I don’t care what you think your excuses are. They don’t compare with what this kid has to deal with. When he was 10 he got both arms AND both legs amputated. Did he think he couldn’t join his highschool wrestling team? Nope. He joined and ended up going to State.
No arms, no legs, and nearly won the state championships in wrestling. That’s worth repeating. This kid doesn’t have arms, he doesn’t have legs, and he nearly won state in the sport of high school wrestling of all things!
Here’s all three of his attempts at each lift compiled. Notice the wild way he misses his last clean and jerk. He gets driven down by the spring of the bar in the set up for the jerk, so that he can’t use the bounce to get the weight up. Shockingly, he still rides it down to a full squat jerk and misses behind. One strong dude, no doubt.
Tommy Kono is arguably one of the greatest weightlifters who ever lived. But he was also a good bodybuilder. Here’s a slide show of some of his greatest photos:
Here’s a short documentary on one of the greatest weightlifters of all time, Vasily Alexeev of Russia (Soviet Union). He broke over 80 world records in his career. Just outstanding.
Here’s a video compilation of the 5 lifters of mine that competed at the Iron Works Olympic Weightlifting meet in Creswell, Oregon. 2 of them were brand spankin’ new. So that was fun. Every one of them either matched or broke personal records. And Leslie won her weight class again!
If you find yourself wanting to join in on the fun, click here to find out how.
BTW, in case you’re wondering, the music in the background is mine. Roy thinks I have a career writing music for the “adult” film industry. Maybe I should stick to coaching …
I get asked often by women over the age of 40 if they are going to be able to handle my programs.
Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, and video runs at about 30 frames (pic’s) per second, then this 5 minute video is worth 9 million words! It’s Crystal West doing about 5 straight minutes of bad-ass push up variations. She’s over 40 and doesn’t let anything stop her.
In fact in a recent blog post, she said she’s now worked out for a consecutive 766 days! That’s over 2 years without a day off. OH, heaven’s you say, she must be wicked over trained. But, listen to her sensible approach to lifting:
“There are two fundamental ideas that I am aware of as I approach my playout. First, make sure that I am having fun. As my teacher says, ‘Fun is Fundamental.’ Secondly listen to my body that day and let it tell me what is right for me.”
I think any of us who’ve been in the Iron Game for a while have been called at least a few of these names.
I especially like
Splint Chest Hair,
Stump Beef Knob,
Grissel McThorn Body,
Slab Squat Thrust, and who can forget
Big McLarge Huge.
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Great Comment of the Week
"Don't trust ... anyone who claims that you can be fit without any effort on your part. Most importantly, pay attention to what you eat, try new things, take the time to learn about what you want regarding your health and fitness and how to achieve those goals, stop being lazy about it, and for Christ's sake stop with the self-imposed guilt about it all! "
--Jessica Fraver
Nick Horton is head coach of the PDX Olympic Weightlifting team in Portland, OR. He is a Sports Performance and Strength Coach who believes in combining hard work in the gym with a fun and relaxed attitude. He is a competitive Olympic weightlifter himself, recreational softball player, and just got into Highland Games.