Five Lift Friday — Issue #2
Did you know 50% of newsletters fail before the second issue!? Well, we are not going down as a (made up) statistic!
Big shout out to everyone who opened our first issue last week. Appreciate the replies and kind words. Hopefully we came through on our mission to make your inbox less boring and, of course, make every Friday Big Friday.
Onto the show...
Lifts of the Week
2021 Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz uncorking the jerk on this 105kg/231lb clean and jerk from the blocks. Snappy does not begin to describe her movement. This might by the best jerk in the game right now. Short quick dip. Efficient footwork and punch under the bar. Take notes kids.
2. Antonino Pizzolato playing around with this 180kg/396lb clean and jerk. This is nowhere near his 217kg world record but it's always fascinating to watch how athletes move sub-maximal weights. The two attempts are 37kg apart but they look almost identical. In addition to a world record in the total, he is also weightlifting’s undisputed Mr. Steal Yo Girl. A strong, saucy Italian? Nate is sweating.
3. It’s our second issue and we’ve probably already set the bar for most adorable entry with these two young queens snatching. Real talk though, there are athletes who train the lifts for years who don’t approach their technical proficiency. Let’s hear it for the youths. Also likely the most athletic feat ever performed in a pair of Sketchers.
4. Wes Kitts with a 150kg/331lb snatch off the “big ol’ D”. Solid positions and fast finish on what had to feel like an eternal first pull. They say it’s not always about the size of the deficit but how you use it. This lift has quickly shot into contention for our (distant) third favorite deficit snatch of all time.
Our top two? Probably consensus picks, but for good reason…
1) Klokov’s 202/445 after doing a full minute of mindfulness.
2) Jon North’s 155 en route to snatching a then unofficial American record 166. Back when the total and the attitude had a stronger correlation.
5. From the Archives
Digging into the hallowed IronMind back catalog for this one. It’s no question that the Abadjiev-era Bulgarians were built different between the ears, but imagine the perseverance needed to take five cracks at a maximum clean and jerk (+5kg over the world record at the time!)... Each attempt dialed in closer and closer. Vanev went on to set the world record in the 77kg/170lb weight class a couple of years later with a lift of 207.5kg/157lb at the 2000 European Championships.
Training Hall No-Skip List
The No-Skip List is one of the most sacred traditions at Milwaukee Barbell, with origins tracing back to our original Florida Street training hall. Membership on this genre-bending list is exclusive (you’re more likely to win a Grammy than be elected). It's maintained orally. No one person knows the full list.
Each FLF we’ll unlock one entry here. Last week it was Stupify by Disturbed. This week's banger is...
TERROR - Stick Tight
Suggested pairing: Kicking down doors, 1RM deadlifts, and scaring all the women at your gym.
That's a wrap on our second issue, thanks for scrolling through.Think we missed one? Something we could do better?Don't be shy. Hit reply and let us know! If you liked this, be a legend and smash that envelope button at the top. Spice up a friend's inbox and help us grow!Or hit us up on instagram (@mkebarbell, #FiveLiftFriday).
Cheers folks. Congrats on making it to Friday.
— Murph & Nate
