My 2014 Year in Review
2014 was a very interesting year. From a personal level I have got the opportunity to spend more time with my wife and daughters than I ever have in the previous few years. My oldest started kindergarten and my youngest is developing into her own little person. Let's just say they both have strong personalities.
Physically, it has been the most frustrating year I have ever had. I have had injuries in the past and they were pretty cut and dry. For example when I broke my hand, I had a time frame where I could work with. In fact, I even earned a spot at Masters nationals while training with that same broken hand. In the past I have had a medial meniscus tear which again, had a specific time line to rehab. Pulled muscles are what they are and I've always been able to come back from them. But, the last two injuries were really frustrating.
Last January almost a year to the day I straighten my leg while doing a dynamic warm-up and heard a pop. My knee was in locked in place where I could not bend it straight it will put weight on it. After getting an MRI they determined that there was no tear. I was absolutely convinced that I had torn something in the lateral part of the knee. After the MRI it was determined that I had so many bone spurs and junk in that knee that it just locked up from the scar tissue. I felt like a gigantic sissy and there was no way of determining whether that be would lock up again even after Cortizone shot. I have since had three shots in each knee with synovial fluid and I have been asymptomatic since.
The second injury was about as frustrating as I could get. Long story short, I have two bulging discs in my neck along with spurs in the root of my vertebrae. Basically from so much compression of the spine my disks were pushing on my spinal cord and the bone spurs where rubbing on the other nerves going down my left arm. Not sure if I'll ever get full strength or will be pain-free in that left arm or not. I have had to reduce my training to certain grips in certain exercises in order to try and stay pain-free.
I competed in my first Olympic lifting meet this year with the help of my big Jordan Houghton it was the first time in my life that I was not responsible for my own trading and trusted someone to program for me. It was a great learning experience but again there are way more factors involved in weightlifting then I had anticipated.
My First and Maybe Last Olympic Weightlifting Meet
I will try to make a comeback in strongman sometime this spring. It is a touchy subject because I have to find a meat that has a log press, a car did lift, due to the necessity of using a neutral grip.
2014 also brought some major changes in some new beginnings at elitefts. Last April we had the final installment of the learn to train seminars. The LTT8 was a huge success in my personal opinion is that it was very smooth overall. I personally liked the LTT7 format but the LTT8 was a notch above in terms of true experience for our attendees.
We also started the next chapter in this seminar series for elitefts. We held the first Powerlifting Experience in August of this past year. We have some kinks to work out but overall it gave a lot of our attendees a great opportunity to learn from the best powerlifters in The world. We expect the next Powerlifting Experience to be held in late April. We are also going to put on the eliteFTS Sports Performance Training Summit in February. I would be lying if I didn't say that this was one of my goals I thought I could organize when coming to elitefts. It is something that we have never done before but I sincerely believe we will have a great turnout and an outstanding event.
If you didn't notice, we added several new team members to elitefts which we are really excited about. Notice I didn't say sponored lifters. Clint Darden explains it here:
EliteFTS New Years Eve Surprise from Clint Darden on Vimeo.
Clint Darden is all heart and what we are all about.
2015 is going to be a huge year for eliteFTS. Look for some great products, some great events, and the best content you'll find on the Internet. I definitely just sounded like a commercial there, but we are really excited about the future.
From a professional level 2013 was very humbling for me. I had the opportunity to present multiple times this year. I was able to speak on developing relationships with sport coaches at the 2013 NSCA Coaches Conference in Indianapolis.
How to Deal with Difficult Coaches
My good friend Tom Palumbo asked me to speak at the Northern Florida State Clinic this year. Tom is a great coach and has dond a lot for our profession.
This past June I was honored to present as part of the Naval special warfare resiliency program. I cannot really give details but let's just say I was able to hang out with my good friend Andrew Hargus, and present in front of 70 operators.
Hawaii Trip and Stop Pretending
Finished up the year presenting in front of students at Denison University and exercise science graduate students at the Ohio State University on programming and periodization.
Non Linear Periodization for Beginners
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak at the Strength & Speed Clinic at Robert Morris University. Todd Hamer and Ryan Nosak did an excellent job and it was an honor.
Finally, I have been honored to have been a guest on other podcasts besides our own. It is always a humbling experience to represent elitefts on other platforms.
7 Things I will do Better at in 2015
1. Not miss Sunday Mass
2. Be more attentive to my family
3. Train in the AM to avoid missing time with my daughters
4. Podcast 1x week
5. Exercise Video 1x week
6. Article 1x month
7. More interaction with coaches
WEDNESDAY
Log Clean & Press
190 x8 vid
170 x10
*concentrating on pushing back toward my face
Here is a vid from a few weeks back with 220x2
SS Yoke Bar Squat
360x4
*Can't see depth with the video but you can see some severe lack of tighness in the upper back. Not sure if its neck-injury related but it's not cool. Here is a vid from a few weeks back using a pause. And yes they are 25s because I am very lazy.