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I believe that supporting strength is very important to lifters, especially athletes, today. I feel that many injuries are caused by imbalances in the body's ability to properly support itself and the weight used on a given exercise.
Since I don't have a squat rack, I take my squats from near bottom position. I never have a lift off on flat bench press. I must do all overhead work standing, etc... The factors, which many people would call an inconvenience, I give credit to with my strength training.
Here is an interesting article I found...
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http://danjohn.org/page44.html
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Supporting Dinosaurs
Every four years, the world brings it attention to the Summer Olympics. And, every four years, an announcer states, while trying to comment on the Olympic Lifts, that “the snatch is the fastest movement in sports.” True. A few minutes later, in all the coverage that weight lifting will receive, a massive weight will be cleaned, the lifter will rise, jerk it overhead and be declared “the world’s strongest man.” Again, true. Then, our announcers will return us to yet another five hours of full coverage of the women’s gymnastics warm ups.
Through much of this century, the United States dominated much of the sport of Olympic Lifting. A poor showing at the 1964 Olympics was considered a matter of bad selection of the athletes and poor planning of the Senior Nationals and Olympic Trials was blamed in 1968. But by 1972, the era of American dominance ended, save for Lee James’ wonderful Silver Medal performance in 1976, twenty –three years ago. Olympic Lifting could not survive the scandals of steroids and “uppers” that rocked the sport in the Sixties, the influx of Universal weight machines and the hype of Nautilus machines and the direct competition provided by the birth of Powerlifting.
In the United States, Olympic Lifters find quite a hill to climb. “Gyms” don’t allow weights to be dropped, or chalk used, or, in many cases today, weights to be put overhead. Meets are always a long drive away and poorly sponsored.
So, why do it? Simple: there is no other movement, no other feeling of accomplishment, like lifting a bar from the floor to overhead. There are no racks, no spotters, no special equipment and no other person affecting the bar. It is hard to blame the bar.
The best way to learn the lifts is to get with a coach, other lifters and plan on lifting in a meet. At an Olympic Lifting meet, one can learn more about the sport in three hours than all the articles and videos in the world. The snatch and the clean and jerk lead the lifter to constantly think “how can I do more?”
In this article, however, I would like to suggest some ways that Olympic Lifting can help the Dinosaur Lifter. I am convinced that a year of pure Olympic Lifting would more than repay any athlete for the efforts. Watching films of Russian and Polish high jumpers spending their winter months doing rep after rep of snatches taught me that these lifts carry over into any athletic arena.
For the dino lifter, I have three simple suggestions. Although the Olympic Lifts build explosion as no other activity can do, the most neglected benefits of the lifts is the development of support strength. When squat snatching, the lifter catches the bar in the deep squat position with the arms fully extended overhead. Many observers “ooh” and “aah” the flexibility,” lifters notice the support. Here are three simple ideas:
Pressouts. I learned this trick from Pacifica Barbell Club coach Dick Notmeyer. Simply, at the end of any overhead lift, including presses, jerks, or push jerks or presses, finish the set with “pressouts.” As you stand tall, with arms locked out overhead, bend your elbows so the bar moves no more than three inches. Continue to do this up to eight times. Now, put the bar down. As simple as this seems, this exercise builds the whole support system. Soon, you may notice the serratus muscles, the “fingers” on the rib cage, becoming a lot more noticeable. As your body tightens to compensate during the pressouts, you are building support strength.
Overhead Squats. I am a fanatic about this exercise. A few years ago, I coached a young man who weighed 215 pounds and threw the high school discus 214 feet. People constantly asked how he kept himself “in one piece” as he threw. Our secret weapon was the overhead, or snatch, squat. Take a light bar off the racks like a normal squat. With a wide grip, experiment a bit with the grip, jerk the weight overhead. It helps to have heeled shoes or your feet, in a squat stance, raised on some plywood or plates. Now, squat down. As you do, you will find that your shoulders are stiff, your ankles are stiff, and your back is stiff. Try to sit down with your knees wide, keeping the bar directly above your ears. Did I say “a light bar?” Be very careful the first few times. A fellow coach once told me that he wouldn’t let his college discus throwers throw outside until they handled bodyweight in the exercise for fifteen reps! As you progress in this exercise, you will find your flexibility improving, your balance improving and your support strength skyrocketing.
Squatting Behind the Neck Presses. Maybe, you would like to enter a meet or train under a coach. One simple exercise for learning the “bottom positions” while building support strength is “squatting behind the neck presses.” As you may have figured out, the exercise involves taking a light weight and squatting down. Again, heeled shoes or standing on some plywood or plates will help. At the bottom, squeeze your knees apart. Now, the hard part. Remaining in this position, press the weight up. Try to get several reps. Don’t be surprised if you can’t press anything close to a normal weight. Again, the flexibility and support strength will help in any athletic endeavor.
These three ideas may be used any time. Try sneaking the pressouts into a workout, by the way, it also works in bench presses, but have a good spotter. Substitute overhead squats once a week for other leg movements. And, for the truly gung ho, add the squatting behind the neck presses. You’ll see the difference in your ability to support the big weights.
Since I don't have a squat rack, I take my squats from near bottom position. I never have a lift off on flat bench press. I must do all overhead work standing, etc... The factors, which many people would call an inconvenience, I give credit to with my strength training.
Here is an interesting article I found...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://danjohn.org/page44.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Supporting Dinosaurs
Every four years, the world brings it attention to the Summer Olympics. And, every four years, an announcer states, while trying to comment on the Olympic Lifts, that “the snatch is the fastest movement in sports.” True. A few minutes later, in all the coverage that weight lifting will receive, a massive weight will be cleaned, the lifter will rise, jerk it overhead and be declared “the world’s strongest man.” Again, true. Then, our announcers will return us to yet another five hours of full coverage of the women’s gymnastics warm ups.
Through much of this century, the United States dominated much of the sport of Olympic Lifting. A poor showing at the 1964 Olympics was considered a matter of bad selection of the athletes and poor planning of the Senior Nationals and Olympic Trials was blamed in 1968. But by 1972, the era of American dominance ended, save for Lee James’ wonderful Silver Medal performance in 1976, twenty –three years ago. Olympic Lifting could not survive the scandals of steroids and “uppers” that rocked the sport in the Sixties, the influx of Universal weight machines and the hype of Nautilus machines and the direct competition provided by the birth of Powerlifting.
In the United States, Olympic Lifters find quite a hill to climb. “Gyms” don’t allow weights to be dropped, or chalk used, or, in many cases today, weights to be put overhead. Meets are always a long drive away and poorly sponsored.
So, why do it? Simple: there is no other movement, no other feeling of accomplishment, like lifting a bar from the floor to overhead. There are no racks, no spotters, no special equipment and no other person affecting the bar. It is hard to blame the bar.
The best way to learn the lifts is to get with a coach, other lifters and plan on lifting in a meet. At an Olympic Lifting meet, one can learn more about the sport in three hours than all the articles and videos in the world. The snatch and the clean and jerk lead the lifter to constantly think “how can I do more?”
In this article, however, I would like to suggest some ways that Olympic Lifting can help the Dinosaur Lifter. I am convinced that a year of pure Olympic Lifting would more than repay any athlete for the efforts. Watching films of Russian and Polish high jumpers spending their winter months doing rep after rep of snatches taught me that these lifts carry over into any athletic arena.
For the dino lifter, I have three simple suggestions. Although the Olympic Lifts build explosion as no other activity can do, the most neglected benefits of the lifts is the development of support strength. When squat snatching, the lifter catches the bar in the deep squat position with the arms fully extended overhead. Many observers “ooh” and “aah” the flexibility,” lifters notice the support. Here are three simple ideas:
Pressouts. I learned this trick from Pacifica Barbell Club coach Dick Notmeyer. Simply, at the end of any overhead lift, including presses, jerks, or push jerks or presses, finish the set with “pressouts.” As you stand tall, with arms locked out overhead, bend your elbows so the bar moves no more than three inches. Continue to do this up to eight times. Now, put the bar down. As simple as this seems, this exercise builds the whole support system. Soon, you may notice the serratus muscles, the “fingers” on the rib cage, becoming a lot more noticeable. As your body tightens to compensate during the pressouts, you are building support strength.
Overhead Squats. I am a fanatic about this exercise. A few years ago, I coached a young man who weighed 215 pounds and threw the high school discus 214 feet. People constantly asked how he kept himself “in one piece” as he threw. Our secret weapon was the overhead, or snatch, squat. Take a light bar off the racks like a normal squat. With a wide grip, experiment a bit with the grip, jerk the weight overhead. It helps to have heeled shoes or your feet, in a squat stance, raised on some plywood or plates. Now, squat down. As you do, you will find that your shoulders are stiff, your ankles are stiff, and your back is stiff. Try to sit down with your knees wide, keeping the bar directly above your ears. Did I say “a light bar?” Be very careful the first few times. A fellow coach once told me that he wouldn’t let his college discus throwers throw outside until they handled bodyweight in the exercise for fifteen reps! As you progress in this exercise, you will find your flexibility improving, your balance improving and your support strength skyrocketing.
Squatting Behind the Neck Presses. Maybe, you would like to enter a meet or train under a coach. One simple exercise for learning the “bottom positions” while building support strength is “squatting behind the neck presses.” As you may have figured out, the exercise involves taking a light weight and squatting down. Again, heeled shoes or standing on some plywood or plates will help. At the bottom, squeeze your knees apart. Now, the hard part. Remaining in this position, press the weight up. Try to get several reps. Don’t be surprised if you can’t press anything close to a normal weight. Again, the flexibility and support strength will help in any athletic endeavor.
These three ideas may be used any time. Try sneaking the pressouts into a workout, by the way, it also works in bench presses, but have a good spotter. Substitute overhead squats once a week for other leg movements. And, for the truly gung ho, add the squatting behind the neck presses. You’ll see the difference in your ability to support the big weights.
