Max Vo2 based snatch training

One of my strengths is being able to take a training program and follow it. For weeks, months, even years. Understanding the concepts and principles and then applying them as I work diligently and patiently towards the competition or test at the end of the rainbow.

Goals and Deadlines.

One of my favorite sayings and in my opinion, two of the key components one obtains the things they say they want.Without a goal it's not really training, just exercising. Or, even worse, playing around. Shiny new things and all that.

Without a deadline of some sort the hard part, the peaking, the testings, the judging of the success or failure of your program design, and even worse, your willpower and dedication somehow never comes about. Getting on the platform and doing it in front of your peers, colleagues and family really separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls.

Testing and competition will either make you or break you.

It's been said the challenges don't build character, they reveal it. And I believe this, and lived it for now almost 40 years, always have a goal and a deadline in mind to guide and shape my training. And taking a method and following it, testing it, really seeing if it worked for real was a huge part of that process.

But, it also turned into a weakness; creating guilt and anxiety if what my gut and instincts told me where out of phase with the "program". And, if the program was designed by brilliant coaches and instructors it make it even harder to " go my own way" and or tweak the program.

This became very apparent to me after I finished competing in powerlifting and recognized that the super wide stance squat, with a flat shoe was NOT my strongest position or technique. And I know now that my reluctance to go with my gut and use the positions where I felt strong, even though they didn't make "sense" according to the standard "theory" cost me my 600 lb squat. No doubt in my mind.

My bad.

I argued with Louie but deferred to the coach and his ideas. They made sense to me intellectually. Just not in my body.

Louie and WSB are ALL about identifying and training your weaknesses and turning them into your strengths. Which is cool. But the system had me competing my weaknesses( wide stance).

Train your weaknesses, COMPETE your STRENGTHS.

Now I know.

Postitions of leverage are SO individual its very hard for people to say where they will be the strongest except for performance.

It's all easy til its heavy. Then you find out where your groove really is.

I just kept wanting to do it "right". Not just my way. My bad again.

Master Instructor Kenneth Jay wrote in an email that " beginners need to learn the rules, intermediates obey the rules, and advanced athletes has to learn how to break them."

I get this.

Now.

So I get a bit nuts when I even think about modifying KJ's Max vo2 protocols. I can wave the loads and cycle the intensities and even cut back the recommended number of workouts without problem but doing 36:36 and switching arms instead of staying on just the prescribed one arm at a time?! Could make me crazy, but I know also the grip fatigue and shoulder misalignment go hand in glove with me so I wasn't going to choose that.

But I wanted more that 15:15 right now and decided to go with my gut and Tracy's excellent advice to do Max vo2 BASED training. Freestyle if you will and my gut liked this. I wanted the longer sets of work but not the grip fatigue. 8/8 and then rest 36 second, there ya go. I just don't like to feel liked I am avoiding something because it's too hard.

The hard way is the right way, eh Bikram? Usually I agree.

It's just interval training, after all.

And my gut also told me to play around with the GS snatch. I have always had the greatest respect for GS athletes. It's my kind of repetitive masochistic individual sport. Absolutely should be in the olympics imo. It's the perfect no reward except personal honor and glory that Olympic sports should be about. Think wrestling .

I would have competed in GS when I was still competing in things, if my body allowed it, but every attempt to even play with the snatch in the past has caused shoulder and back problems. All that spiraling wasn't making the back happy at all.

And forget about the jerks. My knee, back and shoulders won't even consider them.

But with the brettzell and my thoracic spine mobility much improved, and my overhead work now allowing presses regularly, and my back behaving as well due to the right combination of stretching and mobility work I thought I might look at the snatch again.

I've been watching lots of videos of the Russians of the IKSFA and these guys are so impressive. SO much like gymnastics and powerlifting combined. Plus, like I said, the masochistic obsessiveness these athletes must have resonates with me. And I've been watching this video of Denis Vasiliev alot,especially the thoracic spine rotation that initiates the snatch drop.

I wouldn't use his leg techniques as my knees don't work like that but the layback at the start and the torso rotation do. Doing the brettzell regularly has really increased my T spine rotation which takes so much pressure off the lumbar spine.

So I wanted to play around with it today but still wanted to do some fast stuff as well.This is what I came up with.

Snatch Vo2

36:36

alternate sets of 7/7 done GS style with

sets of 8/8 done Hardstyle

26 sets total

13 sets gs=182 snatches

13 sets hs= 208 snatches

390 snatches total

This went very well and what was quite apparent from the get was that the gs stroke was slower for me. At least now. It involves more movement than the hs technique.More moving parts, if you will. and you don't throw the bell down as you do in HS.

Both techniques felt good although I have miles to go with the gs one. but having that visual of initiating the rotation from the opposite shoulder thoracic spine helped immediately.

For me to do 80 sets of 8 in 15:15 it will have to be over the top technique but there's room for some play here too. It would be nice to train for high reps on one arm as well if the body says ok.

Two hand shield cast

20 lbs x8/8 x 2

25 lb x8/8 x 3

these were good but I should have done the two hand swings I had planned. Logistically it didn't work but now I know.

Listen to my gut.

Datsit.