Interview with Philippines Weightlifting Olympian Hidilyn Diaz

Credit International Weightlifting Federation

Welcome to the New Year. 2016 isn't just any year, it's an Olympic year. The 31^st Summer Olympic will take place this August in Rio de Janeiro of Brazil. Weightlifting will be one of the many returning sports. For weightlifters, this is their most important competition. Winning an Olympic medal is unlike a medal from any other competition.

Most fans of the sport admire China, Russia, and countries that produce multiple top competitors. As a result, weightlifters from smaller countries may not receive as much attention. But not this time as I had the pleasure of interviewing Philippines weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz: the native of Zamboanga City is a two time, soon to be third, Olympian, and medalist at multiple international competitions. However before I get ahead of myself, let me provide a bit of background to how this came to be.

Before I arrived in Houston for the 2015 IWF Championships, I noticed Papa Yats would be in attendance as well. For those unfamiliar with Papa Yats (or Yatsek), he is a mentor of Hidilyn as well as a coach who provides alternative information about foreign weightlifting training methods and programming on his non-commercial Instagram account. Not only that, he's also involved in fundraising for Filipino weightlifting clubs. He is originally from Poland, has traveled extensively throughout Asia, and now lives in California. His weightlifting philosophy is rooted in Asian and Eastern European methods as he finds them most effective; he is not a believer of American methods.

I contacted Papa Yats to see if I could interview him when I arrived in Houston. He thought it would be more interesting if I interviewed Hidilyn instead. This didn't even occur to me because I assumed athletes would be tired from competition and would want to relax rather than sit down for an interview.

And so on my first night Papa Yats said I could come visit them at Hidilyn's hotel room. As I entered the room, I was greeted by Papa Yats, who introduced me to Hidilyn and members of the Philippines Weightlifting Association - President Roger Dullano and head coach Alfonsito Aldanete. It's at this point I realized I really am an amateur and very new to this sport.

Roger and Alfonsito left the room, leaving Papa Yats, Hidilyn, and myself to sit down and talk. I should mention at this point it was already around 10 o'clock at night and Hidilyn was tired. Also for both of them, English is their second language. Thankfully, Papa Yats knew answers to some of the questions I asked and was able to help Hidilyn if she might have needed clarification.

Overall I believe it was a great conversation. Enjoy.

Recent & Upcoming Competitions

Niel: Welcome to the United States. Congratulations on your performance Hidilyn. How do you feel training reflected in this competition?
Hidilyn: It’s really hard, you have to adjust in weather and jet lag. I could not sweat to drop weight so I cut my hair. We arrived on November 15th and started training on the 16th. I didn’t sweat because it’s so cold here. In the Philippines, I start to sweat even when I would stretch.
Papa Yats: Their gym in the Philippines has open windows where there’s no glass and it’s exposed to the open air where in Manila it’s super hot. There’s no air conditioning or good ventilation. It’s tropical weather over there.
Niel: And the training hall here is kept air conditioned.
Papa Yats: Yeah and it’s kept cold. Today was a little better.
Hidilyn: Then the jet lag – I haven’t slept for days. Yeah for 3 or 4 days then training started. Pangit (Tagalog word): You know pangit? It’s “ugly,” I couldn’t train properly.

Niel: You still did well.
Hidilyn: Yeah, but my goal is 103kg snatch and 123kg clean & jerk. Three weeks before I did a 93kg snatch and a 118kg clean & jerk in training.
Papa Yats: She typically lifts much more in competition than in training. I’m talking about snatching seven plus kilos more in competition than in training. Since she snatched 93kg, that was an indicator she could hit 100-101kg in competition.
Hidilyn: But I also got sick. That’s why my performance dropped for one week. Maybe because I couldn’t sleep I got sick.
Papa Yats: She only did an 85kg snatch the first day she came here (to Houston).

Niel: Hidilyn, how’s your schedule been? You competed at the Southeast Asian Weightlifting Championships in late June, Asians in September, Houston now, and have Rio coming up in 2016.
Papa Yats: Hadie (pet name for Hidilyn) has a competition on December 7^th in Qatar which is about two weeks from now. She already started lifting today (Tuesday) in the training hall for the first time after Sunday’s competition. She took Monday off and today she did very light training. Snatches up to 55kg which is very light. Some good mornings, little military press, side bends for the abdominal muscles, and that’s it. The Qatar Federation is paying for the whole trip and there’s a cash prize which is nice. That’s the goal.

A video posted by Papa Yats (@papayats) on Dec 1, 2015 at 4:51pm PST

Pull with rebend/Panda pull/Chinese Pull

So schedule has been tight. Southeast Asian Games was the original plan and they, Hidilyn and Nestor, weren’t supposed to compete in Asian Championships, but the IWF asked them to compete if they wanted to win individual qualifications for the Olympics. (The Philippines is not going for team qualifications. There is no budget to send that many lifters to international competitions.)

You know the situation. They switched the Asian Championships from June because there was an earthquake in Nepal and it was changed from Nepal to Thailand in September. There was a little bit of change there and the schedule wasn’t exactly set. Her results were practically the same for all three competitions: 213kg for Southeast Asian Championship, 214kg for Asian Championships, and 213kg for World Championships. Basically, she remained in competition cycle from April to November, never had time to go back to basic preparatory cycle. She was unable to increase results.
Hidilyn: It made it hard to recover and control my weight.

2015 Asian Championships

Credit Sportivny Press

Niel: How do you like competing as a 53kg versus a 58kg? Is eating less more comfortable for you?
Hidilyn: I don’t like it.
Papa Yats: She means she doesn't like watching her diet.
Niel: You had to eat a lot to maintain and keep your weight as a 58kg, right? Now you have to watch your weight.
Papa Yats: When I saw the 58kg girls, they’re big now – so masculine!
Hidilyn: They’re so big and strong. Yes, I have to watch my weight, but it’s okay. The best strategy is to lower my weight to compete in a different class. Although I have to eat healthy.
Papa Yats: And the strategy worked.
Niel: Do you eat a lot of Filipino food?
Hidilyn: Yes, everything. I love Korean food, Japanese food, Mexican food, everything. And I love nachos. That’s why it’s hard for me to keep my weight, but I have a nutritionist now who plans my meals. I use to eat healthy food so I’m okay with 53kg now – until Rio.
Papa Yats: Then retirement from lifting.
Hidilyn: I don’t know. It’s really hard. You want to eat with your friends, but then your friends want to eat cakes, milk tea, pizza, and all those kinds of foods. I can’t eat sugar and sweets. Yes it’s hard, but it’s okay. You see I placed in the 53kg.
Papa Yats: Or maybe they’re going to a party or something like a birthday. For instance, she gave me her cheesecake because she couldn’t eat it. She actually brought it to me, because she couldn't decline it from her friends. She actually has chocolate all over the place here (her hotel room). Now it’s different, today is different. Although the Qatar competition is in two week, but maybe you can’t go that bad. (Note from Papa Yats: She went overweight there, and had to lift in 63kg class, because they didn't have a 58kg class. She still won.)
Hidilyn: It’s okay. I already ate chocolate last night so I’m good with that. You want some chocolate?

Papa Yats: Soon she’s going to have to watch her bodyweight again for the Qatar competition. We went for a nice steak dinner today with my friend Jonas (Dr. Westbrook from Two Doctors), but that’s about it. The athlete’s buffet is pretty good downstairs in the dining room.
Hidilyn: The food is good, but it’s the same every day.
Papa Yats: I just want to say in the Philippines, she doesn’t get any extra bonus for winning this. No money involved. She buys her own food. There’s no food fairy that provides food for the high level athlete. She gets some stipend in general from the Filipino Olympic Committee, but it’s not nice like in the United States Olympic Training Center. There are no dining facilities or even a kitchen for the lifters in the Philippines. You have to buy food outside.

In the US, the weightlifters have everything they need to train. At least that's what coach Zygmunt said when he was inviting her over to train in Colorado. Over there they don’t even have air conditioning. They don’t have proper equipment. The gym is falling apart. Niel, you saw the picture of the gym. I mean does it look good?
Hidilyn: You saw how old the plates are?
Papa Yats: Ten years old or more.

Training

Niel: I understand you had some issues with your leg. Has that been getting better and did it affect your performance?
Hidilyn: I don’t like to back squat, but I have special training for the squat. I bounce out of the bottom. I use it so my clean will bounce up when I receive the bar. I squatted heavy weights, but there’s a big bounce at the bottom. It helps a lot for my reaction in the clean, but my squat is still not too good. I don’t know why. The issue isn’t pain, I just don’t have strength for the back squat.
Papa Yats: She doesn’t like the squat exercise so she tries to avoid it.

Arrived in the morning and already in training with @haidie20  I do believe that with a little luck we can squeeze a tiny bronze medal at World Championship in Houston 2015. I say "we" however in all honesty I'm just adding my little brick to the wall... All other lifters left the gym and there's only her and I. Extra work needs to be done. Her biggest weakness is getting up after a heavy clean.  Her leg is injured, and she is doing only minimum of full back squats. We are forced to do different #squat exercises to maintain or even increase strength of her legs (6 weeks only to Asian Championship). Half squat is nothing new, but these here are done with slow tempo and full control, lighter weights, working on feeling deep muscles, glutes, and abdominals. We finished with some electromuscle stimulation for quads (I'm using Compex, but Globus is a good one, too). For the record, I'm not really her #coach, just sort of friend, motivator, and impresario. Beyond certain level, disciplined lifters can really coach themselves, but of course they need that someone to be there with them. Don't be afraid of half squats, but do them for slow muscle building, not for #powerlifting records. When I program, I'm really big on different squat variations, and the results have been convincing to say the least.  #olympicweightlifting #oly #weightlifting #crossfit #usaw #coaching #filipinostrong

A video posted by Papa Yats (@papayats) on Jul 25, 2015 at 8:34am PDT

Niel: You competed in the 2008 Olympics when you were 17. You have more experience now. How does your experience now compare to back then?
Hidilyn: At that time when I was 17, there was no pressure. I didn’t know what the Olympic was or anything. I just went there and was amazed thinking, “Oh, this is the Olympics.” I was able to go because I got a wild card. The Philippines Weightlifting Association didn’t expect anything from me, but sent me for exposure.
Papa Yats: She was happy to be there, but she also had kind of good results too. They don’t give wild cards for nothing.
Hidilyn: Yes. In 2007, they saw that I have potential because I got bronze at the Southeast Asian Games and I was only 16.

Left to right: Hidilyn at Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, and 2015 now

Niel: Training can be very hard mentally. What helps you through hard days?
Hidilyn: I set my mind to compete in Rio. I tell myself this is my third time, it’s my third Olympic Games. I want to win, so if I give up then how will I be able to go there? How can I reach my goal? When I train, I always think “Rio, Rio, Rio” in my mind. I promised myself when I qualify that I have to win any medal. I have to win because it’s my third Olympics.

Weightlifting in the Philippines

Niel: Is weightlifting popular in the Philippines?
Hidilyn: No.
Papa Yats: Filipino weightlifting is more popular here in the US than in the Philippines. I’m sorry to say that she has more fans in America than in the Philippines.
Niel: That seems similar to many countries – there’s no recreational weightlifting. There’s only weightlifting to compete at a high level.
Papa Yats: Yes, there’s no recreational weightlifting.

Niel: Is there a Filipino weightlifting system?
Hidilyn: No.
Papa Yats: It’s everybody for themselves. Of course, their group of Nestor, Hidilyn, Jeffrey, Richard, and Chris train together some times. They’re going to have the same kind of training ideas because they have been training together.
Hidilyn: I’ve trained in China in 2007, 2008, and 2013. In 2007, I trained in Guangzhou for two months and in 2008 and 2013, I trained in Guangxi for three months each.
Papa Yats: Which one did you like better, Guangxi?
Hidilyn: Yes, Guangxi. There was Deng Mengrong, Lu Yong, and a 48kg girl. The place is good. China’s training is good.

Niel: They have a system and schools.
Hidilyn: Yes.
Niel: It’s not like America.
Papa Yats: She’s not familiar with training in America. She sees the videos on the internet, but she doesn’t understand why people would use or teach bad technique. She doesn't understand that you can become a weightlifting coach in one weekend. Obviously I’m not saying it’s everywhere. There are good coaches and systems here, like Coach Zygmunt Smalcerz. He’s doing good things.

Niel: Aside from more medals, what would the Philippines Weightlifting Association like to see happen in the country?
Papa Yats: Right now any kind of bump in popularity and introducing more kids to the sport, but for that you need money for equipment and facilities. It’s not easy, but hopefully with her and Nestor there can be some progress. This is the first time in a long time that the country had any kind of success in weightlifting.
Niel: Speaking of more money, the fundraiser you began passed its goal.
Papa Yats: It’s still not enough, but at least it helps one club. I’m going to set up the next one and I’m going to help Hidilyn's club in her hometown, Zamboanga City. There are many people that want to help, but they don’t know how to help.
Niel: Do you have more ideas in mind?
Papa Yats: Yes, I think everyone who donates will get a copy of Hidilyn's weightlifting program. You can either donate money to my crowdfunding, or donate equipment (shoes, plates, barbells). If you decide to donate equipment, I'll provide you with address of the club in the Philippines to ship it to. That way you can do it your way, and there is no middle man involved.

Short Questions

Niel: What do you like more, the snatch or clean & jerk?
Hidilyn: I love the jerk. But my clean is no good.
Papa Yats: In my opinion, her best lift technically is the jerk. Just the jerk. From the rack I think I saw her a few times do 125kg with good technique. Anything she can clean she can jerk. In the opinion of several foreign coaches, she actually has a better technical jerk than other competitors in her weight class. Actually, the same goes for Nestor.

A successful 117kg jerk by Hidilyn in Houston

Credit International Weightlifting Federation

Niel: If you weren’t in weightlifting, what do you think you would be doing right now?
Hidilyn: I’d have six kids, ha. No, seriously. Six kids – Do, Re, Mi, Pa, So....
Papa Yats: Yeah, a bum no good husband and several kids. Weightlifting helps people grow over there in the Philippines. In many poorer countries, through sport you can finish school. If you look at kids from her neighborhood, who didn’t do any sports, that’s their future: Girls her age with several kids.

Niel: What’s your favorite thing about weightlifting?
Hidilyn: The process and when I struggle in training. When you’re an athlete, you don’t want things to happen so easy. I want to achieve that goal.
Papa Yats: It’s all about the journey, not going to the top.
Hidilyn: Yes, I want it that way.

Niel: What’s your least favorite thing about weightlifting?
Papa Yats: Injury? I don’t know.
Hidilyn: Yes…..and the stretching after training.
*group laughter*
Papa Yats: I think she’s talking about the mandatory partner stretching when you push a little over the limit.

In our quest for new PRs we often tend to 'forget' the importance of mobility and other accessory work, because they do not bring DIRECT results in terms of kilograms.  Southeast Asian Champion @haidie20 being stretched by Southeast Asian medalist, now coach, @jerker_pep  You should be doing this after every session with a partner, use rubber band, wooden Swedish ladder, or another setup. I uploaded longer stretching video to Filipino Strongest Team youtube channel (link in my profile). Please subscribe. #stretching #yoga #olympicweightlifting #crossfit #coaching #oly #weightliftinggirls #olympiclifting

A video posted by Papa Yats (@papayats) on Aug 10, 2015 at 10:06pm PDT

Partner assisted stretching

Hidilyn: After training, I have to stay in the gym to do stretching to prevent injuries, but I don’t like stretching.
Papa Yats: Who likes stretching? No one. I hate stretching, mobility, but of course even I do it almost every day or I try to.
Hidilyn: I had injury before, last year that’s why. Lesson learned. After training I have to stretch and I have to do general preparation exercises

Conclusion

Niel: So to wrap it up, what advice would you give to your younger self?
Hidilyn: Dream big. Do it. Believe in yourself. The thing is, if you dream big, everything is possible. If you want it, you can get it.

Niel: That’s very encouraging. Do you plan on visiting the US again?
Hidilyn: Maybe yes.
Papa Yats: And you need to spend some time with my kids then. You’re going to miss my kids!
Hidilyn: Yes, of course.

Niel: Are there any specific plans for the future we can expect from you? Besides Rio.
Hidilyn: I don’t know yet. Maybe after Rio I’m planning to rest for a while. I want to be some place and I want to explore. I want to relax my mind because for how many years? For 13 years in weightlifting, I don’t even get five days of rest. Only during the holy week, I have only two days rest so I have to enjoy life. I want to see the world and how beautiful it is. Yes, then maybe do some charity work, teach weightlifting to kids.

They asked me why I love to coach weightlifting to people, for me it's two way learning, I learned from them they learned from me!  I want to teach them coz I know someday they will become the future of Philippine weightlifting.  Teaching AJ snatch technique

A video posted by Hidilyn Diaz (@haidie20) on Jan 6, 2016 at 6:44am PST

Niel: Is there anything you would like to say to all your fans out there?
Papa Yats: She doesn’t even know she has fans, but I keep telling her she does.
Hidilyn: Thank you for the prayers, for the support, and for believing in me. Because of them I have the courage to train because sometimes they message me words of support like “You can do it.” I get encouraged by them. Thank you for that.

Post Interview

At this time, Papa Yats and I left to walk around the convention center as well as check out the late night sessions. On our way to the competition hall, we ran into IWF member Aveenash Pandoo (see the previous post), as well as other weightlifters who came to watch the championships, which provided us with additional opportunities to talk more about the sport. For me, this was great. I quickly learned to walk around as much as possible during the rest of my stay and interact with as many people as I could.

Thank you to Hidilyn and Papa Yats for taking the time to sit down with me for this interview. Hidilyn, I wish you much success in 2016 and Rio!

UPDATE #1: She placed 2nd and won the silver medal in the Rio 2016 Olympics!

UPDATE #2: She placed 1st and won the gold medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics! This is the first gold medal to be won by an athlete in the country's history. Be sure to send her congratulations on an excellent performance! Her social media sites are linked down below.

If you enjoyed reading this interview and want to stay updated on Hidilyn's journey, you can follow her and Papa Yats on the following social media sites below.

Hidilyn Diaz

• Facebook

• Instagram

Papa Yats

• Instagram

Related Discussion,

• Doc and Jock podcast featuring Papa Yats

Recap of the 2015 IWF World Championships

During Thanksgiving week this past November, I traveled out to Houston for this year's World Weightlifting Championships. It hasn't been in the United States since the eighties and I couldn't pass up on the chance to go. While I could only be there for three days, it was plenty of time time to take in everything.

This post is more of an interlude before the next one which also relates to the championships. That one will be an interview I had the opportunity of conducting while I was in Houston, but more on that next time.

Here I'm writing about my experience on the trip and that essentially amounts to a bunch of random thoughts. It ends with a compilation of the Instagram posts I did when I came back from Houston. What I won't be doing here is providing an analysis of the competition. That kind of commentary can be found on blogs, podcasts, and eventually Sportivny Press.

Overall
 
There were sessions at all different times of the day, but every session had great lifters to watch. Not only that, but there was always a crowd. For instance, one night on my way to the last session, a coach and his wife went to watch even though athletes from their country weren't in the session. In the competition hall you saw fans, athletes, and coaches watching all the lifters on the platform.

I sat on the far side of the hall. On my first day, I ended up with Enver Turkeleri sitting in front of me, an Azerbaijan coach next to me, Chinese men's head coach Chen Wenbin across the aisle, and the entire Russian and Ukraine team sitting in the rows behind me. It made for interesting observations during the men's 77kg A session. For example, I noticed many of the coaches paid more attention to the scoreboard than the actual lifts happening on the platform. Or when Su Ying missed a jerk, Chen Wenbin immediately demonstrated to the athlete with him the correct movement using only his hands. It was one quick motion and few words.

That moment didn't click in my mind until later that night. It was when Papayats had introduced me to weightlifting coach and IWF education and development commission member Aveenash Pandoo. He gave a lecture earlier that day and said that demonstrating corrections is visually processed faster by the cerebellum rather than explaining it to a person.

Let me say in all the time I've been reading, practicing, and been involved with lifting, that has been the first time I had ever heard that. Saying my mind was blown would be an understatement.

All in all, the atmosphere and venue were great. It also helps immensely if you speak a second language to converse with athletes and coaches. Seeing as how most didn't speak English, it limits the amount of people you can connect with. However if you were able to chat someone up, they were often very friendly.

Random Thoughts and Observations

• While the men's sessions were interesting, I thought the women were more enjoyable to watch. The men had more missed attempts 

• Every time a Russian lifter came out for their attempt, the entire Russian team began to clap. Unfortunately, they were always out of sync

• The Iranian fans win gold for enthusiasm

• Papayats and I were on the elevator with a Korean coach and his athlete and this very same situation happened:
  
  
  
  When Papayats greeted him, I pretty much stood there clueless

• I missed the Indian weightlifters compete! I arrived after they had all competed, but I did get to chat with their 77kg weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam and team physiotherapist

• I also ran into the Two Doctors and Gregor on an elevator ride and managed to get a good laugh out of them. Can't say the same thing for the elevator ride with Zygmunt, but that's because everyone on the elevator stood there quietly when he walked in

The most valuable lesson I came away with from this trip was that there are so many people who know so much more than me. They were some of the best people I had conversations with. Sadly, most people will probably never hear of them because they aren't some Instagram famous person.

Instagram Interviews

If you don't follow me on Instagram, I did quick on-the-spot interviews of athletes and coaches in Houston. It was anyone who would agree to four simple questions: which do they like more snatch or clean & jerk, favorite thing about weightlifting, least favorite thing about weightlifting, and advice they would give themselves.

It provided a bit more substance than just taking pictures, but I didn't plan any of these individuals. The people chosen were based on if I ran into them and they weren't busy. Some people I didn't want to rudely interrupt while others were usually heading somewhere and I didn't want to delay them.

Click on the the person's name to be taken to their full interview. Enjoy!

Dave Luk

A photo posted by Niel Patel (@niel.patel) on Nov 30, 2015 at 10:12am PST

Alex Lee

A photo posted by Niel Patel (@niel.patel) on Dec 1, 2015 at 7:06am PST

George Kobaladze

A photo posted by Niel Patel (@niel.patel) on Dec 3, 2015 at 12:01pm PST

Hani Kanama

A photo posted by Niel Patel (@niel.patel) on Dec 4, 2015 at 10:52am PST

Ruslan Zhabotinsky

A photo posted by Niel Patel (@niel.patel) on Dec 7, 2015 at 9:09am PST

Jared Fleming

A photo posted by Niel Patel (@niel.patel) on Dec 9, 2015 at 7:22am PST

Stretching, Foam Rolling, and the Warm-Up

Dat Polovnikov stretch

Back in November, my friend sent me this wonderful message,

"yo niel

whats good, playa

i was thinking about your blog

and myself

and i was like id love for niel to post on stretching

and foam rolling

what are your thoughts"

Delays aside from writing this, stretching and foam rolling are topics I generally avoid. Over time, I've found there is a ridiculous amount of information on each. Dive into the subjects and be wary of "paralysis by analysis." I'll take it step-by-step, but will only have a superficial discussion without getting into the minute details that are outside my scope. 

First, I'll cover types of stretching and joint mobility, then move on to foam rolling, and wrap it up with application.

Stretching

There are various forms of stretching. I believe the original question was in regards to passive/static stretching. For a set amount of time, a person holds a fixed position - with or without external assistance - to place the muscle into the end range of extension and/or flexion. Often, this is performed before or after a training session in the warm-up/cool down or outside the workout window for recovery or flexibility purposes.

The planted foot is held down to stretch the calf muscles

Usually, static stretching is associated with increased flexibility and was the popular method for of warming up for athletic activities. To some extent, the latter has fallen out of style in favor of dynamic stretching (explained below). In respect to flexibility and muscle lengthening, it's not 100% accurate. Static stretching a muscle won't impose any permanent effect, especially not a substantial change under short durations. The body is a complex system. Inflexibility at one site might be due to an issue elsewhere on the body. For instance, "tight" hamstrings can be due to a combination of the hamstrings and abdominal muscles' weakness in comparison to the strong quadriceps and hip flexors. By strengthening the appropriate muscles, said "tightness" would be reduced without the incorporation of static stretching.

Likewise, becoming proficient at exercises - like the squat - naturally enhances flexibility. Better flexibility improves positions in the exercises (developed ankle and hip mobility = a deeper squat). Progressing on exercises and spending time on them creates a positive feedback increasing your stretch tolerance.

Greg Lehman puts it very well here:

"You will have a greater range of motion after you stretch for a bunch of weeks BUT this does not mean the muscle is less stiff or longer.  Rather, that muscle (more accurately your nervous system/brain) has increased its stretch tolerance.  Your brain and nerves just let you move further."

Also before stretching, it's important to be aware of what is going to stretched. Stretching an area that doesn't need it or has an underlying issue can aggravate it.

I wouldn't write off static stretching altogether. Personally, I've found - and have read elsewhere - that a regular static stretching routine prior to bed improves sleep quality. If you like your static stretching, pre-bedtime might be the time to do it.

Similar to static stretching, dynamic stretching takes the muscles through a range of motion for a prescribed number of repetitions. Dynamic stretching usually involves specific drills which vary according to the training session movements.

Now the static stretch above is 

demonstrated here as a dynamic stretch

Chosen well, dynamic stretches in terms of execution relate better to the upcoming training movements. Dynamic stretching engages more coordination working from simple to complex moves up to the point when training begins.

In a dynamic warm-up, mobility drills overlap with dynamic stretches. Mobility is the amount of available movement at a specific joint. Therefore, ankle mobility means how well the ankle joint can move and an ankle mobility drill is done to improve ankle mobility. It can be measured in degrees, but most individuals can do a general check through an ankle mobility drill such as this:

Poor ankle mobility won't allow your knee to travel close to the wall

Good ankle mobility will allow your knee to get near the wall and 
you can set up further away from the wall to increase the challenge

Later, I'll expand more on how you select what to do for a warm-up. Let's discuss foam rolling first as my recommendations for it overlap with warming up.

Foam Rolling

Foam rolling is a form of self-myofascial release (SMR). "Self" because it's performed by one's own hands with whatever tool of choice versus the myofascial release done by a manual therapist. A manual therapist can use their own hands or a preferred system of myofascial release (e.g., Gratson). The prefix "myo-" means muscle coming from Greek origin while fascia refers to the body's fascia system which is a single continuous fibrous connective tissue system. Therefore, myofascial release is aimed toward working on the body's muscular system and fascial network.

Illustration of superficial fascia

I find myofascial a tricky topic to pin down. The general idea is that over time, fascia becomes "wound" up and it needs to be untangled for optimal functioning or to remedy any muscle-related issues. Adhesions and scar tissue built up from exercise are removed during the release process. Manual therapy is very specific and looks at the individual's posture and restrictions. During an assessment, it focuses in alleviating those issues found and results in better posture and soft tissue. This highlights enough of the basics for the purposes of this post.

Back to the foam roller, I typically see it used before or after the training session. Because it's a form of self-massage, I didn't quite understand the purpose of it in the warm-up. Massages reduce muscular tension and that's good, but I've questioned its effectiveness pre-workout. However, I haven't read anything that says foam rolling before strength training reduces force output or has negative implications.

I've found foam rolling beneficial in the recovery window, especially when combined with static stretching. Recently, John posted this very relevant study:

"Compared to the control group, the foam rolling group experienced “less” muscle soreness.  For example, at 24 hours post the foam rolling group had a muscle soreness level that was almost 550% greater than baseline, but the control group was almost 720% above baseline.  This is consistent up until 48 hours post, where both groups are essentially equal.

Foam rolling reduced twitch force during recovery, increased quadriceps and hamstring range of motion during recovery, reduced rate of force development compared to the control group (which slowed it down), foam rolling increased vertical jump height during recovery."

If you're not fond of using it before you train, foam rolling as a cool down may yield benefits.

After my initial experience with foam rolling, I was skeptical about its effectiveness. I never saw any changes from it except my muscles turn painful and tender which did not cause any previous discomfort. This with the ENORMOUS market for SMR products - there's an array of outlandish rollers and tools available for purchase - I saw it as hype.

While commonly done with a foam roller, their are other SMR tools available such as the Theracane.

Albeit, I don't know anyone who enjoys it as much as this guy.

Contrary to how I sound, it does have its advantage in the warm-up. I realized it when I worked with someone who had terrible mobility. They weren't strong enough to support themselves on the roller and use it. Fortunately, I thought of an alternative. I had them lie face down while I firmly rolled a medicine ball on their calves. We then proceeded to a few ankle drills to improve their mobility. This was an instance where foam rolling proved to be very valuable. This finally brings me to.....

Use & Application

I like training to be specific to the individual. When it comes to the warm-up protocol, I adhere to a similar thought process. Stretching and foam rolling need to be individualized to the person and training session.

Take into consideration a person's skill level. Someone untrained can't grab a foam roller and go at it. As I mentioned, individuals who don't participate in regular activity may be unable to support themselves on the roller, let alone use it. If stretching is not necessary or, even worse, someone has hypermobility, it can create joint issues. Inappropriately employed, stretching and foam rolling can worsen problems. I've come across forums when a user will ask for suggestions on treating an injury. Frequently, I've read the suggestions of others was to, "roll out or stretch the area." This advice doesn't take into account the injury. It's akin to hitting a TV remote because it stopped changing channels - aimless. Maybe the batteries are dead, something's blocking the receiver, an internal component is broken, or it could be a number of other things.

This is one reason why assessment-based practices work well - various forms of manual therapy, Z-Health, biofeedback, and so on and so forth, individualize their treatments. During the assessment, data is collected based on the client' muscular characteristics. That data in turn helps prescribe the movements for their plan to optimize performance.

The same thought process should go into the warm-up. Make it specific. Any of the above methods can be combined and used. When applied together, it can be a great warm-up. To give some direction, I'd suggest it in this order,

• Foam Rolling

• Static Stretches

• Dynamic Stretches/Mobility Drills

*If preferred, foam rolling and static stretching can be done post workout in the cool down instead.

Before or after the session, foam roll the trained muscles. In the warm-up, perform quick passes on the muscles, but reserve the slower deeper rolling for the cool down. Avoid going over joints and connective tissues (like the IT band). More importantly when doing SMR, pain is NOT a positive indicator. Pain tells the brain something is wrong and to induce pain is not the objective. Accordingly shift your weight on the roller to adjust pressure on your muscles. If it feels too hard and hurts, ease off of it.

For a general dynamic warm-up, you can consider giving attention to these areas:

Lower Body

• Ankles

• Hips

• Glutes

• Asymmetrical/Single Leg Movement

• 2-3 Training Session Related Exercises

Upper Body

• Wrists

• Elbows

• Shoulders (Glenohumeral Joint)

• Shoulder Blades (Scapulae)

• Upper Back

• Asymmetrical/Single Arm Movement

• 2-3 Training Session Related Exercises

For example,

Lower Body: Main Exercise - Deadlift

• Wall Ankle Mobilization

• Hurdle Step Over [hip mobility + single leg drill + coordination/balance]

• Thoracic Spine Extension

• Light Good Morning

• Single Leg Deadlift

Upper Body: Main Exercises - Pull-Up & Overhead Press

• Overhead Band Pull Apart

• Shoulder Dislocation

• Reverse Curl

• Lu Raises

• Lat-Pulldown

• Light Behind the Neck Press

- Total time for everything (foam rolling & drills) = No more than 10 minutes max

Ultimately, you can warm-up however you choose to and include/exclude whatever you wish. For example, there are lifters who warm-up with their training session's exercises. They start with light sets and gradually work up to their working sets. When it comes to warming up - and lifting - there is no "one size fits all." Rather, it comes down to the way that works best for you and your goals.

When asked a question in weightlifting, "it depends" is a very common answer. But, in the end it really does depend - specifically, on the day's session and your own training levels. Neither stretching nor foam rolling are inherently good or bad. If they are used erratically, they can be both. It instead revolves around individualizing them to your own personal needs. Utilize a variety of movements that relate to the training session. It can be a mix of stretches and mobility drills. What is perfect for one person, can be pointless or detrimental for another trainee.

Examined in depth, the warm-up and its associated activities can appear complex. Understanding a few fundamentals clears up the subject.

But the bottom line? Do a warm-up!

Further Reading,

• Does Foam Rolling Work? by Anoop Balachandran
• Joint Warm-Ups by Weightlifting Coaches [Videos to the other coaches are linked in the page]
• Stretching by Mike Robertson
• Warm-Up Discussion and Q&A by Mike Robertson

Related articles,

• Programming Guidelines
• Program Questions
• Warming Up in the Cold

The Best Exercise?

The barbell is my main go-to piece of equipment

One of the most common questions I come across tends to be "Is this program/exercise okay?" or the other version "What's the best program/exercise to do for such and such?" Often the person expects a straightforward answer but that's rarely the case.

Right off the bat I'll state that I believe resistance training and power-based movements are the best. The key is to excel and be proficient at them. Stick with it long enough and you'll become incredibly strong. Yoga, kettlebells, strongman/woman, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, bouldering, grip & hand strength, and similar sports fall under this category of strength and power.

Back to the topic at hand, when the question does pop up the most sensible reply to give to the person is "It depends." It doesn't depend on the program or exercise but instead the individual's situation and their personal characteristics.

In the grand scheme of fitness, programs and exercises being "good" or "bad" is a trivial matter. It all depends on their use and the trainee. When you hear someone deem something as bad that's plain silly. Very few exercises are inherently bad. And just like coaching cues aren't absolute neither are exercises themselves. It all depends on the person and whether or not they are suited for it.

There is no "best." Although find the right coach and they can design you one hell of a program. (Carter Schoffer and Mike Robertson come to mind.)

Typically I'll tell a person the best routine or exercise is the one that hits on the following points,

• It complements your schedule.

• You stay consistent with it.

• It produces results without causing pain or discomfort and addresses weaknesses and/or postural problems.

• And most importantly, YOU ENJOY IT!

Successfully adopting the plan to your daily life is a big factor. Fail to do that much and it doesn't matter how good the program is if you aren't doing it.

And while I like to understand the structure and logic to programs, sometimes it's not necessary to have logic or explanations for everything. I learned this when I was reading Jamie Lewis' post where he discusses how he does partial squats with a ton of weight. It lead me to ask him why he does them. His answer, "Because I can."

I'm sure that sounds fairly obvious to all of you but you would be surprised at how some people design their training.

It outlines the significance of understanding your self when you exercise. Based on your own experiences, you have more than enough authority to decide what you want to do. I only say you should enjoy it above all else. If it causes pain or you don't like it, then it might be worth reconsidering why you do that particular movement or program.

When deciding what's best for yourself, reflect on Franco's Columbu's words, "If it works, it works, no matter what anybody says."

Other posts in this series,

• Part 2: Bad Exercise
• Part 3: Creating Exercise

Related articles,

• Programming Cardio
• Programming Guidelines
• Progressions
• Training Program or Philosophy?

The Bench Press Made Easy

Konstantin Konstantinovs
knows how to bench.

A friend asked if I would do a video on proper bench press form or recommend one to him. I had the intention of creating a video but thought why not make a blog post.

It's up to the lifter's discretion on whether the bench press is simple or complex. Let's take it step-by-step.

Gripping the Bar

I've mentioned it before: position the bar near the palm and base of the thumb. Keeping the bar high in the hand tends to have the wrists cock backwards diminishing force output. Keep the wrists straight. However if the wrists are still lax, squeeze the hell out of the bar and try to pull it apart.

Secondly, to measure from the barbell's knurling (non-smooth part) with the thumbs never made sense to me. My friend taught me to practice the benching motion with my hands. Perform reps with only your hands and see where they align on the bar. Let that determine where to grab it then adjust if necessary.

Set-Up

The head, upper back, and glutes are in contact with the bench. As a result a space is created between the arching of the low back and the bench.

The further you can plant your feet towards your hips the better. Because flexibility issues vary person-to-person choose a stance that doesn't put any strain on you. For higher set benches or individuals with shorter legs, feel free to place something under each foot if you can't firmly ground them. A weight plate is the easiest to use, but aerobics platforms or hexagonal dumbbells work well too.

Execution

In 4 points:

1. Drive/shove your feet through the floor.
   
   
2. Pull your shoulder blades together and scrunch up your back like so,
   
   
   
3. Keep your elbows close to your body and pull the bar down under your nipples or above the windpipe.
   
   
   Aim for the blue line or slightly lower.
   
   
4. After the bar touches your body press it up.

Other Tidbits

• Have someone help you unrack the bar. They should help move it out, NOT UP and out. This allows you to keep the back tight and saves your shoulders from pressing in an awkward position.
  

• The "suicide" grip is a thumbless grip. Some lifters swear it's a stronger pressing grip but run the risk of the barbell falling on the individual. The only justification I found for it is certain folks claim it relieves pain from past elbow issues.

• For beginners the bench press is a poor pec developer because the shoulders and triceps bear the brunt of the work. Substituting in dumbbells is a better alternative for hypertrophy.

• The incline variation shifts an emphasis onto the shoulders whereas the decline reduces it and shortens the range-of-motion. Additionally, the incline or decline doesn't need to be a significant angle change. The fixed incline benches are an example of too much of an incline (45 degree angle).

Personal Take

I bench press on and off, but for the majority of the year it's very little. Rather I utilize a variation of it or another horizontal press. In my first year of lifting DB pressing and flies were my main chest exercises. Since the latter began to irritate my shoulder I decided to drop it.

I enjoy bench pressing but I just don't do it often. It's as simple as that.

And that's the bench press. Not too complicated, right?

Further reading for a more comprehensive approach,

• Upper Back Warm-Up Drills
  
• Efficiently Using the Back
  
• The Barbell Row: The Bench Press's Opposite
  

Exercising Around Injury

When I browse forums, every now and then users tend to ask similar questions. The most popular question is "How do I lose fat or bulk up?" but the other is "I injured so and so, how do I continue exercising?"

The answer: You don't continue to exercise. If a person's sustained an injury where the only remedy is rest then you should rest!

It's hardly rocket science or the most profound advice, but it's pretty damn important. I find it odd when someone attempts to tip toe around their injury to still exercise.

No one likes to not exercise nor does anyone like to be told not to exercise. You run the risk of worsening your current injury if you try to exercise.

Some exercises can be done pain free, but why bother? Is it so bad to take time off? Are you that addicted to your routine? Will you suddenly gain 100 lbs? Will you become so weak you won't be able to rebuild your strength?

IS THE WORLD GOING TO END?

Probably not.

Troubleshooting the Squat

Either she's doing a front squat

or she just cleaned the weight.

Mimi commented on Friday's post asking,

"That girl's squat was hardcore. Any tips for getting that low? It's embarassing, but I have to fight to just get parallel, even with a lighter weight."

Originally, I thought what could be the issue. The more I thought about it the more I realized the amount of factors that have to be taken into account. I'm better at an in-person evaluation due to the fact I can examine a few reps, change variable X, see a few more reps, and repeat until there's marked improvement.

What I'm going to resort to is what my History professor called the shotgun technique. It's where all of us wrote as much information - or anything we remembered from the class - for our exams in hopes of getting something right. Hence the name "shotgun."

We'll be focusing on the low bar positioned back squat in 2 respects: set-up & execution followed by troubleshooting problem-causing areas.

Set-up & execution

A bad set-up can hinder performance and the ability to produce solid reps. I'll be brief with this since there are quite a number of articles on the subject.

First and foremost before you even get under the bar, you need to tighten your entire upper back. This means pulling your scapulae - shoulder blades - together hard. This can be done by moving your arms back and bringing in your elbows close to your torso & glutes.

The end pose will have your chest sticking out, elbows pointed down to the floor, hands near shoulders, and your forearms curled in from the sides towards your armpits*. How close your hands get to your shoulders will depend on how good your shoulder mobility is. For this reason, it's advantageous to incorporate scapular wall slides in your dynamic warm-up.

Another good example here. Notice
how he's pulling his elbows in and down.

The end result is a "shelf" created by your trap muscles for the bar to rest on, indicated by the red line:

This image is used to describe the bench press, but you get the idea.
The elbows should be closer to the waist if this were a back squat.

With upper body tightened up, you're ready to get under the bar. Fit the bar to rest on your trapezius shelf and lift it upright. Now what?

With a stance roughly shoulder-width and toes slightly flared outwards, you're ready to squat. I always say break or hinge at the hips, but apparently no one knows what I mean by that. So think of it like this. Imagine someone with a disgustingly gross hand comes-a-reaching at your crotch and you want to avoid it - and for the sake of this cue you can't move side-to-side smart asses.

Squatting straight down a bit or bending at the low back doesn't really move your pelvis away from the creeper. However, pushing your hips backwards does. This is what I mean by "breaking" at the hips.

After you initiate the movement, squat as low as comfortably possible. If your lower back begins to round or you feel pain then that's where you stop. When you descend (the eccentric portion), don't simply drop down, but instead have control and keep muscular tension. The speed itself doesn't necessarily have to be slow or explosive. Rather, just work hard on moving the weight as efficiently as possible.

To squat back up, push through the back of your feet and lock your hips out by squeezing your glutes hard (example here, notice how his butt isn't protruding after each rep). Also "push" your legs outwards to the side. This keeps your legs from caving in on each other.

The last thing I'll mention is where you should think about pushing through your feet. I tend to say the back and outsides of the foot. The back because you won't end up on your toes and rounding your lower back. The outsides to effectively push your legs out to the sides. To be more specific, here:

Blue indicates where to focus driving through your feet.
And my paint skills ain't no joke.

Alright maybe that wasn't a brief description, but it definitely was thorough. That about covers the basics so let's move on to the second half.

Troubleshooting

There can be a couple of issues preventing you from getting a deep squat. I'll go through them one-by-one in order of easiest to try out. Try each with either your own bodyweight, an empty barbell, or some light weight on the bar.

Shoes

• What's your footwear like? You tend to want a flat shoe to be able to lift on an even surface. Running shoes are the least ideal. They're very soft and cushioned making it feel like you're pushing your feet into a mattress. It fights your push back.

• Solution: Either squat barefoot or go for the cheapest gym-friendly alternative to purchase - a pair of low top Converse. Last I recall they run around $40. There are cheaper shoes, but I doubt your gym would allow them. (ballet slippers & cotton martial arts slippers)

Ankle mobility

• Grab either two 5, 2.5, or 1.25 lb. plates. 2.5 is right in the middle so if that's available grab those first, but if not the 5's will suffice. Set-up like you normally would squat, but this time put each heel on top of one the plates. Now squat.
• Has your depth improved? If so, your ankle mobility is restricting your squat.

• Solution: Rocking ankle mobilizations - 1 set of 4-6 reps for a full one-thousandth count (he goes for 2 in the video) to start with if your ankle mobility is poor. When you become more proficient you can do 2 sets or 8 reps. After that, it's best to move on to a more challenging drill. You can continue to squat using plates as your mobility improves. Choose smaller plates every 4 weeks until you can squat without them.
  

Drill A is the one I referred to.
Hey look at that, Converse!

Hip flexors

• Christine already recommended stretching the hip flexors. Sitting for long periods leaves them in a flexed position and as a result they become tight. We want to lengthen them to allow ourselves to stay as upright as possible during the squat. Their tightness contributes to use of lumbar spine throughout the movement.

• Solution: Lunge stretch - Simply go into a long stride lunge and with the side of the leading leg, push your pelvic bone forward while squeezing the glute of that side and hold for 15s. Repeat for the other side.

You can simply hold the position for 15s per side instead of multiple reps.
Hey check it out, Converse again!

Hip Mobility

• Poor hip mobility in the bottom position of the squat is another problem. If your body's not able to go that far down it can be practiced outside of squatting.

• Solution: Kneeling rockbacks - Keep your torso parallel to the ground and use your arms to push back as far as possible. Don't let your lower back round and don't aggressively force the stretch more than you should.

Lance demonstrating the starting position.

Core Strength

• If your abs aren't strong enough then you'll lose rigidity in your torso and lean forward.

• Solution: The planks progression I outlined here is a great start.
  

And that folks is me shotgunning the squat. Hope that helps Mimi.

In the words of Boris Bachmann, good squatting!

Further reads & resources:

• Mike Roberton's 10 Tips for Flawless Squattin' & 6 Tricks for a Sexy Squat
• Bret Contreras analyzes faulty squat assumptions here.
• Boris's Youtube squat tutorial series.
• Krista Scott-Dixon's Learning the Squat [1, 2, 3, 4] & Squat Progressions
  

*If you flail your hands around you look like a retarded T-rex.