Our guest today is Mario Dispenza.  He is our the first Olympic Weightlifting Coach that we have had on the program. 
Mario was out of shape and looking for a change so he took up Olympic weightlifting, found a coach who put my first workout plan together for me and he created a long-range plan to change my eating habits.  Eight years later, and 70 lbs lighter, he competed in the World Masters Weightlifting Championship.   When he weighed-in for the meet he was 20 lbs lighter than he weighed as a senior in high school!  Mario owns MyOlympicLift.com and he trains his athletes out of The Colosseum Gym in Columbia Maryland.  
Not only is he an accomplished lifter, but his passion has turned to coaching.  He helps tons of CrossFit Athletes clean up their form and work on issues that can be developed from CrossFit.
Mario starts with his story then dives into ways you can improve your Olympic lifting.  Everything from mobility and flexibility drills to what position to work on improving the most.
 
 

How to Improve Your Olympic Lifiting with Mario Dispenza- EP: 18

-A show about the sport of competitive exercise.  We will dive into weightlifting, endurance sports and pretty much all things fitness.

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Health & Fitness

Episode 55 – Emily Abbott  Elite level CrossFit Games athlete, Emily Abbott, joins us on the show today. Emily is from Calgary, Canada and trains at CrossFit Sunalta. She is an avid traveler and enjoys travelling to competitions all over the world. She is a three time CrossFit Games athlete and was named 8th fittest woman in the world in 2015. She also works with supplement company Blonyx in her spare time. Today we talk about Emily’s career thus far as well as training tactics and tips. Be sure to listen and take notes on Emily’s advice! Remember if you enjoy the show head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! In this Interview: A day in the lift of Emily Abbott How to balance training with demands of life How to find a coach you can trust What a clean eating day looks like for Emily How to measure volume and be sure not to over train Plus:  How to make CrossFit a career The benefits of a hands on coach Supplements and Emily’s work with Blonyx    About Emily Abbott:   Emily Abbot grew up in Calgary, Canada on a rural farm. She was heavily involved in sports at an early age and even snagged a basketball scholarship to the University of Windsor. After graduating college and touring around Europe, Emily gained a new perspective on fitness and decided to go all in on CrossFit. Since bursting onto the scene, Emily has become a three times game athlete and was named 8th fittest woman in the world in 2015. Apart from CrossFit Emily works with Blonyx, a supplement company based out of Canada.        Timeline: 0:28 – Emily Abbot Introduction 1:41 – A typical day for Emily Abbot 4:26 – Making CrossFit a career 6:56 – Balancing training with life and other activities 10:46 – How to handle burnout and stay motivated 16:24 – The process of finding your limit 17:53 – Ways to find a coach you can trust 21:18 – The benefits of a hands on coach 23:37 – Finding your own balance and what works for you 25:55 – Measuring volume and not over training 27:28 – Emily’s opinion on dieting 31:21 – What is a clean eating day for Emily 34:05 – Emily’s plan for upcoming competition 35:00 – Will not making the CrossFit Games be disappointing 37:18 – The right approach to CrossFit and life 37:51 – Supplements and the Blonyx Company    Contact Emily: https://www.instagram.com/abbott.the.red/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/emabbott439/?ref=page_internal https://twitter.com/abbottski439?lang=en https://blonyx.com/

EP: 55 Emily Abbot- The bigger picture

Episode 54 – Shane Farmer Shane Farmer of Dark Horse Rowing joins us on the show today. He is a former member of CrossFit Invictus and has competed at regionals and the CrossFit games. Shane provides some great insight on the start of CrossFit and how he was mentored early on in the sport. In addition we talk about his passion for rowing and his company, Dark Horse Rowing. Remember if you enjoy the show head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! In this Interview: Shane’s first CrossFit experience What it is like to be a collegiate rower Competing with CrossFit Invictus at the CrossFit Games The launching of Dark Horse Rowing Plus:  What Shane learned from his mentors Tips to improve your rowing technique and performance Weekly videos to improve your rowing technique

EP: 54 Shane Farmer- Dark Horse Rowing

Episode 53 – Patrick Vellner  Third place finisher of the 2016 CrossFit Games, Pat Vellner, joins us today on the show. This guy is a total stud. Along with finishing third place this past year, he was on the team in 2015 for regionals, competed with Team Canada at the invitational this year, and had a long career as a gymnast. Patrick brings great knowledge to our show today and shows some brutal honesty with his answers. Remember if you enjoy the show head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! In this Interview: Pat’s 2016 CrossFit Games experience Pat’s true priorities including school and career How Pat got into CrossFit The importance of having a coach Recovering from a torn bicep Plus:  Did Pat really come out of nowhere? A Cirque De Soleil Connection Nutrition Focus  About Patrick Vellner:  Patrick Vellner placed third in his rookie season at the Reebok CrossFit Games. He is originally from Red Deer but moved to Montreal six years ago to train and study kinesiology at McGill University. He has since moved to Chicago to study at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. Despite his early success in CrossFit, Pat is keeping his schooling his top priority and is keeping a long view in front of him.   Timeline: 0:27 Pat Vellner Introduction 2:08 Pat’s 2016 CrossFit Games Experience 3:08 Balancing CrossFit with Life 5:20 Instant Gratification and CrossFit 9:36 The First CrossFit Workout 12:17 Pat’s Gymnastic Background 18:45 Gymnastic Parallels within CrossFit 21:53 How Important is a Coach 26:04 How to Choose and Trust a Coach 32:15 Focusing on Nutrition 38:40 Tearing a Bicep 43:21 Handling Competition Pressure   Contact Pat: https://www.instagram.com/pvellner/?hl=en https://twitter.com/patvellner?lang=en https://www.facebook.com/Patrick-Vellner-1687132264888851/

EP: 53 Carrer or CrossFit? - Patrick Vellner

Jaime Hagiya, co-owner of Torrance Training lab in Torrance, California, joins us on the show today. Jamie is an experienced CrossFit athlete having qualified for regionals the last 4 years and making it to the CrossFit games in 2016. She is a former collegiate and professional basketball player at USC where she led the team to 2 NCAA tournament appearances. She then went on to play professionally in Greece and Spain. At 5’3”, Jamie has been told time and time again she would never make it as a basketball player but she has proved everybody wrong by playing at USC and beyond. This same intensity and grit learned on the basketball court has been transferred to CrossFit where she is now one of the sport’s most recognizable and successful athletes. From 2012 to 2016, Jamie had many setbacks including the tearing of her hamstring and rupturing of her Achilles tendon. Injuries and setbacks are a tough experience for any athlete and we talk about battling through these tough times and how to get back on track as soon as possible. Jamie also posted a viral Instagram post about body image. We dive into body image and the struggle that even athletes sometimes can have with this subject. Check out this viral post here Remember if you enjoy the show head over to our website and sign up for our mailing list. Each month we are giving away a free T Shirt if you are registered! Timeline: 0:57 Jamie Hagiya Introduction 3:18 Jamie’s Basketball Career 6:15 Fighting a Chip on your Shoulder 7:17 Influence of Grandparents 9:09 Getting Started with CrossFit 13:17 Transitioning to CrossFit 14:55 Tearing a Hamstring 17:34 A Competitive Spirit 20:42 First Coaching Experience 22:47 Tearing an Achilles 28:25 Training Schedule for The Open 32:12 Hiring a Coach 38:05 CrossFit Games Experience 41:09 Viral Instagram Body Image Post 45:41 CrossFit Nutrition 50:48 Contacting Jamie     Contact Jamie: https://www.instagram.com/jamiejoyce2/ https://www.facebook.com/hagiya.jamie/ http://torrancetraininglab.com/

EP: 52 An Underdog Story Full of Grit and Determination with Jamie Hagiya

I’m thrilled to welcome Marcus Filly to the show today. Marcus is an accomplished CrossFit games athlete and member of the Phoenix Rise. In addition to this, he is the founder of Revive RX, a supplement company based out of San Francisco, California. Marcus is a coach at heart but also an extremely strong athlete. Marcus grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and played multiple sports in his youth. He then went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley and earned a degree in molecular and cell biology. After this he completed a year of medical school in Ohio before becoming involved in CrossFit full time. Marcus has been a health and fitness coach for 8 years since leaving Medical School. He was formerly a CrossFit facility owner for 5 years, has completed all 5 of the OPEX CCP courses, and has coached clients remotely from all over the world. He has coached athletes at the CrossFit Games as well as several regionals athletes. Today we talk about Marcus’s past experience with sports and how it compares to the mindset of the CrossFit World. Marcus played division one college soccer and had a very different experience with this sport as opposed to CrossFit. Hear him compare and contrast these experiences and training methods. We also talk about the value of rest and when it is necessary to take time off from competition. Marcus took time off in the 2015 season for overtraining despite how difficult it was to take a step back. Marcus has also launched a supplement company, Revive RX. Learn more about how his background helped him launch this company and how it is helping other athletes today. Timeline: 1:07 Marcus Filly Introduction 2:48 Educational & Sports Background 5:32 Collegiate Sporting Experience 7:42 Finding CrossFit 9:59 First CrossFit Workout 13:25 CrossFit and Medical School 14:54 Leaving Medical School 17:16 Tipping Point to Pursue CrossFit 19:16 A Cross Fitters Personal Life 21:32 Finding a Mentor 25:11 Learning from Overtraining 29:39 Consumed by CrossFit 32:24 Revive RX Supplements 38:25 Contacting Marcus    Contact Marcus: marcusfilly@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/marcusfilly/?hl=en https://marcusfilly.com/ https://www.revive-rx.com/

How to Improve Your Olympic Lifiting with Mario Dispenza- EP: 18

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