I Have A Lot to Cover or Uncover Today

More on this photo later in a technical discussion. Click to enlarge.

I am definitely in the grind right now. The first few sessions back you feel like Popeye, and by now I feel more like Olive Oil. What I really need is some oil rubbed on my aching body. I can tell how my training is going based on how long it takes me to get out of the bathtub soak. Tonight I finished the newspaper, Time magazine and the evening news on TV and still couldn't get out. It's funny because I am beat up but not yet overtrained. Overtrained feels dead and lifeless. Over the next week it will start turning around and quickly getting stronger. A week from tomorrow I will start my taper and back off the training for the final 10 days and then I will be revived. Hopefully!!

The photo above and the video below were taken by Dr. Peter McGinnis, USA Track & Field Biomechanist. The conversation is twofold; 1) is my plant late, and 2) why can't I roll this pole?
1) Everyone that watches me jump says my plant is late. I argue that for me it is perfectly timed. You see I spent an entire year trying to have my right arm locked when the pole hit the back of the box and found that I could not jump off the ground. Because I am not the fastest or tallest I DEPEND on jumping off the ground at take off. If you look closely I force my hands up as I jump up and then my body goes stiff. You couldn't throw a shot put with a straight arm nor do a clean and jerk without jumping as you thrust your arms up. Add to that the fact that if you were going to try and touch the basketball goal, at the top of your jump your body would automatically go stiff so my method accomplishes the same thing but at a later time. It's my way as I have tried all others. See below for #2.

You see I have good position and consistent arm pressure but can't get the pole to roll over enough to complete the jump. Below is the exact same pole with 3.5" (7 cm) cut off the bottom to effectively shorten the sailpiece just enough to roll the pole. ALL of my poles have now been cut 3.5" and I can use them, hence my PR in Reno.

Think of it this way - the pole is a 14' 7" (4.45m) with a 15' 1" (4.60m) sailpiece, cut to 13' 3" (4.05m) so that I can have my bottom hand deep in the sailpiece to give me a quicker return because the stiffness on my left hand pitches me up to the top hand for a faster transfer. Even though I am only gripping 13' 1" (3.99m), that same grip on a shorter pole will be a more sluggish jump with my style. So with 2" off it made it a 14' 11" (4.55m) sail and that's what I couldn't roll. Taking 3.5" off gave me just enough for it to roll and it is now effectively a 14' 8" (4.46m) pole. I cut the tops to keep the pole from hitting the bar.

Now for another great video, here is Dr. McGinnis. As a sports scientist he of course needs to have the best equipment and get to have all of the fun with it. So here is Pete taking a video of himself vaulting with the camera taped on the end of the pole. Enjoy and thanks for being here tonight! In the meantime - looking for a good massage!! Bubba