I was in the hot tub after practice last night and I got to talking to a mixed martial arts fighter about his career as a fighter trying to go pro. He has been fighting sense he was just a kid and he is now 26. I asked him what kind of weight training he does for his sport, and he said p90x. I asked him if he has ever done any Olympic weightlifting to get more explosive, stronger and faster in his sport that is all about being explosive, stronger, and faster, but he said he has never even heard of my sport or style of trainig! I felt like saying “so you have neevr done any sports specific training?” This does not make any sense to me, no really, it makes me mad. When I hear this crazy talk it hurts my ears like nails on a chalk board. I would think that this guy would be olympic weightlifting atleast three or four times a week maybe even everyday, but no! he does push ups, pull ups, curls and shoulder press with some high volume cardio excercises that has nothing to do with strength! Some days I wake up and while I am driving to my gym I think maybe this is the day that everybody in the athletic world will finally realize how important the Olympic lifts are, and how SPORTS SPECIFIC they are, and I say “yep today is the day when there will be a line that goes out our gym’s door and 10 blocks down the street with athletes ready to actually train, but nope I pull up to the gym and there is no line, but when I pass 24 hour fitness and other candy coded, sugar tasting gyms there is a line! Why has Olympic weightlifting not spread through the fitness world like in Russia, China, germany, Greece, Iran, Turky, and many other country’s? Why are there no platforms in 24 hour fitness? Why are there no classes to teach these great full body lifts that can benifit a busy soccer mom in her everyday life, a body builder looking for bigger legs and a wider back, or an athlete looking to get more explosive? Why is Olympic weightlifting not a varsity sport in schools but throwing, wrestling, and running is? I am sorry for ranting on, but it just kills me becuase I have a magic possion that makes you so STRONG but know one wants to drink it. I see these kids in my gym and how much they love this sport, but they cant do it at there local school. The bottom line is if you are not training the Olympic lifts to help with your sport, than you are not doing anything close to sports specific and I truly beleive that. I have been training the cage fighter now for three weeks and he has never felt better. THE END