welcome back to the max effort kitchen podcast we got a great segment for you it's called the athlete and the chef so sit back relax and let's go All right, welcome to the Max Effort Kitchen podcast.We have a show for you today.My name is Matt.
This is Cornell.I fumbled that up a little bit.And man, how you doing, Cornell?Good weekend.I don't know about you, but it's turning to fall and I kind of like that, but how's it down there?
So today was the first day it was cloudy.
And yeah, it didn't get that cool, but it didn't get that hot either.It was seventy six, seventy eight.It was really nice and it was cloudy.So that was a definite change.And it was also like supposed to be a pool birthday party for my parents.
They have the same birthday.So what?Yeah.
I didn't know it was the same birthday.That's crazy. Yeah.
So they were like, can you bring your suit?And I looked outside.I'm like, I'm not going in the water.
That's that's that's pretty neat.But yeah, no, it's definitely this whole week has been. you know, 67 and cloudy, nothing crazy, but, uh, it's kind of weather we're used to.
And it has sparked me to break out, uh, soups and made the, uh, the first, uh, stoop recipe of the, of the season.Um, and that was pretty basic, everything we've talked about before, but. I made another one tonight and it was quite interesting.
I had to make some last minute changes because it didn't really turn out.And it was basically onions, garlic, a bunch of dried herbs, and then oil, butter, a little bit of flour to get a roux going, white wine.
And then a bunch of like Italian sausage that I took out of the casing and like I cooked it in the oven but I threw it into the soup and white cannellini beans some corn I did a red chili flake a little bit of chili paste and it was supposed to be kind of like this like oh and heavy cream so chicken stock and
It was supposed to be this kind of like thicker, creamish, spicy Italian sausage soup.It was super thin.And I kept on trying to cook it down, kept on trying to cook it down.So I was like, I don't know what's going on.
So I threw, I threw like two handfuls of this, like really squirrelly, like dried pasta in there. brought it back up to a boil, let that pasta come to about al dente, and then I served it over some rosemary focaccia bread.
And it actually turned out all right, but I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the house that liked it.But it was a nice balance of spice, traditional cream base, soup.I like the cannellini beans.I probably could have had some more.
But you know, we had the windows open, the cold air was coming in.Maddie's on the couch freaking out about the Emmys because all of a sudden she likes award shows.Who knows?Well, who knows what that's about.But so she's watching that.
And it was just kind of a nice, nice fall-ish day.
That sounds awesome.When you were talking about sausage, I just got back from that party and my sister butchered a, a pig and they made some sausage.I was like, Oh crap, we have sausage that we brought.So I quick texted my son.
I'm like, did, did you put away the meat in the bag before I come to the car tomorrow morning?And there's some rotten pig in there before I forget.
I'll tell you, I'm, I'm pretty bad at that because like, you know, for my work, I'm, I'm always like, I always have like a box of something in my car and like that happened.It also happened today.Open up my car.
There's a bag full of like cooked mushrooms and I'm like, Oh, Rick and like truffle oil.And I'm like, the car didn't smell very good after that.
Yeah.That happened to me once.Uh, like. 16, 17 years ago, I bought a mistake and it slid underneath the, the, we had a Jeep and third vehicle and it slid underneath the seat.
So I got all the groceries out and it had fallen out of the bag and slid out.And it wasn't something that we drove often.And so like, it wasn't uncommon for it to be three to five days before we drive it again, like more of a weekend vehicle.
Yeah, I remember unloading all the groceries.I'm like, Oh, they forgot to give me my steak.Saturday, I go to the Jeep and it just smells like something.Yeah.And I think real quick.
Yeah.No, I've never lost anything like that before.That's it.That's crazy.
It was bad. And I know it was in the summer cause I was surfing.So, you know, it was hot.So.
Oh yeah.I was, it was baking up in there, man.Just slow roasting it.That's what you're doing.Slow roasting it.Uh, what about you?Did you cook anything fun this week?
Not. Not really at all.It was a busy week all week.Typical like just meats and vegetables and some teriyaki bowls and I mean, I found some, uh, New York strips in the freezer.So I took those out and had that for breakfast.Um, that's always good.
And then today, like I said, we're at my parents' house for their birthday party.My sister saw something on, on the Instagram.So she was like, we're going to do this instead of cake.
And you basically take like a square thing of ice cream and you stick a whole bunch of popsicle sticks in there and then you just slice it up and you make ice cream bars. And then got like the hard shell.Yeah.
Get the hard shell chocolate, chocolate sauce, dipped them all in there.Then we had like a topping bar that just dipped everything in there.And it was like custom, custom ice cream bars right there.
So that's the kind of perfect.Yeah.And especially for a birthday party where you did mention that, um, half of them were kids.Uh, that kind of works perfectly.
My wife said the only problem was we had too many options.Um, there was, ground cocoa with ground coffee, like beans in there.Then there was Oreo cookies.There was chocolate chip cookies ground up.There was sprinkles.There was toasted coconut.
There was raw coconut.There was, and these kids are just like, I want, I want, I don't know what I want.And she's like, we should have had like Oreos and M&Ms.And that's one side Oreo, one side M&M.
Yeah, I mean I was always the kid of like I want to do one of everything and so I'm going through like dippy I'd be dipping it all in every one of them.
I Just I took my little paper tray like they had the little nacho dispose.Yeah Yeah, I dipped a couple things, but I left some open spots and I just started like pouring it on top.
It's nice solid yeah, I as far as desserts go like I You know, I'm, I'm big on making chocolate chip cookies, but like today I, a lot of those craving, um, uh, Rice Krispie treats.
And I, you know, I like Rice Krispie treats, but they always have that, like, there's just something I feel like it's missing.Like, I just want it.It doesn't satisfy me quite yet.
So, um, I made a batch of those and put a bunch of chocolate chips in them.They were, that was fun.But, uh, other than that, like I probably stick to the chocolate chip cookie.I don't know.
Um, this is what I left right by my computer so that we can discuss this.
Yeah, that was the energy drink.
That was the opposite.Okay.Coke zero.Oreo flavor.
So we got to the store.And the red on one side was Oh, what?And then it's Oreo. Listen to this crunch.
Oh man.Okay.Okay.I'm down with that.Does it taste like Coke?Like, do you get that like kind of Coke flavor?
You get the Coke aftertaste.My son was saying, I think they're trying too hard.They're doing too many things.And I said, no, they're not.We wouldn't have bought Oreos today if we didn't find these.They're just selling Oreos.
So I said, I had to try it.And honestly, it's delicious.We had this debate a while ago on Marco Polo.Oreo on its own is its own thing.
Uh, Frankenstein Oreo, in my opinion is a complete different category.
So like where they just keep mixing and matching body parts with Oreos.I'm totally cool with that because it's not, it's not going to replace the Oreo and it's not gonna, it's never going to be better than the basic.
Um, the only thing that I think that could,
Outdo the the basic so my favorites are the fins and the double stuffed and if they made a double stuff thin Then that would be the the king of all in my Wow if you'd have the frosting and half the cookie Yeah, I'm coming with you on that.
I love dude the fins I can polish I
and and obviously because they're thinner but Like yeah, I can sit there and I'm just like I could probably do some damage on the double stuffed I like that's all we buy if we buy the Oreos It's double stuffed like that's just the way you can't go back to the other way These are double stuffed also
Of course they are.That's fantastic.I love that.Yeah, you know me.I'm a fan of Oreos and we've had this debate and I agree with you.I think they do those Frankenstein Oreos because they're banking on
somebody being like, Hey, I'm going to try, got to try this.
And if you get enough people doing that, then, then you're making your, you're making your money.
So I don't know, like right now my mouth flavor has still got like a, almost like a Coke float in my, in my mouth.Like I taste the frosting still and the creaminess, but then I taste the Coke, but I still taste that chocolate.
I mean, they're, they're really good.
I'm going to get a package.They have the birthday cake.That sucks.The only other ones that are good, I think, are the mints.Mints are good.
Yeah, I can get down with some mint.Those used to be one of my, I think it was my brother's favorites.And so we'd always have them in the house when I was really, really, really young.But yeah, no, I agree with you there.
I think that the mint is probably my alternative flavor.
But that's just an Oreo cookie version of a thin mint.
That's all that is.That's all it is, right?
It's not like it's a big change, so.
Yeah. Oh, Girl Scout cookies.No, no, no, no Girl Scout.Like, oh, I just thought about Girl Scout cookies.That's not good.Okay, so I thought we would jump into a little bit of technique talk.
And, you know, we kind of had a little bit of back and forth on before this and talking about like, the where the bar what the bar should be doing when it gets to your hips. Right?Yep.
Um, I have noticed and, and the reason I saw a video, but also this has been on my brain because I've noticed over the past couple of weeks, um, I've been cheating myself because I have really, I've really been bringing that bar in too hard, which is popping it really far out.
Um, and I'm able to, weirdly enough, I'm able to like swing it back, but we all know how inefficient that is.Um, and when it gets heavier, it makes it harder.
Um, but in your best, uh, coaching opinion, a lifting opinion, like what is that bar supposed to do?
Okay, so I think that there's many different reasons for lifting in different directions the way that the majority of people are being taught these days is in CrossFit CrossFit the I'm not gonna get into the triple extension versus Catapult debate because I think it's just stupid and yeah if you really listen to a lot of the people who knew what they were thought they knew what they're talking about and
their favorite lifters were the same lifters and they thought that they were doing their their technique so um one of the big things is are you trying to lift the maximum amount of weight or are you trying to do this for reps because if you're doing this for reps
you're just, it's going to be light.It's going to be easy.You're just going to want to pull it straight up.
Um, that's when I would say, in my opinion, the light brush on the thigh for the jump and shrug, that's the way to do it because it's not heavy enough to have to actually put your back into it.
And that is one of the cues that I say to certain people.Sometimes I said it to Nick yesterday and Uh, my buddy Josh kind of looked at me like laughing cause he knew that that was the worst thing to tell any newbie.
But when I told Nick, it made sense because what I was trying to get him to do is push to the hip and then use his back to pull back after.And if, if you're just brushing the thigh, you're just standing up and jumping.There's no back involved.
So, um, I have been, I'm not gonna. Totally just dropped the name bomb on who the videos that you sent me But people can figure it out after I say this.
I have been to Mike Bergner's garage multiple times Yeah, I have also had him Explained to new lifters why I'm lifting the way that I'm doing and why it works for me and why he will never teach someone to do it that way, right
He is the, we'll call him the godfather of CrossFit weightlifting.
He grew up, he learned weightlifting when you could not have our body contact.So a light brush on the thigh or a almost no contact was how he learned to lift 60 something years ago.
That's how he teaches it because he, he's, he was explaining to people that
Lift in a way that he doesn't know how to teach so he's gonna teach what he knows makes sense fortunately in my Kind of opinion is he has taught so many people in the masses being in that front line of CrossFit and
that this is, this is how we do it, which is great for light lifting.It's not great for super heavy lifting.
If you look at all the people in the Olympics and the world championships all around the world, they're doing massive amounts of bar body contact, but there's also a way to, you have to learn how to make that bar body contact.
If I'm teaching someone, I teach them very vertically.I don't want them laying back.I don't want them. I don't, that's not what we want to teach because it takes something to learn how to get that bar into your hips.
You don't bring your hips to the bar.You bring the bar to the hips.And then when you're the perfect position in that power position is your knees are semi bent.The bars in the hip, your heels are still down.
And like I said, the bars in the hips at that point, now you're going to lift your hips straight up and throw that bar. Um, if there's a gap then, and you throw your hips at the bar, that's why you're at the bar will bump out, bumping out.
And that's when you're going to start hurting your pelvis.
And it, uh, we had an old coach who I disagreed with a whole lot of stuff that he said, because a lot of his stuff was contradictory, but one of the greatest things that he did say that did make sense.
If your pelvis is bruised and smashed and you're hurting it, you need to pull that bar in harder to the hips. Cause it's kind of like it's bringing the bar into the hip.So you're not going to smash your hips into the bar.
So if you can pull that bar into your hips harder, you're not going to hit your hips on the bar.
That makes sense.I get that.But let me ask you this, is it kind of a timing issue as well?
And the reason why I ask, let me preface that a little bit with that, because when I started AI, one of the things that they started having me do is a lot of heavy pulls at the end of the session. Heavy pulls.
I mean, I'm, I think I'm pulling 135 in the snatch and 170 in the clean and jerk, you know, for three, three sets of three.Right.
And one thing I really noticed was my timing got thrown off because my pulls were getting so strong that like I was pulling so quickly. to my hips that I didn't know what to do.
And all of a sudden that bar is over my head or I'm dropping it out front or like it, it just threw off my timing.So, um, and I'm using my own experience, but is, is maybe the keeping your hips back and pulling that bar into your hips.
Um, it, could it be considered a timing thing as well?
I'm sure that there's some timing involved, uh, what a lot of people do and it, Like, excuse me, I haven't lifted with you in probably three or four months.Yeah.Honestly, that session, I don't think either of us did very well.
I don't think we're trying very well, very hard either.Yeah.Normally, what I would say if some so I pull that bar. extremely hard into my hips.Like you, it, it, you, you feel the bar.
If you are within 25 feet of me, like you feel the bar making contact, you can hear that deep clink sound.Um, one of the things that I do and it, I hadn't heard this before, but, uh, when Trevor Kim was out a couple of weeks ago,
He said, you have an extremely hard lay back and pull into the hips, but your finish is extremely vertical.He's like, you don't you don't see that often.Yeah, it's like a lot of times people are just going to pull that bar into the hips.
They're going to throw their hips up as high as they can.They're going to be super far laid back.And then they just drop under and the bar does a big loop back and loop backwards.
Then you you lose it.And I said, what I do is I, I do know that I am pulling extremely hard back into the hip.Then the bar becomes weightless and I don't pull under, I pull through.
So instead of that bar going six, eight inches back and me just landing underneath it, I'm counteracting that bar coming back by pulling forward and I'm trying to meet it in the middle.
So my bar doesn't go back very far because I'm pulling, I'm counteracting it.
it, the bar is going up and I'm pulling myself at the opposite direction down and forward.
Uh, so that I can minimize how far that bar is traveling back.
Yeah.I think also, and you know, keep in mind that like when I'm, when I'm referencing myself, I'm referencing, referencing somebody who, you know, snatches under one 10.Let's just say that.
And you're referencing someone that snatches, you know, uh, what was that?You just hit like one 50, one 55.
Uh, it's been a while since I've attempted those numbers, but I did hit 37 yesterday.
Okay.Cool.Um, I thought it was bigger than that for some reason, but that's all right.Uh, I think, you know, um, just like we've talked about with the straps.
Uh, a lot of, I think timing technique, a lot of things have to evolve and change as the weight gets heavier.You know, um, you know, to watch you do a, let's say a 106 kilo snatch versus watching me do it.
You're going to see two different, obviously.Um, but like you're basically muscle snatching it. I'm putting everything I have into it, you know, and so there will be a bit of a lean back.There will be, uh, my feet will probably move a lot less.
Um, and, uh, I. I've really been trying to hone in where that, what that bar does when it gets to the hip.And that's, and that's probably why that stupid video came up, but, um, cause I was just like, I've been talking about it with people.
Um, because when I'm doing the clean and jerk.
I can feel when that ball, when I need to, you know, extend and when I need to finish on that bar, I can feel I have that spot in my hip, like almost like right in my hip joint to where that when I bar hits there, I'm like, I got it easy, but I don't have that spot with, um, the, uh, the snatch.
And so I'm trying to really hone in on that.Um, go ahead.
So one of the things that I'm kind of starting to realize as I'm getting older, uh, physically.Yeah.What I'm learning is I'm getting to a, I'm starting to realize that I'm getting to a point where I can lift a certain amount of weight.
It doesn't matter.Okay.Um, that makes sense.It, it sucks because you're snatching what you're almost clean and jerking.Yeah, totally.
When you're doing these cleans that feel really good, you're probably hitting numbers that I'm attempting snatching at, not necessarily I'm making them, but in the like 30 to 40 plus range.
Yep.Between 30 and 40.Exactly.
that is going to act different than 100 kilos.I can't when I snatch 100 kilos, I can't put as much force into pulling through and pulling that bar into the hips.
So even though you might have to put as much force as you can to get that bar into the hips and get that bar over your head,
Yeah, when I would pull through that if I did the same as I was doing at 140 plus I would probably The bar would land way too far back and I would shoot way too far forward So if I'm if I'm snatching a hundred kilos, I am I am very vertical even though I still have a big hip
Yeah.Yeah, that makes sense.
I and I get it because it's hard to eat We can't just compare, you know a 135 to a hundred kilos like you just can't do it there I think the wick the weight now correct me if I'm wrong should the weight dictate where that bar is should the weight dictate how you lift it and
does your technique stay the same?I know I've heard the thing of like, from start to finish, everything should look the same.
And I think that there's a point in which that's true, but I also question whether or not, once you, and I've never known because I don't hit anything big on the snatch, I hit what I hit, which I'm proud of, but I'm not, I'm just saying like, you know, the ultimate goal is always 120 for me, right?
Once you hit 120, you've like, you've kind of like hit some big weights. And so I don't know what that feels like.I know what it feels like to snatch, pull it.And there's some days that it feels like, oh man, I can do this.
And then there's some days where I'm like, I'm done, bro. I don't need to go heavier.
Um, but I guess what my, what I'm trying to say is that like the, the idea that we would have the same technique, but the weight changes seems a little contradictory to me.
I think so.If you're snatching one Oh five, that's a little over body weight for you.So if you kind of think about that, where if you're pulling that bar into the hips and then throwing it off of your hips and pulling through,
it weighs as much as you do.So that is if the physics of it will have to act differently than if it was when you're clean and jerking one 35, one 40.Correct.
So I do have to lift differently when I'm lifting heavier, but I try to keep the technique the same.It's just the amount of force that I'm putting into it.That's going to be different.And so
If I'm pulling that bar into the hips, I'm gonna pull it in harder with 140 plus.I'm probably gonna lean back harder with 140, and I'm gonna pull through harder.But I'm not necessarily changing my technique.
What I see a lot of times, especially around newer people that are much stronger than their technique, you'll see it a lot of times in the jerk.
They'll have 40, 50 kilos on the bar and then they dip and they drive that bar through the roof, their arms, hyper extend, then their feet land.And then it comes down, it crashes on them.And then their arms, uh, they press it.
Like they, they bend and they absorb it.And I have to tell people like, this is a hundred pounds, right?Treat it like it's a hundred pounds.Don't treat it like it's 250 pounds.I like that.
And I said, I don't normally tell them exactly which numbers I've snatched, but if we're doing the snatch, I'm like, I can snatch over 300 pounds.I'm not gonna pull 50 kilos like I'm pulling 150.
I'm gonna hit the same positions, but I'm not gonna use all of the strength for that.
Yeah.Yeah.And that totally makes sense.And I get what you're saying. Um, but kind of going back to what you said in the beginning, um, the whole idea of.Brushing or whatever, or, um, versus banging it like that.
It's a different style of lifting versus CrossFit.CrossFit is all about barbell cycling rather than lifting a heavier, heavier weight.So, and that really puts things in perspective.Cause I think that video I sent you was a CrossFit person.
Yes.And they never wear weightlifting shoes.
They wear Vans.And but like, even if you're just looking at the my biggest thing is if my if people always yell, be patient. like coaches yell that, I don't know if they for sure know what that means, but I don't know what it means.
What it means in my brain is I'm keeping those hips back.I'm keeping those heels on the floor until that bar is into the hips.If I bring my heels up to meet the bar early, I'm not going to have nearly as much extension as possible.
And if you're going with the light brush on the hips or the thigh, By the time that bar touches the thigh or the hips, you are fully extended.
So in my, the way that my brain works and the way that my technique is, is that's completely wrong.I will miss every lift doing it that way with heavy weight.
Hmm.Hmm.I like that.And that makes really sense.
Um, when you said that, uh, something that, that popped in my head was like, um, you know, if you're listening, I guess if you're listening to this and you're hearing what Cornell's talking about, like, to me, what I just heard was.
Everybody's gonna move a little bit differently and coaches cues are not meant Unless you have a personal one-on-one coach that you're paying to be your or your coach and to you know Watch your every lift You know, you're gonna have to figure it out on your own type situation figure out how how your body lifts, you know Take a technique as a base and then move forward with that, you know, and then you know, there there are definite
I don't want to say camps.There's definite groups of people out there that think differently in how you should lift a bar.But at the end of the day, You're going to lift the bar, how you're going to make the lift.
And that's really all there is to it.And that's kind of what, like, I started digging in on these like super depth or super deep, like technique, uh, cues.Um, but then I'm like, just go lift it.Just go lift the bar, make the, make the lift.
Who cares your training?You're not in a competition.Um,
But you will be um, and when you will be that's when all that training and honing in what you're doing is worth it Yeah, I think that you you touched on something that I think is a really important thing for people to hear is Everybody moves different But not all coaches can coach all the technique.
Oh, and I do take a lot of pride in myself that I I have learned how to do multiple techniques, but I also know what works for me and I know how to lift the most weight with my technique.Yeah, my technique is not what I teach.
And that's because nobody is me, right?Is nobody is me.
I like it.I am.I let my limb lengths, my torso length, my. Massive hamstrings and no, but that's that's me.That's not everybody else.Yeah, I Wouldn't coach someone who lifts.
I wouldn't coach someone to lift like me, but I will do my my best to figure out how you need to be coached and that's one of the things that I've really enjoyed is I've
I've been coached by so many different people and I've, I've traveled around the country, honestly, see being at different gyms and seeing how different people teach different things and I've been able to pull different things, and I will teach one person.
completely vertical and I'll teach someone else when they got to lay back and crank it into the hips.And I can teach people what their body is wanting to do.
What I'm not good at, and I've told Stephanie this and a handful of people, I absolutely hate teaching people how to weightlift from the beginning.
I want someone to have bad habits and know what they're doing, like moving around the bar and then I can help fix you. but I don't wanna teach you how to do this from the beginning.That's not what I focus on.And that to me is a waste of time.
If someone says, I really wanna learn how to weightlift, I'd say, go to CrossFit, do that for six months, then let's talk.
Yeah, go get some bad, not bad, but just different technique.And then I can hone it in and fix you.I like that.And I just, I used to, being a CrossFit coach, I used to teach a lot of new people how to snatch.
And the snatch day was always the absolute hardest.I mean, even clean and jerk day was hard because a lot of these people would come in and they couldn't fully do a squat.
And so I'm just teaching them how to muscle clean and how to power clean and power snatch and there it's just It's a very very very tough thing to do to teach somebody who's never done it.Yeah, and Where do you even start?
Do you say what you start with a deadlift?What do you do you start with?a hang do you start from the blocks like, you know, I mean think about it like I I
I guess you got to, I guess you got to take it by the person, by the athlete or whoever's in front of you and where they're strongest.
Um, but like, I'm, I would never feel comfortable giving somebody a bar and be like, all right, we're going to snatch this.Like, and so even in my CrossFit days, I, it was like first class we're PVC pipe.
This is how I'm going to teach you how to snatch, you know, like this is just the way it was. Um, uh, I don't know.I think, uh, I really liked the technique talk.I think you have some really good insight.
I probably have too many questions about it and it, it makes for a good conversation.Um, but you just said something that reminded me of something we were going to kind of shortly discuss.We've got about 10 minutes ish.Um, Okay.
I was thinking about this, uh, the other day and I'm like trying to like really put in like, where am I, where was the fav, my most favorite places I competed?Like what was my favorite comps?
And I think I came up to with like three of them that I really, really, that are stuck in my head and I've really enjoyed.Um, and so I was going to ask you the same thing.
Um, I can go first if you want, but you said it was pretty easy if you want to throw one out and then I'll throw it out.We can go from like that.Yeah.
Are these like top one, two, and three, or just the top three in any order possible?
In any order possible.Let's just keep it that way.
Okay.Well, I'm probably going to say one of the ones that you're going to say.Is it the ocean side?Oceanside Harbor.
That one was, that was top three.Definitely.
This is such a great meat.Like the venue alone was cool.Personally.You know why I liked it though?Um, is because, I came down, I, you know, it was the first time I came down and visited you.
Uh, and it was just a very low key, chill, eat, lift, have some fun at the beach time.And it was just so, it was, it was one of the best things I have done in this, in this weightlifting world.
And I have like a whole like picture thing on my wall from it.And it's just something I'll always remember.
Yeah. I agree with that.I remember being there earlier because I think I was running Diane's cards and probably right around like noon, it started getting hot.And I was like, well, I got compression shorts.
I'll just go jump in the ocean and cool down.Went and got some ice cream because I was totally underweight because I lift light.So yeah, that was definitely one of the top three.
Yeah.No, that, that was a fun meet.Um, I would say that one of the other one in my top three was going to be, is going to be this last masters nationals.
Um, because it was, it just, it felt like I had grown up a little bit and it felt like I walked into that and I wasn't like, you know, eyes bugging out from caffeine and like, um, being like, really like I'm in the depths in the dark of anything.
I was just there. to compete at a national meet, um, and have fun doing it.And like when I walked away from it, I may not have done it the best.
I've, I may have left some shit out there, but at the same point I walked away with medals and it's the best I've ever done at a national meet.
Um, I absolutely love the way that you count cards and you talk to your athletes when you're, when you're doing that.Um, It just, it speaks to me a lot.Uh, and, uh, I'll just, I'll always remember it.It was just such a really good time and yeah.
And, and it was the last meet I did.So I think that it's really stuck in my head.
Nice.I would say these are probably in order anyway.
Okay.Uh, probably my second favorite is World Masters World 2022 just because I wasn't going to do it.And then something kind of I think I hit a PR and I was like, I hit a PR like nine months before.Yeah.And I was like,
I want to do this on the big stage.I want, I want to, I don't want to go to worlds.I want to go win worlds.Um, I've, I've never been the personality who I, I don't want to go to competition unless I'm going to be competing for the end.
Like I want to win it.And it was like, okay, I've, I've won nationals, Pan Ams, Howard Cohen.Uh, I don't even know what else there was.Like I'd won all those and world was always one of those things where I'm like, I'm not going to travel.Like,
I'm not gonna spend multiple thousands of dollars to go to different parts of the country just to do a hobby.It worked out where it was close and it was cheap and I was able to bum rooms off people and it all worked out.
And I got to go to that meet and I was able to win it and it was awesome.But I think I'll explain part B to that with the third one after.
Okay.Okay.So I guess my, so I've already said to my third one.Oh boy.This was a toss up because, um, I really enjoyed the first masters nationals in 22 that I did, but I'm not, I'm going to leave that one out.
Um, for the simple fact of like our, our local guy, Mr. Joe Beck. Like his meets are some of the most chill meets I've ever been to.Like, I, you know, you can just show up.
It's nice to I mean, I'm not I kind of know how you feel like when you just when you have a meet in your hometown, you know.
It's like you can just, you can get up, you can eat your breakfast, you can hang out with your family, you can go to your meet.And it's not this high pressure, high society, like, Oh God, I got to do really well.
And I got to be worried about this, this and this.And I've always, and I don't want this to come off disrespectful, but I've always looked at Joe Beck's meet as practice meets.
They are the meats that I do in between the big meats and I think there's a huge value in that and Not only that but like Joe is such like And I don't think he's doing this because he really wants people to be a part of weightlifting.
He actually needs volunteers But like yeah, you can go you can lift at the meat and then you can work the meat And I learned I learned how to do the table, the card table and like stuff like that.
And so, um, for me, you know, I'm such an experienced guy that it's like, I want to win.Don't get me wrong.I'm when I'm competing, I'm competing to win, but I'm also, um, the experience is just a little bit higher for me.
Um, because I, I really enjoy the people that I'm around.I really enjoy, uh, the, the sport that I'm doing and the more knowledge I have, I feel like the better I can be at the sport.
No, I think that's great.And I think that a local meet is that's the perfect example of it is it is a practice meet, but it's not necessarily a practice meet for the big meets.It's a practice meet to practice, to get better at what you're doing.
So you, you could go, you could go to a Joe Beck meet, have a standout meet and be the best in the country in your weight class and age group.And that would hold for the rest of the year.
So you could say to yourself, this is going to be a practice meet.Then his next meet, I want to see, I want this to be a practice meet for the next meet he's doing.So it doesn't necessarily mean like every meet you can do is practice.
Totally.You have that one that you're kind of done.Yeah, that you're practicing for.
So yeah, that makes sense.I like I like that, that mind frame of that.And you're right.You know, it's not like the big meets are, are anything different.You just travel and it costs more money.
Yeah, the big meets the big meets.There's less people, you know, there's actually less stress because you don't know anyone out in the crowd.Um, it's, it's much more just to like, I spent 1500 bucks to do this.I better not bomb out.
That's the truth too.Sweet.What's your other one?
So my last one is the meat last summer that I did.That was the first meet that I did after we left the old team.
It was the meat that I wanted to have at worlds, but leading up to worlds, I was like, I was pushing it.I made it too important and I pushed too hard.And I was the last month and a half was like nonstop injuries.
So it was just mediating the injuries and trying to push through.And then when I won that meet, it was partially because I I'd made my openers, but I was able to push my competitor to bomb out. Oh, he bombed out.
And then there was no other real competitors near me.I think that I had a 299 total and the next the next was like 270 or 260.Hmm. So my one competitor has lifted much more in the clean jerk than I have, Shane Sevic.
And I don't know if he's snatched what I have, but it was like, this is, I have to focus and I have to do everything I can to beat him.
And he had a big weight cut and I was able to just open heavy enough that he wasn't in that condition with the weight cut.So even though I did win, I won because he lost.
So that kind of messes with your brain a little bit when you're like, I did win, but I didn't really get to compete the way I was hoping to.
Right?Well, that's like when, and I think this is what I'm, if I'm hearing you right, it's kind of the same thing that when you go and you take first in a weight class because you're the only one in that weight class.Yeah.You got to compete.
Um, but you didn't get to compete against people that were in your weight class.
So, I mean, the, the entry total was like 60 or 70 kilos less than what I hit.So there are people who are going in there hitting the entry total.
So the next meet that I did, I had left the team.I, I had a, what do they call a bone on your shoulder?I had a bone to pick or bone to pick.
Yeah.Yeah.That makes sense.
And what I wanted to do is have the meat that I wanted at worlds. And I got a coach, I got a coach that actually knew what they were doing.I got onto a program that she had never programmed for someone who lifted the weights that I'd lifted.
So it was an experiment for her, and it was an experiment for me.And there were certain things that she had to trust that I wasn't going to do, even if she programmed them.
And then there was other things that I had to trust that I would do, even though I didn't want to.
She knew that I am very good with open-ended sets and self regulating.Yeah, so Every week there was a open-ended set of something.
Mm-hmm Do more than last week do less the next week Don't overdo it and I and like my training leading up to that was tripling in the snatch 95% Wow Wow one squat jerk my one rep.
Almost jerk two kilo PR for a clean Like I was I Was in the best shape I've ever been in Lifts that I have never imagined or like dreamed of hitting but not thinking you're gonna do it.I'd put weights on the bar far ahead of the
like in the snatch far ahead of the world record.And I didn't make it, but it was very close.And I think if I had one more attempt, I could have made it.
I think so too.I remember watching that one.
And I think that to kind of wrap up what you said there, and I'm gonna use a very vague term, but like, it just goes to show you that like, when you're in the right environment, that the sky's the limit, like your success could be anything.
And, um, if you're listening out there and, and, you know, you're thinking about it and like thinking about like your environment or your change or whatever, whatever it is that you're in, whether your job, work life, like just, you know, put yourself around the right people because it makes a million, million times difference because.
Yeah, I mean that's a good it's a good example.It's a great example.
Like the what you just said was I went from something where I was good but I got into a position where I I could be better and I you know, I and I was better because of the people in the environment that I was in Really, um helped pump me up a little bit.
I I don't know.I guess that's that that's what i'm hearing.So
Yeah, I don't know if you listen to one of those podcasts.I just sent you but my buddy Jordan made a comment where he quoted somebody.And it was the the quote was the biggest enemy of great is good.
And yeah, I was I was a good lifter before.
And my coach was always like, yeah, that was good.All right.That was good.Like, I don't want to be good.I wanted to be great.And sure, I'm not necessarily great in the eyes of the senior division and all blah, blah, blah.
But in my brain, that's I hit the numbers that I wanted to do that I could consider that meat that I did great.
Right.And that makes sense.And I think that that's that's really well said.And.You're only.You know, the idea of being great We've talked about this.
I don't we're about done here, but I just want to just briefly touch on this The thing that you said, I think it was a handful of podcasts ago about those metals Those metals are getting thrown away when we die so like greatness doesn't come in metals.
I It doesn't come in whatever.It comes up here.It's with your goals.It comes right here in your heart.And that's where you want to achieve greatness.
Um, and, and, you know, you, in comparison to a senior athlete, it's not fair for you because you're not a senior athlete in comparison to a master's athlete, you won worlds.You've hit greatness.You've hit greatness on many different levels.
And, uh, I think, uh, that's because of the, you know, the person you are and the drive and, um, how you deal with adversity and who you decide to be around, you know, I mean, It makes sense.
So don't don't count yourself short because yeah, you know, you've hit greatness.
I think what that meat did is I know so many people who have said, oh, I wish I would have done more.I wish I wouldn't have quit.I wish I wouldn't have retired.I have no regrets.I know that I did everything that I could do.
Yeah, like I left everything on the table and like the way my body is just a year later. I know that I left everything on the table at that meet.
Yeah.And there's nothing more satisfying than walking away from that.Yeah.Yeah.So I think it's a good place to stop.I could probably sit here and babble on some broken English for a long time, but I'm not going to.
So everybody, thank you for listening.Cornell, always, always a pleasure.And we'll talk to you guys next week.Adios.
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