A Philosophy of Strength and Health

Great post by Boris Bachman, teacher and coach, of Squat Rx fame. When we drink the kool-aid of any "one true way" and don't stop to really define our needs, it is hard to give up the ghost. Oh yeah, that ego gets in the way too. It takes aging, injury to yourself, or watching a good friend suffer and struggle with the orthopedic or neurologic consequences of years of over-training or high-level competition to really make you stop and think about what you are doing. Do your due diligence and keep the big picture in mind for yourself and the people you coach.

Norik Vardanian, son of Soviet legend Urik Vardanian , demonstrates some of the same athleticism that his father was famous for. I think Norik's best competition lifts are 155 kg snatch and 200 kg clean and jerk. He is 21 years old and trains at the OTC in Colorado Springs.

The weekend workshop with Mike Burgener was a tremendous success. I think everyone learned something new. One of the highlights of the weekend--besides Orie's outstanding lunch--was watching Kathy Weesner successfully front squat. All these super-long femurs needed were a few more degrees of ankle dorsiflexion to help the rest of the body accomplish the task. More on the weekend soon.

If the week is getting long and frustrating, take a few minutes and watch this NYTimes video of my friend Melanie and her family. It will help you regain some perspective.

Did my first 50+ mile ride today in at least 4 years. It was a beautiful morning, about 50 degrees when we started. Rode from the Valley out Wild Horse Creek, up Ossenfort then through St. Albans and back onto the newly paved (Old or New?) Tavern Rd. Then hit Fox Creek up to Six Flags and Allenton Rd into Greensfelder Park. Found our way back to Wild Horse via Rockwoods and took the flats back into the Valley. Lots of church and pumpkin traffic through the flats. Not my favorite place to be on a bike on Sunday, but we made it. The ride took a little more than 3 and 1/2 hours; max HR of 182 and avg. of 144. Sorry, no power meter data to geek out on. It is humbling to drag yourself back into shape, with any sport or activity. Slowly but surely it gets easier; but it is never easy. It is definitely more fun to have a steady wheel to follow and friends to give encouragement when the road rises steeply ahead of you. PJ and Joe didn't make it a hammerfest; for that, I'm ...

Here's the velocity data from the lifters profiled in my 10/5-6 posts. What do you think? Same weight on the bar with the same outcome: good lift--but accomplished via different styles. Sage has a max velocity of 1.48 m/s at a bar height of .76 meters. This corresponds to 1167 W max power and 18.8 W/kg. Shannon has a max velocity of 1.79 m/s at a bar height of .68 meters. This corresponds to max power of 1402 W and 22.46 W/kg.

USADA Alert for All Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool (formerly Out of Competition Testing Pool) Please be advised of the new USADA changes coming into to effect. Starting November 1, 2008, USADA will require ALL Whereabouts Filings -- formerly called Athlete Location Forms (ALFs) to be submitted via the athletes’ online account on USADA’s website at www.usada.org. Hard copies of the Whereabouts Filing will no longer be available. One of the new Whereabouts Filing requirements is the “60-minute time slot”. Athletes in the Registered Testing Pool must submit a 60-minute time slot for each day in the quarter between the times of 6 am-11pm. If the 60-minute time slot changes, athletes are responsible to make sure their Whereabouts Filings are updated. It is suggested by USADA that this time slot is routine as possible. When locating an athlete for testing, the Doping Control Officer (DCO) will make a reasonable attempt based on the information given for each day. Please be aware th...

I would give my left ovary for the opportunity to work in and supervise a high school weight room in the afternoon. Nothing irritates me more than seeing a weight room "supervisor" grading papers or working out when s/he should be supervising and teaching kids. If you are given the responsibility of supervising young people in a weight room, please do your job or get someone who will do the job.

2008 Olympian Natalie Woolfolk (63 kg) demonstrates a balanced, efficient, powerful dip and drive with 120 kg.

Great post by Joe P. on that thing called shin splints. And the truth shall set us free!

This isn't the exact lift from the previous post, but it is the first attempt for each lifter (80 kg). Both lifters are in the 63 kg weight class in this event. I hope to have the bar velocity data sometime soon. Yes, one lifter (further back on the platform) is Sage Burgener. The other lifter is Shannon Sheesley. Both women are very accomplished weightlifters. Check the comments in the previous post to see what coach Mike Burgener has to say on the topic at hand.

What are the similarities and differences between these two athletes, as each transitions into and out of the second pull?

"So, are you just killing that big kid?" Grin. Hehehe.... Someone asked me that the other day, as PB&J was getting ready to train. I am not the dominatrix type; nor do I just prescribe exercise for punishment. I don't derive any pleasure from making people suffer. I do find it gratifying to help people succeed, whether it is getting that first good push up or making a college team. I motivate people to work hard and do things correctly because I earn their trust and I get them to invest in themselves; on a physical and intellectual level. I let them know why we are doing what we are doing, and how it will impact their performance goals. I document daily/weekly successes and give them positive feedback. They start to get it. I don't have to intimidate or call anyone derogatory names to get them to work hard. I don't yell. Mindless masochists need not apply for my assistance.