BOTH IN REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY AS WELL
AS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MIND
BY
DONNY SHANKLE CPT
“Familiarity
Breeds Contempt.” Anonymous
27
Snatch Press In Squat
Pressing in the squat is a great
way to warm-up prior to snatching. The exercise helps to both stretch
the shoulders and “receive” position. To set up for the start
position take a bar from the rack like you are about to back squat
and squat down into a low position. Move your hands out into your
snatch grip. Each rep you do focus on pushing your knees out, head pushed in front of the bar, and chest held up. The weight used during this
exercise should be light since it is a warm-up to actual training.
END OF CONCENTRIC
At the end of the concentric
phase both of your feet must be flat on the floor and remain that way
throughout the exercise. Your wrists must be turned over and eyes are
looking straight ahead. The wrists turning over in a snatch is very
important. When the wrists do not turn over and remain straight the
lift will be out in front. The bar should be pressed to right above
the ears and at the top the biceps point straight up to the ceiling.
After you have completed the set stand out of the press in an
overhead squat before bringing the bar down.
END OF ECCENTRIC
As you eccentrically lower the
bar to the upper back to the start position, or end of the eccentric
phase, keep your eyes looking straight. The elbows are pointing
straight down and toes are turned out. The width of the feet are wide
enough for the hips to drop completely through and low to the floor.
Prior the repetition take a deep breath in your stomach and press.The prime movers during this
exercise are the shoulders. The stabilization muscles are the leg and
abdominal muscles.
REPS: 3
SETS: 5
ADVANCED WAY: Snatch pressing in
the squat is already an advanced exercise.
DURATION: 5 minutes
PLACEMENT IN TRAINING: Prior to
snatching especially on maximal days.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING
YOUR WAY AROUND THE KITCHEN
By Donny Shankle CPT
“Diet is the most important factor.” - Anonymous
Pulled Pork
Sandwiches
One 4lb Pork Shoulder
2 Large Yellow Onions (sliced)
5 tsp Sea Salt
3 tsp Black Pepper
4 Lg. Sticks of Celery (chopped)
6 Cloves of Garlic
3 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
4 Cups of Water
Texas Toast
Honey Mustard
Lettuce
Stuff your pork shoulder which should
be at room temperature with your garlic cloves. All you need to do
here is poke some holes in the shoulder with a knife and slide them
cloves right in. Nothing fancy is necessary for this recipe. Slice
your two onions and lay them down in the bottom of a ceramic slow
cooker as a bed. Place your pork shoulder on top of the onions. Add
your celery which should be chopped. Throw in your salt, pepper, Old
Bay, and water. Cook on
high for 10 to 12 hours until shoulder can easily be pulled with a
fork and the internal temperature reads 160 degrees.
Once the pork shoulder is done let it
rest before you pull it. Once it has rested take it out of the fat in
the slow cooker and transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Scrape up all
those onions in the bottom and place them in the mixing bowl as well.
Wash your hands and get some plastic gloves on then start pulling
that shoulder apart.
Toast yourself up some thick slices of
Texas toast and smear a generous amount of honey mustard on both
slices of your sandwich. Finely chop up your lettuce and lay bed of
it on top your toast then a big handful of that slow cooked pork.
This recipe is one of the cheapest I know of which will feed a whole
heck of a lot of weightlifters and its damn tasty. Serve with some freshly cut slices of baby bell peppers. ENJOY!
BOTH IN REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY AS WELL
AS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MIND
BY
DONNY SHANKLE CPT
“Familiarity
Breeds Contempt.” Anonymous
26
Press in Split
Keeping the back knee down
during a jerk is key to dropping straight under the bar on locked
arms. One of the major errors to look for during the jerk is whether
or not the rear leg is completely straight. Jerking this way will
nine times out of ten leave a heavy jerk out in front causing you to
miss. The press in split reinforces a proper “split” command at
light weight. The exercise is a great warm-up drill to keep the back
knee down. Doing some light presses initially in the split before
working up to maximum should help you if you suffer from jerking on a
straight rear leg.
END OF ECCENTRIC
First you must find a proper
placement of you feet. Stand at the back of a platform with your feet
together and draw a line right in front of your toes. Take three
steps forward heel to toe and then mark with another line where your
lead foot will be in the “split.” Stand behind the back line with
a bar at your shoulders and take a step forward placing your lead toe
on the lead line. Turn your back heal out and drop your knee. Hold
this position strictly and then proceed to press for three
repetitions. With each repetition push your head through at the top
and think about your rear knee staying in place while maintaining balance. Before pressing each
repetition feel your weight 50% on your lead foot and 50% on your
rear foot. Balance must be found before each rep, before proceeding to
the next rep, for both the end of the eccentric and concentric phases.
END OF CONCENTRIC
As you become proficient at this
exercise you can then proceed to move into the jerk in split
exercise. The set up is the same way for jerk in split as it is for the press in split. Once you have
found your proper foot position “dip and drive” with your back
knee. Both feet should come off the platform very slightly before
bringing them back down in the exact same start position. With each
jerk slap your lead foot hard against the platform at the same time
the arms lock. Both exercises were taught to me from Coach Zygmunt
during my last visit to the Olympic training center and have proven
to be invaluable at correcting subtle errors in the jerk. Remember
the main focus during this exercise is to achieve balance on both
feet and to reinforce keeping your back knee down. If you are not
doing this drop down in weight and correct yourself. The prime movers
are the shoulders. The stabilization muscles are the leg muscles and
abdominals.
REPS: 3
SETS: 5
ADVANCED WAY: Jerk in split
DURATION: 5 minutes
PLACEMENT IN TRAINING: Use this
exercise as a warm-up to the clean & jerk.
To watch an instructional video for this exercise click HERE.
BOTH IN REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY AS WELL
AS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MIND
BY
DONNY SHANKLE CPT
“Familiarity
Breeds Contempt.” Anonymous
25
KETTLEBELLS
Kettlebell exercises are a great
way for a weightlifter to train his or her body unilaterally.
Training on a barbell alone does not offer this. Sometimes one side
of the body will overcompensate for the other. The great weightlifter
must be equally strong with the left side of his body as he is with
the right. Much the same way many great basketball players are
ambidextrous, great weightlifters are equally coordinated and strong
with both sides of their body.
Their are many different
challenging and fun exercises you can do with kettlebells. The weight
used when doing these exercises is not important. You will get plenty
of heavy work on snatches and clean & jerks. Use kettlebell
exercises to improve conditioning and adroitness. What is important
is how you are moving the kettlebell. Each side of the body should be
able to manipulate the weight you are using skillfully and equally.
Balance, control, and grace are what you are trying to achieve when
performing this subordinate exercise. Practice moving the kettebell
through a complex of different exercises smoothly to also improve
your conditioning. In the last chapter I will discuss how aerobic
fitness is important for the weightlifter.
A circuit which I like to do on my off day includes a list of these
exercises.
Kettlebell swing
One arm kettlebell swing
Kettlebell press (with
bell pointing up)
Kettlebell snatch
Kettlebell clean &
push press
Figure 8's
Kettlebell get-ups
I personally like to use
more of my lower back and hamstrings when doing swings, so instead of
swinging the kettlebell to just below my hips, I let it take me and
swing it close to the floor. With each swing you do try and rise up
on your toes and check your balance. You should never have to take a
step forward or backward. As you swing the kettlebell up bring it to
eye level and then slowly back down.
I started doing kettlebell
presses (with the bell pointing up) to rehab my left shoulder and
wrist. Pressing the kettlebell this way requires great stability. All
the small stabilization muscles in your wrist and shoulder come in to
play as you balance the weight. This small exercise has proven to be
invaluable both as a rehabilitative exercise and strength builder.
Kettlebell snatches and
clean & jerks are to practice the classic lifts using one side of
the body at a time. Remember to keep the kettlebell close to your
body on the way up and to turn the wrist over at the top of the
snatch. The kettlebell should fall comfortably against the back of
your wrist. On the clean be sure to avoid a shoulder injury by
cleaning the weight close to your chest. Ideally the thumb should be
touching your chest at the end of the clean. On both the snatch and
the press keep your eyes focused on the kettlebell to improve your
control.
Figure 8's are an exercise
I like because they keep you bent over for an extended period of
time. As I explained during the reverse fly exercise, improving the
static strength in a bent over position is very important for the
weightlifter on the platform. Getting very strong and confident in
this position allows you to stay over the bar longer in your pull.
Staying over longer improves the finish at the top and speed under
the bar once the hips do come through.
Kettlebell getups are
an abdominal exercise I like to do which also teaches me to stand up
quickly from a lying position. Getting up quickly from a low position
is very important especially during a clean. Recently, I have been
having greater success standing up with my cleans. The only changes I have
made are consciously forcing myself to get up faster with the weight.
This is a small little exercise to help you improve this skill.
I am not an expert at
using kettlebells. If you are interested in learning more exercises
you might find useful then I suggest seeking out a certified
professional. I use kettlebells as a way to actively relax, improve
my fitness, and unilaterally work my body. Like most other
subordinate exercises do this one at the end of your training or off
day to wind down and build muscle. I like to keep a kettlebell in the
back of my truck usually and drive up to the park on a Sunday to get
some light work in. Doing little exercises like this, especially on
your off day, is a great way to help keep you from getting to stiff
the next time you are in the gym lifting heavy.
BOTH IN REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY AS WELL
AS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MIND
BY
DONNY SHANKLE CPT
“Familiarity
Breeds Contempt.” Anonymous
24
SPIKE DRIVING / MEDICINE BALL
SLAMS
I didn't have my first real
weight set growing up until I was about the age of 15. I loved to be
outside though and find ways to challenge my fitness and strength.
One of the exercises I did a lot of was spike driving. I used one of
the steel rods from an old horseshoe set I had and would drive it
into the ground with a sledge hammer. After I dug it out I would
drive it again. Today this exercise is known as medicine ball slams.
I have seen it also being performed in CrossFit gyms using a sledge
hammer against a large tire. As a weightlifter I continue to use the
exercise to help stretch my shoulders. Bringing the medicine ball
back at the top behind my head puts my shoulders and head in a
finished jerk position. Also, as you slam the ball or hammer down the back (lats) and abdominal muscles work powerfully. Any exercise which
improves the strength of the back and power needed to keep the bar
close to your body is a great exercise to incorporate into your
training. Little exercises like these are also perfect to help you
burn some extra calories at the end of your training.
Take a shoulder width stance
over a medicine ball and pick it up behind your head. Your arms
should be bent and hips pushed through at the top. Rise up on your
toes and check your balance before bringing the ball down. Feel the
stretch in your shoulders and with each rep try to reach back a
little further. Once maximum stretch has been reached use your back
and abdominal muscles to powerfully slam the ball down. The prime
movers during this exercise are the lats and abs. The
stabilization muscles are the leg muscles.
REPS: 10
SETS: 2
ADVANCED WAY: N/A
DURATION: 5 minutes
PLACEMENT IN TRAINING: Directly
after clean and jerking.
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to the in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. - 1 Samuel:17
BOTH IN REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY AS WELL
AS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MIND
BY
DONNY SHANKLE CPT
“Familiarity
Breeds Contempt.” Anonymous
23
BRIDGING
Bridging is a hip, glute,
hamstring, and abdominal exercise done much the same way as planking.
During a bridge, however, the main difference being the weightlifter
is facing up and moving concentrically and eccentrically. Being able
to powerfully bring the hips through will ensure a fully extended
“finish” and bridging will help you do this. Weightlifters have
without question the best developed posterior chains amongst any
athlete. The trapezoid muscles become very strong and dense from all
of the overhead work. The latissimus dorsi muscles from pulling the
bar and keeping it close to your body. The spinal erectors develop
thickly giving the impression of rising bread loaves from years of
pulling heavy weights. What stands out most on a weightlifters
physique is the glute muscles and this development comes mainly from
years of squatting and bringing the hips through. Bridging is a great
exercise to help strengthen your glutes which will help you to
powerfully bring your hips through against the bar at the top of your
pull. When held at the concentric phase for a few seconds the
exercise also becomes a great way to develop isometric abdominal
strength. A strong and sturdy core is vitally important when
performing the snatch and clean and jerk.
ECCENTRIC
To set yourself up for a bridge
place your upper back on a bench or box. On another bench or box
place your feet at the same height as your upper body. Give yourself
enough space to allow your hips to drop down into the eccentric phase
of the exercise. Cross your arms over your chest and either keep your
eyes looking straight ahead or up. When you initially set up for the
exercise your body should be held perfectly straight and parallel
with the floor. Take in a deep breath and begin to lower your butt to
the floor but do not touch the floor. As soon as your butt drops down
to a comfortable depth immediately and quickly drive your hips up and
breathe out.
CONCENTRIC
At the concentric phase of the
bridge squeeze your butt and hold at the top for approximately six
seconds. Think about pushing your hips as high to the ceiling as
possible without hyper-extending your back to much. Before you lower
your hips again take in a deep breath. The isometric hold at the top
turns the exercise from just a “hip thrust,” to something a little
more, which will help you on the platform. Especially during a clean
once the hips violently come through the weightlifter must quickly
tighten his core muscles to “receive.” The bridge will help you
to do this. As you become stronger at the exercise with your own
body-weight begin to add weight plates across your hips.
The prime movers during this
exercise are the hips and glutes. The stabilization muscles are the
abdominals.
BOTH IN REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY AS WELL
AS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MIND
BY
DONNY SHANKLE CPT
“Familiarity
Breeds Contempt.” Anonymous
22
MEDICINE BALL OVERHEAD
THROWING
Medicine ball overhead throwing
is a fun little exercise to help you move faster during your pull.
The moment you grab the bar during a snatch or clean your focus
should be on moving as fast as possible. Speed and power comes as
strength increases and coordination improves with repetition. With
hard training and continuous repetition your body will begin to react
as a natural consequence to the weight. The weightlifter need only to
apply the violent power and confidence necessary to move maximum
weight. Medicine ball over head throwing will also teach you how to
fully extend on the “finish” and bring your hips through. This is
exercise is to be treated fast and explosive with a light medicine
ball.
This subordinate exercise is
best performed outside or in a gym with a high ceiling. Take the same
stance you clean from over a medicine ball. Tighten up your back arch
and relax your arms. As soon as you begin to bend at the waist you
should already be thinking of ripping that ball off the floor.
Quickly place your hands in a comfortable position on the ball and
begin to extend. As the ball is coming up bring your hips through and
jump. The height the medicine ball reaches is a good indicator of the
amount of power you are generating. Have someone watch you from time
to time so they can tell you how high you are getting the ball. Have
some fun here and use a 20lb medicine ball for men and 14lb medicine
ball for women.
REPS: 2
SETS: 5-10
ADVANCED WAY: Wear a weighted
vest.
DURATION: 10 minutes
PLACEMENT IN TRAINING: Use this
exercise in between heavy training days and focus on speed.
Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be
any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. -
Philippians 4:8
Not
Knowing How the Hips Properly Function (2)
BEGINNER
The
second most common mistake made by beginning and young weightlifters
is not knowing how the hips properly function. The hips are also too
inflexible to sit into a low squat. Being able to sit into a low
squat with the chest up is a must in order to meet success on the
platform. Many lifters are limited by the flexibility in their hips,
ankles and back. In their frustration they try to drop their chest to
move under the bar which, while snatching only results in potential
shoulder injury. Not understanding how the hips function during a
lift, combined with years of work and leisure in a seated position,
attributes to poor performance.
Powerful hips and a strong behind are very important
for a weightlifter. Look at a picture of a well trained weightlifter
and you can see from the muscularity of the glutes and thickness of
the trapezoid and lumbar muscles, that the entire posterior chain of
the weightlifter is very well developed. Powerful hips allow the
weightlifter to generate maximum force off the floor and against the
bar through the finish of the pull. The muscles of the hips and back
are the largest and most powerful of the body. Poor development of
these muscles through inactivity will result in poor performance on
the platform. Along with fools who tell newcomers interested in
strength training never to squat below parallel, inflexible hips
result in a lack of confidence in going into a deep squat.
Weightlifters who are unable to reach this position should be
encouraged to stretch daily and perform activities such as watching
TV in a low squat position. Back squats are an exercise you can do to
trigger muscle growth, strength, and flexibility.
Having
a minimum knowledge of your muscles and how they function can benefit
your training. I encourage you to purchase a copy of the book Gray's
Anatomy. Gray's will
give you a description of each muscle and some amazing hand drawings
to help you understand as you read through. Knowledge is definitely
power and to lift maximum weights requires maximum power.
The hip joint is a powerful ball and socket joint, just
the opposite of the weaker hinge joint in the knee. Many beginning
weightlifters try to squat under a bar by solely bending at the knee
allowing their hips to collapse forward and heels to come up off the
floor. All a good weightlifter needs is a good pair of weightlifting
shoes so he or she can feel the placement of their heel. Many
beginners, however, do not understand how to move by pushing the hips
back while keeping the chest up. Properly understanding how to
displace the weight across the hips in any lift will avoid any
serious knee injury. Having the proper strength in the hips and
knowledge of how they work will save you thousands of dollars in
surgery and months of missed training.
Like the inability of keeping a straight back, learning
how the hips function in a squat is only corrected with time and by
constant attention from a coach and concentration of the
weightlifter. The beginning weightlifter should be reminded of the
action of sitting down. If you try to sit down on a toilet for
instance by bending at the knee, you will miss the toilet and create
one hell of a mess. Apply this same principle in the gym and place a
box behind the weightlifter so they have a target to get their butt
too. In time they will be able to perform this action without the
box. Using the hips correctly is merely a matter of sitting down and
getting up. Teaching correct hip function will save the weightlifter
from injury and in combination with improved flexibility will allow
him or her to lift heavier weights.
BOTH IN REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY AS WELL
AS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MIND
BY
DONNY SHANKLE CPT
“Familiarity
Breeds Contempt.” Anonymous
21
Power Cleans
The power clean is a clean not
“received” in a deep squat. It emphasizes pulling on the bar
violently and finishing at the top powerfully. Their is some debate
concerning what height a successful power clean is. I have trained
with coaches who prefer the hips being above the knee at the catch. I
have also trained with coaches who look for any height different from
your normal squat clean at the catch. Although height is a measurable
indicator of success on this exercise, intensity during the lift is
what is important. Whether you “receive” the bar high or low make
sure you feel a difference in the power you exert pulling against the
bar. Carrying this intensity over to a clean while changing direction
quickly will make for some beautiful and aggressive lifting. When I
approach the bar during a power clean or clean I like to think about
ripping the head off a god damn lion. It is the power clean that
helped me learn how to finish strong and violently against the bar on
every attempt.
Approach the bar during the
power clean the same way you would during a clean. Your feet are
either hip or shoulder width apart. Relax your arms and place your
hands on the bar where you feel strongest. The elbows will turn over
faster the closer your grip is. Your eyes before the pull are looking
down at a 45 degree angle. Take in a deep breath. After you begin
pulling and the bar begins coming up off the floor your eyes should
begin to look straight ahead. As you move into the finish focus even
more on finishing hard and moving your feet fast. The sound of your
feet will typically determine a successful attempt. Just like you
know a Harley Davidson by the sound of its motor, you know the sound
of a powerful power clean by how much you make the gym echo with your
feet stomping against the platform. The harder you stomp down will
help you put on the brakes to catch the bar high. Moving the feet
fast also shows your coach you are trying to be intense and will help
turn the elbows over quickly. You should never drag ass on any
exercise, but if you are being lazy it is the power movements which
will find out. Be aggressive all the time if you want to break free
of your comfort zones, make PR's (personal records), and win. As you
turn the elbows over, rack the bar against your throat, and move
your feet, keep looking straight ahead and stand up.
Since I have mentioned both
power movements now is also a good time to mention the power snatch.
The power snatch is counter productive to your snatch and should be
trained either minimally (to help with weightlifters having trouble
lifting the chest during the finish) or not at all. A successful
snatch is dependent on how fast you move under the bar. The majority
of your training when snatching should be on getting under the bar
faster and faster. Far to many weightlifters emphasize over extending
on a snatch and this for most slows them down. Substitute
training the power snatch instead with exercises that help you move
under the bar faster (I will go into some of these exercise later in
this chapter). The power clean also is a great exercise to help
improve your snatch when the height you are catching the bar at
becomes the central focus. Catching the bar extra high during a power
clean means you are pulling the weight high enough to get under it on
locked arms in a snatch. Most advanced weightlifters can easily power
clean their best snatch.
The prime movers during a power
clean are the hips, legs, and erector spinae. When a power clean is
“received” and the weightlifter continues to fight extra hard to
keep the bar from pushing him down in the hole, this exercise becomes
a fantastic way to help keep you tight during a clean. The stabilizer
muscles include pretty much all the muscles in your body but your
abdominal muscles are hit the hardest. “Studies have shown that the
core stabilization muscles during a clean/power clean work harder
than on more traditional exercises like sit-ups and leg raises.”- Coach Pendlay. I will be the first to tell you that as your clean
gets stronger, each time you receive a new heavy weight on your
chest, is like getting punched in the gut from a professional boxer.
A weightlifters midsection becomes very strong from years of catching
heaving weights on his chest and overhead. Keeping your breath held
tightly in, your back straight, and elbows pushed up hard becomes
difficult once you are racking twice your body-weight.
As you become a more efficient
and consistent cleaner at maximum weights the power clean will become
a less important exercise in your training. Once you can consciously
exert the same amount of power in a clean as you do in the power
clean, and are timing the “receive” command perfectly, then the
exercise should be taken out of your training. I personally will
power clean very little in training especially the closer I get to
competition. An advanced weightlifter can do this however because
years of repetition has taught him to apply coordinated power. Also,
because the power clean is a very neurologically and muscularly
demanding exercise it should never be done the day before going to
maximum. On a final note never use this subordinate exercise as a
warm-up to the actual clean. When you are cleaning focus on timing
the “receive” command perfectly and catching the stretch reflex.
Trying to power clean your lighter attempts during training on the
clean and jerk will disrupt your catch as the attempts get heavier.
REPS: 1
SETS: 5-10
ADVANCED WAY: N/A
DURATION: 25-30 minutes
PLACEMENT IN TRAINING: Since the
power clean will be lighter than a full clean, the exercise should be
done the day after training the clean and jerk heavy. Usually
weightlifters who train the snatch and clean and jerk Monday,
Wednesday, Friday will substitute power cleans the days in between.
