Topic: Training in the Utah'n winter

[Jack]

Wow Taylor! 

Sjaak

[Carl Darby]

Nice lift. I looked better than the 117 from your last competition. I still think the arms are getting involved too soon, but whatever you are doing seems to work well for you. Congratulations on the new PR, may it not stand past the Utah State competition.

[Taylor Chiu]

Thanks for the comments, Carl.  I noticed the pre-arm bend too; it's definitely something I'm trying to get rid of.

Tuesday's workout ended with a bang when I squat jerked (full depth back squat, pause at the bottom, up into a snatch grip overhead position) 150 kgs! The most I had done before Tuesday was only 137.5.

Yesterday also went well, as I did a 145 kg front squat straight into a jerk, which bested the 135 kg PR I had set just last week.  And, luckily, here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kveKQKYKh50&feature=channel_page

Happy lifting!!

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Taylor, it really is amazing (and frustrating) to me that you can snatch 118 with your present squat strength. I mean, I can out squat you by a fair little bit if the numbers you cited are true maxes and I'd be clarking a 118 snatch if attempted. The snatch just isn't my lift I guess but I sure wish I could approach your efficiency. I don't even think there is much difference between our technique.

[Taylor Chiu]

Hmm...the differences between lifters is fascinating, and sadly, (as you say) sometimes frustrating.

Because while you may struggle with your snatch, I've been having a ton of difficulty in the last few months just cleaning more than I can snatch (my jerk is really solid, but it does me little good if I can't get the bar to my shoulders).  Of course, I have been experimenting with various cleaning styles (i.e. - high thigh brush, above-the -pelvic-bone pop, wide rgrip, wider feet, etc...). 

What I'm currently going with seems to suit me me well (above-the -pelvic-bone pop, narrow grip due to my inflexible shoulders, pre-bending arms as sacrifice to get the bar high enough), but I have yet to see the results in the numbers.

On the other hand, I've had continued success with my snatch for the last couple of years.  It seems to come far more naturally than the clean (for me).  However, back when I was first lifting, the snatch was a real struggle, even compared to my cleans.  But after a lot of effort, things suddenly started to click.  I'm not trying to say in any way that you haven't put in the necessary effort, Chris.  Just that you never know what can happen, like how your jerks have gotten so much better over the years.

Any which way, it's still always satisfying to do your best, even if it's not where you think you should be.

Now, I just hope that my cleans will start clicking...

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Interesting. That is a very high brush point for the clean. Mine is at the top of the thighs, probably a good 6 inches from the waistline. I have certainly tried everything I can think of to "fix" my snatch. But, unlike the jerk where my technical flaw was obvious to everyone though never properly addressed until I figured it out for myself, I really have no idea what is "wrong" with my snatch. It was going well for a while with a couple small changes- lowering the hips a touch, slightly more narrow grip, and a new thought process about it, but now I am struggling worse than ever. Of course, I have also been training very hard and am very beat up presently.

It would be fun to train with you.

[Taylor Chiu]

Chris, you ought to post some video of your snatches sometime!  Kudos on training together.

The PR's keep coming; here's today's (135 kg snatch squat/overhead squat):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQNyibasuh8

 

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Taylor, WOW! I definitively couldn't do anything like that....very impressive. I'm not to keen on posting a lot of videos because last time I was doing so I was accused of bragging, attacked for my training style, etc. Even some lifting friends of mine criticized me for not "letting my lifting speak for itself on the platform."

I may post something occasionally. Thanks and keep up the great work.