Check out the linked video below, and note a few things.
1. Erin reaches full extension before she drops below the bar (if you freeze it at the right time, she is completely off the ground, shoulders shrugged, butt cheeks pinched). This is what we are looking for when we say “finish your pull”.
2. The bar path nearly perfectly vertical
3. She is extremely fast to pull herself under the bar
4. Erin EXPLODES out of the hole. In fact, she comes out of the bottom with so much force, she actually leaves the ground again. Hard to see, but she is actually using the whip of the bar to get out of the bottom.
This is how Erin Karcshner, international-level weightlifter, snatches. Watch closely, and do your best to pick up some tricks!
“It’s not inherited talent that determines how good at something we will be, but rather how hard we are willing to work.”
Words to live by! This article from the Harvard Business Review is a great synopsis of several books which touch on the topic of performance, and how it is practice, not genetics, that build champions- on the field, in the lab, in the boardroom. The author, Tony Schwartz, not only packs a TON of great thoughts into his piece (the six keys of being excellent are, well… …excellent) but also suggests a stack of reading on the subject if you are so inclined.
Check it out. Let me know what you think, either at the gym or via the comments section.
Check out this post from awhile back- it’s an oldie but a goodie.
Power comes from your hips. It doesn’t matter if you’re jumping, punching, running, or throwing. It can be seen in the “hip pop” of the kettle bell swing, and the “dip drive” of the push press. It is critical during the second pull of a clean. Unfortunately, many of us have some degree of hip dysfunction that reduces power and stability, limiting our overall athleticism. This is called Muted Hip Function.
MHF can be seen during a push press when the legs compensate for the hip’s failure. When this happens, there is no angle created at the hips during the dip. The knees will bend excessively and pass too far over the toes, compensating for the lack of hip angle. You can feel this happen when the weight is shifted from your heels to your toes during the dip, and your center of gravity goes backward. The stress is shifted from the glutes and hams to the quads, putting shear forces on the knees. You are limiting your power to what can be produced by your knees.
So what can you do to mitigate MHF? Practice the push press with a PVC. Once you feel that good dip drive with equal angles at hips and knees, do it with the bar. Slowly work up with the weight and focus on driving through your heels and sticking your butt out slightly during the dip.
Check out these 2 pics from CrossFit NYC. Post to comments which one has MHF.
For more info on hip function, check out this great post on The Fitness Spotlight, “Developing Hip Function.”
Hey everyone, Christina and Derek of Lucky Monkey brought this to our attention:
Until February 23rd, The Inlander is conducting their annual Best of survey. You can vote by clicking here, or copying the following link to your browser:
http://www.inlander.com/bestof
You’ll have to sign up for an account, and answer a handful of questions. Question #10, on the first page (“Best Health Club”) is where you can vote for us- make sure to specify “CrossFit Coeur d’Alene”, not just “crossfit”.
While your at it, vote for your fellow CrossFitters and help out their businesses! As mentioned above, Derek and Christina own the Lucky Monkey Trading Co. downtown- you can vote for them on page 4, under “Best Clothing Store” and “Best Jewelry”. Some other local businesses and people that have ties to CrossFit Cd’A: Mountain West Bank (Kmarc, Stein, Toni), H.I.P (salon-April is a stylist there). I am sure I am forgetting some, so post any suggestions to the comments section.
Anybody check the weather lately? Not a whole lotta’ sun ’round these parts this time of year.
Vitamin D deficiencies are very common in northern climates during the darker months. Low blood levels of vitamin D can lead to:
SAD (seasonal affective disorder and moodiness)
Heaviness in the legs
Chronic musculoskeletal pain
Fatigue
Hypersensitivity of the skin
Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
Cognitive impairment in older adults
Severe asthma in children
Cancer
The list goes on, just Google it…
So how can you get your dose o’ D? Well it’s pretty easy in CdA during the summer; our bodies produce the stuff when the sun’s UV rays hit our skin. Winter is the tough one.
Now before you move to a nudist colony in Florida, here are some other ways: milk is fortified with it, but only contains 100 I.U. per serving (not to mention it’s a fat soluble vitamin, so whatsup with skim milk?). Cod liver oil is a good source, serving up 400 I.U. per teaspoon. I supplement this with my fish oil during the winter months. New research is showing the upper safety limit for vitamin D is 4000 I.U. per day. Costco has a good brand packing 2000 I.U. (I take 2 per day) at a reasonable price, be sure to check it out.
Check out vitamin Vitamin D3 World for more info, and as always, ask the trainers!
Seems like there’s more to this cholesterol stuff then just HDL’s and LDL’s… like C-reactive protien… or LDL particle size. Next time you get a blood panel done, let me know. I have a list of other things you can check that should give a much clearer picture about your health.
Here we have footage of two very good lifters, in slow motion. The key point that I want you guys to take away from this is the second pull- the explosion of the hips as the bar passes between the knee and hip (it is all over 3 seconds in). Most of you are to the point where you are developing your oly lifting skills- you have gotten the first pull (off the ground) and some of you are getting the third pull (under the bar) dialed in. This second pull that you can really see here is key to moving big weight, and not coincidentally is usually the hardest part of the lift to wrap your head around. We will keep working on this in the gym!
You guys have all heard my rant by now. Stock your fridge with meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, and some fruit. Eat real food. And if it’s Friday night and your friends are out for beer and pizza… have some dang beer and pizza… and get back on track the next day. Eating good 85% of the time means you eat better than 99% of the country! If it’s your birthday, don’t feel bad about having some cake! Anniversary? Go to a nice place and go all out! True fitness is about enjoying life.
My vices? Good beer, Hudson’s burgers, and Catherine’s brownies (have some ready on November 9th, please
Check out this article at the Fitness Spotlight for a more indepth look at “the cheat meal.”
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