[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Correct. People don’t understand this… it’s like a powereful camera flash, it can completely wash out muscle detail. If someone is pretty big, under such lighting he will most likely look fat because we will see no detail, just bulk.[/quote]
Glenn & CT, I hope you didn’t take my comment as being serious?
Hey Glenn, great to have you answering questions here. I’ve got a couple for you if you don’t mind,
Do you have any recommendations for how to gain the flexibility necessary for the olympic lifts? Particularly around the hips and ankles.
What do you think of the idea that when a lifter isn’t particularly anthropometrically suited to a particular lift then more variety/assistance work is useful to them. Whereas those that are well suited to it do best just focusing on the lift itself with minimal assistance. A couple of examples I’ve heard proposed are that lifters with long legs may benefit from the addition of more single leg work, or that bodybuilders with long limbs will benefit from extra isolation work.
Thanks
Calis
[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
Can’t wait to see that Glenn, let me know when it’s up.[/quote]
Death march video is up in the californiastrength video page.[/quote]
Awesome exercise Glenn!
Glenn,
Do you have any basic technique videos for the Clean similar to the ones for the snatch?
This seems to hold true for the deadlift. Those that are not naturally good at it can often also not stand up to doing much of it, and need to pursue progress through assistance lifts. On the other hand with a lift that is more dependent on skill, like a snatch or something, not being naturally “good” at it means that you have to do it over and over and over, while a guy who is good can get away with doing it less and spending more time on building strength…
I do have a recomendation for lower body flexibility, but rather than try to explain it, let me just shoot you a quick video after practice, I will stick it up on the video page that I have mentioned before. Probably get it dont later this afternoon.
[quote]Calis wrote:
Hey Glenn, great to have you answering questions here. I’ve got a couple for you if you don’t mind,
Do you have any recommendations for how to gain the flexibility necessary for the olympic lifts? Particularly around the hips and ankles.
What do you think of the idea that when a lifter isn’t particularly anthropometrically suited to a particular lift then more variety/assistance work is useful to them. Whereas those that are well suited to it do best just focusing on the lift itself with minimal assistance. A couple of examples I’ve heard proposed are that lifters with long legs may benefit from the addition of more single leg work, or that bodybuilders with long limbs will benefit from extra isolation work.
Thanks
Calis[/quote]
Glenn,
If you can shoot something on upper body flexibility as well I’d appreciate it.
Just been learning Olympic lifting to improve my strongman performance and I can’t clean weight I can pull to my chin because I can’t catch well at all. If there any drills that may help with that I could use those too. I’ve just started looking through the California Strength vids so I apologize if this has all been addressed already.
Glenn,
Do you have any general tips for an O-lifter to bring up a weak squat?
Glenn I have a few questions but before I want to let you know what my issues are:
(1) I often overextend and so when the bar has stopped moving I am still in the air, and then I have to race it down. (2) I am inconsistent with the shrug, since I didn’t do it when I started (hard headed). (3) I am inconsistent with keeping the bar close to me and not exploding until the bar reaches my hips(snatch) or mid/upper thigh(clean). This generaly happens because my upper back relaxes as I get ready to finish the 2nd pull, and it is very hard to focuse on it when doing the full lift or a heavy pull (120% of my max).
I watch the 2 videos about the 2nd pull in the Snatch (the one with the hot girl) and will definetly do it to try and fix my (3) technique issues.
However I have a few questions:
-I would like to know how heavy I should go with that drill? And what the rep-set should be like?
-Is there a similar drill for the clean?
-Do you have any other drills I can do?
bellow are my most recent lifts so you can see where I am struggling with:
Right now I am lifting 3 or 4x a week, depending on the week. My body can handle more training volume but I have a hard time making room for more training since the gym I lift in is 1hr away with good traffic. However once college starts I can use their gym, so I plan to train 6-8x a week (but I have to figure out a program 
No questions, just observations from an older dude:
Most “coaches” can get you from A to B, if you’re lucky.
Christian Thibaudeau can get you from A to Z.
Glenn Pendlay can get you from the cradle to the grave (I’ve been reading some of his stuff on other sites, just so much wisdom). This is no disrespect to CT, just that GP’s been around the block a few more times. 
This is a great forum, kudos to CT.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
BTW, for those of you looking to build a home performance gym, Glenn sells so kickass bars and olympic bumper plates. I bought 2 bumpers sets (the training ones, which are cheaper but just as good for training purposes) and a women’s bar (already had a men’s bar).
Add a prowler, blast straps, power rack and a bench to that and you are all set. A home gym in which you can do any high performance exercise you want without being banned from the gym![/quote]
Christian, as someone looking to get some equipment in the future, I can understand the need for quality bars, plates and a rack/bench combo to perform all the major (and generally best overall) exercises.
I’m curious as to why you recommend blast straps as part of the set - what kind of exercises do you use them for?
And to Glenn, do you coach many non-competitive/recreational lifters? I ask because I’m curious to know whether you teach them the full lifts, or just the power versions, and how you teach them?
[quote]boldar wrote:
Glenn,
Do you have any general tips for an O-lifter to bring up a weak squat?[/quote]
Boldar,
This is such a broad question, it’s almost impossible to answer. The key is to do what works. This, of course, sounds ridiculous, but its not. I can give you a routine that has worked well for me, but if it doesnt work for you, well, then you should move on. I can tell you about a routine that I think is ridiculous, but if you are doing it and your squat is going up, then my all means stick to it.
That having been said, when I coach a new lifter, the first thing I do is just straight linear progression. Back squat for a couple of sets of 5 on monday and friday, front squats for a couple of sets of 3 on wednesday. On new lifters this usually works for a while. If the lifter is experienced and already fairly strong, it might not work at all, but will do a good job of preparing the body for the next step, which Rippetoe nicknamed the “Texas Method” in Practical Programming… It is a program that I originated while I was in Wichita Falls that was based in spirit on some stuff that Bill Starr did decades ago. It has probably put me pounds on the squats of more of my lifters than any other program I have used.
Its basically a high volume day on monday, an easier day on wednesday, then a high intensity day on Friday… and there are many, many permutations of it, but what we do to start out is 5 sets across of 5 reps on monday (back squat), 3 sets of 3 on wednesday (front squat), and 1 maximal set of 5 on Fridays (back squat). But there are a lot of rep schemes that you can use, as long as you stay true to the original principles. I used this for several years before I realized that it wasn’t really all that different in spirit than westside.
From that where we go is anyones guess. I have lifters that right now are front squatting 6-9 times a week to maximum, and I have two guys who are doing 4 sets of 8 reps twice a week. Its all individual.
Thats a good overview, or as much as I can really give, of our squatting. If you want something more personal, you would have to give me your personal training history.
[quote]Neospartan wrote:
Glenn I have a few questions but before I want to let you know what my issues are:
(1) I often overextend and so when the bar has stopped moving I am still in the air, and then I have to race it down. (2) I am inconsistent with the shrug, since I didn’t do it when I started (hard headed). (3) I am inconsistent with keeping the bar close to me and not exploding until the bar reaches my hips(snatch) or mid/upper thigh(clean). This generaly happens because my upper back relaxes as I get ready to finish the 2nd pull, and it is very hard to focuse on it when doing the full lift or a heavy pull (120% of my max).
I watch the 2 videos about the 2nd pull in the Snatch (the one with the hot girl) and will definetly do it to try and fix my (3) technique issues.
However I have a few questions:
-I would like to know how heavy I should go with that drill? And what the rep-set should be like?
-Is there a similar drill for the clean?
-Do you have any other drills I can do?
bellow are my most recent lifts so you can see where I am struggling with:
Right now I am lifting 3 or 4x a week, depending on the week. My body can handle more training volume but I have a hard time making room for more training since the gym I lift in is 1hr away with good traffic. However once college starts I can use their gym, so I plan to train 6-8x a week (but I have to figure out a program
[/quote]
I cant see the videos, If you can figure out a way to get them to me, even if its just a link to youtube or something, sure would like to see them before I comment…
[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:
[quote]Neospartan wrote:
Glenn I have a few questions but before I want to let you know what my issues are:
(1) I often overextend and so when the bar has stopped moving I am still in the air, and then I have to race it down. (2) I am inconsistent with the shrug, since I didn’t do it when I started (hard headed). (3) I am inconsistent with keeping the bar close to me and not exploding until the bar reaches my hips(snatch) or mid/upper thigh(clean). This generaly happens because my upper back relaxes as I get ready to finish the 2nd pull, and it is very hard to focuse on it when doing the full lift or a heavy pull (120% of my max).
I watch the 2 videos about the 2nd pull in the Snatch (the one with the hot girl) and will definetly do it to try and fix my (3) technique issues.
However I have a few questions:
-I would like to know how heavy I should go with that drill? And what the rep-set should be like?
-Is there a similar drill for the clean?
-Do you have any other drills I can do?
bellow are my most recent lifts so you can see where I am struggling with:
Right now I am lifting 3 or 4x a week, depending on the week. My body can handle more training volume but I have a hard time making room for more training since the gym I lift in is 1hr away with good traffic. However once college starts I can use their gym, so I plan to train 6-8x a week (but I have to figure out a program
[/quote]
I cant see the videos, If you can figure out a way to get them to me, even if its just a link to youtube or something, sure would like to see them before I comment…[/quote]
i posted the wrong link
…
[quote]However I have a few questions:
-I would like to know how heavy I should go with that drill? And what the rep-set should be like?
-Is there a similar drill for the clean?
-Do you have any other drills I can do?[/quote]
You can go as heavy as youd like on this movement, it builds confidence in your drop ability since youre just popping the bar off the hips and pulling yourself under by flexing your hamstrings. For some lifters, its a warmup, for beginners its a workout. I usually have people stick to single through triples, just depends on the bar speed. As for volume, if its just a warmup, just do as many sets as necessary to get them to drop fast enough.
The clean version is the same except the bar is lower. Dragomir Ciroslan did these drills religiously and before Glenn’s vid I knew these movements as Dragomir drills.
Im not Glenn, but I think this drill is essential for beginners and to train the drop rather the “pull and shrug” which as youre noticing leaves you pulling high and floating then racing to the bottom. Once I have beginners master this drill, I then start them from the floor and have them stand up and reach the Dragomir drill (DD) position, then do the lift from there. Over time, you can reduce the pausing and try to make the lift fluid. What matters is that you get to the DD spot from the floor.
[quote]Neospartan wrote:
[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:
[quote]Neospartan wrote:
Glenn I have a few questions but before I want to let you know what my issues are:
(1) I often overextend and so when the bar has stopped moving I am still in the air, and then I have to race it down. (2) I am inconsistent with the shrug, since I didn’t do it when I started (hard headed). (3) I am inconsistent with keeping the bar close to me and not exploding until the bar reaches my hips(snatch) or mid/upper thigh(clean). This generaly happens because my upper back relaxes as I get ready to finish the 2nd pull, and it is very hard to focuse on it when doing the full lift or a heavy pull (120% of my max).
I watch the 2 videos about the 2nd pull in the Snatch (the one with the hot girl) and will definetly do it to try and fix my (3) technique issues.
However I have a few questions:
-I would like to know how heavy I should go with that drill? And what the rep-set should be like?
-Is there a similar drill for the clean?
-Do you have any other drills I can do?
bellow are my most recent lifts so you can see where I am struggling with:
Right now I am lifting 3 or 4x a week, depending on the week. My body can handle more training volume but I have a hard time making room for more training since the gym I lift in is 1hr away with good traffic. However once college starts I can use their gym, so I plan to train 6-8x a week (but I have to figure out a program
[/quote]
I cant see the videos, If you can figure out a way to get them to me, even if its just a link to youtube or something, sure would like to see them before I comment…[/quote]
i posted the wrong link
…
[/quote]
Few things that I would change. One is your start, there is way too much moving around and rolling the bar back and forth for you to have a consistent start, IMO at least. And if the start isnt consistent, the rest of the lift will be also.
Walk up to the bar, and put your feet under it, make it so the bar is right at the base of your big toe. Now, without moving the bar, grip it, drop the hips, and lift. Don’t roll the bar around.
Next, there is way too much looking up at the ceiling during your lifts at the Keystone games. Find a spot on the wall in front of you, about head height. Try to keep your eyes on it during the lift.
Last thing is that yes, your top pull is slower and longer than is ideal. I would suggest both drills that I linked the videos to earlier in the thread. Both of those drills done with moderate weights tend to shorten and speed up a top pull. If you are interested, I would love to see a couple of videos of you doing those drills with 50kg or so.
Hope that helps.
glenn
[quote]GqArtguy wrote:
[quote]However I have a few questions:
-I would like to know how heavy I should go with that drill? And what the rep-set should be like?
-Is there a similar drill for the clean?
-Do you have any other drills I can do?[/quote]
You can go as heavy as youd like on this movement, it builds confidence in your drop ability since youre just popping the bar off the hips and pulling yourself under by flexing your hamstrings. For some lifters, its a warmup, for beginners its a workout. I usually have people stick to single through triples, just depends on the bar speed. As for volume, if its just a warmup, just do as many sets as necessary to get them to drop fast enough.
The clean version is the same except the bar is lower. Dragomir Ciroslan did these drills religiously and before Glenn’s vid I knew these movements as Dragomir drills.
Im not Glenn, but I think this drill is essential for beginners and to train the drop rather the “pull and shrug” which as youre noticing leaves you pulling high and floating then racing to the bottom. Once I have beginners master this drill, I then start them from the floor and have them stand up and reach the Dragomir drill (DD) position, then do the lift from there. Over time, you can reduce the pausing and try to make the lift fluid. What matters is that you get to the DD spot from the floor.
[/quote]
It doesnt surprise me that this is not the first time someone came up with that. I am surprised that with 2 lifters at the OTC when Dragomir was there, this drill never made it home to me, but oh well. In present time, I cant take credit for it either, dont know if I mentioned this before but Jon North came up with it when he was trying to get a group of 12 year olds to use their hips. He showed me and I was kind of dubious, but the more I watched him use it and the kids improve almost instantly, the more I was sold. Now I use it all the time. In fact I had a 45 year old women who I hadnt coached before drive in from Lake Tahoe today to get some coaching… This drill was one of the main things we did to “fix” her technique. At the end of the session, she clean and jerked 63kg, which is 2kg above the world record for her weight class (48kg) and age group (45-49). She had trained for over 10 years and had NEVER gotten the feel of doing a correct top pull, but doing t his drill gave her that feel instantly and led to an instant breakthrough in technique and performance.
So, I guess the take home here is that i totally agree with you, this drill is very valuable and will fix a lot of stuff if you use it.
Hey, Glenn!
Don’t have any question for you right now, but just wanted to thank you for taking time and answering questions. I’m learning a ton by reading what you write. Thanks.
[quote]nick.down.under wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
BTW, for those of you looking to build a home performance gym, Glenn sells so kickass bars and olympic bumper plates. I bought 2 bumpers sets (the training ones, which are cheaper but just as good for training purposes) and a women’s bar (already had a men’s bar).
Add a prowler, blast straps, power rack and a bench to that and you are all set. A home gym in which you can do any high performance exercise you want without being banned from the gym![/quote]
Christian, as someone looking to get some equipment in the future, I can understand the need for quality bars, plates and a rack/bench combo to perform all the major (and generally best overall) exercises.
I’m curious as to why you recommend blast straps as part of the set - what kind of exercises do you use them for?
And to Glenn, do you coach many non-competitive/recreational lifters? I ask because I’m curious to know whether you teach them the full lifts, or just the power versions, and how you teach them?[/quote]
Whatch the Training Lab videos to see how I use the blast straps.
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
[quote]nick.down.under wrote:
[quote]Christian Thibaudeau wrote:
BTW, for those of you looking to build a home performance gym, Glenn sells so kickass bars and olympic bumper plates. I bought 2 bumpers sets (the training ones, which are cheaper but just as good for training purposes) and a women’s bar (already had a men’s bar).
Add a prowler, blast straps, power rack and a bench to that and you are all set. A home gym in which you can do any high performance exercise you want without being banned from the gym![/quote]
Christian, as someone looking to get some equipment in the future, I can understand the need for quality bars, plates and a rack/bench combo to perform all the major (and generally best overall) exercises.
I’m curious as to why you recommend blast straps as part of the set - what kind of exercises do you use them for?
And to Glenn, do you coach many non-competitive/recreational lifters? I ask because I’m curious to know whether you teach them the full lifts, or just the power versions, and how you teach them?[/quote]
Whatch the Training Lab videos to see how I use the blast straps.[/quote]
I saw that you used some external rotation in the movement you had the guys doing with the rings/blast straps… I assume this is at least partly for shoulder health/prehab… I was wondering if you had ever used a shoulder horn? If you havn’t, you might look into it, works really well for external rotation and rehab/prehab for the shoulder.
[quote]glenn pendlay wrote:
This seems to hold true for the deadlift. Those that are not naturally good at it can often also not stand up to doing much of it, and need to pursue progress through assistance lifts. On the other hand with a lift that is more dependent on skill, like a snatch or something, not being naturally “good” at it means that you have to do it over and over and over, while a guy who is good can get away with doing it less and spending more time on building strength…
I do have a recomendation for lower body flexibility, but rather than try to explain it, let me just shoot you a quick video after practice, I will stick it up on the video page that I have mentioned before. Probably get it dont later this afternoon.
[quote]Calis wrote:
Hey Glenn, great to have you answering questions here. I’ve got a couple for you if you don’t mind,
Do you have any recommendations for how to gain the flexibility necessary for the olympic lifts? Particularly around the hips and ankles.
What do you think of the idea that when a lifter isn’t particularly anthropometrically suited to a particular lift then more variety/assistance work is useful to them. Whereas those that are well suited to it do best just focusing on the lift itself with minimal assistance. A couple of examples I’ve heard proposed are that lifters with long legs may benefit from the addition of more single leg work, or that bodybuilders with long limbs will benefit from extra isolation work.
Thanks
Calis[/quote]
[/quote]
Cheers Glenn, that’s great. Loving all the video stuff you’re doing just now.