On Perseverance
by Mike Hom and Justin
There’s something to be said about perseverance.
The constraints of the universe will dictate what happens to a person, yet it takes a ballsy person to give the universe a big middle finger.
The psychological, emotional, and physiological commitment to excellence during training carries over to everything in life: how you compete, how you fight, and how you carry yourself. Perseverance is holding steady to your conviction and telling yourself that you will continue no matter the obstacles, no matter what the universe wants to say.
A good friend often reminds me, “You can hope, or you can know,” pretty much every day we train together. It’s rather profound when you approach the bar and ask yourself, “Do I hope, or do I know I will make this lift?” Shit, you better be answering that question with one answer only: “I fucking know.”
I don’t want to get too Tony Robbins here, but I’ve said it before: 70’s Big is an attitude. We joke about 70’s Big being about 200+ lbs. or having a majestic beard that Paul Bunyan would be proud of. But let’s face it, a lot of the readers on this site are just about getting stronger and using the right resources to achieve their goals. Body weight isn’t as important as what manifests inside and outside. Now, if you’re 6’5″ and weighing in at 185 lbs., you need to grab some milk, a barbell, and go to work. But in all reality, it’s about telling yourself that you’re going to be better than you are now. It’s about telling yourself that being “good enough” is the same as “I’m okay with being mediocre.”
There will be a defining moment in training (or life) where the universe tries to spit in your face. Will you accept the defeat and walk away?
Nah, you’re gonna say, “Fuck that,” and spit right back.
Jacob killing shit.
Great freakin post
Awesome post. Love the ‘I fucking know.’
I love it when you guys get all emotional.
SCREW THE UNIVERSE
Great post.
“Nah, you’re gonna say, “Fuck that,” and spit right back.”
Just like Tsypkin did on that 225 press. In fact, that video should be uploaded.
It will be. I had minor technical difficulties with slightly updating the post and consequently wordpress won’t render my html code correctly. Justin should be updating it sometime this morning. -Mike
Apparently Mike is a fail at programming. It’s back up.
–Justin
Justin,
I just had my first oly competition this weekend. It was a fucking blast.
Now I want to run your program you outlined in the post “Getting into weightlifting”
http://www.70sbig.com/blog/2010/02/getting-into-weightlifting-part-3/
Because I need to get stronger.
However, I am wondering what would be the best way to implement techinque/assistance work. For instance, something like snatches from the hang. What would be the best way to implement something like that into your program?
You just said your limiting factor is strength and you want to work on technique?
–Justin
Great post, guys. Really motivating.
I know the whole weight thing gets tossed around her alot and i try to stick to my guns and lift heavy and hard and eat. But sometimes, adversity strikes back. For example, this past weekend a future brother in law is constantly busting my balls. Calling me fat, not cut at all and that being strong is pointless if you dont look good. Where i took some of that to heart, i will still continue to lift heavy, eat manly and rock the 70s big attitude.
you guys are the best…solid post
@ Mike
Great stuff fella, that vid was 100% 70’s big.
Awesome. I sometimes need to be reminded of this. First Oly meet is this Saturday and my coach has some ambitious (for me) numbers set out. I know I am capable but it makes me nervous. Just gotta fucking know it and spit in the universe’s face, right?
@Kpoff, Justin
it is possible to work on olympic lift technique while also getting stronger. They go hand in hand: you must be strong enough to hold position or you miss the lift.
Kpoff, for strength building, the russian models suggest 2-3 reps in the olympic lifts, and 3-5 reps in the supportive exercises (squat, pull, press, etc).
I realize, but if a dude is squatting under 300 pounds for example, he doesn’t need anything other than snatch, clean and jerk, and squats (with presses and deadlifts). Getting fancy extra technique shit is irrelevant. His technique work should come from doing the lifts.
drop snatches, snatch from hip, and clean from thigh will help to develop speed under the bar.
lifts from below the knee (both hang and from blocks) will help to strengthen your back for the most taxing position in the lift, and carries over well to building strength for the full lift.
pulls from the floor, and below knee (hang and/or blocks) will help with strength and overloading. combinations of pull + lift (from floor, hang, or blocks) are also very good.
percentage for these lifts will be 70-85%, 2-3 reps.
RDL’s are also great, both as a rehab and hamstring exercise. 70-80% of clean, 5reps is a good starting point. These can be done at the end of every training session.
Again, if someone is particularly weak, I’d rather see them get strong while doing the lifts instead of doing a bunch of other unnecessary advanced stuff (depending on the person).
–Justin
I would say my limiting factor is both actually. For instance, I can power snatch more than I can snatch. Which I think is a flaw in my technique wouldn’t you say?
I am not talking crazy amounts of technique work. The fellow whom coached me on Saturday recomended I do some snatches from the hang. Which is why I gave that as a for instance. He seemed to think I was capable of snatching 120 kg if I got my technique straightened out. However, I still feel like I need to get stronger as well and have never done a linear progression. Sorry, I should have clarified.
HAAA Fuck That! Fuck all you assholes!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_dWKAfZvI8
Holy Shit that strict press was awesome! And great post too, had one of those days myself yesterday, I had missed 397lbs (180kg) squat 2 times in a row, but when my training partner, whom I had not seen for weeks, suddenly showed up and made the lift himself. I said fuck that shit, no way he’s getting away with that, stepped up to the bar and killed the squat.
I woke up this morning and mudstomped a hole through the universe’s stomach.
Great post today. A 225 press is no joke.
So, today I worked on my cleans. Since my first warm up I focused on front squatting the weight down. It made a HUGE difference. I thought I put 210 on the bar, but it was 215 – a 15lb PR after one session of actively thinking “ride the weight down”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMglgSRUJcg
Thanks again for the advice everybody. Now I just need to tighten up a little better..
Great post.
Kind of off topic, but I haven’t seen any 70s Big threads about this subject, ‘Cutting weight’. Not in the body building sense, but for a competition.
I have a fairly important strongman comp in exactly 1 month, Washington’s Strongest Apple. I currently weigh 244 in the AM, with a healthy mid section. SM cut-off is 231 for LW/HW and I either need to drop to LW or barely be in the HW class- the difference in weight with the implements is enough to justify me watching my diet and add a little more conditioning/cardio between now and then.
I need to drop about 2-3 lbs per week and then cut water for weigh ins. Do you have any particular links so I don’t kill myself energy wise for the contest? It’s a fairly dynamic contest- no pressing events, just: axle deficit dead(363 LW 435 HW- again, enough for me to lose 10lbs, I will dominate), farmers for 160′ with turn at 80(LW 240, HW 280- I smoke 240 for days), Keg loads- 4 kegs, and a keg load and sled drag.
Thoughts? I cut out McDonald’s, soda, and beer. I’ve already lost about 6 pounds in the past 4 days by cutting out processed foods. I started going for light jogs in the AM to kick my HR pre food. I feel solid- meat, eggs, veggies, fats, and fruits….
and the axle deficit dead is for reps in 60 seconds, everything else is for time
fyi, i’ve fixed like the past 4 missing /em tags when the entire site has been in italics
something to think about
I doubt that I missed the tags since I preview each post multiple times before publishing. I’ll pay closer attention though.
–Justin
you also made it so the video won’t render again.
ROFL
ASIAN WAR.
@Evan Walking in the AM probably would be less catabolic than the light jogging. I’d eat leaner cuts of meat, fish, eggs and tubers with 300-350g protein/day. Keep carbs a bit higher than a powerlifter or weightlifter would while dieting.
Here’s a link:
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/making_weight.htm
This post reminds me of when I said “Fuck the little train that could on his ‘I think I can’ bullshit. Fucking KNOW you can.”
not trying to hate, but that video didn’t look like a strict press at all
It’s certainly interesting. He uses a rebound out of his thoracic spine to initiate movement which is different than what Chris and I (and I think AC) do — we lower the weight an inch for a stretch reflex in the shoulder joint on the first rep without movement in the trunk/spine. I wouldn’t call it “strict” either (I’d think about a legit military press), but a) Jacob is 5’8″ (I think?) and around 195 to 200 pounds (I think) putting 225 overhead with knees locked out and b) we’re just splitting hairs now.
–Justin
Stonerider,
I wouldn’t call my press a “strict” press either…I think of “strict” as “military” i.e. straight back, heels together. However, my knees are locked. My technique is definitely unusual, a little different than a traditional Olympic press – instead of getting the power by driving my hips back, I let my thoracic spine flex a little. It is exaggerated at maximal weights…it’s evident but less pronounced in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUjiV2z80-o
Next time I go for 225, I would like to do it with form more similar to that in the video linked above. That said, I’m happy with this lift, the weight, but moreso the circumstances.
Justin: 5’6″, and I hover from 198-203. I’m taking some time off right now, but when I’m good to go again I intend to compete in weightlifting as a 94…when I eat a lot of meat and fat and regulate my carbohydrate intake I tend to hover right at 205.
-Jacob
as 2pac would say, “picture me rollin”
Justin – you talk about lowering the weight an inch before starting your first rep on the press. Is that allowable? Would it be OKed in a CrossFit Total meet? I work pretty hard to not do that… should I start doing that to get the advantage of a stretch reflex in there?
Thanks!
Good to know I don’t have to be over 200 lbs to be 70’s Big, cuz at 5’7″ I don’t think it’d be a good look for me.
Hey now buddy, you callin’ me fat?
-Jacob
Fair enough. I thought that bouncing the bar off the chest at the beginning was sort of “cheating” like a big rebound off the chest during bench, but if that’s what works the best, then fuck it. Also, I thought I saw the knees bend in the vid on the front page, so that’s why I was really confused.
Anyway, I never really thought to try to use a stretch-reflex on the first rep… I’ll definitely have to try that. I feel like my press is severely limited by my technique, because it’s so low compared to my other lifts.
Nice lifts Jacob!
There may be some knee bend during the layback. Just not during the drive up. If you stand up with your quads contracted (knees locked) and push your hips forward you’ll see what I mean – the knees may be “locked” i.e. quadriceps in contraction but the knees still come forward as the hips go forward and torso goes back.
-Jacob
Jacob, just watched the video again. Because if I miss a lift in training today, I am totally yelling “fuck that” and then hitting it.
That was a continental press.
Pingback: Peavy’s perseverance pays off as debut dawns : Body Building Blog | Free Fitness Tips & Body Building…