Good Men Project Sports' guide for Life, Lifting, and the way of the bar.
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The iron bar has spoken. Here are the Ten Commandments of Weightlifting. Conveniently, these also map to Ten Commandments for Life.
The Commandments:
1) Thou shalt know the differences between weightlifting and weight training.
Weightlifting - Know the difference between weightlifting and weight training.
Weightlifting consists of three lifts - the "snatch", "clean and jerk" and only with the barbell. The rest are all considered weight training.
Life - Seemingly small differences can sometimes be bigger than they seem. It is important to understand and appreciate the differences between such things - for example, the differences between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting, leader and boss, fashion and style.
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2) Thou shalt be one with the bar.
Weightlifting - It is never the bar against you, it is you with the bar and the bar with you.
Life - Life and Universe are never against you; they are actually one with you, if you let them be.
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3) Thou shalt master the Snatch, Clean and Jerk.
Weightlifting - It is all about "Snatch", "Clean and Jerk", so if you are not going to master these, what are you trying to master then?
Life - Fundamentals first. Also, always strive to be a master of a few things than to be a mediocre at many things.
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4) Thou shalt always do warm-ups before lifting and stretch after.
Weightlifting - Always warm up with some dynamic workouts, and stretch after training to minimize soreness.
Life - Plan first before executing and always end with reflection - that's the way to achieve your dreams and goals in life.
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5) Thou shalt always place techniques over weights.
Weightlifting - Technique is crucial. If you do not know the proper technique for a certain lift, get someone (knowledgeable) to teach you. Many injuries are caused by improper techniques.
Life - It's not what you do that matters, it's how you do it that makes a difference.
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6) Thou shalt always remember feet first.
Weightlifting - Without a strong footing, it is difficult to be able to finish the lift smoothly.
Life - You need a strong foundation to withstand all the trials of life.
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7) Thou shalt always remember to hook grip.
Weightlifting - Hook grip is important especially when you are pulling heavy loads at a fast speed and controlling the bar at the same time.
Life - Always work through the pain and the discomfort and make them second nature.
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8) Thou shalt make Squats your best friend.
Weightlifting - Squat is the foundation to weightlifting, be it as a position or as a movement. And it helps to strengthen our entire body, bones, muscles, and also increase flexibility. When I say squat, it means "ass to the grass" full deep squat!
Life - When something brings you down, get back up!
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9) Thou shalt honour rest and recovery day.
Weightlifting - We always overload or stress our muscles during our training, so it is essential for us to let our trained muscles to take one or two days rest.
Life - "Take rest, a field that has rested, gives a bountiful crop." - Ovid
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10) Thou shalt enjoy the sport.
Weightlifting - If you don't enjoy the sport, then why do it?
Life - Wherever life takes you, enjoy the ride. If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong!
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By Shiney Sparks, Editor, Good Men Project Sports.
This post originally appeared on The Good Men Project, here.
Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons/Greg