These are both with my higher hipped starts, complete with some cues to help me get started. Ideally, the bar path is almost entirely straight up. In reality with the way I tend to move, the bar tends to follow a much more curved path as I row it in. I get to work on my deficit deadlifts and pulls once more to make sure my posterior chain gets properly engaged as well as adjusting my timing so I can get a stronger clean!
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Power Clean Experiment
So there's been some experimenting with my clean form because I have a tendency to row the barbell in past my knee as well as not having my posterior chain firing off properly. Coach J has had me experiment with changing my starting position yet again, including adjusting the height of my hips and/or the width of my stance along with speeding up my initial pull to give me LESS time to think about what I'm doing and just go through.
These are both with my higher hipped starts, complete with some cues to help me get started. Ideally, the bar path is almost entirely straight up. In reality with the way I tend to move, the bar tends to follow a much more curved path as I row it in. I get to work on my deficit deadlifts and pulls once more to make sure my posterior chain gets properly engaged as well as adjusting my timing so I can get a stronger clean!
These are both with my higher hipped starts, complete with some cues to help me get started. Ideally, the bar path is almost entirely straight up. In reality with the way I tend to move, the bar tends to follow a much more curved path as I row it in. I get to work on my deficit deadlifts and pulls once more to make sure my posterior chain gets properly engaged as well as adjusting my timing so I can get a stronger clean!
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Various Barbell Drills
Weightlifting has been a sanity saver in the absence of a reliable archery range and has actually given me far better results for the time involved, although I do try to get to a decent range when I can.
Monday was a pretty standard barbell class with hang power snatches, snatch pulls, and overhead squats. I was actually late for class courtesy of a doctor's visit that ran overtime and was in a bit of a mood from that combined with traffic and a less-than-helpful fuzzball.
First were the power snatches, where I still have a tendency to row the bar in as well as not always remembering to drop down fast enough. Apparently I also sometimes forget to get the knees back under the bar. It's a learning process, but it can also get pretty steep.
Then there were the snatch pulls to help with positioning, timing, and maintaining smoothness. Again, I do struggle there with my tendency to row the bar in, but that's where block pulls start coming in handy, as well as remembering some of the cues I've learned.
To cap it off on Monday, there were some overhead squats, which are my strength and one of my favorite, most comforting lifts. Granted, I struggle to get very much over my head, but if it safely gets over my head and stays up there, I can overhead squat it.
So today (Tuesday), I worked on some drills based on my observations of where I tend to struggle on my snatches. One thing I have learned from a mixture of working with Coach J and following sites like Ma Strength and observing other athletes is how to address form faults. Coach J has been especially helpful in teaching me what to look out for and what will likely help me reinforce better movement patterns. I ended up working on my drop snatches because I have some trouble dropping down quickly enough on my snatches as well as block snatch pulls because I have some trouble with timing and positioning on my pulls.
I do have a tendency to not be very smooth or continuous on my drop snatches and turn it into a bit of a piecewise function when it should be a continuous function where there's no abrupt change in direction. And then there were the snatch pulls from the blocks... Apparently I was able to finally figure out how to get my knees back under the bar in a timely manner, although it was very subtle and Coach J had to point it out to me.
Monday was a pretty standard barbell class with hang power snatches, snatch pulls, and overhead squats. I was actually late for class courtesy of a doctor's visit that ran overtime and was in a bit of a mood from that combined with traffic and a less-than-helpful fuzzball.
First were the power snatches, where I still have a tendency to row the bar in as well as not always remembering to drop down fast enough. Apparently I also sometimes forget to get the knees back under the bar. It's a learning process, but it can also get pretty steep.
Then there were the snatch pulls to help with positioning, timing, and maintaining smoothness. Again, I do struggle there with my tendency to row the bar in, but that's where block pulls start coming in handy, as well as remembering some of the cues I've learned.
To cap it off on Monday, there were some overhead squats, which are my strength and one of my favorite, most comforting lifts. Granted, I struggle to get very much over my head, but if it safely gets over my head and stays up there, I can overhead squat it.
So today (Tuesday), I worked on some drills based on my observations of where I tend to struggle on my snatches. One thing I have learned from a mixture of working with Coach J and following sites like Ma Strength and observing other athletes is how to address form faults. Coach J has been especially helpful in teaching me what to look out for and what will likely help me reinforce better movement patterns. I ended up working on my drop snatches because I have some trouble dropping down quickly enough on my snatches as well as block snatch pulls because I have some trouble with timing and positioning on my pulls.
I do have a tendency to not be very smooth or continuous on my drop snatches and turn it into a bit of a piecewise function when it should be a continuous function where there's no abrupt change in direction. And then there were the snatch pulls from the blocks... Apparently I was able to finally figure out how to get my knees back under the bar in a timely manner, although it was very subtle and Coach J had to point it out to me.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
And 20.2 Is In The Books...
I had to scale 20.2. I am NOWHERE near doing toes-to-bars. Even hanging knee raises are generally difficult for me. The 35 lb dumbbell thrusters and double unders aren't too bad for me, even if I will be slower than a tortoise.
Basically 20.2 for me as a scaled athlete was a 20 minute AMRAP of 4 dumbbell thrusters (20 lbs), 6 hanging knee raises, and 24 single unders. I was thrilled to have completed just over 22 rounds without any stops aside from when it got a little too hot and I had to shed a layer of clothing. My judge was amazing, and she crushed it at 27 rounds I think. I was just thankful that I didn't collapse, stop, have a hypoglycemia episode, or otherwise think I was going to die. This was nowhere as spectacular as my 20.1 performance, where I *almost* finished 80% of the WOD at RX, but still a respectable one given that I am extremely weak in gymnastics and usually fumble with the jumprope.
Coach J has taught me exceptionally well for breathing technique!
Basically 20.2 for me as a scaled athlete was a 20 minute AMRAP of 4 dumbbell thrusters (20 lbs), 6 hanging knee raises, and 24 single unders. I was thrilled to have completed just over 22 rounds without any stops aside from when it got a little too hot and I had to shed a layer of clothing. My judge was amazing, and she crushed it at 27 rounds I think. I was just thankful that I didn't collapse, stop, have a hypoglycemia episode, or otherwise think I was going to die. This was nowhere as spectacular as my 20.1 performance, where I *almost* finished 80% of the WOD at RX, but still a respectable one given that I am extremely weak in gymnastics and usually fumble with the jumprope.
Coach J has taught me exceptionally well for breathing technique!
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Working on Barbell Drills
So circumstances got to where I couldn't make my usual class time on Friday. That's what Saturday is for.
This was a focus on clean & jerk, opening up with some triples at moderate-challenging weights, leading into heavy pulls and some moderate-challenging back squats. I generally notice that I tend to row the bar in and not keep my heels down long enough during the clean. By rowing the bar in, I'm not generating as much of the upward force I need to be able to produce a controlled squeeze that will then let me drop under the bar faster. And then on my jerk, I'm having some trouble dropping under fast enough, and I suspect it's a mixture of not enough explosiveness in my upward drive and not aiming the bar back far enough.
And then there were the clean pulls. I was pretty fatigued going into these, plus part of my circumstances of NOT getting to the gym yesterday involved some potential medical concerns. These were all done at 115 lbs, close to 95% of my 1RM. The benefit of the heavy clean pulls is that I'm forced to concentrate much more on smoothness, consistency, and positioning than on simply exploding upwards.
And then there was the back squat, which will help me build up the strength in my legs, core, and glutes to be a better lifter all-around. I'm especially trying to focus on my squats knowing that there is a very strong correlation backed by causation for enhancing my abilities to squat jerk. Ultimately, I want to move from power jerk to a more consistent squat jerk. I don't ever see myself ever becoming Lu Xiaojun or Shi Zhiyong, but I can always emulate them!
This was a focus on clean & jerk, opening up with some triples at moderate-challenging weights, leading into heavy pulls and some moderate-challenging back squats. I generally notice that I tend to row the bar in and not keep my heels down long enough during the clean. By rowing the bar in, I'm not generating as much of the upward force I need to be able to produce a controlled squeeze that will then let me drop under the bar faster. And then on my jerk, I'm having some trouble dropping under fast enough, and I suspect it's a mixture of not enough explosiveness in my upward drive and not aiming the bar back far enough.
And then there were the clean pulls. I was pretty fatigued going into these, plus part of my circumstances of NOT getting to the gym yesterday involved some potential medical concerns. These were all done at 115 lbs, close to 95% of my 1RM. The benefit of the heavy clean pulls is that I'm forced to concentrate much more on smoothness, consistency, and positioning than on simply exploding upwards.
And then there was the back squat, which will help me build up the strength in my legs, core, and glutes to be a better lifter all-around. I'm especially trying to focus on my squats knowing that there is a very strong correlation backed by causation for enhancing my abilities to squat jerk. Ultimately, I want to move from power jerk to a more consistent squat jerk. I don't ever see myself ever becoming Lu Xiaojun or Shi Zhiyong, but I can always emulate them!
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Corrective Drills - Clean & Jerk Flavored
So I have some growing pains as I'm transitioning from being a split jerker to a power / squat jerker after realizing that I tend to do better with fewer degrees of freedom. My 1RM on my jerk has gone down significantly, but the name of the game is longevity, so I'm willing to take a temporary hit now for the long-term enjoyment of Olympic weightlifting and CrossFit.
I often have to do my workouts relatively independently because I choose to try and develop my power jerk into a squat jerk, plus the 1700 hrs time slot can be a little bit of a nightmare for me when I'm trying to share Coach J with a dozen other athletes with orthogonal needs. Luckily, he's also taught me many good cues to look out for as well as helping me program my supplemental drills.
Monday, I struggled massively on my clean and jerk once I got past my 85-90% mark. My last successful clean and jerk was at 100 lbs, although my form did fall apart because I'm not quite dropping down fast enough.
And then my three failed attempts, all about halfway through the jerk, where I didn't quite commit to the lift and therefore didn't drop fast enough. Part of the corrections involve working on both my jerk drive and then the tall jerk.
So some of the corrections I applied included the jerk drive, which involves a smooth dip and a forceful drive upwards, aka the first half of the jerk.
And then there's the tall jerk, which is effectively the second half of the jerk, where I'm extending my lower body and hitting the end of the jerk drive and then dropping under. This is a much lighter weight drill than the jerk drive.
And although my cleans are much, much more successful and reliable than the snatch, I still have some issues with my form, particularly in position and timing. I have a tendency to "row" the bar into myself once the bar passes my knees, so I have been working on deficit deadlifts to help me keep pulling until I reach my pocket. The massive acceleration is supposed to occur once the bar reaches my pocket, and that's where I have to work on my clean pulls. I also have a tendency to NOT squeeze upwards, and one of the cues I get as I pass above my knees is "chest up"... and every time I work on cleans or snatches, I can hear Coach J telling me "chest up" along with additional commentary based on what quirks I'm struggling with that moment. I usually don't hear a coach's voice in my head in their absence, but I think Coach J is getting through to my skull!
I still tend to pull the barbell in, but it looks like my balance and timing are getting a bit better... of course, I will most likely hear from him soon once he catches up on the dozens of other athletes he's working with and programming workouts and nutrition plans!
I often have to do my workouts relatively independently because I choose to try and develop my power jerk into a squat jerk, plus the 1700 hrs time slot can be a little bit of a nightmare for me when I'm trying to share Coach J with a dozen other athletes with orthogonal needs. Luckily, he's also taught me many good cues to look out for as well as helping me program my supplemental drills.
Monday, I struggled massively on my clean and jerk once I got past my 85-90% mark. My last successful clean and jerk was at 100 lbs, although my form did fall apart because I'm not quite dropping down fast enough.
And then my three failed attempts, all about halfway through the jerk, where I didn't quite commit to the lift and therefore didn't drop fast enough. Part of the corrections involve working on both my jerk drive and then the tall jerk.
So some of the corrections I applied included the jerk drive, which involves a smooth dip and a forceful drive upwards, aka the first half of the jerk.
And then there's the tall jerk, which is effectively the second half of the jerk, where I'm extending my lower body and hitting the end of the jerk drive and then dropping under. This is a much lighter weight drill than the jerk drive.
And although my cleans are much, much more successful and reliable than the snatch, I still have some issues with my form, particularly in position and timing. I have a tendency to "row" the bar into myself once the bar passes my knees, so I have been working on deficit deadlifts to help me keep pulling until I reach my pocket. The massive acceleration is supposed to occur once the bar reaches my pocket, and that's where I have to work on my clean pulls. I also have a tendency to NOT squeeze upwards, and one of the cues I get as I pass above my knees is "chest up"... and every time I work on cleans or snatches, I can hear Coach J telling me "chest up" along with additional commentary based on what quirks I'm struggling with that moment. I usually don't hear a coach's voice in my head in their absence, but I think Coach J is getting through to my skull!
I still tend to pull the barbell in, but it looks like my balance and timing are getting a bit better... of course, I will most likely hear from him soon once he catches up on the dozens of other athletes he's working with and programming workouts and nutrition plans!
Friday, October 11, 2019
CrossFit Open 20.1: Visiting the Realm of RX plus Following Up
So I did a thing... I RX'ed 20.1. For RX, it was the following: 10 rounds of 8 ground-to-overheads at 65 lbs (snatch or clean & jerk acceptable as long as I lock out on top) plus 10 bar-facing burpees (both feet must leave ground at the same time when I actually jump over the bar) with a 15 minute time cap.
I had an amazing judge who also allowed me to be her judge as a practice for in case I actually have to judge other athletes. She also put up one heck of a fight in the SX division!
And of course, Killer Parakeet had to poke his head up a bit. Killer gave it 0 out of 10 stars, but I thought I did pretty darned well at RX by getting well into my 8th round! Then again, Killer tends NOT to enjoy CrossFit Opens very much. I didn't vomit or feel sick, and I didn't wind up in Xibalba or Tuonela even if I did taunt the Lords of Xibalba and the Swan of Tuonela quite a bit!
And then after watching my snatch and clean & jerk form go to heck in the name of CrossFit speed, Coach J gave me some accessory work for me to do to help me cool down and exit the hybrid Ranger / Barbarian state of mind that allowed me to do so well in this workout. Coach J knows VERY well what can happen if I don't do something about the Barbarian Rage courtesy of me acquiring a level of Barbarian once upon a time, and he also knows that my levels of Bard have helped temper the Ranger quite a bit.
I was able to get some work on re-educating my body on positioning and speed, including some buildup into squat jerk after working on some drop snatches, all at very light weights just to help get things to calm down.
And then there was the work leading up to squat jerks because they are much more forgiving than split jerks, plus Coach J thinks that I have the build and temperment that's much better suited for power / squat jerks along with a significantly reduced risk of injury. I am favoring squat jerks because that's one less degree of freedom for me to worry about in getting the bar overhead.
I had an amazing judge who also allowed me to be her judge as a practice for in case I actually have to judge other athletes. She also put up one heck of a fight in the SX division!
And of course, Killer Parakeet had to poke his head up a bit. Killer gave it 0 out of 10 stars, but I thought I did pretty darned well at RX by getting well into my 8th round! Then again, Killer tends NOT to enjoy CrossFit Opens very much. I didn't vomit or feel sick, and I didn't wind up in Xibalba or Tuonela even if I did taunt the Lords of Xibalba and the Swan of Tuonela quite a bit!
And then after watching my snatch and clean & jerk form go to heck in the name of CrossFit speed, Coach J gave me some accessory work for me to do to help me cool down and exit the hybrid Ranger / Barbarian state of mind that allowed me to do so well in this workout. Coach J knows VERY well what can happen if I don't do something about the Barbarian Rage courtesy of me acquiring a level of Barbarian once upon a time, and he also knows that my levels of Bard have helped temper the Ranger quite a bit.
I was able to get some work on re-educating my body on positioning and speed, including some buildup into squat jerk after working on some drop snatches, all at very light weights just to help get things to calm down.
And then there was the work leading up to squat jerks because they are much more forgiving than split jerks, plus Coach J thinks that I have the build and temperment that's much better suited for power / squat jerks along with a significantly reduced risk of injury. I am favoring squat jerks because that's one less degree of freedom for me to worry about in getting the bar overhead.
Tuesday, October 08, 2019
Corrective Drills: Drop Snatch and Jerk Drive
So as part of my quest to improve my snatches and clean & jerks, Coach J has given me drills such as deficit deadlifts / pulls, tall cleans, tall/drop snatches, jerk dips, jerk drives, and tall jerks. He's been amazing at giving me insights and feedback even when he can't be there physically (usually because he's either tied up with another athlete / class / family), and has done wonders for me when other coaches have had smoke coming out of their ears.
The drop snatch is to help me drop down under the bar faster and hopefully catch lower as well as improving my footwork. I tend to catch the bar really high, although I think my issues do arise from earlier in the lift due to questionable positioning during the pulls. However, it never hurts to work on simply dropping under the bar.
The jerk drive is to help me dip and drive the bar from the front rack position, so approximately half of the jerk. It's gotten better, but I do have a tendency to not be very explosive on my upward drive and not very smooth on my dip. This drill also helps me reinforce better starting position, particularly with the low and outward elbows as well as making sure my shoulders are up and my core is properly braced. I do tend to have some difficulty with the transition from the jerk drive into dropping underneath the bar, but first, we're working on my initial positioning to get some more consistency there.
The drop snatch is to help me drop down under the bar faster and hopefully catch lower as well as improving my footwork. I tend to catch the bar really high, although I think my issues do arise from earlier in the lift due to questionable positioning during the pulls. However, it never hurts to work on simply dropping under the bar.
The jerk drive is to help me dip and drive the bar from the front rack position, so approximately half of the jerk. It's gotten better, but I do have a tendency to not be very explosive on my upward drive and not very smooth on my dip. This drill also helps me reinforce better starting position, particularly with the low and outward elbows as well as making sure my shoulders are up and my core is properly braced. I do tend to have some difficulty with the transition from the jerk drive into dropping underneath the bar, but first, we're working on my initial positioning to get some more consistency there.
Saturday, October 05, 2019
Olympic Recurve Experiment
Sometimes, I feel a bit impulsive and want to do some hypothesis testing. Today was a day for that because Saturdays tend to be my rest days. Tomorrow will be a hybrid barbell and endurance day after the disruptions to my schedule, courtesy of illness and a nuisance doctor visit.
Today's drill reminded me that I do need to work on pulling through the ENTIRE shot, which is a recurring theme that has also plagued me in Olympic weightlifting, where I've been shorting my pulls on my snatches and clean & jerks, especially when it gets heavy. Or my timing is just way off.
Today's drill reminded me that I do need to work on pulling through the ENTIRE shot, which is a recurring theme that has also plagued me in Olympic weightlifting, where I've been shorting my pulls on my snatches and clean & jerks, especially when it gets heavy. Or my timing is just way off.
Random Early Stage Fun: Spirited Away
For anyone who's known me for a while, I think it's pretty well known that I'm a big fan of many Studio Ghibli / Hayao Miyazaki films. So as part of my hiatus from my standard mid/late Romantic era music, I've been digging up various pieces from Studio Ghibli films, particularly Spirited Away and Mononoke Hime, although I'm also hoping to find materials for Gedo Senki and Howl's Moving Castle.
Today, after a sudden change in plans revolving around a cancelled first aid class, I thought I'd have some fun with some relatively easy to sight-read material.
Today, after a sudden change in plans revolving around a cancelled first aid class, I thought I'd have some fun with some relatively easy to sight-read material.
If my focus can hold, I may also have either another segment from Mononoke Hime or even a segment from Nightwish's "Imaginaerum" album. Realistically, my restlessness is a 12 on a scale of 0-10, so I'm just as likely to do an active rest day workout so I can get back on track with my Olympic weightlifting sooner.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
X3 Championship Meet
It all started about a week and a half ago when the head Viking at my gym made a very passionate speech about the lack of CrossFit Iron Legion members competing... and then approaching me about this being a very local competition for me to try and showcase what I have learned from Coach J. It's VERY well-known that I have made some massive leaps and bounds in my snatch and clean & jerk despite the low 1RMs I have had. Anyway... fast forward to today.
I did receive a bit of a devastating text from Coach J indicating that he had a family emergency he had to attend, but all through the day, he would message me with a mixture of cues, tips, and general reassurance and encouragement that I would do well. Even from afar, he was basically walking me through and practically holding my hand and pretty much being there for me.
My high school English teacher buddy didn't know how to operate my camera to film, but she got a few good shots of me anyway on my 33 kg snatch.
The Bear then got my other two snatches, a successful 33 kg snatch and a spectacularly failed 36 kg snatch.
And then there were the clean and jerks. I was only successful on the opener of 43 kg. I got a little ambitious and went partway between how I was actually feeling and the plan that Coach J and I came up with for my jumps on Monday. One thing I really love about Coach J is that he also trusts me with any choices and changes I make as well as giving me a rationale for why he recommends something for me. Plus he has a great way of helping me integrate music, martial arts, archery, and engineering into my lifting and training in general.
My cleans are significantly more reliable than my jerks. I do have some issues with dropping under the bar quickly enough, and that is something that Coach J will be working on heavily with me. A lot of my issue seems to be a timing / rhythm issue lower down in the lift, so we will be addressing it soon. I suspect I will be getting a lot of dropping under work along with figuring out an optimal rhythm for my early pulls based on my natural balance and quirks.
And just for fun, I played with a Hercules hold again!
I did receive a bit of a devastating text from Coach J indicating that he had a family emergency he had to attend, but all through the day, he would message me with a mixture of cues, tips, and general reassurance and encouragement that I would do well. Even from afar, he was basically walking me through and practically holding my hand and pretty much being there for me.
My high school English teacher buddy didn't know how to operate my camera to film, but she got a few good shots of me anyway on my 33 kg snatch.
The Bear then got my other two snatches, a successful 33 kg snatch and a spectacularly failed 36 kg snatch.
My cleans are significantly more reliable than my jerks. I do have some issues with dropping under the bar quickly enough, and that is something that Coach J will be working on heavily with me. A lot of my issue seems to be a timing / rhythm issue lower down in the lift, so we will be addressing it soon. I suspect I will be getting a lot of dropping under work along with figuring out an optimal rhythm for my early pulls based on my natural balance and quirks.
And just for fun, I played with a Hercules hold again!
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Pre-Competition Preparation 1/n
So Coach J did give me a really good outline of how to get ready for the upcoming Super Total X3 Competition. I'm only doing the Olympic weightlifting portion, but that is already a very tall order for me. There's also powerlifting and strongman as well as an award for someone who can do all three, but not at this point. Maybe next time, if I can ever get enthused about bench press and handling items of questionable sanitation.
Part of my preparation include doing 3x3 of my big lifts plus squats, all at around 50%, as well as my usual warmup drills to get things moving and remembering my position and timing.
My snatch is still struggling, and I did my lifts before Coach J showed up, but I did get to talk with him, and as always, he had some great insights. He didn't get to really work with me today, but I will be seeing him tomorrow morning for greater in-depth work.
And then there's the clean and jerk, which I did singly because it's a more fatiguing lift, plus my ride-or-die training buddy, who has shifted her focus to gymnastics to become a true CrossFitter and eventually qualify for the CrossFit Games, came around to give me some feedback based on what she's observed of me. Plus she did remind me of several of the cues from Coach J because sometimes, I'm more likely to listen to a fellow master's female athlete who is just as tenacious as I can be...
I really do find that I'm learning far more from Coach J than my last 3-4 coaches combined across 5-6 years, but then again, I think it has a lot to do with the mixed martial arts / music / dance / engineering background with the correct cues that work with my brain. I still have a tendency to row the barbell in, but after talking to him after doing these lifts, it sounds like that can still be addressed without too much of a battle by adjusting my rhythm a bit. This should be interesting in the morning...
I also did some blank-baling work yesterday as part of a plan to help calm my mind down, keep me active, and maybe gain some insights on some of my lifting quirks.
Part of my preparation include doing 3x3 of my big lifts plus squats, all at around 50%, as well as my usual warmup drills to get things moving and remembering my position and timing.
My snatch is still struggling, and I did my lifts before Coach J showed up, but I did get to talk with him, and as always, he had some great insights. He didn't get to really work with me today, but I will be seeing him tomorrow morning for greater in-depth work.
And then there's the clean and jerk, which I did singly because it's a more fatiguing lift, plus my ride-or-die training buddy, who has shifted her focus to gymnastics to become a true CrossFitter and eventually qualify for the CrossFit Games, came around to give me some feedback based on what she's observed of me. Plus she did remind me of several of the cues from Coach J because sometimes, I'm more likely to listen to a fellow master's female athlete who is just as tenacious as I can be...
I really do find that I'm learning far more from Coach J than my last 3-4 coaches combined across 5-6 years, but then again, I think it has a lot to do with the mixed martial arts / music / dance / engineering background with the correct cues that work with my brain. I still have a tendency to row the barbell in, but after talking to him after doing these lifts, it sounds like that can still be addressed without too much of a battle by adjusting my rhythm a bit. This should be interesting in the morning...
I also did some blank-baling work yesterday as part of a plan to help calm my mind down, keep me active, and maybe gain some insights on some of my lifting quirks.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Absolute First Cut at Mononoke Hime
So I've been exploring and branching out with more contemporary music, especially with my keyboard NOT appreciating very much Chopin or Mussorgsky, plus I think I do need to use my fingers with slightly less brain power. I got very lucky and came across some sheet music for a small subset of the Mononoke Hime Suite adapted for piano plus a fourth movement that I will be working on integrating into it. Mononoke Hime is a film by Studio Ghibli, and what many of my classmates at Caltech consider to be the inspiration for the creation of Cylithera in my D&D campaigns and stories. I am probably not very far from posting a follow-up video after cleaning up a couple of parts, particularly in the first movement ("Legend of Ashitaka") and the third movement ("Mononoke Hime") as well as integrating a fourth movement ("San and Ashitaka").
Friday, September 13, 2019
More Snatch Work: Dropping Down
I am elated at the progress I'm making in my Olympic lifts, particularly on the snatch! Coach J has been doing a wonderful job of providing me with insights on how to improve my form and leverage my mobility and build. He has also pointed several amazing resources to me as a supplement to all the coaching he has provided me with along with being extremely patient with me when my brain starts overthinking and/or I make errors in interpreting the physics and cues.
My 3 position snatch from the ground up prior to the dropping under drills, 65 lbs. It's been a while since I've been able to reliably snatch 65 lbs with halfway decent form. I'm catching very high, and I'm still having a lot of work with position and rhythm, but it's slowly getting there.
And then the drills to help correct my tendency to catch my lifts really high... There's a lot of position work involved as well as remembering what's supposed to activate. Coach J has a good way of identifying cues that actually work with my brain as well as helping me reverse engineer a lift so I know how to minimize the degrees of freedom for error.
My 3 position snatch from the ground up prior to the dropping under drills, 65 lbs. It's been a while since I've been able to reliably snatch 65 lbs with halfway decent form. I'm catching very high, and I'm still having a lot of work with position and rhythm, but it's slowly getting there.
And then the drills to help correct my tendency to catch my lifts really high... There's a lot of position work involved as well as remembering what's supposed to activate. Coach J has a good way of identifying cues that actually work with my brain as well as helping me reverse engineer a lift so I know how to minimize the degrees of freedom for error.
Monday, September 02, 2019
Adventure in Music: Going Outside of the Romantic Era
It's pretty well-known that I have a very strong preference for piano music in the Romantic era with composers such as Grieg, Chopin, and Mussorgsky. I decided to explore something a bit more contemporary recently, partially because I found something online semi-randomly while searching for something else, partially because something is a bit unhappy and needs something less technically demanding. So I stumbled across the Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet. Usually projects like this make me slightly nauseous because I thoroughly despise most Shakespeare, especially that awful play I had to read and analyze in 9th grade. However, I also took it as a challenge to explore expression and mild improvisation... and here's the first take that didn't result in any of the following: camera falling, incoming phone call messing with the recording, or muscle cramp.
Today is an absolute rest day from the rigors of CrossFit after realizing I went a straight week plus change without any rest, and I have had at least two coaches and my nutritionists get on me about that. Then tomorrow, barring unfortunate circumstances, it's back to corrective and supplemental drills, Olympic weightlifting, and of course, the CrossFit WODs themselves.
Today is an absolute rest day from the rigors of CrossFit after realizing I went a straight week plus change without any rest, and I have had at least two coaches and my nutritionists get on me about that. Then tomorrow, barring unfortunate circumstances, it's back to corrective and supplemental drills, Olympic weightlifting, and of course, the CrossFit WODs themselves.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Saturday Strongman Training
With a bit of encouragement from my ride-or-die training buddies, I decided to give the Strongman class a try. As it turned out, the actual instructor wasn't around, but the brain behind the Un-F*** Yourself class took the reins of leadership. It was rather filthy, as always, but I did get to give myself a challenge outside of my more natural tendencies surrounding Olympic lifts. The Saturday CrossFit WOD involved an obscene number of power snatches for speed, which I was NOT messing with in the midst of repairing my form, although I could have easily scaled to overhead squats or snatch balances.
I had massive fun pulling sleds today... along with working on figuring out how to safely handle a sandbag and improving my ability to do a bottoms-up overhead kettlebell carry. Filming courtesy of one of my fellow Hobbits, A. Gray-Baker.
I had massive fun pulling sleds today... along with working on figuring out how to safely handle a sandbag and improving my ability to do a bottoms-up overhead kettlebell carry. Filming courtesy of one of my fellow Hobbits, A. Gray-Baker.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Speed, Position, and Balance...
There's hope for me in the snatch after a mentally taxing training session with Coach J, who has been especially nice to me and taking the time to really work with me to try and clean up various habits of mine. Once we got the general movement patterns, which incorporates a fast halting snatch deadlift, a modified fast Romanian deadlift without full extension, snatch pulls, and eventually muscle and power snatches, we experimented with weight to see where my form tends to break down. It broke pretty early at only 50 lbs.
The rationale for this drill is to help maintain proper balance, bar path, and tension in the right areas. Apparently, I have a tendency to tense up in my arms and shoulders way too early in anticipation of pulling up, so I'm also learning to "fire" up when the bar contacts my pocket, which also forces me to drop down much faster (usually...)
The rationale for this drill is to help maintain proper balance, bar path, and tension in the right areas. Apparently, I have a tendency to tense up in my arms and shoulders way too early in anticipation of pulling up, so I'm also learning to "fire" up when the bar contacts my pocket, which also forces me to drop down much faster (usually...)
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Dropping Under Drills: The Epic Continues
So along with some issues with my pulls and raising my elbows, which are starting to resolve a bit after a small modification to my snatch and clean setup and bar path along my legs, I have a tendency to not drop down properly. I seem to be stuck in a perpetual power position (above parallel) before riding it down to kimchee position.
I decided to amuse myself today by watching my movements as a function of weight. The idea is that I'm setting up for a tall power jerk (eventually to become a squat jerk... hopefully in the style of Lu Xiaojun) with the bar already set up at about eye level when I'm at full triple extension. Then, once I'm at full extension, I drop down and lock out and stand the weight up to the best of my abilities. Typically, this is a heavy drill, but I started light, as supervision was a bit scant because the brains behind me working on this was occupied coaching an actual CrossFit class. That being said, the brains still takes the time to make sure I'm NOT going to rack up critical fumbles during quiet times like when the class is occupied with a 500 meter row. I also had a fellow athlete assist me because sometimes, it's a bit hard to reach things!
Besides my general drop drown drills and scarecrows, I now have these to work with in an attempt to develop my Olympic lifts to a higher level beyond scaled CrossFit.
I decided to amuse myself today by watching my movements as a function of weight. The idea is that I'm setting up for a tall power jerk (eventually to become a squat jerk... hopefully in the style of Lu Xiaojun) with the bar already set up at about eye level when I'm at full triple extension. Then, once I'm at full extension, I drop down and lock out and stand the weight up to the best of my abilities. Typically, this is a heavy drill, but I started light, as supervision was a bit scant because the brains behind me working on this was occupied coaching an actual CrossFit class. That being said, the brains still takes the time to make sure I'm NOT going to rack up critical fumbles during quiet times like when the class is occupied with a 500 meter row. I also had a fellow athlete assist me because sometimes, it's a bit hard to reach things!
Besides my general drop drown drills and scarecrows, I now have these to work with in an attempt to develop my Olympic lifts to a higher level beyond scaled CrossFit.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Snatch pulls and snatches
So I struggle with my snatch pulls because I'm maintaining tension in the wrong places and not getting enough of the up component on my chest and elbows. Working on pulls from various points has helped significantly, as well as adjusting my stance and grip. This was from a solo workout today, minus Coach J, who has been instrumental in reversing years of questionable habits and trying to get me to lift more like the Chinese and eastern Russian athletes based on my anatomy and build.
I'm hoping to spend some quality time with Coach J, who troubleshoots the folks that Coach T hasn't quite been able to debug, so I can develop a much more powerful, efficient snatch and get past my 85 lb barrier. I'd also like to get past my 120 lb barrier on the clean & jerk...
I'm hoping to spend some quality time with Coach J, who troubleshoots the folks that Coach T hasn't quite been able to debug, so I can develop a much more powerful, efficient snatch and get past my 85 lb barrier. I'd also like to get past my 120 lb barrier on the clean & jerk...
Sunday, August 04, 2019
Dropping Under Quickly
Today was focusing on power jerks after realizing that my split jerks are not the most reliable, although I am eventually looking at moving into squat jerks because they play more towards my mobility combined with needing less thinking.
And then there were the heaving snatch balances to help me work on dropping under the bar faster.
And then there were the heaving snatch balances to help me work on dropping under the bar faster.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Snatch Work With Lots of Verbal Cues
There is a second coach who works with me extensively on my lifts and has been my technical go-to person the last several months when I have questions that start delving further into physics and/or need more unorthodox cues. I have a tendency to start my pull way too early as well as swinging myself and the bar instead of pushing/driving upwards.
This is me working on my snatch pulls, which is probably 99% of why I struggle with executing snatches properly and missing on my heavier weights. It's the equivalent of Hydra or Bronco misfiring while trying to flip someone in the air.
And then there's the snatch. The second one was a significant misfire with me pulling the bar into myself instead of pushing my way up. According to Coach J, my third snatch was the best one because I didn't start the actual pull until I was at my pocket, my feet stayed in position at the top of the snatch, and the bar actually went further back, startling me a bit because I'm used to it landing a bit more forward. With proper position, including my weight being more forward and properly getting into proper triple extension, I can also drop under the bar much more quickly, allowing me to catch lower.
This is me working on my snatch pulls, which is probably 99% of why I struggle with executing snatches properly and missing on my heavier weights. It's the equivalent of Hydra or Bronco misfiring while trying to flip someone in the air.
And then there's the snatch. The second one was a significant misfire with me pulling the bar into myself instead of pushing my way up. According to Coach J, my third snatch was the best one because I didn't start the actual pull until I was at my pocket, my feet stayed in position at the top of the snatch, and the bar actually went further back, startling me a bit because I'm used to it landing a bit more forward. With proper position, including my weight being more forward and properly getting into proper triple extension, I can also drop under the bar much more quickly, allowing me to catch lower.
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