Olympic Weightlifting Class

[Sho'Nuff]

I am starting an Olympic weight lifting class next week in an effort to improve my form and reduce risk of injury during crossfit workouts. The class is being run through my crossfit box, but it being taught by an outside coach who specializes in Olympic lifting. Focus will be on the snatch, the jerk, and the clean.

Anyone else taken a Oly class? If so, how intense are they? I imagine it depends on the class, but I am trying to get an idea of what will be required so that I can decide whether I can/should do a CF workout the same day as the class. I'm pretty much dead tired after CF so I don't want to ruin the Oly class by being too tired to do what is being taught. But if the Oly class is going to be mostly "teaching" and less "lifting," I don't want to want to screw up my CF workout routine.

Class meets for one hour each week for 8 weeks.

 

[smackababy]

I'd skip CF on that day. Just risking being tired and sacrificing form is already going to be a problem during workouts, shouldn't make it one during instruction.

 

[Koing]

1 day off CF work outs won't kill you.

The class/ course depends on who is running and how they do it. You will be surprised at how burnt out you can be from doing light to moderate weight with good form. It's hard for beginners to maintain the correct positions and this burns them out.

1hr isn't long and more so if you have more than 6+ in the group. I would warm up and do dynamic stretches before the hr so you don't need to spend much time of that hour stretching out.

I'm also a weightlifting coach and competitive weightlifter. If you have questions please ask away.

The first few sessions will be slower going as the coach breaks down the technique for the Snatch and Clean and Jerk. Once you get the idea and mechanics of it you will start to lift with more weight. The focus of the 8 weeks should be consistent form and not about the weight. The weight will come as you get better with form.

I always tell people that if you can't move an empty bar properly you have zero chance of doing that with heavy weights. Make sure you can move an empty bar or very light bar properly before going crazy with the weights.

Learn things right and learn it once. Learn it wrong/ do it wrong and get in to bad habits and it'll take at least twice as long to correct it then do it the correct way.

Once you get a feel for the sessions you could do a lighter/ easier WOD earlier during the day but I would not recommend a full on WOD pre Oly class. It would be a waste and it's only 8 weeks and you have 6 other days to do WODs.

Koing

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I'm also a weightlifting coach and competitive weightlifter. If you have questions please ask away.

The first few sessions will be slower going as the coach breaks down the technique for the Snatch and Clean and Jerk. Once you get the idea and mechanics of it you will start to lift with more weight. The focus of the 8 weeks should be consistent form and not about the weight. The weight will come as you get better with form.

I always tell people that if you can't move an empty bar properly you have zero chance of doing that with heavy weights. Make sure you can move an empty bar or very light bar properly before going crazy with the weights.

...
Koing

Thanks man, much appreciated. Class is proceeding pretty much as you described. The coach spent a good while in the first two classes breaking down positions of the snatch. I'm sure it will all make sense to me eventually, but right now the transitions between positions feels incredibly awkward. I'm spending about 10-20 minutes every day working on those transitions with an empty bar.

Since you offered to answer questions - what do you recommend for increasing hip mobility and speed into the bar receiving position for the snatch? I'm already doing squat therapies, couch stretch, banded hip extensions, etc. They have helped a lot with my squat form, but I am still having a lot of trouble getting into the snatch bar receiving position fast enough.

 

[blackdogdeek]

stripper stretch
spiderman stretch
samson stretch
and the stretch where you lie down on your back with your butt against the wall (so your legs are pointed up) and then you bend at the knees and try to bring your feet flat against the wall and as close to your butt as possible (essentially in a squat position). you may have to move your butt farther from the wall to get your knees flat and in a squat position.

 

[Koing]

Goblet squats - force knees out, sit DOWN with your hips in-between your ankles, push hips forwards if they are going behind the bar a lot.

Over head squats with a broomstick/ plc pipe to make sure you are flexible enough for one thing. Sit at the bottom of the OHS and move about a bit. Feel the balance and just move in all directions. This will help you get more flexible as well.

Use a PVC pipe or broomstick and dot he bar work at home. The more you reps you do the lifts the better you get. Each 500 reps you do of the Snatch or Clean and Jerk your technique gets that much better.

Don't think of speed yet. Think of position and smoothness. Once you can do the positions CORRECTLY then think of increasing your speed. Again the more reps you do the faster it will be to have good speed.

Being smooth with the positions will help you get faster.

It is a learnt skill that will take many many hrs to get right. Then a lot longer to master.

Post up some videos! This is the best way to see what is right and wrong about your lifting so I can correct it.

Koing