For the longest time, I was obsessed with my maxes in the olympic lifts. They fueled my desire to get better, and every rep of every set I had the next number I was chasing in the back of my head. After months of preparation and training, I would set a 5# PR, celebrate for an hour or so, then get back on my grind in pursuit of the next PR. While I think part of this is healthy and even necessary to become a better weightlifter (or CrossFitter, if that's your thing), I also think that a constant focus and obsession on PR's leads one to incorrectly evaluate their progress and performance on a day to day basis.
All to often, I see athletes get frustrated when they cannot hit their PR in a normal training day halfway through a cycle. "I could only snatch 135 today and my PR is 145..." they often utter in dismay. What is going on in my head is "Congratulations!!! You just hit 97%! That's great!" The thing is, they weren't supposed to PR that day- the cycle was not designed for them to be strongest midway through, it was designed to have them beat to crap midway through. The fact that they could hit 97% when their body is under fatigue is not only impressive, but encouraging. What we should be chasing after is minimums, not maximums.
This concept was brought to my attention by the great Donny Shankle, one of America's greatest weightlifters. What Donny so thoughtfully observed is that it is far more indicative of a weightlifter's status to observe their minimums (the number that they can hit on any given day) than their maximums (the number they got lucky and hit one time on a perfect day after 3 cups of coffee and 11 attempts). I have taken this to heart, and find that if I am constantly raising my minimums, then I am improving as a lifter. Being able to walk into the gym every single day and snatch at least 225, even on the days where we are sore and slept terrible the night before, is better and more telling than being able to hit 235 once every six weeks. This better prepares you for competitions as well, as you cannot always count on hitting your maximums, but can bank upon minimums.
As with many things, this got me thinking about my pursuit of Christ. So often, we evaluate our walks based on spiritual maximums- those Sabbath days where the stars just seem to align. We wake up early, get a cup of coffee and dig into the word for an hour and a half, then spend some time journaling, then listen to worship music or a podcast on the way to work, then hum hymns between conversations with our co-workers about Christ, then come home and serve our roommates well before going on a walk where we pray the whole time. I'm being a bit facetious, I know, but let's be honest- it's easy to romanticize that day as if all days were like that. Life, though, is not always a mountaintop experience, but rather a series of peaks and valleys. Thus, what usually follows a day like that (at least for me) is several days in a row of not spending time in the word, feeling as if my prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, and hardly any joy in my pursuit and proclamation of the goodness of God.
What I propose is a new approach; determining that through grace driven effort we will strive to be more like Christ not just in a mountain-top-every-so-often way, but on a daily basis by saturating our lives in His word, His community, and in prayer with Him. This becomes particularly important on days where we just aren't feeling it- making a concerted effort to draw near to Him. The concept is the same as in weightlifting- raising my minimums, only now in regards to my Gospel saturation. By raising the minimum amount of saturation, I am in time creating a deeper communion with my King, a more steadfast pursuit of being His image bearer, and a more ferocious defense against what is dark in my heart and in the world. It should be noted that love begets discipline, not the other way around- in other words our love should fuel our discipline. The end goal is not discipline for discipline's sake; the end goal is to know Christ more deeply and fully, and in doing so be transformed into His image. Discipline is simply the vehicle by which this occurs.
I love this short film. The blood, sweat, and tears are something that all weightlifters must come to embrace. I fully identify with Donny Shankle in this film. I can't tell you how much time I have spent sitting on my butt after a missed lift, yelling in frustration, and wanting to give up. I love the part where he is about to give up, has his singlet off, and is unwrapping his thumb. He takes one last look at the bar, and decides that this is a battle worth fighting for, and today he will win, no matter what it takes. Life can be like that.
"Spiritual bravery is cultivated when we take risks of faith. This is the greatest bravery, as far as I'm concerned. Think of the many martyrs, like Polycarp going to his execution. He had been warned in a vision that he would be burned at the stake, but he would not let fear seize him. Refusing to confess Caesar as Lord, the old saint went to his death willingly, even to the point of telling his tormentors it would not be necessary to nail him to the stake, that he would remain there by the grace of God. For he heard a voice from heaven say, 'Play the man', and play the man he did. The heart of a Warrior says, 'I will not let evil have its way. There are some things that cannot be endured. I've got to do something. There is freedom to be had.' The Warrior nature is fierce, and brave, ready to confront evil, ready to go into battle. This is the time for a man to stop saying 'Why is life so hard?' He takes the hardness as the call to fight, to rise up, take it on. he learns to 'set his face like a flint' as Jesus had to do to fulfill his life's great mission (Isaiah 50:7). It may take time, and require repeated provocation, but eventually a man must come to realize that there are certain things in life worth fighting for. Take anything good, true, or beautiful upon this earth and ask yourself, 'Can this be protected without a fight?'"
One of the biggest things that has been missing from my training lately is a solid training partner. There is nothing that motivates, pushes you, keeps you accountable, and makes you better more than a training partner. The best and most consistent partners I have had all shared a few things in common.
1) They showed up- nothing stunts progress more than having a partner who only lifts with you once or twice a week. You may be all beat up from the weeks work and they come in fresher than a spring day, which can be frustrating. Your bodies are not going through the same thing, and it makes you borderline resent them on the days that you show up and they don't.
2) They push you and allow you to push them back- back at U of H, Steve and I would share a bar. One day in particular stands out in my mind. We were doing rack jerks, and I think we had about 90 kilos on the bar (my, how far we've both come since then). We were doing something like 5 sets of 3. Steve finished his fifth set, and it was my turn. I stepped up to the bar and jerked it 3 times, then added in a 4th as if to remind him who had the upper hand. Though he had finished his work requirements for the day, he was not to be outdone and immediately stepped to the bar and jerked it 5 times. This is the kind of stuff that happened every day- one of us adding an extra 5 pounds to outdo the other. This competitive environment fueled both of our successes as athletes.
3) They play off of your strengths and weaknesses- when I moved to Dallas, one of the things that I really appreciated in training with Kyle is that our areas of expertise were different. During a WOD, I usually knew where I would catch and lose him. If it was an olympic lift I felt like I could keep up and maybe even gain some ground, but for everything else he would whip my tail. This meant that if we were going against one another I knew I had to push harder in the areas where I wasn't as strong (burpees, rowing, thrusters... yuck). I remember one day the WOD was rowing and snatches. The first round, he got off the rower about 10 seconds before I did, but I finished the snatches a little before him. The second round was the same, but in the last three rounds his snatches were twice as fast because he knew that's where I was catching him. Though you may not like it during the midst of it, you need to be pushed in your weak areas if you ever desire to get better at them.
I was reminded of the importance of having a group of people to push you this weekend. The guys I lived with in college decided to get together for a weekend and just spend time hanging out. Though we are spread out all over Texas, each time we get together it's as if no time has passed. It's a smorgasbord of guys; we have a CPA, a contractor, a salesman, a fundraiser, three guys on YoungLife staff, a musician, and a coach. What I love is that each of these men is using their giftings to push back what is dark in the world for the sake of the gospel. In each of their contexts, the love of Christ is being manifest and proclaimed. Just being in their presence made me want to be more like Christ, because in each of them I see Him so clearly. It has not always been that easy though.
One night stands out in my mind that I will never forget. I came home to find all my brothers around the kitchen table. They asked me to have a seat, then in love proceeded to voice their concerns for me about a particular area of life that I had let sin creep in. I remember in the moment feeling really uncomfortable, but they were right. Looking back, it was a defining movement for me- a moment that I crossed a threshold of holding on to my own desires and giving them up to Christ. This is just one of the hundreds of instances where these men have sharpened me.
In a world where most men are lucky to have one or two solid brothers, I have 8. It continues to be one of God's greatest graces upon my life to learn from these men, be encouraged by them, and share life with them. So to Chase, Brett, Mark, Zak, Stephen, Bryant, Carson, and Luis, thank you for showing me on a daily basis what it means to lay down my life and take up my cross. Each of you has pushed me closer to Christ more than you will ever know this side of glory.
I remember when I first started learning to play the guitar, how excited I was, but at the same time how frustrated I was. Try as I might, I just couldn't seem to make the instrument sound like the guys on the youtube video I was watching. This was probably because the first song I tried to learn was Stairway to Heaven. Had I spent the time practicing the fundamentals, such as how to properly make the chord shapes and my transitions, I would have been much more fruitful and saved myself a lot of headache in the long run. In neglecting the most basic aspects of guitar, I stunted my progress. What I lacked at the time was virtuosity.
Virtuosity is the ability to "do the common uncommonly well." It is, in my opinion, one of the most overlooked aspects of Crossfit, as well as in life. This idea was brought to my attention by my buddy Steve yesterday as we were talking about the biggest problems we see in the world of Crossfit today. My first thought was that most people just need to get stronger. What he so eloquently noted was that "yes, people need to be strong, but I see people layer strength on top of crappy movement all the time..." As I thought about it, I realized he couldn't be more right. I see so many people who have plenty of strength, but move so poorly that that strength cannot properly manifest itself. A perfect example is the athlete who squats 300 lbs but only snatches 135. For their strength level, this athlete should be snatching around 185. Even for far less technical movements this holds true. If you cannot do a basic air squat properly, you have no business performing an overhead squat. And if you can't perform an overhead squat, then why are you trying to snatch? If you cannot do a pull up, and if you cannot do a ring dip then why on earth are you trying to learn a muscle up? It just makes no sense to me, yet if I am honest I find that I too tend to get ahead of myself from time to time. It's hard not to. By focusing on what is most simple in movement patterns, we open ourselves up to future experiences of more complex and difficult movements.
Nowhere have I found the concept of virtuosity to be more important than in my pursuit of Christ. Far too often, I gravitate to the more grandiose parts of the Christian walk- theology, sharing my faith with large groups of people, going on mission trips, ect. None of these pursuits are bad, but without a proper foundation they are fruitless. What I want to continue to come back to is the simplicity and beauty of the gospel- that I am sinful and guilty beyond measure, but that on the cross of Christ my debt was paid in full. In meditating on this simple truth, I cannot help but live a life that manifests itself as loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled (Gal 5:22-23). I have no business going oversees and being a missionary if I cannot live out and share my faith with my friends and those I interact with here stateside. I have no business starting some big nonprofit organization if I cannot simply "love my neighbor as myself" (Mark 12:31). I have no business shepherding a congregation if I cannot shepherd my own family. Virtuosity- do the common uncommonly well. For me, this means gravitating my life around the gospel message of Christ setting me free from the bondage of sin that I may live my life in a way that displays His glory and worth.
Mother Theresa said it best: "spread love everywhere you go. Don't look for big things, just do small things with great love... the smaller the thing, the greater must be our love."
Today's post is written by one of my best friends Steve. I am particularly excited to post his article, because I owe so much of who I am today to his influence. He taught me how to squat, how to snatch and clean & jerk, how to program, how to survive Smolov, how to eat way too much food and not feel bad about it afterwards, how to get lost in the world of Youtube videos, and so much more.
One of my biggest pitfalls as a coach is I can become over competitive. Maybe it's just how I was raised, but I want to win, and not the friendly kind of win, but the kind where I crush my enemies, have them driven before me, and watch the lamentation of their women type of win. This goes for everything, whether it be a not-so-friendly game of monopoly or a throw down session in the gym.
The bad part is I sincerely enjoy seeing people succeed, especially those who I have shared sweat, blood and tears with. So now I have and interesting dichotomy; I have training partners and even family who I want to see succeed more than anything, but when they do all they see is the bitter, resentful, competitive moment that I reflexively portray.
Part of me realizes I'm just being a jerk and I need to grow out of this bit of immaturity. But another part of me reveals a more interesting conviction; a realization that my resentment is not fueled by others success, but by my own belief that I can do better. I see other's success and it reflects on my own shortcomings. Watching others move forward makes me analyze my own failings and realize that I can try harder, I can put in more work, and my potential has yet to be tapped.
Lifting and life tend to parallel each other. I'm always looking for growth, not necessarily in the big goal achieving sense but in the day-to-day kind of way. Whether it's making the effort to put in that extra work set at the gym, pick up my bible and actually read it, or just do the dishes for my wife, I realize these little things that when constantly practiced, contribute to the whole and make change. They help me grow and become a better version of myself. The best part is by striving to become that better person, I may one day turn the tables on those who inspired me, and help them grow as well.
The sport of olympic lifting consists of two lifts, both of which measure how much weight you can take from the ground to overhead: the snatch and the clean & jerk. Apart from these two classic lifts, there are many auxiliary lifts that can be performed to make your classic lifts higher. The problem is that with so many exercises, what is often the most confusing is the terminology involved. Because of this, I thought it would be useful to show and talk about each of these variations. This list is not exhaustive, but should cover the vast majority of what you will see (apart from work from the blocks).
Snatch vs. Clean & Jerk
The snatch is taking the bar from the ground to overhead in one movement. The clean & jerk is taking the bar from the ground to overhead in two movements: from the ground to the shoulder (clean) and then the shoulder to overhead (jerk).
Snatch vs. Power Snatch and Clean vs. Power Clean
The snatch and the clean are the classic lifts. In both lifts, the bar starts on the ground and is received in a squat position before standing. Many people, especially in the crossfit world, refer to these movements as "squat snatches" and "squat cleans," however this is unnecessary. When asked "is the clean a squat clean?" It would be like asking if the water is wet or the sushi is raw.... yes, yes it is. In a power snatch or power clean, the bar starts on the ground and is received in a quarter squat. Since the athlete receives the bar in a higher position, it requires more power, thus the power snatch/clean.
Hang Snatch/Clean
Hang snatches are great at developing posterior chain strength. Since the bar does not return to the floor, the muscles experience longer time under tension and are therefore strengthened. There are four main positions I will talk about: the hip, the high hang, the hang, and the low hang. In both the snatch and the clean versions of these lifts, the bar is picked up to a resting, hanging position, thus the "hang". It is then lowered to one of the four positions.
1) Hip Hang Snatch/Clean- the bar is raised to the hang, then with a slight dip and drive the bar is projected upwards as the athlete lowers into the squat to receive the bar. In the dip, the bar should not travel down the leg at all, and the shoulders should stay behind the bar.
2) High Hang Snatch/Clean- the bar is raised to the hang, then lowered several inches down the leg before being projected upwards and received in the squat. Since the bar is traveling down the leg, the shoulders and torso should bow over the bar slightly.
3) Hang Snatch/Clean- the bar is raised to the hang, then lowered to the top of the knee before being projected upwards and received in the squat. The shoulders and torso should bow over the bar a considerable amount.
4) Low Hang Snatch/Clean- the bar is raised to the hang, then lowered below the knee before being projected upwards and received in the squat. The shoulders and torso should bow over the bar until the bar crosses the knee, at which point the shoulders and hip should lower at the same time.
Hang Power Snatch/Clean
These should be performed in exactly the same manner as above, but instead of receiving the bar in a squat, the bar is received much higher in a quarter squat.
Pause Snatch/Clean
Pause snatches and cleans are great at developing proper positions as well as back strength. If you pause in a poor position, the chances of you receiving the bar are greatly diminished. In the pause snatch/clean, the bar starts on the ground, then is raised to a designated position at which the bar stops its upward momentum and is held for a count. The upward momentum is the re-initiated and the bar is received in a squat. Pauses can happen 2" off the ground, below the knee, at the knee, above the knee, or at the mid thigh. Multiple pauses can also occur, such a pause at 2" then a pause above the knee.
Snatch Balances
These are great at developing speed under the bar, as well as overhead strength and confidence in the receiving position. There are 3 main types I will talk about: snatch balance, heaving snatch balance, and pressing snatch balance.
1) Snatch Balance- the athlete starts with the bar on their back and their feet in their pulling stance, then dips, drives and receives the bar in the overhead squat position. The feet should move from the pulling stance to the squatting stance.
2) Heaving Snatch Balance- the athlete starts in their squat stance, then dips, drives, and receives the bar in the overhead squat.
3) Pressing Snatch Balance- the athlete starts in their squat stance, then without dipping, presses themselves under the bar and receives the it in the overhead squat.
Presses
The press is taking the bar from the shoulder to overhead. There are four main types I will discuss, and a fifth that you are welcome to youtube: the strict press, push press, push jerk, and split jerk (youtube the squat jerk).
1) Strict Press- without using the legs at all, the athlete presses the bar from the shoulders to overhead
2) Push Press- the athlete initiates this movement with a dip, then drives the bar off their chest and presses to finish with the bar overhead.
3) Push Jerk- the athlete initiates this movement with a dip, then drives until the bar is lifted off their chest. As soon as the bar leaves the rack position, the athlete presses themselves back under the bar and receives the bar in a quarter squat. There should be no "press out" and the bar should snap (or "jerk") into the overhead position.
4) Split Jerk- this movement is the exact same as the push jerk, but instead of the feet landing in the squat stance, they land in a split position. It does not matter which foot goes forward- for each athlete this will be different. What is important is that the athlete jerks with the same foot forward each time- DO NOT CHANGE EVERY TIME.
I hope this was helpful! The video should clarify any questions you may have.
This video cracks me up. As a CrossFit coach, I can attest to the fact that it is 100% accurate- this is the stuff I deal with on a daily basis. While part of me thinks it is hilarious (I love my female athletes), the other part of me recognizes that there is something ironic about the general persona of some people who consider themselves "crossfitters". What I have discovered is that some people really want to appear to be a die hard crossfitter, but really have no desire to actually beone. Let me explain.
Crossfit has several stereotypes that surround it that I'm sure many of you are familiar with- things like tall socks, Lulu Lemon clothing, vibrant colors, tons of accessories (ya can't crossfit without nanos, knee wraps, wrist wraps, belt, head band, ect...), excessive chalk use, eating paleo, and so on and so forth. Now don't get me wrong, none of those things are bad at all. In fact, I would support (if not advocate) many of those things. What I find ironic is that there are some people who do all of these things, but when it comes time to actually do the WOD, they don't really push themselves. They like the appearance of being a crossfitter, but don't exactly enjoy the act of being a crossfitter. They like the cool gear, but not the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to earn the badge of being a crossfit athlete.
Now in the end, I guess it really doesn't matter if people like pushing themselves to their limit or just dressing up in neat work out clothes. I think what is more troublesome is that this idea is not just restricted to the world of CrossFit- it works its way into every part of our life.
It is so much easier to appear to be something than it is to actually be that thing. Where I find myself doing this is in regards to my walk with Christ. I often find myself doing things that make me appear to be a man after the Lords heart, but not always having a heart that matches my exterior actions. I am ashamed and even embarrassed to admit this, but I am also not so naive as to think that it is something nobody else struggles with, so let's call it like it is. It's easy to put on the facade of someone who follows Christ, especially in our bible belt culture. We know how to talk like people that love the Lord (Christianese), we know how to put verses up on Facebook to make us look like we have it all together, we know how tell people "God does everything for a reason", but behind closed doors are we really living in a way that honors the Lord? Will you still follow Christ when you lose your job or get cancer? Will you still display His love to someone who wrongs you or lies to you or stabs you in the back? Will you still keep your heart, mind, speech, and actions pure when nobody else is around?Sometimes yes, but my point is that its much easier to appear like we are following Him than it is to actually follow Him.
In the bible, there were a group of people who were appear-ers rather than be-ers. In Matthew 23, Jesus speaks to these people:
"The scribes and the Pharrisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their outward status symbols bold, and they love the place of honor at feast and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
There is nothing wrong with appearing as long as you are willing to be also. Thanks be to God that when we fall short, we have a merciful and loving High Priest who has interceded on our behalf. Christ is committed to our sanctification, and in His cross alone we have hope. Blessings.
The other day I was listening to the Weightlifting Talk podcast titled "Greg Everett". The topic at hand was the "cool factor" and how it influences peoples decisions. They started off by talking about how a big factor in Oregon's football recruiting is how cool their jerseys are. To be honest, I would play for Oregon even if they were terrible just because of how sick some of their uni's are. As they linked it back to the sport of weightlifting, some connections and distinctions were made.
Part of what is now drawing people to weightlifting is the cool factor. There is something just inherently awesome about taking large amounts of weight and throwing them overhead. A great example is Hassle Free Barbell Club up in San Fransisco, which specializes in teaching weightlifting to high school kids. The cool thing is that what started as a club of 10 kids has now grown into over 300 members. They didn't have to do anything crazy or magical to attract kids- weightlifting is fun, and it attracted kids to itself. What led to Hassle Free's popularity was kids growing to love the sport, then sharing that love of the sport with their friends, who then grew to love the sport and share it with their friends, and so on and so forth. If they would have tried to reinvent the wheel by trying to make weightlifting something that it is not, they would have cheapened the experience for those who truly love weightlifting in its pure form. Not everyone will like it, and that's okay. But those who do grow to love it will do so for the right reasons and will be sustained in the sport with the right motivations.
I think sometimes it's tempting for us to try to make Jesus something He's not in trying to make Him seem cool to others. In doing so, we don't always portray Him as he really is. It's easy for us to talk about His love, but much harder to share the truth of His justice. It's easy for us to view Him as the Lamb, but not always as easy to remind others that He is also the Lion of Judah. We want to see Him as the man who loved on prostitutes and tax collectors, but it's harder to think of Him as the man who flipped over tables and called out Pharisees. When we portray Christ as only loving, or as only meek, or as only gentle, we cheapen the experience and the power of who He really is. Oftentimes we do this in hopes that others will be drawn to His more mellow characteristics, and repelled by His more fearsome qualities. What we must remember is that not everyone will love Him for who He is, but those who do will love Him for the right reasons and will be sustained by Him with the right motivations. Christ calls us to Himself in an irresistible way- we don't have to make Him cool or hip.
