Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery – and a great way to get better at Olympic Lifts!
Imitation – a great way to improve your olympic lifts!
Have you been working your Olympic Lifts (also known as the Snatch, the Clean and the Jerk) for awhile now, and are still finding them a challenge? Well, first off, welcome to the club! These movements are complex and require a HUGE amount of strength, flexibility, stability and body awareness to perform safely and properly, and people spend LITERALLY THEIR WHOLE PROFESSIONAL CAREERS working on getting better at the skills.
How to get better at the lifts? Well, you first have to make sure that your fundamental movements are sound (the deadlift, the front squat, the overhead squat, the shoulder press) and strong, that you are not missing any flexibility or stability in your body, and that your brain and body can effectively work together to get the weights into their positions at speed. Got all that down? THEN you can work the movements repeatedly and with relative safety.
Okay, so say you have worked on what is needed to move the bar safely, and yet you are STILL having trouble with your lifts. Well, one way that I have found to be helpful in my practice is to watch the people who REALLY know what they’re doing. YouTube is FULL of videos of people performing olympic lifts at impressive weights, yes, but in addition to that, you get to see the movements repeated over and over, and may begin to make connections that before were a little intangible.
If you’re REALLY geeky (like me!), then you can add another element – video yourself in your lifts! Yes, your coach can tell you what is missing in your lifts, but it is really beneficial to see yourself in your movement, be able to identify your faults, and work to overcome those obstacles.
So, why not check out some Oly Lifting Videos on YouTube before you come to class today. Look at the movement over and over, and try to get a visual in your mind’s eye that you can imitate. Tell us how it goes!
-Emilie
===================================================================
Tuesday’s Workout
Snatch Work –
Beginner – Hang Power Snatch from Position 1- work skill at light-medium weight
Intermediate – Hang Power Snatch from Position 2 – work up to 3 reps at medium weight, perform 5 sets of 3
Advanced – Hang Snatch From Below the Knee + Snatch Balance – Find 1 RM
WOD – 10 Min EMOM
3 Hang Power Snatches (135/95)
Max Effort Slam Balls until 20 seconds remains
OPTIONAL Cash-Out –
30-20-10
Broad Jumps
Candle Stands
2014 02 17