“I’m dedicating this unusual song to an unusual person who makes me feel kind of… unusual.” – Christian Slater in Pump Up The Volume I like to say that if my lifters don’t feel like total crap at the end of our heavy weeks, then I haven’t done my job. I don’t say that as… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Weightlifting
Samurai Strength Episode 5: How to Jerk, Part 1: Dip and Drive!
See part 2 here. You can think about the Olympic weightlifting movements like three sisters. If they were siblings the Snatch would be the sexy and smart one, good at math, a sweet talker, keen on using finesse to solve all problems. The Clean would be the burly one who went out for Rugby, didn’t… Continue Reading
The Law of Accelerating Returns: On The Weightlifting Singularity
We live in the future. We’re way beyond post-modern now. And our rate of progress is increasing year after year according to the law of Accelerating Returns. Advancement in any area is rarely linear – it certainly isn’t in the technological world. Often (and in the best cases) it is exponential: growth begets growth. There’s… Continue Reading
The Lessons You Learn While Drinking With Bulgarians, Part 2: Coaches Are All Liars and The 3 Big Lies of Snatch Learning
In Part 1, I told you how a few nights ago my wife and I were hanging out with my step dad, Nasko, and a family friend Dmitri for dinner and drinks. Dmitri and Nasko are both gymnastics coaches, my wife is a math teacher, and I’m … well you know what I do! What… Continue Reading
The Lessons You Learn While Drinking With Bulgarians, Part 1: Climb the Rope!
This is Part 1, read Part 2 on how Coaches are ALL Liars here. Last night, my wife and I went over to my step-dad Nasko’s place for dinner along with our family friend, Dimitri. Both Nasko and Dimitri are Bulgarian, were once members of the Bulgarian national gymnastics team, and competed at the world… Continue Reading
Samurai Strength Episode 4: Hip Thrusts for Olympic Weightlifting
The Hip Thrust isn’t exactly the best known exercise in most gyms. And that is doubly true in weightlifting and CrossFit clubs. But, don’t think that its lack of popularity is based on some inherent ineptitude on its part. Sometimes good things just can’t get popular without a lot of heavy promotion. Bret Contreras has… Continue Reading
Beginner vs Intermediate vs Advanced: WTF?
There’s a lot of question about what makes someone a beginner, and intermediate, or an advanced lifter. In some sense this question has been answered, especially when we’re talking about young athletes or the progression of new person through the “ranks” of advancement. It isn’t a mystery. But, when’re talking about an adult who is… Continue Reading
11 Steve Jobs Quotes Applied to Weightlifting, OR, How Steve Jobs Was a Samurai
Steve Jobs is a cult figure. And with his untimely passing that status is only going to rise. Like all great cult figures the man left us with a myriad of great quotes and passages. What is surprising isn’t so much that they are good lines – constructing an interesting turn-of-phrase IS a tough… Continue Reading
Samurai Strength Episode 3: Spring-load and Explode! OR, Get Your Knees Back
I’ve got another snatch drill for you today. The idea is the same as before in that you will do twice the thing you are trying to work on. Today that something is getting your knees back as you move from the floor to the knee position. While in the beginning I prefer a lifter… Continue Reading
How To Hit A PR Everyday By Becoming a Ninja Turtle: A Lesson for Athletes and Coaches
On Monday, six of my lifters hit a total of Nine PR’s (Personal Records) at PDX Weightlifting. Many others matched all-time best PR’s or came close. While that is high, it isn’t at all unusual for us to have days where many PR’s are set all at once. It happens once a week, sometimes more…. Continue Reading
