Olympic Weight Lifter in the House

[Sistersteel]

I compete as a superheavyweight on a team of seasoned lifters sponsored by the Legendary John Coffee. I just competed and won my class at the Southern open taking home my second gold medal in a matter of a few months. I found this forum to be better suited for me to post a bit about my training than the sports forum. Afterall, Olympic style Lifting is where all strength sports originated from.

Not sure how familiar many of you are with Oly lifting, but the style consists mainly of the Clean & Jerk (also called the King of Lifts), and the Snatch.

Most people who are not familiar with the sport don't understand the importance of technique in the execution of a perfect legal lift. Its an exact science. In the words of John Coffee, "There are a hundred ways to do it wrong but there is only ONE way to do it right".

Coming from a powerlifting/strongwoman background I struggled immensely with my technique in the beginning because it was easier for me to muscle the weight than to use technique. I was probably the only lifter to ever walk into Coffee's gym who could power clean 100kg for reps without flinching. I had no idea what Oly lifting was all about. Needless to say, I worked on my hip, ankle and shoulder flexibility to where I can acutally drop down ass to the floor in a split second and rack the weight perfectly on my clavicles, back tight and perfect form.

I must say that there is no feeling in the world that can be more rewarding than hitting a perfect lift. In fact, the bar feels almost weightless the more flawless your technique, making it possible for some of the smallest people to throw up some monster weights.

Perfect example. Check out Pyrros Dimas at the Barcelona Olympics..holy shit..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHqo0dLz4V8&feature=related

That's over 440lb. Fucking awesome is all I can say.

Anyway, I am thinking of keeping an Oly lifting log in here that is separate from my bodybuilding training. Perhaps someone can take an interest in it.
I have to say that it has done wonders for my squat and my deadlift and my lower back is rock solid and pain free. I use to have a very weak lower back. Also doing more than a few hundred cleans a week has slapped some serious beef on my traps which I LOVE. I was going to nationals in June, but now that is going to have to wait with me having to shoot the Gladiators. I am bummed about that, but i hear Istanbul has some great Olympic Lifting facilites and my coach is going to hook me up with someone over there so that I can continue my training during my travels.

Thanks for dropping by :)

Respect,

SS

[robert da strongman]

thanks for dropping in!

love watching the oly lifting. there is so much technique to it! i am just learning to push my elbows thru on my cleans.


keep on postin!!

[Sistersteel]

thanks for dropping in!

love watching the oly lifting. there is so much technique to it! i am just learning to push my elbows thru on my cleans.


keep on postin!!


Hi robert! Thanks for the friend request big brother :)
Thank you for taking an interest in my thread :) I am very much looking forward to posting my journal. I feel you brother on the pushing the elbows through. I had to quit training biceps and stretch about 3 times a day to nail it. Even now, there are many instances when my hand will slip and the bar will just sit there on my clavicles. Then it takes me about 5 minutes to adjust myself in order to get my arm back through. Sounds easy when its play weight, but its a bitch when you get to the big weights. :)

[robert da strongman]

you are welcome!

for me i can make the log move and get it up to the rack position...a bar? haha forget it.
i only train biceps if i feel melbows giving me trouble.



do you do front squats? recently discovered how well those work for my pressing.

[Sistersteel]

you are welcome!

for me i can make the log move and get it up to the rack position...a bar? haha forget it.
i only train biceps if i feel melbows giving me trouble.



do you do front squats? recently discovered how well those work for my pressing.


Oh my, front squats are a staple in my training! I have grown very fond of them too. Back in the day it felt awkward to go below parallel on a squat. Now it feels awkward if my ass doesn't brush the floor on my way down, where you get that bounce att he bottom and get right back up. So prefect! :)

[robert da strongman]

working on getting down low.

i certainly enjoy doing front squats better than regular squats.

[Sistersteel]

working on getting down low.

i certainly enjoy doing front squats better than regular squats.

I design my bodybuilding regimen to have supporting exercises that benefit my Olympic Lifting. As you know Oly lifting is about strength and does nothing for muscle hypertrophy which is why I train and eat like a bodybuilder in between :) For example, I will always do back and BB rows on back day, I will always do incline bar on chest, I will always do push presses on shoulders, and I will always lunge and do front squats on legs. I take it back to the basics. Works like a charm :)

[robert da strongman]

about the same process i go thru training for strongman.
i actually use cables and machines in my training.


what kind of training split do you have?

[Sistersteel]

about the same process i go thru training for strongman.
i actually use cables and machines in my training.


what kind of training split do you have?

Monday Shoulders/Triceps
Tuesday Back
Wednesday Oly Lifting
Thursday Chest/Bis
Friday Oly Lifting
Saturday Legs
Sunday Oly Lifting

I train 7 days a week and overtrain very often. But that's just the way it is. You do what you gotta do. Add 2.5 hours of Brazilian JuiJitsu to that 6 days a week. I've swapped the BJJ for 2 hours of cardio daily because I am prepping for the Turkey shoot. But take out the cardio and that is pretty much what my split always looks like.

Sometimes after Oly Lifting, I'll still go out back and flip tires with the boys for fun. lol Almost tore my bicep doing that ..

[robert da strongman]

Monday Shoulders/Triceps
Tuesday Back
Wednesday Oly Lifting
Thursday Chest/Bis
Friday Oly Lifting
Saturday Legs
Sunday Oly Lifting

I train 7 days a week and overtrain very often. But that's just the way it is. You do what you gotta do. Add 2.5 hours of Brazilian JuiJitsu to that 6 days a week. I've swapped the BJJ for 2 hours of cardio daily because I am prepping for the Turkey shoot. But take out the cardio and that is pretty much what my split always looks like.

Sometimes after Oly Lifting, I'll still go out back and flip tires with the boys for fun. lol Almost tore my bicep doing that ..


nice!
the jiu jitsu is intense. i was doing that 2 hours a week and it was enough.
hoping a school opnes here soon...right next to the gym. love rollin!

yeah tires are great for tearing biceps.

[Chubb]

Cool shit! I've always been interested in the olympic lifts, especially watching little girls put HUGE weights up:D. I'm looking forward to reading more.

[SCRUBS]

Great to have you here.I`m really looking forward to reading your journal, and learning from you.

[Sistersteel]

Thanks peeps! I will be sure to post some interesting info!

[billy mimnaugh]

Thanks peeps! I will be sure to post some interesting info!

I have a question.In an old issue of MILO ,Bill Starr was talking up the front squat.He said that crossing your hands in front was gay and you should do it the olympic lifting way.For the life of me,this seems impossible.How do you work your felexability so that you can use an olympic rack position in the front squat.It kills my elbows and wrists.

[robert da strongman]

billy...i thought the same...you have to throw the elbows forward and hold them there.

[figgy]

i have been training in bodybuilding for a few years now and have recently decided to try Olympic Weightlifting. I just had my first lesson and it was AWESOME! :) ..just need to work on keeping the abs and back tight and my lungs FULL the WHOLE time...which is more difficult that i thought :) anyone have any good tips or words of wisdom for me as a beginnier...and yes, i have a knowlegable coach

[Sistersteel]

I have a question.In an old issue of MILO ,Bill Starr was talking up the front squat.He said that crossing your hands in front was gay and you should do it the olympic lifting way.For the life of me,this seems impossible.How do you work your felexability so that you can use an olympic rack position in the front squat.It kills my elbows and wrists.


Believe me buddy, it took me 7 full months to get my elbows and wrists flexible enough to where I could clean the weight and rack it on my clavicles. My hands stay in the exact same position as they are on the clean when I front squat. I stretch my hands, and wrists daily multiple times a day. Plus, I quit training arms altogether for 6 months. Bigger arms make it even more difficult to get those elbows to roll out. You have to learn to release the bar when you clean it and just let it sit on your clavicles. I only have two fingers on the bar when it is sitting on my chest when I am front squatting.

SS

[Sistersteel]

i have been training in bodybuilding for a few years now and have recently decided to try Olympic Weightlifting. I just had my first lesson and it was AWESOME! :) ..just need to work on keeping the abs and back tight and my lungs FULL the WHOLE time...which is more difficult that i thought :) anyone have any good tips or words of wisdom for me as a beginnier...and yes, i have a knowlegable coach

Here are the things my coach says to me over and over and over again:

BACK TIGHT!!!
SHRUG WITH LONG ARMS!!!
STAY OVER THE BAR!!!
CONTROLLED PULL OFF THE FLOOR!!!
FINISH YOUR PULL!!!
EXPLODE AT THE KNEES!!!!
GET YOUR HIPS THROUGH!!!! I never get this right!!
GET THAT BRUSH AT THE HIPS!!!
GET YOUR ELBOWS HIGH!!!
DRIVE THROUGH YOUR HEELS!!!
STAY WITH IT!!!!!!!!! YOU'RE NOT DONE TILL YOU GET 3 LIGHTS!!!


I recite those daily with my prayers :)

lol


SS

[SUMO]

What does "shrug with long arms" mean? Just keeping your arms straight or something else?

[Sistersteel]

Speed off the floor is slow and gradual until you get to he knees. That is where the second pull takes place. On the second pull the bar picks up momentum until you get your hips through and are literally standing upright with the bar. At that point, the bar will be at your hips where you get that brush as you get up on your toes and shrug the shit out of the bar without bending your elbows, then BAM, you explode into your snatch or clean. The pull is the same on both lifts. Only difference is grip width on the bar. On the snatch you get your elbows as high as you can before you get under it to catch it. On a clean pull, you need to work on meeting the weight and riding it down into a squat.

SS

[sassy69]

Believe me buddy, it took me 7 full months to get my elbows and wrists flexible enough to where I could clean the weight and rack it on my clavicles. My hands stay in the exact same position as they are on the clean when I front squat. I stretch my hands, and wrists daily multiple times a day. Plus, I quit training arms altogether for 6 months. Bigger arms make it even more difficult to get those elbows to roll out. You have to learn to release the bar when you clean it and just let it sit on your clavicles. I only have two fingers on the bar when it is sitting on my chest when I am front squatting.

SS

Hey chica! Just stopping in - this is one of those obvious questions for anyone who "sees" Oly lifting and then goes to try it. You realize just how freekin hard it is to get the bar back on your wrists in a front squat. My ex bf got into Oly when he was hired as a trainer at a local sports fitness training facility. Coming from a 15 yr competitive BB background, I watchede him go thru the same w/ getting his wrists flexible.

I have a question for you - I took a shot at trying some of the basic moves and I've got some raving forearm / elbow/ wrist tendonitis that just made it hard to move the bar, period. It flares up sporadically, but if this is something that makes it hard to do those big moves, e.g getting the bar up even just for hang clean, should I just bag it & don't bother trying, or is it possible to work with / around or rehab the tendonitis?

[robert da strongman]

^^^^what she said^^^^^

did front squats yesterday and now my forearm is killing me

[Sistersteel]

Hey chica! Just stopping in - this is one of those obvious questions for anyone who "sees" Oly lifting and then goes to try it. You realize just how freekin hard it is to get the bar back on your wrists in a front squat. My ex bf got into Oly when he was hired as a trainer at a local sports fitness training facility. Coming from a 15 yr competitive BB background, I watchede him go thru the same w/ getting his wrists flexible.

I have a question for you - I took a shot at trying some of the basic moves and I've got some raving forearm / elbow/ wrist tendonitis that just made it hard to move the bar, period. It flares up sporadically, but if this is something that makes it hard to do those big moves, e.g getting the bar up even just for hang clean, should I just bag it & don't bother trying, or is it possible to work with / around or rehab the tendonitis?


Ironic timing for this question. I spent 7 hours at the gym last night bitching at my coach and the rest of my team mates about the pain I am constantly in. I had to hear the lecture about how my forearms were probably not strong enough, and how I am not stretching enough, and now I must not be eating enough because I am not recovering fast enough to train on consecutive days. I adore my coach, and team mates, they are a great support group. But it bugs the everlasting SHIT out of me when everyone tries to speculate and assume they know what the fuck is wrong with me and provide me with home brew bullshit remedies like I'm some newbie. I been lifting for fifteen years. Been an Olympic lifter for a small fraction of that time. I have been suffering from the exact issues you listed for the past ten years. I have had cortisone injects, deep tissue massages, acupuncture, suction cups, months of physical therapy, creams, rubs, tape, TIME OFF....NOTHING has made it any better. The truth is, I am not conditioned like the rest of them. They have gone through these aches and pains ten years before me. I came to the sport with preexisting conditions that only got worse and worse. I have not been able to clean and jerk for over a month now. Today at 5p.m, coach is sending me to see the team physical therapist. He is going to so some work on my arms and shoulders. I am already not too optimistic about it.

I came home yesterday with some funny looking wrist roller thingy that everyone thinks is going to work a miracle for me.

So I regret to be the barer of bad news. It is going to hurt. And if you do not get the technique right, it is going to feel like bloody MURDER. Do NOT give it up through. It will take time and you will learn to work around the pain and space your workouts to where you get enough rest. I have gotten ten times stronger since I been following this hybrid system and working the lifts. I front squatted 125kg for reps on a day when I had not eaten or slept in 48 hours then I did a 135kg RDL and repped that shit out like it was cake. Coach said in his 40 years coaching he had never seen a women RDL 135kg.

And then they want to preach about weak forearms....:rolleyes:


The only thing that will work magic in this situation is...EQ!
I am drug tested when I compete, so no EQ for me. Only misery.


SS

[sassy69]

As we all know, the gym is all about pushing the envelope and everyone comes in w/ a different frame, musculature, set of skills and set of imbalances/'pre-existing conditiions'. When figuring out "how" for each person, there is always the basic / common science we start with, then the variety of personal experience & anecdotes from everyone, and then the individual situations. I.e. you get to be the one who just defies explanation.

My forearm tendonitis dates back to 1992 and it flairs when I do a lot of bar work (the flinging up part). So the secret is perfect the form, but expect to just have to live w/ the tendonitis it sounds like... .. well, we'll see where I take myself after competition this summer.... lots of options out there but need to give consideration to stuff that will work towards future quality of life as I get older... blah.

My recommendation .. don't get older :)

[robert da strongman]

i dont know but mine comes and goes. its not as bad since i became a desk jockey.
one thing i noticed is that if i do forearm work it does flare up as often.

[Sistersteel]

HOLY SHIT THE PHYSICAL THERAPIST KILLED ME TODAY! ALL HE COULD WORK ON WAS MY RIGHT SHOULDER! GOING BACK ON MONDAY FOR SOME MORE TORTURE!!!!

Turns out I have both lateral epicondylitis and medial epicondylitis on both arms. And tendonitis in both wrists and both forearms. The pressure created is creating a blockage of the lymph nodes which has resulted in the lumps on both my hands. Not ganglion cysts afterall.


Looks like Its going to be a few months of physical therapy for me again :(

(http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00068)