Topic: Another snatch video.

[Paul LaDuke]

Thanks for your kind comments so far. I am still hoping somebody will come along and say if you just do X differently, your lifts will go up 5kg.

Here is the secret information that will help your lift go up by 5kgs.  Ready?  ... work hard.

Seriously though, your snatches look really great.  There are only 2 things to concetrate on in this sport - technique and strength.  You have great technique with 1 slight identifiable flaw.  You are very strong but as all weightlifters will say, you can get stronger.  Do just enough of the classic lifts to maintain form and do everything you can to get stronger.

[Carl Darby]

Thanks Paul. Will continue to work my butt off.

[John Wheeler]

Carl:

I am notably impressed with your lifting and technique.  Your quickness is astounding for a man my age.  I am 52 and have returned to lifting after a 15 year hiatus, I trained but did not concentrate on the olympic lifts.  Your posts have set the gold standard in my view and are inspirational and I am hoping by next November to snatch 100 again at 94 kgs.  I used to warmup with it.

Be well and thanks for your great videos.  I wish you the best in your pursuit of the record!

John

[Carl Darby]

Thanks John. Its good to know that someone is inspired by what I do. It is almost embarrasing, since in my view, all I've done is continue to train hard throughout the years, no different than many others, but fortunately losing less of my ability as I age than others have. Good luck with your comeback. Here's hoping that someday you warm up with 100kg snatches again (as long as you stay in the 94 class). Are you going to Masters Nationals this year?

[John Wheeler]

Carl:

No this year I am going to pass as I have a work commitment that conflicts and I am not where I want to be.  I did lift in the Masters Open in November after 5 weeks of training as an immersion exercise and also as a lesson in humility lol.  Seriously though I hope to continue to train as I enjoy it again.  I had time off due to life, work, raising my children and now I have remarried again after all those years and my wife is wonderful and totally supportive so I will God willing train hard and improve and then go to York in November and then compete again next year in April at the Nationals in NYC.  I will hope to see you there and you need'nt worry I weight 214 at the moment and am really aiming for 94 kgs. I believe in fitness and overall health so when I am not lifting I cycle for cardio health.

Be well and good training.  I look forward to seeing you progress and make that record, your snatch looks on target.  Your pull is quick and the groove is there.  In the words of Chevy Chase "be the bar".

Peace and light!

John

[Jim Hooper]

Carl,

Super lifting.  Your timing of the turnaround and your speed into the receiving position are stunning.  Could you shoot me a link to the video clips (apparently posted on YouTube, but I cannot find them searching there).  If you're interested, I will do a frame-by-frame of your lifts.   The angle you shot the clips is perfect for it.   We might see something tweakable, but it ain't going to be much . . . and tweaking technique that's already as solid as yours can be a cure worse than the disease.   If you had significant mechanical problems going on, we'd all have seen it already.  We don't.

The "X" between you and the record may be just raw strength and power.   What are the ratios of your current best back, front, and/or overhead squat to your SN and CJ?    If I saw one thing in the clips -- and it may be spurious -- it was that the strain to stabilize in the bottom looked harder than the rest of the lift.   When you are missing 105-105+ attempts, is there a pattern to the misses?

How's the mental aspect affecting, if at all, your attempts in the 105+ range?  Obviously you have great confidence going under 105.  When you go to 106 or 107 (or whatever weight is slightly higher than the top weights you regularly smoke in training) do you feel like psychologically that bump is more than than the 1% difference in the actual load?  May not be an issue, but if it is, there is plenty one can do to condition the nervous system's reaction to task, and that alone can be worth several kilos.   

You mentioned some possible imbalance associated with your throwing.  Are you feeling that in the lifts themselves -- i.e., any sense that the bar has some rotational inertia (wanting to turn like a helicopter prop above you) that you have to resist and bring under control in the amortization and arrest phases?  Or is it just something you are seeing on the video but not feeling during the movement itself?

Another couple thoughts, since you have been at it for some years:  What training approaches have you used?  What has worked best to bust plateaus in the past?  Is it possible that a changeup in the programming of your training would spur another little leap forward?  Maybe use some new loading schemes in the lifts or squats -- Mills system, waves, segments, etc. -- something your body is not accustomed to that could stimulate some new adaptation, without getting into funky non-specific stuff that might degrade technique?  What's your training frequency and volume -- and what happens when you change either variable?  At your experience and skill level, I would not be yanking the wheel of the ship that got you to this point in any dramatic way, but a little thoughtful, still-specific variation has busted many a plateau -- particularly if that has worked for you in the past.

Mighty impressive and inspiring lifting. 

[Carl Darby]

Thanks Jim, you've given me a lot to think about. Raw strength is my weakest point. My current bests are 110 snatch, 130 c&j, but only 135 front and 142.5 back squat. I'm working hard to bring the squats up.

[Carl Darby]

John, sorry you won't be there, but since my wife started working this year, it looks like I will have travel money for a few non local meets each year. Tentative plans are for nationals in both weightlifting and track and field. So if not sooner, see you in 2010.