Triangulated Power!

Today I want to go over something that will help ensure you are performing your clean's and snatch's to a better degree. If you're not into Olympic lifting, guess what!?! You can you this too as an athlete in order to better perform a major lift in the gym to accomplish true power and strength! Read through all this and apply it to your Power Cleans! 

 Look around you. Triangles are everywhere!  Any structure requiring a strong and rigid construction depends on triangles to achieve that goal.  Even though they might not be obvious or even seen for that matter, triangles are at work wherever strength and rigidity are important. This holds true even in weightlifting. Ask any coach what the "power triangle" is and he will gladly show you a person who has a developed set of shoulder blades, abdominal, and the glutes. However, today we are not talking about how to create a power triangle. We are here to discuss how to properly close the weightlifting triangle that has created the power and stability for your lift. 

Once you get past your knees in the initial pull, you should certainly have a triangle between your knees, shoulders and the hips. Can't imagine what I am talking about? Go ahead and grab a stick, bar, or just act as if you are holding the a bar. Go slowly thru the 1st pull and stop when the "bar" is just past your knees. Pause there and think. You have created a triangle. This position is important to form: The hips are away from the bar, the arms are directed back towards the thighs, and the chest over the bar forming 3 sides of a “power triangle.” In this position you are strong, stable and prepared to transfer the weight thru the 2nd pull.

This is where people make a big mistake. They either close the triangle to slow, to fast, or do not actually keep the bar in contact leaving a gap in the triangle. You may hear it at the gym as: completed a short pull, leaving the hips out, or not finishing with extension. Regardless how you are completing the pull, you are not closing the triangle in one way or another.  

The triangle stores a ton of potential power, the hips/glutes/lats are primed and ready to explode with force. You basically have to try in order to not create the triangle when the bar is above the knees. However, people often form the triangle correctly... but do not properly shut it.

Focus on driving your hips to the bar as soon as the bar passes your knees. Keep the bar close by utilizing your lats. Pull your knees under the bar with a dipping type movement, and then forcefully thrust your hips forward into the bar while simultaneously pulling the bar into your hips with the lats. DO NOT BEND YOUR ARMS!  Shut the triangle with control and conviction to get the most power into your clean or snatch. I however want to caveat this with one thing that will inevitably happen as you practice. Body position is always critical throughout any Olympic lifts. So... ensure proper body positioning at all times!. As you transition thru the 2nd pull your back/hips should move in conjunction with your knees. Neither should extend earlier than the other. If you extend your knees to early, you have no more room to explode upward. Same goes for your hips... if you open to early you will be leaning to far back and taken out of the proper power position as well as your bar path will be impacted. Either way, you are unable to create triple extension as intended or desired.

Practice closing the triangle at a slow pace with light weight. Gradually increase your speed as you get more familiar and are able to demonstrate proper positioning throughout the lift. Once you are moving in a fluid motion and able to maintain positioning, then move up in weight.

 As always, if you found this helpful, please leave a comment or email me. I am always looking to write what interests the readers, so have an idea of an interesting or debated topic , want to know something specific, liked a previous post and want it expanded upon? email or comment below. All feedback is greatly appreciated! 

Until next week... Lift it over head, slam it to the ground and repeat! Practice makes progression and progression to Gold!

Performance Based Nutrition

So... I know last week I said I was going to cover training tips. However, I received a few emails requesting nutrition as the next topic. I am here to educate the readers, so nutrition it is!

LOOKS VS. LIFTS!

Unlike bodybuilders or physique competitors, aesthetics aren't the objective for weightlifters, Thus, the correct diet needs to promote recovery and provide the right foundation for the explosive power required to perform lifts to their maximum potential.

The importance of diet in sport has been recognized for many years, but there has been significant research into nutritional importance in resistance training since the turn of the millennium.
In 2003 Jeff S. Volek, a professor at the University of Connecticut, stated in the journal for Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise that diet can ‘optimize adaptations to resistance training’ by providing key energy substrates at precise times and by altering the hormonal environment to favor anabolism (muscle synthesis/growth). In short, if you eat the right things, your body will work better. So how does this so called "diet" work?

PROTEIN POWER!

It has been a widely-held belief for some time that protein intake is essential for an athlete, but particularly in resistance training-based sports. A study published in a journal for the National Institute of Health suggests, "Significant increases in 1RM bench press and leg press were observed in all groups after 10 weeks. In this study, the combination of whey and casein protein promoted the greatest increases in fat-free mass after 10 weeks of heavy resistance training." So what is the amount you should be ingesting for optimal performance? According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a range of 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight a day is optimal.

  
Many athletes try to include a protein source with each meal – whether derived from pulses, whole grains, soy, beef, chicken, eggs, dairy or seafood. Any snacks in between meals should be rich in protein, which helps to repair muscle cells when broken down into amino acids. Whole grains and pulses, as well as green and some starchy vegetables such as sweet potato, are also excellent sources of complex carbohydrates, which will delay the onset of muscle fatigue – an essential step to prevent the body from burning useful sources of fuel, such as protein.

JUST AS YOUR LIFTS, TIMING IS EVERYTHING!

Interestingly, there is also evidence that consuming the right foods at different points of the day has an impact on training productivity. In a article released by the Journal of Nutrition, studies found "protein ingestion before sleep represents an effective dietary strategy to augment muscle mass and strength gains during resistance exercise training in young men." So consuming protein before bed will aid your recovery overnight.

Consuming the right nutrients after a training session, though, is even more important according to a study released by Exercise Metabolism Research Group. McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, state that it is advantageous for athletes to consume fluid, carbohydrates and protein in the “post-exercise period… when re-hydration, refueling and repair of damaged tissues should occur.” Most of the day’s carbohydrates should be taken post-workout to aid in nutrient uptake and proper recovery. However, despite being the body’s main energy source, weightlifting does not require as many carbohydrates as endurance training. Energy is essential for weightlifting, and failing to consume sufficient calories will jeopardize any training sessions.

KNOW THE FATS!

Unsaturated rather than saturated fats should be consumed whenever possible. In a report by Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, athletes should consume between 20 and 35 per cent of total calorie intake from fats. Cooking with olive oil, rather than vegetable oils, is recommended by some weightlifting coaches as a source of good fats, as is avocado, fish oils and dark chocolate, to name a few other examples.

WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE?

While protein/fat ratios or recommendations of which type of protein are a specified science unique to each individual, you must never underestimate water. Always ensure proper hydration! You need to drink enough to replace any fluids you lose, so you don't become dehydrated. As an athlete with a large amount of muscle mass, you should drink roughly two-thirds of your body weight in ounces each day, according to PBS.

RULES CAN BE BROKEN

These are guidelines and not hard facts. Remember, every human body is different and there are no strict or unbreakable rules when it comes to YOUR diet! Many weightlifters will indulge in cheat meals every now and then – even those that are at the elite level. As long as you are feeling great and performing to your best abilities, feel free to experiment with these guidelines.

Found this weeks article helpful? How will you implement the nutritional guidelines? Want to learn something specific next week? Leave me a comment or email me directly for more info!

Until next week...
Lift it overhead, slam it to the ground and repeat! Practice leads to progression... progression to Gold!