Raw Unity Meet Recap

Again, it’s been awhile. Not on purpose, I guess I just don’t feel like my life or training has been that exciting.

But, recently I have been blessed with a little excitement. Monday, I returned from Tampa, FL from the Raw Unity Meet. This was the 3^rd annual meeting of the event and was my first time to compete or attend.

I had been invited to be a part of the Power To The People deadlift team sometime last year by The Chief himself. I proudly accepted and looked forward to the date of the meet. I had over 6 months to prepare and had just finished a meet in which I set an American Record Deadlift in my weight class and age group (551 @ 179 bodyweight).

I had heard of the Raw Unity Meet previously because of the names that lifted there. So I was really excited to get to go…not only to just be there, but to compete as well.

Here’s the recap:

I spent around 12 weeks prepping for this meet. I knew I was only doing the deadlift, so I didn’t have to get fancy with my training.

I wanted to do the full powerlifting portion, but I bombed out of Unequipped Nationals in October and didn’t have a high enough total to qualify my entry. So I was just happy to go and pull a big deadlift.

I came into the meet much lighter than normal for the 181 lb class that I’ve been competing in. I usually weigh in the mid-190’s in training and cut down 2-3 days before weigh-in. Due to a horrible case of food poisoning on New Year’s Eve, I lost around 15 pounds and never really put the weight back on. The downside is I could’ve lost strength, the upside is I didn’t have to worry about cutting to make weight.

I ate supper the night before weigh ins around 6pm and began to fast and dehydrate at 185. By 10am the next morning I was 177. Then I began to replenish fluids and food and got back up to 185 the next morning before I lifted.

I woke up early to get some breakfast as I was scheduled to lift at 9am. The first shuttle to the meet venue left at 8am which gave me around 30-40 minutes to warm up.

Warm ups went really well and I was pleased at how I timed it up to my first attempt.

First attempt was 534. I don’t know if was nerves or what, but the weight moved slow for me. I was nervous to pick my next weight which I knew needed to be a big jump if I was going to go for 600 on my 3^rd. I chose 260kg or 573 which was an all-time PR attempt for me and the biggest weight lifted per body weight I’ve ever tried. 3.24x

Second attempt at 573 flew up and nailed the lockout no problem. I got red lighted by the head judge for an unknown reason, but I didn’t care. 2/3 Good lift.

So I go to the scorers table knowing I have 10-15 more pounds in me, but not sure if I could squeeze out a full 27 lb jump to 600. I figured I’m here now, so lets do it and put down 272.5kg or 600 lbs.

I’m not sure if my mental prep was dialed in or what, but in retrospect I feel like I approached the lift completely different than what I’m used to. I even approached the bar differently. Probably nothing anyone would’ve noticed, but if you’ve ever deadlifted heavy, you know it’s very methodical and repetitious. Every attempt needs to be the same, from the prep, to the approach to the lift.

Anyway, I guess they turned the magnets on, because the bar felt like it was glued to the floor. No lift.

After my flight was over, I was pretty sure I didn’t get last place, but wasn’t sure where I stood either. I was just flying high from the PR and trying to figure out what went wrong with the 600 attempt.

I watched Flight B which was the Heavy Weights (198 and above) and saw some amazing pulls. 728 @ 213 comes to mind.

Then the medal ceremony began and they asked all of the Light Weights to come up to the podium. The scoring was done by Wilkes Formula which is a calculation that normalizes or equalizes a lifting competition across multiple weight classes.

They announced the 3^rd place winner which is fellow RKC Ellen Stein of New York…the only female in the Deadlift Only Competition. Then they announced the weight lifted for the 2^nd place winner and it was 260kg. Wait a minute! That’s what I lifted? Then my name was called! I was shocked!

So at the end of the day, I pulled an all-time PR, a best pound-for-pound all-time deadlift for myself…AND was awarded 2^nd place for the effort!

The meet was very well run and had a crazy-strong list of competitors. A real Who’s Who of the powerlifting world. Not to mention that I got to meet Tony Conyers and Matt “Kroc” Kroczaleski.

What an awesome trip! It definitely made up for the meet I bombed out in October and kept my powerlifting fire alive!

I’m looking to take a break from the heavy stuff for a little while. I’m attending the Level II RKC cert in San Jose at the end of February as an assistant instructor. I need to get all my RKC skills dialed in and I might try my hand at The Beast Tamer Challenge if my training goes well this month.

So that’s my Raw Unity Meet recap. All in all it was a great trip, great meet and I’m looking forward to figuring how I can pick up 600 pounds off the ground.

HKC Reminder!

First, I'd like to get the business out of the way.

The first Texas HKC with Jeff O'Connor, Senior RKC is closing in. There's not much time left to register, so head on over to the link if you're going to be in or near Lubbock, Texas on the 23rd of January. Here's a link to the flyer for you to download.

Now the fun stuff.

I have been training for the upcoming Raw Unity Meet in Tampa Bay, Florida on January 30. I'm entered in the Deadlift Only portion of the meet and proudly representing the RKC community on the Power To The People Deadlift Team.

Since my last meet, I've modified a few things in my training that I feel were left out in my last training cycles and I think it's been working.

This week is 3 weeks away from the meet so I'm trying to figure the best way to peak my deadlift for the meet. Monday I pulled 3 sets of 3 at 95% of my 1RM (535 lbs). I pulled off of plates so my feet were elevated...without a belt. The reps felt easy, which means something is working.

After my session today, I also tried out my double overhand grip for my pulls since I was pulling a little lighter at 80%. I usually pull with this grip until I can't hold on any more, but I've progressively been able to increase the weight before I switch to my stronger alternating grip.

Here's a video of a PR pull (470 lbs) with a double overhand grip (not to be confused with a hook grip).

Not too long ago, I struggled with 315 lbs in this grip.

I also hit a big PR with the Double Bottoms Up Press and knocked down Double 32kgs! This has been a long-time coming, but I believe this exercise and the deadlift are distant cousins and have complimented each other very well during the last 10 weeks. The BUP with a 40kg is consistent on my right and I haven't hit it with my left yet. I need a 44kg because I'm not even close on The Beast.

All in all, a great session and training is going great! I was really worried after I got food poisoning on New Year's, but I guess my body welcomed the break. Plus, I don't have to cut hardly any weight now. ;-) I'm sitting at a healthy and strong 184. I'll lift in the 181 class in Tampa.

More to come on this training cycle. I've had quite a few A-Ha moments worth mentioning, but I want to wait til after the meet to elaborate.

What I Learned At The Alamo Bowl

So this year my beloved Red Raiders were invited to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl to play the Big 10 representative, Michigan State. At first glance, Texas Tech had this thing in the bag, but as we got closer to the game, other factors started to play havoc on the potential outcome.

With Michigan State's own player losses, Tech lost its 10-year veteran head coach, Mike Leach. This was a huge blow to the fan-base, coming from first-hand experience. I learned of the firing about 2 hours into my drive down to San Antonio. We plugged on anyway to root on the players, because that's what this whole thing's about anyway.

This first thing I learned, after several days of controversy, hearsay, rumors, affidavits, one-sided reporting, heated debate, and wishy-washy fans, it has finally become apparent to me that nothing is really as it seams. There's so much more to this story, but what I do know is that the general public (i.e. me), will be in the dark for about 90% of it.

The next thing I learned is not to order the Mahi-Mahi at Tony Roma's in the River Center Mall on the River Walk ever again. I'm not knocking Tony Roma's. In fact, the other 4 patrons joining me enjoyed their meals free from any harm. I, however, ended up a couple hours later, holed up in my hotel room, puking and spewing the most foulness I've ever experienced until my poor wife (along with the hotel manager) made an executive decision to send me to the emergency room via ambulance. It was New Year's Eve night of course and we were staying downtown...bonus! So getting around was nearly impossible.

So as I'm being wheeled down to the ground level, I realize what I look like: a guy who must've nearly drank himself to death. How embarrassing! I didn't even have drop, but I couldn't tell that to the mass of gawking onlookers.

Long-story short, after some blood work, a CT scan and 2 liters of fluid, I was released around 5:30am with an acute case of gastroenteritis (food poisoning). I literally spent all of New Year's Day asleep and didn't really wake up until around 2pm Saturday. I had recovered just enough to eat some soup and crackers and make it to the game to see Tech take down the Spartans!

So, if any of you players are reading this, just know that you weren't the only ones that faced adversity leading up to the game! I went through a lot to make it to the Alamo Dome on Saturday and still don't feel 100%. (I'm seriously just kidding!) I'm really very happy for the players and the coaching staff that were thrown in this situation. I hope the best possible scenario comes out of it and the verbally-committed recruits see how Red Raider Nation battles through some tough stuff, but earns its victories like champions!

Now, it's back to reality...work, training and life. Oh well, I welcome the routine!

I hope everyone has a great 2010!

Guest Post - Doctor Mark Cheng

This is an extremely informative post and gives insight into why we do the things we do (good or bad). Check it out and let me know what you think.

The original post can be found here as well as the Facebook Fan Page of Doc.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

What's a Pattern?

Functional movement patterning is something I'm fascinated immensely by. And that fascination boils down to a two part question:
1. Etiology: How does dysfunction develop?
2. Treatment: How do we take dysfunctional patterns and re-educate them for optimal function again?

With screening & assessment tools such as the Functional Movement Screen & the Selective Functional Movement Assessment, we are able to identify dysfunctional movement that lies at the root of problematic movement or pain. With any variety of corrections that are available - ranging from manipulation/mobilization, to corrective exercise, to Z-Health, to yoga/martial arts - we can directly affect how the body's neuromuscular system deals with a particular motion.

Wait a minute!!!

What about joint problems?

What about muscle cramps?

What about tendinitis?

What about bone spurs?

What about compressed discs?

Yep... I hear you... and I want you to think slightly outside the box for a moment. Follow me through this line of thought, please.

All of the situations you've described above can be seen as mere symptoms. Not the true root of an underlying problem.

One of the mantras I've heard Z-Health practitioners use is "The nervous system is plastic."

No, that doesn't mean that your brachial plexus is 99% nylon. That means that you are capable of change.

Your body's muscular movement patterns, which are controlled by your nervous system, can be RE-PATTERNED by re-training your nervous system. And retraining the nervous system is often done by imposing a different level of awareness on an action.

My mentor, Gray Cook, calls that "proprioceptive awareness" when spoken about in the context of movement. But there are a growing number of studies where researchers are showing that movement training can directly impact individuals with cognitive disorders.

No $h!#... The Chinese have been saying for millenia that "The inside manifests on the outside, but the outside can change the inside."

Fortune-cookie-speak translation: If you recognize someone (or self) with psycho-social issues, no matter how minor or how major, you can positively affect that person if you can get him/her/yourself to modify your movement patterns.

NOW... back to the title of this post... What's a pattern?

A pattern is an established way of doing things that has become ingrained through practice. What oftentimes is dismissed as genetic or "inherited" is more likely a learned behavior.

Whether the pattern in question is valgus collapse under load, poor spinal posture when typing on your laptop, inappropriate scratching in public, binge eating, saying "uhhh" every few words, or being pathologically late, the reality is that all of these patterns are manifestations of a LACK OF CONTROL.

And that lack of control comes from two things: a lack of SELF-AWARENESS and a lack of understanding of CONSEQUENCES.

Let's take posture for example...

Someone may not be aware of their posture being kyphotic (slouched forward), and as a result, when they think they're standing straight, a 3rd person observer can see clearly that they're not. The nervous system, in this case, has calibrated itself to read the flexed T-spine as "neutral".

For that pattern to be broken, an intervention of sorts has to occur. Whether the person in question decides on his/her own to QUESTION and EXAMINE his/her own posture, OR a therapist intervenes to re-train the posture, the pattern needs inspection, analysis, and active modification to be re-learned. Ask anyone who's successfully changed their posture how difficult it was, and they'll almost all tell you that it took a lot of mindfulness - constantly reminding themselves to sit up straight, walk tall, etc., etc.

The same is true for speech, for movement, for any moment of any action that we are involved in. Mindfulness is the key to recalibration, the key to growth, the key to change.

Clean and Press Success!

I've had several of my clients going back to basics since I've been training them. I absolutely love the Rite of Passage program from Pavel's book, Enter The Kettlebell.

This program has proven to dish out PR after PR for myself and my clients.

When Jarod (Hudd) started training with me, he had a tough time with anything overhead due to some shoulder issues. After some corrective work we got him fairly symmetrical and got to work.

Here's a short vid of the results. This was taken after Hudd's workout and after he had already pressed the Bulldog 3 times per arm. He hadn't tried anything heavier than a 32kg prior to this. He's not quite ready for the Beast, but he's close.



Not too shabby after starting out with a 24kg!

Don't forget that The Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC) is coming to Lubbock, TX!

Jeff O'Connor, Senior RKC will be the Senior Instructor which will make this event something you won't want to miss.

Check out the details HERE on the Dragon Door site to sign up.

Don't wait around though! There's a limited number of spots available and they're starting to fill up fast!

Deadlift Plan

So, after a lot of thought and advice, I've come up with a template of the 1st 4 weeks (which began last week) of what my deadlift cycle will look like leading up to the Raw Unity Meet.

Each week I'll be ramping up intensity and volume for 3 weeks with a slight deload on the 4th.

Mondays will be 5/3/1 Deadlift day followed by accessory work (all pulls from on top of 35# plates).
Tuesdays will be a heavy Rite of Passage day (all cleans and presses done Bottoms Up and pull ups - weighted) followed by heavy swings.
Wednesdays will be GPP: Plate Push, Farmers Carry and Light Snatches
Thursdays will be a page out of Power To The People Pro with 5x5 Wide Stance Box Squats followed by Banded Deadlifts for 8 singles...then accessory work.
Fridays will a light ROP day...again all bottoms up followed a different swing template.
Saturday or Sunday more GPP.

I chose the Bottoms Up Press and Rite of Passage due to the crazy gains I've got from the program and the exercise in the past, but I've never combined the two. The BUP and Weighted Pull Ups transfer well to my deadlift.

The elevated pulls will help with the trouble I've had off the ground with my max attempts in the past. The sumo box squats will hopefully help the same.

Everything else was specifically chosen to build up my weak points and facilitate my readiness for the deadlift.

The second 4 week cycle will most likely look a little different with more high-percentage pulls.

Finally, I'll have a 3-week peaking cycle to get ready for the meet.

HKC Lubbock Prep Workshop

If you are signed up or interested in attending the HKC here in Lubbock or any other upcoming HKC, then you'll want to be as prepared as possible.

I have had the fortune and opportunity to assist at a private HKC with Pavel Tsatsouline, giving me direct experience on the requirements for this course.

The workshop will be held at Lone Star Kettlebell:

5827 50th Street
Unit D & E
Lubbock, TX 79424

The date will be Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 9am to 12noon (or however long it takes).

Call or email me if you have any questions.

806 773-3735
jason@lonestarkettlebell.com