Making The Move

So the time has come for me to make the move from blogger over to the world of Tumblr. I have been blogging here since I started my coaching career six years ago. I have to admit, as I'm typing this I am a little sad. Blogger has been good to me and has been a way for me to introduce myself to the world. It has also been an avenue for me to get my thoughts and ideas about crossfit, Olympic Lifting, nutrition and everything in between out to who will ever read or watch.
I hope you all enjoy my new site and it officially being called ZutFit.com!

Mock Meet

This past week I put my Olympic Lifting athletes through a mock meet. I warmed them up as I would warm up in a meet and only allowed them three attempts at each of the lifts. It was fun to watch some of the athletes ask for a forth attempt and look surprised when I said they only get three. This shit ain't easy! People often ask me what went wrong at a meet I competed in where I only hit one lift on the snatch or completely bombed on my clean & jerk. When you compete in an Olympic meet, you are trying to be absolutely perfect at a high load. There is a minuet amount of error allowed in order for you to make the lift. So, if I'm not as close to perfect as I can be trying to lift a load that I don't regularly put over my head....well, you can see where I'm coming from. Like I said, this shit ain't easy.
Since most of the people that are in the Olympic classes are crossfiters, they are used to getting multiple chances at a lift with less than stellar technique. So I think the point of them coming to get trained up in a different atmosphere, where we are not crossfiting and technique is the main focus, it will bleed over into their crossfiting. Any who! It's fun to watch people beg for more opportunities at a lift and me get to say no.
And just FYI for those of you that didn't know, I did do the Open WOD 12.2 and hit 63 reps. This was my first WOD in just nearly a year, and I just nearly puked afterwords. It was my technique that allowed me to get as far as I did. I am certainly not in any metcon shape so the training that I do paid BIG dividends! Since the Olympic lifts are so prevalent in crossfit I would suggest adding the technique work to your training. And if you are doing it on your own, SLOW DOWN! and make it as perfect as possible. Now go lift some heavy shit!

Come take a look at my YouTube page and subscribe. Lot's of training videos.

Training Video

This was shot last night at my coaches gym. Training has been kicked into over drive and I am mightily inspired! After my last meet in Ft. Worth I am hungry for massive gains and new PR's. I have picked up my training volume and am planning on lifting at 85kg at my next meet in May. This is going to require some serious eating clean and stepping up my supplementation. I made an Advocare order today and have my eyes set on eating clean.
As far as the video below, I set a PR for a snatch triple at 95kg. My technique is getting better and more consistent. Lifts I would have usually missed forward are now being made, pulling hard has now become more consistent. I now need to shore up my jerks and have several exercises I am doing weekly to make that happen.
It has now been one year since I dedicated all my training solely to Olympic Lifting. Since that time I have put 11kg on my snatch max and the same amount on my clean & jerk. I have visions of being a legitimate lifter and being competitive in the lifting world.

Just wanted to also throw out that I did the 12.2 Crossfit Games Open WOD last week and lit my lungs on fire! First Crossfit WOD in a year and got 63 snatches. My goal was to get to sixty without dying and everything else on top of that was gravy. Just thought I would share.

Texas!!

Just want to say Happy Texas Independence Day to all my fellow Texans and those who wish they were. If you're not native Texan then you really can't and don't understand what it means to be from Texas. My families history in the state goes way back and I am damn proud of that fact.
We Texans are fiercely independent, love our gun's, and maybe BBQ even more! Football is our past time and beer drinking a close second. We are friendly, giving and polite.
But don't cross us! Oh....and Bless Your Hearts you poor Yankees!

Latest Competition

This past weekend myself and my weightlifting team traveled up to Ft. Worth to compete in Black Box Gyms first Olympic Weightlifting competition. It was a great weekend and good to see all the competitors I have come to know traveling around and competing in local meets. Dutch Lowy, the owner and host of the competition did a great job with the organizing and accommodating of all the athletes, so to him much thanks.
Now for the meet! I was going for a new opener on the Snatch of 100kg and was hoping to PR with something along the lines of 107kg. As you can see in the video below I had a little trouble with the opener. But I will take what I got because 100kg is a new PR for a meet. And for the Clean and Jerk I also was going for an opener that I have hit during training at 125kg but yet hit in a meet. I was feeling confident Saturday so I was just going for it on both openers. My aspirations for the Clean and Jerk were to hit 135kg for a new PR. The first Clean and Jerk at 125kg was cake! And and as you can see fro the video my Jerk needs some attention.
All in all I am happy with the meet because I was going with some bigger than normal openers and taking a little risk. The 100kg Snatch and 125kg Clean and Jerk are both PR's for a meet so I am satisfied. Competing in these meets and training pretty much strictly the Olympic lifts is one of the most satisfying and fun things I have learned to do. After every meet successful or not I always leave ready to hit the gym wanting to get better. I feel like I have only begun to scratch the surface of my human potential when it comes to Olympic Lifting.
Next meet in May! Time to get stronger!

Meet This Weekend

This coming weekend while everyone is putting their lungs to the test for the CrossFit Games Open, Emily and I will be traveling to Ft. Worth, Tx. We are headed to our friendly neighbors to the north to compete in the Black Box Gym Olympic Weightlifting Championship. With the growth and popularity of Olympic Weightlifting (due to the growth and popularity of CrossFit) it seems there are more and more chances to compete in lifting meets. This suits me just fine since I spend the majority of my time training for the Olympic lifts.
Since my time training with Ursula Garza my lifts have gone from barely suitable to semi respectable. In August I was snatching 85kilos and not but two weeks ago while training I hit 100kilos twice. So I would say I am improving. This weekend I plan to open with 100kilos on the snatch and 125kilos on the clean and jerk. I see my self PRing on both lifts. (I'm getting a little nervous as I write this) So with all this said, here is to lifting HEAVY SHIT!
You can follow my lifts on twitter @ZUTFIT

My last meet above is from January at the State Meet. My snatch misses are at 100kilos and Clean and Jerk bombs are 125kilos. I've made some strides since then!

New Video

Sorry for the hiatus. I just go through periods of writers block or just straight laziness. Here is a new video from Red Black Olympic Weightlifting class. Seems my classes have become coaches training here of late. Nothing wrong with working specific weaknesses to get better at a sport that prides it's self on being general. Any who, enjoy the video and come subscribe to my YouTube page for all the videos I have.