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Friday, September 14, 2012

The daily deposit!

 
I have learned a few things about myself with this kind of training.. I am either moving forward or I am sliding backwards... It really is that simple. Things do not stay the same! So steady, consistent work is the best way to insure that you are on the right side of this equation.

Everyone wants to be the best, I am no different! But the reality is that I may never be the best on the planet, but vast improvements are totally possible. For me, thinking about breaking World Records and winning the big meet is great, but I need to reel in my mind and focus on lifting well every time I touch a kettlebell. I can get lost in big dreams and foolish reps...

Basically, I look at  training like this, every day I can move myself in the right direction a little bit... No big jumps, just a small positive action!  I think about good reps as money, my job is to do good reps and deposit these into my account.... Some days I put a lot of good reps in the bank... on other days my goal is simply stay out of the red, small positive transactions are my goal...

Investing in your improvement is a daily practice. Everybody loves to see big numbers on the platform, but what you do not see is the many small deposits it took to bankroll that big set!


Thursday, September 6, 2012

Call 911... somebody stole your second dip!



I have noticed a common denominator among people that have been lifting kettlebells for a little while now... It happens to all lifters and I am no exception! So any of you "over sensitive" types... I am not directing this at you!

It seems to me that once a lifter gets to a certain level of proficiency with jerks, the second dip starts to disappear. This is not an intentional happening... I think that as people get past the beginner stages and spend some time under the bells a few things happen... First of all, they get stronger and more flexible in the whole shoulder girdle...The rack improves along with the first dip/drive portion of the jerk, this allows the lifter to slowly shorten up the second dip!  Lastly, the lifter has progressed past the feeling of panic during the set and now the focus becomes numbers!

These things happen and while they are good and positive... they cause problems at the same time... And the biggest problem with this is, the vanishing second dip syndrome. So what happens next is, the numbers start to stagnate, feeling frustrated the lifter diggs his heels in further and actually makes further cuts to the already barely perceivable second dip... This continues until something breaks.. usually the mind the lifter!

The way out is to get back to the full movement, force yourself to drop your ass down and back.. quickly! This saves your shoulders and arms and by recruiting the strongest muscles you own to help out, your numbers will start moving the right way after you start dropping under the bells quicker and deeper..
Here is a great clip of a guy that uses a deep second dip!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Maybe you need an advanced class?


When you get sick of sucking at the basics of your sport, you should sign up for the advanced class...These are very popular these days! You will not have to look far to see somebody with a new way, or a level 2 thing happening... If you are lucky, you should get enough "advanced" materials and techniques to keep you busy for like 6 months before you realize that you are now even less proficient at the basics you were trying to avoid by going to this advanced school of buffoonery!

Don't fall for this marketing trick. It is designed to get you to believe that you are lacking vital information and once you get the real stuff they are selling, you performance will skyrocket! I have never seen this happen. So I will tell you something I heard from a guy that set me straight one day.. I was trying to convince him, to agree with me, about one of these advanced classes.... He said to me, "Maybe it's time to stop chasing rainbows, and just do some work"!