Sarah didn't require much coaching on this high bar squat.
Thanks to Jeremy W. for photo

CONTINUE READING


CrossFit has increased the number of coaches in the world significantly, and many of them come from non-coaching backgrounds. This may be one of the reasons that a trend in CF coaches is that they are long-winded and wordy. A few reasons that cause Faulkner-esque coaching include group classes, “explaining it all”, and a lack of a triage.


CrossFit inherently consists of groups. There is a group leader getting the group to learn and move a specific way. Often there are attendees with very different skill levels that the instructor needs to worry about. Furthermore, the instructor — who is very passionate — aims to try and explain every aspect of the movement. The instructor very much wants each person in the group to understand it the same way that they do. This often leads to sensory overload, especially with less experienced trainees. Instead, aim to triage what you’re coaching: what’s the one or two most important aspects of what I’m trying to teach?


Instead of explaining how to un-rack the bar, how to walk it out, and how to set up, just have the trainee do it. Besides, you should be teaching them to do it with an unloaded bar anyway, so these frivolous details can be taught later. The approach to teaching a movement should be as brief and concise as possible while teaching the most important aspects of the movement. Stop and consider each movement. Why are you using this movement in your training? Does it use a lot of musculature to use a lot of energy during conditioning? Is it to make the hips and legs strong? Now consider what cues are necessary to accomplish that goal and help the trainee grade out at a “B” with their technique. If the list is long, only select the top two. Does your teaching method focus on those two things? If not, how will you trim it to do so?


The teaching method is important since it initially establishes how quickly (or not) the trainee will perform a given movement. However, the cuing that occurs on a day-to-day basis is equally, if not more, important. Cues are short reminders to the trainee to do something during a movement to make it better. It’s okay to explain the concept in detail, however the concept needs to be immediately whittled down to a cue. Shoving the knees out while doing any squat will avoid hip impingement and ensure that the body’s force is more evenly distributed throughout the thighs and hips, but the cue only needs to be “knees out”. Furthermore, the cuing for a squat shouldn’t be, “big breath, chest up, knees out, bounce” (among others). Instead, focus on one or two of the most important that are going to elicit success on the next set. If needed, reinforce those same cues at appropriate times during the set. Note that introducing separate cues during the set will typically be unhelpful and usually make the movement worse. Freestyle cuing should only occur with experienced lifters who have received that cue numerous times in the past.


After the set the coach should mentally evaluate how well the lifter performed the two cues that were established prior to the set. If one of the cues became routine or automatic, it can be dropped from the “active cue” list and the coach can focus on the other established cue or a new cue. However, if the single remaining cue is still an ugly fault, the coach shouldn’t introduce a new cue; more variables in the equation results in sensory overload.


Lastly, the coach should have a primary goal for their lifter(s) in a given movement during a session; it should be relative to to the lifter’s skill. For example, when I teach the power clean in the workshops, I aim for each attendee to a) jump the weight up properly and b) rack it properly. While “jumping” may not be a good advanced weightlifting concept, most attendees are using the power clean for general strength and conditioning purposes (aiming to use the power clean for loaded power development). And even if they weren’t, getting their bodies to move a weight because their legs and hips did it instead of their arms is an important concept.


A specific example is Lisa from this past weekend. As I say in the video description, she was unable to go through the standard teaching progression very well. She was arm pulling (the worst habit to have in the clean or snatch), donkey kicking, and not jumping very well (she would remain in hip flexion). Essentially it was an uncoordinated mess because she had too many variables in her head. Instead, I just simplified it to “crayola style” and helped her develop an okay power clean. (Read the info of the video)





No, there’s not anything special in this video. It was recorded because Lisa was interested in how her movement looked. I don’t typically stand 10 feet away, hold a camera at waist level, and coach through the viewing screen of a video camera, so my method of cuing is a bit bland here, but the point was to cue very simple things for Lisa to do in a simple progression to get her to emulate the two primary principles in the power clean (explained above).


If I had gone up to her and explained every deficiency in her movement, then her confidence would have dropped and she would have had many variables to consider instead of one or two. Instead of saying, “Don’t donkey kick or pull your heels up,” when jumping, the result would have been different than having her do something that eliminates the fault to begin with.


Whether you are coaching a beginner or a regular trainee, it’s unnecessary for each cue to comprehensively address everything in the movement pattern. Instead, be concise and brief. Your brevity should focus on the things that have the greatest impact on the success of the movement. Focus on or two cues that actively tell the lifter to do something. When you do it right, the cues address the conceptual explanation that you have already established (even if the explanation occurred two minutes prior). As the number of trainees increase, keep your goals and cues even more concise. If one attendee is excelling, then you can cue them individually for the next point of emphasis…as long as it’s done with brevity.

There were several ladies at the workshop this weekend and they had a large range of experience in lifting. This means that they have different needs when it comes to coaching. Coaching is the ability to communicate with a trainee in order to get them to succeed. I purposely leave the definition a bit vague because I don’t think coaching is only limited to merely achieving desired mechanics.





The interpersonal relationship with the trainee is important; how they are treated and how they interact with the coach will have an effect on their success. In my case, I shift roles depending on my audience. I alter my diction, tone, and choice of words based on the synthesis of information I have received from the person. Sometimes this information is a result of them answering my questions, but it’s also dependent how I passively read their body language and personality. I get a feel for their understanding of the material, their education level, and quickly learn how optimally they receive and understand information. All of this, of course, isn’t perfect all of the time, but it’s what is going through my head.
CONTINUE READING


In the case of the women at this past weekend’s workshop, some of them only needed brief conceptual explanations with some specific cues and they could use their kinesthetic sense to make it happen. Others required further break down of the steps to simplify gross movement patterns into simple actions that their body could easily understand. It’s not that this kind of stuff doesn’t occur with males (because it does), it’s just that the percentage of females that come from a lifting background is lower than males.


When in doubt, things should be kept as simple as possible. One or two simple goals can be set for each training session. If those goals are met, then correct the next fault in the triage. However, if the third improvement causes the primary goals to regress, then cut it out and return to the original plan. Guys who lift regularly have a tendency to try to explain movements when a girl is unable to perform it properly. Explanations may be relevant, but if they occur they need to be whittled down into one, maybe two things to think about when lifting. This goes for all trainees, but especially girls without a lot of lifting experience.


I’m interested in the results of the poll above as it will give a break down of 70′s Big readers and their involvement with female trainees. If a large percentage are females who receive coaching, then I can focus these posts on “doing” rather than “teaching”. Feel free to ask questions or suggest further topics related to female training for future posts. I’m also working on some stuff that includes the help from another female coach/trainee, so stay tuned for that.

by Australian coach Peter Upham
(The Strength Coach)
“All rise.

Open your hymn books to page 69 and we shall all sing ‘Pump Iron’.

“Please be seated.

“A few announcements before today’s sermon; we’re praying today for a few of the missionaries that we sponsor, you all remember Ross and Nicole Livingston,……. well as some of you know, they’re in Uganda and they’ve started up the Ugandan Powerlifting Federation and that is an AFPF affiliate. They’re doing really well and having their first raw comp this weekend so we pray that that goes well. They’re a Barbell based gym and they’re doing their comps the right way, Raw is belt and knee wraps only; No elbows sleeves! As it is written in the Technical Manual.

“We’re also praying for Daniel Secombe today, as he embarks next week on an outreach program in the local strongman community. Daniel is hoping to talk to different strongman athletes about the Holy Barbell and will be inviting them along to a special service we are having next week where they can come and talk about the Barbell, ask some questions, and just get to know Strength the same way that we all do, so Outreach Week is going to be a great opportunity for this gym to see some new faces come along in the future.

CONTINUE READING


“At the conclusion of today’s sermon, our Sunday School kids will be moving off to a special day we have planned for them. Our local Federation Commissioner will be holding a special question and answer session that we’ve been promoting where they can get answers to some of those challenging questions, that I know as a parent of 2 young ones myself, are sometimes hard to answer.


“Today’s sermon for the congregation is about injuries. The Technical Manual reading will come today from page 3 and Tracy is going to read for us.


(Tracy)
“…. Verse 17. To Adam the Strength Spirit said, “Because you have listened to your wife and eaten the fruit from the tree of which I said ‘do not eat’,


“Cursed is the gym floor because of you;
endlessly will you sweep chalk.
Through painful toil will you eat food to bulk up.
Eating will produce flatulence and painful bowel movements.
By the sweat of your brow will you toil on the barbell,
Injured will your training history be,
until you return to the chalk, because from it you were taken
And to it you will return.”


“This is the word of the Strength,”


(ALL) “Praise be to Strength”.


 

(Strength Coach)
“We know that man is imperfect. But the Technical Manual tells us that when Strength first created the Heavens and the Earth it was made perfect. Injuries we know were only possible after the Fall, when man first turned his back on Strength and started to try to place agility and endurance and power on the same footing with Strength; in fact, there’s still many people in this world who still think that,….. mostly in places like India, they’re called polyathletests.


“Injuries are the penalty and price that we pay for disobeying Strength and trying to do things our own way. If we would just listen to the Strength Spirit’s word that he hath given us through the Technical Manual then we wouldn’t get injured so much.


“This week when you go out into the community to your regular jobs and you’re mixing with others, think about your opportunity to spread the word of Strength, the Technical Manual says when Strength came to Earth a Man it says in the Book of Arthur Saxon….


“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The slow speeded up, the crippled walk, those with cancer in remission, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”


“So the Technical Manual has a mandate for preaching the word of Strength, it’s a call to spread the Good News that Strength will rise again and take its proper place.”

Later in Sunday School…….


(Gym Sunday School teacher, Miss Conners)


“Children, Mr Eccels is here today to answer your questions just like we talked about last week, what I thought I might do is ask the first question and then anyone can ask a question after that. Mr Eccles is our Federation Commissioner.


“So, Mr Eccles, I’ve been hearing a lot lately about how dangerous commercial fitness is and bodybuilding, what can you tell us about what those people believe?”


(Federation Commissioner Eccles)


“Well that’s a good question. There’s a lots of information out there about Bodybuilding. They prey to the Prophet Joe Weider, they believe in Strength but their Technical Manual is different, they don’t test strength and you know they don’t teach the same things that we do about women. They put women in their own competitions and they can’t compete against the men like we do with the co-efficients that the Technical Manual gives us. I just think that’s wrong.”


(Little Jimmy)
“How do we know that the Technical Manuel is true?”


(Eccles)
“Well the Technical Manual was given to us by the Strength Spirit so we know that its true. The Technical Manual says that the Technical Manual is true, so we can have faith in it.”


(Little Johnny)
“What’s Crossfit?”


(Eccles)
“Crossfit does a lot of things different to us, we’re Powerlifters, Crossfit is just a new fancy thing that has started up; they have good marketing, I hear that Tom Cruise is a member, and it’s a lot about personality and flashiness. It looks like a bit of a money making scheme to me. A lot of people end up leaving or try to leave and there’s a lot of phony friendships that break down. They sometimes try to do what we do. They don’t even have a Technical Manual, and the guy who started it used to write Science Fiction (laughing) so how can you believe in that?!!”


(Big Jimmy)
“Some new people moved into the house up the street from me and my brother, they go to an IWF school. Is it true that they’re not taught the right Technical Manual?”


(Little Johnny)
“They’re weird, they don’t even bench!”


(Little Sally)
“Yeah, and they don’t deadlift and they squat high bar!”


(Big Jimmy)
“Is that true?”


(Little Johnny)
“Yeah is that true?”


(Eccles)
“If you look in the first few chapters of the Technical Manual it talks about the Strength Spirit’s chosen people and how they used to believe, but they kept turning their back on Strength and trying to do things their own way. Then in 1972 they angered Strength by taking away the Press from competition and they’ve been cursed ever since.


“Now there’s a lot of nice people in IWF gyms I’ve even had them come to our gym and they train in their own way but we just think they’re wrong about a few things and remember, the Technical Manual says, ‘Judge not or yee be judged’, so its between the Strength Spirit and the individual. Also they have a President who they listen to and think that he is some sort of intermediary between themselves and Strength, and we obviously think that’s wrong. At the moment their President is in a lot of trouble for moving on some people from one gym to another who were doing some bad things with steroids. Those people are sick in the head and they went on to re-offend.”


(Big Jimmy)
“Is it an abomination for two people of the same sex to spot each other no-homo-style on the squat?”


(Eccles)
“Yes, the Technical Manuel is very specific about that, it’s an abomination. I don’t care what you see on television or the internet these days.”


(Sally)
“What’s a schism?”


(Eccles)
“Well that’s a big word, where did you hear that?”


(Sally)
“I heard my parents talking about it.”


(Eccles)
“A schism sometimes happens if people aren’t teaching things from the Technical Manual or they think they can write their own Technical Manual.


(Taps at his AFPF ‘Another Fucking Powerlifting Federation’ logo on his shirt)


“See we’re AFPF lifters at this gym, that’s the pure strain of Strength (makes gesture with hand drawing a line straight down). We follow strictly what the Technical Manual says.”

'Paleo squat' picture from the article

Observe these positions and share your thoughts in the comments.

This won't make you jacked

It's possible to be a serious lifter and follow paleo guidelines

Preferences
I prefer beef or pork since they carry fat calories. I make ground beef, burger patties (also ground), steak occasionally, pork loin, and ribs. We also make chili regularly. Currently I don’t eat “grass fed” because of the lack of availability, but grass fed meat products would improve the Omega 3 ratio to result in decreasing inflammation. Fish oil is important in that it can give you Omega 3′s to change the ratio with respect to Omega 6′s, and that’s why we suggest ingesting it.


I prefer sweet potatoes because I think that they taste better than white potatoes; the sweet variation is also preferable to fat guys as the glycemic index is lower (the only nutrient difference between sweet and white potatoes is that sweet potatoes have carotene and vitamin A, otherwise they are pretty similar).


I use butter to garner more calories on my potatoes, and will sometimes eat peanut butter, almond butter, or olive oil for extra calories if I’m not hungry or don’t have time (the peanut/almond stuff has higher Omega 6s, so I’ve actually been limiting them). The nut butters are usually eaten with dark chocolate (90% cocoa). I also supplement whey protein daily because it’s easy, effective, and cost efficient.

Health
As a result of reducing overall inflammation, the body operates more efficiently. Practically speaking, this means that you will recovery better. But it also means you are healthier. Controlling inflammation from within will make for an optimally acting body that doesn’t have hormones out of whack. It’s also possible to support strength training with a high quality diet, but care will have to be given into how that occurs. For serious trainees — like nationally or internationally competitive lifters and athletes — how they conduct their eating will matter more. They may even require additional calories in the form of “non quality meals” (consider Michael Phelps), but the majority of readers on this site are not at such a level. If you have a normal job instead of training as a job, then you probably don’t apply.


Summary
It’s okay to care about your health and how you look. Personally, I’ve never wanted to be flabby or out of shape and intend to lift and have an active life deep into old age. Instead of eating “just to take in calories”, aim to eat in a way that establishes those calories with higher quality foods so that you can a) meet the macro requirements but also b) improve your body composition, c) reduce systemic inflammation, and subsequently d) recovery better and be healthier. It’s possible to apply a Paleo concept to a lifter’s goals and lifestlye. Do so by eating lots of meat, potatoes, and other high quality foods. When you splurge, limit how and when for optimal results.


This post can help you get started on a road to higher quality food, but I aim to talk about this in the future. You’ll notice that some of the concepts in this post contradict some older posts (i.e. 2+ years ago) of 70′s Big. If I stayed ingrained in an single belief and didn’t try to make you as strong, jacked, and healthy as possible then I’m just a negligent asshole. Dietary guidelines have shifted and improved over time, otherwise most of the content still applies.

From the second page spread:


I don’t count rhythmically like the exercise people on the radio; I couldn’t stand exercise if I had to feel regimented about it.

You heard it here: Marilyn Monroe popularized “intuitive training” AKA “not giving a shit”.

From the fourth page spread:


I’ve been told that my eating habits are absolutely bizarre, but I don’t think so…
I start warming a cup of milk on the hot plate…
When it’s hot, I break two raw eggs into the milk, whip them up with a fork, and drink them while I’m dressing. I supplement this with a multi-vitamin pill.

She also has steak, lamb chops, or liver with carrots in the evening. She also points out her ice cream habit that wouldn’t be possible if her regular diet wasn’t “composed of almost totally protein foods”. It seemed so crazy at the time, but this is a great diet philosophy: high protein and fat with vegetables and fruit. Every now and then treat yourself to a splurge, but keep it under control. Exercise or train often. Marilyn Monroe was onto something good, and it wasn’t just JFK.

80smediumbryce asks:


Justin. What about palms up pendlay rows?

Dear 70smediumbryce,


That’s a fucking hilarious name; well done. Supinated (underhand) grip rows are definitely doable, though I haven’t used them. The angle of the humerus will be slightly different due to the enhanced shoulder external rotation. Something tells me that they wouldn’t be able to be done as heavy as regular “Pendlay rows” off of the floor. I have half a mind to say that they would be really good for developing musculature to support external shoulder rotation, but the regular pronated grip will be superior for strength gains. If anyone uses these, let us know what you think (especially in comparison to the regular grip).

Can’t remember who this question is from,


Since you are blogging away about high/low bar squatting, any chance you can tackle “bouncing in the bottom of the squat”, vs “pausing at the bottom”? Pros and cons, etc? I’d just like to read your take on it is all. Thanks

Dear guy,


I’m not a fan of paused squats since squats of any kind are dependent on a stretch reflex out of the bottom. Whether you’re a single ply powerlifter, a raw powerlifter, or a weightlifter recovering from a clean, the stretch reflex is important (Note: multi-ply training will be different and out of my forte). The low bar stretches and contracts mostly on the the hamstrings while the high or front squats will do so off of the glutes, upper hamstrings, and quads. Paused squats and box squats aren’t in any of my programming. They may have value for advanced lifters, but I don’t see myself programming them since it will only alter the necessary physiological processes to make a good squat. Also, if you remove the stretch reflex then you can’t lift as much weight in the squat and lose that effective neuromuscular training adaptation that transfers into other sports so well. Losing the efficacy and using less weight reduce the effectiveness of the exercise overall, therefore average strength trainees will waste their time in doing paused squats.

oldmansquatting says:


@criedthefox, are you 14? Grow up.
_________
Justin about RDL loading. Do you continue to add weight each week or just get up to a reasonable weight and leave it there?

(I left that part where he bitches out Brian because I thought it was funny.)
Dear oldmansquatting,


Typically you would have started fairly light (to ensure the proper muscular work) and steadily increased over time. If you approach a weight in which you cannot maintain the lumbar position (which would result in slack hamstrings), then that weight is on the cusp of “too heavy”. A year from now we can worry about pushing the weight up for “strength purposes”, but getting proper muscular action is what will make you stronger now. Still, you could put on at least five pounds a week, but ten pounds is probably better. Like with most things, the jumps will decrease as the work set weight gets higher relative to your strength.


You can also gauge progression on “soreness factor”. RDLs can cause near crippling soreness, something that can be debilitating to subsequent training sessions in the week. I don’t think you should go high enough to wreck your hamstrings and ruin the next workout. I’ve kept my weight constant for several workouts to account for this. Training shouldn’t destroy the body, especially if it destroys the next session’s efficacy.

mattciupak says:


well-written post, Justin, I just have one concern. I thought more weight=more muscle, regardless of form (to an extent). back when I did BBing stuff I remember reading that Arnold did cheat curls fairly often, and it’s obvious that you can move significantly more weight while cheat curling. also, this is anecdotal, but there’s at least a few guys at every globo-gym who are fucking HUGE but do half, cheated, or force reps with just about every exercise. also, kroc rows.
i’m not trying to prove you wrong or disagree with you as I don’t have any factual evidence myself, i’m just curious.

Dear mattciupak,


Everyone remember: I’m not the guy that gets pissed when you question his teachings. You don’t have to tip-toe around the sensitivity of questioning me, though I appreciate your concern.


You are correct in that progressive overload is necessary for strength increases, but also hypertrophy. The latter is the case since if you can lift more weight for more reps, you’ll be “more big” than had you not had the strength to use that weight.


Cheated exercises like cheat curls or “kroc rows” are very specific methods to put more stress on the related exercise. I would argue that Matt Kroc cannot improve his range of motion due to the size of the dumbbell. You could argue that I do “kroc rows” here, but notice that I go through a full ROM with a little assistance out of the bottom due to my leg assistance.


More importantly than debating each movement, we must understand why we would use a given movement in a program. In someone who has a lack of musculature in their upper back and shoulders, doing cheated pull-downs would a) alter the mechanics so that the targeted muscles aren’t moving the apparatus, b) not work the muscle through a full range of motion, and c) not get quality work in that muscle. I want and need the muscle to develop — a term that would imply muscular growth and strength increase — in order to improve it’s use in more important lifts (like pressing, benching, squatting, deadlifting, etc.). It does so by improving it’s leverage (via growth) and force production ability (via strength increase). All the professionals you see doing “cheated movements” have established strength and musculature where an overload in a partial ROM will help stimulate development. The goober you see in your gym doing cheated ranges of motion is simply copying advanced lifters, a mistake that has been made by ignorant trainees for decades.


Remember that handling the most weight you can with proper mechanics and through a full range of motion is how you will get stronger and train all of the muscles fully. The post I wrote mostly was focused to assistance exercises, especially those designed to develop musculature to improve strength training. Remember that you, unlike Arnold, are not on steroids. And if you were, you don’t train like him anyway (I assume).

Many people were going back and forth about whether CrossFit was a sport or not.

I don’t think it’s a sport because it doesn’t fit in with having a ‘standardized set of rules’ across all competitions. People will usually cite strongman as something that is “just like CrossFit”, but it’s very different. If you look at the rules of most strongman organization, they have a very specific guideline on how a competition is formed. There are different types of events, like “overhead”, “deadlift”, and “carry”, that have a list of activities that fit within that type of event. The competition selects x amount of certified activities within that type of event to make the competition. The competitors know what events they will be doing before the event occurs.


In contrast, CrossFitters don’t know what the events are until they show up. And even if they did know the events before hand, there isn’t a standardized method of selecting the events. This is the primary thing that removes CrossFit from “sport” classification. And it has nothing to do with me “just not wanting CrossFit to be called a sport”, because I really don’t give a shit. It’s definitely a competition and can be both entertaining and fun, but depending on how “sport” is defined (and there isn’t a good definition”, CF would be left out of this designation.


On a side note, most of the people in the discussion create their definition of a sport based on what they do or do not want to be classified as a sport. That’s something Kim Jong-il would have done.

Shellie C. asks,


I have a question/issue that if you could shed any light on whatsoever it would greatly appreciated: I have 4 dislocated vertebrae/rib heads in my thoracic spine. I’m in the process of having it corrected, but in the mean time I have not been able to train. I had intended to compete again in June and this injury has obviously derailed that somewhat. Is there anything you would suggest for working around an injury of this sort or at the very least how to maintain as much of my strength as possible while I wait to get back into my normal program?

Dear Shellie,


Yikes. The basic answer: do what you can. If the area is really flared up and inflamed around your thoracic spine, than ice it every day, take fish oil, and do your best to mob the areas around it. Can you run five way shoulder well enough? If muscles are tight around those ribs, then it will be harder for them to get fixed. Of course, your chiro or doctor’s opinion trumps mine. If you were my lifter, I’d see what you could do without pain and have you do that. I’d even pursue machines like leg press, machine bench press, and machine overhead press. If something gives you pain, then you should probably avoid it unless it’s a small amount that you don’t think will make the issue worse. I highly suggest you ice it regularly; never before training, but always after (even if mobbing is “training”). Light horizontal rowing could help get some work in the area, but that’s only if the ribs are in the correct spot (think of this as something you do when it’s on it’s way to being more healed compared to when you’re still super tender). You could also do some light band work (doing standard movements with very low resistance). Whatever you do, ice it regularly every day and take fish oil.

I’d like to talk to you about an event on Saturday morning at the Arnold Sport Festival. But first, let’s go back in time.


1992. A leap year designated the “International Space Year” by the UN. A year that included American President George. H.W. Bush vomiting into the lap of Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa before fainting at a state dinner in Japan. It was a glorious year; I was six years old. The previous year the Atlanta Braves lost the 1991 World Series to the Minnesota Twins in a season when the went “from worst to first”. They were back in the playoffs in 1992, and it all came down to the final game of the NCLS against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves rallied from being down 2-0 in the bottom of the 9th inning of game seven. Things were TIGHT.


Fast forward to two outs, with two runners on. David Justice, who is known for banging Halle Berry, was on third, and Sid Bream, who was known for his mustache and being the slowest fucking runner in the universe, much less Major League Baseball, was on second. Bobby fucking Cox brought in another pinch hitter: Francisco Cabrera. Cabrera was in the minor leagues a few months before and had only batted about ten times before this. He was pretty much thinking, “Fuck.” Terry Pendleton, who is known for being a good hitter and having a giant ass, told him to “hit the ball over the short stop”. Apparently Pirates center fielder, Andy Van Slyke, told Barry Bonds, known to be an asshole, to play more shallow in left field. Bonds ignored him because he’s a fucking asshole.


On a 1-2 count, pitcher Stan Belinda, known for what is about to happen, threw a high fastball that Cabrera put over the short stop. Asshole Barry Bonds was too far back to field it, and David Justice easily scored. Then the unthinkable happened. The third base coach waved Sid Bream — the slowest fucking runner in the history of everything — to keep running to home plate. They had nothing to lose since the game was tied.


I’ll never forget what the next few seconds looked like. Sid Bream was running slower than a buried dead body. Seriously, this guy couldn’t beat Stephen Hawking in a foot race. Sid is running, and running…and fucking running. Asshole Barry Bonds’ throw comes into the plate. And Sid slides…AND BEATS THE TAG! THE CROWD AND ANNOUNCER GO APE SHIT! THE ATLANTA BRAVES ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES! HELICOPTER WIENER!



(Video)


This event would spark the Atlanta Braves decade long domination in the NL East, and it would also spark the last time the Pittsburgh Pirates ever had a winning season. Barry Bonds is still an asshole.


To this day, people in Atlanta still say, “Where were you when Sid slid?” It was a magical moment for Braves fans. And here is where our story comes full circle. Donny Shankle is set to lift at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 3rd at the Arnold Sport Festival. Donny has grown into a legend in the small sport of Olympic weightlifting. He has persevered through a decade of training and finally — FINALLY — has a realistic shot at making the Olympic team. This website has directly supported Donny through generous donations that have allowed him to focus all of his efforts into training — and it’s paying off.


Donny has two chances to hit a total that will earn him the one male spot on the US Olympic team. Arguably his best shot is at Nationals since he will travel to Ohio instead of South America for the Pan American Championships a few weeks later. He’ll weigh in at 8 AM, so cutting weight won’t be as bad as lifting later in the day, and he won’t have to eat South American food (known to get lifter’s sick). The Arnold is probably the time that he will hit his qualifying total to go to the Olympics.


When that moment comes, and his bar is loaded to his third, and final, clean and jerk attempt…do you want to miss that moment? When he cleans the weight in his nonchalant style, when he finally dips and drives that bar up…do you want to miss that moment? When he locks the weight out and holds it triumphantly overhead, knowing that he just made the Olympic team — a lifter we as fans have directly supported — DO YOU WANT TO MISS THAT MOMENT?


Besides, you aren’t going to see him lift at the Pan American Championships and you aren’t going to see him lift at the Olympics in London. History will remember that defining moment when Donny Shankle, a respected and seemingly legendary character, hit a clean and jerk to put him into the Olympics. People will say, “Where were you when Shankle hit it?” Hopefully it’s more classy than that, but we will all remember that moment. Where will you be? Will you miss it?

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