Mark Felix, What's Missing??

First, let me be totally clear. This is not a rant or knock on Mark. I like him as an athlete and respect what he’s doing.

This guy is clearly a world class strongman. I know he has been training under a very good olympic coach for quite some time now, so I was expecting that his form would have evolved. However, after watching this video I have to say it looks about the same? Is there a reason that he still looks this bad?

Yes, I said it’s bad. That is a horrid clean, and he is strict pressing the weight. The guy is so strong, what’s missing??

Monopoly

Are you sure he’s trying to be a weightlifter??

I was under the impression he was working with the coach jsut to improve his strongman stuff, and doing perfect cleans with fixed handles ain’t happening!

[quote]Hanley wrote:
Are you sure he’s trying to be a weightlifter??

I was under the impression he was working with the coach jsut to improve his strongman stuff, and doing perfect cleans with fixed handles ain’t happening![/quote]

No, I don’t think he’s trying to become a olympic lifter. I was under the impression he was working with that coach specifically on the cleans/presses however. God knows he does not need help with the deadlift…

The clean and or press seems to be a very weak link for him in strongman, it only makes sense he would try to improve it.

Monopoly

how old is he

[quote]bignate wrote:
how old is he[/quote]

i think he is 42.

heres the link to his training with the weightlifting coach

He’s doing the oly lifting to get better at strongman, but apparently he still feels more comfortable using a continental clean. I actually thought that looked pretty good for a contintental.

Also, that’s like, his one billionth competition in a row. I doubt he’s had much time to practice form in the past 10 weeks since he’s been competing EVERY weekend.

A mate of mine trains at the same club as Mark, and sometimes at Mark’s strongman yard. From what I remember, Mark initially started working with Alan to bring up his deadlift (insane though that sounds), because Mark is pretty much all back and no legs, just pure brute strength and little technique.

I don’t know what you mean about the clean being horrid - it’s a continental clean and inherently unpleasant on the eyes!

[quote]ninearms wrote:
A mate of mine trains at the same club as Mark, and sometimes at Mark’s strongman yard. From what I remember, Mark initially started working with Alan to bring up his deadlift (insane though that sounds), because Mark is pretty much all back and no legs, just pure brute strength and little technique.

I don’t know what you mean about the clean being horrid - it’s a continental clean and inherently unpleasant on the eyes![/quote]

I had no idea he was working on the dead. I have seen several other vids of them working on oly stuff, that’s why I was thinking that direction.

Yes, the guy has competed a ton lately so I realize this is a factor as well. Maybe I am just being an asshole, I’m pretty good at that.

Monopoly

Yeah, he did that comp on a whim after 6 strongman comps. He came down to watch and ended up lifting.

[quote]Monopoly19 wrote:
First, let me be totally clear. This is not a rant or knock on Mark. I like him as an athlete and respect what he’s doing.

This guy is clearly a world class strongman. I know he has been training under a very good olympic coach for quite some time now, so I was expecting that his form would have evolved. However, after watching this video I have to say it looks about the same? Is there a reason that he still looks this bad?

Yes, I said it’s bad. That is a horrid clean, and he is strict pressing the weight. The guy is so strong, what’s missing??

Monopoly[/quote]

Don’t know what a continental clean is then?

[quote]IainK wrote:
Monopoly19 wrote:
First, let me be totally clear. This is not a rant or knock on Mark. I like him as an athlete and respect what he’s doing.

This guy is clearly a world class strongman. I know he has been training under a very good olympic coach for quite some time now, so I was expecting that his form would have evolved. However, after watching this video I have to say it looks about the same? Is there a reason that he still looks this bad?

Yes, I said it’s bad. That is a horrid clean, and he is strict pressing the weight. The guy is so strong, what’s missing??

Monopoly

Don’t know what a continental clean is then?

[/quote]

Yes I do, and it’s still ugly. Why the hell should someone of his level have to continental that? We are talking 360lbs, that is not a big clean. I could see it if were an axel, but it looks like a standard bar.

Let’s take the clean out if it makes anyone happy, and focus on the press. It’s a strict press? Where is the leg drive?

Monopoly

Many of the heavier strongman competitors do better with a stricter press than a jerk. Most of our training relvolves around a log, and it’s not easy to jerk a log (I know, it’s my style), so many of them develop strict overhead strength to the point where they are more comfortable with a strict press.

Also, it’s really not that difficult to get strict press up close to one’s jerk. The world record in the press before it was taken out of competition was over 520 (alexeyv)if I’m not mistaken, which really wasn’t a buttload less than his jerk. The jerk works better for some, whereas a stricter style works better for others.

Nothing is missing.

The continental clean lets you keep total power output low in comparison to a full clean, which spares energy which in turn lets you complete more reps.

They’re ugly, but there’s a method behind the madness.

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
Many of the heavier strongman competitors do better with a stricter press than a jerk. Most of our training relvolves around a log, and it’s not easy to jerk a log (I know, it’s my style), so many of them develop strict overhead strength to the point where they are more comfortable with a strict press.

Also, it’s really not that difficult to get strict press up close to one’s jerk. The world record in the press before it was taken out of competition was over 520 (alexeyv)if I’m not mistaken, which really wasn’t a buttload less than his jerk. The jerk works better for some, whereas a stricter style works better for others.

Nothing is missing.
[/quote]

Nothing is missing, are you serious? I’m going to take into account all the previous contests, just showing up at this one, etc, but he barely locked out 165kg. That is pretty poor for someone at his level. He has no explosion!

I’m not saying he has to split jerk it, but a power jerk? Other than Glen Ross Or Big Z, I cannot think of a top heavy weight that does not have leg drive/double knee bend, power jerk etc. Here is another example of Felix

3 reps, 4 if count the last one. The top guys got more than double that. I would say it’s a product of a bad clean, and a ineffecient press. Although he does have some leg drive in 2 reps.

Split jerk on a log is tough, I think the power jerk is best. Jason Kristal is pretty good at that…

Monopoly

[quote]Monopoly19 wrote:

I’m not saying he has to split jerk it, but a power jerk? Other than Glen Ross Or Big Z, I cannot think of a top heavy weight that does not have leg drive/double knee bend, power jerk etc. Here is another example of Felix
[/quote]

I’m sorry? I can think of 3 competitors that ever used a double knee bend. A few years ago Jesse started doing a push jerk and people thought he was weird. All the others use a strict press or a push press.

Lifters that push press or strict press, this was from random searching:
Poundstone Derek Poundstone - The Viper - YouTube 4:30
Ortamayer Travis Ortmayer Axle Press - YouTube
Zydrunus - YouTube
Tom McClure Tom McClure - YouTube
Kazmaier 1982 Kazmaier Log Press - YouTube

Just google Log press and you’ll see that most competitors do a push press, and some, a few will have a slight rebend, but even those guys still have a press out. Mark Felix uses just as much leg drive as any other top HW strongman, and if you’re so sure “somethings missing” then why aren’t you his coach?

Jason Kristal used to be an oly lifter tll busted with drugs, so explains why his jerk looks nice.

[quote]shizen wrote:
Jason Kristal used to be an oly lifter tll busted with drugs, so explains why his jerk looks nice. [/quote]

From what i’ve heard, he wasnt busted with drugs, he retired, a year or two later testers showed up on his doorstep wanting to do an Out-of-Meet Test and he told them to buzz off. Bang, automatic suspension, and i think he finally filed the right papers to officially retire.

[quote]threewhitelights wrote:
Monopoly19 wrote:

I’m not saying he has to split jerk it, but a power jerk? Other than Glen Ross Or Big Z, I cannot think of a top heavy weight that does not have leg drive/double knee bend, power jerk etc. Here is another example of Felix

I’m sorry? I can think of 3 competitors that ever used a double knee bend. A few years ago Jesse started doing a push jerk and people thought he was weird. All the others use a strict press or a push press.

Lifters that push press or strict press, this was from random searching:
Poundstone Derek Poundstone - The Viper - YouTube 4:30
Ortamayer Travis Ortmayer Axle Press - YouTube
Zydrunus - YouTube
Tom McClure Tom McClure - YouTube
Kazmaier 1982 Kazmaier Log Press - YouTube

Just google Log press and you’ll see that most competitors do a push press, and some, a few will have a slight rebend, but even those guys still have a press out. Mark Felix uses just as much leg drive as any other top HW strongman, and if you’re so sure “somethings missing” then why aren’t you his coach?

[/quote]

He already has a coach far better than me, and he obviously can’t learn how to do it. I think it’s odd. Mark is not as strong in the press as Zydrunas or other top guys.

Who puts the most overhead in any sport? Oly lifters. Why not look at those methods and apply them?

For every video you posted, I’m pretty sure I can find one of them using some sort of jerk as well. I know Poundstone lifts in that fashion because it is so much quicker when doing reps. Same goes for Travis. McClue, Kaz and Big Z are all exeptions to the rule in my book, pressing freaks.

Again, I’m not trying to knock Mark, I like the guy. But, I’ll go back to watching him do this lift and it’s ugly, it could be so much better! Maybe he is not athletic enough?

As far as Kristal is concerned, that’s interesting to hear if that’s what truly happened. Either way, I happen to like the guy and the way he lifts. Seems odd to me that so many top strongmen are good and train with oly movements…

Monopoly

Very few lifters do a jerk regularly. Even those that do jerk, often have to press out. I didn’t find those videos by searching competitors I knew did a push press or strict press, I just did a random search for the top competitors (other than misha and krystal) and all the videos I found were some kind of push press. Go to any competition, most of the competitors will have an ugly press (compared to an oly press).

Yes, Oly lifters put the heaviest bar over their head, but their training isn’t right for a strongman. I would doubt even Reza could do a 400lb log press with out training for it, let alone press yokes, blocks, stones, etc.

You just can’t jerk these implements, so a lot of the time that would be put towards developing the jerk is spent developing strict pressing strength. I know I could probably press more on a barbell if the only thing I did was jerk, but I can’t put that much focus on it since I have to bring up my strict pressing strength too. I think this is the main reason.

Also, you can’t knock the big pressers in strongman for being freaks and then use “who lifts the most OH in the world” as an arguement. That’s just not fair.

As for top sm guys training oly, many of them do, but that doesn’t mean it looks pretty. Jesse, Krystal, Misha (all from oly backgrounds) are the exception, not the rule. Ortmayer trains oly style, even has instructional video on the oly lifts, and still does a push press on the log and axle.