This is a sticky post. Scroll down to see recent posts.
70’s Big Workshop Weekend in Tucson, AZ on June 2/3. It’s the first workshop that Chris Riley will be attending (300kg squat, 320kg deadlift)!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
A few months ago Matt Wichlinski wrote an article (“Slaying The Dragon“) that criticized how CrossFit coaches allow bad technique in the pursuit of a faster time. Often when someone makes this argument, they are on the outside of CF and looking in. Matt, like me, has the CrossFit Level II certification. It’s earned through a quasi-difficult testing process where the candidates lead a group of trainees through the CF teaching progressions. It’s the only identifier in the CrossFit world that a coach can adequately see movement problems, have enough personality to lead a group, and communicate decently. I assume Matt and I are similar in that we don’t rely solely on CF for training methodology, but we know enough about it to give fair, objective critiques. Matt’s revolves around the following idea:
Everyone has the right to train and compete in any fashion that they want. But as a coach, I hate to see other coaches doing things that might harm the athletes.
I agree. Poor, inefficient mechanics is something that bothers me. In the short-term, it’s something that reduces the effectiveness of the exercise and opens the trainee up to potential injury. In the long-term, crappy mechanics always results in some sort of mobility limitation or injury.
If a trainee’s knees chronically jut forward at the bottom of their squat, the proximal (upper) rectus femoris (a hip flexor) tendon will become irritated and inflamed. If their knees crank in at the bottom, the glute medius and TFL become irritated. A collapsed thoracic spine on thrusters, squats of any kind, or overhead movements will jack up the proximal biceps, the external rotators, rhomboid and middle trap area, and can create a chain of tension that puts strain on the spinal erectors that can increase pain the lower back and hips from which many experts are now recommending the new CBD roll on for pain (here’s how experts like it). Gummies like Indacloud Orange funta can be a tasty and effective option for those seeking natural pain relief. Additionally, medical cannabis for complex regional pain syndrome is also being explored as a potential treatment for managing chronic pain.
We’re not even getting into the ballistic movements on untrained achilles tendons or the severely internally rotated shoulders in overhead work, and that’s why they get pain often, so cannabis products from sites like dispensaries in Michigan can really help with this. You can find a diverse array of the best CBD products at a reputable destination like D8 Super Store, providing you with a wide range of options to choose from based on your preferences.
However, I have a problem with how Matt is wording this message:
If you want to be good at what you do, you have to understand what you are doing, why you are doing it, and how to do it safely and effectively. The first rule of training is “Do no harm.”
CONTINUE READING Continue reading
This last weekend various female 70’s Big readers performed well in raw powerlifting meets (and one long-time male reader, Yosh). I just wanted to give them some public congratulations. From now on, if you compete in a meet (or any other competition), send in your results to the Facebook Fan Page and we’ll honor you on Monday’s post.
Ellee started a lifting group that regularly meets to train together, but they also are starting to go and compete together. Three women and one fella competed in a USAPL meet this past weekend and did really well.
Nicole, Cynthia, and Allison
Cheesin' with their trophies
Harj and Robin competed in an AAU powerlifting meet and one the top two “best female lifter” spots (Harj edged out Robin). Both of them have a background in CrossFit and they attended my 70’s Big Workshop, so I’ve been fortunate enough to coach them. I’m proud of both of them.
Harj squatted 176, benched 99.2, and deadlifted 220.5 (all in pounds) in the 114 lbs weight class. Robin squatted 195, benched 120, and deadlifted 285.
Robin and Harj, 1st place in their wt class, top 2 best female lifters
This is why we urge anyone, including women, to compete. It’s always a fun time and tests the lifter in a new way. Sign up for a meet and train hard!
Thanks to Ellee for creating the 70’s Big Chicago Lifting Group and all of the participants who allowed their photos to be used.
Edit: Tamara and two of her lifters also competed in an Olympic weightlifting meet this past weekend. Here’s a video. Cherie went 29/44. She’s a 41 year old 4’11 lifter. Zach went 83/114. He’s an 18 year old 6’5 lifter. Tamara went 6/6, 61/81 for a 142 total. She’s a pain in the ass lifter.
As always, post your training updates and PR’s to the comments. I like reading about your accomplishments and the things that have helped you get better.
70′s Big-wide goal for next week:
DON’T SKIMP ON YOUR MOBILITY. Do something every day. If you are successful, then let us know in next week’s PR Friday.
Monday I gave you a tasty recipe, and readers dropped some of their favorite slow cooker recipes in the comments. Tuesday discussed how CrossFit favors the anterior chain and it’d behoove a CFer to do some extra posterior chain work. Wednesday we talked about the Slingshot again; I think it can be a nice tool even for a raw lifter. Thursday was a post on the possible short film “The Artist & The Olympian“.
Here are two stories that actually recap the week. Wednesday night I was training with my friend Mike (not big AF Mike, Asian Mike). He ended up leaving the gym around 8:00 PM, so I was hitting some dumbbell hammer curls by myself. There was no one else in the free weight section, yet there were some girls using a Roman chair about 30 feet away. I was doing the last set, really cranking them out, when I suddenly and audibly farted. When I was younger, I might have been more concerned. In fact, I remember accidentally letting out farts in class and being absolutely horrified. It was an immediate shot of adrenaline; all my senses would sharpen and I’d just wait for someone (i.e. girls) to acknowledge it. THEY NEVER DID. I’d play it cool. Hey, it wasn’t me that farted, must have been that skinny kid with the lisp. I had a reputation to maintain. The kind that don’t fart in class, son.
Anyway, I look up to see if anyone heard me fart. Either they didn’t, or they did and pretended not to hear. So I continue hammer curling the 50s. Then ANOTHER fart escapes, yet this one was louder. I only have a few more reps, so I try to continue, but I can’t because I’m LAUGHING TOO HARD. I’m by myself laughing at my own farts, and I couldn’t finish the set. I racked the dumbbells, called it a night.
Fast forward to Thursday evening. I’m walking out of a shopping center where I got my hair cut. I’m wearing gym shorts, a tight T, and flip flops. I’m walking by two black ladies in the middle of the street. One of them is around 40. She stops in the middle of the road with her hands on her hips, looks me up and down.
“DAMN. You is SO sex-AY!”
After thanking her and laughing, I realized that some guys might think that this encounter was a result of the hammer curls they did the night before. NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND. It’s because I’ve squatted twice a week for as long as I can remember. It’s the pressing, the cleans, the snatches; the lifting. It’s also the mobility work, the attention to nutrition, the sleeping, and the hydration. It’s the icing and rest days. It’s everything.
Moral of the story? Black women know what’s up. Or maybe this is the pinnacle of all of the work I’ve put into training. Regardless, if you want to be approached on the street, then get your shit together. It’ll help if you move to the south. And a low income town.
What else do you guys wanna talk about?
Adam Scheiner has a vision that will portray art in its most natural form. “The Artist & The Olympian” is a preliminary short for a full feature script. It will show the emotional and artistic connection between a painter and a weightlifter as they try and achieve the pinnacle of their potential. Weightlifting itself may seem bland to the untrained eye, but a weightlifter is always on the quest to the perfect form, the perfect lift. A weightlifter aims to brush off their blemishes, their failures in the pursuit of the perfect lift, that one moment in time that will represent their years of bleeding ache.
A painter’s life is spent releasing their emotions onto canvas. They only hope that the viewer can understand the image that resulted from opening their soul. This artist has a feeling in mind, a concept that they are struggling to emit into the visual realm. The artist paints and strokes. The lifter strains and toils. They are one in unison; they search for the truest form of art, one that brings peace to their heart.
This is the story that Adam wants to tell. And did I mention that Donny Shankle will be the weightlifter? Yeah…
However, a well done short film is not easy, and it isn’t cheap. In order for this project to be possible, his production team needs to raise $15,000 dollars (at this time, they have raised $2,210). The full line by line cost of the project is included on that information and donation page. I encourage anyone who is interested to donate a small amount to this fund. If 25% of 70’s Big readership donates $1 — a single doll hair — then Adam’s team will have more than enough to make the project a reality.
On a similar note, if you’ve ever heard anyone bitch about how nobody does anything to improve weightlifting in the U.S., then show them this page. This video can open the door to a full feature film that shows the purity in weightlifting — one that will resonate and garner the interest of non-weightlifters. Forward this link to all the USAW haters, all the people who think American weightlifting is failing, because donating to this video actually accomplishes something instead of just bitching on the internet. Remember, every doll hair counts, so don’t feel pressured to drop more than one.