🏋️ mattie rogers breezes through three American Records

It's a Friday in the glorious season known as summer. Why not spend your leisurely afternoon reading about some very talented athletes? 

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Mattie Rogers is one of USA Weightlifting's fixtures for a good reason. At the recent USA Weightlifting National Championships, Rogers showed why she's a mainstay by setting three new American records in just three attempts. 

As the 2021 CrossFit Rookie of the Year, there could be BIG things in store for Mal O'Brien's future. In an ambitious crossover to help O'Brien grow, she and CrossFit legend Mat Fraser recently trained with strongman Rob Kearney.  

The deadlift is a staple movement in strength sports, gyms, and individual routines. Given its demands, it's essential to perform the deadlift properly. Here's a breakdown of a plan for the next time you step in front of that loaded barbell.

Let's hop right in!

Weightlifting 

Mattie Rogers Cruises At USA Weightlifting National Championships

It seems every time you glance over at the top athletes in USA Weightlifting, they're doing something incredible. Someone on the squad might have to let Mattie Rogers hold onto the baton of glory for a little while. 

On July 2, 2022, during the annual USA Weightlifting National Championships Week, Rogers cleaned house in the 76-kilogram division. The 2020 Tokyo Olympian set three new Senior American Records on the snatch, clean & jerk, and total en route to a gold-medal-winning performance. 

Here are Rogers' top record-breaking stats:

• Snatch — 112 kilograms (246.9 pounds) | Senior American Record

• Clean & Jerk — 140 kilograms (308.6 pounds) | Senior American Record

• Total — 252 kilograms (555.5 pounds) | Senior American Record

Rogers' overall performance continues a recent string of significant progress. Since the Olympic Games last summer, she has added six kilograms to her best-ever total. She's done that while competing intermittently in weight classes like 76-kilograms, 81 kilograms, and 87 kilograms.

After a sixth-place finish in Tokyo, Rogers will have to continue showing off that versatility if she qualifies for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Per the International Olympic Committee, there won't be a 76-kilogram weight class at the competition. That likely won't be an issue for Rogers, who seems to shine no matter what you put in front of her.

Read everything about the latest gem outing for Rogers. 

CrossFit

Rob Kearney Teaches Mat Fraser and Mal O'Brien Overhead Pressing

As a five-time Fittest Man on Earth®, Mat Fraser's tremendous legacy in CrossFit is set in stone. In due time, the same might be said of one of the sport's bigger young stars in Mal O'Brien. That doesn't mean they don't have anything left to learn. 

Ever a teacher, Fraser is currently training O'Brien for the upcoming CrossFit Games. Those will take place on August 3-7, 2022, in Madison, WI. To help O'Brien prepare for any potential obstacles, Fraser enlisted strongman Rob Kearney. As a recent hire of Fraser's HWPO (Hard Work Pays Off) training company, Kearney happily walked both athletes through the tenets of the log lift and the heavy dumbbell press. 

In the most ambitious crossover since The Avengers, Fraser and O'Brien unsurprisingly took Kearney's advice and ran with it. Once they grasped general concepts like dipping one's legs and proper rack position, it was smooth sailing from there.

The official workouts for this year's CrossFit Games haven't been revealed. O'Brien might have a big leg up if there's anything centered around heavy overhead movements or is strongman-inspired. 

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Training

How To Get A Stronger and Safer Deadlift

On its face, the deadlift is pretty simple. You pick up a heavy bar off the ground, and then you stand up. An excellent brute force display of power is done just like that. Easy-peasy, right? Wrong. 

While the deadlift is one of the best (or most visible?) demonstrations of an athlete's strength, many moving parts go into a quality rep. If you're not prepared for all possible obstacles when standing up with that barbell, you might be in danger of injury. From your feet and hips to your grip and back position, a lot more goes into a big-time deadlift than you might think. 

Because we're so kind, we've broken down everything you need to know about the most common deadlift mistakes. Hopefully, once you've read our advice, your deadlifts really will be as straightforward as just picking up a heavy bar off the ground. 

Everything Else

Ricks Fights Father Time

• Whoever said Father Time is undefeated clearly didn't watch David Ricks lift. The 62-year-old Masters powerlifter recently turned a staggering squat set into something very casual.

• The 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic kicks off in London tomorrow, and it's seen some near-last-minute withdrawals. Gavin Bilton will take over for Adam Bishop while Eddie Williams steps in for Cheick "Iron Biby" Sanou.

• Speaking of strongmen, the elite Oleksii Novikov seems like a tough critic. Of what you might ask? His own performance in the 2022 World's Strongest Man.

• Looking for another way to spark your core routine? Fly high with the bird dog.