Topic: ROCKY GIBRALTAR PROJECT DISCUSSION

[michael cooley]

Great resources!  To Coach Hartman - what do you mean by "Split LO"?

[Michael Hartman]

Michael-

"Split LO" refers to split lock outs, also known as jerk recoveries.  The lifter would set the bar in a rack about at head height.  The lifter then lowers themselves under the bar in a typical split jerk position, and then recovers from that position with the bar locked out overhead.

[michael cooley]

One more follow up -- Clean Pull (MT).  Is that "mid thigh"?  That is, 3 sets of Clean pulls from the ground followed by 3 sets of clean pulls from blocks?

[Michael Hartman]

Thats correct.

[Pete_Stewart]

Hello,

I was looking at the program from USAW International Coach Michael Conroy that was submitted as part of the Rocky Gilbraltar Project to give me further ideas about my program design.

What is a FtSqt+Pr.  I understand the front squat part but do i power clean the bar into position beforehand?

Also just to clarify.  The 3Pulls+Sn means performing three pulls and then on what would be the fourth rep I have to do a squat snatch.

Finally some of the days have segment training.  What exactly is segment training in relation to the prgramme given.

Thanks to anyone who responds.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Mike Conroy sent this along to me for you:

Mr. Stewart,

Thank you for your questions.

Ft.Sqt+Prs is a front squat followed by a pressing movement. As the athlete comes out of each front squat they go directly into a press. This means that how much you front squat is going to be determined by how much you can press. I received this movement from Yurik Vardanian who was using to train his son Norik. He used it as a core stabilizing lift and it was very impressive to see Norik do 3 sets of 3 reps at 100kg when he was a 15 year old 77! This movement really builds the back, shoulder and other pressing muscles. It also recruits a very solid neural ‘timing’ response.

Now I apologize for how long this answer will be but it can have tremendous results when done in the manner I am speaking. You are correct when you say it is three snatch or clean pulls, and the fourth rep is an actual snatch or clean. Once again I got this movement via Dr. Marc Cardinal, who trained his daughter Sarah (a National School Age Record Holder) after getting the exercise from Vardanian. Anyway at the 2004 Junior National Squad camp I had built the exercises into the program and in the morning the athletes where doing 4 sets at 80% (which is about the top end of this movement) Dr. Michael Stone was in the gym and he approached me with a suggestion. The suggestion is called “Potentiation”. Dr. Stone and others (Haff, Chu, Cramer, Fry) have been dealing with different methods of ‘pulling’ so that the pull has a positive effect on the pull phase of the lift.

Dr. Stone told me that while what I was doing was ‘good’ he could make it better. I have known Dr. Stone since 1991 and in the 15 years I was connected with the Junior Squad Camps Dr. Stone always had a study that involved them and I have come to trust his knowledge without hesitation. “The main idea of a pull, began Dr. Stone, “is to make it mimic the ‘pull phase’ of a lift. If you if you have your athletes wait about 10 seconds between each pull and then about 20 seconds before they perform the lift I promise you that the Peak Force, Peak Velocity and Peak Power, will be exactly the same on the lift as it is on the pull.” I had scheduled 3 pulls to a clean that afternoon and invited Dr. Stone to share his thoughts with the squad members. They followed his suggestions and what seemed like a horrifyingly difficult session turned into a very easy and quite productive one. The athlete where amazed at how quickly and easily the clean turned over after following Dr. Stones suggestions.

In March of 2005 I rounded up my clubs athletes got into the Human Performance and Bio-Mechanical lab at Boise State University and put Dr. Stones suggestions to a formal study. His ‘hypothesis’ proved correct on a force plate with computer assisted Motion Capture Cameras. The ‘pull’ was ‘exactly’ the same for trajectory, acceleration, force, power and velocity as the lift and my athletes even pushed it to 90%.

Once again I apologize for the length of the answer but I do want you know the ‘options’ when performing this movement. Segment training, developed by one of our top coaches, John Thrush, of the Calpians Weightlifting Club, is a form of training to near maximum and even maximum weights when entering the final competition phase of training. (You’ll notice that the segment training is in cycle 3 the final phase before preparation.) This is all about ‘neural’ training and neural recruitment. “Hitting’ singles at 80, 85 and 90% is tough enough but to go back down and come back up is a true challenge (Some athletes will tell you that the second segment can be easier then the first because the first segment actually has a potentiation effect on the second segment. Also as you get close to a competition your training needs to ‘mimic’ the competition. After you go out for your opening attempt, your second attempt may place you so far back in the rotation that you will be in need of an additional warm-up. Segment training allows you to take that additional warm-up with out becoming mentally stressed out over it.

I have used segment training both as a coach and when I was an athlete of John’s and the benefits of it are truly rewarding. But you MUST be in top shape if you are to pull off this demanding type of training. I hope that this was not an example of you asking me “What time is it?” and I go off onto a lecture of how watches are made. I just want to be sure that you have all the information you need to understand the ‘whyfor’ of this program.

Thank you

Conroy

[Pete_Stewart]

Thanks very much Mike for all the information.  It has been extremely helpful and I definitely did not find it too lengthy at all.  I used to do a power clean with no stop before going into a push press and I found it useful for my jerks.  

I thought performing a snatch after doing three pulls would be extremely difficult but the way you have explained it sounds more realistic.  

I think if I am correct Dr. Stone used to work at Edinburgh university.  I remember when I was studying at Heriot Watt I was invited to take part in video analysis there with a post doctoral student involving the clean.  

I will be trying to incorporate the programme into my training from next week.

Once again thank you for your time,

Pete

[Pete_Stewart]

Sorry one final question for the more knowledgeable out there.  I would like to try one of the programmes written for the Rocky Gilbraltar project.  Part of it includes snatching and cleaning from blocks.  I have never used blocks and my gym does not have blocks. What height should the blocks be (relative to my height) and for the cleans at least can I use the adjustable safety bars within a squat cage?