PROGRAMMING We post free daily programming on WeightliftingWOD.com. Check it out.
GYM MEMBERSHIP Personalized instruction, coaching and training tailored just for you Learn more.
CLASSES/COURSES NEW: Learn to snatch, clean, and jerk in our BASICS class. Learn more.
Improve your Olympic lifts in our weekly TECHNIQUE class. Learn more.
Coaches Only: Learn about the Art and Science of Coaching Weightlifting. Learn more.
EVENTS/SEMINARS
(Want to host a seminar at your gym? Contact us.) June 1 Members-only weightlifting meet
June 7-9 The Art and Science of Coaching Weightlifting, Pt. I, at Waxman's Gym Learn more/register June 22 Empire Weightlifting Meet w/ Legendary Competitor Learn more/register
July 12-14 The Art and Science of Coaching Weightlifting, Pt. II, at Waxman's Gym Learn more/register July 20-21 Cal State Games (San Diego, CA) Learn more July 26-28 Weightlifting National Championships (Westchester, OH) Learn more
August 25 Special Clinic: Mobility for Weightlifting Details coming... September 14-15 USAW Level 1 Sport Performance Coach Certification Learn more/register September 22 Women's-Only Olympic Lifting Seminar Learn more/register
December 14-15 USAW Level 1 Sport Performance Coach Certification Learn more/register
We made a brief video describing and demonstrating the 3-step process we teach all our athletes for keeping the torso tight while lifting. If you are an ahtlete, you should have a deliberate process for bracing your torso. If you are a coach, you should have a clear method to teach your athletes. Whether you use our approach or another, consistantly keeping your torso tight while you lift will improve your power and safety.
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We just uploaded issue #2 of Shut Up and Lift to our newsletter archive. It was originally published in September 2011 and featured a video entitled "The Strongest" by Mai Zetterling (also linked below). The segment is part of a larger project entitled Visions of Eight in which eight different directors presented themed video segments from the 1972 Olympics.
According to Zetterling: "I chose weight lifting because I know nothing about it and I suppose one thing that really fascinated me was that these men work in almost total isolation. And then they are obsessed. They don't seem to have any life apart from lifting. I am not interested in sports, but I am interested in obsessions."
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We just announced dates for the first part of our new coaching course, The Art and Science of Coaching Weightlifting. The goal of the course is to help you understand how to better coach the Olympic lifts with athletes of all experience levels. The only requirement for signing up is that you are a current coach (we require that you provide a reference to verify your current coaching activity).
To be held over three days in April (12th-14th), the first part of the course will be focused on the biomechanics of each lift. The second and third parts of the course will help you apply what you learn in the part I. Though parts II and III have not been scheduled yet, they will be held later this year.
(We posted this to our Facebook page the other day but wanted to preserve it here for future reference.)
DID YOU KNOW?: Research involving weightlifting medalists from World Championships and Olympics demonstrate a front-to-back-to-front shift in the center of pressure on their feet during the snatch and clean.
The balance on the foot during the pull starts at the outside/front of the foot during lift-off, goes to the middle/back as the bar is passing the knee and ends at the inside/front at extension.
Restricting your weight to your heels throughout the lifts is not supported by science.
Derived in part from:
Garhammer, J., Taylor, L., "Center of Pressure Movements During Weightlifting," Conference Proceedings Archive, 2 International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports (1984).
Liu, Yu-Chuan and Che, Wu-Chou, "Foot Pressure Study During Pulling Phase of Snatch Lifting," Biomechanics Symposia, University of San Francisco (2001).
This is a series we created and posted on the Facebook earlier this year. The videos cover some of the most common (and most catastrophic) errors we see in developing weightlifters. The videos provide a brief overview of the problem, why it happens, and one approach to fixing it. If you'd like help troubleshooting your technique errors, please contact us.
Common error #1: Not setting your torso properly
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Common error #2: Improper start position
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Common error #3: Bar travelling away from your body
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Common error #4: Not using your legs properly
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Common error #5: Poor or improper extension
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Common error #6: Not getting under the bar properly
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Common error #7: Using your arms improperly
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Waxman's Gym had a great weekend at CrossFit SoCal Regionals in Pomona this past weekend. Not only did we participate as a vendor and talk to countless athletes who are interested in improving their lifting technique with our help, but also the athletes who already train with us performed exceptionally well.
Three of our athletes, Val, Andrea, and Ryan finished in the top five. Val, who has been training with us for approximately two years, finished third and will be returning to the Games. Though Andrea and Ryan just started training with us this year, their hard work was apparent as they battled hard to finish near the top of the leaderboard, right next to veteran CrossFitters who have been doing this for years.
On the team side, Dogtown Crossfit placed 5th. We've had the pleasure of working with several of their team members over the past few years, including Liz, Niki, Ben, Dusty, and Scott.
CrossFit South Bay, who has a number a members who train with us regularly, placed 8th. Danielle, Lisa, John, and Vin have been training with us consistently for approximately one year and the improvements to their technique and efficiency showed every time they had barbells in their hands.
The benefits of technique training came into play prominently for everyone on WOD #5, the snatch ladder. We saw PR's in that event from Andrea of Brick Crossfit; Basil from CrossFit Mean Streets; Danielle, John, and Lisa of Crossfit South Bay; Logan and Danny from CFLA; and Val and Niki of Dogtown CrossFit.
Also a special word of congratulations and thanks to Ronnie Teasdale. Ronnie trains with us regularly and has been a big supporter of our work. Despite a multitude of injuries, he performed incredibly well with an 11th place finish in a highly competitive men's field. He also deftly coached Andrea, Ryan, Basil, Aris, and himself to outstanding performances. As good as Ronnie has been as a competitor over the years, he may be an even better coach.
All in all, this was a great weekend for Waxman's Gym. A big thanks to all the athletes who train with us and support what we do. The performances this weekend were a great testament to the value of hard work and relentless focus on form and efficiency. To everyone who competed, congratulations and keep up the great work. Again, to all our athletes and supporters, a great big THANK YOU!
A video of some training lifts from the past two weeks including:
Ashley, Ernie, Greg, Phil, and Sam towards the end of their training cycles which will culminate in test competitions at the end of the month.
Liz, Mike, and Val from Dogtown Crossfit starting their preparations for the next Crossfit games.
From the Research Library:
Two articles:
"Foot Pressure Study During Pulling Phase of Snatch Lifting"
"Biomechanical Analysis of the Snatch During Weightlifting Competition"
From Around the Web:
A video of the heaviest Clean and Jerk ever performed in International competition and the untold story behind it.
An excellent article called "Considerations in Athletic Performance Enhancement Training, The Overhead Press: Is Using a Bench Putting You on the Bench"
From the Mailbag:
A question about attending coaching clinics
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