I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t done an Olympic lift in over a week. When you normally do Olympic weightlifting nearly everyday, its heartbreaking when you don’t do it. Its like you are missing out on something very special in your life.

I’ve been doing CrossFit, yoga, and other things, but not my Olympic lifts. Truth be told, I’m a barefoot guy. If I had my druthers, I’d never put shoes on, especially in the Summer. My work shoes are Keen H2 sandals that are brown leather but cover my toes and most of my feet. But my feet can breathe through all the side slats which makes it more bearable. I’d much rather be barefoot. And with Olympic weightlifting, you have to wear shoes. In the catch, I sit better in my squat with shoes. And I sometimes jump and land hard on the clean, jerk, and snatch. So Olympic shoes work best.

I actually had switched my workout around so I have dedicated Olympic weightlifting time. The other times I don’t have to put shoes on like for cardio, yoga, or CrossFit. Time just gets away from you and plans sometimes fall apart.

Last night, I did clean & jerks. They felt stronger than ever before. The weight felt so light for me. I didn’t go very heavy just to make sure I didn’t hurt anything. But my attempts went very well. I love the strength in the hook grip and you sink into your stance. It feels like you are lifting a refrigerator and tossing it over a wall. Donny Shankle called it "Ripping the Head off the Lion". Its a violent acceleration. I love the intensity of Olympic lifting. The slow Powerlifting lifts just don’t do it for me. There isn’t the speed and true power (strength with speed) that you find in weightlifting.

I’m a happy man. I won’t betray my lifts anytime in the near future.