Reflecting
Westside Barbell founder Louie Simmons was one of the greatest powerlifters of his day and one of the greatest powerlifting innovators and coaches of all time. He also introduced strength training to other sports — increasing explosive power for sprinting, jumping, throwing, and striking. I routinely train with chains and constantly train with bands, both innovations that Louie brought to Westside and from there to the entire weightlifting world. I go heavier but also do more accessory training because of what he taught through his books, especially The Conjugate Method.
But his greatest impact on my lifting is his invention the Reverse Hyper, a machine that strengthens glutes, hamstrings, and the lower back while decompressing the spine. You know the warning on lifting technique on moving boxes?
Well… sure squatting is good. But it is also good to develop the lower back. When I started strength training 1-on-1 with a coach, everything – everything – caused lower back cramps. It was almost incapacitating. Louie’s reverse hyper felt terrible the first time I tried it. I just kept picturing the heavy object warning about using the lower back and worried I was risking further problems. Then it started getting stronger and more durable. Now a machine that was probably my least favorite is my favorite. My back never cramps. The issue is off the table. It isn’t a problem with squats or anything else. I’m far more dynamic at throwing my hinge into Olympic lifts which in turn takes pressure off of my arms and especially elbows. Don’t avoid using your lower back; strengthen it. As Louie said,
Weak things break.
Training
This morning’s white board:
60 toes to bar
800 meter run
30 155 lb squat cleans
Want to go unbroken on toes to bar? This helps; it is better than chalk alone for hanging on.
Running is secondary for me behind strength training but I’ve been thinking about moving to Jackson, so am thinking about competing in one of the Teton Mountain Runs.
Fueling
How do you get high protein at high altitude? A friend just got back from a big mountain trek where he didn’t have access to as much protein as usual and reported losing twelve pounds of lean muscle mass. I don’t want to do that if avoidable. My favorite protein-focused fuel source is from Peak Refuel – they offer delicious freeze dried meals with twice the protein of most outdoor meals. Everything they make is great but their best two meals are their Venison Country Casserole and their Backcountry Bison Bowl.
My latest cooking effort at home is this eggs/spinach/garlic/bacon scramble. Easy and delicious. Spinach cooks down so much you can pile up a ton of it on the pan and after it cooks it isn’t too much.
Supplementing
Just starting on bovine colostrum in my protein shakes. It is new to me but a trusted friend gave it rave reviews, so I thought I’d try. Here’s their pitch; here’s 15% off.
Measuring
I started this year with a clumsy dirty bulk and hated it. Food tastes good but extra weight running and rolling feels awful. Now I’m trying the opposite. With some upcoming BJJ, I want to get as lean as practical, then slooooowly rebulk over the rest of the year. I want to his 6-7% body fat then loosen that up to gain muscle mass beyond that.
Recovering
I’m excited for the Origin Immersion Camp. Prior attendees consistently enthuse about the training, but apparently the bunk rooms are rowdy and beds are sub optimal. So I’m bringing my favorite sleep aids – the world’s best sleep mask, ear plugs (the blue ones reduce noise by one more decibel and are better for shooting, but these beige ones are softer and more comfortable for sleeping) and my sleeping bag liner with infused bug repellent. When I go on international mountain expeditions, I tend to rent my sleeping bag from the guide company, but like my own liner which is compact and light enough to carry on with me.
Closing
I look forward to the CrossFit Games every year but in the Fraser / Toomey era, I kinda knew what would happen. But this year anything could happen.
Hi Chris, I found Vale Tudo sometime near the end of winter (I think?). I enjoy the posts, they are thoughtful and provocative. Keep 'em coming! One thing I am curious about is how often you practice jiu jitsu and boxing in relationship to the Crossfit WODs and the trail running. Given that you obviously prioritize recovery to maintain your high activity levels, I am interested in how you fit those two martial arts into your activity plans for a given week in terms of their volume and intensity?