Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Sunday?s Olympic noteworthy

? World Arena could become a candidate to host the world figure skating championships if Tokyo organizers don?t meet a Monday deadline set by the International Skating Union to commit to staging the competition in the aftermath of an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami March 11 that devastated Japan. Worlds were supposed to begin Monday [...]

Sunday?s Olympic noteworthy is a post from: Higher, Faster, Stronger

Source: http://gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com/2011/03/21/sunday%e2%80%99s-olympic-noteworthy-3/4207/

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One Year Out From the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon!

INDIANAPOLIS - Friday marks one year until the Team USA marathon squad for the London 2012 Olympic Games will be selected in Houston, Texas. With the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Marathon a mere 365 days away, USA Track & Field will host a live web chat featuring 2008 Olympic marathoners Ryan Hall (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) and Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) to discuss their preparations for the upcoming USA Half Marathon Championships in Houston. The 2011 championships will be held on January 29, and will be used to preview the 2012 Olympic Trials marathon course.

Earlier this week, the Houston Marathon Committee and USA Track & Field announced that Hall, the 2007 USA Half Marathon champion and American Record holder, and Boulet, the 2009 USA Half Marathon champion, will be returning to Houston for the 2011 championships and will face other 2012 Olympic Trials contenders such as Patrick Smyth (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) and Katie McGregor (Saint Louis Park, Minn.).

Fans and media can participate in the live web chat beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST by visiting www.usatf.org/events/2012/OlympicTrials-Marathon/fans/index.asp.



Source: http://milesandtrialsfilm.blogspot.com/2011/01/one-year-out-from-2012-olympic-trials.html

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Russia wants to send the Olympic flame into space

The newest space race is on. A top Russian official revealed on Wednesday that the nation is thinking about sending the 2014 Olympic flame to the International Space Station.

There are no immediate plans to lift the flame into space, but the deputy head of Russia's Federal Space Agency said it's an "interesting" concept that requires further study. He said his agency is open to the idea if Olympic officials express a desire to become the first nation ever to send the flame into orbit. 

"It is not a bad idea," Vitaly Davydov, deputy head of Russia's Federal Space Agency, said.

He's right. It's not a bad idea, it's a really, really bad idea. 

Putting the flame into space would be undeniably cool and would garner worldwide attention to the Olympic torch relay, which usually takes a terrestrial trek throughout the globe. The cost, logistics and possibility for catastrophic error far outweigh any novelty.

I mean, it's a fire in space. If something goes wrong it's not like the astronauts can open a window to let out the smoke or whip out their cell phones to call 911 (or 112 in Russia). Any device that would allow the flame to go into space would likely not expose an open flame to the spacecraft, but why even risk it?

There have been fires inside orbiting spacecraft before, most notably in 1997 when a fire caused by malfunctioning equipment burned for 90 seconds and exposed astronauts on the space station to heavy smoke for seven minutes.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Russia-wants-to-send-the-Olympic-flame-into-spac?urn=oly-325294

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Why the fastest marathon ever won’t be considered a world record

Kenya's Geoffrey Mutai ran the fastest marathon ever on Monday, finishing the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 2 seconds. Despite the blistering time, Mutai's mark isn't being recognized as a world record.

Why not?

Even though it's considered one of the most challenging marathon courses in the world, the Boston Marathon is run on a net downhill, making it ineligible for world records. USA Track and Field only recognizes courses that meet specific criteria about elevation changes as record-eligible. Those courses must drop less than one meter per kilometer to fit the standard. For a 26.2-mile race, that's about 137 feet.

The Boston Marathon begins at 475 feet above sea level and drops all the way to 16 feet by the end. The total drop of 459 feet is well past the record-eligible specifications. That means Haile Gebrselassie's time of 2:03:59, set in Berlin in 2008, will remain the world record.

It's an understandable rule, given that no two marathons are exactly alike. Racing records set on tracks are largely interchangeable whether they occur in Atlanta or Beijing or Rome. Marathon courses vary greatly and don't provide apples-to-apples comparison.

[Related: Marathoner Grete Waitz dead at 57]

A tailwind accompanied the race and doubtlessly aided in Mutai's time, but the wind was irrelevant given the start-to-finish elevation decrease. Even if Mutai had run the course in a hurricane headwind, the world record still wouldn't have counted.

World record or not, Mutai's performance is one of the greatest in recent memory. He broke the course record by more than three minutes and was one of four men to come in under 2:05, a time which had seemed unconquerable before it was accomplished last year.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Why-the-fastest-marathon-ever-won-8217-t-be-con?urn=oly-wp98

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Evaluating the 11 candidates for Russia's 2014 Olympic mascot

On Monday, three years from the start of the first Winter Olympics to ever be held in Russia, organizers announced the 11 characters that could become the mascot of the Sochi Games. There's a little something for everyone, from the Christmas lover to the follower of heliocentrism to fans of anthropomorphic animals adept at winter sports.

Russians will be able to vote for their favorite via text message with the winner getting  announced at the end of the month. Fourth-Place Medal ranked the 11 candidates:

11. Santa Claus

This mascot is based on the beloved Russian children's literary character Papa Sergei, who is said to have formed during a Siberian blizzard and invented hockey.

I'm kidding. That's Santa. It would make more sense if the mascot was someone other than the guy who delivers gifts to good boys and girls on Christmas morning, but here we are. How would this work? Is Rudolph going to light the cauldron? Will the elves enter the bobseld competition under the North Pole flag? Why Kris Kringle and not, say, the tooth fairy? Is she more of a Summer Olympics fan? And if we're going to go with people as mascots, why not just make it Gorbachev or Baryshnikov or Ivan Drago? Verdict: Nyet

10. Fire Boy

Sure to win the crucial vote of the pyromaniac set (they're this year's soccer moms!), Fire Boy has flames for hair and comes from a planet that's always hot. (No, not earth, Al Gore.) His bio says he likes to play hockey, which should lead to some pretty unsafe ice conditions at the Games. Verdict: Nyet

9. Dolphin


Nothing says "international showcase of winter athletes" like a warm-blooded aquatic mammal wearing skis. Verdict: Nyet 

8. Sun

This would be like if London's mascots for the 2012 Summer Games were a bunch of raindrops and windstorms. (Actually, that still might be an improvement over these guys.) Sun, no matter how cute the pigtails, is the nemesis of a Winter Olympics. You know what I'm talking about, VancouverVerdict: Nyet

7. Bullfinch

Looks like Angry Birds is popular in Russia too. Verdict: Nyet

6. Leopard

He's one of those cool cats, like Tony the Tiger or Chester Cheetah. Regular skis are for squares and adults. Only hepcats can grind on the boards, brah. On another note, I'm sort of surprised they didn't give him a Shaun White-esque mop of red hair. Verdict: Nyet

5. Bunny


This animal isn't wearing a pastel eton, so it's safe to assume it isn't the Easter bunny. (Oh, Santa is going to be insufferable about this at their annual convention.) As such, it's just a rabbit not wearing any clothes. Pretty sure that sort of thing will get you kicked out of the Olympic Village. Verdict: Nyet

4. Brown Bear


(see No. 3)

3. Polar Bear


As my pal Maggie points out, the Bears, while cute, could be in danger of splitting the vote, a la Bette Davis and Anne Baxter in the 1950 race for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. (Why are we bringing up an ancient movie, you ask? Because even 61 years later, the black and white "All About Eve" is still more exciting than these mascots.) Verdict: Double nyet

2. Snowflake


Finally, a mascot that makes sense. Russia says there were 25,000 entries into the contest, which theoretically means that it took 24,998 sketches to get to Snowflake. It says she flew to Earth on an icy comet and likes to dance, particularly on the skating rink. Welcome to Earth, Snowflake. Just be aware that the Chinese judge is probably going to lowball you on your free skate. Verdict: Da

1. Matryoshka


These four mascots are based on the Russian nesting dolls of the same name. Each boast individual traits (strong, nimble, goal-seeking and intelligent -- just like I claim to be on my resume.) From a marketing standpoint, these are perfect. They capture a well-known Russian custom and have four different characters to put on Olympic swag. More is more in marketing, after all. 

If there's any logic going into the choice of mascots, the matryoshka will be the landslide winners, which means you should prepare yourself for Fire Boy in 2014.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Evaluating-the-11-candidates-for-Russia-s-2014-O?urn=oly-318490

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Monday?s Olympic noteworthy

? In revealing that the world figure skating championships, which were to begin Monday in Tokyo until a March 11 earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan, will not be held in Japan, the International Skating Union also announced that the world team trophy, scheduled for April 14-16 in Yokohama, Japan, has been rescheduled for April 2012 [...]

Monday?s Olympic noteworthy is a post from: Higher, Faster, Stronger

Source: http://gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com/2011/03/21/monday%e2%80%99s-olympic-noteworthy-3/4217/

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Video: Japanese runner makes wrong turn in Tokyo marathon

After two days, 10 runners and 216.9 kilometers, all that was left between Natsuki Terada and a victory for his university team in the final stage of the Tokyo-Hakone relay marathon was one city block of pavement.

But then the college freshman took a wrong turn:

Terada and his Kokugakuin University ultra-marathon team were in eighth place at the time of his error. Remarkably, he recovered from the error and still finished ahead of one other runner in the pack, which ensured that the team finished in 10th place and earned the final automatic qualification for next year's race. 

[See also: Three Los Angeles Lakers oversleep due to faulty iPhones]

It's easy to sit on our computers and laugh at Terada's error (clearly the television truck couldn't go the final block; was he expecting it to cross the finish line?), but after running 23 kilometers in front of thousands of cheering fans on national television, it's easy to understand how the young runner made the mistake.

[Video: NBA star forgets to jump while going for dunk]

The Hakone Ekiden is a major sporting event in Japan. First competed in 1920, it pits 20 college teams against one another in a 10-stage, 217 km race. 

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Video-Japanese-runner-makes-wrong-turn-in-Tokyo?urn=oly-303945

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The Reverend's recital

Here is a guest post from the legend that is Andy Murphy. His post flies in the face of traditional weightlifting dogma, but it is the result of observing how he responds to training in the sport of weightlifting for the last five or six years. Andy's ideas are what works for him by the way, not how he would train other lifters who respond differently to the same stimulis.I respect how lifters like himself and David Woodhouse put themselves out there and find alternative methods that work for them and also allows them to enjoy their lifting. Whatever works for you, do it regardless of whether people agree with you or not. Results don't lie and if you lift heavier weights training in a completely different style to the general lifting population, wh ogives a flying fiddler's f!%k? Anyway, enough of my ramblings, here is the article, so enjoy and leave any comments below:




A happy weightlifter = a strong weightlifter

Before I go into much more detail, I would like to preface with the following my best lifts are 102 and 122 at 77kg far from amazing lifting, but I have worked hard and learned a hell of a lot along the way to these lifts.

My most important discovery on my weightlifting journey was a number of weeks ago. My epiphany was repeated heavy maximal lifting in my training does nothing for my lifts. I know this can be seen as sacrilege, saying heavy maximal lifts don't improve my lifts. Every year I make progress in my training when I am in a traditional preparatory type phase of training, lots of lifting between 75-90% and the odd very few lifts around the 95% mark. I have always set personal bests in these times of the year when strength type exercises are abundant and the volume of lifts quite high. I then follow what I believe would result in an increase in my lifting a reduction in volume and an increase in intensity with more maximal attempts in my training. What then follows is a period of frustration where I am unable to hit weights for a single that I was doing multiple doubles and even trebles with a few weeks previously in the preparation phase. This frustration period continues for a long time until I get injured and then I start again in a preparation phase and the viscous cycle repeats itself. What happens as a result of this is a lifter that is making incredibly frustratingly slow progress.

When I look back through my training diary and results from competitions/ squad sessions, I can't believe I have not come to this realization sooner. I firmly believe I need to stick with what works for me and what works for me is lots of lifting between 75% and 90 % with doubles, trebles, combos and bucket loads of variation. This training has always brought me back to the 100 and 120 region and it is around this mark that I usually become an idiot and attempt maximal weights far too often and end up below the 100 and 120 regions and crocked. I am in no doubt that the best way to train for weightlifting is a methodology based around heavy maximal attempts in the classical lifts supplemented with heavy squats; unfortunately, from experience, it just doesn't do it for me.

I believe this type of training does nothing for me for a number of reasons:
1. My technique gets worse when I am repeatedly attempting and missing maximal lifts
2. Maximal weights hurt me cause of how weak my legs are (best front squat= 142.5 best clean= 130)
3. I hate missing lifts
4. I don't find attempting repeated maximal attempts enjoyable. I am unfortunately never going to make a living or even a few quid from weightlifting. Weightlifting is my hobby so if I don't enjoy the training whats the point? I enjoy going into the gym and bursting my ass on the platform with multiple heavy doubles and trebles, pulls, squats and more variation than anyone can dream of.

It's like I always say a happy weightlifter = a strong weightlifter.

Source: http://weightliftingepiphanies.blogspot.com/2011/03/reverends-recital.html

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Tuesday's tap it in the hole moment--tappity tapperoo!

I have found my weightlifting mojo again and it feels great. To start off today's post, here is a video of a British sprinter Power Cleaning 170kg weighing around 88kg:



I love watching raw power and passionate lifters.

As for my own training, I am effectively in an off season and I needed to do something different to get my mojo back. Here is the reality of my situation over the last few months:

1. I was not getting stronger.
2. I was not lifting more weight in the classical lifts.
3. My positioning was not improving.
4. Running a gym alongside a full time job pretty much sapped my physical and mental energy.
5. Putting myself under pressure to lift certain weights by a certain time actually made the problems worse because the more wound up I got the worse I lifted.

So, these are the main priorites for my lifting in the next two months:

1. Get stronger: I will focus on the Box Squat and the RDL.
2. Lift only three days a week so that I can recover adequately to work both jobs and lift at the same time. The idea of not recovering as a weightlifter in order to force adaptation does not wash with me in my current life situation.
3. Get lots of reps in with the classical lifts.
4. Chill out and enjoy training again.

So here is my program for the next month. I am a week in and I really love it because I know I will make progress and it is completely different to anything I have done before. I am basically lifting using some of Glenn Pendlay's coaching methods for beginners and it is great for improving strength, rhythm and tempo in the classical lifts, and sport specific weightlifting conditioning. Here it is:

Day One:

Snatch: Work up to a top weight and Snatch it twenty times in twenty minutes; you lift every minute and this generally adds up to around 35 to 40 seconds of recovery. Today I lifted 93kg for 20 singles and I am finding so far that my last ten are the smoothest and fluid lifts.

RDL: Work up to 3x3 with a top set. Each week I will increase the weight slightly and improve the range of movement.

Box Squat (14 inch box): I am following the Texas Squat Method and it is delightfully simple. Day one is the volume day and you work up to 5 sets of 5.

Core work: I neglected this too much in the last two years. Laziness.

Day Two:

Hang Snatch: I work up to 5 triples with a modest weight. This is as much positional reinfocement as it is a warm up for the main act that is the focus as follows:

Clean and Jerk: Work up to 20 singles in 20 minutes. I have only done this once so far and it is tiring, but like the Clean and Jerk, it is doing wonders for my timing and overall feel of the lift. Because there is so little recovery, I cannot muscle up the weights like I have been guilty of in the past. Technique and rhythm and tempo improve as the lifts mount up.

Front Squat: Work up to a medium weight for 3x3. This is effectively a squat recovery.

Pressing and Pendlay rows: I need to get stronger and mentally, I need the variety for something different.

Core work

Day Three:


Snatch : 20 singles in twenty minutes.

Clean and Jerk: 20 in 20.

Box Squat: Intensity day of Texas method. Work up to a max set of 5 in the squat. If I cannot progress in this basic squat program, I deserve to be shot. I have every faith in it though. This is my second week and it feels great already.

Core work and fexibility. I will have to stretch every day or else my hips will tighten up and get painful and restrict my movement very negatively. I have been far too lazy with my stretching and doing it two or three times a week is simply not good enough for me. I need to stretch my hips out every day if I am to improve and get my flexibility to any kind of standard for weightlifting. It is currently awful and holding me back; I simply have not worked hard at it enough.

Let me know what you think of the program. I will monitor my progress closely and it it helps me out and I gain from it, it will obviously affect what my following program will look like. 4 weeks on and 1 week download. Let's see how it goes then!

Here is a brilliant lifting video to leave you with:

Source: http://weightliftingepiphanies.blogspot.com/2010/12/tuesdays-tap-it-in-hole-moment-tappity.html

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London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay: the UK?s moment to shine

After years of planning, discussing and preparing, the Olympic Torch Relay is now firmly in the public domain.

Source: http://www.london2012.com//blog/2011/05/london-2012-olympic-torch-relay-the-uk-s-moment-to-shine.php

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Bye Bye Beijing

The Olympics are over, and most of the athletes have returned home to be paraded in front of adoring crowds. Now it is Bob’s turn to do the same (minus the crowds), back in Shanghai again now and the UK tomorrow. However this is not the end of the events in Beijing, or the Beijing [...]

Source: http://beijingolympicsblog.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/bye-bye-beijing/

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Monday, May 30, 2011

How wonderful and random to meet one of our "Miles & Trials" film fund donors and supporters while on location shooting at the Cleveland Marathon on 5/15. Even cooler was that she recognized me while she was on her way to a big PR in the half marathon! Thanks, Maryclare!

Source: http://milesandtrialsfilm.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-wonderful-and-random-to-meet-one-of.html

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Saturday's soreness

I trained well today, but my lower back hates me right now. It has been tight all week and after I finished Snatching today, it was even sorer. Not muscle pulling pain, just severe doms--delayed onset muscular soreness. Monday's session was a good one, but after getting more locked in with the first pull with my Snatches, RDL's and Box Squats, my lower back was quite stiff from Tuesday onwards. I read this article from Mark Rippetoe and I have been applying some of his ideas to good effect.

I had another good session on Wednesday and did ten working singles with the Clean and Jerk and started with 115kg and ended with 130kg. Before this, I did three triples in the Hang Snatch with 90kg and after the Jerks, I did three triples with 130kg in the Front Squat which was nice and light. I finished off with presses and Pendlay Rows. On Thursday and Friday again, my lower back and hamstrings were still stiff and sore, but I felt a good bit better for today's workout.

Today I had ten working singles and I started off with 95kg in the Snatch; I then hit 100, 101, 102.5kg--it was supposed to be 102 but I put on a 1.5kg plate on one side instead of a 1kg plate--103, 104, 105, 106, 107 and I wanted the 110kg so I went for it and got it nicely. After my Snatches my lower back was very tight and a little sore. I rested for five minutes and started my Clean and Jerks and worked up to a double with 100 and a single with 110kg but I had to stop because my lower back was inflamed and sore. I can feel it is a bit of overuse, so I am not unduly worried.

Because I could not Clean and Jerk properly, I insisted on doing my Box Squats and simply did not sit back as much. Last week I hit four reps with 150kg and today I hit 5 reps with 152.5kg which was hard, but I got it. I was
sore afterwards, but I really wanted to squat and keep my numbers ticking over. I will do some contrast hot/cold work on my back and go a little mad with fish oil and ginger to help reduce the inflamation.

Have a look at my Snatches below and leave any constructive feedback that you think can help. As a reminder, Glenn Pendlay and Jon North are coming over to ECB on March 23rd to give a Wednesday night seminar on learning the Olympic lifts and also how to improve for intermediate and advanced lifters. There are also five or six places left in the Edinburgh two day seminar that weekend. Email eastcoastbarbell@gmail.com to book your place.

Source: http://weightliftingepiphanies.blogspot.com/2011/02/saturdays-soreness.html

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U.S. figure skaters react to decision to move world championships to Moscow

The world figure skating championships were awarded Thursday to Moscow, nearly two weeks after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami ravaged Japan, preventing Tokyo from holding the competition with 199 athletes from 45 countries. What some of the 15 Americans headed to Moscow are saying on Facebook and Twitter: JOHN COUGHLIN Let?s be mindful that [...]

U.S. figure skaters react to decision to move world championships to Moscow is a post from: Higher, Faster, Stronger

Source: http://gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com/2011/03/24/u-s-figure-skaters-react-to-decision-to-move-world-championships-to-moscow/4241/

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West Ham & The Olympic Stadium

Looking Smug !























(pic (c) PA )

Source: http://insidelondon2012.blogspot.com/2011/02/west-ham-olympic-stadium.html

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Caster Semenya launches Facebook campaign to raise money

Caster Semenya, the 19-year old runner who was at the center of a worldwide gender controversy, can't find a sponsor. So the defending 800-meter world champion is turning to Facebook to help raise money for her track career.

The negative publicity brought upon by last year's gender tests have scared away sponsors, Semenya's manager Tshepo Seema says. After she was cleared to run as a female in July, it's gotten even worse. Seema said that companies have told him "we can't touch her."

To counter this, Semenya and her team have started grassroots efforts to raise funds. First, there was a text message campaign where supporters could pledge 70 cents (set up in the same way as the Red Cross campaign to assist Haiti after the devastating earthquake). Now, a group started on Facebook plans to sell t-shirts and hold car washes for Semenya's benefit.  

The only problem is, they don't have enough money to pay for the cost of printing the t-shirts. And, even worse, despite the fact that this story received worldwide attention this week, the Facebook page to donate to Semenya is difficult to find. I spent 30 minutes this morning on the site and, other than Semenya's main page and a few support groups created during the height of the transgender controversy, I couldn't find it.

If ever there was a time to cash in on a tidal wave of publicity, this would be it. Instead, the chance slipped by.

The good news for Semenya is that she's not broke or destitute. She receives a salary from the South African government, gets athletic clothing from a sportswear company and takes classes at the University of Pretoria. She also has access to their training facilities. And as a former world champion, Semenya undoubtedly receives appearance fees from various track meets from around the world. (Sponsors may not think she's a good fit, but she's one of the biggest names in the sport and will be a drawing card at events.)

With the 2011 world championships approaching and London 2012 right around the corner, Semenya should be fine. If she continues to improve, wins races and capitalizes on her name recognition, sponsors will eventually come around. Semenya has a bright, lucrative future in front of her. And she won't even need car washes to get there.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Caster-Semenya-launches-Facebook-campaign-to-rai?urn=oly-280995

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Caster Semenya launches Facebook campaign to raise money

Caster Semenya, the 19-year old runner who was at the center of a worldwide gender controversy, can't find a sponsor. So the defending 800-meter world champion is turning to Facebook to help raise money for her track career.

The negative publicity brought upon by last year's gender tests have scared away sponsors, Semenya's manager Tshepo Seema says. After she was cleared to run as a female in July, it's gotten even worse. Seema said that companies have told him "we can't touch her."

To counter this, Semenya and her team have started grassroots efforts to raise funds. First, there was a text message campaign where supporters could pledge 70 cents (set up in the same way as the Red Cross campaign to assist Haiti after the devastating earthquake). Now, a group started on Facebook plans to sell t-shirts and hold car washes for Semenya's benefit.  

The only problem is, they don't have enough money to pay for the cost of printing the t-shirts. And, even worse, despite the fact that this story received worldwide attention this week, the Facebook page to donate to Semenya is difficult to find. I spent 30 minutes this morning on the site and, other than Semenya's main page and a few support groups created during the height of the transgender controversy, I couldn't find it.

If ever there was a time to cash in on a tidal wave of publicity, this would be it. Instead, the chance slipped by.

The good news for Semenya is that she's not broke or destitute. She receives a salary from the South African government, gets athletic clothing from a sportswear company and takes classes at the University of Pretoria. She also has access to their training facilities. And as a former world champion, Semenya undoubtedly receives appearance fees from various track meets from around the world. (Sponsors may not think she's a good fit, but she's one of the biggest names in the sport and will be a drawing card at events.)

With the 2011 world championships approaching and London 2012 right around the corner, Semenya should be fine. If she continues to improve, wins races and capitalizes on her name recognition, sponsors will eventually come around. Semenya has a bright, lucrative future in front of her. And she won't even need car washes to get there.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Caster-Semenya-launches-Facebook-campaign-to-rai?urn=oly-280995

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Jozef Wadecki, super tumbler and Internet sensation

A gymnastics video has been making the rounds of Jozef Wadecki, a Polish gymnast who is known for his explosive tumbling skills. How explosive? Take a look for yourself.

In his first tumbling run, Wadecki performs a front flip off of the springboard, followed by a whipback (a no-handed back handspring), back handspring, triple twist, whipback, back handspring, triple twist. He follows that up with a round-off right into a double layout, whipback, back handspring double layout, whipback, whipback, double back with a full twist. Phew. That sort of difficulty is unheard of.

Not only does he get unbelievable height, Wadecki has nearly perfect form. His legs are straight, toes are pointed, and he doesn't deviate from the center line down the middle of the tumbling mat.

*An earlier version of the post identified the tumbler as Leszek Blanik. We apologize for the error.

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? MLB fan nailed on taxes over free donuts

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Jozef-Wadecki-super-tumbler-and-Internet-sensat?urn=oly-wp87

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Friday's fitness buff

This video is far more important than anything I have to say:



I do have a few things to discuss unfortunately, so here it goes:

My week's training has been refreshing, tough and very, very enjoyable. I had a wonderful Christmas Eve workout with Zag and few of our dedicated ECB members. We all trained well and Stephen Kinsella hit a huge pb in the Clean and Jerk; the more impressive part is that he got it after failing twice. Awesome. Zag also trained well and it is great to see him getting his training back on track. Aco is another new member in ECB and the man has an awful lot of potential, as does young Josh who is a beast of a 16 year old. I wish I had trained like that when I was 16.

As for my own training, today I Snatched 94kg for twenty singles in twenty minutes, lifting on every minute, giving me around 40 seconds of recovery. Again, my technique got better every lift and I really enjoyed the challenge. I Clean and Jerked straight after and did my 20 singles with 114kg in twenty minutes, giving me around 35 seconds of recovery between each lift. I followed this up with a max set of 5 reps with 140kg in the box squat. Yes, this is embarrassingly small, but it is better than last week and there is more there. I am aiming to push it more in week three and four.

As for my new program, there are a few points I neglected to make in my previous post. I chose the Box Squat over the regular Back Squat for the following reasons:

1. I am awful at the movement because I have a weak posterior chain and poor--but improving--hip mobility. My first day of doing 5x5 in the Box Squat had my hamstrings about to pop off the bone.

2. Both John Broz, David Spitz, Max Aita and Glenn Pendlay all told me the Box Squat would help me immensely for the above reasons. As well as that, Broz gave out to me in length about how I was Back Squatting like I should Front Squat and that basically, it was embarrassing. The idea is that performing the Box Squat for a few months will help me regroove a proper Back Squat and allow me to focus on a physical imbalance. When I get up to hitting 160 for five reps, I will drop down from a 14 inch box to a 12 inch box and build my numbers up again. Once I get stronger at this height, I know the proper movement pattern will be ingrained and some of my physical areas to work will have been strengthened.

3. I am choosing to do the twenty lifts in twenty minutes for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I got the idea from Glenn Pendlay who has used the program with his beginners with great success. The amount of repetitions helps lifters get a high amount of reps in to learn the movements; but more importantly for me: because there is very little recovery between lifts, rhythm, tempo and technique determine success and it is far more difficult to muscle up weights, which is something I have been very guilty of for a long time. My twentieth rep today with 94kg was far better than my twentieth rep with 90kg a week and a half ago. I was hitting the positions I want to hit far better after all the reps. Usually I would hit higher weights regardless of positioning and go on ingraining negative movement patterns.

Also, the lack of recovery time means that I dwell less on technique and simply focus on controlling my breathing, getting set and lifting the weight overhead. Basically, it gets me to shut up and lift. Another reason I chose this style of training because it is great for off season sport specific conditioning. It is very demanding on the heart and lungs, particularly the Clean and Jerk.

And finally, I actually enjoy the challenge of lifting this way. I have never done anything like it and it is my short term aim to hit twenty reps in twenty minutes with 100/120 within the next four weeks. I know I can do it.

I am really enjoying training again and this makes me happy. The most simple squatting system in the world is making me stronger and I am getting lots of reps in improving weights.

For all of you who love X-Factor, Christmas and comedy:



For people who love to laugh:







Everyone knows weightlifting is the same as bodybuilding, right?



Last one to make you smile. If it doesn't, I never liked you anyway:

Source: http://weightliftingepiphanies.blogspot.com/2010/12/fridays-fitness-buff.html

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'Gadget Games' embrace technology

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Records for medals, merchandise sales and line-ups will characterize these Olympics.

They've also been nicknamed the Glitch Games and the Spring Games. Can we please (after all, we're Canadian here) add Gadget Games to the list?

Not just because of the wacky technology officials are now embracing – like electronic starter pistols. But because these are the Games where for the first time people didn't need to sit in front of a TV or even a computer to watch them – they could do it on their phones.

The embrace of mobile technology likely affords the Olympics the biggest new platform since television. And that's because there are millions of people in the world who don't have a television – but who may have a cell phone.

His Royal Highness Prince Faisal of Jordan, elected to the IOC a couple of weeks ago in Vancouver, is a big proponent of the way cell phones can change the Games.

"It is an opportunity, used properly, to be a very very positive thing for the Olympics, to let people to be able watch and really sense that they are part and parcel of the Olympic movement to really feel that they are connected," he said in an interview. "It's not something you need to hear about, you can feel like you are there."

There has been another sign at these Games that the IOC has fully embraced new technology.

Mark Adams, director of communications for the IOC, was part of an event for the social media crowd at the Vancouver Games. He wanted to clear up a misconception – people aren't allowed to take pictures during the Games and post them to sites like Flickr and Facebook.

This is not true. What is true is that anyone who wants to make any money off those images must have the permission of the IOC. But if you want to use still photos of anything, anything at all for personal use on the web, that's totally fine.

That's always been the IOC's policy – they just haven't communicated it very well.

That Adams took the time to show up signals the IOC is taking the social media world seriously but also taking steps toward actual trying to connect to it.

But it's also not without irony that the best way for them to make the message clear was doing it the old-fashioned way – actually speaking face-to-face.

Source: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/-Gadget-Games-embrace-technology?urn=oly-224705

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Former Olympic head Samaranch dies, led Games into new era

For better or worse, Juan Antonio Samaranch led the Olympic movement from a period of turmoil into the corporate, multibillion-dollar behemoth it is today. The former IOC chairman died Wednesday at 89, leaving behind a legacy equal parts prosperous and controversial.

Samaranch guided the Olympics through a treacherous stretch in the 1980s and 1990s in which sports either rose to meteoric popularity (NFL, NBA, MLB) or lost its grip on the public consciousness (boxing, horse racing, NHL). It's easy to take for granted the success of the Games, but its standing as the world's premiere sporting event was greatly in doubt when Samaranch took over in 1980

Political boycotts in 1976, 1980 and 1984 threatened to derail the Games. With little money and the Olympics being used as Cold War leverage, it wouldn't have been inconceivable for the Summer Games to dissolve into irrelevance. Instead, Samaranch shored up political support for the quadrennial event, opened the doors to athletes from all nations, oversaw the negotiations of massive television deals and helped bring the Games to both his home city of Barcelona and to the nation of China for the first time.

His methods were often unscrupulous though. Under his watch the Games became known for crass commercialization, corruption and scandal, most notably during the bidding for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. He capitulated to East Germany in the '80s, turned a blind eye to doping and appointed unsavory characters like Idi Amin's defense chief to IOC posts.

Those actions were defended by Samaranch as a sort of necessary evil, but detractors were pleased when he stepped down in 2001 and saw that as the only way for the IOC to move past the scandals of the previous two decades.

He was the second-longest serving IOC President ever. Only Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin led the movement for longer. And, arguably, no man besides de Coubertin ever did more for the Olympics than Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Source: http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Former-Olympic-head-Samaranch-dies-led-Games-in?urn=oly-235714

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DCU dichotomy

I competed yesterday as a guest lifter at the University and College Championships. I am one month out from the nationals on May 7th and the goal was to hit 120 again and go for 148kg in the Clean and Jerk. I did not hit my 120 and I did not hit my 148. I did, however, learn some vital lessons and got a timely reminder coming up to Nationals.

I weighed in at 96kg and I had to wait around four and a half or five hours before I was lifting. I coached Sami who hit an awesome 105kg Snatch and I know he will hit 107 in Nationals. His Jerk did not go so well , but he will be strong and ready for nationals. Lots of people lifted really well and there were a good few in the first competition. It was a great competition and I really enjoyed it. Byrdie hit a nice 116/150 and like Murph, who hit a solid 100, there is a lot more to come.

I was delighted to start warming up after a very long wait. I went up to 106 in the warm up and then opened with an easy 110. This is now too light weight for me to open up on and I took it too easily and cut my pull far too short. My 116 was faster, but I lost my position; I got the lift but it was out front. My third attempt with 120 was so close, I thought I got it. I was lacking that 100% commitment though; the weight felt far lighter than when I hit it last time and I was genuinely surprised to miss it.

I warmed up for the Clean and Jerk and went up to 136kg. I opened up on 140 just to get that monkey off my back and then I jumped to 145 for my second. I got it but I rushed my Jerk and it was a little shaky. I then went up to 148 for my third and I got under it but could not get past the sticking point, which really frustrated and surprised me. This was the most I have Clean and Jerked since November though so although I am a little gutted, I know Nationals will bring more.

So, what did I learn:

1. I have learned this before, but I did not realise how long the wait would be. Get out of the competition hall before you compete! It wastes nervous energy and leaves one frustrated.

2. My Front Squat numbers need to go back up to 165/170. I should have squatted 148 up. It was embarrassing.

3. I am far stronger than my mind tells me. I am capable of hitting my 122/150 right now. Once I get my front squat back up over the next few weeks, that should do the trick, as will continuing doing those Clean pulls to work on strength off the ground.

Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.

Source: http://weightliftingepiphanies.blogspot.com/2011/04/dcu-dichotomy.html

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Britain releases hilarious etiquette guide for 2012 Olympics

Britain's national tourism agency has released an etiquette guide designed to help Brits create a warm atmosphere for visitors at the 2012 Olympics. The goal of the guide is to help citizens become sensitive to the delicate cultural sensibilities of guests from over 200 countries. 

Basically, the guide is a rundown of stereotypes and social mores, some of which you're probably already familiar with (the French tend to be picky) and others that you may be learning for the first time (don't wink at somebody from Hong Kong). How you're supposed to differentiate who's from which country is left unanswered. Maybe everyone wears nametags or something.

The guide is well-intentioned, but probably is more offensive than the behavior it seeks to avoid. Instead of listing a country-by-country breakdown of actions to avoid, the guide should say to be respectful of everyone and recommend that visitors attending the Olympics keep an open mind during the fortnight. If snapping offends you (like it apparently does to Belgians), maybe let it go if "Beat It" comes on in a bar and a dude from Chicago goes into his Michael Jackson impersonation. And if you're from China and if an Italian says "grazie" after a compliment, feel good about it. That's their cultural more. And isn't joining cultures what the Olympics is about? 

Here are some of the most notable tips. They were written by agency staff about their own countries. Let me stress, these are all real: 

1. Do not be alarmed if South Africans say they were held up by robots, which is their term for traffic lights. But if a South African isn't talking about traffic lights, this has the potential for a disastrous real-life "boy who cried wolf" moment.

2. Indians may be suspicious about the quality of British food. That's only an Indian concern? (And, come on, I'm sure Indians have a little bigger problem with Britain than that.)

3. A smiling Japanese person is not necessarily happy. (They tend to smile when angry, embarrassed, sad, or disappointed.) I'm hoping this leads to a British official consoling a joyous, gold medal-winning Japanese athlete.

4. Pouring wine backwards into a glass indicates hostility to an Argentinian. Also, don't be offended by Argentinian humor, which may mildly attack your clothing or weight. But what if you're someone who gets offended by jokes about your clothing or weight? Are you just supposed to let Diego Maradona get away with that?

5. Never imply that people from Poland drink excessively. Despite stereotypes, Poles are not large consumers of alcohol and excessive drinking is frowned upon. Is that even a stereotype? I can think of about a dozen stereotypes of Polish people and being heavy drinkers isn't one of them. An affinity for putting screen doors on submarines, yes.

6. When meeting Mexicans, it is best not to discuss poverty, illegal aliens, earthquakes, or their 1845-46 war with America. Also, the Phoenician delegation will still be salty about getting conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE.

7. Avoid discussing linguistic and political divisions within Belgium between Dutch and French speakers. There goes 70 percent of my usual conversation.

8. The French are notoriously picky in restaurants. Yes, just in restaurants.

9. Chinese visitors may be unimpressed by landmarks just a few hundred years old. The uncensored internet connection should make up for that.

10. Never call a Canadian an American. Some Canadians take offense at being mistaken for U.S. citizens. One, Canadians never take offense to anything except switching the channel off Hockey Night in Canada. Two, that's a two-way street, Britain. Next time I hear someone say Justin Bieber is an American sensation, I'm going to show my anger by smiling broadly.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Britain-releases-hilarious-etiquette-guide-for-2?urn=oly-262013

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

The Aquatics Centre - Around the London 2012 Olympic Park - 22nd March 2011 No 11

The Aquatics Centre and temporary grandstands - March 2011

Source: http://insidelondon2012.blogspot.com/2011/03/aquatics-centre-around-london-2012.html

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Quarter of a million Olympic ticket applicants will get nothing | Patrick Collinson

More than 250,000 of the 1.8m people who applied for Olympic tickets will be left with nothing, it emerged today, with some disappointed fans who applied for multiple events receiving as little as 5% of the seats they wanted. More than half of the people who applied for tickets have already seen money taken [...]

Source: http://london-2012-olympics.net/News/quarter-of-a-million-olympic-ticket-applicants-will-get-nothing-patrick-collinson/

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Saturday's sincerity

Today was one of those sessions to get through. I enjoyed it, but it was lacking in any glamour or inspiration. I was tired and at the end of my download week; my legs were not working right; my hip was sore all week and stopped me training on Wednesday. So I decided to Power Snatch because catching the bar low was tagging my hip. I decided to Power Clean for the same reason and worked up to 120 and then did three singles with 130kg which felt hilariousy heavy. It was not even embarrassing. Just damn heavy. When 130kg feels heavy you know it is going to be a conservative day.

I finished up with some squats, a few sets of posterior chain work and I toasted it all off with a massage. Very happy to finish the day.

Here is a video of the squad session last weekend:



Thanks to Stephen Kinsella for making an awesome video. I need some inspiration, so here is some:



I also need a laugh, so here is one:



And another:



Finally, I need an injection of adrenaline, so here it is:



I am really looking forward to Glenn Pendlay and Jon North coming over to ECB to give a seminar. There are two spots left for the ECB seminar on Wednesday the 23rd of March, starting from 6-10pm. Email eastcoastbarbell@gmail.com to book a spot. There are also two spots left fro the Edinburgh seminar, so email me if you are interested.

Source: http://weightliftingepiphanies.blogspot.com/2011/03/saturdays-sincerity.html

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A Doctor's dressage

I have been away for a while indulging in a spot of rest and recreation. Usually, these both involve weightlifting, but this time around, I am taking a seven day break from the sport. I am actually still away, but this has been the first time I have been able to update my blog, so I will leave you with a review of Glenn's Edinbrugh seminar from the one and only Dr Eamonn Flanagan. Eamonn, is a Strength and Conditioning coach with Edinburgh rugby and he also a weightlifter. Yes, I agree with you: that is a devastating combination. Without further aplomb, here is the man in question:


Having spent more years in formal education than I care to admit, it is somewhat surprising that I would still be anxious when asked for a composition from an English teacher. But Barry?s infectious appetite for all things weightlifting is best indulged so I will try my best to summarise my thoughts regarding the recent seminar given by Glenn Pendlay in Edinburgh.
Barry has already described the general outline and content of the seminar, so I won?t spend too much time setting the scene. Rather, I will just focus on a few of the specific aspects of the seminar which I found most valuable and about which I have some of my own thoughts on.


The seminar began with a question and answer session and I opened by asking Glenn how he had achieved such great recruitment of youngsters into a weightlifting program. Glenn professed that there is no magic formula, just a willingness to work hard to spread the word and to encourage kids to come in and giving it a try. But as Glenn expanded on his answer he did offer some insight into an aspect that is just as important, if not more important than initial recruitment ? athlete retention. Glenn explained that he liked new lifters to compete as soon as possible. He doesn?t demand that lifters spend an age refining perfect technique before they get an opportunity to compete and put some heavy (relatively) weights over head. It is a simple principle that is common in so many other better represented sports, but can often be neglected in weightlifting. Let kids compete, give them opportunities to win things and to beat people and they will be more likely to enjoy the sport, want to continue in the sport and develop a competitive and winning mentality. Glenn also stressed how he has gone to great lengths to publicise results and achievements from young kids in local newspapers and other media ? again further developing kids excitement about the sport and excitement about their achievement. Talent Code author Daniel Coyle would call this whole process ?ignition? but it is simply a process of getting kids excited about a sport and developing a desire to continue and improve in the sport. In many other more common sports like rugby, soccer or football kids compete early and often and results and achievements are often carried in local media by default. Yet in weightlifting, many newcomers to the sport can wait an age before (if ever) competing and those in the sport must make a big effort to get knowledge of results into mainstream media to get appropriate coverage and credit to young competitors.

The seminar moved on to the processes of teaching the lifts. Glenn has a straightforward and concise reverse method approach to teaching the lifts. He strictly emphasises a small number of key positions and technical cues and allows much scope for the learner to ?fill in the gaps? themselves ? creating a stimulating, active learning process in which the learner can explore solutions themselves.

The first key positions that Glenn focuses strictly on is the finish or power position with the bar at the hip. There is much focus from the coach on ensuring the learner is in the right position: bar at the hip, in the crease; big chest and shoulders back actively squeezing the bar into the crease; knees slightly flexed; weight through the heels. The position is drilled strictly on every rep. From this position a power snatch is performed. The cue is to ?jump and catch? with little explanation beyond this. The learner observes the skill, and attempts to replicate it. The real focus is on the key position at the hip, but the learner is not inundated with information on performing the rest of the movement. Gradually, with practice, the learner catches the weight tight, bracing isometrically and fixing the bar, and begins to descend with the weight into an overhead squat. With further practice, the movement becomes smoother and the learner is performing a full snatch from the high hang/hip position. All the while the main emphasis from the coach in on getting in the correct position. The learner must be hitting the appropriate power position from the hip. Glenn described this as ?90% of the lifts? ? there is really no point progressing further if the learner is struggling to get the bar ?in the crease? and in a position to apply power.

From this point the learning moves down the chain. The next position that is strictly drilled is from just below the knee. The learner reinforces what was previously learned by starting in the power position and then pushes the hips back and stays over the bar as he or she lowers the bar to just below the knee. This position is key. The prospective weightlifter must be strong over the bar as it passes the knees. The learner performs many reps taking the bar from the hip to below the knee and back up to the hip again and into the snatch movement from the hip. The position below the knee is focused on strongly and it is imperative to find the power position at the hip also. As the bar is lowered to below the knee, the timing of contributions to the movement of the hips and the knees is very important. On the way back up, the learner finds his or her own way a little more and fills in the gaps between positions themselves based on their own anthropometry. Little instruction is given regarding the movement in between these two points.

I quite like this approach to learning the lifts. Instruction is precise and concise. Position is of the utmost importance and progression does not occur until certain positions are mastered. The big bonus for me though is that although the goal of each drill is to facilitate developing skill in the snatch, each drill also has its own, stand alone, merits as a training modality. The snatch movements from the hip begin to allow the lifter to train rate of force development characteristics. Catching the bar ?tight? and bracing isometrically develops the athlete?s ability to resist external forces, a key element for athletes in contact sports. The work moving into position to below the knee allows the athlete to begin to learn how to differentiate knee and hip movement - a key factor in sports performance and injury prevention. The slow, controlled lowering of the bar to the below knee position also begins to develop posterior chain strength in the novice lifter.

Glenn?s coaching style is concise and direct. Glenn explained that he is not afraid to really exaggerate certain aspects of technique. For example staying out ?over the bar? in the as the bar transitions past the knees. This might initially appear excessive but Glenn explained that over time there is an inevitable regression to the mean (or to the way the lifter usually does it). So to make effective change in technique certain aspects may need to be over-exaggerated in practice to ensure that changes are retained when lifting meaningful weights.

Having spent much time observing, drilling and discussing the positions when learning the snatch we took a back seat and watched Jon North work his way through a brief snatch session. Jon is a rambunctious, energetic, macho lifter. He thinks he?s the man and he lifts like it. He worked his way through routine warm-up weights at 70kg, 100kg and 120kg. These are light weights for Jon but each lift was approached with appropriate focus and effort. Technique and effort was constant with each lift. This is something I think many novice lifters can learn from. You must focus your concentration and effort appropriately on the lighter warm-up weights. If you do not, then your performance at the heavier and more challenging weights will suffer. Focus, concentration and effort is not something that the novice can just switch on and off like a light bulb ? the mental side of lifting must be practiced repeatedly just like everything else. You can?t snatch 100kg well, if you can?t snatch 60kg well. Jon worked up into the 150kg range ? weights which many in the room had probably not seen snatched in person before. It was an impressive display, but just a normal workout for Jon.

All of us attending the seminar then had the opportunity to lift ourselves. After having watched Jon shift some serious weight and with everyone in the room eager to put what wee had learned into practice it made for a motivating environment. Jon seamlessly shape shifted from lifter into coach and was an awesome help to many in the room. Although he is a brash, aggressive lifter on the platform, in person Jon is incredibly humble and helpful. His enthusiasm for the sport shines through and he has a personality that motivates you to want to lift heavy. Everyone lifting got a massive boost from Jon?s enthusiastic coaching and Glenn?s technical advice and quite a few PBs were hit.



Eamonn is a hero, so thanks to him for that. I hope everyone enjoyed it and I will update my blog over the next few days.

Source: http://weightliftingepiphanies.blogspot.com/2011/04/doctors-dressage.html

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