Barbell Sport 101
Crossfit Central
RedBlack Gym
Ask me about AdvocareThis whole “you need a coach” stuff has been written about so many times I’m not going to bore you with it. YES! If you want to be good at crossfit you need a coach. YES! If you want to be a good weightlifter you need a coach. YES! If you want to be good at gymnastics you need a coach. You all get it right?
So what is the point of what I am writing you ask…. As a weightlifting coach I coach a certain way. I was taught this way, I have seen huge gains from the way I was coached, and I trust and am loyal to my coach. I will take advice from another coach, and I appreciate another eye on my technique when I am not lifting with my coach, but I do what my coach says and I stick with her style of coaching. I am just like a loyal dog in that sense. When you have a designated coach for crossfit, he/she coaches you in crossfit. You trust that coach and you listen to them. When you have a weightlifting coach, you listen to them and you apply what they have taught you. You as an athlete have intrusted that person to coach you in what ever expertise they have. So with that said, why would you as an athlete get crossfit advice from one coach, and then go over to another coach and get advice from that coach and etc. etc. etc. How confusing would that be for the athlete and how frustrating for your main coach that has taught you a certain way and you come back to them doing something different and they are thinking what the heck!
I don’t know how many times I have coached an athlete weightlifting, they go to another coach and that coach has taught them something different. The athlete then comes back to me, I have to go back and correct or change back the way I had the athlete lifting before they went to another coach. Now the athlete is confused and I’m thinking what the heck. Just pick which style works for you and stick to it. It doesn’t serve you the athlete to have three different voices all trying to coach a certain sport. It causes the athlete to be confused and as a coach it is frustrating.
Have your coach, be it crossfit, weightlifting or gymnastics and trust them and be loyal to them, but don’t whore yourself out to three different coaches that coach the same sport and expect to not get confused. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard it. Loyalty and trust. Find someone to coach you that you can be loyal to and trust. Do your research, find the best coach in your area that coaches the sport you want to learn and trust them to coach you. Take advice from other coaches but know you have one coach for your given sport. Even if another well respected weightlifting coach came to me, wanted to change something about one of my lifts, I would listen but stick to my coach’s way of doing things. Again just me being a loyal dog.
On April 20th myself and Coach Michael Winchester will be hosting the first Barbell Sport lifting seminar at Crossfit Central’s down town location.We wanted to host the seminar because we understand the importance of being proficient at the Olympic lifts as it pertains to CrossFit. We also understand that being proficient at the Olympic lifts will enhance your power and speed at any sport you perform in.
The focus of the seminar will naturally be on the snatch, and the clean & jerk. We will also focus on different exercises that compliment and improve these lifts. Along with that, we will help you find the proper hand placement on the bar, proper foot placement and starting position off the ground. The seminar will compliment the beginner and will improve the person that has some lifting experience. I have had the privilege of being coached by some of the best coaches and it is an honor to be able to pass it on to others.
The only issue is that there are only six spots remaining! If you have a desire to improve the your Olympic lifts, you NEED to sign up for this. CrossFit has become a competitive sport and the Olympic lifts have become an important part of the sport of CrossFit. Don’t get left out! Sign up HERE
First meet in six months and I was long over due for a competition! My nerves were so bad before the meet I almost got sick. I don’t think I can go this long again without competing. BUT! my training has been going well I feel stronger and it showed in the meet. I have been saying and wanting to compete in the 85kg weight class and I was 4kg shy of hitting that. I fully expect my next meet I will be in at 85kg.
For the first time in a looong time I went 3 for 3 in the snatch. But if you look at the second snatch my left elbow bent and I got the red light. Didn’t matter, added 3 kilos and hit a meet PR in the snatch at 110kg. All of my snatches felt good and strong. My turnover getting under the bar was sharp and I felt fast. 115kg right around the corner!
Clean and jerk was not as clean as the snatch and I didn’t meet my goal of 137. My opener at 127 felt strong and I felt like today was when I was gonna finally make a move in to 300lbs club in a meet. For some reason my second attempt at 132 didn’t make the cut, but I assure you it was a miss. The clean was strong but once I stood it up I started to see starts and just basically ditched the weight. To avoid following myself my coach made the decision to bump my next attempt to 133 and you can see what happened above. The clean felt strong and is actually a meet PR, but I wanted to throw that weight up hard and just didn’t meet it in the right place overhead and it crashed on me.
It was a good meet, it was good to compete, it was good to have a good performance. 237kg was a meet total PR and good enough to win the masters division so I’m happy. Until next time!
New training video post hamstring strain and feeling pretty good! Power snatched 107kg off the blocks last Friday and snatch 100kg for four singles this past Monday. Before last Friday I hadn’t lifted in ten days and the rest did the body good. Let me know what you think of the video and be sure to go and subscribe to my YouTube page.
I also competed in my first Crossfit Games Open WOD in two years. 13.1 was partially in my wheel house and then way on the other end of things! Burpees are not my friend! But still, I scored 121 and hadn’t done a Crossfit workout in at least a month. So in hindsight……not too bad. Onward I march!
Two of some of my most favorite things in the world! Texas and weightlifting! Happy Birthday Texas and may your glory not be too polluted by all the yankees and Californians moving here.
Plus! I have to share some weightlifting misses. I have been fighting a nagging hamstring strain over the past two and a half weeks and haven’t picked up a barbell in ten days until Friday. I power snatched 107kg of the blocks for a PR and like you see in the video, I missed 109kg several time before I threw in the towel. I guess I needed some rest anyways.
So Crossfit is obviously huge now days, and with the start of the Open it is on every one’s mind. My gym, Crossfit Central will be having all of our classes participate in the Open during the Th/Fri classes. With the growth of Crossfit, my sport, Olympic Weightlifting has grown as well. Crossfit has adopted a heavy dose of Olympic weightlifting in recent years and with folks like Rudy Nelson and The Outlaw Way, it has become a major part of people’s programing. I appreciate the growth and influx of people into Olympic Weightlifting and can directly thank Crossfit and Outlaw Way for it.
With the growth of both sports and the Olympic lifts becoming more recognized there is a push for people wanting coaching in the Olympic lifts and needing it. My approach to the people that come to me seeking coaching is to coach them like any new person that is wanting to learn the lifts. We start as if the person has never lifted and start with basic drills that will lead them in the right direction; the way I was taught. My attitude is to learn it the right way from the start and break things down, even for someone that has competed at Crossfit for a while. If we have to take two steps back to take four steps forward I say do it.
Although, sometimes I sense that people want to approach Olympic lifting in a Crossfit way. What the hell does that even mean? Question? Wouldn’t you want to learn how to lift like a lifter, hit all the right points of the snatch as if you were trying for a PR? Wouldn’t you want to be proficient and consistent at snatching ,whether it be 75lbs or 210lbs? I guess I am behind the times here, but I am seeing Crossfiters like Rich Froning snatch 300lbs. I promise you he has a lifting coach, and I can promise you he is doing drills and exercises just like any competitive lifter out there. His 300lbs snatch probably looks just like his 135lbs snatch.
I guess what I am saying here, or asking is, does it matter if you are learning to lift in a traditional weightlifting manner? Should I change my approach in teaching a Crossfiter how to lift over someone that wants to be a competitive weightlifter? I know before I had a weightlifting coach and was just Crossfiting I could barley snatch 195lbs. Now after having my lifts broken down and starting from scratch I can now snatch 245lbs. And when I step into twice a week Crossfit classes I am more efficient and move lighter weight exactly the same way I move my heavier lifts.
I have my own opinions, and they are just that, my own opinions. Am I missing something here? Should I change my lifting classes to a lifting class with a Crossfit twist? This is something I’ve been thinking about. Why wouldn’t I spend and hour and a half teaching a person the proper way to snatch and do strength work and drills for that lift. Then when we do a Crossfit workout see how they perform with the lifts in the workout. Just my thoughts as a coach and questions I have for y’all. First world problems……
Wanna Get Strong? Squat! Often and Deep.
It’s a question I often get asked, “What do I need to do to get strong?”. “How do I get my squat numbers up?” Well, the answer is simple, squat. And I don’t mean just once a week, I mean three times a week. Squat as heavy as you can while getting your ass as close to you calves as you can.
Because you are now going to be squatting to proper depth, you are probably going to have to pull back on the normal weight you were using to squat. Most people put a crap ton of weight on the bar, squat maybe to parallel and call it a day. No, no, no…….. you would be better served by pulling the weight off and squatting to full depth. What is full depth you may ask? Put 50% of your one rep max and squat. Keep a tight back, tight stomach and let the hips give till you can squat no deeper. Hold that position for a two count and drive the weight up. There is your full depth squat.
As a matter of fact what I just described to you above to find your full depth is an actual exercise. My coach calls them stop squats, so naturally that’s what I call them. I already described how they work above so I won’t do it again. But this is how it would look in a workout:
70% of your 1RM w/ two second pause at the bottom 4x4
You can do this with your front squat and back squat. You can do this with a lower percentage and build to how ever high you want. Not only will you find that depth, but you will build strength and flexibility. This exercise will also help you get comfortable with the weight on your back at depth. You have got to get comfortable with a sh*t ton of weight on your back and getting low!
Squatting heavy to depth will help you get strong, it will also help with your Olympic lifting. Anyone you watch that catches a heavy clean sees them catch it at the bottom of the squat, same goes for the snatch. You have to be willing to get to the bottom. And getting to the bottom every time you squat, will make it that much easier.
Regardless of what your sport is, squatting heavy and to depth will build your over all strength and enhance your performance. It will lead to a heavier clean, heavier dead lift and heavier snatch. It will help build a stronger back, core and legs. Just do it! Often, to depth and heavy!
First training sessions I have recorded in a while. I’m coming off a light week and had a busy weekend leading into this week. I wanted to go heavy this past Monday to see how I was and had quit possibly the worst lifting day of my life! Took Tuesday off and had a bad taste in my mouth from Monday. Good training session Wed. and this video above was alright. Strained a muscle on the back of my head which is weird. Gonna give it a go today and just suck it up. Next meet is March at The Arnold Classic, will be lifting in the 85kg weight class. Onward training!
Latest article written for The Triune on improving the snatch. Exercises taught to me by my coach and I have implemented into training my lifters. Enjoy:
Competition season is just around the corner, the Crossfit Open will surely have some movements that most of you are uncomfortable with. As I pointed out in a recent write up Numbers Don’t Lie you should expect to see Olympic Weightlifting. There is a good chance the snatch will come up in one of open workouts. In my journey to become a more efficient weightlifter, there have been several key exercises that have helped me to get the bar moving in the right direction when concerning the snatch. Continue reading….
My most recent training video shows the beginning of my winter programing. This video is about two weeks old so it doesn’t show the squat programming coach Ursula has put in the mix. My training partners and myself started the Hatch Squat Cycle this week, and looking at what I’ve already done and where I see it going I can say it is going to be gnarly! Should have more video up coming to you all soon.
If you are interested in seeing all my training videos go subscribe to my YouTube page here.
