Continued from part-2
"Building a body" is one thing,
whereas "creating a body" is something totally different.
The former is an endeavor or a hobby or a try-out,
whereas the latter is a devotion,
a unique and hallowed journey,
that is only possible after one understands,
why it is that they train.
Q: The Chinese weightlifters are built differently. At times it seems, as if, they are a different breed?
A: This is a question that perhaps, the west asks too easily. It is on one's lips as they gawk out at the likes of Lu Xiaojun and Liao Hui in the training halls.
But at the same time, most will never really understand why is that the case.
But fear not, I will provide you with the reason.
One creates a body like that when one trains in a holistic and integrated manner.
Q: (Nodding) Hmm... I read that post. I get that. But I am not sure how to go about it. I am trying to train in an integrated manner. But I don't think I am doing it right?
A: No, you are not doing it "right".
It is because you are yet to truly grasp a few things ...
First and foremost, you are yet to truly grasp the power of training with awareness.
For the ability to train with full awareness** is the very foundation of being integrated during one's training.
Being aware of not just your body but also of its interaction with the barbell and the earth.
Being aware of how you align your upper body relative to the lower body, and how massively it impacts the activation (or relaxation) of certain muscles.
Second, is the lacking of understanding the mechanics of the movement for your body.
(An example would be grasping which part of your body is really being leveraged, during a Snatch or a Clean, when the bar breaks off the floor)
We are surrounded by a culture that loves "how-to's" and external help.
This comes in your way to develop your own understanding of the physics of Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Pulling, Squatting or Pressing.
It is not about finding "the right start position" or "Sitting back" or "breaking at the knees first, then hips" or doing "what feels best".
It is not about following cues, a specific style or technique.
It is about constant exploration (with your body) to learn the most optimal alignment of your body around the barbell.
Q: But what about how they look? The symmetry, proportion, and distribution of their musculature seem too perfect and "full". They seem to have just the right amount of muscles in the right places.
A: Muscular development can be "full" and symmetrical only after one learns to leverage the most out of their bodies.
To leverage all that one is capable of, one must learn first, that which they already have.
(Instead of blindly searching for programs or "coaching")
And to do that, one must first learn how to see and explore within themselves!
Because it is only after one knows what is missing, can one put the missing piece "there".
Further, being fully aware during training allows one to leverage another powerful ability - Visualization.
Training with complete cognition of one's bodies' internals. and visualizing the symmetry of the positions during the various movements is a skill one must develop.
It is not about the overused sayings, of the likes of "Mind muscle connection"!
It is about being the muscles and the connections
It is about feeling the missing pieces of the puzzle which is one's body
After all, once one has "felt" a missing piece, the work to "fill it up" has already begun!
Continued in part 4
Footnotes
** "Awareness" is a heavy word and most fail miserably in understanding it, let alone implementing it in their training.