This weekend we had 7 lifters including myself attend ECG camp in Virginia beach. Over the next few weeks I will be posting the things that each one of us got from our experience at camp. Brandi breaks down her experience at ECG's Add to the Atmosphere camp !
Get Comfortable being Uncomfortable I love listening to my coach talk. Which is a good thing since he loves talking, but what’s more, what he has to say is full of experience and wisdom in this sport we love. Over the past few weeks though, I’d grown exhausted of hearing him talk about the East Coast Gold Weightlifting team! Ever since my coach, Tom, has begun working with Phil Sabatini, he’s seen growth in his own weightlifting progress and in how he trains our Barbell Club at PFP. Tom came back from the Nationals competition on fire as a coach and athlete. I was so proud of him and proud to follow his leadership but I had to see for myself what the hype was all about. Next Stop: Virginia Beach I signed up for the Add to the Atmosphere weightlifting camp excited to meet the people who’d inspired my coach. I’m someone who gets nervous about meeting new people, following new leadership and fitting in after I’ve already become comfortable with my own group. Once Tom, Maggie, Marisa and I arrived to our weekend house, we took a night time walk along the beach and suddenly, I wasn’t worried anymore. I’m competing in the American Open Series 2 in a few weeks. I thought about my training, I thought about questions I wanted to ask the new coaches and let my fears drift away with the water. Set the Tone Arriving at camp the next day, we got straight to work. The temperature in Virginia Beach was Hell degrees, so we were pretty loose but that didn’t stop Jake, the physical therapist from further warming us up. I remember the days when my warm up was five minutes, so glad I changed that bad habit or else I wouldn’t have been ready for the twenty minute primer Jake had planned! The snatch was first. “Great!” I thought, the Snatch is my favorite lift, it’d surely be a confidence booster, “I do these in my sleep!” Boy, was I wrong. Brendan McDaniel was the first to challenge me. “More control at the top! You’re all legs!” I smirked because this was something Tom has said to me countless times in our own gym. Brendan proceeded to show me what I was doing versus what he wanted to see then he gave me cues I hadn’t heard before and stood there until I got it right. It was an intense evening with lots of feedback and countless reps. By the time we left, I was dismayed and elated that we’d be back early the next morning to do it again. The next morning came the Clean and Jerk. I’m not going to lie, this lift and I have issues, it doesn’t like me and barely I tolerate it. The one redeeming quality of this lift is that I Power Jerk instead of Split Jerking. I feel like a bro using all this jargon but if you’re keeping up, stick with me. I Power Jerk because I don’t have the balance for the Split Jerk, it’s too much to think about with the amount of weight I can get into the overhead position with. I was explaining this as a bunch of us were sitting on the bench talking shop when Leo Totten walks in and sits with us. Marisa, my own team mate, blurts out to Leo, “Make Brandi Split Jerk!” I declare that I don’t do that causing Leo to ask why not. I begin to tell him what my issues were when he interjects, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” I began to respond when he looks me squarely in the eye and repeats it. I was silenced. He wasn’t being tongue and cheeky, he meant it and I knew it. I joined my team on our platform and began working on the Clean and Jerk. I started splitting but as the weight got heavier, I reverted back to the Power Jerk. “These are heavy now. I have to do what I like so that they see how much weight I can move.” I thought, “They’ll only respect me if I’m lifting heavy, I can’t lift heavy and think about my feet splitting. I’ll be a joke!” I worried. Every doubtful thought I could think rang out in my mind each time it became my turn. I’d hoped Leo didn’t see, but the other coaches would so that they’d be happy with my performance. As I came into the 85% range when I typically lose confidence, I approached the bar, set up as usual and Power Jerked as if my life depended on it. I dropped the bar, proud of myself for not letting fear cause me to press out, when I looked up and Leo was in my face again. “Is there some reason why you’re not Split Jerking like I told you to?” I blinked. “I can’t get that much weight over my head from the split.” I confessed. “Then drop the weight, take it from the top. You’re split jerking this weekend. Do it again, let’s see it.” Leo stood there, arms folded across his chest, I split Jerked with an empty bar for the rest of the session. I was crushed. Believe the Hype For the rest of the weekend, my body took a brutal beating but my mind took an bigger one. I listened and watched everything. These coaches acknowledged what was right about my efforts, broke down what was wrong with them and showed me how to build. I felt their investment with every instruction, with every demonstration and every cheer of support when I overcame a challenge. Leo’s session on goal changing exposed a lot of changes I can make in my life off the platform that totals greater success on it. I took so many notes and replayed the conversations and advice given to me by Brendan, Nicole, Joe and Walt. In one weekend, I became a believer in this community and what it gives to its’ members. The hype is this: without the minds and respect of the people; ones leadership is futile. I’m an everyday weightlifter but after being taught by the coaches of East Coast Gold, I see what ignitured Tom. I see why he’s more than an average lifter like me and I look forward to being deconstructed and built back up by him and the rest these coaches. I’m grateful for a coach that is tireless in finding new ways to make himself and our team better. Pittsburgh Fitness Projects Barbell Club is the real deal and thank you to everyone at East Coast Gold for embracing like me, without question or judgment. I look forward to adding even more to the atmosphere wherever we go and until we meet again. If you're interested joining a team dedicated to your success, growth , and progress in weightlifting email : tom@pittsburghfitnessproject.com
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This weekend we had 7 lifters including myself attend ECG camp in Virginia beach. Over the next few weeks I will be posting the things that each one of us got from our experience at camp. Gerald will be sharing his top three things he learned during his camp experience !
1. Positive Mental Attitude. Don't beat myself up over missed lifts. Keeping a good mindset and visualizing the lift is key for top athletes. Mental strength is just as important as physical strength. 2. Be Coachable and Listen Carefully. The key to your lifts can be with anyone. Even though i had several different eyes watching me saying the same tip, it was worded differently by everyone. One specific phrasing was all it took for the cue to finally click. If I let myself get frustrated and uncoachable i would not have learned as much. 3. Take Notes and Re-Read: Have a mental checklist. With all the fatigue from multiple sessions i quickly started to revert to old habits. They started repeating cues I had heard and I was wasting energy and valuable attempts. I quickly ran to my notebook, reread and played catch up to practice what had been fixed already. Forward progress! I know have a mental checklist on what I aim to correct for each lift which has really helped reinforce what has been corrected. If you're interested joining a team dedicated to your success, growth , and progress in weightlifting email : tom@pittsburghfitnessproject.com This weekend we had 7 lifters including myself attend ECG camp in Virginia beach. Over the next few weeks I will be posting the things that each one of us got from our experience at camp. Andre will be sharing his camp experience
This past weekend, along with six others from the PFP Barbell team, I attended the East Coast Gold “Add to the Atmosphere” Weightlifting Camp in Virginia Beach. After seeing the agenda, I think we all knew it was not going to be an easy weekend but I know I underestimated how much “embrace the grind” would be needed. First off, it was hot! The gym had no A/C, which isn’t much a surprise but it wasn’t something I considered while planning. I spent about 10 years living the Hampton Roads, VA area and I am certainly familiar with the Summertime humidity but my workout “uniform” is sweatpants and a sweatshirt and has been for several years now. I knew it would be hot but since I didn’t consider the possibility of a gym with no A/C, I simply brought what I normally exercise in. The camp started on Friday evening, which is when I drove down from Pittsburgh. Even during the evening time, simply put, that first session was grueling. Of course, being the first session, everyone (including myself) was “full of piss and vinegar.” It was chaotic, electric and exhausting right from the start. My “sweatsuit” gained immediate attention which, ironically, is the opposite of its purpose (which is simplicity). During this first session, I decided I was going to exercise being comfortable with discomfort. This idea of being comfortable while uncomfortable came up in a conversation between Coach Leo and a teammate of mine. Thinking back, although I was not directly involved in the discussion, I think this talk planted a seed which helped me stay motivated on several occasions during the weekend. Because a ripped callus can affect training, I usually take care of my hands. I was proud of the fact that it had been close to a year since I had a callus tear. Well, referring back to the chaos and “piss and vinegar” during the first session, I was lifting without any chalk (not sure it would have helped anyway) and mid-session of the very first day of lifting, my hand was torn. I was annoyed but knew I couldn’t let me affect me too much. We finished that first session on Friday and I was totally exhausted. On Saturday, we had three full sessions to work through. After the one session on Friday evening, I wasn’t sure how this was going to be possible. We got some rest and showed up Saturday morning. We were all moving a bit sluggish at first but amazingly, after stretching out and warming up, I felt ok to start our first session on Saturday. One of the coaches said it shouldn’t be as high-paced as the first session but after starting session two, it felt a whole lot like the first session.. Hot, grueling and my hands continued to get worse. As miserable as it was, during the first two sessions, the outstanding coaching staff provided couple of weightlifting queues that were immediately useful. I knew the pain was worth it. We continued the cycle of finishing a session and wondering how continuing could even be possible. It was so hot, our hands were smoked, we ached all over.. Somehow, it just happened. I finished the weekend with a wealth of things to work on and am excited to continue growth in the sport. Sure, quitting crossed my mind more times than I’d like to admit but I like getting to that place every now and then. It’s where I continue to learn about myself. If you're interested in joining the best team in the USA email : tom@pittsburghfitnessproject.com This weekend we had 7 lifters including myself attend ECG camp in Virginia beach. Over the next few weeks I will be posting the things that each one of us got from our experience at camp. Marisa Galli is going to kick things off!
The East Coast Gold Training Camp held 6 sessions over the span of 3 days. Over 40 athletes and coaches traveled to the ECG Headquarters in Virginia Beach for a sweaty and tiring weekend. Why would anyone subject themselves to training that much when they could be at the beach instead? To an outsider, this might seem excessive. But ask any weightlifter there and they would tell you the same thing – it was well worth it. For me, this was my first experience actually getting to meet the entire ECG team. Other than meeting Brendan and Erin when they stopped by PFP a few months back, I hadn’t met any of the other coaches there and was excited to hear different feedback and learn from their years of experience. Although I had expected to learn a lot, the camp was so much more than just coaching and fixing lifts. Most of the PFP team left Pittsburgh on Thursday morning – it took us about 7-8 hours altogether with stops to get down to Virginia. After stopping at the scenic Bojangles, we were ready for a walk on the beach. We were able to soak up some sun on Friday morning before heading into the first session later that evening. To kick off the camp, East Coast Gold founder Leo Totten and president Phil Sabatini spoke to the group and explained their vision for the weekend. It would consist of various explanations, different complexes, and common errors to work on reasons why most people were missing their lifts. We also went over different warm ups, mobility exercises, visualization training in addition to a full workload of lifting. Several other coaches helped out to work one on one with every athlete. The best part about camp was receiving feedback from every coach – they each had a different eye and a unique way of explaining things. It gave me a new way to identify where I was making mistakes and a new perspective on how to fix it. For me personally, I have a problem with the third pull and transitioning under the bar, my starting position, and my receiving position in the jerk. Each coach worked with my and gave me different cues on how to improve. After the first session was over a bunch of the athletes and coaches met up for dinner and got to know each other! It was awesome to get to build friendships with people that are so passionate about the same thing I am who just want to get better/help others. After a good night’s rest, we got to the gym on Saturday morning for a long day. There were 3 full sessions on Saturday; we had about a 2-hour break in between sessions but we started lifting at 10 and didn’t end until 8. Lots of sweat and snacks later we finally finished all 3 sessions. Saturday night a bunch of the lifters and coaches hung around and had a “Pennsylvania beer tasting”. Phil and Brendan ordered pizza and wings and we all sat around talking, laughing, and tasting only the finest beers of Pennsylvania – Iron City (light and regular), Rolling Rock, Victory, and Yeungling. It was honestly hysterical – everyone got along so well it was like we were already lifelong friends. Although I loved every second of the lifting, hanging out with everyone was one of my favorite parts about camp. Everyone was pretty fatigued by Sunday’s sessions but this was the day we finally got to push the weight more than any other day. We tested power snatches and front squat doubles! Surprisingly, I PRed both lifts even though I thought my hands were going to fall off. Everyone was pretty tired but the atmosphere was so electric that we were all hyped up to keep lifting. At some point or another we all just stopped and watched one person lift and cheered them on. It was so inspiring to see everyone not just hit max percentages but also look so technical while doing it. After a long weekend, camp finally came to an end. It’s hard to put into words how much I learned and how incredible the whole experience was. Everyone who came to camp was so willing to put in the work and implement the feedback despite how fatiguing 6 sessions in 3 days was. Other than that, meeting the team and making friendships was just the icing on the cake. Every athlete got the same kind of treatment from all of the coaches no matter if they were a beginner, intermediate, or elite lifter. I’ve never met a more supportive and passionate group of people until this weekend. So, what’s next? I’m currently training for the American Open Series II in Valley Forge at the end of July along with several other lifters from PFP and ECG. I’m excited to use what I worked on at camp and keep getting better and hopefully hit some new PRs in the near future! If you're interested in joining the best team in the USA email : tom@pittsburghfitnessproject.com Do you prioritize your back?
It’s the leading cause of missed gym time and lifts around the world. Whether you like it or not you will eventually hurt your back again! Here are the facts. Eighty percent of folks experience back pain that keeps them from training. Ninety percent of that group aggravates their back. I’m embarrassed to say that I can count myself in both groups, doubly and I’d bet the farm you could too. In my opinion avoiding being part of either group does not have to be a hard or complicated process. By adding some simple progressions, varying up the exercise prescription, and systematically attacking different regions of your back you can easily make everyday back day. When I talk about attacking different regions of the back, I am talking about the entire trunk, pretty much the frame that your neck, arms and legs are attached to. Think of it as a steel cylinder. In order for that cylinder to be strong each of its parts must be strong. Those parts being the top (thoracic spine), bottom (pelvic floor), front (abdomen), sides (obliques) and back (lower lumbar). The Dead Bug progression below focuses on strengthening and stabilizing the front, or abdomen, while also placing the lower lumber in its happiest place to accomplish most tasks. The Dead Bug, and its variations, are in my opinion the gold standard for all things trunk. If, for the rest of your training life, the training gods, spirits of the woods, iron lords, your gut biome, or whatever you find comfort in believing controls the universe, said you could only do one trunk drill, Dead Bugs would be a safe bet. I picked up Dead Bugs in 2009 while attending the CrossFit Football (CFF) trainers course. In a recent conversation with Tex and Luke, from CFF, I was happily surprised to hear that they are still prioritizing Dead Bugs. I have also discussed Dead Bugs with Zach Long (the Barbell Physio). Check out his dead bug scale ups here. The progression below is where I spend my time when warming up, working my abdomen and I think you should too. No other series of exercises will give you more bang for your buck. I would suggestion doing one of these exercises EVERYDAY for the next month, yes everyday. There are five so you won’t get bored. The other thing you can do for variety’s sake is change up the prescription. Simply alternate working for an accumulation (start with 5 minutes) of time and/or completing a set set number of reps (start with 50). Folks using this sequence as a warm up, try running, biking, rowing or jumping rope to build a sweat on breaks. If those number are too big or too small work with time ranges and reps that allow or 3 to 5 sets. Those folks who have a few minutes post workout can do the same but take out the monostructural work and add some isolation work like dips, curls, pull ups, rows, single leg work, or get ups for sets of 8-12 reps. Those looking to build a complete workout can easily add both. One of my favorite bonus training routines is to accumulate 20 minutes in a hold and alternate between monostructural and isolation work. Gang, training your trunk everyday just takes you, making it a priority. I can guarantee that if you do, you’ll spend more time training and less time laid up! Please, if you like the content in this blog let me know by commenting below or passing it around on your favorite social media sites! For more in depth explanations and videos , check out the original article here : joesbarbell.com/2016/09/01/4809/ Tracy Weaver (53kg Masters) :
Laura Woodward ( 48kg Masters) :
PFP Barbell has had an awesome year so far! We have had over 10 athletes compete for the first time, a ton of PRs, and an a group of lifters who have grown immensely . Our entire team has bought in and supports each other. We have an awesome group of people who train hard, performs well, and has a ton of fun doing it. As I have been looking back at the year so far , I began to think...what makes PFP Special? I have a few thoughts :
Join the PFP Barbell Team! Email: tom@pittsburghftinessproject.com The PFP Barbell club works hard every week to gain strength and improve their lifting technique. This past weekend, several of our athletes competed at Project Lift in Columbus! Although a very hot and sweaty day in a non air-conditioned gym, everyone did incredibly well – a few PRs and 18/20 lifts made for all 4 athletes! Maggie Duer, a weightlifting coach here at PFP – lifting in the 69kg weight class, Ashley Davis competed as a 75kg weightlifter, Derek MacDowell – a 69kg weightlifter, and Maghan Lunsford competed for the first time as a 69kg weightlifter from East Coast Gold weightlifting! First up was Ashley – her first snatch was at 45kg, which she made look easy. She hit her second attempt at 48kg, which looked even stronger than her first! Ashley pushed hard through her final attempt with a good lift at 51kg! Ashley was followed by Maghan who hit the same numbers and also went 3/3 in the snatch. For her first meet, she looked like a seasoned veteran with a great fight to hit all of her lifts. Later on, towards the end of the session came Maggie’s turn. She opened her snatches at 54kg. Her lifts progressed through each attempt, and after making her first lift, her snatches only looked cleaner during her second and third attempts at 57 and 60kg. Great technique earned 3/3 for snatches for Maggie! Next up was Derek to start off the snatch session for the men. He power snatched his first attempt at 47kg. After a 2-minute clock, Derek followed himself with a second attempt at 52. His second snatch attempt got away from him, but he finished strong with his best-looking snatch at a strong 60kg! After a short intermission the athletes were on to their clean and jerk session. First up, Ashley and Maghan! Maghan opened her 1st attempt with a strong 60kg. She easily powered her clean and finished with a crisp hard punch in her jerk. Ashley followed suit with her first attempt also at 60kg, which looked like a piece of cake (or the cookies that decorated her customized weightlifting belt). On Maghan’s second attempt, she fought through to earn a good lift at 64kg. Ashley followed with a strong lift at 65kg. Both ladies had fought hard and were attempting their heaviest lifts of the day. After a hard fight, Maghan pressed out her jerk at 68kg and missed the lift. Ashley gave her final effort at 69kg but also missed her lift. Both Ashley and Maghan went 5/6 for the day! Maghan totaled her first meet at 116. Ashley increased her previous total at 110 to 116 for a 6 kilo PR total! Great job ladies! Nearing the heavier lifts of the session, Maggie opened her first clean and jerk with an easy lift at 70kg. After an even cleaner second attempt at 73kg, Maggie was ready to take her final attempt of the day. So far, she had made all of her lifts and was only just getting started. She smoked her final attempt at 75kg!! This was one of her best technical lifts of the day – smooth and sharp. Maggie finished the day with a PR total at 135 – an 11kg improvement from her previous total. Not only was this Maggie’s first “comeback” meet after a few seasons off, she also won best female lifter! Way to go Maggie!!!! To end the day for PFP, Derek heated things up for his clean and jerk session. He opened with a good lift at 70kg, followed by making his second attempt at 75kg. Derek attempted a PR for his 3rd lift, which was his best looking clean and jerk of the day at 81kg! He went 5/6 in his attempts and ended with a PR clean and jerk and a 133 PR total! Awesome job Derek! Our athletes at PFP continue to inspire and amaze us. Looking forward to our next weightlifting event this weekend so stay tuned! When USAW announced the American Open Series I was a little skeptical. At the time I was coaching a couple lifters , but for the most part my own lifting was far and away my number 1 priority. I had qualified for Nationals every year I competed and didn't "see the point " of holding a meet like this with a lower entry total. To be perfectly honest , as an athlete , I wasn't not big on "participating" , I skipped my first nationals because I wasn't in an A group ( I should have went and gotten the experience ) . It seemed kind of silly to me . All of a sudden people were calling themselves "National Lifters" after competing in an AO Series meet. I just didn't understand.
Then last fall we got a new lifter in our gym. Dom had been coming in to train for about 2 weeks when he informed us that he had signed up for the AO3 in Grand Rapids and all of his friends backed out and he needed some help in the back . Maggie and I jumped at the chance to help. Grand Rapids is a cool city, Dom is a great guy, and we had never coached anyone but me at a bigger competition. I was still skeptical. How would the meet go? What was the point? Then we got there and I finally "got it" . The entire experience was incredible . Dom was in the D group , that was our competition , win his group. I can't remember how he placed, but I do remember the experience. We had to run the back like a national meet . It was fast paced, and we had to really had to be smart with how we ran the back . Most importantly ... it was so much fun! After we got back we were starting to understand the importance of the AO Series , but we still didn't quite" get it". It was really fun though so we encouraged all of our athletes that qualified to sign up for the AO1 at the Arnold in the spring . Link Here:)( www.pfpbarbell.com/blog/pfp-barbell-arnold-classic-recap). We had a similar experience as we did with Dom the first time. Fun , competitive sessions, big meet atmosphere , and high pressure. Afterwards is where the magic happened. Our athletes left the meet INSPIRED. They wanted to get back to the gym and get better. Most of our athletes are new and just qualified for the meet and lifted in the first sessions . These folks were hungry to get better and to make progress. The rest of the weekend they asked how they could get better. Then they got back and got to work! As a gym we have been getting our athletes ready for the AO2 in Philly . For most of them this will be the longest they have trained for a meet. As a coach this will be the longest I have trained athletes for a meet . 20 weeks of hard work and trust in the program, themselves , and their coach . As a new coach coaching new athletes the AO Series give us something to work towards. Not everyone who picks up a barbell is destined for nationals. But it allows us to strive to be better than we were yesterday, gain experience, and make sure we are maximizing our potential . The AO series has helped give our gym a focus, a cause, and a goal that most of our athletes can reasonably attain. Will we develop some national level talent, I am sure! But we will continue to make the AO Series a big freaken deal at PFP Barbell because.. it is ! Not one of our athletes goals and aspirations or more important than another. We want to light a fire in the belly of each athlete that walks into our doors . We will always celebrate and encourage every person, every accomplishment, and every PR , to stoke that fire and to become their best selves. Weightlifting has changed our lives and these events help share those life changing experiences that made us fall in love with the sport. Tom@pittsburghfitnessproject.com
Come train with the best Weightlifting Coaches in Pittsburgh ! Are you an athlete with the Olympic style lifts in your workouts? Are the lifts holding you back in your functional fitness goals? Do you want to learn a new sport where you can compete and thrive ? If you answered yes to any of these questions , PFP Barbell has your solution!
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Click the link below to schedule your first appointment: Get Started or Email: tom@pittsburghfitnessproject.com About Coach Tom :
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PFP BArbellCoaches and Athletes will be contributing to this blog. We will be discussing lifting tips, smashing goals, and much more. Archives
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