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In the lead up to Richmond’s triumphant 28 point defeat of Collingwood at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, we were fortunate to sit down for a chat with the team’s Physical Performance Manager, Peter Burge.

Peter runs a tight ship at Richmond, managing the training of all 44 players, with a team of strength and conditioning, rehab, and sports science coaches, in conjunction with the clubs medical team. Much of his time is spent planning, communicating, and focusing on player wellness and preparedness.

“Number one thing is making sure players are fit and healthy, and able to do what they turn up to do each week, and that’s play football.”

Peter had his own athletic career in track and field, prior to moving to the AFL thirteen years ago. Having followed the sport for many years, the prospect of coaching AFL was very attractive, and would enable him to, not only, contribute to players health and fitness, but also impart knowledge and learn more about the game itself.

At the end of 2012, when at opportunity to work with Coach Damien Hardwick arose, he made the move from St. Kilda to Richmond. He and Damien had worked together at Hawthorn for seven years previously.

Between 2013 and 2015, Richmond made the finals three years in a row, however he recalls 2016 as a rather ordinary year, by comparison.

“Some people think we had this miraculous turn-around but for me it was just a blip on the radar and it was part of their progression to get better again.”

Heading into 2017 season, many changes were made, with different coaches helping implement new ideas around coaching and conditioning.  Peter counts Richmond’s 2017 Premiership win as one of the highlights of his career so far, however he says it was a very special and unexpected win.

“It had been so long for the footy club, and to see a lot of happy faces, the people around Richmond enjoying it, it was a massive buzz to be a part of. “

The 2018 season has been an interesting time for Peter, facing different challenges and higher expectations. With a later finish to the season and a shorter pre-season, the number one priority has been player health, ensuring all players start out in great shape. After the massive year in 2017, it’s been a balancing act, getting enough work in without tipping  players over the edge.

“Whilst I have a pretty important role, we all work together and I’m proud to be a part of the group.”

In the pre-season on top of their football training, Richmond players typically strength train four days a week with two lower, and two upper, body programs, which reduces to three in the playing season. Programs are tailored for players individual needs, with some younger players often getting extra sessions in to support their development. Programs typically focus on strength, power and speed.

To achieve balance, and get that 1% edge, they also take advantage of different recovery methods such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga and pilates, along with the strategic use of compression gear. Richmond uses Virus Bioceramic compression gear to help them recover post game/training, during travel and sleep, and to keep them warm in winter training sessions.

Performing at such a high level it is hard to completely avoid injury, especially with such a fast moving sport. So how does Peter deal with player injuries?  Working with Richmond’s medical team and programs prescribed by their rehab specialists, players are kept moving. A player Injury provides a unique opportunity to make all-round improvements to movement patterns, techniques and ability. Player’s athletic conditioning is also kept up during rehabilitation using cross training, bikes and swimming, to allow them to heal from specific injuries while still staying fit and making improvements.

With such an extensive knowledge of coaching for the sport, where does Peter recommend amateur footballers can start to improve their game? The real advantage, he says, is in the conditioning. At an amateur level there is huge amount of variance in conditioning, compared to elite AFL level. Working on being fit, by eating healthy and having a good aerobic base level of fitness, can give an amateur much more of an the edge over the competition.

Speaking of competition, we wish the team all the best and look forward to watching Richmond’s performances heading in to the end of the 2018 season.

We sat down to speak to Jen at GW Performance in South Yarra, where she is also a coach, to find out exactly how she manages to balance following her passion as an athlete, whilst coaching the sport she loves.

Finding CrossFit

Jen first stumbled across the sport in 2014 when a personal trainer she was working with recommended she try it. She did a bit a ‘youtub-ing’ and was blown away by the female CrossFit athletes ridiculous strength and capabilities, not to mention their bodies, having had weight fluctuations of her own over the years.  While she was a bit intimidated, she was also extremely keen to try it out. After doing so and discovering how grueling it actually was, she had a ‘thanks-but-no-thanks’ kind of start. However she soon returned, coming back again and again, before deciding it was the sport for her.

Indeed it seems like her naturally competitive nature is what lit the spark for her.

Growing up, whenever someone told Jen she couldn’t do something, she made it her mission to prove them wrong. She began noticing with CrossFit, that would get that little bit better each session, being able to achieve what she previously thought she couldn’t do. In 2014 things were very different and it wasn’t as common for a female to compete in high intensity gymnastic events like those at CrossFit. She soon realised that this was something she wanted to be able to do, as a test her own personal limits.

While Jen had always had quite the obsessive personality, she found she’d often start things but never finish them. She wanted CrossFit to be different, to be the girl with all the potential who actually made it, instead of the girl just going in circles. She found ways to balance her busy schedule of working, studying and competing with good nutrition, recovery and sleep, to enable her to put her on the course to CrossFit success.

Defining moments

Jen’s defining moment in CrossFit came at the Australian Fitness Titles in Pakenham in 2015, her first ever CrossFit competition. It was a rather emotional finish, with Jen thinking she had absolutely no chance of winning the comp, only to find out, to her disbelief, that she had indeed won. Through this reaction, it became apparent to her just how serious she was about the sport, it clearly wasn’t just a Saturday hobby. This encouraged her ramp up her efforts, finding herself competing against the top 30 athletes in the Torian Pro in 2017, leveling up with the best.

In the 2018 CrossFit Open Jen decided to separate her work from her coaching and competed with the team from CrossFit SouthWharf, under the guidance of Mitch Sinnamon. This enabled her to have 5 weeks of shared experience with like-minded people, without it impacting her performance or her coaching responsibilities at GW.

To her dismay, just before the open commenced she fell ill, and then suffered a shoulder injury. She pulled out all stops and, incredibly, managed to make it in around the top 100 mark in Australia, her highest placing yet (results are still being finalised at the time of writing). Although she is first to admit that 5 weeks of competing do not define you as an athlete or person, it did prove to her just how far she had come, to achieve such a finish with the odds stacked against her.

CrossFit from a female perspective

Being a female in CrossFit is amazing, according to Jen, as it is a sport where she is NOT seen as second best. It is helping break down the stigma of women in the weight room, and perceptions of what the media would have us believe a woman SHOULD be. The community is equal, men and women can throw down together, have a laugh and congratulate each other at the end of tough session. It is empowering, this much is apparent just from being in Jen’s presence and hearing of her personal experiences and those of her clients.

This is one of the main reasons why Jen is also a coach. She relishes being able to have an impact, and help people overcome the limits they have put on themselves. In fact she screams louder than her clients do when they hit their successful first muscle up or clean.

Jen finds that by helping them realise their capabilities on the gym floor, it often translates to their life. They feel confident to go get the jobs they want, and do the things they’ve only dreamed of doing. The fact that she’s a woman means her female clients can relate to her, they are not alone and she is one of them, she can draw from experience.

Jen encourages any females thinking of taking up the sport, to do their homework, find a good coach, a good gym that will educate you, and to never settle for second best or feel forced into training where your friends train. Go with your gut, find the right place for you.

How she finds her drive

Being so driven, where does Jen draw her inspiration from? Indeed it is from the CrossFit community itself, especially all the competitors who have yet to get up on that podium but keep persisting their their sport, never giving up despite not getting the recognition of the big name athletes.

Jen credits a solid support network and her boyfriend, also a coach who understands the demands of the sport, for helping keep her grounded. She emphasizes the need to be surrounded by people with the right mindset to help keep her on track. At times, she’s struggled to relate to friends as it is hard for them to understand why she would endure what she has for the sport.

She also credits her sponsors True Protein and Virus, for not only supporting her vision but also treating her like family, constantly checking in with her. In fact she believes the Virus slogan, ‘The passion that defines you’ represents her own journey and struggles, fuelled by her passion to succeed in the sport she loves. She may also be guilty of owning our bioceramic pants, in every colour, but loves the fit, the thicker waist band and the fact they don’t ride down when she needs to perform. She’s also a fan of the Active recovery track pants, for the fact that she can chill in comfort while they help her recover faster.

And recovery is what she claims she will be focusing on for a while, that is, of course, unless she makes it to the regionals, in which case she will once again be throwing down with the best of them.

What does the future hold for Jen? Find out by following her on Instagram and Facebook.

Chris wasn’t always the driving force behind the Craigieburn CrossFit gym, in fact unlike many other athletes of his caliber, he grew up hating sport. In his early 20’s Chris’ competitive streak was reserved for video games, when he wasn’t busy working as a concreter or partying it up. However this lifestyle started to take its toll on his body, and Chris started to stack on weight. Chris started looking for a way to lose weight, trying out bodybuilding, boxing, boot-camps, any sport he could find, but nothing clicked. That was until one fateful training session with his brother, who put Chris through a CrossFit workout that he and his army buddies did for fun. Chris felt dreadful during that high intensity workout, consisting of 3 rounds of 400m runs and 50 air-squats, coughing up phlegm all the way through. It was like nothing he had ever done before, immediately he was hooked.

Excited by this experience, the following week he signed up at the closest gym he could find, Crossfit Victoria in Fitzroy. He aspired to be like all of the CrossFit ‘badasses’ that surrounded him. He adopted the CrossFit way, starting a Paleo diet, and with this his body changed. As he progressed up the ranks, he began to really appreciate the art behind the sport. He set his mind on mastering the skills and taking it to the next level soon moving to CrossFit Merciless, for an opportunity to train with a weightlifting coach. He got stronger, began an internship, got certified and levelled up.

He knew he didn’t just want to be a coach; he wanted to be THE BEST coach, and have his own successful CrossFit gym. He was struggling financially when a friend offered him an opportunity to coach CrossFit in Darwin. With nothing to lose, he seized the moment, made the move,  and knuckled down, saving as much money as he could while doing what he loved in the NT. He soon managed to save enough to move back to Melbourne on his own terms.

While Chris is now incredibly proud of Crossfit Craigieburn, it wasn’t always part of the plan. Upon returning from Darwin he struggled to find the right space to build his own studio from the ground up. By chance he heard the existing CrossFit Craigieburn was for sale, but wasn’t sure that he wanted to move into an established facility.

He decided to visit the gym anyway and fell in love with the place, the culture, and the people. The price was way above his range, but he managed to negotiate terms and take over ownership. Numbers soon grew from 45 to around 145-150 members. Chris didn’t make huge changes, just enhanced the essence of what he loved about the gym. To this day the former owners, who sold up to concentrate on raising a family, are still members of the gym and thrilled with the progress Chris has made.

Since opening the gym Chris’ athletic career has also taken off, so finding a balance between his passion, his baby (the gym) and his personal life is a constant challenge. CrossFit is always going to be grueling, so Chris credits focusing on physical and mental recovery outside of CrossFit as his saving grace.

Chris’ goal for this year’s open was to finish in the top 30 in Australia. When it gets to the grind and you’re doing the work past breaking point, he stressed, it’s not about the individual, the thing that keeps him going is his team. The ever-humble athlete wants for them to experience the regionals, have their names on the scoreboard, hear the music, see all the competitors doing what they love to do. And in order for them to do that, Chris would had to score big, always pushing for those extra reps, to push the team tally up the ranks. For Chris, whether he competes at the regionals or not was less important, than seeing his team thrive, and getting the Craigieburn Rhino banner up there. With the opens now closed and Chris ranking 23rd in Australia, it looks like he may just have his wish.

To stay competitive, cover off weaknesses and brush up on strengths, Chris has endured a massive training volume. 6 days a week training, 2x2hr sessions and 3x1hr. He explains that this is what everyone else is doing, 4 days off is 4 days lost, so he can’t afford to get complacent, its crucial to keep it dialed in.

To balance the load, he factors in stretching, rolling, massage, twice daily saunas and spas, twice weekly ice bath, quality anti-inflammatory foods, high levels of hydration, and Virus compression gear for recovery AND sleeping in.

How does he manage to keep up the hectic pace?
He knows his why, spiritually, and is willing to sacrifice the time, and pain, to get there.

His advice for those wanting to make it in the CrossFit world? Find good gym, a good crew, good coaches, understand movement, strength and conditioning, and be willing to put in a lot of time and effort. You will become stronger and more functional for your efforts.

He acknowledges CrossFit isn’t for everyone, much like ballet. For Chris, at it’s purest CrossFit is all about throwing down with some mates, loud music, a tough workout and bonding over a good laugh once the work is done.

You can check out Chris’ athlete stats at the CrossFit Games website or find out more by visiting the Craigieburn CrossFit website, Facebook or Instagram pages.

Back in his University days, ‘The Cannon’ was into combat sports and only lifted weights to give him an advantage in his wrestling. One fateful day lifting he crossed paths with a particularly ‘massive guy’ (in his words) who, upon seeing the weights Patrick was putting away, insisted he compete in an upcoming Strongman contest. This was back in 2009, Patrick threw caution to the wind and competed, winning his division. He enjoyed the challenge so much that he has never looked back, going on to enter the highest level of the sport and competing internationally.

For the uninitiated, Strongman differs from other strength sports like Powerlifting and Weightlifting as the competition lifts vary between contests and there are more than 3 lifts, a big part of the appeal for Patrick. Contests may have anywhere from 5-9 events, usually involving variations of deadlifts, moving events, clean and press, truck pulling, carrying events, grip tests, and the famous atlas stone loads. While most events are announced in advance of comp day, the Arnold’s in Ohio add an extra mystery challenge to their Strongman event by withholding one of six events until the day prior to the show.

For spectators of the sport it is often the more spectacular, if somewhat sick and twisted, events that garner the most attention. Harness truck pulls or, for example, Army tank pulls like those at the recent Arnold’s, are a big draw-card. One of Patrick’s most spectacular stunts involved pulling a full-sized pickup truck and trailer bed loaded with a full-size car AND a Mini Cooper 30 metres. However that wasn’t the most grueling. That title goes to a Growing Yoke walk he competed in. A Growing Yoke walk is when weight is added to the Yoke the contestant carries on their shoulders. This particular event was a 20 metre carry with 45kg added at each end. At a mere 82kgs on comp day, Patrick managed to carry an incredible 1000 pounds (around 450kg) for around 8ft. How did that feel? Patrick (barely) remembers a complete stimulus overload, where he struggled to breathe and felt like his head may ‘pop off’.

So why does he do it? The rush, the crowd, the endurance, the shock and awe, it’s a lot of hard work for 60 seconds of glory. Patrick likens it to a drug and has nothing but praise for fellow competitors and the community at large.

Strongman has also afforded Patrick the honour of being the World’s Strongest Man’s first u80kg Strongman, as for a long time many considered it a sport reserved for heavier competitors. Patrick firmly believes there should be no limits to the sport, aside from the limits competitors are willing to put on themselves. Personally he’s willing to try anything, and find out if he can do it, or pay the price and try again after more training.

As the sport is not particularly lucrative, Patrick does it purely for the love. He speaks with a mad passion about the ups and downs, and how the rise back up only makes victory sweeter. He now can’t wait to raise the bar further, setting higher standards for his weight class and his sport, and admits at this point it is impossible for him to walk away.

How does he keep up with all of the demands Strongman places on his body? He constantly surrounds himself by people who are better than him and more intelligent, to push him harder, like Pro Strongman Zack McCarley and Dr. Alex Harrison of Excelerate Sport. While competitors often train alone, they are a close-knit community that shares information and resources, building a network for success. Patrick admires the fact that his fellow-Strongmen aren’t afraid to call him out and will double-check his work, as with such fierce competition the margins for error are minuscule. With a typical week of comp training clocking in around 14 hours, every 1% makes a difference.

In fact this is how Patrick was introduced to Virus, after a friend suggested our gear for recovery and to help him acclimatize between Montreal and Seattle, his homelands where he often opts to train for events, and Queensland, his adopted home. He was so impressed with the outcomes that he got in touch with us.

As he doesn’t need to diet down for his weight-class Patrick has a sensible approach to food and really only dials in the nutrition around 4 weeks leading into comp. He sticks to the basics for supplementation, opting for coffee as a pre-workout, whey protein during and after training, casein before bed and creatine whilst training. As one of his friends, Evil Genius Broderick Chavez says, it’s the stuff that’s been on the shelves 10 years that really works.

Patrick made the move to Australia for love, following his fiancé here after completing a Masters in Exercise Science, and is now keen to learn as much as he can about other sports, from other coaches, or he words it ‘learn cool stuff, get work and lift heavy things’.

‘The Cannon’s next contest will be the Static Monsters World Championships on the Gold Coast on May 20th, with his strategy remaining the same, be as technical, fast and proficient as possible and ring out every single ounce of strength.

To follow Patrick’s journey head on over to his Facebook and Instagram pages, and stay tuned to hear more about him here at the Virus Blog.

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We sat down recently to talk all things weightlifting with weightlifting coach, Lester Ho. Lester, is renowned for bringing good science to many aspiring lifters and competition level athletes through his website and social media platform, The Training Geek. And, with his team of athletes 8/8 medal tally at the recent Victorian Masters Championships, he surely knows what he is talking about.

Lester got into lifting during his Exercise Science Degree, when he was not only taught lifts as part of his studies but also experimented on his own as a student, trying out CrossFit in his garage and uni gym. While utilising lifts as part of CrossFit, he was given a formal introduction to weight lifting by his lecturer who recommended he try out the sport at Phoenix Weightlifting club in Oakleigh, Victoria.

Under the expert knowledge of one of the club’s more experienced coaches, Robert Kabbas, he trained, competed and learned more about the sport. He also incorporated it back into his studies, researching novice lifters, and examining their technique. Upon beginning coaching, Lester was able to apply these leanings, providing his clients with evidence-based training methodologies, incorporating both old and new concepts. He refers to this unique opportunity, putting his theory into practice, as being one of the highlights of his career thus far.

One of the key things he observed was that bio-mechanically, everyone is suited to lift. While traditionally weightlifters had been selected based on the anatomy of their build for the standard lifts, he found that if anyone lifting had their technique catered to their individual differences, for example the lengths of their levers (limbs) and torso, then most people could be taught to lift successfully.

Lester explains that if you have an understanding of the movement, from start to finish, then you will lift better and also potentially avoid injury. If your set-up (starting point) on a lift is flawed, then there is greater room for error and a heightened risk of injury. Breathing, foot placement, shoulder positioning, individual’s physical limitations, are just a few of the factors that can determine lifting success.

In terms of lift-related injuries, Lester points out that often these occur in relation to what the individual does outside of training, so it is important to consider lifestyle factors when establishing a cause. Lifting without first mobilising, or priming the body, especially after having spent all day seated at a desk or in a car can easily cause common restriction or mobility issues. Not spending enough time focusing on recovery is another common cause. Eating, sleeping, and breathing well, managing stress and investing in quality training and rehab professionals are all important when it comes to preventing injury.

Through the conversation, he agrees that technology can be used to further enhance recovery. To reduce inflammation caused by training, electrical stimulation, ice baths and compression garments can be quite useful. Lester personally uses Virus compression garments for recovery, as he finds compression garments to be a lot more accessible, compact and affordable than other types of technology designed for recovery. He also swears by them for air travel, having experienced a reduction of inflammation, and hip stiffness after wearing them during international flights.

In regard to technology, what does Lester predict for the future of weightlifting? The essence of the sport is to lift as much weight as possible, however recent doping scandals have tarnished the sport, so he sees a shift away from the use of drugs, toward a more methodical approach to training and recovery. A lifter can do well by respecting the science and working with ALL of the different variables to create a formula for success.

Lester has also noticed a trend toward people lifting for longer, especially with many individuals graduating to the Masters scene, bringing with them a mature mindset, a wealth of knowledge and experience having already learned their capabilities and limitations.

Having come full circle from gym junkie, to weightlifter to coaching athletes of all levels, all before the age of 35, it will be fascinating to see where Lester’s appreciation for science of lifting takes him next.

Want to lift with Lester? On Saturday April 21st, 2018, Lester is holding a Learn to Lift Day event at his TG Strength Facility.

Visit The Training Geek to find out more about Lester, his facility and keep up to date on other upcoming programs and events, where you can learn about lifting. Or follow him on Instagram, and Facebook for some top quality lift-related content.

We spoke to one of Australia’s top motivational speakers, Craig Harper, author of some of the best advice circulating the web via his ‘White Board Lessons‘.

Craig is no stranger to helping people stay the course when motivation is waning, or dropping the occasional F-bomb. Below we share some of Craig’s insights on how to stay proactive, productive and effective, when the motivation fades.

Recognise motivation is temporary

The first thing that Craig stresses, is that we should recognize motivation is a temporary emotion, it’s never going to create permanent results. Emotions, can determine our behaviours in good or bad ways if we allow them to. We get excited (motivated) but then when we inevitably become unexcited (lose motivation), we stop doing what we started and the results stop.

If we are able to live in alignment with our goals, our values, and our resolutions then we are more likely to achieve a consistent and favourable outcome. By doing this we will have more chance of weathering peaks and troughs of excitement/motivation. How to do this? Read on.

Set a realistic goal

Goals should be enough to motivate but not overwhelm, Craig recommends setting goals that are ambitious but practical. He also says to remember with goals that are personal, other peoples expectations are irrelevant. People-pleasing is a habit, a very destructive and exhausting one at that.

Identify your habits

Habits are our hard-wired, default behaviours. For this reason when asked how, at 54 years old, he finds the motivation and discipline to stay in such great shape, Craig says he doesn’t have to. He exercises everyday, a habit hard-wired in his subconscious.

Not being a drinker, Craig’s default habit is to NOT drink, so there is no need to abstain.

Craig says it’s important to take a hard look at what’s not working for you, whether it be health, career, finances, relationships, business, lifestyle and identify the less favourable habits. Acknowledge what’s holding you back with a sense of awareness and, he stresses, not self-loathing. Then think about where you want to be. Work on cultivating the habits that will help you get there, until they shift from ‘some-of-the-time’ behaviours, to ‘all-the-time’ behaviours, or your new defaults.

Create a process

Craig finds that being strategic and practical, and creating a timeline or process helps people follow through to their end goals. He also recommends building in an accountability system. Work with someone else, maybe a friend, a trainer, a nutritionist or psychologist, who-ever is best equipped to keep you honest.

Then start the doing, sequentially. For example, he states, if you want to run a marathon you start by running/walking a short distance, you don’t start by trying to run 42kms. Gradually over time you increase your distances, incrementally take more steps. You get good by doing or, as he puts it, you simply can’t master what you avoid.

Do the work, and do it early

Being productive early in the day, will help you get your tasks done. Research indicates that people are more effective early in the day, with better mental focus and emotional states.

Start with a to-do list, form clarity about your tasks to achieve for the day.

Prioritise the most important, non-negotiable tasks, and tackle them first. Be realistic about what you can achieve, avoid over-committing yourself.

What if you have done all of the above, yet disaster strikes?

As Craig puts it bluntly, shit happens. It is all part of the human experience. If you hit a road-block, press pause and assess. What is in your control? What is not?

Learn to manage the stress response. Stress is stress, not a solution. Craig likens this to when you drop a fragile item and it breaks. The damage is done, no amount of panicking will un-break it. Acknowledge the situation for what is and focus on a solution. One way to get better at this is by learning to be adaptable, i.e. improving your adaptability quotient (AQ).

A final life-hack from Craig…

When it comes to setting and accomplishing goals, Craig says to learn from other people’s mistakes, and not try to reinvent the wheel. Work smarter, not harder, but he stresses, don’t imitate, be a sheep, or clone.

Craig had his hand in innovating the self-help book genre by authoring one of the first motivational books with the F word on the cover back in 2010. At the time it was a bit funny, a bit cheeky, and perfect for the Australian audience. Now seeing that word on the cover of self-help books has become the norm, capitalizing off this innovation. So remember it’s still important to create and innovate.

To learn more from Craig and his words of wisdom you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, or visit his website craigharper.net.

We recently asked Benjamin Silva, an athlete, family man, personal trainer (based at the Elite Training Centre, Geelong) and all around great guy, some questions about his passion for Olympic lifting. Ben, who currently competes with the Geelong Weightlifting Club, kindly provided the responses below.

What is the passion that defines you?
Knowing that I only have one LIFE, so it’s better for me to share what I have and pass it forward.

How, when and why did you first get involved with Olympic lifting?
I’m a gym rat from way back (not having a clue what I was doing), I graduated to crossfit for 3 years and that’s where I got introduced to Olympic Weightlifting. I’ve been Oly lifting only since August 2014.

What made you decide to take it to the competition level?
It was the natural progression. I wanted to get better. For me, I will never get better by JUST training. At my age (50 years old), I’m still competitive.

When was your first comp, and how would you describe the experience?
My first competition was at my home club, Geelong Weightlifting Club, it was a day I felt relieved to get one under my belt.

How many different federations have you competed in?
I belong to the Australian Weightlifting Federation, this allows me to compete in local, state, national or international level of competition.

How would you say the Masters games differ from other comps you have competed in? The comps I have competed in from local to State to Australian, Oceania, Pacific Rim, World Cup and World Masters Games differ from each other because of how fast or slow I can acclimatise for each condition. The mind set is key to feel Comp ready whether I’m at my local club or overseas competing.

What has been the pinnacle achievement of your lifting career?
Being able to qualify and continually improve with my combined total for snatch and clean & jerk for 45-49-69kgs and now 50-54-69kgs, in my age group, is by far my best achievement so far.

On the flip-side what has been the most challenging moment of your lifting career and how did you overcome it?
I recently competed in the World Masters Games 2017. That’s where I bombed out in the first part of the competition. I missed all my snatch attempts, so I could not go further. That moment of time took 2.5 years of work. What got me through it was the support of my team mates, Olympics Weightlifting community and of course my wife and family.

I went through all the emotions that come with FAILING. Failing is such a blessing to experience. The most challenging is the day to day grind of training, eating, resting, sleeping and working through those niggles. Not forgetting I have a family and run my own business.

What are some of the indispensable items that an Olympic lifter needs to get the most out of their performance?
As with a lot of other sports, I would say the following items are indispensable. Not in any particular order. Unwavering commitment, coach, community, good communication skills, patience, being coach-able, gotta have fun and be selfless.

How were you first exposed to Virus performance gear and have you found it helps enhance your performance and recovery?
My first contact with Virus Performance Gear was seeing some of the people I follow in Instagram wearing it. They are are so comfortable to wear out of and during training. I find that they help stabilise muscle soreness and helps quicken my recovery from a heavy work load.

What tips would give anyone wanting to get into Olympic lifting at a competitive level? Have the volume of work behind you, have FUN and PATIENCE.

What tips would you give to any athlete considering competing in Masters games? Again, have the volume of work behind you, get to know the Masters community and be strategic about which competition you want to enter.

Follow Ben’s Olympic Lifting journey on instagram. If you would like to share your story with us, contact us at [email protected] or message/tag us on Facebook or Instagram (@virusaustralia).

So how does one level up their athletic performance? We spoke to Carl Jennings, an expert in the field of athletic development with over 25 years experience as a elite level strength and conditioning coach working with the likes of Olympians, NRL Australia and English Premier League soccer, about the best way to achieve athletic success. Carl through his business Super 6 High Performance, helps athletes develop elite levels of physical and emotional resilience, enabling them to fulfill their potential.

The first thing that he stresses is that to make any significant improvements we MUST embrace change.  However this is not easy, as by nature we are relatively change-averse. In order to adapt to change we need to develop a realistic plan, or as Carl calls it, a ‘Map for Success’. Without this Carl equates setting out on a new sporting or fitness endeavour, to setting out on a journey through uncharted territory without a map, increasing the risk of going off course and giving yourself a significantly lower chance of even arriving at your destination.

So how do we set about creating such a plan? We discuss the essentials Map for Success below.

The Starting Point

Just as any journey has a starting point so too does an individual athlete or team. This is the point where an honest evaluation of the current identity and capabilities must take place.

Important questions to ask here are:
– what are your strengths and weaknesses?
– What processes and behaviours will move you forward?
– What behaviour and external pressures will hold you back?

Carl is a big believer in formulating a plan that focusses on ‘Strengthening strengths, along with a secondary focus of Weakening Weaknesses’. It is ultimately your Strengths that will drive you to sporting success, and it is these “Big Rocks” that you must spend the majority of time developing.

Once this is established, there is greater awareness of ones true nature, so it is easier to start putting together a more realistic and achievable plan. We can do this by breaking down the year into smaller building blocks, so that you can focus energies into specific areas of development over time, improving the overall picture. In the world of athletic conditioning we would refer to these as macro, meso and microcycles.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, you can draw from existing resources to plan your training blocks, however it is important to note that you shouldn’t take a one size fits all approach. Your plan should be built to work toward a summation of your individual strengths. He puts this best by stating, ‘ Work hard as getting very good at a few things rather than average at a lot of things’.

The Destination

It is easier to successfully reach our destination if we have a clear destination in mind! By building a clear picture of where your physical, tactical and technical ability needs to be at a certain point in time, then it is easier to map out the steps needed to reach this. It is crucial to prepare with the end goal in mind, and set regular check points within the map to measure if you are moving toward your goal as planned.

The Terrain

Having a clear outline of the sporting year ahead helps you fill in all the training variables. Is there off-season, pre-season, in-season or smaller events factored into your schedule? Once this is assessed, you can work out things like durations and intensities to allow for crucial adaptation to training stresses. It is also important to keep in mind the unpredictability of planning in advance, and here is where it crucial to have the right mind-set and structures in place to allow you to easily adapt, improvise and overcome obstacles.  Another important consideration is to set rest points, to de-load, and allow for adequate recovery to rebuild physical and emotional energy that will be needed when pushing your limits.

So there you have it, by building a Map for Success that enables you to prepare for the controllable, AND the uncontrollable factors you may face, you can give yourself the best chance of achieving your athletic goals.

If you would like to find out more about building your own personal map for success you can contact Carl via www.super6highperformanceprogram.com.au.