Bro

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I met Ben Claridad last year at the USAW Senior Nationals when we weighed in, and we became buds. Later that summer, he let AC and I stay at his house when we did a workshop in Sacramento. Since then I helped convince him to start a blog for his artwork and training, and we still are yet to edit a story that he wrote (fucking call me, bro). Ben competed in this year’s Senior Nationals in the 105+ category so that he could get some extra points for his team, Hassle Free Barbell Club (shout out to Paul Doherty again — he helped me last year at nationals and is a really great guy). Anyway, last year Ben hit 132/160 at nationals and self-described them as looking “like garbage”. This year he hit 143/167 and totaled 310kg after rehabbing from a back injury.





Nice job, Ben. He put on some extra weigh for this competition and will be dieting back down. I assume he’ll be growing his hair too? Ben’s a really good guy and trains really hard.

Now for another video from the continuing saga of Justin and Brent hanging out. A lot of you probably avoid mobility work because it’s hard and uncomfortable. Yeah, it’s a lot of both of those. Here’s the proof.



I also made a video for Saul, because his life is on its last thread.

28 thoughts on “Bro”

  3. Couch stretch against a wall like that sucks. I feel brent’s pain, as I have about as much flexiblity in that position as he does. It’s a damn good stretch though.

    @hamburgerfan Go to the MWOD website and run a search for hips, there are several videos dedicated to opening up the hips.

    Not to mention the fucking time I’ve spend trying to simplify this issue for people like him (hamburger).

    –Justin

  4. Hey Justin – I went to Nationals on Sunday. Couldn’t get out of work Saturday. I’ve got a few videos of Donny Shankle, Spencer Moorman, and Pat Mendes. I need to get them on YouTube – when I do I’ll get you links. My favorite video is Donny’s 210kg final CJ attempt. He fought hard but didn’t hit it. I talked to him afterward and he said, “It was a mighty fine dance,” in pure Donny Shankle-ness.

    Adam

  6. Hey Justin,

    Sent u an email last night UK time under subject: injury query. Please could you take a look please?

    Wana figure this annoyance out so I can enter my 1st comp.

    Stretching all the time, following our advice!

    Simon

    Simon

    I don’t have an e-mail with that subject heading nor do I have one from the e-mail that you use to sign into this site. I’ll send you one.

    –Justin

  7. Congratulations to Ben – from reading his blog I get the impression he’s pretty hard on himself, but he should be proud of that result.

    Justin, I’ve been doing the mob work you recommended for a while now and they’re great. The only problem I have with this one you’re doing here is that it feels like it stretches my quad rather than opening up the hip flexors. Is it normal to feel a stretch there, or does that suggest I’m doing them wrong?

    Thanks. Rob, Germany

    Your quads — specifically the rectus femoris IS your hip flexor. If the muscle bellies are tight, then it will pull on the tendon attachment.

    –Justin

  8. Speaking of mobility, I have been having a lot of knee pain lately. So, I went to a sports medicine doctor who was recomended to me by another weightlifter. I went to see him monday for a quck eval and he said I have some knee tracking going on and am at risk for tearing my acl and possibly some small meniscus tears. When all this occured in my right knee I am really not sure. He wants to see me twice and week for a while and perform something called the graston technique:

    http://www.yourchiropractor.net/graston-technique.htm
    This was stereotypically vague, but it’s a bunch of words saying they will break up scar tissue.

    All of this is foreign to me so and I think twice a week is a little excessive. So, I have been researching knee tracking, graston, etc. I also searched KSTARs blog to find some info about knee tracking since he is pretty good at putting things in laymans terms. I found this post to be pretty interesting:

    http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/05/episode-240365-10-min-squat-test-8-athletic-acl-injury-prevention.html

    Anyway, when I squat I have noticed that I tend to point my right foot out more than my left and point my toes out probably a little more than whats necessary since I am trying to compensate for something (not sure what). He makes a point that it is a safer and stronger position to have your knees more forwardish, rather than pointed out like I do. Does anyone have any thoughts or similar problems?

    Also, this case study pretty similar to my situation since the doctor told me I have a lot of external rotation but not much internal rotation:

    http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/05/episode-253365-knee-pain-case-study.html

    Anway, I am going back again tonight for the second time and hopefully I will have a better idea of whats going on tomorrow and figure out how to fix it. Since I don’t have enough time or money to go to a sports medicine doctor twice a week.

    “Knee tracking” is vague, but I assume he meant patellar tracking? http://www.cigna.com/healthinfo/tn7304.html

    In which case, he’s dumbing it down for you. Especially because he said you have a lot of external rotation but not much internal rotation — I assume he means the hips? You will need to have him explain everything precisely with anatomical terms and write them down so you can educate yourself after the fact.

    However, your crappy foot position on the squat is definitely going to play into patellar issues. Also his “graston technique” is the same shit as myofascial release, or just using an object or your thumb to break up scar tissue. In other words, it’s some of the same stuff Kelly talks about on a regular basis. Patellar tracking issues can also be caused by tight muscles, but if you have been training in a way that puts an imbalanced stress on the patella (which is obviously erroneous), then it isn’t a surprise that you’re having reverberating effects from that.

    If your insurance doesn’t cover him, then don’t see him twice a week because this issue will more than likely improve by a) reducing training load while you acutely work on the problem by b) working on the tendons and their subsequent muscles that attach at the knee (like tack and stretching your distal quad tendon, doing the couch stretch, rolling out your vastus lateralis, etc.), and c) improving your mechanics when you start squatting again by not having your toes out so far AND having them equal.

    Remember, Kelly doesn’t say point them straight forward, but right outside of forward (7 to 10 degrees, maybe 15?). This will be doable assuming you have the mobility to do it. If you don’t, then you need to hit these three stretches every day (possibly twice a day) at a minimum to improve the mobility.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb76hFpEZ-s

    –Justin

    Justin: unless Kelly has changed his recommendation since I saw him last (a few months ago,) he advocates for squatting with the toes between 3 and 7 degrees of external rotation.
    -Jacob

  9. Commenting as a coach and not as a lifter (because if it was as a lifter I have no right to criticize). Am I wrong in saying I noticed a bit of arm bend too soon in Ben’s snatch?

    No, and you don’t have to be all passive about it. He arm pulls a bit, and he’s always done that.

    –Justin

  11. Hey Justin, I sent you an email a few days ago about a consult. I’ve been having issues with my email so I wanted to make sure you got it. Let me know.

    I can see your e-mail here. I deleted the other comment so nobody signs you up for porn.

    –Justin

  15. anyone doing the highland games in either Minneapolis in August or quad cities, IA in Sept? never done one before. registering for both.

  16. First off thanks for your response Justin.

    “Knee tracking” is vague, but I assume he meant patellar tracking?”

    Yes, thats what I meant to say and I read a couple articles about patellar tracking disorders already, but I will read this one as well.

    “In which case, he’s dumbing it down for you. Especially because he said you have a lot of external rotation but not much internal rotation — I assume he means the hips?”

    Yes, I lack internal rotation in my hips he says and this is what is causing the patellar tracking. Tonight I plan on having him explain it to me while I write it all down. God I did a shitty job of explaining all that, sorry Justin.

    “If your insurance doesn’t cover him, then don’t see him twice a week because this issue will more than likely improve ”

    My insurance does cover him, but I am guessing its still going to be pretty expensive since he is a specialist. Either way, twice a week ontop of working 40-50 hrs is just time consuming and he isn’t that close to my house. So, I am hoping I can do some rehab myself and cut it down to seeing him once a week or so and make my knee pain go away faster.

    I have seen both of those videos and I do those stretches usually after lifting in addition to rolling with the trigger point foam roller, but he told me to cut out “the table top stretch” since my hips are already externally rotated. I think have enough mobility so adjusting my foot position shouldn’t be that hard (I just tried it with some air squats at my desk and it felt pretty good). Well see, I will report back, but as always I appreciate your advice. I have spent most of my day researching and reading about patellar tracking and mobility stuff to cure knee pains so hopefully I won’t come across as a complete retard tonight while he works on my bod.

    Thanks again,
    Kevin

    I’m not chastising you, Kevin. Sorry about that. It’s more so irritation at the PT being more clear.

    My understanding is that you consider yourself flexible right now?

    Here are some hip internal rotation things I found.
    http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/07/episode-281365-runners-legs-and-hip-extension.html
    http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/05/episode-249365-improving-hip-extension-and-internal-rotation-for-running.html

    –Justin

  17. He also said he wants me to take a great deal more fish oil then I am already taking “to get something in my joints.” He said he can get me stuff that is like 5.4 grams of omega 3s per serving.

    I am not opposed, but as it stands right now I take fist fulls of fish oil pills at a time from kirkland signature (costco’s brand), but I was never aware that they would put “something” in my joints. From what I have read omega 3s can help reduce inflammation in your joints or just inflammation in general but they don’t act as lubricants for your joints thats the role of cartilage….at least I thought.

    He’s conceptualizing for you. They are an anti-inflammatory.

    I’m more interested why he is wanting to bring the inflammation down and where is he planning on working out the scar tissue? In other words, where is your scar tissue? I assumed until now that your pain was on or a little above the patella.

    –Justin

  18. i’m feeling an interview with benny boy on the 70s big podcast. can you swing it? i think he’s pretty neat because he finds inspiration in lifting AND art. it would be interesting and entertaining to get his perspective on stuff.

    I already asked him.

    –Justin

  21. Hey Justin,

    I’m going to a Starting Strength seminar in August (@ Wichita Falls). If you get a chance, aside from having my everyday shit together, do you have any tips or anything that I wouldn’t find on the guides on the SS forums? Thanks.

    I took your e-mail out so nobody sent you porn. I assume you meant shit to do in WF? Uh, not much. There are some shitty bars. Old Town has girls with fake boobies, but the Iron Horse is pretty good; it’s owned by an awesome Irish guy who used to come in the gym. Check and see what bands they will have that weekend.

    There are four local burger places and some bbq places.
    Burgers: Ronnie’s. Gene’s. Pat’s. Scott’s. I can’t remember which ones are slightly better. Ronnie’s will have bigger burgers, but I’m pretty sure Chris and I liked Gene’s the best.
    BBQ: Stanleys (next to the gym), Branding Iron (better than Stanley’s), some other place near one of the Pioneers
    Pioneer restaurants aren’t that bad (but not super awesome, just local diner type stuff) and McBride’s steakhouse isn’t that bad.

    Other than that, it’s gonna suck.

    –Justin

  22. Justin, have you ever seen the TV show ‘Saxondale’ I know you like little Britain etc, my wife and I recently found saxondale on netflix and have been watching it, there are only two seasons (thirteen episodes).

    It seems like a show I’d have watched before I left Scotland to move here it aired just after I left.

  23. DOUCHE of the year: second sighting of this guy using paper towells as wrist wraps for his 185 lb deadlifts. In fairness I’ll disclose that he trippled up on the towells.

  24. “I’m not chastising you, Kevin. Sorry about that. It’s more so irritation at the PT being more clear.”

    No worries, I didn’t get the impression that you were and it actually upsets me as well. Being an engineer we tend to have our own language as well, but when I speak to people who aren’t engineers I try to explain things in a less techinical way or mostly just try to use different language to get the point across. I feel like he did a terrible job doing that for me.

    “My understanding is that you consider yourself flexible right now?”

    Yes, I don’t think flexibility is my problem. My squat form may be less then perfect (feet stance) and I will check those videos out, thank you.

    “He’s conceptualizing for you. They are an anti-inflammatory. ”

    I know, my point was how will they “get something in my joints.” That was basically what he said. Didn’t make any sense to me, I am going again tonight and I will try to have more information.

    Thanks again,
    Kevin

    Also, if you have videos of you lifting, I can definitively say “yeah, that form is fucked”.

    –Justin

  25. @ksik10 – Make sure you have thoroughly read EVERYTHING that you are supposed to read before the seminar. Brush up on your anatomy. If you can read “Anatomy Without a Scalpel” before you get there, DO IT. Under no circumstances should you walk into the seminar without knowing what a sarcomere is. Write down everything that is said in all of the lectures in a neat and organized way. You are going to need all of your notes for the exam. Also, use the exact teaching progressions that you are supposed to use on the platforms. Don’t start talking out your ass and telling someone what you feel or think. Shut up and use short cues.

    Seriously take some time to prepare because most people don’t pass. I think like 2 of 11 people passed at the recent Atlanta cert.

  26. @TBone-Thanks a lot. I’m really excited for the opportunity to meet some of these people, and I want to make the most of it. I guess I’m just worried that, being a bit of a beginner, I’ll be way out of my league.

  27. Found this from last year.
    http://www.70sbig.com/blog/2010/02/getting-into-weightlifting-part-3/

    Is it still used around those parts for a Novice? Is there anywhere I can read about those that trained that way as a novice? I am in a SS novice progression (7 months in) and want to do some oly lifting to prepare for a comp in November. I have had instruction in the lifts and am about to follow-up with a good coach here in Kansas City.

  28. @ksik10: You will get so much out of it! I was able to go to a seminar out here in WA state – what a treat to have Rip & his team less than 20 miles from my house. I am a beginner too – it was a bit of drinking from a fire hose during lectures, but lifting and coaching was amazing. I learned so much, it was so valuable, and even though I failed my exam (!) I don’t mind.. too much. My goal was to learn, I don’t have plans to coach/train. You’ll love it.

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