Lift Heavy Often: Life Updates and Online Programming with EZ Muhammad

I know competing at the CrossFit Games this year was a big landmark for you. What have you been up to since?

I’m just training and competing. I’ve been preparing mostly for local competitions—nothing big. I’m trying to keep my body healthy. I’m now taking more days off, spending more time with my family, and relaxing a little bit more. Currently, I take two days off per week—those two days I just lounge around and mobilize and spend more time at home. I also make sure I go to the chiropractor three times a week.

That’s quite a big change from the last time we spoke. What inspired this change?

After I qualified for the Games, I felt that I could relax a little bit more. I felt like I’d been a little selfish leading up to that point. My wife doesn’t actually look at it that way—she says I was goal-oriented—but I want to spend more time with my family now. I want to relax a little bit and get my body feeling better. I had kept pushing through small injuries, and now I have the opportunity to recover more fully.

Recently, you’ve also been conducting clinics with Iron Athlete. Could you speak a little about those?
I’ve actually been teaching the “Lift Heavy Often” seminar, and I combined that with Iron Athlete Clinics. At these seminars, I cover the snatch and clean and jerk. I focus on teaching people to move the bar efficiently. I break down the Olympic lifts and help people understand how simple these lifts can be if they change their mindset. By that I mean, the Olympic lifts are explosive movements—ones you already know. You know how to jump and you know how to pull. It’s a matter of combining these fundamental things and timing them correctly so that you can move efficiently with the bar.

August tells me you’re preparing to offer online programming. Can you talk a little about what you hope to accomplish and who would benefit from this programming, etc?

Everyone. I think the program would benefit everyone. It will be a strength-based program with conditioning and technique components. It will offer a lot of modifications and will be scalable for a wide range of skill levels. The foundation is a strength program. With that, you also do metabolic conditioning—I call these “gassers,” where the movements demand less skill, just that you move and count your reps. Then there’s also more specific technique work on top of that. The program allows for you to do more skill-based movements at a lighter weight so that you can develop a better understanding of movement and body awareness.

Where can people get more information and sign up?

http://ezmuhammad.com/

What are your current plans and goals?

For now, I’m devoting my time to my family. I don’t want to say that I don’t want to go back to the Games—that experience was like none other. But now, I want to venture out to other things—seminars, online programming, etc. I compete in Grid with the New York Rhinos. Throughout the year, I’ll still do CrossFit and try to qualify for regionals. When I do get to Regionals, then it’s game on, and I’m still going to try to make it back to the Games.