Jan 27, 2012

Technique, is your style the best? That is the question every athlete asks themselves. Unfortunately the answer to that question ends up being an undoubtable yes. If I just described you, stop and think about your train of thought. Is your technique really the best? Better than all those international athletes that do something different? I bet not. I bet the difference between a top competitor and a merely good athletes is that the top competitor has mastered his/her style. So long as the technique does not introduce massive inefficiency, the best technique is the one most practiced.

Find a technical style, find a coach, and practice as hard as you can until you master that style. The more time you spend talking about how great your style is, the less time you spend training.

Jan 20, 2012

The lifter sets up in a snatch position, pulls the bar up to the waist, follows through by keeping the elbows high but does not turn the arms over or attempt to secure the weight overhead. Typically the bar is pulled to belly button height, although the required height may change to instruct different technical changes.

Often abbreviated SP or SHP (Snatch High Pull)

Jan 16, 2012

The first lift contested in a weightlifting competition. A lifter takes a wide grip on the bar, stands up while aggressively accelerating the bar, drives him/herself into a squat position. The lifter stands with locked out arms to complete the lift.

May be referred to as a Squat Snatch or Full Snatch
Often abbreviated S

Jan 13, 2012

The barbell snatch is a great way to strengthen and protect the shoulder. The long range of motion and flexibility requirements mean that the weight usually stays low (except in elite lifters). This means that your shoulders are able to withstand snatching on a regular basis without hurting recovery or risking injury, provided your technique is correct.

The snatch can be a great lift to compliment the bench press (a high load/ low flexibility movement) because it will help you to stretch out your shoulders while making them stronger. The type of strength that is developed is unique to the snatch and can be a great addition to the training of athletes who execute some form of throwing movement in their sport.

Having alot of strength in shoulder rotation can be very useful in avoiding injury from repetitive throwing motions. It can also help bench pressers by restoring flexibility to the shoulders and providing a novel way to train.

In addition to the ability of the snatch to improve performance or prevent injury in other sports, it can be a great lift to add in for non athletes. The snatch is a lift that requires intense dedication to technical practice and therefore it can be very rewarding to train for those who don’t have a particular sport related goal. Training the mind and the body, the snatch is a great lift for anyone.

How are you feeling today? I’ll feeling pretty slow and weak. Why? Because I just had a week of max effort training. All of that intensity work has left me tired and tight. There are quite a few ways to recover from a week of intensity both in and out of the gym. I know you’re thinking that it shouldn’t be possible to recover in the gym, but not only is it possible I would say it is crucial to learn how to recover in the gym.

In order to counteract the tightness and soreness that results from a period of hard training, light barbell complexes are your best friend. I find that my shoulders take the biggest beating after heavy snatch and jerk training. I’ll use a complex of 5 Sotts press from the back in a snatch grip followed by 5 Sotts press from the front in a jerk grip. I usually use just the barbell and I go for a few sets of that until I feel my shoulders have loosened up. Overhead squats are another another good option because they are a great flexibility movement that loosen up the legs and shoulders.

I will add in these light complexes before and after workouts when I’m feeling very fatigued because they help me stretch and increase blood flow to fatigued areas, helping recovery. Experimentation is your best friend with these complexes. I’m still looking for the best way to help me recover in the gym and the only way to improve is to try different movements. Try it out for yourself and see how in the gym recovery changes your performance.