I had a nice session tonight in which I had two pb's. Firstly in the Counter movement jump, I got 47.6 which was 2 cm better than my previous best. I did this after a nice joint warm up and pre hab with bar work and some dynamic flexibility to boot. Zag jumped for a new pb also and got 49cm. Here is what I did for today's session.
Power Snatch--1x2@40, 40, 60 1x1@70, 80, 90 for 3 singles. They felt fine and my back was a little stiff from the weekend which did not help my starting position. My speed felt ok after the weekend though.
Clean doubles--1x2@60, 60, 90, 100, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130--This was a new pb as my previous best was 128 and I did that in June. My Cleans felt smooth this evening and although they were not particularly fast, they felt in the groove.
Front Squat--1x2@ 130, 140, 150--3 sets that were short and sweet. My legs were tired from the weekend and the Cleans.
I finished off with around ten minutes of flexibilty. Last week I had 3 yoga session and I definitely felt far looser and more mobile because of it. The more I work on my flexibility, I think my catching position will gradually start to widen which will allow me get my hips through more. This will help particularly in the Snatch. I have decided to focus on certain elements of my lifting without judging them and to go along with how they feel, rather than giving myself instructions, commands and the full meal ticket. I am re-reading The Inner Game of Tennis for the third time and it had changed my perceptions on how I can learn optimally. I do not play tennis but the principles that the book teaches are applicable in any field or endevour. I shall write a proper article on how the book relates to weightlifting in the near future.
There is a new lifter training with myself and Zag called Nicky who has far more potential than either of us. Have a look at his positioning in the video below. He has the speed, power, flexibility and determination to go a long way in the sport if he chooses to do so.
Showing posts with label Snatch Pulls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snatch Pulls. Show all posts
Monday 16 November 2009
Wednesday 14 October 2009
Wednesday's weeping willows
I was pretty tired going into today's session, so I decided to have a good warm up and to focus on one movement. I got my glute and hip pre-hab done and I also got in three sets of 20 in the wall slides for my scapular health. A good few sets of Overhead Squats followed and I was nice and loose, particularly after my yoga session last night.
My scooping point is still slightly sore, so I focused on Snatch Pulls, trying to get my hips nice and low and locked and then rise them up to initiate the pull.
1x2@40, 40, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100
1x1@110, 115, 120, 125
I made a video of some of the heavier lifts. My starting position felt ok and I went heavier than I should have, but I just wanted to see what the weights felt like to be honest. Let me know what you think after watching the video. Also, a big shout out to Cathal Byrd who is lifting tomorrow in the 69kg class in the European under 23's, with Sami Dowling lifting on the Friday in the 85's. Good luck to both because they have trained very hard and have put in their dues.
To leave things on a brighter note and to cheer the lads over in Poland, here are some more classic comedy moments:
My scooping point is still slightly sore, so I focused on Snatch Pulls, trying to get my hips nice and low and locked and then rise them up to initiate the pull.
1x2@40, 40, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100
1x1@110, 115, 120, 125
I made a video of some of the heavier lifts. My starting position felt ok and I went heavier than I should have, but I just wanted to see what the weights felt like to be honest. Let me know what you think after watching the video. Also, a big shout out to Cathal Byrd who is lifting tomorrow in the 69kg class in the European under 23's, with Sami Dowling lifting on the Friday in the 85's. Good luck to both because they have trained very hard and have put in their dues.
To leave things on a brighter note and to cheer the lads over in Poland, here are some more classic comedy moments:
Monday 21 September 2009
Monday's maniacal quest to achieve a flat back
I trained well today and I inched up my lifts again. I am very frustrated about one aspect of my lifting in particular, but it is vitally important that I maintain my perspective and not go on a tirade.
I am still struggling to maintain a back lock in my Snatch and Clean. It is too easy to put it down to fatigue. This is not the case. I was able to maintain a flat back after my week's training in Amsterdam and also in my first week of my trip to California. I am no longer able to achieve this despite trying as hard as I can to flex my lats, my upper, lower and mid back. I am trying to widen my stance, shorten my stance, get my knees out more in the first pull. This is very frustrating, as my pull is not using optimal leverages because my back being not straight, does not transfer power from my hips, legs and lower back. Saying this will come in time is nonsense, as this was not how I got my back lock before. I got it from working hard and waking up the muscles in my back for the first time. I have included some videos and pictures in the video below which illustrate the conundrum. Any feedback you may have would be much appreciated. Here is way I did today:
Snatch--1x3@40, 40, 50 1x2@50, 60, 70, 80 1x1@90, 95, 100, 102.5, 105 for three singles. I got these singles in which was good considering it was the start of the week and I had the last two day's off.
Snatch Pull--3x3@115--Oh so frustrating with these as you will see in the video.
Power Clean and Squat Clean--1x2@70, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115 for three sets. On teh last set I squat cleaned both reps. My left elbow was bothering me on this.
So, another positive session but it is now high time I sorted out my problem as I am close to tearing my hair out. Have a look at the video and see if you can spot anything.
I am still struggling to maintain a back lock in my Snatch and Clean. It is too easy to put it down to fatigue. This is not the case. I was able to maintain a flat back after my week's training in Amsterdam and also in my first week of my trip to California. I am no longer able to achieve this despite trying as hard as I can to flex my lats, my upper, lower and mid back. I am trying to widen my stance, shorten my stance, get my knees out more in the first pull. This is very frustrating, as my pull is not using optimal leverages because my back being not straight, does not transfer power from my hips, legs and lower back. Saying this will come in time is nonsense, as this was not how I got my back lock before. I got it from working hard and waking up the muscles in my back for the first time. I have included some videos and pictures in the video below which illustrate the conundrum. Any feedback you may have would be much appreciated. Here is way I did today:
Snatch--1x3@40, 40, 50 1x2@50, 60, 70, 80 1x1@90, 95, 100, 102.5, 105 for three singles. I got these singles in which was good considering it was the start of the week and I had the last two day's off.
Snatch Pull--3x3@115--Oh so frustrating with these as you will see in the video.
Power Clean and Squat Clean--1x2@70, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115 for three sets. On teh last set I squat cleaned both reps. My left elbow was bothering me on this.
So, another positive session but it is now high time I sorted out my problem as I am close to tearing my hair out. Have a look at the video and see if you can spot anything.
Thursday 13 August 2009
Thursday’s technical illustration
Myself, Andy, Byrdie all trained once this evening in Charlie Hamilton’s gym in Kilmarnock. Our first session was technical but challenging. We were exposed to some of Chick’s coaching methodologies, and Cathal has written an account of the most important facts, some of which include:
- Keeping the hips and backside down as much as possible during the pull in order to improve leverage when exploding at the top of the pull
- Using the traps at the top of the pull rather than the deltoids and arms in order to keep the bar path as straight and as close to the body as possible. This in turn will help the lifter to catch the bar more efficiently and reduce the possibility of the bar being out of place, be this in front or behind
- The benefit of doing hang work below the knee as this replicates the full lifts much more than above the knee
- The importance of keeping the tempo high during training in order to stay mentally and physically focused and to also increase work capacity
Another training approach of significant interest that Charlie instilled in us was the importance of a technically sound pull. He had us perform two different types of snatch pull. The first one involved performing one pull from the floor immediately followed by two pulls from below the knee. At the top of each pull Charlie taught us to explode powerfully from the hips and shrug hard with the traps while simultaneously rising up onto the toes. We were taught to hold this extended position for a second or two before lowering the bar. We all went to about 80% of our best snatch in this exercise. The second type of pull we did was a slow speed pull with about 20kg more than the aforementioned pull. Charlie had us focus on pinning the hips down throughout the pull, keeping the shoulders over the bar as the bar reaches knee level and then shrugging at the top of the pull while simultaneously rising onto the toes. Again we held this extended position for a second or two. The main difference between this second pull variation and the aforementioned is that we didn’t explode through the hips; we simply shrugged at the top with the traps. Also the pull was much slower, deliberately so, in order to ensure technically sound positioning throughout the pull.
Thanks to Cathal for writing that. We all did the same exercises but with different weight. I did the following:
1. 1 Power Snatch + 2 Hang Power Snatches—1x3@ 40, 40, 60, 76 for three triples for 80% of Power Snatch and then back down sets with 74 and 72kg. Chick got me to change my pull slightly by continuing to control the bar on the way up and only begin the second pull once it reached the top of my quads, rather than what I was doing which was initiating the pull around the middle of my quads. He also got me to widen my stance a good few inches. I will see how that goes over the week.
2. 1 Snatch pull + 2 Hang Snatch Pulls from below the knee—1x3@76, 86 for three triples. With this exercise he really got us to engage the traps at the top of the pull and to keep our arms and shoulders as relaxed as possible.
3. Snatch Deadlift with shrug—1x3@ 80, 90, 100 for four triples. Like Jim Schmitz’s Clean deadlifts, they are done in slow motion and are done like this to improve strength and positioning.
4. 1 Front Squat, 1 Jerk + 1 more Front Squat and Jerk—1x4@60, 80, 90, 100, 110 for three triples of this weight. This was demanding physically and for some reason my Jerk was better each time on the second Jerk when I was the most tired. I really focused on a quick lock out.
All in all, this was a great session which we all really enjoyed. It was a great learning experience and hopefully each session will continue to be as productive.
- Keeping the hips and backside down as much as possible during the pull in order to improve leverage when exploding at the top of the pull
- Using the traps at the top of the pull rather than the deltoids and arms in order to keep the bar path as straight and as close to the body as possible. This in turn will help the lifter to catch the bar more efficiently and reduce the possibility of the bar being out of place, be this in front or behind
- The benefit of doing hang work below the knee as this replicates the full lifts much more than above the knee
- The importance of keeping the tempo high during training in order to stay mentally and physically focused and to also increase work capacity
Another training approach of significant interest that Charlie instilled in us was the importance of a technically sound pull. He had us perform two different types of snatch pull. The first one involved performing one pull from the floor immediately followed by two pulls from below the knee. At the top of each pull Charlie taught us to explode powerfully from the hips and shrug hard with the traps while simultaneously rising up onto the toes. We were taught to hold this extended position for a second or two before lowering the bar. We all went to about 80% of our best snatch in this exercise. The second type of pull we did was a slow speed pull with about 20kg more than the aforementioned pull. Charlie had us focus on pinning the hips down throughout the pull, keeping the shoulders over the bar as the bar reaches knee level and then shrugging at the top of the pull while simultaneously rising onto the toes. Again we held this extended position for a second or two. The main difference between this second pull variation and the aforementioned is that we didn’t explode through the hips; we simply shrugged at the top with the traps. Also the pull was much slower, deliberately so, in order to ensure technically sound positioning throughout the pull.
Thanks to Cathal for writing that. We all did the same exercises but with different weight. I did the following:
1. 1 Power Snatch + 2 Hang Power Snatches—1x3@ 40, 40, 60, 76 for three triples for 80% of Power Snatch and then back down sets with 74 and 72kg. Chick got me to change my pull slightly by continuing to control the bar on the way up and only begin the second pull once it reached the top of my quads, rather than what I was doing which was initiating the pull around the middle of my quads. He also got me to widen my stance a good few inches. I will see how that goes over the week.
2. 1 Snatch pull + 2 Hang Snatch Pulls from below the knee—1x3@76, 86 for three triples. With this exercise he really got us to engage the traps at the top of the pull and to keep our arms and shoulders as relaxed as possible.
3. Snatch Deadlift with shrug—1x3@ 80, 90, 100 for four triples. Like Jim Schmitz’s Clean deadlifts, they are done in slow motion and are done like this to improve strength and positioning.
4. 1 Front Squat, 1 Jerk + 1 more Front Squat and Jerk—1x4@60, 80, 90, 100, 110 for three triples of this weight. This was demanding physically and for some reason my Jerk was better each time on the second Jerk when I was the most tired. I really focused on a quick lock out.
All in all, this was a great session which we all really enjoyed. It was a great learning experience and hopefully each session will continue to be as productive.
Friday 7 August 2009
Wednesday's worhipping at the Sports' Palace
I had no idea what to expect when I arrived into the gym where Jim Schmitz trains his lifters in San Francisco. The usual training area was being refurbished so it was a makeshift gym in a different part of the gym that I trained in. I met Jim and a few of his lifters that were preparing themselves for a competition in Sacramento on Saturday.
I did a quick warm up with the bar and then I asked Jim what I should do. He got me to Snatch and Clean and Jerk up to a comfortable 90% or so so that he could observe my lifting and take it from there.
Snatch--I began with 2 Power Snatches and one Squat Snatch with 40, 50, 60 and 70kgs. I was then told to Squat Snatch 80 and 90 and then I Snatched 100. None of these felt particularly good, with 100 feeling far heavier than usual. I then missed 105 twice and then missed 100 again. I was not finishing my pull and I felt very flat. The driving up the coast of California was beautiful but it was not particularly conducive to lifting I am afraid. My Snatch has been feeling very fast lately so I was a little annoyed I was not at the races in that regard, although I do realise I am on holidays!
Clean and Jerk--I started off with one Power Clean, one Squat Clean and one Jerk with 60, then 90, then 100 and then 110. Then it was a straight Clean and Jerk with 120, 130 and a solid 135 which was fast, but was what Jim called a "wet bag jerk" meaning that I was too soft in the recieving position. I left it there; the Cleans also felt far heavier than they should have.
An interesting thing that Jim repeated a few times was that when I finish any lift, I need to stabilise the bar at the top of the Snatch or Jerk in order to both create the habit of finishing the lift properly and also to strengthen the stabilising muscles isometrically. Harry has tried to get me to do the same thing but Jim's explanation sounded much cooler.
Miyake High Pulls--This is a Snatch assistance exercise that is used to improve the transition from the first pull to the scooping point. The High Pull added into the end helps put the movement in place. Jim got this exercise from the man it is named after and upon looking at the video below, my back needs a tighter arch throughout the pull. The exercise begins with a Snatch first pull from the ground up to the scoop point, then the bar is brought down below the knees and back up to the scoop point and then the bar is brought back down to below to knee and the lifter extend up into a high pull. I worked up to two sets with 90kg in this exercise.
Front Squats with a Jerk--I began with 5 squats with 60 with a Jerk at the end. Then I went up to 90kg for 4 squat and one Jerk. Then I went to 110kg for 4 squats and one Jerk followed by 125kg for 2 squats and one Jerk. I really enjoyed these and it is a great way to work on the Jerk while getting your lighter squats in. I then went up to 140 for a Front Squat double followed by a very hard 150 for a double. My legs are still feeling a bit weak I am afraid. I would highly recommend adding a Jerk to your Squats because it reinforces skill as well as forcing you to Jerk when your legs may be fatigued.
The Sultan Rakhmanov exercise--This was something I have never seen before and Jim uses it to strengthen the posterior chain as well as to teach the body how to bring the hips through and extend when the hamstrings are stretched like in a lift. The exercise is in the video below and Jim got it from the famous Russian lifter who it is named after. I had no idea how, but I tweaked my hip, so I could not perform the movement the way I wanted to. You position yourself like in a Back Squat and descend into a good morning, and when at the bottom of the good morning, you bring your hips through and scoop under and extend up. It is very interesting and like some of the exercises I learned in Holland, could help me get that back locked.
All in all, it was a great first session. I should have a good interview for the next post and a few videos to boot.
I did a quick warm up with the bar and then I asked Jim what I should do. He got me to Snatch and Clean and Jerk up to a comfortable 90% or so so that he could observe my lifting and take it from there.
Snatch--I began with 2 Power Snatches and one Squat Snatch with 40, 50, 60 and 70kgs. I was then told to Squat Snatch 80 and 90 and then I Snatched 100. None of these felt particularly good, with 100 feeling far heavier than usual. I then missed 105 twice and then missed 100 again. I was not finishing my pull and I felt very flat. The driving up the coast of California was beautiful but it was not particularly conducive to lifting I am afraid. My Snatch has been feeling very fast lately so I was a little annoyed I was not at the races in that regard, although I do realise I am on holidays!
Clean and Jerk--I started off with one Power Clean, one Squat Clean and one Jerk with 60, then 90, then 100 and then 110. Then it was a straight Clean and Jerk with 120, 130 and a solid 135 which was fast, but was what Jim called a "wet bag jerk" meaning that I was too soft in the recieving position. I left it there; the Cleans also felt far heavier than they should have.
An interesting thing that Jim repeated a few times was that when I finish any lift, I need to stabilise the bar at the top of the Snatch or Jerk in order to both create the habit of finishing the lift properly and also to strengthen the stabilising muscles isometrically. Harry has tried to get me to do the same thing but Jim's explanation sounded much cooler.
Miyake High Pulls--This is a Snatch assistance exercise that is used to improve the transition from the first pull to the scooping point. The High Pull added into the end helps put the movement in place. Jim got this exercise from the man it is named after and upon looking at the video below, my back needs a tighter arch throughout the pull. The exercise begins with a Snatch first pull from the ground up to the scoop point, then the bar is brought down below the knees and back up to the scoop point and then the bar is brought back down to below to knee and the lifter extend up into a high pull. I worked up to two sets with 90kg in this exercise.
Front Squats with a Jerk--I began with 5 squats with 60 with a Jerk at the end. Then I went up to 90kg for 4 squat and one Jerk. Then I went to 110kg for 4 squats and one Jerk followed by 125kg for 2 squats and one Jerk. I really enjoyed these and it is a great way to work on the Jerk while getting your lighter squats in. I then went up to 140 for a Front Squat double followed by a very hard 150 for a double. My legs are still feeling a bit weak I am afraid. I would highly recommend adding a Jerk to your Squats because it reinforces skill as well as forcing you to Jerk when your legs may be fatigued.
The Sultan Rakhmanov exercise--This was something I have never seen before and Jim uses it to strengthen the posterior chain as well as to teach the body how to bring the hips through and extend when the hamstrings are stretched like in a lift. The exercise is in the video below and Jim got it from the famous Russian lifter who it is named after. I had no idea how, but I tweaked my hip, so I could not perform the movement the way I wanted to. You position yourself like in a Back Squat and descend into a good morning, and when at the bottom of the good morning, you bring your hips through and scoop under and extend up. It is very interesting and like some of the exercises I learned in Holland, could help me get that back locked.
All in all, it was a great first session. I should have a good interview for the next post and a few videos to boot.
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:
Monday 18 May 2009
Monday's maudlin lesson
Training today was humbling, which is a good thing; if weightlifting is teaching me anything, it is that ego is the enemy. There is ambition, and there is ego. There is what you think you should be doing, and there is what you are doing. Weights that are normally quite light, were quite heavy today and I had to like or lump it. So I liked it. Here is what I did:
1. Snatch: Work up to 91kg for 3 x sets of 2--This is where the ego bit me in the posterior. My Snatch was not firing on all cylinders and I knew it. I got all the reps bar the second rep in the second set, but they were not pretty as I was not extending properly and they were slightly in front. At least I got them though, ugly as they were.
2. Snatch Pull: Work up to 110kg for 3 sets of 2--These felt brilliant. I have never lifted 110kg in the Snatch position before and I feel stronger and more locked into this exercise every time I perform it. The weight did not feel heavy either. There is a video of my first set below.
3. Power & Squat Clean: Work up to 105kg for 3 sets of 2--Again, a light weight that felt very heavy due to the volume. Humbling to say the least. These got better as they went on and there is a video of the second set below. I focused on keeping a locked back and finishing my extending up, which is what I was not doing with the Snatch.
4. Back Squat: Work up to 140kg for 4 sets of 2--I was pretty fatigued by then and I had to rely on the discipline to get through these. Again, a case of a light weight feeling heavy. The squats got cleaner each set as I became more focused.
Here is a video of my 110 Snatch Pulls, my 105 Power Clean/Squat Clean double and an easy 55kg Clean and Jerk by Gillian who is competing in the women's competition in Austria next weekend. She is looking sharp and ready so I am looking forward to hearing the sound of tumbling records.
1. Snatch: Work up to 91kg for 3 x sets of 2--This is where the ego bit me in the posterior. My Snatch was not firing on all cylinders and I knew it. I got all the reps bar the second rep in the second set, but they were not pretty as I was not extending properly and they were slightly in front. At least I got them though, ugly as they were.
2. Snatch Pull: Work up to 110kg for 3 sets of 2--These felt brilliant. I have never lifted 110kg in the Snatch position before and I feel stronger and more locked into this exercise every time I perform it. The weight did not feel heavy either. There is a video of my first set below.
3. Power & Squat Clean: Work up to 105kg for 3 sets of 2--Again, a light weight that felt very heavy due to the volume. Humbling to say the least. These got better as they went on and there is a video of the second set below. I focused on keeping a locked back and finishing my extending up, which is what I was not doing with the Snatch.
4. Back Squat: Work up to 140kg for 4 sets of 2--I was pretty fatigued by then and I had to rely on the discipline to get through these. Again, a case of a light weight feeling heavy. The squats got cleaner each set as I became more focused.
Here is a video of my 110 Snatch Pulls, my 105 Power Clean/Squat Clean double and an easy 55kg Clean and Jerk by Gillian who is competing in the women's competition in Austria next weekend. She is looking sharp and ready so I am looking forward to hearing the sound of tumbling records.
Monday 16 February 2009
Saturday's superbonanza
Saturday's session was unlike any I have ever had before. There were four sessions and half an hour in between each session, except for the last one where there was fifteen minutes in between. Harry gave us the sessions and himself and Jimmy Jennings used thier keen eyes to see how we were getting on. Myself, Sami, Laura, Gill, Hans and Cathal Byrd were the test subjects. A number of important factors came to the fore and a few records were set. My legs are still a bit fatigued, but I know that my the battering my cns has taken is not as bad considering the volume training I did last month. Here is what we did:
Session 1: Power Snatch and Clean Pulls--45 minutes
I needed this first session to wake up my nervous system and prepare me for later.
Overhead Squats--4x5
Power Snatch--1x3@40, 50 1x1@60, 70, 80, 85, 90 1x2@75
Clean Pulls--1x3@60, 90 1x2@110, 130
30 minutes rest
Session 2: Snatch to max and Power Cleans--1 hour
Overhead Squat with hip push through--5x3
Snatch--1x2@40 1x1@40, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 100, 104, I then missed 107 twice. The bar was high enough both times and I was low enough, but my feet were too narrow to get me into proper position. 106 is my pb and I really wanted to beat it.
Clean grip pnf x1
Power Cleans--1x2@70 1x1@100, 110, 120, 122, 124--These were strong, fast and high.
30 minutes rest
Session 3: Snatch Pulls and Clean and Jerk to max--1 hour/45 minutes
Snatch Pulls--1x2@50, 80, 95, 105--Like the Clean Pulls, this was only my second time doing this exercise so it will take time to get used to it.
Jerk Skill with 50
Clean grip pnf x1
Clean and Jerk--1x1@50, 70, 90, 110, 120, 130, 138--I got this for a new 3kg pb, so I was delighted and relieved after my Snatch frustration.
15 minute break
Session 4: Back Squat to max
Back Squat--1x3@70 1x2@90 1x1@120, 150, 170--I got buried by this because I went up weight to sharply due to trying to be competitive with Cathal. I learned. I went back down to 160, ten 165, then an easy 170 again where I was much tighter and more ready for the weight. I then got 175 for a 5kg pb. I was very happy with this, particularly because of the previous workload.
And that was it. This session was great. It was fun seeing Cathsal squat 200 weighing in around 70kg, and also seeing Gill squat 115. I chose a selection of the many videos I took and put together this little number below. This session revealed that I need to do the following:
1. My skill warm up needs to focus on the Snatch now, not the Jerk.
2. I need to up teh ante with my hip flexibility and mobility work.
3. I need to stay patient. My Snatch is on a plateau at the moment due to skill, not strength. Once I make it automatic for me to get a wider catching stance, my numbers will go up nicely. If anyone spots anything about my technique on the video, please let me know. I am here to learn.
Saturday's superbonanza from Barry K on Vimeo.
Session 1: Power Snatch and Clean Pulls--45 minutes
I needed this first session to wake up my nervous system and prepare me for later.
Overhead Squats--4x5
Power Snatch--1x3@40, 50 1x1@60, 70, 80, 85, 90 1x2@75
Clean Pulls--1x3@60, 90 1x2@110, 130
30 minutes rest
Session 2: Snatch to max and Power Cleans--1 hour
Overhead Squat with hip push through--5x3
Snatch--1x2@40 1x1@40, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 100, 104, I then missed 107 twice. The bar was high enough both times and I was low enough, but my feet were too narrow to get me into proper position. 106 is my pb and I really wanted to beat it.
Clean grip pnf x1
Power Cleans--1x2@70 1x1@100, 110, 120, 122, 124--These were strong, fast and high.
30 minutes rest
Session 3: Snatch Pulls and Clean and Jerk to max--1 hour/45 minutes
Snatch Pulls--1x2@50, 80, 95, 105--Like the Clean Pulls, this was only my second time doing this exercise so it will take time to get used to it.
Jerk Skill with 50
Clean grip pnf x1
Clean and Jerk--1x1@50, 70, 90, 110, 120, 130, 138--I got this for a new 3kg pb, so I was delighted and relieved after my Snatch frustration.
15 minute break
Session 4: Back Squat to max
Back Squat--1x3@70 1x2@90 1x1@120, 150, 170--I got buried by this because I went up weight to sharply due to trying to be competitive with Cathal. I learned. I went back down to 160, ten 165, then an easy 170 again where I was much tighter and more ready for the weight. I then got 175 for a 5kg pb. I was very happy with this, particularly because of the previous workload.
And that was it. This session was great. It was fun seeing Cathsal squat 200 weighing in around 70kg, and also seeing Gill squat 115. I chose a selection of the many videos I took and put together this little number below. This session revealed that I need to do the following:
1. My skill warm up needs to focus on the Snatch now, not the Jerk.
2. I need to up teh ante with my hip flexibility and mobility work.
3. I need to stay patient. My Snatch is on a plateau at the moment due to skill, not strength. Once I make it automatic for me to get a wider catching stance, my numbers will go up nicely. If anyone spots anything about my technique on the video, please let me know. I am here to learn.
Saturday's superbonanza from Barry K on Vimeo.
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