Training Session 10 with Coach Keith
Started off with front squat work today. Started with the bar and worked up in sets of 5 until it got heavy, then Coach Keith knocked it down to sets of 3. Went up to 245lb, but only hit 2 reps (twice) because my form started to fall apart. Keith said that’s OK because that’s how I know it’s heavy enough. Anyway, need to really drive the elbows and chest up to keep the weight back and stable. Once you lose that, forget it pal.
Next up was the press. Started with the bar and worked up in sets of 5. Went up to 125lb for a few sets and quit when I could only eek out 4 reps. Again, the form started to fall apart and I was rocking forward on my toes. I need to drive the heels into the ground and work on getting the meat of my palm on the bar. Grabbing the bar with that meat and then rotating my hands under the bar before I unrack the weight is a big help.
Then we moved onto dumbbells to work on the 1 Arm DB Snatch (which I have a bit of experience with) and the 1 Arm DB Split Jerk (which I don’t). I did these in a mini-complex where I snatched 3x with one arm, shouldered the weight, then did 3 split jerks (opposite foot and hand), then repeated on the other side. Worked up in weight to 65lb, which was easy peasy for the snatch, but really exposing my flaws with the split jerk. If the weight isn’t completely stable and over the midline, you’ll wobble under heavier weight. For the snatch, Keith pointed out that I need to really make it one explosive movement and not catch and push it up from the squat. When you drop the hand, your just allowing your body to get under the weight but must keep it completely locked out (shoulder up). The same goes for the split jerk, but I also need to work on ‘soft feet’ to absorb the impact, grabbing the floor with all five toes on my back foot, and keeping the weight over my center line.
