GLENN PENDLAY Q&A

Training Bodybuilding
201

Glenn,
What advice would you have for someone who competed or planned to compete in both powerlifting and olympic lifting?
I have done a couple powerlifting meets, but enjoy and would like to do an Olympic lifting competition in the near future- as well as continue to compete in powerlifting. But I’m hitting a wall in respect to how I’d fit everything into a training week, with enough volume and frequency to keep everything moving.

Ideally, my goal would be to be able to enter any competition I wanted with minimal warning, and be decently competitive (ie: not get embarrassed at a local level meet) but also not have to spend the next few months playing catchup in the other sport.

I admit this is a fairly broad question so let me know what kinds of detail would be useful to know.

Edit: yeah, too broad.

Current thoughts run to something like…

Mon
AM- Snatch, Clean
PM- Press, Jerk
Tues
Back Squat, Deadlft
Wed
AM- Snatch /C+J Light(er)
PM- Press, Bench
Thurs
Front Squat, Back Squat
Fri
AM- Snatch, Clean
PM- Jerk/Bench
Saturday
Front Squat, Deadlift

Somewhat limited on placement of jerks, as I train at a couple different gyms and only one has jerk boxes.

202

Thought I’d cross post this here for anyone interested. Your man Jon posted about these posters, which are cool. I, of course, made my usual snide remark. The money goes to help these guys so I think it’s a good cause.

Here are the posters:

http://www.californiastrength.com/poster-package-free-shipping.html

Interesting note: You use the term “third pull.” Some coaches have never heard of this term. I think it is a very appropriate term and a very real pull. My snatch has improved a bit since I started to aggressively pull myself under the bar. This is true even when doing a power snatch, although it’s more of a combination pulling under and pulling the bar up and back. Doing muscle snatches has helped reinforce this. I’m sure some coaches would disapprove of muscle snatches because the encourage pulling with the arms to a certain extent, but they work for me, and I’ve found that they encourage pulling with the arms when pulling with the arms is appropriate, i.e., during the third pull.

203

Do you still offere the economy HD bars for purchadse that you have in the past? I just purchased a power rack and looking to get the best bang for my buck on a good barbell.

204

Glenn,

Could you please check out the following video footage capturing my olympic power snatch technique and mechanics? I’m definitely one of those humble individuals who understands there’s always room for improvement, so feel free to fire away at anything faulty.

(Snatches start at 1:00)

Thanks so much for stopping by the T-Nation forums to answer questions and provide advice–very informative!!! Your California Strength page is awesome by the way.

-Eric

205

Glenn, I just wanted to say that the advice for daily snatching (or in my case near-daily snatching because I’m a masters lifter and us old farts need to rest our joints) has started to produce good things. I’ve also been working the squats harder. Frequency is the way to go with this stuff. It’s hard work, but it pays off.

206

[quote]Eric Buratty wrote:
Glenn,

Could you please check out the following video footage capturing my olympic power snatch technique and mechanics? I’m definitely one of those humble individuals who understands there’s always room for improvement, so feel free to fire away at anything faulty.

(Snatches start at 1:00)

Thanks so much for stopping by the T-Nation forums to answer questions and provide advice–very informative!!! Your California Strength page is awesome by the way.

-Eric[/quote]

Since Glenn is obviously busy training Olympic hopefuls such as Jon North, I’ll make some comments.

The good:
To your credit, you look like you have a good, stable position in the overhead squat position. I also like the fact that you drop into the overhead squat even when the weight is relatively light. This will go a long way to your learning the full snatch. This is something I’m doing myself at the moment - full snatches even on the warm up sets to train myself to get under the bar.

The bad:
Let me start with some non-technique stuff. I personally find lifting in front of mirrors extremely distracting. This is magnified about 100x with the Olympic lifts since I need to devote all of my concentration to making the lift. I realize this is a personal issue and you may feel that observing your technique in the mirror helps, but things change when the bar gets heavier. As the bar gets heavier, technique becomes ever more important. What you could get away with at 95 lbs. will cause you to flat out miss the lift at 155 lbs.

Same thing with those Vibrams. Although you seem stable in the overhead squat position, this too may change once the bar gets heavier. Again, I realize that shoes are a personal thing, but I highly recommend Olympic weightlifting shoes.

The ugly:
This may sound harsh, so don’t take it personally. You’re setting up too far from the bar which causes the bar to stay very far away from your body throughout the entire lift. But a more fundamental problem is you don’t have a first and second pull - it’s all just one pull. My recommendation would be to go back and look at the snatch progression video’s that Glenn has at California Strength. Those are quite good. I would then practice snatches from the hang. Learn to start from the power position at the hang. Learn to keep the bar close. Get good at lifting from the hang - only then should you worry about starting from the floor.

One more thing to add - you’re doing a “donkey kick.” You only need to get just enough “air” under your legs to move your feet out slightly to gain a stable receiving position.

207

[quote]MikeTheBear wrote:
Since Glenn is obviously busy training Olympic hopefuls such as Jon North, I’ll make some comments.

[/quote]

Thanks so much for your input, Mike! You gave me the good, the bad, and the ugly :slight_smile: You’re the man. I’ll take everything into consideration from your feedback before giving these another go next week.

By the way, I used to not be able to perform that full overhead squat with the bar held back to finish the full snatch (this was only less than two months ago). That said, my shoulder mobility has definitely become much better. But I believe we can all agree that olympic lifts minimize ego to the extent where we definitely begin to realize there’s always room for improvement.

Thanks again buddy.

208

@MikeTheBear: By the way, your “donkey kick” comment just gave me a good laugh at myself after reviewing my video again-lol.

209

Guys, I am sorry I have been absent for a bit… couple of personal things have prevented me from keeping up like i normally do, but I am back at it… For not let me just tell you what is going on tomorrow…

At 10am tomorrow pacific time, in the first meet of it’s kind, a team of 8 men from California lifting in San Ramon will compete against a team of 8 men from Ireland and Scotland lifting in Scotland via the internet.

The competition will be viewable on the internet by anyone, you will be able to see a live feed of the lifting in Scotland right next to a live feed of the lifting in California. There will also be chat box where any viewer will be able to post comments, and a scoresheet that will be updated live.

You can navigate to the live feeds through the Californiastrength.com home page, or go straight there with this link Don Wilson Open 2010 Live

The basic rules are that each team is allowed 8 lifters. At each location, the bar is started at the lightest opener and progresses heavier and heavier at each lift. But, after the 1st lift at location A is completed, a 1 minute clock starts for the first lift at location B. After that lift is completed, a 1 minute clock starts for the second attempt at Location A, and so on. No 2 minute clocks. Lifters at each location will be able to observe their counterparts at the opposite location, and observe the future attempts as they are entered on a live scoreboard on the internet.

Scoring is 5 points for 1st place in any weight class, 3 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd, and 1 for 4th.

I hope you all enjoy watching the competition. It has been challenging but rewarding to get this done, and I hope it can lead to many more meets of this kind, and further the sport of weightlifting by allowing a new and exciting way for different lifters and teams to compete against each other, and a new way for fans to watch quality competition. I would like to thank Matthew Johnson and Dave Corbin for doing untold hours of work to bring the technical aspects of this thing together. They made this possible.

210

[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:
Guys, I am sorry I have been absent for a bit… couple of personal things have prevented me from keeping up like i normally do, but I am back at it… For not let me just tell you what is going on tomorrow…

At 10am tomorrow pacific time, in the first meet of it’s kind, a team of 8 men from California lifting in San Ramon will compete against a team of 8 men from Ireland and Scotland lifting in Scotland via the internet.

The competition will be viewable on the internet by anyone, you will be able to see a live feed of the lifting in Scotland right next to a live feed of the lifting in California. There will also be chat box where any viewer will be able to post comments, and a scoresheet that will be updated live.

You can navigate to the live feeds through the Californiastrength.com home page, or go straight there with this link Don Wilson Open 2010 Live

The basic rules are that each team is allowed 8 lifters. At each location, the bar is started at the lightest opener and progresses heavier and heavier at each lift. But, after the 1st lift at location A is completed, a 1 minute clock starts for the first lift at location B. After that lift is completed, a 1 minute clock starts for the second attempt at Location A, and so on. No 2 minute clocks. Lifters at each location will be able to observe their counterparts at the opposite location, and observe the future attempts as they are entered on a live scoreboard on the internet.

Scoring is 5 points for 1st place in any weight class, 3 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd, and 1 for 4th.

I hope you all enjoy watching the competition. It has been challenging but rewarding to get this done, and I hope it can lead to many more meets of this kind, and further the sport of weightlifting by allowing a new and exciting way for different lifters and teams to compete against each other, and a new way for fans to watch quality competition. I would like to thank Matthew Johnson and Dave Corbin for doing untold hours of work to bring the technical aspects of this thing together. They made this possible. [/quote]

Tried to watch today - it no workie… :frowning:

211

I am not sure why it didnt work for you, we have bee live all day, are still live now in fact, we have had quite a few viewers today. USA vs Ireland finished around 12:30 i think, but we are webcasting the rest of teh meet, we will be live again tomorrow for the second day of the competition.

212

[quote]JonNorth2012 wrote:
I am not sure why it didnt work for you, we have bee live all day, are still live now in fact, we have had quite a few viewers today. USA vs Ireland finished around 12:30 i think, but we are webcasting the rest of teh meet, we will be live again tomorrow for the second day of the competition. [/quote]

I was using Safari - tried it on Firefox and could see the video boxes but were off air. Thanks anyway.

213

What time tomorrow Jon?

214

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
What time tomorrow Jon?[/quote]

It went from 11am till about 7pm, pacific time.

215

[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
What time tomorrow Jon?[/quote]

It went from 11am till about 7pm, pacific time.
[/quote]
I actually tuned in just in time to see the big boys lift. Ian Wilson is freaking impressive!

Was Jon not feeling the snatches today?

216

Only Be Determined

By Donny Shankle

Youâ??re going to have a chance one-day,

Maybe just a choice for others,

To make a decision or pursue a path,

Know your wisdom is no guarantee of success.

Whether it be conditioned victories that ended in defeats,

Intimate love eclipsed with unbearable and painful loneliness,

Cold homelessness atop uncertain accommodations,

Or simply a belly full of condensed broth.

It will never be a question of your ability to persevere through chances and trials,

Failure is a guarantee and at times a blessing,

Have the conviction however to never let it end there,

Fierce determination is the surest way to manifest a dream.

Every time a challenge is presented run to it,

Dig your nails in the fucking earth and crawl to it,

Do not dare miss your chance to live forever,

And surely donâ??t give a damn to those the quill will never be dipped for.

Remember man at his best overshadows his worst,

You will never get to do any moment of life over again,

Live with that pain everyday and apply yourself infinitely again and again,

Or lie forever with the worms as they drink the pools of tears from your eyes.

Everything you do ensure it is done with the determination of being the best,

Leave lasting impressions to those who cross your path,

Intend for men to never forget the exertion it took of their lungs to keep up with you,

Make love to your woman with indelible passion she will tremble to feel again,

There is no soul on Godâ??s green earth who lives without mistake,

Wash your hands of it and seize your moment,

Donâ??t let any second rate son-of-a-bitch rob it from you,

And certainly donâ??t be the coward who stinks of nothing but self-pity for himself.

Let your determination be a parasite on the minds of your enemies,

Show no mercy to those who did not work as hard as you did,

Be gracious unto those who helped you along your way,

Pray your stubbornness will last as long as the beating of your heart.

New choices and chances spring forth daily,

Be as determined as the slave who broke the chains of his master,

Their will only ever at the end of the day be just you,

Be determined until the day you walk on water,

Then you can rest.

Donny Shankle post this kind of stuff over on the OL blog at california strength… some of it might be interesting if you liked this…

217

Hi Glenn!

If you have time, can you give me some quick feedback on my Clean & Jerk? I’m relatively new to weightlifting, never been able to practise it with meaningful weight because of a lac of equipment (not allowed to drop the weight down - and since I hurt my wrist when dropping it down from overhead to my hips, i try to avoid that now).

My own evaluation if this lift goes as follows;

  1. Use more hips/glutes and jump later. Also; simply jump higher, as high as I can.
  2. Drop down quicker and catch the bar lower.
  3. Jump higher, and bring the feets longer from each other to drop down lower.

Do you have anything to add to that at this time, or is that the best for me to focus on right now?

218

I’ll just comment on the clean, since thats what your questions seemed to focus on… you need to get your hips a LOT lower at the start… hard to comment past this cause if you do this it might fix most everything else.

219

Any MMA guys here? This might be interesting…

http://www.pendlay.com/Articles_ep_44-1.html

220

[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:
Any MMA guys here? This might be interesting…

http://www.pendlay.com/Articles_ep_44-1.html[/quote]

Glenn, that article has an incorrect title. It should just be “Strength and Conditioning.” Period.