I think you should be going as low as possible in squats for olympic lifting. You never see olympic lifters doing parallel squats or quarter squats(well maybe quarter squats for dip and drive for the jerk but thats very very rare). In fact you see the opposite, going as low as possible(some even try to get this weird flexibility where your thighs go inbetween your shins(every time I see it I go wtf their knee tendons will tear off) and even see people pausing at the bottom or starting from the bottom.
[quote]debraD wrote:
I’m posting a squat vid from last week because I want to make sure my posture and depth are what I should be doing for oly lifting. I’ve always done them this way, except with some hip weakness at times I’ve not gone to full depth at higher weights.
[/quote]
Bar placement is in a good spot, depth is good, but your setup needs work. My colleague made a squat setup tutorial that we all use for our athletes at SSPT. Its tailored more towards PL, but for OL purposes you should do whats in this video with the exception of placing the bar low as she does (however pulling the arms down, etc. should be done). Your squat will feel much easier if you do everything in this video:
[quote]lordstorm88 wrote:
I think you should be going as low as possible in squats for olympic lifting. You never see olympic lifters doing parallel squats or quarter squats(well maybe quarter squats for dip and drive for the jerk but thats very very rare). In fact you see the opposite, going as low as possible(some even try to get this weird flexibility where your thighs go inbetween your shins(every time I see it I go wtf their knee tendons will tear off) and even see people pausing at the bottom or starting from the bottom.[/quote]
I can drop below my shins but I thought it was a bad thing to do! =0 I’ve been catching with my feet wide on snatches sometimes and I can do that but it seems like I’m too wide because my shins aren’t straight and my knees aren’t over my toes and I’m trying to correct it.
It’s not conscious but I think I’m not going low enough on the squat so I can still get out of the hole when the weight is higher. IOW, I’m chicken 
[quote]GqArtguy wrote:
[quote]debraD wrote:
I’m posting a squat vid from last week because I want to make sure my posture and depth are what I should be doing for oly lifting. I’ve always done them this way, except with some hip weakness at times I’ve not gone to full depth at higher weights.
[/quote]
Bar placement is in a good spot, depth is good, but your setup needs work. My colleague made a squat setup tutorial that we all use for our athletes at SSPT. Its tailored more towards PL, but for OL purposes you should do whats in this video with the exception of placing the bar low as she does (however pulling the arms down, etc. should be done). Your squat will feel much easier if you do everything in this video:
[/quote]
Thanks! I will check that out. Easier squats would be awesome.
GqArtguy, that video was great. I had no idea that was important.
[quote]GqArtguy wrote:
[/quote]
Thats a helpful video. I find it funny actually that so many Olympic lifters (especially the Chinese, from what I have seen on youtube at least) have terrible start and end technique. I know I have seen several lifters walk the weight out and back it up at the end, I’ve seen lunging it out, and everything in the between.
And these guys are lifting like 500 lbs!
[quote]cloystreng wrote:
[quote]GqArtguy wrote:
[/quote]
Thats a helpful video. I find it funny actually that so many Olympic lifters (especially the Chinese, from what I have seen on youtube at least) have terrible start and end technique. I know I have seen several lifters walk the weight out and back it up at the end, I’ve seen lunging it out, and everything in the between.
And these guys are lifting like 500 lbs![/quote]
There are gifted lifters that can get away with a lot of things but the contention is that they could be doing more (and more safely) if they set up properly. Just like when you see videos of crappy football power cleans with 300+lbs. Sure its 300lbs but they could be doing a lot more if they did it correctly and with way less stress on the body.
Most people on this forum are not in a position to casually take 500lbs for a ride with a sloppy walkout or reverse curl 300lbs from the hang. So this is what we find that works to bring people’s numbers up.
[quote]GqArtguy wrote:
[quote]cloystreng wrote:
[quote]GqArtguy wrote:
[/quote]
Thats a helpful video. I find it funny actually that so many Olympic lifters (especially the Chinese, from what I have seen on youtube at least) have terrible start and end technique. I know I have seen several lifters walk the weight out and back it up at the end, I’ve seen lunging it out, and everything in the between.
And these guys are lifting like 500 lbs![/quote]
There are gifted lifters that can get away with a lot of things but the contention is that they could be doing more (and more safely) if they set up properly. Just like when you see videos of crappy football power cleans with 300+lbs. Sure its 300lbs but they could be doing a lot more if they did it correctly and with way less stress on the body.
Most people on this forum are not in a position to casually take 500lbs for a ride with a sloppy walkout or reverse curl 300lbs from the hang. So this is what we find that works to bring people’s numbers up. [/quote]
Very true. I wish I could sloppily power clean 300 from the hang for 8 reps…
3/21/11
Back squat - 75% x 3 x 10 - 295 lbs, pretty easy
Front squat - 78% x 3 x 5 - 260 lbs, pretty hard
Push prs - kept it light
Push-ups/sit-ups
Thanks Lordstorm.
Had a look at your vids with your set-up from the floor. I think that is helping me. Also thinking to pull / squish myself under the bar. At some point in the past I got it into my head (wrongly) that my back should be horizontal in the power position rather than the angle staying constant. Need to get out of that bad habit by doing position work side on to a mirror to check I’m doing it right and then try and remember how it feels.
I’m very slowly rehabing some old feet / ankle injuries. My lack of ankle dorsiflexion has meant that I’ve (finally!) arranged for the heel on my shoes to be raised to about 2x the standard Oly heel height - otherwise I simply can’t squat. Only just got my shoes back - which is (perhaps) partly why my positions have gone to crap and I’m having to relearn to balance my weight back on my heels.
At the moment my feet / toes aren’t flexible enough for me to balance on the ball of my foot with my back foot in the jerk without my toes clawing painfully into the floor. I can’t properly launch from the ball / big toe to stand it together for the same reason. I am working on this. It is a shame because I know I can jerk more than I can push-press, but training jerks is too painful for now.
My max front squat is 40kg (on a very good day indeed). I do full cleans until I miss 2 or 3x (37.5kg or 40kg). Then revert to powercleans (45kg max) until my push-press maxes out (currently 42.5kg). The only thing limiting my ability to full clean more is my inability to stand up more weight. Leg strength. I don’t got much. Partly because I’m still figuring out my stance width etc (complicated by my injuries). Once the comp is over I’ll stop doing powercleans - or only do them for the purpose of practicing pulling positions.
Your back should have as tight an arch as possible at all times. The hardest positions to keep it tight are at the start of the lift, when the bar is at knee height and at the triple extension. It can be either not strong enough back or a flexibility issue. In all those 3 positions the bar is at a disadvantageous position for the body to put more force to it. At the start because its so low and because you have to start lifting it.
At the knees cause it has a tendency to throw you forward and at the triple extension cause at that point you are putting the maximum velocity to the bar and are trying to put more force to it but the bar already is going fast(usually 1.5-2m/s at that point) and because of that it needs more strength to keep the back tight. In any case… the ideal is that its as tight as possible at all times. having it loosen up, especially at the end of the pull is going to take speed off the bar.
[quote]PB Andy wrote:
3/21/11
Back squat - 75% x 3 x 10 - 295 lbs, pretty easy
Front squat - 78% x 3 x 5 - 260 lbs, pretty hard
Push prs - kept it light
Push-ups/sit-ups[/quote]
How’s your chins? 
Sunday:
FS: 70 120 150 170 180 185 187.5 190/F 175x2/2
Rest 20 min
CJ: 70 90 110 130 140 143x3/1 (made the clean twice then jerked the last one due to being tentative with my wrist, either way 2kg off my all time best from a heavier bodyweight)
FS: 150, 170, 180 170x2/2 (these were hard today)
Today:
FS: 70 120 150 170 180x3/1 (working on a technique issue, I was kinda tired from yesterday)
Rest 1 hr
FS: 70 120 150 170 180/F,F,1 170x2/2 (180 was a brick wall today, really grinding these out)
Rest 20min
Snatch 50x3/1 70 90x2/1 100 105 110x2/1 112 114/F
Rest 10 min
CJ 70 100 120 130 140 145x2/F
FS: 150 170 180/F,1, 170x2/2 (man couldnt get past 180 today, it was so hard for some reason today)
[quote]GqArtguy wrote:
Sunday:
FS: 70 120 150 170 180 185 187.5 190/F 175x2/2
Rest 20 min
CJ: 70 90 110 130 140 143x3/1 (made the clean twice then jerked the last one due to being tentative with my wrist, either way 2kg off my all time best from a heavier bodyweight)
FS: 150, 170, 180 170x2/2 (these were hard today)
Today:
FS: 70 120 150 170 180x3/1 (working on a technique issue, I was kinda tired from yesterday)
Rest 1 hr
FS: 70 120 150 170 180/F,F,1 170x2/2 (180 was a brick wall today, really grinding these out)
Rest 20min
Snatch 50x3/1 70 90x2/1 100 105 110x2/1 112 114/F
Rest 10 min
CJ 70 100 120 130 140 145x2/F
FS: 150 170 180/F,1, 170x2/2 (man couldnt get past 180 today, it was so hard for some reason today)
[/quote]
Those are some big front squat numbers! Nice.
Monday - Dips, Chins, Ankle Rehab
Quick workout today because I was leaving for New Hampshire in the afternoon and hadn’t packed. Also, it was snowing and my platform was sitting to dry from the rain last week that apparently got it wet. So no squatting. And I didn’t feel like doing rows or anything, plus I didn’t really have that much time.
Dips:
-BW x 6
-25 lbs x 6
-50 x 8,8,8
Chins:
-BW x 6
-25 x 5
-35 x 5, 5, 5, 5
Ankle rehab:
Did the wall stretch for the calf, the ankle break on a 20 kg bumper, the 30 second calf stretch, and the prone ankle raise for 10 each foot (except the stretch, which was 3x30 seconds).
What you say about the back arch makes sense. I do need to work on that. Also work on rising so my knees move back and my back angle is constant (realize now I forgot about the knees aspect for my drills today). For the first time I tried:
- Setting the bar over my foot (just behind my toes but maybe it should be back more over midfoot)
- Dropping into a relaxed squat
- Setting my grip (being careful not to move the bar)
- Setting my back (shoulders back and down, lumbar arch, good back angle - I think!)
- Rising my hips (keeping back angle constant) till the slack is out of my arms
Looks a bit dorky. When I do it anyway. Felt like I had done a bunch of hard work setting myself up under the bar (if that makes sense) and getting it over my head seemed relatively trivial in comparison. I mean I kinda know it isn’t true (still have a lot of work to do on later positions). That was how it felt, though. Like it 
tuesday 22/3/11
after 10 days or so another workout!!!
snatch
3,3x80 missed 2 reps
3x85 got them ALL IM SO AWESOME
missed first with 90 and stopped there
c&j
like 3 reps with 90
press
4,4,4x60
it was fine for a workout after being sick and not training in 10 days especially the triple with 85… I didn’t expect that. the bad news is that my right knee is really giving me trouble. 10 days and its not feeling any better. I bet it got some tendonitis or something and I really don’t know what to do. I’ve tried stretching, ice, rest(10 fucking days for pete’s sake!). The worst part is that it actually hurts most if I lift correctly(weight on heels and tight back arch)
21st session
21/03/2011
Dynamic stretches
Bar work
40 x 2
60 x 2
80 x 1
100 x 1
110 x 1
120 x 1
130 x 1
on the fence to take 135 or 140? f0ck it, go big or go home
140 x 1 ; dominated it, completely stamped my authority over this
145 x 0 ; jerk behind, not quite enough bar heigh, leant forwards a bit in the dip
145 x 1 ; booyah! +7kg SB, 2kg behind COMP PB. Deep split, nearly lost it overhead but fought it and kept it. CORE STABILITY.
148 x 0 : Good clean, a bit in front, didn’t get the hips through the bar
148 x 0 ; lame attempt, the bar still went to about my forehead
10min break
Back Squats
bar x 5
70 x 3
110 x 2
140 x 1
160 x 1
170 x 1
180 x 1
190 x 1 : +5kg SB
180 x 3
183 x 4 : 4RM
180 x 2/3 : bailed the 3rd rep, nothing left in legs
GHR
x8
x8
x8
Decline sit ups
x12
x12
x12
Cleans felt strong, better position off the floor, hamstring work is helping out here and I’m not really tensing my lats off the floor, wasn’t doing this before. Before I’d have my shoulders back, but no lats. Work on speed under the bar. Hanging on too much at the top.
Jerks : felt strong today. Just hammered it out. Made a big effort to plant the heels down and drive through them. Got 145, most I’ve done in 18months, really happy! Strength levels are good as Cleaned 140, 145, 145, 148 and 148 and managed to Jerk 140 and 145.
Back Squats stronger then ever. I did 201 before but that was after the Russian Squat Routine and me not lifting and only doing squats for 7 weeks. Really pleased with the 190 and then the 3 sets at 180. Check out the bail on the 3rd set! lol, probably could have gotten it had I got not all adventerous on the 182 for 4…legs just ram out of steam on the last 180.
I don’t feel too bad today, only a bit sore. Going to see what I can smash up on Wednesday. Comp on Saturday but I’ll just do what I can.
I thin C&J twice a week is helping out a lot.
Video from the 110316 training session 110316_Training - YouTube
Video from yesterday
The last time I C&J 145 it looked like this:
That was 18months ago!!!
Koing
Koing I love watching your vids 
I love listening to your coach too!
[quote]debraD wrote:
Koing I love watching your vids I love listening to your coach too![/quote]
So true about the coach. I like watching the videos too, so heavy!
Plus:
“camon Kong, put your head through! Camon Kong! Camon! Head through!” Or whatever he says. I loled the first time.
I did a bunch of slow hang snatches tonight and tried to get a better angle of video.
I had to wear gloves because my hands are getting wreaked. I’ve been trying not to wear them but I killed them yesterday.
What is the consensus on lifting in front of mirrors? Sometimes the mirror seems to make it easier and other times it seems to mess my timing up.