TSSSS!

Gosh, weightlifters make funny noises don't they?

I'm definitely not an exception to the rule.

I am a culprit for the loud 'TSS!' or 'TSAH!' at the end of my snatch/clean/squat. Yep, I am that person.

But I have a theory as to why I (and many others) do this.

When I lift, I hold my breath. This is to help me keep my core rigid by increasing my intra-abdominal pressure. This is part of the Valsalva manoeuvre, a technique where you expire against a closed glottis.

So I'm doing all of this hard work holing my breath, when I'm finishing my squat/clean/snatch, I will exhale but in such a way that I don't reduce my intra-abdominal pressure and compromise my stability.

Part of my theory is also that it helps prevent the drop in blood pressure that can occur when using the valsalva maneuvre which would cause fainting however, I'm not 100% sure so don't quote me on that.

Overall I think that it is a part of lifting that happens almost without thinking but it helps to boost the confidence of the lifter and being such a psychologically demanding sport, whatever you do to increase your self-confidence, whatever routine or ritual you have, keep doing it!

So don't mock the noisy ones, (unless you both know you're joking) it's beneficial to their lifting!

Seen Lee

Goal setting - Vic Junior Champs

The other day at training, my coach asked me if I wanted to enter the Victoria Junior Championships in September because it's my only opportunity to compete as a Junior (20 is the age cap).

Also because I need a goal to work towards. It also means I need to get a lifting suit. Bring on the unsexyness!

I am rather excited!!!

I'm also rather pleased because my snatch has been improving a lot and I'm hoping that it will get a lot better in the coming weeks although, I am a bit worried about the state of my technique while I spend a month away from Phoenix (home in 3 days!) because I won't be seeing my coach for all of that because he's going to London for 6 weeks.

I also found this funky diagram which shows some interesting things about technique. I have a friend who lifts as well, G, who loves maths; he would adore this picture:

On a side note, I watched the Australian Qualifiers on the AWF live-stream. That was very exciting although who would get the places were obvious. (Congratulations to Seen Lee and Damon Kelly!)

On an unrelated note, it was my 4th year anniversary today with my partner S, who I get to see on Wednesday! So very excited! Very much looking forwards to going home and seeing my family as well.

My last assessment is tomorrow, I will be very glad when it is over!

Much love ~<3

Weightlifting in the public eye

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-13/aussie-weightlifter-refused-lift-over-cash-incentive/4067612

Recently at the Oceania Champioships in Samoa, an Australian weightlifter, Daniel Koum, originally from Cameroon, is accused of threatening to ruin Australia's hopes for a spot in the men's weightlifting at the London Olympics later this year. It is alleged that he demanded money in return for performance.

You can read the rest in the article/video of the news report by the Australian Broadcasting Company. Similar articles have been posted by many of Australia's other press.

While this story is disappointing, whether it is true or not, it has yet again drawn a tarnished reputation to the sport.

Like any story of an individual athlete whose conduct has been less than desirable, the ripple effect of the media attention on the story will draw negative opinions from the public both towards the athlete and the sport itself.

Weightlifting hasn't had much media exposure in the last few years however, much of the press that it has received hasn't been positive. This does not bode well for the sport as it deters potential sponsors and government support.

The other thing that is stirring comments from the public is that the lifter in question defected from Cameroon and sought refuge in Australia and it appears that he was granted citizenship with the intention that he would represent Australia in sport. Not only to win but to set an example of a person who has made a new, better life. There are other lifters who did the same and most have drawn criticism from the public for 'jumping queues' or not going through the proper channels.

Behaviour like this is not helping with the opinion that they don't deserve their citizenships and is likely to make it harder for foreign athletes to seek refuge in Australia.

I'm not necessarily condoning this as the best way to seek asylum however, it isn't fair that one person can ruin the chances of many others due to selfishness and unsportsmanlike behaviour.

3-Stage Snatches

Yep, another weightlifting post, I guess that I have a lot to say about it at the moment because it's the only interesting thing going on at the moment because of my exams.

The 3-stage snatch is my go-to exercise for when my snatch technique is lacking. I was taught it by my first coach but none of the other coaches I have trained under had ever heard of it but, once I had demonstrated it, they seemed happy enough to put it in my program when I need to work my technique.

The first stage

Starting position as normal, lift the bar as you would in the snatch but stop at the knee and go back to starting position.

The second stage

Starting position to second pull. No arm bending and shoulders shrugged up to your earlobes. This really demonstrates the triple-extension and the importance of the second pull.

The third stage

Full squat snatch.

Because my issue is that I 'kick' too early to get under the bar, this exercise really helps me 'remember' to feel and complete the second pull.

I actually haven't found any mention on the Internet or any videos or anything on this exercise so if anyone out there has heard of it or uses it, drop me a comment.

Do you have a go-to exercise for technique? I'd love to hear from you.

Olympic Weightlifting and Me

"I do weightlifting."

That's my usual response to "What sport do you play?".

Well, it is a much easier response than the other sport that I play.

But then comes the almost inevitable "So you're keen to bulk up then?"

No. No I'm not. In fact, quite the opposite.

Weightlifters are ranked in weight classes, the less you weigh vs the more you can lift = success.

Sure, I'll probably end up with a big, muscled bum and thighs but I'd probably have the same if I still danced.

Then there's the assumption that I am a butch tomboy which then for some weird reason leads to "Are you a lesbian?"

Yes, I have been asked that. Several times, by people who know that I have been in a long term relationship with a guy. Not that I really get offended by people assuming I'm a lesbian, it's not offensive apart from the fact that people are stereotyping.

People also tend to assume that I must 'wear the pants' in my relationship and that my partner is 'whipped'. Which is another of society's notions that ticks me off a bit.

Sometimes I say that I do Olympic lifting but then people assume that I'm training for the Olympics. You just can't win.

So, what got me started lifting?
My cousin who is a few years older than me did it when she was in college (year 11-12) so when I went to the same school, I figured I would try it out.

I did it for a year but with the death of my coach the following summer, I couldn't really continue.

I resumed training in November last year and have continued whilst in Melbourne at Phoenix Weightlifting Club.

Why do I do it?

The feeling of doing something powerful yet technical with speed and precision. Not something you'd usually consider when you think of weightlifting.

I have played team sports before and while they are challenging, social and a lot of fun at times, ultimately they were bad for my self-esteem. To be shouted at every session or told that you weren't good enough or you needed to work harder to keep up with the team is very disheartening, especially if you're juggling sport with academia. The truth was, I couldn't keep up with the team because I didn't have the time to train.

Weightlifting on the other hand, it's individual. All about you and your own abilities and goals.

When I lift, I feel confident, strong and good about my own abilities. Sure, there are heaps of things I need to improve, but there are also things I am good at. It is a very personal sport.

I've also found that it has been very good for me in terms of my health. I am hypermobile; my joints are very stretch and flexible which means I need a lot more strength to keep them stable. I have misaligned my vertebrae and pelvis, nearly dislocated my knee and my shoulder and rolled my ankles multiple times. I also had flat feet because my arches would just collapse.

Since I started lifting and other strength training, many of these things stopped happening.

Now, this was only possible because I have worked with trainers and coaches who knew how to tailor my training regime to me needs.

Currently, lifting for me is an outlet for the stress of this year's studies. Year 2 is one of the most stressful, busy years in medical school. But the highlight of my schedule is definitely getting into the gym and seeing all the friendly faces of my fellow gym-buddies and my amazing coach.

One of the highlights of lifting this year I guess were firstly, getting my own personalised program. Now, I mean a program that a coach has written down and given to me because they trust in my abilities enough that I can go and train without having to be supervised the entire time.

The other thing is praise. When you do something wrong, you get constructive criticism which is fantastic because you can improve what you're doing. But when there is something you do right, it feels great!

What feels even better is when there are several coaches who notice the same thing independently. I have a very deep squat due to my flexibility and I have a natural ability for the jerk (which is balanced out by the amount that I suck at snatching).

The one other thing is the feeling that you have when you work with a weight you have never gone to before. And you do it right. It's exhilarating, you feel really, really good about yourself and it's a huge confidence boost. Recently I went all the way up to 60kg for my Clean pulls. I have never touched a weight that heavy in my life.

When I trained in year 11, I was terrified of 35kg (green 10kg plates) and it was a huge psychological block for me. These days the greens are my best friends :p

I love the buzz of the gym and the vibrance of its people. It's one of the best ways that different people can mingle yet focus on the same things and you all understand each other.

I love lifting. I do. And it doesn't matter what people think of me for it, I will always be passionate about it.

Who am I?

This isn't my first blog; I've attempted blogging many times before and I'm a bit of a failure at it really. But I think my issue is that I was never honest with myself, I over-analysed my content to tailor an 'audience'. Which I've come to realise, isn't really my primary concern. Blogging to me is about self expression and writing about my personal experiences, but before I start talking about my personal experiences, I need to define myself in order to give them meaning. In the past I would focus on one thing whether it be my studies, hobbies or other interests, but that was always just one side of me. So who is me? Well, I don't really want to get too philosophical so I suppose I should answer that question.

I am 19, an Australian citizen by birth and the eldest of three girls. My mother is a second-generation Chinese ex-pat and my father is an Australian. Growing up as a half-caste Chinese-Australian brought its own challenges but I've never really given them too much heed.

I can't speak any Chinese apart from the tit-bits I learned in high school, which is more than my mother knows as she grew up very much immersed in the Australian community.

That being said, I grew up in what could be considered a typical immigrant Asian fashion blended with an old-fashioned Australian upbringing. I took private piano lessons and group cello lessons from a young age, I danced for many years with my mother making many fantastic costumes for the concerts I participated in. I attended weekend Chinese school for a few terms in primary school which really didn't teach me anything as all the other children could already speak Chinese. My father taught me mathematics and would test me regularly to see where my level of ability was and to make sure my school work matched my abilities. I also attended extracurricular maths classes for a time but dropped out because the class consisted of students who had attended the year before and had already covered the content, leaving me far behind.

I read. A lot. This was interesting because I was a relatively slow starter when it came to reading and writing but when I started, I really took off. It would have been around grade 2, I leap-frogged my class and began reading at a more advanced level. I read Lord of the Rings when I was nine, as well as many other fantasy novels; fantasy was my escape into imagination. My mother began buying books on a price vs. number of pages basis. By grade 5 I had the reading age of a nineteen year old.

In high school, I had already decided what I wanted to do when I went to university; to become a doctor. I continued with music, winning a state music scholarship when I was 15, allowing me to begin private tuition with one of the most prominent cello teachers in my area.

School work was never a huge challenge for me, I breezed through without much effort up until my final two years of schooling. Year Eleven was a first taste of heavy work loading; I picked up two folio subjects (music composition and creative writing) which required me to submit massive folios at the end of the year. While I struggled to motivate myself to do the work, I did get it done in the end and was rewarded with high marks. In year twelve I focussed on subjects that would get me into Medicine. I picked up two Mathematics subjects, Biology and Chemistry. I also picked up a UMAT entry program that helped me study for the university entry exam). While my marks weren't perfect, they were enough to get me into Medical School.

This brings me to another facet of who I am.

I am currently in my second year of Medical school at Monash University. At this moment I am trying to study for my mid-year exam - procrastination is winning.

I currently live in a Residential College as I had to move interstate to study at this university. (I was accepted into my local university however, the reputation of Monash was very attractive and it has proved to be beneficial to my future - more on that some other time.)

I may post more about medical school later on as there are many things about it that I feel are important that many people don't tell you before you get in or even once you get in.

While I am not writing much about it here, it is very much a huge part of my life.

In year 11 I picked up Olympic Weightlifting for a year for a bit of fun (it became a bit of an addiction really). My coach passed away at the end of that year and I had no other coach to learn from so I quit.

Late last year, one of my old friends from the gym convinced me to return and when I moved back to Melbourne, due to the close proximity of the Club to Uni, I have continued. I am currently making a lot more progress and it is probably one of the reasons I haven't burned out due to the stress of my course.

Over the last year I became interested in corsetry via youtube, mostly due to a woman called Lucy (bishounenrancher). I was fascinated by not only corsetry as a form of self-expression and beauty but as an artisan craft. There are many people that I am inspired by and I am currently working on a few holiday projects that I may post about later one.

Being brought up with an ethnic background exposed me to food. I have a huge passion for food and cooking and I may also post about those things when I go back home for breaks as my college has meals that are provided.

There is one more thing that really defines who I am and that would have to be my partner. We will be celebrating our fourth year anniversary in a week's time although our celebrations will have to wait until I return home. Yes, we are in a semi-long-distance relationship. He studies at the local university while living with my parents and we see each other when I have major holidays or he flies up to see me.

I am also quite keen on design and photography; I have a Canon 550D DSLR which I treasure. I hope to work on the layout of this blog over the break :)

Well, me in a massive nutshell, there you have it :)

P.S. I am a massive nerd.