So today was an interesting 8 hours of weight lifting with Kirksman and Lester from Lifthard and The Training Geek. Both were experienced coaches with years of weight lifting experience. The knowledge and information shared was almost information overload and mind was blown. Love it.
The technical issues surrounding a complex lift such as a Snatch and Clean and Jerk is enough to complete several volumes of an encyclopedia if it were to look at the various bodies that the movement needs to cater for. For any of the 2 movements to be performed at a high weight, there could possibly be hundreds of different permutations based on an individuals anatomy and biomechanics. The various factors that affected the movements could include on or more of the following:
Previous Coaching-Crap, Decent or Amazing
Influences-American, Chinese, Armanian
Lifestyle- Work and Posture Awareness
Training Experience-Weak, Strong, Experienced in the lifts
Disease & Injury
As much as the technical aspects were enough to overload me, what was really interesting was the mobility and flexibility focus that was needed in the prep for the lifts. Weight lifting is a combination of strength, mobility, flexibility and skill. All of which make up a good solid lift. Without one of the components mentioned, one may compensate and be heading towards some serious injury. Obviously not learned over just one hour, there needs to be a trillion lifts to ensure that there is almost near perfect execution of the bar.
BodyBuilding or Strength and Conditioning exercises are used and needed to improve overall strength. Some degree of isolated exercises were needed to create the much needed upper body strength that lacked in many athletes. Total balance in overall strength is needed to ensure better efficiency. Posture cannot be maintained if your overall musculature is weak. Therefore there needs to be Shrugs, middle back work, bent over rows, Chin Ups, Lat Pulls that needed to be programmed into athlete conditioning.
The Shrug and the upward trap movement was one of the keys to the lifts. As mentioned before and highlighted very much in this seminar, those traps are ever so important in creating that initial drive and is a key component in the dip and the pop of the shoulders. In some movements I felt that I had almost knocked myself out with my shoulders with such an aggressive shrug my shoulders slapped the occipital lobe of my skull. Ouch.
Athletes need to come in more frequently to train. Hence the change in the membership structure to allow all Kevlar Members to use the gym to work on their weaknesses. CrossFit classes and weight lifting classes are awesome but cannot be a stand alone thing that everyone goes to or does week in week out. The balance needs to be spread.
More on the Weight Lifting info soon. There will be more videos and another training tab on the menu of this website that will be operational soon, so that we can include more educational resources on lifting on the website. More visual techniques and methods soon folks.
On Monday we will hit 14.4 again one last time for those who tried it on the weekend and if you have recovered from it. Those with skin rips, rest is always good. I know stretching and rolling out will be a painful and much needed. Those hip flexors, and traps. They need some major rolling and stretching.
Saturday 14.4
On Saturday we hit 14.4 and gave the WOD a crack. Well done to everyone for having a go at the WOD. It was a killer WOD, a great little chipper and excellent lung burner. Definitely can repeat this workout as we can see where we can work on.
Some tips for the WOD:
-10min warm up, test all the movements,
-Toe To Bar is the one that will soften everyone up for the WOD. Try alternate grips for the movement. Break it up into 5s. Use a bent knee and a kick up to the bar. Straight leg can really be taxing for the lower back and the core.
-Hand Care- This one is stress on the forearms. The more fatigued you will be on the arms, you need to be relaxed on the grip. Use Your Rhomboids on your Row. Wrap it up if you need to, make sure you have tape on your hands, there may be a few tears here.
-Break in between sets will be walking away from the bar and walking back to the bar.
-Don’t miss reps. Make sure you get the whole rep and finish well.
