My best weightlifting total occurred when I was doing lots of front squats, just like you hear the Bulgarians do. Front squats help me stand from cleans and have that reserve strength needed to for heavy jerks. One time a very good lifter told me that front squats helped snatch. Help your snatch? What in the world was he talking about?
My shoulders and elbows are pretty banged up, so if you take a closer look at the front squat and the back squat you see a couple key differences in regard to the shoulders. The back squat requires internal rotation of the shoulder. This is the way my shoulders want to go. I sat in school for years and years and now I sit at a desk with a computer. Most people struggle with excessive internal rotation with the upper body.
Enter the front squat. You can't do a good front squat without external rotation of the shoulders and elbow. I just feel healthy when front squatting and I walk around a little taller. So for me, mobility and function are supported by the front squat.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Deadlift: The Backsquat for the PULL
When I was down in Waterloo training under Jianping Ma he had me doing lots of deadlifts and I didn't like them. I didn't like the deadlift. The Bulgarians didn't deadlift. The deadlift wasn't a squat and they were hard. There was many reasons why I didn't like the deadlift back then! But now I see them differently.
The deadlift is kind of like the back squat. It's a derivative and isn't all that specific to weightlifting. But the back squat can make your legs generally strong, which can help your front squat and help you stand up with heavy cleans. Some people think the back squat helps your pull but I don't subscribe to that. If you hinge over and good morning your back squat like a Powerlifter, then yes it's very similar to a pull and will help your pull. With an upright torso, deep knee bend, ass to the grass the back squat is like a front squat only easier, so you can use more weight.
In a similar way, the deadlift can give you general pulling strength which can help your specific snatch or clean pull, which can help your snatch or clean. It's also a basic hinge movement. When you pick something up off the ground, be it a pencil or a barbell, you can either pick it up by hinging or squatting. In weightlifting, we pull the weight off the floor in a hinging motion, followed by a a squat to catch and recover the weight damn near in the same moment. Your body needs to know the difference from a hing and a squat. Some people are better squatters some better hingers, but you need to master both. The deadlift has helped my body awareness of hinging. With my body type I can very easily fall into the pattern of squatting my pull. The squat is avery natural movement for me, hinging is not.
One final point about the deadlift. I don't like singles and I don't think you need to test the deadlift for a single. The deadlift can increase work capacity through sets and reps.
If you are training very minimally with only snatch, clean and jerk, squat, don't be afraid to throw some deadlifts in the mix. At the very least you will be training your pull in a very general way as opposed to not at all, and it just may be a game changer.
I don't have much experience with the so called Romanian Deadlift. In all respect it seems like a advanced hinging movement and difficult to perform correctly. I may try to implement them in my future training. But first things first, mastery of the deadlift.
The deadlift is kind of like the back squat. It's a derivative and isn't all that specific to weightlifting. But the back squat can make your legs generally strong, which can help your front squat and help you stand up with heavy cleans. Some people think the back squat helps your pull but I don't subscribe to that. If you hinge over and good morning your back squat like a Powerlifter, then yes it's very similar to a pull and will help your pull. With an upright torso, deep knee bend, ass to the grass the back squat is like a front squat only easier, so you can use more weight.
In a similar way, the deadlift can give you general pulling strength which can help your specific snatch or clean pull, which can help your snatch or clean. It's also a basic hinge movement. When you pick something up off the ground, be it a pencil or a barbell, you can either pick it up by hinging or squatting. In weightlifting, we pull the weight off the floor in a hinging motion, followed by a a squat to catch and recover the weight damn near in the same moment. Your body needs to know the difference from a hing and a squat. Some people are better squatters some better hingers, but you need to master both. The deadlift has helped my body awareness of hinging. With my body type I can very easily fall into the pattern of squatting my pull. The squat is avery natural movement for me, hinging is not.
One final point about the deadlift. I don't like singles and I don't think you need to test the deadlift for a single. The deadlift can increase work capacity through sets and reps.
If you are training very minimally with only snatch, clean and jerk, squat, don't be afraid to throw some deadlifts in the mix. At the very least you will be training your pull in a very general way as opposed to not at all, and it just may be a game changer.
I don't have much experience with the so called Romanian Deadlift. In all respect it seems like a advanced hinging movement and difficult to perform correctly. I may try to implement them in my future training. But first things first, mastery of the deadlift.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Training Log
11-8-2015
10:30AM
Beginning notes: felt like doing detail work this morning. Lighter weights.
Kang Squat- 60kg (5X5)
notes: one of those exercise where I think to myself, "am I doing this right?". Sometimes I feel like I'm stiff legging the lift and other times I feel like I'm bending my knees too much.
Trapi - 50kg (5X5)
notes: one of those Klokov exercises. Oddly enough it's another exercise where I wonder if I'm doing it correctly. Some exercise you have to do them, "just like so", in order to reap the best benefit.
Press in squat- 30kg (5X5)
notes: I practiced this lift a lot last winter and got up to around 55X5. Such a good exercise. As the case with most assistance exercises, sets and reps are more important than how much you can muster up with poor form. I might just do these frequently as a primer. They remind me how wide my feet need to be in order for my torso to be vertical. If my feet are too narrow my torso leans forward. My shins are so short that my ass gets locked up behind my calves. A wider foot position frees up my ass and lets it come through, in between my shins.
PM
Good Mornings- 30kg (5x5)
notes: warm up/primer exercise
High Pull Holds + Stiff legged Deadlift - 35kg (5X5+5)
notes: just sort of improvising at this point
overhead triceps extensions - 25kg (4X6)
notes: these felt good, I'm gaining flexibility as well.
final notes: I finished up by fiddling with my snatch pull a bunch, nothing above 60kg, but a lot of work. I took video to see how I looked. The thing is, when I began weightlifting I sort of had a natural Dimas type of pull, he sort of has that slight hesitation in the middle of his pull while he does some shifting around. I do that naturally but coaches never liked the looks of it. I'm pretty damn sure it's a work of art. My body is much smarter than my mind and can do things I could never dream of. My best lifts were always a sort of an out of body, out of mind experience. The animal just took over.
11-07-2015
11:00AM
Back Squat - 100kg (5X5)
notes: my squat has really detrained being I haven't been training it. Although it's my specialty I'm not a guy who can just squat big weight without training it.
Step Up- 50kg (3X10) (5 reps each leg)
notes: I know in my gut this is a good exercise for me. Even 50 kilos is a struggle, especially the final rep or so with that weak left leg which most likely has quite the imbalance from years of split jerking. It will be important for me to keep up with the step up and other unilateral leg exercises I've been implementing such as lunges and split squats.
Leg Extensions - 45lb (3X10)
notes: Definitely a questionable exercise but it only takes about 5 minutes to rattle off a few sets of ten. If nothing else I'm still practicing extending my legs. At the top of this exercise is the important L-shape which I am weak in, similar to the top of a hanging leg raise and similar to the completion of the first pull in the snatch and clean. So this exercise is under the umbrella of generic L-shape strengthening.
Final notes: felt great to get some morning training in.
3:30PM
Close Grip Bench Press- 60kg (5X5)
notes: I usually do a narrow grip on the Bench Press, but I went even narrow this time, as narrow as I could and still get my elbows to go down comfortably at my sides.
Lying Triceps Extensions- 35kg (5X5)
notes: I guess I felt I needed a little more triceps work after those narrow grip Bench Presses. No, seriously though, these are great for your triceps and help with lock-out. People with a good lock-out have good triceps, the triceps extend the arm.
Final notes: took a nap in between session, otherwise I don't think I would have gotten around to the second session. The two sessions could have been completed in one session but I feel so stresses when I do a lot of exercises in one session. This way I had time so I could spread one workout over the course of a day.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
A Word to the wise (training for any amateur sport)
Ah yes, one of those looking back I would do this and change this epiphanies. Why not write them down? Maybe someone out there will benefit.
#1 - Compete Less
I know what you're thinking. (But what about Bulgarian training? A competition is just another day at the office.). Sorry, it isn't. Competition, even if you are in a weight class all by yourself is stressful. So skip out on the local meets, save your energy for the ones that count. Every competition should be strategic. If you aren't there to qualify for something, tune up for something, or beat someone, then you are just wasting your fuel, fuel that runs out eventually.
#2 - Train Less
This means taking rest days week to week, and even taking down time after big stressful competitions. The best lifters in the world take a down year after winning gold at the Olympics. You are not one of the best lifters in the world, obviously, but you're still human. This means you can take a week off after a local competition, or two weeks off after a National competition. If you qualify for a world team, travel to another country, and make your lifts, then take a month of down time if you need it. Down time seems ridiculous if you concentrate on the short term, but if you look long term, like a 10-15 year amateur career, then that down time is going to benefit you. Your competitors will be tore up and beat down while you will be rested and ready to be tested.
#3 - Lift Less
I know, I know. Lift less? How the hell would that work? I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. All I'm saying is don't work up to misses, there is no need. Save the risky lifts for the big day.
*Summary
Be conservative, less can be more. Spend less make more.
#1 - Compete Less
I know what you're thinking. (But what about Bulgarian training? A competition is just another day at the office.). Sorry, it isn't. Competition, even if you are in a weight class all by yourself is stressful. So skip out on the local meets, save your energy for the ones that count. Every competition should be strategic. If you aren't there to qualify for something, tune up for something, or beat someone, then you are just wasting your fuel, fuel that runs out eventually.
#2 - Train Less
This means taking rest days week to week, and even taking down time after big stressful competitions. The best lifters in the world take a down year after winning gold at the Olympics. You are not one of the best lifters in the world, obviously, but you're still human. This means you can take a week off after a local competition, or two weeks off after a National competition. If you qualify for a world team, travel to another country, and make your lifts, then take a month of down time if you need it. Down time seems ridiculous if you concentrate on the short term, but if you look long term, like a 10-15 year amateur career, then that down time is going to benefit you. Your competitors will be tore up and beat down while you will be rested and ready to be tested.
#3 - Lift Less
I know, I know. Lift less? How the hell would that work? I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here. All I'm saying is don't work up to misses, there is no need. Save the risky lifts for the big day.
*Summary
Be conservative, less can be more. Spend less make more.
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Just how did I get through college?
I was watching an elliot hulse video and he was going on about how he was labeled ADHD and he was helping some college student with a question about how to manage through college with ADHD. Elliot said ADHD was bogus but that's beside the point. It made me wonder, how did I get through college?
It's never been suggested that I have ADHD and I wouldn't think something like that is an issue. For me, it's more of a depression issue. I struggle with initiation. Going to class can be a problem, reading the book, doing the work, etc, etc. I'm not learning dissabled, if I go to class I'm going to learn and gain intellegence. If I read the book I'm going to comprehend it, like I said, it's all a matter of initiation. "What's the point?, I don't have the energy, I lack the motivation, I'll do it tomorrow." This is the type of self talk I deal with. So, how did I get throgh college?
For starters, there was an entire year that I gave up alcohol, not a drop. I'd like to be able say that it was the best year of my life but I can't say that. I had bouts with insomnia, I drank way to much coffee, I dated the wrong woman, winter laster too long and spring came too late. BUT, I really got to know myself. I didn't go out much, I watched a lot of Netflix and Redbox, I got into green tea. In a nut shell though, I'm from northeast Iowa, and if you can be from northeast iowa and give up alcohol for an entire year, than you can do almost anything. Most of the time it's not about what you give up, it's about enhancing your willpower, and will power is somethign that I was lacking. A problem with initiation is a problem with willpower.
The other thing I did is I lived by myself in a small crappy apartment. This was probably bad for any depression sympotoms I have but it was very good for keeping things simple and keeping distractions down. I didn't many people at my apartment complex. I didn't party with anyone there and I kept to myself. This meant that I had a place to read and study all to myself. The library at school was even too loud and distracting for me. There was a second floor at the university library that was suppose to be a talk free zone but nobody took it seriously. So living alone had it's pros and cons. I didn't meet people and kept to myself which was a negative, but I also didn't have anybody possibly leading me astray to go drink or whatever. There weren't many like me at college and most partied on the weekends. It's college, I get it. In the end I would say Isolation was a tool that probably helped me get my degree but at the same time it could have hurt me as well, it's tough to say. I lived on campus the first year I was there and there were more distractions for sure.
Caffeine is another one of those things that possibly helped me or possibly hurt me. I admit that it got out of hand. Torwards the end I was drinking coffee or energy drinks and caffeine pills on top of that. Caffine does help me with initiaton, though. Those days when I just didn't feel like doing reading or going to class caffeine would help me get there or read. I also struggle with being a little anti-social and for some reason caffeine helps me converse, it helps me initiate conversation.
The University was depressing, though, now that I look back. Classes were small, and most people were off the farm. It would have been nice to go to a larger University for the atmospher and the diversity. BUT, at the same time it would have been nice to go to a upscale private school with even less distractions. It's a tough call.
I didn't date much in college. This was a good thing I'm sure of it. The little I did date seemed to really distract me from my studies. If I could do it over again, I wouldn't date at all. Dating always seemed to bring on more stress and drama, two things I didn't need more of while I was trying to get my degree.
I wish there would have been more to do in my college town. There were 13 bars and about as many churches so mostly you could either get drunk or go to church. I probably should have gone to church more, but at least I wasn't getting drunk.
Overall, even though it sounds sad, Isolation and Caffeine helped me get through college, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would say that. Other than that, you have to go to class and you have to read, and you have to do the assignments. Getting a decent grade wasn't much of a problem for me, I mean I didn't get A's, but I could pull a B if I read and did the assignment or took the test.
My suggestion for future college people? Learn to read large amounts now. If you are a good reader and you don't mind reading a bunch, you will have a big edge on others. I was never really much of a reader. I read slow and I'm not very good at skimming. So, I read slow but I really take it all in. Reading is huge in college. If you kick ass at reading, you'll kick ass at college. I didn't read much in high school and I didn't read for fun. I would suggest to start reading for fun at a young age and keeping it up, it could be a game changer. That's about it, maybe I will update this post at a later date. That's all for now.
It's never been suggested that I have ADHD and I wouldn't think something like that is an issue. For me, it's more of a depression issue. I struggle with initiation. Going to class can be a problem, reading the book, doing the work, etc, etc. I'm not learning dissabled, if I go to class I'm going to learn and gain intellegence. If I read the book I'm going to comprehend it, like I said, it's all a matter of initiation. "What's the point?, I don't have the energy, I lack the motivation, I'll do it tomorrow." This is the type of self talk I deal with. So, how did I get throgh college?
For starters, there was an entire year that I gave up alcohol, not a drop. I'd like to be able say that it was the best year of my life but I can't say that. I had bouts with insomnia, I drank way to much coffee, I dated the wrong woman, winter laster too long and spring came too late. BUT, I really got to know myself. I didn't go out much, I watched a lot of Netflix and Redbox, I got into green tea. In a nut shell though, I'm from northeast Iowa, and if you can be from northeast iowa and give up alcohol for an entire year, than you can do almost anything. Most of the time it's not about what you give up, it's about enhancing your willpower, and will power is somethign that I was lacking. A problem with initiation is a problem with willpower.
The other thing I did is I lived by myself in a small crappy apartment. This was probably bad for any depression sympotoms I have but it was very good for keeping things simple and keeping distractions down. I didn't many people at my apartment complex. I didn't party with anyone there and I kept to myself. This meant that I had a place to read and study all to myself. The library at school was even too loud and distracting for me. There was a second floor at the university library that was suppose to be a talk free zone but nobody took it seriously. So living alone had it's pros and cons. I didn't meet people and kept to myself which was a negative, but I also didn't have anybody possibly leading me astray to go drink or whatever. There weren't many like me at college and most partied on the weekends. It's college, I get it. In the end I would say Isolation was a tool that probably helped me get my degree but at the same time it could have hurt me as well, it's tough to say. I lived on campus the first year I was there and there were more distractions for sure.
Caffeine is another one of those things that possibly helped me or possibly hurt me. I admit that it got out of hand. Torwards the end I was drinking coffee or energy drinks and caffeine pills on top of that. Caffine does help me with initiaton, though. Those days when I just didn't feel like doing reading or going to class caffeine would help me get there or read. I also struggle with being a little anti-social and for some reason caffeine helps me converse, it helps me initiate conversation.
The University was depressing, though, now that I look back. Classes were small, and most people were off the farm. It would have been nice to go to a larger University for the atmospher and the diversity. BUT, at the same time it would have been nice to go to a upscale private school with even less distractions. It's a tough call.
I didn't date much in college. This was a good thing I'm sure of it. The little I did date seemed to really distract me from my studies. If I could do it over again, I wouldn't date at all. Dating always seemed to bring on more stress and drama, two things I didn't need more of while I was trying to get my degree.
I wish there would have been more to do in my college town. There were 13 bars and about as many churches so mostly you could either get drunk or go to church. I probably should have gone to church more, but at least I wasn't getting drunk.
Overall, even though it sounds sad, Isolation and Caffeine helped me get through college, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would say that. Other than that, you have to go to class and you have to read, and you have to do the assignments. Getting a decent grade wasn't much of a problem for me, I mean I didn't get A's, but I could pull a B if I read and did the assignment or took the test.
My suggestion for future college people? Learn to read large amounts now. If you are a good reader and you don't mind reading a bunch, you will have a big edge on others. I was never really much of a reader. I read slow and I'm not very good at skimming. So, I read slow but I really take it all in. Reading is huge in college. If you kick ass at reading, you'll kick ass at college. I didn't read much in high school and I didn't read for fun. I would suggest to start reading for fun at a young age and keeping it up, it could be a game changer. That's about it, maybe I will update this post at a later date. That's all for now.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
The whole catapult vs jump shrug debate
o.k., I am really tired because I just got in from a session of training that was entirely focused on one of my weakest links, my pull. Something dawned on me though during my training and I have to put it down in words. I might be wrong, but this whole catapult vs jump shrug debate is in my opinion is a debate of body types. These long legged lifters with short torsos scuff at these other lifters with short legs and long torsos working so much on pulling the bar high. Think about what I just wrote. Long torso vs short torso. Who is going to have to pull the bar higher to get it overhead? If you don't have much of a torso the bar is that much closer to being locked out at the end of your pull compared to someone with a long torso. To put this in perspective lets flip the coin. Lifters with short torsos usually have long legs and squats are a big weak link for them, these are the lifters who fail to recover from cleans. It would be easy for lifters whith short legs to scuff at the long legged lifter training his squat so much, but there would be no reason to. Each lifter has strengths and weaknesses based on his or her own body composition. Training is individual. The fact is long torso lifters may need to work on pulling higher and long legged lifters may need to work on squats more than the "norm". Same thing goes for overhead strength. We all know the guy with short little T-rex arms that can jerk anything from the rack, Sean Rigsbey comes to mind, but there are others. Some people are just built to jerk, or built to squat, or built to pull, and working on those God given strengths to a certain extend may be a waste of time when you have a closet full of weaknesses waiting in the wings. Your strength isn't holding you back, it's your weakness.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
40 days of static
Some of winter is like a depressing but pleasant and appreciated radio station. That station can be found in the 10-30 degree days. Bands like David Gray, The Decemberists, and Band of Horses would be on that station. It's nice, I wouldn't listen to that station all year, but it's nice. The below zero winter days, though, those days aren't a radio station at all, they are static on the radio.
40 days of static.
Winter 2014.
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