Ask Chris: Why Power Cleans?

Chris - there is a video on the main site showing Orlando and Hogan going through the Games clean ladder - neither of them squat cleaned (some partial at the end). I would have expected full squat cleans over power cleans - any thoughts why they would pick one over the other? - Sam

There are three reasons why I will answer this old question from July 12th:
1. I like olympic lifting and talking about it
2. this is a short question with a somewhat short/simple answer
3. I know that Sam is not on social media like facebook, so he hasn't seen me post about this video in the past and can only see my communications via this blog.

When this mainsite demo video went up, I was excited to watch. Unfortunately as you can see, Rob and Katie both power clean towards the end of their respective attempts.

At first, this is a smart decision. Power cleans require more pulling with the hip and less squatting, thus saving the legs. For these two, the first set of bars are so light that not only do they not HAVE to squat clean, but it's smart to power clean to save the legs.

Towards the heavier weights, however, they still are power cleaning. I see this as two possible factors, with the latter being the more likely. First, their CNS (central nervous system) has already been wired to power clean and therefore, their bodies are just going through the same motions of what they have already performed. Perhaps they are even a little fatigued to the point of not wanting to squat. However, the second reason is that they are brute strength strong and are so used to power cleans their entire life. Squat cleaning is hard to do when you've power cleaned for 15+ years of your life as a power athlete (think football) or used it as accessory work (think powerlifter/strongman). When you are big and strong enough to power clean most things, that is going to be your tendency.

When this video went up, I commented on facebook that although it was awesome to watch, their form was awful. I didn't want people to look at their wide feet (3-4ft across) and think this was acceptable in any oly lifting gym. You should land in the same exact place in a power clean as you would a squat clean. Think about that for a minute. You should land in the same exact place in a power clean as you would a squat clean. After all, isn't a power clean just a tall squat clean without going below parallel. Well, it should be, anyway.

It took a long time to actually find a picture of a proper power clean on the interwebs. There are plenty of incorrect ones out there, but I had to go to a trusty source for all things oly lifting: Catalyst Athletics. These guys know their stuff (Greg and Aimee Everett). Here is Aimee in a proper power clean position. Notice how far apart her feet are: NOT VERY! She could very easily squat in this position. Amazing high elbows too.

Rob and Katie went wide because they weren't comfortable squatting, but they had to meet the bar low (the wider your legs, the lower your torso). They probably could have each moved to the next bar, if not two bars higher if they squatted. (Despite my criticism, they both would still kick my ass in power or squat cleans)

So when you're power cleaning, give yourself the squat test: catch it in a power position and see if you can squat down. If you can't, you haven't landed correctly.

London 2012 - Weightlifting Highlights (So Far)

Since weightlifting doesn't get nearly the coverage it deserves, here are some highlight videos that I found on the interwebs (which are surprisingly hard to find)


Want to feel bad about your lifting? Check out 58kg (127.6lbs) Li Xueying of China winning gold with a 108kg (237.6lbs) snatch and 138kg (303.6lbs) clean and jerk. Her clean and jerk and her total were both Olympic records. 

Lu Xiaojun (77kg) of China with a 175kg snatch, bettering his own world record by 1kg. Four years ago in Beijing, the only gold medal that the Chinese did NOT win was in the men's 77kg men's category. This year, Xiaojun made sure he was not the weakest link. 

26 year old American Kendrick Farris (has helped coach at many a CrossFit box) with a 200kg  (440lbs) clean and jerk for 10th overall in the 85kg group. He would later fail at 208kg attempt. 

24 year old Ilya Ilin (97kg) of Kazakhstan of lifting a world record 233kg (512.6lbs) clean and jerk and making it look EASY. (He also snatched 185kg or 407lbs) The next best clean and jerk was by Anatoli Ciricu of Moldova at 226kg (497.2lbs)

Ilya Ilyin 233kg Clean & Press(418 kg New WR) by richardmcdonaldmma

5 Things I Learned at Regionals

CrossFit King of Prussia competitors

This past weekend I had the privilege of being on the team for CrossFit King of Prussia at the Mid-Atlantic Regional competition held in Landover, MD. Our owner, Aimee Lyons, competed as an individual and six of us competed as a team. We went in ranked 29th out of 30 teams (140 competed in our region during the Open) and came out 24th. Our best finish was 11th in event 1 (partner deadlifts and handstand push ups) and overall it was a great weekend. Seeing all of those teams and individuals compete was awe-inspiring and provided some food for thought, so I thought I'd share five things I learned at Regionals.

21 year old Ben Smith snatching 265# for 1st place

1. No matter how good you think you are, there's someone better than you. 
You can be big fish in a small pond, but Regionals is a much bigger pond. Drawing the top competitors from PA, MD, DE, WV, VA, and NC means you can be the top dawg in your gym and still be bottom of the ladder at the next level. Even Ben Smith, who dominated the Mid-Atlantic Region with five first-place wins, came in eight for the dumbbell snatch event.  The constantly varied nature of CrossFit almost guarantees that no one will be the absolute best at every single thing. (some of you are probably going to argue for Froning/Thorisdottir/Clever, but I don't consider them human) It's one of the great things about CrossFit and it's why we say "leave your ego at the door." Humility comes with the territory. 

Danny of CF KoP on the 100# dumbbell snatch

2. Being strong makes the difference. 
Strength is the deciding factor when it comes to success vs. failure in CrossFit. The dumbbell snatch (100#s for men, 70#s for women), the 225/135 hang power cleans, and the max effort snatch separated the big guns from the water pistols. Athletes big and small were fine with pull ups and even pistols, but the heavy stuff allowed the elite to pull ahead. I think this trend will continue as the field of CrossFit competitors grows and the need for stratification remains. The 2008 CrossFit Games final even was 30 squat cleans to overhead at 155# (105# for women). Back then, that was a heavy weight, but now Graham Holmberg does that workout once a week. My only contention is that if they're going to have a max effort lift, they should balance it with an aerobic exercises such as a mile+ run. But I digress.

"Reebok" chairs

3. The sport of fitness has arrived...and Reebok is here to stay. 
Reebok is here and it's here to stay. Whether you like it or not, the branding was apparel, I mean, apparent. We got to Regionals a day early and decided to check out the facilities. As we were walking around the athlete area, we noticed the chairs had Reebok headrests. At first I thought it was insane that Reebok made chairs, but then I noticed a guy literally labeling the headrests with iron-on stickers. I'm not in the marketing world, so I'm sure this was normal, but it was really incredible to see "Reebok" on everything from those chairs, to the huge banners on the spectator fences, to the little cards that showed how much weight people were lifting. Reebok was smart to get in on CrossFit and they are here to stay. I'm sure those who win the $250,000 prize money at the Games will appreciate their involvement.

Dawn of CF Wilmington on the last bar of the snatch ladder, 185# and a 15#PR

4. There's always room for improvement.
"Get busy living or get busy dying." "You're either getting better or getting worse, no one stays the same." I don't think anybody comes away from Regionals thinking they are good where they are; I know I didn't. Watching the events, especially the snatch ladder, motivated me to focus on my weaknesses. These include the overhead squat and the snatch. Seeing the technical prowess and power from these individuals made me want to train the lift. I had always known I needed to work on them, but seeing proficiency in person motivates you more than seeing it on Youtube. I am calling this post-Regionals time frame the "Year of the Snatch."

BQ and Steve Pinkerton congratulating each other after a grueling event 4

5. The CrossFit community is awesome.
Members of CrossFit King of Prussia drove 2+ hours to see us workout for a few minutes at a time. It was so great to have them there for support and very generous of their time and money to come down and cheer us on. There were plenty of fan sections from each box, but one of the things that separates CrossFit from other sports is the fact that competitors cheer on EACH OTHER. Whether it was the first place team or the last place, we all congratulated each other on a job well done. Hearing "nice job" from people you've never met is a pretty cool thing, especially when you're directly competing against one another. One of the coolest events was the snatch ladder. Teams started on the 155# bar and worked their way up to heavier bars. If you didn't make the lift, you went over and waited on the side. As the crowd of us grew on the sidelines, we first fist bumped to acknowledge each others' efforts and then turned our attention to those remaining. One team member from CrossFit Wilmington made the 265# bar and we went nuts. A woman from the same team made the highest bar (185#) and the entire crowd went crazy. (see #4) People were there to support their own team or individuals, but no one was there to keep others down.

There was a lot more to Regionals, but these were the top things that I took away from the weekend. Did you attend any regional event as a competitor or spectator? What did you take away from it?

"You Lift Like a Girl" from California Strength - Debunking the Myth about Women and Lifting Heavy

First, sorry for the lack of postings. Getting back from Iceland, I had a ton of work at work to prepare for (imagine that) and my computer has been on the fritz, so I've been frantically backing everything up. (for the computer saavy, yes I have been backing up to both an external and web albums, but just not as recently)


The topic of lifting heavy for women is also a touchy one because novices think it's going to lead to "big muscles" and "butch" looks. I talked about this in "Skinny-Fat, Cortisol, and Why Cardio Doesn't Work," but if you still have friends that don't believe you, show them this video first and then ask them what they think. Some of these girls are still in college and lifting more than a lot of guys out there. Plus you'd think they're on their way to the next frat party if you saw them in the street, not olympic weightlifters. No, lifting heavy weights does not make you bulky. It makes you STRONG.

Catching Up on Some Light Reading

Yesterday, Ditty and I just got back from Iceland. It was an awesome place with a ton of outdoor sights: volcanoes, geysers, and waterfalls galore. Pictures are coming. While we were away, I didn't do any of my usual blog reading, so here are a few things that I'll need to catch up on. Check them out if you haven't already.

Chris Kresser: Shaking Up the Salt Myth

Matt Foreman (Catalyst Athletics): Learning Technique through Imitation 

Robb Wolf: Nutrition certificate update

Chris Kresser: Is Paleo Even Paleo? 

(this post was inspired by Kurt Harris' post)

Mark Sisson: Is Eating Meat Ethical?

Friday Video: Clean and Jerks at California Strength

You think your C+J don't stank? Donny Shankle runs a strong crew over at California Strength. Check out this latest video where athletes needed to complete 10 successful lifts (5 snatches and 5 clean and jerks) at 90% of competition weight to win money ($500 split). After this, go lift something.

Thoughts on Reebok CrossFit Games Open WOD 12.2

Sorry for the late post, I meant to write something right away Wednesday night, but when 12.2 came out, I wasn't quite sure what to write besides, "You better have been working on your snatch!" Much like cramming for a test, there is not going to be an incredible amount of things you can change between now and Sunday. But there's gotta be something I can do, right!? Sure there is. Read below.

Workout 12.2

Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:

30 Snatch (M 75 / F 45 lbs)
30 Snatch (M 135 / F 75 lbs)
30 Snatch (M 165 / F 100 lbs)
Max Rep Snatch (M 210 / F 120 lbs)

CrossFit Open 11.1 workout

STRATEGY

Right after reading the workout, I tweeted, "This is when everybody wishes they worked on their snatch more!" As I said in my post "What Malcolm Gladwell Has to do with Olympic Lifting," literally thousands of repetitions are required to become proficient at technical lifts such as the snatch. However, not all is lost. Here is what I would do for 12.2. 

First, warm up sufficiently and make sure you are limber and mobile. Who else to look to for tips on this than the great K-Star, CrossFit's mobility expert. I'm not even going to try and give you advice on this, so here's a video from the man himself (you can find more mobility tips on his site, MobilityWOD.com)

In terms of form, you do NOT have to squat snatch, and you MAY press out, however, the bar cannot stop at the shoulders since this can be interpreted as a clean and jerk or clean and press. If squatting low, even in a power position, is trouble for you, then I suggest SPLIT snatching it. If you're not sure what that is, Google it. Although squat snatching is most efficient, it also will be taxing on your legs with a longer range of motion. If you can power/split snatch, then do so. The heavier the lift, the lower you may have to drop in that power position. Rich Froning Jr. does an excellent job showing this in the mainsite demo video. 

This is not a time to look at 75# snatches and think you can fly through them, especially if your form isn't perfect. (Don't you remember 11.1? Have you ever met "Randy"?) Pace yourself and find a way to save your back for the heavier lifts. You WILL be gassed at some point. 99% of people will be muscle or power snatching the first 30. Make sure to stay balanced in your feet and push those knees out at the bottom of the lift so your back doesn't take the brunt of the work. For the light weights, don't move your feet much, there's not need to jump out wide for these and reset your feet narrow. Try to keep a landing position with your feet, even in the jump. The 30 snatches, even with breaks, should take you only a few minutes. You then have the rest of time to basically do "Isabel" (30 snatches at 135#/95#). At this point, some of you are saying "But my 1RM is 125!" Well, then this is your time to saddle up and PR! Amp yourself up, have someone scream at you, do whatever you can to get that bar up. Just one rep will put you ahead of literally thousands of people. 

The bar must also come from the ground every time, so if 135 is going to do-able but heavy for you, it might be worthwhile to drop from the top, again to save that back for an attempt at 165. If you know you can do 135 and 165, well, then you should move quickly and efficiently through 135 in sets of 3 or 5 and try to get as many as you can with 165 because this is where the top dogs will live. If you are someone who can get through 135, 165, and move on to 210, well, then you should be writing this blog, not me.

Just snatching 192 kilos. Aka 422#. No big deal.

REACTION

This sequence of events reminds me of the CrossFit Games at Aromas in 2009. The first event was a 7k run up a SUPER steep terrain. Chris Spealler came in first, Mikko Salo in second (the sprint finish at the end with Speal was amazing), and Russell Berger in 3rd for the men, while Sarah Dunsmore, Lauren Erwin, and Carey Kepler were the top 3 women. The very next event was a deadlift ladder. Athletes had to move from one bar to the next, as weights increased, and perform a deadlift. Sixteen men tied on the last and heaviest bar at 505#. Although this might seem light for the CF Games now, back then it was heavy and unpredictable that after a 7k run, that many men would tie. 

Clearly HQ learned their lesson to set a very high bar and organize workouts to separate out competitors. 

The 2012 CrossFit Open has reflected the 2009 Games in the first event being a cardiovascular event, while the second is a strength based one. Those who can do both well will rise to the top. Large people were up in arms about 12.1 and the burpees, but the tides have turned with this snatch workout. It allows everyone to get a score on the board (the spirit of the Open) but will absolutely separate the elite. There is one big difference from 2009 though. Choosing this snatch movement caters to those who are technically proficient, not just "gorilla" strong. At the same time, it takes away any advantage a specialist would have (i.e. a pure olympic lifter) because they are not used to high rep snatches. They may be able to snatch 300#+, but I guarantee if they haven't been training high reps and/or CrossFit, they won't even make it to the 210#.

Indeed, this workout is made for experienced and strong CrossFitters. High rep olympic movements are simply not found elsewhere in fitness. 

Unfortunately, it also means that there will be UGLY performances around the world. By my guesstimation, only a small percent of people have their snatch form dialed in. The majority of people (including myself) will be pressing out. Pure oly lifters will cringe when they see video of these performances and don't be surprised when there are blog posts flying around complaining about the ugly form of CrossFitters. (there are already plenty of those) There is also the danger of shoulder injuries due to the external rotation of the shoulders coupled with multiple attempts at PR weights. So make sure you are smart about your limits, even if you're pushing for a PR.

PREDICTION

The cream will certainly rise to the top after this one, just like it did in 2009. Back then, the top 3 men overall (Mikko, Tommy Hackenbruck, and Moe Kelsey) were all in the top 10 after the first two events (7k run and deadlift). The top 3 women overall (Tanya Wagner, Charity Vale, and Carey Kepler) were more spread out after two events (top 13) but check this out: Tanya and Charity were 1st and 2nd after two events, and guess who was 3rd and 4th? Kristan Clever and Annie Thorisdottir (2010 and 2011 champions, respectively). 

I predict that like in 2009, the combination of burpees and snatches will put top CrossFitters in a ranking order that will not change drastically over the last three workouts. Those who are proficient at high rep, heavy snatches are already fire breathing CrossFitters. Rich Froning Jr. demonstrated the 12.2 workout in a video and looked like he was casually having fun with 210#. He did 98 reps then, but I predict he'll redo it and get 110+. Kristan Clever will once again destroy this workout with supremely efficient form and a huge engine. She'll get just under 110. 

For those looking on some power snatch tips, check out this video from Coach Rippetoe.

The Power Snatch: Teaching Method from stef bradford on Vimeo.

What Malcolm Gladwell Has to Do with Olympic Lifting

A few days ago, I won some swag from Catalyst Athletics for a Twitter contest they hosted. CA is a gym out in California specializing in olympic lifting and they're one of the best in the biz. I started following their website mostly because of the owners, Greg and Aimee Everett. Greg is a well known oly lifting coach and co-host on the Paleo Solution podcast with Robb Wolf; and Aimee is a national weightlifting champion. 

One of the prizes I won was a CA sweatshirt. Nothing much more to say besides the fact that it's super comfy. Plus it makes me look more badass than I really am. 

I knew I should have listened to warnings about making faces

The other prize was Matt Foreman's book, "Bones of Iron." (paper version or Kindle version) Essentially it's a collection of his articles from the Performance Menu, a journal run by Greg Everett. So where does Malcolm Gladwell come in? Well, if you thought it's because this little Jewish man who writes for the New Yorker spends his free time cleaning, snatching, and jerking...you'd be wrong. But if you read "Outliers," and you think this is about the 10,000 hour rule...well, then you'd be right. 

The 10,000 hour rule basically states that you need to do something for that amount of time before you master it. Even if you do something for 3 hours every day, it would still take about 10 years before you hit that quota. Gladwell cites a number of examples of people who took about that amount of time before they were recognized as geniuses, masters, or experts. Examples in his book include the Beatles and Bill Gates.

(By the way, Gladwell was not the first to come up with this theory, but I would say he's the most famous person associated with it. So I'm just going with the crowd on this one.)

Anyway, what does this have to do with Olympic weightlifting? Well, reading one of Foreman's articles entitled "Third Snatch from the Sun," (yes, he's very witty), he discusses the theory of taking powerlifters and turning them into weightlifters. Although they can move massive amounts of weight very easily, the coordination needed for olympic weightlifting is completely different and takes years to hone one's skills. Here's a passage that really stuck with me:

"When an athlete performs snatches, cleans, and jerks, there is a strengthening effect that develops very precisely with the movements. All of the muscles and connective tissues of the body move in a very exact way, and they grow stronger and denser in the positions of the lifts themselves. Every fiber of soft muscle tissue, along with the athlete's tendons and ligaments, increases in strength and power when the athlete performs thousands of snatches or cleans. Bone density even increases in the supportive posture of the lifts. And this type of specific strength takes millions of reps and several years to accumulate." (2011)

 So what is this all saying? You need to PRACTICE! 

Practice? You talkin' 'bout practice? (AI would probably not be a good olympic weightlifter)

It's an obvious thing, but to get better at something, you need to do it....a LOT. People walk into our CrossFit gym and they want to be good at everything, but they don't spend any time outside of a WOD honing their skills. This can be for any movement really: double unders, handstand push ups, rowing....but the two movements that really need work are the clean and jerk and the snatch. 

When I attended my USA Weightlifting certification in Pittsburgh, the coaches there said that it takes full time olympic weightlifters FIVE YEARS to get their skills down and another FIVE YEARS to find their max lifts. Guess what that adds up to. Yep, 10 years. And that's everyday with double and triple sessions, unlike our CrossFit schedule of once every few days or even weeks. 

So, hopefully this article did two things for you:

1. Made you not feel as bad that you suck at clean and jerking and snatching

2. Motivated you to keep practicing and realize that it takes literally thousands of repetitions to become comfortable with the movements

Practice at home, practice at work, practice at the gym, practice with a broomstick, practice with weights....just practice! And most importantly, have a coach who knows what they're doing teach you in the beginning and try to get observed anytime you can after that. Building a strong foundation of correct movement is essential.

Now let me go work on my snatch.

Push Presses, Triple Extension, and Catapults

Yesterday I posted about jumping and how it relates to the olympic lifts. Peterson from CF KoP commented about doing push presses and having his heels come off the ground. I thought this topic was discussed enough to make it a separate post. First is Peterson's comment, then my response. 

Peterson said...

So I just talked to Aimee about confusion that I had over this very thing. For a push press, I was yelled at (not angrily or anything) for my heels coming off the ground. I don't get why this is an issue since when you jump, you jump from the balls of your feet, with the heal coming off of the ground first. Isn't it just natural that at lighter weights, your heels will be coming off of the ground? I'd guess that having your feet coming off of the ground would be wasting the momentum you built up in a way that isn't directly getting more weight overhead, and that if you are truly at your max, all of your effort goes towards getting that weight overhead without any of the waste seen in your heels coming off the ground...

Peterson, great observation. This is always debated, but my take on it is this: For strength-based (heavy) push presses, you should start with feet planted firmly and fairly even weight distribution with a slight bias towards the heel (but not so much as to wiggle your toes). You should not change the width of your feet AKA do not widen them in the middle of the movement. When driving through the push press, your heels may leave the floor momentarily as a result of the drive up, but it should not be the goal. Your ankles are first closing the angle between your shin and foot (dorsiflexion) and then extending (plantarflexion). As a result of this violent change (and your hip extension), your heels will most likely come off the floor, but if you can help it, try to keep them down.

The metcon (lighter) push press such as in FGB or other workouts is different. If you are cycling push presses at high repetitions, you will naturally be on your toes more as this offers the most athletic stance and most dynamic posture. However, since it is a lighter and more manageable weight, this is generally acceptable with the caveat of having your form dialed in before performing high rep push presses.

This all brings up a very debated topic: heels coming off the ground in triple extension during a clean or snatch. 

Lu Xiaojun - 2010 77kg World Champion

There seem to be two camps when it comes to triple extension. Those that say you should intentionally push off the ground and shrug UP to fully extend the hips, knees, and ankles (triple extension), and those that say the shrug is more of a transition to getting under the bar in triple extension. While I tend to agree more with the latter camp, I think the important thing to realize is that ankle extension (raising the heel) is a result of the hip extension and force imparted on the floor, much like the push press scenario described above. 

Aimee Anaya of Catalyst Athletics

Now, there is a misconception that the "catapult" technique originally coined by Don McCauley promotes flat footed triple extension (no ankle extension). There is a strongly worded blog entry by Sean Waxman about this here. I think what McCauley conveys is correct, but his message gets lost in translation. 

Casey Burgener, son of Mike Burgener

In the end, the extension of the ankles should not be on purpose, but it will just happen as a result of the 2nd pull (hip extension). Variety in anatomy and speed under the bar will change the angle of athletes such that a freeze frame may show one person look almost like a ballerina while others may look quite flat footed. Either way, their ankles are on the way to plantarflexion, but can be cut short by a fast pull under the bar. 

What are your thoughts on heels coming off the floor? 

Is this the first time you've heard of this debate? 

What do you think of the Waxman vs. McCauley debate?

Olympic Lifters and Jumping: Pat Mendes

Back when I started CrossFit at CrossFit King of Prussia, we had an oly lifting seminar with some guest coaches from NY. Although I had previously experience with CrossFit, it was done in a typical school gym where there were only metal plates. Thus, I did not have a ton of experience (let alone good coaching) to refine my olympic lifting. When I started at KoP, my clean and jerk was around 135 and snatch was practically non-existent (not that there's much existence of it today...hm, gotta work on that) Anyway, one of these guest coaches had us box jump and I was wondering, "What the heck does jumping have to do with oly lifting?" Well, it has EVERYTHING to do with oly lifting! You are essentially JUMPING that bar off the ground. Granted, your feet won't much as much as an unloaded jump, but the ability to push through that ground and accelerate the bar is essential. (as is hip extension, etc). Based off my jumping ability, his coach told me he saw my clean and jerk up at 185#; I told him he was nuts. That was summer of 2009. Today, my clean and jerk is 215# and my clean is 225# at a bodyweight of 150# (same as in 2009).

Check out these clips of Pat Mendes for more proof about oly lifters and jumping. This guy is 21 years old (many videos feature him at 20yo) and 285lbs. Incredible. (all videos safe for work)

800# backsquat (raw)

727.5# deadlift x4

Unofficial Jr. world record of 207kg snatch. That's 455#!!!!