YCB’s Summer Throw Down
Just a few months ago we ran an in-house meet, The YCB Summer Throw Down. We had seven athletes participate.
Romona Frank Competed in her first meet.
Nicolle Durkee broke the New England Snatch record at 69kg for her age and weight category.
David Monesmith and Chris Krug had great comeback meets touching weights they haven’t seen in some time.
Kim Monesmith had a great meet and used this as a tune up for her prep for The Masters World Championship in Finland.
Sarah Barlow Tested the waters to see what was possible as a tune up for The Masters World Championship in Finland.
Elsbeth Paige-Jeffers (PJ) was looking to improve her ranking in New England and to qualify for USAW Nationals. She Snatched 80kg and made a big Clean & Jerk of 110kg. She did in fact improve her placement and now sits in 6th overall in NE, and she did qualify for Nationals with a 190kg total as a 71kg lifter.
Videos of the top Snatches and Clean & Jerks portion linked below.
Scaling or Modifying and Who should consider doing this
The idea was simple: modify workouts so they deliver the same intended challenge, no matter the athlete’s ability or experience. For example, take a popular CrossFit workout like Grace:
Grace Variations:
Version 1: 30 Clean and Jerks for time (135 lbs for men / 95 lbs for women)
Version 2: 30 Clean and Jerks for time (115 lbs / 75 lbs)
Version 3: 30 Clean and Jerks for time (95 lbs / 55 lbs)
Scaling makes workouts accessible to everyone. It ensures that each person can tackle their own version of hard work and feel proud of their effort. This concept creates an inclusive environment where fitness is for everyone—not just the elite
Strength is for EVERYONE
Strength is foundational across many aspects of life, regardless of age. Building and maintaining strength offers more than just muscle mass—it boosts functional ability, resilience, and independence in a wide range of scenarios:
How WEIGHTLIFTING transfers to SPORT
Force and Power Output
-Any and all sport requires a level of force and power to be given. That may be derived from pushing off the ground to tackle an opponent, swinging a bat to hit a ball or taking off from the starting line in a 100m sprint.
Consistency and Repetition
Programming at York County Barbell is based around athletic goals. These goals are specifically geared towards the sport of weightlifting or strength and conditioning for overall athletic development. One of the cornerstones to a successful program is consistency and repetition. If an athlete sees a specific variation of an exercise once in a cycle that might be “fun” for the athlete but does that allow for them to build off of an initial performance/standard to see improvements? No.
Stress and Caloric Consumption
In September 2023, my dog Watson was diagnosed with aortic cancer. He defied all clinical
expectations, living for seven months while undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He died in early April,
and his death is the most profound sense of loss I’ve ever experienced.
During these seven months, the demands on my time, body, and finances were intense. Those demands
were nothing compared to Watson fighting cancer and continuing to show up as the most
compassionate little dog, but they were saliently trying for my human experience. This has led me to
think about how stress impacts the body, especially a body trying to train for weightlifting, compete at
local and national meets, and consume the food necessary to fuel these endeavors.
One Small Step
As we head into a new cycle I wanted to take a moment to discuss where we were prior to this last cycle (RTL) and where we're heading now.
KETO EXPERIMENT
Several weeks ago, I decided to undertake an experimental endeavor with my diet, namely, I decided to
try the ketogenic diet, otherwise known as “keto.” During my years as a nutrition coach, I have
encountered much curiosity surrounding keto, as well as quite a bit of misinformation. Inspired by one
of my current clients, I decided to try the diet for myself. I wanted to assess the research underpinning
the diet, subjectively experience its impacts, and have a point of comparison between my own
experience and that of my client’s. Moving forward, I hope my experience better enables me to coach
clients interested in trying keto. I additionally hope to underpin any suggestion that certain clients avoid
keto with both research-based and personally-informed information.
2023 New England WSO Championship
Our team competed at The 2023 New England WSO Championship at The American Heritage Museum September 23rd and 24th. With a roster of seven athletes participating across various sessions throughout the competition. From a coaching perspective it was probably one of the more relaxed competitions I’ve coached at.
Each of our athletes had goals that they wanted to breath life into while on the competition platform. As examples, Tom Farina wanted to break the New England record for his age and weight in the snatch and clean and jerk. He broke the snatch record at 47 kg but was unable to break through on the clean and jerk. Sarah Barlow also wanted to break some New England records in her age and weight categories and came through with a 50kg snatch, but wasn’t able to put it together on the clean and jerk.
Other goals going into the meet:
Nicolle Durkee: Wanted to attempt 90kg clean and jerk on the platform and was called for a sliught pressout but 90kg was a clean PR.
Josh Frank: Wanted to cut down to a 102kg lifter. As a bigger goal Josh has been working towards being in a lighter weight class and he was able to weigh in under 102kg.
Sonia Aumen: Had a goal to be more confident with her jerks and hit a 65kg clean and jerk while her 1rm is 67kg.
Mariah Zirkelbach: Had set a goal of having a great competition. She did just that with going 4 for 6 and being very close to her 1rm clean and jerk at 85kg.
Elsbeth Paige-Jeffers: Going into this meet life had been a bit chaotic, and didn’t even know if she would make it for weigh ins. So her goals were to have fun. She had fun and also came in first in the Open 71kg category.
Feeling Full & Pre-Meet Food Volume
When seeking to make weight and perform, athletes should be acutely aware of the caloric density of
their food. Put otherwise, how many kCals are present in a meal of a given weight? High-volume/low-
density foods tend to be fibrous produce items, such as leafy greens, peppers, apples, berries, and so
on. Medium-volume/medium-density produce includes starchy carbs such as potatoes and beans, as
well as tropical fruits such as banana and pineapple. Low-volume/high-density foods include carb
sources such as rice and other grains, animal protein, and fatty foods such as nuts, oils, and full-fat dairy.
High-volume foods will literally fill our bellies. A big salad makes us feel full because we are literally full.
However, when we eat a small portion of nuts, we also find ourselves to be satiated. What’s the
mechanism behind this seeming contradiction? There are a handful of things at play here.
Foundationally, our bodies are smart machines. Our bodies want to be fueled and healthy, and they are
incredibly adaptable. The human species survives across incredibly diverse biomes consuming wildly
different diets. Carnivorous humans eating animal protein at the poles survive just as vegans eating
produce do at the equator. In our contemporary age, elected diets such as vegetarianism or necessary
diets such as grain-free to support celiac disease are all capable of sustaining the human body.
Our Mission
I remember a moment at a gym I used to work at where a coach was giving instruction on a clean and he wrapped up his instruction with “…or however you want to do it”. That blew my mind that a coach would offer such flippant instruction to people that respected their position as “coach”. It’s very important to know as a coach what I’m looking for from each athlete and how to get there. Thoughtfully coaching means working with each athlete at their level and ensuring that each person understands the feedback and cues that I deliver.
Our Most Important Meet
Baystate Games 2023 was YCB’s most important meet to date. Last year we brought 5 athletes to BSG, this year we brought 12! Having more athletes at a meet is cool, but to be able to say that each one did really well is something to be proud of. Working with athletes of all abilities is one of the many reasons I love being a coach. I get to push each athlete in a different way and to write programming that helps each athlete see success is something I’m excited to building off of. For a really short highlight reel check out the video below.
Post-Meet Refeeds
After restricting caloric intake to make weight, many athletes will take at least a day off from said restriction. This is true of those competing in either familiar or lighter weight-classes. But can these days off stymie weight-loss progress for future, especially for those athletes who are still cutting to lighter bodyweight categories?
Baystate Games 2023
Last weekend our team competed at The Baystate Games in Beverly MA. We brought 12 athletes and they all walked away with an incredible amount of success in their own unique performances. Some PR’d lifts, some claimed records, and some qualified for various events such as The Arnold/ The American Open Series One, American Open Finals and even The USA Weightlifting Nationals. I’ll be filming a video discussing some of the standout moments from the event. For now I’ve posted the top lifts in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk below .
WHAT IS YORK COUNTY BARBELL?
York County Barbell is an inclusive space for anyone and everyone to improve their strength, athleticism, coordination and balance. We don’t care if you’re a teen or in your 80s we’re here to help you reach your goals.
BENEFITS OF OLYMPIC LIFTING
1. Transform your physique:
Performing a snatch or a clean and jerk is a full-body, fun, intense exercise working your legs, glutes, back, abs, shoulders and arms all at the same time. You burn a lot of calories during your workouts in a short amount of time. Olympic lifts are a great way to decrease body fat, build muscle, increase strength and maximize your time strength training.
2. Get stronger, more powerful and run faster
Snatches and clean and jerks produce some of the highest power outputs in all of sport. Power, the product of strength and speed, is the key ingredient to helping people run faster and jump higher. Incorporating the Olympic lifts into workouts is the most effective way to build power and speed.
3. Boost Work Capacity
Olympic lifts are versatile, causing a range of positive changes to your body depending on how you program them into your workouts. Olympic lifts can be used to improve strength, speed and power as well as enhance high-intensity exercise endurance, recover more quickly and handle higher amounts of training. With greater work capacity, you can do more exercise each session and reach your health and fitness goals faster.
4. Protect Against Injury
Olympic lifts are full-body movements that target the shoulders, hips, knees and ankles and help promote flexibility and stability across joints. Controlling a load throughout the ROM of all these joints is key to preparing the body for the high forces encountered in sport and in some activities of daily living. A major predictor of future injury is having endured a prior injury, so utilizing the Olympic lifts in training and improving flexibility, strength, and stability, can greatly reduce susceptibility to injury.
5. Improve Bone Density
Especially for women, strengthening bones is critical to prevent osteoporosis and protect against bone fractures. Olympic lifts produce large forces on the legs, spine, and arms, precisely what is needed to stimulate the body to lay down new bone and improve bone density.
6. Enhance Coordination
The Olympic lifts are full-body movements requiring precise coordination, rhythm, and timing. Improving body awareness and coordination are great for both sport performance and activities of daily life.
7. Improve Sport Performance
The Olympic lifts require an athlete to exert a force into the ground through a quick and coordinated “triple extension” of the ankle, knee, and hip, mirroring what happens in sprinting and jumping, the core components of most sports. Other than practicing the sport itself, Olympic lifts have the next highest carryover to directly improving sport performance in sports where strength, power, and speed are essential.
8. Get Confident
Strong is the new skinny; as you get stronger physically, it permeates your whole life. As you are able to master new skills and see what your body is capable of, your confidence in and out of the gym will blossom. Lifting weights with speed and technique as in the Olympics lifts is a rush and many people find that the process of learning and refining the Olympic lifts keeps them excited to workout. The more consistently you workout and use strength training as a tool, the more results you will see.
9. Improve Range of Motion
While some people associate lifting heavy weights with being stiff and bulky, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Olympic lifters are some of the most flexible and mobile athletes in the Olympics.
10. Develop Dynamic Stability
In sport and in life, people are rarely in need of strength when stationary so it’s important to stress the body in the gym to reflect that. Olympic lifts provide strength and stability around major joints at a fast speed of movement, which is what enables the body to be stable in activities of daily life as well as sport. Weightlifting movements are truly functional exercises.
What is Olympic Weightlifting?
What is Olympic Lifting? Learn more about the sport of Weightlifting. If you’re looking to join us on your journey send us an email info@yorkcountybarbell.com
Refine Your Focus
York County Barbell is an Olympic Weightlifting & Strength and Conditioning facility located in Southern Maine close to The Seacoast of New Hampshire. We specialize in Olympic Weightlifting (Oly lifting) and Strength and Conditioning for adult and youth athletes. You don’t have to be an advanced level athlete to start your journey with us. We work with anyone and everyone.
