A Philosophy of Strength and Health

Danica Rue busts out a 120 jerk at the 2005 National Championships. You don't see her shrugging up, do you? But you can be damn sure her shoulders are "active." Photo by Bruce Klemens. The shoulder is a marvelous thing. Designed for maximal mobility for our bipedal, upright selves, it lacks the bony stability of the hip. Thus, it relies on active (muscle, tendon) and passive (ligament, joint capsule) structures around the joint to provide maximal stability with the overhead lifts; there is no ball/socket mechanism to rely upon. For the upper body to receive heavy overhead loads, we need to optimize the shoulder position to support not only the weight, but also put the wrist and the elbow in a strong, safe position. This is especially important in the snatch, with the wide grip. At a weightlifting meet, you'll hear coaches yell "push" or "reach" to their athletes. The athlete must aggressively resist the downward forces of gravity and barbel...

A few weeks ago, the papers and sportscasts were all abuzz with what high school football players signed where. In my world, the most important signing had nothing to do with football; it had everything to do with academic excellence, character, determination, duty, honor and country. Hats off to my friend Charles Gerber on being nominated by and accepted by the United States Military Academy at West Point. And kudos to Jill and Geoff Gerber for bringing up a terrific young man. Let the training for Beast Barracks begin!

If you don't know Steve Cotter, you should. He is a wealth of knowledge and he walks the walk. This Tea Cup Shoulder Mobility Exercise is outstanding for anyone, particularly Crossfitters and weightlifters. Sagittal plane barbell junkies need dynamic mobility work like this.

Thanks to Mike Manning and all of the people at Harbor City Crossfit in Melbourne, FL for a fantastic weekend of learning and fun.