WOMEN'S WEIGHTLIFTING CREW

Starting in February (2/3/17) TCS will host the Women's Weightlifting Crew on the first Friday of every month. This is open to any female in the area who loves to pick shit up and put it down. Strongman, powerlifting, olympic lifting, "gymnastical" shit....everything is up for discussion. Myself and Coach Mary D from the Strictly Strength side of the gym will be leading these workouts. 

If you are familiar with TCS, Travis hosts "Lumberjacked" for the dudes once a month. This is the same - but better for obvious reasons.

WWC is open to any fitness level. You could be starting out day 1 - or be competing in the Olympics. We don't care, and neither should you. This is about getting together with other strong women and doing what we love: Lifting heavy shit in any way possible. 

Sign ups are HERE. Look on the class calendar each month for the announced Friday night for the WWC. 

WEEKEND NUTRITION SURVIVAL GUIDE

By: Jen Shaw

The weekend...A.K.A. killer of all diets, is more often than not where people break. What is it about "the weekend" that makes people jump off shit pier and ruin everything? Even if you are absolutely perfect Monday through Friday you will completely blow your goals if you food orgy pizza and beer for two days, or even one full day. 

So, in an effort to help you battle the weekend slip-ups, I want to share the rules that I abide by. They might seem dumb or maybe even minuscule....but you they're the keys to coming out of the weekend on top and in control.

RULES OF THE WEEKEND

1. There are no "cheat days" so stop. 

First, stop using the word "cheat." It's super negative and means you are doing something wrong which you are not, you are living. However, going on a sugar bender all day will absolutely ruin you. Yes, you can recover from it and move on for sure. However if you are involved in anything like "GET RIPPED" that only lasts six weeks you are really stunting your progress. 

2. NEVER ever treat yourself on Sunday night.

Sunday night is usually the night before you are back at the gym and lifting heavy. Treating yourself on Sunday night will sabotage your workout and possibly how you feel when you wake up Monday morning. Only good things Sunday night. 

3. If you MUST have a bad meal, do it at lunch - not dinner. 

It's much harder to recover from a treat if you have it at dinner. Eating bad and then going to sleep leaves you feeling like crap in the morning. So after your treat at lunch drink water, nap, eat a good dinner and have all the good things before you sleep. 

4. NEVER EVER drink after you eat your last meal of the day. 

I cannot stress this enough. Have you ever woken up anywhere between 2-4am sweating and your heart racing and beating out of your chest? That's drinking, and sugar. I suggest you have your cocktails before dinner, then eat, then water. Wine after meals, the worst. All of that sugar just sitting there waiting to crush your sleep at 2am. 

Try it and let me know how it works! 

COW #7

Alright. It's been a while, so I hope your ready for this one!

This complex offers some unique characteristics and challenges that you will quickly notice once you get busy on this.

Right off the bat you'll notice that this complex involve not just the barbell or dumbbell, but incorporates both to create a very unique stimulus as you progress through the 5 sets - hopefully increasing weight each time in an appropriate fashion.

Be sure to pay attention the video demo so that you know what order everything should be completed in and what the movements should look like. Also, pay special attention to how quickly Linds transfers from the BB and goes right to the DB......You need to do the same. Don't dilly-dally around. You can take your rest once the entire set is complete.

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COW #7

5 Sets @ AHAP + UB:

• 1 BB Power Clean
• 1 BB Hang Power Clean
  --RIGHT INTO--
• 3 SA DB Power Snatch
• 3 SA DB Shoulder-to-Overhead
• 3 SA DB Front Squats

**Perform all SA DB movements on one side, then complete all 3 movements on the other without setting the DB down.

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CLEAN & JERK CLINIC

On Saturday, December 13th from 11:00-12:30pm I am excited to announce that I will hold a Clean and Jerk Clinic. This clinic is open to the public and is for those with a basic understanding of the movements but want to improve their technique, be more efficient, and hit a new personal record.

Increasing your maximum load for the Clean and Jerk obviously requires a great deal of strength, but without dialing in your skill, you can only get so far. Being proficient is the key to being successful in many of your daily workouts; whether it is one rep as heavy as possible or if you have thirty Clean and Jerks for time.

The first hour you will spend learning drills to improve speed, foot work and body positioning. I will have you break apart these movements so we can focus on one part at a time. Then we will spend the last thirty minutes putting them together and working up to a maximum load for the day. A few days after the clinic is over I will touch base with you and review any questions you may have. You will also receive a couple videos of your lifts with audio commentary while performing them. These videos are extremely valuable as I slow them down and you can hear exactly what’s going on piece by piece.

As a coach and an athlete, Olympic Lifting is my passion and I’m eager to spend time teaching movements I love! I hope to see you there.

REGISTER HERE

Complex Of the Week #4

It's been a while since we've posted a COW, so we are going to throw it at you right off the bat!

You'll find that this complex makes you earn the opportunity to hit the final 6 front squats....and once you're there....you're not sure you want to be there anymore. Here it is:

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COW #4

Complete 5 Sets of :

• 1 Power Clean
• 3 Hang Power Cleans
• 2 Push Press
• 6 Front Squats

As always, this complex needs to be done in an unbroken set. I would recommend starting very light so that you can get a good vibe on what this complex is all about. Once you get that first set under your belt, move into some heavier weights based on how it feels. By the last set you should be nervous about whether or not you're going to make it through all 12 reps.

This is not the highest quality video, and for whatever reason the first power clean was cut off, but I think this still serves the purpose and gives you an idea of what it should look like. Have fun with this one and kick this week off with a bang!

Recap: Barbell Seminar

This past Saturday Coach Jaime Shauger hosted an Olympic Lifting Seminar at TCS.  I knew that the seminar attendees would be in great hands and would leave with new skills and information that will undoubtedly help them lift more heavy stuff.  

I asked Jaime to give us a quick run-down of the day's events so that outsiders would have a little insight into what's available to them the next time a seminar is offered....here's what she had to say...

This past Saturday I had the privilege of coaching an amazing group of people for my first Barbell Seminar. The two hours flew by and we all had a great time! We spent some time warming up our bodies, prepping our ankles, hips and shoulders, and then we got into the fun stuff! We broke down the mechanics of the Snatch and Clean & Jerk and of course had time for everyone to load up their bars and lift heavy!

The experience from these lifters ranged from beginner to advanced TCS and LIFT athletes. They all walked away with new knowledge and skills to better their lifts and bring to their daily workouts. Can't wait for the next seminar on July 12th!

What's Your Oly IQ?

Some of you may have seen some recent posts on the TCS social media outlets that Coach Jaime Shauger will be running an Olympic Lifting Barbell Seminar this Saturday from 10-12 at Travis County Strength. 

This seminar is dedicated to increasing your Oly IQ and improving your clean & jerk and snatch movements.  

What I really want to stress to y'all is that the information, drills, and skills you'll be receiving from Jaime are all based from her own training experience and success.  In fact, Jaime successfully qualified for Nationals at her very first Oly meet!  Since then, she's continued to train, learn and reach new milestones as this major competition nears.

This offering is only open to 10 athletes and has been filling up since being released.  Regardless of whether you're a brand new lifter or very experienced, this seminar has a lot to offer.

REGISTER HERE