July/August 2010
FROM THE EDITOR A Message from BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss The Age of Ego have been in previous decades. In one major study of college ’ve had the opportunity to interview many coaches and students, one out of four students tested as having narcisphysical education instructors with two and even three sistic traits. With high school students, the authors report that decades invested in their careers. During these interviews one out of every three seniors are “completely satisfied with I like to ask, “How are the kids today different from the kids themselves,” compared to one out of four in 1975. And there you worked with when you started?”
Some of these educators, is also evidence that middle school students especially those at smaller schools who often are also displaying higher levels of inflated see their kids through 12 years of education, egos compared to their predecessors in the say, “Not at all.” Others say, “There are 1980s. more distractions today, and many students The authors suggest that one possible don’t seem as motivated as their predecescause of narcissism is the self-centeredness sors were to excel to the highest levels in caused by Facebook, MySpace, Twitter sports or academics.” Good answers, but and other social networking sites.
But one there is one disturbing personality trait I’ve point the authors make that really caught seen that characterizes many young people my attention is that “young people didn’t today – narcissism. raise themselves. They got these narcissistic Narcissism is a complex mental health values from somewhere, often from their condition, but a simple definition is that it is parents or media messages created by older a personality disorder in which an individual people.” overestimates their talents and is obsessed Although BFS is primarily known with the need for admiration. It’s not about for its exercise equipment and workout being self-confident but more about having Tiara Lusk is a true 11.
A member of the Team BFS Weightlifting Club programs, we are especially proud of the Be an ego that is so overinflated that a person and a professor at BYU-Idaho, Lusk recently completed a master’s dean 11 program that we started over a decade has a sense of entitlement. Think of the gree and is working towards a PhD. ago. Rather than fostering self-centeredness, “Sharpay Evans” character Ashley Tisdale these BFS seminars teach young people how to set higher goals, played in the High School Musical movies – that’s narcissism. work harder and become better individuals with a value system While Sharpay is a relatively harmless character who based upon the highest standards.
If you are a coach who believes her destiny is to be famous, narcissism is not a condition to be taken lightly. To back up this statement, I would refer works with young people, or if you are a parent, encourage your school to hold a Be an 11 clinic today! you to a fascinating book on this subject called The Narcissism Regarding this edition of BFS magazine, one athlete who Epidemic, by Jean M. Twenge, PhD, and W. Keith Campbell, is definitely an 11 is Amy Elizabeth Medina of Mountain View PhD (Free Press, 2009). The authors point out that narcissism is harmful to the per- High School in Loveland, Colorado.
Medina is the 2010 BFS Female Athlete of the Year, and you can read her story beginson displaying this behavior, because when they fail to achieve ning on page 10. You’ll also find some great articles about the goals they feel entitled to, they can experience serious sports coaching, strength and conditioning, and exciting new depression. Narcissism can also harm others, as the narcissist’s obsession with their own self-worth can seem to justify treating developments in exercise equipment. Enjoy! others poorly. It also affects society in general, as these individKim Goss, MS uals can engage in behaviors that become a burden on society.
Editor in Chief, BFS magazine How prevalent is narcissism? The authors found that in kim@bfsmail.com tests that measure narcissism, scores are higher today than they INews and highlights from the world of athletic fitness 2010 BFS High School Female Athlete of the Year Q Amy Elizabeth Medina is a winner in all aspects of life QBelief in the BFS Total Program has paid off for these New York athletes QBFS Position Paper: Straight Leg Deadlift The BFS perspective on this valuable lower body exercise QWhy this absolute is the key to good posture and athletic development QRR Donnelley Salt Lake City, Utah 84119 info@bfsmail.com This is an official publication of Bigger Faster Stronger, Inc.
It is published bimonthly. Subscriptions are $19.95 per magazine may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent in this issue are subject to change without notice. All equipment will be shipped the most economical way, F.O.B. Salt presented in BFS magazine is not meant to provide medical advice; you should obtain medical advice from your private healthcare practitioner.
2010 National High School Power Clean Championships Q Records continued to fall in this annual lifting competitin at Bonanza High School TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT 34 Structural Balance and Auxiliary Exercises Q Tips on how to individualize the BFS program QAnother look at the ever increasing value of lifting chains QEnter the Octagon!
A look at a revolutionary total conditioning unit PHYSICAL EDUCATION 46 The Dark Side of Sports: Justice Prevails (Part 2) Q More insight into at a lawsuit that took 19 years to settle Pat Mendes: America’s Strongest One of the highlights of the 2010 National High School Power Clean Championships was an exhibition by Pat Mendes, who won this event in 2007 and 2008 and established the national record in the heavyweight class with 350 pounds. On a break during the competition, the 5' 9½" and 286-pound Mendes clean and jerked 485 pounds and then cleaned 507 pounds, just missing the jerk out front. Can you say 2012 Olympics?
Just before his 20th birthday, Mendes achieved the following lifts: 440 snatch, 507 clean, 507 raw bench press, 600 front squat, 706 x 5 back squat, and a 551 back squat for 5 reps in less than five seconds. Video clips of these lifts can be seen on the YouTube channel Brozknows. And for those interested in purchasing the photos shown here, or photos from the National High School Power Clean Championships, email John Broz at snatch400@me.com. Mendes was introduced to weightlifting at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he earned a 4.4 GPA and turned down a college football scholarship to focus on weightlifting. Mendes’
first official weightlifting competition was in November 2008 at a small meet in 3KRWRVE\-RKQ%UR] Utah, where he snatched 286 pounds and clean and jerked 352 pounds. Weightlifting is considered a sport of development, but Mendes has always been strong. In his freshman year he squatted 405, and two years later he was squatting 585, benching 415 and power cleaning 350. The following May, while Mendes was defending his title and records at the National High School Power Clean Championships in Las Vegas, he was approached by local weightlifting coach John Broz, who helped convince Mendes to take on the sport seriously.
Says Broz, “If Pat hadn’t entered that national power clean meet, he wouldn’t be lifting with me today. This is a great way to give kids an idea of what weightlifting is all about, and we have even given weightlifting exhibitions during the competition so kids can get a closer look at the sport.” Under Broz, Mendes trains twice a day, up to three hours per session, and the plan was to work up to the level where he is training 17 times a week. When he first started with Broz, their goals were to lift 462 in the snatch and 573 in the clean and jerk. Maybe, based upon his current rate of progress, those goals are too conservative?
A New Look at Food BFS recommends a quality multivitamin and mineral supplement as part of a sound nutrition program. One nutrition expert who shares this belief is Dr. Robert A. Rakowski. Dr. Rakowski is a clinical nutritionist and the clinic director of the Natural Medicine Center in Houston, Texas. His patient base ranges from professional athDr. Rakowski letes to critically ill patients. During a recent visit to the Poliquin Strength Institute, BFS Editor in Chief Kim Goss asked Dr. Rakowski about the importance of multivitamin and mineral supplements. Rakowski says that one problem in the US is that our fertilizers often only contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
“It takes 17 elements to make a healthy plant, and we only put three back in. So what happens is this malnutrition in the plants becomes malnutrition in the animals and becomes malnutrition in humans.” He adds that trying to get all the nutrients the body needs is especially problematic for athletes.
“If you’re trying to compete on an elite level, the person who has the best nutrient status and the least amount of toxins is going to win, all else being equal. I agree that we should get most of our nutrients from food. Taking supplements in the absence of a good diet is still a poor diet with supplements. What you want is a great diet, but even with that the literature suggests that a great diet is not sufficient to reestablish depleted systems – that a sick body can’t bounce back without supplementation.” Look for more valuable information about nutrition from Dr. Rakowski in future issues of BFS.
3/$<(5352),/(6 Avery Cunningham When the Winton Woods Warriors football team hoisted the Division II State Championship trophy, much of the credit belonged to their captain, #36 Avery Cunningham. The championship was the first of any kind for the Winton Woods community. Avery, who was voted captain by his teammates in both his junior and his senior years, led his teammates on the field, in the classroom and in the locker room. Avery suffered a potentially career-ending injury early in his junior year, but worked himself back through hard work in the weightroom and earned the admiration of his teammates.
After not one but two surgeries to repair his shoulder, Avery went through grueling rehabilitation to still achieve a 275 power clean, a hex bar of 505 and a squat of 425 at the team’s final testing last July. His play on the field earned him first team all-conference, as well as recognition as the defensive player of the year in the conference. He was selected all-city by the Cincinnati Enquirer, first team all-district and first team all-state. Avery earned first team all-conference as a sophomore as well. He was also selected to the prestigious Ohio North-South AllStar team. Avery was on the South team, which pulled out an exciting 23-20 victory.
In the classroom Avery is a student-athlete role model. He has a 3.4 core grade point average. He is on the principal’s student ambassadors program, which is selected by the school’s principal, Dr. Terri Holden, as the students who best represent Winton Woods High School. In addition to being an exceptional football player, Avery is a standout track performer. He won the 110 and 300 hurdle events at the league this past season. His performance at the league meet earned him runner of the meet and a school record in the 300 hurdles. At the district track meet the following week, Avery again captured both events.
Avery’s talent caught the eye of Coach Dan Enos at Central Michigan, who offered Avery a scholarship after Enos was named the head football coach for the Chippewas this January.
Primal bars are considered food bars because they contain protein, carbohydrates and fats. Trying to design a In cooperation with the Poliquin Strength bar with a significant amount of protein Institute, BFS will now be offering Primal bars, to take the place of a meal would make a food bar that presents a nutritional alternative the product too dense. Says Poliquin, to the protein bars offered in grocery stores and “It’s impossible to design a true protein other large outlets. bar that tastes good – a protein bar that Primal bars are designed to stabilize blood sugar levels would be nutritious for you would taste like a hockey puck!”
because they are free of fructose and contain, instead, polyols Primal bars come in a choice of five delicious flavors: that occur naturally in fruits and vegetables Most protein bars on chocolate coated, vanilla/almond coated, uncoated diary-free the market cause a high spike in blood sugar that is associated chocolate/almond, uncoated dairy-free coconut/almond, with an insulin crash that causes drowsiness and carbohydrate cravings. Further, excess consumption of fructose products may and mixed-berry coated.
The vanilla almond and chocolate Primal bars are made with an exceptional-quality whey protein; be one of the causes behind the insulin resistance and obesity uncoated chocolate and uncoated coconut/almond are dairy free epidemic in America. and made with rice protein. Rice protein is considered to be the Primal bars do not contain soy. According to Charles least allergic of all protein sources available; these uncoated bars Poliquin, soy products are linked to hypothyroidism and attenwill be the obvious choice for those who are sensitive to whey tion deficit disorder, and can block mineral absorption and protein. decrease testosterone levels in men.
He says soybeans are one To order go to the BFS e-store of the most sprayed crops, and their high content of pesticides increases the toxic load on the body.
BOOK REVIEWS:
Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes Testing is a given in today’s athletic environment. Whereas football has taken testing to a high level with its combines, what about other sports? The answer can be found in Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes, a superior reference book by the Australian Sports Commission published by Human Kinetics (humankinetics.com). In a nutshell, this amazing book offers five reasons for testing: 1) Identify weaknesses, 2) Monitor progress, 3) Provide feedback, 4) Educate coaches and athletes, and 5) Predict performance potential. Their criteria for testing include relevance, specificity, practicality, validity and accuracy.
Testing protocols are provided for 17 sports, with standards developed from national- and international-level athletes.
Such information provides practical information for coaches to design individualized strength and conditioning programs. In addition to providing tests for specific tests, Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes presents details on protocols for many general laboratory assessments, including the following: blood lactate testing anthropometric testing blood sampling and handling flexibility assessment VO2max assessment various methods of strength and power testing This 465-page reference tool is a must for not just sport scientists but also physical educators and coaches involved in strength and conditioning programs for athletes.
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From BFS Magazine — July/August 2010. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
