17 weeks out from the American Open and the hard work has begun. My favorite part of training is when we get close to big meets. I love the heavy singles and maximal level weights that come with being four or five weeks out from the National meet. Unfortunately, we are not at that point in the training cycle.
17 weeks out means lots of technical, weakness work and a whole lot of strength building. Basically the types of exercises and movements I hate the most. Any weightlifter worth his salt loves to lift heavy and loves to chase new PR’s. However, any weightlifter worth his salt also understands the value of fixing the minor details of each of their lifts and the kilos that will be added to the total by fixing the small weaknesses.
To be succinct, my greatest weakness is that I have incredibly weak hamstrings and absolutely hate staying over the bar. If I could just use my quads and my hips the entirety of the movement and be successful I would find a way to do that. Ironically, this is about the worst combination for a 69kg lifter who is 5 foot 10. The length of my pull requires that I have a supremely strong posterior chain. I don’t. Anyone who is ever seen my maximal lifts can’t miss the rounded back, inability to stay over the bar, and overall weakness off the floor. Therefore, for the next 10 to 12 weeks, I’ll be putting my nose to the ground and digging in deep to develop this weakness. The only way 130 or 160 will ever be over my head is if I can strengthen these weaknesses. Below are some videos of the work I did yesterday and the frustration that it is already plaguing me. That frustration, I pray, turns into results.
Snatch Triple with Pause at Knee off 4in platform: 95kg
Snatch Triple with Pause at Knee off 4in platform: 100kg