Triad

The debate in the world of olympic weightlifting has always been over which is most important: strength, mobility, or technique? I have heard many arguments for each side, but what I have come to discover is that to truly be great, you need all three. You will not find a single world class lifter who does not posses a great deal of each. Let's take a look at each, and why it is important

Klokov, the supplest of Leopards demonstrating his ankle mobility

Mobility:

Before you can do a good snatch, you have to be able to do an overhead squat. Before you can do an overhead squat, you have to be able to do a squat. You will never be great at snatching unless you have a requisite amount of mobility allowing you to receive the bar in an overhead squat. The same could be said for the clean. If you do not have the mobility to get your elbows under the bar and create a good front rack, then you cannot do a good front squat, and if you cannot do a good front squat, you cannot do a good clean. Even the jerk requires good mobility, especially if you want to be a squat jerker. The primary areas olympic weightlifters must focus on are ankles, hips, and thoracic spine.

Ilya Ilin, perfect upright torso and rack position

Lu Xiaojun, squat jerking 453lbs at 169lb bodyweight. Hip and T-Spine mobility? Yup

Technique:

Being able to get into good positions (mobility) is crucial, but being able to get into those positions in a proper sequence and rhythm is just as important. Olympic weightlifting is one of the most technical things in the world- it is gymnastics with 400lbs. Being off by 1 inch at any point in the lift is the difference between a missed lift and a make. 

James Tatum snatching 145kg at the American Open

Donny Shankle clean & jerking

Strength:

Being able to get into positions (mobility) is key, and getting there with precision is critical (technique), but if you are not strong in those positions, you will just look really good snatching 75lbs, which nobody is impressed with (sorry if you snatch 75...). In the world of crossfit, when you snatch 225 and clean and jerk 275 people start considering you "strong". This makes me chuckle, since there are 14 year old Chinese girls who snatch 275. Anywho, the point is you gotta be strong as an ox... maybe stronger

The point in all of this is that in the triad of mobility/technique/strength, one is not superior to the others. They all play a vital role in an athletes pursuit of greatness, and they all interplay and intermingle with one another. I think this provides a simple (though incomplete and far from comprehensive) portrait of the Trinity. So often I find myself thinking of God the Father as the main character (Batman), God the Son as His sidekick (Robin), and the God the Spirit as the third member who sometimes shows up (Catwoman). What the Bible lays out for us is a far different picture though- one of mutual submission, glorification, and honor, and one where no one person of the trinity is of greater or lesser value than any other member. I am not going to even begin to try to explain the trinity, because the whole idea of it blows my mind. All I am pointing out is that each is distinct, yet each is important.

And yes, I just used a Batman analogy to describe the God of the universe... so sue me.

The Gospel

Woe to me, I am a slave,

Lost and lonely, soul depraved,

Iniquity I surely love,

Which separates from God above.

Swallowed up by lusts and pride,

Sin and guilt I cannot hide,

Punishment for me awaits,

To usher me to Hades gates.

But suddenly I hear and see,

Love’s sweet calling beckon me,

Hallelujah! Savior, Christ!

He comes for me, to pay my price.

Stripped and beaten, mocked and scorned,

All my wicked He adorned,

Nailing sin upon the tree,

All so God would pardon me.

For He the wrath of God absorbed,

On He God’s cup of hate was poured,

On Him was laid the weight of sin

So man could be with God again.

Dead and buried, my sweet King,

Swiftly my release He brings,

Chains of guilt He now has broke,

Sin in me He has revoked.

Then three days later, Glory lives!

Raised from the grave to shine again,

Overcoming sin and death,

Christ resurrected gives me breath!

All praise to Christ, the sovereign Lord,

He paid for what I can’t afford,

Now clothed in rightness not mine own,

The blood of Christ for me atoned.

Surely not for good in me,

His blood is but my only plea,

My only hope on Him is lain,

Be reconciled to God again

But what could ever prompt the King,

Step off His throne and rescue me?

Because He loves me, this I know,

And died for me, His love to show 

Just Listen

For the past few weeks, I've been thinking about what my favorite part of being a coach is. There are a lot of things that bring me joy in coaching people, but the best thing is writing a program, having an athlete complete that program, then seeing them make massive gains or reach goals.

Most of the times, the scenario plays out like this: an athlete has been trying to hit a certain number, whether that is a double body weight squat, a 225 clean and jerk, or their first strict pull up without a band. They have been aimlessly trying to accomplish that goal, but feel like they are beating their head against a wall and have not seen much progress in a while. They have an end goal in mind, but no real direction or idea of how to get there. That's where having a good coach comes in. A good coach knows how to get an athlete from point A to point B in an efficient manner. One of the biggest problems I see with folks is that they lack commitment to a program. If an athlete has a good coach that will write a good program, and if that athlete will commit to following the program, they will almost always see gains made and goals achieved.  The athlete may think they know what is best for themselves, but when it obviously hasn't been working they must place their trust in a coach to ultimately bring them success and joy.

The last two cycles I have written have gone fantastically, and it has been the most rewarding thing to watch my athletes make 30, 40, and even 50 pound PRs on their squat, front squat, snatches, and clean and jerks. The moment when they hit their old PR with ease and their eyes get really big is my second favorite moment. The moment after they hit their last max (which is way heavier) is my favorite. The point is, the cycles I write are not to punish my athletes (though I'm sure sometimes it feels like it). Lets be real- nobody wants to squat that much. But if an athlete will trust that I have their best interest at heart, they will reap the rewards of listening to me. All they have to do is just listen. As a coach, it makes me proud and brings me joy when they do.

I imagine that God must feel very proud and joyful when we listen to Him. So often, it is easy to take His word and His commandments as oppressive, a shot to our freedoms and desires. Our flesh foolishly believes that we know what is best for us (despite the perpetual evidence against that opinion) and that we know what will really make us happy. Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist, and theologian describes this phenomenon:

"All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even those who hang themselves."

As believers, we place our hope and our trust in the goodness of God, believing that when He tells us to do something, that it is for our good and His glory. By living according to His word, we reap the rewards of a life lived under the banner of His goodness. All we have to do is just listen.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." 

           -Psalm 37:4

Risk and Reward

One of the most controversial topics in the world of Olympic style weightlifting today is the triple extension (as popularized by Mike Burgener, Greg Everett, and Spencer Arnold) vs. the catapult method (as preferred by Don McCauley, Glen Pendlay, and Jon North). For those of you who are unfamiliar with these two methods, it essentially comes down to the bang vs. brush.

In coaching, I get questions all the time about which is right and which is wrong. When my athletes watch me snatch, they always are quick to observe that "the bar smacks off your hips and seems to swing out in front of you..." It's no secret that I am a fan and believer of the catapult method, but I also believe that an athlete can be successful with the triple extension. World records have been set using both styles, so for me to say one is right and one is wrong would be foolish. Obviously there is merit to both, so now the question becomes which one an athlete should use. Therein lies the challenge.

What I have discovered is that each style is a double edged sword. The triple extension is the safer route of the two. There is less that can go wrong, and generally speaking I think athletes who triple extend are a little more consistent and have to chase the bar less. The problem is that the safer route is also the lower payout. The pull under is a bit slower, and I believe (though I'm sure some would disagree) that the second pull is also a little less violent. The catapult is, in my opinion, the riskier of the two for several reasons. Primarily, more can go wrong, and I think initially it is harder to learn. Until an athlete learns to smack in the same spot every time, the inconsistency with the pull can become problematic. Additionally, left unbridled, the smack can cause too much horizontal movement in the bar path and get away from the lifter. Though it is riskier, if done correctly, I believe it is also more rewarding because it is the more powerful method, and produces the more speed under the bar, which can lead to higher numbers. I believe that eventually, each athlete will- if they practice enough- naturally gravitate towards whichever style suits them best. 

As with many avenues of life, we are often faced with decisions concerning risk and reward. Maybe it's a weekend trip to vegas, maybe it's playing the stock market, maybe it's fourth and short on your side of the fifty, or maybe it's entering in to a relationship, but in one way or another this dilemma comes upon us all. So often I have felt myself take the safe route, telling myself that I was making the "wise choice", when really I was just scared to risk it. I think of all the great men who came before me, and wonder what history would look like if they chose the safe route- what if William Wallace wouldn't have played it safe and stayed at home rather than risking it all to lead his people in the fight against the oppression and tyranny? What if Martin Luther would have played it safe and let the state run church continue to mislead people instead of risking his reputation and life by posting his 95 theses to the door of the Church? What if Peter would have played it safe and stayed in the boat, or if Paul would have played it safe and never returned to Jerusalem? What if Jesus would have played it safe and just kept his mouth shut? 

With greater risk comes greater reward, and with it comes greater pain. But sometimes the pain is worth it. Sheldon Vanauken in his book A Severe Mercy describes the health tension between risk and reward, and the ensuing heights and depths that come along with them:

"How does one find joy? In books it seemed to be found in love- a great love. So, if he wanted the heights of joy, he must have, if he could find it, a great love. But in the books again, great joy through love seemed always to go hand in hand with frightful pain. Still, he though, looking out across the meadow, still, the joy would be worth the pain- if indeed they went together. If there were a choice- and he was suspected there was- a choice between, on the one hand, the heights and the depths and, on the other hand, some sort of safe, cautious middle way, he, for one, here and now, chose the heights and the depths."

In our pursuit of Christ-likeness, it would serve us well to remember that our God is not a God of fear or timidity, but of boldness and courage. As His image bearers, we are to reflect His nature and character as best we can. I doubt very much that Jesus took the safe route very often. Just a thought. 

Blessings

Guest Post: Wait

Today's post comes from second time contributor Morgan, one of my closest friends and most gifted athletes. I am continually blown away by not only her aptitude for learning new movements, relentless work ethic, and natural combination of strength and grace, but by the  way "she opens her mouth with wisdom, and the the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."

“But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:25

An athlete’s willingness to wait is a defining factor in their success. In Crossfit, you are introduced to complex movements. The desire is to perform the movement successfully on the first attempt though unlikely. Movements take committed practice, which is sure to expose weakness. Despite frustration, you must commit to practice, and trust that in the mind and body’s perfect timing, the movement will be successfully performed. Would true appreciation of the movement be felt or experienced if there was no trial, sweat, struggle or reoccurring failure? No. Our Father knows this about our nature and that is why the discipline of waiting is a fruitful and necessary journey. Take the athlete who has made countless attempts to PR their snatch at 200lbs. When he finally does so, is it the snatch alone that he values? No. It is the progress he has witnessed, the overcoming, the reaching of a goal. He is not only marked by a 200lbs snatch but more so through his waiting, he has acquired stronger muscles, developed a more confident mind and has strung together a more coordinated movement pattern. He appreciates the true gain: the strength, the confidence, and the coordination, which faithfully produces the desired movement. 

Defined as a verb or defined as a noun, recast as a synonym or placed in a different tense, waiting makes me uncomfortable. The world tells us to go, to move forward, quickly. The Lord says, “Wait on me. Blessed it the man who waits.” Daniel 12:12

Waiting has recently become a more present thought throughout my day - the joy and refinement of waiting, the difficulty, and the discouraging nature. Waiting requires a steadfast hope and exercises a rooted faith. As a Christian, we are required to wait in two areas of our life. First, we are to wait on what is promised to us eternally as adopted children who have placed their faith in God. The second area of waiting I find more difficult: waiting for the Lord’s goodness to be revealed in the land of the living. 
“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

Our nature as humans is to have freely. To have a significant other, a beautiful home, to PR our squat everyday, to hold an esteemed position in a successful career, to complete a workout with unbroken double-unders or to do a muscle up before mastering a push-up. We are motivated by an entitlement. To receive without first waiting delivers a joy that is fleeting. To receive after a season of waiting comes with it not only the desired thing, but a rich joy and appreciation for what we have received. Through struggle we understand the worth of what we have received, because for it we have waited, we have persevered, we have sacrificed. 

As we focus on the object of our affections, God focuses on the journey – He knows this is where life is truly experienced - in the waiting. In the waiting joy, thankfulness, patience, character, hope and faith are matured. The paradox is that when God asks us to wait in prayer and faith, quietly, and with a joyful anticipation the enemy muffles His requests with lies. Lies that our God is unfaithful, lacking in goodness, that He does not hear our cries. The enemy cares to speak these lies because he knows the value of the disciple’s waiting. In waiting, God’s goodness is glorified through the building of our faith. 

Take heart when failure strikes. Failure is temporary. It is merely an invitation to be strong and take heart - to wait. We can be confident through faith that we will receive the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Because of our faithful waiting, the gift will be received by a marked joy only possible through the journey, the wait, the struggle in which we endured to receive it.