Plant Based Diet for the Strength Athlete

Recently I have been experimenting with a mainly “plant based” diet to fulfill all of my nutritional needs after seeing a documentary on this type of diet and the benefits gained at a cellular level called “Forks over Knives” and “Fat, sick and nearly dead”.  Since then I have thoroughly looked into the science end of what our bodies need to maintain healthy cells for optimal performance and I have been experiencing some serious results! Not only have I lost body fat but I have seen a huge increase in energy and mental clarity. My blood is healthier and I continue to experience strength gains faster than I have ever had using a animal based diet. 

So a good friend of mine asked me for a menu of what I eat on training and non-training days as a strength athlete and I thought this might be something other people would like to look at as well. I encourage anyone to experiment with themselves when it comes to your diet...by “tinkering” we find what works and what doesn't. 

A few tips...first, do the research. Don’t just take my word for it (or anybody's for that matter). Read/watch/research the medical information, and dietary data from a variety of reputable sources (sorry wikipedia...your out). And as always consult your doctor before you go all Dr. Moroeu on yourself. 

Also, invest in the basics. If your going to do it, do it well (Thank you Pano’s for the catch phrase!). Invest in a good juicer and have a plan, get your shopping list together and recipes too. There is nothing that will torpedo your experiment faster than not having something prepared...all of the sudden you find yourself at McDonald’s snorting big mac’s because you had a long day. Don’t set yourself up for failure, so plan every meal AHEAD of time! 

Ok, enough with my ramblings, here is my plant based diet on a daily basis. At the end I’ll post a recipe list and some links for resources. Enjoy the experiment and the new found energy! 

NON-TRAINING DAY: 

*Note: I am not putting times on this as I don’t always follow a set timed schedule, use common sense...if your hungry then eat, duh. 

• When I wake up I have a full glass of water usually with some lemon (Lemon aids in digestion and detoxification of your intestines)
• Mean Green Juice - (use a juicer...not a blender, trust me) 6-8 Kale leaves, 4 celery stalks, 1 cucumber, 2-3 med. apples, 1 cup of parsley, 1 lemon and 1” of ginger
• 32 ounces of water
• mixed salad - put whatever you want in this but use dark green veggies instead of iceberg lettuce. Also, beware of salad dressings...look at labels here people. don’t use stuff with crap ingredients or better yet make it yourself (its easy in a blender and way healthier)
• “Orange” juice - 3 carrots, 2 med. apples 1” ginger, 1/2 lemon or lime
• vegetarian burrito (at Moe’s this is the Art Vandalay Jr.) - beans, rice (1/2 cup spanky...lets not get crazy here), salsa, corn, cheese, cucumbers and cilantro on a tortilla
• 32 ounces of water (I typically drink 2-3 of these throughout each day, its a great way to “flush out toxins and stay hydrated)
• Dinner - Usually we have a vegetarian dish with a salad (use google and find recipes that you will like and enjoy. some examples are : veggie chili, 3 bean soup, veggie lasagna, etc...)

TRAINING DAY:

Essentially this is the same as a non training day with the addition of during training I mix BCAA’s (Branch Chain Amino Acids) in water and drink it throughout the work out. About half way through (typically after the Snatch work and before the CNJ begins), I have an apple or a banana and some almonds or cashews to help re-fuel and rest. 

Immediately after the work out I try to eat a good meal and drink a juice. The veggie burrito at Moe’s is great for this, but it’s easy enough to make one or a salad or whatever. 

Also, if I get hungry or snacky I will eat some fruit or veggies to sustain me but truthfully I rarely feel hungry at all anymore. The whole time I was on a animal based diet I often felt hungry AND bloated at the same time. Sometimes after a meal I would struggle to breathe I was so full! With a plant based diet I am full and satisfied but I have yet to feel “over-full” or “bloated”. 

Here are a few other juice recipes I use, I encourage you to find and/or make new ones! Side note on Juice....it allows me to ingest the volume of dense nutrients that I need for optimal mitochondrial health. Our body is made of cells, those cells regenerate every 8 months or so, you have the power to make those cells either healthy or sick depending on what you feed them. Nutrient dense juice is the fastest way to feed your cells to promote health and natural energy. 

Gazpacho Juice:

4 plum tomatoes

1 cucumber

2 celery stalks

1 red bell pepper

1/4 red onion

2 cups of parsley

1 lime

Citrus Green Juice:

6-8 Kale leaves

8 Swiss Chard leaves

1 cucumber

6 clementine oranges

Sunset Juice:

1 sweet potato

1 carrot

1 red bell pepper

2 apples

1 orange

1/2 lemon

*You can find these recipes and others at resources like rebootwithjoe.com*

In closing, I want to address the one question that I asked at the beginning of my experiment and the one question everyone seems to have when exploring a plant based diet for strength athletes...where do I get my protein from? The answer is...(Drum roll please)....the plants. It’s true, 1.5 cups of Kale gives you 3 grams of protein, as a matter of fact all vegetables have some amount of protein. 

In animal based protein sources you lose more than half of the protein when you cook it, then your body only absorbs around 12-14% of the remaining protein leaving the rest to literally rot in you intestinal tract until you dispel it. In the meantime it leaves toxin deposits in your intestines and pumps the building blocks of arterial plaque into your blood stream. 

With plant based proteins you absorb around 43-48% and it digests easily through your intestines. This type helps maintain intestinal health and helps lower blood pressure as well. As for the essential amino acids needed to aid in muscle recovery, again I use quality BCAA’s. I rarely eat animal proteins any more and at first the very idea made me sad, but surprisingly I don’t miss it. I never went through any “withdrawal” type symptoms and I have more energy than I knew existed prior to this change. 

I hope this helps you and leads you to experiment with your own diet. If Ilya Illin and Dimitry Klokov get their nutrition through a plant based diet and rarely eat meat (Ilya is a vegetarian and also a two time Olympic champion...no biggie), my question is why aren't you doing the same? 

Holy Shorts Over Spandex Batman...What Gives??

Something has been bugging me for a while now &  I need to get this off my chest... I have to ask the CrossFit Community a very serious question...what in the Sam hell is up with the spandex pants and board shorts combo?? Seriously, what gives? I'm not mocking you (at least not yet), but I am curious as to where this "fashion" statement came from.

I'm an athlete, I have been an athlete my entire life...I have played in all types and levels of sports from pee-wees to Semipros. I am now a masters athlete in weightlifting and with all of the years that I have been involved in sports I cannot figure out this phenomenon for the life of me. I'm a type A personality so it's driving me crazy not knowing what the deal is with wearing spandex pants under your shorts. I don't get it, I have looked into the whole "compression technology" concept and after a metric crap ton of reading, I have to come to the conclusion that it is junk science. The majority of the people who own and regularly wear compression pants under their shorts to "wod" recieve no noticeable benefit/advantage from this pairing, I mean Zero...Nada...Zilch.

So why do it? Who said this was cool and the way things should now be done? Like the first person who made disco "cool" for a brief period in the seventies, this "spandex pants over shorts" person should be drawn and quartered. Now don't get your "Danny Terrio" panties in a bunch just yet, remember this is just my opinion. But come on...have you seen yourself in that ridiculous outfit?

Let me tell you a little story about a similar silly trend. A long time ago I too was a "CrossFitter" and I was just as ramped up about everything CrossFit as you are. All I spoke about was CrossFit and I tied every conversation to the the wondrous benefits of all things CrossFit. I came into the gym one day to find a fellow "brother of sweat" sporting a new type of footwear...vibrim five fingers. I. was. blown. away. I really was...I stared in amazement as he breezed through the wod, the five fingers seemed to give him a new found grace, speed and strength and I wanted some...badly.

Now, in retrospect, his speed and strength came from the years of him working his ass off in the gym to get stronger and faster, but at the time I was convinced it was the shoes. They were all I could think about. I researched them online like they where a possible cure for cancer. I couldn't wait to get my own pair and I price matched every web site known to man that offered these "golden shoes of Hermes." There was just one problem...sizing. How the hell did they come up with this complex system of: algorithm-Chinese math-Klingon alphabet for sizing these shoes??

 I searched far and wide and finally found some obscure store two hours from my house that promised to carry them. I called and quickly learned it would have to be a leap of faith because the store had no English speaking representatives employed apparently. I finally made it to the store and as luck would have it, they DID have these shoes in stock and I didn't even care that they were 2-3 times more than the cost of regular tennis shoes. I would not be stopped!!

I spent the next 30 plus minutes trying to wedge these things onto my feet. When it was all over I felt like I had snapped off a few toes and had been beaten by a street gang for a few hours. I was wiped out by the ungodly fight these things put up.

The little old Chinese couple must of laughed for days & days at the sight of me almost killing myself to get these damn things on my feet. If the pain hadn't been so excruciating I would've laughed too, but pain and suffering was to great to muster a smile let alone a laugh. Even so, I purchased these shoes sure that they would somehow make me a better CrossFitter! I would most certainly RX and PR all of my workouts from here on out!

I got home and I couldn't wait to model these new gifts from God to my wife...ten minutes later when she finally stopped laughing long enough to breathe, she told me that I looked ridiculous and that I was never allowed to wear those in public with her...ever. I felt betrayed and angry at her...she had no idea just how "cool" these really were and what they could do for my performance.

I experienced a similar reaction with everyone that saw them...except for CrossFitters. I was laughed at and mocked for wearing "gorilla feet". I was willing to take the abuse because they mocked me out of ignorance and jealousy or so I thought. I went through my 30 minute "pain dance" every day before the wod started and I wore that pain like a badge of honor. I was part of a "cool" culture that knew something no one else seemed to know, and then I tried to run in them for laps.

I started out fine, and then all of the sudden I felt a snap in the Achilles tendon area of my calf & that brought me down like a deer just hit by a deer slug on opening day. I was in incredible pain, but I didn't blame the shoes...at first. It had to be the concrete or my running form or anything else besides my awesome new shoes. I tried a few more times but ultimately I was defeated that day. As I was peeling these shoes off my mangled feet before I hobbled back to my car sure that I just snapped a ligament, it dawned on me. I found out the hard way that you cant run in those things. Slowly I began to realize that the pain wasnt worth it to me just to look cool.

I switched back to my Nike Free's and I began to notice that everyone that was bitten by the "Vibrim Five Fingers" bug was also going back to more conventional foot wear. And just like that, the fad was gone.

You see, I thought that something that looked cool would benefit me "functionally" without first thinking it through. If I had used logic instead of envy to make my decision, I would have spared myself enormous amounts of ridicule and pain as well as a potential career ending injury. I choose fashion over function and I was punished for my stupidity. I think thats kind of whats happening to the current CrossFit community with this "spandex pants under shorts" look.

Luckily for you, it just looks like a ridiculous kind of a throw back to the Jane Fonda era of the eighties. It could be worse, it's not like you go shirtless with the pants/shorts combo or wear only reebok shoes and rogue t-shirts making yourself look like an elitest tool bag or something. oh wait, nevermind. Calm down, I'm just kidding, don't get your CrossFit panties in a bunch! But seriously, look in the mirror and try not to laugh.

The Calm Before The Storm

The moment your name is called as the next lifter, time becomes a blur speeding up and slowing down all at once. You stand up from your chair in the warm up room with sweat dripping down your face. You feel yourself walking towards the stage as if your being pulled by some type of invisible tractor beam. You are only semi-conscious of all the people looking at you and wishing you well as you walk down the hall and onto the stage. Emotion builds up inside you like hot lava filling a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. You tighten your belt one last time and chalk your hands, nervous that you wont make it all the way to the bar before you explode with pent up energy.

As you turn towards the platform you see your arch enemy lying there waiting for you. He has your failure already planned out but you know he is not prepared for the fight that you are about to bring. You grab him firmly in your strong hands, feeling as if you could shatter him with your grip alone. You get into your start position feeling all of your blood and emotion coursing through every pore of your body like electricity running through high wires. The second you start your pull you smash him into your hips, driving him upwards into utter weightless-ness. As you catch him on the way down and stand up, you know you've won this battle. Having destroyed him in victory you slam him down hard onto the cold platform.

This is only a small subset of the time that you will spend at any given competition. What takes place the rest of the time leading up to that will greatly influence your mindset and success as a weightlifter. I have read more articles than I care to remember and I have listened to more coaches and athletes of all calibers. All of whom are trying to convince you that their way is the better way,the only way... the superior mouse trap if you will. But I've never heard someone talk about what happens the other 90% of the time during a meet and how best to handle it.

 I've had to learn on my own, (just as all of the athletes that have come before me) how to handle the down time in a way that will benefit me the most and give me the best chance for success. Every person is different, so there many different ways to prepare for your day of personal battle. All I can do is tell you about my experiences and what works for me. Like with anything, you must try and experiment to find out what works best for you.

My first foray into competitive Olympic Weightlifting was a real eye opener to say the least. I was nervous to the point of nausea the entire week before and it got considerably worse as I got closer to the venue. I made many mistakes such as: don't arrive too early, know your weigh in time and know your sessions beginning time. I got to the event three hours before I needed to be, so inorder to calm my nerves I put on my headphones and began to warm up. Unfortunately for me my warm up is fifteen minutes long, so I would warm up...then cool down...then get spooked that I'd be too cool and lock up, so I would warm up again (I repeated this process for the next three hours).

By the time weigh In's came, I was mentally and physically exhausted. From that point on, all the weights felt heavy to me and I couldn't help but to worry about my performance and how it would suffer because of my mistakes. Suffice to say I was not in a good mental place at all. My time eventually came and I didn't do half as bad as I thought I would, but I knew I could do a whole lot better. I left that day tired and exhausted and I felt the after shock of it for the next few days.

My next goal is to compete at the American Masters in Georgia in early November. I am on a great program, I have a fantastic coach whom I trust implicitly and I have a sound nutritional plan to be at weight without having to "diet" or "cut weight". I feel good and I look forward to this next goal and accomplishing everything that I have set for myself.

A few weeks ago as I walked into the gym, my coach looked up at me and said "your competing at the MDUSA meet in October right?" To be fair, he was asking me, but I knew he wasn't really asking, more like informing. Without knowing any of the details I said yes of course I was. I firmly believe all athletes should emphatically trust their coaches, if you don't... you don't have the right coach for you.

I had exactly two weeks to prepare for this "surprise meet" and I'm smack in the middle of training for the American Masters in November, so I knew right away I would not be at my typical competition body weight. I compete as a 105KG lifter, but in training I'm usually around 110KG. To put the cherry on the top was a little fun fact that my wife sprung on me at the last minute. We would be attending a birthday get together for one of the doctors she works with the night before this competition and we would be out late, oh boy. Not the way you want to start out at any competition.

This scenario had all the tell tale signs of warranted panic. But unlike the last meet, I quickly adopted the mindset that I would do what I could to prepare as best I could, but I wasn't going to worry about it no matter what. I did taper my training and for two weeks and I cleaned up my diet, I even had a lite salad for dinner the night before the meet. I intended on staying at the birthday party just long enough to wish him well and then off to bed so I could get a good eight hours of sound sleep.

Two o'clock in the morning and a bunch of beer and wine and even a "birthday cake shot" (yes, it actually tasted like birthday cake) later, I was finally in bed. I had set my alarm for seven the next morning and had a hour and thirty minute drive with a ten AM weigh in time ahead of me. The alarm  seemed to go off before I knew it and as I got up, old Mr. Hangover was sitting squarely on my head. I was slow getting up and getting ready to go. I only allowed myself one small cup of coffee to try and deal with my head until after weigh ins.

I just kept telling myself on the drive to the meet, "it's just for fun" and don't be too serious. I got to the meet a few minutes earlier than I expected, and almost immediately I was put to work judging the women's session. Luckily for me I was able to judge with a few guys that I really look up to in the world of weightlifting (one of them is even on the worlds team...James Tatum). Hungover...yes, having fun...yes, worried at all about how I would do that day...not at all.

After weigh In's (btw, I was at 110.3 so I should have had the steak instead of a salad, Grrrr), I went to the warm up area. I would be one of the last guys in my session to go, opening with the 2nd highest snatch. So as everyone around me hurried to get ready, I calmly ate my banana and sipped my water. I took my fish oil and B-12 pills and slowly began my ritual of taping up and getting ready. I even found time to take notice of a younger lifter next to me who was having wrist issues. I offered my back up wrist wraps and even adjusted his wrist for him (I'm in school to be a chiropractor). He and his coach were both thoroughly grateful and we exchanged contact information.

I know typically, the warm up room is where you prepare for war and get inside you own head, but today I felt different. Like no pressure could get to me. I finished getting ready and waited for my coach to tell me the weights and reps to warm up with, so I sat in my chair talking to an older guy who had been in weightlifting for over forty years. His love for this sport was just as strong as mine and I enjoyed his company and conversation about the old days of the sport. I did my warm up lifts at my coaches calling, mixing in time for conversation and joking in between. I no longer had my hangover and I felt great, I was calm and in good spirits.

My coach came into the warm up room and gave me the look and said it was time. I immediately stood up, switching gears seamlessly into a focused warrior. I walked towards the platform in confidence and determination. I did great that day, setting two new competition PR's (Personal Records). Even though I missed my last attempt on both the snatch and clean & jerk, I had won. I was victorious that day, I not only lifted good, but I had conquered my fear and nervousness. I stayed around for the next session and I even volunteered to judge it. I had a great time doing that with a few great people (one woman who is also on the worlds team, Morghan King).

I had found the best possible way for me to succeed that day and the recipe was simple...just take it easy. In weightlifting a competition can be a scary place for a new lifter, but it's important to take the time to relax and enjoy the experience. After all, we are not in the Olympics fighting for gold...yet. My advice to any novice weightlifter who is going to compete or anyone who is scared to compete, is to put yourselves out there. Take that step out of your comfort zone and go for it, it's only you against you...it's really no big deal. Like the first time you dive off the high board into a pool...it is scary, but if you push past that fear, it's fun as hell and you cant wait to do it again and again!

Take your time and know you basics...what time is weigh In's; what time does your session start? Other than that, just go and have fun...keep in mind that this whole experience is just for fun. It doesn't matter what you lift, how many lifts you make or even if you bomb out, it only matters that you have fun. Fun is what will foster your love for this sport, and fun will keep you returning to fight another day. Another thing to keep in mind is that ALL of the worlds greatest weightlifters bomb out and continue to make mistakes, so don't hold yourself to an unattainable standard. Lastly, you will meet some of the most generous and caring people in the community of weightlifting. These strangers will immediately be your support system encouraging you on and being there for you when you need them, after all we are one big weightlifting family.

The Biomechanical Advantage of the Chinese Method of Weightlifting for Spinal Injury Rehabilitation

The Biomechanical Advantage of the Chinese Method of Weightlifting for Spinal Injury Rehabilitation

Although there are many forms of rehabilitation methods for spinal injury, I have found most to be relatively ineffective. I suffered a severe spinal injury over a decade ago while playing Lacrosse in upstate New York. I damaged and severely herniated two discs as well as fractured my L-5 vertebrae, while advancing a stage 2 spondylolisthesis (/spon·dy·lo·lis·the·sis/ (-lis´the-sis) forward displacement of a vertebra over a lower segment, usually of the fourth or fifth lumbar vertebra due to a developmental defect in the pars interarticularis.) a full grade to a stage 3.

I spent the better part of the following decade in a state of constant pain and irritation resulting from these injuries. I was forced to give up sports and other like activities, subsequently my quality of life over this period of time deteriorated considerably. After trying virtually all forms of rehab excluding spinal fusion surgery and finding no relief, I took it upon myself to become educated in human anatomy in hopes to find an effective treatment.

My voyage down the rabbit hole of anatomy and physiology led me to try all different types of treatment, some more extreme and some conventional. I finally found that my answer was not  just one treatment but a combination of treatments that have greatly helped my condition. I was so changed by my experience that I decided to leave a career of 10 years in finance and begin anew to become a chiropractor so that I can help people that find themselves in a similar situation.

First, I’ll begin with a brief description of some common spinal injuries. The single most common complaint amongst people today is low back pain & almost all of it can be attributed to some form of spinal injury/deficiency.  The most common injury is the “subluxation” of the vertebral spine. Each of your vertebrae work together to give your spinal cord the flexible protection that is needed for day to day life. However, each vertebrae is its own bone separate from each other by a liquid filled disc that acts as a cushion. These vertebrae are subject to misalignment causing a “subluxation” at times due things like impact, twisting or jarring. Basically our daily life can shift these bones out of place at almost any time.

Much like a kinked garden hose will only dribble out a small amount of water, your spinal cord will only dribble out diminished signals to your body if and when you are subluxated. The only way to correct this is to “re-adjust” the vertebrae so that the bone is re set and the full potential can be sent from your brain through your spinal cord into your body to run efficiently and effectively. Correcting this condition is not to be taken lightly, do not let your friend “crack your back” as this can severely or permanently injure your spine. Only a trained Chiropractor or Osteopath has the knowledge and expertise of the spine and its functions to correct a subluxation.

The other common spinal injury we typically see is a herniated disc. Our spinal discs are fluid filled discs that act as a shock absorber between our vertebrae and give us the mobility and flexibility in our spine. Over time we can injure these discs and even gravity will erode these discs as we age. Once herniated, these discs will “bulge” out, much like if you squeeze one end of a water balloon. This “bulging” will press on your nerves and cause a pinch, almost always directly related to severe pain and nerve damage.

The common rehabilitation methods of today treat certain symptoms of these injuries often supplementing or masking the original pain with powerful pain medication. The problem with this is twofold, first, you are constantly chasing symptoms while never truly “fixing” or “solving” the original cause. Secondly, by using powerful pain medications you are subject to long term addictions and drastic side effects on your body, and in your kidneys and liver.

You also run the risk of doing even more damage because you are numb to the pain signals being sent to your brain. Your body uses pain sensors to trigger important mechanisms to correct dangerous situations or signal the need for immediate help, and anything that dulls or blunts that response only can lead to serious and long term injury.

The most effective way to fix common spinal problems is to first identify the cause, correct the imbalance while dealing with the symptoms and to restore proper alignment to the spine. At the same time, you need to also begin to rebuild the tissues surrounding your spine in order to support it and keep it in a good position and safe.

Weightlifting fits this second requirement perfectly, as it focuses and encourages proper posture and technique of movement. Its ever changing host of exercises strengthen the entire body which gives stability to the spinal column. To better explain this, try to imagine a loose fist (acting as the musculature around your spine). If you put a pencil (acting as your spine) inside your fist, it will move around freely, therefore your “pencil” will be unstable just like your spine is unstable with weak muscles around it.

Now imagine that your fist is tightly squeezed around that pencil,  it has become very stable and supported, just as your spine is well supported with a strong musculature around it. This is a very basic rundown of just how some of the benefits of Weightlifting will directly affect your spinal health. It promotes good form, strength and stability and provides immediate and long lasting spinal rehabilitation.

There are many different methods of Weightlifting at this current time, all of which have their own benefits and contributions. For the sake of this article I will be discussing the Chinese Method of Weightlifting. The reason being is that I have a spinal injury and I train in this modality with one of the premier coaches of this discipline today. I have found this method to be the most effective in regards to supplementing my chiropractic care and rehabilitation to date.

The Chinese have been climbing the ladder of the Weightlifting world and seem to have found the “secret to success” when it comes to winning titles and medals. Up until recently the Chinese methods and techniques have been a mystery to most. Thanks to well versed coaches and students of this method such as Kirksman and Stephen Powell to name a few, we are now starting to understand just how this method works and how we can adapt to it for our benefit.

The biggest problem I have had in Weightlifting prior to learning this method is that in America, it is generally taught that the athlete performs a “jump and shrug” to get the weight up over head. To accomplish this the athlete often over extends at the low back and is so busy trying to “muscle” the weight up, that it often crashes down on them before they are in a prime receiving position. From a mechanical standpoint this is not only very inefficient, but also very dangerous as the shearing force on the low back under load is extreme.

The Chinese method is more of a straight line, originating in the mid foot and using the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and lats to pull the load into your hips. At the hips there is a transfer of power or explosion, propelling the load upward thus the weight becoming momentarily weightless. As soon as the transfer of power happens at the hips, the athlete pulls him/herself down under the bar fast, catching the bar on the rise. With this method, there is virtually no shearing forces on any major or minor joint as well as the athlete is meeting the load on the rise instead of letting it crash down on them while trying to muscle it overhead.

This straight line technique has a great biomechanical advantage for the body, as it carries the load evenly and takes advantage of the bodies strongest natural position. This positioning also minimizes any shearing force on the bodies levers thus reducing any chance for injury.

Another added benefit in the Chinese method is the open mindedness at the center of it. Top Chinese coaches encourage their athletes to seek out extra supplementary exercises as well as borrow from other sports like gymnastics that have significant carry over to their sport. It is with these additional exercises that when used in tandem with the classic lifts (Snatch and Clean & Jerk), that I have personally experienced the most effective rehabilitation of my spinal injury.

The brains behind lifthard.com, Kirksman Teo, puts this concept into an easy to understand concept. He says "that there really are many ways to skin a cat and being open to those different ideas can teach us quicker than condemning other alternative ideas." Sage advice by someone who has submerged himself in this methodology to the point where he has become one of today's foremost expert on the Chinese method.

My coach has explained that the Chinese have deconstructed the classic lifts and taken a  good mechanical look at how the body is put together in order to find the best methods to increase efficiency. The Chinese are never content with their methods and are always looking to improve upon their programs and ego plays absolutely no role in their ever changing methodologies. For this reason alone, they are light years ahead of conventional weightlifting programing as well as spinal rehabilitation programs.

The proof is in their athletes and the incredible feats of strength that they perform on a regular basis. Take for instance Lu Xiaojun, a 77kg lifter (169 pound body weight) lifting 205kg (451 pounds) and making it look easy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzDdktDWExQ

Also, representing the women, we have Li Yajun, a 53kg lifter (116 pound body weight) lifting an unofficial world record of 105kg (231 pounds), again making it look easy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8uXc4MQ4nA#t=22

These great athletes and many more like them are strong and only getting stronger while doing it all safely by following the Chinese Method of Weightlifting. If you have an interest in lifting more weight efficiently or if you are looking for a great program for spinal health & rehabilitation, I recommend you start here. I have found through my long road back from injury that the best prescription for health and well being  is a strong body.

The Pussification of a Nation

What is the deal with planet fitness?? The lunk commercials are really funny but I keep hearing about some Gestapo-like attitude people encounter at this "gym". I hear they have a litany of rules before you are able to work out (don't get me wrong, I'm sure some are warranted), but are some very crazy like no water bottles over 20 ounces or no more than two 45# plates on anything at anytime. What!!?? Are they joking...if they are I certainly don't get it. I mean What the frig (I'm really trying to curb my cussing) is wrong with people!!?? 

Are we to believe that society is so weak and feeble that we are now punishing those of us who are strong and work hard to be even stronger?? If this is true then we truly have "gone to hell in a hand basket" as they say. This is just as ludicrous as those stupid variations of sports we are now teaching our children, like the "new" baseball. The premise is to have fun, no score is kept and there is no focus on competition just good feelings. I say take off the rose colored glasses and put down the bong hippy, you are ruining our children and if I had my way, you'd be shot. Competition not only is good for everybody but children also need to learn the valuable lessons of winning and losing in order to prepare them for a real world life of challenges they will surely face. 

I know I'm ranting a bit here but I cant help it, this all needs to be said. While I'm at it, if I see one more skinny 135# guy showing off his "cut ab's" I'm going to snap his scrawny arm off and beat him to death with it. If you want to impress me, be 250# or more and have ab's (with a 150kg snatch and a 185 clean & jerk) that is impressive... not some Ethiopian wanna be who thinks he's diesel. How about you not worry about if you have the latest Reebok nano's to go with your board shots and compression pants(worn at the same time for some unknown reason) and the latest rogue t-shirt & Oakley sunglasses. Your supposed to be a man for God's sake...start acting like one and worry about how much weight is on the bar and less about what hair gel Rich Froning uses before the CrossFit games...you bunch of pansies. 

 As for the ladies, I am all for you being comfortable and confident in your own body, but for the love of God, please stop wearing "gym lingerie" or yoga pants/shorts and a sports bra as you call it, to work out in at a public gym (wear what you want if your in your own home gym). First, it's totally inappropriate, I'm a father and when I see you dressed like that, I only want to call your father and let him know what you re doing(which to clarify is shaming your family). Believe me, you are calling attention to yourself for the absolute wrong reasons and I assure you the guys that are "oogiling" you do not want to treat you like a lady. Secondly, these clothes are for UNDER your work out clothes...not instead of it. I know it's the "in" thing right now but please have more self respect than that...you deserve it. 

I read some article every day or see something on the streets every day that points to our Nation and our society sliding down the path of "pussification" and we need to stop it immediately. This great Nation was built on hard work and tenacity, not sunshine and bunny rabbits, so knock it off already. Stand up for yourself and say something the next time you see some sniveling woosey trying to strip away our freedoms piece by piece. Walk around with a chip on your shoulder and don't apologize for it, after all thats what made America great...we bow down to no one for nothing, end of story. 

Lastly, I'd like to talk about bullying. I know its a hot button lately and some say it's an epidemic. I want to tell you the secret on how to stop it for good. First, the simple truth is there will always be bullies in this world and they are always looking for victims so get over it and fight back. Stop trying to get the parents and the administrators and school counselors and even the police involved. If you or someone you know is being bullied, tomorrow, seek them out and without saying a word simply walk up to them and punch them as hard as possible in the nose. Now, you may loose the fight, but I guarantee that bully leaves you alone forever. I'm not advocating for violence, but I am advocating for standing up for yourself and if that takes some violence now and again, so be it. Freedom is worth the fight. 

Here Comes The BOOM!

In the sport of weightlifting there are more downs than ups; more bad days than good and more failed attempts than PR's. So why do we do it? Why put yourself through the mental and physical grinder day in and day out? Vicious determination. Every weightlifter I have met from noobie to the Olympic hopeful and everyone else in between, I have noticed a common characteristic that we share. We are all viciously determined to master this sport and die trying. It takes an uncommon type of courage to do what we do in spite of the daily failures we face.

This courage and tenacity is something akin to the steel nerves our grandparents had during World War II, or the courage our mothers and fathers showed in the Vietnam era. Just like those of us who now stand on the razors edge so that our children may be at peace at home, we must find the inner strength to stand up every time we are knocked to our knees. Bloody and battered we stand up looking our opponent in the eye making and making them blink. We are the crazy and insane and yes we are the "fringe element". We wouldn't want to be any other way. 

As I sit here writing this article on the twelve year anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I am inspired by the resiliency of our people and our country. It is at times like this that you actually get to see a rare glimpse of our sheer willpower and strength collectively. The lucky few of us who have tapped into their ability to harness this and use this type of strength on command are truly a special breed. 

In Weightlifting as in life, you will lose and you will lose often. We cannot let defeat beat us and deter us from achieving our goals. Every time you lace up your weightlifting shoes or chalk up your hands before a pull, think for a moment about just how special you are. Like a species of animal on the endangered list, we are few, but unlike the animals on that list, we are most definitely mighty. 

Biker clubs have a common patch that they wear. I am not talking about the doctor and accountant that take off their suits by day and don a denim and leather costume to play biker by night. I'm talking about the real, hard nosed criminal element biker. The ones who instill fear by a simple look or posture, the honest to goodness bad asses. They all wear a 1% patch, meaning they are the 1% of society that does what they want. They don't care about our social norms or acceptable behavior, as a matter of fact they loathe it. 

We as Weightlifters are like those 1%'s, we wear our scarred hands and over developed quads like a biker wears a club patch. People stop and stare at us as we go by partially out of fear and partially envy. Our women are stronger than the average male ever thought of being and that alone freaks people out. They have no idea how intoxicating it is to take weight...a lot of weight, and be able to quickly put that weight over your head and stand up with authority. 

So lets all take a page from all of those who have come before us and all of those who stand up for us today. Channel their strength and feel the primal rage surge within you as you walk up to that bar and rip it off the ground with force. Win or lose, don't stop. Stand up every time and reset your mind and body. The most successful people are those who have failed the most and learned not to fear that failure, but to use it.  

A Landslide Starts with One Pebble

People often ask me about CrossFit once they find out that I’m an Olympic Weightlifter, they seem to want to know what I think of it. It is almost like they half expect me to shoot down the whole idea of CrossFit outright, but that is not my opinion. My opinion on the general training method of “CrossFit” is that its a good methodology for the average person to get fit in a fun and interactive way. The catch is, that there is a difference between the “methodology” of CrossFit and the “actual typical application” of CrossFit in todays society. 

Let me explain this further to try and clear this up a bit. First, opinions are like certain body parts...everybody has one and they can all be different, that being said here is my take on it considering I came through the “CrossFit” door into Weightlifting. When CrossFit started, it was a hodge-podge of training modalities taken from various disciplines and sports. The idea was novel in that contrary to popular belief you didn't really get fit by spending hours on the stair-master reading your magazines or watching T.V. Not only that, you didn’t get fit on any one of the thousands of “strength machines” on the gym floor like the dreaded curl machine or pec-deck. 

Here was this new “hands on” approach that offered a road to true fitness that struck at our athletic core. It got us out of the sterile surroundings of the gym and got us back to the idea of “training for/playing a sport” to achieve fitness. The “High Intensity Interval Training” (albeit not a new concept) was for the first time reaching regular people instead of just the athletic top echelon and it was catching fire! The idea that “coaches” would take you through a grueling, fast and hard hitting work out instead of some college kid in a polo shirt handing out fitness advice like he hands out towels, was a completely new concept.  

I tell people when they ask about CrossFit this: “It’s a great training method for gaining general fitness as long as your smart about it and don’t get caught up in the wave of bad information and/or bad coaching that is out there.”  I go on to say that “the CrossFit gyms are connected in name only, so your experience will differ with each CrossFit Box you visit.” I say this not to discourage people, but to inform them of the benefits AND pitfalls that this training modality has to offer. I started in CrossFit towards the end of the “Golden Age” of it’s inception, meaning the basic founding tenements were still the modus operandi for the majority of the community. 

In my time being a “CrossFitter”, I saw the change sweep over the community like a slow rolling wave of a tsunami washing through the village. First came the new shiny equipment companies and the belief that if you didn’t have a gym full of their products that you couldn’t possibly be a serious CrossFit gym. Then, as if on cue, came the apparel companies saying the same thing. The supplement companies and other peripheral companies flooded in too,all helping to “water down” the original CrossFit that helped to change so many lives. As I look back now I can only imagine how primal and visceral the original version of American Football must’ve been before it’s commercialization.

Luckily for me I had already stepped through the Weightlifting door before the “generic” version of CrossFit had taken its current hold. I focused on my sport of choice and used the basics of CrossFit to help build my own garage gym which my entire family uses as well as friends. It brings me great joy to know that with a little ingenuity and a lot of hard work you can create something at home that will rival any $150.00 per month CrossFit gym AND be available at anytime without any constraints.  I have no “class times” or weird scheduling rules in my gym, just come to work hard and work hard often. I do not charge anybody anything to work out at my gym, after all it’s my home and here you are MY guest. 

Don’t get me wrong, I know that owing any “commercial gym” is a business and needs to make money, but my point is that the core of CrossFit started out by “bucking the system” as it was against the “globo Gym” mentality. Now it seems they have assimilated into another version of the monster they fought so hard against. The greatest asset of CrossFit is hands down it’s community, and originally it was built by regular people coming together in garages and parks and school yards, basically any where that they could go to work hard together and help each other get stronger. These nomadic people brought whatever equipment they could find and made the rest or improvised. They followed the “main site” WOD (Work out Of the Day), and held each other accountable throughout each work out and in doing so they became a family. 

The community today is drastically different than what this was built on and for who it was originally built for. Today the typical CrossFitter needs to have a full wardrobe of CrossFit approved apparel, such as board shorts over compression pants for the guys and the shortest & tightest lu lu lemon yoga shorts for the girls. Shirts are optional for both sexes and it’s a must to have the latest minimalist shoe as well as to be on some form of a paleo diet/carb restriction. Their focus is no longer about changing lives and helping your community through fitness, it has now changed into how “bad ass” you can be and how many kipping pull ups you can do in a row for time. The worm has definitely turned and unfortunately it is leaving the original base of people that make up it’s community behind. 

As this phenomena called CrossFit grows more and more commercialized it runs the risk of watering itself down to the point of no return. I predict that todays version will price itself out as well as isolate itself from the majority of todays people in the near future. All too often you are made to feel as if you need to be a division 1 or 2 athlete BEFORE you come into a CrossFit class, and if your goal is not some form of complete sport dominance, then don’t even bother coming in. The first day I stepped into a CrossFit gym I couldn’t do a single pull up or even 5 push ups without needing oxygen. Had the culture of today been in place then, I would have never gone back. I wouldn’t have regained my health and I wouldn’t have found a sport that I truly love. There are a lot of people like me out there, and unfortunately, if CrossFit continues on its current course we will all be displaced and the community which built this thing called CrossFit will more than likely be disbanded. 

Make no mistake of my motive here, it is not to stoke the “anti-CrossFit” fire, but to act as a warning to everyone out there that has an appreciation for what CrossFit, true CrossFit has done for them. A landslide starts with a single pebble, and quickly gets out of control. The community of this training modality has always been at the heart of it, so it will take that community to return it to something that is good for everybody as well as applicable to everyone. It starts with you, every day and in every “box”, you must stand up for what you believe in and be heard. Slowly, if enough of you speak up you will see the change that you want. You will see the commercialism and the elitist attitude take a back seat to helping people and getting communities healthier bringing everyone closer together which is what brought so many people together in the first place.