Forte Fitness' Julian Kaufman Places 3rd at USA Weightlifting National Championships

Julian competes in the 77kg weight class / 45-49 age group.  He was first in snatch, third in clean and jerk, and third overall.  

Snatch

https://youtu.be/7dt8r6XJBa0

Clean & Jerk 

https://youtu.be/Uz_LuPnknKI

 

Wall Street Journal - Dan Kunitz

Last year, Martha “Mattie” Rogers became the face of weightlifting’s resurgence in the U.S. by posting a video to Twitter. In it she hoists a heavy barbell above her head, loses control of it and watches as it rolls away—with Ms. Rogers in slapstick pursuit, arms waving—and smashes through the front window of her gym. The unexpected combination of a young woman tossing around a barbell that few men could manage and then shattering glass with it sent the clip into the viral stratosphere. 

But Ms. Rogers isn’t just a social media star with a pretty face. She is an example of a species once thought to be all but extinct in this country: a world-class lifter. She owns all the American records in her weight class and, in a first for her sport, was included this year on the Sports Illustrated list of Fittest 50 females. 

On November 28, Ms. Rogers will compete at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, Calif., as part of what is arguably the finest American team in generations. It includes Sarah Robles, who earned a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics; Colin Burns, a gold medalist at the Pan Am Games this past summer; and 16-year-old C.J. Cummings, the current reigning youth world champion in his weight class and the first American in more than 40 years to set a senior division world record (weighing only 152 lbs., he lifted more than 407 lbs. over his head).

Although no American men have won gold at the World Championships since 1969 and no female since 1997, this year’s team represents the best chance in generations to beat perennial favorites such as Columbia, Iran, South Korea and Georgia. That some nine countries—including powerhouses Russia, China and Kazakhstan—were banned from competition this year because of repeated doping violations won’t hurt the Americans’ chances either.

American teams have suffered in international competitions because, historically, weightlifting has not been popular in the U.S. In fact, few people can distinguish it from the two sports it is often confused with: bodybuilding, which entails lifting weights to enhance the size and appearance of muscles, and powerlifting, which consists of the squat, deadlift and bench press. In Anaheim, the competition will consist exclusively of the two weightlifting events featured in the Olympics: the snatch and the clean-and-jerk. In both events, you hoist a weighted barbell from the ground to overhead—but nothing so seemingly simple can be as maddeningly complex. 

The snatch occurs as a single continuous movement. You take a wide grip on the bar and propel the weight upwards with your legs by standing violently. At the top of the bar’s trajectory, about chest height, you quickly reverse direction, dropping under the bar to catch it in a full squat, with your arms locked overhead, and then you stand. 

The clean-and-jerk, as its name implies, involves two actions. For the clean, you take a shoulder-width grip on the barbell and stand powerfully, again using your legs to drive the bar upward to about chest height, at which point you drop under it, catching the bar on your shoulders before standing. In order to get the barbell over your head—that is, to jerk it—you dip straight down and, again using your legs, push skyward to get the bar moving up. You then quickly split your legs forward and back so as to catch the barbell at its apex, lock your arms and stand with the weight over your head.  

Like Ms. Rogers and most of today lifters, I learned the snatch and clean-and-jerk through Crossfit, which, any coach or athlete will tell you, has been the single most important force in popularizing the sport. Between the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, membership in USA Weightlifting (USAW) more than doubled, from some 11,000 to over 26,000, and it has continued to grow since. But those numbers only account for people actively competing at local and national meets. Because of Crossfit, which incorporates the lifts, many hundreds of thousands of others now engage in weightlifting as part of their exercise routine. 

More recently weightlifting has spilled out beyond the Crossfit world. Ms. Rogers’s coach, Danny Camargo, teaches certification courses for the USAW and has seen an influx of personal trainers and strength-and-conditioning coaches. “That tells you their clientele are beginning to ask about weightlifting,” he says. Indeed, to meet demand, large franchise gyms such as Lifetime Fitness and Equinox have begun installing weightlifting equipment in their facilities.

Still, few gym-goers will ever attempt a snatch or clean-and-jerk on a platform in front of judges. They lift because practicing such highly athletic movements confers enormous fitness benefits, no matter how good you are at them. Nor do you need to be young to begin. I took up weightlifting in my forties and regularly train alongside people who started in their fifties and sixties. 

In fact, the lifts target the very things that tend to degrade with age. Most obviously, they improve your strength, particularly in the legs (leg strength being a prime predictor of longevity, followed closely by overall muscle mass) and core, by which I mean everything between shoulders and hips, not just your abs. But weightlifting also greatly improves flexibility, balance, stability and overall motor control. And, as with dance, the snatch and clean-and-jerk demand continuous neuromuscular interaction. You’re constantly learning how to move better, so, doing it sharpens mental acuity while getting you jacked. 

Isn’t jumping under heavy weights dangerous? Not as much as you might think. All exercise carries some risk, and if you engage in it regularly, you will eventually hurt something. In weightlifting, that usually means a sore wrist or elbow. But the rate of acute or chronic injury from weightlifting is quite low—lower, for instance, than for running. 

Also, the hazards of concussion and permanent brain injury are virtually absent in weightlifting as compared with football and even soccer. As parents come to realize that lifting will make their children healthier, rather than imperil their future, it should bode well for the expansion of the sport. 

So, too, should the decline of television. Weightlifting has never thrived on the networks, but, as Ms. Rogers’s Instagram 475,000 followers suggest, it’s a smash hit on social media. Instagram and Facebook not only highlight weightlifting’s elegance and explosiveness, they allow you to share a single particularly spectacular lift and watch it repeatedly. Social media also inserts the fan into the athlete’s story, letting us follow our favorites as they train, warm up before taking the platform and react backstage to a failed or made lift. 

Being able to plug in to weightlifting at any odd moment, combined with the rising number of people actually doing the lifts, has caused its audience to ripple outward in expanding waves. Those who take a few minutes to tune into the World Weightlifting Championships next week—they’re not on TV, only streamed live on the internet—may just be inspired to pick up a barbell themselves. 

Mr. Kunitz is the author of “Lift: Fitness Culture, From Naked Greeks and Acrobats to Jazzercise and Ninja Warriors."

Eating the Forte Way

Here are two easy dinners I had recently at home:

1. Trout over a bed of arugula with toasted almonds 

Go over to Main Street Meats and get some sustainably raised, healthy trout!  Season the trout with sea salt and black pepper.  Cook skin side down with a little butter and cover the pan until the top half of the fish appears cooked through. On low heat toast some shaved almonds until golden brown. Don't forget a slice of lemon! Place over a bed of arugula and enjoy!  If you are still hungry eat an apple, grapes or any fruit of your choice. 

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2. Baked Chicken with stir-fried kale and mushrooms.

While you are at Main St. Meats, get some pasture raised chicken.  Avoid commercial animal products for your health, the environment, and social responsibility as often as you can.  Cage free is good, but the best is pasture raised!  Pasture raised means the animals are really free to graze! Bake chicken in oven at 350° seasoned with sea salt, black pepper and fresh rosemary.  Chop a large handful of lacinato kale and stir fry in olive oil, garlic, sea salt and black pepper.  Slice fresh mushrooms stir fry the same way you did the kale.  Finish with a salad of mixed cherry tomatoes. Slice them, chop a large handful of basil, season with sea salt, then olive oil, mix, then white balsamic vinegar, mix again and ENJOY!  

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Quick and Healthy Bowl

Whole wheat couscous is a great base for making all kinds of healthy bowls.  It is a whole food, simple and quick to cook.  Use a 2:1 ratio of water to couscous. Begin by boiling the water.  When the water comes to a boil add the couscous.  Turn the heat off and let sit for 5 minutes.  

While the couscous is resting rinse a can of black beans, chop multi-colored mini sweet peppers, a handful of cilantro, and one green onion. Then add goat cheese feta, slice an avocado and a lemon.  Next mix with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.  

With the quick and easy base of whole wheat couscous you can use your imagination and create all kinds of super healthy bowls in just ten minutes.  These bowls are easy to put in a tupperware for work, a picnic or when you are on the road traveling.  

Give it a try! 

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Make Your Discipline Count!

For those of you who do not need one on one personal training, or small group training, and have the consistent habit of exercise built into your weekly schedule, consider the following:  

Often those who are disciplined to exercise simply repeat the same exercises over and over, week in and week out, often going on for years.  This is certainly better than being sedentary. However, the pitfalls of this approach are fourfold:  first - it leads to monotony as the routine lacks variety and becomes boring; second - repeating the same workouts over and over may lead to overuse injuries; third - if you do need to lose weight or improve other areas of fitness, doing the same exercises the same way for long periods of time causes the body to adapt, therefore, becoming nearly impossible to create change; fourth - many people work on their strengths only and are unaware of their weaknesses, thus, they are not making their discipline truly count.  

Solutions:

1.  Try a personal trainer for a short period of time - 4, 6, 8 or 12 weeks.  Approach personal training as if you are taking a class to learn and increase your knowledge of a subject.  In the same way you have worked for degrees or certifications in your vocational life to better equip yourself to be effective, a short stint with a trainer can help you learn how to make the discipline you have truly count.

2.  Have a personal trainer do a functional movement assessment.  The trainer can build a program to follow and teach you any of the exercises you need to learn.  Then you can go out on your own and truly make your discipline count! 

3.  Maybe you know how to build a truly well rounded program for yourself.  You may even know how to change it up appropriately but maybe you could use some help on how to properly perform certain exercises or how to use certain equipment safely and effectively. Taking even a one hour class from a trainer on exercise technique or how to use certain equipment / machines properly can help you have a safe and more effective training program.  

Make your discipline count in 2018 more than ever! 

New Year's Resolution Tips

The New Year is here! At this time of year most people become a little more reflective. We tend to evaluate different areas of our life we would like to improve. And for many folks a big area of evaluation concerns one’s health. I am sure many of you reading this article had sincere plans to make 2017 the year you finally took the steps to improve your health. Although many people sincerely felt this way, the odds are probably that only a few actually did achieve their goals. Why is this?

As I have trained people over the last 24 years I am convinced that all of you really do want to change your exercise habits. However, there are real life reasons why it does not happen, and our busy lives are number one. Most folks are working so hard on their relationships, careers and parenting that by the time you have taken care of everyone else there is no time left to take care of yourself.

So, how can you make 2018 different and dedicate this year to your health??? Here are three suggestions that I know work because I have personally seen many people apply these three tips and many have lost 20 - 100 pounds, blood pressure has improved, cholesterol levels have dropped, bodies are more functional, and people are eating more healthfully.

1. Set Exercise Appointments with yourself.

Whether you are a busy professional, busy mother or both your day is filled with appointments with other people. You certainly would not be disrespectful and miss a scheduled appointment. Set exercise appointments with yourself and give yourself the respect you give others. Don’t miss your appointment! When life happens and you miss a scheduled appointment you must reschedule your missed appointment. There are 168 hours in a week. You can do this!!!

2. Set Specific, Realistic, Measurable Goals. Begin with what works for you.

This is an example of a specific, realistic and measurable goal for January – exercise 3 times per week for 15 minutes. Set it in your calendar with date, exact time of day, and your exercise plan. Three times per week is 12 exercise sessions of 15 minutes for the first month. If you miss simply reschedule your exercise appointment and make sure by January 31 you have exercised 12 different days for 15 minutes. Maintaining your exercise volume each month is a major key. At the end of the month reflect and re-evaluate making changes to your goals. It could be 13 exercise sessions of 20 minutes each. The key is simply to get started and set a goal that is specific, realistic and measurable, and realistically attainable for you and build on it.

3. ACCOUNTABILITY!!!

Accountability is essential to keeping your exercise appointment with yourself. But for most accountability to self is not enough… it’s too easy to rationalize something else is more important. Different people are successful with different forms of accountability. For some simply investing in a gym membership is enough, for others having a friend or a group you are committed to exercise with, and for others a higher degree of accountability is needed, for example, a personal trainer. We all spend a great deal of money on health insurance, which is not health insurance at all. Taking care of one’s health through proper nutrition and exercise is true health insurance. The simple key here is get the accountability you need. If a friend works great! If a group works
great! If you know you need the highest level of accountability I suggest investing for 12 weeks in personal training and then re-evaluating. Look at it as if you are taking a class to invest in your health. We have all invested in education to better our lives; so, it just makes sense to do the same for our health. The secret is accountability to a coach, mentor, and guide someone who is committed to your commitment and impervious to your excuses.

We are all well aware of the health crisis in America related to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and a host of other preventable diseases. Make a commitment to the three tips above and you are on your way to receiving the benefits of exercise and healthy eating habits. When you are physically fit you will feel better, sleep better, overcome stress, work better, communicate better, play better and live better! Make 2018 the year you really DO something about making a lifestyle change that will improve your quality of life for years to come!!!

Do You Need to Lose 30 Pounds? Learn from Someone Who Has Done It!

Learn from this Forte client – she preferred not to share her name but gratefully she is sharing her story and the wisdom she has gleaned on her journey. It took three years to lose the 30 pounds. She had her fair share of setbacks, highs and lows, peak and valleys but she has achieved her goal!

1. Reduce Your Sugar Intake

“I eliminated foods that have added sugar. When I began to diligently read food ingredients, I realized how many foods out there have added sugar. The easiest way to avoid added sugars is to eat whole foods like fruit, veggies, and lean proteins while also cooking meals for yourself vs. eating out. For me, if I have a sugar craving, I grab a piece of fresh fruit or add fruit to my smoothie (see below) to help eliminate the craving.”

2. Shake it up in the morning.

“I have developed the habit of drinking a shake for breakfast every morning. It’s quick and convenient and leaves out any guesswork on whether my breakfast will be healthy and full of nutrients.”

The Shake Recipe:

  • 1 cup Siggi’s plain yogurt
  • 1 cup Elmhurst Almond Milk
  • ½ Frozen Banana
  • ½ to 1 cup Frozen Raspberries
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (omega 3s!!!)
  • 1 handful of spinach ( I promise you can’t taste it)

3. Fall in love with water.

“I love sweet tea!!! That is one of my vices, but I have chosen to eliminate it from my daily diet. Removing the extra empty calories of sweet tea has made a huge difference. I bought a nice water bottle and keep it with me all day and make sure to fill it up when I finish. That makes me get up more at work and walk to fill it up, and to take more potty breaks!”

4. You have to track it.

“It might be tedious, but I have found tracking my food intake to be really beneficial. There are many apps and methods but the one that has worked for me is MyFitnessPal. It syncs with Fitbit and other trackers which makes it quick and convenient.”

5. Something is better than nothing.

“In the past, I would come home from work many days and be too tired to workout. When I finally stopped letting that excuse keep me from doing something, even if it is very small, I started making more progress. Once I do get started I feel energized and motivated to do more than what I had planned. Sometimes it is simply a day off from my scheduled training but I go for a walk around the neighborhood. To my surprise once I get moving I tend to come home and do some cardio on my stationary bike, planks, lunges, push-ups or some other body weight exercises I have learned at Forte.”

“For years I struggled in depression, embarrassment and bad health. I finally built up the courage to get real help. Forte was the answer for me. The trainers are all so kind, caring and professional. They walked me through this journey giving me just enough encouragement and firm accountability. If I can do it anyone can!”

Muscle Mass Is A Better Predictor of Longevity Than...

A 2014 article in Scientific American reports a ten-year study of 3,600 senior adults found that muscle mass is a better predictor of longevity than BMI (Body Mass Index).  This suggests that a focus on weight loss may not be as beneficial as a focus on building muscle mass. 

The word mass is often confusing and misunderstood.  People quickly begin thinking of body builders with huge muscles.  This is not the idea.  It is simply about building a strong and functional body that can move through full ranges of human movement. 

Building more muscle mass is a major factor in developing a healthy BMI.  The more muscle mass one maintains, the faster one’s metabolism responds.  According to Keith Baar, PhD, professor at the University of California-Davis, a faster metabolism resulting from higher levels of muscle mass will in turn lower ones’ risk for obesity.  A lower risk for obesity means a lower risk for diabetes and heart related diseases.   

Being stronger means you will be able to lay down and get up off the floor; go up and down steps; get in and out of a car; get on and off the toilet. Simply stated, you will live a more independent life.  The direct result is you will feel better, have a better quality of life, and enjoy the activities that make you feel alive for years to come. 

Start lifting those weights!  It is truly never too late.  Include squats, deadlifts, lunges, presses, pulls and planks.  If these exercises are unfamiliar to you do some research on the internet, take a class, or consider trying a personal trainer at least to help you get started.  A certified personal trainer may be a good investment.  A personal trainer can make sure you learn how to lift safely and effectively.  A personal trainer is able to modify a program specific to your needs and limitations.  Using a trainer in the same way one takes a class to self-educate may equip you well enough to begin training on one’s own. 

At any rate, get started!  

Savory Vegan Oatmeal Breakfast & Almond Butter Smoothie

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Savory Vegan Oatmeal 

  • Cook the oatmeal and sprinkle lightly with salt
  • Rinse a can of black beans 
  • Saute two mushrooms in olive oil, sea salt, chili flakes
  • Finely chop red onion 
  • Handful of arugula
  • Slice of lemon
  • Avocado

When oatmeal is done place in bowl.  Sprinkle lightly with curry.  Plate all the ingredients.  Lightly season with sea salt.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  

Almond Butter Smoothie

  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tsp cinnamon 
  • 1 tbsp almond butter 
  • 4 ice cubes
  • Blend! 
  • Taste and sweeten with with blue agave 

Enjoy! 

I Always Wanted Lunchables...

By Kate Kaufman

Somehow it worked. Growing up with a personal trainer, football coach, and passionate Italian father has resulted in a full indoctrination of his oldest child into his ways of eating and living. There isn't a single breakfast I can remember from the time I was school-aged when my eggs didn't at least have a heaping amount of kale, tomatoes, pepper, and onions. I was the kid who showed up at the lunch table with Italian style tuna fish (red onion, Italian flat leaf parsley, olive oil, salt, pepper) and whole wheat matzah crackers, a red cabbage salad (with olive oil and vinegar, not ranch, of course), and NO fun pudding dessert. Lunchables, Little Debbies, Gushers, and Coke were not a thing in my household.

I know, you're probably feeling so sorry for my childhood and how scarring it must have been. I thought this as well until I was set out on my own and shot into the independent world of college, where I got to grocery shop and could buy as many packets of Oreos my little 5-year old damaged heart could desire. However, this desire to buy what was always kept from me quickly resulted in a revolt from my Julian Kaufman trained body, and I soon found that these desires were not sustainable. 

What is now the result of this indoctrination? The Vegan Daughter. I am two months in my vegan adventure, and I haven't cracked yet! If you know my family at all, you know how hard cheese is to give up since cheese is one of our main food sources, given the king of cheeses comes from our beloved motherland: Parmigiano Reggiano. But I'm doing it, and I want to invite you all to join me in this adventure in helping our planet, helping your body, and helping our communities who are so affected by our food choices. 

All of my recipes will be super quick and super cheap, because the Ramen diet in college is a real struggle and temptation, and I need something to substitute this desire. All are welcome to join in: mommas and dads, businesswomen and men, students of all ages. Here's my first recipe I made for me and my three roommates! Feel free to add or substitute whatever veggies you have with you!

Buon Appetito! 

Spring Rolls with Almond Butter Dipping Sauce

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For the Rice Paper Rolls:

  • 6 sheets of Vietnamese rice paper
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cucumber
  • 3 small carrots
  • 1 mango
  • 3 green onions, cut into rings
  • 1 cup purple cabbage
  • About 6 radishes
  • 1 cup fresh mint

For the Almond Butter Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup almond butter
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 3-4 tablespoons warm water
  • 1/2 teaspoons sriracha sauce (optional)
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  1. Cut the avocado, the carrots, the mango, the mint, the radishes, the green onion, and the purple cabbage into thin stripes.

  2. When you're done cutting the veggies, fill a shallow bowl with water and dip the rice papers in water so they get moderately wet on both sides. Don't let them soak too long, so they don't get too soft.

  3. When you soaked the rice papers, fill them with the veggies and wrap them like a burrito. I think it's best to center the filling and then roll it up and fold in the two side flaps.

  4. Then make the peanut dipping sauce: In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter with the soy sauce, the garlic, the warm water, and the sriracha sauce.

  5. Serve the rice paper rolls with the peanut dipping sauce.

 

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Pescatarian Bowl

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Delicious and healthy bowl!  Build a base with whole wheat couscous.  It is super fast to prepare the couscous.  To make 4 servings simply bring 1.5 cups water to boil and mix in couscous.  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes and it is done!  Boil a handful of shrimp per person and then cool in an ice water bath. Meanwhile shave / chop red cabbage, clip off cilantro leaves, chop an onion, core an avocado, slice some cherry tomatoes, and rinse a can of beans.  

Place everything on top of the couscous, drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, chili flake and a squeeze of lemon! 

Mhmm Good ... Enjoy!