In 1997 as I prepared for World Outdoors in Durban, South Africa, my coach, Dave Johnston (DJ) told me that at some point I was going to have to start hitting the upper body weights harder in order to take the shock of jumping on bigger poles. This has become very true since I discovered my new technique to utilize more arm and hand pressure in 2008. That year I strained my bicep and then my tricep. The tricep was a problem off and on for four months but the bicep was pretty quick. Now I'm moving to bigger poles I'll need to really stay on top of the lifting.
I bring this up because lifting is something that vaulters like to skip. Kind of like running. It's hard and time consuming but it gives us muscle and bone density. Since I lift year round I never feel out of touch if I have a break. BUT, after vacation it was hard to make myself get started again. Of course now I have I love it. My upper body sometimes starts to resemble a small bodybuilder but I can feel a huge difference in the power I can deliver at the box. Looks can be deceiving since I'm jumping 3 - 4 lbs. (2 kg) lighter this year but in some ways look bigger. Whatever it takes.
Off to the track to watch the kids. Early jumping because of Spring Break. Then I head to see Ashley for my massage. I told her the other day that I couldn't decide who I fear more, her or my dentist. It HURTS and it SUCKS but it works. More later. Have a great day! Bubba
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