27 July’21
Welcome to the seventh edition of my FREE monthly Newsletter on Weightlifting.
Each month I’ll share with you some of my recent discoveries related to health, info from my library and of course a topic on Weightlifting.
I hope everyone has found a method to watch some of the Tokyo Olympics. There’s certainly more coverage of sports. However finding the correct media outlet is definitely a challenge.
Health
Rest -
This modern world has gotten us all working harder and harder with less and less sleep each night.
by definition:
cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.
Humans like most all animals succeed through rhythmic consistency like the phases of the moon and seasons of the planet. Working too hard for too long only burns our life force down to zero very fast. Believe me I’m speaking with personal experience. I come from a linage of folks who taught me to work hard, and if you don’t succeed - work harder!
Instead I encourage everyone to work smarter, not harder.
Working smarter also involves consistent sleep, balanced nutrition and recreation regularly sprinkled into our daily lives. Yes, that work/life balance idea.
NSCA
The National Strength & Conditioning Association held its annual conference earlier this month in Orlando, FL. There were about 850 in attendance and about as many watching presentations remotely. Online we can listen to the same lecture as in-person, but only being there can we engage with our colleagues in the hallways between talks and attend happy hour gatherings meeting new friends.
I began my 2021 conference by picking up credentials, a t-shirt and saying hello to a friend I’ve worked with at many previous events but of course given the COVID conditions, hadn’t seen in-person over two years. Then, of course I ran into one close friend after another. Wow, how nice it is to see everyone in the flesh!
First two gentlemen are coaches I previously worked with and learned from (Leo Totten & Scott Bird). My next appointment was w Boo Schexnayder, the Strength & Track Coach from LSU. Such a blessed opportunity talking w Boo. These kinds of sharing engagements are precisely why I love our profession and attending the conference.
The following morning started with an AM visit to the fitness center - I gotta get my workout done early as these events generally keep me busy all day.
First subject on deck focused on training overhead and rotational athletes. Now working with Track & Field I’ve come to learn how important rotation is for ALL of the event groups I’m responsible to keep healthy and improve how they compete. Second presentation was listening to Boo sharing his experience rehabbing athletes with knee injuries - a tremendously valuable skill set. Mike Israetel’s talk on Hypertrophy vs Strength training was a nice review of the basics.
Juan Carlos Santana was next on my list mostly to visit with an old friend and hear what he’s got to share. Last talk for Thursday was Marie Spano, a leading professional sport RD, educating us on the “straight” facts of animal meat vs plant-based nutrition. I’m a meat eater and glad to hear the research supports my carnivore behavior.
One of my favorite activities at the conference is happy hour and what I call “hallway” conversations. I’m so blessed having the opportunity to sit and listen to stories from Drs. Meg & Mike Stone and so many others. Dr. Mike Stone was being honored for his Lifetime Achievements in the field. I fortunately had the opportunity to join my friends Dr. Kyle Pierce, Harvey Newton and Derrick Crass at the banquet and witness Dr. Stone accept the award.
As a Collegiate Coach I’m now part of the new speciality certification of Registered S&C Coaches. Attending the happy hour I was fortunate to meet and speak with Coach Jerry Palmieri, one of original founding fathers of S&C. Such a huge honor!
Coach Miller’s Library
“Effortless"
Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most
By Greg McKeown
I read “Essentialism” a few months ago and posted my comments in February’s Newsletter.
Aileen turned me onto the concept of Audiobooks. Normally I’m a pretty slow reader, of course I’ve gotten better with more practice. Essentialism took me 3-4 weeks to complete. Last Sunday on a 26 mile bike ride I started “Effortless” and finished just two days later.
Part 1: Effortless State Part 2: Effortless Action Part 3: Effortless Results
Chapters on making it easy, enjoying the process, REST, define your goals, just start, simplify, pace (slow is smooth & smooth is fast), automation and trust. Just to name a few. This is a fantastic companion to his first book on “Essentialism.”
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