Know your Strength Sports

How many times have people referred to me as a "Power Lifter" or a "Body Builder?"
I guess people don't know the differences at all. Hopefully this will help settle any confusion for some of the main "strength sports." I'll show you pictures then give a brief description. Enjoy!

Powerlifters  
compete in three events: 
1.) Bench Press
2.) Squat
3.) and Dead Lift

There are many different federations in this sport. There are also different variations of the competition such as "push/pull" which is bench and dead lift, bench only, squat only, dead lift only, equipped or raw (which means with or without special suits/shirt), tested and non tested, and some are even incorporating a strict curl contest. (Hard not to roll your eyes at the last one.) The list I'm sure goes on I'm sure. Here are the three main events:

Bench Press

Squat

Dead Lift

Body Builders
compete in three rounds: 
1.) Muscle Balance (symmetry)
2.) Presentation of size and shape
3.) Separation and definition

I am not too well versed in Body Building but, I understand there to be pretty much two different types: natural, and drugged. There are several organizations just as in power lifting. There are quite a few different competitions that fall under the umbrella of body building like fitness, and figure.

Natural Body Building

Natural Body Building

Bodybuilding

Olympic Weightlifters
compete in two events. Snatch and Clean and Jerk. This is my sport. There is only one national and one international governing body of our sport. No lifting suits, and no doping allowed. At this point you can probably imagine what I am thinking when someone asks if I participate in any of these other sports.

Snatch

Clean

and Jerk

Strongwoman
 I am having a hard time finding some reliable information about this event. If you've seen the World's Strongest Man competition on t.v., you'll get the idea of what this sport is. It's a sport that contests many different events. I believe it started with the idea of moving heavy objects like those that were done in mythology, like the atlas stone for example. 

More popular events that I can think of off the top of my head are: fingal finger, yoke, farmer's carry, dead lift, axle clean and "press," atlas stones, and tire flips. Many events have their own combination of events based on what the venue can handle or preference.

Here's a few photos of different events

Atlas Stone

Farmer's Carry

Tire Flip

Hopefully I got my facts straight. If you're in one of these sports and would like me to explain something better, let me know.

Sarah

Olympic Weightlifting is "Sport Specific!"

If you don't think Olympic lifting i.e. Snatch and Clean and Jerk are "sport specific" you have been misinformed. They are in fact, sport specific! I will show pictures so you can physically see how they are. I can promise using the Olympic lifts will help you improve in your sport and can give you the "edge" that you need.

 Triple Extension

"If you think of athletic power, consider the vertical jump.It is the most often used method to assess lower body power. In its liftoff phase, the body needs to explosively extend at the ankle, knee, and hip. This is how the body can propel itself upward. I know of no other way you can do it and jump any great distance, or in other words demonstrate power. This explosive extension of the knee, hip, and ankle is triple  extension, and this is the key to athletic power or explosiveness  if you wish to call it that."(Triple Extension: The Key to Athletic Power Greg Frounfelter, DPT, SCS, LAT, CSCS)
                                                                                  

 This is me lifting at the World Championships

Notice the triple extension of the hips, knees, and ankles

"But why chose weightlifting movements? Well to be honest, if you want
 to develop maximal explosiveness, these lifts are unparalleled in their ability to develop and train power" (Triple Extension:The Key to Athletic Power Greg Frounfelter, DPT, SCS, LAT, CSCS )

"The ability to move powerfully and explosively is a critical aspect in developing athletic success.Training triple extension ability is a critical factor to this success. Use of weightlifting movements is an important bridge to this. By using weightlifting movements such as the power clean and power snatch, you can begin to unlock explosive power that can help propel you to increased athletic success." (Triple Extension: The Key to Athletic Power Greg Frounfelter, DPT, SCS, LAT, CSCS)

 

Ali Troost plays for the University of San Diego. We used to lift together

in my coaches garage. If you don't know, the top of the Volleyball net is 7 ft 4 1/8 

inches from the ground so, major power and extension is necessary to get up there.

Loree Smith releasing the hammer

This final extension is critical to a hammer thrower

Loree uses variations of the Olympic lifts to increase her power

The Jerk

The Jerk is also a very explosive movement. It works best for first-step movements,
and strengthening the "power position" most sports have.
This position is seen a lot in: batters, pitchers, throwers, boxers, golfers, jumpers, runners, etc.

                                            

Melanie Roach 2008 Olympian

                                                  

 

Trish Bartholomew

400 meter runner from Grenada. Former team mate from the University of Alabama

This is an example of a "first-step" movement. Exploding out of the blocks. She uses variations of the Olympic lifts to be able to get faster out of the blocks. 

Eric Weddle

NFL Saftey San Diego Chargers

The Chargers use variations of the Olympic lifts in their training

This is another example of a "first-step" movement.

 Catching the ball and starting to run. 

Overhead strength and stability

Rachel Crass 2010 World Team member

Former team mate and editor of Strength Plus Magazine

Having a Snatch or Jerk overhead, strengthens

and uses the stabilizers in the shoulders

I had a couple of friends on the cheerleading team at Northern Michigan Uinversity.

 Cheerleaders need stength and stability for everyone's safety and success.

Maegan Snodgrass (former gymnast) and

Caleb Ward (former team mate) doing handstands.

Gymnast also do a variety of exercises that require

upperbody strength and stability. The lifts are helpful to them, too.

I hope this has helped educate all you out there who think the lifts aren't sport specific or who don't even give them the time of day. The Snatch and Clean and jerk are SUPERIOR. No other lifts or forms of training will give you the leg strength, power, explosiveness, and stability that these lifts do. If you still don't believe me. try them out yourselves and see how they work. If NCAA D1 schools, professional teams, and athletes all over the nation and the world use the lifts, there must be a reason why...

Athlete of the Month: Erin Wallace

 Erin Elizabeth Wallace
Age -24
Weight Class-75kg

Other Sports Competed in

 I competed in gymnastics from 3rd to 7th grade, and then I played soccer from 8th grade until my junior year of college. I was a goalie, and I loved it! I threw javelin and shot put in high school, but I wasn’t very good at either one. I did prefer javelin though. I also did ballet for a bit as a kid if that counts.

The past two meets you had were the Pan American Championships and the National Championships. You went 6 for 6 and got personal records in both meets that were only two weeks apart. Awesome job! What do you contribute to those successes?

I would definitely have to give credit to my coach, Kyle Pierce, who is amazing to work with. I trust him not only because he has done the research to support the workouts, but also because he genuinely looks out for each lifter’s best interest. I also have wonderful teammates to train with; we feed off of each other’s energy.  I think that health plays a big part, and I have been blessed with a healthy body; I do my best when it comes to recovery and training smart.  After Pan Ams, I went back to a short 3’s phase and then tapered again right before Nationals. I think it was the right choice.

You have a very strong upper body. What are some of your feats of strength?

I do enjoy upper body work! I have done 12 pull-ups, benched 100kg, jerked 133/power jerked 122 ½ from the blocks, and push pressed 95 for a double.

Who are your favorite male and female weightlifters to watch?

I really love seeing my close friends/teammates make big lifts! I also like watching Evgeny Chigishev and Lidia Valentin.

What does your typical day look like?

A typical day…I wake up at 6:00 and get ready for work; I teach 6th grade English/Literature at Rusheon Middle School! I leave work between 3:00 and 3:30 and head to the gym. I train until 6:00 or 7:00 depending on the workout. Then I go home, cook dinner, finish up any work/grading, and go to bed around 9:30 so I can get up and do it all over again!

What would you say your greatest accomplishments are on and off the platform?

On the platform so far, I would say that the Pan American Championships has been my greatest accomplishment. I went 6 for 6, made personal records, and earned a spot on the World Team. I was so excited that I did well at my first big international meet.
Off the platform, I think that graduating from college and starting my career as a teacher was a big accomplishment. Education is very important to me.

You’re fast approaching Doreen Fulhart and Cara Heads’ American records. I think you’ll break them within the next couple of years. How do you feel about the possibility of breaking the American Records?

I do admire both Cara Heads and Doreen Fullhart for their success and hard work, but I would love to break the records! I want to push myself to be the absolute best lifter I can be, and I believe that I am capable of surpassing those records within the next two years. I do understand that being capable and actually doing it are two different things, but I have every intention of training hard in order to reach my full potential.

In a male dominated sport; how do you keep in touch with your feminine side?

I understand that when most people think of weightlifting, the male gender is what typically comes to mind. I think that it is quite possible to be feminine and compete in a male dominated sport. I love being a woman and doing girly things. I enjoy pedicures, shopping, and chick flicks, but I also like being strong and confident. I am very comfortable with myself, even if to some I look “too buff for a girl”.  I find that wearing my favorite earrings and a little makeup give my weightlifting ensemble a feminine touch!

What would you say to girls out there who are thinking about trying weightlifting for the first time?

I would tell them to try it!  Don’t be afraid of the stereotypes or of trying something new. I would encourage them by stating that it is good for strength gains for other sports.

Final World Champs results/Summary

We'd like to thank USAW and Women Talk Sports for including our blog on their websites. Be sure to check them out by clicking on their banners.

Results

Name/weight class/placing/snatch/clean and jerk/total

* denotes personal records

Kelly Rexroad-Williams 48 kgs 17th place 71/84/155
-Kelly's  lifts have been very consistent lately. She hit 72 and 87 at Pan Ams in May
Amanda Sandoval 58 kgs 15th place 86*/109*/195*
-After a disappointing performance at Pan Ams, Amanda got PRs at the World Championships. Way to come back!
Natalie Burgener 63 kgs 12th place 96/114/210
-Natalie's first international competition since the Bejing Olympics, was quite a success going 4 for 6 and totaling 5 more kgs than she lifted at Nationals to qualify. 
Danica Rue 69 kgs 19th place 90/115/205
-This was Danica's  first international meet since 2005! Totaling just 1 kg under what it took her to qualify, she is making a great come back and doing a great job being consistent.
Rachel Crass 75 kgs 27th place 86/109 /195
-Competing injured; Rachel totaled 14 kgs less than it took her to qualify. At nationals she hit 92 and 117 to qualify for her first international competition since 2003 I believe.
Erin Wallace 75 kgs 18th place 98/117/215
-Erin went 4 for 6 only missing her last attempts, which would have been prs. She totaled 2 kgs less than her 6 for 6 pr performance at Nationals.
Sarah Robles 75+ kgs 10th place 111*/140/251*
-Pr snatch and total. 2nd highest total in US history.

The Hotel

The World Championships was held in Antalya, Turkey. The competitors stayed in two separate all inclusive resort hotels. We were located right on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea. Our hotel had many pools and water slides, hammocks, a carnival area for children , a bar/club, restaurants, many beach activities including a boat tour some of our athletes did, nice rooms, all you can eat Turkish buffets, free wireless internet, and a couple English speaking television channels. The hotels were about 30 minute bus ride from the venue and airport. The dining area was quite spacious and we had a lot of cat friends roaming around. Our favorite one was "crusty cat" Haha. A lot of the food was some sort of sausage or meat ball, tons of bread (like a bakery full of bread every day,) desserts soaked in honey, a lot of dill, cheeses, fresh fruit, and sour yogurt was served with everything. Our least favorite yogurt thing was the "Yogurt Water" just sour yogurt mixed with water. It tasted like you were drinking cheese.

The People

The people in Turkey were very nice for the most part. The athletes, coaches, and officials were friendly. The bus drivers are aggressive drivers. We tried to get to the venue one day and a car was blocking our way and the driver opened the door and started yelling at the valets. The car was moved promptly and we were on our way. Natalie tried to take food out of the restaurant for after weigh-ins. This resulted in tears but, she was OK later. These were the only examples of poor behavior I've seen. The resort was full of people from all around the world. We saw many people in bikinis and speedos many of them probably should have worn something else haha.We noticed many people don't believe in lines. It was frustrating one of the athletes said, "Without lines; there's no order!" It sure felt like it. Overall, they were pleasant.

The Venue

The venue was an expo center. It had a really huge banner outside of the logo for worlds and inside it had a floral display of the world championship logo. It was pretty cool. The training hall had like 60 platforms. Imnot 100% sure. No one had to share a platform at anytime. We saw some pretty big lifts going on. The Iranian super was attempting 190 kgs snatches a few days before competing. They had a dining room for the athletes with hot meals in the middle of the day and cold drinks. The competition area was poorly set up and security was pretty loose. People without the proper credentials were all over the place. We had people that weren't athletes or staff members training in the training hall and Joe Schmoes in the media area and fancy seating. I think the spectating area was about half the size of worlds last year and even in the A sessions it didn't get full. 

The Competition

The atmosphere wasn't as intense as I would have hoped but, the athletes were positive and brought their own energy which was good. It was ran smoothly and the loaders were fast and seemed excited about their jobs. The technical officials were very strict. Even though it was your turn, they wouldn't let you on the stage until your name was called. Which wasn't OK sometimes because the clock was already running, so you wasted time not chalking up. When teams found out that only 6 and 4 counted for points for Olympic slots, many countries didn't send teams. This helped out USA for placing. Some athletes who could have placed anywhere from sub 20th place to sub 30th place were placing in the teens and 20s. There were surprises, upsets, and lots of excitement when watching the competition. The World Championships is a great meet and always a great chance to learn, make new friends, and have fun.

Reflection on my training cycle and my competition

     This training cycle has definitely been interesting. It was very emotional. This was my first cycle in two years not being a resident athlete. When I got back, I realized a lot of my friends I had made here either got married, moved, or I had lost touch with them. So I have to start all over again making friends. So it's been pretty lonely. One month I had a couple checks not come in on time and I wasn't able to plan properly with my finances so I was stressed out over that. Of course there are lots of little normal things to have to be conscious of like; getting on my own car insurance, grocery shopping, paying rent, etc. Normal people stuff. I have to drive everyday to the gym. It's not so bad. I actually like it because I feel like I'm making weightlifting a priority vs. doing it because I'm already there. 

     At some point I hurt my thumb and every time I had weight over my head It hurt really bad. I was afraid to catch anything so I missed a lot of weights or I caught everything forward to avoid pain. I have zero pain tolerance so this was a big deal to me. We trained a lot heavier here than I did at the OTC or NMU. It was exciting to get under heavy weights more often but, most of the time I didn't feel ready. So I wasn't really confident getting under them. I felt really beat up too. Mostly because I wasn't used to training this way. Not because anything was actually wrong. One day I actually felt good and hit PRs! I did a 113 and a 145. Normally I don't pr until I'm in competition so I was feeling pretty confident. I also rarely front squat and I hit a 175 which was a 10 kg pr. I power cleaned 130 which was a big pr. If you saw me at nationals, I power cleaned 120 so 10 kgs in 3 months was cool. Everything was going well and I had mentioned several times, "150 at Worlds Joe! 150!" I felt it. I knew it was in me. Our goal was to hit 150 at worlds.

     By the time Worlds came around I was pretty emotionally exhausted. Of course I had the excitement of being at worlds and lifting heavy weights but other than that, I was pretty spent emotionally. Warming up for the snatch felt pretty good. If you know me or my training at all, you'll know, I always manage to find a way to miss at least one snatch. My first snatch is always very stressful because I usually miss it. (I think like 3 out of my competitions I have made my opening attempt.) Goal #1: Make my opener. I actually did! I made my second, then my third! I never make all my snatches. It was quite an accomplishment. I was thinking, "Sweet! I might actually have a chance to go 6 for 6!" Clean and Jerks are what I'm good at and even if I mess up I can usually pull something out.

     I had a couple goofs in the back looping 65 horribly, stumbling around with 85, and getting chalk in the eye at 130! Most of my attempts were forward. Usually, once I'm on the platform I can fix little technical issues and my attempts are easy. Not the case at this competition. I did worse on the platform than I did in the back. I opened with almost my pr, 139 so I could do 139-145-148.  I got stuck a little in the bottom then missed my jerk forward. The next attempt at 140; the clean was bad then I over jerked it and missed it behind. Panic set in. I've never missed my first two attempts. I kept telling myself  "You gotta make this lift. You have to get USA points. Make this lift. Make this lift." I caught it horribly and jacked up my upper back pulling it back, then I pushed it forward but, I made it. I have never been so relieved! I usually never hear anything while I'm lifting but I managed to hear my coach say, "Fight Sarah! You're still in this!" I heard Collin yell, "Let's go Sarah!" I also heard someone from another country when I was recovering from my jerk, "Duro!" which roughly means "be strong or tight" something like that. It's always nice when people from other countries have good sportsmanship. 

     This training cycle taught me about how tough it is to be a full-time weightlifter. It's only going to get harder. Worlds gave me a taste of what's to come in 2012. Had I lifted what I was capable of in the clean and jerk; my total could have gotten me 5th or 6th place. Instead, I got 10th. I'm hungry for more.  

Weightlifting has proven to me that I can do anything. 

There's no such thing as impossible.