I just met with the Rec Club coordinator, and we are now “mostly” considered a club.  I’m still filling out the final paper work.  But, our status is on the up.

Currently we are NOT a rec-club on campus.  Our status is simply a group of students meeting during open gym times to lift weights together.  Not that there is anything inherently wrong with that, but now that we have a larger group of us, I’d like us to sign up as a campus rec club.

For those interested, please email me (coach@psuweightlifting.com) so that we can discuss how you can help.

thanks!

I’m going to be in Arizona from Thursday till Tuesday the 16th.  So, there will be no official practice on Monday next week (oct.15).  But that doesn’t mean you get to slack!

For monday:

Power Snatch:  5×5

Sumo Deadlifts:  5×5

Circuit:

A1:  Push Press: 8

A2:  lat pull down:  8

A3:  pushups: 8

A4:  Face Pulls: 8

Ab Circuit

B1: Wood Chops: 12

B2:  Stability Ball Crunches:  12

Finish with the Plank:  Hold for as long as you can

With work, you can too!

It’s not easy to get this low in any squat variation, let alone an overhead squat.  But, it CAN be done.  And if you want to compete as a Weightlifter then it MUST be done!

To prep yourself, twice a day: stretch your calves, hamstrings, hip-flexors, glutes, IT band, and anything else that’s tight in your legs.  Use a foam roller (or a tennis ball) and roll out the same areas.   Practice squatting daily without weight.  Do this for a few weeks, then move on to overhead squats with a stick. (a broom stick only!)

For more ideas about how to squat deeper, here’s an article by Ian King at T-nation

(if you’re a PSU Student and want to join the Olympic Weightlifting Club, either come to the Workouts on Monday/Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the Peter Scott Center weight room, or email Nick:  coach@psuweightlifting.com) 

I just got back from Creswell and the 2007 Heavy Athletics Weightlifting Championships.  Click here for the full post with pics.

PSU students, the workout times for the club are Monday and Wednesday nights at 7:30pm in the Peter Scott weight room.  All PSU students and Alumni are invited to join and learn how to move heavy weights really fast!  What could be more fun?!

Fall term is about to start (just a few more days)! And that means we have a new projected schedule for the PSU Olympic Weightlifting club. All PSU students (and Alumni) who are interested in learning the Olympic Lifts are encouraged to join.

The projected Schedule this term is going to be Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm.

Here’s a link to download a player so that you can watch the Connecticut Olympic Weightlifting Championships Video LIVE on August 5th, 2007. Cool eh?

One of the best ways you can learn about how to improve your lifts is to watch closely how others lift.

Spread the word, and the link, and help to support the great sport of Weightlifting.

It is always sad when someone dies.  But sometimes it’s shocking.

I posted about Jesse on the Dojo Blog here, with a link to a Youtube tribute video

Saturday at Loprinzi’s Gym, SE 42nd and Division @ 10am

Snatch up to a limit

Clean up to a limit

Front Squat up to a Limit.

Beginners more than welcome.  Email coach@pdxweightlifting.com

When most people first start learning about how Olympic Weightlifters train, they hear horror stories of twice a day training, 6 days a week where you do heavy squats at EVERY session. And while elite level Olympic Weightlifters often really do train like that, they didn’t always.

No beginner could ever hope to make any progress on a routine that brutal. In fact, I’m not all that sure that most elites could make progress on a routine that brutal unless they were on steroids or were blessed with the greatest possible genes—most of us weren’t.

And while to some of us, reading these routines can be inspirational, to a great many others they serve to scare them away. This is BAD. Olympic Lifting as a sport has far too few practitioners as it is, and we really ought not be shrinking the talent pool even farther through false advertising.

So, I’m going to lay out a realistic initial beginners routine. It does presume a little. Namely, that one can perform a Front Squat and an overhead squat with good/decent form.  If you can’t do that, then that should be your focus. Do squats 3 days a week, alternating front and overhead, and then finish with chin ups and overhead press, abs and back extentions.   The overhead squat is particularly important for it is an exercise in “body control” and “balance”.

Once a lifter can squat properly, there is no reason to hold them back from learning the lifts and doing them “often”. Often of course is a relative term. Each Olympic Lift should be performed at least twice per week, but preferably 3 or 4 times per week. I’ll lay out 2 different possible routines.

The first option is this 3 day per week option:

Monday or Tuesday

Snatch: 10×2 (10 sets of 2 reps) working up to your “work” weight (ie. It should feel hard, but NOT be a max) in 4 or 5 sets and sticking with the same weight for the rest of your sets.

Clean and Jerk: 10×1 done the same way as the Snatch

Front Squat: 5×5 working up to one heavy set of 5

Chin ups: 3x 8-12 (use an assist machine if necessary or stretch bands)

Abs: 3 sets

Wednesday or Thursday

Snatch: Same as Monday

Clean and Jerk: Same as Monday

Front Squat: 3×3 @ 75% intensity, this is a “light” squat day
Chin ups: 5×5 up to a heavy set of 5

Abs: 3 sets

Saturday

Snatch: singles to a “max”. I don’t really mean a max, I just mean up to what feels pretty darn heavy for the day but still with VERY good form.

Clean and Jerk: Single, Same as snatch

Front Squat: Single, Same

The second option is the 5 day per week option. Basically it just splits the Monday and Wed workouts in half and does each over a 2 day period to allow for shorter workouts.

Monday:

Clean and Jerk: 10×1

Front Squat: 5×5

Back extentions: 2×20

Tuesday

Snatch: 10×2

Chin ups: 3×8-12

Abs

Wednesday

Clean and Jerk: 10×1

Front Squat: 3×3

Back ext: 2×20

Thursday

Snatch: 10×2

Chins: 5×5

Abs

Saturday:

Snatch: Single

Clean and Jerks: Single

Front squat: Single

A beginner could thrive for a number of months on a routine like this. The emphasis being: work primarily on FORM with the Olympic Lifts, and then push up the numbers on your monday squats. The chins are also important. They work all of the primary antagonists to the upper body muscles at work in the Jerk. If your antagonists aren’t strong, then the “protagonists” won’t be either.