I've been somewhat stalled with clean and jerks - I got 50 kg for the first time at a meet in February, and I don't think I got it again until August, once again at a meet.
Here are some videos from today (45, 47, 49):
And next are 3 failed attempts at 51 - I think I have missed 52 (the clean) in competition twice now (February and August). I have cleaned 51 just a handful of times, so while I don't think it should be as challenging as it appears, it still troubles me, I think in part due to lack of confidence with it. Until recently, my front squats were really not very far ahead of my clean and jerks at all.
My most common problem with both snatches and cleans is not finishing my pull, jumping under the bar (or trying to) too soon, so the weight's out front, and I lose the lift forward - and this is usually IMO caused by fear / lack of focus/commitment. A lot of my missed jerks are again due to lack of aggression - if I can really commit, I usually get them and they feel easy...but that doesn't happen very often!
Anyway, here are those fails:
I'll add some snatches to this thread later in the week, hopefully with nicely finished 2nd pulls
Hey looks pretty good overall. I think everyone suffers from not finishing the pull and going under too quickly. Even really advanced lifters. Probably the most common technique flaw in the sport. Just more time and practice drilling the lifts should do it.
I personally like pulls in training to emphasise finishing the pull, although many will tell you it doesn't help the full lifts.
Just another note - I looked back in my training journal and while I thought my squats had gone up, they really haven't significantly increased in the same timeframe that I'm complaining my cleans haven't increased. I was doing front squats with 55 for 3 x 3 regularly back around January, max was around 63...and most recently I did 57 for 5 x 2 - not sure what my max is at right now..
so, maybe just as I was told, it's still in large part a strength issue.......but man those squats don't want to go up! Back squat max is probably still around the same too - 70ish, which is about my best clean pull too.
looks good, maybe you should try a program to focus hard on strength for 6-8 weeks
It's not a squatting strength issue. You have plenty of squatting strength and pull to hit 51 consistently. You have enough to be hitting 55 right now without too much effort. It's psychological and becoming physical, as your body now listens to your mind and starts shutting down when you try to hit this weight again and again. So now you're ingraining this failed motor pattern, which obviously won't help
Now, fixing it is a matter of familiarity and frequency with this weight. You can't expect to try it once every several weeks, have 6 goes at it and then leave it. Try to reserve one training day a week to do "max" clean and jerks. Pick a weight that'll be your "max" that day (anywhere from, say, 48-53), and just work up to that weight as though you're in a meet. Plan your 3 attempt so your max is the 3rd attempt, and give yourself one shot at it. If you miss, fine, you'll be back again next week. On the other hand, don't miss!!! Just think, this is the only attempt you'll have, so it's do or die. Free your mind, pick one or 2 "landmarks" to set yourself and guide your body through the lift, and then let 'er rip.
If 51 is problematic, try 50 and 52, anything to get out of the rut. I used to miss EVERY snatch at 75, but make 70-74, and 76-78 with ease. I started just skipping that weight altogether. Now I don't care what weight is on the bar anymore and I can go into the gym and snatch 75 any day of the week...
It's not a squatting strength issue. You have plenty of squatting strength and pull to hit 51 consistently. You have enough to be hitting 55 right now without too much effort. It's psychological and becoming physical, as your body now listens to your mind and starts shutting down when you try to hit this weight again and again. So now you're ingraining this failed motor pattern, which obviously won't help
Now, fixing it is a matter of familiarity and frequency with this weight. You can't expect to try it once every several weeks, have 6 goes at it and then leave it. Try to reserve one training day a week to do "max" clean and jerks. Pick a weight that'll be your "max" that day (anywhere from, say, 48-53), and just work up to that weight as though you're in a meet. Plan your 3 attempt so your max is the 3rd attempt, and give yourself one shot at it. If you miss, fine, you'll be back again next week. On the other hand, don't miss!!! Just think, this is the only attempt you'll have, so it's do or die. Free your mind, pick one or 2 "landmarks" to set yourself and guide your body through the lift, and then let 'er rip.
If 51 is problematic, try 50 and 52, anything to get out of the rut. I used to miss EVERY snatch at 75, but make 70-74, and 76-78 with ease. I started just skipping that weight altogether. Now I don't care what weight is on the bar anymore and I can go into the gym and snatch 75 any day of the week...
C'mon Slyng, get it done!!
Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know you think I can get 55 - I know my technique breaks down when I get scared, which is once I approach a max or PR weight. I've been trying to push my strength up (with little success) lately and I think my lifts have suffered a bit because of that? I'm 5 weeks away from a meet now so I'm going to stop pushing so much on squats and try to focus on the competition lifts more.
Now for my snatch saga.
I filmed a couple snatches from Saturday's session. Again, I think my main problem has always been my 2nd pull - rushing it / not finishing it. The last coached session I had a few weeks ago, coach had me really focusing on staying on my heels as long as possible, and SPEED because I was getting sluggish around my 2nd pull. I've posted a few vids of a 35 kg snatch for comparison - taken months apart, with the latest one from this Saturday, and also one of 37 kg from this Saturday. 35 is 87.5% of my best snatch, and a weight that I've been getting since August 2007, yet I still would not consider it consistent.
If I wasn't in Malaysia right now I would come over and motivate you somehow. What does Larz have to say? He probably knows a fix.
He has had me doing work from the hang and also had me with toes on some plates for pulls to help me stay on my heels...it helps, but I need to constantly focus on this because it's a problem that never seems to go away!
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