Saturday May 23rd
10:30 am-2:30 pm

Crossfit Southbay
15711 Condon Av. #A3
Lawndale, CA. 90260

Pulling a barbell from the floor, along with squatting, is one the best ways to develop overall brute strength. It is also pivotal in learning how to do the Olympic lifts properly. However, most people are unable to properly pull a bar from the floor.

Spend the morning with world renowned Strength Coach and former USA Weightlifting National team member Sean Waxman of Pure Strength as he walks you through the progressions that will dramatically improve your Conventional Deadlift, Sumo Dead Lift, Clean Dead Lift, and Snatch Dead Lift.

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Saturday April 25th
10:30 am – 2:30 pm

Crossfit Southbay
15711 Condon Av. #A3
Lawndale, CA. 90260

Squatting, often called the “King of all exercises” is one of the most effective and efficient ways to build overall strength and stability in the body. However the squat is often performed incorrectly, thereby limiting its effectiveness and greatly increasing the chance of injury.
Spend the morning with world renowned Strength Coach and former USA Weightlifting National team member Sean Waxman of Pure Strength as he walks you through the progressions that will dramatically improve your Back Squat, Front Squat, Split Squat, and Lunge.

Click here to register

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Saturday June 20th
10:30 am – 2:30 pm

Crossfit Southbay
15711 Condon Av. #A3
Lawndale, CA. 90260

Lifting a barbell overhead is the best way to develop functional upper body strength. It is also a key component in complete torso development. However overhead lifting is often performed incorrectly, resulting in an increase of shoulder and lower back problems.
Spend the morning with world renowned Strength Coach and former USA Weightlifting National team member Sean Waxman of Pure Strength as he walks you through the progressions that will dramatically improve your Press (front and back), Push Press, Push Jerk, and Overhead Squat.

Click here to register

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Using Supportive Gear

The Problem

There is an age-old argument at every gym; to wrap or not to wrap. You will find equally passionate arguments on either side; However, I am here to help stop this argument in its tracks.
Using supportive gear has gotten out of control. I have seen people walking into the gym with their belts already on. If they weren’t outside lifting cars then the belt should have been in the bag!
I am not saying you should never use supportive gear, I am saying there is an appropriate time and a place for its use.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make, especially as a beginning lifter, is relying on belts, straps, and wraps. Although using them could initially raise your poundage, you could be hampering your performance down the road.
Supportive gear hampers the development of the structural support mechanisms of the body such as the ligaments, tendons, and the smaller support muscles of the joints especially the knees and back. If you use gear too often you will create an imbalance in your muscular development and greatly increase your susceptibility to joint and muscular injury. The supports do the job your body is supposed to do. The larger primary movers will get strong but the tendon the muscles are attached to, as well as the ligaments that hold your joints together, will not respond at the same rate. You will get to the point of having to don a belt and wraps for your warm-ups because you feel weak without them. Never mind lifting weights, what about real life? How are you going to lift groceries out of your car or your child in to a car seat? Are you going to take a couple of minutes and wrap up? This is an issue that has ramifications far beyond the gym.

The Solution

The first thing you can do to break your equipment addiction is decrease the amount of weight you are lifting by 10% to 20%. I know that is blasphemy however; some times you have to take one step back before you can take a giant leap forward.
Now that you are using lighter weight, there are two things you can focus on, proper technique and full range of motion. Making sure you are doing the exercise properly, assures that you are getting maximum muscular involvement. Doing an exercise in a full range of motion assures that your connective tissue is getting the work it needs in order to get strong. Connective tissue,(ligaments and tendons), get stronger when you stretch them under load. This happens when you perform an exercise in a full range.
Training this way will make your body strong all over, with no weak links.

Conclusion

Don’t burn your belt just yet. As I mentioned earlier, there is a correct time and method to using supportive gear. I like to follow these parameters:

1. A minimum of three years of serious training
2. Intensity range of 90%-100%+ (if you are doing 10 reps, then you are not in the 90%-100%+ range)
3. Rep range of 1-3 repetitions.
4. Only with squats, deadlifts, pressing movements and the Olympic lifts.

Once you have met those parameters, feel free to start using your gear. Here is some simple advice to help you get the most out of your equipment.

5. Knee wraps
a. Use standard wraps found at any sporting goods store. Gold line or Red Line triple thick wraps are unnecessary unless you are squatting three times body weight or more.
b. Do not wrap directly over your kneecap. This will prohibit your kneecap from tracking properly and cause knee irritation.
c. When your knees are wrapped properly, you will feel a nice spring out of the bottom of the squat.

6. Wrist wraps
a. I don’t like the standard wrist wraps found at the stores; they are usually too short. I prefer using knee wraps; cut in half or quarters (depending on your preference). Have the cut ends hemmed so they don’t fray. These will provide the wrist stability you will need for the heaviest pressing movements.

7. Belts
a. Use a four-inch all leather belt with a metal buckle. This will last forever. The six inch and above sizes do not provide any more protection and are cumbersome.
b. A belt will provide you with the increased intra-abdominal you will need to handle those big squats and deadlifts.

–
Sean
Pure Strength

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If you step foot in almost any gym across America, including most high schools, universities, and professional sport teams, you will see exercise technique so wretched it will make your eyes hurt. So this brings us back to the original question; is good technique really important? If you ask the coaches doing the teaching they would most likely tell you “Of course it is.” Then they will proceed to tell you that everybody in here has a degree and is a trained professional. Anybody who manages a McDonalds and graduates from Hamburger U is a trained professional. It doesn’t mean I want him teaching me how to lift a barbell properly.

Generally most coaches learn technique from a book, magazine, or other unqualified coaches. The information they are getting is often convoluted and disseminated by people who have spent their lives in a state of atrophy, or even worse physical therapy. They then pass this “knowledge” on to you. It would be difficult to learn how to tie your shoes under these circumstances let alone a complex movement such as the snatch.

It’s Not Just What You Do, Its How You Do It.

I have trained in gyms and weight rooms across America for the past twenty-five years and I have come to one conclusion. Most trainers and strength coaches haven’t a clue as to what efficient technique looks like. I’m just talking about basic exercises; squat, bench, RDL, etc. I am not even talking about the Olympic lifts! Rounded backs, partial range of motion, improper bar trajectory, twisting torsos, and shifting hips are just a small sampling of the assault that my eyes have endured over the years. It is only getting worse.
Because strength and conditioning or “sports specific training” has exploded over the last fifteen to twenty years, there is a shortage of “certified” (and I use that term loosely) strength coaches. People have recognized this shortage and rushed out to create companies that for a price will certify anybody. Some companies require a four-year degree while others just require a heartbeat. However, both will give you a certificate proclaiming you as a certified professional.
It requires much more than book knowledge and a four year degree to become a highly qualified coach. It takes years of “lab” time. When I wanted to become a strength coach I sought out the best mentors I could find. I transferred to Cortland State because they had the best Physical Education program in the country. After graduating, I packed up my car and drove from New York to California and enrolled at Long Beach State’s Masters Program because Hall of Fame Strength and Conditioning Coach Dr. John Garhammer was teaching there. He is one of the top sport biomechanists in the world. I showed up at Van Nuys High School to learn how to be a weightlifter because that’s where Hall of Fame Weightlifting coach Bob Takano was training Olympic weightlifters.
I made a conscious decision 15 years ago to be a strength coach. I realized there is only so much you can learn from a book. If you truly want to learn how to do something properly, you need to get your hands dirty and sweat. There is no easy way, and there is no substitute for experience.

Yes, Efficient Technique is Important!

Why is technique important? Simply stated, performing exercises properly insures that you will receive the results the exercises are supposed to provide. Make no mistake, there is a right way and a wrong way to lift weights!
I feel better now, except my knee is a little sore from stepping up on this soapbox.

–
Sean
Pure Strength

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