We’re excited to be running our first Weightlifting Weekend this April. Wondering whether it’s for you? Read below our Q&A with Mike Cerbus and Stella Kamba and if you have any questions whatsoever, drop us a line: stella@morelifeadventures.com.

Louise Pegg [LP]:

Before we talk about what that actual long weekend is going to look like, Stella, I just wanted to ask you a bit about where your vision for this retreat came from, and why you feel excited to be running it now.

Stella Kamba [SK]:

Yes, there's two things.

Firstly, the reason why I started retreats was to create life change. We take people when they might be exhausted and in need of some TLC and bring them back refreshed and re-energised and feeling alive and willing to push harder than before.

The second part is that I was someone who found weightlifting very difficult, very awkward, very hard work. I wasn't not fit or not strong. I was just very inflexible, and so getting into those positions was really difficult. And Mike has helped me overcome that to the point where I now pretty much only do weightlifting because I enjoy it so much. So I think he can help people break through some barriers.

So those were my two reasons for wanting to run this. We were initially going to run it in October last year, but because of COVID we had to postpone it. And in the meantime, we found an amazing spot in Devon, where I was really keen to go back to, and I thought it would be amazing if we could run the weightlifting weekend there. So I'm excited!

LP: Okay, so let's get into the good stuff. So Mike, you're used to running seminars and camps all over the world and you’ve done it for many years. So what I really would love to know is how do you feel like this kind of long weekend is going to be different to what you've done before. And like if you could summarise what people could expect from it.

Mike Cerbus [MC]:

Yeah traditionally I will coach just weightlifting classes, so a very quick, immersive experience where you learn something, maybe one skill, as best as you can, for an hour or two, and then you're kind of left to try to continue to grow on your own. Or with Power Monkey we do weekend courses, which are definitely a step beyond just regular classes, but you get a crash course on everything. It's kind of like throwing a bunch of beads at a sticky board, trying to see which ones stick and then which ones fall off. And it can be a great experience but still can can leave you a lot that you're wanting when you're done. And we also do our week-long Power Monkey Camp that has about 10 different skills and disciplines.

So the difference with this one for me is to have a more casual pace and a curriculum that can be even individualised a lot more. So, I'll have a curriculum, but it will be very adaptable to the group that I meet.

The cool thing is that with a smaller group of 8-12 people, I have the chance to really connect with everybody even before we start doing any type of instruction. So you can expect to have me asking a lot of questions to see where everybody is coming in from.

I would anticipate this being a lot of people that have more or less started their weightlifting journey. They found some interest in it in the gym, or they've started to watch some videos online to go along with their their training and they're trying to connect dots. So essentially, they'll have an open forum with me from start to finish where they'll be able to ask pretty much any question, show me every movement that they have, good and bad, and then we'll be able to build through that weekend. So that as Stella said earlier, to leave them quite a bit transformed.

One of my goals always when I get to work with new people is not necessarily to pick their movement apart or completely change them, but hopefully get them to understand movement a little bit better and maybe even find stronger connections with the coaches that they came from.

So what I have noticed in the CrossFit and weightlifting community everywhere is most coaches are good coaches. It just comes down to communication and understanding from both ends. And I always have fun trying to understand what athletes and movers are wanting to learn and do and then connect that with what coaches are attempting to get them to do. So it'll be a weekend of discovery with a really small group. So could be between eight and 16 people as there's eight rooms.

LP: Obviously within that group, there's going to be mixed abilities. Is that a problem? How do you normally approach it if someone has more experience than others? So if I'm advanced, am I still going to learn?

MC: Yeah, that's a question we get often, when I've gone to visit gyms and there's a member at a gym that does not think that they're very advanced or capable. So they're intimidated to a sports specific event. And on the opposite side of that, there are coaches or very high level competitive athletes that would consider themselves quite advanced and they think maybe this isn't something that they’ll get much from. I've yet to be proven that either of those cases is true.

Anybody that has some familiarity with the barbell that's eager to learn, and has snatched or clean and jerked in some capacity, will find this to be right at their level. Because I'll be sure to meet them there.

The intermediate level athlete would would never hold back somebody with years of weightlifting experience because, like any any intensive or any any work experience, you always want to go back down to the basics and see where maybe you have some foundational weakness or holes and then and then build that back up.

So yeah, I've had week-long camps and courses where somebody has come and they just started weightlifting, six months ago, and then I've had people that were national team members on their their country and they were training next to each other and each learning in their own pace, but but both to the benefit of each other. Especially with the intimate group size, there's nobody that's going to be neglected or intimidated.

LP: So essentially, if you've never picked up a bar before, it's probably not for you, but for anyone else who has an interest or has some experience all the way up to elite…

MC: Definitely yeah. I would encourage everybody from intermediate enthusiast to full time weightlifter, looking to pick somebody's brain for a different perspective and try to get over maybe a hump that they've been they've been stuck out for a while.

LP: And then in terms of the actual like content of what people are going to learn when they're there, what kind of sessions do you typically teach? And then I guess what kind of transformations do you witness people experiencing as well?

MC:

Everything will have essentially a mobility, a strength and a skill component. So the people that need more mobility will leave with more mobility. Those people that have maybe struggled with gaining strength will leave with a lot of good tools to apply or affirm what maybe they're already doing and they just need to be more patient with that. And then obviously skill; every session will be very dominant in skill work, so snatch, clean and jerk, and whatever individual piece I see is needed.

One of the really fun things that I found when I started to coach was from some of my later experiences as an athlete. I had some different coaches that would give on the fly, individualised programming for very elite athletes that had very different techniques and experience levels, all in the moment. I didn't think that that was possible when I was a younger athlete. I thought everybody had to have this very specific concrete plan and you couldn't change it at all. And then seeing some coaches that I really respected, growing up and developing, be able to adapt and mould and move on the fly was a very practical experience for me and I've tried to take that into my coaching and teaching.

So again, anybody that's thinking about signing up or really looking for something very specific to them, I believe they'll get it once we get like one day together. The following days will be very, very special.

LP: I was actually just going to ask you, if someone was thinking, 'I'm interested in coming, but what's the difference between the training I get from the coaches at my gym'? So it's that more personalised approach and being able to give them different kinds of techniques and tools on the fly like you say.

MC: Yeah, absolutely. It's a very corny joke, but usually at workshops and clinics, I'll say; your coaches at home or like your parents, they're telling you awesome things, but you're very resistant because you've heard their voice way too much. And then I end up being like the cool uncle or aunt that basically tells you the exact same thing. Maybe I add a little bit of flavour to it and you think it's the greatest thing that ever happened. So I would say that the difference is just a different voice, a different perspective, a different environment.

We can all get very familiar and comfortable in our day-to-day environment and gym. So that change of scenery, you know, some stimulating out-of-the-gym conversations and activities to get the brain shifting on to a different track, they can be all you need to get over some some benchmarks you’ve been trying to succeed in.

LP: I'm going to come back to Stella now, I know you've trained with Mike for a while and you've known each other for a while. So I would like to know from you Stella, what makes you most excited about introducing like to your More Life Adventures guests?

SK: So first thing is, I've been to a bunch of weekend seminars and they all tend to be like a crash course. So I'm looking forward to actually spreading out the learning, so that people have time to let it sink in.

I also think when you meet someone for that short a period of time, and they have a curriculum to teach, it's quite an intense experience for them as well, and you don't necessarily get to know them as a human being. And I think Mike has a lot of wisdom to offer as a human being, aside from coaching, that is a kind of teaching that I've benefited from as well. And these life conversations stay in your head and are just if not more important than the weightlifting skills.

The other thing about intensive weekends that I've been to is that you come back to your work exhausted, you need a holiday. So this time we are actually going on a holiday, on a break from real life and we're going to create space for teaching but also for connecting with other people who are very much like you. They come from different gyms, different places, maybe different countries, it's a fun opportunity to meet new people.

Also we're going to eat really healthy food. Katie is yet another lovely person, she runs her own mealprep company, RosieJo Meals that was also the caterer for the 2020 CrossFit Games. Mealtimes are really special, you know. It's a very old school thing to do, when we eat together we connect a lot more.

LP: So one of my questions to start with gonna be 'Can I come on my own?' So I feel like you've kind of covered that in the sense that I know that I can feel comfortable coming on my own and if you are going to meet other people and kind of bond together and there is that time to do that.

SK: Of course. You can come on your own, or with a partner or a friend, but we are here to help you connect with others and help you create that circle of people like you. You can keep in touch with these people and maybe you will go and do something with them six months later or a year later.

LP: Although the weekend is centred around the weightlifting skill and technique, there will be other things you’ll be doing, can you tell us more about those.

SK: Yes, we are actually based at a beautiful house that has a hot tub and a beautiful garden. So after dinner, we're just going to chill. We are also in an area of outstanding natural beauty with beautiful hikes to do. I'm really looking forward to those. And finally there is the sea. Obviously nothing is mandatory, but we will go swimming with anyone who wants to. It's quite rare to see to have that quick access both to the sea and to a forest.

MC: That part of the trip will probably be where I shine and can show people my my diversity and my aquatic skills haha. So maybe at some point once any of you that are watching have have registered a gift that we will send you would be a clip of me attempting to jump off of a boat in Greece, but it will also prove the benefits of weightlifting and the sturdiness of bones. And skeletal structure when you do strength training. 😜 (video upon request!)

LP: I was gonna ask; do you guys join in with all the other activities as well? It's not just that someone will come and train with you and then you see them the next day in the gym?

MC: Yeah, that's the fun part of it, you choose to be a part of the family for the weekend. So we get to experience the whole weekend together and like Stella said, it's so cool. I'm going to this weightlifting weekend, but I'll be able to be out in nature I'll be able to have some of the best food that you can imagine from a chef and her husband that are very dear friends of mine. I'm excited for them to come as well. And I think anybody that signs up will experience the family vibe. That's also a part of it. I'm excited.

LP: Family vibe. So Stella. If people are interested in finding out more how can they do that?

SK: Sure, go on our website and you’ll find it under Skills, or just DM me on Instagram @morelifeadventures.

I had a question for Mike as well, if that's okay. Mike. I asked you this a couple of days ago.

Out of all the experience that you've had so far teaching around the world. What is the most common thing that people get wrong?

MC: If we want something specific just for weightlifting is that everybody tries to move too fast. Everybody is so hyper focused on wanting to look like the most elite movers in the world, that they forget the amount of hours and years and patience that goes into having the byproduct of this like speed and professionalism of the movement. So most movers need to learn to slow down before they try to speed up.

LP: Thank you very much Mike.

Stella I know that you'll be happy for people to email you directly if anyone has any questions about the trip: stella@morelifeadventures.com.

Thanks, guys!