PERFORMANCE MENU

ISSUE 77 . JUNE 2011

JOURNAL OF HEALTH & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

PAIN MANAGEMENT
STRATEGIES FOR INJURIES
POWER FOR WEIGHTLIFTERS
THE HISTORY OF PHYSICAL CULTURE

PERFORMANCE MENU
Volume 7 . Issue 77 . June 2011

JOURNAL OF NUTRITION & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

6 Ask Aimee/Greg
Aimee & Greg Everett

Greg tackles questions about trainer education and coaching athletes

at different levels

9 You Have No Idea How This Feels

Matt Foreman

Pain management and recovering from minor injuries

13 Take What Works: The Lessons of Physical Culture

History
Chip Conrad

The history of physical culture

16 Weightlifting Mesocycles Part 3: Power Phase for

Weightlifters
Paul Fleschler

How Front Range Weightlifting Club transitions its athletes from the general strength phase to the power phase

20 Top Ten Strategies For Dealing With Injuries

Yael Grauer

Ten tips to help injured athletes get back on track

23 Cooking with Scotty

Scotty Hagnas

Recipes for health, performance and longevity

Info
The Performance Menu

is published monthly in digital

format by Catalyst Athletics, Inc.

On the Cover
Audra Dunning

Editor in Chief
Greg Everett

Managing Editor
Yael Grauer

Design
Greg Everett

Layout
Kara Doherty

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Subscribe online instantly at
www.cathletics.com

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www.cathletics.com
All content copyright Catalyst Athletics,
Inc and its respective authors. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is
prohibited by law.

Contributors
Chip Conrad, owner of Bodytribe Fitness in Sacramento, CA, has let his collection of over a dozen
certifications lapse, deciding instead to spend his time training, competing in powerlifting and
weightlifting, judging and hosting meets, traveling around the country learning and teaching
strength camps and workshops, and writing. His book, Lift With Your Head, has sold around the
world. He openly steals techniques and ideas from anyone worth stealing from; dancers, strength
athletes, martial artists, yogis, and the occasional episode of former Fox hit Arrested Development.
He preaches free thought and creativity within a training program, yet secretly hopes to start his
own cult someday.
Paul Fleschler is the owner of Front Range Sports Performance & Fitness and RedRocks CrossFit
in Colorado Springs. He earned a masters degree in Motor Control and Learning from Indiana
University, is a CertifiedStrength & Conditioning Specialist and USA WeightliftingSenior International
Coach where he has represented the United States at several international weightlifting
competitions as Head and Assistant Coach. As an athlete, Pauls greatest honor was representing
the United States at the 1992Barcelona Olympics. Paul is the former Mens National Coach and
former Mens andWomens Resident Coach at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
He alsoserved in a supportive role for USA Weightlifting at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. Paul
assisted with 20 varsity sports at Indiana University, andserved as the Head StrengthCoordinator for
Indiana University Basketball.
Matt Foreman is the football and track & field coach at Mountain View High School in Phoenix, AZ.
A competitive weightliter for twenty years, Foreman is a four-time National Championship bronze
medalist, two-time American Open silver medalist, three-time American Open bronze medalist,
two-time National Collegiate Champion, 2004 US Olympic Trials competitor, 2000 World University
Championship Team USA competitor, and Arizona and Washington state record-holder. He was
also First Team All-Region high school football player, lettered in high school wrestling and track, a
high school national powerlifting champion, and a Scottish Highland Games competitor. Foreman
has coached multiple regional, state, and national champions in track & field, powerlifting, and
weightlifting, and was an assistant coach on 5A Arizona state runner-up football and track teams.
Yael Grauer is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in a variety of trade journals and
consumer magazines and she writes regularly for various websites including MMA HQ. Yael trains
inBrazilian jiu jitsu and teaches writing workshops both locally (in MN and WI) and virtually.For more
information,check out her website.
Scott Hagnas is owner of CrossFit Portland. He is certified as a CrossFit level 2 trainer and Circular
Strength Training (clubbell) instructor. He has been riding BMX flatland for 26 years and counting
and has filmed/produced/edited several series of BMX videos, plus several training videos. He
formerly competed in bicycle trials, placing second in amateur in the World Championships in 1990.
Cooking is one of his favorite pastimes.

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ROM THE EDITO

FROM THE EDITOR

This month we have two articles regarding injury and pain. The topics of injury,
recovery and pain management are popular ones these daysI assume because
more and more people are being introduced to activities that have the potential to
cause pain and injury, such as weightlifting. Many of these introductions are being
made without adequate preparation to individuals in need of quite a bit of it. The
middle-aged CrossFitter is the perfect example.
Im pleased to see weightlifting be exposed to and embraced by more and more
people, and the rise of CrossFit is certainly playing a large role in this. As would be
expected in any kind of rapid growth, there are some attendant problems such as
unnecessary injuries. Its not a surprise that when you take a 40 year-old with little
to no athletic background who has spent several years being sedentary or training
with minimal enthusiasm or thoroughness and get him excited about snatching and
clean & jerking, hes probably going to do too much too soon and with questionable
quality, setting him up for some painful problems.
This doesnt mean these folks shouldnt be weightliftingthey should if thats what
they enjoy doing. It just means their approach may need to be a bit different than
the next guy or gal, and that they will need to be even more vigilant about staying
healthy and addressing any injuries that do occur. The articles this month by Matt
Foreman and Yael Grauer should give you some guidance on this and help you keep
training as long as you want dong whatever you want.
-Greg Everett

ASK GREG & AIMEE

Get your questions answered directly by Greg Everett or Aimee Anaya.

Send your questions to Greg and AImee at ask@cathletics.com.

Dan Asks: Hi! Love the performance menu and look

forward to reading it each month. I am originally a
crossfitter that have obtained certs and stuff, and am
a student of your Oly class held in Chico a couple of
years ago. Anyway the reason Im writing is being a
trainer for the past three years it has become obvious
that there is a difference of someone who holds a cert
and one that is actually a trainer.

I am 40 year old, Fire Captain and Part Owner of a

recently opened crossfit gym. That being said what
would you suggest outside of attending college
again, of increasing my education in a systematic
way as a trainer? I do not want to be a trainer that
just has a one size fits all approach, but I feel I need
education in the following areas: Body Types and
how to approach training; Clueing in on injury prone
motions (have seemed to hurt a lot of my clients when
I first started, way too many pull ups); Helping clients
state observable and obtainable goals

If you could address this for a trainer that does have

time to go back to school but is passionate about
seeing their clients progress uninjured, and obtaining
measurable goals.

respect and see if theyd be willing to let you shadow

them occasionally, or even set up private sessions for
you to ask questions and discuss various practices
rather than actually trainIve done this quite a few
times and if other coaches have the time, many are
open to doing the same as long as they dont feel
youre a competitor.
The internet also offers a ridiculous amount of help in
this area. Particularly with the current trend of posting
just about everything you do online, you can find out
what many coaches and programs are doing without
having to actually be there. Granted, most smarter
coaches wont disclose everything, but you can still
get a lot of good ideas.
Try setting aside a certain amount of time each week
for continuing educationwhether thats reading new
books, websites or speaking with other trainers.
Shane Asks: I dont know if there is even an answer to
this question.I just started running a dedicated oly lift
class once a week at our box.Membership and time

Greg Says: Definitely dont go back to college. The best

way to learn more about these things is to interact with
other more experienced trainers and coaches to find
out what they do. These are the guys who often have
the classroom education, but have since spent years in
the gym experimenting and finding out what actually
works and what doesnt. Sometimes theory falls apart
completely in practice, and sometimes it holds up well.
You wont know until you implement it. Some coaches
and gyms offer internships or mentorship programs,
some less formal than othersthis would be ideal. But
since youre not a kid fresh out of college with no job
or responsibilities, this is likely not a practical option for
you. However, I would still contact local coaches you

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 6

constraints just dont allow me to run a class any more

often than that. I feel completely confident and in
my element running a class for either beginners or for
intermediate/more advanced athletes.The situation is
that I will have both showing up to the same class.Can
you give me any advice on how to run a class where
some people have no business lifting more than PVC
or an unloaded barbell, yet others should be working
with full training loads and doing more advanced
weighted skills and drills?Im thinking the only answer is
to run separate classes, butI would really appreciate
your feedback and advice if you feel there is another
way to go. Thanks! Hope to see you in June at your
seminar!
Greg Says: This is a tough situation, but one that youll
always have to deal with. In a given training session at
Catalyst, I may have a couple national championship
level lifters, some lifters not at national level yet, and a
lifter who can barely overhead squat below parallel.
In your situation, youll need to prioritize your attention
to those who need it most, i.e. the least experienced

lifters. For the more advanced lifters, you should be

able to write a program that keeps them busy and
working independently while you actually coach the
newer athletes. During this time, obviously youll need
to actually interact with the more advanced lifters,
but this can be done concisely because they should
know what youre talking about when you give them
a cue.
I would suggest having a plan for maybe three levels
of experience each day you come inif someone at
one of those levels shows up, you know what youre
doing; if they dont, it doesnt matter. The hardest way
to do it is to come up with a plan on the fly based
on who happens to show up to class. The advanced
guys may be on a long-term program, while with the
beginners you may just choose a series of drills to work
on in each session. But if you actually have a plan
going into it, you can get everyone started and keep
them moving. This also frees you up a bit to adjust what
the beginners are doing since theyll probably need
some flexibility built into their training.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO ASK@CATHLETICS.COM

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 7

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THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 8

You Have No Idea How This Feels

Matt Foreman

I have to start this months article with a story thats

near and dear to my heart. Back when I was in the top
years of my weightlifting career (late 90s), there was a
fellow superheavyweight lifter who competed in most
of the same meets as me. This guy was as strong as
a stegosaurus, but he also had some severe flexibility
problems. Anyway, there was a time at a competition
when this dude was in the warm-up room and just starting his first snatches. I think he had fifty kilos on the bar.
As he snatched a couple of reps with this weight, it was
obvious that he was fighting through some pretty heavy
pain. His face looked like somebody had stabbed him
in the toe with an ice pick and he was moaning like he
was giving birth to Chris Farley. A couple of younger
lifters were watching him and snickering about the
groans and grimaces coming from the big man. He
finished his set of snatches, looked over at the young
lifters, and screamed out, You have NO IDEA how this
feels!! Big laughs, good times That sentence went
on to be a pretty popular catch phrase with the lifters
from my time period.
The big guy was hurting, plain and simple. And thats
where Im going with the topic of this months article.
Once again, I decided to get some ideas this month
by going to the Catalyst Athletics website and looking
around on the forums to see what people are talking
about. I noticed something here that I hadnt caught
on to before. There are sixteen separate training forums
on the Catalyst website. The two forums that get the
most activity are, obviously, the Weightlifting and Fitness forums. But after these two, the next most popular
forum is the Recovery forum. When I checked out this
forum, most of the discussions on there had titles like
My shoulder hates me or Training with knee pain
or Knots under the shoulder blade. In other words,
there are quite a few people out there who are looking for information about how to deal with the physical
pain of weightlifting.

This doesnt surprise me at all. Serious weightlifting

training and pain go hand in hand. Thats all there is
to it. Any of you who are reading this article and have
been training the Olympic lifts for an extended period
of time know exactly what Im talking about. If you are
a weightlifter, your ability to make progress and train
effectively will largely be determined by how you take
care of your body and find ways to heal after various types of pain have set in. Therefore, this article is
going to be about pain management and recovering from minor injuries. Its something we need to talk
about. When I use the phrase minor injuries, Im talking about injuries that dont require surgery. Things like
muscle pulls/strains, tendonitis, inflammation, impingements and spasms are what well refer to as minor injuries. Now, I totally understand that these things dont
feel minor when youre going through them. Some of
the conditions I just listed can get so severe that they
literally bring you to your knees and stop you from being able to train. Still, well call them minor because
they can be healed and eliminated without going under the knife. By the way, you can hang on to that last
sentence for hope. YOU CAN BE HEALED. I can speak
from experience, having gone through almost every
kind of injury a weightlifter can experience. And with
all honesty, I can tell you that you can make it through
your own personal injuries if you follow the right steps.
Lets get into some examination of this.

Overall Perspective
First, I want to make a few general comments about
weightlifting and pain/injury. After twenty three years
in this sport, I refuse to disillusion anybody about this
area. I will never tell people that serious weightlifting
training is pain-free, risk-free, or injury-proof. It would
be dishonest to do this because weightlifting comes

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 9

with some pain and occasional minor injuries. Thats

all there is to it. This is a sport that pushes the bodys
limits in a way that almost no other kind of physical activity can do. Things like the strains, inflammation, and
spasms I mentioned above are just a part of the game
if you want to practice the Olympic lifts. Youll have to
learn to live with it. If you thought your road to maximum clean and jerks was going to be as comfortable
as lying in a hammock with a glass of lemonade, Im
sorry to be the one who burst your bubble. Its worth
mentioning, however, that this same sentiment is true
for basically any physically demanding sport that you
can participate in. Whether youre a weightlifter, basketball player, thrower, runner, gymnast, or cyclist, you
have to be willing to deal with the knowledge that you
might get hurt. Its a place of mental acceptance that
all competitors have to reach. The rewards of top athletic performance are accompanied by some risks.
But theres a very important addition to this fact that
is equally true. Weightlifting is an activity where proper
instruction, technique, coaching, and program development can drastically reduce the chance of injury.
Athletes who learn to perform the lifts efficiently will
have far fewer pains and strains than athletes who use
shoddy technique. Also, workouts that are designed
sensibly with appropriate weight selection will put the
lifter in a much better position to train without getting
too banged up. In other words, youll probably be
okay in weightlifting if you approach it with some quality coaching and common sense. You can still get hurt
doing this, sure. But you can also get hurt walking your
doggie.
Additionally, I dont have to tell most of you that
weightlifting gets tougher as you get older. Remember when you were young, and all those old coaches
told you how much more painful everything gets as
the years pass by? That stuff was all true. They werent
lying to you. But lets make sure that we are absolutely,
positively clear about the fact that you can continue
to be a weightlifter into your older years. Hell, I can
even prove it to you. Get on the internet sometime and
check out the results of the national and world championships for masters weightlifting. Some of the most
populated age groups at these meets are the 55-59,
60-64, and even up to the 70-74 divisions. At last years
masters world championships in Poland, there were 49
lifters in the 65-69 age division. Thats more competitors
than the 35-39 age group at the same meet. Its plain
and simple: you can continue to do this sport safely
and productively at an old age if you really want to.

The Usual Suspects

What are some of the most common minor injuries that
weightlifters have to deal with? Well check out a few
of them in this section, and let me make it clear that
this isnt going to be an in-depth physiological analysis
of the cellular, glandular or neurological situations that
cause these injuries. Its not a medical research essay.
This is just basic nuts-and-bolts.
Inflammation- The vast majority of the time, that pain
youre feeling in your joints when you lift is simple inflammation. Inflammation is a physical process that involves things like pathogens, leukocytes, and a bunch
of other terms I wont get into because I want you to
keep reading this article. In a basic way, inflammation
occurs when the cells in your muscles and connective
tissues get temporarily damaged from intense training. Soreness and swelling are the main symptoms of
it, and it can get pretty damn nasty if the inflammation
isnt treated properly.
If I was a doctor, I would give you a lengthy biological
explanation for how to treat inflammation. But Im a
weightlifter, so Ill just tell you that rest, ice, and postworkout stretching will do the trick. Inflammation is
something that will probably be a constant part of your
life if youre a weightlifter, but you can definitely control the level it gets to by using those three tools. With
smart programming and disciplined icing, you can
keep inflammation under control to the point where
youll usually just have some stiffness at the beginning
of your workouts, and getting a good stretch/warm-up
will get your body feeling good and ready to go.
Will the inflammation get worse if youre training hard
five or six days a week? Yes. Thats why its important to
plan out your weights and percentages carefully and
make deloading weeks a regular part of your training.
I know this is a problem because most of you are highly motivated, hard-charging commandos who dont
want to rest or give in to pain. Youre a regular John
Rambo, I get it. And dont misunderstand what Im saying. You cant just quit training and run to the couch
every time you feel some soreness. Part of being a successful lifter is learning to train through pain. But you
cant train through injury. You can train AROUND an
injury, but not through it. If you dont back off, ice, and
let your body recover when youre injured, youll lose
the war. Thats something I can promise you. What will
happen is that the inflammation will progress to something called tendonitis. This is where the tendons be-

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 10

come inflamed and stiff, the pain is more severe, and

it will likely require a longer recovery period that will
need to include some kind of physical therapy in addition to the ice and rest. I once developed tendonitis in
my quadriceps tendon (right above the knee, a common one for weightlifters) that got so bad I wasnt able
to squat for a month. I eventually got full recovery and
it never came back, but it was a major son of a buck
while I was dealing with it.
Strains/Pulls- Muscle strains and pulls are basically the
same thing, and they happen when muscle fibers tear
from overstretching. Strains and pulls have different
levels of severity. Ive had strains that I was able to
fully recover from by taking three days off, icing, and
then easing back into training with light weights. Ten
days of inconvenience and I was right back in action.
Some strains, however, can be so intense that they result in discoloration of the skin and immobility. These
might demand a longer time away from the barbell.
One of the big things to remember about strains and
pulls is that they can become repetitive if they dont
recover properly after the first time. I once battled multiple groin pulls for almost two years because I simply
wouldnt take any time off and let my body heal. The
RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) method is the best
way to heal a strain or pull. How much time should
you take off after it happens? You should ice only (no
stretching) for at least the first 48 hours, and then start
alternating icing with light stretching until youve got
pain-free range of motion. I also cant stress enough
that proper hydration and nutrition will dramatically increase your recovery time from an injury. Taking in lots
of water and protein gives those little cells the juice
they need to rebuild themselves, so you need to pay
very close attention to this area. Dont sit on the couch
and ice while you pound back nachos and Dr. Pepper.
All youre doing is dragging the whole thing out longer
than it needs to be.
Muscle spasms- A muscle spasm is simply a situation
where a muscle maintains tension and contraction
when its supposed to be resting. The muscle has been
worked strenuously and a breakdown occurs in the
nerve feedback between the muscle and the brain.
In other words, the muscle tightens up and it wont
release. Spasms can occur suddenly and they feel
like something has popped or snapped. Sometimes,
these can go away in a matter of a few minutes or
at least subside enough to continue lifting. Ive had
a few lower back spasms that occurred while I was
actually warming up at a competition. Its a scary feeling because you immediately think that you wont be
able to continue. But in the cases where it happened
to me, I was able to do some emergency stretching
that gave me enough relief to get out on the platform
and compete. The following days are usually pretty
rough following a spasm like this, because they can
take their sweet time in releasing. While the spasm is

still present, the pain can be nasty. Massage therapy

is a great tool in fighting these off, along with very light
ballistic stretching and, as always, RICE.

When its time for Dr. Feelgood

Painkillers. Lets just go ahead and talk about them.
Most of you probably know what NSAIDs are (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). These are legal
drugs that reduce inflammation and pain. Ibuprofen
is probably the most common NSAID for athletes and
the general population because it works and it can be
bought anywhere. Stronger NSAIDs, such as Diclofenac
and Nabumetone, usually have to be obtained from a
hospital with a prescription. These bad boys work pretty well, but there are some health risks if they are used
excessively. Gastrointestinal problems are fairly common, and some research has determined that there
can be potential problems with the liver and kidneys.
However, the dosages would usually have to be pretty
high and long-term for these problems to arise. There
are also the high octane painkillers, such as morphine
and other opioids. Youre on your own if you want to
start rolling the dice with these. There are going to be
drug-testing problems with them if you compete, and
the list of adverse effects is pretty long and scary.
Heres my personal experience and basic philosophy
on painkillers. When I was in the biggest years of my
competitive career, I relied pretty heavily on NSAIDs
such as Voltaren and Cataflam (these are trade
names of Diclofenac). These are all legal substances
in weightlifting, so I wasnt breaking any rules by taking
them. The weightlifting team I trained with had one of
the toughest programs in the United States, and the
workload was just plain brutal. At the risk of sounding
arrogant, I doubt if there were many people in this
country who were training as hard as we were. Looking back now, I dont know if I could have kept up with
the training demands without the NSAIDs. I didnt care
much about health risks because my mentality was,
You do whatever you have to do (legally) to get bigger lifts. Now, Im thirty-eight years old and my training
workload is greatly reduced from what it used to be.
With the type of programming I use now, I hit the ibuprofen for two or three weeks when Im in the toughest
phase of a training cycle (usually the weeks leading
up to a meet). Thats about it. By the way, Ive never
had any health problems from the NSAID use.
I would never recommend that anyone develop a
dependence on any type of drug, including NSAIDs.
The potential health risks from long-term use have
been documented. But I also cant preach to anyone
about complete abstinence from painkillers because I
believe that the life of a serious weightlifter can sometimes demand it. The athlete and the coach have to

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 11

have a very clear set of goals, and they also have to

have a very clear definition of what theyre willing to
do to achieve those goals. Do painkillers work? Yes. Are
there health risks associated with them? Yes. Can they
get you through the most difficult times of your training
life? Yes. Can they have negative effects? Yes. Thats
all I have to say about it, brothers and sisters. Youre all
adults and you can make your own decisions.

Time, The Healer

For a final thought about this, lets make it clear that
just about every possible injury or pain can be recovered from if youre willing to put enough time and effort into it. Remember this thought; no matter what
your injury, pain, or illness is, somebody has come back
from it and lifted successfully. Strains, spasms, bulging
discs, torn rotator cuffs, broken wrists, heart attacks,
priapism, whatever. Somebody out there in Liftingland
has already had it and found a way to conquer it.
Now, there may be times when the recovery from an
injury is a very, very long road. I dont mind telling you
that Im approaching one of these myself. I have a
torn anterior cruciate ligament in my right knee. Im
getting surgery in less than a month and then Ill have

a 9-12 month recovery process to go through. And I

will promise all of you, the loyal Performance Menu following, that I will walk it like I talk it and get back on the
competitive platform after its all done.
Its gonna hurt. I already know that, because this sport
has some pain involved in it. But I love weightlifting
more than just about anything else in the universe, so
the pain is worth it. Love is stronger than pain. Besides,
Ill be able to keep the pain at a manageable level
by using the ideas we covered in this article. Youll
be able to do the same, and Im confident that your
weightlifting road still has a lot of miles ahead even if
your back hurts so bad right now that you can barely
sit on a toilet. And thats why Im going to end this article by doing something I almost never do. Im going to
dedicate this article to a good friend and weightlifter
named Lauriel Luther. Lauriel is a phenomenal Crossfit
athlete who Ive trained with in the Olympic lifts for several months now, and shes currently recovering from
having a brain tumor removed. Her positive attitude
as she fights back against this thing is an inspiration to
a lot of people, including me. People show their true
colors when theyre confronted by the worst circumstances, and Lauriel is showing hers every day. I wish
her the best of luck, along with all the rest of you.

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 12

Take What Works: The Lessons of Physical Culture History

Chip Conrad

That there is an almost total neglect of the physical

education of our youth in the home and school, as
seen in the imperfectly developed frames...crooked
spines, round shoulders and protruding shoulderblades... flabby muscles... lung-starved and bloodpoisoned bodies of our boys and girls, our men and
women.1
Plus a change, plus cest la mme chose. Although the
above quote could describe the slouched teenagers
and frail hipsters ubiquitous in my neighborhood, it
was written a bit before our time as an observation on
modernization and the human condition... in 1892.
So whats new? Well, strangely enough, the quest for
exercise, according to statistics of gym memberships,
surveys and product sales, is greater per capita than it
was 113 years ago. And yet our health, our holistic state
of physical being, is actually declining. We might be
living longer, but thats modern medicine prolonging
our decay. Were fatter with a higher incident of a
host of diseases that have simply replaced a bunch
of other diseases that weve gotten rid of over the last
century.
Whats changed? Were no longer striving for health.
Were trying to look better, health be damned! Our
culture supports a fitness industrial complex that is as
geared toward actual health as the cosmetics industry
or plastic surgery lobby is. The booty shaking, bright lights
and fake vocabulary of modern marketing seems to
have us convinced that science has evolved fitness
into little pills and, well, the Shake Weight.
To be fair, the snake oil and gizmos were around a
century ago as well, but the refinement and volume of
modern marketing hadnt yet proliferated the nonsense
in grand public view with three easy payments.
1 Thomas Psycho-Physical Culture by Julia Thomas and Anne Gregory Tjomas 1892

Fitness in the new millennium is an industry driven by

a media-fed aesthetic ideal: endless gadgets and
gizmos eking out every pump and burn, allowing
users to (supposedly) tone, tighten and target
problem areas. Almost gone are the days of health
and ability for health and abilitys sake, now replaced
with constant striving for ripped abs, pert bottoms and
defined arms.
There was a time when muscles and bodies were
built for use, not just for show; when training called for
strength and ability of the entire body, used to conquer
obstacles and prove might - not just to swell muscles
full of blood.
These were the days of Physical Culture, a bygone era,
a relic of the past that seems wholly unfamiliar and
irrelevant to gym members of the twenty-first century,
but was in fact the foundation for everything we know
about fitness.
For the past 2+ years a handful of us have been
collecting research and interviews for a documentary
about the history of fitness, which, as far as were
concerned, is a history of strength. Is that a slightly
biased premise to our documentary concept? You
bet, but we think a fair one.
Physical Culture is something in and of itself - not merely
a performance aid or assistant to improved body
composition. It is not a just sport or a training method. It
is a world comprised of movement, obstacle, burden,
success and perseverance; a philosophy that stresses
strength, empowerment, self-improvement and
personal victory.
With roots in ancient Greek philosophy (along
elements borrowed from Eastern thought
movement), Physical Culture drew its influence
the developing arts of gymnastics, wrestling

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 13

with
and
from
and

dance. It has a much richer history, though, in the

deepest roots of human motivation: the desire to push
against the un-pushable, move the immoveable and
become victorious over the unconquerable.
The development of tools throughout the ages,
from Indian clubs to dumbbells, to bicycles, barbells,
kettlebells and more, has added to the evolution of
movement and training. Physical Culture has been
the toolbox for survival, an expression of national pride
and a means for developing the body (for strength,
sports and otherwise).
It found its name in the late 1800s at the hands of
such Physical Culture luminaries as Bernarr McFadden,
Professor Attila and perhaps most famously, Eugene
Sandow. But the path had been laid generations
before in the ancient Greek Olympics, in the Turnverins
and YMCAs of the early 19th century, and by health
and fitness legends like Catherine Beecher, Edmund
Desbonnet and Johan Guts Muths.
Our current wish is to revive and reanimate the study of
Physical Culture, excavating its ancient history, breath
life into its antiquated countenance and uncover the
hidden history of fitness. Perhaps a look into the roots
of modern fitness will bring the current physical culture
underground a bit more into the popular forefront.
Although idealized in many ways, as history can often
become, Physical Culture had a few lessons that we
can learn from by not repeating them. For instance,
our current dot in chronology has no monopoly on
gurus and experts. Despite the desire of our research
to unveil nothing but pure holistic consciousness from
a century ago, there are many correlations to our
practices in the industry today that might be more
about stubborn dogma than actual health.
The western concept of fitness is either entirely vague
(lift weights + hop on treadmill = 6 pack abs) or
completely specialized (I do yoga, or I powerlift, or I
CrossFit, or I do Pilates). We strive for identity through
our workout choices, and therefore choosing a trend
or group fits our personality needs.
Although there are many stories of the classic
strongman also having a background in several other
disciplines of training, sometimes history has curious
stories that might have us asking what if?
One of these stories is man responsible for bringing the
barbell to popularity in America.
Men looking to reshape and strengthen their body
in fin de sicle America (particularly after Eugen
Sandows 1893 appearances at the Chicago Worlds
Fair) discovered two major problems: the limited

exercise literature available in this era almost universally

espoused the use of lightweight training methods which
did not build the kind of muscles owned by Sandow,
and those who wanted to lift heavier weightsala
Sandow and other professional strongmencould
not buy such implements from any sporting goods
company in America. Enter Alan Calvert, who solved
both problems for American men by opening the Milo
Bar-bell Company in 1902. His promotion of progressive
resistance exercise using the adjustable barbells and
dumbbells he manufactured launched a new era of
strength and muscularity for America.2

A Quick Story of the Barbell

About 50 years before the barbell was introduced
to America via Mr. Calvert, Austrias Karl Rappo was
using a revolutionary big bar with globes on it in his
strongman act. Before that the closest thing you might
recognize as resembling a barbell were 4 foot long
wands with small globes on the ends, often weighing
less than the mini-barbells used in Body Pump classes
today.
But there was unknown prophecy in Rappos act, as
the door began opening wider to the concept of
heavier training implements being integral not just to
strongman acts, but to health and what the idea of
strength meant to the eventual lifting public.
Weightlifting clubs started blooming around Germany
and Russia, but while Europe was embracing the barbell
and its heavy kin, here in America heavy athletics
received a fatal PR blow when a stroke ended the
life of its most popular spokesperson, George Barker
Windship. Public opinion blamed strength training,
especially the heavy kind, for Windships sudden
demise at 42. Then, according to historian Jan Todd,
during the 1880s and 1890s, heavy dumbbells and
barbells were nearly impossible to find in America.
But lets not remember Windship by the bad public
opinion that might have been unfairly levied on him
and strength training. Windship can probably be
credited with the original concepts for shot-loaded
and plate-loaded heavy training implements, since
he started toying with these concepts as early as
1850 when building the heaviest dumbbell he could,
which was adjustable with loadable shot up to 180
pounds. This was followed 6 years later by a patent for
a fantastic adjustable plate-loaded dumbbell, which
was to have a range of 8-101 pounds--in half pound
increments! According to the H.J. Lutcher Stark Center
2 Building Strength: Alan Calvert, the Milo BarBell Company, and the Modernization of American Weight Training, Kimberly Ayn Beckwith, Ph.D.

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 14

for Physical Culture, there might have never actually

existed a finished product, since there isnt much
suggesting that one was ever produced. But heck a
boy can dream!
America, being behind in the strength training trend by
the turn of the century, finally had a voice for the cause
when Alan Calvert opened the Milo Bar-bell Company
in 1902. Calvert sold globe barbells that were both shot
AND plate loaded, all in one. With the globe opened,
youd find a section for shot and another section with
changeable plates.
There were a variety of barbell options throughout the
beginning of the century, but it was the 1928 Olympics
that heralded the official life of the barbell we recognize
today. The Berg Barbell, which was the first to revolve,
made the competition lifts much easier (try cleaning
a heavy, fixed barbell and youll see what I mean),
and it was quickly copied by everyone and became
the gold standard of weightlifting. What you get your
hands on in most gyms today has not changed much
in the last 80+ years.
So the barbell became the tool of choice for most
practicing strength addicts of the time, a common tool
of the that end of the Physical Culture spectrum, and
Alan Calverts words and instructions were gospel to
any true iron head. But the iron game guru became the
follower of Edwin Checkley, another physical culturist
guru (he called himself a physicultirst) from the other
side of the spectrum, who advocated breathing and
less-than-vigorous bodyweight movements as the path
to health and wellbeing.
Soon after Edwin Checkleys death, Calvert made
the complete switch, denouncing barbell and heavy
weight training and embracing, teaching and writing
about the Checkley Method for the rest of his life. Even
his friends werent entirely sure why his philosophy
switched so abruptly, and his followers were less than
thrilled with his new ideas.

The Modern Correlation

Bruce Lee once said to take what works and discard
what doesnt. History can now offer us a palate of
successful ideas, but through Calvert, it might also

teach us that applying Bruce Lees concept would

let us incorporate multiple disciplines rather than hop
philosophical ships from one extreme to the next.
Calvert could have taken the best from both worlds
and created an entirely unique and holistic experience.
Thats the real curiosity why didnt he?
Are you?
The lessons from history often dont come from the
words or direct actions of those who came before us.
Its the patterns over time that develop. Many folks,
including modern historians, regal in the excitement
of our current period, watching records continue to
fall and strong men and women push boundaries far
beyond what was thought possible.
But might be of more interest about modern strength is
the limits we put on our definition of it, not the individual
feats that represent this definition. Weve gone from an
ideal of being strong, in a broad, holistic definition that
might be interpreted as capable, to being the Best,
which now means dominating one aspect of strength
possibility.
Strength had a use... You were a benefit to the tribe,
to the family, to your clan or country. Whether through
actual physical usefulness or simply as a gauge of
possibility, a strong person represented someone who
could DO, who was useful, healthy and capable. This
is even evident 100 years ago simply by perusing the
iron game and physical culture literature of the time.
From Arthur Saxon defining strength as the ability to
endure the stresses of life, not just the gravity of a heavy
barbell, to Bernarr MacFadden screaming from the
masthead of every copy of Physical Culture magazine
Weakness is a crime, dont be a criminal, the onetrick-pony strength and sport world of today made as
little sense to many of the early physical culturists as
not training or lifting at all.
Mind and body should be viewed as the two wellfitting halves of a perfect whole, designed and planned
in perfect harmony, mutually to sustain and support
each other, and equally worthy of our unwearied care
and attention in perfecting. 1
Or to paraphrase an even older text, Man know
thyself, thou art fearfully and wonderfully made.

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Weightlifting Mesocycles Part 3

Power Phase for Weightlifters
Paul Fleschler

Last months topic, the significance of general strength,

is followed with this months topic of power. After
four weeks of general preparation and four weeks of
strength work, the process of converting this to power
is critical. The definition of power can be interpreted as
force times distance over time--so without increasing
strength, the ability to move mass over a given distance
in a short period of time all of the previous work will have
been done for nothing. For most powerful athletes like
weightlifters, throwers and sprinters, getting stronger
is the key to getting more powerful. If athletes can
apply more force, then they will be able to move a
given amount of mass over a given distance faster.
Therefore, a comprehensive GPP and strength phase
is vital to getting more powerful. Consequently, in the
power phase, the main focus will be on explosive,
dynamic movements designed to increase power and
take advantage of the previous two phases. This will be

done by decreasing the amount of repetitions per set

while increasing the intensity compared to the general
preparation and strength phases. This article will focus
on how Front Range Weightlifting Club transitions its
athletes from the general strength phase to the power
phase.

The Basic Structure

The two previous phases lasted to total of eight weeks.
Similarly, the power phase will also be a total of four
weeks, from eight weeks from the competition to five
weeks out. As before, given the athletes are healthy
and had productive GPP and strength cycles, the
focus of the power phase include continual technique
work for all of the movements along with an increased
emphasis on the power movements and the classical
lifts. Leg and pulling strength exercises are still
emphasized, but with increased intensities. Therefore,
athletes can expect a continued decrease in overall
volume, though average intensity will continue to
increase. Exercises that increase work capacity and
basic cardiovascular conditioning, such as the circuits
from the GPP and strength cycles, will be minimized,
much to the athletes delight! The general warmup followed by a more specific dynamic warm-up,
plyometrics, the weightlifting exercises and core
remain as before.

Warming up
A general warm-up of rowing, jumping rope or low
level sprints are still included. Medicine ball, barbell,
dumbbell, kettlebell or bodyweight circuits are
minimized and typically exercises from these circuits
are now performed individually. For example, instead
of five to six exercises for ten reps in a circuit, that
might be reduced to three to four exercises for six to

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eight reps with a period of rest between exercises.

Furthermore, the focus will be on the more dynamic
movements such as wall ball shots, med ball cleans,
kettlebell snatches and swings or dumbbell muscle
snatches or thrusters.
Plyometrics are still incorporated after the warm-up
but with an emphasis on explosiveness rather than
reactivity. Some examples of these would be a med
ball slam plus a jump, dumbbell thrusters with a jump,
dumbbell split jumps, squat jumps with the bar and
the like. Again, the general warm-up and plyometrics
should heighten the neuromuscular system and
not fatigue it. It is better to err on the side of being
conservative instead of tiring the athlete out for the
main part of the workout. The entire warm-up including
the plyos should take less than ten minutes with given
rest periods.

Volume & Intensity

During the conversion to power, athletes are asked to
increase the intensity of their movements. However,
they are still asked to use the most amount of weight
possible in their sets with good technique. As before,
if technique breaks down, the weights are lowered to
complete the sets and reps. The coach must remain
steadfast in this area. Coaches can assure their
athletes that in the competition phase they will be
given the opportunity to attempt maximum weights.
Athletes are still vulnerable to develop poor technical
habits if given the opportunity to do so with the higher
intensities.
In the power mesocycle, there will be three hard
training weeks and a fourth recovery/unloading
week as with the two prior mesocycles. Volume will
continue to be non-linear, now varying between 170225 repetitions per microcycle. Diversity between
volume and intensity in the four microcycles will not
have as great a disparity as previous Mesocycles,
but the recovery/unloading microcycle of week four
will be consistent with previous cycles and show less
average volume, with greater average intensities, at
or above 85% of the lifters one repetition maximum in
the respective lifts. There will be an overall decrease in
average volume for all lifts and movements. Volumes
for traditional lifts and their derivatives will not be more
than three repetitions per set while leg strengthening,
pulling and overhead movements will vary between
three and five reps.
Exercise selection in this cycle will be similar to the
strength cycle. Lifts from different positions and complex
lifts will still be used only with higher intensities and less
volume. Further, lifts from blocks will be incorporated
to stress rate of force development (RFD). Essentially,

RFD refers to the speed

at which force can be
produced. Because there is
no stretch reflex occurring
research shows that the
time for muscle activation
decreases. Consequently,
stronger
athletes
can
produce more force quicker
and therefore can move the
bar faster.

Exercise Selection
Lt me restating the goals of this mesocycle: increased
emphasis on proper technique in the classical lifts and
power movements, introducing lifts from the blocks
and continuing to increase leg, pulling and overhead
strength. The following might be a typical microcycle
for the power phase.
Day 1:

General warm-up: form running (30 meters)
Skips
Defensive slide
Carioca
Heel to butt
Lateral bounds
High knee bounds
Build up
Specific warm-up: (rest 30-60 seconds between
exercises)
8 Wall ball shots
8 Med ball cleans
8 DB thrusters
8 Kettlebell swings
Plyometric: DB split jumps: 2x16
Weightlifting workout:
1. Snatch balance: 4x4
2. Snatch from blocks: 4x3
3. Clean: 4x3
4. Front squats: 4x4
5. Core & Assistance:
Weighted back extension: 2x8
Handstand push-ups:2x6-8
Total reps: 56
Easy form running exercises and a weighted plyometric
make up the warm-up. Exercise 2, snatch from blocks,
emphasizes RFD as described earlier. The coach should
also make sure the movement is consistent with the
movement from the floor. Clean is the next exercise.
The main focus should be on technique, ensuring
athletes are meeting the bar correctly and keeping
the proper technique with as much weight as possible.
Front squats are the last lifting exercise and core &
assistance will finish out the workout.

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Day 2:

General warm-up: Skipping rope or double
unders for two minutes

Specific warm-up: (rest 30-60 seconds between
exercises)
6 Ball slams
8 Kettlebell snatches, each arm
8 DB muscle snatches, below knee
6 Overhead squats with bar
Plyometric: DB thrusters with a jump: 3x8
Weightlifting workout:
1. Snatch from above knee: 4x3
2. Clean + power jerk: 5x2+3
3. Snatch pulls from a 2 inch board: 2x5,
2x4
4. Push press: 4x4
5. Core & Assistance:
V-ups: 2x10
Pull-ups: 2x8
Total reps: 71
Following the warm up and plyo, snatch from above
knee-a technical movement-is the first lifting exercise.
It is vital, since athletes are still trying to perfect
the snatch movement. Athletes, through years of
training, continue practicing the movement to make
it autonomous, or automatic. The sets and reps allow
athletes to use heavier weights than in previous cycles
yet are still benefitting from the technical aspect
through the eyes of the coach.
Exercise 2, clean +
power jerk, allows
variation from the
classical clean & jerk.
Giving a variety of lifts
to athletes permits
them to become
better
all
around
lifters. The power jerk
teaches athletes the
proper dip and drive,
as in the jerk. However,
is not as forgiving.
Consequently,
if
athletes perform the
movement with a flaw, they will most likely miss the lift.
Another variation of an everyday exercise is snatch
pulls from an elevated board. Although the board
has a minimal thickness of 2 inches, if athletes do not
set up properly then more stress will go on the back
and therefore, throw off the movement. Again, the
more variety athletes see in their programs the more
prepared they will be on the platform if the lift does not
go according to plan. Athletes should do two sets of
five reps and then increase the weight for the two sets
of four. Push press, while not as important as in the GPP

and general strength phases, is still important enough

to include in the power phase.
Day 3:

General warm-up: Row 500 meters
Specific warm-up: (rest 30-60 seconds between
exercises)
8 Kettlebell sumo deadlift high pulls
8 Kettlebell swings
8 Muscle snatches with bar- below
knee
8 Squat to press with bar
Plyometric: Ball slam + jump: 3x6
Weightlifting workout:
1. Overhead squat: 1x5, 1x4, 1x3
2. Snatch: 1x3, 4x2
3. Clean & jerk: 2x3+2, 3x2+2
4. Clean pulls: 2x5, 2x4
5. Squats: 4x5
6. Core & Assistance:
Good mornings: 3x5
Ring dips: 2x8

Total Reps: 86
Total Weekly Volume: 213

Following the row and specific warm-up, a great

neuromuscular plyometric is ball slam + jump.
Athletes lift a slam ball overhead so their biceps are
past their ears and proceed to slam the ball to the
ground following it down into a full squat then doing
a maximal squat jump (without the ball). A brief yet
effective exercise!
As with any overhead movement in the power phase,
the overhead squat continues to give confidence to
the lifter by increasing the intensity. These overhead
movements, stressing strength and stability, are kept
in the program until the final cycle, the competition

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phase. The overhead squat is a good transition exercise

for the snatch, which is the next exercise. Again, as
reps decrease throughout the set, more weight should
be added until technique breaks down.

doubles should not be put in too early in the power

phase. Good mornings, a solid posterior chain exercise
and ring dips round out the workout.

The classical clean & jerk follows the snatch, so athletes

begin to get used to performing both movements in
the same workout, as in competition. Day 3 in each
microcyle in the power phase will have both classical
movements in the same workout. By not having both
movements in the same workout since perhaps the last
competition, this will not only condition the athletes for
the competition phase but will psychologically prepare
them for the competition itself.

In Conclusion

Athletes can work up to nearly 100% in the clean pulls.

Once more, athletes should begin to feel heavier
weights on the bar to better prepare them for the
competition phase. This is also a good indicator of
how much stronger they have gotten over the last
two phases. Squats reps will begin to lessen as the
power phase moves closer to the competition phase
however; caution should be shown that singles and

A comprehensive power phase should give the coach

a very good indicator of how much stronger and
more conditioned his athletes are. As athletes begin
to incorporate more specific lifts related to power
and do more classical movements, it should become
apparent how effective the GPP and general strength
phases were. There is no substitute for hard work and
the power phase will give the coach a very good
marker of just how hard his athletes have worked in
the previous eight weeks. With younger athletes, each
power phase should bring new personal records and
give extraordinary confidence to them. This, in turn,
will set the athletes up for a successful competition
phase.

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Top
Ten
Strategies
For
Dealing
With
Injuries
Yael Grauer
Youre trucking along in your training, making steady
progress. Youre finally getting close to where you want
to be. Then, all of a sudden, life throws you a curve
ball. A niggling pain youve been ignoring becomes
unbearable, or you suffer from an injury you just cant
ignore.
Its not like its unexpected. Injuries are part of the
game. But somehow it is more devastating when its
your injury, standing in the way of your progress and
goals. But not all is lost. Use the following ten tips from
athletes whove been there and done that to help
you get back on track.

Former D1 soccer player Maggie Chestney worked

with a sports psychologist to reframe her injury and see
it from a different perspective. I know not all people
have access to a sports psychologist or the financial
means to see one, but if youre struggling emotionally
with a sports injury, there are other people that can
help you get out of your funk. This could be someone
whos had the same injury, a similar injury or maybe
even a more severe injury. If anything, they understand
and know what you are going through. Dont ever
feel alone or think you are alone in your injury, she
says. Even replacing the word injury with setback
can positively alter your view of the situation.

1. Stay Positive

2. Do Something

Easier said than done, I know, but its important to

avoid getting caught up in self-destructive thought
patterns. Its a generally depressing feeling when an
injury sets you back and its very easy to get negative
thoughts, says MMA fighter Lyle Steffens, whos battled
several debilitating injuries. You must first remember
that every great athlete has worked through injuries
and it simply comes with the territory. Ive come to
accept these times as opportunities to invest more
time into relationships, other personal goals and work
on piecesof the athletic puzzle that I otherwise might
neglect, he added.

Although its easy to get depressed, stay in bed all

day and eat bon-bons, Bathurst points out that sitting
around and doing nothing is not the answer. Passive
rest rarely helps, he says. Move and exercise the
injured area anyway you can in a pain-free manner.

Bodyweight skills enthusiast and personal trainer Jim

Bathurst sees many clients who are easily discouraged
when they encounter any sort of pain or injury, even
though injuries are not atypical. You think people just
clock in and out of the gym everyday with continued,
uninterrupted progress? Every single person has to
deal with aches and pains somewhere along the way.
Again, use it as a chance to learn, not to whine. There
are much stronger people than you who have dealt
with much worse injuries, he points out.

3. Work Neglected Areas

Even if you cant participate in sports-related activities,

pursuing other hobbies and interests can be helpful,
Chestney points out Diversity in life is important, and
this break can help refresh your state of mind while you
recover.

After letting your body recover, use this as an

opportunity to work on other things. I tend to focus
on lots of cardiac output training with low impact
equipment such as ellipticals, bikes and aerodynes,
says Steffens. He also focuses on full body flexibility
before resuming his normal training at a much lower
volume and intensity.

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 20

Bathurst finds ways to train things differently if possible.

When Ive had various issues with my wrists over the
years, did I stop training the handstand? No, I trained
them on a set of parallettes so that the wrist was in a
neutral position (and pain-free). Do what you can, he
advises.

4. Play around
modalities.

with

different

healing

Steffens swears by red light and infrared light therapy

(while avoiding anti-inflammatories and ice), and
Bathurst is a big proponent of trigger point therapy, TPT
and ART, as well as lacrosse balls, soft yoga massage
balls and the Theracane for self myofascial release.

Remember that not all experts have the right solution

for everyone, though. Results are the only thing that
matter, so if a therapist isnt getting you the results you
want - then find another therapist, Bathurst says. He
adds that being methodical is important. If you try a
million different things at once, you dont know what
helped or not. Its just like training.

5. Hit the books

Bathurst recommends spending time away from your
regular routine progressing mentally. Many training
injuries are a result of lack of anatomical knowledge
and/or improper programming. Use the injury as the
impetus to study as much as you can about that injury.
Less time training can mean more time reading. That
way, you can become smarter and avoid it again (or
help others avoid it the first time). Its the whole fool
me once line. Ive tweaked my shoulder badly twice
over the years, but each time I do Ive learned more
about the shoulder, he said.
Steffens spends his time studying dynamic warmups,
nutrition and energy systems. There is so much
information out there and its very likely that we all
hold onto some outdated knowledge that can stunt
our progression and possibly even injure us. The more
you know about the body and how it worksthebetter
youll be able to weed out information that doesnt
add up and make use of the information that does,
he says.
Strength coach Josh Henkin echoes the sentiment.
Being able to learn from the injuries and become
a smarter athlete/lifter/coach can sometimes turn a
negative into a true positive, he points out.

6. Dont obsess about your progress

Yes, we know, youre not making progress since you
cant train the way you want to. But weve all heard
stories of people who had a long layoff and came
back even stronger. The fact is that sometimes you
need a break to restore the nervous and endocrine
systems from long periods of hard work. With some
time away you might grow hungrier, see the forest for
the trees andbecome better than you were before,
Steffens says.
Jim Bathurst says one should shift their focus away from
how their lifts (or sports performance) is suffering, and
John Welbourn agrees that its a good idea to try not
to obsess about ones injury or progress. The body
heals at the rate at which it is supposed to, he says.

7. Know When To Work Through Injuries

Welbourn believes that injuries are part of the game.
You have to deal with them in the same manner as
lifting weights, running, going to practice and learning
the playbook. You accept they will happen and can
not let them slow you down, he says.
Weightlifter Aimee Anaya points out that it is easy to
be pain-free when one is inactive. I think in lifting, you
have to really make an effort, a choice, to wrap it up,
tape it up, ice it, deal with it, and keep lifting. I am sure it
is the same in any sport... you take the pains along with
the rewards. It is part of it. Part of being an athlete. You
have to wake up and make a choice. You either suck
it up and train because it is what you love to do even if
it is what you hate to do, OR you give up and choose
to not have achy knees. So I guess my motivation to
keep training despite the pains the platform may give
me, comes from knowing that I would rather be lifting
with some training pains, than sitting on the couch with
great knees. Some days I am so achy that I can hardly
squat down to put my shoes on. But, you just do it, and
you get through it, and you smile at the end of your
workout, she says.

8. Know when NOT to work through injuries

(AKA: dont be stupid)
Training injuredor going back to training before you
are readycan have devastating consequences.
Bathurst says, If youre injured and something hurts,
dont do an exercise that hurts it further! If you test an

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 21

exercise and it causes discomfort, then pick another

exercise! You only work through that hurt if you have a
vital competition where you must compete. Find what
doesnt hurt and work it.
Olympic weightlifter Aimee Anaya agrees. [You have
to] really understand when it is safe to train through
something [an ache or irritant or soreness], and when
to back off [a real pain], because if you dont back
off and allow something to heal, that is when injury
happens. Big injuries can be devastating, and can
cause you to lose weeks if not months if not years of
training. If you just take 3 days off to allow your body
to rest, you may not end up having to take 3 months or
3 years off. Be smart, train through when you can, and
rest when you must. Focus on the end goal, not the
immediate need to get through a workout.

9. Set goals.
Make long term and short term goals. Try to meet the
short term goals and you realize long term goals are
the sum of all those small victories, Welbourn advises.
While working through multiple ACL injuries, Chestney
set goals that encouraged her to maintain a positive

and optimistic attitude in her recovery process. For

example, a goal could be, I will not make negative
comments about my knee recovery, and if I do, I will
be reminded and must create a positive counter
comment to my negative comment. So lets say I
slip up, and say, This healing is taking forever; I hate
waiting. If someone notices this negativity, or if I notice
the negative comment myself, then Ill immediately
create a positive learning comment that will counter
the negative one just said. For the negative comment,
I would counter, This healing is helping me learn to be
more patient with my bodys needs.

10. The sunll come up

While difficult, looking on the bright side of your situation
can help you become more emotionally resilient.
Try to find something positive that came out of their
situation, Chestney advises. What did you learn from
what happened? How did you emotionally grow or
become stronger from what happened?
Dont focus on how your lifts are suffering. Get that
out of your mind. There are ups and downs to anyones
training career. Enjoy the ride, Bathurst advises.

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 22

COOKING WITH SCOTTY SCOTT HAGNAS

Beef Tendon Stew

Chili Baked Taro

Beef tendon is a meal common in some Asian cultures.

It can be found in Asian markets and is simple to
prepare. Its also inexpensive. Cooked properly, it
has a creamy, buttery consistency and a taste not
unlike that of pork belly. The cooked collagen has a
different nutrient profile than that from muscle meats
and is an under appreciated part of a healthy diet.
It is an excellent source of the stress- busting and anti
inflammatory amino acids glycine and proline.

Time: 35 minutes

Here is a basic slow cooker recipe. Add your favorite

vegetable mix, or simply use what you have on hand.
~1 lb. beef tendon
chopped onion, carrots, tomato, and celery (or
whatever else you like)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt
water
Add the ingredients to a slow cooker, adding water
to mostly cover the contents. Cook on low for 8 hours
minimum. Tendon takes a long time to cook to break
down the collagen, making it digestible.
Another good option would be to add some beef to
the recipe. The tendon will bring out the flavor in a
roast very nicely.
Nutritional info: 4 servings at ~9g carb, 41g prot,1g fat.

1 large taro root, ~2 lbs

2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
sea salt
Peel the taro with a good knife. Chop into cubes around
1 inch square. Pressure cook with 1/3 cup of water for
around 3 minutes, or boil for around 10 minutes (until
beginning to soften). Once the taro is done, drain the
water and add the oil and spices to the pot. Mix well,
then remove to a baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the taro for 20
minutes, tossing occasionally.
Nutritional info: 6 servings at 33g carb, 4g fat.

Creamy Taro
Time: 17 minutes
2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 cup + sliced leeks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large taro root, ~2 lbs.
1 cup chicken, beef, or veggie broth
1 cup coconut milk
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 23

Peel the taro with a good knife. Chop into cubes

around 1 inch square.
Bring your pressure cooker or pot to medium heat
without the lid. Add the coconut oil. Saut the leeks
until they begin to soften - around 3-4 minutes. Add the
garlic and continue to saut for 1-2 more minutes.
Add the broth and chopped taro. Bring the pot up
to pressure for 4 minutes. If you dont have a pressure
cooker, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20
minutes or until the taro has softened.
Remove the top and add the remaining ingredients.
Bring to a simmer and mix well. Mash with a potato
masher; I like to keep the mixture thick and clumpy.
Add more broth or water if youd prefer a thinner
consistency. You may also puree the mix in a blender
of food processor.
Top with more fresh ground pepper.
Nutritional info: 6 servings at 35g carb, 8g fat.

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
sea salt and pepper to taste
Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan. Saut
your leeks or onions until translucent, then add the
garlic. After 1-2 more minutes, add the chicken and
brown on all sides.
Add the remaining ingredients, then water or broth to
cover most of the meat and veggies. Bring to a boil:
reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Nutritional info: 3 servings at ~10g carb, 37g prot, 9g
fat.

Chocolate Dipped Bacon

Here is a simple treat to bring to potlucks and parties.
Youll only want to dip half of the bacon so that it will
be easier to eat without getting chocolate all over
your fingers!
Time: 12 minutes

Chili Baked Taro

Time: 35 minutes

sliced bacon
1 bar dark chocolate (85% cacao)
optional: dash of cayenne powder

1 large taro root, ~2 lbs

2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
sea salt

Cook the bacon in a skillet until browned but not too

crisp. Drain the grease and pat the bacon dry with a
paper towel. Allow to cool.

Peel the taro with a good knife. Chop into cubes around
1 inch square. Pressure cook with 1/3 cup of water for
around 3 minutes, or boil for around 10 minutes (until
beginning to soften). Once the taro is done, drain the
water and add the oil and spices to the pot. Mix well,
then remove to a baking sheet.

Heat the chocolate in a small pan over low-medium

heat. Add the cayenne if using; mix well. Dip both sides
of half of the bacon into the chocolate, then place on
wax paper. Refrigerate to solidify the chocolate.
Nutritional info: 1 slice will be about 2g carb, 13g fat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the taro for 20

minutes, tossing occasionally.
Nutritional info: 6 servings at 33g carb, 4g fat.

Chicken Basil Soup

Time: 35 minutes
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 lb. diced chicken breasts or thighs
mixed veggies such as onions or leeks, carrots and
celery; chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
water or chicken broth

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 77 JUNE 2011 24

ERFORMANCE MEN

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