Our esteemed friend, the Reverend Andy Murphy, has written a guest blog that I hope you folks enjoy.
Some people argue about the use of various hang lifts and the usefulness of such exercises. I believe they have their place for a number of factors.
• Allowing lifters to train when injured
• Providing variation in exercise (the whole variation and injury debacle)
• Making it easier for rugby heads to do the lifts
• Skill work transfer i.e certain lifters are unable to get the bar into the correct position when lifting off the floor therefore getting them into the correct position and then working this starting position down lower until you eventually reach the floor (that’s if you believe in teaching down instead of up which I do most of the time )
• Their ability to target and develop specific strength qualities
I believe the final point is one of the main reasons I include hang lifts in my own training and why they should be included in the training of many others weightlifters and non weightlifters. This is something I have pondered for a long time and from watching hours and hours of lifting and reading various texts on weightlifting, power lifting, bodybuilding and other sports and also from seeing the way other coaches programme.
In the lifts the so called second pull/ where the lifter generates some decent speed on the barbell/ or to quote a famous American lifter where you rip the head off the lion is one of the most important areas for the successful performance of the lift. In the lifts from the floor when the bar enters the area of the “second pull” it is already moving and thus making it move faster is not too hard well should not be too hard anyway or so they say. If we can alter the conditions of the barbell at this position we can directly influence the specific strength qualities that we target. With the use of the many different hang lifts we can manipulate the conditions in which this bar is presented for the “second pull”.
The way we perform the lifts has profound effects on the way we adapt to the lift performed. With the use of various starting conditions we can target specific strength qualities that are required by an athlete or that are lacking. The use of intra- rep pauses in the middle of the lifts whether it is full lifts or pulls or squats to develop starting strength or the use of a quick reflex for lifts from the hang or pulls from the hang to develop speed strength or weightlifting plyometrics.
Intra-rep pauses are where the lifter pauses in the various hang positions either by descending down into this position before pausing or taking the bar from the floor and pausing in this position on the way up before completing the lift the latter I find further shifts the emphasis to building starting strength. It requires a great amount of effort to generate the required force to overcome the less than optimal starting position and complete a successful lift. The repeated use of these techniques enhances the starting strength of the athlete. The use of pauses in the lifts can also further enhance positioning and skill in the lifts as the lifter gets a feel for the correct positions and this is most evident with the use of pause snatches just off the floor or below the knee the lifters becomes familiar and strong in such positions and thus is more likely to hit these correct positions during a full lift. However there are negatives to use of pause such as the development of high amounts of muscular tension in certain positions which may “slow lifters down” and also the worry of lifters breaking the lifts down into two or three phases and pausing in their full lifts. However I believe with the appropriate use of these intra rep pauses in conjunction with bucket loads of full lifts benefits can be gained outweighing the use of bucket loads of full lifts alone.
A further advantage of hang lifts comes in at the other end of the specific strength qualities speed strength. For the optimisation of such qualities it is a requirement that we descend into the hang position and immediately complete the lift utilizing the full benefit of the stretch shortening cycle “plyometric weightlifting” if you may (damn you Poliquin you have written about this before I got to empty my mind. For example you take the bar from the floor with a snatch grip and stand you then descend into a position just below the knee and upon reaching this position immediately perform a full snatch without any pause below the knee. The uses of such techniques are to increase speed of movement. Theoretically practicing at higher speeds should result in the ability to lift or perform at higher speeds. Obviously using a fairly violent reflex at the bottom of the descent or hang is going to put a serious strain/ loading on the lower back but I think if they are done sensibly and introduced slowly can really increase lifting speed without the worry of injury.
Like all assistance lifts I think it is important that they are used as assistance lifts in conjunction with the full lifts and people do not become obsessed with a certain variation that they are very good at it I think if there is a certain variation that you are rubbish at it might be the area you need to address. Obviously there are disadvantages to the use of hang lifts such as lack of specificity (not the same as a full lift in terms of tempo and starting positions), incomplete range motion and many other however I believe with the correct use of hang lifts from various starting positions one can address areas of their lifting and specific strength qualities that are beyond the possibilities with the use of just lifts from the floor.
Note:
Hang = not from the floor it can be from below the knee or at the knee or above each of these have their own merits which I will not touch upon in this waffle
Plyometric= a bastardised term thrown around to mean jumping exercises for the arms and legs
Here is an example of an elite Russian weightlifter working from the hang:
If you have any thoughts on this article or wish to publish some of your own thoughts, please leave a comment below. Thanks again Murph!
Showing posts with label Hang Snatch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hang Snatch. Show all posts
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Thursday 10 June 2010
Wednesday's warrior king: Donny Shankle
This was a great day's training and the inevitable happened: I broke. Training like this exposed my weaknesses and there is absolutely hiding from them. So, I did what I could and will try and fight my way through it.
In the first session on Wednesday, for the majority of it, I felt like I was about to get sick. Not good. My battery was empty and I was running on adrenaline. I started off with the Snatch and worked on doubles up to 90kg and I missed the second rep with 100. I went back down to 90 and then missed the second rep with 95 twice. Embarrassing. I went back down to 90 for a double and left it there. I thought I had nothing left to give, but then I went onto the Clean and Jerk.
In between reps, I tried to stay focused and not get sick all over the gym. I worked up to singles with 120 and I missed the Jerk behind with 125kg. I called it a day for the first session and went and had lunch and a double espresso for the second session. I knew this would be tough, but I came here to push myself, so push I did.
The afternoon session was around three hours later and I started off with Snatch singles and worked up to 100 and I got 105 on the second attempt. I missed 107.5 and after looking at the video, a little part of me died inside. Training outside my usual comfort zone and with volume that I am not used to has pushed me beyond anything I have had so far in my brief weightlifting adventure. I have learned a lot and watching these guys push the envelope every day is both inspiring and is also shows what clean lifters are capable of. However, in an environment like this, your weaknesses get exposed and there is absolutely no hiding place—nor would I want one. My back was rounded worse than a five dollar hooker’s. What has always been my weak point was now kicking my ass and there was very little that I could do about it. I had my moment where I looked at the video in horror and was both embarrassed and appalled. Then Glenn had me do Snatches from a block of two 25’s instead and I did what I could; I was now in a position where I could get proper leverages and I worked up to four singles with 105 and had a good workout. I always knew my back was weak, but my weaknesses in conditioning and my posterior chain were so ruthlessly exposed out here that there is no going back to what I was doing. Quite simply I have to strengthen my back, glutes and hamstrings which is of more immediate importance than squats right now because I am not struggling coming out of Cleans; it is rather keeping proper positions is the problem. When I am fresh and rested, it is not really a problem, but when I am tired, those muscles fatigue the quickest and let me down. I need to sort this out and I will.
After my Snatches, I moved onto the Clean and Jerk and I worked up to singles with 100, 120 and 130. I Cleaned 135 and missed the Jerk. I was irritated with my Cleans, so I went back down to 120, Cleaned it and Jerked it three times lowering it down each time. This felt like the most functional ab exercise I have ever done and it allowed me leave the training hall feeling like I had achieved something I had not done before. Around an hour later, I squatted with Donny and Back Squatted doubles up to 150 and then went for 5 reps with 160kg. I only got four though and two on the second attempt. I then went back down to 150kg and got 5 reps with that. Job done and day over; I was as tired as I have ever been in my weightlifting odyssey, but facts that I already knew were hammered home in as blunt a manner as I actually needed. If I don’t work on my weak points, I will remain weak.
Here is an interview with Glenn Pendlay and hopefuly we can all learn something.
In the first session on Wednesday, for the majority of it, I felt like I was about to get sick. Not good. My battery was empty and I was running on adrenaline. I started off with the Snatch and worked on doubles up to 90kg and I missed the second rep with 100. I went back down to 90 and then missed the second rep with 95 twice. Embarrassing. I went back down to 90 for a double and left it there. I thought I had nothing left to give, but then I went onto the Clean and Jerk.
In between reps, I tried to stay focused and not get sick all over the gym. I worked up to singles with 120 and I missed the Jerk behind with 125kg. I called it a day for the first session and went and had lunch and a double espresso for the second session. I knew this would be tough, but I came here to push myself, so push I did.
The afternoon session was around three hours later and I started off with Snatch singles and worked up to 100 and I got 105 on the second attempt. I missed 107.5 and after looking at the video, a little part of me died inside. Training outside my usual comfort zone and with volume that I am not used to has pushed me beyond anything I have had so far in my brief weightlifting adventure. I have learned a lot and watching these guys push the envelope every day is both inspiring and is also shows what clean lifters are capable of. However, in an environment like this, your weaknesses get exposed and there is absolutely no hiding place—nor would I want one. My back was rounded worse than a five dollar hooker’s. What has always been my weak point was now kicking my ass and there was very little that I could do about it. I had my moment where I looked at the video in horror and was both embarrassed and appalled. Then Glenn had me do Snatches from a block of two 25’s instead and I did what I could; I was now in a position where I could get proper leverages and I worked up to four singles with 105 and had a good workout. I always knew my back was weak, but my weaknesses in conditioning and my posterior chain were so ruthlessly exposed out here that there is no going back to what I was doing. Quite simply I have to strengthen my back, glutes and hamstrings which is of more immediate importance than squats right now because I am not struggling coming out of Cleans; it is rather keeping proper positions is the problem. When I am fresh and rested, it is not really a problem, but when I am tired, those muscles fatigue the quickest and let me down. I need to sort this out and I will.
After my Snatches, I moved onto the Clean and Jerk and I worked up to singles with 100, 120 and 130. I Cleaned 135 and missed the Jerk. I was irritated with my Cleans, so I went back down to 120, Cleaned it and Jerked it three times lowering it down each time. This felt like the most functional ab exercise I have ever done and it allowed me leave the training hall feeling like I had achieved something I had not done before. Around an hour later, I squatted with Donny and Back Squatted doubles up to 150 and then went for 5 reps with 160kg. I only got four though and two on the second attempt. I then went back down to 150kg and got 5 reps with that. Job done and day over; I was as tired as I have ever been in my weightlifting odyssey, but facts that I already knew were hammered home in as blunt a manner as I actually needed. If I don’t work on my weak points, I will remain weak.
Here is an interview with Glenn Pendlay and hopefuly we can all learn something.
Thursday 1 April 2010
Wednesday’s wanderlust
Myself and Zag flew over mid-afternoon to Amsterdam and as usually happens when travelling, had far less time than we imagined to get ready for training. It felt great to be back in the Sportquest gym, and although I could feel the three flights in two days in my bones, I was happy.
We started off with an assessment of our quality of movement. We went on to work on some Overhead Squatting but in between we did various soft tissue release work focusing on our shoulders and pecs as well as some dynamic warm up movements such as a jumping squat and lunge movement. Tom then asked us to perform close grip (hand to hand) overhead squats. It’s a exercise/movement that he uses to analyse how mobile his lifters are from time to time. His lifter Safak had an extremely hyper-mobile back & shoulder girdle. Myself and Zag obviously need some work in this area.
We then went on to the Hang Snatch so that we could work on our catch. The main coaching point was to keep the back locked throughout the pull and the catch. Neither myself or Zag were doing this properly; both us of had the habit of keeping it relatively tight throughout the pull, relaxing on the way down and then locking it again. We also both have the habit of jutting our chin out throughout the pull and the catch and this causes the body to be out of line and also makes the catch harder. He was telling me in particular, to adjust the chin at the bottom of each rep so that it becomes automatic. I worked up to four doubles with 90 and Zag worked up to four singles with 80.
The Hang Power Clean and Squat Jerk were next. Again, neither of us were used to the Hang Power Clean and we had never performed the Squat Jerk before. One thing the latter movement is really excellent for is keeping the back tight throughout the catch. Any time I relaxed my back and shoulders at all, the barbell fell to the floor. After 15 minutes of this movement where I worked up to a few singles with 90, my basic movement skills and co-ordination were shot. The workout was pretty late and the travelling had both of us in a slightly altered state.
The last two things we did were an exercise that is like a Good Morning Lunge for a few very light sets and abdominal routine. Tom did some soft tissue work at the end where he rinsed out all around my hip area and my adductors—which are slightly bruised today!—and my hips felt the looser for it. I think it will take another day or two until I am at my sharpest, but we are both really glad we came over as there is a lot to try and learn in five days. Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.
We started off with an assessment of our quality of movement. We went on to work on some Overhead Squatting but in between we did various soft tissue release work focusing on our shoulders and pecs as well as some dynamic warm up movements such as a jumping squat and lunge movement. Tom then asked us to perform close grip (hand to hand) overhead squats. It’s a exercise/movement that he uses to analyse how mobile his lifters are from time to time. His lifter Safak had an extremely hyper-mobile back & shoulder girdle. Myself and Zag obviously need some work in this area.
We then went on to the Hang Snatch so that we could work on our catch. The main coaching point was to keep the back locked throughout the pull and the catch. Neither myself or Zag were doing this properly; both us of had the habit of keeping it relatively tight throughout the pull, relaxing on the way down and then locking it again. We also both have the habit of jutting our chin out throughout the pull and the catch and this causes the body to be out of line and also makes the catch harder. He was telling me in particular, to adjust the chin at the bottom of each rep so that it becomes automatic. I worked up to four doubles with 90 and Zag worked up to four singles with 80.
The Hang Power Clean and Squat Jerk were next. Again, neither of us were used to the Hang Power Clean and we had never performed the Squat Jerk before. One thing the latter movement is really excellent for is keeping the back tight throughout the catch. Any time I relaxed my back and shoulders at all, the barbell fell to the floor. After 15 minutes of this movement where I worked up to a few singles with 90, my basic movement skills and co-ordination were shot. The workout was pretty late and the travelling had both of us in a slightly altered state.
The last two things we did were an exercise that is like a Good Morning Lunge for a few very light sets and abdominal routine. Tom did some soft tissue work at the end where he rinsed out all around my hip area and my adductors—which are slightly bruised today!—and my hips felt the looser for it. I think it will take another day or two until I am at my sharpest, but we are both really glad we came over as there is a lot to try and learn in five days. Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.
Thursday 8 October 2009
Thursday's tactile learning environment
I had an enjoyable session this evening and I was working on a few things I mentioned in yesterday's post. I warmed up with some bodyweight squats, my glute pre hab and some bar work. My scooping point was still bruised, so I performed Hang Snatches from below the knee again.
Hang Snatch from below the knee--1x3@40, 40, 50 1x2@60, 70, 80, 90, 95
1x2@100, 103--I got the first rep with this twice but I could not get the second rep. I was trying to extend up as much as possible and I tried to keep my wrists relaxed and flexible, which really allowed me to sit in the bottom position of the Snatch in order to get my balance. I have never been able to do this before.
Jerk from behind the neck--1x2@70, 70, 90, 110, 120, 130--I missed the second rep and got both the next time. 1x1@140, 150--I missed 150 twice. The first time it was because I dipped forward, the second time I just lacked enough punch.
Power Cleans--1x2@80, 80, 90, 100,110, 115--The second rep on my last set was caught below parallel as the video below shows.
Clean Deadlift--1x2@120, 130, 140, 150, 150--I was trying to keep my back flat, but my upper back arch was not as tight as I wanted it to be, which was a bit annoying. I wanted to go a little heavier, but there is no point unless I get it right with 150. I have to leave the ego at the door.
That was it. Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.
Hang Snatch from below the knee--1x3@40, 40, 50 1x2@60, 70, 80, 90, 95
1x2@100, 103--I got the first rep with this twice but I could not get the second rep. I was trying to extend up as much as possible and I tried to keep my wrists relaxed and flexible, which really allowed me to sit in the bottom position of the Snatch in order to get my balance. I have never been able to do this before.
Jerk from behind the neck--1x2@70, 70, 90, 110, 120, 130--I missed the second rep and got both the next time. 1x1@140, 150--I missed 150 twice. The first time it was because I dipped forward, the second time I just lacked enough punch.
Power Cleans--1x2@80, 80, 90, 100,110, 115--The second rep on my last set was caught below parallel as the video below shows.
Clean Deadlift--1x2@120, 130, 140, 150, 150--I was trying to keep my back flat, but my upper back arch was not as tight as I wanted it to be, which was a bit annoying. I wanted to go a little heavier, but there is no point unless I get it right with 150. I have to leave the ego at the door.
That was it. Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.
Tuesday 6 October 2009
Monday's medicine
Here is a short video of some of the other lifts that I have from Saturday. Unfortunately, I only have a few lifts because I was helping the Leinster ladies with the Clean and Jerk portion of their lifts because Sami was warming up.
I had my usual training session on Monday. My scooping point for the Snatch was sore from Saturday--which meant that I had changed it slightly because I was not staying over the bar long enough in my eargerness to initiate the pull. This meant that I performed Hang Snatches from below the knee. This forced me to stay over the bar better and as such, get my natural scooping point. I worked up to singles with 100, 103 and 105, which I missed forst and then got.
I then went onto Power Cleans and I went up to singles with 115 and 120, which I only Squat Cleaned. They felt good though and I was focusing on getting as quick a catch as possible. I was supposed to do a Power Clean and Squat Clean combination, but I was happy to take some of the volume out for this session.
I worked up to a double with 150 in the Back Squat and I left it at that. Ten minutes of stretching and I was done. I enjoyed the session and I am already looking forward to the run up to the Northern Ireland Open in five and a half weeks. Here is a short video of some of my lifts in this session.
I had my usual training session on Monday. My scooping point for the Snatch was sore from Saturday--which meant that I had changed it slightly because I was not staying over the bar long enough in my eargerness to initiate the pull. This meant that I performed Hang Snatches from below the knee. This forced me to stay over the bar better and as such, get my natural scooping point. I worked up to singles with 100, 103 and 105, which I missed forst and then got.
I then went onto Power Cleans and I went up to singles with 115 and 120, which I only Squat Cleaned. They felt good though and I was focusing on getting as quick a catch as possible. I was supposed to do a Power Clean and Squat Clean combination, but I was happy to take some of the volume out for this session.
I worked up to a double with 150 in the Back Squat and I left it at that. Ten minutes of stretching and I was done. I enjoyed the session and I am already looking forward to the run up to the Northern Ireland Open in five and a half weeks. Here is a short video of some of my lifts in this session.
Saturday 4 April 2009
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.
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.
Monday 9 February 2009
Monday's magic
I had a good technical session tonight where I was able to work on my weak points. Sami came back from South Africa so I was able to train with him and it was nice for a change in venue and routine. I really worked on getting a wider foot stance in the Snatch and in the Jerk I really focused on driving myself under the bar, despite the light weights. Sami worked on pulling himself under in the Snatch and generating speed in the Jerk I did the following:
Jerk skill with the bar
A very comprehensive warm up with a lot of flexibility and mobility drills.
Overhead Squats--6x3--At the bottom of the last rep in each set, Sami forced my hips down to get a better stretch at the bottom. This will really help me get a better position at the bottom.
1 Drop Snatch/ 1 Hang Snatch/ 1 Full Snatch--1x3@40, 40, 50
Hang Snatch--1x1@60, 70, 80, 85
Jerk Skill work with 60
2 Clean grip PNF's
Power Clean and Jerk--1x1@60, 70, 80, 90
Glute Ham Raise--3x3
Single Leg Extension--3x5--Did this in the glute ham machine. I will video this next time so that everyone can see it. This is excellent for the posterior chain.
Sit-Ups--3x8--Unanchored and without momentum or hip flexor involvement--This is really hard!
Flexibility
I finished with a stretch in the pool and 15 minutes in the steam room and 5 minutes in the jacuzzi to help recover from the weekend. Here is a video of some of our lifts this evening:
Jerk skill with the bar
A very comprehensive warm up with a lot of flexibility and mobility drills.
Overhead Squats--6x3--At the bottom of the last rep in each set, Sami forced my hips down to get a better stretch at the bottom. This will really help me get a better position at the bottom.
1 Drop Snatch/ 1 Hang Snatch/ 1 Full Snatch--1x3@40, 40, 50
Hang Snatch--1x1@60, 70, 80, 85
Jerk Skill work with 60
2 Clean grip PNF's
Power Clean and Jerk--1x1@60, 70, 80, 90
Glute Ham Raise--3x3
Single Leg Extension--3x5--Did this in the glute ham machine. I will video this next time so that everyone can see it. This is excellent for the posterior chain.
Sit-Ups--3x8--Unanchored and without momentum or hip flexor involvement--This is really hard!
Flexibility
I finished with a stretch in the pool and 15 minutes in the steam room and 5 minutes in the jacuzzi to help recover from the weekend. Here is a video of some of our lifts this evening:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)