I finally was able to train heavy on the Olympic lifts today outside of Atlanta with AC. I brought my bar and bumpers all the way from Panama City, and was itching to train. We had to move to a second facility nearby (thanks Brad, of CF North Fulton), and things went pretty well. This was the first heavy day I’ve had since nationals, and I was pleased; I snatched 120kg (missed 125 a couple times, technical issue) and clean and jerked 155kg. This was solid because my meet PR’s are 130/158, so I wasn’t that far off in my first heavy day in quite a while. I also cleaned 160, but passed out before the jerk (bar went forward, I landed on my back) after telling AC that the only way I wasn’t going to get it was if I passed out.
I bring this up because I was in a pretty good training environment. There was loud music, my body was fresh, I was excited to go heavy on the lifts, and AC was there (it’s always better to train hard with your friends). Since I haven’t been able to do the Olympic lifts, I’ve been training heavier on the strength lifts at a military base. I’m able to get pumped by myself and train hard, so it isn’t a big deal. But when I trained the Olympic lifts before I moved, it was typically quiet and my friends weren’t around because of the coaching schedule I had.
I like to have a more intense atmosphere for the Olympic lifts. They require that maximum exertion be applied on every rep, and, for me, getting some adrenaline going before the lift is helpful. Even more so because I haven’t done the lifts that much lately. I was too lax at nationals when I was trying to get over excited, and I think it degraded my performance a little bit.
Anyway, I respond well to like-minded people and music. What do you like when you are lifting? What kind of music? What is your approach? Are you at the stage of thinking, “Okay, let’s not fuck this up,” or are you all about attacking the bar? Hopefully if you’re really intense, it’s warranted with some heavy lifting. Nobody should really be screaming about a 250 squat, unless you’re a girl.
Oh, and the 190kg overhead squat by Ben that I promised:
70’s Big is an attitude that isn’t subtle. It kicks down the door with thickly soled boots ready to rumble. It is rugged with hairy forearms. Underneath one forearm is a case of beer. Under the other is five pounds of barbecue. If there was a grandpa sitting in the corner of the room, he’d say, “They don’t make men like that anymore.” And when Skinny Guy looks at the figure in the doorway with fear, he pleads, “Wh-why did you bring beer? We’re ab-b-b-bout to train.” Our hero replies, “Well, we ain’t training all night, now are we, sweetheart?” He croons his neck forward as the ends of mouth grind down, his eyebrows raise up. He is menacing. He is ready.
He is 70’s Big.
But if you go through that whole scenario and then purse your lips together like you’re about to kiss your grandma or somebody’s ass, then you won’t have the same effect.
Exhibit A: My friend Ben is making some kind of an attempt at the face. While he is strong with a 190kg overhead squat, he fails miserably on this first attempt. ‘A’ for effort though.
Exhbit B. Eric and Antoinette have a similar fate.
There is a common mistake that these three make, and it is the secret to the 70’s Big Face. 70’s Big is a full effort, and the face is the same way. You can’t expect to just move your lips and achieve a look that says, “I’ll be ready to squat once I raze your village.” Here is a step-by-step guide to doing the face.
1. First, get in the right mindset. If you haven’t lifted something heavy, eaten meat, or done some yelling in the previous 24 hours, you probably aren’t ready.
2. This is the most important step of them all, because the face can’t be executed without this step. Protrude your jaw forward as if you were trying to achieve a severe under-bite. This allows you to do the next few steps.
3. Try and pull the corners of your mouth down as far as you can. Maximum distance (not be confused with “maximum jackage”) will be attained if, AND ONLY IF, the jaw is protruded.
4. Try and push the middle of your lips up as far as possible. This will increase the discrepancy between the maximum apex of the height of your lips with the asymptotic drop of the corners of your mouth.
5. Depending on the look you’re going for, adjust your eyes. For a mega-intense face, squint your eyes.
6. Now fix your eye brows. Raising your eyebrows as high as they can go turns a mediocre 70’s Big Face into an excellent 70’s Big Face (this is also a requisite for the mega-intense variation that Chris has patented in 14 countries — see below).
Chris, the crafty veteran
Excellent. Now you have the blueprints for a proper 70’s Big Face. Anything less is…well, it’s just awkward for everybody. Once you have mastered the mega-intense face, you can play around with some variations. Here AC is exhibiting authority with his coaches pass:
Here is what should have been an excellent picture. You’ll notice Brent is TOTALLY fucking up the picture by doing a Hello Kitty smile. Do not be the friend that ruins a good 70’s Big Face group picture. Fucking Brent.
I’m currently planning a trip this winter to go snowboarding down Brent’s traps.
I read this next comment a second ago and decided to do a double COW this week (since last week I didn’t do one).
High Voltage Says:
July 30th, 2010 at 6:45 pm e
Also, I met a boy on the street today. He was a friendly child, but he was very sad about the economy and seemed to be down on his luck. He asked me if it was true, the rumors he heard, that Brent Kim would be taking his Shrug Tour cross-country this summer.
I told him that all we can do is hope.
The count so far:
For those of you keeping score:
1 – Jacob
1 – StonewallWells
1 – tonypop
1 – High Voltage
Generally, people approach inpatient drug rehab Los Angeles to get rid off overweight that is caused due to intoxication.Skinny Guys who are no longer skinny know that when strength is built, muscles get bigger. Some people are more genetically apt to get bigger muscles than others, and that’s just the way it is. The growth of muscular mass is known as “swollertrophy”, a condition where the muscles reach a point in which their “maximum jackage” levels are saturated.
A lifter who experiences impressive strength gains my feel some of the effects of swollertrophy, but may have to turn to other means to express an impressive yoke. Brent Kim of 70’s Big Research and Design is such a lifter. Kim’s last six months of training have focused on improving his force production ability, but now his training has taken a different turn.
“I temporarily want to get my fucking yoke on.”
Kim in high school
The road has been long and arduous for Kim, a former 100 pound high school senior. When a Veitnamese friend convinced Kim that lifting weights might improve his confidence and self-esteem, Kim was sold; “The door was opened to what could only be a shrugalicious journey.”
Kim’s memory of this time was hazy (perhaps due to limited eye sight), but it was clear he didn’t understand the concept of “fucking yoked”. He toyed around with curls, extensions, and presses and later half squats with 225 lbs. It wasn’t long before he was Google searching – a trait that would later earn him the title of Head of Research and Design – power cleans and was introduced to Olympic lifting. At a body weight of 115 lbs, Kim was enamored with the sport and figured he was a 56kg weight class competitor “indefinitely”. It’s safe to say that Kim did not have a clear understanding of “yoke”.
Kim trained the Olympic lifts, squatted, and deadlifted and increased his body weight to around 140 and would go on to compete in the 69 and 77kg weight classes. It was at this time that Kim met Justin.
Kim was a seemingly unkept Asian with wild hair and mis-matching socks (Editor’s Note: Nothing has changed.) who squatted 350×5 and deadlifted 400. It wasn’t long before Justin tried to convince Kim to try his hand at the Linear Progression. After months of violent arguing, Kim relented. It took him approximately five training sessions to admit, “I should have listened to Justin sooner.”
Not only did Kim increase his strength (to date he has squatted 462 in competition), but his attitude was electro-charged. When asked about these personality changes, he shot back, “What changes are you talking about, Justin?” Justin later reported, “Brent became more aggressive and antagonistic in a matter of days. I feel that I have created a monster.” These traits have seemingly earned Kim a cult-like following.
All in a day’s work for Kim who hit a 107kg PR snatch three days after competing at USAPL Raw Nationals. Kim’s current program is managed around his temporarily hectic work training schedule, but he says it will consist of sets of ten and then shifting into a swollertrophy-oriented Texas Method.
“Strength is obviously necessary to do this kind of program, and I’m still increasing my weight every week. But the sets of ten – I’m just interested in maximum jack right now.”
Kim and his traps
Kim is an Olympic lifter at heart, and is known for his mountainous traps. Kim is hard at work developing his traps with Bill Starr style shrugs and has recently hit 485 lbs for a set of five. He was overheard saying, “I mean, my traps have to get bigger, Justin.”
A proper “stack” will be necessary when trying to fully saturate “maximum jackage”. When asked what his stack was, Kim replies, “Excellent question. Lots of techno, some fish oil, and protein.”
Rumors circulated recently about Kim taking a shot at qualifying for USAW’s American Open in the 77kg class, and Kim stamped those rumors; “If I’m trying to get my maximum jack on, and I’m above 77k, I don’t want to cut to 77k to qualify for a meet that I’m probably not gonna go to.” An undisclosed source revealed that Kim may not be able to afford such a venture, but Kim’s time is mostly filled with work and “getting (his) yoke on.”
Kim did reveal that his next meet will most likely be the Texas State Weightlifting meet in January 2011, and he has modest goals of hitting 110/135 as an 85kg lifter. After the meet, he would focus back into his beloved weightlifting. Kim reported that he would love to lift as a 94kg lifter since he would “be pretty fucking jacked” at 5’5”.
It seems like Brent Kim has what it takes to embody the spirit of swollertrophy. He is fearless in this pursuit and left our interview by saying, “I don’t think that I have any limitations and keep a mindset that if there are limitations, I can overcome them with good programmiong, work ethic, and a beautiful set of traps.”
