Olympic lifting has a long tradition in sports other than Olympic weightlifting for strength, power and conditioning but it is not without it’s detractors by strength coaches mostly, I suppose, because of the steep learning curve it takes to master the lifts. Many coaches are of the opinion the time could be more effectively used for other movements that provide similar benefits.

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What happens when a tall, long-limbed,  young, cocky 20 year old challenges a shorter-levered, confident 32 year old to a weightlifting competition? I don’t know yet, but we’ll find out in about 8 weeks as these two claim they will train and then square off for a maximum three lift total contest.

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Just some tidbits, lying around looking for a place to go. Let’s start with some motivation from the tv program, “Scrubs”, courtesy Justin Lebel.

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Here is what it should like, featuring Aimee Anaya.

Now that’s how get extension! Catalyst Athletics has this to say about extension:

“In order to remain balanced, the athlete must be leaned back slightly at the top of the extension of the snatch (this can often be avoided in the clean with compensatory movements elsewhere). Note that this does not mean the hips are pushed forward–as much as possible, the body is extended straight and in its entirely leaned back.”

So, that is my Oly lift project, full extension.

•Speaking of the snatch, Mike Covert reports a new PR @ 145 lbs with a body weight around 175 lbs. Nice job, Mike!

•Our gym is getting inundated with bodybuilder photo shoots. I guess if it helps pay the bills, fine, just stay away from the big boy toys, Mirror Muscle Man!

•Scott and his freaks have taken a hiatus from their strongman stuff to do an Olympic lifting cycle, now that I have two sets of my bumper plates residing over at the gym. Like their other lifting,  technique doesn’t seem to matter as much as how much weight gets on the bar. To their credit, a couple of the guys can clean and jerk heavy.

•Having learned chocolate milk makes for a good recovery drink, I don’t have to waste money on Muscle Milk. Chocolate milk is a good “treat” for a heavy lifting session. “Who wants Ovaltine?”

•Medicine balls do work better when you have someone throwing them back to you!

•As the weekend draws to a close, Bucky won and the Packers put on a show, especially at the end of the game and came away victorious. Both teams are undefeated! The Cowboys are in the house next Sunday. Should be a great game!

Since taking up Crossfit a couple of years ago at age 50, one of the things I got re-introduced to was Olympic weightlifting, which are the snatch and the clean and jerk. I had an interest in them way back in my early high school years and on occasion, on Saturdays, I went to the Eagles’ Club in Milwaukee with my dad and had a chance to do a rudimentary form of the C & J (a nice way to say no form at all) with dedicated lifters. There was just no opportunity to go any further with the lifts. Our high school gym consisted of a chrome multi-station Universal machine, one of the early progenitors of The Rise of the Machines in gyms all across America.

I have received a small amount of group instruction time from Mike Burgener in a Crossfit certification, but the only hands-on, eyes-on training came with the instruction of Stephane Rochet, now the strength and conditioning coach at University of San Diego. That was good fundamental training from Stephane that furthered my interest in learning the lifts.

More recently at my gym, two other guys share my interest in the lifts,  Jon Curry and Mike Covert. Jon and I train and share a goal of doing a good looking 135 lb snatch while Mike has great athleticism and ability with a knack for good technique. It is a lot of fun to train with these guys, but I have been wanting to get coached for a while at this.

Last weekend, after Val’s Santa Monica race, we went to Gold’s Gym and met Danny Henry as he was coaching a lifter. After a brief conversation and a phone call this week, I trained with Danny for the first time Thursday afternoon at Gold’s.

Danny took me through some warm-ups while talking about the lifts in general. Danny is a very enthusiastic student of the weight game and definitely was excited at the prospect of training me. (He must like the challenge of training a stubborn, over-the-hill wannabee weightlifter)!! As we progressed through various drills from the muscle snatch, front squats, RDL, bar positioning, etc., I was impressed by his attention to detail. He would make sure tell me what worked and what didn’t after each lift and explain what needs to happen. I could tell he was forming a baseline for me. That baseline will continue next week as he will put me through sub-maximal lifts to better see where I am in all this and how he will structure my training.

My first session went for 90 minutes and his fee was very reasonable considering what training can go for in southern California. I definitely got value for my money which is nice for a change when I consider what I spent and what I got out of a weekend certification not all that long ago.