Issue 79 August 2011

PERFORMANCE MENU
ISSUE 79 . AUGUST 2011
JOURNAL OF HEALTH & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE
INTEGRATED MOBILITY
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
PESTICIDE CONSUMPTION
WEIGHTLIFTING TECHNIQUE
PERFORMANCE MENU
Volume 7 . Issue 79 . August 2011
JOURNAL OF NUTRITION & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

6 Ask Aimee/Greg
Aimee & Greg Everett
Greg tackles questions about programming Olympic lifting for Crossfitters and gives pulling advice for the lifts
8 Out With The New, In With The Old

Matt Foreman
How you teach attitude
12 There is No Spoon: The Illusion of Weightlifting

Technique
Ryan Kyle
Four debated areas of lifting technique
16 Integrated Mobility, Part 1: The Five Pillars of an Optimal
Mobility Practice
Scotty Hagnas
Scottys five pillars of mobility practice and a few tips, resources and
techniques
19 Minimizing Consumption of Pesticide Residue (Without
Breaking the Bank)

Yael Grauer
A look at the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 foods
21 Out With The Old, In With The New

A Satire by Archie Ishmael
Archie tells you how it really is, in his own words
24 Cooking with Scotty

Scotty Hagnas
Recipes for health, performance and longevity
Info
The Performance Menu
is published monthly in digital

format by Catalyst Athletics, Inc.
On the Cover
Tom Davies
Editor in Chief
Greg Everett
Managing Editor
Yael Grauer
Design
Greg Everett
Layout
Kara Doherty
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Contributors
Matt Foreman is the football and track & field coach at Mountain View High School in Phoenix, AZ.
A competitive weightliter for twenty years, Foreman is a four-time National Championship bronze
medalist, two-time American Open silver medalist, three-time American Open bronze medalist,
two-time National Collegiate Champion, 2004 US Olympic Trials competitor, 2000 World University
Championship Team USA competitor, and Arizona and Washington state record-holder. He was
also First Team All-Region high school football player, lettered in high school wrestling and track, a
high school national powerlifting champion, and a Scottish Highland Games competitor. Foreman
has coached multiple regional, state, and national champions in track & field, powerlifting, and
weightlifting, and was an assistant coach on 5A Arizona state runner-up football and track teams.
Yael Grauer is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in a variety of trade journals and
consumer magazines and she writes regularly for various websites including MMA HQ. Yael trains
inBrazilian jiu jitsu and teaches writing workshops both locally (in MN and WI) and virtually.For more
information,check out her website.
Scott Hagnas is owner of CrossFit Portland. He is certified as a CrossFit level 2 trainer and Circular
Strength Training (clubbell) instructor. He has been riding BMX flatland for 26 years and counting
and has filmed/produced/edited several series of BMX videos, plus several training videos. He
formerly competed in bicycle trials, placing second in amateur in the World Championships in 1990.
Cooking is one of his favorite pastimes.
Archie Ishmael While the vast majority of Mr. Ishmaels bio has been deemed classified by the
Federal Government (particularly the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), what is known
about him include that he is a dog lover with an above-average singing voice. An ardent
defender of the 1st Amendment, Archie usually doesnt like what you have to say and will think
about fighting for your right to say it. Maybe.
Ryan Kyle is the coach of Sandusky Weightlifting and the strength coach for St. Marys Central
Catholic High School in Sandusky, Ohio. He is a USA Weightlifting club coach and his lifters
have medaled at the Youth Pan-American Championships and have been Junior World Team
members.
CATALYST ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER

Sign up for the Catalyst Athletics newsletter and receive weekly training tips, news
updates, upcoming event info, sale notifications and more from Greg Everett.
www.cathletics.com/newsletter.php
An Open Letter To Coaches & Facility Owners from James Fitzgerald (AKA OPT):
"Do You Know Why You're

Doing What You're Doing?"
Its a sad state of affairs in our industry today, but the fact of the matter is that most coaches
dont know WHY they are doing WHAT they are doing. By that I mean they have no knowledge or
understanding of the why behind the prescription theyre giving their clients. And thats not only
dangerous its irresponsible. Because if youre serious about best serving your clients needs and
actually delivering sustainable results to them over time (which I believe is YOUR moral obligation if
youre going to call yourself a Coach) then you need to get educated and experienced in understanding
the WHY.

How did things get so bad? And whose fault is it? I dunno. What I do know is that I've been a
Strength Coach for over 16 years and Fitness Business Owner for over a decade and have done
NUMBEROUS courses and certifications. Some good and some could be better. Some only having to
attend 2 days to be "certified" with no practical implementation Not only do these folks have a chance
of hurting their clients, but also theyre willing to do however/whatever to make a living off it. The
culture has become all about ego ... And I believe we need a change in culture, the direction of the
coaching profession, and our definition of fitness. Onward.

Over the last 2 years my team and I have been developing what we call the Optimum Performance
Training Coaching Certification program (OPT CCP for short). Our mission is to develop and train
serious and committed professionals in ALL the skill sets they require including assessment, program
design, lifestyle coaching, nutrition, and business systems.

And not only that, but we guide and mentor our coaches on how to build a sustainable business
model where they can be well compensated for the difference they make in the lives of their clients AND
have a life outside the gym too. For example, its not uncommon for folks to go through our business
systems course and report back that within just 30-60 days theyve added an additional $3,000-$4,000+
per month to their income, reduced their training hours, and improved the relationship they have with
their spouse and family.

Youll be hearing lots more about the OPT CCP program in the future. But for now I just want to
reach out and begin connecting with those of you who want something better for yourselves, your
families, and our industry. I welcome your comments and feedback on our website and blog at
www.OPTExperience.com

More to come,

James Fitzgerald

P.S. Incidentally, were just in the process of opening our new US Headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ.
And our next modules on Assessment & Program Design (the starting off point we recommend for all
prospective coaches to begin) will take place August 30-31 and Sept 2-4 in Phoenix. See info and details
online at www.OPTProgramDesign.com As of this writing weve got just 3 spots left open, so if youre
interested act fast by going online for more info or give us a call at 403.284.4403 and mention this ad.
ASK GREG & AIMEE
Get your questions answered directly by Greg Everett or Aimee Anaya.

Send your questions to Greg and AImee at ask@cathletics.com.
Khaled Asks: I am a CrossFit trainer at CrossFit Norwalk,

and I am writing to you regarding programming of
dedicatedOlympiclifting sessions with a regular CrossFit
schedule. I know many high-level CrossFitters will do
extra olyliftingwork in addition to the CrossFit WODs, but
having tried to use the Intermediate Program on p291
of The Complete Guide, I found that the 3-on-1-off-2on program didnt permit enough time for recovery.
On the other hand, doing Olympic lifting occasionally
whenever it might happen to pop up in the CrossFit
variable programming doesnt seem regular enough
to produce consistent growth or results.
Do you have any recommendations for programming
Olympic Lifting sessions in the context of CrossFit?
Is it a good idea to just focus on the classic lifts and
leave the other stuff (squats, DLs, core) to the WODs?
Or would you suggest taking these latter elements
out of the WODs andseparatingthem out? Basically,
this would result in no pure strength days in the
CrossFit programming (presumably having more rest
days, since youd only have metcons), and having a
completelyseparateschedule for theOlympiclifting/
strength development that follows its own progression
and rest schedule.
needs to be a single program that covers all of the

aspects youre attempting to train.
In my opinion, a strength program should be the
foundation of any CrossFit program (Im including
Olympic lifts when I say strength program). As a corollary
to this, I believe crossfit.com should not be a part of
anyones program; there is no plan, no progression,
and no sense at all (see my article Plandomization for
more on this).
What I would suggest is prioritizing. Decide what qualities
are most important to you and literally order them. For
example, if youre a competitive gymnast and thats
your primary focus, improvement of gymnastics skills
should be at the top of your list. Whatever this primary
focus is, the rest of your training should be built around
it. Develop a basic training plan for that primary goal,
and then move down the list adding training for each
element in appropriate quantity given its ranking.
Initially, dont worry about doing too muchjust get
it all down and see what you have. Once you have
that basic plan, youll more than likely need to trim it
I have been trying to sort this out for a long time,

but havent been able to do so to my satisfaction,
which is why Im e-mailing you. Getting things to sort
with CrossFit is only the first step, since I also train as a
gymnast 3 times a week. I sincerely want to find a way
to be really good at Olympic Lifting, gymnastics, and
metabolic work capacity, as much as it is possible. Any
help or advice you could provide would be greatly
appreciated.
Greg Says: First, you have to understand that all of this
training needs to be integrated in some fashionyoull
never get ideal results if you simply try to force two
distinct training programs together. In other words, it
THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 5
down to a reasonable volume of training; again, pare

it down based on priorities.
The reality is that you cant do everything at once
with the same emphasis; if you have multiple broad
athletic goals, youll need to alternate emphases to
some degree over time. This doesnt mean you train
one thing and neglect everything else; it simply means
you set aside more time and energy to what youve
determined is most important at that time.
As an example, lets say youre comfortable with your
current gymnastics abilities and are more interested in
improving your weightlifting at the moment. Consider
spending 1-3 months focusing on lifting and reducing
the amount of time you spend training gymnastics.
You might lift 3 days/week, train gymnastics 2 days
instead of your current 3 and throw in 1-3 relatively
short conditioning workouts each week, likely after
your gymnastics training. After this period of emphasis,
you might shift to a gymnastics focus with more
conditioning or whatever you then feel takes priority.
Just remember that it takes a lot less training to maintain
capacity than develop it; just because youre not
training a given quality at 100%, it wont disappear.
David Asks: How can I get more height out of my pull
during snatches and cleans? A lot of the time, I feel
like I can not pull the bar high enough to get under
it, especially in the clean. Are snatch/clean high pulls
my best bet, or do you recommend something else?
Thanks!
adequately with the exception of occasional errors.

Its typical for these individuals to be snatching and
cleaning fractions of their basic strength numbers, and
their pulling strength usually far exceeds their classic lift
numbers. In other words, without seeing you lift, I would
venture a guess that the actual height of the bar is not
the problem.
If for some reason you genuinely are unable to elevate
the bar sufficiently, then pull variations and strength
improvement in general is what you need. High-pulls
are not intended to get you pulling the bar higher in
the snatch and cleanbar height is not achieved by
pulling with the arms. Theyre intended to do things like
train proper bar/body proximity and strengthen the
third pull. You can do high-pulls in addition to heavier
pulls, but understand that youre not trying to high-pull
the bar when doing the actual lifts.
Add more pulls to your program and more variations
like pulls from high blocks to emphasize the final
explosion. You can also try a complex of a pull + lift, eg
snatch pull + snatch to both strengthen the pull and
also encourage a complete pull when actually lifting.
Power snatches and cleans and work from the hang or
blocks will also help you develop more force at the top
of the pull and consequently more bar height.
If bar height isnt really the problem as I suspect, I
would guess the issue is more related to your change
of direction after the pull and your pull under the bar
not being fast enough. The height of the bar doesnt
matter if you cant get under it in time. Hang and block
lifts are great for improving this.
Greg Says: I cant think of a time Ive ever seen

a relatively new lifter unable to elevate the bar
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Out With The New, In With The Old

Matt Foreman
Yesterday, I was walking through a Dicks Sporting
Goods store, looking for their prices on iron plates
(theyre pretty good, incidentally). As I was making
my way to the corner of the store where they keep
the weight training equipment, I happened to pass
through the kids clothing section. I stopped for a couple of minutes as I strolled past the racks of t-shirts,
shorts, sweaters, etc. because I noticed something
that made me think. The store had several racks of tshirts with all kinds of little tough-sounding motivational
phrases on them. Youve all seen the shirts Im talking
about somewhere before, nothing new. But the thing
that caught my eye was the actual slogans and words
that were on the shirts. I guess weve moved way past
the days of shirts that say, No Pain, No Gain and other overused mottos like that. The shirts I saw yesterday
said things like I feel YOUR pain! Dare to take ME
on? and If you see ME, get used to second place!
As I said, these were all in the kids section of the store,
so the shirts were probably meant for ages 9-12, something like that.
After I left the store and started driving to the gym, I
found myself thinking a lot about what I saw. All of the
words on those shirts were designed to sound cocky,
arrogant, self-absorbed and disrespectful towards other competitors. The store had several racks of them,
so its obvious that these are big sellers. That means
that were living in a culture where parents are putting
their kids into sports programs and then buying them
clothes that are specially constructed to demonstrate
self-worship and insulting attitudes towards opponents.
The more I thought about this, the more connection
I began to see with much of the adult behavior we
see in the sports world today. The NBA is a pretty good
place to explain this connection because its one of
the biggest sports venues in the world. Here we find
situations where the sports top stars announce their
decisions to switch teams by getting on television and
saying things like, Ive decided to take my talents to
South Beach. And then when these stars get to South
Beach, they hold outrageous spectacles at Miamis

American Airlines Arena where they get onstage with
two of their teammates (ignoring the rest of their team),
and declare themselves arguably the best trio ever
to play the game of basketball. It doesnt stop there,
because they have to continue to run their mouths by
predicting that they will win not two, not three, not
four NBA championships. They label themselves as
the newest sports dynasty before theyve ever played
a game together. Yes, Im talking about LeBron James
and the Miami Heat.
So, the process seems clear. Little kids are enrolled in
youth basketball, football, soccer, etc. by their parents.
Then, their parents buy them the shirts I saw at Dicks so
they can try to intimidate the competition. From there,
the kids go through their sports careers and the most
talented ones make it to the professional level, where
they are given the highest possible pedestal to hold
glorious celebrations of ME. Their self-absorption and
disdain towards others is not only appreciated, but
encouraged. Yeah, this sounds about right. Make no
mistake about it; professional sports have become a
public display stage for the absolute highest levels of
selfishness and poor sportsmanship. And since youre
all wondering, let me tell you where Im going with
this.
Many of you are coaches, parents, gym owners, etc.
In other words, youre in positions where there are
people under your instruction. You are an authority
figure on some level. This means that you are responsible for teaching and administrating the people you
work with. What I want to do with this months article
is examine what kind of job youre doing in these
functions. Im not talking about how youre teaching
technique or programming to your athletes or kids; Im
talking about how youre teaching attitude. Let me
make it clear right from the beginning that Im going
to be pushing my own personal opinion pretty hard
with this one, because this is one area where Im posi-
tive that Im right. When it comes to training, exercise

selection, snatch technique, etc., Ive always tried to
make it clear that Im not the only one with the right
answers. In this area, however, I think theres a pretty
strong distinction between whats right and whats
wrong. Ill try to explain my ideas as clearly as possible,
and you should be able to find something in here that
will make your gym, your home, and your life better.
Old School vs. New School

Everything about our culture has changed over the last
hundred years. When people started competing in organized sports around the late 1800s and early 1900s,
the personalities of the athletes were reflective of the
general attitudes of society. People, for the most part,
were much less boisterous and demonstrative than
they are now. If youve ever had a chance to watch
some of the earliest football, basketball, or weightlifting that was captured on film, youve probably noticed how the athletes acted during competition.
There wasnt much celebration or emotion involved.
Sure, you would occasionally see athletes jump in the
air or raise their hands to the crowd after a successful
performance, but it was nothing like the environment
today where the sport of football has actually had to
invent rules to restrain the celebrations of athletes after
they score touchdowns.
This is what were going to call old school attitude.
An old school attitude was what you saw when athletes just shut their mouths and did their job. If they won,
they would probably show a little excitement and appreciation to the spectators, but there was definitely a
sense of restraint and modesty. If they lost, they shook
the hands of their competitors and blamed only themselves for their failure. There was no end zone dancing, choreographed celebration that lasted two minutes, or whining about bad referees after a loss. These
types of behaviors were simply not part of the picture
because they were considered undignified and selfindulgent.
Smack talking was often part of the picture with old
school athletes, but it was done between the competitors and away from the public. Theres no doubt that
many great athletes from the days of yore, like Babe
Ruth, Jack Johnson, and Norb Schemansky, engaged
in some trash talk with their competitors. However, it
was different then than it is now. Even if modern technology would have been present beck in 1948, I seriously doubt if you would have ever seen Tommy Kono
getting on television and bragging that he was going
to win not two, not three, not four Olympic medals.
The attitude was simply different in those days. You just
didnt do stuff like that.
However, fast-forward to 2011 and weve got the disgraceful type of narcissistic circus we see in so many
modern sports. Well call it the new school attitude,
where athletes brag as loudly as possible to as many
people as they can, ridicule and insult their competitors, value themselves more than their teams, and refuse to take personal responsibility when they fail. If
you watch ESPN long enough, youll get a pretty good
idea of what Im talking about. Now, let me make it
clear that not every athlete in the modern era has
been contaminated by the new school attitude. I was
just watching a Grand Slam tennis tournament last
month where Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer for the
championship. The behavior of both these men was
a pretty classy demonstration of old school behavior,
as Nadal complimented Federer after the match by
saying, I respect Roger because he acts the same
whether he wins or loses. These guys are clear examples of positive athletic behavior, and theyre not the
only ones in contemporary sports that act right. But the
fact still remains that you cant watch sports for very
long these days without seeing something that just
makes you want to vomit because of how immature
and negative it is.
When did everything change? When did we go from
old school to new school? Its not something that
happed instantaneously or because of one person,
but I do personally believe that Muhammad Ali had a
lot to do with changing the sports culture in this country. Ali was one of the greatest athletes in history, and
his accomplishments in boxing were equaled only by
his incredible personality. Alis trash talking, disrespect
towards his opponents, and self-promotion were done
at a level that had never been seen in sports before.
His image was so larger-than-life that he heavily influenced generations of young athletes that have grown
up in his wake. Kids have actually moved through their
athletic careers wanting to embody the same showmanship and bravado that Ali had. He is the point of
origin for much of the new school attitude. Please understand, though, that Im not committing the sacrilege of dumping on Muhammad Ali here. As an athlete, I hold Ali on a pedestal as one of the supreme
competitors Ive ever seen. I never liked his behavior
and I still dont, but I would never deny his greatness
as an athlete.
Therefore, we have a stark contrast between two very
different methods. Based on how Ive described all
of this, you can probably guess where I stand in the
evaluation of old school vs. new school. I am very
much an old school personality, I require my athletes
to be the same way, and I reject new school attitude as being childish, irresponsible, and shameful.
Got it? Hopefully I made that clear enough. But then
that leaves us with you. What kind of personality are
you, and what are you doing to make sure your athletes, children, etc. are developing in the right direction? Lets take a look at this, and Ill give you a few
handy dandy tips to make sure youre not contributing to the ramming of modern sports into the toilet.
The basic blueprint for not becoming a

jerkoff
How do you represent yourself in the strength world?
Because one thing you better believe is that when
youre a coach, your personality will filter down into
your athletes. Even if youre not a coach, your personality still will filter down to the other lifters in your gym,
your children, friends who admire you, etc. Theres a
sense of accountability that has to be there. If youre
in any position of authority or responsibility, the people
around you will often act the way you act.
Ive used the word selfishness quite a few times in this
article, and obviously theres been a negative connotation with it. However, I should mention that being
selfish is very important to an elite athlete. If youre in
a position where youre competing at the top of your
sport, you have to have a certain element of self-centeredness to be successful. High-level athletes have to
see their training and their performance as the most
important things in the universe. These arent always
the most endearing people to be around because
they basically expect the whole world to stop and revolve around their workouts. For better or worse, this
just comes with the territory. Championship athletes
usually arent very giving personalities. Hopefully, that
all changes after retirement or once age sets in and
real life gets started. Most elite athletes go through a
lot of attitude changes when they make the transition
to civilian life, and thats a good thing.
The negative aspect of selfishness that Im describing
here is the point where selfishness makes the transition
to blatant punk behavior. Its fine to be totally focused
on your athletic priorities, but we need to make sure
that we dont cross over into the bragging, impertinence, and whining. Hell, Ill make this easy for you.
Here are four simple things you can do that will keep
you from looking like a turd:
1) Show a lot of interest, enthusiasm, and support
for others. Simplest thing in the world, right?

Just start caring and getting excited about the
people around you. You will absolutely never
go wrong if you cheer for others during their
workouts, congratulate them after theyre successful, and throw them a little encouragement
when theyre down. This is 100% guaranteed

stuff and it takes very little energy.
2) Dont talk about your accomplishments unless
somebody asks you about them. The quickest

way to make a bad first impression is to start
throwing your resume in somebodys face
without any reason. If youre a stud, people
will either already know it when they meet you
or theyll figure it out pretty quickly. You dont
need to wave your gold medals around your
head. It looks insecure and arrogant.
3) Dont coach people in the gym unless they ask
for it. Lets say youre in a gym training and you

see somebody whos clearly doing something
wrong. If the person has a coach who is working with them, you need to just stay out of it. Its
none of your business, so dont turn into to Butty
McButtinstein. Now, if the person doesnt have
a coach and theyre doing something wrong,
just ask them, Do you mind if I give you a suggestion? Youll know pretty fast if they want to
listen to you or not, and then you can proceed
accordingly. If its obvious that they want you
to keep your comments to yourself, then do it.
You asked politely, so youre in the clear.
4) Dont get on the internet and talk @%*!. Ooohhh,

I think Im probably ruffling some feathers with
this one. Look, the internet is the greatest medium in the history of civilization for people
who want to unleash their anger and disgust
over how stupid everybody else in the world is.
But even if youre right and your opponent is
wrong, youll both still come away from the argument looking stupid. Just dont do it, baby.
Quick confession- Just so nobody calls me a hypocrite or thinks Im sitting on my high horse, Ill openly
admit that Ive violated every one of these suggestions at some point in my life. Nobodys perfect.
In Conclusion
A lot of the mistakes that come with new school attitude are connected with youth. Its pretty easy to act
like a dork when youre young. Weve all done it. Its
part of growing up. And you coaches need to remember this, because most kids literally dont know how
theyre supposed to act. We sometimes make the mistake of telling ourselves, Dammit, they should know
better than that! Well, maybe they DONT know better than that. Maybe nobody has ever told them the
difference between acting right and acting wrong.
Remember, some of these kids you work with have
been practically raised by wolves. They need some

guidance.
And as always, I know theres the possibility that some
of you might think everything Ive just said is all wrong.
If you just got back from Dicks Sporting Goods and
youre excited to give little ten year-old Tyler a shirt you
just bought him that says, Im number one and everybody can lick my butthole so he can wear it to youth
wrestling practice tomorrow, then I guess we probably
have a difference in opinion. But heres some food for
thought. What if Tyler shows up to wrestling practice
with his cocky new shirt, and then he gets pinned in
sixteen seconds by some tough little Mormon kid? At
that point, we can safely say that Tyler is NOT number
one, and that shirt is gonna look pretty stupid. Dont
humiliate your kids.
Look, Im not telling you to be boring. Im not telling

you that you have to be an emotionless robot as an
athlete, and Im certainly not telling you that you cant
have a colorful personality. We dont have to stay
stuck in the Stone Age; we couldnt even if we wanted
to. Times change, and you have to be able to keep
up with the changes. But not all changes are good.
The shift weve seen towards total self-absorption and
egotism is not good. Whining is not good. Insulting your
competitors is not good. So do society a favor and
take a stand against those things. Make your athletes
take a stand against them, too, and maybe well all
have a better experience in our sports lives. Lets give
it a try.
There
is No Spoon: The Illusion of Weightlifting Technique
Ryan Kyle
There is no spoon is a line from the original Matrix
movie. As Neo is waiting to see the Oracle, he
watches a child bend a spoon using only his mind. This
conversation follows:
Child: Do not try and bend the spoon, that is
impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Child: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Child: Then youll see that it is not the spoon that
bends; it is only yourself.
While this may seem to have little to do with
weightlifting, it does relate to weightlifting technique.
An amusing hobby in weightlifting is attending a
competition on any level and listening to coaches
blast useless instructions to their lifters. Correction
carpet-bombing occurs most when a lifter misses a lift
and the coach is quick to point out between one and
two hundred things the lifter did wrong that resulted
in the missed lift. Watching the coach go through a
quirky demonstration of the correct method to lift
the bar brings to mind a story from the hay-day of
Bulgarian lifting. A junior lifter from a foreign country
was in Bulgaria with his personal coach for a training
camp. The lifter observed a Bulgarian break a world
record snatch in training. His coach nudged him and
said, That was horrible technique. And the junior lifter
replied, Yes, but it was a world record.
Technique in weightlifting is a lucrative subject as many
people profit from writing books, conducting seminars,
and promoting their secret as the correct way to lift
a barbell. The problem with weightlifting technique is
that it is actually very simple. Grab the bar. Jump up
fast and down faster. Keep it very close to your body.
Push up on the bar when you catch it. For snatch,
use a wide grip; for clean, use a close grip. That
would make for a short book. Really, that is all there
is to it; everything else that happens along the way is

incidental and should be left up to the researchers to
study, not the lifters.
Coaches get into trouble when teaching weightlifting
technique as they become too technical, wanting
every lift to follow some sort of ideal form. There is no
ideal form. Look at world record holders across the
weight classes and across the eras and one thing
becomes clear - they all move very fast. Where the bar
brushes/how it brushes means nothing. How shallow or
deep they split on the jerk means nothing. How wide
their hands are spaced for the jerk means nothing. To
what extent they finish their pull means nothing. What
does matter is moving fast and being strong. Below
are four areas of technique that are debated about
incessantly and could use some clarification.
Bar Brush
The thigh brush is an element of weightlifting technique
that is taught in different contexts depending on the
coach. There are coaches who advocate that the
purpose of the thigh brush is to drive the barbell upward
by almost placing the bar on the hips and then kicking
it up while using the hands to pull the body under the
bar. Other coaches claim the thigh brush should be
used to stop the bar in mid-air to allow the body to
move under the bar. Further claims are that the bar
should be banged off the hips; barely brush the bar;
brush high; brush low; brush on the waist, etc. If that
sounds confusing, try to imagine lifting a world record
while processing that - impossible. To understand
why the bar is brushed on the thighs, it helps to first
understand how this technique came about.
Prior to 1964, the bar was not allowed to touch the
thighs during the lift. In other words, the bar had to
be lifted cleanly from the ground to the shoulders,
hence the name clean. The result of the former rule

was that a lifter could not begin to move under the
barbell until his upward momentum (from the pull)
slowed enough that his body could switch directions
from up to down. Image doing a vertical jump and
deciding to jump back to the ground midway through
the jump - a difficult task no doubt. What makes this
increasingly difficult in weightlifting is the fact that the
lifter is moving upward as fast and hard as they can and
attached to their hands is a heavy barbell. Both the
barbell and the lifter are moving upward together and
if the lifter has to wait until his momentum has slowed
enough to move under the bar, the momentum of
the barbell will also have begun to slow and begin its
downward movement. The result is the lifter racing the
barbell back down, hopefully arriving before it does
- an inefficient method for lifting weights significantly
heavier than bodyweight.
The contact of the barbell to the thigh/body is used not
to drive the barbell upward, but is used to separate the
combined momentum of the barbell and body so that
the body can begin moving under the barbell sooner.
When the athlete begins lifting the bar, the upward
momentum of the bar and the body are essentially
the same, as the two are connected by the hands. The
body is pulling the bar upward, and if there was not
a thigh brush, then the body cannot begin to move
under the bar until its momentum has slowed enough
to begin switching directions from up to down. When
the bar is brushed against the thighs, the result is a
separation of the unified momentum between the bar
and the body that allows the body to switch directions
efficiently and begin to move under the bar without
having to slow down at the top of the pull. The switch
of direction can now be almost instantaneous, while
the barbell can continue with its upward momentum.
Some lifters appear to be finishing the pull (i.e. pulling
until their body is vertical or bent slightly backwards)
and this is acceptable if the bar has not brushed the
thighs yet, or has not finished brushing the thighs. If it
has and the lifter is still moving upward, then they are
not lifting to their maximum ability. Once the bar has
brushed the thighs, the momentums separate and the
lifter must move under the bar.
When considering this explanation of the thigh brush, it
lends itself to the notion that the bar should be brushed
along the thighs, not banged or placed in order
to launch the bar upward. If the barbell is banged
against the thighs, the bar may well stop in the air but
the body will have a hiccup as well--and if the body
has any hesitation from moving upward to moving
downward, the result will be less than ideal. If the bar
is to be placed on the thighs in order to be launched
upward by them, then this too causes slower transition
between moving up and down. If the lifter uses his
thighs to send the bar upward, it will cause them to
stand up longer than necessary in order to complete

this catapult motion, since you cannot lift the bar up
with the hips without extending the body upward
longer. The thigh brush should be a smooth contact
with the thighs; enough to bump the barbell in order
to separate the two momentums without causing the
upward motion of the barbell to slow, while at the
same time allowing the lifter to begin moving under
the bar sooner. See Andrie Rybakov for an example of
instantaneous switching of direction.
Shrug
The notion of shrug comes from pre-1964 rules of no
thigh brush, which caused lifters to use both the legs
and arms to lift the bar upward, as well as the advent
of slow-motion video. Before the thigh brush, the lifters
would attempt to row the barbell upwards with the
arms as well as use the muscles of the upper back to
finish the pull. Once the thigh brush became legal,
the upper body became less useful in lifting the bar
upward. Instead of becoming an active participate in
the pull, these muscles became more of the linchpin
that help the bar close to the body while the legs
and back muscles pulled the bar. Once the bar was
permitted to be brushed on the thighs, the lifter could
now begin descending without having to first row the
traps and pull upward with the arms, increasing the
speed under the bar. However, this took some time to
catch on and probably would have been here sooner
had there not been the advent of slow-motion video.
Slow-motion video and frame-by-frame photography
were thought to be great educational tools, allowing
coaches to analyze every aspect of technique at any
given point of the lift. Enter paralysis by analysis. Open
a Strength and Health magazine from the 1970s and
you will find frame-by-frame photographs of national
and world champion lifters with commentary on the
characteristics of their technique at any given point.
The only problem is this method of weightlifting analysis
also allowed coaches to observe technique traits that
simply were not there - a technique mirage, if you will.
Many times, coaches teach their lifters to shrug the
bar upwards with the traps. Whatever their justification
in teaching this movement (helps pull the lifter down
or pulls the bar up) is a moot point - it does not exist.
The shrug is nothing more than a stretch-reflex action
of the trapezius muscles. During the pull portion of a
snatch or clean, the traps are under an intense stretch
as the weight is pulling downward on the arms. Once
the bar brushes the thighs, this stretch is released and
combined with the movement of the lifter under the
bar and the shoulders appear to shrug the barbell. A
shrugging motion does occur. However, it is a passive
motion done as a reflex and is not a conscious effort
by the lifters to use the traps. This motion is not very

noticeable in the snatch due to the wide hand spacing
but it is very noticeable in the clean and, thanks to
slow-motion video, will forever be perpetrated as an
aspect of weightlifting technique.
one that may look nice but causes the lift to slow down
even slightly.
What about pulls? World champion lifters can be seen

doing pulls and shrugging the barbell at the end of the
pull. No one ever said having a strong upper back is a
bad thing and shrugging the bar when doing pulls helps
to strengthen these muscles. However, the muscles of
the upper back are better used to keep the bar close
to the body during the pull, not in actually lifting the
barbell up. Also, there is debate about whether to do
pulls or not in training. Some coaches feel they are a
must, like squats are to clean strength, while others feel
pulls will teach bad habits. There is no clear right or
wrong. However one thing must be kept in mind: some
lifters are so good it does not matter what exercises
they do; it does not negatively alter their technique.
The jerk drive is probably the most difficult aspect of

technique to understand and master, mostly because
the jerk makes little sense athletically but its correct
performance can be the difference between a skilled
jerker and a shuffling of the feet jerker. The reason the
jerk makes little sense athletically is because the lifter
has to dip down, drive back up and drive under the
bar, pushing the body down while splitting the legs,
all while balancing a heavy barbell on the chest. A
lifter from Sandusky Weightlifting compares the jerk to
rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the
same time - it can be difficult and confusing to do for
some people.
Double-Knee Bend
As with the shrug, we can thank slow-motion video and
frame-by-frame analysis for the double-knee bend.
The double-knee bend is a technique mirage in much
the same way the shrug is. There is an intense stretch
in the hamstrings as the feet push down on the ground
and the knees move backwards. Once the bar passes
the knees and the muscles of the back begin to pull
the barbell, the knees are pushed under the bar as a
reflex action. And as the back continues to pull the bar
up and into the body, the knees are pushed further
under the bar. Once the bar is brushed, this energy
is released during the final explosion when the bar
separates from the body and the lifter begins to pull
under the bar. Again, like the shrug, the double knee
bend is a reaction--not a conscious action. It should
not even be spoken about in a gym because, unless
the coach is terrible, the lifters should be double knee
bending if they are using good pulling technique.
The best way to ensure that the double-knee bend
and the bar brush occur is to encourage lifters to keep
the bar close to their bodies as they lift, and to move
fast. Eventually, the bar will touch their body and, by
keeping the bar close, the double-knee bend will
happen also. It is best to teach weightlifting technique
through demonstrations rather than words. Words can
get confusing, and it is difficult to explain to a new lifter
how to push their knees back and then push their knees
forward to achieve some sort of scooping motion. Also,
the deliberate execution of this movement causes the
barbell to slow down as the lifter attempts to move
their knees in the correct manner. It is better to have
a non-obvious double-knee bend that keeps the bar
and body moving fast than an overly accentuated
Jerk Drive
The drive for the jerk, much like the shrug, can be overexaggerated at times. This causes the lifter to drive up
on the bar for too long, long after the bar has begun
moving upward. When a lifter dips for the jerk, the
barbell bends across the shoulders; as the lifter drives
up, the whipping action from the barbell and the
force from the legs drive the bar and body back up.
There comes a point during this drive where the bar is
still on the chest but has already begun to travel up
under its own momentum. The skilled lifter will already
have begun driving under the bar when this happens.
An unskilled lifter will keep driving the barbell upwards
until they feel their momentum has slowed enough to
begin moving downward. Remember the explanation
of the no-brush clean? Same principle applies here.
See Akakios Kahkiashvilis for an example of an efficient
jerk drive.
Learning Technique

Heres an example of learning weightlifting technique.
Image a young kid walks into a local gym. There is
no formal coach there to teach him, only a group
of lifters who are accepting of him, but not the best
teachers. They allow him to start lifting, but he is more
or less on his own. How would he learn to lift? He
would watch and observe snatches and clean and
jerks. What would he see? Would the youngster see
push knees back, push knees under, bring bar close,
stand tall, shrug, extend myself upwards, lower the
hips, etc. No. Most likely our young Pyrros in training
would see something that looked like a jump and he
would begin mimicking this movement. A little while
later, he may notice all of the lifters touch the bar on
their thighs, so he copies this trait. Hopefully, he will
learn to push back up on the bar when its overhead
out of self-preservation, and the rest will be up to his
own athleticism and body type. In short, he will see the

gross movement and all the little things that go on will
happen naturally - he is not consciously thinking about
them. With slow-motion video and frame-by-frame
photography, these insignificant movements can be
observed, thought to be the secret and then spread
like wildfire by overzealous coaches who need to be
heard. Hard work and a desire to get better are the
real secret.
Weightlifting
technique
can
be
over-taught
and overanalyzed to the point that it becomes
counterproductive. It is acceptable for coaches and

researchers to study weightlifting technique in order
to better understand how world records are lifted,
but it is not useful to try and project every detail onto
their lifters. Very little can be going through a lifters
mind when they are attempting a maximum lift, least
of all the technical ranting of a coach. Moving fast
and lifting the weight should be the extent of thinking
during a lift. Anything else will only slow the lifter down.
After reading this article, one thing should be clear:
when it comes to weightlifting technique, there is no
spoon.
Integrated Mobility, Part 1:
The Five Pillars of an Optimal Mobility Practice

Scotty Hagnas
Id like to take a look at what I consider the five pillars

of a complete mobility practice. Thankfully, optimal
mobility seems to be on everyones radar a bit more
these days. However, I still feel that many are missing
out on some of the more important aspects of mobility
work.
I consider mobility to be the most important physical
quality to develop for a number of reasons. You
will never display your true potential for strength or
endurance if you are hamstrung by poor mobility or
alignment. Your risk of injury will always be higher. This is
pretty well known and understood.
Better mobility and alignment will benefit you all day in
everything you do. Though a triple bodyweight deadlift
or a 6:45 2K row may be nice to have, these abilities
wont benefit you very often in your daily life. Being
able to move freely and pain-free certainly will. When
it comes to training purely for health and longevity,
mobility again is at the forefront. How can you tell the
age of someone at a significant distance? You simply
watch how they move. Quality of movement and
range of motion typically degrade as we age, but that
doesnt have to be the case. The elderly that have
been observed in hunter-gatherer groups still move
easily and with mostly full range of motion. The decline
we observe in the modern world is primarily from disuse,
adaptation to unnatural movements (such as sitting for
prolonged periods), and high levels of inflammation
(from diet and stress).
An optimal mobility practice constantly evolves and
changes as you progress. Your needs early on will differ
from what you will benefit from after a few years.
Lets look at my five pillars. Ill review each briefly, and
then share a few tips, resources, or techniques for
each. Some we will explore further in future articles.
1) Joint Mobility:
By joint mobility, I mean unloaded, open chain
movements of the joints through full range of motion.
This type of exercise reduces tension and short-range
stiffness in the muscle, lubricates the joint surfaces,
prevents calcification, moves the lymph and can reeducate faulty movement patterns. It can also break
up scar tissue, increase blood flow and remove waste
products.
If you arent familiar with joint mobility work, Id suggest
looking at some of the programs by Scott Sonnon,
Steve Maxwell or Dr. Eric Cobb. There are many others
available these days as well.
Joint mobility is best done at the start of your day, before
breakfast. You will be energized by this practice, and
may be able to reduce your caffeine intake! Morning
mobility work resets the nervous systems regulation
of the length of your muscles, so some of the range
of motion you develop will stay with you throughout
the whole day. It then makes sense to do it as early as
possible. Joint mobility is also very beneficial to do at
the start of your warmup prior to training.
Progress your practice starting from simple, single joint
movements to recover your range of motion. Progress
over time to more complex, multi joint movements.
Do not merely go through the motions, though. Focus
on smooth, quality movements. Practice in a range
of motion that you are able to do smoothly and, over
time, it will increase.
The more your mobility practice develops, the quicker
your body will be ready for anything. After a while, you
may find that you only need a very short warmup to
perform well. You will eventually need to devote less
time to your joint mobility work, as once you have
progressed to complex, multi-joint movements, you

can cover the body quickly and efficiently.
If you are already doing this type of work, always try
to challenge yourself. Instead of doing your mobility
work standing, try it lying down, for example. As your
relationship with gravity changes, the same movement
will have different demands.
2) Soft Tissue Work:

Self-administered soft tissue work has gained great
popularity over the last few years, and rightfully so. I
am referring to foam rolling, lacrosse ball work, or
any of the many self massage tools available on the
market today. With this pillar, we are addressing
tissue quality. If you have adhered or stuck tissues,
joint mobility work or stretching will be unlikely to effect
change until the adhesions are resolved. It is also quite
possible to have optimal range of motion in a muscle,
but still have poor tissue quality. Adhesions or scar tissue
will prevent optimal function and force transmission.
Trigger points or chronically contracted muscles will
reduce neural firing to the muscles and inhibit strength.
Soft tissue work can address all of this. If you are new
to this concept, I still think T-Nations Feel Better for 10
Bucks article is a good start.
There are many resources available to learn techniques,
so I wont cover too much here. However, make sure
you have a purpose for what you are doing. I always
see people either rolling around aimlessly, or else sitting
on a problem area for 15 minutes. Neither approach
is getting you anywhere! Educate yourself on the
muscles you are working and techniques to release
them. I have specific protocols for every part of the
body. Dont hang out on a painful spot too long; once
the pain has diminished significantly, you have made
all of the progress that you can for that session.
Staying in one spot too long can actually cause your
muscles to tighten or spasm, making it worse! In his
excellent book Science of Sport Training, Thomas
Kurz quotes Eastern Bloc authorities that recommend
scaling the length of massages to the athletes
bodyweight. Keep this in mind during your selfmassages; dont spend too long in one place! As you
progress in your soft tissue work, move to progressively
harder implements. I eventually like to move to using
PVC pipe instead of a foam roller, for example.
I find frequent application is the best approach when
you want to make quick progress - several mini-sessions
per day. Some authorities have recommended up to
12 mini sessions daily to deal with an acute problem.
3) Stretching:
By stretching, I am referring to any of many protocols
out there for increasing the resting length of a muscle:
PNF, contract/relax, isometric, A.I.S., static, active,
loaded stretching, relaxed stretching, etc. This is a
fairly well understood area, so I wont go too deeply
into it here. This may be a centerpiece of your mobility
practice for the first few years, and it will always play
a part.
I have generally found the best results from stretching
methods that strengthen the joint at the new range of
motion, such as loaded stretching or isometric holds.
I prescribe these as reps and sets. This type of full
ROM strengthening may result in longitudinal growth
of muscle fibers. My friend and colleague Ido Portal
emphasizes the importance for strength athletes to
send as strong a signal to the muscles to lengthen as
they are being sent by the primary strength training.
(You cannot expect a few static stretches to counteract
the tightness resulting from all of the heavy work sets
you do.) I couldnt agree more.
I also employ a goal or target for each stretch. This can
be an object to touch or a spot to look at in the case of
neck or trunk work. If you give yourself a challenging,
but achievable goal, youll find that your body will find
a way to reach it.
4) Support:
Enlisting the help of qualified professionals will be
necessary at times if you wish to truly function at your
best. Though you can make great progress and resolve
many issues on your own, you may well have complex
problems that may take a long time to sort out without
help. Consider this option if you have any long standing,
chronic issues. Some very good modalities are ART
(Active Release Techniques), Graston, Rolfing, deep
tissue massage, chiropractic, osteopathic, physical
therapy and even acupuncture. These can all be of
great benefit in the right situation. If you have an acute
issue, I recommend getting in to see someone quickly,
as you can often get the issue resolved much faster
and get back to training sooner.
I go to my support crew regularly for routine maintenance
as well. I would suggest scheduling tune-ups often as
an important piece of your mobility practice.
The trick is to find the right practitioner who understands
what you do. One piece of advice I can offer coaches
or facility owners is to establish a working relationship
or trade with a good practitioner. In addition to having
a good therapist available for routine maintenance,

youll be training them, so they will understand what
you are asking your body to do.
5) Integration/Flow Work:
This is the most unknown or misunderstood area. It
is also where the great reward lies, both in benefit
and enjoyment. Flow work is really an integration of
all of the above. It involves moving in 3 dimensional
patterns designed to strengthen the joints, increase
or strengthen range of motion, or improve movement
quality. It can also involve moving an external object
or weight in this way.
This type of whole body, organic movement has
been around all through history. Martial arts practice
is but one example. Some of our modern methods
come from the former Eastern Bloc countries and
may include blends of dance, martial arts, yoga and
more. Flow work in the early stages involves learning
and refining set sequences of moves. Over time, the
movements become more complex, and finally one
can improvise movement on the fly. Some movement
patterns will even provide a massaging of the tissues

similar to foam rolling.
This is where you want your mobility practice to go youll now have joint strength and integrity in extreme
ranges of motion. Youll possess a large vocabulary of
movement possibilities, have stability at the end of your
range of motion, and be supple and relaxed when
resting. Youll truly be ready for the unknown, as almost
every real life physical challenge involves improvising
movement.
Organic movements such as this can be used to
speed recovery from your regular training, as it can
be programmed intelligently to counter condition any
negative effects.
In the next installment of this series, well go deeper into
this type of practice: what it is and how to implement
it. Well look at it as compensation work, as metabolic
conditioning, strength work, improving movement
quality, and finally, how to build it into training sessions
and classes.
Minimizing Consumption of Pesticide Residue (Without Breaking the Bank)

Yael Grauer
I wrote an article about organic food in the June issue

of the PM, where I discussed a list of the most heavily
(and least heavily) contaminated fruits and vegetables,
as put together by the Environmental Working Group
(EWG), a non-profit organization founded in 1993 to
provide information to protect public health and the
environment. Buying 100% organic food at all times is
inaccessible and/or unaffordable to many, and not
everybody knows their farmers (many of which use
organic practices but choose not to pursue certified
organic status). EWGs Shoppers Guide To Pesticide
Use In Produce is a tool enabling people to make
healthier choices, given their circumstances.
be applied in differing amounts of time periods, which

impact the amount and type of residues when they
reach your kitchen, she said.
At the time, I did not realize that the list of good and
bad produce, aptly titled the Dirty Dozen and Clean
15, is updated annually. It makes perfect sense. The list
is based on pesticide loads, which change from year
to year.
But is this just minutiae? Would it matter if a fruit or

vegetable had slightly higher or slightly lower residue
than another piece of produce? And how harmful are
pesticides in small doses, really? The jury, it appears, is
still out on this one. Its never been our message that
produce with pesticides are unsafe, Sciammacco
said. Fact is, the government has not done studies that
would answer the many questions about pesticides
impact on health. Neither has the industry. But lack of
data about residue safety is not proof that pesticides
are safe, she points out, adding that she believes
that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweighs the
risks associated with pesticide exposure. However, she
also adds, Pesticides are toxic by design, meant to
eradicate bugs, weeds and fungus so its common
sense people should avoid making them a staple in
their daily diets, especially children and pregnant
women.
Changes could depend on the pests and climate

that year, says Fair Food Fights Barth Anderson, who
has been following the list since 1995. Apples are one
example. A cool rainy summer, or very humid one,
will bring out molds and pests for apple growers that
will require a lot of pesticides to control, and different
pesticides depending on environmental factors or
weather patterns of the whole region, which has
different pests and different requirements, he says.
Environmental Working Group Press Secretary Sara
Sciammacco echoes the sentiment. Produce
sometimes shift places in the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen
lists from year to year based on the pesticide usage
practices of the year each crop was tested.Pesticide
use on particular crops varies, depending on the
weather conditions and pests that are common the year
it was grown. Furthermore, some pesticides have had
their uses restricted (for example organophosphates)
and new pesticides have taken their place that may
There have been several notable changes in this

years guide, which included apples rank as the most
contaminated produce, jumping three spots from last
year to replace celery at the top of the Dirty Dozen
list, Sciammacco said. According to USDA, pesticides
showed up on 98 percent of the more than 700 apple
samples tested. Honeydew melons dropped off the
clean 15 list. In addition, cherries dropped off the dirty
dozen list this year, and lettuce has been added.
In addition to the desire to avoid the consumption of

potentially harmful pesticide residue, there are other
reasons for buying organic food. Buying organic sends
a message that you support environmentally friendly
farming practices that minimize soil erosion, safeguard
workers and protect water quality and wildlife,
Sciammacco explained. Anderson points out that it
is the farmers who are applying large doses of 20-30

pesticides who suffer the real health consequences.
But lets assume were trying to avoid food with heavy
amounts of pesticide residue and were noticing the
list keeps changing each year. Aside from the previously
mentioned changes due to differing quantities of
pesticides in response to pests, the weather, etc., the
lists also shift around due to the addition of food items
that have never before been tested. Mushrooms, for
example, are now included in the clean 15 listafter
being tested by the USDA for the first time. Cilantro,
on the other hand, had never been tested by the
USDA until now and instantly made the dirty dozen
list. The data showed 33 unapproved pesticides on
44% of the cilantro samples tested, which is the highest
percentage of unapproved pesticides recorded on
any item included in the guide since EWG started
tracking the data in 1995, Sciammacco said.
While it seems easy in theory, carrying around a list of
clean and dirty produce to the store can be a bit
inconvenient, especially if it changes annually. So its
worth noting that the EWG uses a specific methodology
to compile the list, which uses USDA and FDA data, and
its worth noting that produce is taken from distribution
centers and tested by the government as it is typically
eatenwhich means that residues are tested after
fruits and vegetables are washed and peeled (when
applicable).
What does this mean for you? If you dont want to carry
an annually updated list to the store with you, Anderson
believes a little common sense can go a long way. He
points out that soft, thin-skinned fruits and vegetables
are the first to make it on the list as they are most likely
to soak up pesticides. It doesnt really matter to me
whether its the 1st or 4th ranking item; I would tend
to buy organic, Anderson said. It is worth noting that
soft-skinned fruit figures prominently in this years Dirty
Dozen--which includes apples, celery, strawberries,
peaches, nectarines, grapes and blueberries, along
with celery, spinach, lettuce, kale/collard greens and
potatoes. Anderson points out that potatoes are often
on the list since they get a very big dose of different
chemicals. A lot tend to be fumigants, to control the

bacteria in the soil, he points out. Fruits and vegetables
that are peeled is likely to have less pesticide residue,
since the chemicals are often concentrated on the
outside of the plant. Looking at the list, fruit such as
pineapples, avocados, canteloupe and watermelon
are on the clean list, along with some less intuitive
items (including onions, asparagus, sweet peas, kiwi,
cabbage, sweet potatoes and grapefruit).
For reference, however, this years list is below. The
full list (and annual updates) can be found on http://
www.ewg.org/foodnews/.
Dirty Dozen (Highest in Pesticides):
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries (domestic)
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard greens
Clean 15 (Lowest in Pesticides):
1. Onions
2. Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe (domestic)
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms
Out With The Old, In With The New:

A Satire By Archie Ishmael
The other day, I was walking through a Sports Authority,

looking for their prices on mixed martial arts shirts,
size small (they dont have enough glitter on theirs,
by the way). As I almost walked into a poll staring
at the mannequins wearing spandex (not my fault,
since when did mannequins start getting made with
nipples?) I realized I was right next to the kids clothing
section. I paused momentarily to watch a couple
hotties bending over trying on shoes and then became
momentarily distracted by t-shirts obstructing my view.
They all had all kinds of awesomely tough-sounding
motivational phrases on them. It was the slogans that
caught my eye, as well as the thought that I might be
able to squeeze into the kids size medium to show off
my pipes. Back in the day, shirts had sayings like, Keep
on Truckin and Dont Worry, Be Happy and other
crap like that. These kids shirts, on the other hand, said
things like I feel YOUR pain! Dare to take ME on?
and If you see ME, get used to second place!
NBA. If you are good and you know it, you gotta get
out there. I mean, do you want to be representing like
LeBron, or watching Kevin Love on ESPN talking about
he hopes the Timberwolves win 20 games next year?
Do you really have to think about that one?
After I left the store and started driving to the tanning

salon, I couldnt stop thinking about it. Why didnt
they make those same shirts for adults? What a rip
off! I mean, all of those shirts were designed to sound
cocky, arrogant, self-involved, i.e.: totally awesome!
The store had tons of racks, so why just sell them to
kids? Sure, they need to start early, but why leave
total gamers like myself out? I mean, here we are
living in a culture where parents finally have enough
sense to dress their kids to reflect how awesome at
sports they are supposed to be. The more time I spent
contemplating this, the more I realized just how much
of a connection there is with much of the behavior we
see in the best athletes and most popular celebrities.
The NBA is a pretty good place to start because the
big names make crazy money and get to take home a
Kardashian. Listen, your kids are probably going to stink
at sports and life in general because they are raised to
think it is bad to play for yourself. But guess what? Your
entire high school basketball team isnt making the
If you coach kids, own a gym or are a parent, its your

responsibility to make your kids into winners. You are
the authority figure, the person in charge. This mean
you are responsible for teaching and yelling at people
around you. Are you doing your job? Or are you
potentially teaching losers? Im going to tell you how it
really is, so you wont act like a bunch of whiny losers
when it comes to training, tanning salon selection and
snatch techniques (giggity!)
It all seems so obvious. Children are enrolled in sports

by their parents. Then, their parents go and get them
the shirts I saw at Sports Authority so they can live up to
their expectations. After that, kids join sports and the
ones that had the most opportunities make it to the
professional level, where they are finally able to hold
crazy Las Vegas style ragers. Their total conviction and
awesomeness have proven that they are better than
everyone else. This is the best way for them to show
how much better they are than some slob watching
on TV or shelling out big dollars on your replica jersey.
And since youre all kinda sad and needy, let me break
this down for you some more.
Old Lazy vs. New Awesome

Sports culture has changed dramatically in the last,
I dont know, ten years, ever since people started
competing in organized sports at the level of real men
in the early 2000s. Back then, people were much more
boisterous and in-your-face than those pansies that
didnt get paid enough to be year-round awesome. Just
watch some old school football with leather helmets,
or baseball without helmets. Okay, fine, those athletes

used to be drunk and fat. They didnt celebrate much
because they werent creative and probably would
have thrown up. Sure, you occasionally got some
brilliance like the Icky Shuffle, but thats about it.
This whole attitude was what I refer to as old school
lazy. Its when athletes would drink and smoke on
the sidelines and couldnt come up with anything
interesting to say. If they won, they probably just went
out to drink more and bang some hookers. If they lost,
they probably just went out to drink more and bang
some hookers. They didnt celebrate their wins or even
stand up against bad calls, because early athletes
were not awesome.
Lazy, old school athletes did do a bit of trash talking,
but it was probably about coal mining or Communism.
Many of them were too busy eating and drinking to
care about trash talking. They were just that much
better than everyone, even when they tied one on.
Even if modern technology would have been present
back in the 1900s, or whenever Larry Bird played, I
doubt he was awesome enough to brag that he was
going to be a 3-time NBA champion. Though, I will say
that he was retro-awesome when he was rocking that
badass mustache.
Fast forward to the present, and weve got new
school awesome, where athletes know they are
better and tell everyone that will listen so no one ever
forgets. The key is to ridicule and insult the competition
to they know that even amongst the pros, there is an
elite class. Just watch TV or listen to sports radio, and
youll see college cheerleading competitions; which
are awesome, but could be better if they stopped
letting dudes compete. I was just watching some UFC
re-runs where Brock Lesnar beat Frank Mir to a bloody
pulp, then ran up and yelled at him some more, then
he bad-mouthed the sponsors. That man knows he is
awesome and will tell everyone that will listen, win or
lose.
When did everything change? When did we go from
old school lazy to new school awesome? I think its all
because of Muhammad Ali. His mind games, ability
to get inside the heads of his opponents and selfpromotion were done at a level that had never been
seen in sports before. He is solely responsible for much
of the new school awesome. I mean, Im not trying to
kiss his ass, here. I just think that it is right to give credit
to a man that knew how to play the game and knew
how to play the game.
So, we have some big differences here. Based on how
Ive laid this down for you, you can probably guess that
Im a pretty awesome guy and am all about new school
awesome and I require my athletes to be the same
way. I reject the old school lazy as being, well, lazy.

Got it? Hopefully I made that clear enough because
Im not repeating myself; thats something losers have
to do. But I want to leave you with a question, and
some sure-fire tips to make sure youre not contributing
to an entire generation of boring losers: What kind of
person are you? How do you represent yourself in
your coaching, and by proxy, the club scene? You
have to remember that your personality seeps into
your athletes, trickling down to your kids, friends who
worship how awesome you are, etc. You have to take
responsibility for this-- people around you will often act
the way that you do. So dont be a wuss, chicks hate
that. Unless you like lotion at 10pm on Friday nights.
Being awesome is very important to both coaches and
athletes. You have to be confident to be successful,
just like in the club. You have to see your training
and performance as the most important thing ever,
besides your fashion sense. This is especially true for
elite athletes, who are usually better than the rest of us.
Hopefully, none of that changes after retirement since
it would show they were just posers. Most elite athletes
go through a lot of women and sometimes that slows
down in the transition to normal life. Poor guys.
The best parts about being awesome that Im
describing here is the point where being awesome
translates into all your dreams coming true. Its all well
and good to be completely wrapped up in athletic
priorities and hair, but we need to make sure that we
dont start doing weird things like sharing, or being civil
and selfless. S***, Ill spell this out for you. Heres four
things you can do to stay awesome:
1. Stop showing interest in other players or people. This
is easy, right? Ignore them. You will absolutely never
get burned if you never open up your emotions to
another person. If a teammate sucks, tell them. If you
coddle them, they will stay crappy. And it works for
women, too. How many times have you seen some
smuck try really hard to get a girls attention, just to
have her go for the guy that ignores her and treats her
like crap? This is, like, 99.9% guaranteed stuff and takes
no effort at all.
2. Talk about yourself all the time, even if other people
tell you to stop. How else will they know how awesome
you are if you dont tell them everything youve done
and make them choke on your success? If you are
a stud (and you know you are), people will need to
be constantly reminded of it so they dont forget. You
need to wear your gold medals in public. Seriously. It
looks awesome. Michael Phelps should be at the club
showing off all his bling.
3. Make sure to constantly coach people, especially if
they dont ask for it. When you are at the gym flexing
in the mirror, and you see someone doing something

different than you would make sure to tell them! If
the person has a coach who is working with them,
that coach must suck. Make it your business. Now, if
the person doesnt have a coach and they are doing
something wrong, just tell them, Dude, you suck at
this, let me show you how its done. Then load up the
weights and make them look stupid and weak. If you
waited for people to ask you questions, no one would
ever talk to you. Take the initiative because no one is
as cool as you and that can be intimidating.
4. Get on ALL the forums and talk some *** for the love
of God! I know you all agree. Listen, the Internet is the
greatest source of trash talking and pornography in
the history for the world for people who dont feel the
need to leave the house (thank you, P90X!). But even if
though youre right and everyone else is wrong, it is still
important to get out there and make them look stupid.
Go do it, stupid!
Quick confession- Just so nobody calls me a douche
or thinks I live at home with my parents, Ill openly
admit that I have never violated anyone without their
consent. Respect.
In A Nutshell
So many mistakes that come with the new school
attitude are connected with stupid, weak kids. Kids
just dont listen to the parents that have already lost
and been humiliated. Why do you think we press you
so hard? If we dont, you will be a loser. It doesnt have
to be a part of growing up. And you coaches need to
remember this, because most kids literally suck at sports
and shouldnt get as much playing time as the kids that
can actually throw, shoot or hit. Maybe nobody ever
told them that some people just shouldnt be allowed
to play sports. Remember, some of the kids you work

with have been raised by pansies that think every kid
should get a trophy, even when they lose. You need to
show them how tough the world can be.
If you just got back from Sports Authority and youre
pumped to give little ten year-told Trevor a shirt you
just bought him that says, I hate you and I hate your
ass face because I am #1 so he can wear it to a youth
wrestling tournament (because who cares if someone
gets pinned in practice), then you and I need to hang
out, because you are awesome. Think about it: what
if Trevor shows up to the tournament with his badass
new shirt and pins some tough little kid in, like, 10
seconds? At that point we can safely say that Trevor
should that other kids participation trophies because
his shirt warned of how tough he was, but the other kid
didnt listen. You want to help? Teach your kids to read
the warning signs on other kids shirts.
Im not telling you that you can definitely be awesome.
You probably cant. Im not saying you that you will
be able to get the ladies or score the points and Im
certainly not telling you that you can have a great
personality. We are in the Age of Information, so we
need to get out there and plaster our pics on the
Internet. Roll like a Senator! If you dont get what you
want, complain about it. If you dont fight to get your
way, no one is going to hand it to you. Insulting your
competitors is the only way to put them in line. The
shift weve seen towards new awesome is a welcome
change. Make your athletes stand up and act better
than everyone else and maybe, well all have a better
chance at living vicariously through them. Its possible
that because your kids coaches are losers, your kids
will be losers, too, no matter how awesome the clothes
you make them wear are. But the clothing is worth a
shot. Just do it!
COOKING WITH SCOTTY SCOTT HAGNAS

Colorful Fruit Salad
Time: 10+ minutes
This is a nice summer fruit salad to bring to barbecues
or other gatherings. Feel free to substitute your favorite
fruits or whatever you have on hand.
3 red plums
2 apples
green and red grapes
2 nectarines
1 banana
juice of 1 lemon
Core and slice all of the fruits into thin slices, then chop
into small pieces. Mix in a large bowl. Then, squeeze
the fresh lemon juice over your salad. Mix again. Chill
and serve.
Double or quadruple the recipe depending on how
many youll be feeding.
Combine all of the above in a bowl and mix well.

Nutritional info: 3 servings at 12g carb, 3g fat
Nutritional info: servings vary, but 1 cup will be around

20g carb (depending on your fruit choices and ratios)
Middle Eastern Potato Salad

Cantaloupe and Veggie Salad
Time: 5 minutes
1/2 cantaloupe, diced
3 cups chopped spinach
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 tsp macadamia oil
This is a spin on a traditional recipe. I used Japanese

sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes here, but
you can always make this recipe using white potatoes
if you like. The Japanese sweet potatoes are reddish
on the outside, but light yellow on the inside. They are
low sugar and are the best for approximating white
potatoes in taste. Give this one a try if you are tired of
eating your sweet potatoes the same old way!
To prepare, simply soak the noodles in water for around

20-30 minutes or until soft. Bring to a boil; simmer for
around 5 minutes. They are ready to use!
Nutritional info: 2 oz of noodles is around 47g carb.
Blueberry Pie
A grain-free pie! Not only that, no omega-6 fats.
Look for tapioca spring roll sheets in the Asian food
section of nearly any grocery store; just be sure tapioca
is the only ingredient besides salt and water. I also used
dextrose instead of sugar to keep the fructose content
of the pie low.
Time: 40 minutes
Time: 12 minutes
1 large Japanese Sweet Potato (or Russet potato)
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt to taste
Peel and dice the potato into 3/4 cubes. Boil until
crisp-soft, or pressure cook for 2 1/2 minutes at pressure.
Drain the water. You want the sweet potatoes to be
cooked, but not too soft. Allow the potatoes to cool
some.
Add the remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Mix,
then add the cooked sweet potatoes. Toss well to
coat. Serve warm or chilled.
Nutritional info: 2 servings at 56g carb, 7g fat
1/2 package of tapioca spring roll sheets

coconut oil
Filling:
4 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp dextrose
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt
1-1 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot powder
Topping:
1 tsp dextrose
dash cinnamon
Remove about one quarter of the tapioca sheets
from the package. One at a time, add these sheets
to a pan of lukewarm water. Soak for 2-3 minutes, and
then remove the sheets, drying with cheesecloth or
Yam Noodles
This isnt a recipe per se, but rather a great new find
for a mostly Paleo carbohydrate source. Look in
Asian markets for packages of yam noodles. They
may be labeled vermicelli; just check to see that
the ingredients are only sweet potatoes (or yams). Be
careful, because there are other kinds of vermicelli
noodles that may have ingredients you may not like!
Besides being very inexpensive, these noodles are very
versatile. Use them in any of your favorite pasta type
recipes. You can also substitute these noodles in any of
the recipes Ive written using spaghetti squash or kelp
noodles.
something similar as you do.

Rub the bottom and sides of a pie tin with a bit of
coconut oil. Now, lay the dried sheets on the bottom of
your pie tin, staggering them so that both the bottom
and the sides are covered. When done, it should look
pretty much like a normal pie crust.
Add the blueberries and all of the filling ingredients
except the arrowroot to a medium saucepan. Bring
up to a boil, stirring. Reduce to a simmer; then, stir the
arrowroot in slowly. Allow the blueberry mix to thicken
until it has the consistency of gravy.
Pour the filling into the pie. Now, repeat the soaking
and drying process with another quarter of the tapioca
sheets. Lay these over top of the filling. Fold the edges
for a nicer appearance, much like you would for any
normal pie crust. Cut 4 slits through the top crust so the
pie will vent while cooking. Finally, rub coconut oil over
the top of the pie crust. Place the pie in the refrigerator
to cool and thicken.
When it is close to time to serve the pie, pre-heat your
oven to broil. Place the pie in the oven with the door
open. Broil for 5-8 minutes until the top of the crust begins
to brown and becomes crispy. While the pie is in the
oven, mix 1 tsp of dextrose and a dash of cinnamon in
a small bowl. When the pie is done, remove and dust
the top with this mixture. Serve warm.
Nutritional info: 6 servings at 35g carb, 1.5g fat
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PERFORMANCE MENU

ISSUE 79 . AUGUST 2011

JOURNAL OF HEALTH & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

JOURNAL OF NUTRITION & ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

8 Out With The New, In With The Old

How you teach attitude

12 There is No Spoon: The Illusion of Weightlifting

Four debated areas of lifting technique

16 Integrated Mobility, Part 1: The Five Pillars of an Optimal

19 Minimizing Consumption of Pesticide Residue (Without

Breaking the Bank)

A look at the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 foods

21 Out With The Old, In With The New

Archie tells you how it really is, in his own words

24 Cooking with Scotty

Recipes for health, performance and longevity

is published monthly in digital

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Khaled Asks: I am a CrossFit trainer at CrossFit Norwalk,

needs to be a single program that covers all of the

I have been trying to sort this out for a long time,

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 5

down to a reasonable volume of training; again, pare

adequately with the exception of occasional errors.

Greg Says: I cant think of a time Ive ever seen

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO ASK@CATHLETICS.COM

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Olympic Size Plates for All Athletes & Clients

SAVE 5% with the coupon code pmhitech

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Out With The New, In With The Old

Beach, they hold outrageous spectacles at Miamis

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 8

tive that Im right. When it comes to training, exercise

Old School vs. New School

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 9

The basic blueprint for not becoming a

1) Show a lot of interest, enthusiasm, and support

for others. Simplest thing in the world, right?

when theyre down. This is 100% guaranteed

2) Dont talk about your accomplishments unless

somebody asks you about them. The quickest

3) Dont coach people in the gym unless they ask

for it. Lets say youre in a gym training and you

4) Dont get on the internet and talk @%*!. Ooohhh,

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 10

been practically raised by wolves. They need some

Look, Im not telling you to be boring. Im not telling

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 11

is to it; everything else that happens along the way is

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 12

hence the name clean. The result of the former rule

stand up longer than necessary in order to complete

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 13

by the lifters to use the traps. This motion is not very

What about pulls? World champion lifters can be seen

The jerk drive is probably the most difficult aspect of

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 14

own athleticism and body type. In short, he will see the

counterproductive. It is acceptable for coaches and

THE PERFORMANCE MENU ISSUE 79 AUGUST 2011 15