Fortified Iron

So if my friend wanted to download the NBC olympic videos, what could he use? was thinking of using fraps as a last resort, tried this free program, all it could download was the advertisements.

edit: found out a way

edit #2: my way sucks; anybody got suggestions?

I'm not sure if this made the rounds over here yet, but I had the pleasure of watching Chen lift at IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) Worlds last week, she's fairly new to powerlifting and put up a 207.5kg squat at 48.6kg bodyweight, very impressive....very easy lift

As a fan of their knee sleeves, I was wonderingif any of you wear the Rehband warm pants (shorts) during your heavy squats, or perhaps a similar product. I was going to move toward some training briefls, ala powerlifting, but thought they would be too tight and too much support. Just looking for some extra protection and support as my front squats continue to go upwards.

anyone going there?

Ate a HUGE breakfast and weighed in at 82.3kg

Snatches

Warmups
Bar Work
40kg x 3
50kg x 3
60kg x 2
70kg x 2
75kg x 1
80kg x 1

Attempts
85kg - Good Lift
88kg - Good Lift
90kg - Good Lift, had to run it out a bit but not bad

Meet PR on the snatches!

Clean & Jerk

Warmups
Bar Work
40kg x 3
50kg x 2
60kg x 2
70kg x 2
80kg x 2
90kg x 1
95kg x 1

Attempts
99kg - Good Lift
105kg - Good Lift, this ties my best split jerk
110kg - Good Lift - 5kg PR!

Resulted in a 200kg total which is a 10kg total PR!

Pulled the 110 way too high as usual and the jerk wasn't pretty - but I got 3 whites!!

Best lifting to date, just a little over my 2 year anniversary.

Much thanks to Mezzie for ALL the help he's been giving me over the past while

Here are the vids of today's lifts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Pr4MyKrS4

Like $200 in total stuff. The top piece was some old butcher block we had at the house. We plan to attach a layer of plywood on top of the butcher block. Puts the bar at around chest height with bumpers.

My giant brother is in the picture to show scale, he is 6 foot something.

I have problems whenever i hold anything over 120kg/264lbs. I can't hold the bar long enough because of the pain - the bar rests right on my clavicles no matter how many times i try setting the bar.

The strength is there to perform the lift, i just can't hold the bar which is pretty frustrating. Elbows are high, wrists are bent back, the bar is crushing my windpipe so i THINK i've got it right.

Would a video help a little more? Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF6i-zkCTgw

Worked up this yesterday, just wish I caught the second rep higher...was supposed to be 2 power snatches.

I'm writing a research paper for a Comp class in college. My topic relates the career paths and common traits in the sport approaches and the lives of superstar athletes. Being a big fan of Olympic weightlifting, I wanted to include one Olympic lifter in my paper. Anyone like Dimas, Suleymanoglu, Alexeev, etc.

I only need one lifter. Wikipedia doesn't really have the level of info I'm looking for. In the searching I've done so far, the only indepth stuff I've found is on Alexeev (who would be great) but not as much as I'd like. Most of it related to his training but there was some good stuff on his mentality as well.

I want to know what one of these guys was like when they were younger, how much they trained, how focused they were on the sport, how they pushed themselves, their mentality, facing adversity and perseverance, home life, personality, mentors, making it to the top and staying there- basically ANYTHING that could be relevant and help me, the more info the better. For example, I've found a lot of info on how disciplined Michael Jordan's home was and how high his parent's expectations were when he was a kid. This type of thing is great.

I don't know if there IS any info this detailed on ANY elite lifter, but I figured this was the place to ask. I'd really like to include an Olympic Weightlifter because I have great respect for the athletes and know how demanding the training and lifestyle is.

Any recommendations or resources?

thanks

-Jeff

This is the best section to look for good squat programs so need to find a new one. I did smolov 13 week program for front squat in summer with amazing gains. Now I want to start a new program not quite as hard for back squat-since I'm in school and little more busy so doing a program like smolov be little crazy-. Currently squatting 3x a week.

So what have you guys done and you think be good program?

simple question: your reasons for and against bench pressing as part of an olympic lifting training program.

personally i think its a good strength exercise but may lead to poor jerk technique relying on the shoulders to support the bar, with head somewhat in line/behind the bar, as opposed to a good "head in front of the bar" lockout supported mostly by the upper back.

any anecdotes regarding pro's/certain nationalities using it as a training tool would also be appreciated.

competed at the Twin City Open in MN this past weekend. Lots of stiff competition the likes of Caleb Ward, Vance Newgard and Mike Churchill in the heavies. I placed 6th with a 258Kg total. Wanted 105, 110, 115 in the snatch. My coach talked me into taking 113 for my 3rd Sn. Planned on 140, 145, 150 in C&J. My first attempt popped off my chest, so I ended up w/ 140(miss), 140, 145. Overall a very fun day. Anyways here's the vids:

Sn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndrPOzggGVw

C&J: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWIU4MbCOFs...feature=related

Talked a bit
Trained a lot
Squatted a bit
Cleaned a bit
Failed a few lifts.

I feel kinda happy about especially about ending the last snatches 80KG three times. No problem.

Do comment. I feel frog style is so much easier on the back

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yUJB-umAWvg

13th December

The best attended and best run competition in the country. Brings in lifters from all over UK. If you've never competed in or seen an OL competition this is the one to go to.

PLUS you'll get to see my old ass in lycra..!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyTKYYt1GIA

I assume he's american anyways. Got a winner here...

QUOTEThe "No Deadlift" Deadlift Program

The "No Deadlift" Deadlift Program http://www.strengthcats.com/nodeadlift.htm
By Kenny Croxdale, BA, CSCS

Any questions about this article can be emailed to: KennyCrox@aol.com
Reprinted with the permission of the author and Mike Lambert - Powerlifting USA Magazine - SEPT/01. Powerlifting USA subscriptions are $31.95 a year for 12 issues - Call 1-800-448-7693 to order.

The "No Deadlift" Deadlift Program — If you're like most lifters, you probably work on improving your deadlift by regularly training with the deadlift itself. You may want to reconsider this method. Although it might seem like the logical and accepted way to train, several well respected lifters over the last several decades have said otherwise.

There are two components to training the deadlift efficiently. The first is strength and the second is power.

Let's start by looking at the strength aspect. Back in 1968, at the Senior National Powerlifting Championships, two of the best powerlifters weren't powerlifters - they were strength athletes from another sport. To the amazement of the powerlifters, one of these visitors demolished the 198-pound American Deadlift Record with a 666-pound pull, while the other assaulted the Super heavyweight American Record. It must have been a bit unsettling to the powerlifting community to have those two invade their turf and steal some of their thunder.


These visitors to the Championships were Olympic lifters Bill Starr and Ernie Pickett. Neither trained the deadlift. By eliminating deadlifts from training, Starr's personal best had jumped 61 pounds with Pickett adding 50 pounds to his deadlift.

It was Starr's belief that the majority of powerlifters over trained the deadlift. He stated that heavy deadlifts with 500-600 pounds fatigued the lower back and required longer recovery times. Not many people paid much attention to him. Powerlifters, as a whole, are still over training their deadlifts.

Another lifter who didn't believe in training with the deadlift was Loren Betzer. In the late '70s, Loren Betzer wrote an article titled, "To Deadlift More, Don't Deadlift". Betzer described himself as a conventional deadlifter. As with most conventional deadlifters, Betzer was blowing the weight off the floor only to have it stall out higher up. By dropping the deadlift from his training program, Betzer ended up putting 40 pounds on it in 5 months.

Today, Louie Simmons is on the front lines touting the benefits of executing other exercises to develop one's deadlift. One of the most profound statements Simmons made about the deadlift is, "Why do an exercise that takes more than it gives back?"

Let's take a look at how Starr, Betzer and Simmons' choose to train their deadlifts. There is a common thread that runs through the lower back programs they use.

Bill Starr detailed his "no deadlift" deadlift training program in the September 1969 issue of Muscular Development, in an article called, "A Different Approach To Improving The Deadlift". According to Starr, there were four exercises that carried over to the deadlift: power cleans, heavy shrugs, hi-pulls and good mornings.

Power cleans and hi-pulls were used to build speed, as well as working the traps. Olympic style shrugs were also performed for development of the traps. The traps are vital in finishing the top part of the deadlift.

Starr's final exercise was his favorite – good mornings. Good mornings contributed the most to pulling strength, and were trained with heavy poundage.

Betzer added 40 pounds to his deadlift in five months by breaking down his deadlift training into three areas: the blast-off, the knee area and the mid-thigh area. For the blast-off, Betzer found working the squat to be the best exercise. For the knee area, Betzer's exercise of choice was, again, good mornings. And finally, for the mid-thigh area, Betzer selected deadlifts off 6-inch blocks. Block deadlifts are essentially the same as rack deadlifts.

The current strength guru to put good mornings on the breakfast table of champions is Louie Simmons. Simmons could be the poster child for good mornings. His training tapes take you through a jungle of good mornings. Starr, Betzer and Simmons all consider good mornings to be the staple exercise for training the deadlift, with a huge potential for producing gains.

Now let's talk about the power aspect of training the deadlift. Power is the grease that helps you slide through your sticking point. When it comes to speed development, research clearly shows there are one group of exercises that are the kings of power: the Olympic pulls.

Work by Dr John Garhammer, a biomechanist at the Department of Physical Education at California State University reveals some interesting comparisons between exercises in the development of power. Garhammer underlines Starr's remarks that speed for the deadlift is built with Olympic pulls. In "A Review of Power Output Studies of Olympic and Powerlifting: Methodology, Performance, Prediction and Evaluation Test", elite Olympic lifters' and powerlifters' power outputs were as follows (w/kg = watts per kilo of body weight):

During Entire Snatch or Clean Pull Movements:
34.3 w/kg Men
21.8 w/kg Women

Second Pulls:
52.6 w/kg Men
39.2 w/kg Women

Squat and Deadlift:
12 w/kg Men

For female powerlifters, "estimates indicate that the corresponding values
for women are 60-70% as great".

With this basic breakdown in mind, the power output comparisons of a
100-kilo male lifter in the clean, second pull and deadlift would be as follows.

Clean-------------3430 watts
Second Pull----5260 watts
Deadlift----------1200 watts

Obviously, there is a huge difference in power outputs. The power output of clean pulls is 2.85 time greater than a deadlift. Second pulls are even higher with power outputs 4.38 times larger than deadlifts. Garhammer's research showed that even when dropping the training poundage down to lower percentages for Olympic pulls and deadlifts, outputs for Olympic pulls were still almost twice as great. Starr was way ahead of the curve on his training in regards to Olympic pulls for deadlifts.

Now let's take a look at how to make this "no deadlift" deadlift program work for you. The first thing is-- stop deadlifting! The deadlift is not a skill lift. It overworks the lower back. It requires longer recovery periods between training sessions. In the July 1981 Powerlifting USA article, "The Biomechanics of Powerlifting", Dr Tom McLaughlin cautioned, "...whatever you do, DON'T OVER TRAIN THE LOWER BACK. These muscles fatigue faster than almost any other muscle group in the body and also take more time to recover."

If you feel you must do deadlifts, work them out of the rack at your sticking point, as Betzer did. However, their use should be restricted to infrequent training sessions. Remember, rack deadlifts, like regular deadlifts, quickly over train the lower back, due to the tremendous poundage that can be lifted.

Replace the deadlift for lower back training with good mornings. Good mornings strengthen the lower back muscles for deadlifting without over training them. Starr, Betzer and Simmons all regard good mornings as the breakfast of champions for strength training the deadlift.

Most powerlifters perform some type of lower-back strength training, but neglect the importance of speed training for the deadlift. Those who do realize the importance of speed training are not employing the best exercises... namely, the Olympic pulls.

Supporting Starr and Garhammer's belief in the importance of Olympic lifts in the development of power is Fred 'Dr. Squat' Hatfield. In his article, "Athletes and The Olympic Lifts", Hatfield comments: "Pound for pound, Olympic weightlifters have a greater level of speed-strength than any other class of athletes in all of sport. This fact was made very clear during a massive scientific expedition carried out on the athletes at the Mexico City Olympics in 1964. Sports scientists found that Olympic lifters were able to both vertical jump higher than any class of athletes (including the high jumpers), and run a 25-yard dash faster than any class of athletes (including the sprinters)."

While genetics played a large part in this high level of power, specialized training allowed these athletes to approach their genetic potential. The "snatch" and "clean and jerk" were the centerpieces of their training.

Hatfield's article, "Powerlifting and Speed-Strength Training" revealed that "explosive movements with the weights is the only way to develop great explosive strength." Hatfield went on to say that, "If all you've been doing is slow, continuous tension movements -- and from my observations, too many of you do it -- you should take careful heed of the research. Remember, it's the white fibers -- the ones that contract fast -- that will give you the greatest returns in speed-strength.... never neglect these important fast movements."

As you can see, Olympic pulls are vital for power development for your deadlift, while good mornings are essential for strength training. Put together, good mornings and Olympic pulls are the most effective exercises for increasing one's deadlift. You will be less likely to over train your lower back. You will have more energy for your squat and bench press. And as an added bonus, you will reduce your ibuprofen usage.

The concept of "no deadlift" deadlift training may go against the grain of longstanding popular opinion, but it's backed by solid reasoning and results. Give it a try and see how it works for you.
Ditch deadlifts and replace with clean pulls and snatch pulls and only do deadlifts once every blue moon?

Prilepin's Tables (1974)

Prilepin's tables are a popular tool for determining wokout volumes:

Intensity Volume Optimal
70% = 12 - 24 = 18
80% = 10 - 20 = 15
90% = 4 - 10 = 7

In the literature I came across an East German who has an improved version of the charts:


Vudhaus Chart (1978)
|ntensity Value
75 - 90% = 1
90 - 105% = 2
Range = 12 - 24
Optimum = 18

• Reps in different intensity ranges are accorded different values to make volume easier to measure when sessions involve a range of intensities
• Reps <75% hold no value because as they are not considered heavy enough to yield strength improvements
• Intensities of up to 105% are included to account for pulls
• Optimal volume is increased to account for non work sets >75%
• Volumes are added together for exercises of the same type (relative to their own 1RMs). For example, all Olympic lift variants are grouped together but squats are measured seperately

Example 1

Snatch
2x2r @ 50% = 0
2r @ 70% = 0
2r @ 80% = 2
3x2r @ 85% = 6
2x2r @ 90% = 8
1r @ 95% = 2
Total (equalised) reps = 18


Example 2

Snatch:
2x2r @ 50% = 0
2r @ 70% = 0
2r @ 80% = 2
4x2r @ 85% = 8

Sn Pull:
3x2r @ 105% = 12

Total (equalised) reps = 20


Example 3

Snatch:
2x2r @ 50% = 0
2r @ 70% = 0
2r @ 80% = 2
4x2r @ 85% = 8

Clean
2x2r @ 50% = 0
2r @ 70% = 0
2r @ 80% = 2
4x2r @ 85% = 8

Total (equalised) reps = 20

Awesome lifting footage!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y9w_9EsKFM

I've been somewhat stalled with clean and jerks - I got 50 kg for the first time at a meet in February, and I don't think I got it again until August, once again at a meet.

Here are some videos from today (45, 47, 49):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dyygM7_zF4

And next are 3 failed attempts at 51 - I think I have missed 52 (the clean) in competition twice now (February and August). I have cleaned 51 just a handful of times, so while I don't think it should be as challenging as it appears, it still troubles me, I think in part due to lack of confidence with it. Until recently, my front squats were really not very far ahead of my clean and jerks at all.

My most common problem (I think) with both snatches and cleans is not finishing my pull, jumping under the bar (or trying to) too soon, so the weight's out front, and I lose the lift forward - and this is usually IMO caused by fear / lack of focus/commitment. A lot of my missed jerks are again due to lack of aggression - if I can really commit, I usually get them and they feel easy...but that doesn't happen very often!

Anyway, here are those fails:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIN6O7LbulM

I'll add some snatches to this thread later in the week, hopefully with nicely finished 2nd pulls

Well I had my first competition and everything went pretty good. I didn't lift quite as much as what I had in practice but was more concerned with making my attempts and seeing what a competition was like and how it worked. All in all it was pretty fun and I did notice two major details, that everyone there in the novice division had coach and everbody there had actual lifting shoes. Obviously, there is a big advantage to having a coach and I made a contact while I was down there and believe I have a decent place to train now. I weighed in at 181lbs in the 85kilo class and my heaviest snatch attempt (my second because I missed my third) was 60kilos and my heavist C&J was 85 kilos. I had fun all in all and am looking forward to learning from an actual coach. Thanks for all the advice from everybody on the forum.

Phoenix