Hi, everybody! This is my first post in the OL section which I consider one of the best on this site. (I don't mean my post).
So, here're my 'cliffs' associated:
1. Frequency. I've been trying to master the Olympic lifts for a few months now and even managed to hit some PBs like 220lb power clean recently and I like them very much, although at this stage I feel like they are too taxing for me to train them real hard even twice a week.
2. Technique. My snatch sucks. Period. I can make it above my head easily: to my surprise, it feels quite natural to me. What happens next feels like desperate attempts to catch a UH-60 with bare hands. (sorry no video available)
3. Mobility/flexibility. The point is I've had some issues with the notorious RC since my 'teens; now I'm afraid it's become one of the major snags in my snatch and OH squats performance; the mofo just hurts badly which switches off my ability to keep my arms and elbows tight and straightened at the bottom position and to keep the balance and get the dumbbell pacified.
What am I to do about it? I want it to catch up with my c&j a bit. I figure it has to be circa 176lb. At least. Btw Should I quit my flat bench presses altogether for some time? What do you think about some kettle bell work?
Thanks in advance and good luck in the New Year!
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If illusions are so volatile, why not use them as rocket fuel?
You are using dumbells for your snatches? There is/was a video on youtube of a guy tearing his RC doing a dumbell snatch. Always use the bar.
Dropping bench will help. The bench is probably the leading cause of RC problems in the first place. There are plenty of ways to stretch your shoulders available online.
If your pull is good, then try doing ohs squats and drop snatches to get comfy in the catch position. There is an example in the sticky about learning the lifts.
How many days do you normally train? Remember that if you add these lifts without subtracting other lifts, then you will compromise your overall recovery. If the nature of the lifts is a problem right now, then practice each lift on a different day. A minimalist setup would be like this:
If you can do both three days a week, you will probably see the best progress.
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"However, the strength of the hamstring muscles is crucial to fully exploit the strength potential of the quads and ultimately the vertical force that the athlete is able to impart to the barbell." - Andrew Charniga, Jr.
I would drop bench press. If you still want to bench, close grip or incline might be better alternatives as well as overhead press obviously. To help with shoulder flexibility a good exercise to begin with is overhead squatting. Go heavy enough to achieve the required positions, but not heavy enough to tax yourself too much. 45-95lbs should be enough. Make sure your form is good. There is a lot that goes into the deep squat position that is important for stability. Your lower back should be straight or maintain a slight arch. Your upper back should be tight with your shoulder blades pulled back a bit. Your arms should maintain a constant squeeze against the bar, with a slight separating pull (similar to holding a bench press). You should rotate the inside of your elbow (bicep side) forwards and the point of your elbow backwards. This helps keep the bar locked out and not sag in your arms. Practice in the overhead squat will not only teach you good form but give your body the chance to learn stability in the deep squat with weight overhead. If your using low weight you could do reps of 5 or more but if the weight is high then I would do more like 3-5 reps.
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Training Journal - http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=120458841
Best gym lifts:-
Clean and Jerk 265lbs (120kg)
Behind neck jerk 286lbs (130kg)
Snatch 225lbs (102kg) @ bw of 209lbs! done in November 2009
i'm really sorry to go o/t but i seriously started to lol when i saw this title on the forum mainpage, the female bb'ing section is right above the powerlifting section and i mistakenly thought this was on the female one, so i was pretty curious as to what the hell it was about
Ouch! Sorry for the guy. I hope he's OK now or will recover ASAP.
I always use 6' Oly bar. I never snatch DBs. I've only taken a couple of kettle bells, bumps and bruises classes.
Btw, in the Oly workshop vid I saw yesterday here, the girl caught the bar overhead almost on straightened legs and then dropped herself into the bottom position.
Was it a power snatch?
Quote:
Originally Posted by raffiki
You are using dumbells for your snatches? There is/was a video on youtube of a guy tearing his RC doing a dumbell snatch. Always use the bar.
Dropping bench will help. The bench is probably the leading cause of RC problems in the first place. There are plenty of ways to stretch your shoulders available online.
If your pull is good, then try doing ohs squats and drop snatches to get comfy in the catch position. There is an example in the sticky about learning the lifts.
How many days do you normally train? Remember that if you add these lifts without subtracting other lifts, then you will compromise your overall recovery. If the nature of the lifts is a problem right now, then practice each lift on a different day. A minimalist setup would be like this:
If you can do both three days a week, you will probably see the best progress.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc27Default
I would drop bench press. If you still want to bench, close grip or incline might be better alternatives as well as overhead press obviously. To help with shoulder flexibility a good exercise to begin with is overhead squatting. Go heavy enough to achieve the required positions, but not heavy enough to tax yourself too much. 45-95lbs should be enough. Make sure your form is good. There is a lot that goes into the deep squat position that is important for stability. Your lower back should be straight or maintain a slight arch. Your upper back should be tight with your shoulder blades pulled back a bit. Your arms should maintain a constant squeeze against the bar, with a slight separating pull (similar to holding a bench press). You should rotate the inside of your elbow (bicep side) forwards and the point of your elbow backwards. This helps keep the bar locked out and not sag in your arms. Practice in the overhead squat will not only teach you good form but give your body the chance to learn stability in the deep squat with weight overhead. If your using low weight you could do reps of 5 or more but if the weight is high then I would do more like 3-5 reps.
Intuitively, I OH squat for some reps to warm-up before my heavy front/back squat routine. When I try and go for, like, 110-132lb I'm shaky all the way up and down. I tend to OH squat with the middle to wide stance, knees out.
Is it tolerable for an Oly noob?
Bottom line: I used to HIT once a week. I know the volume and repetition form the lifting patterns; still my recovery capacities allow me to add just occasionally one low-intense compensatory workout. (Push/pull-ups, pushups). I'm going to try your tree day setup this year.
Which day should I go heavy?
Besides power/squat snatches and cleans I build strength mostly with front/back squats which I do for reps. I usually wind up my session with just a few sets of the standing presses, close grip bench, bent over rows, one-arm horiz/vert pulls (btw, the only 'machine' move possibly accountable for my bad RC), sumo and stiff-legs dead lifts, calf raises (of course not everything at a time).
As I understood, to 'fix my snatch' one ought to build RC flexibility while maintaining elbow, knees and core stability. I appreciate all you valuable hints, people!
Quote:
Originally Posted by brewu4
i'm really sorry to go o/t but i seriously started to lol when i saw this title on the forum mainpage, the female bb'ing section is right above the powerlifting section and i mistakenly thought this was on the female one, so i was pretty curious as to what the hell it was about
Rofl
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If illusions are so volatile, why not use them as rocket fuel?
One problem with HIT is that it assumes a fixed rate of recovery from birth. That it is determined by genetics. In nearly every high level athletic training (bodybuilders haven't caught on yet) you will see training increase even as performance increases. In other words, you can train to increase your recovery ability, and as your performances increases you NEED to train to increase your recovery ability. A "base level" that you should work towards is a schedule similar to this:
Mon - Heavy
Wed - Light
Fri - Medium
You don't need to squat each workout initially. If fact you don't need to do squats at all. Just working with drop snatches and squat cleans will give you enough practice to begin with. Remember, the sooner you learn the lifts, the sooner you will start to get stronger.
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"However, the strength of the hamstring muscles is crucial to fully exploit the strength potential of the quads and ultimately the vertical force that the athlete is able to impart to the barbell." - Andrew Charniga, Jr.
OK, I'm gonna experiment and train just cleans, snatches and oh squats for a few weeks.
I'll post the results.
I can already see the eyes of the regular folks at the gym.
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If illusions are so volatile, why not use them as rocket fuel?
I hope he's OK now or will recover ASAP. 
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