Move From Good To Exceptional

nAs I was browsing Instagram today I ran across one of Hookgrip’s photos from the training camp out at Waxman’s Gym this past week. The picture shows a pretty highly promoted but often ignored truth in the sport of weightlifting. The necessity for overhead mobility is a game-changer for anyone who wants to move from average to elite. EVERY elite level (World Championships, Olympic) lifter I have ever met has some crazy overhead flexibility, mobility, and stability. The picture of Ilya Ilin is a clear example of this truth.
The annoying part about this fact is NOBODY ignores this truth in theory. Yet a lot of people ignore this truth in practicality. It takes time and consistently working on that position to see improvement and it takes patience. The hard part is for those of us who already have pretty good overhead mobility. It’s easy for us to settle for “pretty good” instead of exceptional. The elite are exceptional.
The best were at one time “pretty good” and they had to make a choice. They choose exceptional. Make the same choice. Work on it even if it’s not a problem area. And in order to maintain exceptional once you have it, keep working on it.
Elite takes work. Even in the realm of mobility. It doesn’t take a whole lot of work everyday for 4 months. It takes a small amount of work everyday for the entirety of someone’s 20 year career in the sport.