Adjusted Gym hours this Saturday! Due to regionals this Saturday 6/8 we will only have an 8 am and 9 am. Get up early and get it in!
Stop Killing Your Olympic Lifts
No matter how much you hate a squat snatch or struggle with a heavy clean you can not deny that it is fun to throw around metal bars with big rubber weights. The problem is we become focused on fun and speed. The clock is what pushes people outside their comfort zone, but also causes them to take the fastest route instead of the correct route. The path of least resistance is not always the correct way in Olympic Lifting, Dian Fu explains –The Path of Least Resistance.
The argument in CrossFit is- should we focus on technique over speed? The answer at CFH is HELL YES. You might need to sacrifice an early pull to get through Grace in a competition two seconds faster, but last time I checked no one here is getting paid to CrossFit, so technique and longevity should be first on your mind, with speed coming in at a close second.
As a coaching staff at CFH we have noticed three things that stand out when we do Olympic lifts for time.
Starting Position, The Pull and Bar Path.
1) Your feet should start under your hips and land in your squat stance, not too wide not to narrow. In your perfect squat stance every time. If the starting stance is not locked in you will fail, you will fail hard. Getting tight with vertical shins, a flat back and big chest are all crucial to nailing a heavy lift. We say those cues every class and if you do not know exactly what they mean then please ask. If this is something you have overlooked, then look into it more here- The Olympic Lifting Starting Position
2) The early pull is the death of 90% of oly lifts at CFH. Your are literally killing the lift, stabbing your PR directly in the heart and preventing your body from lifting superior loads. An early pull = the bar is lifted off the ground it is past the lifters knees and the elbows start to bend before the hips reach full extension. This causes the weight to be lifted solely with the small set of limbs attached to the shoulders and not the big, powerful, strong hips. Here is a good article about the first pull that is probably TMI, but it may add 10lbs to your clean. Who does not want 10 lbs! The First Pull
3) The bar path. Here is a quick video of how the bar patch should look. Analyzing Bar Paths. There is a slight S shape in the bar path (SLIGHT!). It is not a perfect line, but we want to emphasis two things. First if you yank the bar off the ground and forget to pull your knees back and keep a good starting position you have lost the bar path. Second if you bang the bar off your thighs or hips that throws the bar out in front of you and you have to go chase it. Here is an article that discuss bar path- Ouch stop banging the bar off your hips
Skill WOD
15 Minutes with moderate weight working on your Snatch
Start light, nail down the technique then move up in weight. DO NOT MOVE UP UNLESS YOUR TECHNIQUE is perfect, so perfect it makes you want to dance.
WOD
1 Mile Run
50 KB Swings (53#/35#)
10 Power Snatches (135#/95#)
20 min CAP
Use a Power Snatch weight that felt good during the skill practice. You will now have to perform solid reps breathing heavy with fatigued shoulders…
Bayne on the Snatch