"Do what it takes"

People like to romanticize the idea of sacrifice and hard work. Motivational pictures and quotes are great, but how hard do you really work? Hard work isn’t going into the gym once and busting ass, it’s going into the gym and busting ass day after day, week after week, year after year.


I had a conversation with Jessica while I was training with Jon up in Oregon. And she was telling me about lifters in the past who had trained with Jon and talked a big game about what they were prepared to do, but fell short. If you don't know, Jon and Jessica lived their his car for a few months so they could train at Cal Strength. They didn't want to live in a car, they obviously don't still live in a car, but they did what needed to be done to get to where he wanted to be. And if you ask Jon, he would tell you he wouldn't change a thing. People always talk about they're ready to do, but would you live in a car? Would you scrape change together to eat off the dollar menu? Sure maybe for a day, maybe for a week, but would you do it for months?


I had a similar experience as some of the people Jessica was talking about. When I first moved up to train with Jon I though I was sacrificing. I quit my job, took what little money I had, and moved. I though I was special, and I wanted to be noticed for being special. For the first few months I had a hard time up there. I was expecting to be treated like I was doing something noble, and Jon barely gave me the time of day. To be completely honest, there was a time when I almost called it quits. I was so close to tucking tail and returning home.


Luckily I got a reality check, and realized that until I put my head down and worked as hard as I possibly could, no one was gonna give me anything. I moved out of the room I was living in to sleep on a couch, and I put my head down and trained. As much as I could. There were days when Jon wouldn't even say a word to me in the gym, but I came back every day, and worked. And slowly but surely I started gaining respect from Jon, Jessica, and the gym.


If you go into the gym every day and give 100% to achieve your goal, you are not special. You’re just doing what needs to be done.


I hear a lot of people talk about sacrifice. Most of the time it's people talking about sacrificing their social lives to go to the gym. Skipping parties, or not going out drinking so they can hit the gym the next day, etc.


I have a little insight for those people. If you want to go to the gym and you skip something else you also would like to do, you’re not sacrificing anything, you’re just making a choice. You’re still doing what you want.


I am now in a position where I can do what I love. I bust my ass in the gym, and I coach lifters. I have to make very little sacrifices. Now part of that is me previously making sacrifices to put myself in the position I am today, but I make no qualms about how lucky I am to be where I am.


There's this idea that people who lift are somehow better than those who don't because they're more dedicated or mentally strong. If you are doing what you love day in and day out you are not better than anyone else who does the same, no matter what it is you're doing.


I hope someone somewhere will read this and it will help them come to the same realization I did. There is nothing special about hard work, or sacrifice, it's just part of what needs to be done to get to where you want to go.

"Preparation"

How do you prepare for training?

How long does it take you to prepare?

Does your preparation start when you walk in the gym? When you touch the bar? Or does it start hours before?

Preparation encompasses all things done before training. Sleep the night before, food the day before, food the day of. Are you stressed? Are you focused? Are you doing what it takes to prepare properly?

I focus on two types of preparation. Mental, and physical.

Mental preparation involves getting your mind right for the training ahead. It can start the day before, it can start 5 minutes before. This is the type of preparation I see neglected the most.

I see this scenario all the time:

A lifter comes in the gym with their face glued to their phone. Phone still out during warmups, and then in carries over to the first few sets, and the session goes to shit. Now their body may be warm, but they did not properly prepare mentally.

Physical preparation involves keeping your body prime for training. Focusing on recovery between workouts, warming up properly before you train, planning your attempts and jumps in a smart way. Tight shoulders and hips can ruin a training session very quickly.

I have tried multiple different ways to prepare for training. I used to start watching videos and listening to music hours before training to get my mood right. I've also tried to keep my head clear until I get on the bar, so I don't drown myself in my own thoughts. I used to warmup for 15-20 minutes before every training session until I noticed I was wasting time and energy on useless drills and making myself anxious for my workout. Sometimes if my body feels good I wont even stretch at all, I'll just grab a bar and go. Other times I'll take my time to warmup, focusing on my shoulders and my hips, and making sure all my joints are warm.

As the week goes on my preparation changes. I take Sundays off so Monday I come in pretty fresh and excited for my workout, my preparation is not as thorough early in the week. As my body gets beat up from training I tend to focus more on my preparation. I will get mentally prepared for my workout earlier in the day. I'll take hot showers to loosen myself up and get the blood flowing, especially now that it's cold.

One thing I have learned from Ian is that once you enter the gym, that is when you must begin to focus. As you wrap your knees, put on your tiger balm, lace up your shoes, with each step you become more focused on the workout at hand and less involved with life outside of training.

Preparation is key when trying to maximize training, how do you prepare?

"Technique"

I am so sick and tired of hearing people talk about technique.

Today, a coach at a local CrossFit gym told a friend of mine who is in town visiting that "Ian Wilson has bad technique".

Have you ever heard something so profoundly stupid that you had to sit down and contemplate your own existence? Because now, I have.

And look, this is not me saying one technique is better than another, or a certain way is better than another way. But Ian has a competition 416 Sinclair score which happens to be the best ever by a 105kg lifter in this country.

I would like to repeat my previous statement.

Ian has a competition 416 Sinclair score which happens to be the best ever by a 105kg lifter in this country.

Let me explain something, weightlifting is the sport of getting the most possible weight overhead. Doesn't matter how (as long as it's within the rules), doesn't matter how it looks, doesn't matter what you have to say about it. The person who lifts the most overhead wins. Period. End of story. There is no "best technique" award in the Olympics. Yet somehow, American "coaches" seem stuck on this idea that the lifts have to look a certain way to be right.

Weightlifting in this country is so ass backwards that people actually will discredit the best in the sport for not looking how they want it to look. And while on that note, what is good technique? Seriously someone tell me. Put 3 American coaches in a room and ask them what good technique is you're gonna have a lot of weak people yelling at each other. And sense I highly doubt anyone will be able to agree, while you are all arguing over who has an early arm bend and who's hitting the bar too hard off of their hips, I'm gonna focus on learning what I can from the best we have.

To sum it up, every time you talk shit about an elite lifters technique, American weightlifting regresses 3 years. So keep yappin' coaches. Eventually we'll all be lifting without bar body contact.

"Programming"

Programming is somewhat of a hot topic in weightlifting. There is very little grey area, it's usually a coach or lifters shouting form the mountain tops that their way is the best way and all other ways are wrong.

Well, this is not true. At all.

Let's look at some of the best weightlifting systems in the world.

Bulgarian: Maxing the lifts and front squats every day, multiple times a day.

Russian: Lots of variation, lots of volume, only taking the lifts to a max once every two weeks.

Chinese: Somewhere in between the previous two.

Those are by far and away the three most dominant systems in the sport, and they're all different. That alone should tell you there's more than one way to get better at weightlifting.

I have trained multiple different styles, and through the years I have found the type of programming that works best for me. I use the experiences I've had to write programming for my team that I think will be the most effective, but I believe that programming should be fluid. One lifter may progress much more than another under a certain style, and vice versa. No one program is going to work the same for everyone. I often modify programming for my lifters based on how they're preforming that day, how they feel, where they're at mentally. I program each day as if the lifter is coming into the gym 100%, and seeing how that isn't always the case, sometimes I have to modify to make sure the lifter gets the most out of that session.

Effort has a lot to do with the success of a program as well, if the lifter isn't giving 100% in the gym mentally and physically they won't succeed. Max effort can come in any form. Taking your snatch to a max, taking a complex to a max, or making sure you hit your prescribed lifts as efficiently as possible.

I tend to flourish under a more Bulgarian style system, as do many of the lifters I coach. However some days the maxes aren't there, so I'll drop to doubles, or increase the volume at a lower percentage. Communication is key within a team. If you're not feeling up to the program, or it's not getting you where you want to be, talk to your coach. They may have a larger plan in mind, sometimes you have to go through shitty days to see the good days later. Other times you need modification.

Ultimately there is no one program, or system, or coach. There is just hard work. This quote has been recycled a lot but it holds true:

"A bad program done with 100% effort will be more effective than a great program done half assed."

"Focus"

Weightlifting requires a lot of mental effort, the repetitive nature of the sport can be taxing on the mind and make training seem monotonous. Focus is required to keep us present in the gym, to keep our mind from drifting and our bodies sharp.

In other sports such as CrossFit or bodybuilding it's easier to turn the brain off and go. A lot of the focus comes in terms of pushing past physical pain such as oxygen deficit and burning muscles. In weightlifting however, the focus comes in one 2-5 second burst. The ability to put all of your energy both mental and physical into one lift, one time.

Achieving a high level of focus to lift day in and day out has been a challenge for me. If the weights are feeling heavy and I'm not moving well it's harder for me to give 100% of my attention to the lift, when really that's when I should be trying harder to achieve that state.

Normally when I lift I like loud upbeat music, I try to use the music to get my adrenaline pumping. While this has worked in the past, and still works today, I've also learned the value of silence. Of innate focus. Of harnessing all my energy and mental ability into the lift. Giving myself cues in my head, visualizing how it will look and how it will feel.

Currently I train with Ian Wilson, who is without a doubt one of the best lifters we have in this country. Training with him has shown me a type of focus I had not previously seen. When Ian goes for a heavy lift the music is off and the gym is silent. All of his attention is on the bar, on the lift, for that 3 seconds.

In contrast when I was training with Jon, focus came from energy. From music, from yelling, from slaps on the back and "you better not fucking miss". It's interesting to see the different styles, both of which work very well for the lifters that use them.

I've learned that focus is something that must be improved, like all aspects of training. It can be practiced, and some days it's there, others it isn't, just like the lifts. When I get in the zone I can focus much better than if I'm being chatty and mentally escaping my workout between sets. Different workouts require different types of focus, and different lifts do as well. Sometimes I focus on the finish, sometimes the pull, sometimes staying over the bar.

Focus can turn a good session into a bad one, or into a great one. It's up to the lifter which fork in the road they take.

"Conviction"

I try not to think in absolutes. You'll never hear me say there's only one way to do something, or anyone that doesn't do something the way I do it is wrong.

Conviction is something I love, in myself, and in other people. I feel conviction is an extremely important trait to have. Having the courage to stand up for what you believe in is something that says a lot about a person. There's nothing I love more than going toe to toe with someone in a debate, it gets the blood going, the adrenaline going, it's good for the soul. 

I'll be the first to say, I piss a lot of people off. A lot. But it's always something I've taken pride in. You'll never ever see me back down from something I believe for the sake of "civility" or "letting sleeping dogs lie". I'm gonna stand up and shout my beliefs, and if you don't agree with me, that's fine. 

I think a large reason as to why people are afraid to display conviction is because they don't want to be disliked. It's easier to back down and tuck tail than to stand and deal with the repercussion of negativity from other people. We live in a society where if you don't agree with someone on a certain topic or belief it gives you the right to hate them. I've always found this odd. 

One of my favorite quotes is:

"Just because I disagree with you, doesn't mean I don't respect you".

No two people think the same, and if we all hated everyone we didn't agree with, we'd be in a sad lonely world. 

So what is conviction really?

Conviction isn't only something we should have in our beliefs, but also in ourselves. Conviction is what keeps me fighting. Conviction is what keeps me going after weights that I've missed the last 10 times I've tried them. Conviction is what keeps my mind focused on my task at hand, whether it be in the gym or out. 

Conviction is what tells you to go right when everyone else is going left and know that turning away from the crowd is the best thing for you.

Conviction is what keeps you strong when it would be easier to be weak. 

"Bodyweight"

Finding my ideal bodyweight for training has been one of the toughest things I've ever done. When I started weightlifting I was 6'3" 215lbs, and everyone I knew who had spent time in the sport said that the 94kg class was no place for anyone over 6 foot, so I gained weight.

Once I got into the sport more seriously I started to figure out the more weight I gained, the stronger I got, and the quicker I recovered. Late night pizza and pancakes for breakfast meant lot's of PR's, but also lots of weight gain. 

Before I knew it (actually a few years later) I found myself at 280+lbs, chubby, and out of shape. I also found myself to light to be a +105kg, and too heavy to be within cutting distance of 105kg.

I could still hit daily maxes above 95% without issue, but my mobility suffered, my energy was low, and I didn't feel like an athlete. My quest for getting as big and strong as possibly got me bigger and stronger, but not where I wanted to be.

5 minute rests between sets were normal, and EMOM's were damn near impossible. It was around this time I decided to take my training more seriously and pack up my shit to go train with Jon. 

It was there that I found out how out of shape I really was, earning me the nickname of "RedWhiteAndPlump" so I decided to change it. The only question was, how?

I had cut weight for bodybuilding before, so I tried to implement the same strategies for weightlifting. Cut overall caloric intake, drop fat and carbs, take protein high. About two weeks in I realized how big of a mistake this was, I was losing weight, but also strength, and my recovery was awful. After crashing and burning I started to do some more in depth research on losing weight while maintaining strength. I realized that maintaining strength and recovery had to be the priority, instead of dropping weight faster. 

After reading about 10 hours worth of contradictory content I decided this was not the route to take, so I contacted TeamDO coach Jared Enderton about helping me get back to an athletic weight. Jared had previously weighed over 300lbs as a strongman competitor, and got himself down to the 85kg class (187lbs) as a weightlifter. Jared's advice has been amazing in helping me drop weight slowly and responsibly and keep my strength levels at a premium, and even get stronger. 

Finding one's ideal bodyweight for training is a tough task, but once you hit it you know how it should feel. You get stronger, you recover, and you don't ever feel under fed. 

I plan on competing in the future as a 105kg lifter, and am currently sitting around 120kg on my way down. 

"Summer Camp"

Training away from your coach or team is a lot like going to summer camp as a kid.

Summer camp is the first time where you get to make your own rules, your own bed time, deciding whether or not to brush your teeth, and eat your vegetables. It's your first glimpse at responsibility, and being in charge of yourself. Your parents aren't there to hold you accountable for your choices.

Training alone is similar, there's no coach to keep you on track in the workout, no teammates to push you. You get to decide if you're actually going to do those extra sets of squats or pulls, if you're going to focus on finishing on your assistance work, or just call it a day early.

Training away from my coach has been tough. Training with Jon was a blessing, absolutely the best environment I have ever trained in. Every day he brought intensity to the workouts, he pushed me past my mental barriers. At the same time he knew when I was done, when I had nothing left. Training alone under The Dark Orchestra programming has brought about some challenges. I am the only one in my gym who knows my prescribed workout, and as the coach of the barbell club I often train before or after team practice, with a few stragglers in the gym, and sometimes no one.

I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it's hard to push myself training solo. If I skip the last few sets, or ditch my assistance work no one is there to call me out on it. I could easily skip out on the last 10% of every session, and I would be the only one who knew.

But remembering why I'm training has, for the most part, kept me honest. Climbing the ladder and getting stronger, putting up a higher total, qualifying for national meets. All of this is a fire inside me that keeps me going. I've spent a lot of time telling people what I want to do in the sport of weightlifting, and I'm a man of my word.

One thing that helps is the unique community we have on Team DO. We have a private Facebook group where all of the athletes post videos and questions to be critiqued and answered by the coaches. If I don't post the team will call me out, the coaches will call me out, much like I do if I see others not posting. It may not be the same as having a team atmosphere at the gym, but it's a hell of a lot better than nothing.

I know that by not giving 100% on my workout I'm not only letting myself down, but my teammates and coaches down as well.

"Coach the lifter, not the lift"

Anyone who tells you there is only one way to snatch and clean & jerk is full of shit. Watch any A session in the World Championships or Olympics and you'll see why.

So much of what's wrong with coaching is the "my way or the highway" mentality. One of the main issues being coaches trying to make lifters lift in a way that fits in a box of what they deem "acceptable" instead of letting them lift in a way that's the most effective, regardless of what style it is.

There are two main styles in weightlifting, catapult and triple extension. There are many differences between the two, the main one being when the initiation of the hips coming through begins, also known as the double knee bend. Most lifters will not end up being strictly one style or the other, but instead end up being a mix with an emphasis on one style. Think of it like a spectrum, with catapult on one side and triple extension on the other. There are a few lifters out there who are one on end of the spectrum, but the majority of the population will lie somewhere in the middle of the two sides.

When an athlete walks into a gym and wants to learn weightlifting, the goal of a coach should not be to make that athlete lift in any particular style. The goal should be to watch the athlete move and coach them in the direction that will make them lift more efficiently.

Everyone is different, every lifter is unique and has natural strengths and weaknesses. While you shouldn't rely solely on the strengths and ignore the weaknesses, someone's natural ability to move will pretty much tell you how their body wants to lift.

"If you make a mistake, but you consistently make the same mistake in the same way every time, you can still be a good weightlifter" - Glenn Pendlay

A big issue I see in coaching is fixing minute details that don't affect the lifter. Did Dimas throw his head back on his extension? Yes. Is anyone gonna tell him not to? I would hope not.

A lifter doesn't have to move perfectly by a certain styles standards to be efficient, a lifter has to put heavy weight over their head, and keep improving to be efficient.

Ultimately it comes down to the idea that a coaches job isn't to change a lifters unique style and approach to the sport. A coaches job is to make a lifter better any way they can.

"Failure"

Failure will tell you more about a person than success.

Not the failure itself, but how they respond to failure.

Over the course of my weightlifting journey, failure and I have developed a pretty solid relationship. It is always there, like clockwork, and every training session is pretty much a guaranteed meeting with failure.

When I first started weightlifting I assumed it would be like most other sports I had been involved in, but the success to failure ratio in weightlifting is by far the lowest out of any other sport, not even sport, out of any other single thing I've done in my life.

I remember in my first year watching my then coach Ben Claridad of Occam Athletics talk about not having PR'd his front squat in two years and it blew my mind. I couldn't really imagine at the time what it would be like to try to improve something for two years and not make an ounce of progress, but as my journey through the sport continued I found out that's what it takes to be a good weightlifter. To not only accept failure, but welcome it. To accept it as an inevitability and not let it stray you from your course.

If we PR'd every time we stepped in the gym there would be no point in weightlifting. The reason PRs feel so good is because of the time and the work we've put in to achieve them. Our failures make success that much sweeter.

My failures used to bother me, I used to get discouraged after missing attempts, I would shut down and mentally remove myself from training. Failure was something I couldn't cope with, because I was not mentally strong enough to accept it.

Now I anticipate failure, I analyze it, and feed off of it.

My failures show me where I'm weak, they are blueprints to my success, and they let me know exactly what I need to do.

Miss it in front? Pull back harder.

Cant stand up? Squat more.

Arms bending on the catch? Catch it on your back, not shoulders.

Failures are our own personal coach, and should be treated as such. An opportunity to become strong where you are weak.

"You're not tight, you're just weak"

I hear it all the time, a lifter will say they cant perform a movement or get in a position because...

“I’m not flexible enough.”

“My mobility sucks.”

“I’m too tight.”

But what if the issue wasn’t mobility at all? What if the problem was that you’re just weak?

Let me rephrase that.

What if the problem was the muscles you need to hold you in those positions or complete those movements were weak?

I attended a seminar this weekend hosted by Max Aita in which he helped my setup by letting me know that it wasn't my ankles that were immobile, it was my quads being to weak to support the position I was trying to get into, which reminded me of a realization I came to last year.

Nothing has helped my mobility more than getting stronger.

I used to have a laundry list of what I thought were mobility problems, my knees would buckle on heavy squats/cleans, my lumbar would round at the bottom of a squat, my back would cave on the way up from those same movements.

I did mobility every day, anywhere from 20 mins to an hour of working on positioning and stretching and pretty much doing everything I could find online to fix all my problems.

But then I stopped, I got fed up with stretching, I got annoyed with spending hours a week on mobility and seeing no result.

So I told myself "fuck it, I'm just gonna train".

Instead of focusing on what I though were mobility issues I started focusing on my strength imbalances. I had a weak low back, my glutes weren't firing, and my hamstrings and upper back were lagging. So after months of posterior chain work I noticed something, my positioning was better. I was bouncing out of the hole faster and with more stability, my knees weren't caving as much. All of the issues I thought were due to tight hips and back were really due to my body relying on stronger muscles because the ones necessary to complete the movement properly weren't doing their job.

I wasn't immobile at all, I was just really fucking weak.

Since then I have cut my stretching and mobility work by at least 80%, and increased my accessory work about the same. I've never been healthier as a lifter, and I've never been more confident in my positions.

"Learn how to train"

Working out, training, lifting, catching a pump.

There are many different names for what we do in the gym. Training is the one I use frequently, and frankly something I felt pretty comfortable doing. I could go into the gym, push myself, feel tired, come home, eat, rest, and get ready for the next session.

Boy was I wrong.

Training under Jon's "Bulgarian-ish" system brings a whole new meaning to the word "train". It's no longer a couple hours of snatches, clean and jerks, squats and some RDLs. Each workout requires unparalleled focus and effort. Something he had to beat into my head over the course of months. He has completely changed the way I approach my training, and my mentality in the gym.

For instance:

I no longer take long rests between sets. Snatches average 45-60 seconds between sets, clean and jerks average about 60-90 seconds. I used to take anywhere from two to five minutes between sets. Shortening my rests has helped me stay in rhythm during training. It took some getting used to at first, I had a lot of misses due to fatigue in the first few weeks, but slowly I have adapted to the faster paced training and can now get to about 90% of each lift in 7 minutes, when doing singles.

I am not allowed to walk around between sets. I used to pace back and forth in the gym between sets, kind of an anxious habit. This led to a lot of "Russell, where the fuck are you going?" and "Every time I look up you're on the other side of the gym walking around, sit down." Sitting and staying near the bar between sets has helped my focus tremendously. I was using my pacing as a way to start a conversation or check my phone, ways to mentally escape the workout.

My preparation has changed drastically. My pre gym ritual used to be nothing more than blasting some music in the car and chugging a Rockstar. Now it starts hours before the gym. Thinking about what I'm eating, making sure I'm rested, making sure I'm in the right mental state. Going over my goals for the session in my head.

I have learned to embrace the atmosphere no matter what it is. To me, atmosphere used to be loud music and yelling. But I have since learned to channel intensity in any form. Sometimes it's loud house music. Sometimes it's a joyful atmosphere with a lot of joking a shit talking. Sometimes it's silence. Some of the most intense lifts I've seen and done over the past few months have been in complete silence, no music, no talking.

Overall I realized that I had no idea how to train, and I had to learn. I had to learn how to train like a professional, I had to learn every training session was the most important session I've ever done.

"Push a tired body"

You ever have those days where within ten seconds of waking up you know it's gonna be a rough one? The kind of day where the flight of stairs to your apartment seem like their own workout, and bending over to pick something up off the ground makes you feel like an old man.

I've been having a lot of those lately. Actually, I would say more of my days are like that than aren't. In the past those days would mean I was gonna have a "light day". Go in, stretch, half ass my workout, and justify it to myself because I wanted to be "fresh for tomorrow". Well recently reality has slapped me in the face, and I am now understanding how important it is to push myself on those days.

Jon recently told me that my new motto is "push a tired body". I remember coming into the gym one day feeling completely torn up and telling him that I felt like crap and probably wasn't gonna perform very well. I'll never forget the look he gave me, it was a mix of "I want to smack you into next week" and... well actually it was just that look. One thing I knew about Jon is that he had an insane work ethic, from listening to podcasts and watching his old videos there is no doubt that he knows how to push himself. Something I thought I knew how to do as well. I did not.

The expectation is not for me to perform well on days that I'm beat up, the expectation is for me to perform at an extremely high level, if not better than when I'm fresh. It's all in the mindset. Tired, sore, aches, pains, it doesn't matter. The benefits to pushing myself through shitty days aren't only shown physically with my lifts, but mentally as well. If you can wake up and not want to move, and then get to the gym and hit 95% of your best total, you will never be hesitant in a workout again.

My objective every day in the gym has clearly been stated to me. Push.

"Once you think you know everything, you know nothing"

Ego drives the fitness industry. If you’re not ready to stomp your feet and make a bold claim about the right/wrong way to do something, you’re gonna have a tough time making a name for yourself. The idea of “all knowing” is something that's extremely sought after for trainers. Being able to say “I’ve read it all, I know it all, I can teach everything”. The problem with that is once you think you’ve got there, you might as well not know anything.

As a coach, trainer, athlete, gym owner, or anyone in the fitness industry period, you should look at ever single situation as a learning opportunity. I’ve preached this since I started becoming a coach, and I will preach it all through my career. I don’t care if you’re a world record lifter or someone just picking up a barbell, every time you walk into a gym you should be there to learn, to get better.

As a coach I’ve learned from some of the best in the business. I’ve also learned from curl bros, old gym rats, weekend bodybuilders, and so on. Everyone has a story, everyone has a specialty, and everyone can improve your knowledge in some way if you let them. Don’t write anyone off just because they don’t do what you do, or teach how you teach.

This is something I have been struggling with lately. I work part time at a commercial gym that, to be honest, I consider under my level of expertise. I work with a bunch of ACE and NASM fad trainers. People who think the Paleo diet is for bulking and the bench press is part of Olympic Weightlifting. I watch people read magazines on treadmills and do hundreds of crunches in between prehab exercises thinking their using muscle confusion to improve their body. During the first few weeks I nicknamed myself Mr. Overqualified, because everything I saw around me was so elementary. I blew minds with my talk of movement patters and strength training. I pissed off my coworkers when I squatted below parallel and had my clients deadlift.

I had all but written off my coworkers after seeing one of them have an elderly man squat on a bosu ball. He fell down, and she obviously had no idea what she was doing, or what to do after that. She’s been a trainer for over 10 years. It disgusted me, it put a bad taste in my mouth, it made me hate everything about mainstream fitness all over again.

Then I stopped learning.

For a couple weeks I was done. I walked into the gym scoffing at all the trainers and members. Laughing in peoples faces when they ask me what the best “legs” exercises is. “Just squat, it’s not rocket science” I would spout as a strutted off completely sure I just cemented myself as the biggest ass hole in the gym. And slowly I got to a place where I never wanted to be. I was “that guy”. The guy who knows more than you, and doesn’t give you the time of day to explain or hear you out.

It lasted all of 10 days, but it was a rough 10 days. Finally I discovered what I was doing and stopped the spiral. I sat down with a fellow trainer who is working to become a physical therapist and we swapped stories and methodologies and my faith in the fitness community was restored.

I guess this article is more of a reminder to myself to shut the fuck up, put my head down, and push to better myself in every way possible.

"One more kilo"

If you walk up to the bar thinking you won’t make the lift, you might as well not even chalk up. You lost. Go home.

Mentality is something I’ve struggled with a lot in all aspects of my lifting, I get in my own head easily and start thinking about faliure, or worrying about the next lift instead of what’s on the bar.

Something Jon has helped me a lot with is expecting to succeed. There is a huge difference between the mindset I’m used to lifting with, and how he wants me to lift.
A good example would be Ilya Ilin. When Ilya walks up to a world record attempt, he’s smiling. He’s confident. He’s made the lift already, in his head he’s already on the podium. Lu is the same way. No fear, no over thinking. Just clear and confident.

Expecting to succeed does two things. Number one it let’s you lift with cinfidence, which is everything. But it also helps when you fail. What happens when you fail something you expected to succeed in? You get a bit upset. You get mad. That’s mine, I know I can get it, I deserve it, I shouldn’t miss.

Take things personally. When the bar beats you don’t say “aw I’ll get it next time”, say “fuck you bar, imma keep coming”. First you clark it, then a week later you get under it but can’t stand, then you stand up but can’t jerk it, then you lock it out over head but can’t gather your feet. Finally you make it, as expected.

One more kilo.

"Get your ass under the bar"

Pull higher, probably the most horrendous cue in weightlifting. The idea that all you have to do is pull higher and you’ll make the lift is like telling someone at the bottom of a squat to “stand up”.

Pull through. Pull back. Pull under. Don’t pull higher. Pull yourself into position, pull the bar back behind your head. The second that bar makes contact with your body it’s up to you to put yourself and the bar in proper position.

Don’t just pull the bar up, and hope to get under it. No “pull and pray”. Always connected to the bar, never free falling.All you should hear is two thuds. The bar making contact and then your feet landing. BLAP BLAP.

Back, back, through. And fucking get under it.

"Every kilo counts"

"Every Kilo Counts": A quote from Paul Doherty of Hassle Free Barbell Club. An idea that Jon has beaten into my head pretty much since the day I met him. I say it a lot, “every kilo counts” or “one more kilo”. You should go into training with the goal of beating whatever you did last time by 1kg.

Max power snatch? Beat it by 1 kilo. Triples from the hang? Beat your best by 1 kilo. Keep your jumps true, why try to PR by 5kg if you haven’t even attempted a PR by 1kg? 1 kilo becomes 2, becomes 3, becomes 5, becomes 10, becomes the American Open, becomes Nationals, becomes the podium, becomes a gold medal. Always add 1 more kilo, because every kilo counts.

This video is awesome because it’s not important. It’s one day of training. A day with fauliurs, a day with assistance PRs, a normal day of training that shows there is no normal day. Every day is THE day.

"Snatch... from the low hang"

My least favorite drill in weightlifting. When I hear a coach say that we will be snatching form the low hang my stomach churns and my back tightens. I fall forward, I don't stay over the bar long enough, I don't push enough back in the catch. What should be a fluid and powerful movement turns into an awkward shit storm of jerky hesitation.

I am not a strong weightlifter, I am not a fast weightlifter, but I will be the best weightlifter.

I will be using this blog to document my journey through the ranks of USAW and the AWF. I will try to provide multiple updates weekly on my training and how I am progressing. This blog is mostly for me, a way to track what I've done and how it impacts my lifts, but if you'd like to read along, feel free.

Now I'm gonna put my shoes on and go hit some reps from the low hang.

American Open 2015.