Session 1
I had my first session this morning at 9 pm. The humidity over here made it quite difficult to sleep last night, so I am still feeling fatigued; but it was an enjoyable day’s training regardless. For the warm up we performed a few movements with the medicine ball in a circuit type fashion and performed some dynamic flexibility drills also. These warmed up the spine and the hips nicely and I felt nice and loose.
1. 2 Power Snatch and 2 Hang Snatch—5x4@50--I only stayed at 50 kilos for this exercise and it was actually harder to maintain good form with this light a weight than if I had gone heavier. I find sometimes that more pervasive skill is required to Snatch as well at 50 and 60 kilos as when you are Snatching to maximum. The idea in this exercise was to get maximum extension and optimal positioning, rather than lifting with speed—Harry commented on something similar a few days ago. This was far more difficult than I thought it would be due to lazy habits I suppose. I need to ingrain optimal technique into most of my Snatches, from the bar upwards; this should result in more consistent results at higher intensity. But it is the discipline and concentration on form that I must attain in order to do this.
2. 1 Power Clean+1 Full Clean+1 Squat Jerk—I worked up to a few sets of this combination, again focusing on full extension with the Cleans AND the Jerk. I was really able to feel my back locking in and contracting which was something that I could not on Saturday.
After these, I used the foam roller and Tom showed me a few different partner stretches to open up the hips and shoulder girdle. A sleep was needed if I wanted to have a decent session in the evening.
Session 2
The session began with a warm up with the bar and triples in the Snatch with 40 and 50.
1. Snatch—I worked up to a single of 100 which is on the video below and it was solid enough. I missed 105 twice and my technique began to break down again which was very frustrating. I went back down to 90, then 97, then a solid 102 and then I got an ugly but solid 105, which I had to get. It was one of those cases of paralysis by analysis where as Tom was pointing out that there was no vicious extension at all. I then went for 110 three times which would have been a pr, but I did not have the speed all day and I missed it because I was simply too slow. I am glad I went for it and I know it is a certainty once I am fresh and have my speed back again. My Snatches are below in the video. They are not pretty but I had to get them for my sanity.
2. Clean and Jerk—I worked up to singles with 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125 and 130. I then got nowhere near Cleaning 135: I was pretty spent at that stage. I was happy to go up in 5kg increments because I needed to reps. My Jerk is finally starting to feel comfortable because I have made my Jerk Dip more consistent and now I can focus on the drive and push under. I have also changed how I position the bar on my chest; the upper back muscles are now activated to elevate my shoulder girdle and straighten it out—the end result is I feel very easy with the bar resting there, even when I am tired from a Clean. This week is the first time this has been the case. My 130 was slow, but it felt very comfortable.
That was all I could do. 105/130 in this state of physical and nervous system fatigue is something I can be relatively satisfied with. I know the 110 and more is there once I am fresh and I am looking forward to testing it. I am wrecked now, but an easy session tomorrow with lots of stretching and active recovery should see me fine for going down to Limerick on Friday night to train with Cathal Byrd and Andy Murphy who should have Des and Troy in tow. When I am less tired I will reflect further on my 8 days’ training with Tom. I know this was a great decision and that I learned a lot in my time here and I am forever grateful to Tom for his incisive instruction and generous nature. As always, here is a video of my lifts so give any constructive criticism that you think is appropriate.
Showing posts with label Amsterdam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amsterdam. Show all posts
Monday 29 June 2009
Sunday 28 June 2009
Saturday’s stale affair
The fatigue was bound to catch up with me and on Saturday it bludgeoned me into submission. This was gutting because I wanted to post some decent numbers in the max out, but it was not to be. Of course this is completely understandable because of the training volume of the last five weeks, but that is not the dominating emotion when you are disappointed. The great news is that I am really looking forward to training on Monday. I Snatched 100 pretty comfortably in the warm up, but I could not budge 105. It felt like every repetition and skill drill I have ever done went out the window and I simply forgot how to lift, even when I tried to Snatch 80 a few minutes later. It was not a lack of speed, but a complete lack of focus and co-ordination.
I decided to try my warm up with the Clean and Jerk and when I was not able to get near Cleaning 120—which is an easy Power Clean—I knew it was time to call it quits, so I put up my feet, swallowed my impotent frustration and had a beer, a burger and a dose of chillax. I felt pretty empty on Thursday evening after training, all day Friday and all day Saturday—particularly after the Lions’ heartbreaker of a game. The most annoying part is that these are all excuses and I did not adapt to the given circumstances. If I was that incapable, I should have handled the situation better than I did which was only slightly better than a spoilt seven year old only child who got a G.I. Joe action figure and not the Optimus Prime one, and ended up making himself puke to get attention and sympathy from parents who probably ended up laughing about it later. This is a little dramatic, but you get the message—I did not have the zen-like calm that Dabaya possessed in Bucharest when about to lift his medal deciding final Clean and Jerk, he was told it was not actually his turn. Dabaya got the lift and the silver medal. I got some ribs and a shut out. I have to learn from this and compose the emotions that are trying to kick the door down.
I asked Tom could I train twice on Monday because I did not max out on Saturday and that is fine. I am learning a lot from these early sessions and they are nice primers for the evening session where I shall see how I feel and maybe Snatch to what is possible on the day. All the toys will already be out of the pram, so there should not be an incident if all is not well in the state of Denmark. I will leave you with some freak athleticism that warms the heart.
I decided to try my warm up with the Clean and Jerk and when I was not able to get near Cleaning 120—which is an easy Power Clean—I knew it was time to call it quits, so I put up my feet, swallowed my impotent frustration and had a beer, a burger and a dose of chillax. I felt pretty empty on Thursday evening after training, all day Friday and all day Saturday—particularly after the Lions’ heartbreaker of a game. The most annoying part is that these are all excuses and I did not adapt to the given circumstances. If I was that incapable, I should have handled the situation better than I did which was only slightly better than a spoilt seven year old only child who got a G.I. Joe action figure and not the Optimus Prime one, and ended up making himself puke to get attention and sympathy from parents who probably ended up laughing about it later. This is a little dramatic, but you get the message—I did not have the zen-like calm that Dabaya possessed in Bucharest when about to lift his medal deciding final Clean and Jerk, he was told it was not actually his turn. Dabaya got the lift and the silver medal. I got some ribs and a shut out. I have to learn from this and compose the emotions that are trying to kick the door down.
I asked Tom could I train twice on Monday because I did not max out on Saturday and that is fine. I am learning a lot from these early sessions and they are nice primers for the evening session where I shall see how I feel and maybe Snatch to what is possible on the day. All the toys will already be out of the pram, so there should not be an incident if all is not well in the state of Denmark. I will leave you with some freak athleticism that warms the heart.
Friday 26 June 2009
Friday’s fleeting tour of Tom’s gym
There was only one session today and it was light and snappy. I was pretty fatigued at this stage, which is the past month’s training catching up with me on top of this week’s. I was feeling those niggly pains that start to set in when training hard. Different people feel them in different areas, but I was feeling my right shoulder and the insertion point of my right bicep and my left one also, but not to the same extent. Today’s session was supposed to be light and fast; a sort of active recovery for tomorrow’s informal competition where me and a few others will max out and see what happens. Here is what I did today:
A brief warm up with bar work and some Snatch grip RDL’s followed by a Hang Power Snatch. I did around 3 sets with 3 RDL’s and one Hang Power Snatch with 50.
1. Hang Power Snatch—I worked up to three triples with 70kg. Each set improved in extension and extending the elbows up rather than out.
2. Power Clean+1 Push Press+1 Power Jerk—I worked up to 90 with this and then 100 for a Power Clean and Push Press. Incredibly, Safak—who is not lifting tomorrow—maxed out on 20 Power Cleans with 100kg. There was never more than three to five seconds in between his lifts. This seemed to be something he wanted to do himself rather than a direction from Tom.
3. Back Extension—1x8@15, 25, 30—The video of this back extension exercise is included below. It is a nice variation and works the lower back and hamstrings nicely.
That was it for today. It was short and sweet, although my lifting was quite sluggish due to fatigue. Tom also made a point that some of you may agree with or not: it was that the squatting technique that he advocates--that of controlled down with a slight pause and explode back up--is better for speed development than the fast down fast up type of squatting, which he says is good for developing the stretch reflex and elastic speed. This is an interesting point coming from Tom, who is as much a professional Strength and Conditioning coach across many sports, as he is a weightlifitng coach. It will be interesting to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees with his point. In the vidoe below there is a brief one minute tour of Tom's gym as well as a nice Back Extention variation movement.
A brief warm up with bar work and some Snatch grip RDL’s followed by a Hang Power Snatch. I did around 3 sets with 3 RDL’s and one Hang Power Snatch with 50.
1. Hang Power Snatch—I worked up to three triples with 70kg. Each set improved in extension and extending the elbows up rather than out.
2. Power Clean+1 Push Press+1 Power Jerk—I worked up to 90 with this and then 100 for a Power Clean and Push Press. Incredibly, Safak—who is not lifting tomorrow—maxed out on 20 Power Cleans with 100kg. There was never more than three to five seconds in between his lifts. This seemed to be something he wanted to do himself rather than a direction from Tom.
3. Back Extension—1x8@15, 25, 30—The video of this back extension exercise is included below. It is a nice variation and works the lower back and hamstrings nicely.
That was it for today. It was short and sweet, although my lifting was quite sluggish due to fatigue. Tom also made a point that some of you may agree with or not: it was that the squatting technique that he advocates--that of controlled down with a slight pause and explode back up--is better for speed development than the fast down fast up type of squatting, which he says is good for developing the stretch reflex and elastic speed. This is an interesting point coming from Tom, who is as much a professional Strength and Conditioning coach across many sports, as he is a weightlifitng coach. It will be interesting to hear if anyone agrees or disagrees with his point. In the vidoe below there is a brief one minute tour of Tom's gym as well as a nice Back Extention variation movement.
Thursday 25 June 2009
Thursday’s tribute to Teun’s Snatch pr
I trained twice again today; the first session was at 9AM and the second 5PM. The morning session was around an hour and fifteen minutes long and primarily activated muscles and movement patterns; assistance movements were used with light weights and two of the exercises in particular addressed some of the main areas I need to work on.
Session 1
The warm up was different again and involved pushing, pulling and squatting movements with various thera-bands. We also used med balls to induce inward pushing pressure while pulling, pressing and squatting. Like the other warm ups, this was different and was relevant to the skills and movements that we were about to train. Plus, the fact that it was different to the other days means that you cannot sleepwalk through the warm up—I think this is something we can all be guilty of.
1. Front Squat to Push Press—Crossfit call this the thruster I think. I did a set of five with the bar, 40 and 3 sets with 60. This was light, but I was working on getting a wider stance and keeping the knees out in the Front Squat. In the Push Press portion I worked on getting my chest through and not my head—this is a bad habit. These are all things I need to work on for my Clean and Jerk.
2. Lunge High Pull—This exercise is used to activate the mid traps and rhomboids as well as inducing a movement pattern so that you are pulling up and through while going down. You hold the bar in a Clean grip and while you lunge down you begin your pull and finish the pull when at the bottom of your lunge. Squeezing the shoulder blades is important to fully activate the appropriate muscles.
3. Clean grip Romanian Deadlifts—Tom had me doing this movement differently to the more common version of the exercise. There is a set in the video below and you can listen to Tom’s own explanation for this exercise. This variation of the RDL emphasises the flexion of the middle of your back so that you pull the bar around your knees but keep your hips in the same place while flexing with the mid back to get the bar up to mid-thigh level. The idea is to strengthen and activate the lower and mid back and also to help learn the movement pattern for the double knee bend. Whether you agree with the movement part of this exercise or not, this variation is fantastic for my needs because I am starting to activate these muscles for the first time when lifting and therefore, my back and hip lock and my entire pull will benefit. I only did a few sets of 5 with 80kg so that I could learn the movement, but in the future, I need to build up so that I can do five or eight solid reps with the weights I am Cleaning.
That was it for the morning session. I finished off with some foam rolling. The foam rollers in this gym have the middle cut out with a fitted hard pipe in between. It feels far more beneficial than the regular foam rollers. Tom also showed me some exercises to loosen up the hip and shoulder joint which I found very useful. I will try to get a video of these over the next few days.
Session 2
We had very little warm up for this session and I was happier for it because I was quite fatigued. We went straight into bar work and into the Snatch up to 90% for 3 singles.
1. Snatch—I worked up to 3 singles with 100, which was a bit over 90% but I was happier to do it. I was happy with the three reps because they were the first relatively heavy Snatches I have done with my new first pull. My first rep was good except for the fact that I did not finish the pull and the third rep was the best except I somehow decided to look down when squatting up. Have a look at them on the video and any comments are welcome.
2. Clean and Jerk—I worked up to singles with 110, 120, 125 and 130 with the last two lifts being on the video below. I was really focusing on the technique which, like the Snatch, tended to limit the speed of my lift. With the Jerk, I focused on what Harry is always telling me along with Tom: control your dip and drive through the Jerk with speed, emphasising getting the chest through, not the head—which I did with the 125 Jerk. I was happy with the Jerk today because they were far snappier than Tuesday.
3. Clean Pulls—I did triples with 130 and two with 140; my last set is on the video below. My first rep was lazy and slow and the third rep was by far my best lock and quickest pull.
4. Back Squat—I did triples with 100, 120 and 130 and they were slow down, a second or so at the bottom and driven up as fast as possible—except that I could muster hardly any speed. Light weights in my usual style, but this way they feel heavy because of the stop and the attempt for maximum speed back up.
We finished off with a set of Sumo Squats to improve hip mobility and the session lasted maybe an hour and twenty minutes at most. Tom’s 12 year old son Teun Snatched a pr and this is in the video along with a 110 Snatch by Safak.
With the Snatch and Clean, I feel that the only difference between my lifts now and this time last week is: I can keep my back locked more throughout the pull, which is keeping my hips and trunk in line; this keeps the bar closer also; I am also really focusing on extending as much as is optimal—again this is what I try to do at home. Cathal was right when he said I already had a double knee bend. Now I think I am improving it with the back that is only starting to wake up properly which means that my legs and hips can do their job. Tom is really helping me with these factors and the 8 days is going really well so far. As always, if there is anything I can learn from anyone’s comments or opinions, fire away.
Session 1
The warm up was different again and involved pushing, pulling and squatting movements with various thera-bands. We also used med balls to induce inward pushing pressure while pulling, pressing and squatting. Like the other warm ups, this was different and was relevant to the skills and movements that we were about to train. Plus, the fact that it was different to the other days means that you cannot sleepwalk through the warm up—I think this is something we can all be guilty of.
1. Front Squat to Push Press—Crossfit call this the thruster I think. I did a set of five with the bar, 40 and 3 sets with 60. This was light, but I was working on getting a wider stance and keeping the knees out in the Front Squat. In the Push Press portion I worked on getting my chest through and not my head—this is a bad habit. These are all things I need to work on for my Clean and Jerk.
2. Lunge High Pull—This exercise is used to activate the mid traps and rhomboids as well as inducing a movement pattern so that you are pulling up and through while going down. You hold the bar in a Clean grip and while you lunge down you begin your pull and finish the pull when at the bottom of your lunge. Squeezing the shoulder blades is important to fully activate the appropriate muscles.
3. Clean grip Romanian Deadlifts—Tom had me doing this movement differently to the more common version of the exercise. There is a set in the video below and you can listen to Tom’s own explanation for this exercise. This variation of the RDL emphasises the flexion of the middle of your back so that you pull the bar around your knees but keep your hips in the same place while flexing with the mid back to get the bar up to mid-thigh level. The idea is to strengthen and activate the lower and mid back and also to help learn the movement pattern for the double knee bend. Whether you agree with the movement part of this exercise or not, this variation is fantastic for my needs because I am starting to activate these muscles for the first time when lifting and therefore, my back and hip lock and my entire pull will benefit. I only did a few sets of 5 with 80kg so that I could learn the movement, but in the future, I need to build up so that I can do five or eight solid reps with the weights I am Cleaning.
That was it for the morning session. I finished off with some foam rolling. The foam rollers in this gym have the middle cut out with a fitted hard pipe in between. It feels far more beneficial than the regular foam rollers. Tom also showed me some exercises to loosen up the hip and shoulder joint which I found very useful. I will try to get a video of these over the next few days.
Session 2
We had very little warm up for this session and I was happier for it because I was quite fatigued. We went straight into bar work and into the Snatch up to 90% for 3 singles.
1. Snatch—I worked up to 3 singles with 100, which was a bit over 90% but I was happier to do it. I was happy with the three reps because they were the first relatively heavy Snatches I have done with my new first pull. My first rep was good except for the fact that I did not finish the pull and the third rep was the best except I somehow decided to look down when squatting up. Have a look at them on the video and any comments are welcome.
2. Clean and Jerk—I worked up to singles with 110, 120, 125 and 130 with the last two lifts being on the video below. I was really focusing on the technique which, like the Snatch, tended to limit the speed of my lift. With the Jerk, I focused on what Harry is always telling me along with Tom: control your dip and drive through the Jerk with speed, emphasising getting the chest through, not the head—which I did with the 125 Jerk. I was happy with the Jerk today because they were far snappier than Tuesday.
3. Clean Pulls—I did triples with 130 and two with 140; my last set is on the video below. My first rep was lazy and slow and the third rep was by far my best lock and quickest pull.
4. Back Squat—I did triples with 100, 120 and 130 and they were slow down, a second or so at the bottom and driven up as fast as possible—except that I could muster hardly any speed. Light weights in my usual style, but this way they feel heavy because of the stop and the attempt for maximum speed back up.
We finished off with a set of Sumo Squats to improve hip mobility and the session lasted maybe an hour and twenty minutes at most. Tom’s 12 year old son Teun Snatched a pr and this is in the video along with a 110 Snatch by Safak.
With the Snatch and Clean, I feel that the only difference between my lifts now and this time last week is: I can keep my back locked more throughout the pull, which is keeping my hips and trunk in line; this keeps the bar closer also; I am also really focusing on extending as much as is optimal—again this is what I try to do at home. Cathal was right when he said I already had a double knee bend. Now I think I am improving it with the back that is only starting to wake up properly which means that my legs and hips can do their job. Tom is really helping me with these factors and the 8 days is going really well so far. As always, if there is anything I can learn from anyone’s comments or opinions, fire away.
Wednesday 24 June 2009
Wednesday's wrestling with the blocks
I only trained once tonight and I was very happy with my positioning in the Snatch Pulls, which were from a 6cm block. I woke up this morning with my hamstrings and glutes feeling the brunt of the training so far, but they loosened out as the day progressed. To warm up at the start of the session we did three circuits, each exercise lasting 30 seconds. The first circuit was sit ups on a swiss ball; skipping; bouncing on a bosu ball; bent over row with bar; incline press with bar. The second circuit was with the bar and were as far as I can remember: Hang Snatch High Pulls; Snatch behind neck press; Overhead Squats; Hang Clean Pulls; Good Mornings. The third circuit was Push Press; Front Squat; Deadlift and I cannot remember the others. This was a comprehensive 12 minute warm up and it got the blood flowing as well as activating and stretching the important muscles and joints. It is also good because it is different and varies from the normal warm ups that we all fall into the habit of using. Different can be good in both a home and an away environment.
1. Hang Power Snatch—I worked up to two triples with 75 and a single with 90. I was focusing on the speed of my pull and extending fully. As Harry and Cathal commented yesterday, I was concentrating on keeping my back locked so that I could get in position to extend fully with my hip. I think this is the focus of what Tom is trying to teach me about the double knee bend, but I may be wrong.
2. Lunges—These were done with 90kg from the Back Squat position. The important points for this exercise was step out enough so that you got a 90 degree angle with the knee and that only after you stepped out and got set, do you go straight down, not forward. We did 3 sets of 4/5 with each leg. We were doing these for two reasons: to strengthen our position in the Jerk receiving position—you have to focus on keeping your back locked with these; and as an assistance movement to maintain and improve athletic strength and balance with both legs. This is a good assistance exercise in my opinion.
3. Snatch High Pulls from 6cm block—I worked up to triples with 80kg. The focus on these was to keep the back locked throughout the pull and to try and avoid the hips rising up before they should. These felt far better than Monday and I think yesterday’s session with the Cleans really helped. I then felt my starting position without the block and it felt the most comfortable in my brief weightlifting career.
4. Front Squats—I did one warm up set of 5 with 80 and then I did three sets of Squats that I really was not used to. There are three parts and they sound really easy on paper but are actually quite difficult. You need to have a person either side of the rack. First you do 3 reps with 80kg. Then you step back while the people beside you rise the weight to 100kg. You get around three seconds rest and then you do another 3 reps. You step back and they put on another 20 kg and you try to do another 3 reps. I could only get one rep in all three sets. The weight is quite light, but when you have hardly any rest and a coach screaming at you to get your knees out when you already have a wider stance than normal, it is very tough. This type of squatting is great for a change and questions your motivation nicely. I think it is a nice addition to an “off-season” period where you are doing more General Preparation.
That was it. I really enjoyed the session and I saw another thing improve in my Snatch starting position. Now I need to maintain this position and really starting extending fully with my pulls—both of which Harry is always trying to get me to do, but the benefit of coming here is that time is not a consideration unlike at home where it is impossible for Harry to spend that much time coaching me individually. Here is a video of some of the action today:
1. Hang Power Snatch—I worked up to two triples with 75 and a single with 90. I was focusing on the speed of my pull and extending fully. As Harry and Cathal commented yesterday, I was concentrating on keeping my back locked so that I could get in position to extend fully with my hip. I think this is the focus of what Tom is trying to teach me about the double knee bend, but I may be wrong.
2. Lunges—These were done with 90kg from the Back Squat position. The important points for this exercise was step out enough so that you got a 90 degree angle with the knee and that only after you stepped out and got set, do you go straight down, not forward. We did 3 sets of 4/5 with each leg. We were doing these for two reasons: to strengthen our position in the Jerk receiving position—you have to focus on keeping your back locked with these; and as an assistance movement to maintain and improve athletic strength and balance with both legs. This is a good assistance exercise in my opinion.
3. Snatch High Pulls from 6cm block—I worked up to triples with 80kg. The focus on these was to keep the back locked throughout the pull and to try and avoid the hips rising up before they should. These felt far better than Monday and I think yesterday’s session with the Cleans really helped. I then felt my starting position without the block and it felt the most comfortable in my brief weightlifting career.
4. Front Squats—I did one warm up set of 5 with 80 and then I did three sets of Squats that I really was not used to. There are three parts and they sound really easy on paper but are actually quite difficult. You need to have a person either side of the rack. First you do 3 reps with 80kg. Then you step back while the people beside you rise the weight to 100kg. You get around three seconds rest and then you do another 3 reps. You step back and they put on another 20 kg and you try to do another 3 reps. I could only get one rep in all three sets. The weight is quite light, but when you have hardly any rest and a coach screaming at you to get your knees out when you already have a wider stance than normal, it is very tough. This type of squatting is great for a change and questions your motivation nicely. I think it is a nice addition to an “off-season” period where you are doing more General Preparation.
That was it. I really enjoyed the session and I saw another thing improve in my Snatch starting position. Now I need to maintain this position and really starting extending fully with my pulls—both of which Harry is always trying to get me to do, but the benefit of coming here is that time is not a consideration unlike at home where it is impossible for Harry to spend that much time coaching me individually. Here is a video of some of the action today:
Tuesday 23 June 2009
Tuesday's tenuous technical and physical adjustments
Today was another challenging day's training and focused more on the Clean and Jerk than the Snatch. The first session started at 9 AM and this was a first for me as this is an hour later than Irish time. Here is what myself and Tom's 12 year old son did:
Session 1: 9 AM
General body warm up with various bodyweight drills designed to open up the hips and shoulders, stretch out the back and lock the core areas.
We then did 3 reps on a Muscle Snatch/Overhead Squat/Drop Snatch up to 3 sets of 50kg.
Power Clean from below knees--We focused on getting the back as arched as possible and by rotating my elbows towards my body anti-clockwise. This felt different but it meant that I could rack the bar with my hands on it, not just my fingers. I think this may help with the Jerk. I only worked up to three or four triples with 100, but with the isometric contractions with the back and legs, it was quite tiring.
Good morning to press--I worked up to 3 sets of 8 with 60 kilos. The purpose of these was to get the back used to being locked and working out the hamstrings. The reps were the tiring part, not the weight. There is a video of this exercise below. The idea is to contract the relevant muscles rather than lift massive weights.
Session 2: 7.30 pm
Bodyweight and bar warm up that was surprisingly tiring. Sufak was training in this session and he is an 85kg lifter with 115/145 lifts to his name. He is quick and has efficient technique.
1. Cleans—I worked up to doubles with 120 for two sets and then a single with 130 and then back down to 110 again to work on keeping my lower and upper back and also the shoulders locked throughout the first pull and the transition. This got much better as the session progressed. It means that I can get a much better hip drive in the Clean and I can transfer power better from my lower body.
2. Back Squat—I worked up to a double with 160, but Tom said I was doing plyometric squats, as in I was going down too fast to focus on strength. I went back down to 130 and 120 and really focused on setting that back and sitting in the hole with as locked a back as possible. It was a whole lot slower when I was going down with more control and pausing at the bottom.
3. Jerk from the rack—I worked up to a single with 120. In the beginning we focused on my Dip and controlling it down better and staying on the heels. This really improved. Then we focused on getting through the Jerk by keeping the back locked and getting through with the abdomen. The angle that my elbows were flexed at was wrong and this meant that I was bouncing under the Jerk rather than fixing it. This is the next thing to fix. Maybe I was too tight in the upper body and need to relax more? I missed 130 twice even though it was flying up.
We then finished up with some stretching and that was that. A great day as my Clean and my Jerk dip really improved. My hamstrings and glutes are in pieces now though... Any constructive criticism you have from the video would be great.
Session 1: 9 AM
General body warm up with various bodyweight drills designed to open up the hips and shoulders, stretch out the back and lock the core areas.
We then did 3 reps on a Muscle Snatch/Overhead Squat/Drop Snatch up to 3 sets of 50kg.
Power Clean from below knees--We focused on getting the back as arched as possible and by rotating my elbows towards my body anti-clockwise. This felt different but it meant that I could rack the bar with my hands on it, not just my fingers. I think this may help with the Jerk. I only worked up to three or four triples with 100, but with the isometric contractions with the back and legs, it was quite tiring.
Good morning to press--I worked up to 3 sets of 8 with 60 kilos. The purpose of these was to get the back used to being locked and working out the hamstrings. The reps were the tiring part, not the weight. There is a video of this exercise below. The idea is to contract the relevant muscles rather than lift massive weights.
Session 2: 7.30 pm
Bodyweight and bar warm up that was surprisingly tiring. Sufak was training in this session and he is an 85kg lifter with 115/145 lifts to his name. He is quick and has efficient technique.
1. Cleans—I worked up to doubles with 120 for two sets and then a single with 130 and then back down to 110 again to work on keeping my lower and upper back and also the shoulders locked throughout the first pull and the transition. This got much better as the session progressed. It means that I can get a much better hip drive in the Clean and I can transfer power better from my lower body.
2. Back Squat—I worked up to a double with 160, but Tom said I was doing plyometric squats, as in I was going down too fast to focus on strength. I went back down to 130 and 120 and really focused on setting that back and sitting in the hole with as locked a back as possible. It was a whole lot slower when I was going down with more control and pausing at the bottom.
3. Jerk from the rack—I worked up to a single with 120. In the beginning we focused on my Dip and controlling it down better and staying on the heels. This really improved. Then we focused on getting through the Jerk by keeping the back locked and getting through with the abdomen. The angle that my elbows were flexed at was wrong and this meant that I was bouncing under the Jerk rather than fixing it. This is the next thing to fix. Maybe I was too tight in the upper body and need to relax more? I missed 130 twice even though it was flying up.
We then finished up with some stretching and that was that. A great day as my Clean and my Jerk dip really improved. My hamstrings and glutes are in pieces now though... Any constructive criticism you have from the video would be great.
Monday 22 June 2009
Monday's mentioning of the old issue
Today was my first day in Tom’s gym in Amsterdam and we had a late training session from half seven to a quarter to ten in the evening. Another lifter, Bram, met me at the airport and brought me back to Tom’s place where we ate and left for the gym. I relaxed for an hour there while there was a fitness class and then the games began. I had no idea what to expect, but the session really turned out to be worthwhile.
After a little dynamic flexibility warm up and some bar work we started off with Snatch technique. I knew the rounded back issue would crop up and it did. Right off the bat. Here is the jist of what Tom was trying to get me to do—at least this is what I understood. There were two main areas on the Snatch that we focused on:
1. Getting a much lower starting position and getting my hips down and through which in turn helped to get a better arch with the upper back. He wants to over exaggerate the starting position to get the lower back and mid traps and rhomboids used to contracting and being used. In time he wants me to go back up to a 90 degree angle, but only when I am firing the correct muscles and movement pattern. There is a video below of the differences between this and my previous position.
2. He wants me to change how I pull both at the start of the movement and how I pull above the knee. He is emphasising the double knee bend massively. In my video below I swing the bar dreadfully but that is because the focus was on the start. Tom wants me to aggressively keep the back arch and pull off the floor with my back AND my legs so that the back angle remains the same and I sit back in the pocket to rebend the knees and get as much hip extension as possible. This is very different to what I am used to and I found it quite frustrating trying to get used to the Hang Snatch Pulls and positioning exercises. Once I have practised this more I will comment on the differences in style in the pull. Either way, the whole feel of the Snatch is different.
I worked on my Front Squat technique also. I went up to doing two triples with 130 and then went back down to 110 to focus on driving up from the bottom position with the elbows and keeping the lower back arched throughout. We also worked on getting a wider stance which was very uncomfortable because of my hip flexibility.
This was a very trying first session from a mental point of view, as I am crap at all the new ways of doings things. This is to be expected of course, as I am trying them for the first time, but it is frustrating none the less. It is great that I came over here, because I will be staring my biggest weaknesses in the face every day and there is no hiding. The only negative point is that the gym is far away from my hostel and that it will take a while to get to and fro the gym and in between sessions. Otherwise I am a happy, but frustrated camper. Here is the video. Remember, it is only the starting point that needs to be focused on so if you have a comment, do me the honour.
After a little dynamic flexibility warm up and some bar work we started off with Snatch technique. I knew the rounded back issue would crop up and it did. Right off the bat. Here is the jist of what Tom was trying to get me to do—at least this is what I understood. There were two main areas on the Snatch that we focused on:
1. Getting a much lower starting position and getting my hips down and through which in turn helped to get a better arch with the upper back. He wants to over exaggerate the starting position to get the lower back and mid traps and rhomboids used to contracting and being used. In time he wants me to go back up to a 90 degree angle, but only when I am firing the correct muscles and movement pattern. There is a video below of the differences between this and my previous position.
2. He wants me to change how I pull both at the start of the movement and how I pull above the knee. He is emphasising the double knee bend massively. In my video below I swing the bar dreadfully but that is because the focus was on the start. Tom wants me to aggressively keep the back arch and pull off the floor with my back AND my legs so that the back angle remains the same and I sit back in the pocket to rebend the knees and get as much hip extension as possible. This is very different to what I am used to and I found it quite frustrating trying to get used to the Hang Snatch Pulls and positioning exercises. Once I have practised this more I will comment on the differences in style in the pull. Either way, the whole feel of the Snatch is different.
I worked on my Front Squat technique also. I went up to doing two triples with 130 and then went back down to 110 to focus on driving up from the bottom position with the elbows and keeping the lower back arched throughout. We also worked on getting a wider stance which was very uncomfortable because of my hip flexibility.
This was a very trying first session from a mental point of view, as I am crap at all the new ways of doings things. This is to be expected of course, as I am trying them for the first time, but it is frustrating none the less. It is great that I came over here, because I will be staring my biggest weaknesses in the face every day and there is no hiding. The only negative point is that the gym is far away from my hostel and that it will take a while to get to and fro the gym and in between sessions. Otherwise I am a happy, but frustrated camper. Here is the video. Remember, it is only the starting point that needs to be focused on so if you have a comment, do me the honour.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)