Friday's freewheeling

I had a good session on Friday night. I was not feeling fresh or particularly energetic, but I enjoyed it none the less. When I finished my warm up I did the counter movement jump test and I got 49.4cm which far better than my previous best of 47.6. I consistently jumped 47's and 48's in my 5 or 6 jumps and I was pleasantly surprised to get the pb. After this I did the following:

Snatch Pulls to warm up: 1x2@60, 60, 70, 80

Snatch--1x2@40, 50, 60 1x1@70, 80, 87.5, 92.5, 97.5, 100, I then missed 102.5 three times due to a lack of finish. I had very little speed and it was weird that I got the cmj pb.

Front Squat + Jerk--1+1@70, 70, 100, 115, 120, 125, 130--I had to fight hard to lock out and the weight forced me under more than usual, but I was happy to get it.

Front Squat--1x1@135, 145, 155--I did these few singles to finish off the workout.

I enjoyed my workout and did around 45 minutes of yoga, but I was very fatigued by the end of it. Have a look at these videos of the super heavyweights lifting in the 1999 world championships.

Wednesday's whistling workout

Myself and Zag only had 50 minutes to train tonight and it had to be pretty late in the evening. My legs were pretty fatigued after yesterday's training, so I would not have done much more anyway. Zag had new 5 rep squat pb with 150kg and it looked like he could have done 155kg. I only Snatched doubles and Front Squatted for a few singles.

I did a few Snatch Pulls to warm up

Snatch doubles--1x2@50, 50, 70, 70, 80, 90, 90, 95--I missed the second rep twice, but I did not beat myself up. It simply was not there and I just lacked the finishing of the pull.

Front Squat--1x2@ 100 1x1@130, 150

Short and sweet, but enjoyable. I will train tomorrow and work on my technique with lighter weights and then train on Saturday; I will judge the intensity on how I feel on the day.

Tuesday's titilatingly close Clean and Jerk pb attempt

Training went well again tonight. I should have warmed up my stiff back a little more which would have helped me in the Snatch, but otherwise I did well. Here is what I did:

My usual twenty minute warm up of the joints, the relevant muscles and activating the glutes and hips.

Snatch--1x2@50, 50, 70 1x1@80, 90, 95, 100, 105--I left it there because I was not able to keep my back locked properly. My hips felt pretty loose so I was able to catch the 105 you will see in the video below. I will warm up the area with more care tomorrow.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@70, 70 1x1@100, 115, 125, 130, 135, 140--I missed the Clean on the first attempt because I was not fast enough in the pull or the catch. I then got 140 for a straightforward Clean and Jerk and went for 145 which would have been a new pb. I pulled myself under it, but when I adjusted at the bottom, my elbows dropped and stopped my squatting the bar up with any power. It was a very close miss that I put down to timing and the bar possible being slightly out front. I will get this very very soon and I know I have more in the tank for the London Open.

Back Squat--1x2@130, 150, 160--Short and sharp, I left it there.

Have a look at the video and let me know if you have any pointers.

Monday's mighty Clean doubles

I had a nice session tonight in which I had two pb's. Firstly in the Counter movement jump, I got 47.6 which was 2 cm better than my previous best. I did this after a nice joint warm up and pre hab with bar work and some dynamic flexibility to boot. Zag jumped for a new pb also and got 49cm. Here is what I did for today's session.

Power Snatch--1x2@40, 40, 60 1x1@70, 80, 90 for 3 singles. They felt fine and my back was a little stiff from the weekend which did not help my starting position. My speed felt ok after the weekend though.

Clean doubles--1x2@60, 60, 90, 100, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130--This was a new pb as my previous best was 128 and I did that in June. My Cleans felt smooth this evening and although they were not particularly fast, they felt in the groove.

Front Squat--1x2@ 130, 140, 150--3 sets that were short and sweet. My legs were tired from the weekend and the Cleans.

I finished off with around ten minutes of flexibilty. Last week I had 3 yoga session and I definitely felt far looser and more mobile because of it. The more I work on my flexibility, I think my catching position will gradually start to widen which will allow me get my hips through more. This will help particularly in the Snatch. I have decided to focus on certain elements of my lifting without judging them and to go along with how they feel, rather than giving myself instructions, commands and the full meal ticket. I am re-reading The Inner Game of Tennis for the third time and it had changed my perceptions on how I can learn optimally. I do not play tennis but the principles that the book teaches are applicable in any field or endevour. I shall write a proper article on how the book relates to weightlifting in the near future.

There is a new lifter training with myself and Zag called Nicky who has far more potential than either of us. Have a look at his positioning in the video below. He has the speed, power, flexibility and determination to go a long way in the sport if he chooses to do so.

Saturday's steady progression

It was a three hour drive up past Belfast to get to Jordanstown, for the Northern Ireland Open and it proved to be worth the drive. The competition was well organised and the atmosphere was great as always. Sami got a lovely 125 Clean and Jerk which you will see in the video below and Cathal Snatched an easy 106 and got another easy 134 in the Jerk. Neither lifter tapered for this competition and Sami has been training between five and six days a week with around 8 sessions or so for the last three weeks. This training volume affected his Snatch which relies on more delicate timing and subtle technique. Cathal is on the road to rehabbing his battered right knee and treated this as a training session only. I lifted well, and got a pb in the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk, but I did not get quite what I want. Here is how it went:

I weighed in at 92.8kg which is very light for me. I had a big bowl of porridge that morning and a light dinner the night before but little fluids. With the long drive my upper back was feeling tight, but otherwise I felt ready to go. Here is how I warmed up:

Snatch--1x2@50, 50, 70 1x1@80, 80, 90, 90, 97, 102--In the warm up room Cathal was helping me out and kept reminding me to finsh my pull and this really helped. Here were my competition lifts:

1x1@106--This was easy and I should have opened up on my planned 107/108.
1x1@111--This was a new competition pb and it felt pretty sweet and was a far better lift than the 110's I got in Glasgow and Cork.
1x1@113--I pressed out with my left elbow in the bottom of the catch and I just needed a slightly faster and more aggressive turnover. If I was to miss a weight, I am glad I committed to it and gave it a real go.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@70, 70 1x1@95, 112, 122, 132

1x1@138--I Cleaned this really easily and I was too relaxed with the Jerk and ended up pressing it out. More urgency was needed.
1x1@140--This was a fast and solid lift that I was really happy with. It was infinitely more controlled than when I lifted it in previous competitions.
1x1@143--I actually over pulled the Clean, which caused me to go back on my heels in the catch, but I stood up with it easily. My Jerk felt solid, but a little far behind which meant I had to step back immediately to re-adjust. I had planned on doing 138-143-145 but my opener scuppered this. I went up to 140 and I knew I could make the lift with more pep in my step and then I went for 143 in a compromise. I will leave 145 for London.

I wanted 113/145 and I came out with 111/143. I was content with the 3kg increase in my total, but I know I can and will lift more in London in three weeks. I am already eagerly anticipating that competition! Have a look at the vidoe below and leave any constructive criticism that can help.

Understanding plyometric training and its application to weightlifting: a guest article

Here is a guest article from the one and only Dr Eamonn Flanagan. He has generously agreed to host some of his ideas on the blog, so here is his bio and I hopes everyone enjoys the article and thinks about how/if it can be applied to our training. I have taken the liberty of providing some videos to support Eamonn's ideas, all of which he suggested of course! Here is a link to his other guest article on the use of creatine for weightlifters.

Eamonn Flanagan is a strength and conditioning coach with the Scottish Rugby Union. He has formally worked with Munster Rugby and in hurling,athletics, rowing and AIL rugby. He is an 85/94kg lifter and represents the University of Limerick Weightlifting Club.

Plyometrics is the term now applied to exercises that have their roots in Eastern Europe where they were first known simply as “jump training” (Chu, 1998). They are exercises involving rapid, explosive movements for the development of athletic power. Examples of plyometrics include depth jumps, hurdle jumps and bounding. Plyometric training has been shown to have a number of beneficial effects for athletes. These primarily include the development of an athlete’s power production. Plyometrics can increase the speed at which athletes can develop force and injury prevention for athletes in sports where there is a high degree of jumping, landing and side-stepping movements. Plyometrics have been shown to be highly effective in ACL injury prevention programs for athletes in sports such as volleyball, basketball and soccer (Hewett, 1996).

The training adaptation to plyometrics takes place at a neural level (Markovic, 2005). Plyometric training does not increase muscle size. It increases the efficiency and speed of muscular contraction by training the body to activate more muscle fibers with better timing during these explosive exercises. It trains the muscles to use the stretch shortening cycle (SSC) more efficiently.

The stretch shortening cycle (SSC) is the basis of plyometric exercises. The SSC is a natural type of muscle function in which muscle is stretched immediately before in is contracted (flexed). This eccentric/concentric coupling produces a more powerful contraction than that which would result from a purely concentric action alone (Komi, 1992). For example, crouch down to a half squat position. Hold this position for one second and then jump as high as possible (without going down any further). This is a purely concentric jump, it can be difficult to get good jump height with such a jumping technique.



Now try a regular vertical jump in which you can crouch down and jump up very rapidly. This is an eccentric/concentric jump. You are sure to jump higher and develop more force, more rapidly in such a jump.


This eccentric/concentric coupling of the SSC is the natural form of muscle function, and it is evident in everyday activities, such as running, throwing and jumping.

There are a number of biomechanical mechanisms that contribute to the SSC. More about these involved mechanisms can be read in this article

All stretch shortening cycles are not created equally. The type of stretch shortening cycle can be described as fast or slow (Schmidtbleicher, 1992). Different biomechanical mechanisms are used in these different stretch shortening cycles. As a result, training in the fast SSC will not improve slow SSC performance, and vice versa.

The fast SSC is characterized by very short ground contact phases, quick eccentric/concentric (“up/down”) movements and limited range of motion at the knee hips, knees, and ankles. A typical example would be depth jumps. Other examples are fast, repeated hops over hurdles or repeated standing long jumps with short ground contact phases.

The slow SSC involves longer ground contact or contraction times, larger ranges of motion at the knee, hips and ankles and slower overall movement of the working muscles. An example would be maximal effort vertical jumps or box jumps. Other examples would be single standing long jumps and single hurdle jumps.

To understanding the application of plyometrics into a training program it helps to have an understanding of the force velocity curve. The force velocity curve dictates that humans can produce their highest levels of total force at very slow velocities and in activities of very high velocity, low total forces are produced. For example, a maximal effort back squat will generally be performed at a low velocity, but one will generate a very high level of total force. In sprinting, with each foot contact, a low total force is produced but the movement speed is very high velocity. The weightlifting movements, most likely, lie somewhere in between these extremes as moderate force, moderate velocity movements – cleans lying a little more toward maximal strength and snatches lying a little more toward maximal speed.


Plyometrics' position on the force velocity curve can be seen also. They are quick powerful movements. Many sport scientists and strength and conditioning coaches suggest that for optimal athletic development one must train across the force velocity spectrum. In powerlifting the conjugate system of Westside training also works from a similar principle with maximal high level loads lifted in the same training block as dynamic, high velocity lower loads. In most weightlifting programs this principle is also included: front and back squats are high force, low velocity. Heavy pulls are next down the curve. Then the weightlifting movements themselves.

Plyometrics could then be used to train faster force production abilities. By training across the whole force-velocity spectrum, the athlete is less likely to be inhibited by a deficiency in any one particular aspect of his performance be it speed, speed-strength or maximal strength. Plyometrics are a highly suitable way for weightlifters to train speed strength. Exercises such as box jumps, vertical jumps, depth jumps and hurdle jumps are all biomechanically similar to the weightlifting movements. They are bilateral (double legged), they use the same major muscles and joints, have similar range of motion at the active joints and similar timings of muscular activation. Uni-lateral (single leg) plyometrics such as bounding and hopping drills are probably not as biomechanically well matched to the weightlifting movements. Dreschler (1996) states that plyometrics can help to decrease the time it takes for a lifter to reach maximum force and improve their power output. But, he cautions that the modality of training is unlikely to produce any dramatic improvements in weightlifting performance.

There are a couple of other specific applications of plyometrics which could be useful in a weightlifting context. The first of those involve very young lifters or very novice lifters. With such lifters, they may not be technically proficient enough to perform cleans and snatches with enough weight to illicit a good training effect. If this is the case then from a force-velocity perspective, their training could be very lopsided toward maximal strength at low velocities. By incorporating simple plyometric exercises such as box jumps, hurdle jumps and standing long jumps the young or developing athletes can get a degree of speed-strength development in their training and also learn control and coordination of their bodies. Here is a video demonstrating this principle with Scottish coach Charlie Hamilton having his young lifters perform dynamic jumps onto plates:



Another very useful application of plyometrics is when weightlifters are suffering from upper extremity injuries such as wrist injuries. Here the weightlifter should still be able to squat heavy and develop their maximal strength capabilities. They are unlikely to be able to perform any cleans, jerks or snatches however. So plyometrics can be used extensively to keep their training volumes up and to develop their speed-strength capabilities while injured.

Lifters should use a variety of slow and fast plyometrics. The slow plyometrics such as vertical jumps and box jumps are good to use first as it is easier with these slower movements to teach good jumping and landing mechanics. Once athletes have mastered good jumping and landing mechanics they could begin to incorporate low-level fast plyometrics like repeated jumps over low hurdles. The degree of difficulty of these fast plyometric exercises could be slowly increased over time. One should exercise caution with fast plyometrics however. They are more intense than slow plyometrics and the strain they place on the nervous system is likely to be higher.

Dreschler (1998) comments on the placement of plyometrics into the weightlifter’s periodized training plan. It should be limited to one or two periods of several weeks per year. This could be one or two 4-6 week blocks of plyometrics in general preparation phases of training. The amount and intensity of the jump training should be carefully limited in the phases. Dreschler (1998) also suggests that once a weightlifter has learned the plyometric movements and begun to express fast force production well and effectively that quite a low amount practice (or the mere practice of the weightlifting lifts themselves) should be enough to retain the benefits of plyometric training. This could be as simple as the lifter performing 3 or 4 sets of 3 in the box jump at the beginning of a training session in his general preparation phase.

Overall, plyometrics offer a simple and effective way to promote fast force production and to train speed-strength capabilities of athletes. Their inclusion is probably most suitable for young or novice athletes and those with upper body injuries which limit their actual weightlifting movements. The benefit of plyometrics may be less for adult, mature lifters but they could still be used to train across the force-velocity spectrum and benefits (or maintenance) of fast force production can be achieved with a low volume of plyometrics.

Wednesday's whupping

I had a really enjoyable session tonight; it was very short and sharp. I arrived at the gym determined to get my final warm up lifts for Saturday and I got them and felt good doing so. Here is what I did:

A short pre-hab warm up with some bar work and flexibilty.

Snatch--1x2@50, 50, 70 1x1@80, 90, 97, 100, 103 x,103--I missed this, but got it a few minutes later. Quite simply, I did not finish my pull or accelerate with any real urgency. Tommy made the point that I was iniating my pull too early and not staying over the bar enough, so I focused on that and the lifts felt far stronger afterwards. He also berated me for being over-analytical with my technique and to just get on with it and lift! Tommy knows what he is talking about so I will keep it as simple as I can over the next few weeks.

Clean and Jerk--1x1@70, 70, 100, 110, 120, 130--I kept it as short and sweet as I could and my lifts felt accurate and smooth; but like my Snatches, they were a little slow and without the pop that I know I will have with two rest days before Saturday's competition. Have a look at the videos below and let me know and constructive comments you may have.

I decided not to squat in order to save my legs and energy and I left the gym feeling far better than when I arrived. Zag trained well despite a very very long day in work. He also lifted up to his final warm up reps and he going into Saturday in great knick.