you have the most straight-legged power cleans ever

6/4/2012 1:27:55 PM

Quote :

"good music"

Gravediggaz Pandora station

Quote :

"you have the most straight-legged power cleans ever"

Bar is over mid-foot. Shins are to the bar. That is the Starting Strength/general strength training technique, which is biomechanically optimal (at least argued by Mark Rippetoe). A lot of Oly coaches teach bar over ball-of-foot, shins to the bar, as they believe the backward movement of the bar towards the body during the initial pull makes it easier to keep the bar close. And it allows easier flattening of the back, because the hamstring aren't pulled as tight.

There's quite a bit of debate over which is optimal. The technique I use requires a little bit more hamstring flexibility and low back control, but it has been found to produce more power.

However, both are right and not what is critical in a correct power clean.

[Edited on June 4, 2012 at 1:41 PM. Reason : ;]

6/4/2012 1:40:25 PM

I could watch the chin up video all day long

6/4/2012 1:46:36 PM

I mean on the catch. You just whip it up and catch it without bending your knees like it ain't no thang. Seems like usually there is more motion to get under the bar.

And I'm not saying you're doing it wrong, because obviously you know a lot more about this than I do. But I had to watch it a few times to figure out why it was weirding me out.

6/4/2012 1:50:04 PM

Yep, you are right, it's because that is a hella light weight for me. As it gets heavier, my catch position gets lower.

6/4/2012 2:19:34 PM

So were you just deloading then? I try to keep my form the same, no matter what the weight looks like.

[Edited on June 4, 2012 at 4:50 PM. Reason : ]

6/4/2012 4:48:42 PM

Yea, I am reloading starting strength and doing it conservatively, but with a little customization. Reset my power clean down to 135lbs 5x3, and progressing 5lbs jumps until I can't, then taking 2.5lbs jumps until I can't.

Work Out A:
Squat 3x5
Press 3x5
Power clean every Monday (Rotated with posterior chain variation, or Dead Lift but only once every 2 weeks)
Weighted Chin Ups 3x5-10

Work Out B:
Squat 3x5
Bench 3x5
Power clean every Monday (Rotated with posterior chain variation, or Dead Lift but only DL once every 2 weeks on Fridays)
Pendlay Rows 3x5-10 @ 90% of bench

Rotate work outs A and B Monday-Weds-Fri. Add 20lbs/10/5lbs/2.5lbs to DL/Squat/Bench/Press/Power cleans if I can hit my sets across. Slowing progression down as needed.

Quote :

"So were you just deloading then? I try to keep my form the same, no matter what the weight looks like. "

So you full clean every lift? I adjust my catch depending on how intense the weight is. Obviously, you can't pull a heavy weight as high as a light one. And since I am training for just general strength & conditioning, power cleaning is an appropriate option.

6/4/2012 5:51:49 PM

No, currently I'm only doing full cleans at 50% 1RM to maintain technique on my Westside/CrossFit Hybrid program. I tend to have more of a drop though on my power cleans vs. your straight leg. If I don't get under it this way as I work up then it's harder for my body to recognize that pattern at a heavier weight.

6/5/2012 8:30:00 AM

Do you do the repetition method on your ME/DE days or do you rotate an extra repetition day in there?

6/5/2012 2:24:27 PM

Another few videos from todays work out at my gym!

Here's my girlfriend benching 70x5 with ease and doing reverse deficit lunges 15#DBsx6.






Here's me doing some squats 235x5, floor rows 155x8, and bench press 185x5.












[Edited on June 6, 2012 at 1:40 PM. Reason : vids]

6/6/2012 1:34:07 PM

6/6/2012 4:58:16 PM

So ^ guy went from a white middle aged chubby dude to a ripped middle aged black dude? All through P90X!?!?! Damn, I gotta get on that.

6/6/2012 6:14:00 PM

good stuff matt

6/6/2012 6:30:26 PM

In case anyone didn't see this:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/05/health/drew-manning-fit2fat2fit-lessons/index.html
Trainer gains and loses 70 pounds in 1 year.

6/6/2012 7:04:15 PM

^
That's interesting. Would love to read more about the mental aspects of his experiment.

6/7/2012 5:28:12 AM

He still has a terrible smile.

6/7/2012 7:36:37 AM

6/7/2012 8:13:50 AM

Quote :

"In just six months, he went from 193 pounds with a 34-inch waist to 265 pounds with a 48-inch waist."

challenge accepted

6/7/2012 9:18:15 AM

^^^^^ Meh...

6/7/2012 9:40:39 AM

wow that trainer grew chest hair and then lost it at the same time too!

6/7/2012 9:43:05 AM

I was doing my wod yesterday and I think I think I gave myself heat exhaustion half way through. I felt nauseous at first which is normal for going hard but then I started pouring sweat with tunnel vision and hearing loss. I continued for two more rounfs before I gave up for fear of passing out. I was outside preflighting for a couple of hours right before that so I think I will wait to workout for a bit from now on after spending a while on the flight line.

[Edited on June 8, 2012 at 1:43 PM. Reason : .]

6/8/2012 1:42:24 PM

do GRIMX, MINKA, AND LUNAK post in this thread anymore or is it pretty much a nonstop free advertisement for this dude's gym

6/8/2012 3:54:06 PM

lol I stalk the thread from time to time. I love hearing about some folks progress. As for myself I'm whittling away some more at my weight. H8R and CassTheSass have given me a lot of advice so that's been very helpful because I did feel like I plateaued a bit. Cass helped me rethink what I was eating so now I'm going back down.

I've been running and then slacking on the days I had off, so I think this also had to do with my weight not budging, at least I wasn't gaining. So now I'm really pushing myself to do strength training on the days I'm not running and also some stretching. For the summer I'm pushing myself to exercise every day and doing "active recovery" on the days after I do my long runs. I'm calling it Minka's Sweaty Summer

Eating wise, I've cut out all junk food, haven't had fast food since who knows when. No ice cream , no cookies , no alcohol, and no over indulgences

My big goal now is to be swimsuit ready for June 25th. It'll be the first time I've worn a bikini since 2008. I'll be turning 30 that week so hopefully I'll look awesome on the beach!

6/8/2012 4:10:43 PM

i lurk, but refrain from posting. i have made solid progress and will post measurements next month when i take them again (the only real change has probably been in my thighs which are up like 2" now), i hit a plateau and have now started making changes to get past that point.

the not posting came from the two sides to the debate of the thread - lose weight vs get in shape.

the ones looking to get in shape end up discouraging the people looking to just lose weight, and the ones just looking to lose weight seemed lazy or inefficient to the ones looking to get in shape.

i transitioned from losing weight to getting in shape and still talk with some of the people outside of the thread via gchat or PM regarding either side.

since the debate has gone from "be encouraging to people that are trying to improve themselves" to "they're not doing the best and most efficient thing to get in shape" i haven't thrown in my opinion.

unfortunately many of us have lost sight of being encouraging and using the thread to help push people to stick to a plan to improve. we all have different goals, and we may take different paths to get there, but i was of the impression last year when i joined into the thread that this was intended to be a place to find encouragement to exercise on those days you didn't feel like it and to tweak what you were doing when you hit the plateau to get over that slump whether it be stuck at a certain weight when you're trying to lose or stuck at a weight that you're trying to lift.

6/8/2012 4:25:00 PM

Quote :

"do GRIMX, MINKA, AND LUNAK post in this thread anymore or is it pretty much a nonstop free advertisement for this dude's gym"

Settle down and post something helpful or productive.

Training tip: When lifting heavy with full body movements, use the Valsalva maneuver... Take a big belly breathe, and lock your abs down on it. Do this through the lowering and hardest phase of the lift. Breathe when you are locked out and stable.

This creates intra-abdominal pressure, which effectively stabilizes the spine and allows transfer of force more efficiently.

[Edited on June 8, 2012 at 4:56 PM. Reason : force]

6/8/2012 4:56:18 PM

I feel like I do better if I slowly take out bad food instead of going cold turkey. As I start to see change and progress, I get even more motivated to cut out bad food and exercise harder. I think starting out it's hard to know what is really healthy and what healthy foods you enjoy eating. I feel like this thread will yell at me because i'm not gobbling down protein shakes and eating spinach 24/7. This whole thing is a learning process and people should be able to come in here and get beginners advice without being mocked or .

6/8/2012 5:09:31 PM

Oops

[Edited on June 8, 2012 at 5:37 PM. Reason : Wrong thread]

6/8/2012 5:35:07 PM

Today I tried this workout:

Quote :

"Power Clean: 3,3,2,2,1,1 Slow Eccentric Back Squat: 5 x 3 w/ 3 sec descent Slow Eccentric Pullup: 5 x 3-5 w/ 3 sec descent In 12 minutes get as many reps as you can: 50 Super Burpees 40 MB Shouldering (alt. sides; 5kg / 4kg…ball must touch ground on every rep and finish with the hips open, shoulders back AND the ball ON TOP of the shoulder) 30 Deload Pushups 20 Squats (154 lbs for men; 110 lbs for women) 10 Weighted Pullups (5kg / 2.5kg) AMRAP OH Squat (95 lbs / 65 lbs)"

The MB shouldering is like a squat that begins with picking up the MB from the ground with it between your legs and then ends with the MB on your shoulder at the top--alternating each shoulder as you come up for a total of 40.

I started the power cleans at 115 and went up 10 lbs every set until I got to 155. I was struggling at the top. at that weight. I still need to work on them to go up in weight. I'm guessing my explosiveness is a factor.

With the slow squats I did 135, 155, 175, 185 and then 205. The very last rep in the 205 was not all the way down. I, however, had really good form for the all of the previous reps.

As for the WOD portion, I completed my 15th back squat when my time was up. I think I could have gotten all the way through the pullups if I didn't have to walk to another room to get on a squat rack and load it up with weight. I'm just lucky there was a rack available at all when I got to that point during the WOD. I had to do the back squats in sets of five because my legs were pretty done when I started them.

All in all, I'm satisfied with how far I got today. I was really surprised to find that it only took me 4 minutes to get through 50 burpees considering how much I hate doing them.

6/9/2012 4:38:24 PM

Man your diet is so important.

Feelin awfully fluffy today after this weekend of eating "camp food." I was on a class trip with my fifth graders and was served food that I had no part in choosing and was starving after running around all day with the kids.

Can't get fat after all the hard work I've put in!

6/10/2012 4:46:45 PM

I wouldn't freak out about one bad weekend. You've been eating healthier and exercising for almost a year or more iirc. One bad weekend of 'splurging' isn't going to make you fall off the wagon so long as you don't let it occur all the time.

6/10/2012 5:10:24 PM

75-year-old bodybuilding grandma: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18346128

Stories like this are really incredible to me, especially when I think about my own grandparents that are younger and in much worse health.

6/11/2012 12:33:16 PM

I love that link! Physical training is absolutely critical to health and longevity.

6/11/2012 12:45:54 PM

Quote :

"lol I stalk the thread from time to time. I love hearing about some folks progress. As for myself I'm whittling away some more at my weight. H8R and CassTheSass have given me a lot of advice so that's been very helpful because I did feel like I plateaued a bit. Cass helped me rethink what I was eating so now I'm going back down. "

6/11/2012 12:50:52 PM

6/11/2012 2:08:46 PM

Here was my work out for the day:

Quote :

"Power Clean + Front Squat: 4 x 2 + 1 Clean Pull: 3 x 2 Decline Pushups: 4 x 10 KB Swings: 4 x10 (55 lbs) Race to 120 reps: Any way you want it, 120 reps of Hurdle Facing Burpees, Goblet Squats (24kg men; 16kg women), or MB Catch-n-Throw (5kg men; 4kg women) with any rep distribution you want "

For the PC+FS+CP I did 115, 135, 145 and 155. I failed the very last power clean at 155 so I went down to 145 and did the last clean and front squat.

My rep break down for the race was 60 hurdle facing burpees (5:30), 40 MB catch-n-throws (1:30) and 20 goblet squats (2:00). All in all, I finished in 9:50. There was about a 1 minute transition from the MB to the goblet squats because I had to put up the medicine ball and go to the dumbbell rack. It was much needed.

I still freaking hate burpees.

6/12/2012 3:33:12 PM

Here was my workout for the day:

Quote :

"Back Squat: 6x4 Handstand Pushups: 3x6-8 Ab Mat Sit ups: 3x15 5 Rounds For Time: Strict Pullups (4 / 6) 12 Tire Jumps 18 MB Catch n’ Release (4kg / 5kg) 24 Pushups to EZ Button 300m Run "

For the back squats I did 135, 175, 185, 205, 205, 215. The last couple weren't quite full range of motion but they were damn close. I didn't have a spotter and I got too scared that I was going to fail to try to go parallel. :-/

I did the WOD in 25 minutes. I did 6 pullups every round. I kept having to go outside to do pullups because the only straight bar is out in front of the gym so I think that added a bit. I'm pretty sure I could have finished sub 20.

[Edited on June 14, 2012 at 6:15 PM. Reason : clarification]

[Edited on June 14, 2012 at 6:15 PM. Reason : .]

6/14/2012 6:14:27 PM

MattJMM2's videos reminded me of:

6/14/2012 7:15:35 PM

I'll take that as a compliment! Planet fitness is a joke. Their whole business model is designed to take advantage of people who aren't going to stick to their fitness goals.

6/14/2012 8:33:15 PM

Agreed. But that is the way I feel about gyms in general.

6/14/2012 9:21:15 PM

is planet fitness the gym that advertises "no commitment" as part of their appeal???

6/14/2012 10:54:58 PM

Don't you think it's too easy to blame the trainers at the corporate gyms? When you know that it's 80% personal responsibility...

6/15/2012 12:48:20 AM

Quote :

"Don't you think it's too easy to blame the trainers at the corporate gyms? When you know that it's 80% personal responsibility... "

Is this question directed towards me? If it is, I don't quite understand. Blame them for what? 80% of what is personal responsibility?

6/15/2012 5:43:04 AM

Quote :

"Don't you think it's too easy to blame the trainers at the corporate gyms? When you know that it's 80% personal responsibility..."

in my opinion its 100% personal responsibility.

its easy to blame the trainers in general for not progressing because you're not seeing results, but those same people blaming the trainers are the ones that ONLY exercise at the gym. then they go home and pound away a dozen donuts and a carton of ice cream because they "earned" it.

if getting in shape was that easy 'muricans wouldn't be largely overweight

6/15/2012 7:54:24 AM

I suppose it depends what you are blaming them for...

If you aren't gaining/losing weight... it is your fault because that is strictly dictated by calorie balance. Which is mainly impacted by diet and overall level of daily activity (google NEAT), not 2-3hours a week of working out.

However, if you aren't getting stronger, more mobile, faster, or feeling better; or if you are getting injured... it is absolutely the fault of the trainer (unless those issues are arising from lack of nutrition/adherence to outside of the gym planning).

My comment about Planet Fitness' business model is more based on the fact that they would fail if the majority of the their members actually used the gym on a consistent basis.

6/15/2012 9:16:16 AM

It can be the trainers fault. Let's say you take a college course and the professor doesn't give much of a shit and teaches you some (or all) of the material incorrectly. Is it 100% your fault because you should have learned the material correctly outside of class, even though you're paying this guy a ton of money to be taught?

99% of the time, people go to a trainer because they don't either have the drive or the knowledge to get in shape on their own. If the trainer is having you do stuff that isn't effective, sure, it's your fault for continuing to pay them, but the trainer is also bad at their profession.

6/15/2012 10:56:13 AM

I see trainers all the time with clients who haven’t lost a pound over six months. They’re working them out, they’re preaching nutrition, they’re warning them of the risk of overindulgence. But they’re really only with them a few hours a week. The onus is on the individual the rest of the time, and the vast majority of folks (in this country especially) don’t have the discipline to heed the trainer’s advice. Its analogous to AA meetings…Sure, you’ll put on a good face while you’re there, but its right back to the bottle when you leave. Only here, its right back to the drive thru.

6/15/2012 11:10:56 AM

I like seeing overweight trainers. It's like going to marriage counselor who has been divorced three times. How do you expect someone to get in shape when you can't even do it yourself.

If I'm paying someone to get me in shape, that person should be diesel with nary an ounce of fat.

[Edited on June 15, 2012 at 11:13 AM. Reason : .]

6/15/2012 11:12:54 AM

i always looked at it that a trainer is not a nutritionist. they know what they need to eat to make gains in their lifting.

if i had to choose between someone with almost no body fat and someone with more body fat i'd obviously pick someone with less body fat. as they will hopefully be able to give me nutrition tips that work for them.

but if its pick the high body fat trainer over do it on my own...

[Edited on June 15, 2012 at 11:42 AM. Reason : ]

6/15/2012 11:41:03 AM

Quote :

"I see trainers all the time with clients who haven’t lost a pound over six months. They’re working them out, they’re preaching nutrition, they’re warning them of the risk of overindulgence. But they’re really only with them a few hours a week. The onus is on the individual the rest of the time, and the vast majority of folks (in this country especially) don’t have the discipline to heed the trainer’s advice. Its analogous to AA meetings…Sure, you’ll put on a good face while you’re there, but its right back to the bottle when you leave. Only here, its right back to the drive thru."

I mean, yeah. You could have the best trainer in the world, but if you don't work hard in the gym and hit the mark on nutrition outside of the gym, you won't make very much progress.

If you do have discipline and you work hard, and your goal is to get strong/ripped/jacked/"toned", then these commercial gym trainers are a waste of time. When I was still going to Rapid Fitness (I go to Matt's gym now), I was appalled at what the trainers were having people do. Not a single barbell exercise was done.

Quote :

"I like seeing overweight trainers. It's like going to marriage counselor who has been divorced three times. How do you expect someone to get in shape when you can't even do it yourself. If I'm paying someone to get me in shape, that person should be diesel with nary an ounce of fat."

Mark Rippetoe has a gut, but I'd jump at the chance to train with him. Powerlifters (and really, even off season bodybuilders) don't mind putting on some fat to make gains.

[Edited on June 15, 2012 at 11:51 AM. Reason : ]

6/15/2012 11:44:26 AM

powerlifting is different than lifting for aesthetics.

6/15/2012 12:30:24 PM