Here, Muscle & Fitness has you covered with some of the most impactful stories in the world of strength and sports over the past few days.
Craig Richey Lifts First Prize at the 2022 British Senior Weightlifting Championships
Fans of the “TeamRICHEY” YouTube channel rejoiced on Saturday, Jan. 29, as the popular fitness influencer smashed a 291-Kilogram total to comfortably secure first place in the British Senior Weightlifting Championships held in Derby, England.
Just 6 months ago, Richey began a vlog to document his journey towards the prestigious weightlifting event, and it certainly wasn’t all plain sailing in the run-up to the big show. Some of the trials and tribulations of Rickey’s training journey included severe tendonitis in his left knee, which knocked 2 months off of his training time. He also found himself to be allergic to the neoprene in his compression gear, causing burning of the skin and a lack of sleep for almost a week. Still, Richey kept to his word, that he would never quit, and made it to the competition by participating in the 89-Kilogram weight class. Incredibly, he finished up the event 6-kilograms ahead of second place.
Speaking to his more than 120k subscribers via YouTube, Richey commented: “This isn’t just my medal, this is yours too. You’ve been here the whole journey. This is only just the beginning.”
Project Rock Goes Back to Its Roots For New Product Line
Box office juggernaut Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Under Armour have just dropped the “Seven Bucks” collection of gear and apparel, inspired by “The People’s Champion’s” roots as a struggling athlete. The new line continues some of his motivational mantras, such as “Earn Greatness” and “Respect The Grind” and also adds new icons such as the “VII” icon, in respect of the time when he had just 7 bucks to his name. The gear, designed for men, women and children also introduces the slogan “Grind Gratitude Growth”. There’s also new colorways to choose from as relates to the popular Project Rock PR4 training shoe.
“This one is inspired by that moment – many moons ago in 1995 when I found myself with $7 bucks in my pocket and nothing else but the work I was willing to put in with my own two hands,” says Johnson, taking to Instagram to explain the inspiration behind the Seven Bucks line. “These days, I’m a long way from having just $7bucks, but it’s my daily reminder that helps me to never forget where I came from.”
therock on Instagram: “Make ‘em tell you ☑️ NEW @ProjectRock x @UnderArmour Seven Bucks Story Collection is available NOW in my bio! This one is inspired by that…”
Beijing Olympics: The Winter Games Begin
Today, Feb. 4, is the long awaited first day of the 2022 Winter Olympics as Beijing becomes the only city to ever host both a Summer and Winter Games. This years’ event has faced many challenges, not least due to the stringent controls relating to Coronavirus and feverish political tensions over alleged human rights abuses. But, for those that have trained diligently to raise a gold medal, now is their chance to prove themselves as the very best athletes in their field.
Watch out for Mikaela Shiffrin, the U.S. Alpine Ski Racer who is already a double gold medallist, to lead her pack in Beijing. Also on Team USA is Shaun White, the Snowboard Halfpipe specialist who will make his 5th Olympic appearance and is showing great promise after a three-year hiatus from the sport. Britain’s Katie Ormerod will make a celebrated entry into the games after suffering a scary injury just days out from the 2018 event, forcing her to miss out. Having broken her heel bone in half, Ormerod couldn’t walk for 4-months and needed a wheelchair and crutches to help her recover. Incredibly, after several surgeries and a year of rehab, she came back and made an impact straight away by becoming the first British skier ever to win a Slopestyle World Cup title in 2020.