Topic: Beginner: Access my lifts (video clips)

[Patrick Bateman]

Hey guys,

I have just started to do O-lifts. My gym buddy brought along his camera to video his lifts and he video'ed me in the process. It was pretty helpful. It shows how much EXTRA WORK my lifts need!

This is me trying a muscle C&J, full C&J, and power C&J with a light weight of 60kg (I weigh 78kg):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vzLX8j2_go

Can you tell me what is wrong? in particular with the full C&J, and power C&J?

I think I:
-Start off with too wide a stance :(
-Splay my feet 
-Shrugging my shoulders up too early 
-Lack of flexablity, so cannot go into a low upright squat

I have no idea about my jerk!

Here is my maximum lift for that day (it was pretty ugly  ), I make it the first, and miss it on the second:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7HRiEGxmvY

My personal record is 97.5kg.

I can make it to the gym 3 times a week, and start of with power snatches going up in weight until I miss a weight 3 times. Then do power cleans going up in weight until I miss it 3 times, then maybe lower the weight down and do some drop sets. I will typically do 7-14 sets of 3 reps.

All comments on how to improve will be greatly appreciated

[ryankyle]

Stop the muscle cleaning or even power cleaning for that matter.  When you are learning the lifts those will only hinder your ability to learn to do the real thing.   I watched you muscle clean then do a muscle full clean.  You need to practice and learn the full lift to the best of your ability before you should add any of the other things, if you still want to do them.  If your goal is to learn to do the full lifts and do them well, think about heeding my advice, but if you just want to train to train then muscle cleans will be ok to do.  Remember though, there are no world records for muscle cleans or power cleans.
Ryan

[Shaun Le Conte]

Somebody that is watching the video with me commented taht it looks like you aren't setting your back properly before pulls.

When you jerk, your back foot should be pointing forward

[Patrick Bateman]

Somebody that is watching the video with me commented taht it looks like you aren't setting your back properly before pulls.

When you jerk, your back foot should be pointing forward

many thanks for the reply!

Am i lifting with a curved spine or something? What should i be doing?

[Patrick Bateman]

Stop the muscle cleaning or even power cleaning for that matter.  When you are learning the lifts those will only hinder your ability to learn to do the real thing.   I watched you muscle clean then do a muscle full clean.  You need to practice and learn the full lift to the best of your ability before you should add any of the other things, if you still want to do them.  If your goal is to learn to do the full lifts and do them well, think about heeding my advice, but if you just want to train to train then muscle cleans will be ok to do.  Remember though, there are no world records for muscle cleans or power cleans.
Ryan

The reason why I started O-lifts because I wanted to increase my vertical jump, sprint speed, and increase general explosiveness.

So the first thing I learnt was a power clean. Also because it is easy to learn copared to the other versions.

Since then, I really enjoyed doing them, and decided to integrate more of the other lifts, which is why I am so clueless about them  lol

I just do the muscle clean as a warm up on a light weight, and showed the clip here, as i thought it may show in clearer detail some horrible error i was making.

appreciate the input!

[Dave Almeida]

You jerk the bar off the ground using your back. To start the lift you need to push through the floor with your legs. It is completely different from a deadlift.

Setting your back means to tighten it and make it rigid. This is achieved through a proper start position and then holding it throughout the lift as you mostly use your legs.

[Pete Church]

Just wondering if that is a standard sized platform you are using. It looks a little short from front to back and I wonder if subconsciously you are not making a very deep split on the jerk for fear of your foot slipping off the surface? Maybe stand a little front of center after the clean before the jerk. Also having shoes will change the mechanics of the lift in general.

[Patrick Bateman]

Just wondering if that is a standard sized platform you are using. It looks a little short from front to back and I wonder if subconsciously you are not making a very deep split on the jerk for fear of your foot slipping off the surface? Maybe stand a little front of center after the clean before the jerk. Also having shoes will change the mechanics of the lift in general.

an astute observation! lol no it is this perfectly square mini platform maybe 7ft X 7ft? My gym is not an olympic lifting gym, it is a body building gym (much to my annoyance). That bar is the closest thing we have to an olympic bar, that is to say it has some 'whip' to it, and is straight. All the other bars are bent power bars.

That old pair of 10kg bumper plates i am using is the only one in the gym. The rest of the plates are these ****ty rubber coated 12 sided type that make them smaller then olympic weight plates