It’s amazing what kind of stuff pops up on the internet.

Tonight, this video popped up on my Facebook newsfeed http://youtu.be/uDawlrIeaVM – I can’t repost the video here because the option has been disabled. But here’s a picture:

lance cleans

It’s a video of the man himself Lance Armstrong doing several exercises in the gym. Now you would expect an athlete with Lance’s accomplishments to be quite proficient in the gym; however, this is not the case. It’s sloppy and not as effective as it could be.

For the lay person reading/watching, this technique is horrendous and it’s not surprising he didn’t get hurt. Would be interesting to see what WOULD happen if Lance had been coached by a strength and conditioning coach that knew what he/she was doing.

It doesn’t end there.

The fastest man alive doesn’t do cleans correctly either.

Usain also had some back trouble last season – wonder if it was caused by poor exercise technique in the gym?

It’s unfortunate these athletes didn’t have good coaching when they were learning these lifts. Maybe they didn’t have any coaching at all (but I doubt that). Would also be interesting to see how fast Usain would have ran if he was 110% effective in the gym.

No disrespect toward these two gentlemen, just wanted to take this opportunity to use these videos as an educational tool for you.

If you want to learn how to do the clean correctly, check out my 1st article on T-Nation: A Surefire Way to Learn the Clean.

Here’s a short video of me doing the same exercise. I’m still working on my technique, but you can see a huge difference from how Lance and Usain are performing the same exercise.

Lance or Usain, if you’re reading this, LET ME HELP YOU!

Thanks for reading,

-JK

I chose JKC originally to help prevent rowing injuries. I’m a rower and we won the St. John’s Regatta in 2019 but I rowed through a rib stress fracture and missed significant time in the boat during the racing season. Training at JKC consistently since the pandemic helped me stay injury free this year and made me the strongest I’ve ever felt, which helped me help my team win the 2021 St. John’s Regatta! Jon adds variety and mixes the exercises up well so that the workout goes by quickly and strength is gained. The gym is very personable and I like the eclectic mix of people that are there. JKC is much more intimate and personal than other gyms.

I had been struggling with work-life balance resulting in not exercising or playing hockey as much as I had been doing in the past. In addition to being out of shape, I was starting to experience some back/shoulder issues and realized I needed to make some changes. Around this time, a friend (who was also a client) recommended JKC and that’s when I started!

You really feel part of a community where everyone is welcoming and supportive. You get a program that is designed specifically to achieve your goals, with the ongoing coaching, progress tracking and support required to achieve them. The JKC team are very knowledgeable about fitness and conditioning, and very engaging with everyone to answer questions or discuss anything and everything training related. I also like the flexible scheduling and gym times that work for my schedule (I like early mornings and evenings).

I’ve always been a gym rat, but was getting tired of the same ol’ routine. My better half was attending JKC and encouraged me to try it out. My favourite part of JKC is that is isn’t a gym – it’s a community. Jon and Thomas are awesome, and I love that every time I go I know who’s working out with me and we can socialize while working on our health. Everyone is supportive, encouraging and genuinely looks out for one another. It’s an upbeat and positive experience and I can honestly say that I look forward to each and every workout.

I started strength training at JKC in the Spring of 2021. I am in my 60’s but happy to say I feel much younger since joining this gym. I joined JKC upon the advice of a doctor. I went through some difficult medical issues last year, that’s when one of my doctors recommended strength training at JKC. I have been physically active most of my adult life but mainly running and completed many road races as I am a distance runner. Strength training has definitely benefited me by increasing my stamina and energy. It sure has enhanced my recovery over the past year. I have the added benefit of becoming a stronger runner as well.

I’ve always struggled with both my weight and anxiety throughout my life. As a writer you live a pretty sedentary lifestyle filled with both realistic and unrealistic deadlines, so I needed something to get me off my butt and to get me moving. JK has been a godsend during this past year and a half in particular. The pandemic has been tough, but workouts with both Thomas and Jon have really helped reduce the stress and strain of a global pandemic, and added an anchor of normalcy back into my life — which has been worth its weight in gold.

JKC has created an incredibly inclusive environment that’s filled with all kinds of supportive folks from all kinds of different backgrounds. For folks like myself, being surrounded by people with such athletic ability can be intimidating in most gyms. It can actually be a deterrent, and it sometimes has been for me. But, at JKC it’s far from that — it’s inspirational. Everyone supports one another. Which is something that’s not easily found in this day and age, inside of a gym or out. Not to sound like a total cheeseball here, but it really feels like a family.

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