After all, does a soft, neoprene knee sleeve have any effect over a squat, a snatch or a clean and jerk? A good orthopedist will positively tell you: from a mechanical point of view, NO. A knee sleeve offers no mechanical support. This is why it is allowed in raw (or unequipped) powerlifting competitions. A […]
Knee sleves: what we know and what we don’t Read More »
‘- Young man, would you care to explain to me why you are lifting those weights – Sure ma’am, no problem: this is an autotelic activity, which means those who engage in it do so motivated by a self-referenced end. In other words, the purpose of lifting is itself. Did that help? – A little
What a true reply to a layman to the question about why we lift would look like Read More »
There is some evidence from the literature concerning widespread pain and local soreness caused by inactivity. Whether these have any physiological relation with the inactivity soreness athletes feel when a few days to some weeks without training is unclear.
The revenge of the machines Read More »
GRATITUDE. What does it have to do with powerlifting or high performance? I am not sure there is an easy way to find out. Gratitude is a feeling of having been benefited by something or someone. It is also a mental habit. We take powerlifting for granted as we do most things: we take our
Gratitude and powerlifting – the journey Read More »
I usually make a nice, inspirational ppt presentation as my personal New Year’s greetings to my friends. Somehow I just can’t: I’ve got nothing inspirational, motivational or even optimistic to say to you about 2014. This is because 2013 has been possibly one of the most difficult ones in my life. Not bad, not sad,
2014 and life periodization Read More »
Here’s the data: I won at the open and master category at my bodyweight class (132lb), broke the squat and bench press open records plus all the master records. Got close to breaking the total, far from breaking the deadlift record and close to best lifter. In terms of my personal performance and results, it
The IPL Worlds: my first account Read More »
Back to discussing pain management in powerlifting (the previous article being “No pain, no gain – the dark side of pain in powerlifting or any sport” , I bring two new items for us to chew on: first, the results of a survey I did with competitive powerlifters about their own pain management strategies. Second,
According to not-so-recent research, more than 95% of the world population believes in some form of deity. Along with it, usually people believe in protective entities that are frequently called “guardian angels”. If you are reading this article, chances are (95%, to be precise) that you believe in both. Supposing
Powerlifter Guardian Angels: Elite tactical athletes Read More »
Just a short note to say I am collecting lifter’s experience with the management of elbow pain. Whatever I write is not intented as medical advice. It is an attempt to organize the sharing of strategies devised by lifters themselves to handle this annoying chronic problem that affects so many of us. During the process
Elbow soreness part 1 Read More »
Stress. That’s the bottom line after endless tests and clinical evaluations. In the end, vulnerability to injury, problems with recovery from injury and staling in pre-competitive preparation stem from stress. But where does stress come from? Unfortunately, the literature on sports psychology is mostly restricted to collegiate Olympic athletes and focuses on injury specific events.
Stress and performance in powerlifting Read More »
