Dutch Lowy

A couple months ago i was in the Chiropractors office complaining about “something funny” going on in my thoracic spine. I know i know its not the most technical description but he hears this all the time and as i was showing him what hurt and how i did it, he simply smiled and nodded his head.
As he got his hands on me and started to probe he asked me a seemingly strange question: “Have you had any intestinal issues lately?” My immediate answer was, “no, not that i can think of.” He poked and prodded a bit more and put me through the death stretch where it feels like he is going to rip your head off and sent me on my way with his usual cheer.

While i was getting in my car i started to think more about the last couple days of training and eating and if i had any intestinal issues… I had, and pretty severe. I won’t go into details but it was one of those days were you get out of bed, then get back in bed, and repeat a couple times till the world comes back into focus. I simply can’t handle the booze like i did in college. That day i vomited twice and was not normal till after 6pm that evening.
That was Sunday and my meeting with Dr. Dan was on Wednesday after i had hurt my back training on monday.

Ok, here is what i am trying to get at. The reasons we take care of our bodies as athletes is driven towards performance. Do i understand the link between intestinal issues and thoracic spine issues? Kinda. Its a spinal reflex from the stressed stomach but more importantly it taught me that i can’t trash one part of my body and expect the rest of it to perform at normal capacity. Simply understand that we are not many pieces functioning together (much like modern MDs treat) rather one big machine working, hopefully, in harmony.

…You make the Iron!
This is what was flopping around in my head right before i went out for a 135 kg clean and jerk in the TX state championships this past weekend. As i was standing at the chalk bucket i asked the girl at was keeping the board if she had any advice. “The Iron doesn’t make you, You make the Iron.” For someone walking onto the platform this is a great bit of advice and really helped me focus for that lift.

I have found that for me, if i am thinking of something other than the task i am about to perform, i tend to perform better. I remember singing a certain song in my head during a specific game that i played really well in but can’t remember the details of the game. So for me if i am prepared for something and can displace my apprehension about something then i tend to perform better.

Let me caution you that this is certainly an individual preference. If you perform better when you are very emotionally present in the task you are trying to perform then don’t listen to what works for me.

So, it turns out that no matter how poorly i treat you guys, you keep coming back. Its interesting to me how my traffic is still up even though activity on my end has been, well non-existent. Thank you for the support. I won’t lie to you again and promise anything like 2 posts a week but i will get back on the horse and write a bit more.

When I have nothing to say, i just post videos… Enjoy!

So we made it through a 6, 8 , 10 or even 12 week training cycle… Now what?

We need to re-test you. Whether this is a planned competition or a weeks worth of testing you should be ready to give your all to prove the work you have done has gotten you to your goals.

Structure this in a way that you will be as fresh as possible which usually means taking a week or a couple days to taper your training. Following the taper set the environment to help you succeed. For me that is dreaming about being successful and allowing myself to be placed in a positive atmosphere where success is awarded. I do well in competitions so thats where i do most of my testing.

Competitions are not necessary so don;t feel that you have to compete to hit goals. I do however recognize the value in competing and suggest it to all my clients. It is fun to work towards something and have a final point in which to express your training.

Now, Go train and let me know how things progress!!

Whether its lack of time, work getting crazy, getting a dog or just getting a little tweaked from a hard session, things creep up and slow down our training. I am a huge proponent of allowing the body to heal itself when these little things pop up. SOMETIMES its best to train through the little aches and pains and sometimes its best to know when you need a real break. This decision is ultimately up to you and your coach.

If something does come up that forces you to miss some training days, my suggestion is to sit down and determine what you missed that was crucial to your program and try to fit that into a modified plan. Here is when a coach comes in handy. Provided you have trust in your coach you should just be able to say,”hey coach, i got sick and missed a couple days, what should i do moving forward?”
Your coach should have something witty and motivating to say to get you back on track.

You must realize that its not the end of the world to miss a couple days and also realize that getting back to training even after 2 days off will not be fun. Once you are back into a routine things should level out and you will be back on track to hit your goals!