The next step…

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Mobility:
Row 250m fast
10 PVC Dislocates
10 Leg Swings, each leg
10 push ups
10 KB Swings
20 Squats

Gymnastics Warmup:
Perform the following sequence of movements for 3 rounds or 12 minutes:
Plate Walk 40′
Hollow to Arch Roll 20′
Handstand Walking 20′ OR Bear Crawl 40′
Pullup Bar Traverse 20′
Forward Roll 20′

Workout of the Day
3 Rounds of:
ME UB Ring Dips or Pushups
15  One armed KB Snatches or Swings with each arm (30 total), heavy as possible
5 Press in Split, heavy as possible
5 Good Mornings, heavier than last time

Notes: Rest precisely 30 seconds between movements. ME UB means max effort of unbroken reps.  If more than 20 UB Ring Dips are possible add some sort of weight or weight vest.

Cool Down
Row 250 slow
15 PVC Dislocates, slow
Active Hang, 1 minute
Pigeon, 1 minute each leg

Jordan. Fighting for it.

In between coaching and working out today I spent quite a bit of time on the office computer delving deep into the USA Weightlifting website.  This led me to take what I will call the “next step” in my relationship with the Olympic Lifts as an athlete and a coach. The first thing I did on this website was become a member of USAW which allows athletes to compete in sanctioned weightlifting meets as well as attend certification courses for teaching the lifts.  With that out of the way, I went ahead and starting research local sanctioned meets and I happen to find one being held just down the road at the Venice Weightlifting Pit in early October.  I contacted the gentleman who runs that meet and after I send in the necessary registration information, I will be signed up to compete in my first Olympic Lifting Competition. The last thing I did on this site was look up specific certification courses for USAW, found one locally in November and signed up for that.

It goes without saying that when it comes to Olympic Weightlifting, I am all in. The lifts and their many nuances fascinate me and I am constantly trying to learn better ways of performing them and teaching them. I know some one you may not have this burning passion to master the Snatch and Clean & Jerk but I am regularly asked by members for help with their technique. I love this and I want to be able to offer the best possible advice and encouragement to help them. That is why I am delving deeper into this world and trying to gain more experience and teaching tools to bring to the gym. Getting better at these lifts directly translates to being a more explosive and coordinated athlete. That is why we do them so often as a gym and why they have a place in every worthwhile strength and conditioning program.

I have a dream that as we progress as a gym, we will have a contingent of members who are sanctioned competing members of USAW, we have multiple USAW certified coaches, and our gym itself has a  sanctioned Weightlifting Club where we put on meets and have our members represent us and possibly qualify for the big events like the American Open and National Championships.

So, continue asking me advice on the lifts and within next couple months I should have a greater understanding of Olympic Weightlifting as a whole. Until then, stay on your heels and use your hips.

P.S. – I also ordered a singlet. It’s the rules!