Wednesday's weekend provider

I had a sweet session tonight with lots of sharp technical work and partner flexibility. I had a 15 minute power nap and this made the world of difference in tonight's session. Here is what I did:

Partner flexibility and dynamic flexiblity supersetted with Snatch Pulls with 40 and 50kgs for triples.

Snatch--1x2@40, 40, 50, 60 1x1@70, 80, 85, 90--This was slightly higher than Harry said to go, but I wanted to Snatch 90 while focusing on staying over the bar, extending up and keeping the bar close to the body. It felt smoother than last week's 90 and I have a video comparing the two lifts below, so let me know what you think. Last Saturday showed me that if I stay over the bar and finish my pull, I can lift 105+ easily because it is a question of smooth control, not power.

Jerk skill with 40

Clean and Jerk--1x1@60, 80, 90, 100--These were all fast and I focused on getting the feet out with the catch in the Clean and keeping the arms relaxed. With the Jerk, I took my time and controlled my abdomen and my dip.

Sprinter sit-ups--2x20

Partner Flexibility for 10 minutes.

I will be competing in the Small Nations tournament in Malta on Saturday, so I will learn from Nationals and go somewhere else until my warm up. I will make sure I am not hungry also and that I have loads of sugar handy for between the Snatch and Clean and Jerk.

Monday's mellow power session

I had an enjoyable light workout where I was able to work on some of the things that went wrong on Saturday. After doing some partner stretching and some Snatch Pulls, it was work up to 85% of my best Power Snatch (80kg) and Power Clean (105) for three singles each and then do three doubles of 75% of max Front Squat(115). It was all light and fast. I finished off with some Sprinter situps and 10 minutes of flexibility in the pool. These are the things that I focused on today:

1. Stay over the bar in the Snatch. When I did this on Saturday, 105 was no problem.
2. Extend straight up, keeping the bar close after the second pull.
3. For the Power Clean, it was to keep the arms athletically tense--as Harry says--rather too loose or tense.

Here is a video of a Power Snatch with 80. It is light, but I was trying to stay over the bar and extend up rather than let it swing out. Let me know what you think.

Nationals' newbie mistakes

Well, it really did not go the way I wanted, but there is plenty for me to take away from Saturday. It was my first Nationals and I performed nowhere near what I am capable of, but I know it will be better next week and I would rather learn these lessons now than next Saturday at the Small Nations competition in Malta.

I arrived for the weigh in 15 minutes early to check my weight. I was under weight by .6 of a kilo, and the scales were changed after I weighed in officially because of a battery problem and the scales were not official. The second set of scales were generally supposed to be more accurate and they were .8 of a kilo lighter. This means that I was 1.5 kilograms too light, which is a lot of energy that should be there. Mistake number one. Mistake number two was not eating enough after the weigh in which was ten in the morning. I was lifting at around three in the afternoon in the third group and all I ate was porridge with fruit, two shakes, a wrap and some fruit.

When I started my warm up I felt ready to go and amped to the max. Hindsight being the muse that she is, I should have left the venue for a few hours and gone somewhere to chill out and eat a nice lunch. Instead, I stayed around the venue until it was my time to lift. My warm up went swimmingly. I missed my last warm up attempt at 100, it was bit too relaxed.

Competition lifts:
1x1@100--I knew I had to speed this one up. We originally wanted to open with 102, but I missed 100 so we dropped back. This lift was very quick, but it was not controlled at all; it jarred at the bottom as you will see in the video.
1x1@105--I started my pull too early on this one instead of staying over the bar as Morgan and Harry have told me to do. I ended up behind the bar and missed it.
1x1@105--I focused on staying over the bar and finishing my pull. Again it flew up and I got the lift because I was able to get through it.

After the Snatches, my legs started to get the rubber feeling so I knew I needed to get some sugar. I had a sugar energy pouch and some fruit juice, but I was hungry ny now. I started my Clean and Jerk warm up and things were going really well until I missed my last warm up lift of 125 because I tried to Power Clean it rather than bring it down. Damn you ego! I was supposed to open with 130 but then we went down to 128 because I did not have time to repeat 125.

Competition lifts:
1x1@128--I messed this up very badly. I overpulled the Clean and my feet did not go out, so I went back on my heels. I just about made the Jerk, but I messed that one up too, pushing it out front. At this stage, I was a little frantic. Weights that were normally so basic felt very heavy and my technique had taken a back seat.
1x1@134--This clean was better but still ugly. I have no idea how I did not make the Jerk. Looking at the video I did not get through it, but what caused my technique to give me the fingers is a mystery.
1x1@134--I panicked like a lost ten year old in Tesco's. Instead of calming myself down, I got more anxious to rip the bar as hard as possible. I forgoed my usual routine and raced up to the bar. It barely got off the ground. Then came the heartbreak.

Things to learn from yesterday:
1. Buy a decent set of scales--Mine is useless and I never know what I really weigh.
2. Come prepared with more food and a pre-selected spot to go and relax in after the weigh in for a few hours.
3. Have more immediate sugar hit products ready. One is not enough.
4. It is not a question of power in my Snatch, but of control.
5. Instead of thinking I need to lift harder--which causes me to use my arms like I did in all the Clean and Jerks--I need to think smoother.
6. When something inevitably goes wrong, I cannot let instinct take over. Calm must be restored like it was after my 2nd attempt Snatch miss. I knew what I had to do and I did it.
7. Ego is the enemy. I have to stop thinking about what I should be doing and and just accept what I am currently able to do, irregardless of whatever potential there may be.

Considering I got 105/130 in October after only lifting for five months, this was a massive disappointment. But, I know I have improved in technique and power since then so I just have to learn from my mistakes and enjoy the process. I love weightlifting, even on the bad days. Those bad days are a cruel mistress though.

On a better note, well done to Gill for her 5 out of 6. She will be going to the Eiliko women's Grand Prix in a few weeks. Laura Snatched really well and Sami was smooth in his Clean and Jerks. There is a lot more in all of us it is safe to say. Cathal hit a great 142 Jerk and Kevin did a lovely 120/160 with room to spare for next week. Eamonn and Andy looked very strong as did Neil Dougan. It was great to meet Pete Stewart who I though was the best lifter there. Very fast and precise. My lifts are below, warts and all.

Thursday's theraputic session

Today was the lightest weightlifting session I have taken part in so far in my weightlifting career. It was a lovely little taper session and all I did was some bar work, extremely light Snatches, Jerk skill and some very light Clean and Jerks followed by three doubles in the Snatch Pull. It was mellow and with two good nights' sleep, I should be raring to go on Saturday.
I weighed in just before the session and I was 94.6kg, which is better than the 96 I was on Sunday. Since Friday, I have basically eliminated most of the starchy carbohydrates from my diet except for my breakfast and 1 scoop of potatoes during lunch. I want to weigh in at 94 or just under and ideally, depending on how I am weighing in on Saturday morning, I would like to have a small breakfast. I will continue to follow this diet next week, except for a small break on Saturday evening. I want to have a more comfortable weigh in for the Small Nations and not have to worry at all losing any weight. I want to lose it in body fat rather than water expulsion, which although easier, is not what I want. I measured my skin folds and after a week, they have a lready done down from 39 to 36mm in the four site test. By next week they will more than likely go down again.

Here is a video of a 78kg Power lifter Ger Smith performing a 260kg deadlift. Ger is one strong boy and this video shows that there is more in the tank for him, so I hope he shows his true strength in his own Nationals in a few weeks.

Tuesday's tapering treat

I had a nice session this evening. I did a load of partner stretching and skill work with the bar to warm up. Because my hamstrings and groin were thoroughly stretched, I am able to get a better back lock at the start of my first pull in the Snatch. This should lead to a better power transfer, so I will find out on Saturday. I can Hang Power Snatch 100 because I can get the proper back lock and this allows me to use more power from my hips, glutes and hamstrings. Anyway, here is what I did tonight:

15 mintues of skill work with bar, forced partner stretching.
Snatch--1x3@40, 40, 50 1x2@60, 70 1x1@80, 85, 90--These were pretty smooth and I felt like I was pulling dropping under the bar very fast. There is a video of the 90 below.

Jerk skill with 50
Clean and Jerk--1x1@80, 80, 90, 100, 105--Again, very light but everything felt accurate and fast.

Front Squat--1x2@90 3x1@110--Harry said these were to keep the legs active.

Here is the video of a 90 Snatch so let me know if there is anything you can spot.

Sunday's sated session

I trained today instead of yesterday. A bit of soreness around the upper/mid traps and rhomboids and also around the bottom of the quads prompted me to have train today instead. All the work is done for the Nationals on Saturday, so I will train technique on Tuesday and Thursday and keep it fast and light. Here is what I did today:

Warm up with the bar
Hang Snatch--1x3@bar, 60 1x2@70, 75, 80
Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 80 1x1@90, 100, 110, 120--I missed the Jerk the first time due to being a space cadet. I got a really fast Jerk on the second attempt. I was really happy with the speed of this lift.
Sprinter Situps--2x20
Pull-Ups--1x12--I have not done these in so long, so I thought, why not

Here is a video of an American Junior 105 lifter who weighed in at 96 or 98kg. He has some interesting positioning, particularly with the top end weights. I can learn from this one I think, please make any comments on his technique that you think are important.

Friday's final 85 A class Clean and Jerks

Here is the video for the 85 kg A class Clean and Jerk. There were some amazing lifts and it went right down to the wire. Here is a link to the Snatch portion of the competition.



Today I had two sessions. The first session was great, the second was not so great.

Session 1:
Snatch Pulls--1x3@40, 40, 40, 50, 60 1x2@70, 80, 80--I did all these sets in between my dynamic and partner flexibility drills.
Power Snatch--1x2@40, 50, 60 1x1@70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 92

Jerk skill work with 60
Power Clean and Jerk--1x1@70, 70, 80, 90, 100, 100
Flexibility


Session 2:
Overhead Squats--5x3
Snatch--1x2@40, 50, 60, 70 1x1@80, 85, 90, 95, 99--I was not feeling this so I left it.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 70 1x1@80, 100,l10, 115--I missed the -Power Clean by overpulling it. This wsa a bit of fatigue creeping in so I worked up to an easy single Front Squat of 140 and left it at that.

Thursday's throwdown

I had a fun session tonight after getting back at half one last morning. It was nice having loads of energy throughout this snappy session and even though nothing was fast, the Snatch Pulls I have been doing have helped my bar trajectory. This morning I saw an ART guy in Port Laoise. He sorted out my shoulder that was bothering me and worked on getting rid of the knots in my hips. I will go there for one more session and then judge accordingly. Here is what I did tonight:

I did Snatch Pulls to warm up in between stretching and Overhead Squats. These are a good skill exercise and it warms me up nicely.
1x3@40, 40, 50, 60, 70
1 Snatch Pull+1 Snatch--1x2@40, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80

Snatch--1x1@85, 85, 90, 94, 97, 100, 102--These were slow but I was not swinging the bar out so that despite the poor speed, the bar was were it should have been sp I was able to make each lift. The Snatch Pulls have really helped me extend up and use my arms to keep the bar close to my body. My feet were not going out in the catch at all, but this can only improve with the flexibility I have been doing.

Power Clean and Jerk--1x2@80, 80, 90
1x1@100, 110, 110, 120--I was working on going straight down in the Jerk dip rather than letting my weight go too far forwards at the bottom of the dip. I also tried to get my front foot forwards by putting more pressure on my back foot. Cathal and Kevin really helped me in this regard in Bucharest.

Flexibility and ab work.

Friday's furious Clean and Jerks

Here is a video of some of the best Clean and Jerks from the 85kg A class. There are some amazing lifts here and the drama was intense. I hope everyone enjoys it.


Here are my final two sessions in Bucharest:

Session 1: Snatch technique + Jerk technique
Overhead Squats and flexibility
Snatch Pulls—1x3@40, 40, 40, 50, 50—For the first time I focused intensely on having as vertical a bar path as possible. The pulls were great for this. For the first few sets I was hitting the bar out like I do in all my Snatches. I then worked on extending UP and bringing the bar as close as possible in the high pull. I did this by getting the elbows out to pull me under the bar, rather than the elbows being behind the bar. This was a very different sensation, but the bar felt far closer to my body. It got to the point that when I was Snatching 90, the bar was perfectly in place, but out of habit I was swinging it back to lock out, which in turn, put me back on my heels and off balance.

Another problem I had with the Snatch Pulls was that I was using my arms too much—I need to get used to generating the extension with my hips and then have my arms guide the bar. The bar trajectory and flight pattern was good, but I am simply not used to the movement and it will take repititions to get the right muscles involved and therefore maximum speed.
1 Snatch Pull+1 Snatch—1x2@60, 70, 80
Snatch—1x1@80, 80, 90, 90, 80, 80—When I got the repititions right, it felt as is there was little or no swing in the bar.
Jerk skill with 60
Jerk from the rack—1x2@60, 70, 80, 90, 100

Session 2: Snatch + Clean and Jerk
Overhead Squats and flexibility
1 Snatch Pull + 1 Snatch—1x2@40, 40, 50, 50, 60, 70
Snatch—1x1@80--I missed this due to being a moron and focusing on trajectory rather than simply lifting the barbell. I learned from this error and simply got on with it, lifting as fast as I could.
1x1@85, 90, 95, 99, 101—I had to go running for this because my feet were too narrow in the catch.
1x1@103--I fluffed the first attempt, and nailed my best Snatch of the day on my second attempt. 105 was too much for me. I was happy with my 103 considering it was my ninth session in 5 days. It was also more than I Snatched the previous day also.

A ten minute break and a coffee had me ready for my Clean and Jerks. I got straight into it because I was tired and starting to fade during my short break. The coffee and Kevin’s encouragement sorted me out.

Clean and Jerk—1x1@70, 80, 100, 112, 121, 128—The Jerk was pressed out because I rushed it.
1x1@131--I got this and I was happy because I did not have anymore in me and it took everything I had. I left it there and Kevin and Cathal helped me to sort out an element of my Jerk that has troubled me for ages.

Jerk Dips—We focused on improving my dip, which had the following tendencies: to sag in the mid section at the bottom of the dip; and also my weight tended to shift from my heels to the balls of my feet.
We changed my gripping of the barbell from a passive to an active one ie. I am holding the bar, rather than letting it rest on my deltoids. This was a very strange sensation but I got used to it the more I practiced it.
We also worked on maintaining a very tight upper and lower torso in the dip with a big breath to solidify it. This in turn helped me dip straight down by bending ever so slightly outwards with my knees. Again, all these little things felt very strange but when I worked it into some light Jerks with 90, it felt great and far more solid than usual. I need to work on these point every reptition from now on. It was brilliant having the lads helping me out with these minor details that have been troubling me for ages.

That was it. I am home now and going away for a four days of relaxation. When I get back I will write a post focusing on the most important things that I learned while training and observing in Bucharest, during the European Weightlifting Championships. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

This mrning I went to the gym for a final session before I go away for a relaxing four days. I did some light Snatch Pull doubles up to 90 and Jerk technique up to 90. I got a double of 160 in the Back Squat. Ten sessions in six days is something I have never done before, so let's hope that this brief over-reaching stint helps. I know my technique and flexibility have definitely improved, so hopefully the numbers go up too.

Thursday's thunderous 85's

The 85’s were, by far, the best competition so far. Although Rybokov the Snatch freak was not there, we still got a 168 Snatch and a barely missed 171 by the Armenian guy who came so close to winning, but missed his second and third Clean and Jerks. Hennequin had the final lift for glory. A 206 Clean and Jerk was required. A beautiful Clean and a shockingly close Jerk miss followed. This competition had everything: drama; technique; brute power and the best crowd involvement so far. Below is a video of some of the best Snatches.



My own training today was hard but enjoyable. In my first session I worked on the Snatch Combination of 1 Hang from above knee, then below knee, then from the ground. I also worked on light Power Clean and Power Jerks as well as some light Front Squats.

The second session of the day had a focus on the Snatch and then Snatch Pulls. The Snatch was going very smoothly and I hit a beautiful 97. I then proceeded to miss 102 twice and then 104 twice. It simply was not in me. I was hitting the bar too far out and I did not have my usual speed to get under it as fast. For this reason, we worked on Snatch Pulls for a while after.

A Dutch coach came over and gave me a brief physical assessment and said I was far too tight in my groin and hip area to get the necessary recieving position and also the starting position. He showed me some interesting stretching techniques to help me. The were immensely painful but very effective because my Overhead Squat saw a massive improvement. This 20 minutes was worth the trip alone, but there many of these moments over the four days.

Wednesday's warriors in the 77kg class

Today's competitions were great and went down to the final few lifts. Cathal Snatched 105 and Clean and Jerked 140 in the 77 B class. He had 109 but it was slightly behind and when he went back on his heels when rising, he lost it forward. He Cleaned 142 nicely, but again the Jerk was locked in but slightly forward.
In the A class, it went down to the wire and there were some great lifts, despite how the numbers were not at the Olympic standard. I have two of the heaviest Snatches and the heaviest Clean and Jerks in the video below.



My training went well again today. I had two sessions again and there was an epiphany in the first session--although it was guided by a Dutch lifter who gave me a few pointers. I don't have the time to give it the justice it deserves, so I will write a post on it soon. Here is what I did:

Session 1: Power Snatch+Power clean and Power Jerk
Overhead Squats--5x5 with PNF
Snatch Combo--1x3@bar, 40, 40, 50
Power Snatch--1x2@60, 70 1x1@75, 80, 85, 90--I underestimated it first and lost it. The second attempt saw a smooth squat Snatch. The speed was not quite there this morning.

Jerk skill with the bar and 60kg
Power Clean and Power Jerk--1x2@60, 80 1x1@90, 100, 110 for five singles. I was focusing on the drive in the Power Jerk, which is a variation that I am not quite used to, but it is effective. Ingrid--the Dutch lifter--was reminding me to drive/jump more in the drive part of the Jerk and this definitely helped the bar speed. I missed the last rep.
10 minutes flexibility

Session 2: Clean and Jerk
Jerk skill work with the bar

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 80 1x1@90, 100, 110, 120, 125
1x1@130, 134, 137--I missed the first attempt due to a slow drive in the Jerk. Kevin reminded me to go back on my heels more and this helped me nail it on the second attempt.
1x1@140--The Clean was smooth, although it felt very heavy. It is the first time a Clean ever felt really heavy when squatting it up from the rack position. I just missed the Jerk. It needed a little more pop. I got a new Clean pb and nearly a new Jerk pb so I am happy enough.

Back Squat--1x2@90, 110, 130, 140, 147, 152--I missed the second rep. My legs were pretty knackered from the Clean and Jerks. There was not much fight in them I am afraid.

The trip is going really well so far. By the end of the second session today my hands were starting to feel it as are my legs, but the fact that I am not working allows for far more recovery. I am looking forward to seeing the 85's battle it out tomorrow, it should ne interesting to see the French lifter, Benequin, in particular.

Tuesday's tremendous 69's!

I had an enjoyable day's training with a session in the morning and the evening. More on that later. Here is a video of both the overall winner of the class, Miroysan, and Vincent Dabaya who got a 186 Jerk. The two lifters have amazing Clean technique and entirely different styles in the Jerk. I also wated the women's 53kg B class and there were some great lifters there also. The ladies had excellent technique which they tended to rely on rather than the brute strength that some of the male lifters seemed to. Anyway, here is the video, my camera is only 5 million pixels, so apologies for the lacklustre quality.



My first session was a power up, focusing on the Power Snatch and some light Jerks from the rack and Front Squats. Here is what I did:

Overhead Squats--5x5 with one set of PNF in the bottom. I worked in some flexibility in between lifts.
Snatch skill work with the bar
1 Hang Power Snatch/ 1 Power Snatch from below the knee/1 Power Snatch--2x3@40, 50
Power Snatch--1x2@60 1x1@70, 80, 87, 90, 93--The last rep was not quite a Power Snatch, but it felt smooth.

Jerk skill work with the bar
Jerk from the rack--1x3@60 1x2@80 1x1@90, 100, 110x3 singles
Front Squats--1x3@60 80 1x2@100, 110, 120


Session 2

Overhead Squats and dynamic flexibility
Snatch combo--1x3@bar, 40, 40, 50 1x2@60

Snatch--1x1@70, 80, 87, 93, 98, 101, 104, 106--I missed this three times which was a bit annoying. I missed it out front, then back and then a non lift. The video shows the bar to have been easily high enough, but I drove through the catch in the second miss which I really should not have missed. It was fast and smooth apart from that mistake, so it is not the end of the world.

Power Clean--1x2@60, 60, 70, 80 1x1@90, 100, 110, 115, 120, 123, 125--The last Clean was not a Power Clean as I did not get under the bar fast enough.

5 minutes flexibility

Cathal lifts in the 77 B class tomorrow, so hopefully he does himself justice. He is a hard working and skillful lifter so I hope he gives it his all.

Monday's mocking Hang Power Snatch percentage

I was getting a flight to Bucharest today and I only had one hour to train, so all I did was 45 minutes of Snatch variations and 5 minutes of Jerk skill work. Here is what I did this afternoon:

Overhead Squats--6x5
Hang Snatch--1x3@40, 40, 50 1x1@60, 70, 80
Snatch--1x1@80, 85--These reps were very slow and cumbersome so I decided to do some Hang Power Snatches instead. These went far better.
Hang Power Snatch--1x1@85, 90, 90, 95, 100--This last rep was fast, although slightly out of line. The video of 100 is below.

I then did 5 minutes of Jerk skill with 60kg

I am in Bucharest now and I should be able to post videos of some quality lifting at the European Senior Championships, which I am attending. Here's to the next few days!

Saturday's simple reminders

I was looking forward to today's session. I had a session with an ART practitioner yesterday in Port Laoise. My right hip has been cramping up recently and the left refuses to get any more flexible despite my best efforts, so I went to see this guy; himself and his co-worker sorted out my hips from the hip flexor around to the glute med. I will assess how this has worked out over the next week or two and write about the effects.

Today I was a bit tight due to doing nothing since Wednesday. It was a strange session but I enjoyed it none-the-less. Here is what I did:

Overhead Squats--5x5
Snatch--1x3@40, 40 1x2@50, 60 1x1@70, 80, 85, 90--After the first rep of 90, I was then unable to Snatch at all. It was very strange. Everything felt out of position and alien, so I took a few minutes and went on to Hang Snatches instead.

Hang Snatch--1x2@60 1x1@80, 85, 90, 95, 98--I missed the first rep. I was scooping through the bar rather than extending up and letting the scoop happen naturally. I then got 98 and missed 100 first behind and then in front. The first rep was very fast, but I just swung it out slightly. I then had a far more technically superior second rep but it was not as fast. This was the most I have ever done in a Hang Snatch so I was happy enough. My problem with the second pull clearly transfers into the full Snatch--which I am having a slight issue with. I need to work on my first pull so that the bar is in the perfect position. I then need to extend the way I know I can and get back to my finer technical points and improve on them.

Front Squat--1x2@70, 70, 100 1x2@120, 140, 150--I got a double with 150 which I was happy with. It was not a pretty double but none of my lifts are pretty at the moment.

Flexibility for ten minutes.
Here is a video of some of the lifts. Nothing is pretty, but they can't all be.

Wednesday's wayward 99

I went to training tonight with what I would like to think of as a calm acceptance of whatever fate threw my way. It did not quite work out like that, but I am still happy enough. I only wanted to Snatch something halfway decent tonight; I was not too bothered about the rest. I was tired upon arrival, but so is the rest of the population who work full time, so as Hugh would say: shut up moaning and get on with it! Here is what I did today:

Overhead Squats--5x5
1 Hang Snatch/1 below knee Hang Snatch/1 Snatch--1x3@bar, 40, 40, 50
Snatch--1x2@50 1x1@60, 70, 80, 87, 92, 96--miss due to too much lean back--96, 99--I missed this three times, twice barely and the third was a feeble attempt. I did not quite have the zip in the final two inches of the second pull.

After this I tried to do some Power Cleans but I was too wrecked and I left it. Hindsight being the beautiful thing it is, I should have left the Power Cleans and just done some Front Squats. I don't have the gas in the tank to do a session longer than 45 minutes at the moment, so I will learn from this and just do the Snatch and Front Squat on Friday. Well done to Gillian who got a 2kg pb in the Clean and Jerk. She woman-handled 67 and it was smooth and powerful. There is way more left in the tank for her.

Here is a video of my failed 99: