Tag Archives: JWC

Hating to Squat, Part II

by Thom Van Vleck

I really appreciated Dan’s article. I’ll name drop a little here myself. I used to train with John Ware. He broke Bill Kazmaier’s total records and O.D. Wilson broke John’s record just weeks later as I recall.  As Dave Glasgow would say, “WHATEVER, TOPPER”.

I have never been a great bencher. I remember maxing out after a year of hard training and getting a 5lb PR.  I went from 360 to 365. It was so disappointing after so much work. A week or so later John Ware was spotting me on a set of 10 on the bench. He made the comment, “Not a single one of those reps looked the same”. His observation cause me to think.

I had no “groove”.  I had been a serious practitioner of the singles, doubles, and triples.  I rarely did more than 5 reps in a set.  What I realized was I was not getting and keeping a “groove”.  My bar path was all over the place as a result.  My solution was to go unconventional and do 10 sets of 10 with a focus on keeping the same bar path on every rep.  I did this for three months.  I then maxed out and I benched 405!  So one year of training had led to 5lbs of progress and 3 months led to 40lbs of progress!

I had fallen into that same trap.  I had not been focused on my form.  Just trying to lift as much weight as possible every set and every rep.  I figured out in that 3 months I got in 1200 reps.  In that year of low rep training I had gotten in maybe a 1000 reps.  I’m not saying 10×10 is the best power routine but I think at the time I needed the reps to reset my groove.  And it worked!  I remember hitting 370, 390, and 405.  I’ve never had a 40 lb PR on any lift before or since.  I was literally jumping for joy!

As a Highland Games thrower I video myself all the time.  Most every throw.  Because I find that over time, no matter how much I try to not let this happen, my form degrades.  I think it’s from trying to throw too hard to feed my ego.  Same goes for the weights.  Feeding my ego led to a degrading in form.

So find that love again, like Dan said!  And if you don’t have an O. D. Wilson or John Ware to check your form then set up a video.

Cold Weather Training

by Thom Van Vleck

It's cold outside!

It’s cold outside!

I have always enjoyed cold weather training….up to a point.  Fall is my favorite time of year and I do my best lifting in the 50 to 65 degree range.  When I built my new house I even put in a heavy duty air conditioner so that I could keep my gym at 68 degrees even on the hottest day.  I’m a big guy and hot weather is NOT your friend.

I started out lifting in the old Jackson Weightlifting Club.  AKA my Grandparents barn.  The club had kind of fallen apart after a good 20 year run that saw membership approach 30 lifters, a couple of team state championships in Olympic lifting, and numerous state Champions, as well as my Uncle Wayne winning the teenage Nationals.  Now only a handful of members remained and it was often just me and my Uncle Wayne.  Just as often it was just me!

That barn was old.  It was wood with no insulation and had tin roof.  That tin roof would turn it into an oven in the summer.  In the winter there were single incandescent bulbs that hung from the rafters and a small space heater that didn’t even begin to touch the temperature in that barn.  All it was good for was warming your hands. I remember warming my hands in front of it one time next to a bucket full of frozen water!

Most of the time I enjoyed it being in the 50s, 40s, and even the 30s and 20s.  While I can’t say I enjoyed it being colder than that I did look at it as a challenge.  I had a routine and I was sticking to it regardless of the weather. A day off was unacceptable.  No matter what the weather.

One time I was working out at 2am.  I was working at a pizza place and when I got off at closing time it was workout day and I wasn’t missing it!  It was a back workout and I was doing power cleans.  I had three layers of sweats as it was literally below zero.  Nobody was out so it was extremely quiet except for the weight hitting the platform after every rep.  I remember my breath turning to ice crystals and floating to the floor.

At one point I was actually getting a bit of a sweat going.  I addressed the bar, pulled, and racked the weight. It was then I realized my neck was wet and as the bar pushed down the collar of my layers of sweats it made contact with the bare, wet skin.  It was like the kid from “A Christmas Story” that stuck his tongue to the frozen, metal lamp post!  I stood there for a moment, contemplating my fate.  Finally, I dropped the weight along with the top layer of skin on my neck!

Another time I had been working out at a nice, heated gym for a time and traveled home for Christmas.  I was in the Marines at the time and took a couple weeks leave.  Of course, I didn’t want to miss a workout so I went to the old barn.  My cousin had started working out and had also been working out in a nice, heated gym.  He had really been training hard and showing progress.  I thought he was really serious and hooked.

We went to the cold, cold gym.  It was about 10 degrees out.  I went to work and about 15 minutes in my cousin was shivering and said, “I can’t take this. It’s too cold, you can’t get in a decent workout in this weather. I’m going home. See you later”.  I finished my workout and I remember thinking, “He may be right about a decent workout but it’s more than building muscle sometimes.  It’s about building a work ethic and dedication.”  I also remember thinking, “He won’t last”.  A couple of months later he quit weight training and took up bowling. Nothing wrong with that….wait….yes there is.

I once read where the perfect temperature for weight training is between 68 and 72 degrees.  Ideally, I would train between 60 and 65 degrees.  But sometimes you can’t.  I think training in extremes can still be good.  Maybe not for purely building strength, but for building perseverance.  Right now the thermometer is reading 2 degrees here.  Time to work out….in my heated gym where it’s currently 65 degrees!

Sledge Hammer Levering: Part 1

by Thom Van Vleck

Slim "The Hammer man" Farman doing a sledge hammer leverage exercise with added weight.

Slim “The Hammer man” Farman doing a sledge hammer leverage exercise with added weight.  Slim did a total of 56lbs on 31″ handles

Some of the old timers may have heard of Slim “The Hammerman Farman”.  He was famous for being able to lever very heavy sledge hammers.  He had incredible forearm development.

I always wanted big muscles and big arms were at the top of my list.  My Uncle Wayne had 20 inch arms and did a standing press of 370 pounds back when it was still one of the Olympic lifts.  My Uncle Phil was a bodybuilder and a great arm wrestler. He had huge forearms.  I wanted to be like them.

But my arms are long and spindly.  I started out with 12″ arms when I first started lifting.  My forearms were even smaller.  I started my quest then to find exercises to develop the forearms and I came across Sledge Hammer Levering in an article in the old Peary Radar IronMan magazine.

The photo above of Slim illustrates the first exercise.   The arms are held straight.  You can do one arm with one sledge or two arms with two sledges.  The arms are kept straight and the sledges are lowered only bending the wrists until you touch the face.  Then the wrists are straightened lifting the sledges back up. I used this exercise regularly.

hammer man

The second exercise I call the “Crucifix.  It is similar to the basic lever but with the arms out to the side.  Like the first exercise it could be performed with one or two hammers. Slim had several other feats he performed with sledge hammers.  Over the years I did leverage wrist work off and on.  Including Weaver Stick type exercises.

Then about 20 years ago, me and some friends started a “Strongman Evangelism” show along the lines of what Paul Anderson used to do.  Performing feats of strength while delivering a Christian message.  Paul learned early on that the average person wasn’t impressed with just lifting weights.  They had no context.  So he started performing strongman stunts.  We did the same and one of the first “feats of strength” I thought about was the sledge hammer lever.

Another feat of strength done with a sledge hammer.

Another feat of strength done with a sledge hammer.

I had a splitting maul that weighed 16lbs.  A splitting maul is a sledge hammer on one side and an ax handle on the other.  At the time I could lever a 12lb sledge hammer.  But I wanted to be able to do the 16lber with the ax blade pointed down!  How do you train for that!

Part 2:  How I trained for the Sledge Hammer Lever.

Tedd Van Vleck: Getting Strong After 40

Article Submitted by Thom Van Vleck

Tedd holding the sheaf with which he broke the master's world record.  The sheaf is tossed over a crossbar for height with a pitchfork.

Tedd holding the sheaf with which he broke the master’s world record. The sheaf is tossed over a crossbar for height with a pitchfork.

Off the Clock: Highland Games Champion Tedd Van Vleck

An incredible fitness journey and a world record! The Jackson Weightlifting Club strikes again!

Many of us make resolutions to lose weight and get in shape, but life sometimes gets in the way. Meeting those goals is difficult, but not impossible, as BNSF Business Analyst Tedd Van Vleck has learned. Over the past several years, Tedd has surpassed his fitness goals, losing 85 lbs. and becoming a world record-holder in one of the most challenging sporting events in the world: The Scottish Highland Games.

Ted’s fitness journey began with inspiration from his older brother, Thom, who always stayed in good shape.

“When I turned 40, my brother told me, ‘You can be in the best shape of your life when you’re 45 if you get started now.’ He advised that it’s much easier to stay healthy when you get older if you begin early and stick with it,” said Tedd.

Around the same time, Tedd got sick with the flu. On a visit to a nearby clinic, he weighed himself and discovered that he’d need to be more than 7 foot tall for his weight to be considered healthy. Tedd is 6’1”. The clinic visit was a wake-up call. And, with his brother’s encouragement, Tedd began to change his lifestyle.

Even small things, like giving up the Mountain Dew he used to drink at work, cut hundreds of calories from his diet each week. He began making healthier switches, like opting for a cauliflower crust pizza from the store over just ordering delivery pizza. Over time Tedd got into the habit of eating lower calorie foods that he could still enjoy.

“It’s easy to lose track of the calories you consume, even when you think you’re eating healthy snacks,” he said.

He started using a fitness app to track the foods he was eating and found that many foods marketed as being “healthy” were actually misleading. Doing his own research and consulting a nutritionist allowed Tedd to discover what foods worked best to keep his calories and nutrients on target.

Thom and Tedd Van Vleck both winning in their class at the Wichita Highland Games

Thom and Tedd Van Vleck both winning in their class at the Wichita Highland Games

Changing his mindset allowed Tedd to lose weight and keep it off.

“I used to celebrate special events by going out to eat, but it’s dangerous to use food as a reward,” Tedd explained. “Now I celebrate by doing something like bowling or rock climbing with friends instead.”

Tedd says that along with your diet, focusing on your long-term results and performance is important to getting fit. That’s where the Highland Games come in. The Highland Games are Olympic-like sporting events similar to modern track and field that take place all over the world. True to the Scottish heritage of the competition, all participants wear kilts.

Tedd got into the Highland Games in 1994, once again with the support of his older brother Thom. A few years before Thom had traced the Van Vleck family lineage to Scotland and became interested in the Highland Games. Initially Tedd made fun of his brother for his involvement in the kilt-wearing sporting event, but then he tried it himself. To date, Tedd estimates he’s been to around 500 Highland Game competitions.

“It started out as a fun thing to do with my brother,” Tedd said. “I didn’t start seriously training until a few years ago.”

In June of this year Tedd participated in the U.S. Nationals in Glasgow, Ky. While there, Tedd broke the World Record in the Masters 40-49 Lightweight Division for the Sheaf Toss. The previous record of 30’0” was set in 2009. Not only did Tedd break the record initially with a throw of 30’1”, he bested his own new record with a throw of 32’1”. He placed 3rd overall at these games and qualified for the World Championships to be held this November in Tucson, Ariz.

Earlier this year Tedd had his first international win in Santiago, Chile, where he set the field record in the sheaf toss for all weight classes. For an American to hold a world record in a Scottish sport is a big deal and was a goal of Tedd’s since he began his fitness journey in 2015. Now that he’s achieved that, he’s focusing on becoming a well-rounded thrower, and hopefully making it to the podium during the World Championship this year.

Tedd Van Vleck in Germany for the Master's World Championships of Highland Games in 2018

Tedd Van Vleck in Germany for the Master’s World Championships of Highland Games in 2018

Tedd keeps up with his competition workouts and his healthy eating habits throughout the year. Even when he’s traveling for work, he manages to keep up his workout schedule and opt for healthier meals when eating at restaurants. When he doesn’t have access to good gym facilities, he makes the best with what he has, like running up and down flights of stairs at the hotel or doing lunges across hallways.

“People think they need to join a gym to get in shape,” Tedd explained, “But there’s so much you can do with nothing at all, or even just a chair!”

When asked what advice he has for people trying to get in shape, Tedd says there are five key things:

  1. Sleep: You want eight hours of sleep, or seven at the minimum. When we’re sleep deprived our mental strength is weakened and we act differently. Tedd says it’s more important to him to get enough sleep than to get a workout in.
  2. Water: Being hydrated is extremely important for our health and should be a priority. Tedd drinks a gallon of water each day and starts his day with a drink of water as soon as he wakes up.
  3. Nutrition: Making sure we get the nutrients we need is important to helping our bodies function at full capacity. Tedd says to think of what we’re eating as fuel in a car. We need to put in good-quality fuel for it to drive and function properly. That being said, everyone has different nutrition and dietary needs based on our body type and genetic factors.
  4. Stretching: Stretching can help stimulate circulation, increase flexibility and reduce lactic acid buildup, the cause of sore muscles, after working out. Tedd does light stretching every morning, and often stretches while watching TV in the evenings instead of just sitting on the couch.
  5. Working out: Cardio and weight training are both important to losing weight and becoming more fit. Gaining muscle makes it easier to burn more calories when working out, Tedd says.

Even though Tedd has achieved a lot since he turned 40, he acknowledges that there are always ups and downs when it comes to his fitness and weight loss. Tedd credits the support of others in helping him reach his goals.

“My brother Thom is my biggest fan,” Tedd said. “He’s very supportive of me.”

Thom and Tedd.  Best friends who happen to be brothers.

Thom and Tedd. Best friends who happen to be brothers.

BNSF Regional Wellness Manager Adrienne Davis has also been a huge encouragement to him. He said Adrienne helped him initially establish a work/life balance, and that she continues to keep in touch.

Next up for Tedd is training for the Highland Games World Championship that will take place this November. His supporters and fellow employees at BNSF are sure that with his focus and determination, Tedd will continue to achieve great things.

Exercise and Mental Health

by Thom Van Vleck

This is your brain on barbells!

This is your brain on barbells!

As many of you know I work as a Counselor at A.T. Still University.  We have several programs all related to the healthcare field and all graduate level.  My job it to make sure our students are taken care of from a mental health standpoint.

A long time ago I realized there was a connection between mental health and exercise.  My first test subject was myself!  When I was a teen I had a heavy dose of angst, depression, and anxiety.  I found that lifting weights and exercise did me a world of good.

So when I came to ATSU I started a weightlifting club.  They go by the Osteoblasters Weightlifting Club because our school is the founding school of Osteopathic Medicine.  I did it because of my interest in weightlifting but also I realized the importance of exercise and mental health.

So why does exercise impact mental health positively?  For one thing exercise stimulates the production of endorphins and enkephalins.  These are the body’s natural “feel good” hormones.  But it goes beyond that.  Exercise requires focus.  That focus takes us away from the negative self talk that often dominates our thoughts.  The things we worry about and obsess about are pushed out as we focus in the moment on the exercise we are doing.  Exercise also gives us a place where we belong.  A positive social group and interactions.  Like the USAWA!

Let’s take this a step further.  We have for a long time separated mental health from physical health.  We even call physicians who deal with mental health a whole different name!  Psychiatrists!  But I’ve preached for a long time that mental health is physical health.  The brain is an organ attached to the rest of the body.  It suffers illness just like any other organ but the symptoms are behaviors not pains.  The brain has no pain receptors so often the only way you can tell something is wrong is through behaviors.

There is now research that shows that mental health conditions are associated with reduced neurogenesis in the hippocampus.  Guess what increases neurogenesis in the brain?  You guessed it.  Exercise. Anti depressants also increase neurogenesis and that is why they are believed to work.  I think a good workout would be the preferred method.  Then if that doesn’t work try the anti-depressants.

So it’s not just muscles you’re building.  It’s mental health!  And don’t forget, Mental Health is Physical Health that involves the brain as an organ.  It’s not “All in your head….it’s all in your brain!”

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