GLENN PENDLAY Q&A

Training Bodybuilding
321

[quote]Fiction wrote:
Glenn,

While looking at the video section of californiastrength.com, I saw your video of the spinal extension exercises on the glute-ham machine. Wouldn’t an exercise like that, especially at high loads, stress the integrity of the spine ala Stuart McGill?[/quote]

Im sure it does stress it to some extent. But, I have never seen anyone hurt doing it and I have had a lot of kids do them. One thing it will do for sure is give you a big pair of spinal erectors faster than anything else I have seena

322

[quote]DaCharmingAlbino wrote:

[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:

[quote]DaCharmingAlbino wrote:
Glenn,

I’m 48 and have just started Olympic lifting a couple of months ago…well, training the Olympic lifts, anyway. I’m trying to hit the lifts with moderate weights and approximate decent form on two days in a microcycle and doing strength training the other days. It’s slow, but I’m getting closer to proper performance as time goes on. Using your training vids as a resource, of course.

Any recommendations for older lifters in terms of learning the lifts, frequency of training them, etc?

Thanks for your feedback.[/quote]

Most older lifters need lots of reps on the lifts at a moderate weight with an emphasis on good form and full range of motion. It would be pretty rare for a 48 year old beginner to be limited by his squat… [/quote]

That’s certainly true, that last bit. The challenges right now seem more to be just catching/holding the snatch in the bottom, and cleaning properly. I’ve managed to work up a 165 snatch and 210 C&J so far, but they’re both pretty fugly still. I’m doing multiple singles on the lifts, up to around 10 at 80% and 90% of those numbers, boosting the poundage by 2.5 or 5 lbs if I’m successful on all 10 and they look decent.

I take it that I needn’t concern myself so much with strength work, but instead work the lifts more?

Cheers and Thanks.[/quote]

If you are doing strength work, a lot of it should be positional. I have almost never seen a masters lifter who benefits more from back squat as from overhead and front squat, for instance. Just keep that in mind as you pick your exercises…

323

[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:

[quote]DaCharmingAlbino wrote:

[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:

[quote]DaCharmingAlbino wrote:
Glenn,

I’m 48 and have just started Olympic lifting a couple of months ago…well, training the Olympic lifts, anyway. I’m trying to hit the lifts with moderate weights and approximate decent form on two days in a microcycle and doing strength training the other days. It’s slow, but I’m getting closer to proper performance as time goes on. Using your training vids as a resource, of course.

Any recommendations for older lifters in terms of learning the lifts, frequency of training them, etc?

Thanks for your feedback.[/quote]

Most older lifters need lots of reps on the lifts at a moderate weight with an emphasis on good form and full range of motion. It would be pretty rare for a 48 year old beginner to be limited by his squat… [/quote]

That’s certainly true, that last bit. The challenges right now seem more to be just catching/holding the snatch in the bottom, and cleaning properly. I’ve managed to work up a 165 snatch and 210 C&J so far, but they’re both pretty fugly still. I’m doing multiple singles on the lifts, up to around 10 at 80% and 90% of those numbers, boosting the poundage by 2.5 or 5 lbs if I’m successful on all 10 and they look decent.

I take it that I needn’t concern myself so much with strength work, but instead work the lifts more?

Cheers and Thanks.[/quote]

If you are doing strength work, a lot of it should be positional. I have almost never seen a masters lifter who benefits more from back squat as from overhead and front squat, for instance. Just keep that in mind as you pick your exercises…
[/quote]

I’ve incorporated front squatting and strength exercises that mimic the main lifts - High pulls, snatch grip RDLs, clean-grip deadlifts, and, since I have trouble getting my snatch into position and catching at the bottom, I’m doing a snatch, squat and hold for 10 seconds. Front squat is dismal compared to back squat. I don’t like overhead squats, but mainly because I couldn’t do them. Now that I can do a respectable weight (for me, anyway) on the overhead squat hold I’ll add them in.

Having focussed primarily on powerlifting for the past few years it’s sort of hard on the ego to work much lighter, but I think that Olympic lifting carries over well to P/L so I’m not going to sweat it.

The advice and help is much appreciated.

324

Hi Glen thanks for getting me turned onto o lifting. How would u program lifts like the snach,jerk,and clean into 5,3,1? How many days could you o lift and not overtrain. I am doing one of your cycles now and love it but am missing my heavy deads and mp. Thanks

325

[quote]JCedolia wrote:
Hi Glen thanks for getting me turned onto o lifting. How would u program lifts like the snach,jerk,and clean into 5,3,1? How many days could you o lift and not overtrain. I am doing one of your cycles now and love it but am missing my heavy deads and mp. Thanks[/quote]

Everyone is gonna be different. If you are gonna use the Olympic lifts, and want to be good at them, I think you have to do them twice a week at minimum, and three times is better. If you really want to do 5 3 1 then I would suggest you simply pick a couple of strength exerises, the ones you most want to do, and do the Olympic lifts first, then the strength work… simple as that.

326

hi glenn, I competed this saturday, I’d appreciate some input in the following lifts. Sorry about the camera not standing still. I tried to tell them to let it rest on a chair!

85kgs snatch skip to 0:50

100kgs clean and jerk skip to 0:50

105kgs clean and jerk skip to 0:45

One thing I definitely know is I should have kept chest higher in the catch of the snatch. The split jerks could be longer(front foot more forward) especially on the 105 one and I should be turning my elbows faster in the cleans.

If you can notice anything else (or if I’m wrong about the above assumptions) I’d appreciate it

thanks as always!

327

Glenn, if you have the time, please take a look at these lifts and give me feedback as to what you think I should to to improve. I’m 54 this month and am hoping to do well at Master’s Nationals this year. Thank you for taking your time to help out all of us in this thread.

328

Hi Glenn, I’ve been having back problems with my split clean and jerk. When I catch the bar overhead in a split I get a sometimes quite severe twinge causing me to drop the bar. It feels like my back is hyperextending and being bent back like a bow when the bar is caught. I don’t have any issues power jerking, snatching or squating and I can full squat jerk with lightish weights so I don’t think I have any glaring flexibility issues.

Have you come across anyone with a similar issue? I think I have a forward pelvic tilt. Do you think it might be caused by some imbalance (muscular or flexibility related)? And if so do you know anything I can do to try and fix it?

Thanks

329

[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:

[quote]JCedolia wrote:
Hi Glen thanks for getting me turned onto o lifting. How would u program lifts like the snach,jerk,and clean into 5,3,1? How many days could you o lift and not overtrain. I am doing one of your cycles now and love it but am missing my heavy deads and mp. Thanks[/quote]

Everyone is gonna be different. If you are gonna use the Olympic lifts, and want to be good at them, I think you have to do them twice a week at minimum, and three times is better. If you really want to do 5 3 1 then I would suggest you simply pick a couple of strength exerises, the ones you most want to do, and do the Olympic lifts first, then the strength work… simple as that.[/quote]
Thanks for the feedback. I am attending your seminar in North Carolina in Feb, can’t wait to meet you.

330

Carl, just like to say impressive lifts at your age, and that is a cool looking gym.

331

Glenn,

  1. Will there be a jerk instructional video on pendlay.com? My jerk is unfortunately way below my clean (and power clean for that matter).

  2. Best angle to film o-lifts for technical evaluation?

Thanks.

332

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
Carl, just like to say impressive lifts at your age, and that is a cool looking gym.[/quote]

Thanks PB Andy. That’s the mountain just northwest of Las Vegas.

333

[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:
hi glenn, I competed this saturday, I’d appreciate some input in the following lifts. Sorry about the camera not standing still. I tried to tell them to let it rest on a chair!

85kgs snatch skip to 0:50

100kgs clean and jerk skip to 0:50

105kgs clean and jerk skip to 0:45

One thing I definitely know is I should have kept chest higher in the catch of the snatch. The split jerks could be longer(front foot more forward) especially on the 105 one and I should be turning my elbows faster in the cleans.

If you can notice anything else (or if I’m wrong about the above assumptions) I’d appreciate it

thanks as always!

[/quote]

You are spot on, except tht on the snatch, its the dropping of the head hat initiates the dropping of the chest, IMO.

334

Yep, I know. Thanks Glenn.

335

Hi Glenn. I’ve read that you believe that if a person wants to get stronger at a movement he should do that movement every day or as frequently as possible. Do you think this holds true for bodybuilding as well. Say a bodybuilder was trying to build his deltoids with the push press or his quadriceps with front squats, would you recommend that they do those movements everyday?

336

Iconic, I think this holds much more true for athletic events like throwing the javelin or discus, or doing a snatch. although I do think that many bodybuilders would benefit from morre frequent training.

337

[quote]Glenn Pendlay wrote:
Iconic, I think this holds much more true for athletic events like throwing the javelin or discus, or doing a snatch. although I do think that many bodybuilders would benefit from morre frequent training.[/quote]

Thanks Glenn, what do you think would be a good frequency for the slow lifts? I rarely do deadlifts but the push press, bench press, pullups, ghr, and front/back squats are basically the only movements I use in my training.

338

[quote]Iconic24 wrote:

[quote]Glenn Pendlay wrote:
Iconic, I think this holds much more true for athletic events like throwing the javelin or discus, or doing a snatch. although I do think that many bodybuilders would benefit from morre frequent training.[/quote]

Thanks Glenn, what do you think would be a good frequency for the slow lifts? I rarely do deadlifts but the push press, bench press, pullups, ghr, and front/back squats are basically the only movements I use in my training. [/quote]

I have always thought that most could work legs 3 times a week. Now if you are a 700lb back squatter, no, you are not gona be repping sets of 5 with 600lbs 3 times a week, use soem common sense. But legs can be WORKED frequently, you just get to the point where you cant squat heavy frequently.

As far as pressing, I recomend pressing 3 times a week with different exercises. For some, dips, bench press, and push press might work. For some other exercises would be more appropriate, but the idea is the same.

339

Glenn,

I am pretty new to lifting and I’m going to try your “Going for the super total” program. I have a few questions based on your outline seen at this link:

http://www.pendlay.com/Training-for-the-Supertotal_df_51.html

  1. What set/rep scheme should I use on the light snatch/clean and jerk day?

  2. What set/rep scheme should I use on the heavy snatch/clean and jerk day?

  3. Is there any form of cardio or assistance lifts I can use?

Thanks for any help.

340

[quote]S45 wrote:
Glenn,

I am pretty new to lifting and I’m going to try your “Going for the super total” program. I have a few questions based on your outline seen at this link:

http://www.pendlay.com/Training-for-the-Supertotal_df_51.html

  1. What set/rep scheme should I use on the light snatch/clean and jerk day?

  2. What set/rep scheme should I use on the heavy snatch/clean and jerk day?

  3. Is there any form of cardio or assistance lifts I can use?

Thanks for any help.[/quote]

On the light day, do either 10 singles at a comfortable weight, or 4-5 comfortable, not heavy, but comfortable doubles. On the heavy day, go to max, back off, and do 2-4 doubles that are as heavy as you can do for doubles.

Thats just one way to do it, its probably what I would try first. There are lots of variations.

As far as assistance, I would do the routine for 3 weeks or so and then see if you really want to add extra stuff.