Need Advice to Make Increases

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

Hi, I am new. My name is Ryan and I lift as part of my training for bobsleigh.

I am 6’5 and 230 pounds and have been having trouble making gains in my power cleans and front squats. We test a couple times during the summer as part of team selection. At our last testing day in July I did a max power clean at 105kg and a max front squat at 125kg.

I train in the gym 5 days a week. I power clean Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays and Front squat on Mondays and Fridays and Back squat on Wednesdays. With my cleans I warm up and then begin at 80kg. I do 3 then add 2.5kg a side and repeat until I fail. I usually fail on my second or third lift at 100kg. This has been the case since July. For my front squats, I warm up and then start at 100kg doing the same as the power cleans until I fail around 120kg.

Tuesdays, and Saturdays are upper body days. I also have started doing jerks every day I am in the gym but am still trying to nail down form before I start adding weight.

On top of the gym training I also do sprint training on Tuesdays and 2 hours of push training on Thursdays and Saturdays which involves pushing the frame of a bobsleigh on our indoor start track.

Our next testing day is on October 2 and I am hoping to make some gains before then as it will help determine which sled I am in for the season and if I will get the opportunity to slide anywhere outside of Calgary this season.

The week before the testing camp I will be doing 1 reps to gauge where I am, and the the week of testing I take it down to easy maintenance stuff so I am ready for testing.

I am sorry this is so long but I feel all this information is important for any advice anyone can give me. I also attached a video of my power clean from the week after the last testing day at 95kg. I have been told I am using too much arms in it and have been working on that.

2

Are you in the USA? if so,

are you at lake Placid? were you coached by Brett Crossland, or Peter, or Coach hartmann?

Assuming you are in the USA, these are questions that need to be answered before I know how to help you. If you are not in the USA, then different questions will be appropriate befoere I could be of assistance.

I look forwared to your answer.

glenn

3

No I train and slide out of Calgary at COP. I was coached by Rob Gray last summer when I started lifting as he was the strength and start coach for the Provincial program but he has moved on to the National team now for coaching.

4

I know Rob, he posts on FI. Very powerful dude!

I was going to suggest, why aren’t you training with him. Who replaced him? What sort of numbers are guys in your age group doing? How old are you?

Your PC is about the same as mine % wise

135 with a 170 front squat, mines about 79%, yours is 100/120 = 80%, I’m 5’10 and 90kg.

Just saw the video, your % is A LOT better then mine…100 for 3 with a 125kg front squat is very decent. No way could I do 135 for 3reps! I’d probably get 120 for 3 with a 170kg front squat. I never do triples.

Early arm bend is taking away some of your power and your feet go backwards but uneven from the camera angle. Your left foot looks like it goes back more. You could also squat in a bit deeper. Your catching them very high, so thats good but you could lift more weight if your receive position was a bit lower.

I think you’ll have to increase your FS a chunk to increase your PC mate. Your on about the limit imo with your strength levels. I don’t think you could PC 110kg @ 125 unless your form was terrible to get 100 up.

Koing

5

I am 23. He was replaced by one of the pilots who is currently being trained by him in his new role. Since the change the training group has turned into 14 year old girls and guys who are brand new to lifting and just starting out in the sport. As well the new coach does not have near the experience Rob has. I see Rob here and there and when I do I ask for suggestions and his opinions but it is hard to see him when he isn’t coaching.

The guys I am testing against range in age from 20-35. The numbers they put up range, a couple have been lifting for a few years and are maxing out on their FS at 195kg and PC around 150kg but the guys I would like to be closer to are FS between 150-170kg and PC between 115-130kg.

I have been trying to get my FS to increase but have not seen an improvement in a long time. My BS has increased as I managed to work up to 3x135kg and failed at my attempt at 140kg last week and my PC has increased as my max in March was 90kg. The only difference in my FS I have seen is that I am not fighting as much to keep my elbows up with higher weights. I used to have a huge problem with that and now it only happens on my last couple reps. If you have any ideas of how I might be able to up my FS some more I would be game to try it.

6

A bigger front squat will help your PC mate as imo your on about the limit of what you can triple with your 125kg front squat.

Whats your 1RM PC? The FS is the 125 a recent one?

How many days a week can you dedicate to squating and what current cycle are you in? Pre comp? Comp? Strength phase? This will also affect your training and what you actually do.

I’m a pure OLifter so I can dedicate 3-4x a week to lift. I don’t need to do any push training and other stuff that you guys do.

Let me know whats your most recent 12 weeks of squating have been like? Reps and sets scheme. This will indicate what reps and sets you should be doing next.

Got a video of your front squat? Some lifters have to front squat to get gains out of their front squat. I can back squat and this will naturally pull up my front squats. I put 10kg on to my front squat by putting 14kg on to my back squat. Didn’t front squat in 7 weeks.

I really like the Russian Squat routine. A few guys I know use it for the front squat. It’s very intensive imo and may be too much for you as you have other training to focus on, but you could do a hybrid and only squat 2x a week and leave the 3rd session for the 2nd week, so it takes about 9 weeks instead of 6 weeks?

Koing

7

Dude If I can comment the video, I think you lack of power in your lift you have no second speed. Do some bloc work like Power clean from bloc could help you a lot of synchro clean could do it too.

8

[quote]Koing wrote:
A bigger front squat will help your PC mate as imo your on about the limit of what you can triple with your 125kg front squat.

Whats your 1RM PC? The FS is the 125 a recent one?

How many days a week can you dedicate to squating and what current cycle are you in? Pre comp? Comp? Strength phase? This will also affect your training and what you actually do.

I’m a pure OLifter so I can dedicate 3-4x a week to lift. I don’t need to do any push training and other stuff that you guys do.

Let me know whats your most recent 12 weeks of squating have been like? Reps and sets scheme. This will indicate what reps and sets you should be doing next.

Got a video of your front squat? Some lifters have to front squat to get gains out of their front squat. I can back squat and this will naturally pull up my front squats. I put 10kg on to my front squat by putting 14kg on to my back squat. Didn’t front squat in 7 weeks.

I really like the Russian Squat routine. A few guys I know use it for the front squat. It’s very intensive imo and may be too much for you as you have other training to focus on, but you could do a hybrid and only squat 2x a week and leave the 3rd session for the 2nd week, so it takes about 9 weeks instead of 6 weeks?

Koing

[/quote]

My PC 1 rep max is 105kg, although if I had been a split second faster dropping under the bar I would have had 110kg. That along with the 125kg FS 1 rep max were done on July 17. The PC video and the FS video are from about 5 days later. I am doing 115kg in the FS video.

Right now I lift 3 days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and my schedule for the summer has gone like this:

Mondays:
PC
3x80kg
3x85kg
3x90kg
3x95kg
3x100kg (usually fail doing these)
attempt 105kg if I make it through 100kg

FS
3x100kg
3x105kg
3x110kg
3x115kg
3x120kg (usually fail in here)

Wednesday
PC same as Monday

BS
3x115kg
3x120kg
3x125kg
3x130kg
3x135kg

Friday
PC same as Monday
FS Same as Monday

This has been my schedule since testing in July, before testing the weights were lower as I made gains in the week before testing.

9

You could probably be tighter during your squats, look how Dabaya’s body moves like its one piece from the hips up

And as was mentioned earlier your power clean could look more powerful, try keeping the weight in a range that lets you explode during the second pull for a few workouts, then see in you can bring that power and speed into your heavier pulls. Theres no need to keep adding weight until you fail, strong weight lifters train with weights they know they can make and test themselves during competition or in your case testing

10

I agree with dawkins your programing for the PC is not ideal…you need to improve your form, you look plenty strongth enough to lift more weight. You need to lower the weight and work technique you are grooving some bad habbits into your lift.

Find yourself a good Olympic weightlifting coach that can help you with the technique and you will be adding some serious Kilos to the bar

11

[quote]rtaal wrote:

[quote]Koing wrote:
A bigger front squat will help your PC mate as imo your on about the limit of what you can triple with your 125kg front squat.

Whats your 1RM PC? The FS is the 125 a recent one?

How many days a week can you dedicate to squating and what current cycle are you in? Pre comp? Comp? Strength phase? This will also affect your training and what you actually do.

I’m a pure OLifter so I can dedicate 3-4x a week to lift. I don’t need to do any push training and other stuff that you guys do.

Let me know whats your most recent 12 weeks of squating have been like? Reps and sets scheme. This will indicate what reps and sets you should be doing next.

Got a video of your front squat? Some lifters have to front squat to get gains out of their front squat. I can back squat and this will naturally pull up my front squats. I put 10kg on to my front squat by putting 14kg on to my back squat. Didn’t front squat in 7 weeks.

I really like the Russian Squat routine. A few guys I know use it for the front squat. It’s very intensive imo and may be too much for you as you have other training to focus on, but you could do a hybrid and only squat 2x a week and leave the 3rd session for the 2nd week, so it takes about 9 weeks instead of 6 weeks?

Koing

[/quote]

My PC 1 rep max is 105kg, although if I had been a split second faster dropping under the bar I would have had 110kg. That along with the 125kg FS 1 rep max were done on July 17. The PC video and the FS video are from about 5 days later. I am doing 115kg in the FS video.

Right now I lift 3 days a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and my schedule for the summer has gone like this:

Mondays:
PC
3x80kg
3x85kg
3x90kg
3x95kg
3x100kg (usually fail doing these)
attempt 105kg if I make it through 100kg

FS
3x100kg
3x105kg
3x110kg
3x115kg
3x120kg (usually fail in here)

Wednesday
PC same as Monday

BS
3x115kg
3x120kg
3x125kg
3x130kg
3x135kg

Friday
PC same as Monday
FS Same as Monday

This has been my schedule since testing in July, before testing the weights were lower as I made gains in the week before testing.

[/quote]

Squats look pretty solid imo. No real issues there. Tilting a bit forwards on the last rep but nothing major.

PC
3x80kg
3x85kg
3x90kg
3x95kg
3x100kg (usually fail doing these)
attempt 105kg if I make it through 100kg

This is probably why by thet ime you get to do 100 your tired. You’ve done 12reps before you even get to 100…why do you do this? Whats the purpose?

Why not go
80 x 2
90 x 1 or 85 x 1 if you need to this
95 x 1
100 x 3 : I gurantee you will be A LOT FRESHER for the 100’s if you did this, or maybe did 2reps at each weight or 2 reps until you get to 95, but it depends on how much warm up you need to do?

Your quite tall so the bar speed is probably more deceptive with you then shorter lifters.

Get some videos with 80, 90 and at limit to see you fail and it’ll be more telling as to why you failed the lifts.

Squats. I would recommend 6x6 at 100kg for 4-5 weeks to get a solid base and then move to say 110 x 4reps x 6sets. If your not making gains with heavy weights you need to switch it up a bit Get some size and volume and then turn that to heavy weights later on.

Koing

12

I will give this a try and try to get some new video for you guys to look at.

13

I cant believe no one has commented on his betting shoulders behind the bar way too soon!

14

I got some new video the other day. Let me know your thoughts. Have power cleans at 80x2, 90x1, and 95x1. Also threw in a video of me pushing in case anyone is interested in the non-lifting part of my training.

15

Kudos on the pushing, but as for your lifting its the SAME THING at before, you get way to far behind the bark, way to soon. fix that and youll add some serious weight to your lifts

16

Is there anything I can do to work on keeping my shoulders forward? I was trying to do it today but I don’t know if I was actually keeping my shoulders in front of the bar anymore than in the videos.

17

Practice it, record it.

Staying over the bar HAMMERS YOUR BACK A LOT.

Do some Bent over rows from the 2nd pull position, Pendlay rows, pulls to mid thighs/ pulls.

You will see a drop in weight at first due to you not being use to the position.

Your also not very explosive from the start till the 2nd of the second pull.

Do you practice jumping? I would recommend practice some box jumping. I have one guy who is strong, but he has been working hard on his power.

Koing

18

I was working out with the Alpine coach who I slid with last season and he pointed out I pull too far on the first pull so I started working on scooping earlier and it seems to keep me a bit more over the bar. I am doing max weights this week as I test at the end of next week so I will hopefully remember my camera sometime this week and get some more video.

I also have started doing more jumping work to become more explosive. Since changing when I scoop and really blasting through the bar I am getting the bar up a lot easier but I am still a little unsure and not always catching the bar but it is getting better.

I also did a new PB for my front squat today at 130kg, so I think if I do less sets working up to it at testing I can do 135-140kg as I had no issues with being pulled forward by the bar.

Anyways, I will get new video and let you guys analyze it and tell me if you see any improvement.

19

Cool. Yes, les reps up to a heavy triple will save your energy.

He’s saying you open up the 2nd pull too early you mean? I prefer my lifters to delay it as long as possible but with different limb lengths you will delay it a bit differently to someone that is shorter.

How does your strength vary? Mine varies quite but it was stablising and now it’s dropped off due to being injured and I’m getting back on it. Yesterday I only PC 120 and split jerked it 3 out 4 and and 125 3 singles. My PC were fairly ugly due to lack of strength…best is 135kg.

Koing