What is mobility?
Injuries, tweaks, muscle pulls, and slight irritations are a part of a strength and conditioning program. Knowing how to deal with them is beneficial, but doing all you can to prevent them — known as “prehab” — is more important. Of the three components of fitness — strength, mobility, and endurance — I lump prehab into the mobility portion. Mobility is the ability to change directions, maneuver through an environment, and react to changing demands accordingly. Relevant metrics to mobility are flexibility (ROM), balance, coordination, and agility. Range of motion concerns are most relevant to prehab, and it’s what will be the focus here.

Regardless of what you want to call it — flexibility, limberness, range of motion — improving these qualities will improve mobility, and that’s why they are often summed up as “mobility training”. The most notable contributor to this area of training is Dr. Kelly Starrett (KStar). KStar posts a video every day on his Mobility WOD that will improve flexibility, joint positioning, or postural positioning so that when you train, you aren’t exacerbating any existing problems.

This basically aims to improve the pliability of soft tissue to allow for proper positioning. Mike Hom likes to think of it as a buffer between being able to do things that will or will not injure you (he’s also going to write up a post to share more info). Having this improved “mobility” helps you do the things that you want and need to do as well as protect you against potential injurous trauma.

What Lifters Need To Do
Now that you have a basic understanding of the prehab version of mobility, I want to briefly explain what lifters need to focus on with some examples. If you are lifting hard on a regular basis, specifically if you are gaining lots of strength on a novice progression and are gaining lots of weight, you will probably run into some soft tissue problems. The problem areas include musculature in the entire hip region and the sacral/lumbar region. It makes sense as to why; the external rotators of the hip are always contracting to shove the knees out in squatting, cleaning, snatching, and deadlifting while the lower back is always contracting to maintain proper extension. These structures need to stay pliable, and they can’t if they don’t ever get stretched amongst all the contracting.

Here are some basic stretches that I think are necessary for lifters who are training hard. Note that you don’t need any special equipment to do these (foam roller, lacrosse balls, bands, etc.), yet those tools are necessary to do the more advanced stuff.
Kelly Starrett has already posted videos with the stretches, so here they are.

Low Back
At :40s Kelly talks about how the reverse hyper is an excellent tool. Then around 1:00 he shows a lumbar spinal decompression stretch. You can do the same thing by hanging from a bar, but you have to let your hips sink down by not contracting with your abdominals. There’s also another method at :50s of this video.

External Rotators of the Hips
This is a standard stretch that appears often throughout KStar’s videos. You can do it on the floor with the same principles (there’s a video for the floor version, but I couldn’t find it after searching for 2 seconds), but in this video they do it on a box. Stretch starts at :47ish, but the intro is still good.


Hip flexor
This is a standard stretch that is an important lesson for most people. The largest hip flexor is the rectus femoris, and it’s also one of the quadriceps. So it flexes the hip and extends the knee. In order to stretch this long muscle, you’ll have to do the opposite at each joints (the hip and knee are proximal and distal attachments respectively); extend the hip and flex the knee. Kelly shows you how in this video. The stretch starts at 2:17ish, but I recommend watching the beginning. You’ll see why.


There you have it: three basic stretches that are very easy to do without equipment or a partner. These could even be preparatory stretches that you do before lifting to get loosened up. I used to do a method of all three with some light foam rolling to help get loosened up, but I think most of you could use them on a daily basis. I KNOW you guys aren’t doing any mobility work, so start with these simple exercises.

Short post today. This is a video of Zach Krych, and 85kg Olympic weightlifter. This video details an incredible story where he suffered a devastating injury to his wrists. It shows his recovery and rehab process in chronological order. Zach not only recovers from his injury, but he also performs at the highest level by winning the US Senior Nationals and closes in on Kendrick Farris’ (the top American 85kg lifter) total. This is one of the most impressive videos I’ve ever seen, and this is one of the biggest comebacks in any sport. Congrats to Zach and good luck.

If you are a fan of the 70’s Big Facebook fan page, then you already saw the Meatball Deathstar by Epic Meal Time (that’s smart). This next video isn’t their most violent or intense, but it’s fucking impressive. It’s the Slaughterhouse Christmas Special:


Edit:
The chat room was last night (every Tuesday evening) and was interesting. There weren’t as many questions as week 1, and the topics got kinda weird at times (I blame this on AC). Anyway, we’ll do the next one next Tuesday.

This is a post from my pal Ben Claridad. He’s a lifter, an artist, and a coach. Check out his website; it posts art work every day with some funny comments.
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“Big Screen TV Ass” or alternatively Supersize my Legs

I want legs so big that they make babies cry, so startling that they shake the foundations of your soul and you wake up in a cold sweat, relieved that my legs aren’t in the same room as you. If I were to travel by airplane, my ticket would read: row 34, seat A and D. Those wishing to cross the isle to gain access to the bathroom would have to pay my left leg a toll. My right leg will be busy counting the money collected and using it to buy no less than 10 airplane meals and something to read during the 2 hour layover. But before this becomes a reality, some background information is in order.

I’ve been competing on Olympic weightlifting for about 6 years now. My most recent trip to the American Open resulted in me going 2 for 6, making only my openers at 135 and 160. This was good enough for a 4th place finish and a celebratory meal at a mostly empty Japanese Steakhouse with the rest of my crew from Hassle Free BBC. In my experience, a lot of weightlifting is problem solving. And it was during this meal that I decided what my main problems are, the most glaring being my relatively weak squat PRs (F. squat 200/B. squat 230). I’ve also decided that (at least for the time being) I really don’t care about how I place at competitions. I’d rather walk around at comfortable 110-112 kilos and be looking for a 340-350 total instead of having to cut to 105 kilos and be looking for the 310-315 total. Am I saying that by simply being a heavier lifter, I’ll be guaranteed to achieve my goal of a 340 total? Not at all, but it couldn’t hurt to try. So for the time being, I’m going to implement a new strategy: get fucking huge.

Last night at the gym, I measured my thigh and ass circumferences (no homo). This ultimately ended up in a large group of lifters, rugby and football players taking amusement in the ridiculousness of what I was doing, and did the same (yes homo). The middle of my thigh measured 27 inches around and my ass (measured by wrapping the measuring tape around the waist and then sliding it down until you reach the plumpest point of your ass) measured 44 inches. Impressive when compared to the untrained individual? Sure. But when compared to guys who can Clean 2 hundo, my lower half just doesn’t cut it. Essentially what I’m looking for is somewhere between 30-32 inches for my thigh and for my ass: as close to 50 inches as I can get (people buy big screen TVs that big).

Taking measurements is very scientific. But good science needs solid data, so for the next 8 weeks (depending on when I start) I’m going to write down everything I do. This has the added benefit of A) keeping me accountable, B) forcing me to organize and implement a proper program, and C) allowing me to troubleshoot for what works for me and what doesn’t.

Here’s a video of me in the best shape of my life (with my Conan hair). Hopefully be the same time next year, I’ll be bigger, stronger, and faster than ever. (Note: the 1st snatch is actually 140, which at the time was a 3kg PR).

Tom is a belligerent Australian bloke and he sent me an e-mail with info on Jonah Lomu a while ago. This is his story.
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G’day Justin,

Seeing as though you’ve had rugby players on the blog twice now, I figured I might add another suggestion.

The subject of the post today is Jonah Lomu. He played for the All-Blacks from 1994 to 2002 and in that time managed to change the face of Rugby Union. He came to prominence in the 1995 World Cup where over five matches he managed to score seven tries, including 4 against England. He became the sports first superstar and in the time that he played was the most fearsome player on the field. He generally played as a Winger (a position reserved for the fastest, most agile players) and did this at 6’5 and 275lbs. This is the equivalent of a linebacker playing as a running back. He scored more tries in the World Cup than any other player and did I mention he did all this after being diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome in 1995? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephrotic_syndrome).

Here’s a few clips you might enjoy. Some are big hits, some are incredible runs/footwork and then there’s a few Maori Sidesteps (which involves pretty much running straight over a bloke haha).

Jonah could stop players:


But players couldn’t stop Jonah:

A particularly big tackle, Jonah looks like he’s pouncing on prey in this clip.

I see Jonah as being 70s big for a number of reasons. Firstly, the bloke was 6’5 and 275lbs… This is not little. He carried this bulk and strength while remaining fast and conditioned as hell. He dominated in his chosen sport and endured through a debilitating illness. Big, strong, bad, and tough. 70’s Big.

PR Friday

List your PR’s, musings, and contributions to the comments.

How To Press Your Girlfriend…and other pressable beings

Many readers stop me on the streets (because I’m just always walking on the streets…and these streets are all full of people that not only recognize me, but they also come up to me and talk to me in wonder) and say, “How do you do it? You press girls overhead like fine wine.” And I get confused and say, “That doesn’t really make any sense.” In any case, I’m kind of an expert. Why? Well, last I checked, I’m the only one here who has pressed an Olympian:

In any case, this is a simple step-by-step guide to pressing your girlfriend overhead. First, you need to size your girlfriend up…without her knowing. If you attempt to press her and fail, this makes you an asshole. Not only are you a blatant weakling, but you make her look like a behemoth. She will be nothing if not pissed.

I want to take this opportunity to point out that “pressing your girlfriend” means lifting her from under her armpits; not this silly overhead squatting shit. If you put your girlfriend overhead and squat her, that means that you guys had to discuss the plans, and then execute. If you’re still looking for the right person, give dating apps a shot. Planning is the opposite of spontaneity, and you aren’t going to impress anyone — her or me — by planning it out like a loser.

Now, if you’re still single and working on your one-rep max in the dating arena, there’s no shame in branching out beyond the usual apps. Maybe you’re tired of bios that read like copy-paste résumés, or photos where the dog clearly has more personality than the person. Sometimes, what you need isn’t another swipe—it’s a different approach altogether. This is where niche platforms come into play, especially those tailored to individual interests and aesthetics.

Enter sites like Subsee​ker, a search engine for OnlyFans that lets you explore content creators by type, style, and vibe. But here’s the thing—not everyone goes there for adult content. Some are drawn to the artistry, the individuality, or the kind of bold self-expression that traditional dating apps just can’t deliver. If that sounds like your scene, read more about how these platforms are redefining connection in the digital age. It’s not dating in the conventional sense, but it is human—and surprisingly refreshing. Click here if you’re looking for tiktok girls on onlyfans.

Still, if your dream date involves less screen time and more spontaneous pressing-by-the-armpits, you’re not out of luck. Real chemistry doesn’t need choreography. Whether you meet someone through an algorithm, a DM, or a chance encounter while loading gym plates, the important part is keeping it real—and not rehearsed.

After sizing your lady up, you’ll have to determine if you can do a solid press, of if you’ll need to add in a little dip-drive. The dip-drive has a push-press element that can help you get out of the bottom position; this is necessary if A) she actually is a behemoth, B) you are weak, C) you are foreign to pressing women, or D) when you touch a women, you get a funny feeling in your pants and forget how to press.

In the video above, you can see that Eva is short. This means I had to initiate the press with a curl to get her in a proper press position. Remember that pressing mechanics will be most efficient if the load is over the glenoid (the shoulder joint), so getting your load over that point as quick as possible will make the press easier. The easier the press, the less likely you are to look like a poon. If you are unable to strict curl your lady (and unable to just get stronger before the next attempt), then perform a quick dip drive to initiate the movement. Regardless of how you initiate the movement — stict curl or dip drive — you may need to follow up with a proper lean back.

Leaning back may be necessary if you’re A) weak or B) stupid. Being weak means that you just can’t drive the lady up. Being stupid means that you leave her center of mass out in front of your shoulder joint, and thus creating a mechanical disadvantage. If you do this more than once, then inform your mate that the relationship probably won’t work out anyway, and you’re both better off not having a chance of reproducing. Leaning back to improve efficiency should be innate, but so should not getting addicted to drugs or agreeing its logical for an overly fat person to pay for more than one airplane seat — we have to account for people who ruin it for the rest of us. If you experience trouble mid press, then lean back to gain control of her center of mass.

Speaking of “center of mass”, don’t use this phrase to reference her. Implying she has mass will not go over well (even if it’s true). This is a good opportunity to point out the exceptional proximity of pressing a woman; your bodies will be in contact and her bell will be in your face at lockout. This can be a good development in your relationship unless she has an overbearing FUPA. Beware of the FUPA (or sandwiches hidden within). Hopefully you took care to account for this when you sized her up.

If you don’t succeed on your first press attempt, quickly try again without discussing it. If you talk about it you’ll just make it awkward. She’ll start getting all self conscious about her weight or her FUPA, and that’s not good for business. Simply re-arrange your grip, and power her up. If you fail, set her down, and try and explain what you were doing, then you’re like that kid toeing the dirt in an arc while he sheepishly looks to the side; a shy fucking idiot. Don’t be weird about it, just press her overhead. It really isn’t that hard. Christ, how did I write over 770 words about it already? Just put her overhead. If you’ve been lifting weights then it’s a non-issue anyway. After it’s over, she’ll think you are a king fit to rule vikings.

One last thing; don’t hold the lockout. This isn’t the time to imitate Pyyros Dimas because it’ll hurt your lady’s arm pits. Speaking of arm pits, this is the location that you would press a dog from as well. Do NOT lift a dog by their belly. It will hurt and disgruntle them. No dog should be disgruntled. I took a short break from typing this article to exhibit how to lift and press a dog without injuring them. As you can see, Leda was delighted.