coaching

I love coaching weightlifting.  I love taking someone brand new to this
sport and making them freaky good.  My favorite is when I get someone
that has never done Olympic weightlifting, Then I can teach them MY way
and they don’t have any bad habits they learned from some idiot so
called coach.  I feel like I am becoming a very good coach.  sorry I am
going to toot my own horn hear, but I feel that I am starting to really
come up with my own ideas rather than going off someone else.  I am
putting together everything I have learned from my three years in this
sport and making them my own.  From different coaches, different teams,
training with different athletes, meets, winning, losing, Pr’s, bombing
out, Clarking, killing weight, being nervous, to cocky, not to cocky,
different technique in the lifts, different starts, different workout
programs, different ways to look at this sport.  I have been through all
of these and much much more in my three years in this sport, I have
been there and done that, and i think that’s whats going to make me a
great coach.  I feel that I have the knowledge and the experience, and
those two things together are dangerous.  I am going to be a mix of
coach Jackie Mau, Coach Paul Daurghty, coach Tim Frizby, Coach Donny
Shankle, coach Dave spitz, and my biggest influenc Coach Glenn
Pendlay.   Take a little of what I learned form all of them, take alot
of Jon North and you have the best weightlifting coach to ever live! 
lol jk I know I have a lot to learn still, I learn everyday, and I will
never know it all.  Just like Coach Pendlay says, “when you think you
know it all, you don’t.”  I love that line.  But I am getting very good
and teaching technique, getting athletes strong and teaching them what
it takes to strive in this sport.  I think before you can do any of this
you have to have an understanding of the sport.  I am good at teaching
the snatch because I snatch 160kg, but also because I know how I
snatched 160kg. I am not saying you have to lift big weights to coach big weights, but It’s the tool that I use, because I dont think I would ever be able to coach weightliftng without hitting the numbers I have hit and the crazy journey I have gone through in the last three years.  I know some people that can lift a lot but can’t teach
it.  It just comes easy to me, I know what my body is doing to snatch
160kg so I try to give back to other people what my secretes are.  same
thing with the clean and jerk.  I am growing an army of young kids hear
at California strength and I am very excited to watch these kids get
better and better at this sport right in front of my eyes, and to think I
had something to do with there success makes me sleep very well at
night.  I am looking forward to my future as an athlete in this sport,
but I am also looking forward to coaching my kids to great height’s, and
other kids that I get in my long journey on the road of weightlifting. 
Jon North 2012

weightlifting is weightlifting no matter where you go

The streets are narrow and the bathrooms are called toilets and the people speek funny but weightlifting is still weightligitng.  Weightlifting is not popular here in Ireland, but there is someone that it not only trying but making weightlifting more well known, and that is my friend Barry Kinsella and Sami Dowling  they opened a great training facility in Dublin Ireland and its spreading like a wild fire!  There are Lads lifting all day, and they are training hard and good.  With Sami and Barrys Knowledge and developeing experiance he is creating a monster in Ireland, so watch out.  These lads have some Donny Shankle blood!  lol every Counrty can use some Donny Shankle blood!  People love it, peope live for weightlifting.  what is it?  why?  for such a hard sport, for such a sport that dosn't pay well, a sport that dosn't bring fame and fortune, why?   what is it about weightlifting that even across the world wear weightlifting is un known, people are drawn to it like gay men to San Fransisco,  and Like Liberals to the Prius? 
              I walked the busy downtown steets of Ireland with a few drinks in me, and it was like walking on the moon.  I dont know how to explain it really, its just many many small things that seperate Ireland from the Untited states.  Everyone in Ireland dresses very nice, th men and women are at all times dressed to the T.  where In America its more laid back.  The sinks in the bathroom are very small and there is two fosits, one for cold and one for hot witch to me makes no scense because you never can get the perfect tempeture you want becuase its one extreme to the next.  I visited the home of Genuisse today, and I loved it.  Genuisse was invented in Dubline Ireland in 1759!  I was in the birth place of the most famuse beer in the world.  At the end of the tour everybody got to pour there own pint of genuisse and drink it, and thats what we all did 7 floors up over looking all of Dublin city, It was beautifull.  But at the end of the day Ireland and the United States are pretty much the same.  People are makeing a living, working, going to sporting events, grabbing a drink, lifting, and just living life.  I miss my Coutry more than ever, I cat wait to get back.  Even though I am having lots of fun and I love it hear, I still miss my Country like crazy, I couldnt imagen living anyhwere esle than America, I miss home. 
  The training keeps going, coach keeps telling me to "get my shoes on".  "come one Jon one more set, one more squat." lol  the pain is still the same hear in Ireland than it is in America, nothing really changes.  I almost thought by training in a different Country that training might be more fun and easier, but no, still hard with a long way to go.

Max Aita Squats 627 pounds! no no no

My team mate is strong, click the link to watch Max Aita squat 627 pounds!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oK0mYEY4pE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Finally in Ireland

Thank the good Lord I am finaly in Ireland!  wow that was a long trip.  Coach and I flew from san fran to LA, then we took a 10 hour flight from LA to London.  Once we landed in London we had a 4 hour lay over and then took a one hour flight into Dublin where I am at now.  Holly molly.  I am now sitting on my very good friends couch, the one and only Berry Kinsella.  He is our host this week, and is the one who put this great trip together.  Berry came down and trained with us at Cal strength for a week a few months back, so now its our turn to come see him.  We have three seminars and then the rest of the time hanging out and site seeing!   It is very beatifull hear, but very very different, I am already missing my USA.  All of the small things make me feel like I am in a different world.  From the restroom signs being toilet signs instead.  everything is much smaller, like elevators, hall ways, roads, cars and pretty much everything else.  I have never seen more soccer fields in my whole life!   There are hand fulls of soccer fields it seems every dang block.  People dress much different hear than we do.  They dont wear many colors at all, lots of grey and black.  Our first seminar is tomorrow night and I am looking forward to hitting some big numbers and getting people stronger.  we are about to go hit the town now so I will be back later to tell how the first seminar went.  north 2012   

session two of the worlds strongest man! This one will blow your mind what he does at the end, so make sure you are sitting down!

The strongest man in the world Part two!
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mzj8NrJ5Cws" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The strongest man in the world! chuck noris couldnt even pull this off! this man is my hero!

click HERE!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP_uOOKjzNE&feature=player_embedded

I am a weightlifting robot

My name is Jon North and I am a robot.  I cannot lie to the public anymore about being human because I am not, I am a weightlifting robot.  I wake up in the morning and I eat kilo’s for breakfast, and the red ones are my favorite.  I love mixing my red kilo’s with tasty white cloudy chalk and a nice cold bar to top off my meal.  Now my meal is over its time to train, no words just a cold hard look from the one and only Donnie Shankle that says “its war time”.  I thank my maker for giving me a good robot heart because without it I would fall hard as Donnie would continue on his journey through the land of weightlifting without me.  That will never happen because I am a strong robot with a good robot heart.  I grab my shield and sword and begin to fight side by side with Donnie until there are no more kilo’s left to kill.  I wipe the red blood off my sword and tell Donnie good training.  My bold bright and proud california strength tattoo is moving up and down from my heart beat.  That tattoo gives me pride, for califronia strength is my maker.  north 2012

wow these shirts really make you strong and big! check my site out at www.jonnorthattitude.com to read more blogs and buy this great shirt!

My new "what is a light day" shirts make you crazy big and strong!  just look at what it did to me, I am bigger than Jay Cutler!    http://www.jonnorthattitude.com/

A fun day? going to train in Ireland! PR double! The week is over!

Just got done with practice and it was actually kind of fun to lift some weights!  if you are wondering how this can be possible I will tell you, we only had one practice today!  holly molly it was great.  I got to sleep in, take a nice hot bath, play some video games and then train at 2:00.  Its amazing how much better you feel and stronger you feel even just takeing away one training session.  I felt good today wich was weird becuase I thought I would feel horrible after this hell week.  I snatched 145kg missed 150kg twice but it was right there.  Clean and jerked 180kg, tried it for a double but missed the last clean.  we did have to drop down and do our doubles witch sucked.  I doubled 140kg in the snatch and doubled 170kg in the cj.  The crazy part about today was that I did 3 doubles in the front squat at 190kg, and ladys and gentlmen that is a PR.  I then went 200kg for a single witch was not to bad, then went 210 for a pr and missed it on the way up.  
          Its funny how in the middle of hard training I have these break outs of strength and feel like a machine, but some weeks that are easier and I am actually rested I feel worse and weaker, does anybody know why this is?  
          Well This week is finaly over and I am very happy, now its time to rest and eat getting ready for another hell week next.  wait I forgot that I am going to Ireland all next week with coach, doing three weightlifting seminars!   I am very excited, I have never been.  The rest of the time we are going to travel and site see.  I will be writeing everyday on my journy through IRELAND, the weightlifting I will be experiencing and only God knows what else comes across me and coaches trip!  lol      North 2012

Hell training

Training has been hell the last few weeks once the Arnold was over and done.  I thought we would have the week off after the Arnold but nope, coach had other plans and that was train train and then train harder.  I don"t call it hard training, I call it hell, I cant walk, I cant sleep and for some reason when training gets very hard I have no appetite for food what so ever.  I don't know if this is normal but I find myself forcing down food at all times before and after training, but I am never hungry!  why?  I stopped trying to figuring out this sport years ago, it makes no sense.  When training gets a littler easier I start to actually get hungry again, and its great!  well who knows I guess I have to just keep training and forcing the milk, supplements and the food down. 
                We have been doing a lot of volume work the last few weeks, single up and then drop down and do 5 doubles as heavy as we can go.  Then the same with clean and jerk, then once we are done we squat.  This is what we have been doing twice a day everyday for two weeks straight!  My team mates and I have been doing our best to push each other to get through each day, having other guys doing the same thing and going through the same hell helps you get through the day.  Thank The Lord for my team mates, I am so glad they push me everyday.  We feed of each other to hit bigger and bigger numbers everyday.  I love when we compete, for example when me and Spense battle in who can double the most in the snatch, I will tell you it gets so heated some times that I am surprised that fists have not been thrown!!!  lol   Its crazy, especially when Donny steps onto the platform and goes head to head with us, wow then you start to worry if the legend Shankle will eat you if you even get to close to him in training!!  Today I snatched 155kg and clean and jerked 180kg witch was not to bad in the snatch but my clean and jerks were not good, I blame my legs on that one, sorry sometimes you need an excuse!  I will be on hear everyday writing my daily workouts, my input on them, a good movie I saw ummmm yea pretty much anything!   talk to you all tomorrow.  north 2012

My team mate Spencer Morman smoking 200kg c&j!!

watch Spence destroy a huge 200kg PR clean and jerk click HERE!!!

Great video on hand care!

My training partner Donny Shankle did a great video about taking care of your hands yesterday, everyone should read it!

You can read it HERE!

This shirt will make you stronger...

 

 To purchase, click HERE!

Motivation...

I thought I would post this on my blog to motivate myself.  Spencer beat me in a training hall contest with this lift, I WILL make a double with this weight soon!

Another step on the road to 200...

After cleaning 200kg I am incredibly anxious to do my first 200kg clean and jerk, here is another step along the road, a 175kg double.  180kg double coming soon...