Restore Your Health in 2015

So, with a new year already here, hopefully some people have decided to implement some positive dietary habits to improve their lives. When you understand that by modifying your nutrition, you can reap benefits of so many different areas of your life, it is important to take a critical look at the food on your plate. Mood, energy levels, digestion, and sleep are the basic improvements and tangible benefits you will see, but at the same time intangible benefits such as more discipline, improved motivation, inspiration, and a clear mind are present also.

How do you kick start a dietary shift so you can stay committed, eliminate cravings, increase your chances of long-term success, and achieve the results you want?

Deary Diary:
I am experimenting the beginning to my year by following what I call a "raw vegan-pescetarian cleanse".

I will only be eating the following 100% organic produce:
Raw seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax), raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews), raw vegetables (spinach, cucumber, celery, green chard, kale, beets, onion, carrots, ginger), raw fruits (avocados, olives, tomatoes, pomegranate, apples, raspberries, strawberries, grapefruit, lemon, lime, banana)... On and because I value physical fitness and heavy resistance training due to its incredible benefits, I will be supplementing the diet with steamed, wild caught seafood in order to obtain adequate protein (mostly Mahi Mahi and Sockeye Salmon). I am drinking nothing but water or 100% pure coconut water during this cleanse, and having plenty of it. So far I am on day 9 going on day 10 and I feel fantastic. This was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate my body back to a state of optimal health, and removing all the excess crap I've accumulated in my body from poor eating.

While it has been a little more than a week and this is no indicator of fat loss, I have lost 6 lbs and removed all of the bloat accumulated from the holidays. I am sleeping deeply and restfully, I have constant energy through the day, I am strong in the gym, I feel light on my feet and am never bogged down after eating. Best part of all - I have zero cravings.

I feel connected to the food I eat, knowing that all of it is one step away from mother Earth, I practice sincere gratitude for this nourishment as the nutrients rebuild my physical body. I might continue this style of eating for an undetermined amount of time as I have no urge to slow the momentum I feel from this....


Now that I got my journal entry out of the way, I want to share how this applies to you. I am not saying it is necessary to follow in my footsteps, but it may be wise it take a look at the food you are eating currently and arrange a diet that removes the excess waste that delivering no real nourishing value to you..

If you truly want to make a difference in your physical health in 2015, then heed my words. Cut out stuff like gluten, dairy, and soy which are common allergenic food choices for most people, and remove packaged goods from your pantry. Set a goal that over a certain period of time (maybe 10-14 days) you will eat only fresh and organic fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and 100% organic fresh meat (grass-fed, free range, or wild caught). Instead of feeling like you a limiting yourself and following a 'diet' (I hate that word), maybe instead shift your attention to the benefits you are reaping from this lifestyle shift.

Know that you are literally healing your body. Be appreciative of this healing process. Understand that the body does not heal overnight, or in one week, but that you can begin to see some major positive affects in a very short time. Hopefully this brief glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel gives you the motivation to pursue something long term.

I have experimented with many different diets, diet styles and methods, diet techniques, and various other nutrition therapies. One thing that I have learned is that everyone responds different to different foods and methods. One of the most important pieces of wisdom you can imbue upon yourself during your lifetime is giving yourself a chance to understand your personal diet. Once you have your core, basic foods established, you can experiment with adding other things in an out of your diet but stay relatively on track with your eating habits. That is why such an extreme 'vegan cleanse' works well - you are really eliminating all the possible kryptonite from your life, and can become sensitive to how different dishes affect you.

Here are two examples of how this particular 'diet' might look for a given day:

Example #1:
7 AM: Bowl of raspberries, sunflower seeds, walnuts.
10 AM: Green smoothie with celery, cucumber, chard, ginger, lemon, parsley
12 PM: Massive spinach salad with avocado, red onion, tomato, and steamed fish. Topped with extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed, organic), lemon juice, and fresh herbs.
3 PM: Avocado, olives, or small salad with olive oil dressing.
5 PM: Carrots with handful of nuts.

Example #2
(metabolic reset - could be better for fat loss and regulating hormones with protein in morning):
7 AM: 5 oz piece of seafood on bed of vegetables with homemade dress (olive oil + lemon juice + garlic + salt in magic bullet)
10 AM: Green smoothie
12 PM: Massive salad
3 PM: Carrots dipped in homemade guacamole
5 PM: Apple with nuts or seeds

Now these are just examples! Feel free to interchange, substitute a grapefruit here for a snack, or different veggies in your salad or green smoothie, etc. The important piece is to have regular meals that are whole food choices. If you can do that, you are ahead of the game.

Try it out for a week, two weeks... maybe even a month. Let me know how it goes. I am very interested to hear how you feel around day 8 or 9.... if you can make it that long :)

Beware as you might feel slight 'detox' like symptoms around day 3 or 4. This is okay and totally normal. You could be a bit sluggish, tired, and weak. Drink a LOT of water and make sure you are eating enough. When you are consuming such nutrient dense food, you require very little calories to actually operate as your cells are getting the specific nutrients they need to perform. This can be a bad thing as you may actually end up eating too few calories. Try to use your gut and intuition to determine how much to eat. You will know when you go through a whole bad of raw walnuts that enough is a enough.

Good luck to you on your journey to wholeness and health, and I sincerely hope that you make 2015 the best year of your life. I believe you can, I know you can, and I encourage you to do it.

Understanding the Gut Brain: Stress, Appetite, Digestion & Mood

I had the fortune to attend a seminar on the human digestive system. What I learned enabled me to have a deeper understanding of this incredible evolutionary marvel. Think about all the food you eat in a lifetime.... some estimates say as much as 70,000 pounds of food; particles that a foreign to the body.

What happens between the time you put food in your mouth and it comes out the other end? The entire human body is quite literally made up of this food, these vitamins, minerals and nutrients. That means you are what you eat. Considering the human body is made up of approximately 100 trillion cells and on average 500 billion cells turn over every day, I want to leverage this fact. When you think about the fact that nutrition is literally information for your cells, you realize that you have a lot of control over your physical body. This is empowering!

The seminar was taught by Merrily Kuhn, a Ph.D in Physiology who went on to become a Naturopathic Doctor as well. Someone with an in depth understanding on human biology. It was sponsored by the Institute for Brain Potential. Brain Potential? you might ask.... Well, when realize that the food you eat can cause you to have 'leaky gut' which can result in a 'leaky brain' or inflamed brain, it makes sense why this Institute was the sponsor of such an event.

So, let's break it down..... What did I really learn?

Understanding the Gut Brain

What is the gut brain? 
- An extension of the main brain, literally.
- The Enteric Nervous System, or the nervous system responsible for control over the gut, evolves from the same embryonic tissue as your Central Nervous System (CNS), or brain.
So why do we look at it?
- There are 3 to 5 pounds of bacteria in your digestive tract. Anywhere from 300 to 2000 different species
- 63 million people have chronic constipation in America
- 2 million people have gluten sensitivity
- 90% of your immune system is tied to your gut
- 90% of neurotransmitter serotonin is formed in the gut (responsible for mood, appetite, sleep)
The gut does NOT need to be told what to do ... it already knows what to do!
- The gut is autonomous - it's own boss.
- 'Gut feeling' is not just a figurative expression, but a literal expression. Trust your gut - because the nervous system of the gut has not evolved yet to have self-doubt.
- Creates its own thoughts
- Many stem cells in intestine to create new villi, the "plush carpet of the gut"
- New layer of gut lining every 3 to 7 days.

Are you interested yet? Keep reading!

Bacteria in the gut responsible for many functions... regulation of immune system, hormone levels, etc... Depending on the type of bacteria we have in the gut, can express itself through our physiology. Obese individuals have a completely different microbiome than a lean individual.
- Bacterioides = "peace makers" to regulate good/ bad ratio of gut bacteria (also known as microbiome).

Since the gut and liver are tied together via portal vein.... you can test digestive health by examining ALT and AST which are levels of liver enzymes (aspartate transaminase or alanine transaminase). This is because if the digestive system is compromised, toxins can be released into the blood and filtered through the liver, placing strain on this hepatic system. Quite literally... if you have a 'leaky gut', you have a 'leaky brain'.

An example of how the gut influences the brain is through its ability to convert tryptophan into 5-HTP, which is then sent to the brain to be converted into, ta-da, serotonin. Previously, we did not understand why SSRIs did not treat depression. SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which is used as treatment to increase extracellular levels of serotonin by blocking its reuptake on the presynaptic cell, so that it can be bound to the postsynaptic receptor. Basically, there are is more of the neurotransmitter available to help regulate the mood positively. The problem is that some people could not improve their mood through using SSRIs as treatment for depression, and at first we did not understand why. Well, what if an unhealthy gut prevents tryptophan in the gut from being converted in 5-HTP, which is the first step of the process before serotonin is created? This is what happens... This is also why we see yeast infections being a catalyst for depression, as yeast is a bad bacteria and can really disrupt the healthy gut ecosystem.

Does the gut influence your brain as much as we think?

- 1 in 6 kids in America today are learning disabled
- 1 in 9 have asthma
- 1 in 50 live births, vs. 1 in 88 back in 2012 and 1 in 100,000 back in 1980 (fewer and fewer live births... what are the implications of this?)
- 1 in 400 diabetic
Doctors have shown that junk food being consumed during pregnancy is linked to an average lower IQ by the age of 8.

So what does all this mean? Well, where do you think you get the bacteria population in your digestive tract, if you are born sterile? Your mother! In fact, your mother's vaginal during a birth canal live birth, vs. unfriendly bacteria on her skin or picked up in the environment during a C-section birth. That is why the statistic for live births going doing is so alarming, as we are seeing more and more disease popping up. We've also seen that breastfeeding helps to deliver the appropriate beneficial microorganisms into a baby's gut, but that the practice of breastfeeding is rapidly going down! We are spending more than ever on health related practices, and as a nation we are getting weaker and sicker. I believe this can all be linked to the problems disrupting our inner ecology - the ecosystem of our digestive tract. Processed food, food allergens, environmental toxins, pathogens, antibiotics, pharmaceutical drugs, lack of proper birth or breastfeeding, inappropriate food in infancy, and various other things all have a part to play in destroying the natural digestive process we have fine tuned for millions of years as a species... This all make sense when you ties almost all of this stuff to modern day, man-made manifestations... Even stress can negatively affect the gut!

The Gut has feelings....

- Pain signals are sent from the viscera, or internal organs. Brain cannot pinpoint where exactly pain is coming from, for example you will experience gallbladder issues as pain in your shoulder.
- If the gut is inflamed, it sends CRF (cortico-tropin releasing factor/hormone) message to brain, which then goes to adrenal cortex = we are stressed! Resulting in an increase of cortisol


Remember that the gut bacteria consumes EVERYTHING and chooses what to keep and absorb. So how do we ensure that the right bacteria hangs out there, and beats out the bad guys? The primary way is through diet. This is both a good thing, and a bad thing. It is a good thing because we have a modicum of control over it. The bad thing is, the food we eat today is of terrible quality. When 90-95% of a major crops are genetically modified (GMO), and we are realizing that GMOs have an impact on our gut bacteria, it gets scary. When we have high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or monosodium glutamate (MSG) in almost everything we eat, and these things are linked to inflammation or neurotoxicity, it is sad.

What is in our food, that is causing this shift towards an unhealthy inner digestive system?

- Bread today, almost all GMO
- Bread contains Potassium Bromate, which allows bread to hold more air and be fluffier, also contains L-Cysteine which is an amino acid found in hair, responsible for increasing the density.
- Bread that is unbromated and no l-cysteine, it will go bad very soon.
- Natural flavors found in many, many different shelved foods, can be derived from anything. In fact, look out for 'raspberry natural flavors' (found in yogurt, etc). This is derived from beaver anal juice. Yes, you read that right.
- Chicken nuggets contain breast silicone
- Apples average age in the supermarket = 14 months. They are dipped in DPA (a derived of petroleum) and stored in cold. That is why all the apples you see in the supermarket look 'shiny'. Ever seen one like at hanging on the tree??? After 3 months of storage it loses all its antioxidant potential...
- Animals we eat, such as beef, chicken and pork, are given 4x as many antibiotics as humans and fed GMO corn and soy, which rapidly diminishes the animal's health. They develop antibiotic resistance which could be then transferred to us when we consume them. This is why it is very important to eat 100% organic, grass-fed beef and free-range chicken breast. The conditions of these feedlots is terrible.... and we continue to eat an increasing amount of this grain-fed beef, amounting to a total of 52.2 million pounds of it in the year of 2012, on an upward trend. In fact, chicken has recently overtaken beef for yearly pounds of consumption, and the quality of those feedlots is

no better.

How does Stress impact the Gut?
- When stressed, bacteroides fall by 20-25%... Remember, these are the good guys.

How does Gluten impact the Gut?

- Gliadin protein in gluten - placed in wheat as a GMO back in the 60s
- Binds to opiate receptors, and can increase appetite, averaging 440 more calories a day.
- Wheat yields 10x more per acre with the new wheat we use (including being sprayed with Roundup known as glyphosate)
- In order for us as humans to properly digest gluten, we must be ruminant animals (which have multiple stomachs, such as cows or horses).
- Zonulin is the gatekeeper/ traffic cop regulating intestinal permeability to allow things in and out
- Gluten increases Zonulin levels, and a single dose of gluten can increase it for a week or more

When there is too much zonulin, we get a leaky gut. High levels of zonulin keep the gates open and allow undigested food particles and proteins into the blood. Remember that there are two branches of the immune system - adaptive immune system and innate immune system. The adaptive system works by remembering the identity of pathogens and foreign invaders to the body so that they can surmount the appropriate defense next time they are encountered. This fact presents a problem when random food particles not fully digested and proteins that are not completely broken down into their tiny parts (amino acids), float in the blood, and we see them as a potential life-threatening attack. Since we do not recognize the invader, we pump out various antibodies in an attempt to destroy the home invasion with no real success. Instead we just end up inflamed and weakened.

Another interesting fact is that we see people with Celiac disease have higher levels of zonulin. Along with this, we see higher incidences of various ailments such as diabetes, multiple scerlosis, Addison's disease, and other autoimmune dysfunctions. Can leaky gut be culprit?

So how do we regulate a healthy gut ecosystem?

- Fermented food chelate and detoxify heavy metals and toxins from the gut
- Appropriate food choices, eliminating things like caffeine, alcohol, sugar
- Eating proper pre and probiotic foods
-  Testing for food intolerances and sticking to foods right for you (this may mean eliminating dairy, soy, gluten)
- Avoiding GMOs, antibiotics, pharmaceutical drugs, and other stressors of the gut.
- Chlorine filter on shower??? Destroys gut bacteria....

Avoiding environmental toxins, such as arsenic found in rice, can help you with your gut bacteria. Arsenic is an environmental toxin sprayed on rice crop 50 years ago, and has remained in soil. This is just one example of the exposure we have to toxins. Babies are born with an average of 250 toxins in their urine. Things like BPA (Bisphenol A) which are found in many packaging materials are pretty much bad for everything...

Recent findings in epigenetics say that 35% of our physiology is determined by our genetics, while 65% is determined by environment. The genes load the gun, and your genetics pull the trigger. This ratio has continued to increase towards being more heavily weighted on the environment side. In several years time it could be 30/70, or 20/80. I believe someday we will inevitably realize that genetics have a very minimal role to play (if any) in the creation of who we are, provided we can resolve with the past. Since our cells are constantly turning over, they are 'remembering' the previous experience of that cell. You are, quite literally, redefining yourself repeatedly throughout your life time. The 'you' that is reading this sentence is not the same 'you' that finished it. And the baked holiday treats you ate for a week straight are quite literally the raw materials being assembled into the new 'you' as we sit here.

It is mind blowing to think that we have this incredibly complex, thinking, feeling system that functions separate from our main operating system, living within us with its very own ecosystem. It makes sense that when this delicate ecosystem becomes polluted with chemicals, allergens, and hard to digest matter, we become sick and weak.

A take away from this for everyone should be the empowering fact that we are more or less in control of our physiology. We can repopulate our gut with the good guys, remove the bad guys, and be healthier and quite literally happier. I suggest everyone think about this as they transition into the new year. What will you do to improve your health this year? When you realize that health primarily begins in the gut, you realize that you can make incredible progress by healing here.

Training - Lessons and Lifting with Klokov

Okay,

So considering the fact that I’ve been recently incorporating much more Olympic lifting in my program and have always loved OL weightlifting, I just had to sign up for this seminar. World champion and Olympic silver medalist, Dmitry Klokov, put on a weightlifting clinic at a local Crossfit box right down the street from me, and I saw it as a great opportunity to meet one of the sport’s greatest, learn from him, and also network with like-minded individuals. I received more than I expected from this experience, and I’d like to share some of these nuggets with my readers.

Here is how my Saturday went.

PART ONE:

I woke up at 6 AM, as if I am still seven years old and it is Christmas, and rush to prepare some coffee for the day and pack my equipment bag with essentials.  Side note – I got some phenomenal coffee beans from Cartel coffee roasting company, a local roaster in Tempe. Seriously, this coffee is bomb. Anyways – I brewed my coffee, packed my bag, and went over to Whole Foods to get a quick breakfast before checking for registration at 8 AM. I knew I wanted to get there as early as possible to meet some of the people there and get a chance to check out the gym. I meet August Schmidt when I arrive to the Crossfit box, who is the owner of East Valley Crossfit. Very cool dude, and from my short time interacting with him I had a great feeling about his presence. He appears to be a solid coach and athlete.

I get checked in and begin to roam around the gym, watching as people slowly trickle in. I find out there will be only about 20 individuals attending the seminar today, and given that the entire clinic is set to last from 9 AM until 9 PM, I am excited to think about the focused time and attention that might be available with Klokov and his gymnastics/ mobility partner Igor Zaripov (who is a Cirque du Solei gymnast). After meeting several individuals there, conversing, and meandering about for 15 or 20 minutes, we see Klokov stroll in the front door.

The dude is MASSIVE. He really doesn’t appear to be very tall simply because he is so broad. As soon as I see him strut in I rush over and notice he is filming his entrance with a small camera. If you follow his YouTube videos, he does this at many of the gyms he attends – filming all the different locations and various points of each of his seminars. Anyways, I can’t help myself and immediately approach him and “Dude! Klokov!”, giving him a fist pound. He is smiling too, returns the fist bump, and strolls on, continuing to film his entrance. Now I know what it feels like to actually be an excited fan and I actually don’t give a shit. This is someone who I genuinely look up to, respect, and admire, based not only on his physical accomplishments, but what he has done for the sport of weightlifting. And of course his mental attitude. His fist feels like a piece of calloused granite infused onto a small tree trunk.  

After his entrance, Igor and Klokov walk over to where the Olympic training platforms are located and begin setting up to start lifting. The first part of the seminar is just a short training session, watching Klokov, Igor, and August lift. I am pumped to see what they lift, but also am interested in their warm-up.  Although this post is primarily about Klokov, it is important to outline the training of the other athletes as well, so I will quickly list what they did.

August is a very strong and powerful Master’s level Olympic weightlifter in the 105 kg class (231 lb). He warmed up in the power snatch, going up to 90 kg for 2x3r, 100 kg 2x2r, then 110 kg (242 lb) for a final double. He then stripped to 80 kg for halting snatches (snatch from floor with a pause at the knee), doing doubles at 80, 90, 100,  110, and 115. After this he moved on to power clean + push press up to 120 kg (264 lb) for 3 or 4 sets of 2+2.

Igor Zaripov is a Cirque du Solei performer, and an extremely strong gymnast. His back and core is ridiculously strong. He has been following Klokov’s coaching since he started weightlifting 8 months ago, and because of his strong back and weak(er) legs he is doing specific complex exercises to develop the right movement patterns for efficiency and technical mastery in OL. For these reasons, today Igor was doing a snatch complex exercise from deficit. He would do a very high hipped, stiff back snatch deadlift to straight legs, followed by a more classical snatch deadlift with a slow pull, another high hip snatch DL, one more slow pull snatch DL, followed immediately by one classic snatch with a slow pull. ALL while standing on maybe a 4” deficit! This looked like an extremely tough and grueling exercise. I asked Klokov why this was prescribed and he explained with broken English that it is to turn on and switch off the appropriate muscles for the snatch. He reasons that snatches from deficit are one of the best exercises to learn how to use the legs in the snatch, and I agree. You are forced to shove the knees out HARD when pulling from a deficit and it is very difficult to revert to pulling from the back, which will minimize swinging. You MUST learn how to extend through the legs. Klokov explained that the high hip start fires the hamstrings and posterior chain, while the classic slow pull turns on the quads and rectus femoris. By doing them in this order followed by a snatch are you pre-fatiguing all the muscle groups required for a make, but they are TURNED ON in the right sequence which is the most important part. Igor worked up to 110 kg (242 lb) in this 5 rep complex! After this, he continued to add weight but performed only the RDL+slow pull combo 1+1 up to very heavy weight, I think 170 kg (374 lb). I cannot remember exactly, as I was distracted by Klokov’s lifting.

Klokov warmed up with some random bar stretching and basic arm circles. He did not lift lower body today so I am assuming his warm-up was quite different than if he were to full clean, snatch, squat, or pull. He did some presses, push presses, push jerks, and split jerks with the bar, then had 50 kg on it. He pulled a rack onto his platform, and began performing a push press + push jerk + split jerk complex from rack. He started at 50 kg 1+1+1 and continued in this fashion in jumps from 50 to 70, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 190 kg (419 lb)!! Watching him work with this weight only 15 feet away was freaky. The bar oscillation is unreal, and the fact that he is re-racking the weight to the front with a full grip with a nearly a quarter ton blows my mind. After he completed this exercise, he dropped the bar and said in broken English “now I am warmed up”. He stripped the bar to 70 kg on the ground and did power clean + strict press 1+1 with 70, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140 kg (308 lb)! Who do you know that can casually power clean and strict press over 300 lbs?!? He said he best result in this exercise is 180 kg (396 lb)!!! Anyways – he entire workout lasted no more than 60 minutes, including warm-up. 

After the lifting exhibition, we began warming up for the first part of the seminar, the snatch. This portion was scheduled for 2.5 hours and would be filled with hands-on coaching, interaction and feedback from both Igor and Klokov. Things began to get fun as we started warming up with the same bar Klokov has used. After a short warm-up, he paused us and asked us to gather around so he could explain some specific Russian training philosophies and their school of thought on the snatch. Several major takeaways here:

·         Toes OUT in the starting position

·         Use MORE LEGS!!! Do not let the hips shoot up so the back bows way over the bar. Knees out and push ground away with the full foot.

·         Bar contacts the shin coming up

·         Contact at the crease of the hip

·         Arms are loose and relaxed, use elbows to guide bar up.

·         ELBOWS MORE FORWARD!!! More forward, more forward, more forward.

He said the biggest problem with 80-90% of people is that we are not using our legs correctly in the pull. This stems from feet too parallel at start, toes not pointed out, no contact with shin, and a couple other reasons.

To correct this, we began performing a bar drill to improve technical proficiency for these mistakes.

Snatch Drill #1:

We began with the bar at the shins in a snatch start position, toes out, hips down and back tight – standard start position I am familiar with except the toes pointed out to the point that it was uncomfortable. Doing this really helped me feel the drive through the full foot on the floor, and fully engage the legs. We dragged the bar up the shins to the top of the knee, paused for a moment to feel the full foot on floor, knees out, and quads engaged. Shoulders and chest are vertically over the bar here, chin forward. Here, we move the bar to the contact point at the hip crease.

Klokov instructed that from the floor to knee, the bar makes contact with the shin, dragging up the leg to the kneecap, but from the knee to hip there is maybe a millimeter of space between the bar and the leg. You MUST feel the legs drive the ground down as the bar is carried under you, driving the knees out and keeping the hips down.

After the floor to knee, we go to the hip and feel the arms making the contact with the hip. Klokov explains that the ARMS must drive the contact, NOT the hips. NEVER drive the hips forward. The hips move forward by consequence of the legs extending, but the motion is vertical due to the leg extension. So feel the arms making the contact with the hip and make the barbell “make music”, or rattle with contact from the arms driving the bar. We do this for 3 reps, then slowly lower back to just above the knee. From above the knee position we bring the bar up to the hips NOT by levering the back open, but again by extending the legs.

From above the knee, this time we extend legs and once the bar makes contact with the hip crease we extend vertically and pull the elbows HIGH and FORWARD. The bar should be carried under the chest, shoulders vertically over the top of the bar, knuckles pointed down, and elbows HIGH AND FORWARD!!! We are on our tippy toes at this point and holding this ‘scarecrow’ position. We should be balanced and the bar should be just under the chest, about sternum/ high belly area. Klokov instructs that we are to hold this position for a 3 count, and always ELBOWS MORE FORWARD!!

We do this drill for maybe 45 minutes while Klokov and Igor go around and provides hands on coaching to us for these various positions.

After this drill, we move on to drill #2….

Snatch Drill #2:

Klokov explains that the problem with “jumping” during the catch portion is that the bar is more likely to crash down on us and we receive it in a less optimal position. A remedy to this is this drill that we performed, which is essentially a drop snatch from toes, with clips next to your feet. You have the bar on back with snatch grip, rise up on the toes and balance for a 3 count, then slide the feet out quickly to reposition, punching up with the arms and dropping the hips to receive in a full overhead squat. You must reposition the feet very close to the ground, which is more a quick slide out, so that the clips are pushed aside. If you do it correctly, they are sent pretty far and you receive the bar with a satisfying lockout. We do this drill for another 45 minutes, focusing on a quick and correct repositioning of the feet .

After drill #2, we begin warming up for full snatch, with clips next to our feet in the pulling stance. The goal with the clips is the same for drill #2 – we are to perform a full snatch from the floor with a quick reposition of the feet to knock the clips aside. It was very much similar to a snatch without moving the feet, at least that is what it felt like! We warmed up this way to a max effort single, so I took 40 kilos for maybe 5 triples to get comfortable with the clips next to my feet and my narrow, toes out pulling stance, then 50 kilos for some more triples, then 60 for some doubles. After 60 I switched to singles and no more clips, going 70, 80, 90, 95, 100 (4 misses – first one was very close). I was happy with the 95 that I made as this is the most I’ve snatched in over a year and is only my 5^th snatch session since coming back!

After snatching, we were released for lunch. I went back to Whole Foods for some sushi, had some coffee, and returned to the gym….

PART TWO:

Returning from lunch, we gather around and watch as Klokov begins to discuss various clean inefficiencies and common issues he is seeing. One is that he is seeing people pull their cleans too high, and it is crashing on them. This stems from all the power cleaning that we do, the strong backs and pulling style, and also the jumping of the feet (causing the bar to crash). He also reemphasizes again that we are not using our legs enough in the pull and this is resulting in bars too far forward, and not enough extension vertical. To help correct, he talks about the full foot, toes angled out pulling stance, and also a LOWER contact point on the thighs. We begin drill #1.

Clean Drill #1:

Similar to the snatch drill #1, this is a slow pull with 40 kg to just above the knee, contact with the thigh just above the knee 3 times using the arms, lowering the bar back to ground, and a slow pull up this time with contact on the same spot on the thigh and a vertical extension of the body. We shrug up and extend on the toes, lightly bend the elbows (ELBOWS FORWARD!!!), and keep the legs tense and extended. The bar should be held just below belly button, and balance should be kept on the toes with the shoulders elevated. We do this drill with 40 kg for about 45 minutes as Klokov and Igor again walk around and provide hands on feedback and coaching to our positions and movements. The difficult part for me is to find violent contact with the legs above the knee appropriately, as I am used to a slight arm bend and cleaning near the hip crease for my contact. This is against what the Russians teach, and they emphasize a thigh contact with straight(er) arms.

Clean (Jerk) Drill #2:

After the clean drill, with move on to a jerk drill. Basically, this is a jerk balance with the bar position right on top of the head. Klokov says that in the jerk, the tendency is to dip too short and too quickly. This takes most of the leg out of the drive portion and instead most of the power in a short dip/ drive comes from the VMO. He advocates sitting deeper into the dip portion and taking advantage of the full hip musculature. He also instructs to have the toes angled out once more and driving the knees outwards. Klokov says toes out in the jerk is important to keep a straight vertical torso when dipping and driving. When the feet are angled forward, he sees the weight shift far too often unfavorably, causing a jerk that is too forward. In terms of footwork, he says the front foot should angle in slightly and the back leg should have the heel elevated so that the knee can drop and be a shock absorber. Most of the weight is set on the front foot with the shin vertical, and the hip crease bearing the load. To develop appropriate foot work, we rise up on the toes, bar on the head, and split the legs with a quick slide of the feet. There is a clip positioned about a foot in front of the splitting foot, and the goal is to slide that foot forward and shoot the clip with the toes, while splitting fully and extending the bar in lockout. The wrists punch up quickly while the hips drop down vertically. Vertical vertical vertical. Balance balance balance. Maintain tippy toe position for several seconds, then shoot the feet into the split in a quick shuffle. This balance is very important to having a vertical dip/ drive.

Now that we’ve done two drills for the clean & jerk, we begin warming up for a max effort lift in this exercise. I am pretty toast after all the drilling and the long day it has been, especially considering I worked up to a 90 kg snatch and 130 clean the day before, but am pumped to see what I am able to jerk. I have not done a split jerk in maybe two years, and have only power jerked maybe twice in that time. The warm up here is the same as with the snatch – we are to position clips next to the feet in the pulling stance, and shuffle the feet out in the receiving portion of the clean. After that, we jerk as normal. I warm up as said until about 80 kg, doing 1 clean and several jerks at each weight. The jerks felt good. I hit 100, 110, and 115 all confidently and easily. The clean feels different but I can feel my quads popping much more and am getting under the weight easily. All jerks were very solid. I take 120 and miss the jerk because of a shoddy split. I am a bit disappointed, as Klokov is watching me directly. I take 120 again and nail the jerk easily, thinking I’d be good for 125. After an easy clean with 125, the jerk fails me once again and I call it a day. Hitting 95+120 in my first “meet” like setting after almost two years off of focused Olympic lifting in front of Klokov is a good day.

After the clean and jerks, we move on to a mobility and gymnastics portion led by Igor. We did some literally brutal shoulder mobility stretches that felt like my arms were going to tear out of my sockets, then performed some handstand work. This wrapped up with 2 four minute Tabata rounds for core work, the first Tabata was 20 seconds of bicycles, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds of knees to elbows from plank position, 10 seconds rest, repeat for four rounds. The second Tabata was 20 seconds of lying straight leg raises, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds of ab bridge, 10 seconds rest, repeat for four rounds. After this, I am pretty smoked.

In terms of gymnastics takeaways – Igor instructs of the importance of relaxed shoulders during kipping and hanging movements, and the importance of core strength during any kipping exercises.

After this final gymnastics/ mobility portion, we move back over to the platforms as Klokov talks about and demonstrates important accessory exercises and their applications.

#1) Weighted Squat Jumps – important to use light weight and for 5x5 for 3x10 reps. This exercise is performed after squatting normally, and will “turn on” the speed muscles responsible for weightlifting. Perhaps use 20 kg, maybe 40 kg. Extend the legs fully and when performed correctly, the toes ‘vibrate’ as you lift into the air.

#2) Snatch from deficit – used to teach a lifter to correctly use the legs. Should be performed with knees OUT.

#3) Snatch pulls from deficit – same as above. KNEES OUT, hips low. USE THE LEGS.

#4) Snatch RDL from deficit – teaches how to build hamstring strength which is a synergistic muscle for the extension portion of the O-lifts. Perform with very high hips and knees slightly unlocked.

#5) Snatch Jumps – pulled like a normal snatch, however when receiving the bar you are jumping up to higher blocks (he had 2 stacked 25 kg discs to the side of each foot that he jumped onto). Again, to teach proper use of the legs and extension. DOES NOT teach jumping with the feet. 

#6) Hyperextension/ GHD with BAR ON BACK – performed always with bar on back, great posterior chain builder, helps to open the chest and tight back. Recommended 2x10r before training to unlock and turn on important muscles, recommend 3-5 sets of 10 reps after training for strength and muscle building.

These were the exercises that Klokov feels are most important to the general population interested in weightlifting. After this there was a small Q&A with him and the best questions I could think of on the spot were answered by him. He said he is not a fan of good mornings because there are better exercises, he does not like snatches off blocks because they are easy, and cannot provide a recommendation behind reps/ sets for pressing. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for a Q&A session so I did not have a series of good questions for him.

After the Q&A, Klokov handed out signed posters to all of us. “Demand the Impossible” they say, with pictures of Klokov and the Again Faster equipment brand on them. I got a few pictures with him and thanked him and Igor for coming out and their instruction.

The day ended at 8:45 PM, after more than 12 hours of interaction with one of the world’s best weightlifters. I had set two comeback PRs and picked up a ton of valuable information as well as the confirmation of some of my current knowledge. The entire experience was well worth it and my only regret is that I didn’t ask Klokov more questions.

The biggest lesson of the day was learned while listening to Klokov speak. He talked about the importance of mental fortitude and strength of the mind in his broken English. He talked about the belief of achievement and being able to conquer weights that you might be afraid of. This carries over to all aspects of life, which is why the journey in the gym is more than just lifting heavy weights – it is about self-respect, introspection, determination, and discovering what drives you. It is about believing you can, you must, and will, as opposed to being afraid or unable. It was the way that this World Champion conveyed these beliefs that was the greatest lesson for me. Listening to someone who has achieved such greatness – in anything, any avenue – they will have similar insight. But the fact that these lessons came from one swole dude who can sling 530 pounds over his head and become the champion of the world make the message that much more powerful.

The end.

Some additional stuff from my instagram: 

http://instagram.com/p/tfjAMhxQJ5/

http://instagram.com/p/teddz1RQNy/?modal=true

Daily Good Moodivation #19 - Dream Big, then Chunk it Down

Do you dream big? Do you ever have moments of clarity, inspiration, and motivation towards some long-term vision, goal, or idea? Do you start to get really excited about the achievement of that thing, only to end up getting lost in the minutiae; all the little details and next steps required to accomplish what you are dreaming about, dragging you to a halt?

These are the common roadblocks we face to our ultimate success. Everyone deals with these same problems, and it is one of the reasons many of us lose sight of our goals. It all depends on how you 'structure' your dream to make it a reality.

Chunking it down is a concept I've used with great success for a couple years now. Personally, I've found it to be my most effective means to achieving goals I had originally thought were unobtainable. The concept is simple.

Draw an outline of the ultimate goal you want to achieve, and put a realistic timeline on it. Put this goal/ idea/ concept/ achievement/ dream whatever it is on the far left side of a sheet of paper, then just above it, write the amount of time you anticipate before it is obtained. Now you will begin chunking that objective down on the sheet of paper, in backwards chronological order. The key is to use progressively smaller steps that carry you towards it's achievement.

Create a reverse goal-timeline brainstorming outline. A perfect example of this is laying a sheet of paper wide left to right, and dividing it into 4 equal sections. On the far left, write at the top of the column with YEARLY, second to left write at the top MONTHLY, second to the right top with WEEKLY, and the far right column top it with DAILY.

Now in the far left column you obviously write what the final achievement is, whether it be get a job promotion, buy a house, save $20,000, lose 20 pounds, create side revenue stream... Whatever it is, you want to have it by the time one year is up. Next, in the monthly column, you will determine one or two steps towards that goal would look like. For saving $20,000, perhaps you want to put away $300 from each paycheck as well as create a monthly budget to reduce expenses. That is listed under monthly objectives. For the third column, weekly - you may list "eat out only once; cook at home for the week; no expensive nights out", all steps that incrementally add up towards your yearly goal on the left. For the final column, under daily - what will you do TODAY that is going to help you carry forward towards that achievement? Some ideas could be "pack a lunch to work", "determine monthly living expenses", "create excel spreadsheet with budget ideas".

The important thing here is to work backwards from what the ultimate goal is and chunk it down into realistic actions that can be accomplished each chronological step. Once you have done this, you must execute.

Now that you have your goal outline it is very important to reference this routinely and remind yourself of why you started in the first place. The last important piece of advice I can give to you in this regard is that when you are developing these yearly goals and objectives, it will serve you well to include in your journal or in a document somewhere, how you feel when you achieve the goal and why it is important to you. Answering these questions will make these achievements more real to you. Really try to envision the feelings you have when accomplishing one of your objectives as well as the importance of that thing.

Visualization will also remain a key factor in the achievement of anything great, so the more vividly you can see yourself achieving X, Y, or Z, the more likely your subconscious mind will work with you towards achieving it.

Remember - you all possess an infinite potential to become who you truly are meant to be. And who you are truly meant to be is seen in your brief moments of inspiration, motivation, and fiery passion. Those moments are fleeting connections with your true self, the higher purpose of our being, Do not let those slip away. Dream big and chunk it down so you can continue to feed the inspiration of the soul. 

Grant's Training - 'Strength' Microcycle Week 2

Monday 9/15  
Gym - Overall Strength
Recovery - Restorative Yoga

Tuesday 9/16 
Gym - Alactic Power
Recovery - Healing Yoga

Wednesday 9/17 
Gym - Aerobic Power
Recovery - Easy bike ride

Thursday 9/18 
Cardio - AM Bike Ride
Gym - OFF
Recovery - Level 1-2 Yoga and easy bike ride

Friday 9/19 
Cardio - AM Bike ride
Gym - CP Battery
Recovery - Power Yoga and easy bike ride

Saturday 9/13
Cardio - Bike Ride
Gym - OFF
Recovery - Level 1-2 Yoga

Sunday 9/14 - TBD

Monday's Training 9/15"Overall Strength"

AM BWT - 180.4 lb

Warm-up) Clean + Push Press:
165#/3+3, 185/3+3, 205/3+3
rest 2 minutes

A1) Clean:
225/2, 245/1, 225/3, 245/2, 255/1
rest 2 minutes
A2) DB Press:
70#/6 reps x 5 sets

rest 2 minutes

B1) Back Squat:
330#/5, 360/3, 375/1
335/5, 360/3, 380/1 
rest 2 minutes

B2) Wtd. Pull-up:
+15#/6, +20/6, +25/5
+30/5, +35/4, +45/4
rest 2 minutes

Tuesday's Training 9/16"Alactic Power"

AM BWT - 180.2 lb

A) Snatch (from floor):
(60/3)2, (70/3)2, 75/3, 80/3, 85/3

5 rounds, 3 minutes rest between:
A) TnG Snatch Pull:
110/5, 120/5, 120/5, 120/5, 120/5

B) Prowler Sprint:
50kg /5 , 5, 5, 5, 5

4 rounds, 3 minutes rest between:C) 5 Hang Power Snatch
60kg (warm-up), 65, 70, 70, 70

D) 100m incline run (on treadmill, incline 15, speed 12) 

Wednesday's Training 9/17"Aerobic Power"

AM BWT - 179.8 lb

A) Clean Deadlift + Clean Pull + Clean (from blocks, above knee):
70/1+2+3, 80/1+2+3, 90/1+2+3, 90/1+2+3

B) Clean (from blocks, above knee):
100/2, 110/2, 120/2, 125/2

C) 3 rounds, 3 minutes rest between:
1 Power Clean @ 165#
3 Push Press @ 165#
5 Front Squat @ 165#
30m Farmer's Walk @ 70#
*Completed 3 circuits per round... on round 3, in the 2nd circuit hurt back right rib on front squat and experienced pain - had to shut it down and could not complete. 

C) 10 Min AMRAP 
1 deficit HSPU
3 strict pull-ups
5 T2B
100m fast jog (speed 10 on treadmill)
*Completed 7 complete circuits with almost zero rest between any exercise.

Thursday's Training 9/18"RELAX RECOVER AND PREPARE FOR TOMORROW!!!"

Friday's Training 9/19"CP Battery"

AM BW - 180.2 lb

A) Find Press 1RM in 10 minutes from bar:

Bar/20 reps, 95#/5, 115/3, 135/2, 155/1, 165/1, 175/1

B) EMOM for 20 minutes:
Evens - Clean Deadlift @ 170 kg x 2 reps

Odds - Push Press (from rack) @ 215# x 2 reps

C) AFAP - 50 Pull-ups for time 
Each break perform 3 deficit HSPU
Completed in 7:30, PR - 16, 9, 7, 7, 6, 4, 1