Barbell Shrugged - 130- Kendrick Farris: Learn From My Mistakes, "Be Better Than Me"

Episode Date: July 16, 2014

This week on Barbell Shrugged we are joined once again by the one and only Kendrick Farris, two-time Olympian for USA Weightlifting, tattoo aficionado, part-time comedian and all around amazing dude.    Just in case you missed Kendrick’s first two appearances on the show, make sure you go back and check outepisode 55, as well as episode 76. Trust me, you never want to miss out on what he has to say.    Kendrick always gets us fired up when he speaks, but it’s quite another to actually see Kendrick lift. Imagine, a man his size easily tossing almost 500 pounds overhead, or easily squatting 550 pounds rep after rep. It’s incredible. On the world stage this guy is as strong as any lifter his size, period. The Olympics are always a really tough competition for the United States, sure, but I for one can’t wait to see Kendrick on the Rio platform in 2016. The Barbell Shrugged crew will be right there in the stands, sipping Caipirinha’s and cheering him on as loud as we possibly can.    To get that damn good, you would think Kendrick has sacrificed everything for the sport of weightlifting. It wouldn’t surprise you if he came off as obsessed, hyper-competitive and all that. But the truth is that he lives a remarkably balanced life. Kendrick’s Instagram feed is not just a showcase for his lifting prowess. It’s mostly pictures of friends, family, and more than a few tattoo sessions. He’s the type of guy who loves and shares openly. He wants you to be better than him one day, which is probably exactly why he’s such an amazing lifter. Attitude is everything.    Kendrick doesn’t compete to impress anyone, especially not himself. He’s just interested in learning what works best for weightlifting. Sure, dominating the platform is the ultimate goal, but only because it creates a platform for Kendrick to inspire, teach, and share his remarkable point of view on lifting and living. It also gives him the opportunity to meet the best coaches in the world, to mix and share ideas, and to push the community forward.    Between Kendrick and the lovely Diane Fu there’s never been a better time to learn the sport of weightlifting. They both have such an amazing, open attitude to coaching and sharing information. Their seminars really are some of the best coaching experiences you could hope to have, really.    You can check out dates for Kendrick’s Bless the Gym Tour here. Also, if you want some Diane Fu in your life, check out her event schedule. You’d be silly not to go, especially when they coach together. Do it!    If you want a summary of Kendrick’s wisdom look no further than his attitude towards weight and diet. Lifters often obsess about cutting weight before a big competition. The rationale is clear enough. If you can cut hard, then regain weight after weigh-ins you will have a clear competitive advantage over the other folks in your weight class. And that’s true, but more often than not the cut leaves you feeling like shit. This is what happens when you spend more time thinking about the competition, forgetting what it is that’s best for you. Likewise, diet is cool and all, but there’s no sense in obsessing over it. The details, demands, and strict food limitations aren’t necessary. That’s time and effort that could otherwise be spent with the barbell, which is a far better way to become a great lifter. Does Kendrick eat Paleo? Does he have a personal chef or catering services provide him meals? Hardly. He seems to spend most of his time crushing bags of trail mix in between training sessions. It’s not ideal, but he seems to love it. Maybe that’s the only dietary detail that matters.    Get with a great coach, or two, or three. Move efficiently, but find out works best for you. There are no hard rules. Do your thing. Refine it. Put together a long-term plan and be patient. Train hard, and with a community of great lifters. Eat what you need to eat. Weigh what you’re going to weigh. Be the strongest possible version of yourself.     If you want more Kendrick in your life, make sure to follow him on Instagram. You don’t want to miss any of his pancake sessions or heavy squat workouts, trust me. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.    Bless the gym!   Cheers,    Chris Moore  

This week on Barbell Shrugged, welcome back to the show, Kendrick Ferris, our good buddy and two-time USA Weightlifting Olympian, team member of the Universe Galactic Award Federation. Hey, this is Rich Froning, you're listening to Barbell Shrugged. For the video version, go to barbellshrugged.com. Whatever you prefer. All right, welcome to Barbell Shrugged. I'm Mike Bletzer with Doug Larson and Chris Moore with CTP behind the camera. We have traveled to Miami, Florida for the MIA Classic Weightlifting Meet.

With us we have Mr. Kendrick Ferris. What up, Kendrick? What it do? Olympian. What it do? He lifts weights. He's really freaking strong. He's all right at it.

He travels the world doing seminars, teaching people how to be strong, too. And, man, the coolest thing I see you do is usually on Instagram with, like, you're repping out squats with, like, 500, 600 pounds. It's legit. Yeah, that's the old videos. That's the old videos. I get people that get on to me now. You know, They want to dictate my Instagram or my

Twitter. They're like, man, you used to post videos. You used to do this. I'm like, dude, it's a picture of me and my niece. What are you talking about right now? Let's keep it light. We do a little something on Instagram. They follow your personal Instagram and they get mad when you post pictures of your personal life? Yeah. It's not just weightlifting? Yeah, it doesn't make sense.

They're like, you mean to tell me you're not at the gym all the time squatting 500 and 600 pounds? I'm like, nah, I like to go to my niece's birthday party or go to dinner with my family. If you don't want to look at it,

I mean, you can unfollow. Unsubscribe. Outside of weightlifting. I know. How dare you? What is wrong with me? I know.

What is wrong with you? I don't know. It's love, though. And make sure you go to, before we go any further, make sure you go to barbellshrug.com, sign up for the newsletter, and we will notify you when we post these awesome podcasts, because sometimes we post a bonus

and you don't want to miss out on that. That's right. No doubt about it. Man, how'd that thing with Diane Fugo? I think it went great, man. Like, man, the people came out, you know, we really vibed out. I think people were really excited. We got a lot of positive feedback, and me and Diane, man, I think the way we met, oh, man, ited out. I think people were really excited. We got a lot of positive feedback. And me and Diane, man, I think the way we met.

Oh, man, it's crazy. We already knew the vibration was really strong, you know, like when we met and actually got to have an opportunity to converse. And it was like, okay, exchange philosophies and just talk about lifting and life. It just works, man. Yeah. And I think the people really saw that. They were actually surprised that that was the first time we worked together.

They're like, so you guys haven't worked together before this? We're like, nah. They're like, this is amazing. So to hear that feedback. Where was it at? We did it out at NorCal. You know, Jason Kalipa. You know, shout out to the big homie.

You know, Gary Fisher. You know who it is. CrossFit Miranda. All of those people. So we did it at their spot at San Jose. Excellent. So everyone could sense the synergy between you two, even though it at their spot at San Jose. Excellent. So everyone could like, they could like sense

the synergy between you two even though it was just your first time really working together. Everything just was flowing. Man, the flow was right. You know, we weren't trying

to talk over each other. Nobody was trying to be more right than the other person. You know, so it was smooth, man. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was smooth. So I guess both of you

are pretty open to new ideas, receptive, you know, acknowledging that the other person has a tremendous amount to bring to the table. It makes for a perfect coaching environment. Oh, yeah. Diane, I mean, you guys know her, man.

Her attention to detail and wanting to soak in the information and wanting to be able to dissect it, to give it to the people. I mean, just the way she does that alone is like that really captured my attention and, you know, got me wanting to work with her. So it was smooth, man. And me just being me, you know got me got me wanting to work with her so it was smooth man and me just being me you know what i mean just cracking jokes talking about talking about different things and things that i referenced to weightlifting and how it just works so i think the people they loved it you know that's what we got back from it so yeah diane's really good about about believing that her way isn't the only way and she's very accepting of new and different ways of doing things she's not really locked into one particular way.

So I feel like she'd be a very good person to partner with and to work with because she's not going to be so rigid in her mantra or her philosophies. Oh, yeah. I mean, and neither am I. You know, we both agree that there are boundaries when it comes to the movements. You know, those boundaries, they keep you in line, and then you want to make the movements as natural as possible. We both agree with that.

So that made it easy. You know, my coach always taught me, like, if you get an opportunity to work with different coaches, that's what you want to do. You want to be able to seek that knowledge and figure out how you can make it work for yourself. How did the conversation get started? I think it was at the American Open.

You know, the one that was, like, all snowed in and iced in. Oh, yeah. Yeah, so we just got a chance just to really talk. Was, the one that was like all snowed in and iced in. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So we just got a chance just to really talk. Was that the one that caused CTP to miss a concert? Yeah, you know what? That American Open was, I think, pretty unique in that it was all snowed in. Yeah.

So people didn't really go out and do things too much. So everyone was like locked in the hotel. There was a big party one night. Heck yeah. It got a little out of control. Did it get out of control? I don't remember. We broke into some things. Oh was a big party one night. Heck yeah. It got a little out of control. Did it get out of control? I don't remember. We broke into some things.

Oh, yeah. Hold on now. What? We like broke in. It was like, what was it? The second floor? Yeah. It was closed.

Man, we broke in, brought the party upstairs. Because they shut the bar down at like- One. Like one in the morning. I was like, what are y'all doing? We're still drinking. Yeah, you had to like pour your drink out or like give it away to them. So I was like- what are y'all doing? We're still drinking. Yeah, you had to pour your drink out or give it away to them. Yeah, so people went out and bought cases of beer.

We went upstairs. We got into the competition area. Drinking on the platform. It was crazy. Yeah, we had little competitions going on. People were doing wheelbarrow races and stuff. Yeah, handstand walks. I wasn't doing it. I most definitely was watching, though. It was very entertaining. I was like, wheelbarrow races. Yeah, handstand walks. I'm just saying, I wasn't doing it.

I most definitely was watching though. It was very entertaining. I was like, man, come on. Yeah, I got a lot of- Keep going. I got a ton of footage. I got a ton of footage that I couldn't post. Seriously?

I had a lot of footage on my phone. I was like, I'll wait till tomorrow morning to see if there's a poster. Why not post it? I was like, that person probably doesn't want to be seen doing that. That person doesn't want to be seen doing that. I was like, ugh. So yeah, want to be seen doing that. That person doesn't want to be seen doing that. I was like, ugh. So, yeah, if you want to see people doing questionable things, you've got to show up to the competitions yourself.

You can't enjoy it, you know, on the Internet. We make people turn their phones in. You know, once we get together, you've got to put your phones in a hat or something and just have a good time. Yeah, turn them in. Oh, but everyone got snowed in, so that actually allowed for, allowed for some connections to be made because people weren't going out as much.

People were staying in the hotel. And I know, me personally, I ended up hanging out with people I might not have otherwise hung out with and got to form some relationships. So it was a pretty, some people didn't get to make it, but it was a really fun time.

Oh, yeah. So we got to go watch Kanye West. We saw Kanye West, brother. It was all CTP's idea. He really brought it together. I was sad that you couldn't make it out, man, but the concert, man, it was awesome. It was pretty epic.

I'm not going to lie, bro. He's the kind of guy you want. Everybody wants to, well, at least some people want to hate on Kanye, but I think you can't deny, guys, his ego projects. He fills the room and can rock 20,000 seat arena. I don't even, my thing about Kanye, I don't understand what people are hating on. Like, I don't get it.

Like, a lot of people feel like the music. The hate is so damn confident. He's been that way, though. They disrespect the confidence. He's been that way. Like, I don't think it's not anything new. So why is it so shocking? That's what I don't understand.

Like, if you watch Dave Chappelle on, I think he was on Jimmy Fallon, like not too long ago. And he was talking about when he first met Kanye, like he's just being, I guess just being Kanye. Right. And he was like,

who is like, who is this guy? And he's like, I knew this guy was a star when he was like, he was on the phone and they was watching these sketches about like, like Rick James. This is before like all this stuff that came out. Someone called Kanye.

Kanye picks his phone up and he's like, no, I can't do that right now. No, I'm not doing it. Because I'm watching sketches that have never been seen before. Yeah, my life is dope. And he just hung up the phone

on somebody. I was like, yeah, I knew this guy was a star. I like Kanye though. He's dope, man. My only complaint about the whole show is that he wore a mask

for over half of it. Yeah. And I felt like that took away from it. Because once he took the mask off, I felt like it got better. Did you not believe it was even him? Well, no, it wasn't that. It's just like, well, there was that question.

But it still just didn't feel as personal. Yeah. I didn't really understand. I was like, I know he said something about, I mean, it was an interview. He was saying he didn't want to be pictured making certain faces. I don't know. It was something weird. But I was like, okay.

It's art, Kendrick. It's art, man. I mean, that's It was something weird, but I was like, okay. It's art, Kendrick. It's art, man. I mean, that's how I looked at it. I was like, he's rocking it out. I mean, the way he was moving, I was like, okay. Oh, yeah. I'm vibing, but whatever, man. It was a dope show.

Yeah. It was very entertaining. Yeah, for sure. It's too bad you couldn't make it to CTP. Dang, bro. I wouldn't even have bought my ticket if it weren't for him. No, look, I think me either. He was texting me. He was texting me, bro. I wouldn't even buy my ticket if it weren't for him. No, look, I think me either because he was texting me.

He was texting me, bro. And I was like, okay, cool, I'll go ahead and buy some tickets. Me and my wife,

man, we checked it out. Six months later, he's still pissed about it. He texted me. He was like, don't bring it up. I wasn't going

to bring it up, bro. I wasn't going to bring it up, but yeah, the show was fire, bro. Yeah.

You're doing seminars all the time. Yeah. But you're also preparing for the Olympics. Do you feel like that's eating into your ability to train? We saw you holding the shoulder earlier. Nah. I mean. Yeah, I had to move this microphone, man.

This thing is heavy. This mic thing. I just didn't see it. And you scurrying about with all this equipment, not wanting to unplug anything, moving it onto the platform, because this is the dopest scene for the podcast. I wasn't smart enough to get my positions on point. Like, I'm all hovered over, shoulders, I mean, chest is all sunk in. It just wasn't right.

I was juggling Kennec that. You can jerk 400 pounds for 10 reps. You would never get hurt doing that shit, but you would definitely get hurt moving this chair with a soundboard on it but doing something silly. That's how it always works in the weight room. That's how it goes down, man. You don't get hurt doing anything heavy and dangerous.

You get hurt doing, like, bending over to pick up a pencil. For real. Tie your shoe. I mean, we travel a lot, and I know it affects our training. How much are you traveling, for real? No, honestly, to teach, I only travel maybe once or twice a month at the most. Like, it may seem like I'm always in a different place, maybe because I post when I'm at that particular place.

But majority of the time I'm at home, man. I train. Like, that's my primary focus, you know. So if I get an opportunity to go and teach, like I said, once or twice a month, I'm going to do it. Other than that, I'm at home training with the fam, chilling, you know, posting pictures of me and my niece that people don't want to see. People may forget that, though. Like, you know, they see you when you're out about, and they see you travel here and there, but they forget, so to be this good and make a serious run, you got to be planning.

You got to be working. You got to get up every day and go to work, right? Bro, in the gym. In the gym. I'm not playing any games, bro. I've been doing this almost 17 years. It'll be 17 years this fall, and I'm figuring little things out, and I'm excited about it, man.

So moving forward, like I said, I'm in a things out and I'm excited about it, man. So moving forward, like I said, you know, I'm in a new weight class, 94 kilo class. It's going to, it's going to be exciting. That's excellent for people to hear you say like 17 years in, I'm figuring little things out. Like this is, you're just now still learning and learning. I'm never stops. The polish will never quiz. Yeah. I mean, you got to keep an open mind. You know, uh, I know my father-in-law, he likes to say, you know, mine is like like a parachute. It only works when it's open. So that's how I like to be, man. You're all right, man.

That's wise. That's wise. When did you make the switch from 85s up to 94s? It was at the end of 2012, you know, when I started, you know,

eating and, you know, putting the weight and stuff on. People are like, people are seeing me now. Pancakes. Dude, I was killing them. I still, I'll still eat pancakes.

Like if I'm going to actually eat breakfast, it'll be pancakes and a protein shake. You know still eat pancakes like if I'm going to actually eat breakfast it'll be pancakes and a protein shake you know most of the time I'm just kind of drinking like smoothies or protein shakes now

there's not much hunger in the morning nah just do something get the calories in yeah just get it in just so I can just move and you know

have something in me I don't like to feel full so as long as I can get something in me feel like I can get some work done I don't like to feel full unless I'm slamming a stack of pancakes

That's it But like if I do that I'm not going anywhere Like I'm stationary man I'm not I like that style It's like how often does that happen Do you want to do it all in

Or nothing at all Like I don't look Like you know how like The Rockapost pitchers Like eating like 20 pancakes Like I don't do that I actually love pancakes So I don't want to overdo it

Like I don't ever want to eat so many. Save the pancakes. Yeah. If I'm eating them, it's only four. I probably eat four pancakes, protein shake. Keep it real smooth. That way I can eat them every day. I don't get sick of them, bro. Yeah. So most people, they're going up a weight class because it's hard for them to stay in the lower weight class.

But it sounds like you're really trying to keep the weight on to get 94. Is that the case? Well, at the end of 2012, it was hard for me to keep the weight on to get 94 is that is that the case well at the at the end of 2012 um you know it was hard for me to cut the weight like now i would i would be training at probably about um 88 kilos still doing the same dieting and it was hard for me to cut down to 85 so i knew i've been in the 85 kilo class since uh the summer of 2004 so i've been in that class for eight years and i knew it was time for me to go ahead and move up so you grew out of it grew out of it man i got old man you know it, man. I got old, man. You know how it is.

You know what I mean? In weightlifting, I'm considered one of the old guys. You know, the young guys are doing their thing, and that's what it's about. How old are you now? I'm 27. I'll be 28. You're so old. I know, so old.

You started at 10, huh? Old for a weightlifter, so at 11. At 11. Yeah, so. You got about two more years, and then everything. And it's a wrap. It's a wrap, bro. It's old weight for me, so it's all good. I'm just,, and then everything, the wheels are going to come off. It's a wrap, bro. It's over with for me.

So, it's all good. I'm just, I'm going to make the most of it right now. You know, I'm in a new weight class. I'm excited. I haven't even maxed out on my lifts. You know what I mean? Like, on a competition lift. So, I'm just focused on training movements, getting stronger, perfecting the movements,

and, you know, just seeing what the future's about. I feel good about it. So, we'll see. Now, to get more food, are you able to stack on more volume? Now that you're not like trying to like watch your diet and limit your calories? Nah, I don't have to.

Like, I just, now I'm back in the groove of where I was at. I can say from like 2005, 2008, where I just eat when I'm hungry. I can eat whatever I want to eat because I have the weight on now and I have my body weight

where I want it. So, you the weight on now And I have my body weight Where I want it So you moved up And now It's just your appetite Controls how bigger You know That's kind of how I do it You just stay that size

Bro I'm good Like I probably walk around Weighing like 92 92 to 94 kilos I keep it right in there Like I'm good So you don't try to walk around 96 Nah I don't do it

What's the point bro Like I've done the cutting weight thing I'm not doing it no more. Like, I can just show up and just lift. You know what I'm saying? So if I had to compete tomorrow, we can put it on again. That's probably the biggest mistake people make, man. People get so wrapped up in trying to cut down.

Dude. Let your body be strong where it is. Like, what do you want to go into the meet as strong as you want to be? Like, it doesn't make any sense to tear yourself down right before you're going to try to lift. It's weightlifting, bro. Yeah. You weigh in two hours before you compete. What are we doing?

But you can do two, three kilos. Bro, I'm not touching that. I've done that. I'm telling you. Because it's hit or miss, bro. I've done it. It can be. There's no way to predict how you're going to feel after this shit.

You know it. But I know it. You know how you're going to feel when you go in the gym and just train. You'll be like, man, I feel great. And you think you're going to feel that same way. But when you cut weight, man, we're losing a lot. We know this, but we're like. So when you approach 2016 Olympics. Bro, it's going to be crazy. You're going to. We're coming, by the way. Are you going to feel that same way, but when you cut weight, man, we're losing a lot. We know this, but we're like. So when you approach 2016 Olympics.

Bro, it's going to be crazy. You're going to. We're coming, by the way. Are you going to? Yeah. We're going to be there. Be there. But are you going to still have that same philosophy all hanging out between 92, 94?

Same philosophy. Shit, I might weigh in. I may be 90 kilos. Just wherever you feel best. I'm not even joking, bro. I feel like I'm going to be strong. I'm going to be exactly where I need to be. That's it.

So I'm not even focused on like, okay, man, I need to make sure that I'm weighing exactly 94 kilos. No, I'm going to make sure I am as strong as possible. Yeah. That's all I'm worried about. When you travel around, do you bring all your food with you? Are you like super anal like that where you're like you want to have all your calories prepared ahead of time or you just like show up and eat wherever? No, I can eat wherever. You know, I ask questions, you know,

like how to prepare certain things. But as far as just like traveling through the airport, I mean, I smashed trail mix. That's it, bro. Man, you can ask my wife, bro. I eat trail mix all day and just fluids, just drinking water and eating trail mix. I'm not even joking. How many lifters written up like trail mix? Yeah, got it. Mark it off. Mark it off.

I'm serious, bro. This is a whole lesson into itself. Like, people get so wrapped up in the details and minutiae of what they're eating and how their time and shit, and they get all paranoid about it and lose their confidence. Like, the best thing you can do going into meat, be confident in how you're trained, be confident in what you did in your preparation. Be you. Be physically what you are.

Go in there and be confident. Fucking wreck it. For real. Look, hey, we're dropping. This is some free knowledge right here. You know what I'm saying? And most people, you know, it sounds so foreign to them. Like, ah, they might not touch it.

And that's on them, you know? So we'll see, though. Like you said, it's about being confident. You got to be confident. What's up with the six for six thing? I know some people, they always try to go six for six. And some people feel like if they get six for six, hit all their lifts they have no misses and they didn't like go all out they said i didn't try you know what i mean so like the six or six thing it really

starts uh we can go from an early age just about building confidence that we talked about so if you are confident in making lifts you're not afraid you're not second guessing yourself once you step to the platform but when we talk about this shirt, that's what it's about. It's just about being focused on yourself. When we go into competition, I think a lot of people look at the competition or different competitors and they're focused on what they're doing

instead of focused on going out and executing one lift at a time. I remember I put a post on Instagram. It was just a blank square. I said, my competition. Because I don't have any competition. I don't get this shit. What does this mean mean i think i was going up and down on instagram like photos not loading yeah people were so upset i don't even understand why so just like this mike if me and you are gonna fight if

we're fighters then you're my competition have to worry about you but it's weightlifting i can't control nothing you do on the platform why do i care that's a great you're not my competition bro i just gotta go and lift yeah i gotta worry about the weight but people are just't control nothing you do on the platform. Why do I care? You're not my competition, bro. I just got to go and lift. I got to worry about the weight, but people are just taking it. Oh, you're taking shots at this person. Bro, come on, man. Where I'm from, if I got an issue with you, I could tell you I'm not going to do it on the internet. Like, look at me, bro. Come on, really. Look at me. Do I look like the type of guy that just want to be an internet thug, bro? Come on. I'm not about that, man. I'm about doing what's best for me, doing what's best for my family. So, if we're talking about weightlifting, I can only control what I'm doing. So, being six for six, you're making those, you're making all six lifts.

You know that feeling that you get when you make all six lifts? That's the type of feeling we want to have people trickle over into their lives, man. So, be six for six. That's what it's about. Rewind that and write it down, man. Write it down. It's my boy Danny Slag, man. That's the guy that does

all the designs for my product line. He did the pancake for PR shirt. People love those. You know what I mean? They love the crown shirt. He's Danny. He put that together. So this is his thing, man.

I got that coffee mug now. You got it? Six for six. You got a drink coffee mug. You got to get it in, bro. I'll have it in my trailer. I'm going to drink coffee right there. By the way, the blank Instagram post

is pretty Gangster Kanye West style. Yeah. Maybe that's why people don't understand Kanye. Maybe his boldness is just him trying to express something deep. Bro, listen, I'm about to really just start just expressing myself, you know what I mean? And just being more open to people. And it's not that I haven't been, but some things, you know, you try to monitor the way you say certain things. I don't want to say this because I don't want to upset this person.

If you say this, then you're anti this. I'm just like, bro, I love everybody, and I'm extremely confident in what I do. If you met me, you know I don't disrespect nobody, bro. I treat everybody the way I want to be treated. You know what I'm saying? That's with respect. That's with love. Golden rule style, man.

So they should know me. But like I said, bro, I just don't have time for any fluff. You know what I mean? So I just want to give people the real, man. The last time we talked, you were not snatching a lot all the time. And are you still kind of in that? I mean, you talk about, you were just saying like you're working on technique a lot more. Yeah. And we were kind of, like when I first found out how little you snatched during certain periods of training,

I, you know, I was like, oh. And you're talking about working on technique now. Are you snatching more often? No, no, I mean, it's, it's, it's in my training. I'm not doing it more often. You know what I mean? Like I feel confident in the movement.

I know what I got to do. I haven't maxed out. I don't, I don't need to right now. You know what I mean? Like I'm, so I had to pull out of the Pan Ams. I had a little setback. I'm back on track. So I'm looking to go to Nationals

If I go to Nationals and compete It'll only be just to bump my toe up a little bit I won't go and max out So you'll be there next month Yeah, so I'll probably be there I can't guarantee it But I might be there That's the plan right now

But I'm just looking to be prepared For the World Championships World Championships, I'll max out Just to see where I'm at, you know We talked about that too With MASH How another mistake people make is they're worried about what other people are doing

and they show up to meets and they treat each little meet like it's the fucking world championships. They're going to push themselves to the breaking point every time they get on the platform, which if you're doing it right, that should be, I don't know, three or four times a year if you're young and you're trying to get your legs underneath you. You're going to push it too hard that way.

That's crazy. Isn't that? Yeah. But you put too much pressure on yourself every time you expect maximum performance. Like you're not building. You don't have a long term plan. Bro, I've done it.

That's why I can speak on it. So bro, that's what I'm saying. So like, so if when you speak on certain things like this, let's say you're in a position that I'm in. You speak on certain things like this.

Oh, this guy just, he's just being a dick. He's doing this. I'm i'm like bro i'm not even trying to be rude to nobody i'm trying to i'm trying to help you and i'm trying to keep you from making my mistakes i did this don't make my mistakes baby be better than me that's what i tell you it's just like when you're just like when your dad or somebody tells you uh here's a lesson you go man fuck you you don't know you don't know what it's like and then then you know what? Now I am a dad. And then you might have this experience too. We go, shit, I can feel myself about to try to share these lessons.

And I just know my kids are going to be like, man, you don't know the fucking thing. Oh my God, full circle. You don't know. You never been this age. Like when your parents try to tell you something. Yeah, when your parents try to tell you something, they're just telling you, I have, translating to this, I have fucked up so much. I'm just trying to help you.

That's all it is. For real. I think this is what I'm going to tell my son. I'm not trying to make you uncool or ruin your up so much. I'm just trying to help you. That's all it is. For real. I think this is what I'm going to tell my son. I'm not trying to make you uncool or ruin your fucking good time. I'm just trying to tell you

not to screw up. That's what I'm going to tell my son. I'm not playing, bro. Dude, I know I sound like a dick, but listen. Hear me out. Listen to me, man.

Please. Damn it, son. I've done this before. Listen to me. We'll see, man. We'll see. But dad, you didn't have the internet

when you were a kid. My son is crazy, bro. It'll see. But dad, you didn't have the internet. Yeah. When you were a kid. My son is crazy. It'll be something. He says stuff. He really thinks stuff like that, man. How old is he? He's eight. Like, he doesn't think I was a kid.

He's getting into it now. Yeah, he's really getting into it, bro. Eight nowadays, I feel like is a mature age. Because they have access to so much stuff. He's running around with an iPad looking at stuff. Got his iPad, Wii U, all this crap. You know what I'm saying? He's just cool the way he thinks he's cool.

So I'm like, I remember when he was watching the Power Rangers, I was like, yeah, man, I used to watch the Power Rangers too. And he was like, I know. I was like, how'd you know? He's like, they had the Power Rangers in the 1900s. I was like, what? I looked around all the time. He's like on Wikipedia and shit, searching things, answering questions.

I'm like, I'm not old. The 1900s. Oh, I love it. My son's like two and a half. He'll pull up the iPad and you swipe it. Unlock it. He'll push the app he wants.

He'll look at it and frown. He'll switch apps. I'm like, what are you? You're two, man. You are two years old. They're on it, bro. Yeah. It's crazy.

Golly. Man. But lessons. That's what we're just trying to give people, man. Life lessons. Just want to save them. You will all be stronger and happier and healthier if you just fucking listen.

Just listen. Lighten it up. Move the weight around a little bit. Get stronger with some of the accessory movements. You don't have to go crazy with the snatch and clean and jerk every day. It looks cool. Yeah. I can post a great video.

I got some videos on my phone if y'all want to see some. The basic lesson, Kendrick, is look, if you're going to, especially as you get stronger and stronger and stronger, you got to be a little bit more clever in how you approach your training. If you just go in there and try to smash snatches and clean and jerks all the time, it'll be cool for a little bit. You'll make some progress

and then you're going to hit a wall and then something's going to break down. Yeah, you'll get some followers on Instagram and Twitter and all that stuff because people get excited about it. And I'm not against it because I post the videos.

I've done it before. But I'm just like, I want you to save your body because if you can get older, you should be able to get stronger you should be smarter with your you know it's a more strategic with your training and win the peak and that'll allow you to what be more successful at these competitions we have the talent here we can do it but i don't know hopefully people listen i have a question

for you if you if you're at a competition actually for this uh what's your max for snatch um for what 85 when i was 85 sure 162 okay so that's all that's all i've done that's what i did um at the arnold like i haven't i haven't maxed out since i moved up so if your max is 162 say you go to competition you hit you hit your first two lifts and say on your second your second attempt uh you pulled 159 and you're thinking fuck that felt really heavy and i barely fucking got it so at that point do you think my max is 162 and I want to beat my max

so I'm going to go 163 or do you try to still just post the best you can for that day and don't even worry about your old max let's take a break real quick what competition is it

let's take a break real quick and we'll get back with that answer a teaser this is Andrea Ager and you're listening to Barbell Shrug for the video version

go to barbellshrug.com. Barbell Shrug is brought to you by you. To learn more about how you can support the show, go to barbellshrug.com and sign up for the newsletter. And we're back with Kendrick's answer. Well, Doug, you might want to give a quick refresher of that question for the ladies at home. I'm basically asking you if you only care about beating your old PR

or if you're trying to best to put the better excuse me post rather the best score for that day or the best weight for that day it's not it doesn't even matter about the weight i'm all about um you know making the lifts at this point you know it depends it depends on the competition so if we are at the world championships and it's going to come down to you know helping get points toward olympic spots'll put it on. We're going to try for it. That's the day to max out. You know what I mean? And it's not like being in the gym where you don't have any adrenaline. You don't have the

eyes behind you and it doesn't matter. You know what I'm saying? So if you had a competition like that, I'll go for it. So what you're saying is tomorrow I lift. I shouldn't push it to the max. I don't think you should. You're equating what you're going to do tomorrow to a world championship Is that what it is?

No This is his world championships Right now As beat up as he is This is it This is your grand finale You'll leave your shoes On the platform

This could be The last time I walk Don't do it Don't do it bro Do you know You know the story here Is that we had to talk To this dude

Ended up doing it Just like yesterday Last night Yeah last night He came over And talked to me He told me He was just like Yeah. Last night. Yeah, last night. No, he came over and talked to me. He told me. He was just like,

yeah, I decided. He was talking just like this. Yeah, I decided to do it. That's a bunch. That's a bunch. I'm going to live. I was like, I said, bro, are you sure?

I looked at him. I said, are you okay right now? You look wonky. And he was like, yeah, I've only snatched a few times this month. And I looked at him. I said,

so you going to live tomorrow, bro? He said he going to do it. I just said, man, at him. I said, so you going to lift tomorrow, bro? He said he going to do it. I just said, man, be safe. I said, be safe. That's all you need to do, bro. You did the PR clean like two days ago. Yeah, he's going to be good

with the cleaner jerk, he said. He said it's fine, but the snatches. Cleans look good. Snatch is a little funny right now. But you have to snatch first before you go get the cleaner jerk in. So hopefully that shoulder holds up.

So that's what I'm saying. Just make some lifts. We're going to sacrifice the chicken to Joe Boo before you go out there. We'll get it all done. Hopefully that shoulder holds up. So that's what I'm saying. Just make some lifts. We're going to sacrifice a chicken to Joe Boo before you go out there. We'll get it all done. Like Joe Boo

bless bar. Coming with a bloody singlet. What happened here? I sacrificed a few chickens in the parking lot. Looking for PR

today. Oh my goodness. Yeah it is. Ah. Man we got a belt. Alright. I'll get the way the thing meets out there. Could take a lesson from my classic here. Yeah. Yeah Danny was Yeah it is Ah Man we got a belt Alright All the other way

The thing meets out there Could take a lesson From my classic here Yeah Yeah Danny's crew The belt's where it's at We need the belt Man man Danny

When I'm talking about Danny My boy Danny Slade That's all we've been Talking about That's all we've been Talking about We like dude We gotta get rid of the medals

We need the championship belts We need to keep one belt And I think you should Bring it to the competition That's dope And if you lose You gotta give it back Yeah that's dope man That would really hurt me If I had to give my belt And I think you should bring it To the competition That's dope And if you lose You gotta give it back Yeah

That's dope man That would really hurt me If I had to give my belt back Oh yeah You would train hard It's like WWE style Dude you'll be ready Yeah you would

You'll be ready What I like about this meet Is that I want that belt by the way Danny did a good job I've never won a trophy Or a medal before It might not be there tomorrow bro

I'm gonna slide just out of here Yeah but you know I think This thing is cool You know weightlifting Still should be peaceful When people are lifting Like you know the music

comes down whatever but Danny does a good job of injecting some actual soul Danny's soul injecting some soul and some energy into this meet heavyweight championship belt

you know great art great venue great energy music is popping aside from that one point where they're playing some dance shit what are they playing

they're playing some like BG's remixes for a few minutes there but you know hey you can rock that i felt like when he played too long was the metal and i know danny really likes the metal i was like dude i was looking around the room and i almost felt like no one was hearing the music but me i was just like what is going on man garrett garrett we're talking about we're like man he gotta just

slide some slide some drink on right now and then bring it back like you can't just let it keep going i was digging the punk rock i don't know it all. Like, you can't just let it keep going. I was digging the punk rock. I don't know. It all depends on where you came from, I guess. No, listen,

I like all kind of music. I'm talking about, it just kept going. It's about the rhythm, isn't it? It's like training. If you go death metal all the time, you get numb to it.

You got to go up in tempo, down in tempo. Then you recognize the changes. I guess we did. We went to Bee Gees for a second. And then I was, Doug said, are we even at a weightlifting meet then I was- She got on it. Doug said, are we even at a weightlifting meet?

I didn't even know the meet. The meet was still going on at one point. I thought we were on a break. Oh, a date. What are these guys doing on the platform? Oh, they're lifting. Oh, shit. Yeah, it gotta be over, bro.

They're playing the Bee Gees. But Doug would listen to, what's he like, that nu metal stuff all the time? Oh, I'd listen to metal over pop rock for a weightlifting meet any day. Any day. No, no, no, but he'd listen, in the gym, he'd listen to like- The Nu Guys. What's I listen to metal over pop rock for a wait for me any day. No, no, no, but he listens

in the gym. He'd listen to like what's he listen to? Mudvayne. I don't know who that is. It's like Doug's favorite training music. What's Doug's got?

I like the old school stuff, man. What's old school? I like Black Sabbath, man. I like, you know what I mean? Oh, shit. Hell yeah, dude. That's more what I'm in. I don't really,

I can't really get With the new guys No disrespect Alright here's the thing I'm just not familiar with it My favorite My favorite Artist to train to Would be Danzig

Mother Best That's the best Why I feel Just is I feel that way though Are y'all in the gym with him

When he's Zoning out I don't even know Who Danzig is I don't look I don't look Come on manzig is. I saw it. Come on, man. He was like. Danzig was the singer

releasing over the Misfits. You heard of the Misfits, Doug? I've heard of them, but I couldn't tell you the songs. The songs, yeah. Man, I'm not a music guy, though. I don't know who sings anything.

I'm not deep into it, man. Just certain things, you know? You mentioned like Black Sabbath, ACDC, old school stuff is better. I agree wholeheartedly. I feel the same way, though, with a little bit of modern hip hop.

I can't quite get into it. I love hip hop, but I can't find new shit to listen to almost never. I can put you on a new people list. Who are you listening to right now? And I can tell you about some guys. You got a Spotify playlist? No, no. I need to create one.

If you make one, you can share it with us. I was just talking about this the other day with someone. I need to make one. Who are three cats I need to check out right now? Man, people that I rock with, my boy Shu. You can look him up. It's Super Shu. It's S-U-C.

I mean, no, it's S-U-P-A-S-H-U. So Super Shu. And then my boy, they call me Kill Em. Cam Rowland, you can look him up. My boy B-Will. Those are some guys where I'm from. Same city I'm from that are really just doing their thing. And I think y'all can buy up to their music, man. So check them out. Like B-Will Those are some guys Like from Where I'm from Same city I'm from That are really Like just doing their thing And I think y'all can

Buy up to their music man So check them out Like B-Will He signed All Shreveport dudes All Shreveport You can check I mean if you guys

Are familiar with Lil Boosie B-Will He signed He signed to Lil Boosie man They got some They got some songs out So they're doing Some major stuff

That's about to like Really just take stone So it's just like rock If you Don't pay attention To some of the You looking at the Pop shit Get away from that Unplug your radio That's what I'm saying Like I'm not knocking Stuff that's on the radio It really just takes on. So it's just like rock. Don't pay attention to some of the pop shit. You're looking at the mainstream stuff?

No, get away from that. Unplug your radio. That's what I'm saying. I'm not knocking stuff that's on the radio. It's just certain stuff. I wouldn't even waste my time listening to it. I don't listen to the radio. I can put you on.

These guys I'm telling you about, they're on Spotify. You can easily pull them up and jam their music while you're training. You know what I'm saying? Spotify and SoundCloud. SoundCloud's where you can find the stuff you can't find anywhere else. Nah, for real. That's got...

For real. Make a playlist and we'll put it in the show notes. That's what I'm doing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll do that. How long does it take to make the playlist?

Not too long? Depends how long you want to make it. Nah, nah. I'll keep it short. You can do it in 10 minutes if you want to. Yeah, like a training session

is worth the songs. Yeah, you can have a ton of followers on Spotify now. Okay, cool. That's a bonus to the listeners. Check it out. We'll take care of you guys. For real. Yeah like a training session Is worth the songs Yeah you can have A ton of followers On Spotify now Okay cool That's a bonus to the listeners Check it out We take care of you guys

For real Do you have any different Do you feel like This lead up to this Olympics In 2016 is different than So it's two years out Does it feel different Than it did in 2010

Yeah Man I just did not have I just didn't have the wisdom man You know what I mean Because I was doing Some really good lifts But I got I hurt myself at the end of 2010. And I was trying to, you know how it is, listening to the noise. And what I mean by the noise is all the people around and going to different competitions

and trying to max out every competition. So when I got hurt at the World Championships at the end of 2010, came right back to the Arnold trying to go crazy. And that's the one where my legs just locked up and that's a crazy video. You can see it on like gym fails, all these different videos

that'll play me just like falling out. Some guy posted, wait, that's dangerous. Yes, super dangerous, don't do this.

You know what I mean? So that's what happened. No, it ain't dangerous, I was just being dumb, there's a difference. For real, for real.

You gotta be smart, don't be dumb like me guys, I've done it. And I was like battling injuries like all of 2012. You see what I'm saying? It Don't be dumb like me, guys. I've done it. And I was battling injuries all of 2012. You see what I'm saying? It was kind of just off and on, but I was still able. Like I said, when it's off and on, with cutting the weight and injuries, it's just a lot of stuff.

So I feel like right now, 17-year journey, some mistakes made, some injuries had, ups and downs. Now are you sort of maturing and sort of getting right to where it's like, this is my best shot. This is it. This is what it's all led to. I honestly feel like that's where I'm at right now. I feel really good about the training.

Training lifts and stuff are moving exactly where I want them to move. Like I said, I had a little setback a few weeks ago. I didn't want that, but all I need to do is just adjust the plan. If I go to nationals, I'm not going to go crazy. I don't really care. Dude, I can finish fourth. I don't even care. If I'm able to move my total where I want, then i'm good it's a little pressure test to see

see how things are that's all it is i don't even care man you see now y'all seen me move when it's time oh yeah i'll i'll put some weight on and it's not even an issue to move it like i don't i don't have to it doesn't look hard most of the time i don't have to all right can i make it unfortunately we're having to cut this show off because we have to leave the building. Who's making us leave? Let's do it. The man. It's the man, dude. It's the man. I said we keep going until somebody comes over here

and has the balls to tell us to get off this platform. Look at him. I'd be like, hey, man. Take it to that level. I'd be like, hey, man. Who you got to help us get off this platform? Is this you and your friend? They did ask us to leave and they were being nice about it.

Oh, cool. Wrap it up. You know it's our love. Now you're going to be an asshole. They're trying to be nice. You're being an asshole. Look at you. Hey, man. You know what I'm thinking about? I'm. Wrap it up. You know it's all love. Now you're going to be an asshole. They're trying to be nice. You're being an asshole. Look at you. Hey, man.

You know what I'm thinking about? I'm not being an asshole. I'm thinking of the fans. I'm the community. I'm trying to get the more Look how he throw you out of the bus. He ain't even thinking

about the more bad shrubs fans. Look at you. You damn sellout. You're going to let some punk at FIU tell you what to do. Kendrick, where can we find you on Instagram, Twitter? Man, everything is the same, man. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Kendrick, where can we find you on Instagram, Twitter?

Man, everything is the same, man. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Kendrick J. Fares. Just look it up. Check me out at blessedgym.com. You know, B646. All that, man. You got seminars and all sorts of stuff.

So have them out to your place. Check it out. We're good, man. And don't forget to go to barbellshrug.com. Sign up for the newsletter. And we'll send you nice emails. And we'll get you all that playlist, homie. Let's do it.

We'll get you that playlist. I'm going to go meet the dude who kicked us off in the lobby out there. But dude. Ask him, do you want to wrestle? You want to wrestle me? Do you want to wrestle right now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. CTP cam.

Yeah. Chris Moore gets knocked out. Oh, shit. I didn't know you were a jujitsu guy. I'm sorry. I'm getting the fuck out of here right now.