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So there I was training in the gym this morning at 4:30AM. Today was ‘Heavy Day,’ with the goal in mind of hopefully setting yet another PR. My current training snatch PR is 77-kg (roughly 170-lbs). My goal this AM was to snatch a 78-kg PR. I did snatch singles up to 74-kg with no problem. Then I loaded the bar with an additional 2-kg, and attempted 76-kg three (3) times, and failed all attempts. It became evidently clear that my 78-kg goal was out of the question…. at least this morning.

Sure I was a little upset. I would have loved to have reached my goal. On my way to work after training I had a Eureka Moment.  Olympic Weightlifting is a microcosm of real life. Looking and analyzing life in its entirety is a lifelong task, and in doing so life will only pass us by. I have no intentions of shaving my head and sitting butt-naked on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro humming ‘Ha-ma-laa.. Ha-ma-laa’ to myself.  I’d rather spend precious time with my beautiful children. Instead, on my way to work I analyzed my relatively short experience as a weightlifter and, lo and behold, I learned lessons that are applicable in real life (and vice versa). (Note: I drive 1 hour each way to work, so I have lots of time to think about things.)

Lessons learned:

a)      In order to succeed in life (and in weightlifting) I must fail first. And I will fail a lot. I have two options: Face the fire and soldier on and take the hill by force, or simply quit. The latter is an option for the weak.

b)      Life (and weightlifting) is hard. I learned the following: Don’t pray for an easy life; pray to be a strong person.  Strength comes in many forms, and physical strength is the least significant. Strength in character – the strength to do what’s morally right and the strength to ‘dig deep’ – is what really counts.

c)       When life (and weightlifting) throws a wrench in our direction and hits us square in the head I have two options: I can be bitter or I can be better.   Being bitter only carries negative energy. Negativism begets negativism. Life is too short to be negative and bitter. But by choosing to be a better weightlifter, I also become a better person, a better father, a better husband.

d)      Challenges in life (and in weightlifting) should be used as a source of positive energy and motivation. I used to shoot rifles competitively. I lost interest in shooting after I obtained the NRA Master Classification. Only a fraction of one percent of all gun owners (including the US Armed Forces) in America have this. (BTW, being a Master in shooting and martial arts is NOT the same as being a Master lifter. Not to brag, but being a Master shooter means you’re really good. Being a Master lifter means you have zero chances of making it to the Olympics.) Luckily, I traded lead with iron.

e)      The old cliché ‘No Man is an Island’ holds true in weightlifting (and in life). I would not be where I am today as a weightlifter if it weren’t for all the help I received from Mezzie. And I would not be where I am today in life if it weren’t for all the magnificent individuals that helped me along my journey.

In closing, well…. there is no closing.. Because life and weightlifting both require continuous improvements, and continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.      

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast

Shake and Bake

Italian Dressing

1 Cup Portabella Mushrooms

½ Cup Chopped Parsley

½ Cup Sherry

½ Cup Marsala

1 Tspn Butter

Instructions:

1)      Marinade chicken in Italian dressing for half hour.

2)      Bake chicken per Shake and Bake instructions.

After chicken is baked,

3)      Heat butter.

4)      Sautee mushroom in pot for 2 minutes.

5)      Add baked chicken with mushrooms.

6)      Add sherry and marsala.

7)      Add chopped parsley.

8)      Simmer for 5 minutes.

Good, loving parents will do anything for their children. When parents ask me to train their children the typical question is, “Can you help my son or (daughter) with speed and agility?” And, of course, my typical response is,” I’d be more than happy to help. What sport does your child play?” But in the back of my mind there is always this hope than perhaps one day, maybe one day, a parent will ask me the right question: “Can you help my child become STRONG?”

The truth is that with the exception of pro athletes, Olympians, D1 players, and perhaps a handful of weekend warriors, most athletes are weak. If an athlete – no matter how good at fancy dribbling or being able to see the letters on a baseball as it approaches him at 60 mph- cannot do a single pushup, that athlete by definition is weak. Far too often sport specific coaches focus too much (and IMO, way too much) on skills, as evidenced by my own daughter who has been playing basketball and soccer for 3 years under the guidance of several coaches with the same training philosophy. Training is typically how to shoot hoops or how to kick the soccer ball. Once in a while agility and speed drills are thrown in, and strength training is completely neglected.

Skill coaches, parents and athletes should instead be focusing the other way around, especially during off-season:

STRENGTH –> SPEED (POWER) –> AGILITY –> SPECIFIC SKILLS

Don’t misunderstand me, obviously having the skill set to make a basket or catch a football is very important, but skills should not be the foundation of sports. Skills belong at the top of the pyramid; STRENGTH should form the foundation of that pyramid. A weak athlete, no matter how skilled, will limit the potential for speed and agility if strength is lacking. It’s that simple.

There are some reasons as to why skill coaches do not include strength training in their training regimen:

a) One reason for sure is the unfounded myths surrounding lifting weights. Unfortunately, many skill coaches and parents still believe that strength training is BAD…They believe that lifting weights will make one slow, uncoordinated and muscle bound. This is perhaps true if the athlete’s weight lifting protocol is mainly comprised of isolation exercises based on bodybuilding principles, which is designed to develop ‘pumped,’ aesthetically-looking stage muscles with little function in real life. No offense against bodybuilders, for they are my iron-brethren. But bodybuilders should lift like bodybuilders and athletes should lift like athletes.

b) Another reason could be lack of time, in which case the answer is to simply make time. Experts suggest that roughly 20% of training time should be dedicated to strength development.

c) Another reason is perhaps the skill coach does not have the knowledge to design a strength training program. We’re only human and we can’t possibly know everything. In this case, the answer is for the skill coach to enlist the help of a strength coach. And this brings me to the following speculation, that..

d) …there is the possibility that some skill coaches do not strength train because the reason is human nature itself. My guess (and this is only my guess) is that some coaches – both skill and strength – are insecure and therefore feel the need to control their athletes, thereby failing to recognize and admit the obvious that if athletes need help, they should seek help..

Sport specific and strength coaches could (and should) work well together. After all, we want what’s best for our athletes. This brings me to the purpose of this blog.

I had the pleasure of working with a great skill coach. Chris is an independent swimming coach, and a very good one. (Independent meaning he does not work directly for any schools or school teams. In fact, he trains swimmers on opposing teams. But he also has his own competitive team that competes outside the control of the school district.) To give you an idea how good he is, he coaches at least 100 swimmers in the area. (And if I had that many lifters I would be a very happy S&C coach.)

I started strength training his 10-year-old swimmer son, Donovan, in August 2011. And in the beginning of December 2011, I began training two of his 13/14 year-old age group female swimmers, Julia and Krista. And if the reader wonders, ”Hmmm. Joel, out of at least 100 swimmers, you only have 3 who lift weights?” The answer is YES.. Coach Chris is a strong advocate of strength straining, but unfortunately many of the swimmers’ parents think lifting is a BAD idea. See note ‘A’ above. Read on.

At any rate, one of the things I did as the strength coach is to spend one session with Chris to understand the basic swimming movements so I could develop a strength program tailored around swimming. The other thing I did (and continue to do) is asked Chris for constant feedback as to the weaknesses of the swimmers in the water. His reply was ‘weak upper body.’ Say no more, I got it..

Some of the emails I received from Chris:

November 21, 2011, First Swim Meet

“Donovan looked good, dropped in his backstroke and IM by a combined 8-9 seconds…”

Fast forward to February 12, 2012. Regional swim meet where Chris’s team participated. The following day I received E-mail from Chris:

“Hi Joel,

Overall the girls did great. Julia set a team record in the 100 fly, finally broke her personal times in the 100 free and 50 free as well. Krista nearly set the team record in the 100 breast….”

What Chris also told me in person the following week was the fact that the girls beat some of the boys in the water. (Team is coed.) Needless to say some of the boys felt embarrassed.

Donovan, Julia and Krista clearly deserve all credit. They were the ones who did all the hard work in the water and in the weight room. But it’s worth mentioning that their success in the pool, where it matters, were also supported by other elements – a skill coach who understands the importance of strength, a strength coach who kept focus on the fact that the kids are swimmers and not competitive lifters, and just as important (if not the most important) were the parents who trusted the coaches to do the right things..

To those who understand the equal importance of skill and strength, the blog title can be a bit misleading. The word ‘versus’ implies that there is some sort of opposition between the two specialties. I did this on purpose because that is exactly how most adults view the two – as separate and competing fields. The fact is that although there are discerning differences, they go hand-in-hand. So in reality, the title should be ‘Specific Sports Training AND General Strength Training.’ Balance must be achieved between these two. Skill and strength coaches, and parents should work together to make sure Little Johnny can be the best T-Ball player he can be. In the field, where it really counts, the stronger and skilled athletes will always defeat the weaker ones.

Do you really want to know how beautiful and poetic Olympic weightlifting is?

Pause Pavarotti at 2:02

Then pause Kendrick at 10 seconds in.

Then play Pavarotti while watching Kendrick. And then pause Kendrick at 1:06.

I got MAJOR chills watching this incredible awesomeness.

Barely 3 months after I began receiving proper coaching from Mezzie, a gym member approached me and asked me if I would be willing to train his two daughters in the classic lifts. Ron, as it turned out, was well aware of the many benefits Olympic lifting could provide to athletes.  His daughters Emily and Katie played various sports including basketball and softball, and he knew that developing explosive power is what separates great athletes from mediocre ones.

So there I was on the gym floor, new to the sport with many things yet to learn academically, and many things yet to learn about myself, struggling with a measly 95-lb snatch, being given the privilege to teach his precious daughters Olympic lifting. I replied without thinking twice, “Sure, Ron. I’d be happy to coach them.” That was over a year ago.

November 28, 2010 was their very first exposure to lifting. Emily was 13 and Katie was 11. During that time I couldn’t even do a bodyweight clean and jerk, and there I was coaching. They started out with 4-ft plastic bars and the rest is history. I knew right from the beginning these girls were going to be amazing lifters. They were driven, focused, and serious about their new sport. They never complained about anything. In fact, they complained to their father if they missed training. After 23 sessions spanning a little over one year, I am proud and honored to have these two very special Olympic lifters by my side during my weightlifting journey both as a student and a teacher.

TGI Friday’s is one of my favorite restaurants. Before I sit I usually know what I want: Jack Daniel’s NY Strip cooked medium.

Now I’m not dissing the bottled ‘Jack Daniel’s Sauce’ displayed at the local supermarket, but the truth is it is NOT the same as the one served at the actual restaurant. If you don’t mind doing some work in the kitchen, and if you are a steak lover, then the original sauce is worth making. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

1 Head of Garlic

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

¾ Cup Water

1 Cup Pineapple Juice

¼ Cup Teriyaki Sauce

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1-1/4 Cup Dark Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

3 Tablespoon Minced White Onion

1 Tablespoon Jack Daniels Whiskey

1 Tablespoon Crushed Pineapple

¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Directions:

Roast Garlic:

1. Cut about ½ inch off of the top of the garlic and then cut the roots off so it will set flat.
2. Remove most of the papery skin from the garlic but leave enough so it will stay together.
3. Put garlic into a small baking pan and drizzle with the olive oil.
4. Cover with lid or foil.
5. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.
6. Remove and cool.

Mix and Simmer:

1. Combine water, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar in a medium saucepan.
2. Simmer over medium / high heat, stirring occasionally until mixture boils.
3. Reduce heat until mixture is just simmering.

Add Roasted Garlic:

1. Squeeze the sides of the head of garlic until the garlic is squeezed out (it should be the consistency of butter).
2. Measure 2 teaspoons.
3. Whisk into saucepan.

Bring it all together:

1. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir.
2. Let the mixture simmer for 40-50 minutes or until sauce is reduced by about ½. It should be thick and syrupy.

As with any sugar-based sauce, if you are grilling with it, only apply the sauce in the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking so as not to burn the sugars.

The Flippin’ Fried Flipper’s MetCon: LUMPIA

This metcon combines Olympic Weightlifting technique drill with sled work.

The technique drill consists of a complex of power snatch immediately followed by hang snatch, considered 1 repetition. The purpose of this drill is to ingrain the good habit of finishing the hip extension, which many new lifters are notorious for violating. The power version serves as a reminder to explode the hips violently and with extreme prejudice. The hang snatch that immediately follows is the ‘beneficiary’ of the former lift.

I did 3 reps of this complex. My heart was racing by the 3rd rep, after which time I was ready for some sled work to raise my heart even higher – the ultimate goal of metcon.

Just to reiterate, form is safety and safety is form. Notice how I did not try to ‘beat the clock.’ There was no need rush just so I can say, ”Yeah. I’m really elite cuz I did Lumpia in less than 15 minutes, and I’m super elite cuz there’s a pool of vomit on the floor.” Pick a weight that will challenge but not defeat you, focus on form and technique and I guarantee you will get a great workout.

Resistance training in three-dimension where the body (or system) has an infinitesimal range of motion is far more productive than lifting on fancy equipment that supports the system where the range of motion and movement are dictated by the machine. (Think about it: Which exercise is tougher? Standing barbell overhead press or seated incline Nautilus press?) As such, sled work – DONE CORRECTLY – is an excellent way to effectively train the system as a complete unit.

Sled work consists of various movements conducted roundtrip. They are:

a) Rows. Get in athletic stance. Stabilize the core. Maintain upright torso. Use lats as the primary movers when rowing. Step back and pull slack. Repeat. (Note: Leaning forward or rounding your back and not lunging or getting in deep athletic stance will get your scrotum kicked.)
b) Press. Lunge forward. Stabilize core. Maintain upright torso. Use chest and shoulders as primary movers when pressing. Lunge forward and pull slack. Repeat.
c) Upper cut. Weight used may have to be reduced after the press due to the isolation-type exercises at the end of this cycle. Lunge forward with hands behind. Stabilize core. Maintain upright torso. Maintain a relatively wide elbow angle. Pull sled by doing an uppercut motion with arms. Use chest as the primary mover. Lunge forward and pull slack. Repeat.
d) Curls. Same as above, only curls. Keep elbows close to the ribcage.
e) Triceps Extension. Same as above, only triceps extension.

My legs were burning for obvious reason, my abs was sore because I had to rely on core stability to correctly do the exercises, and my upper body was shot. My target heart rate reached 85% after less than 15 minutes.

One of the best metcons I’ve done. The next major snowstorm we get in the Northeast, I’m thinking of doing this outdoors with my children riding the sled. Now that’s elite.

After my December 10th meet I was supposed to deload before I start my next cycle of training for the next meet. It’s hard for me to just sit around and relax so I thought I would do something different and develop a Metabolic Conditioning (MetCon) program and blog it. Besides, I could use some fat burning training during the holidays.

This will be the first series of “The Flippin’ Fried Flipper’s MetCon.” I call this one: BALUT. (Google it, if you dare.) I thought Balut is an appropriate nickname because it is NASTY-looking, yet very good. Moving on.

A bit of science stuff. Metcon is the use of exercises to increase the storage and delivery of energy for any exercise. The body uses three energy systems; the oxidative, the glycolytic, and the phosphagen. The oxidative system creates energy for low-powered activities that last more than a few minutes, the glycolytic system produces energy for mid-powered activities lasting up to a few minutes, and the phosphagen system produces power for high-powered activities lasting up to 10 seconds. When relating these systems to running activities, the phosphagen system would be responsible for a 50 yard dash, the glycolytic system responsible for a 400m sprint, and the oxidative system provides power for the half marathon.

Making these relations to resistance training is a little more challenging. Great examples of high-powered activities would be a 1RM squat or a max clean & jerk. Low-powered activities can be the pimple-faced high-school kids who do endless barbell curls in the squat rack.

With metcon, we’re targeting the glycolytic system – specifically anaerobic respiration. The main rules of metcon are fairly simple. Essentially, you’re in a battle with your body. To reap the benefits of this form of training, you need to do one thing: Work at an intensity higher than your VO2 Max. So you say, “How do I know what my VO2 Max is?!” Without going into a lab and getting it tested, you don’t really know. However, you can use the following numbers: For the untrained individual, anaerobic threshold is approximately 60% of your maximum heart rate; for the trained it’s approximately 85%. If you’re working at levels of intensity higher than that, your body is producing lactate faster than it can clear it, meaning that that level of work is unsustainable. This is exactly what we want!

So how do you calculate your heart rate? As a general rule, it’s the number of pulse per minute divided by 220 less your age. For example, as I am sitting down writing this blog my heart rate is 40%. It was calculated as follows: Pulse rate of 72 beats per minute divided by 180. (I calculated 180 by subtracting my age of 40 from 220.) If I were to Zumba, my heart rate would probably go up to 55.356%. As I increase intensity and do more hardcore manly stuff, my heart rate would approach 100%, which is exactly what I would want if I were training metcon.

Metcon programs are notoriously good at stripping fat, increasing lean muscle mass, and improving athleticism. However, a huge part of this is in exercise selection. Exercise selection is important overall, but it’s extra important in metabolic conditioning. You shouldn’t just bend over and randomly pull out exercises. Safety is everything. When I was in the Army I used to tell my soldiers all the time: Nothing we do in peace time is worth getting injured or killed for. I apply the same belief in the fitness and athletics world: Getting hurt is never acceptable in training, but it’s ‘almost’ okay in the field when play your sports.

Balut in a nutshell:

a) Barbell Complex. The first exercise I chose was a complex of hang power cleans, followed by front squats, followed by power jerk. I ‘only’ did 5 reps, because anything above 5 reps on Olympic lifts is generally not good. Just take my word for it. I chose the right weight that was challenging and beneficial for my goal, yet not too heavy as to compromise my form (Remember: FORM IS SAFETY, SAFETY IS FORM, and SAFETY should NEVER be compromised), and not too light either (like a PVC pipe) that my central nervous system (CNS) is insulted instead of stimulated. As a general rule, you want to do your explosive exercises in the beginning. Bad things can happen if you ‘explode’ at the end, especially if the explosive exercise requires sound technique such as the Olympic lifts.

b) Neutral grip chinups followed. I prefer neutral grips because they are safer and easier on joints. These were done strictly and to standard. None of that flappin’ like a fish out of water thingy. These are also great if you want to develop aesthetically.

c) Box Jumps. My CNS was resting as I was doing chinups, so now I am ready for another explosive exercise that requires less technique. This bouncing action will benefit the muscles of your lower legs, the central nervous system which coordinates this complex movement as well as your skeletal system, which increases bone density in response to the impact. The key here, once again, is safety. You could tear your tendons if you are not careful. Don’t use your quads to accelerate. Take advantage of the stretch shortening cycle (SSC) by squatting down below parallel (like you would on a back squat), then immediately BAM! Don’t pause at the bottom. Up, down and explode. This is a hamstring and glute exercise. Make sure you land ‘light,’ and not hard – as in making a loud BOOM upon landing! Pretend you are a ninja assassin. Jump from the ground and onto the rooftop of your target. You don’t want to wake him up; therefore, you must land ‘lightly,’ like a feather. And also make sure your entire feet are on the platform! Never land with your heels off the plyo box.. 10 reps of well executed high jumps is better than 50 done in piss-poor form. Safety first, m’kay?.

d) Sled push. It’s too cold outside in December. So instead of running / jogging I thought I’d add this to the list. Great ‘cardio’ exercise.

e) Reverse Farmer’s Carry. There will be no more explosive lifts. Your CNS is shot, or close to it, but we still want to approach 100% THR. So we gotta soldier on. The reverse farmer’s carry with a 40-lb bag is a great exercise. It’s unilateral, so it’s functional (yes, I hate this word as well) because we’re working one leg at a time. By using a reverse lunge, we don’t deal with the deceleration forces of the forwards lunge, and the bag position, held close to my chest, provides a great postural cue; you either keep your chest up, or you dump the bag forward. Additionally, by alternating the leg that’s stepping back, there’s a high cardiovascular demand to this exercise.

f) Spiderman pushups. So far we exploded, we used leg-dominant and hip-dominant exercises and we pulled. I am all about balance. If you push, you gotta pull. If you pull, you gotta push. BALANCE, only next to SAFETY, is just as important. Spiderman pushups are a bit more challenging than regular pushups. Again, form is important. ‘Break the plane,’ as we say in the Army. This means your shoulder blades must be lower than your shoulders. Push ups and their variations are great, yet unfortunately underutilized upper body exercise. (On that note, my athletes must first demonstrate push up proficiency before I allow them to bench. They earn the right to bench.)

g) ‘Bro-builder Trio Special Combo’. Barbell curls, overhead press, tricep barbell extension. Sure, why not. We’ve done all kinds of staple lifts and movements used by Olympic lifters, powerlifters and strongman. I felt obligated to include all of my iron brethrens; I can’t neglect the bodybuilders and figure models.

h) Plate transfers. Good for getting six-pack, brahs.

If you add up the total number of benefits of BALUT, you’ll see that it burns fat, builds muscle, reinforces good technique and posture, increases bone density, trains the central nervous system, and strengthens your body as one complete system. I was able to achieve a pulse rate of 168 beats per minute, or 93% THR in less than 8 minutes. What does your 45-minute treadmill ‘cardio’ do for you?

After over a year of training under Mezzie’s tutelage, I finally entered my first meet.

Feelsgoodbrahs.jpg

It was a memorable experience because my mom and dad were there to watch. My parents were just as excited as I was. My mom brought a bag full of goodies – homemade burritos, cookies, candies, water.. My dad kept telling me to let him know if I needed a massage during the meet to keep me warm. They have been supportive all along. They bought my weightlifting shoes a year ago when I mentioned I took up the sport, and they also bought my singlet. Such wonderful parents I have. I am very lucky to have them.

We left NEPA around 5:00AM and got to Kennedy’s Gym around 7:00AM. I was the first one to weigh in, 187-lbs, or exactly 85kg.

The original plan was to open with 68kg snatch all the way to 75kg, and open with 98k CJ all the way to 105kg. My shoulders were not cooperating that day, and I felt a bit nervous, so I made a last minute decision to open with 60kg SN and 90kg CJ. I thought it was better to be conservative than to bomb out my first meet.

Everybody was so supportive and helpful. There were a total of 18 lifters. There were only 2, including me, who were first-timers.

60kg snatch, no problem.

Next attempt was 65kg. Missed to the front. No biggie.

Third attempt with same weight. Made it.

90kg CJ. No sweat.

95kg. A little easier.

100kg.BAM!  That was the highlight for me.

Total this meet: 165KG, or 363-lbs. Not bad for a 40-year-old dude.

It was a very good experience. So for the next few weeks, I will take it easy and focus more on prehab for my shoulder.

I’m officially a ‘Competitive Olympic Weightlifter.’ Can’t wait til the next meet!

Mezzie, maybe next time we can meet in real life! I still owe you a beer