London 2012 - Weightlifting Highlights (So Far)

Since weightlifting doesn't get nearly the coverage it deserves, here are some highlight videos that I found on the interwebs (which are surprisingly hard to find)


Want to feel bad about your lifting? Check out 58kg (127.6lbs) Li Xueying of China winning gold with a 108kg (237.6lbs) snatch and 138kg (303.6lbs) clean and jerk. Her clean and jerk and her total were both Olympic records. 

Lu Xiaojun (77kg) of China with a 175kg snatch, bettering his own world record by 1kg. Four years ago in Beijing, the only gold medal that the Chinese did NOT win was in the men's 77kg men's category. This year, Xiaojun made sure he was not the weakest link. 

26 year old American Kendrick Farris (has helped coach at many a CrossFit box) with a 200kg  (440lbs) clean and jerk for 10th overall in the 85kg group. He would later fail at 208kg attempt. 

24 year old Ilya Ilin (97kg) of Kazakhstan of lifting a world record 233kg (512.6lbs) clean and jerk and making it look EASY. (He also snatched 185kg or 407lbs) The next best clean and jerk was by Anatoli Ciricu of Moldova at 226kg (497.2lbs)

Ilya Ilyin 233kg Clean & Press(418 kg New WR) by richardmcdonaldmma

What Kind of Shoes Should I Wear?

CrossFit is all about going back to the basics: eat real food such as meat and veggies, and do functional exercises such as squatting and deadlifting. By going back to our roots, we are letting our bodies function and thrive on what our ancestors and genetics have been used to. In this day and age of marketing and consumerism though, it's easy to make misinformed decisions, especially when it comes to your health. So as much as you might think the Shake Weight and Slim Fast will lead to a strong, healthy body, sadly they do not.  The same thought can be applied to running shoes, specifically those used in CrossFit style workouts. Here I will examine several types of shoes and give my take on each type.