Heels

I am more and more convinced that you should break the weight from the floor already back on your heels.  “Where should we start the pull from?” is a question I received a few seminars back that really made me think, where do I pull from.  It is a mystery that must not go unsolved, a mystery that this black sheep must try to tackle. I know the “guide book” of weightlifting says the balls of your feet… but I don’t buy this one way to lift type crap.  I don’t buy this surrender to new ideas and creations bullshit that the old dictators of USA Weightlifting want us to fall prisoners to.  Pull off the balls of your feet, absolutely.  I just don’t think the “guide book” applies to all the millions upon millions of techniques.  If you are scratching your head asking yourself what these million different techniques are, well let me tell you.  Every athlete is different. Every athlete is unique.  Every athlete has his or her own relationship with the bar.  There is no one way to lift weights, there is just your way.  No two people lift the same, so for every weightlifter comes a new and different technique.  For every weightlifter a romance is born, a relationship blooms into a garden of love and hate from every corner of the world.  “There is more than one way to get to the top of the hill”. – Glenn Pendlay.  This is the best thing Mr. Black Beard has ever said to me. Thank you coach for opening my mind to new possibilities, new adventures and a new outlook on life.  

Pulling off the heels is what I do and teach.  This is the Superman way, the Attitude way…. a way.  Fall backwards on the first pull, (floor to knees) and use all the momentum to drive yourself over the bar on the second pull, (knees to hips) to get ready for one thing and one thing only… Yes young men, and yes young women! You are right! Get over and get ready for the only thing that matters in life…. the finish!! A domino effect, a sling shot effect… wait, better yet, a catapult effect! Ha ha, YES! Yes I have had too much coffee, but on the other hand there is no such thing as too much coffee, just under recovery from coffee.  But back to what I was saying.  IT’S NOT A PULL, IT’S A SET UP.  Understand this and you will PR daily.  The set up and the finish are not the same; they are two different sports, two different creatures.  Stop combining your mashed potatoes with your green beans, let them have a life of their own, let them be separate and enjoy the freedom they have deserved over the years of battle and war.  You should be so far back on your heels that if you let go of the bar, you should fall back on your ass.  People wonder why there are all of the holes behind the platforms at Cal Strength?…. Well there you go.  They are not from grip strength though; they are from straps breaking on a weekly basis.  Damn those straps, do your job!! Sons of bitches!!!!  Wiggle your toes as you pull.  The toes are for the finish, and the heels are for the pull, don’t let the heels slack!  Then again, Attitude Nation… do what works for you, don’t listen to me! Listen to you!

What are you cooking Joe?  Well Cathy I am baking a Jon North, Greg Everet, Glenn Pendlay, Don McCauley, Paul Doherty, Jackie Mah, Rob Earwicker, Jasha Faye, and John Coffee cake.  Is it good Joe?  Cathy, I have no idea yet, it’s worth a try! 

I believe in my way 1,000,000 percent.  My way is the best, hands down.  But they would tell you the same, so you choose. 

STOP JUMPING!  I have competed, coached, and trained all over the world and I have never seen anybody jump and shrug in the air! Lol, I’m sorry I know I should be Attitude Nation on this and say, “Do what works for you” but this just crosses the line into madness and self-destruction.  The PR’s and consistency I have seen at my certs by transforming people from not jumping is mind blowing.   Can someone please tell me where this jumping thing comes from?  I am more confused than coach Pendlay without BBQ.   I guess this blog is turning into a diary at this point.  I sometimes forget that people read what I type.  Hello Frank, it’s good to see you back in the cast away corner we call the Dark Orchestra.  Sometimes in the dark I can’t see who is with me.  It’s good to know that when I hang my hat, cry my tears, and hide from the world, I have you to join me Frank. Thank you, and cheers. 

Wow, a lot of boring technique talk.  I could go all day talking about this science project we call weightlifting, but my mind drifts from the equations and solutions, and into an Alice in Wonderland dream of coffee waterfalls, and vicodin powdered protein shakes that make my skin tingle and my head turn from child hood memories of being on my dad’s lap looking out into a foggy rain filled world on top of the Seattle Space Needle.  Yes stay on your heels, but maybe pull off your heels.  Maybe turn your AC up while your windows are down.  Maybe is an adventure that leads to Dinosaurs and talking dogs.  I guess I will end this blog with a very famous quote before I start typing deeper and deeper into my white padded wall banging head.  “Try it, you might like it”.  Salute and we will see you back here soon Frank. Thank you for being with me. 

Frank 2016