big OHS day

Full bottom squat, 45#, 46 reps in 13 continuous sets - at the end of a work out ;-)

Pic from Total Physique Online

Heavy Athletics: lifting with at-risk youth

Changing lives one rep at a time

Heavy Athletics helps incarcerated youth fulfill their potential, both physically and mentally, through Olympic weightlifting. Volunteer coaches work with incarcerated 12 to 18-year-olds six days a week, 52 weeks a year, in Oregon. They train, have meets, and sometimes take competitors to the next level of competition on the outside and then back in again as mentors.

Heavy Athletics is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) Olympic Weightlifting training program at the John Serbu Juvenile Justice Center in Eugene, Oregon. The program was founded in 2001 by two-time National Olympic Weightlifting Champion and American Record Holder, Tom Hirtz.

"Each member of the Heavy Athletics program believes that heartfelt positive reinforcement from a trusted coach can make difference in thriving and surviving in the juvenile justice system."

What a great and unique thing. This strikes me as pure altruism borne of deep thought and personal philosophy. The fact that they have six coaches who do this year-round on a volunteer basis is impressive.

Records are for glory, lifting is for life

You can read the stats to see how people perform in their sports, but I'm more taken by deeper contexts that show who a person is through his sport. That's a complicated concept to explain, but this site has a lovely example; check out the deep moments from jail... my kind of poetry in the rough.

"We have found that Olympic style weightlifting, which requires timing, coordination and courage, is about a lot more than just how much weight we can get a kid to lift; it's about what a kid becomes as a result of lifting that weight," (presumably a Tom Hirtz quote).

Every little bit helps this kind of specialized program. To make a donation, visit the site or contact Heavy Athletics at (541) 953-7946.

training article in Fitness & Physique mag

My article on rigging hanging handles and training similar to basic ring work is in the spring issue of Fitness & Physique magazine. You can also read a version of it at Straight to the Bar.

This is the magazine of the Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders, or OCB, a steroid-free non-profit.

Fitness & Physique is sold at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Hastings, International News, Meijer's, QFC, Kroger, Supervalu, Winco Foods and other retail outlets, or can be ordered online.

Mother's Day wishlist at Straight to the Bar

On Mother’s Day, it’s time to return the favour. She helped out by bringing you up; now help her become strong enough to deal with, well, you.

Straight to the Bar features my article Grrls Mother's Day Fitness Wishlist.

Mother’s Day should be about the woman - not Hallmark, not sugar, and definitely not the floral industry. If she was tough enough to survive raising you, give her something to complement her indomitable strength.

(Pictured is mother of four and 2007 OCB Yorton Cup Nationals champion Cheryl Szarmach. Photo by Matt Shepley)