Oh look, a BLOG!

Hey y’all, here’s blog post number one and its on weightlifting, something that is very near and dear to my heart. It’s going to read like a story because honestly, that’s how I talk, but I think this is fun and we all have to start somewhere when there’s something new to begin, even blogging!

I was at the gym the other day in the OLY (Olympic) room, I mean, most days you will find me in there because that is where one goes to do work IMO. Any-hoo, I was doing some squats and was zoning out very well and staying focused on timing, work, breath, bracing and movement, when someone approached and broke that focus. It was this girl, early 20’s who was just beginning her journey into weights. She was complimenting the amount of weight I had and was talking about her goals. This is my favorite kind of person to talk to, the kind of person who wants to be better for the sake of being better and taking the time to do it. So, we chatted about how long I have been lifting and what could she do to improve her chances of being super strong like me. I noticed she was training with/being trained by a guy (of their relationship to each other, I’m uncertain), he is also early 20s and has been training for a body-building competition. I asked them if they had gone over bracing of the core/abdomen to make a strong spine for the movement. He mentioned that he tried explaining it to her but that He noted she didn’t understand which is why he was spotting each rep and touching the bar (was holding 135Lbs at the moment). I asked her to squat the weight to get an idea of where her ability was at, I am glad I was there. She could not squat the 135 unassisted on descent or ascent. So, we broke it down to be 65Lbs, this is where she was comfortable un-racking and holding the weight. After going over bracing techniques without weight, I had her un-rack the bar, cued her to brace and instructed the squat. She did so amazingly well! With this reduction of weight and focus on form, it was easier to see where her true weakness was, and it allowed us to go over accessory exercises for even more improvement.

The bracing cues used were both physical and verbal:

1. I had her stand up tall and with permission, I placed one hand on her abdomen and the other on the small of her back.

2. She was then instructed to push my hands apart, but not to hold her breath.

3. I then had her hold that space while talking with her, ensuring that she did not need the physical stimuli again.

4. She then was allowed to un-rack the weight; I cued verbally to brace and drive her knees forward.

5. This resulted in a much more stable squat where she felt stronger in her legs than previously, though her drive and control are still lacking which highlighted some adductor weakness.

6. **She asked why making that sort of abdominal push was important, so I demonstrated “pulling the belly button to spine”, which showed her how weight placement changes with spinal tension. You want the weight to stay as close to midline as possible because that is how the human body is designed to carry weight.

The purpose of writing this story is to inspire a weight lifting start, it doesn’t matter how heavy your weight is, it doesn’t matter if you’re at a globo/commercial gym or a lifting specific gym. Keep your focus on the big picture: create the habit. Create the habit on getting there consistently. Create the habit on nutrition. Create the habit of moving the small weight with intention. Create the habit of giving a damn about your body. Weight is a number; it is arbitrary and abstract. The weight on the bar if moved poorly means nothing if it injures you. How much you weigh is also arbitrary. Do you know how your weight is distributed? The knowledge of the distribution creates a better space for goal setting, and you want to skew it in favor of lean skeletal muscle mass. Much of this is transformed through the gold standard of diet and exercise. The chiropractic adjustment can help keep you energized and feeling good to stick with a fitness program! Its one of my passions and I'd love to help!