Well, I just had my very first coached session on Oly lifting and I’m proud to say I suck at it right now! But thats ok cause I can now only get better.
I got taught the proper way to deadlift and can go 135 x 4 (yes I know I am weak)
Worked on the snatch and the clean with only the oly bar (with weight I was just sucking at it)
So now I have quite a few things to work on until after x-mass where I will then again get another coached session.
I also got my benching technique corrected to bench with elbows tucked
So I’ve decided to post my progress here and hopefully it will be interesting to see how a girl progresses.
I can honestly say that tomorrow I will not be walking very well…
I just started O-lifts and I love them… but when you begin, they’re extremely humbling. Unlike most guys (you have an advantage being a weak girl in the ego department), I leave my ego at the door on how I lift… but I feel a bit “misunderstood” and rightly so because even though I’m sure I can do probably every exercise with more weight in the gym than anyone else using proper form; truth of the matter is that most guys cheat what they do with free weights and stick to machines for the rest… looking strong, but being ninnies! You can’t cheat O-lifts!!!
A guy was once trying to outshow me with the snatch and loaded up the bar, and got it to about his belly, then dropped the bugger, and hurt his back… I unloaded the thing and continued doing my “sissy” snatches while he went back to grunting out 600lb leg extensions.
Keep at it, you’ll see a huge increase in power and flexibility! I like the feeling of o-lifts more than anything else I’ve done.
I’m always glad to see that somebody new has been bitten by the OL bug. Someone else to share one of my own personally selected heaven/hell combinations. Looking forward to seeing how you progress. Good luck, work hard, and be patient. It’s worth the pain and effort.
As an Olympic Weightlifting coach here in BC, if you are in Quebec you will be coached by some of the best coaches in Canada.
Keep it up. It takes a long time to master, but if you are willing to put in the time, effort and take the missed lifts with the good you should be OK.
Thanks guys for the responses, wednesday is my next planned training day for the lifts so I’ll post what I’ve done.
Basically, I’m either increasing my weights at each session or increasing my reps so one way or the other I’ve got to improve.
Maybe a note on why I am doing this:
Cause I love lifting!
Cause I want to be more powerfull and explosive in my sport (elite dragon boat)
Cause I want to look damn good naked!
If I do get the hang of this, I might want to try an amateur competition, just for the heck of it
Did I mention that I love to lift and I want to eventually lift heavy!
Even girls have ego’s!!!
Hammies are sore today, not as bad as I expected it though, probably tomorrow I’ll be swearing.
Low back, lats, erector spinae are alive and well today also…great! Tonite I’ll be adding to the feeling with having to beat 42 pull ups (not chin-up but real pull ups with hands prone)Yipee!
Once you get the hang of the technique, you’ll actually feel more comfortable with some weight on the bar. I think a lot of people will tell you from experience that O Lifts with too little weight can be just as awkward as too much weight (I know, not quite, but you’ll see).
Stick with it, and let us know how your progress comes along.
[quote]Deadend66 wrote:
You can do 42 pullups? Wow thats really good. I can barely do 5.[/quote]
Sorry to disapoint you, those 42 pullups are not in a row but over a 20 min span, I’m doing the EDT and thats one of my exercises, tonite beat that damn number got up to 49…so very hard though.
Ok, finally got some lifting in yesterday, some virus has been bugging me all week and I’m not in tip top shape.
So yesterday, did:
Cleans: 6 sets of 6-8 reps only oly bar to practice all steps
Jerks: 4 sets of 6-8 reps only oly bar as well
Will start to add some weight this week to see how I feel, hard part I find is the last phase where the you turn your hands to rest the bar on collar bones and make sure you elbows are up, I just feel like I don’t have enough speed or explosiveness…guess it takes time
Deadlifts:
4 sets of 5 reps at 135lbs
1 set of 6 reps at 135 lbs
Goind up next session, I could have easily done more
Also I will be included some GHR, steps ups, squats but thats another leg day
So far I find my front delts not very flexible and they are the ones that cause me the most pain (discomfort)
NOt sore today so body is adapting pretty well, will need to increase weight.
Shit at least you’ve got a coach. I just watch a lot of iron mind you tube and other vids. Lots of dan john etc.
Totally winging it here, but it works. Next semester I’m going to find a good coach some where in calgary. Any body know one. I’ve been to a couple bad ones, who i suspect had never done an over head lift in their own training ever, just ACE of AFLCA guys or something. Thank god It was free.
One guy reckoned a push press was just shoulder pressing the weight up.
OLies are massively addictive. Some times I find myself hanging around the gym for two hours (unheard of for me, im a 45 mins of torture guy) just doing singles trying to grease the groove. Then I go “oh shit! It’s been two hours!”
[quote]thetruth24 wrote:
Personally I enjoy O liftings. (Probably because I’m more of an explosive/fast twitch guy).
Any who, I was wondering if anyone here combined Oly lifts with powerlifts?[/quote]
Who doesn’t.
I suppose I don’t bench but I sure do squat and DL. You need a nice DL to clean and snatch well. Squats are just too economical not to do. Plus it makes you feel like you got the most out of a period of time.
last nite was able to fit in a few sets, after my regular work out.
So 2 sets of 6-8 reps of each step of the clean
2 sets of full cleans 6-8 reps
2 sets of jerks 6-8 reps
Incorporated squats 75 lbs in my density training, managed to get out 72 reps (quads not too sore today)
Squats are normally not part of my current density training but I messed up our program last nite and I was missing one exercise so I put in the squats.
Tonite, deadlifts and more practicing, will add weight to clean and jerks
[quote]harhar wrote:
After a certain point, there is a negative correlation between DL and the OLs. DLs teaches you to lift heavy weights slowly.[/quote]
I always found that if I kept my back flat, as in clean pulls, deadlifts actually helped my cleans/snatches.
coach told me that the DL will have only a positive effect on the clean and jerks.
Also he taught me how to be explosive on the DL
Right now I feel like an idiot practicing cause I really suck at it (more the clean then the jerk actually) so I’m really hoping that I will eventually get the hang of these lifts and for it to become more natural and comfortable and interesting.
Right now, I feel like a true barbie girl just lifting the stupid bar…then I get some testosterone filled comment by a twirp at the gym: you really work hard! Yes, by lifting my measily 45 lbs bar I am working really really hard!!!
[quote]barbiegirl wrote:
Right now, I feel like a true barbie girl just lifting the stupid bar…then I get some testosterone filled comment by a twirp at the gym: you really work hard! Yes, by lifting my measily 45 lbs bar I am working really really hard!!![/quote]
Yeah, but when you eventually get to the point that you’re snatching what he can bench press, he’ll want to cry…