This is the time of the year when I write “I’m leaving”. Actually, I’m always leaving. I have never belonged anywhere. Nowhere, except one place. In 2006, as I entered this small gym hidden in the middle of a Brazilian slum and saw the colorful Olympic disks for the first time, I thought to myself: […]
Leaving: accepting the things I cannot change Read More »
All Hallows Day. Samhain. This is when the door between the two worlds fades and you actually can pass through. Breaking through to the other side. The caretaker rose from his hiding in the labyrinth and took a small key from his pocket. “Here”, he said, as he handed it to her. He smiled
Back to discussing pain management in powerlifting (the previous article being “No pain, no gain – the dark side of pain in powerlifting or any sport” , I bring two new items for us to chew on: first, the results of a survey I did with competitive powerlifters about their own pain management strategies. Second,
According to not-so-recent research, more than 95% of the world population believes in some form of deity. Along with it, usually people believe in protective entities that are frequently called “guardian angels”. If you are reading this article, chances are (95%, to be precise) that you believe in both. Supposing
Powerlifter Guardian Angels: Elite tactical athletes Read More »
There is no such thing as a half squat just as there are no half-pregnant women or half-dead people The relation between a Smith Machine and an Olympic bar and squat rack is the same as that between a coffin and a bed Squatting prevents almost any illness and cures most of them. The ones
MHC* to the series of “Squat Truths” Read More »
[Warning and disclaimer: this is not the best reading for a pre-competitive period.] A few years ago I wrote an almost poetic piece on why I lifted weights. It was the first time I tackled issues related to flow, still unaware of the wealth of literature on the subject. I just described the feeling
My only daughter was a sort of lab rat for me. Don’t get me wrong: I love her. But I was young, my head was full of theories about psycho-motor development and I was determined to break with all conservative ideas about child care. A whole new world of possibilities lay ahead and no blueprint
The powerlifting mom and dad: knowing your child’s innate strength Read More »
I think I just had a great idea. I think I will start a business of aging powerlifting belts. Consider this: everybody knows an old and very well used belt is a good belt. Probably it is at its best when it’s really really old. Old, all stained with too much sweat and maybe a
The aging powerlifting belt – a retirement plan for athletes! Read More »
I was born in Brazil. Technically, I am Brazilian. I lack, however, the typical commitment to supposedly regional interests (whose rationality I question). I am not a patriot or a nationalist. Neither am I a naïve believer in any sort of neutrality: all intellectual claims are interest biased. Mine are informed by my ideological penchant
The economic and social cost of the mega sports events: an anti-Olympic manifest Read More »
Yes, because there’s good stress. Good stress is manageable, predictable stress. There is, there must be some stress when you are just about to get under a loaded bar with over 85% or 90% of your presumed maximum. There is obviously stress related to preparing for the potentially infinite amount of unpredictable factors at play
Bad stress and the athlete Read More »
