Topic: Powergirl300 Training

[Jim Hooper]

Nice job Megan.  Strong girls are cool, and you are a strong girl.  How are you doing in terms of coaching?  Do you have someone who knows the sport helping you learn technique and plan your training?  There are some terrific WL coaches in Florida - are you working with one of them?

[Sean Hutchinson]

You really need to work on your core. You look very weak in your midsection, every clean you caught you stood up with a super round back. Probably the same reason your snatches felt off balance.

[powergirl300]

yeah starting today working on more core,lucky me i have a strong back,on my snatches i think i have to warmup differently i have to do the weight im about to do in warmup wrks for me in practice, b4 my lift didnt do that, plus my hands were shakeing ,when it came time for cleans anxiety sarted to go away. jim nah no coach right now i train by myself at a ymca, the closest coach is an hr away but cant get to him cuz no car.

[Sean Hutchinson]

yeah starting today working on more core,lucky me i have a strong back,on my snatches i think i have to warmup differently i have to do the weight im about to do in warmup wrks for me in practice, b4 my lift didnt do that, plus my hands were shakeing ,when it came time for cleans anxiety sarted to go away. jim nah no coach right now i train by myself at a ymca, the closest coach is an hr away but cant get to him cuz no car.

lol If you had a strong back your back wouldn't be rounding in your cleans. WHenever you deadlift, squat, and front squat work on keeping your back flat and sitting straight up. If you go up and weight and your back starts to round drop down in the weight and keep good form, eventually your back and abs( which make up your core) will become strong enough. Also I would add in some planks and other stabilization work to your program. The stronger your core is the more weight you'll be able to lift and you won't have to worry about hurting yourself dropping under those cleans. It's only a matter of time before you strain your back doing cleans like that.

[powergirl300]

sean i dead  lift 325 lbs i think my back is strong and it stays flat, when im fully up on front squats i start to round my back but i fix it cause i train with mirrors, rich lansky said its not my back but my core so idk wat ur talkin about, naw wont train my back,but i wonder if it has somthin to do with me being extremly hypermobile.i honestly think its just my core/abs its always been a weak point,and u cant pick up the weight to ur chest in a dead position if ur back was part of the problem, their uneven my back is to much stronger than abs,i can get under a clean of 190lbs right now but cant get it up,and my back is as hard as a rock thx to usa swimming and wrestling, another problem on my clean is i use my biceps to pick up the weight not my trapts feels awkward tried fixing that. ab wrkout 20 leg lifts on slanted bench 30 sit ups 30 crunches 1 min plank repeat everything 2 more times thats wat i do but maybe need to up it cuz abs dnt get sore anymore.

[Sean Hutchinson]

sean i dead  lift 325 lbs i think my back is strong and it stays flat, when im fully up on front squats i start to round my back but i fix it cause i train with mirrors, rich lansky said its not my back but my core so idk wat ur talkin about, naw wont train my back,but i wonder if it has somthin to do with me being extremly hypermobile.i honestly think its just my core/abs its always been a weak point,and u cant pick up the weight to ur chest in a dead position if ur back was part of the problem, their uneven my back is to much stronger than abs,i can get under a clean of 190lbs right now but cant get it up,and my back is as hard as a rock thx to usa swimming and wrestling, another problem on my clean is i use my biceps to pick up the weight not my trapts feels awkward tried fixing that. ab wrkout 20 leg lifts on slanted bench 30 sit ups 30 crunches 1 min plank repeat everything 2 more times thats wat i do but maybe need to up it cuz abs dnt get sore anymore.

Exactly my point...Here is a definition of core strength just in case you misunderstood what I meant.

"The balanced development of the deep and superficial muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body, especially the abdominals and muscles of the back."

Your core muscle include your back and your abdominals.

[Jim Hooper]

Ditto what Sean says.  The "core" we're talking about isn't "six pack."  Really focus on it during squats -- and include plenty of overhead and front squats at this stage - no heavier than you can do them with perfect form.  Before every rep, inflate, get "long" between you hips and neck, and LOCK that spine into its natural curve - slight normal arch in the lower spine, shoulder blades pulled back tight, chest up and out.  HOLD that spine configuration all the way down and all the way up.  The "core" we're talking about - which is mostly a bunch of muscles that you cannot even see -- will get stronger and better fast.  When it does, you will get much more power transfer to the bar from your hips and legs in the propulsion phases (pulls and jerk drives), and be much more solid and safe in the receiving positions.  Planks, supermans, and good old-fashioned back extensions can also help.   

[Sean Hutchinson]

Ditto what Sean says.  The "core" we're talking about isn't "six pack."  Really focus on it during squats -- and include plenty of overhead and front squats at this stage - no heavier than you can do them with perfect form.  Before every rep, inflate, get "long" between you hips and neck, and LOCK that spine into its natural curve - slight normal arch in the lower spine, shoulder blades pulled back tight, chest up and out.  HOLD that spine configuration all the way down and all the way up.  The "core" we're talking about - which is mostly a bunch of muscles that you cannot even see -- will get stronger and better fast.  When it does, you will get much more power transfer to the bar from your hips and legs in the propulsion phases (pulls and jerk drives), and be much more solid and safe in the receiving positions.  Planks, supermans, and good old-fashioned back extensions can also help.

THanks Jim, that was a great explanation!