Topic: Let me get some coaching advice please

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Andy,

How old are you? Where do you live? I think you have talent. If you could find a decent coach....On the snatches and cleans, your pull technique is not bad at all. Right now, the limitation is with your bottom position as already discussed. With the jerk, there are some issues. The elbows are too high in the start position. They should only be high enough that the bar doesn't slip from the rack position during the dip and drive. You have a tendency to drive out front, partly as a result. Some neck (behind) jerks would do you some good. Your trail leg in the split should never go flat but should remain on the ball of the foot.

Fine to do some rows or whatever, a few sets a couple times a week, but thats not how you will get your back strong. Don't get carried away with bodybuilding exercises. Prioritize your squats and your lifts, and finding a real place to train and coach, if possible.

Happy Saturday

[Andy Dick]

I am 25, and I live in Milwaukee, WI.

[Andy Dick]

As far as workouts the only exercises I am hitting right now that are not snatch, clean and jerk, jerks, or squats, are shoulder press and back rows...these I only do twice a week for about 3-4 sets of about 5 reps

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I don't know this coach/club, but it might be worth investigating- looks like its less 20-30 miles from you? Maybe a possibility for at least occasional visits/coaching?

TOWN & COUNTRY LIFTING CLUB
C/O Sal Sorrentino
W360 N9049 Brown Street
Oconomowoc, WI  53066-9605
(262) 490-4469
salnsusn@execpc.com

[Andy Dick]

Ill try contacting him again, I contacted him twice about 6 months ago (once by email, once by phone) when I was looking for a place to lift that had bumpers.  He never returned my call or email...that is when I just implemented olympic lifting at my current location to get bumpers.

[Jim Storch]

Relax your arms at the start of your leg drive.  Instead of thinking of pushing the weight up with your arms think push yourself down into the split with your arms.  In fact keep the arms relaxed until the instant the bar is just above forehead height and then punch it upward.

In other words the legs push up and the arms push (you) down.

[Andy Dick]

heheheh thanks jim I noticed that once I started trying to split lower that it was like I was pushing myself down instead of pushing up.  Right now I am sitting at 70% last week and 75% this week to work on form and taking it easier on my hip.  I have noticed that getting lower that my back leg is much tighter when I try to keep it straight.  I am gonna try to get some video of my clean and jerks tomorrow to make sure I am getting low enough.  Snatches do not have much improvement on form as far as depth but I have been paying more attention to making sure the bar stays close and leading with my elbows, because I am still power snatching because of my hip.  I had a bad week with it last week but this week it is much better.  So all this PT seems to start to work.

I also got a hold of Sal and will be going in on saturday of this week to get a little coaching.

[Andy Dick]

Here is the video of my lifts from this morning I spent a lot of time on clean and jerks and just jerking working on form.  I included one from the front because someone wanted to see how my feet spacing looked.  The first few video sets are pretty ugly especially the last rep from the front (check out the foot of my back leg) but as the time went on I started getting more stable with the weight and they started to look better.  The weight progressions for the sets are Clean and Jerk - 77, 77, 77, 77, Jerk -62, 75, 77, 77.
Please let me know how my depth and the split length are looking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHJTpzQ39-I