New Phase - Day 1

Today was day #1 of the new phase "Road to Nationals." I am not sure if I was still sore from my Saturday session but my body is still sore and will be for the next 8 weeks. Today started with some snatch dubs at 80% with some Box jump fun to top it all off. I would have to say I forgot how fun/hard box jumps are. It has been a while since I have done a non loaded explosive exercise such as a box jump. Moving my body Vs. Moving an external load was a much different shock to my body. I would have to say that I am going to be sore tomorrow and I am very excited about that.

Training Today:

Snatch 6x2 @ 80% 102k

Box Jump 6x3 @ 42"

Hanging Leg raises 3x10

Snatch felt great today, had a great pull and focused on getting my shoulders back behind the bar for the pull. I was able to go 12 for 12 with the lifts today and everyday that I can go without a miss is a win in my book. Box jumps felt great I do believe that next time I will be able to jump to a higher box.

Another day of training down and one step closer to the goal!

Stress Reliever

Sometimes there nothing that can  help relieve than a great training session. Today was one of those days. This week was long, stressful, and tiring but I knew that today was going to be a deciding factor into how my next 8 weeks was going to stack up. The training session consisted of solitude with a little bar slamming mixed in. There really is nothing that compares to the feeling of snatching and Slamming the bar to the ground to help decrease stress levels.
Today was a lighter training session.

Training:
Snatch 5x1 @80%
Clean and Jerk 5x1 @80%
Back Squat - Heavy Triple

Snatch
5x1 100k

Clean Jerk
5x1 125k

Back squat  x3
120x3 Warm Up
160x3
170x3
180x3

Overall the training day felt awesome and was well needed. Having missed two days of training this week I was in need of a good session. Weights felt light, Bottom position felt great, Jerk felt spot on today, and back squat felt somewhat easy.

Solitude is key sometimes

Good Eye! Seeing the little things

Today I was able to get a training session in. I was unable to train the past two days due to my schedule. Today the focus was on getting some good reps in at 80%. I am lucky to have a coach who can see small things that I am doing wrong in my lifts. Today while snatching he noticed that I was not getting my shoulders behind the bar during my second pull. I was getting over the bar great but my shoulder stayed on top of the bar rather than behind it. This minor few degrees was causing my to loop the bar slightly. The small loop could have been the reason why I missed my 125k snatch in the meet. I give the credit to Ben Carter for seeing this minor compensation I was doing.

Snatch
3x1 85% 90k
Worked on Pulling bar in tight to the body and shoulders behind the bar. Once I was able to feel what my Coach was telling me I had some great reps. I was finally able to Pull with my heels on the ground getting a better vertical movement of the bar and faster movement under the bar as well.

Clean and Jerk
3x1 80% 125k

Cleans felt great and very easy! The new jerk grip is coming along just fine. I am starting to get much more comfortable with the wider grip and more stable as well. I know that big this are coming for me. as long as I can stay patient, determined, and disciplined.

Teaching The Power Clean Part 2

Part 2: Teaching the Movement

Olympic Weightlifting includes the "Snatch" and the "Clean and Jerk." These are explosive lifts involving maximal loads, which are moved at high velocities. It is common for athletes to lift loads that are well beyond their body weight, which creates a need for well-developed training routines to avoid injury while maximizing production. There are, of course, several methods that can be followed to develop effective and efficient Olympic Movements (Snatch/Clean and Jerk) and no one method is necessarily the "right" approach. When teaching these lifts to athletes who are utilizing the movements to increase the ability to create high levels of force rapidly. The most effective methods, however, focus on four priorities: Time, The "Big Three” (Part 1), Technique and Tuning.

Time:

Great weightlifting coaching is patient. New athletes need to spend time with an "empty" (no added weight) bar for weeks or months. The movement of the bar in Olympic lifts needs to be practiced and perfected before any significant weight is added. Both the lifter and the coach need to be confident the bar will travel along a strategic path every time. Otherwise, the athlete will hesitate, over exert or push vital joints out of alignment.

There are four phases (Movements) to every Olympic lift:

1.   Pulling Position to Eccentric RDL.

2.     Eccentric RDL to Pulling Position.

3.     Pull (Clean/ Snatch)

4.     Catch (Transition from Pull to Receiving bar)

Each phase must be mastered through patient rehearsal before it can be integrated with the others in a fluid lifting motion. The most effective way to master each phase is through time with the bar. Just as a computer takes time to load new software, it takes time to load the patterns of motion into the lifter's muscular hardware. Over time, these patterns of motion will be imprinted in the mind and muscles of the athlete with each and every practice run.

The bar is a lifter's best friend. It is the connection point between the weight and the athlete's body. The athlete will "feel" the balance and shifts of the weight through the round metal so every successful lifter develops an intimate relationship with the bar. This can only be discovered through time and repetition.

The Big Three:

The process of developing an Olympic weightlifter begins with teaching “The Big Three.”

1.     Stance:

2.     Grip:

3.     Posture:

When, and only when, the athlete understands and can demonstrate proficiency with the big three should he/she proceed to learning the lifting technique.

Technique:

The goal throughout the lifting motion is to keep the bar as close to the body as possible. The bar becomes an extension of the athlete as he/she learns to load the appropriate muscles in preparation for each phase of the lift. Proper technique will equip the lifter to make progress with less effort and fewer injuries. Poor technique will fatigue the athlete while increasing the possibility of doing damage. There are four phases to every Olympic lift and every phase has a prescribed technique that enables the lifter to overcome gravity and produce power.

Phase 1: Pulling Position to Eccentric RDL.

The pulling position or Big Three is the beginning stance of every lift. Spreading the chest, gripping the bar, and inhaling to create stiffness the athlete has prepared the body for the lift. The movement is initiated by driving the hips back into hip flexion eccentrically loading the hamstring keeping the bar tight to the legs and chest over the bar reaching the top of the patella. If an athlete has not developed either the skill or the discipline to load into the correct starting position, there can be complications with the lift and the lifter should be discouraged from progressing further into the lift until this phase is mastered. Failure to load the posterior chain can cause anterior shifting of the barbell and the athlete, which can lead to failure in the lifts or injury to the athlete.

Phase 2: Eccentric RDL to Pulling Position.

Once the athlete can properly hold the RDL position it is vital to reverse the pattern back to the hips. Once the athlete must slide the bar back towards the hips using the hamstring and glutes to extend the hips. If the athlete does not possess the necessary strength to hold the chest over the bar and maintain a tight torso during this movement complications may occur during the lift. The hamstring and glutes must be the prime movers in this portion of the lift. When this movement is done correctly the athlete should hold their chest over the bar as it slides back towards the hips. The shoulders and hips are moving as one unit during this lift allowing for momentum to build for the explosive portion of the lift. This is where most of the complications develop. It is common for athletes to shift their knees anteriorly when the bar is being transferred back towards the hips, which transfers the load into the quads instead of the hamstrings. The weight shifts away from the glutes and hamstrings causing the bar to loop away from the body during the lift increasing the risk of injury for the athlete.

Phase 3: Pull (Clean)

When the athlete is able to hold the full RDL position, it is time to teach the fun part of the movement. The athlete shifts back into the “Pulling Position” with the glutes, hamstrings and shoulders loaded and ready to move the bar violently and vertically. The bar is then put into motion with an explosive Triple Extension of the hips, knees, and plantar flexion of the ankle. Once the athlete has mastered the movement of the Pull it is vital to review how the bar travels from the RDL into the Pull. If there is a pause between the movements there will be a decrease in bar momentum and decrease in force productions. Keeping the bar close to the body while extending the hips to the pulling position then violently “Pulling” the bar vertically will increase the athletes ability to move higher loads safely. This transition from the RDL to the Pull is termed the “Second Pull.”

Phase 4: Catch (Transition from Pull to Receiving bar)

The catch is the hardest portion of the movement for an athlete to learn. It will take time and many repetitions for the athlete to transfer the bar to the chest (Clean and Jerk) or overhead (Snatch). The catch is formulated by a series of motions that must occur simultaneously.  As the bar is accelerating vertically the athlete "pulls" his/her body under the bar. During this transition the feet of the athlete will shuffle from the pulling position to a receiving position.

The receiving position is stable and allows the body to receive the force of the barbell. The elbows will be parallel to the ground with the hands slightly outside of the shoulders. The shoulders will be placed into external rotation and shrugging against the bar to create separation. The bar should be resting on a pillow of muscle created by the anterior deltoid creating separation fro the clavicles. The torso should be rigid with the core braced for receiving the load. Hips and knees are flexed with the feet flat. The load of the barbell should transfer from the chest to the heels if the body is in the correct receiving position.

A common misconception is that this motion requires jumping to get into position. When the athlete reaches full extension the bar will become weightless. From there the athlete actively pull themselves under the bar shuffling the feet in the process to the correct position of stability. When transitioning into the catch position it is vital that the elbows rotate into the correct position with extreme speed. Slow elbow motion around the bar puts undue stress on the wrists making them vulnerable to injury. The torso must remain rigid throughout the entire movement and as close to vertical as possible to absorb the forces that are generated by the accelerated bar. These forces are transferred from the bar through the body and to the ground. If the torso becomes lax or twists, there is a greater chance for injury and a loss of momentum with the bar, which will make it harder to transition to the clean.

Tuning:

Once the athlete has mastered each portion of the movement, weight can be added and gradually increased. As progress is made, bad habits will be discovered and weaknesses in the technique will become evident. Persistent adjustments will guide the athlete on a path of consistent progress. Making video tapes of lifts and asking others to review your technique will create an atmosphere of continual progress. The ultimate goal is to be able to perform the same movement whether there is 10k or 110k on the bar. Since every lifter is an imperfect person, there will always be room for improvement but every athlete can "tune" their technique to add strength and increase their personal records year after year.

Part 3 Coming Soon.

Unload/ Snatch Today

This week is going to be a transition week for myself and the other lifter at Bluegrass Barbell. Coming off the "High" of competition you are always eager to get into the gym and hit that next PR! Well that is where a good coach comes in. Coach Ben Carter does a good job at reeling us all back in and allowing adaptation to occur. With the constant "Push Push Push" of Weightlifting there needs to be a time for that stimulus to turn into success. Unloading weeks will allow the body to "Super-compensate" to the stress that is placed upon it. This is where the General Adaptation Syndrome  (GAS) coming to place. With any high level of training the body will adapt to the stress placed upon it. There will be a point where the body starts to be negatively impacted by this stress. When this happens there needs to be a point in training where the body must rest and allow adaptation to occur.

Last week and this week are both two types of deload weeks. Last week was a short taper week to allow my body to feel weight but focus on moving weight with higher velocity. This week is a back off week with Load, the volume is moderately high but with a focus on the quality of each movement.

Training today:
Snatch 6x3 @70% 
6x3 @ 92k
Today was a fantastic day of training. Managed to get by without missing a rep today, which is very exciting for me! I have been struggling with the placement of the snatch, the movement off the floor and how my body is interacting with the bar. I was able to manage my bar path, sweeping the bar in tight to the body and finishing my pulls with each rep.

Snatch Pulls 6x3 @85%
6x3 @ 110k
Pulls felt great today, weight in the heel and mid foot coming off the floor, Lats tight, and a clean brush at the hip for the 2nd pull.

Each day is a day that can be chalked up as a learning experience in the race of life. I look at each day as a chance to get better and impact myself and the other lifters around me.

Bluegrass Barbell Open

   Today was a great day of weight moving, bar slamming, PR setting Weightlifting. I had a great time competing today with some fellow lifters. We had a packed house with a great crowd to support the lifters . I had the pleasure to battle back and forth with some great liters. Wil Fleming, Jacob Flint, and myself battled in the snatch and clean and jerk. Had a great time lifting with those guys. It ended up that Jake got the best lifter award going 5:6 with some massive PR's and a Qualification to nationals.

My goals going into the meet today:
Snatch 120/125
Clean and Jerk 160/165

Outcome
Went 2:3 Snatch 117/ 122/ 125 Miss
Clean 1:3 155/ Missed 161 Jerk Behind/ Missed 161 Jerk in front.
Total 277

 I am not mad about not qualifying for nations today. I got a Meet PR in the Snatch with 122k, opened the Clean and jerk with a 3k increase from last meet. Switched my jerk grip 3 training session ago and only jerked twice with heavy load, so all in all I am very happy with how today went. Going to get back to lifting some heavy weight and getting those PR's I have been searching for. Only time can make me  the lifter I know I can be... and time is all I have.

Videos Below from today.

122 Snatch

155 Clean and Jerk

161 Clean and Jerk- Miss Behind

161 Clean and Jerk -Miss Front

Taper Week

This week has been a very long week of decreased volume. My workouts have been very easy and very light. During a taper week it is very common for light weight to feel almost too easy and some of the lifts feel disconnected. I have been trying to increase my sleep every night to make sure I am well rested for the meet this weekend.
Taper:
Day 1
3x1 80% Snatch Opener
3x1 80 % CJ Opener

Day 2 Off
Day 3
3x1 75% Snatch Opener
3x1 70 % CJ Opener

Day 4
3x1 70% Snatch Opener
3x1 65% CJ Opener

This week has been so boring for training! I have figured out that it takes a lot of time for you body to feel good on a de-load week. When you are pushing hard for 6-8 weeks lifting maximally 90% of the time, The body doesn't like to feel light weight and I have been sore all week. Back started to hurt, Quads sore, Knees ache, and shoulders are cranky. Finally the day before the meet I am feeling good. Last training session last night felt great, Bars moving fast, snatch felt great, clean and jerk felt almost amazing. I am hoping for great things this weekend!
Goals: Snatch 122-125/ CJ 160-165.

Clean Pull + Clean

Today was a grind to get through, a great lifting session but still a grind. After two days off (unplanned)  I was really hoping for a great session. I had a necessary session that was full of weights moving and bars slamming.

Training
Clean Pull + Pull 6x1+1

50 3x1+1
70 2x1+1
90 x1+1
100  x1+1
110  x1+1
120  x1+1
130  x1+1
140  x1+1
150 x1+1

Goal was to get to 150 and was hoping to get a few sets in at that weight. I was not feeling the best coming off the ground and was very low on energy so decided to cal it there.

Power Clean 3x2
125 3x2

Shoulder work to help with over head stability in jerk. I have been having some issues with my Teres Minor.  Bluegrass Club lift tomorrow night!

Week 2 Day 1: Snatch Work

Coming off a great week of training last week I was hoping for a great day of Snatches. I have been struggling to connect my snatch. Pulling too early, Cutting the pull off, Looping the bar, Over pulling, and Being soft in the hole. You name it i have done it. I am focusing on staying back on my heels, allowing the bar to flow up my hip and creating momentum that will allow the bar to fly past my head.
Training is a day to day process, some days are great, some days are awful. As long as I can keep my head up, My shoes on, Knees sleeves full a sweat, and hand chalked I will be on my way to my goals.
Training Today:

Snatch Pull + Snatch 6x1+1
Bar work
50 2x1+1
70 2x1+1
80 x1+1
90  x1+1
100  x1+1 Miss Behind
100  x1+1 Miss In front 
Could not find my rhythm at 100k today
105  x1+1
110  x1+1
110  x1+1
115  x1+1

Hang Snatch - Below Knee
3x2
95 k 3x2
All Solid

Everyday is a challenge when things are not going great!

Bluegrass Barbell Big week

170kg Clean PR/ Birthday Lift: Great Week of Training

Today makes the day that I finally met a goal! I can now officially mark of my list: Clean 170kg. Today is also the day that I turn 27. It has been a great birthday. Wife made me a fantastic breakfast, Trained for 2.5 Hours, Hit a PR, and  now going to be around friends and family to celebrate.

Training today consisted of Clean and Jerk (Jerk was taken out due to shoulders being a little upset).
Clean and Jerk:
Bar x10
50k x1
70 x1
90 x1
100x1
110 x1
120 x1 (Shoulders started to act up)
120 x1 Moved Faster under the jerk
130 x1 Hit the jerk decided

Clean Max
140 x1
150 x1
160 x1
167 x1 (PR 2k)
170 x1 (PR 5K)

Back Squat 3x3
165 x3
170 2x3

It was a long training session but full of PR's. A few of my Teammates hit a few PR's or at the least had a great lift as well. Dan Worked on moving under the bar faster, and saw some marked improvements in that. Coach Ben is tapering for the Arnold Classic next weekend. Chad blew up 250kg Box Squat today! (Wish I could Squat like Chad). All in all it was a great week of training and a fantastic training session today to top it all off.

Bluegrass Team Lift

Bluegrass barbell team lift #1! great training session tonight. It is always a great lifting session when success is in the air. Like I said . Great things will be happening this year. Day 3 of the new program was a great lift. Cleans from the hang and power cleans from the floor.I finally got my new knee sleeves in! very excited that m Tommy Kono Knee Sleeves came in and got to test the waters today with them. If you are a serious lifters i now know why every lifter should have some. It was heaven surrounding my knees during the lift.

Cleans - hang below knee 6x1
Bar work to begin.
50 4x1
70 3x1
80 x1
90x1
100 x1
110 x1
120x1 
130x1
135 x1
140 x1
145 x1 
150 x1

Power Clean - Floor 3x2
124 3x2

Below are some videos from the training session. 140/145/150 clean.

2-21-13 Team Lift Bluegrass barbell

Power Jerk!

Today training consisted of all power jerks! Light day only 1 movement trained but the goal was quality. Got the chance to make it to bluegrass barbell today to jerk off the boxes today. Life is so much better when you can drop weight to giant wooden boxes. Day two of the program was Power Jerks for max 2. I had a good feeling going into the training session and I was right. I was extremely sore coming into today's session. Yesterday was a rough session and it came haunt me all day. Breakdown:

Power Jerks
Bar work
50 x2
50x5 press to warm the shoulders up a bit more!
70x2
80x2
90x2
100x2
110x2
120x2
130x2
135 x2
140x2
145x1 press out so I stopped.

Was very happy with how the training session went today. Tom was doing some split jerks with me and we was blowing them up. All around great short session for me and bluegrass.

The beginning- New Program form Coach Carter!

Today marks the beginning of a new phase. Got my program from Coach Ben Carter! Today was a huge training session and I am feeling it! Warm up consisted of some 4" PVC pipe Rolling/ Hip Mobility/ T-Spine Mobility/ Ankle mobility. Grabbed a bar and became one with my bar!


2 Snatch Pull + Snatch
Warm up
50/ 70/80 x 2+1
6x2+1
90 2+1 Solid
95 2+1
100 2+1 Miss in front Rushed the Pull
100 2+1 perfect Stayed on the Heels
105 2+1
110 2+1 Shaky in the hole.

3x3 Hang Snatch Below Knee
89k 3x3
First 2 were perfect each set hand a hard time stabilizing the 3rd snatch each set.
May have to do with a lack of conditioning.

Front Squat 
3x3 150k
This squat session today felt very heavy! Hit all three sets but my legs felt as if i ran a marathon.

Jerk Front Dip Drives
3x3 165
I though that squat felt heavy but 165 felt like 195 today. Struggled through the jerk drives. Tried to stay back on my heels and tight down and back up.

Tomorrow will be a lighter day and looking forward to it.

Confidence booster

Every once in a while a lifter needs their confidence boosted! Today was one of those days! I had envisioned a 120 snatch today. Testing the waters to see where I was when it comes to max outs. I started warming up and felt great I have noticed that I am not exactly where I want to be. Pulling from the floor I am having a tendency of rushing into the pull.
Snatch
50 5x1
70 3x1
80x1
90x1
100x1
110x1
112x1
115 4x1

Now is when the confidence booster came I to play! I grabbed the some pulling blocks to but the bar where I knew I could succeed. With the bar now elevated right at me knees I grabbed my straps gripped the bar and applied some force.
Snatch - block at knee
70x1
90x1
100x1
110x1
115x1
120 (3x1) missed 1 on front 1 behind 1 perfect.
130 3x1 all attempts for fun and wanted to see where I was. I came very close on a couple of attempts just couldn't commit to getting my head through. Soon 130 will be mine again and I will keep pressing on!

Thanks to justin for my post training session massage! Back is feeling great now!

Snatch Pulls!

This has been a very intense week for training. A lot of attempts at 90-95% on both lifts. My shoulders are in shambles as of today. What makes this sport amazing in my eyes is there is always a way to get training in. I have been struggling with maintaining my shoulders healthy for many years. It has been a problem when I have high volumes of overhead stability. The issue with that is; I need to perfect my jerk that is the limiting factor in my competitions but cant work in it as much with pain. I can only train through so much pain before it really gets to me. With that being said I was able to get Pulls in. I am able to get almost the same benefits out of pulls as I do the true lifts.

Snatch Pulls:
2x4 50/70
2x3 80/90
3x2 100/110/110
5x1 120
5x1 125
5x1 130

My goal was to stay in the upper range of my snatch. I wanted to get the majority of my pulls in at 90-100% of my old Snatch 1RM. I was feeling great moving the bar. I was really focusing on trying to keep my chest over the bar, keeping my feet flat as the bar transitioned to my hips. From that position extending the hips and getting as tall as possible. I had a few reps at 120 that felt as if i had a superman pull (Jon North Term). Really trying to load the hips as the bar transitions into the 2nd pull to forcefully move it vertically. I have been missing a lot of my lifts in front which is telling me that I need to finish my pulls and not be in such a rush to get under the bar. Making strides everyday in training. Long road ahead of me, I plan o being in this iron game for many years to come and I can only get better from here.

Shout out to a fellow team member Chase McDaniel who hit a Clean and Jerk PR! Link Below
 Chase Clean and Jerk PR 110k

Double session training- pm session Bluegrass Barbell!

Training today was a very rough and tiring day! Double session today snatch in the morning session clean and jerk in the evening.
Snatch
The goal for snatch today was 2 waves that went 85/90/95 x1.
Opening up I had great warm up reps. Working my way up to 85% I knew I was going to have a great day! Then bam hit a wall like a crash test dummy.
105 hit
110 hit
117 miss
110 hit
115 miss
110 miss
112 hit
115 hit
117 miss 5 in a row! I did not want to give up on this weight. I know if I stopped I would have a hard time mentally getting over the weight! Got angry and ripped the bar off the floor, finished the pull, drove my body into the bottom and finally hit it!
117 hit!

Clean and jerk PM session
For my evening session I was able to go train with my Coach at Bluegrass Barbell. I was looking forward to this session all day. My goal was to work up to my opener 152. After warming up I knew my bicep tendon was not going to let me perform to the best of my ability. I also found out that I need to work more on my jerk. My coach pointed out that I am having a hard time staying in the correct line when driving though the jerk. Lifts started out well.
90 clean jerk
100 clean jerk
110 clean
120 clean jerk
130 ran jerk
135 clean jerk
140 clean jerk
145 clean missed jerk
130 clean jerk
135 clean jerk
140 clean jerk
Power cleans floor
100 3x1
110 3x1
120 2x1
130 2x1
I wanted to get the most out of this double session so that is why I added in the power cleans at the end. I was physically feeling great in my lower body but I couldn't handle any more over head stability. Tomorrow is going to be a great off day and full of recovery and hopefully a massage!

The Start to a Rough Week! Heave press/ Back Squats

This weeks training is a Higher volume/ Higher Intensity training week. My goal is to get around 20 reps of Snatch and Clean and Jerk over 90%. It is also going to be a big week of squatting. Toady's lift was a grinder it took about 2hrs to finally get though. Had some waves today, Waved Heave press and Back Squat.
Heave Press: Did not go how I wanted it to go. I have been having some issues with my bottom position in the squat when i get over 80%. I decide it was time to switch it up and work on my weaknesses for a little. Here is how that turned out.
Worked up too 80% of snatch Max
105 x1
110 x1
117 x1Miss
122 x1Miss
110 x1Miss
117 x1Make
122 x1 Make

After watching some footage I had a hard time keeping the weight in my heels. Missed in front on way too may reps. I had planned on this exercise helping me and it turned out to be more frustrating than anything.

Back Squat
160 x3
170 x3
175 x3
165 x3
172 x2
180 x3 (2 Make Missed Last rep)

Back squat was a long session in itself. I had 6 sets and it felt like I was Squatting for days. I had a very had time keeping my mind in the squatting workout. I decided to put my big boy pants on and put a goal in my head for the day. This week is going to be full of ups and down but as long as I can keep my mind on the prize (Nationals).

Light Day!

I went and spoke at the NSCA KY state Conference today with fellow Performance Specialist Eric Hammer. We discussed Power Development for athletes and it went awesome.

Today was all about moving some light weight and recovering. This is a recovery week for me in preparation for a very intense week next week. High levels of volume with high levels of load.

Lift:
Snatch/ Clean jerk 3x1 80%

Snatch
50 x1
70 x1
80 x1
90x1
100x1
105 4x1 (Missed one in Front) Youtube
I decided to do 1 extra single in snatch because I missed one in front from not being patient. My last attempt was much better.

Clean and Power Jerk/Jerk
I started out doing Clean + Power Jerk. Worked all the way up to 132 (80%) with that.
 Clean and Power Jerk :
90 x1
100 x1
110 x1
120 x1
132 x1

Clean and Jerk
132 2x1 Youtube

I have come to realize that almost all Lifters are very messy when they are training I took this Picture below. I figured out that it is just easier to have the weights close by but it takes forever to clean up at the end of a training session. Talk about great GPP work.

Before

After

Team Bluegrass Barbell -Pulls/ Jerks (PR)

This has been an up and down week. Only got to train twice this week but I am now an official member of Bluegrass Barbell Lifting Club with Coach Ben Carter. I am very excited for the future for me and my club. We have a lot of new lifters who keep getting better everyday they step on the platform. Coach Carter is doing a great job with his team and I am very excited to be a part of it. Stay tuned for training updates and videos from myself and my fellow teammates. (Videos on Blog)

Training day number two for the week. I was more or less forced into taking a recovery week from an overall frequency standpoint. With that in mind i wanted to get the most of my training day.
Snatch Pulls and Clean Pulls followed by BN Split Jerk.

Snatch Pulls:Floor/ Hang
2x4 80/90
2x3 100/110
2x2 120/130
4x1 130/140/140/130

Clean Pulls: Floor /Hang
1x4 130
5x2 140/140/150/160/170

BN Split Jerk x1
90 x1
100 x1
110 x1
120 x1
130 x1
140x1
150 x1 (Miss)
150 x1
160 x1
170 x1 (Miss)

I was hoping for a good day of training so I could be in a better mood. It turned out to be a great day of training. Hitting a 3k Pr in the BN Split Jerk. I had 170 just could not hold the lock out. In a week or so that 170 will be a thing of the past.

Coach Ben Carter's Youtube Page (Bluegrass BB Lifters)

Farrel Youtube Training 

Bluegrass Barbell Facebook

Snatch day...

Today was the first training day of the week for me... Not planned that way...
Sometimes work and life get in the way of the true fun things we get to do... Like training for Olympic lifting. I have been preparing for a talk I am giving on Saturday at the NSCA Kentucky state conference on Power development on athletes.

Training today consisted of snatches!
Warm up was pretty normal- bar work turn the posterior chain on an move weight!
Snatch
The plan was 3x1 @ 90% (117)
What happened was ... Misses all over the place!!
50 x5
70x3
80x1
90x1
Then out of nowhere I could not hit a snatch to save my life. I missed behind &in front 100x1 (2 misses in a row)
Took a moment gathered my self stopped yelling at the bar and attempted 110. Boom perfect snatch nice bottom position, locked out perfect, and blew the squat up. Now time to attempt 117(3x1).
Attempt 1- missed in front, I could just tell that my body was not going to move the weight today.
I decided to drop down to 110 to finish my attempts out I wanted to get 3 singles in to finish the day off. Well I ended up only hitting 1 snatch out of 3 at 110. Today was just not my day. Hopefully tomorrow goest I better and I find a way too move some weight and move it correctly!
Until next time - go lift heavy!

Snatch Pulls/ Front Squats/ Chad Back Squat!

It has been a very busy last couple of days. I did not have time on Wednesday or Thursday to post. So quick recap of Wednesday training. 

Snatch Hand below knee max x2. 

Ended Up hitting 110k x2 and was feeling a little froggy! So I decided to "Jump" to 120 for a double. 

Attempt #1 - Missed first attempt is front- thought about it too much. 

Attempt #2 - Hit first snatch like a boss, second rep had to take a few breaths before I approached the below knee position. The weight felt heavy in my hands which transferred to my head! I missed the second rep slightly in front. Very happy with hitting the first attempt but still disappointed in rep 2. 

Thursday - Off - extremely sore in the traps/posterior capsule of shoulders. 

Friday

Snatch Pulls from Box @ Knee 

4x4 - 80/90/100/110

2x2 130/130

3x1 140/140/150

Snatch Pulls felt great coming off the box, bar path was exactly what i was looking for. I had a great "Pop" coming off the hip and great vertical transfer. I surprised myself with the 140/150 sets it was feeling so good I didn't want to stop myself. I was joking with my buddy (Chad) before we began lifting and said I would Pull 140. I was very excited to pull that and It felt great. 

Paused Front Squats  2 Sec @ Bottom

70 x3

100x2

120x2

140x2

145x2

150x2

160x2 "Go" call (1/1)

Squats were not as exciting for me today, I had a hard time really staying tight in the bottom position. I tried going for that double at 160 but I ended up getting straight "Pitted" on my second rep. A little frustrated about squats but I have not done a Front Squat Session in depth in a while so I cant get too upset. It can only get better from here is what I keep telling myself. I will pause Squat 190 before I know it. 

Big shout out today for my buddy Chad Workman; he hit an all-time best squat today 200k x5RM (Video Below)

 

Clean and Jerk/ Power Cleans

Today I was feeling a little rough, Tired, My body was a little achy but I knew that I needed to get a training session in.
Warm up - Typical Rolling session followed by some Mobility.
Child's Pose - with and w/o T-spine Flex to allow for the Posterior Capsule of the shoulder to be relaxed. 1x10 w/ 2 sec hold followed by a cross body reach with supination of the hand to really allow the complex to open up. 1x10e with 2 sec hold. Jerks and my Teres Minor/Major have a very tight love/hate relationship. Knowing how this relationship is I did my own special warm up for my shoulders. I use a 1/2" band tied to a rack and sit back into a  child's pose with the band secured over my hand. From there I perform Bicep curls which pulls my forearm/shoulder into a some what "rack position. This motion allows the serratus to pull my scaupla onto my ribs and frees up some range of motion for my GH joint.

Bar warm up:
Iso Squat w/ bar on thigh's :30s
Clean Grip RDL- Below Knee x5
Clean Grip Pulls x5
Cleans x5
Front Squat x5
Push Press x10
Split Jerk x5

Clean and Jerk
50/60/70/80/90/100/x1
110 2x1
120 x1
130x1
140x1(85%)
145x1 (90%)
140 2x1 (85%)

Power Cleans
120 5x1
130 3x1

Power cleans felt great I wanted to keep doing cleans but my shoulders were very unhappy with the jerks. I decided I wasn't feeling great so I shouldn't keep going heavy in cleans. I have not done a Power Version of cleans in the longest time. The last time I went to max for a Power Clean from the floor I got up to 140k. That was about 4-5 months ago. I was feeling great on the 120k clean so that is when I decided to go for 130k. Video Below. Go Lift Heavy!

Snatch - Bluegrass Barbell

Training Today: Bluegrass Barbell

I was hoping that today was going to be better than yesterdays training session was. I have not been that frustrated n a while. I did my warm up a lot different today. Ben Carter the owner of Bluegrass Barbell has an amazing soft tissue mobilizing agent known as the "Rumble Roller." This roller is not your normal roller, it has small protrusions on it that dig into your muscle fibers like an army of little massage therapists. It is not be best feeling while you are on it but after you finish your muscle feels like it was just touched by a Fascial Angel.

Warm Up - Since I had a hard time turning my left glute on yesterday I decided to start out with the Bretzel 1.0, this is not a typical stretch but a movement pattern recharger. It not only stretches the quads/hip flexor but opens the pathways up for glute firing.
Single Leg RDL x10L/5R
Single Leg Squats x5e
Bar Work.

Snatch:
I did not have a lot of time to train today but with the time that I had I needed to make my lifts count.  Today I had 3 x1 @ 85% of 130 (110k)
I also could not find my lifting straps so I decided to tape up and use the Hook grip just like in Competition.
Warming up I was feeling great coming off the ground keeping the bar in tight to my body and hitting the bottom position with great posture. My glutes were firing like a recharged battery.
Attempt 1:
Felt great and hit the bottom position with no movement, turned turned the bar over, pressing and spreading it.  Video attached to watch.

Attempt 2:
Arms broke as i came off the ground which made me keep the bar in front and could not pull it over my head; Missed the attempt in front.

Attempt 3:
Felt the best in my set position, came off the ground and had great movement on the bar. I actually had the best pull of the day on my last attempt. Hit the bottom position and my eyes lite up like a kid at Christmas. I had a hard time stabilizing the bar over my head at first, but found the balance and squatting up. I had to take a small step forward and ended up dropping the bar behind me due to a wall in front of me.
It was a great training session - Short and sweet.

Rough Day

Today training was not what i had expected! I was very excited for my training session.
The plan:
 Clean pulls - Pause at knee
4x4
2x2
3x1
Front Squat:
2 Waves
3/3/3

I wish I could have gotten past my 4x4 with clean pulls. I started warming up doing my normal Mobility  Stability type warm up and was feeling good. Got some blood flowing got my mind ready for a good session. Started moving the bar and Bam! My Left Glute just did not want to work today! I could not get myself into a good set position. I had the hardest time trying to turn my glute/hamstring on the Load for my sets. I felt as if i was trying to turn my lights on in the house bit forgot to pay the electric bill... Nothing! So i decided it was time to switch it up and try and fix this situation. 3x4 Reps Straight leg Deadlifts to try and really load my hamstrings/glutes. That ended up just being a big waste of calories and an increase in frustration. Then I decided to use the Glute/Ham machine and perform some back extensions to get those glutes to light up like 4th of July.

I am not usually a huge fan of stretching, most of my training is done through a full range of motion and it is not necessary to stretch a whole lot. I do work on the problem areas pre and post training sessions but I  usually don't get a lot of time to spend stretching and rolling post lift.

Softball Hip Flexor Rolling x 3 min
PVC Pipe Hip Flexor and Quad Rolling x 3 min
1/2 Kneeling Quad Hip Flexor Stretch 5x:15s
Hip Mobility work to open up my Pelvis to realign my hips and allow my glutes to both fire.

Hoping that This was a one time issue and I can make sure to turn my glutes on in every training session. Tomorrow needs to be a good day! Bluegrass Barbell tomorrow the Goal: Great Snatch session/ Clean and Jerk Session with 0-1 Misses @ 85%.

Pause Snatches and Back Squats

Warm up
Started the day out and realized that my bicep tendon (bilaterally) was going to be an issue today. With that being understood I gently rolled them on a Lax ball (not gently at all). 4" PVC pipe Soft tissue mobilization for T-Spine and Hips.
I knew that today I needed to own the bottom position in the Snatch and Back Squat. Hip mobility was a key to success today, Started rolling the feet on the PVC pipe, That led into an ankle mob on the "BOB" (the calf master, elevated board for stretching). On Bob  opened up the Gastroc/Soleus complex.
Hip Mobility Exercises:
Adductor 1/2 Kneeling Mobilization - Child's Pose  2x5e
MB Runners Lunge w/ T-Spine Rotation 2x5e
MB RDL to Squat 2x5

Lift today
Pause Snatch @ Below Knee Position
Warm up to 70%
70% 3x1 (92k)
75% 2x1 (97k)
80% 5x1 (104k)
 I started to feel a little forward when i was initiating my first pull into the pause. I was able to save some of the lighter snatches when i shifted forward. When i started to get into the 80% singles I had a hard time staying on my heels/ mid foot and would Initiate my pull early. Most of my misses ended up in front of me, which I am OK with rather than looping over my head. Still trying to get tall and keep my arms long as I entering into the violent motion of the 2nd Pull.

Back Squats:
It was my first back squat workout for a while and I knew that I was not going to PR or have a great day. Expectation for squat were low. I ended up doing 3x3 and had a good day with it for what it was.
Based of a 210k Max:
x3 @ 157
x3 @167
x3 @ 177
Bottom position felt good, still struggling with my Left ankle mobility and how it makes my glute turn off and on. The iron game is ongoing and every kilo will count on the road to nationals.

Waves Waves Waves

Training today consisted of Waves of singles.
Warm up - 4" PVC pipe soft tissue mobilization to start out with.
Upper body mobilization: Child's pose + Posterior capsule stretch 1x10e (:5)
Lower body mobilization: 1/2 kneeling Adductor Mobs 2-Way x10e
Ankle mobs - Wall knee drive w/ toe elevated x10e
1-leg squats to 12" box x5e
Bar work.

Training today consisted of working up to 70% for both Snatch and Clean/Jerk.
Snatch: Based off 130k Best

Warmed up to 70% - 90k
3 Sets of Waves
75%x1 (92k)
80%x1 (105k)
85%x1(110k)
First wave went perfect hit all three reps perfectly. Solid in the hole, paused in the catch, stabilized the bar, and then Blew the squat up.
Second and Third wave felt like a hurricane came in and blew all of my technique away. I felt as if I could not hit a snatch if my life depended on it. I had a hard time getting set, holding my positions, and my bar felt like it was the third loop on ninja at six flags theme park. But i had Clea and jerk to look forward too!

Clean and Jerk had the same wave format. Unfortunately worked called and I was only able to get through two waves.The only issue was i had to rush through my clean and jerk sets.
2 Sets: Based off 165 Clean

75%x1 (125k)
80%x1 (132k)
85%x1(140k)

I felt as if i were a ballet dancer catching my cleans on my toes. I am stretching that but I did have a hard time getting into a good catch position. Squatting the weight was not an issue and the jerks felt as if i was being stabbed in the teres major with a crocodile dundee knife. I put the pause back into my jerks since I have had a small issue with rushing the jerk. The good news is i did not miss any of my attempts today in C&J, the only issue I have is that they felt rushed technique wise. If I could rate my training session today out of 10 (being Amazing/PR) I would say it would fall in the 2-3 range.

Tomorrow is a new day and new training session! PR's are on the way, it is only week 1/day 1 of a 5 week cycle. Iron game continues.

Big Three- Teaching Power Clean

Teaching The “Power Clean”

Part 1. Pulling Position/“The Big Three”

When I think about teaching the movements of weightlifting I think about the poetry of the movement and how technical it can be. This technique can be easily taught if the right progression is applied. There are a few necessary steps that I take before getting a bar into athletes’ hands.

First, I need to understand the athlete and their training age. Training age is determined by past training. A college freshman or high school freshman could have similar or very different training age based on ability. That training age of an athlete will dictate if the starting point is a broomstick or a barbell.

The second step in teaching the power clean is to break the movement down into smaller sub-movements. I teach from the top down and go in a progressive order with each athlete. The first step to teaching the sub-movements is to teach the proper Pulling Position:

Pulling position/ “The Big Three”

1.     Stance  - Feet/Legs

2.     Grip – Clean/ Snatch

3.     Posture  - Body Position/ Head-Foot

1.     Stance

When explaining stance, it is important for the athlete to understand how the stance can help dictate vertical force of the barbell. That vertical force comes from the legs, and if the stance is too wide then there will be a decrease in vertical force production into the barbell. As an athlete their stance should be similar to their jumping position. The general starting stance will be anywhere form Hip to Shoulder width but no wider than the shoulders.  

2.Grip

When explaining the Grip to athletes I like to place the bar in the “Rack Position” (which will come in a future blog) and then have them bring the bar down to the Quads/Hips, Which is now their “Clean Grip.” It is vital to me that each athlete understands how the grip will transfer into the rack position. That transfer needs to be first correct, fast, and comfortable. The bar should rest on the quads in the athletes’ hands at a certain point. Note that each point may or may not be the same for each athlete. This position is known as the brush point that an athlete will feel when pulling. Having an understanding of where the grip is and how the bar must pass during the power clean will help in the learning process over time. I like to teach the Hook Grip as early as possible to get the athlete more accustomed to how that feels on the hands. The earlier the athlete can understand the benefits of the hook grip and how it relates to force production into the barbell.

3. Posture

Posture is the most important part about teaching the movement. If an athlete has poor posture to begin with it will be hard to get their body into the proper position to apply the adequate force to perform the entire movement. Improper positioning can result in movements of the barbell that are not desired and can cause injury. It is vital to correct any posture alignments to ensure the movement has the opportunity to be flawless. The alignment of posture should be as so: Neck packed into cervical neutral, scapulae retracted, arms extended and relaxed, first two knuckles down (hook grip), hips slightly flexed, and knees slightly flexed with the bar resting in the hand and on the thighs. There is a long complicated list but it is a simple position to feel and get into. There is a certain feel to this position; the weight should be in the heels and the mid foot with the whole foot in contact with the floor. When the weight is in the mid foot/heels the glutes should be active and loaded in preparation for the eccentric/concentric movement.

 To get into a proper pulling position the athlete must follow “The Big Three.” If there is an issue with getting into the position soft tissue mobilization may have to come into a bigger play.  Pictures below will show exactly how to set an athlete into the correct pulling position.