ILLNESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE (With Particular Emphasis on Viral Illnesses) “When you are sick you need to start to learn, what is the most beneficial thing to getting back to 100% health quicker. Is it staying home and resting, or a light work out doing what ever you can. I started to feel quite sick, very achy muscles and joints, and felt like spewing. I felt for me the best thing was to do was whatever I could. I managed 3 sets before I could not continue, even those 3 sets it felt good to get my body moving as it felt quite sore and stiff. If all you can do is 3 sets, then do 3 sets ..read more

This past week, most of the best weightlifters across New South Wales came together to contest the NSW State Championships. This competition was important for a couple of reasons – it established who the best club and best lifters in the state. Generally speaking, for an important competition like this you’d want to spend at least 4-6 weeks preparing. However, the Australian International was only 3 weeks earlier. This presented a challenging scenario for me on three fronts; training preparation, bodyweight and psychological fatigue. So in this week’s post, I describe my thoughts and challeng ..read more

Weightlifting is a sport that displays seemingly borderline life threatening movements, where athletes do this repeatedly, week after week, for competition and fun. On the surface, the variation in movements are minimal. Watch a lifter from China and compare them to a lifter from Russia - they may look slightly different in their execution but essentially the goal is the exact same. To get that heavy shit up. In essence, competitions look quite monotonous - all that changes is the weight on the bar. So what is it that draws strength athletes to our sport... and why do they stay? In this post ..read more

Sometimes, competitions do not go according to plan. In weightlifting and powerlifting, we have a finite number of attempts before our competition is finished. It’s not like Rugby or Basketball, where athletes can make one bad decision and make up for it for the full length of the game. In weightlifting and powerlifting, one missed lift means you’ve used a chance. A chance to to total, a chance to qualify for a higher level event, or chance to establish a new personal best. Think of it as kind of like space invaders – you’ve got ‘x’ amount of lives to accomplish a goal. In weightlifting we ha ..read more

You're warming up really well today. You feel fast. Strong. Probably capable of a new personal best. As you approach your 80% weight, you miss. No big deal, just attempt it again. You miss. What's going on? I feel great! Third attempt - missed again. Your coach is watching on and he's giving you cues you've all heard before. 'Pull Higher!' 'Strong catch!' 'Stay over!' Deep inside you're thinking 'fuck I've heard this all before.' Deep inside you're thinking 'yeah I already know.' Deep inside you're shutting your coach out. Have you ever fallen into the habit of doubting your coach or trainer ..read more

ILLNESS AND ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE (With Particular Emphasis on Viral Illnesses) “When you are sick you need to start to learn, what is the most beneficial thing to getting back to 100% health quicker. Is it staying home and resting, or a light work out doing what ever you can. I started to feel quite sick, very achy muscles and joints, and felt like spewing. I felt for me the best thing was to do was whatever I could. I managed 3 sets before I could not continue, even those 3 sets it felt good to get my body moving as it felt quite sore and stiff. If all you can do is 3 sets, then do 3 sets ..read more

This past week, most of the best weightlifters across New South Wales came together to contest the NSW State Championships. This competition was important for a couple of reasons – it established who the best club and best lifters in the state. Generally speaking, for an important competition like this you’d want to spend at least 4-6 weeks preparing. However, the Australian International was only 3 weeks earlier. This presented a challenging scenario for me on three fronts; training preparation, bodyweight and psychological fatigue. So in this week’s post, I describe my thoughts and challeng ..read more

Weightlifting is a sport that displays seemingly borderline life threatening movements, where athletes do this repeatedly, week after week, for competition and fun. On the surface, the variation in movements are minimal. Watch a lifter from China and compare them to a lifter from Russia - they may look slightly different in their execution but essentially the goal is the exact same. To get that heavy shit up. In essence, competitions look quite monotonous - all that changes is the weight on the bar. So what is it that draws strength athletes to our sport... and why do they stay? In this post ..read more

Sometimes, competitions do not go according to plan. In weightlifting and powerlifting, we have a finite number of attempts before our competition is finished. It’s not like Rugby or Basketball, where athletes can make one bad decision and make up for it for the full length of the game. In weightlifting and powerlifting, one missed lift means you’ve used a chance. A chance to to total, a chance to qualify for a higher level event, or chance to establish a new personal best. Think of it as kind of like space invaders – you’ve got ‘x’ amount of lives to accomplish a goal. In weightlifting we ha ..read more

You're warming up really well today. You feel fast. Strong. Probably capable of a new personal best. As you approach your 80% weight, you miss. No big deal, just attempt it again. You miss. What's going on? I feel great! Third attempt - missed again. Your coach is watching on and he's giving you cues you've all heard before. 'Pull Higher!' 'Strong catch!' 'Stay over!' Deep inside you're thinking 'fuck I've heard this all before.' Deep inside you're thinking 'yeah I already know.' Deep inside you're shutting your coach out. Have you ever fallen into the habit of doubting your coach or trainer ..read more