PR Friday
Ladies, non-ladies who need to gain weight, and adult males…it is PR Friday. Surely you have achieved something great this past week. Surely you have something notable to tell us about. The good news is that we want to hear about it. Detail your triumphs, or your PR follies, in the comments of today’s post. It will be entertainment for all.
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I’d like to share a brand new website with you, 70’s Big readers. Killustrated.com is a website where you can purchase graphic products (posters, shirts, illustrations, etc.) that range from cool lifting shirts, amazing pieces of lifting art, and fantastic anatomical drawings. Whether you are outfitting your home gym, looking for new lifting t-shirts, want some funky art, or are preparing to give lectures in the realm of exercise and/or training, Killustrated is stocked for your needs.
Killustrated is run by The Killustrator is “reclusive and eccentric fellow. A moderately accomplished athlete, coach, and art school dropout, he has spent more than two decades researching and teaching anatomy & physiology in a variety of formats.” He knows his stuff, and can portray it very well artistically; a deadly combination.
One piece that I want to highlight is the Pisarenko Poster. Anatoly Pisarenko is one of our 70’s Big co-captains, and the Killustrator has brought out the drama in this classic Bruce Klemens photo of Pisarenko.
This poster is “17×22 inch hand numbered giclee print on archival quality matte media”. I don’t know what the hell that means, but the texture of this “poster” is as thick as a note card, and it has some type of finish on the ink. In other words, it is built to last and is some high quality stuff. I know, because I have one — I have #5 out of 1,000. There will only be 1,000 printings, and after that, they will NOT be reprinted, so if you want one, you better get it now.
When the Killustrator showed me the poster, I couldn’t stop staring at it. It is absolutely beautiful. I’m framing mine and will use it for training motivation.
I recently hung out with Charles when he came to the WFAC for an interview for the Starting Strength website. I was very amused by his demeanor, his wit, and his almost kid-like playfulness. He’s a successful coach and has an emphasis on training like an athlete instead of a stereotypical fitness “exerciser”. You can get a feel for his style on his website, Staley Training Systems, but this anti-exerciser approach is prevalent in the following article that he wrote.
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Cheating To Win: Why You Should Take The Path Of Least Resistance
by Charles Staley
Cheating is perhaps the most maligned and least appreciated tactic in the weight room. It’s so important in fact, that I consider cheating to be the calling card of skilled lifters.
When we examine the three primary strength sports (weightlifting, powerlifting, and strongman), it’s clear that cheating is an absolute prerequisite for success. Of the three disciplines, I’d argue that weightlifters have elevated the art of cheating to a sweet science. In fact, during the performance of the two competitive events (the snatch and clean & jerk), lifters violate almost every dearly-held notion in the personal training industry:
• During the “catch” phase of both the snatch and clean, lifters allow their knees to drift significantly in front of the toes.
• During the support phase of the snatch and the jerk, lifters aggressively lock their elbow joints against heavy loads.
• Both the snatch and clean start with what amounts to an accelerative deadlift with a heavy weight.
• In training, weightlifters rarely if ever use spotters— if they get into trouble with a lift, they simply drop the barbell on the floor.
• Both weightlifting events, as well as most of the assistance exercises they use, employ the use of maximum speed against the bar.
• Rather than use common set/rep brackets such as 3×10, 5×8, etc., weightlifters typically use many sets of 1-3 reps per set. Additionally, weightlifters avoid “failure” like Brittney avoids panties.
• Your weightlifting coach will never ask “How did that feeeel?” If your lift looked great, there’s no need to ask how it felt. If it sucked, there’s still no reason to ask.
• Weightlifters don’t do “cardio.” Try a clean & jerking a heavy triple and you’ll find out why.
• Weightlifters don’t lift in front of a mirror.
• Weightlifters, by definition, compete. Few weightlifting clubs will tolerate a lifter who won’t lift in meets. At least, not for long
• Weightlifters squat deep. So deep in fact, that there is a competition rule that forbids the lifter from touching his/her butt to the floor at the bottom of a snatch or clean.
• (Along the lines of the last point) weightlifters often round their low backs at the bottom of their squats. What’s that? You can keep your arch when your butt’s an inch from the floor? Send me the video.
• Weightlifters hold their breath during long portions of most lifts. They never “inhale on the lowering phase” or “exhale on the lifting phase.”
• Both the snatch and the jerk, as well as several assistance exercises for these two lifts) involve putting a barbell over your head.
And finally…
• As a global point, weightlifters seek the easiest way to lift a weight, not the hardest way.
It’s possible that I missed a few points, but I think my central point has been made. Now here’s what’s kinda interesting about all of this…
Most people who lift for the sake of improving their appearance typically try to avoid every one of these maneuvers. Yet, not only do weightlifters violate all of these sacred cows, they actually get better aesthetic results than their “exerciser” counterparts do, despite the fact that they don’t really lift for aesthetic purposes!
Recently I noticed a question on an internet forum from a 24-year old man who wanted to look like a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, in less than one year, starting from scratch as it were. He got plenty of advice, most of it relating to exercise choices, meal timing, set/rep brackets, and goal setting. My suggestion: if you want to look like an MMA athlete, why not become an (MMA) athlete?
Which of course, is the take-home point of this article. Any takers?
Patrik, from Northern Sweden, e-mailed me yesterday to let me know that the European Powerlifting Championships are being broadcast live for our entertainment. From his e-mail:
Greetings from the North of Sweden and SAK (home of benching legends Fredrik Svensson and Marcus Hirvonen)!
You can view the European Powerlifting Championchips LIVE on the net! Just thought id bring it to your attention.
This day was filled with some of the most awesome lifts I have seen. Mia from Sweden did 145 kilos in the deadlift and 142.5 in the squat on a bodyweight of 46kilos!
It should play fine in VLC media player or Media Player Classic, some people seem to have trouble with the live stream in Windows Media Player though.
–Patrik
BTW, our small town Sundsvall has more elite-benchers in the making. Christoffer Ahlman just took a new Swedish record, benching 203 kilos at a bodyweight of 74 kilos (competing in the 75 kilo class)
These are IPF approved lifts, so only 1 ply shirts… :)
Note that Sweden is 7 hours ahead of Central Standard Time, therefore they are 6 hours ahead of EST.
Here is the lift Patrik mentions above:
We all remember that momentous moment in the movie Blood Sport where Chong Li sends Frank Dux’s friend, Ray Jackon, to the hospital on the second day of the highly secretive (and equally illegal) Kurmite:
As you can see, Dux has a front row seat to his friend Ray acting like a stupid American and trying to win the crowd only to find himself getting an Asian curb stomp from Chong Li moments later. On a similar note, Chong Li is probably one of the first Asians to ever have pecs, and he damn sure is the first one to discover how to use them.
Anyway, Dux’s friend, Kenneth Siu (on right) holds him back while Chong Li strips off the stereotypical Harley Davidson bandana and dangles it above Dux’s head. This isn’t in the official movie script, but I’m pretty sure Kenneth whispers ever so softly into Frank Dux’s ear, “No Frankie, you must live to fight another day…another day.”
And this was excellent advice. As you can see, Dux would end up fighting four times on the second day of the tournament. A non-sanctioned scuffle with Chong Li would have removed him from competition, and as my friend Brent always says, “This is competition!” (whatever that means).
You see, if Frank Dux had attacked Chong Li at this pivotal point, it not only would have ruined this classic 80’s fight movie, but it would have failed to teach the lesson of patience. There are times when the benefits do not outweigh the cost, and becoming aware of these moments is important for your short and long-term training career. If your body is in a weakened state, it is best not to train heavy and hard unnecessarily.
A few months ago, I did not heed the advice of Kenneth Siu. I traveled back into town on a Monday and attempted to go through my normal volume day on the Texas Method (5×5 squatting, and I think it was 430) on Tuesday. My back was very tired and weak from the constant sitting, and I pulled something at the bottom of a squat on the second set. I remember completing the rep, screaming through the excruciating pain (I wasn’t about to drop the 430 lbs on my spotters), and falling to a knee after racking it. I wasn’t able to squat for almost two months, and it put quite a damper in my training.
Now fast forward to last week. I went through a lengthy rehab process and am finally training without pain. The week before I squatted 495 for a triple, and 500 was on the agenda. However, my body didn’t feel up to snuff for Monday’s volume day. My immune system had some severe trouble with allergies (the crew at Amarillo may have noticed this at the first 70’s Big Workshop – I was being hit pretty hard that day but still tried to perform well enough), and my body didn’t feel recovered. I ended up taking the day off to prevent an injurous situation. I still wanted to get my intensity day in on Thursday for a few reasons, but mainly because it was the last day of the week my schedule would permit me to train. So on Tuesday I had a make shift volume day (ascending sets of five reps for four sets), and then came in on Thursday and completely annihilated 500 for a triple (I considered going for a fourth rep).
This story isn’t being told to tell you of my accomplishment, but instead about the mistake I made a few months ago. I hurt my back when I was in a vulnerable state. Having the “stick to the program or die” mentality can really hamper training, and it fucked mine up for a while. Life happens and you need to start learning how to adapt your program to these happenings so that you can continue getting stronger. You will have a much bigger payoff in the long run, just like Frank Dux.
Dux waited patiently for his chance. And he finally got it when he faced Chong Li in the final battle.
For those of you who don’t want to watch drawn out affair of Van Damme yelling and flexing, Dux eventually forces Chong Li to say matté to win the tournament, even when blinded (and throwing “90 degree punches”, as Brent says – see 3:07). I have it on good authority that this is the Asian word for “uncle”.
Me: So, is matté the Asian word for uncle?
Brent: I think so.
Me: QED
In any case, Dux decided to be patient and begin the fight his own terms. If I know my 80’s movies, his emotions would have gotten the best of him had he attacked Chong Li immediately after Ray Jackson headbutted Li’s foot. Dux’s dilemma is analogous to being improperly prepared for training because you are weak and not feeling your best. Trust me, you don’t want to go through a two month recovery period. Just be smart and patient in order to stay injury free, and this will yield more efficient strength gains. Learn from my mistake instead of yours. Most of all, learn from Frank Dux.
