Category Archives: Videos

AC Meet Recap – 2013 Southern States

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I hope that reading about AC’s experience will inspire you to enter a local competition. Have fun and train hard. –Justin

I recently competed in the 2013 Georgia and Southern States Powerlifting Championships hosted by Josh Rohr and held at Meadow Creek High-school.

Started off the day well. Got roughly 7 hours of sleep the night before, which was a lot considering I was really nervous/anxious. It’s only inevitable to get some pre-game jitters. Everybody knows them well. You think about the excitement during the day of the meet. You feel that don’t you…that tingling in your balls? Big metal butterflies fluttering around your stomach? No it’s not testicular cancer; that’s your mind fucking you. Hope you’re wearing a condom.

Fortunately I slept well. Woke up around 6. Made my way to the meet. Checked in/Rack Heights/Equipment check. All done. I get to the scale. The guy looks at me and says 101.7. I stare blankly at him and say words Chris has spoken before “Hey man, I don’t do kilos”. He said I was over the limit. He urged me to go take a shit. I said NAY, I have already shat! The future plan is to compete as a 231 lifter at Nationals and the Arnie so I didn’t really care about weight. However this meant I was lifting at 2:30pm instead of 9:00am. Kinda fucked that one up. I re-weighed in around 12:30.

The other flights were taking a long time to finish. A 30 min delay which turns into a 2 1/2 hour delay. This sucks if you’re waiting around trying to stay calm and keep your energy levels up. Luckily I had a great group of people there to support me. Nelson (my chiro) had some extra energy bars that HE PLANNED ON EATING. He gave them to me. I bought him a 40 dollar Chipotle gift card as a thanks (for the meet and the free chiro work).

Warm-up time finally rolled around. I do some quick stretching/foam rolling, then on to the bar. Squats feel good. I hit my last warm-up at 500. It feels EZ. I’m ready for the platform. My dad let’s me know that I am 3 out. I stay ready for my opening attempt. I’ve prepared for several months for this moment. An easy smooth opener to get into the meet. I’ve tripled this weight before. No problemo.

I FUCKING MISS IT. Great. It felt off-center/mis-loaded. I almost fall backwards. I was ashamed/embarrassed. My family and friends had been waiting all day to watch me lift and I fucking blow my first attempt. Callahan and my dad say to move on. That’s exactly what I did. I ended up reducing my attempts so I could go 2/3. It was the smart move. My confidence would have been shot if I missed another one. They load it to 540 for the second attempt and I crush it. Felt much better. I take 551 after that. It was rough. Not a PR by any means, but my squats were not working that day. A guy named Chris was one of the spotters; he was a real cool dude. He follows 70’s Big along with some other great guys I met. He was right there in the thick of it trying to help and motivate me. It’s great to meet dudes like that.

I talk to Shawn during my breather in between Squat/Bench. Even though my squats didn’t go according to plan, we agreed I was the best looking guy in the building.

Time to bench. It feels way better from the start. As the meet moved on I felt my body and mind working together. We loaded the bar to 350 for my last warm-up. Joke. I go out to the platform with 374 loaded. Blasted it. My abs started to cramp, and I think it was due to some dehydration. I thought I had diluted my Powerade enough, but yeah I was fucking wrong. I take 391 for my second attempt. I was concerned about cramping up at this point. 391 is a PR and even though I’ve done more in the gym the goal was to PR during the meet. My abs cramp even more. Callahan gives me a lift off. I kill it. The commands were loud and quick. I wave my third attempt Bench because I was concerned about cramping. I really wanted to hit 402 on my third attempt and I think I would have been good for it, but I wanted to save myself for deadlifting in case I cramped. At this point in the day this is not where I pictured myself, but sometimes you have to roll with it and make adjustments.

I try to stay calm during my warm-ups. My dad knows I am on the verge of an emotional eruption. He tells me one word when he sees me. Calm. Over and over. I did 500 as my opener. It felt like nothing. My dad puts in 550. He looks at me and he says with a smile on his face “One more then let it all loose”. I’m trying not to cry. Not sure why I need to get upset in order to rage out. It’s mainly a huge stress relief for me. It’s just the way I get pumped up. I take 550 and it feels even better. I turn and look at him and say “Welcome to the fucking show”. I’m in a haze at this point. He says something along the lines of “We are at the show now baby”. My dad is all smiles. He puts in 600. I find a song to play before I am 3 out. Before I know it my dad puts his hand up. He is holding up three of his fingers. I tighten my shoes, pull my socks up, and tighten my belt. I walk over the the line and put on Dom’s death scene from Gears of War 3. The music times out perfectly. The head judge looks at me and gives me the thumbs up. Right when he does it the sound fades and Dom says “Never thought it would end like this, huh? Huh, Maria?“. The first piano strike of Gary Jules’ Mad World hits. Marcus screams “Dom no!”. I can’t stop crying. I scream and rush the bar. This was a moment in the making for over a year. The set-up is perfect. I grab the bar and it was perfectly smooth all the way up. I scream in excitement once it is gliding past my knees. It’s a huge meet PR for me. I let it down after the command and I scream again and hug my dad. Exactly how I wanted to end my day.

For the delays and the changes in weight class I had a great time. I couldn’t have had any better handlers and people supporting me. I went 7/8. 551/391/600. A total of 1542. Placed 1st in the 242’s and I got 75 bucks for placing 3rd overall at the meet. I can’t thank everyone enough. Thanks to everyone who follows 70’s Big. Wish we could train with all of you!

Here is my 3rd deadlift.

Here it is from Brooks Conway’s perspective (who had a pretty good meet). You can see the epic man hug post lift.

A few of the photos courtesy of GT All Sports.

AC Discusses the Bench

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Here’s the second installment of “AC teaches you how to do stuff more awesomely.” Last week, he went over some tips on how to press better. Today, he goes over how to coach a proper bench setup, and shows us a couple dozen nip slips. It’s fine. – Jacob

 

Have the athlete lay down on the bench (obviously). From there have them reach and grab the posts (like in the video) in order to pull their scapula (shoulder blades) together. Having them grab the posts can give them a better “pinch” then they might be able to do otherwise. Pulling the shoulder blades or scapula together artificially shortens the bench ROM as well as changing the angle of contraction for the pecs. If the shoulders are rounded out or flat, the chest contracts at an inward angle because of the attachment points at the shoulder and the middle of the chest. This causes the force to be applied at an inward angle. “Pinching” or retracting the scapula changes the angle of contraction so the force is applied in a more vertical, linear, fashion.

Once that is discussed you can simply sum all of that up by cueing the word “Pinch” or whatever you like. This is something that you talk to the athlete about ahead of time. Some guys like to hear “squeeze” instead.

From there, the athlete can now settle into his arch. What helps me when I arch is to try and think about getting my hips as close to my shoulders as possible. Again, this artificially shortens the bench ROM and allows for a better bar bath to the sternum. As I mentioned in the video, the arch and feet position can be done pretty much at the same time. There is literally no worry for risk of spinal injury from arching. Sometimes females can go into over-extension because they can be more mobile than a lot of guys. You might have to look for that if you coach any ladies. The only worry is cramping up at the low back and anterior hip, which proper mobility work can prevent. Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot. There is no compression of the spine at any point in time during the bench. The heels provide extra “drive” into the bar. Having them flat is important so they can “drive” or “dig” their feet into the ground. Having plantar flexion is basically adding a weak point in the chain. If they are on the balls of their toes, they can lose force production through the ankle. You just have to logically think “What can serve as a harder brace? My entire foot based on the floor, or the small surface area that I am pushing through with my calf?” The heels need to be slightly behind the knees. You can get a visual of that from the video I linked. Tell your lifter to “imagine you’re extending your knee to make your body slide up the bench” — NOT driving them so that the butt drives up to the ceiling. This solidifies the pinched upper back onto the bench and prevents any variability due to instability. That last part is courtesy of Jenn Thompson. She mentions it in her video and it’s a good take-home point. She is a really nice lady and I think I have a crush on her. (editors’s note – JT rules. <3)

After this is all discussed, you are going to sum it up with “Arch” and “Heels”.

When your athlete is setting up remind them. As a coach, you are a commanding presence, so cue the set up. “Heels!” “Arch!” “Pinch!” “Nice and tight!” The more emphasis on the set up, the easier the lift becomes. Justin likes to use the terms “Active Heel” and “Active Pinch.” Those are really good to cue because the set-up isn’t cemented. Guys can fall out of their arch and pinch, so during the set you have to actively maintain that position.

Some other info/cues that are equally important are:

Grip. When the lifter grips the bar, it should be a full grip. None of that suicide thumbless grip shit. I don’t care if they have been benching like since they began. It’s horse-shit and dangerous. From the coaches perspective (you!), the forearm should be at a 90 degree angle with the bar when the bar is on the chest (in other words, the forearms are vertical at the bottom of the rep). This puts the athlete at the most advantageous spot for the shortest distance for the bar path and the most musculature involved in the lift. As far as grip width goes, keep in mind that wider grips put a lot of stress on the elbows and shoulders and make it hard to stay externally rotated throughout the movement.

Elbows. This is very important. If they elbows “flare” out (which is called “Internal Rotation”), THIS IS BAD. You can do external/internal rotation reading this right now. Reach out in front of you and rotate your arms in. Your right hand rotates clockwise and the left goes counter clockwise. Basically, it’s like tucking in the elbows. You are stronger during any pushing when in external rotation. The cue to use is “Elbows to Ribs”. You can shorten that if you want to just “Elbows,” after you have explained it.

Finally, whenever I coach people, I try to make a point to tell them that the object is not to bounce the bar off your chest. The point is to lightly touch and “DRIVE” off the chest.

I think I covered it all. If you have a question about any of that, fire away.

 

Here’s a video of Justin explaining internal and external rotation:

 

PR Friday, 22 Feb 2013

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It’s PR Friday! The new phone book’s here!

We started off the week strong, with a write-up on Ryan Carrillo, his quest to compete at the IPF Bench Press World Championships, and a quick interview .

For those that have donated, may Crom grant you many bench PRs. You are good people. Ryan is sincerely thankful to everyone who donated. He got about 150 doll hairs from our readers on Monday, but I think we can improve on that. Go to http://www.txstrongman.com/ and donate your face off. For best results, do it about 30 minutes before your scheduled intensity day training.

Here’s a picture of Ryan eating a Brontosaurus rib. Yes, this is how we do it in Texas.

 

Justin dropped us a quick note on Tuesday to let us know he’s still around, just busy stacking paper. Lots of good, positive comments by all, which he appreciated. I’ll be taking over the Editor duties, though I’m not as funny or ripped as Justin, just more ridiculously-good-looking, and I like run-on sentences. Any non-grammar feedback is appreciated, so you can always hit me up via email, mmmk? I’ll respond when I’m not doing curls. Many thanks to BSmith for helping me out with all the behind-the-scenes work…and for making this killer .gif.

CT Fletcher Curling

We also had a follow-up by Tsypkin on posterior training, specifically for weightlifters, complete with how-to videos featuring his lovely assistant. Some guy named Pendlay commented a couple times. How many other sites have world-class coaches giving you free advice in the comments? That’s a rhetorical question; I don’t read other sites. We did get the comment of the week, though:

Who the hell is this GlenPendlay guy and where did he come from? Can’t believe someone here named themselves after a kind of row… – ow3n

Ow3n wins 12 points.

Most importantly, we are ONE WEEK FROM THE ARNOLD. This is the biggest sports festival in the entire freaking universe, and a bunch of our folks are competing, so pay attention. We’ll get you previews and links to streams and whatnot next week.

Mike’s training has gone well and he’s looking to hit some big numbers. Subscribe to his Youtube channel, read his training log, and watch this video about what he does in the final week before a big meet.

Big Chris will be defending his North American Championship from last year’s Arnold. How does he prepare? He drinks chicken. He. Drinks. Chicken. If you don’t pull 700+ double-overhand, and/or can’t spell “K-A-L-E,” watch this video, and get to work. cya

List your PRs and which event you’re most excited to watch at the Arnold. Personally, I hit some modest bench PRs and got a brutal PSOA-release massage (DIY Guide for you sickos), and I have to give a shout-out to my special lady friend, who pulled 280. I’ll be watching the Arnold streams while at a Bachelor party next weekend. Whatcha got?

Posterior Round-Up: Part 2

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As promised, here’s the second article by Jacob Tsypkin about building up your backside. This one is specifically targeted towards weightlifters, but every general trainee can learn a lot about a coach’s approach to attacking weaknesses by really analyzing these lifts. 

 

Last week, we discussed various general posterior chain strengthening movements which, while useful for improving the snatch and clean & jerk, are not specifically designed to improve those lifts.Today, I want to give you some drills and variations which are particular to creating positional strength for weightlifting.


1. Paused Snatches/Cleans

I typically employ a 2 count pause just below the knees. This is the mechanically weakest position in the pull and this helps develop the ability to stay over the bar. For newer lifters, the pause also presents them with a chance to correct their positioning during the pull. Singles and doubles are best here.

2. Two Stop Pulls

I’m not a big fan of plain old pulls. I think pulls are better employed when you do something to alter them from the actual lift. This is one of my favorite variations: stand on a board, 1-3”. Assume your start position, and SQUEEZE the bar off the floor, so that you are in your “normal” starting position with the bar floating in mid air. Pause for a 2 count, then proceed with the pull until the bar is just below the knees. Pause for a 2 count, and then finish the pull. We usually do 3-5 triples here, with around 100-105% of the best lift, but some heavier singles or doubles wouldn’t kill you.

 

3. Snatch/Clean Deadlifts

You should strive to pull these with exactly the same line that you pull your snatch or clean. If you can’t do it, it’s too heavy. Doing these without straps is great to build up some grip strength and confidence off the floor. A rep scheme I’ve been using, which I got from Coach Don McCauley:
90%x5x2
100%x3x2
110%x2x2

Percentage of your best snatch/C&J. Do them touch-and-go (not BOUNCING, just TOUCHING,) and after two workouts, up the weights about 2.5kg.


4. Snatch/Clean RDLs

Instead of standing straight up at the top, start at your first position (bar in crease of hips for snatch or mid thigh for clean, weight in heels, shoulders slightly behind bar and knees slightly in front of bar.) From there, lower the bar to your second position (bar just below knees, weight in heels, shins vertical, shoulders well in front of bar) and come back up TO YOUR FIRST POSITION, and then aggressively finish the hips as you would in a pull. 3 sets of 5 is good here, typically I will start a cycle at about 85-90% of the best snatch or C&J and work up over the course of 4-6 weeks.


5. Eccentric Pulls

Do a snatch/clean pull. Lower the bar over a 10 count, back to your starting position. Focus on maintaining tension and hitting proper positions all the way down. A word of caution: it is best to do a few weeks of isometric paused work (such as the aforementioned paused snatches/cleans or 2 stop pulls) before jumping into these. Start with around 100% of the best snatch or C&J, and three singles of 10 seconds each should be plenty.

 

Jacob Tsypkin is a CrossFit and weightlifting coach, the co-owner of CrossFit Monterey and the Monterey Bay Barbell Club in Monterey, CA. He is available for weightlifting seminars and rarely gets mad. 

 

Ryan Carrillo is 70sBig

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I first joined this site as an enthusiastic reader, eventually started contributing as an occasional meet-reporter or recipe-guy, and now I serve as ze Editor. In my time with this site, I’ve been consistently in awe of what I’ve watched our community grow into. We come from all sorts of backgrounds – guys and gals, civilians and special forces, Weightlifters, CrossFitters, and Powerlifters. We have competitive lifters among our ranks, and people who are nervously adding 2.5 pounds to their linear progression workouts. One thing unites us, though, and that is the fact that we are part of a supportive community of badasses.

From time to time the site calls our arms to support a cause, like during Movember, and you guys always respond. That’s what I’ll be doing today. I met with one of our own, Ryan Carrillo, this weekend, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been as impressed by a 21 year old kid. He’s trying to reach his first World Event in May, the IPF Bench Press World Championships in Lithuania. I think we can help get him there.

I first officially met Ryan at 2012 USAPL Raw Nats, when the 6’5″ beast came up, politely introduced himself, and asked me about my beard. When a giant of a man compliments your beard, that is a very special thing. He asked if he could take this picture of me as part of a photo like this Raleigh family photography project he was working on (he really captured my…oldness, didn’t he?) He’s also supplied gritty facebook profile pics for some of our other lifters, like Mike Battaglino, and is working on even more videos and pictures of the sport he loves.

Ryan’s Self-Portrait

I’ve seen Ryan at almost every local meet around central Texas, either competing, coaching, or just supporting his team. You really can’t miss the guy. He’s bigger than Brad Gillingham, and nicer than Jenn Thompson. He consorts with other young world class lifters like Ian Bell and Preston Turner, and cheers on everyone. His coach is the legendary Gene Bell. He’s a full-time student, works a few jobs, is big into photography as a hobby/passion, and still makes time to become a world-class Powerlifter.
He has suffered through serious back injuries and is currently an equipped bench specialist in the USAPL, though his long-term goal is to return to full meets. For now, he has the chance to represent our country in Lithuania this May at the World Championships.
Ryan drove up to my neck of the woods last Friday and we shared a few beers and a lot of good stories. He is absolutely one of the most impressive, respectful, and polite guys you can imagine. At 33, I’m constantly made aware of how young most of the 70sBig crew is, yet I would have never guessed Ryan was 21 by how he handled himself. The two of us collected more than our fair share of slack-jawed stares at the Biergarten, and he handled it like a seasoned vet. I guess walking around every day of your life looking like a pro wrestler tends to create that kind of understated confidence. Having the words “SHUT UP AND SQUAT” on the back of his shirt was a nice touch, too.

Please check out Ryan’s site at txstrongman.com and send him a few doll hairs. Every bit helps, and I trust that Ryan will proudly represent us well not only at this year’s World Championships, but for many more to come.
This is what our community is. We don’t just praise the camaraderie, facial hair, attitude, and general awesomeness of the lifters of the 70s – we strive to create a new generation of strength. How do we do this? We open doors. We slam bars after PRs. We grow facial hair and don’t apologize for wearing tanks and short shorts when the sun’s out. We encourage new lifters to get stronger, healthier, and to have more fun. Most importantly, we support our own.