OP3 (JANUARY 2020) Online Version Now Available Link: https://wl101.co/pRdHwh Password: 7783610ab2
weightlifting101.co
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TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME NOTE PROGRAM CONTENT Week 1, Day 2 Week 1, Day 3 Week 2, Day 1 Week 2, Day 2 Week 2, Day 3 Week 3, Day 1 Week 3, Day 2 Week 3, Day 3 Week 4, Day 1 Week 4, Day 2 Week 4, Day 3 Week 5, Day 1 Week 5, Day 2 Week 5, Day 3
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APPENDIX Technical Max No-Rep Rules Wave-loading AHAFA The Weightlifting 101 Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Low Hang Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Hang Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Touch and Go Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Power Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Low Hang Power Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Hang Power Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Touch and Go Power Snatch Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Clean & Jerk Warm-Up #1 The Weightlifting 101 Clean & Jerk Warm-Up #2 The Weightlifting 101 Touch and Go Clean & Jerk Warm-Up #2 The Weightlifting 101 Hang Clean & Jerk Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Clean Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Low Hang Clean Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Hang Clean Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Power Clean Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Low Hang Power Clean Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Hang Power Clean Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Touch and Go Power Clean Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Power Clean + Power Jerk Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Touch and Go Power Clean + Power Jerk Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Power Clean + Split Jerk Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Split Jerk Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Cluster Warm-Up
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61 62 63 64 65 68 71 74 77 80 83 85 88 91 94 97 100 103 106 109 112 115 118 121 123 126 129 131
The Weightlifting 101 Hang Cluster Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Touch and Go Power Cluster Warm-Up The Weightlifting 101 Touch and Go Hang Power Cluster Warm-Up
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Welcome to OP3 (January 2020) Before throwing your hat into the ring and starting the first session, we want to take the time to welcome you onboard the Weightlifting 101 Online Program. It’s good to have you onboard! There are a few important things to know before you get started. First, this program is not a miracle cure that will make you automatically better at weightlifting. It has the potential to make you better, but you need to put in the work, which requires more than just slavically following the program. You can have two people following the same program with one of them making more progress than the other, not due to innate differences in physical talent, but because one is training harder and more conscientiously than the other. Don’t be an ant; think. Second, OP3 is very similar to OP5, but the weekly volume is lower because there are two days fewer of training. However, the average session is a little longer in OP3, although each and every one of them can and should be completed in less than two hours. If it takes more than that, it’s because you are talking and resting too much. Remember that you only make progress from the work you put in - and the quality of that work - you don’t get better merely by subscribing to a program or showing up at the gym! Furthermore, instead of doing the sessions back to back, we recommend that every training day is followed by a rest- or non-weightlifting day so that you can get the most out of each and every session. Third, each week is indicated by the current week of the actual calendar year, along with training day 1 through 5. This is meant to help people who have joined after the program was initially released so that they know where to start. We strongly recommend that you start with Day 1 in the calendar week that you are in when reading this, instead of starting at the beginning, lagging behind and stressing yourself out trying to catch up. Fourth, the use of a belt is allowed, but because your midline is what keeps everything together and it needs to develop alongside everything else, it’s strongly recommended that you only use the belt at 90+ percentages of your 1RM or at personal record attempts in sets of multiple reps. Example A: Do three snatch singles at 90-95% of your 1RM. Example B: Find your 5RM in push press. If your PR is 100kg you can then use the belt at 90kg and above. Fifth, a good set of straps is indispensable for a weightlifter because it reduces the wear and tear on the hands and also makes the technical execution of certain lifts such as pulls a lot easier. If you don’t already have a pair, go out and buy some or make them yourself.
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Sixth, the exercise descriptions and instructional videos are there for a reason and it’s highly recommended that you read the program thoroughly and watch the videos before the training starts and then write up the session on the whiteboard, put the phone away and get to work. Don’t let life outside the gym distract you from the work inside the gym. Feel free to contact us at
[email protected] if you have any questions and be sure to tag us on Instagram as @weightlifting_101, so we can follow your progress. We will repost the best videos. Train hard! /Weightlifting 101.
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Week 1, Day 2 – DELOAD: Power Clean, Clean Pull, Jump, DB Clean and Push Press, Farmers Hold. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Front Rack Opener (v3)
20 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Place the bar behind the neck and lift both elbows up simultaneously to open up the front rack. You can make it more or less difficult by experimenting with keeping the bar in the fingertips, in the palm of your hands, adding the hookgrip, or widening the grip.
3
Straight Leg Muscle Clean
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
With an empty barbell, perform a muscle clean from the bottom of a Jefferson curl.
4
Muscle Clean
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep the barbell close by using your arms and traps, and finish with a fast turnover of the elbows.
5
Paused Power Clean
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pause for three seconds in the catch position. The catch can gradually get deeper as it gets heavier, but the bar should be kept on the shoulders and not land or slide down the chest.
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Description
6
Power Clean
Every 30 seconds for 10 minutes: 1 rep at 65% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
7a
Touch and Go Clean Pulls
5 x 3 reps at 70% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Keep your shoulders over the bar in the pull phase to avoid leaning back. The catch can gradually get deeper as it gets heavier, but the bar should be kept on the shoulders and not land or slide down the chest. Drop the bar from the top position after showing control for at least one second with your legs completely straight. Rest for two minutes between sets.
Lower the bar slowly and precisely to the floor after the first rep in order to be in the best possible starting position when the plates touch, and then proceed immediately with the next rep without pausing in the starting position. Straps are allowed and recommended.
7b
Bodyweight Jumping Lunges
Do six jumping lunges with bodyweight after each set of clean pulls.
Jump as high as you can from the bottom of a lunge and change position in the air so that you land with the opposite leg forward and ready to jump again.
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8
EMOM
On the minute for as long as possible: 6 touch and go DB muscle cleans + 6 DB push presses
Do the designated work at the start of every minute.
Remaining time: DB farmers hold RX weights for the DB muscle cleans: 2 x 20/15 kg DBs The whole workout has to be completed unbroken without letting go of the dumbbells. 8a
Touch and Go Dumbbell Muscle Cleans
6 reps.
Muscle clean a pair of dumbbells off the floor and reverse the movement to string together reps, making sure to control the descent and to gently tap the floor with either or both ends of both dumbbells before initiating the next rep.
8b
Dumbbell Push Press
6 reps.
It's very common to have one arm that is weaker than the other. If that is the case for you, the dumbbells will expose it much more than a barbell would. Focus on doing all reps symmetrically on both sides with special attention to the front rack and lockout positions.
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8c
Dumbbell Farmers Hold
Remaining time.
Simply pick up a pair of dumbbells and hold on to them for a lengthy period of time, arms straight, standing up, core braced and shoulders neither shrugged nor relaxed. Using straps would defeat the purpose of the exercise, so don’t use straps.
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Week 1, Day 3 – DELOAD: Snatch, Jerk, Back Squat, Death March. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Snatch Grip Monkey Fuckers
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Move from the bottom of a jefferson curl into the starting position of the snatch and back again to complete one rep. Pause for three seconds in both end-positions.
3
Overhead Squat (v1)
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Squat down slowly and stand up fast without a pause in the bottom position. Pause for three seconds in the top position with your legs straight, the quads and glutes relaxed and both the toes and heels in the floor to keep the balance on the midfoot.
4
Paused Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Focus on pulling and catching the bar high without swinging, but then gradually catch the bar deeper as it gets heavier and pause for three seconds in the catch position before standing up and dropping the bar from the top. It's important to pause immediately when you catch the bar without first making any positional corrections.
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Description
5
Paused Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Make the catch rock-solid, sit completely still in the bottom position while slowly counting to three, then stand up fast and show control in the top position before dropping the bar.
6
Power Snatch + Snatch
One set of 2 power snatches + 2 snatches at 60% of your 1RM snatch. One set of 2 power snatches + 1 snatch at 65% of your 1RM snatch. 3 sets of 1 power snatch + 1 snatch at 70% of your 1RM snatch.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Focus on pulling and catching the bar high without swinging in the power snatch, and gradually catch the bar deeper as it gets heavier. In the snatch, you have to catch the bar in the bottom position and avoid riding it down. Drop the bar from the top position on both reps.
7
For Quality
3 rounds for quality: 5 narrow grip overhead squat (version 1) 10 split jumps 5 paused front split presses
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson was once asked what advice he would give to new, up-and-coming athletes trying to make a name for themselves in CrossFit. His reply was: "Always be technical." This is excellent advice that we should always take to heart! Whenever the program states that something is for quality, it doesn't mean that you can't go hard, fast or heavy or that you should necessarily rest more. It simply means that quality is the number one concern, and that you should not do anything to compromise it.
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7a
Narrow Grip Overhead Squats (v1)
5 reps.
Start by using a narrower grip than your snatch grip and continue making it more narrow with each set. The goal is to use the narrowest grip possible, but without losing the lockout by bending the arms, letting the bar come forward or pressing the head excessively through the window.
7b
Split Jumps
10 reps.
Walk into the split in two precise steps and make a short, hard jump with a three second pause in the split. Each jump counts as one rep. It is crucial that you start in the correct split and land in exactly that position after each jump. It’s very common to make the split either longer, shorter, wider or whatever for every jump, but that’s exactly what shouldn't happen. Check your shinbone and the front foot every time you land. If the shinbone is tilted forward you have to correct it without moving your foot. You do that by moving the knee back until you reach a vertical angle.
7c
Paused Front Split Press
5 reps.
Pause for three seconds in the front rack, where you have to engage the midline to avoid arching and tilting the upper body back, and pause again in the lockout, where you have to both stretch your arms completely and shrug the shoulders to improve the lock.
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8
Power Jerk + Split Jerk
2 sets of 3 power jerks + 3 split jerks with an empty barbell. 2 sets of 3 power jerks + 3 split jerks at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Use jerk blocks if they are available to you and drop the bar after each rep. If you don't have jerk blocks, you'll have to do it from rack, take the bar down between reps and only drop after the last rep in a set, if at all.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Squat down slowly, sit completely still when getting into the bottom position, pause for three seconds, stand up as fast as possible, and pause for three seconds in the top position with both the heels and toes in the ground.
Then build up to the percentages of the day and complete: One set of 2 power jerks + 2 split jerks at 65% of your 1RM clean and jerk. One set of 2 power jerks + 1 split jerk at 70% of your 1RM clean and jerk. 3 sets of 1 power jerk + 1 split jerk at 75% of your 1RM clean and jerk. 9
Paused Back Squat
5 x 3 reps at 65% of your 1RM back squat.
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10
Death March
3 x 30 alternating steps with a DB in each hand
Rest for one minute between sets.
RX weights: Men: 2 x 17.5 kg DBs Women: 2 x 12.5 kg DBs
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Keep the steps small and focus on pushing the hips back with both knees slightly bent. Feel the tension in the hamstring of the front leg.
Week 2, Day 1 – Back Squat, Good Morning, Single Leg Deadlift, Nordic Hold, Sidebend, Pendlay Row. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
Description
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
2
Bottom Position with Barbell on Knees
2 x 2 minutes.
Rest as needed between sets.
You don't have to sit completely still in the bottom position, but you should move around, look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility, and hammer away at them.
3
Dead Stop Back Squat
Build to a 2RM over the course of 8-10 sets (warmup sets included).
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Create a setup that allows you to start the rep halfway into the squat, but still above 90 degrees. Keep the tension when squatting down and be careful not to release it before the bar is safely resting on the blocks.
4
Good Mornings
3 x 12 reps at 30-35% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep your legs slightly bent, the lower back completely flat and the chin tucked so that the entire spine is aligned and feel the stretch in the hamstrings as you tilt the upper body forward while pushing your hips back.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
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5
Single Leg KB Deadlift
2 x 15 reps (each leg) with a 16/12 kg KB.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Stand on one leg with a slightly bent knee. With a kettlebell in the opposite hand of the working leg, bend over slowly with a straight back. The nonworking leg should stay straight and kick back to horizontal. Let the kettlebell touch the floor and stand back up. RX weights are 16kg kettlebell for men and 12kg kettlebell for women. If you can do the 15 reps unbroken, you need a heavier kettlebell.
6
Nordic Holds
2 sets of max hold.
Rest for two minutes between sets.
Watch the instructional video and notice how Mike is keeping his legs legs and upper body in a straight line and slightly tilted forward to engage the hamstrings. Be sure to squeeze the butt and to keep the midline tight to avoid arching the lower back.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Load one end of a barbell and grab the fat part at the very end of it, behind the plates, and stand tall. Initiate the first rep by bending your torso sideways, lowering the loaded end of the barbell towards the floor. Reverse the movement and get your torso into a vertical position again to complete the rep.
Find an angle you can hold for 20-40 seconds.
7
One Arm Barbell Sidebends
3 x 20 reps (each side) with 5-10 kg on one side of the barbell.
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8
Pendlay Row
Build to a 5RM over the course of 5 sets.
Use a clean grip with your legs slightly bent. The upper body should be tilted over the bar in an almost horizontal plane and the lower back flat with the chin tucked so that the spine is aligned. Pull the barbell towards your chest from the floor without changing the angle of the upper body and keep the elbows close to the body to engage the lats. Be sure to control the barbell through the eccentric phase.
Then every 2 minutes for 5 sets: Max unbroken reps at 70% of your 5RM
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Week 2, Day 2 – Power Snatch, Snatch Pull, Barbell Cycling. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
Description
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
2
Strict Muscle Snatch from Hips (v1)
2 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pull the bar slowly from the hips to the lockout, pause for three seconds, and then lower it slowly back to the hips while keeping the legs straight and the upper body vertical throughout the entire movement.
3
Strict Muscle Snatch from Hips (v2)
2 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pull the bar slowly from the hips to the lockout and pause for three seconds, then lower it to the chest and press it back up after making it touch. Pause for one second before proceeding to lower the bar slowly back to the hips while keeping the legs straight and the upper body vertical throughout the entire movement.
4
Touch and Go Muscle Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Focus on keeping the shoulders over the bar in the pull phase and avoid any leaning back whatsoever.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
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5
Touch and Go Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Show control for one strong second in the top position of every rep and proceed to take the bar down with the bar touching, but not pausing, at the hips. When lowering the bar, the plates have to touch the floor at the same time and you need to be in a position to start pulling immediately without any need for positional corrections.
6
For Quality
2 touch and go power snatches at 65% of 1RM snatch 3 high box jumps 2 touch and go power snatches at 65% 3 min rest x 6 sets
Rest for three minutes between sets.
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson was once asked what advice he would give to new, up-and-coming athletes trying to make a name for themselves in CrossFit. His reply was: "Always be technical." This is excellent advice that we should always take to heart! Whenever the program states that something is for quality, it doesn't mean that you can't go hard, fast or heavy or that you should necessarily rest more. It simply means that quality is the number one concern, and that you should not do anything to compromise it.
6a
High Box Jumps
3 reps.
Jump up, step down. This exercise is for developing explosiveness with the goal of creating as much force as possible on every jump. Don't rush it, but focus on quality and be very careful not to fall and hurt your shins.
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7
Touch and Go Snatch High Pulls
4 x 4 reps at 60% of your 1RM snatch.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Pull the bar to the chest or higher. As you do that, make sure that the elbows are coming up, not back, and that they are higher than the hands. Keep the upper body vertical when getting the full extension instead of opening up the hips too much and tilting the upper body back. Straps are allowed and recommended.
8
Bodyweight Split Jerks
3 x 5 reps.
Rest for one minute between sets.
The goal is to land in exactly the same split as you have been practicing up to this point. The better the dip and drive is, the better the split will be. Make sure that the dip is done slowly and that you extend the legs, not the hips, in the drive before jumping into the split. Remember to recover the feet in the correct order.
9
Paused Front Split Press
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pause for three seconds in the front rack, where you have to engage the midline to avoid arching and tilting the upper body back, and pause again in the lockout, where you have to both stretch your arms completely and shrug the shoulders to improve the lock.
10
Muscle Clean from MidShin
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Find the starting position with the bar at the shin bones. Bend your legs while keeping the butt low, the chest high and the lower back straight, and make sure that the bar gets contact with the thighs in the pull phase before it gets to the shoulders.
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11
Paused Power Clean + Paused Split Jerk
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pause for three seconds in the catch of the power clean and in the split of the split jerk with the goal of standing completely still while counting.
12
Power Clean + Split Jerk
Every 30 sec for 27 sets: 1 power clean + 1 split jerk at increasing weight.
Do one set every 30 sec.
Keep your shoulders over the bar in the pull phase to avoid leaning back, and gradually catch the bar deeper as it gets heavier without the bar ever landing or sliding down to the chest. Whatever way you end up catching the bar in the power clean, it needs to be followed up with an effective re-grip, so that you are prepared for the jerk.
Start at 40% of 1RM clean and jerk and add 5% every third lift (every 90 sec). The workout ends when you have completed the round with 80% which is a total of 27 sets. No-rep rules apply.
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Week 2, Day 3 – Snatch, Power Jerk, Back Squat, Lunge, Good Morning, Romanian Deadlift, Roll-Out. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Overhead Shrugs
20 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Lift your shoulders slowly up towards the ears and down again while maintaining a good lockout with the wrists straight, the elbows internally rotated, and avoiding that the bar moves back and forth.
3
Overhead Squat (v3)
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
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Description
Squat down slowly into the bottom position, stand halfway up, squat back down into the bottom position, and then stand all the way up. All squat motions moving downwards have to be slow, and all squat motions upwards have to be fast. Don't pause in the bottom position or halfway up, but pause in the top position for one strong second with the legs completely straight and relaxed.
4
No Heels Snatch Pulls
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Instead of trying to do the snatch pull explosively or to pull the bar very high, think of the snatch pull as an opportunity to practice the pulling mechanics. By keeping the feet in the ground the entire time, it's much easier to practice keeping the bar close to the body and avoid leaning back and swinging the bar forward. Straps are allowed and recommended.
5
Paused Hang Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep the bar glued to the body, both when you lower it and pull it back up, while pressing the knees out and keeping the upper body more vertical than you would in a power snatch from the floor. Focus on pulling and catching the bar high without swinging, but then gradually catch the bar deeper as it gets heavier and pause for three seconds in the catch position before standing up and dropping the bar from the top. It's important to pause immediately when you catch the bar without first making any positional corrections. Straps are allowed.
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6
Paused Hang Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep the bar glued to the body, both when you lower it and pull it back up, while pressing the knees out and keeping the upper body more vertical than you would in a snatch from the floor. Pause for three seconds in the bottom position before standing up and show control in the top position before dropping the bar. Straps are allowed.
7
Snatch Pull + Low Hang Snatch + Hang Snatch
Build to a daily max in snatch pull + low hang snatch + hang snatch.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Instead of trying to do the snatch pull explosively or to pull the bar very high, think of the snatch pull as an opportunity to practice the pulling mechanics that you then have to apply in the next two lifts. Straps are allowed.
8
Paused Power Jerk
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell. 2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
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While the goal is to catch the bar in the best possible position, you have to pause for three seconds immediately without any positional changes. If you realize while counting that the position could be better in one way or the other, it's on the next rep or the next set that the change has to be made.
9
Power Jerk
Build to a 3RM power jerk.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
If you are sufficiently flexible, try using a full grip without the hook, which gives you better connection with the bar and allow for a stronger press from the chest, shoulders and triceps. Always keep in mind that it's the legs more than anything else that are the real generators of power.
10
Back Squat
12 x 2 reps at 65% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for 45 seconds between sets.
Squat down slowly, stand up fast without a pause in the bottom position, and pause for three seconds in the top position between reps while keeping both the heels and toes in the ground at all times.
Note the short rest period between sets. 11
Back Rack Lunges
3 x 20 alternating steps at 30% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Maintain good posture in the upper body while keeping it vertical in order to put the pressure on the quads instead of the hips.
12
Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift
2 x 15 reps at 35-40% of your 1RM deadlift.
Rest for one minute between sets.
The degree of flexibility in your hamstrings determines the range of motion and unless you have very flexible hamstrings you won't be able to lower the bar as much as with a more narrow grip. Accept that and refrain from compensating by rounding the lower back.
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13
Weighted GHD HipExtensions
2 x 15 reps at AHAFA.
Rest for one minute between sets.
You need to use a setup that allows for the hips and upper body to move freely up and down holding a plate on your chest or an empty bar behind the neck. In the bottom, the upper body has to be vertical and in the top, you need to break horizontal.
14
Barbell Roll-Outs
3 x 10-12 reps.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Barbell roll-outs are meant to strengthen your midline, but lat strength and shoulder stability is required for full range of motion. Whatever the limiting factor is for you, accumulating quality reps will improve it. If you need to scale, do it by reducing the range of motion. If doing it from the knees is not challenging enough, you need to do it standing.
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Week 3, Day 1 – Front Squat, Good Morning, Single Leg Deadlift, Nordic Hold, Sidebend, Pendlay Row. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
Description
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
2
Bottom Position with Barbell on Knees
2 x 2 minutes.
Rest as needed between sets.
You don't have to sit completely still in the bottom position, but you should move around, look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility, and hammer away at them.
3
Full Grip Front Squats (v2)
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Squat down slowly, pause for three seconds in the bottom position, stand up fast and pause for three seconds in the top position with the legs straight and the upper body vertical while keeping the bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the fingertips. Regain the grip in case you lost it.
4
Paused Front Squat
Build to a 3RM over the course of 8-10 sets (warmup sets included).
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Squat down slowly, sit completely still when getting into the bottom position, pause for three seconds, stand up as fast as possible, and pause for three seconds in the top position while engaging your midline to avoid any arching of the lower back.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
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5
Good Mornings
3 x 12 reps at 30-35% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep your legs slightly bent, the lower back completely flat and the chin tucked so that the entire spine is aligned and feel the stretch in the hamstrings as you tilt the upper body forward while pushing your hips back.
6
Single Leg KB Deadlift
3 x 15 reps (each leg) with a 16/12 kg KB.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Stand on one leg with a slightly bent knee. With a kettlebell in the opposite hand of the working leg, bend over slowly with a straight back. The nonworking leg should stay straight and kick back to horizontal. Let the kettlebell touch the floor and stand back up. RX weights are 16kg kettlebell for men and 12kg kettlebell for women. If you can do the 15 reps unbroken, you need a heavier kettlebell.
7
Nordic Holds
2 sets of max hold.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Find an angle you can hold for 20-40 seconds.
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Watch the instructional video and notice how Mike is keeping his legs legs and upper body in a straight line and slightly tilted forward to engage the hamstrings. Be sure to squeeze the butt and to keep the midline tight to avoid arching the lower back.
8
One Arm Barbell Sidebends
4 x 20 reps (each side) with 5-10 kg on one side of the barbell.
9
Pendlay Row
On the minute for 10 sets: 5 reps at 80% of 5RM from last week.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Load one end of a barbell and grab the fat part at the very end of it, behind the plates, and stand tall. Initiate the first rep by bending your torso sideways, lowering the loaded end of the barbell towards the floor. Reverse the movement and get your torso into a vertical position again to complete the rep. Use a clean grip with your legs slightly bent. The upper body should be tilted over the bar in an almost horizontal plane and the lower back flat with the chin tucked so that the spine is aligned. Pull the barbell towards your chest from the floor without changing the angle of the upper body and keep the elbows close to the body to engage the lats. Be sure to control the barbell through the eccentric phase.
If you don't have a 5RM Pendlay Row from week 2, then simply estimate what your 5RM would be.
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Week 3, Day 2 – Power Clean, Jump, Clean Pull, Barbell Cycling. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Front Rack Opener (v2)
20 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Keep a full clean grip on the bar, which means that it has to be placed in the palm of the hands instead of the fingertips. This can include the hook if you already have good front rack flexibility. Push the elbows as high as possible without losing the grip, and then lower the elbows to regain the grip in case you lost it to complete the rep.
3
Straight Leg Muscle Clean
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
With an empty barbell, perform a muscle clean from the bottom of a Jefferson curl.
4
Touch and Go Muscle Cleans
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
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Description
Keep your shoulders over the bar to avoid tilting the upper body back in the pull phase where you have to combine the explosive power from the legs with aggressively using your arms to pull the bar to the shoulders. When lowering the bar, the plates have to touch the floor at the same time and you need to be in a position to start pulling immediately without any need for positional corrections.
5
Touch and Go Power Clean
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Show control in the top position with your legs straight and the upper body vertical. Remember that since it's touch and go, you are not allowed to rest and reset after taking the bar down, but instead have to go directly from one rep to the next.
6
For Quality
2 touch and go power cleans at 65% of 1RM clean and jerk 3 high box jumps 2 touch and go power cleans at 65% 3 min rest x 6 sets
Rest for three minutes between sets.
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson was once asked what advice he would give to new, up-and-coming athletes trying to make a name for themselves in CrossFit. His reply was: "Always be technical." This is excellent advice that we should always take to heart! Whenever the program states that something is for quality, it doesn't mean that you can't go hard, fast or heavy or that you should necessarily rest more. It simply means that quality is the number one concern, and that you should not do anything to compromise it.
6a
High Box Jumps
3 reps.
Jump up, step down. This exercise is for developing explosiveness with the goal of creating as much force as possible on every jump. Don't rush it, but focus on quality and be very careful not to fall and hurt your shins.
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7
Touch and Go Clean Pulls
4 x 4 reps at 60% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Lower the bar slowly and precisely to the floor after the first rep in order to be in the best possible starting position when the plates touch, and then proceed immediately with the next rep without pausing in the starting position. Straps are allowed and recommended.
8
No Heels Snatch Pulls
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Instead of trying to do the snatch pull explosively or to pull the bar very high, think of the snatch pull as an opportunity to practice the pulling mechanics. By keeping the feet in the ground the entire time, it's much easier to practice keeping the bar close to the body and avoid leaning back and swinging the bar forward. Straps are allowed and recommended.
9
Muscle Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
View this exercise as one long pull from the floor to over head - stay over the bar as long as possible and don't lean back.
10
Paused Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Focus on pulling and catching the bar high without swinging, but then gradually catch the bar deeper as it gets heavier and pause for three seconds in the catch position before standing up and dropping the bar from the top. It's important to pause immediately when you catch the bar without first making any positional corrections.
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11
Paused Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Make the catch rock-solid, sit completely still in the bottom position while slowly counting to three, then stand up fast and show control in the top position before dropping the bar.
12
Snatch
Every 30 sec for 27 sets: 1 snatch (anyhow) at increasing weight.
Do one set every 30 sec.
Pull it high and catch it low. That's what the snatch is all about.
Start at 40% of 1RM snatch and add 5% every third lift (every 90 sec). The workout ends when you have completed the round with 80% which is a total of 27 sets. You are allowed to start out with power snatch and transition into full snatch when it gets too heavy. No-rep rules apply.
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Week 3, Day 3 – Power Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Back Squat, Lunge, Romanian Deadlift, Hip-Extension, Roll-Out. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
Description
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
2
Strict Muscle Snatch from Hips (v2)
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pull the bar slowly from the hips to the lockout and pause for three seconds, then lower it to the chest and press it back up after making it touch. Pause for one second before proceeding to lower the bar slowly back to the hips while keeping the legs straight and the upper body vertical throughout the entire movement.
3
Paused Low Hang Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
In order to get into a low but strong starting position, it's necessary for the chest to be kept high to ensure good posture and to sufficiently bend the legs while staying somewhat upright instead of just tilting the upper body more over the bar. This has to be combined with the bar being glued to the body both on the way down and on the way up. Remember to pause for three seconds in the catch and try to sit completely still while counting slowly.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
Straps are allowed.
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4
Paused Hang Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep the bar glued to the body, both when you lower it and pull it back up, while pressing the knees out and keeping the upper body more vertical than you would in a power snatch from the floor. Focus on pulling and catching the bar high without swinging, but then gradually catch the bar deeper as it gets heavier and pause for three seconds in the catch position before standing up and dropping the bar from the top. It's important to pause immediately when you catch the bar without first making any positional corrections. Straps are allowed.
5
Hang Power Snatch + Low Hang Power Snatch
Build to a daily max in hang power snatch + low hang power snatch.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Don't drop the bar after the first rep, but take it down and reset at the hips. You are allowed to drop after the last rep in a set and adviced to use straps.
6
Muscle Clean from Thighs
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Keep your shoulders over the bar to avoid tilting the upper body back in the pull phase where you have to combine the explosive power from the legs with aggressively using your arms to pull the bar to the shoulders.
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7
Paused Power Jerk
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
While the goal is to catch the bar in the best possible position, you have to pause for three seconds immediately without any positional changes. If you realize while counting that the position could be better in one way or the other, it's on the next rep or the next set that the change has to be made.
8
Paused Hang Power Clean
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pause for three seconds in the catch position. The catch can gradually get deeper as it gets heavier, but the bar should be kept on the shoulders and not land or slide down the chest.
9
Hang Clean + Power Jerk
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Make the hang clean as easy as possible by getting a good bounce out of the bottom position followed by a smooth re-grip in the top.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Squat down slowly, stand up fast without a pause in the bottom position, and pause for three seconds in the top position between reps while keeping both the heels and toes in the ground at all times.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Maintain good posture in the upper body while keeping it vertical in order to put the pressure on the quads instead of the hips.
Then build up to a daily max in hang clean + power jerk. 10
Back Squat
12 x 2 reps at 70% of your 1RM back squat. Note the short rest period between sets.
11
Back Rack Lunges
4 x 20 alternating steps at 30% of your 1RM back squat.
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12
Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift
3 x 15 reps at 35-40% of your 1RM deadlift.
Rest for one minute between sets.
The degree of flexibility in your hamstrings determines the range of motion and unless you have very flexible hamstrings you won't be able to lower the bar as much as with a more narrow grip. Accept that and refrain from compensating by rounding the lower back.
13
Weighted GHD HipExtensions
2 x 15 reps at AHAFA.
Rest for one minute between sets.
You need to use a setup that allows for the hips and upper body to move freely up and down holding a plate on your chest or an empty bar behind the neck. In the bottom, the upper body has to be vertical and in the top, you need to break horizontal.
14
Barbell Roll-Outs
3 x 10-12 reps.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Barbell roll-outs are meant to strengthen your midline, but lat strength and shoulder stability is required for full range of motion. Whatever the limiting factor is for you, accumulating quality reps will improve it. If you need to scale, do it by reducing the range of motion. If doing it from the knees is not challenging enough, you need to do it standing.
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Week 4, Day 1 – Back Squat, Cyclist Squat, Good Morning, Single Leg Deadlift, Nordic Hold, Sidebend, Pendlay Row. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
Description
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
2
Bottom Position with Barbell on Knees
2 x 2 minutes.
Rest as needed between sets.
You don't have to sit completely still in the bottom position, but you should move around, look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility, and hammer away at them.
3
Varied Stance Back Squat
2 x 10 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Barbell on the back, squatting as deep as possible, work your way in from a sumo-stance to a feet-together stance, and work your way out again.
4
Box Back Squat (at parallel)
Build to a 1RM over the course of 8-10 sets (warmup sets included).
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Make a “box” out of bumper plates that is exactly high enough to stop your squat at parallel (femurs horizontal). Un-rack the barbell and step backwards carefully until you feel the box and get into your normal squat stance. Squat down slowly until your glutes make contact, sit back slightly, making sure NOT to lose any tension in your core, then stand back up forcefully and pause for a couple of seconds before initiating the next rep.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
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5
Cyclist Back Squat
3 x 12 reps at 40% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Watch the instructional video and notice how Mike is using a narrow stance with the heels on a 10kg plate and that he is squatting down slowly without locking the knees out in the top. This should make your quads burn.
6
Good Mornings
3 x 12 reps at 30-35% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep your legs slightly bent, the lower back completely flat and the chin tucked so that the entire spine is aligned and feel the stretch in the hamstrings as you tilt the upper body forward while pushing your hips back.
7
Single Leg KB Deadlift
3 x 15 reps (each leg) with a 16/12 kg KB.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Stand on one leg with a slightly bent knee. With a kettlebell in the opposite hand of the working leg, bend over slowly with a straight back. The nonworking leg should stay straight and kick back to horizontal. Let the kettlebell touch the floor and stand back up. RX weights are 16kg kettlebell for men and 12kg kettlebell for women. If you can do the 15 reps unbroken, you need a heavier kettlebell.
8
Nordic Holds
2 sets of max hold.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Find an angle you can hold for 20-40 seconds.
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Watch the instructional video and notice how Mike is keeping his legs legs and upper body in a straight line and slightly tilted forward to engage the hamstrings. Be sure to squeeze the butt and to keep the midline tight to avoid arching the lower back.
9
One Arm Barbell Sidebends
4 x 20 reps (each side) with 5-10 kg on one side of the barbell.
10
Pendlay Row
5 sets of max unbroken reps at 75% of 5RM from week 2.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Load one end of a barbell and grab the fat part at the very end of it, behind the plates, and stand tall. Initiate the first rep by bending your torso sideways, lowering the loaded end of the barbell towards the floor. Reverse the movement and get your torso into a vertical position again to complete the rep. Use a clean grip with your legs slightly bent. The upper body should be tilted over the bar in an almost horizontal plane and the lower back flat with the chin tucked so that the spine is aligned. Pull the barbell towards your chest from the floor without changing the angle of the upper body and keep the elbows close to the body to engage the lats. Be sure to control the barbell through the eccentric phase.
If you don't have a 5RM Pendlay Row from week 2, then simply estimate what your 5RM would be.
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Week 4, Day 2 – Snatch, Snatch Pull, Dumbbell Row, Rear Delt Fly. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Overhead Elbow Rotations
20 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Isolate the elbows and rotate them slowly back and forth while keeping the wrists straight, the shoulders relaxed and the bar in the same position overhead.
3
Overhead Elbow Rotations from Bottom Position
2 x 10 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Rotate the elbows slowly back and forth while keeping the wrists straight, the shoulders relaxed, and the bar in the same position overhead while sitting in your bottom position.
4
Snatch Grip Behind the Neck Sots Press
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Think of this exercise as snatch grip behind the neck presses, but from a squat. The more flexible you are, the deeper into the bottom position you have to go.
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Description
5
No Heels Touch and Go Snatch Pulls
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Instead of trying to do the snatch pull explosively or to pull the bar very high, think of the snatch pull as an opportunity to practice the pulling mechanics. By keeping the feet in the ground the entire time, it's much easier to practice keeping the bar close to the body and avoid leaning back and swinging the bar forward. Lower the bar slowly and precisely from the hips to the floor in order to be in the correct starting position when the plates touch. Straps are allowed and recommended.
6
Touch and Go Muscle Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Focus on keeping the shoulders over the bar in the pull phase and avoid any leaning back whatsoever.
7
Touch and Go Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Show control for one strong second in the top position of every rep and proceed to take the bar down with the bar touching, but not pausing, at the hips. When lowering the bar, the plates have to touch the floor at the same time and you need to be in a position to start pulling immediately without any need for positional corrections.
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8
Touch and Go Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Show control for one strong second in the top position of every rep and proceed to take the bar down with the bar touching, but not pausing, at the hips. When lowering the bar, the plates have to touch the floor at the same time and you need to be in a position to start pulling immediately without any need for positional corrections.
9
Snatch Pull + Touch and Go Snatch
Every 45 sec x 12 sets: 1 snatch pull + 1 touch and go snatch at 60% of your 1RM snatch + 1 broad jump single
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
In the pull, make sure to keep the shoulders over the bar and to get full extension, including getting up on the toes. After the pull, consciously lower the barbell towards the floor to make gentle and coordinated contact and immediately engage another pull without the need for any positional corrections. Straps are allowed and recommended.
The broad jump is done directly after the snatch complex within the same 45 second-window. 9a
Broad Jump Singles
1 rep.
Jump as far as possible, but be in good balance when you land.
10
Low Hang Snatch Pulls
4 x 3 reps at 70% of your 1RM snatch.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
In order to get into a low but strong starting position, it's necessary for the chest and chin to be kept high to ensure good posture and to bend the legs while staying somewhat upright instead of just tilting the upper body more over the bar or rounding the lower back. Straps are allowed and recommended.
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11
Bent over Dumbbell Rows
10-1 unbroken reps at AHAFA.
In order to engage your lats effectively, it's important that you focus on pulling the elbows both back and up instead of merely bending the arms and pulling the dumbells to the chest. If you feel the lats working during the set, you are doing it right; if not, you are doing it wrong.
Do 10 reps on each arm, straight into 9 reps on each arm, into 8 reps... etc. down to 1 rep. No rest between sets. 12
Bent over Rear Delt Flyes
5 x 12 reps at AHAFA.
Rest for one minute between sets.
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Keep the legs slightly bent and the upper body horizontal while lifting your arms up, out and over the line of your upper body.
Week 4, Day 3 – Snatch, Clean, Back Squat, Lunge, Romanian Deadlift, Hip-Extension, Chinese Plank, Roll-Out. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Snatch Grip Jefferson Curl
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Jefferson curls with the snatch grip is going to put your posterior chain flexibility to the test and because it's weighted, it also has a strength building function. To stay safe, it's very important that you are doing it with the utmost control just like Mike does in the instructional video.
3
Straight Leg Muscle Snatch
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
With an empty barbell, perform a muscle snatch from the bottom of a Jefferson curl.
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Description
4
Paused Hang Power Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep the bar glued to the body, both when you lower it and pull it back up, while pressing the knees out and keeping the upper body more vertical than you would in a power snatch from the floor. Focus on pulling and catching the bar high without swinging, but then gradually catch the bar deeper as it gets heavier and pause for three seconds in the catch position before standing up and dropping the bar from the top. It's important to pause immediately when you catch the bar without first making any positional corrections. Straps are allowed.
5
Paused Hang Snatch
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep the bar glued to the body, both when you lower it and pull it back up, while pressing the knees out and keeping the upper body more vertical than you would in a snatch from the floor. Pause for three seconds in the bottom position before standing up and show control in the top position before dropping the bar. Straps are allowed.
6
Hang Snatch + Overhead Squat
Build to a daily max in hang snatch + overhead squat.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Show control in the top position after the hang snatch. Before initiating the overhead squat, reset the feet if necessary, maintain the same grip, and then do the overhead squat with an emphasis on squatting down slowly, so you don't lose control of the bar. Straps are allowed.
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7
Full Grip Front Squats (v1)
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Squat down slowly and stand up fast without a pause in the bottom position while keeping the bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the fingertips. Pause for three seconds in the top position with the legs straight and the upper body vertical and regain the grip in case you lost it.
8
Paused Hang Power Clean
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pause for three seconds in the catch position. The catch can gradually get deeper as it gets heavier, but the bar should be kept on the shoulders and not land or slide down the chest.
9
Hang Clean
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
The goal is to put your strength to the limit by pulling yourself under any weight and getting a good bounce out of the bottom position without the bar crashing on you in any way, shape or form. When doing the clean from hang instead of from the floor, it's important to prioritize speed and precision when diving under the bar.
10
Hang Clean + Front Squat
Build to a daily max in hang clean + front squat.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Maintain the grip in the hang clean or re-grip effectively before the front squat, so that the grip won't be a problem. Show control in the top position of both lifts for at least one strong second with the legs straight and the upper body vertical and drop the bar after the last rep.
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11
Back Squat
10 x 2 reps at 75% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for 75 seconds between sets.
Squat down slowly, stand up fast without a pause in the bottom position, and pause for three seconds in the top position between reps while keeping both the heels and toes in the ground at all times.
Note the short rest period between sets. 12
Back Rack Lunges
4 x 20 alternating steps at 30% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Maintain good posture in the upper body while keeping it vertical in order to put the pressure on the quads instead of the hips.
13
Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift
3 x 15 reps at 35-40% of your 1RM deadlift.
Rest for one minute between sets.
The degree of flexibility in your hamstrings determines the range of motion and unless you have very flexible hamstrings you won't be able to lower the bar as much as with a more narrow grip. Accept that and refrain from compensating by rounding the lower back.
14
Weighted GHD HipExtensions
2 x 15 reps at AHAFA.
Rest for one minute between sets.
You need to use a setup that allows for the hips and upper body to move freely up and down holding a plate on your chest or an empty bar behind the neck. In the bottom, the upper body has to be vertical and in the top, you need to break horizontal.
15
Weighted Chinese Plank
3 x 90 seconds at AHAFA.
Rest for two minutes between sets.
Keep your body straight as an arrow by squeezing the butt and engaging the lower back and hamstrings while adding a plate to make it more challenging.
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16
Barbell Roll-Outs
3 x 10-12 reps.
Rest for one minute between sets.
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Barbell roll-outs are meant to strengthen your midline, but lat strength and shoulder stability is required for full range of motion. Whatever the limiting factor is for you, accumulating quality reps will improve it. If you need to scale, do it by reducing the range of motion. If doing it from the knees is not challenging enough, you need to do it standing.
Week 5, Day 1 – DELOAD: Back Squat, Cyclist Squat, Good Morning, Single Leg Deadlift, Nordic Hold, Sidebend. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Bottom Position of Squat
Accumulate 5 minutes.
The bottom position has to be deep and relaxed with the toes in the ground and the knees in line with the direction of the toes, but not pushed in or out.
3
Varied Stance Back Squat
2 x 10 reps with an empty barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Barbell on the back, squatting as deep as possible, work your way in from a sumo-stance to a feet-together stance, and work your way out again.
4
Back Squat
3 x 10 reps at 60% of your 1RM back squat.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Squat down slowly, stand up fast without a pause in the bottom position, and pause for three seconds in the top position between reps while keeping both the heels and toes in the ground at all times.
5
Cyclist Back Squat
4 x 12 reps at 40% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Watch the instructional video and notice how Mike is using a narrow stance with the heels on a 10kg plate and that he is squatting down slowly without locking the knees out in the top. This should make your quads burn.
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Description
6
Good Mornings
3 x 12 reps at 30-35% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep your legs slightly bent, the lower back completely flat and the chin tucked so that the entire spine is aligned and feel the stretch in the hamstrings as you tilt the upper body forward while pushing your hips back.
7
Single Leg KB Deadlift
3 x 15 reps (each leg) with a 16/12 kg KB.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Stand on one leg with a slightly bent knee. With a kettlebell in the opposite hand of the working leg, bend over slowly with a straight back. The nonworking leg should stay straight and kick back to horizontal. Let the kettlebell touch the floor and stand back up. RX weights are 16kg kettlebell for men and 12kg kettlebell for women. If you can do the 15 reps unbroken, you need a heavier kettlebell.
8
Nordic Holds
3 sets of max hold.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Find an angle you can hold for 20-40 seconds.
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Watch the instructional video and notice how Mike is keeping his legs legs and upper body in a straight line and slightly tilted forward to engage the hamstrings. Be sure to squeeze the butt and to keep the midline tight to avoid arching the lower back.
9
One Arm Barbell Sidebends
4 x 20 reps (each side) with 5-10 kg on one side of the barbell.
Rest for one minute between sets.
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Load one end of a barbell and grab the fat part at the very end of it, behind the plates, and stand tall. Initiate the first rep by bending your torso sideways, lowering the loaded end of the barbell towards the floor. Reverse the movement and get your torso into a vertical position again to complete the rep.
Week 5, Day 2 – DELOAD: Power Clean, Power Jerk, Jump, Clean Pull. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Front Rack Opener (v1)
20 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Let one elbow come up as the other one comes down with the goal of opening up the front rack. You can make it more or less difficult by experimenting with keeping the bar in the fingertips, in the palm of your hands, adding the hookgrip, widening the grip or rotating the upper body as the elbow comes up.
3
Front Rack Opener (v2)
20 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Keep a full clean grip on the bar, which means that it has to be placed in the palm of the hands instead of the fingertips. This can include the hook if you already have good front rack flexibility. Push the elbows as high as possible without losing the grip, and then lower the elbows to regain the grip in case you lost it to complete the rep.
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Description
4
Paused Power Jerk
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
While the goal is to catch the bar in the best possible position, you have to pause for three seconds immediately without any positional changes. If you realize while counting that the position could be better in one way or the other, it's on the next rep or the next set that the change has to be made.
5
Muscle Clean from Thighs
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Keep your shoulders over the bar to avoid tilting the upper body back in the pull phase where you have to combine the explosive power from the legs with aggressively using your arms to pull the bar to the shoulders.
6
Paused Hang Power Clean
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Pause for three seconds in the catch position. The catch can gradually get deeper as it gets heavier, but the bar should be kept on the shoulders and not land or slide down the chest.
7
Touch and Go Power Jerk
2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM clean and jerk.
Rest for one minute between sets.
"Touch and go" means that you are not allowed to rest with the bar on the shoulders but have to go directly into the next rep. Show control in the top position with your legs straight before initiating the takedown. It's a very common mistake for people to let the toes leave the floor, which shifts the balance back to the heels and is detrimental for good balance. Keep the toes in the floor throughout the entire set.
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8
EMOM
On the minute for 32 minutes (alternate between A, B, C and D): A. 5 touch and go hang power cleans at 50% of 1RM clean and jerk B. 3 box jump into jumps C. 5 touch and go power jerks bolt at 50% of 1RM clean and jerk D. 3 seated box jumps
Do the designated work at the start of every minute.
8a
Touch and Go Hang Power Clean
5 reps.
Show control in the top position with your legs straight, the upper body vertical and the entire foot, from heel to toes, in the ground for optimal balance. Remember that since it's touch and go, you are not allowed to rest and reset after taking the bar down to the thighs, but instead have to go directly from one rep to the next.
8b
Box Jump into Jump
3 reps.
Simply jump onto a box and upon landing, initiate another jump to leap vertically into the air. Be careful to not jump forward on the second jump and to maintain good balance by controlling your power output.
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8c
Touch and Go Power Jerk Bolt
5 reps.
Because it's touch and go, you are not allowed to rest with the bar on the shoulders but have to go directly into the next rep after showing control in the top position. Because it's bolted, you have to keep the feet in the ground the entire time and are not allowed to change the width by jumping in or out.
8d
Seated Box Jumps
3 reps.
Sit on a bench with a box in front of you. Start the movement by slowly coming forward and proceed to jumping up on the box.
9
Clean Pull
3 reps at 60% of your 1RM clean and jerk. 3 reps at 70%. 2 reps at 80%. 2 reps at 90%. 2 reps at 100%.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
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Keep the shoulders over the bar in the starting position and through the pull and get the full extension by extending the entire body, including getting up on the toes, while keeping the upper body vertical instead of opening up the hips and tilting the upper body back. Straps are allowed and recommended.
Week 5, Day 3 – DELOAD: Snatch, Back Squat, Lunge, Romanian Deadlift, Hip-Extension, Chinese Plank, Roll-Out. Set
Exercise/ Video
Sets/ Reps/ Load
Timing
1
Barbell Yoga
5 minutes.
Stretch, move and mobilise with an empty barbell without putting it down at any point. Look for positions restricted by sore muscles or a lack of flexibility and hammer away.
2
Barbell Rotations
20 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
Rotate the barbell from side to side from a narrow stance while stepping forward with the opposite foot from the rotating side of the barbell.
3
Bottom of Overhead Squat
2 x 30 seconds.
4
Straight Leg Muscle Snatch
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
With an empty barbell, perform a muscle snatch from the bottom of a Jefferson curl.
5
Straight Leg Snatch
10 unbroken reps with an empty barbell.
With an empty barbell, perform a (squat) snatch from the bottom of a Jefferson curl.
Rest for one minute between sets.
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Description
The bottom position has to be as deep as possible with the chest up, the lower back straight, the arms fully locked out and the shoulders shrugged.
6
Paused Hang Snatch
3 x 5 reps with an empty barbell. 2 sets of 3 reps at 30% of your 1RM snatch.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Keep the bar glued to the body, both when you lower it and pull it back up, while pressing the knees out and keeping the upper body more vertical than you would in a snatch from the floor. Pause for three seconds in the bottom position before standing up and show control in the top position before dropping the bar. Straps are allowed.
7
Hang Snatch
Build to a double at 75% of your 1RM snatch over the course of minimum 6 sets.
Do one set every three minutes or faster.
Keep the bar glued to the body, both when you lower it and pull it back up, while pressing the knees out and keeping the upper body more vertical than you would in a snatch from the floor. Straps are allowed.
8
Back Squat
10 x 2 reps at 80% of your 1RM back squat.
Rest for 75 seconds between sets.
Squat down slowly, stand up fast without a pause in the bottom position, and pause for three seconds in the top position between reps while keeping both the heels and toes in the ground at all times.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Maintain good posture in the upper body while keeping it vertical in order to put the pressure on the quads instead of the hips.
Note the short rest period between sets. 9
Back Rack Lunges
4 x 20 alternating steps at 30% of your 1RM back squat.
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10
Snatch Grip Romanian Deadlift
3 x 15 reps at 35-40% of your 1RM deadlift.
Rest for one minute between sets.
The degree of flexibility in your hamstrings determines the range of motion and unless you have very flexible hamstrings you won't be able to lower the bar as much as with a more narrow grip. Accept that and refrain from compensating by rounding the lower back.
11
Weighted GHD HipExtensions
3 x 15 reps at AHAFA.
Rest for one minute between sets.
You need to use a setup that allows for the hips and upper body to move freely up and down holding a plate on your chest or an empty bar behind the neck. In the bottom, the upper body has to be vertical and in the top, you need to break horizontal.
12
Weighted Chinese Plank
3 x 90 seconds at AHAFA.
Rest for two minutes between sets.
Keep your body straight as an arrow by squeezing the butt and engaging the lower back and hamstrings while adding a plate to make it more challenging.
13
Barbell Roll-Outs
4 x 10-12 reps.
Rest for one minute between sets.
Barbell roll-outs are meant to strengthen your midline, but lat strength and shoulder stability is required for full range of motion. Whatever the limiting factor is for you, accumulating quality reps will improve it. If you need to scale, do it by reducing the range of motion. If doing it from the knees is not challenging enough, you need to do it standing.
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APPENDIX TECHNICAL MAX When the warm-up is over and you begin to increase the weight, it is paramount that you maintain good technique. Good technique allows you to lift heavier weights and at the same time it reduces the risk of injury. To become a great technician, it is of key importance that you abstain from bad technical lifts altogether, regardless of the weight. Every time you execute a good technical lift, you take a step towards becoming a better technician and every time you execute a lift poorly, you take a step in the opposite direction. It’s really as simple as that. Each lift plays an important role in reinforcing either good or bad technique. The goal is to always be technical, whatever the weight. Throughout this program, when you start increasing the weight to find, say, your 8RM push press, the goal is not to go as heavy as possible, but to go as heavy as possible within a framework of good technique. If that results in a reduction in weight, it is simply a sensible short term sacrifice for a greater long term gain.
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NO-REP RULES An important component to Weightlifting 101 in both the online programs and the real life coaching is a strict adherence to correct technique, which shines through in the “No-Rep Rules”. The rules state that if you execute a lift poorly, it doesn’t count. In addition, if the incorrectly executed rep was part of a set of multiple reps, then the entire set is no-repped and has to be performed again. If you fail a lift outright below 90% of your 1RM, you have to do ten down-ups before you may continue lifting. What are the main mistakes to avoid? (1) Taking a step forward or back in the overhead squat portion of the snatch or any variations thereof. For example, if you take a step forward in a power snatch that would also be a no-rep even though it’s neither a snatch nor a full overhead squat. (2) Missing the bounce in the clean or stepping forward or back in the front squat portion of the lift. (3) Forgetting to re-grip when going from the clean into the jerk. Some people don’t regrip at all in the clean & jerk and if that is the case for you then the rule of course doesn’t apply. (4) Recovering the feet in the wrong order in the split or losing your balance altogether and running around all over the place. Holding yourself to a higher standard can be difficult in the beginning and frustrating at times, but there are no shortcuts to technical mastery.
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WAVE-LOADING To ensure that the sets are done in the correct order, it is important to understand the concept of “waves”. A wave consists of multiple sets of the same exercise, but with variation of either the rep-scheme, loading, or both. The following is a classic example: 3 waves of: 3 reps at 75% of your 1RM split jerk. 2 reps at 80% of your 1RM split jerk. 1 rep at 85% of your 1RM Split Jerk. First do a set of triples at 75%, then a set of doubles at 80% and finally a single rep at 85% to complete the first wave. In this example, three sets make up one wave. Drop down from 85% to 75% to begin the second wave.
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AHAFA AHAFA stands for "as heavy as form allows". This means that you have to go as heavy as you can, but without the technique coming apart. The goal is to stop before that happens instead of finishing with a few bad sets. You should know your limit and avoid stepping over it.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the muscle snatch, the catch position of the paused power snatch and paused deep power snatch, and in the bottom position of the paused snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but not as touch and go. Take the bar down without dropping and reset in the starting position. You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. In the paused power snatches, paused deep power snatches and paused snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or if you do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Heels Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then 65 / 140 weightlifting101.co
results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Muscle Snatch For women in particular, the muscle snatches can be a lot more physically challenging than the other exercises, and if the weight is too heavy, it’s impossible to practice the technique effectively. While you have to keep the big plates in order to get the right starting position from the floor, you can change the bar to a lighter one if you have one at your disposal and judge it to be necessary. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the snatch pull and the muscle snatch. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Paused Power Snatch Draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down. 66 / 140 weightlifting101.co
If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. Paused Deep Power Snatch In this version, the catch has to be deeper, but everything else stays the same. You make the catch deeper by getting the butt closer to the floor while trying to keep the upper body vertical. You might not be able to avoid it tilting forward, and that's alright, but you have to try and limit the extent of it. It’s important to catch the bar sufficiently deep, without making any positional changes, so that you can start counting to three immediately. If you feel that you are a bit too high, a bit too low, or too narrow or wide on the feet, take note of it and try to correct it on the following rep, but wherever you catch the bar that’s where you have to stay while counting. Paused Snatch When going from a power snatch to a deep power snatch or from a deep power snatch to a snatch, it’s important not to reduce the length of the pull phase in order to catch the bar deeper. The goal is to have the same pull phase in all three lifts, regardless of where you catch the bar, but you can and should reduce the power output, which is exactly what will allow you to catch the bar low despite finishing the pull. If you can catch the bar in your bottom position, you can immediately start counting to three, but if you catch it higher, you first have to ride it into the bottom position before starting to count. The bottom position should be as deep as possible while trying to keep the lower back straight. It’s a common mistake to not squat all the way down when the weight is light, but you need to get strong, stable and confident in the deepest position, which you'll need when it gets heavy.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 LOW HANG SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. For the low hang position, the bar has to get visibly below the knees, and the depth should come from gradually bending the legs instead of keeping them almost straight and tilting the upper body more over the bar. Use an empty barbell for the entire warm-up. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the low hang muscle snatch, the catch position of the paused low hang power snatch and paused low hang deep power snatch, and in the bottom position of the paused low hang snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but don't rush it. Take the bar down and reset at the hips. In the paused power snatches, paused deep power snatches and paused snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or lower the bar too much with the result that one or more plate(s) touch(es) the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing.
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No Heels Low Hang Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Low Hang Muscle Snatch To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the snatch pull and the muscle snatch. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Paused Low Hang Power Snatch Draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to 69 / 140 weightlifting101.co
this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. Paused Low Hang Deep Power Snatch In this version, the catch has to be deeper, but everything else stays the same. You make the catch deeper by getting the butt closer to the floor while trying to keep the upper body vertical. You might not be able to avoid it tilting forward, and that's alright, but you have to try and limit the extent of it. It’s important to catch the bar sufficiently deep, without making any positional changes, so that you can start counting to three immediately. If you feel that you are a bit too high, a bit too low, or too narrow or wide on the feet, take note of it and try to correct it on the following rep, but wherever you catch the bar that’s where you have to stay while counting. Paused Low Hang Snatch When going from a power snatch to a deep power snatch or from a deep power snatch to a snatch, it’s important not to reduce the length of the pull phase in order to catch the bar deeper. The goal is to have the same pull phase in all three lifts, regardless of where you catch the bar, but you can and should reduce the power output, which is exactly what will allow you to catch the bar low despite finishing the pull. If you can catch the bar in your bottom position, you can immediately start counting to three, but if you catch it higher, you first have to ride it into the bottom position before starting to count. The bottom position should be as deep as possible while trying to keep the lower back straight. It’s a common mistake to not squat all the way down when the weight is light, but you need to get strong, stable and confident in the deepest position, which you'll need when it gets heavy.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 HANG SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use an empty barbell for the entire warm-up. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the hang muscle snatch, the catch position of the paused hang power snatch and paused deep hang power snatch, and in the bottom position of the paused hang snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but not as touch and go. Take the bar down and reset at the hips. In the paused power snatches, paused deep power snatches and paused snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or if you do touch and go reps instead of resetting at the hips, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Heels Hang Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. 71 / 140 weightlifting101.co
This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Hang Muscle Snatch To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the snatch pull and the muscle snatch. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Paused Hang Power Snatch Draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. 72 / 140 weightlifting101.co
Paused Hang Deep Power Snatch In this version, the catch has to be deeper, but everything else stays the same. You make the catch deeper by getting the butt closer to the floor while trying to keep the upper body vertical. You might not be able to avoid it tilting forward, and that's alright, but you have to try and limit the extent of it. It’s important to catch the bar sufficiently deep, without making any positional changes, so that you can start counting to three immediately. If you feel that you are a bit too high, a bit too low, or too narrow or wide on the feet, take note of it and try to correct it on the following rep, but wherever you catch the bar that’s where you have to stay while counting. Paused Hang Snatch When going from a power snatch to a deep power snatch or from a deep power snatch to a snatch, it’s important not to reduce the length of the pull phase in order to catch the bar deeper. The goal is to have the same pull phase in all three lifts, regardless of where you catch the bar, but you can and should reduce the power output, which is exactly what will allow you to catch the bar low despite finishing the pull. If you can catch the bar in your bottom position, you can immediately start counting to three, but if you catch it higher, you first have to ride it into the bottom position before starting to count. The bottom position should be as deep as possible while trying to keep the lower back straight. It’s a common mistake to not squat all the way down when the weight is light, but you need to get strong, stable and confident in the deepest position, which you'll need when it gets heavy.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 TOUCH AND GO SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the muscle snatch, the catch position of the paused power snatch and paused deep power snatch, and in the bottom position of the paused snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps unbroken in an unbroken set and as touch and go. Take the bar down, reset at the hips and lower the bar precisely so that you are in a perfect starting position the moment the plates touch the floor (and they should do so simultaneoulsy in each side). You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. In the paused tng power snatches, paused tng deep power snatches and paused tng snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or if you forget to do a rep as touch and go and instead pause on the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Heels Touch and Go Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different 74 / 140 weightlifting101.co
approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Touch and Go Muscle Snatch For women in particular, the muscle snatches can be a lot more physically challenging than the other exercises, and if the weight is too heavy, it’s impossible to practice the technique effectively. While you have to keep the big plates in order to get the right starting position from the floor, you can change the bar to a lighter one if you have one at your disposal and judge it to be necessary. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the snatch pull and the muscle snatch. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Touch and Go Paused Power Snatch In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the 75 / 140 weightlifting101.co
lift. Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. Touch and Go Paused Deep Power Snatch In this version, the catch has to be deeper, but everything else stays the same. You make the catch deeper by getting the butt closer to the floor while trying to keep the upper body vertical. You might not be able to avoid it tilting forward, and that's alright, but you have to try and limit the extent of it. It’s important to catch the bar sufficiently deep, without making any positional changes, so that you can start counting to three immediately. If you feel that you are a bit too high, a bit too low, or too narrow or wide on the feet, take note of it and try to correct it on the following rep, but wherever you catch the bar that’s where you have to stay while counting. Touch and Go Paused Snatch When going from a power snatch to a deep power snatch or from a deep power snatch to a snatch, it’s important not to reduce the length of the pull phase in order to catch the bar deeper. The goal is to have the same pull phase in all three lifts, regardless of where you catch the bar, but you can and should reduce the power output, which is exactly what will allow you to catch the bar low despite finishing the pull. If you can catch the bar in your bottom position, you can immediately start counting to three, but if you catch it higher, you first have to ride it into the bottom position before starting to count. The bottom position should be as deep as possible while trying to keep the lower back straight. It’s a common mistake to not squat all the way down when the weight is light, but you need to get strong, stable and confident in the deepest position, which you'll need when it gets heavy.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 POWER SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the muscle snatch and in the catch position of the paused power snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but not as touch and go. Take the bar down without dropping and reset in the starting position. You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. In the paused power snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or if you do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Heels Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. 77 / 140 weightlifting101.co
This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Muscle Snatch For women in particular, the muscle snatches can be a lot more physically challenging than the other exercises, and if the weight is too heavy, it’s impossible to practice the technique effectively. While you have to keep the big plates in order to get the right starting position from the floor, you can change the bar to a lighter one if you have one at your disposal and judge it to be necessary. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the snatch pull and the muscle snatch. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Paused Power Snatch Draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down.
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If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 LOW HANG POWER SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. For the low hang position, the bar has to get visibly below the knees, and the depth should come from gradually bending the legs instead of keeping them almost straight and tilting the upper body more over the bar. Use an empty barbell for the entire warm-up. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the low hang muscle snatch and the catch position of the paused low hang power snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but don't rush it. Take the bar down and reset at the hips. In the paused power snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or lower the bar too much with the result that one or more plate(s) touch(es) the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Heels Low Hang Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different 80 / 140 weightlifting101.co
approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Low Hang Muscle Snatch To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the snatch pull and the muscle snatch. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Low Hang Paused Power Snatch Draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. 81 / 140 weightlifting101.co
Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the low hang power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 HANG POWER SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use an empty barbell for the entire warm-up. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the hang muscle snatch and in the catch position of the paused hang power snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but not as touch and go. Take the bar down and reset at the hips. In the paused hang power snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or if you do touch and go reps instead of resetting at the hips, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Heels Hang Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward.
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This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Hang Muscle Snatch To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the hang snatch pulls. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Hang Paused Power Snatch Draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 TOUCH AND GO POWER SNATCH WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come and provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the lockout of the muscle snatch and in the catch position of the paused power snatch. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps unbroken in an unbroken set and as touch and go. Take the bar down, reset at the hips and lower the bar precisely so that you are in a perfect starting position the moment the plates touch the floor (and they should do so simultaneoulsy in each side). You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. In the paused tng power snatches, you have to draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or if you forget to do a rep as touch and go and instead pause on the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Heels Touch and Go Snatch Pulls When you do a snatch pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up, we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to open up the hips too much, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then 85 / 140 weightlifting101.co
results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. The bar must touch the sweet spot in either the hips or the top of the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be. The contact should be the bar sliding over the hips without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from the impact. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows pointing up instead of back, and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Touch and Go Muscle Snatch For women in particular, the muscle snatches can be a lot more physically challenging than the other exercises, and if the weight is too heavy, it’s impossible to practice the technique effectively. While you have to keep the big plates in order to get the right starting position from the floor, you can change the bar to a lighter one if you have one at your disposal and judge it to be necessary. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but this is not an invitation to push the hips forward or to tilt the upper body back. The direction of the pull should be the same in both the snatch pull and the muscle snatch. Getting up on the toes should only affect the length and not the direction of the pull. Pause for three seconds in the lockout and make sure that each foot, with both the toes and heels, is fully grounded on the floor while counting. Touch and Go Paused Power Snatch Draw a straight line with chalk. Start with the toes by the line and then stay by the line when you jump out your feet in order to catch the bar. If you jump forward, the lift is no-repped and does not count. Jumping slightly back is acceptable, but try to avoid it. Check the line from the top position and not from the catch position. In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in overhead squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep, and pause for three seconds in the catch before standing up and taking the bar down. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. 86 / 140 weightlifting101.co
The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is a common mistake to catch the bar too low in the power snatch and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull. Be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 CLEAN & JERK WARM-UP #1 In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean, in the catch position of the paused power clean and the paused clean, and in the split of all paused split jerks. Do one full rep and then take the bar down to reset in the starting position from the floor. You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, especially when the front squat is added, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. This rule only applies to the clean variations, however, but not to the paused split jerks where you should keep a full grip on the bar, but without the hook. Some people prefer to do the clean variations “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in both the pull phase, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the clean, do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, recover the feet in the wrong order when moving from the split to parallel in the paused split jerks, or if you lose your balance and have to move a foot to regain it or start running around all over the place, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. 88 / 140 weightlifting101.co
Muscle Clean + Paused Split Jerk Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Think of the muscle clean as one long pull where the legs have to be completely straight, but relaxed when the bar gets to the shoulders. If the legs are bend, even if it’s only slightly, then, strictly speaking, it’s not a muscle clean, but a power clean. While you need to keep the full grip including the hook in the muscle clean and all other clean variations in the warm-up, remember that you have to release the hook before initiating the jerk. Paused Power Clean + Paused Split Jerk In general, your starting position not just in the paused power clean, but also in the paused clean and clean, should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. From the split you have to check your shinbone and the front foot every time you land. If the shinbone is tilted forward, you have to correct it without moving your foot. You do that by moving the knee back until you reach a vertical angle If the front foot has turned either in or out, you’ll also have to correct that before starting the count. While any positional mistakes should be avoided at all cost, it is important that you end up and only do the counting from the correct split position. However, in weightlifting things are often interrelated and a good rule of thumb is that “the better the dip-and drive is the better the split will be.” It is therefore important that you keep your upper body straight as an arrow in the front rack, before initiating the dip- and drive. In order to maintain that angle, you have to be able to move the toes in your shoes, which ensures that your balance is sufficiently back on the heels, and you should almost feel that the upper body is slightly tilted back. As you start bending the legs, it’s important to keep the upper body in the same vertical angle instead of tilting it forward, which will result in the bar being propelled forward rather than up.
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Paused Clean + Paused Split Jerk The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat without first extending the legs. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. No matter how tired you get during the warm-up, it’s important that your technique stays the same, and if it changes it should only be for the better. This also applies to the height of the catch position of the paused power cleans, paused cleans and cleans, and for the the depth of the split in the paused split jerks. The catch position in all the clean variations should be the same whether or not it’s the first, second or third rep, and the split should be relatively high on all reps, too, in order to ensure that you get the full leg-drive in the dip-and drive phase. Clean + Paused Split Jerk To avoid the bar crashing on you and making the front squat much harder than it needs to be, it’s paramount that you think of the clean as a power clean into a front squat, but with the pause in the catch eliminated. As the weight increases, you should gradually catch the bar deeper and deeper, but at no point do you want to simply try to pull the bar high, catch it low and hope for the best. Now that you are doing the full clean & jerk, it doesn’t suffice to do the two components of the lifts correctly, however, it’s also important that you transition effortlessly from the clean into the front rack position, so that you are fully ready for the jerk without having to make any positional changes first. You have to be serious about this part during the warm-up as it gets progressively more important with the weight increasing, but at the same time harder to practice. Get it right now so that you know how to do it later when it really counts.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 CLEAN & JERK WARM-UP #2 In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean, in the catch position of the paused power clean and the paused clean, and in the split of all paused split jerks. First do all the cleans and then all the jerks in a set. You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, especially when the front squat is added, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. This rule only applies to the clean variations, however, but not to the paused split jerks where you should keep a full grip on the bar, but without the hook. Some people prefer to do the clean variations “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in both the pull phase, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the clean, do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, recover the feet in the wrong order when moving from the split to parallel in the paused split jerks, or if you lose your balance and have to move a foot to regain it or start running around all over the place, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. 91 / 140 weightlifting101.co
Muscle Clean + Paused Split Jerk Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Think of the muscle clean as one long pull where the legs have to be completely straight, but relaxed when the bar gets to the shoulders. If the legs are bend, even if it’s only slightly, then, strictly speaking, it’s not a muscle clean, but a power clean. While you need to keep the full grip including the hook in the muscle clean and all other clean variations in the warm-up, remember that you have to release the hook before initiating the jerk. Paused Power Clean + Paused Split Jerk In general, your starting position not just in the paused power clean, but also in the paused clean and clean, should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. From the split you have to check your shinbone and the front foot every time you land. If the shinbone is tilted forward, you have to correct it without moving your foot. You do that by moving the knee back until you reach a vertical angle If the front foot has turned either in or out, you’ll also have to correct that before starting the count. While any positional mistakes should be avoided at all cost, it is important that you end up and only do the counting from the correct split position.
However, in weightlifting things are often interrelated and a good rule of thumb is that “the better the dip-and drive is the better the split will be.” It is therefore important that you keep your upper body straight as an arrow in the front rack, before initiating the dip- and drive. In order to maintain that angle, you have to be able to move the toes in your shoes, which ensures that your balance is sufficiently back on the heels, and you should almost feel that the upper body is slightly tilted back. As you start bending the legs, it’s important to keep the upper body in the same vertical angle instead of tilting it forward, which will result in the bar being propelled forward rather than up.
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Paused Clean + Paused Split Jerk The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat without first extending the legs. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. No matter how tired you get during the warm-up, it’s important that your technique stays the same, and if it changes it should only be for the better. This also applies to the height of the catch position of the paused power cleans, paused cleans and cleans, and for the the depth of the split in the paused split jerks. The catch position in all the clean variations should be the same whether or not it’s the first, second or third rep, and the split should be relatively high on all reps, too, in order to ensure that you get the full leg-drive in the dip-and drive phase. Clean + Paused Split Jerk To avoid the bar crashing on you and making the front squat much harder than it needs to be, it’s paramount that you think of the clean as a power clean into a front squat, but with the pause in the catch eliminated. As the weight increases, you should gradually catch the bar deeper and deeper, but at no point do you want to simply try to pull the bar high, catch it low and hope for the best. Now that you are first doing all the cleans and then all the split jerks, instead of doing one full lift at the time, it’s important that you are taking the bar down both efficiently and safely in both lifts. With the weight increasing you’ll easily end up wasting a lot of energy if you are not good at taking the bar down in the cleans, but in the split jerks it’s outright dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Remember that it’s here in the warm-up, that you really have to practice and try to get it right, so that you can maintain good technique with the weight increasing.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 TOUCH AND GO CLEAN & JERK WARM-UP #2 In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean, in the catch position of the paused power clean and the paused clean, and in the split of all paused split jerks. First do all the cleans in an unbroken set as touch and go where you patiently take the bar down and reset on the thighs and focus on lowering the bar precisely, so that you are in a perfect starting position the moment the plates touch the floor (and they should do so simultaneoulsy in each side). You likewise have to do the jerks in an unbroken set of touch and go. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, especially when the front squat is added, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. This rule only applies to the clean variations, however, but not to the paused split jerks where you should keep a full grip on the bar, but without the hook. Some people prefer to do the clean variations “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in both the pull phase, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the clean, forget to do touch and go reps and instead pause in the starting position or in the front rack, recover the feet in the wrong order when moving from the split to parallel in the paused split jerks, or if you lose your balance and have to move a foot to regain it or start running around all over the place, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing.
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Muscle Clean + Paused Split Jerk Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward both when lowering the bar to the floor and when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Think of the muscle clean as one long pull where the legs have to be completely straight, but relaxed when the bar gets to the shoulders. If the legs are bend, even if it’s only slightly, then, strictly speaking, it’s not a muscle clean, but a power clean. While you need to keep the full grip including the hook in the muscle clean and all other clean variations in the warm-up, remember that you have to release the hook before initiating the jerk. When you take the bar down from the lockout to the shoulders after the first jerk, you have to receive it in the bottom of the dip, so that you are ready to immediately continue with the drive. Be careful not to make the bottom of the dip too low, as that makes it very difficult to maintain good posture and drive explosively from the legs in the drive. Maintain balance by making sure that both the toes and the heels are solidly grounded and that your upper body is in a vertical angle, neither tilted back or forwards, which also plays a decisive role in propelling the bar in the right direction in the drive phase. Paused Power Clean + Paused Split Jerk In general, your starting position not just in the paused power clean, but also in the paused clean and clean, should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. From the split you have to check your shinbone and the front foot every time you land. If the shinbone is tilted forward, you have to correct it without moving your foot. You do that by moving the knee back until you reach a vertical angle If the front foot has turned either in or out, you’ll also have to correct that before starting the count. While any positional mistakes should be avoided at all cost, it is important that you end up and only do the counting from the correct split position.
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Paused Clean + Paused Split Jerk The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat without first extending the legs. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. No matter how tired you get during the warm-up, it’s important that your technique stays the same, and if it changes it should only be for the better. This also applies to the height of the catch position of the paused power cleans, paused cleans and cleans, and for the the depth of the split in the paused split jerks. The catch position in all the clean variations should be the same whether or not it’s the first, second or third rep, and the split should be relatively high on all reps, too, in order to ensure that you get the full leg-drive in the dip-and drive phase. Clean + Paused Split Jerk To avoid the bar crashing on you and making the front squat much harder than it needs to be, it’s paramount that you think of the clean as a power clean into a front squat, but with the pause in the catch eliminated. As the weight increases, you should gradually catch the bar deeper and deeper, but at no point do you want to simply try to pull the bar high, catch it low and hope for the best. Now that you are doing all the reps as touch and go, it’s important that you are taking the bar down both efficiently and safely in both lifts. With the weight increasing you’ll easily end up wasting a lot of energy if you are not good at taking the bar down in the cleans, but in the split jerks it’s outright dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Remember that it’s here in the warm-up, that you really have to practice and try to get it right, so that you can maintain good technique with the weight increasing.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 HANG CLEAN & JERK WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but not as touch and go. Do one full lift, take the bar down and then reset at the thighs. For the hang position, the bar is not allowed to ever touch the knee caps or be lowered beyond that point. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the hang muscle clean, in the catch position of the paused hang power cleans and paused hang cleans, and in the split of all paused split jerks. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, especially when the front squat is added, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. This rule only applies to the clean variations, however, but not to the paused split jerks where you should keep a full grip on the bar, but without the hook. Some people prefer to do the clean variations “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in both the pull phase, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the hang clean, recover the feet in the wrong order when moving from the split to parallel in the paused split jerks, if you lose your balance and have to move a foot to regain it or start running around all over the place, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Hang Muscle Clean + Paused Split Jerk Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward both when lowering the bar towards the knees and when pulling it back to the 97 / 140 weightlifting101.co
sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Think of the hang muscle clean as one long pull where the legs have to be completely straight, but relaxed when the bar gets to the shoulders. If the legs are bend, even if it’s only slightly, then, strictly speaking, it’s not a hang muscle clean, but a hang power clean. While you need to keep the full grip including the hook in the hang muscle clean and all other hang clean variations in the warm-up, remember that you have to release the hook before initiating the jerk. Paused Hang Power Clean + Paused Split Jerk In general, your starting position not just in the paused hang power clean, but also in the paused hang clean and hang clean, should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. From the split you have to check your shinbone and the front foot every time you land. If the shinbone is tilted forward, you have to correct it without moving your foot. You do that by moving the knee back until you reach a vertical angle If the front foot has turned either in or out, you’ll also have to correct that before starting the count. While any positional mistakes should be avoided at all cost, it is important that you end up and only do the counting from the correct split position. However, in weightlifting things are often interrelated and a good rule of thumb is that “the better the dip-and drive is the better the split will be.” It is therefore important that you keep your upper body straight as an arrow in the front rack, before initiating the dip- and drive. In order to maintain that angle, you have to be able to move the toes in your shoes, which ensures that your balance is sufficiently back on the heels, and you should almost feel that the upper body is slightly tilted back. As you start bending the legs, it’s important to keep the upper body in the same vertical angle instead of tilting it forward, which will result in the bar being propelled forward rather than up. Paused Hang Clean + Paused Split Jerk The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused hang power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat without first extending the legs. 98 / 140 weightlifting101.co
In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. No matter how tired you get during the warm-up, it’s important that your technique stays the same, and if it changes it should only be for the better. This also applies to the height of the catch position of the paused hang power cleans, paused hang cleans and hang cleans, and for the the depth of the split in the paused split jerks. The catch position in all the clean variations should be the same whether or not it’s the first, second or third rep, and the split should be relatively high on all reps, too, in order to ensure that you get the full leg-drive in the dip-and drive phase. Hang Clean + Paused Split Jerk To avoid the bar crashing on you and making the front squat much harder than it needs to be, it’s paramount that you think of the hang clean as a hang power clean into a front squat, but with the pause in the catch eliminated. As the weight increases, you should gradually catch the bar deeper and deeper, but at no point do you want to simply try to pull the bar high, catch it low and hope for the best. Now that you are doing the full hang clean & jerk, it doesn’t suffice to do the two components of the lifts correctly, however, it’s also important that you transition effortlessly from the hang clean into the front rack position, so that you are fully ready for the jerk without having to make any positional changes first. You have to be serious about this part during the warm-up as it gets progressively more important with the weight increasing, but at the same time harder to practice. Get it right now so that you know how to do it later when it really counts.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 CLEAN WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power cleans and paused cleans. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position, and especially when the front squat is added, is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the clean, or do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Feet Clean Pulls When you do a clean pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to push the thighs forward in order to reach the bar, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, 100 / 140 weightlifting101.co
which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. In the snatch, you need the bar to get contact in the hips because of the wide grip. In clean pulls, muscle cleans, power cleans and cleans, where the grip is much more narrow, you should make contact at a lower point. The exact point of contact depends on how you are built and the width of the grip, but it should be around the middle or top of the thighs, not in the hips. The bar must touch the sweet spot on the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be; and when it does happen, it should be a smooth slide without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from it. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows always staying higher than the hands and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Muscle Clean Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Your arms should be long and relaxed in the pull phase, but after getting contact on the thighs, you have to use the arms aggressively in order to pull the bar quiickly to the front rack. In the muscle clean, aggressive arms are much more important than high elbows, but it’s important to get the timing right so that you don’t end up doing an early arm-pull. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but only in the pull phase. When the bar gets to the shoulders, your entire foot, from heel to toes, needs to be in the ground for optimal balance. Paused Power Clean In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift.
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Furthermore, it is common to catch the bar too low in the power clean and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull so be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. The catch position should be a high front squat position, so that you will be able to squat down without first having to make any positional changes first. Paused Clean The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat without first extending the legs. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. Clean To avoid the bar crashing on you and making the front squat much harder than it needs to be, it’s paramount that you think of the clean as a power clean into a front squat, but with the pause in the catch eliminated. As the weight increases, you should gradually catch the bar deeper and deeper, but at no point do you want to simply try to pull the bar high, catch it low and hope for the best. Pull it high, catch it somewhere in the front squat phase and ride it down immediately yet smoothly. To find the best possible posture, you need to puff the chest up, lift your chin and look either straight ahead or slightly up in the starting position and then, though the entire lift, you are not allowed to tuck the chin or to look down.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 LOW HANG CLEAN WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. For the low hang position, the bar has to get visibly below the knees, and the depth should come from gradually bending the legs instead of keeping them almost straight and tilting the upper body more over the bar. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power cleans and paused cleans. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but don't rush it. Take the bar down and reset at the thighs. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position, and especially when the front squat is added, is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the clean, or lower the bar too much with the result that one or more plate(s) touch(es) the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Low Hang No Feet Clean Pulls When you do a clean pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up we take a different approach. 103 / 140 weightlifting101.co
A very common and detrimental technical error is to push the thighs forward in order to reach the bar, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. In the snatch, you need the bar to get contact in the hips because of the wide grip. In clean pulls, muscle cleans, power cleans and cleans, where the grip is much more narrow, you should make contact at a lower point. The exact point of contact depends on how you are built and the width of the grip, but it should be around the middle or top of the thighs, not in the hips. The bar must touch the sweet spot on the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be; and when it does happen, it should be a smooth slide without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from it. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows always staying higher than the hands and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Low Hang Muscle Clean Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when lowering the bar from the thighs towards the floor and when pulling the bar from the low hang position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Your arms should be long and relaxed both when lowering the bar towards the floor and in the pull phase, but after getting contact on the thighs, you have to use the arms aggressively in order to pull the bar quickly to the front rack. In the muscle clean, aggressive arms are much more important than high elbows, but it’s important to get the timing right so that you don’t end up doing an early arm-pull. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but only in the pull phase. When the bar gets to the shoulders, your entire foot, from heel to toes, needs to be in the ground for optimal balance. Low Hang Paused Power Clean In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. 104 / 140 weightlifting101.co
Furthermore, it is common to catch the bar too low in the power clean and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull so be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. The catch position should be a high front squat position, so that you will be able to squat down without first having to make any positional changes first. Low Hang Paused Clean The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused low hang power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat without first extending the legs. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. Low Hang Clean To avoid the bar crashing on you and making the front squat much harder than it needs to be, it’s paramount that you think of the clean as a power clean into a front squat, but with the pause in the catch eliminated. As the weight increases, you should gradually catch the bar deeper and deeper, but at no point do you want to simply try to pull the bar high, catch it low and hope for the best. Pull it high, catch it somewhere in the front squat phase and ride it down immediately yet smoothly. To find the best possible posture, you need to puff the chest up, lift your chin and look either straight ahead or slightly up both when lowering the bar, but especially when you reach the low hang position and start pulling it up again. You are not allowed to tuck the chin or to look down.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 HANG CLEAN WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. For the hang position, the bar is not allowed to ever touch the knee caps or be lowered beyond that point. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power cleans and paused cleans. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but not as touch and go. Take the bar down and reset at the thighs. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position, and especially when the front squat is added, is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, or step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the clean, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Hang No Feet Clean Pulls When you do a clean pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to push the thighs forward in order to reach the bar, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by 106 / 140 weightlifting101.co
keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. In the snatch, you need the bar to get contact in the hips because of the wide grip. In clean pulls, muscle cleans, power cleans and cleans, where the grip is much more narrow, you should make contact at a lower point. The exact point of contact depends on how you are built and the width of the grip, but it should be around the middle or top of the thighs, not in the hips. The bar must touch the sweet spot on the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be; and when it does happen, it should be a smooth slide without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from it. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows always staying higher than the hands and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Hang Muscle Clean Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when lowering the bar from the thighs towards the knees and when pulling the bar to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Your arms should be long and relaxed both when lowering the bar and in the pull phase, but after getting contact on the thighs, you have to use the arms aggressively in order to pull the bar quickly to the front rack. In the muscle clean, aggressive arms are much more important than high elbows, but it’s important to get the timing right so that you don’t end up doing an early arm-pull. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but only in the pull phase. When the bar gets to the shoulders, your entire foot, from heel to toes, needs to be in the ground for optimal balance. Hang Paused Power Clean In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is common to catch the bar too low in the power clean and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull so be sure to pull it high and 107 / 140 weightlifting101.co
catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. The catch position should be a high front squat position, so that you will be able to squat down without first having to make any positional changes first. Hang Paused Clean The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused low hang power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat without first extending the legs. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. Hang Clean To avoid the bar crashing on you and making the front squat much harder than it needs to be, it’s paramount that you think of the clean as a power clean into a front squat, but with the pause in the catch eliminated. As the weight increases, you should gradually catch the bar deeper and deeper, but at no point do you want to simply try to pull the bar high, catch it low and hope for the best. Pull it high, catch it somewhere in the front squat phase and ride it down immediately yet smoothly. To find the best possible posture, you need to puff the chest up, lift your chin and look either straight ahead or slightly up both when lowering the bar, but especially when you reach bottom of the hang position and start pulling it up again. You are not allowed to tuck the chin or to look down.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 POWER CLEAN WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power cleans. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back when standing up from the catch position, or do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Feet Clean Pulls When you do a clean pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to push the thighs forward in order to reach the bar, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by 109 / 140 weightlifting101.co
keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. In the snatch, you need the bar to get contact in the hips because of the wide grip. In clean pulls, muscle cleans and power cleans, where the grip is much more narrow, you should make contact at a lower point. The exact point of contact depends on how you are built and the width of the grip, but it should be around the middle or top of the thighs, not in the hips. The bar must touch the sweet spot on the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be; and when it does happen, it should be a smooth slide without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from it. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows always staying higher than the hands and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Muscle Clean Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Your arms should be long and relaxed in the pull phase, but after getting contact on the thighs, you have to use the arms aggressively in order to pull the bar quiickly to the front rack. In the muscle clean, aggressive arms are much more important than high elbows, but it’s important to get the timing right so that you don’t end up doing an early arm-pull. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but only in the pull phase. When the bar gets to the shoulders, your entire foot, from heel to toes, needs to be in the ground for optimal balance. Paused Power Clean In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is common to catch the bar too low in the power clean and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull so be sure to pull it high and 110 / 140 weightlifting101.co
catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. The catch position should be a high front squat position, so that you will be able to squat deeper with the weight increasing, but without ever going below parallel, of course.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 LOW HANG POWER CLEAN WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. For the low hang position, the bar has to get visibly below the knees, and the depth should come from gradually bending the legs instead of keeping them almost straight and tilting the upper body more over the bar. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power cleans. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but don't rush it. Take the bar down and reset at the thighs. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back when standing up from the catch position, or lower the bar too much with the result that one or more plate(s) touch(es) the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Feet Low Hang Clean Pulls When you do a clean pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to push the thighs forward in order to reach the bar, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, 112 / 140 weightlifting101.co
which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. In the snatch, you need the bar to get contact in the hips because of the wide grip. In clean pulls, muscle cleans, power cleans and cleans, where the grip is much more narrow, you should make contact at a lower point. The exact point of contact depends on how you are built and the width of the grip, but it should be around the middle or top of the thighs, not in the hips. The bar must touch the sweet spot on the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be; and when it does happen, it should be a smooth slide without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from it. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows always staying higher than the hands and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Low Hang Muscle Clean Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when lowering the bar from the thighs towards the floor and when pulling the bar from the low hang position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Your arms should be long and relaxed both when lowering the bar towards the floor and in the pull phase, but after getting contact on the thighs, you have to use the arms aggressively in order to pull the bar quickly to the front rack. In the muscle clean, aggressive arms are much more important than high elbows, but it’s important to get the timing right so that you don’t end up doing an early arm-pull. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but only in the pull phase. When the bar gets to the shoulders, your entire foot, from heel to toes, needs to be in the ground for optimal balance. Low Hang Paused Power Clean In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift.
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Furthermore, it is common to catch the bar too low in the power clean and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull so be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. The catch position should be a high front squat position, so that you will be able to squat deeper with the weight increasing, but without ever going below parallel, of course.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 HANG POWER CLEAN WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. For the hang position, the bar is not allowed to ever touch the knee caps or be lowered beyond that point. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power cleans. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps in an unbroken set, but not as touch and go. Take the bar down and reset at the thighs. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position, and especially when the front squat is added, is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back when standing up from the catch position, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. No Feet Hang Clean Pulls When you do a clean pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to push the thighs forward in order to reach the bar, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by 115 / 140 weightlifting101.co
keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. In the snatch, you need the bar to get contact in the hips because of the wide grip. In clean pulls, muscle cleans, power cleans and cleans, where the grip is much more narrow, you should make contact at a lower point. The exact point of contact depends on how you are built and the width of the grip, but it should be around the middle or top of the thighs, not in the hips. The bar must touch the sweet spot on the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be; and when it does happen, it should be a smooth slide without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from it. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows always staying higher than the hands and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Hang Muscle Clean Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when lowering the bar from the thighs towards the knees and when pulling the bar back to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Your arms should be long and relaxed both when lowering the bar towards and in the pull phase, but after getting contact on the thighs, you have to use the arms aggressively in order to pull the bar quickly to the front rack. In the muscle clean, aggressive arms are much more important than high elbows, but it’s important to get the timing right so that you don’t end up doing an early arm-pull. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but only in the pull phase. When the bar gets to the shoulders, your entire foot, from heel to toes, needs to be in the ground for optimal balance. Hang Paused Power Clean In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is common to catch the bar too low in the power clean and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull so be sure to pull it high and 116 / 140 weightlifting101.co
catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. The catch position should be a high front squat position, so that you will be able to squat deeper with the weight increasing, but without ever going below parallel, of course.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 TOUCH AND GO POWER CLEAN WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come and provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power cleans. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. Do all reps unbroken in an unbroken set and as touch and go. Take the bar down, reset at the thighs and lower the bar precisely so that you are in a perfect starting position the moment the plates touch the floor (and they should do so simultaneoulsy in each side). You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category using the line is not necessary although it can still be beneficial as it is not uncommon to move the feet by mistake, especially at heavier weights, even when trying to keep it bolted. No-rep Rules If you lose your balance by taking a step forward or back in any lift, or if you forget to do a rep as touch and go and instead pause on the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing.
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No Feet Touch and Go Clean Pulls When you do a clean pull, you normally have to get up on the toes to get the full extension, but in this particular warm-up we take a different approach. A very common and detrimental technical error is to push the thighs forward in order to reach the bar, to lean back, and to swing the bar forward, which then results in a jump forward. This technical error is not strictly dependent on getting up on the toes, but it does make it a lot more likely so by keeping the heels in the ground we are taking an indirect route to correcting the problem. Keep the feet in the ground the entire time; do not let the heels leave the floor. In the snatch, you need the bar to get contact in the hips because of the wide grip. In clean pulls, muscle cleans and power cleans, where the grip is much more narrow, you should make contact at a lower point. The exact point of contact depends on how you are built and the width of the grip, but it should be around the middle or top of the thighs, not in the hips. The bar must touch the sweet spot on the thighs on every single rep. It shouldn't be a question of whether or not there is contact, but only of where the contact happens to be; and when it does happen, it should be a smooth slide without a sound, bang or any pain resulting from it. Pull the bar to the chest with the elbows always staying higher than the hands and make sure that your upper body is vertical instead of tilted back. Touch and Go Muscle Clean Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. Your arms should be long and relaxed both when lowering the bar to the floor and in the pull phase, but after getting contact on the thighs, you have to use the arms aggressively in order to pull the bar quiickly to the front rack. In the muscle clean, aggressive arms are much more important than high elbows, but it’s important to get the timing right so that you don’t end up doing an early arm-pull. To get the full extension in the pull, you now have to get up on your toes, but only in the pull phase. When the bar gets to the shoulders, your entire foot, from heel to toes, needs to be in the ground for optimal balance. Touch and Go Paused Power Clean In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch 119 / 140 weightlifting101.co
position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. Furthermore, it is common to catch the bar too low in the power clean and thereby neglecting the full length of the pull so be sure to pull it high and catch it high without any leaning back or jumping forward. The catch position should be a high front squat position, so that you will be able to squat down without first having to make any positional changes first.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 POWER CLEAN + POWER JERK WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power clean and paused power jerk. First do all reps in a set of the clean variation before doing the paused power jerks and finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. This rule only applies to the clean variations, however, but not to the paused power jerks where you should keep a full grip on the bar, but without the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in both the pull phase of the power clean and in the drive phase of the power jerk, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back when standing up from the catch position of either the power clean or the power jerk, or do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Muscle Clean + Paused Power Jerk Think of the muscle clean as one long pull where the legs have to be completely straight, but relaxed when the bar gets to the shoulders. If the legs are 121 / 140 weightlifting101.co
bend, even if it’s only slightly, then, strictly speaking, it’s not a muscle clean, but a power clean. While you have to maintain a full grip on the bar including the hook in the muscle clean, you have to change the grip before the paused power jerk, so that it stays in the palm of the hand instead of slipping into the finger tips, but without using the hook grip. Apply this rule throughout the warm-up so that you never do the paused power jerks with the hook. Paused Power Clean + Paused Power Jerk To ensure that you finish the pull phase of the power clean and especially the leg drive in the dip- and drive phase of the power jerk, you need to focus on catching the bar high in both lifts. It’s a very common mistake to catch the bar too low, despite the weight being so easy that you could easily do otherwise. Besides catching the bar high, it’s also very important to be in good balance in the catch position by making sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is solidly grounded, instead of standing too far back on the heels, which is both a common and at the same time very detrimental mistake balance wise. However, it’s not just in the catch position that the entire foot has to be grounded, but also when standing up after the pause and here, moreso that in the catch position itself in fact, it’s common to lift the toes and shift the balance back to the heels. Power Clean + Paused Power Jerk In general, the starting position of the power clean and the dip- and drive position of the power jerk should should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same or a little bit wider than in front squats and this goes for both lifts. While it’s common to jump too wide in the power clean many people also have a tendency of catching the bar too narrow in the power jerk. By jumping too wide in the power clean, you make it very difficult, if not impossible, to catch the bar deeper with the weight increasing, and by catching the bar in too narrow a stance in the power jerk, you likewise make it very hard to catch the bar deeper because it puts tremendous requirements on your lower body flexibility, especially the ankles. For those reasons it’s important that you focus on catching the bar in the best possible stance, especially in terms of width, in both lifts, and that you gradually start catching the bar deeper with the weight increasing instead of just going wider and wider. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 TOUCH AND GO POWER CLEAN + POWER JERK WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean and in the catch position of the paused power clean and paused power jerk. Do one full rep, take the bar down to the shoulders, then to the thighs and lower the bar precisely so that you are in a perfect starting position the moment the plates touch the floor (and they should do so simultaneoulsy in each side). You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. This rule only applies to the clean variations, however, but not to the paused power jerks where you should keep a full grip on the bar, but without the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in both the pull phase of the power clean and in the drive phase of the power jerk, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back when standing up from the catch position of either the power clean or the power jerk,, or if you forget to do a rep as touch and go and instead pause on the floor, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing.
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Tng Muscle Clean + Tng Paused Power Jerk Think of the muscle clean as one long pull where the legs have to be completely straight, but relaxed when the bar gets to the shoulders. If the legs are bend, even if it’s only slightly, then, strictly speaking, it’s not a muscle clean, but a power clean. While you have to maintain a full grip on the bar including the hook in the muscle clean, you have to change the grip before the paused power jerk, so that it stays in the palm of the hand instead of slipping into the finger tips, but without using the hook grip. Apply this rule throughout the warm-up so that you never do the paused power jerks with the hook. Tng Paused Power Clean + Tng Paused Power Jerk To ensure that you finish the pull phase of the power clean and especially the leg drive in the dip- and drive phase of the power jerk, you need to focus on catching the bar high in both lifts. It’s a very common mistake to catch the bar too low, despite the weight being so easy that you could easily do otherwise. Besides catching the bar high, it’s also very important to be in good balance in the catch position by making sure that the entire foot, from heel to toes, is solidly grounded, instead of standing too far back on the heels, which is both a common and at the same time very detrimental mistake balance wise. However, it’s not just in the catch position that the entire foot has to be grounded, but also when standing up after the pause and here, moreso that in the catch position itself in fact, it’s common to lift the toes and shift the balance back to the heels. Tng Power Clean + Tng Paused Power Jerk In general, the starting position of the power clean and the dip- and drive position of the power jerk should should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same or a little bit wider than in front squats and this goes for both lifts. While it’s common to jump too wide in the power clean many people also have a tendency of catching the bar too narrow in the power jerk. By jumping too wide in the power clean, you make it very difficult, if not impossible, to catch the bar deeper with the weight increasing, and by catching the bar in too narrow a stance in the power jerk, you likewise make it very hard to catch the bar deeper because it puts tremendous requirements on your lower body flexibility, especially the ankles. For those reasons it’s important that you focus on catching the bar in the best possible stance, especially in terms of width, in both lifts, and that you gradually start catching the bar deeper with the weight increasing instead of just going wider and wider. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the 124 / 140 weightlifting101.co
lift.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 POWER CLEAN + SPLIT JERK WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Pause for three seconds in the top position of the muscle clean, in the catch position of the paused power clean and in the split of all paused split jerks. Do one full rep and then take the bar down to reset in the starting position from the floor. You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, all the clean variations have to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. This rule only applies to the clean variations, however, but not to the paused split jerks where you should keep a full grip on the bar, but without the hook. Some people prefer to do the power clean “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in both the pull phase, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back when standing up from the catch position of the power clean, do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, recover the feet in the wrong order when moving from the split to parallel in the paused split jerks, or if you lose your balance and have to move a foot to regain it or start running around all over the place, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. 126 / 140 weightlifting101.co
Muscle Clean + Paused Split Jerk Think of the muscle clean as one long pull where the legs have to be completely straight, but relaxed when the bar gets to the shoulders. If the legs are bend, even if it’s only slightly, then, strictly speaking, it’s not a muscle clean, but a power clean. In the front rack, before initiating the dip- and drive, your body should be straight as an arrow. In order to maintain that angle, you have to be able to move the toes in your shoes, which ensures that your balance is sufficiently back on the heels, and you should almost feel that the upper body is slightly tilted back. As you start bending the legs, it’s important to keep the upper body in the same vertical angle instead of tilting it forward, which will result in the bar being propelled forward rather than up. Paused Power Clean + Paused Split Jerk To ensure that you finish the pull phase of the power clean and especially the leg drive in the dip- and drive phase of the paused split jerk, you need to focus on catching the bar high not just in the power clean, but also in the split. It’s a very common mistake to catch the bar too low, despite the weight being so easy that you could easily do otherwise. Furthermore, from the split you have to check your shinbone and the front foot every time you land. If the shinbone is tilted forward, you have to correct it without moving your foot. You do that by moving the knee back until you reach a vertical angle If the front foot has turned either in or out, you’ll also have to correct that before starting the count. While any positional mistakes should be avoided at all cost, it is important that you end up and only do the counting from the correct split position as that will make it easier for the body and brain to remember where it is supposed to land. Power Clean + Paused Split Jerk In general, the starting position of the power clean should should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same or a little bit wider than in front squats. In the split jerk, you typically want the toes to be turned slightly out and to press the knees in that direction in the dip- and drive so they align with the toes as it helps to keep the upper body in the correct angle. The width of the stance in the dip- and drive should roughly correlate with the width of the split, so that you are not excessively narrowing or widening when moving from one position to another. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the stating- and catch position of the power clean, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded 127 / 140 weightlifting101.co
throughout the lift.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 SPLIT JERK WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come, but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. In the front split presses and the paused split jerks, you can use a lighter bar if you deem it necessary to maintain balance and good technique. Pause for three seconds in the split of all bodyweight exercises and in the paused split jerks, and in the front rack and lockout in the front split presses. One important aspect of this warm-up is to start accumulating a lot of time in the best possible split. Take it seriously and it will pay of in the long run. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. No-rep Rules If you recover the feet in the wrong order when moving from the split to parallel in any of the five exercises, or if you lose your balance and have to move a foot to regain it or start running around all over the place, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Split Walks Walk into the split in two precise steps, pause for three seconds and then recover the feet in two steps. Each step you take has to be done with the utmost precision, so that you don't have to make any corrections in the split or after having recovered the feet. When you get to the split, before counting to three, you have to make sure that your shinbone is vertical and that the front foot points forward instead of being turned either in or out. Make any needed corrections, count to three, and try not to repeat the mistake again. It's important to step in the right order. When you walk into the split, you have to move the front foot first and then the back foot. When you recover the feet, it’s again the front foot, which is first pushed back from the split and then the back foot comes up after which the feet should be perfectly parallel. Split Jumps You start the set by walking into the split in two precise steps and then check your shinbone and front foot just like in the split walks. From the split you have to do five short, hard jumps with a three second pause in the split on each rep. Each jump counts as one rep. 129 / 140 weightlifting101.co
It is crucial that you start in the correct split and land in exactly that position after each jump. It’s very common to make the split either longer or shorter for every jump, or allowing the front foot to turn in or the shinbone to tilt forward, but that’s exactly what shouldn't happen. Check your shinbone and the front foot every time you land. If the shinbone is tilted forward, you have to correct it without moving your foot. You do that by moving the knee back until you reach a vertical angle If the front foot has turned either in or out, you’ll also have to correct that before starting the count. While any positional mistakes should be avoided at all cost, it is important that you end up and only do the counting from the correct split position as that will make it easier for the body and brain to remember where it is supposed to land. Bodyweight Split Jerks The goal now is to land in exactly the same split as you have been practicing up to this point. The better the dip and drive, the better the split will be. Make sure that the dip is done slowly and that you extend the legs, not the hips, before jumping into the split. Remember to recover the feet in the correct order. Front Split Presses Walk into the split in two precise steps with the bar overhead using a full grip, but without the hook. Lower the bar slowly from the lockout to the front rack, pause for three seconds, press it back overhead and pause for three seconds to complete one rep. On the last rep, you have to recover the feet with the bar overhead, not on the shoulders. Paused Split Jerk Pause for three seconds in the split before recovering the feet. It's very important that you land in exactly the same split as practiced in all the previous drills. In the front rack, before initiating the dip- and drive, your body should be straight as an arrow. In order to maintain that angle, you have to be able to move the toes in your shoes, which ensures that your balance is sufficiently back on the heels, and you should almost feel that the upper body is slightly tilted back. As you start bending the legs, it’s important to keep the upper body in the same vertical angle instead of tilting it forward, which will result in the bar being propelled forward rather than up.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 CLUSTER WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Do one full lift and then take the bar down and reset in the starting position. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, there entire warm-up has to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position, and especially when the front squat is added, is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the cluster or do touch and go reps instead of resetting in the starting position, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Muscle Clean + Push Press Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. To get the full extension in the pull phase of the muscle clean and in the drive phase of the push press, you have to get up on your toes, but make sure 131 / 140 weightlifting101.co
that your entire foot, from heel to toes, is in the ground for optimal balance when the bar gets to the shoulders and overhead. Paused Power Cluster In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. The catch position has to be the same as the bottom of the dip in a push press, so that you are in a perfect position to drive the bar overhead. If you catch the bar either too high or too low, it’s not possible to use the legs optimally to drive the bar overhead. Furthermore, instead of keeping the elbows high, which is common in a power clean and especially in a squat clean, you want to elbows to be somewhat low, which will allow you to use your chest, shoulders and triceps more effectively for pressing the bar overhead. Paused Cluster The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat and finish by driving the bar all the way overhead. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. Keep the elbows high enough to not get anywhere near the knees in the bottom position, but low enough to use them effectively in the push press part of the lift. Cluster The pause in the catch position is now eliminated and the only pause left is in the top position where you have to show control for a few seconds before dropping- or taking the bar down. When you get the locout, it’s very important that your legs are completely straight, but relaxed and that your entire foot is grounded for optimal balance. The single most important thing to realize in the cluster, however, is that you’ll almost always end up failing in the press, so in order to postpone it as 132 / 140 weightlifting101.co
much as possible, you have to get a perfect bounce out of the bottom position and drive up as fast as you can. This will help you to propel the bar higher and allow for more weight on the bar.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 HANG CLUSTER WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Do one full lift, take the bar down to your shoulders and then the thighs and reset from there. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, there entire warm-up has to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position, and especially when the front squat is added, is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you miss the bounce out of the bottom position, step either forward or back in the front squat portion of the cluster or do touch and go reps instead of resetting at the thighs, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Hang Muscle Clean + Push Press Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when lowering the bar from the thighs towards the knees and when pulling the bar to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. To get the full extension in the pull phase of the muscle clean and in the drive phase of the push press, you have to get up on your toes, but make sure that your entire foot, from heel to toes, is in the ground for optimal balance when the bar gets to the shoulders and overhead. 134 / 140 weightlifting101.co
Paused Power Cluster In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. The catch position has to be the same as the bottom of the dip in a push press, so that you are in a perfect position to drive the bar overhead. If you catch the bar either too high or too low, it’s not possible to use the legs optimally to drive the bar overhead. Furthermore, instead of keeping the elbows high, which is common in a power clean and especially in a squat clean, you want to elbows to be somewhat low, which will allow you to use your chest, shoulders and triceps more effectively for pressing the bar overhead. Paused Hang Cluster The first part of the lift is exactly what you did before, namely a paused hang power clean, but after the three seconds pause in the catch, you have to go directly into a front squat and finish by driving the bar all the way overhead. In the front squat, you have to squat down slowly and stand up fast without pausing in the bottom position. You don't want to squat down so slowly that you are making it needlessly hard for yourself, but it also shouldn’t be so fast that the bar leaves the shoulders on the way down, crashes on you in any way, or you end up losing your posture in the bottom position. A good rule of thumb is to stand up faster than you went down. Keep the elbows high enough to not get anywhere near the knees in the bottom position, but low enough to use them effectively in the push press part of the lift. Hang Cluster The pause in the catch position is now eliminated and the only pause left is in the top position where you have to show control for a few seconds before dropping- or taking the bar down. When you get the locout, it’s very important that your legs are completely straight, but relaxed and that your entire foot is grounded for optimal balance. The single most important thing to realize in the hang cluster, however, is that you’ll almost always end up failing in the press, so in order to postpone it as much as possible, you have to get a perfect bounce out of the bottom position and drive up as fast as you can. This will help you to propel the bar 135 / 140 weightlifting101.co
higher and allow for more weight on the bar.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 TOUCH AND GO POWER CLUSTER WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Do one full rep, take the bar down to the shoulders, then to the thighs and lower the bar precisely so that you are in a perfect starting position the moment the plates touch the floor (and they should do so simultaneoulsy in each side). You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, there entire warm-up has to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position, and especially when the front squat is added, is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back at any point during the lift, if you forget to do a rep as touch and go and instead pause on the floor, or if you get the lockout with the legs bend instead of being straight, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Tng Muscle Clean + Push Press Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when pulling the bar from the starting position to the sweet-spot on the thighs. 137 / 140 weightlifting101.co
From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. To get the full extension in the pull phase of the muscle clean and in the drive phase of the push press, you have to get up on your toes, but make sure that your entire foot, from heel to toes, is in the ground for optimal balance when the bar gets to the shoulders and overhead. Tng Paused Power Cluster In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. The catch position has to be the same as the bottom of the dip in a push press, so that you are in a perfect position to drive the bar overhead. If you catch the bar either too high or too low, it’s not possible to use the legs optimally to drive the bar overhead. Furthermore, instead of keeping the elbows high, which is common in a power clean and especially in a squat clean, you want to elbows to be somewhat low, which will allow you to use your chest, shoulders and triceps more effectively for pressing the bar overhead. Tng Power Cluster The pause in the catch position is now eliminated and the only pause left is in the top position where you have to show control for a few seconds before dropping- or taking the bar down. When you get the locout, it’s very important that your legs are completely straight, but relaxed and that your entire foot is grounded for optimal balance. The single most important thing to realize in the power cluster, however, is that you’ll almost always end up failing in the press, so in order to postpone it as much as possible, you have to catch the bar perfectly and drive aggressively up from there. This will help you to propel the bar higher and allow for more weight on the bar.
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THE WEIGHTLIFTING 101 TOUCH AND GO HANG POWER CLUSTER WARM-UP In preparation for any heavy lifting session, you need to not just get your body warm, but also do a series of lifts to get into the technical rhythm. This warm-up will get your entire body warm for what's to come but will also provide you with the opportunity to practice your technique and make it better than ever. Use competition sized plates to practice the normal starting position, even if you need to use a lighter barbell in order to do so. Do one full rep, take the bar down to the shoulders, then to the thighs and reset from there. You are only allowed to drop the bar after the last rep. Finish all sets of an exercise before moving on to the next. In order to improve your front rack flexibility, there entire warm-up has to be done with a full grip, meaning bar in the palm of the hands instead of in the finger tips, and with the hook-grip. This is a very simple and effective method, but there is one important caveat. Some people are so stiff that stubbornly applying this method will get them injured before making them flexible. If maintaining the hook-grip in the front rack position is a real struggle, you just have to let it go, but still keep a full grip. If that, too, is a struggle, you’ll have to loosen the grip and let the bar slide into the fingertips. Over time, one warm-up and training session at a time, your grip should gradually improve. While the grip can vary in the front rack, all lifts have to be started with a full grip, including the hook. Some people prefer to do the lift “bolted”, which means that they can get up on the toes to get the full extension in the pull, but are not consciously trying to jump in or out. If you belong in that category that's fine and then you don't have to worry about the technical instructions concerning moving ones feet. No-rep Rules If you step either forward or back at any point during the lift, or if you get the lockout with the legs bend instead of being straight, the entire set is cancelled and must be done again. If you outright fail a lift, you have to do ten down-ups before continuing. Hang Muscle Clean + Push Press Keep you shoulders over the bar and your upper body tilted forward when lowering the bar from the thighs towards the knees and when pulling the bar to the sweet-spot on the thighs. From the sweet-spot to the front rack, the angle of the upper body will gradually change and get closer and closer to vertical, but at no point during the lift should you be leaning back. This is very important. To get the full extension in the pull phase of the muscle clean and in the drive phase of the push press, you have to get up on your toes, but make sure 139 / 140 weightlifting101.co
that your entire foot, from heel to toes, is in the ground for optimal balance when the bar gets to the shoulders and overhead. Paused Hang Power Cluster In general, your starting position should be narrower than your catch position, which in turn should be the same as in front squats. Move your feet from narrow to wide on every rep and pause for three seconds in the catch. If you prefer to use the same stance in both the starting- and catch position, you can do that, but you still need to do the jump. The only exception to this rule is if you are consciously doing it bolted, as described in the introduction, in which case you have to keep your feet grounded throughout the lift. The catch position has to be the same as the bottom of the dip in a push press, so that you are in a perfect position to drive the bar overhead. If you catch the bar either too high or too low, it’s not possible to use the legs optimally to drive the bar overhead. Furthermore, instead of keeping the elbows high, which is common in a power clean and especially in a squat clean, you want to elbows to be somewhat low, which will allow you to use your chest, shoulders and triceps more effectively for pressing the bar overhead. Hang Power Cluster The pause in the catch position is now eliminated and the only pause left is in the top position where you have to show control for a few seconds before dropping- or taking the bar down. When you get the locout, it’s very important that your legs are completely straight, but relaxed and that your entire foot is grounded for optimal balance. The single most important thing to realize in the tng hang power cluster, however, is that you’ll almost always end up failing in the press, so in order to postpone it as much as possible, you have to catch the bar perfectly and drive aggressively up from there. This will help you to propel the bar higher and allow for more weight on the bar.
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