear is irrelevant to the stopwatch, the scale, or the judges.  Your story may make a great, made for TV movie, but that is about it.  My shoulder hurts right now as I type this… who cares.  Every lifter has something that hurts.  The judges won’t spot me 10 kilos on my total because I am injured.  I can’t put anything overhead right now, so it is back to the squat rack.  I can always get stronger.  I refuse to lie down; I will get better despite a bum shoulder.  There is always a path to greatness; your job is to find your path to it.  

I don't know if this guy is genetically gifted, but he is a National Champ after going six for six this past weekend... congrats Travis Cooper!

Must Watch Events This Weekend

If you are a fitness enthusiast, you must watch the CrossFit Games online this weekend.  It features rope climbs, "pig" flips, swimming, running, and barbell work for sure.  If you are just a weightlifter, Saturday is your day.  A clean and Jerk workout that starts at 2:45 eastern time.  This is what a weightlifting venue should look like!

Also held this weekend is THE National Championships for weightlifting.  No board short, shirtless, tattooed, jump roping folks, just lots of bar slamming and chalk dust!  Here is the trailer below, as well as a link to the online live stream of the event

USA Weightlifting

Nationals Promo Video

My Coach is a Fool

I have a fool for a coach.  He is a nice enough guy.  But we started lifting at the same time.  I am my own coach.  While I study technique and physiology fiercely, a coach would be much better for me.   In the absence of a good quality coach, I get on forums, send my videos to coaches that I trust, and analyze my own technique.  Coach Mike Burgener has been a great resource.  I have sent videos to him, and he has kindly and astonishingly responded the same day each time. Greg Everett has responded on his forum, as has Glenn Pendlay on his.  All three have helped to make me a better weightlifter and I am very appreciative for that.  Recently though, I stumbled upon a website featuring distance coaching in weightlifting for a fee.  The Training Plan would charge $50 for this service.  I would normally just pass right by such an absurd offer, but this was from a legitimate source, Chad Vaughn.  Chad is a 2-time Olympian, 6-time National Champion, and the American record holder in the clean and jerk in the 77 kg weight class.  Even if he says, “great lifting”, it is worth the chance to have an American weightlifting great, critique my lifting. 

SNATCH

CLEAN AND JERK

BACK SQUAT

FRONT SQUAT

OVERHEAD SQUAT

PUSH PRESS

DEADLIFT

I sent him videos of my snatch, clean and jerk, push press, front squat, back squat, deadlift, and overhead squat, all in the 75% range.  His initial response was encouraging to say the least.  He responded, “you are looking very good overall!” and that I am “far ahead of the game” compared to other videos he gets.   He did feel (like I do) that there are a few things that need some work.  He asked me to send him lifts closer to my max, which I did.  Happily, he said my technique was “even better than [he] originally felt!”  He felt my most pressing issue was the need to slow some things down a bit.  My pull from the floor was a bit quick, as was my dip for the jerk.  My impatience in the pull and dip caused me to get out of position for each movement.  By slowing down, I would maintain tension and become more consistent in my lifts.  He gave me some reading to do and prescribed a few exercises for me.  My homework was specifically designed to maintain my position in the pull and improve my overhead position in the jerk.  I will give the details and my progress later.  I will also let you know how my follow up with him goes.  I am very excited to see my improvement.  

Just Pull the Trigger

I have suffered in the past.  When I was in college, I didn’t know what I was doing.  I didn’t know what to do the rest of my life.  I was paralyzed by fear.  I was fearful of making the wrong decision.  I was completing a BS in Exercise Physiology (glorified Health and PE degree).  I forwent the education minor and was staring down the barrel of selling Happy Meals for a living.  While it is a noble profession, it didn’t sound like a prosperous and fun life.  I asked around for advice from professors, relatives, and friends.  My dad gave me simple, but effective advice:  “you are too comfortable”.  It was hard to hear.  The truth was that I was too comfortable.  Even more than that, I was frozen by the fear of doing the wrong thing.  If I chose the wrong path, I would be locked in for the rest of my life to a miserable profession.  Although I was not happy with my situation, I was too comfortable / scared to do anything about it.  Indecision was my decision.  Not a good idea.  In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey said that the first habit of effective people is proactivity… pulling the trigger.  I decided to let ‘er rip, go for it, git ‘er done, and other silly but true clichés.  I applied for every job in town… well a bunch anyway.  I looked online (dial up) at my brother’s house.  I applied at every factory in town.  I had a strong back, so I tried to deliver sodas, beer, packages, etc.  I decided to happen to life, and not let it happen to me.  Very soon after this I landed a dream job; a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the rest is history.

What the heck does this cute little story have to do with weightlifting, training, nutrition or anything else in the fitness realm?  Quite a bit.  Stand back and watch me weave the web!  I have heard this question and have asked myself from time to time: how should I train? What should I eat? How many reps?  I have an answer.  First establish your goals and WRITE THEM DOWN for God’s sake!  Without goals, you are just the proverbial rat in the wheel.  You are running just for the sake of running.  After goal setting, research a bit or ask someone you trust in the field.  Then make a plan and pull the trigger.  Don’t look back and say, “Well I wish I had done more reps, or eaten fewer carbs, or not low bar back squatted.”  Go!!!  It is okay to occasionally look take a look and tinker, but put in some time before declaring it a failure.  Create the goals, study, make the plan, and then work.  Success is achieved through educated work.  So the next time you find yourself in training, or in another facet of life paralyzed by indecision, make a goal, study, make a plan, and pull the trigger.  Indecision is a decision.

And now for a gratuitous video of beautiful women lifting heavy weight!

Why Weightlifting is Not the Best Sport to Participate in

1.    No one has ever heard of it

Quick Quiz... Who is the greatest basketball player of all time?  Baseball?  Running Back?  Quarterback?  Weightlifter?  A sports junkie will be able to answer all of these  but one probably.  By the way, here are your answers:  Jordan, Mantle, Barry Sanders, Joe Montana, Naim "Pocket Hercules" Suleymanoglu.

Simple stats: 7000 USA Weightlifting (USAW) members, USA Triathlon (USAT) members… 510,000.  You have over a half million more people that would prefer to swim while being kicked repeatedly in the face, bike, then run for hours, than to lift a barbell six times.  I think if these people knew that weightlifting required no running, they might give it a try.  

2.    Two words… metric system

The metric system is too European.  The Pilgrims left Europe so they could weigh and measure in our convoluted way… U.S.A!!!

3.    Boring for non weightlifters

I have competed in and watched a few CrossFit competitions.  They have loud music playing, people cheering, and lots of board shorts and tattoos.  They are very fun to watch.  Football and basketball are similar in their entertainment value.  Weightlifting is like golf with a barbell.  When the lifter steps on the platform, the place is silent.  Once the bar hits the platform, 14 golf claps trickle from the small crowd.  Boring!  Bring on the AC/DC and Metallica music and scream at the lifters!  This is how it should be done.

4.    No abs

When you squat 3 to 6 times per week, you better eat a bunch.  Plus, the goal is to lift heavy weight from the ground to overhead, not sign a modeling gig with Fruit of the Loom.

5.    Professional weightlifter pay scale in the U.S

Team Muscle Driver is one of the very few professional weightlifting teams in the US.  Although better than nothing, the salaries of its top lifters would not even achieve half of the poverty level.  

Why Weightlifting is a Great Sport

1.    You get to sit down a lot

Consider other sports for a moment.  Although soccer isn’t one, even consider it.  You forgo all upper body strength and run around waiting for the ball to come your way for two hours.  Sounds sweaty.  In weightlifting, you chalk your hands, lift the bar, drop it, then sit down for several minutes, often times in an air conditioned gym.          

2.    Lifting heavy weights is so cool

3.    You get to eat a lot

While I was working out of town, I had to fend for myself one night for dinner.  I went to the grocery store and bought dinner.  I picked up a rotisserie chicken and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.  2200 calories later I felt satisfied and my wife was left speechless.  This past Independence Day weekend, our family took a long drive to be with family.  For breakfast I ate five venison burgers with some veggies, before we left my mother's house.  On the way back that afternoon we stopped at McDonalds and I had another five double cheeseburgers.  Full disclosure, I don't eat bread, so it was just the patties, but the meat is the important part anyway.  

4.    Not a team sport

Your success in weightlifting can be attributed peripherally to others like a coach, supportive spouse, or training partners.  But when you are called out to the platform, it is just you against the bar.  When things go your way, the feeling is fantastic.  

Sleep and Storage Wars Kills!

I don’t get everything that I want.  You probably don’t either… why?  First is that it is nearly impossible to get everything you want.  I would like to be six feet tall.  Heck, I would settle for 5’8” for that matter.  I would like to be able to eat pizza, cheesecake, for every meal and be jacked and lean.  I would like to be able to train seven days per week without the risk of injury or divorce as I close in on 40 years old.  I would also like to be wealthy, but I like to sleep and watch Storage Wars.  They work against one another.  I would like to be three percent body fat and clean and jerk 200 kg.  I don’t because of the sleep and Storage Wars thing.  Now that I think of it, those two seem to be destroying all of my dreams.  Maybe if I fixed those two, I would get a bit taller… I digress.  In light of this emotional and intellectual tug of war, I will list some common excuses for our underachievement.  Please feel free to comment with some of yours.

-Too tired

-Too hot

-Too cold

-Not enough time

-I like to sleep and watch Storage Wars

-I have kids

-It’s too hard

-It is too late

-It is too early

-It is too heavy

-I don’t want to deprive myself

-I have bad genetics

-My legs/arms are too long/short

-I am addicted to carbs

-No time to cook

-Too busy

-I am too old

-I will do it later

-I am not in good enough shape yet

-It is too boring

-My foot/back/shoulder/elbow/knee/hip hurts

-I don’t like that workout

-I don’t want to get big and bulky

-I work my legs when I run (that is why they are skinny, by the way)

-I have visions of bacon bits dancing in my head