"super man pull"

I call it the “super man pull”.   In Olympic weightlifting the most famous way of breaking down the pull on the snatch and clean and jerk is “first pull, second pull, and then the third pull” meaning the finish at the top of the lift before you go under the bar to catch the weight.  In the Jon North coaching book I break it down a little different.  I call it the super man pull.  The super man has three steps as well focusing on the positions of the shoulders rather than the bar path.  Here are the three points:
       
          The first point of the super man pull happens right off the floor.  Your shoulders need to be back, not behind the bar but back enough that your chest should be facing the wall.  You should stay that way from the floor to a little bit below your knees. Thats point one.
     
        The second point is right when the bar starts getting closer to your knees you should then push your shoulders over the bar.  This is hard to do, because you have to stay on your heels, but the bar has other plans.  The bar wants to put you on your toes, but you have to fight and stay on your heels the whole time.  If you can stay on your heels and push your shoulders out over the bar at the same time you are putting your body in perfect position for point three, the “finish” the explosion! 
     
        Point three is once the bar is in line with your hips then you pull your shoulders all the way back behind your hips.  When you pull your shoulders back you should push the bar into your hips at the same time, and your hips should come through at the same time as well.  “Bar back hips through!”  This is what I say everyday in the gym. It is what you need for the Mike Tyson finish so you can have time to get under the bar to catch and then stand up, making the winning lift in the Olympics.  That’s the super man pull  Now let me tell you why this way of pulling is the best way to go.
    
        The reason why the super man pull is so effective is because it forces you to stay over the bar!  This is the most important part of the lift.  When an athlete starts pulling back too early, or in some cases pulling their shoulders back throughout the whole pull means they will have no power for the finish.  Don’t believe me? Then try it yourself.  Try jumping as high as you can in the air with your shoulders behind your hips before you jump…  That’s what I thought. You looked like a fish out of water, no power.  Now try jumping in the air with your shoulders over your hips.  Well there you go.  Now you have some good power and jumped higher than Michael Jordan.  Same thing goes with the snatch and clean. You need to push your shoulders back at the same time your hips come through.  As you pull your shoulders back you should be pushing the bar INTO your hips at the same time, and your hips should be coming through at the same time as well for that max explosion, because that’s what you are looking for, explosion to give you time to get under.   It all should happen in the blink of an eye, bam.  You want to push the bar into your hips, and don’t pull up!  That’s what so many lifters do.  Right before the bar is about to make contact with the hips, they start to pull up and this leads to a “brush hit”.  Those are the worst. Don’t pull up, pull back!  Its physics, for example, if two trains are moving full speed at each other and they collide there is going to be way more force then if there was only one train moving and one sitting still.  So the same applies to your hips and the bar, pull back for that force, for that “finish”!  
        
      TRY THIS SUPER MAN PULL, North 2012
   
PS:  You look like super man when you do the super man pull, and that's bad ass.  
 

Max Aita Interview.

College drop out

I miss the “pump”  I miss putting those pads on, I miss going to party’s, I miss my old friends, I even miss college, I miss my family, I miss not lifting.  Hi my name is Jon North and I am a college drop out,  I gave up everything for this sport, I live in a gym, a am a gym.   I am a bar, I am the weights, I am weightlifting.  I went all in with a bad hand, and some how I am still at the final table with the chip lead.  I am putting it on all the line with this sport, I have o excuses, but shit what happens if I fail?  If I fail I have no one to blame, nothing to blame, no excuses, I cant sleep at night.  My mind thinks “what ifs” all day.  I just know that I am so much better than what I am showing right now, I am so damn athletic its crazy, I am not even strong, I just move like a cat, I swear, you should walk in my shoes and see how I float.  I have given everything to be the best, but I need to give more, more and then some more.  Nothing else matters.  If I don't go to the Olympics then what?  who am I?  Whats all this for then?  I waste of life, my life is the Olympics.  I think to grow this sport more people need to just go all in like I did, and hopefully they will go farther than me, hopefully we can win some Olympic medals for this great Country Called the United States Of America baby.  I love this country with all my heart.  Sense I am a pussy and I am not over seas fighting with the rest of our brave soldiers,  than I will fight in the gym and on the platform, that's why when I go to the Pan Am Championships this year I am letting go, I will kill.   Money, college, pressure from others to be something your not, statues, cars, these are all things people want and will choose over there dream, more than half of them will never go for it, they want those things to bad.  The other half gets those things and then still wants to be a bad ass weightlifter, that's the problem.  well lucky for me I have both but don't worry about that…lol   hahaha I am just saying that I wish more weightlifters in this country would man the fuck up and start training for real, and stop with all the other bullshit.  Lets go, lets start training, win or lose we need to keep fighting everyday, find away.  Stop bitching, stop blaming, stop making excuses and make it happen, the way I look at it is Life is a game, play it and win.  North 2012

Interview With Coach Glenn Pendlay!

I just had to re-post this 20 question interview I did with coach Glenn Pendlay because.... well.... it was just awesome.  20 random questions that have nothing to do with weightlifting makes it more interesting, fun, never been done, and plus it gets him out of his comfort zone.  It's been over a year since I posted this on my blog, so I thought I would throw it back up in case you missed it.  So buckle your seat belts and get ready, because it's time to get to up close and personal with the big guy himself!  

PS:  Training was hell today.  Somebody please come save me from squatting! 

Coach Pendlay 2000 and forever! 

 

The Glenn Pendlay 20 question interview tomorrow at noon!

The Glenn Pendlay 20 questions interview tomorrow hear on my blog!  Don't miss the audio interview with coach Pendlay, and all the questions have NOTHING to do with weightlifting!    Catch Coach Pendlay outside his usual comfort zone and meet the man off the platform!!!  meet me back hear on my blog tomorrow at noon for this cant miss interview!   Happy Easter!  

Cocaine and coffee

Sneaky little bitch, I lay in bed thinking of ways to conquer that two faced devil.  I think I am talking about the weight, the weight that never sleeps, the weight that waits for me all night in that cave, that cave that plays tricks on your mind, that cave that turns you against yourself.  One minute you are friends, then the next thing you know he's sleeping with your girl.  That piece of shit, that piece of shit that builds me up everyday then pushes me down, I hate him.  You're not my friend you're my enemy, you really don't like me, you want to see me fail.  You smile to my face then you show your black teeth and your dark black eyes; you show your horns, you show yourself.  Everywhere I go you are there reminding me who I really am.  The insecure college drop out who only wants people to like him, who only wants to be somebody he is not.  My face is cut from the mirror I smash, thank God I have my coffee in my hand, I love this coffee that builds me up, that gives me confidence.  This dark cave has little smiley faces all around it, little smiley faces that wait around the corner for me.  Are they really smiling?  Some days I feel like I am in the shining, some days I feel like becoming the Phantom.  I should have been a fighter, the weight is not enough, I need to hit and be hit, I need to see that fucker fall.  I drink more and more coffee everyday, its like my cocaine.  Why is it I don't ever get hurt? Why is it I always feel great?  I will dedicate my life to killing you, to cutting you and watching you bleed.  I am fucking crazy, I will never go away, you will hate me more and more everyday, but the more you hate me the more you will two face me, so fuck you.  I have something in me that scares me, I can jump off a building and fly.  I will lift you and slam you, maybe not right now but soon.  You are turning me darker and darker, the more I succeed the more I hate, and I hate you. 

"Get your shoes on"

"Get your shoes on"!  This is what I hear Every morning from my big coach Pendlay, aka getting athletes stronger, aka don, aka boss man, strong man, putting an army together man.  lol haha when I hear coach say "get your shoes on Jon"  I hear lets win more PWA meets, lets make another Pan Am team, Lets get those American records, Lets stay Number one in the Country, lets make that Olympic team in twenty twelve. ok coach, game time!  When the big man walks into the gym it gives me goose bumps, his presents makes little kids run away, dogs start acting funny, people don't walk as tall.  A born leader, he makes Russel Crow look soft, he knocked chuck Norris out with just a look.  Gather your soldiers up coach, lead them to the Plat form and train train train, and then we train again.   Coach Pendlay doesn't need to coach, he just needs to sit there and watch, that's all the coaching I need, that's all the motivation I need.  You need a leader to be a good wweightlifter, NOT A COACH, coaching comes second.  Bad meets, good meets, it doesn't matter, the California strength team always keeps fighting, always keeps attacking the bar no matter what.  Turn the volume down from all the talkers and haters and train, I don't hear anything but coach, if your not him then goodbye.  You can NEVER stop, fight fight fight mother truckers.  Scrap, slap, hit, blind side, cheap shots its all good to me, I don't care.  I need this sport, its all I have, I have to be good, if not I am working at burger king, coach pendlay is my white light, my hope, my big hairy angel that keeps me going in this thing called life.  California strength is my home, Dave Spitz is king.  Lots of people like to talk, they would love to see California strength fail, fuck you, that will never happen.  I will bomb out in the future, its just how this sport goes, but I will always walk into the gym the very next day and "put my shoes on"  and I know coach will be by my side the whole time, now that's a good coach, better person.  WOW I feel 18 years old, I don't have any pain at all, I refuse to get injured!!  I put this on my mom that I will not stop tell I cant walk anymore.  If you don't like me than I feel very bad for you, get your Advil out because your going to see a lot more of me.  I missed juniors, went right into seniors, I guess that means I will kill the masters division!! lol  Get your shoes on people, lets keep training, fighting, everyday, lets just lift weights.  On my blog you will never hear the words  RECOVERY, FIRST PULL SECOND PULL,  TAPER, go to go heavy if you want that bullshit.  See I could never wright this before my blog came out because I would get in trouble, but now I can say what the hell I want, and if you don't like it leave.  I am so sick and tired of everybody talking about technique, programs, wraps or no wraps?  not hear my friend, "put your shoes on and lift weights".  north 2012

Wrist bands that make you strong!

Tyson Hips Ali Feet wrist bands are finaly out at jonnorthattitude.com   !!  Two different colors, check em out!

Tyson Hips Ali Feet

I just came out with braclets that say "Tyson Hips Ali Feet" on my website. The shirts are coming very soon as well.  If you are asking yourself what that means, I will tell you. It means that you need explosive hips and fast feet to be a great weightlifter.  Your hips need to explode into the bar like Mike Tyson knocking his opponent out, and you need to move your feet after your hips come through for that max explosion just like Ali floating like a butterfly side to side dodging punches and then striking a viscious blow.   Once you have mastered these two things you will be ready to win some Gold medals.  You are ready to look like Andrea Aramnau.  You are ready to destroy your competition!   Watching the Hip exlosion from the Olympic and world champions is amazing!  They hit the bar so damn hard, their finish is so explosive and fast! I love to turn up the volume as loud as it can go and listen to the bar rattle and the feet slap against the platfrom.......oh, it gives me goose bumps. I now understand why the snatch is the fastest movement in sport.   It has to be in order to get under that bar with some big boy weight on it.  If you don't "finish" like a punch from Mike Tyson, then you will get crushed like a bug.  Then once you finish with all the power and force you have in you, then you have to move those feet fast to put that "finish" in 5th gear!  Then Under to catch!  Your feet should land on the Platfrom at the same time you catch the bar in the hole, it all should happen at the blink of an eye, or as fast as Ali!  To be a great weightlifter you not only have to be the strongest bear in the woods, but you have to be the fastest cat in the jungle as well, strong and fast, that's the recipe for a champion.  North 2012