Nitty Gritty

This week I wanted to focus on something that is going to lead you to success. I focus a lot of weightlifting itself, but I wanted to get a post in about mentality and how it can help make you more successful! So this weeks topic is mental mindset and its all about GRIT! Do you have it? Do you know what it truly is? Well read on and find out what it is and how you can benefit from it!  

Imagine yourself out for a jog when you are presented with a steep hill. You could turn and forgo the hill. Or you could dig deep inside yourself and find your strength and energy to tackle that monster. If you chose to charge over the hill, most likely you’ve got grit—the tenacity and stamina to put in hard work in pursuit of a goal, despite obstacles or setbacks. While talent and skills are important for getting ahead, grit is actually the biggest predictor of how successful you’ll ultimately be, according to Angela Duckworth,author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.

So… How do we develop or nurture our grit? Whatever your Grit level is currently, you can build more anytime. The following will aid in your desire to grow your grit. Or follow these 5 steps from theweek.com.

First, find something you are truly passionate about.

Do you love to run or bike? Maybe consider training for a triathlon.  For me its weightlifting... hence the blog. If your passionate about what you’re doing, your grit will intensify, and you’ll be much more likely to succeed. You can also choose a goal that gives you a sense of purpose—becoming an instructor or launching a kids benefit, for instance. This can be especially motivating, because you see the effect your work has on other people. Maybe you just lack motivation. Try reading 5 reasons your motivation may be missing.

Next, focus on what you really want.

To reach a goal, it needs to be “SMART” Specific, Measurable, Attainable (Realistic), Relevant,Time Bound as well as challenging enough that you have to work toward it. For example, if your goal is to “become better at weight lifting," aim for something precise like ‘I want to lift my body weight in the Clean and Jerk.” 

Ensure you surround yourself with gritty people.

“We spontaneously model the behaviors of those around us,” Duckworth says. “When you join a team, you gravitate to its culture.” If you want to become a weightlifter but have a hard time getting in the gym and pushing yourself, find a group that meets every day to crush weights with. The members’ motivation and work ethic will rub off on you.

ALWAYS... Allow AND expect yourself to fail.

Failure sends most people’s confidence and morale plummeting. However, the thing about truly gritty people: they aren’t discouraged when they come up short. Its the opposite, they’re not only undaunted by adversity, but they are also fueled by it. OK, so how can you learn to embrace failure? Keep telling yourself that ability is not a fixed quantity. Anders Ericsson, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Florida State University and a coauthor of Peak: Secrets From the New Science of Expertise says, “with practice and dedication, you can evolve and eventually become excellent at doing something you once found difficult.” 

Try to view setbacks as opportunities.

“Gritty people appreciate the work they put in on the way to reaching a goal, not just attaining the milestone itself,” says sport psychologist Gloria Petruzzelli, Ph.D. “For them, setbacks become chances to learn something and are simply part of the process of mastering a skill.” To help cultivate grit when things go wrong, ask yourself, “What am I learning about myself in this moment?” and “How can I use this situation to shape myself for the better?”

Lastly... become determined to never give up.

If you’re inclined to blow off soccer practice after a hectic day at work, remind yourself that you’re the kind of person who honors commitment! Or if you’re tempted to end your long-term goal of lifting your body weight in the clean and jerk, tell yourself, “I will not quit, I cannot quit, period,” Petruzzelli advises. “Thinking of yourself as a gritty powerhouse will help you believe—and achieve.”

Need more advice in order to never give up? Review these 7 tips.

So what will you do to determine your grit? How will you ensure you will not quit? How will this advise aid you in pursuing your goal? Leave me a comment letting me know how this information has helped aid you in your pursuit of greatness!

 

Until next week... Lift it over head, slam it to the ground and repeat! Practice makes progression and progression to Gold!

"Pause"itive Gains

Being explosive is a necessity in weightlifting. The unfortunate aspect of training for Olympic Weightlifting, however, is that often the simple foundational factor of strength is forgotten. Everyone focuses on form and power (which are also a necessity), how to move quickly, open the hips explosively and move the bar overhead in a smooth motion. That’s all great, but your form isn’t going to make up for the fact that you’re a weak A$$ Biotch!

So how do we become stronger?! Strength training... duh! "But this is Olympic Weightlifting." 100% true... so lets incorporate a technique that will still build on the lifts, but make gains on, gains on, gains!

PAUSE REPS!

Pause repetitions are a tried-and-true method of building muscle and strength and should be a staple in any training program. Pause reps are the opposite of ballistic or explosive training. Rather than seeking to take advantage of speed or the elastic components of our muscles, pause reps force you to face your lifts with strength and strength alone.

Pausing during any portion of the rep ensures the elastic energy has dissipated while simultaneously breaking your momentum. When completing pause reps, there is no stored energy to take advantage of, no kinetic energy to assist in lifting the weight. When you pause, it takes pure muscle to produce the force you need. No cheating... just pure strength.

Here is a video of a pause snatch to give you an idea of how this looks for Olympic weightlifting.

Some people go overboard with the pause, stopping for a full two or three seconds between reps. There is certainly some utility to this approach, but doesn't need to be used for Olympic Weightlifting. That's more of a powerlifting technique. That being said, you only need a small pause to get the advantages pausing provides. Just long enough (Say Pause in your head... that's long enough) that you know your momentum is broken and you are starting from a halted position. If you pause between 1-2 seconds, I am telling you now... getting the weight to move again is going to suck! However, this is how you know you’re doing it right.

Utilizing a pausing phase into your lift is the cornerstone of simplicity. We know the obvious benefit (strength) it offers, but there’s another reason I particularly like pause reps: pausing forces you to lower your weight to a load you can handle, thus ensuring strength AND technique are accomplished in unison. I’m a huge advocate of simplicity in my training. Hence, my love for pause reps. Simple... straightforward... productive... and honest.

It’s easy enough to slap on some shoes and grind through a set of heavy cleans. When you have to mindfully pause at the knees without releasing any of your tension and then initiate pull entirely with pure strength, then there’s not a lot of room for interpretation. You can lift the weight or you can’t. Your technique tricks (speed/momentum) won’t help you.

If you want to get strong, take a second and learn to pause.

Pausing forces you to pay attention to your body positioning and the muscles you're activating to lift the weight. This essentially allows you to focus more on your form. Something that is not as easy at full speed.

One of my favorite ways to use pause rep is during my warm-up while using lighter weights, often just the bar. My reason is that it sets the tone for my entire workout. Instead of thinking about everything else going on in my head (upright back, hips move in unison with knees, lats pulling in the bar), I can focus and zero in on my positioning and mind muscle connection.

Another way I use pause reps is within my prescribed workout. This to me is the simplest way to ensure I build some strength, but also work on technique and positioning. On days that are prescribed around 50-65%, I will use pause reps in the clean, jerk, snatch, squat, deadlift etc. I specifically use pause reps at this time as I am using lower weights (we stated that is a must in the text earlier), as well as, the purpose within a training program to work at weights within these percentages is to focus on technique and positioning. I can accomplish strength gains as well if I incorporate pause reps here.


The pauses can also give you a chance to see if you're performing some common mistakes within your lifts, such as having your knees collapse inward or coming too far forward onto your toes.When you slow down the movement and use the pause to stop momentum, you will occasionally witness the imbalances within your snatch, squat, clean etc. and be able to better structure your workouts to work on the weaknesses.

So do you want gains?

Implement Pause Reps in your training and see your strength and performance sky rocket!

Found this helpful? Want to know how to exactly implement pauses in any of the Olympic lifts? Want to hear about a specific topic? Leave a comment below or send me an email! 

Until next week...

Lift it overhead, slam it to the ground and repeat! Practice leads to progression... progression to Gold!

What's all the hype with completing a warm up?

If you are new to Olympic weightlifting (or just working out/training/lifting) then you probably have not clue if you should or shouldn't complete a warm up or which kind if you so choose to complete a warm up. If you rummage through the internet you will find in general three mind sets when it comes to warm ups.

First belief - Mark Rippetoe: Strength and condition specialist and author of Starting Strength states. "No jumping around in the floor, no 100 air squats, no goofy walking, no stretching other than assuming the bottom position a couple of times. Just get warm under the bar, add weight, and squat." He continues, "There is no evidence, in either The Literature or in the objectively evaluated experience of coaches or lifters, that 30 minutes of stretching before a barbell workout is anything other than a detrimental waste of time." In his mind, you would be warm once you put on your pants and get to the gym. No need for stretching or a traditional warm up as it takes away from power output.

Second belief - Mayo Clinic/Most professionals: A warm-up gradually revs up your cardiovascular system by raising your body temperature and increasing blood flow to your muscles. Warming up may also help reduce muscle soreness and lessen your risk of injury. This brief, but specified warm up is built in to the workout to prepare for lifting, bending and repeat use of the muscles and mechanics of the body to prevent injury and increase performance.

Last belief - Crossfit/Olympic Weightlifting: The belief behind these warm ups is to get your body moving/temperature raised, heart rate up, stretch to create "mobility" or flexibility and prepare for a rigorous workout. Typically you will see these athletes utilizing a lacrosse ball or foam rollers to self massage/release myofascial tissue (muscle connective tissue). According to Performbetter.com, athletes "use the roller to apply pressure to sensitive areas in their muscles-sometimes called trigger points, knots, or areas of increased muscle density." Also, the site states, "One would usually use a foam roller to apply longer more sweeping strokes to the long muscle groups like the calves, adductors, and quadriceps, and small directed force to areas like the TFL, hip rotators, and glute medius." The idea according to aaptive magazine is that by foam rolling, you can increase blood flow to the tissues and improve mobility, which aids in recovery and performance. It helps to reduce tightness in muscles so that they can move through a range of motion with ease.

So which should you believe and practice?

You probably think because I am blogging about Olympic lifting and I was so extensive on that one, it is my belief. Well, truthfully I like to incorporate all three to some degree. In my opinion, each have their perspective pros and cons... thus incorporating all of them. But I am not here to discuss all that. What I am going to go over is what I personally do as a certified personal trainer and person with a degree in Health and Human Performance. 

As a general, rule a warm up is just that... getting the body temp up and blood flowing. So the very first thing I do (and some will contest/disagree with part or all of this) is complete 2-3 minutes of exercise for one of the following:
          Brisk walk/slow jog
          Light rowing
          Jumping jacks
          Jump rope
          Elliptical
Once I complete the 2-3 minute exercise I will begin with a dynamic warm up (actively moving through the positions/stretches) of leg swings, arm swings, arm circles, trunk rotations, knee/ankle rotations and hip extension/flexion/rotation.

Next, I go into a very brief static stretch (5 second hold) for each muscle group beginning at the ankles and moving upward all the way to my neck. If I feel extra tightness in my ankles, wrists, triceps, hips or shoulders I will hold up to 15 seconds, but no longer. I am not going to be able to extend my mobility or create a greater range of flexion with these holds. That will take weeks or months to improve. However, I do want to work on getting into position, create a mind muscle connection and decrease the pain reception prior to working out.

After completing these dynamic stretches followed by static stretches, I will then move on to the PVC previously recommended in the blog titled "Equipment recommended?!?" or a barbell. At this point I complete 5 reps of each: hang snatch high pulls, Snatch Grip behind neck OH press, Good morning squats, "shitty squats", Snatch Grip OH Squat, clean grip shrugs, clean shrug to front rack, front squat, split jerk, power jerk and then finally close grip (as close as you can perform comfortably) OH squat.

After completing all of this (I know... time consuming, but very integral) I begin actual lifts with clean pulls, snatch pulls, drop snatch, hang snatch, hang cleans or full cleans (depends on prescribed exercises) with the barbell moving up in weight every three good lifts until I reach working weight (weight prescribed in plans for that day). And -NOW- you are ready for the true workout!

To get a good idea of what a traditional warm up looks like, take a look at this warm up for Olympic Weightlifting video. Or if I get enough comments or inquiry, I will put a video together and post it for you to see first hand my exact warm up.

I hope this helps get you physically and mentally ready to lift as well as prevent injuries. If you have questions such as what exercises to incorporate into the dynamic stretches, what static stretches to implement, weight to use etc., please leave a comment and I will address it ASAP!

Until next week... lift it overhead, slam it to the ground and repeat! Practice leads to progression... progression to Gold!

Get to work!

Since I have covered the overview of the main lifts, and what equipment is necessary to train... I think it's only necessary we begin to look at the training programs as well as how to decipher what the F@#k its saying.

I would highly recommend starting off with a FREE pre-made program if you are new. If you are really uncertain as to whether or not you will stick to Olympic lifting, maybe try this 8 week program by Elitefitcross. I will warn you however, since it is only 8 weeks long, it is a bit more demanding. If you have previous lifting experience and your are confident in your strength, this may be for you! However, if you are a little shaky, or you know you will stick to a program for the long haul, I highly recommend the 12 week program laid out by elitefitcross. This program is a bit slower pace with less demand on the body. Yet it will give you great confidence in the end and you will see your personal bests (PB) go up guaranteed!

Last item concerning programming, if you have previous lifting experience, are a personal trainer or have a friend who knows the ins and outs of the training principles, look at this page by TrainHeroic to create your own program.

NOW... to get down to business and decipher the codes written within these programs.

Most lifting programs are based off your single, heaviest lift one time noted as 1RM. When you view a program it will state something like:

Squat @ 80% 3x2.

This essentially means, if your squat 1RM is 100 pounds, you would Squat 80 pounds. If you were to say squat 300 pounds as your 1RM, you would essentially need to squat in this scenario 240 pounds. To find this number easily, input in your calculator your 1rm x.8 (100 x 0.8 = 80) and its that simple. Math made easy right?! Now to the remainder of that statement... the 3x2 section. This is telling you in the first number the amount of reps (times you complete that exercise without stopping) and then the amount of sets (number of times you complete the reps with breaks in between) in the second portion. So it kind of reads like this: Exercise (squat) at weight (80 pounds) - reps (3) for number of sets (2). So you would complete a set of squats with a weight of 80 pounds for 3 reps, rest and complete a second set of squats a 80 pounds for 3 reps to complete the prescribed workout scheme.

To further complicate the equation you will sometimes see a workout prescribed such as this:

Power Clean + Front Squat + Push Jerk @ 80%  (1+1+1) x 5

This is telling you to: Power clean the weight once, go directly into a front squat once, then complete a push jerk once to complete a single rep. Thats the (1+1+1) summation. then you will complete that sequence 5 times according to the statement/prescribed workout.

One last thing I want to throw out there because lets face it... it is Olympic weightlifting and the sport is enjoyed in more areas of the world than the US. Sometimes you may come across a program that has the actual weight involved instead of the percentage of your 1RM. Keep in mind it may be in kilograms. To easily convert kilograms to pounds you use a simple equation utilizing a factor of (2.2). To keep it simple, I will show what 100kg converts to and then back. (100kg x Factor of 2.2 = 220 pounds) So 220 pounds equals 100 kg (roughly). To convert the other way, just devide by the factor of (2.2). So 220 pounds / 2.2 = 100 kg. Lets give it a try with harder numbers. Lets take 300 pounds. 300 / 2.2 =136 kg or 115 kg x 2.2 = 253 pounds.

I hope all this is making sense. I know if you are new to this, it can be daunting. My recommendation is to work with someone who is a gym goer already. They don't need to be Mr Olympia or a world record holder to get you going. Just someone who has a few months in the gym and has followed a fair share of workouts.

Now its time to test your 1RM in the Squat, Deadlift, Over-Head Press, Push-Press, Snatch and Clean+Jerk to determine your program requirements. Remember a 1RM is not how much you can grind out while throwing caution to the wind. It is the 1RM you can safely and effectively lift without injury or S#!t form. For more references on how to properly perform these lifts, I would peruse Youtube as they have thousands of videos that will guide you to proper lifting techniques!

Have questions as to how to start after reading this? Not sure about the math when inputting a specified weight? Send me a msg or comment below. No worries, I will get back to you! And as always... stay safe, but crush your goals!

Equipment recommended?!?

Today I am going over whether or not to go to a commercial gym or build a home gym. I will give a few examples of what the pro's and con's are of both.Hopefully by the end of this, you will have a better idea as to which route fits your needs AND know what type of equipment you will need to perform the lifts!

Ensure to weigh your options before committing either way!

Commercial Gym route:

If you live in a large city or the suburbs, you most likely have access to many commercial gyms. However, most commercial gyms will have only the machine weights and some barbells with iron plates. You absolutely cannot drop iron plates! 

If you do have a gym or two locally that have bumper plates, you can always give the gym a trial and see how you like it. Some gyms are more accommodating (platforms, high temp bumpers, chalk or able to drop weights) with the Olympic lifts than others, so asks as many questions as possible before signing up for a membership. You possibly coudl be lucky enough to have an actual weightlifting gym in the area. If at all possible, try these out as they will have the equipment as well as the instructors to lead you to success at a much faster rate! Some  downsides are that you may have to wait for the platform to open, the weight to perform at your percentages may not be available or that the barbells are trashed/bent from people doing ridiculous things with them. Another glaring downside to commercial gyms are the fee's. You pay to have a monthly membership, the quarterly or semi annual dues and then any instruction fees. This can begin to get costly really fast!

Home Gym:

With a home gym you create the rules, play your music as loud as you want and have no restrictions to equipment. However you have to have the space and the finances to support such an endeavor. 

The following list is what I would consider essential garage gym equipment for Olympic lifting.

PVC Pipe 7ft in length

You should *absolutely* invest in a PVC pipe -- ESPECIALLY if you are new! This will help dial in your technique, build your muscle memory and not kill your shoulders and wrists with the weights you're not ready to handle.  

 

Barbell

You can’t just use any old barbell for Olympic weightlifting. A special Olympic lifting style barbell is what you need to have. This type of bar is important because:

• Whip (the ability to store elastic energy and create a bend without breaking). As you progress you will begin to use this to your advantage!.
• Smooth rotating sleeves. This allows the weight to rotate as the lifter rotates the bar in the pull.
• Olympic bars are purposely built to able to take repeated drops from overhead.

Here is what I recommend on the high end as well as the cheaper but still high quality. There are hundreds of bars out there if you do your research, but its ultimately the number one thing in your arsenal... make it count!

Bumper plates

As I eluded to earlier, you can’t use any plates laying around for Olympic weightlifting. Bumper plates are essential because:

• They were made to be dropped, beaten and battered! They are specifically designed to withstand the ‘abuse’ of regular drops from overhead heights! Any other types of plate (iron or polyurethane) will cause damage not only to the plates, but also your barbell and/or your floor!
• Most Bumper plates are all the same diameter. The diameter of a traditional bumper plate is based off the 25kg bumper height. Iron plates tend to all be different sizes. If you are just starting out you should not be starting with the 25kg plates, so bumper plates let you set up at the same height even when utilizing lighter plates.
• Bumper plates are also traditionally color coded for easy identification/math. RED usually is 25kg/55lbs, BLUE is 20kg or 45 lbs, YELLOW is 15kg/35lbs, GREEN are 10kg/25 lbs and black are kind of the step children of the bunch rounding out 2.5kg/5lbs, 5kg/10lbs and sometimes even 7kg/15lbs.

Here again are high end and cheaper sets.

Flooring

This is very important aspect to consider for your home gym. First, you have to decide what sort of ‘platform’ you want. You don’t need to have an actual platform. But I personally love having a designated area for those lifts! Consistency is key as you will find out with lifting in the months to come! I do however, have my lifting area/garage gym covered in horse stall mats. Underneath my platform, I have continued the horse stall matting as well to prevent further damage to the concrete. It also lessens the abuse on the bar and weights as well as keeps things a bit more quiet when dropping those weights. Using horse matting is certainly the cheapest and in my opinion the best way to go!! You can find it at a local hardware store or a farm equipment/tractor supply type store.

Squat rack

Squatting is the building blocks of Olympic weightlifting. You will be squatting regularly in almost every program you will ever follow! For beginners, I recommend a set up like this instead of the full rack. This will help with grip width, but still give you stability and arms to catch missed/too heavy of squats to recovery when you attempt your one rep max.

There are other items you will use to perform the lifts (accessories), but as a garage set up these are the essentials!

Did I miss anything? Please comment and let me know! I will add in any great suggestions.