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Thread: Increasing weight while learning power clean

  1. #1
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    Default Increasing weight while learning power clean

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    Hi Coach,

    I've dropped the rows for power cleans per your suggestion. My form is terrible, but the bruises at least have moved from my sternum to the tops of my shoulders, so I think I've made some small progress over the past three workouts.

    Question is, I've been using 20kg on the bar as the lightest bumper plates my gym has are 10kg. Should I begin to increase the weight by 5lb per workout while still getting the form togehter or should I keep it where it is until the technique is a bit more correct?

    Thanks.

  2. #2
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    I have never written a program for anybody that has the weight stay the same while a movement is learned. You learn the movement, work up to a weight that seems reasonable for your level of expertise, and then you go up a little THE NEXT WORKOUT. There is no point in a novice remaining at any weight for more than one workout, because the same weight will no more guarantee a technique improvement than a small jump will prevent it, and if you don't go up you're not getting stronger.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    I have never written a program for anybody that has the weight stay the same while a movement is learned. You learn the movement, work up to a weight that seems reasonable for your level of expertise, and then you go up a little THE NEXT WORKOUT. There is no point in a novice remaining at any weight for more than one workout, because the same weight will no more guarantee a technique improvement than a small jump will prevent it, and if you don't go up you're not getting stronger.
    I have found the "stay at the same weight until your form is perfect" mentality to be troublesome in Olympic weightlifting circles. In a way, it drove me away from the sport...as a busy martial artist, college student, and employee, I simply could not justify spending valuable training time to merely have my 40 kilo power snatch critiqued.

  4. #4
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    Oh god, yes. They seem to have forgotten that the guy that wins is the one who lifts the most weight. Technique, technique, technique, until the national program is shit as a result.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    I have never written a program for anybody that has the weight stay the same while a movement is learned. You learn the movement, work up to a weight that seems reasonable for your level of expertise, and then you go up a little THE NEXT WORKOUT. There is no point in a novice remaining at any weight for more than one workout, because the same weight will no more guarantee a technique improvement than a small jump will prevent it, and if you don't go up you're not getting stronger.
    Thanks Coach. You voiced my instincts but I needed validation on this one.

    I guess I've become a bit gun shy since starting out. Over the past five months, my awareness of my technique in the rest of the movements has progressively grown... accompanied by a proportional awareness of my flaws in performing them correctly.

  6. #6
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    I found my power clean form improved hugely while performing ladder complexes with it. eg 8 reps powerclean, PC to 8 reps press, PC to 8 reps front squat. Repeated after 1 min rest and dropping the reps by 2 each set, with a conservative weight that can be done for all reps.

    I know this goes against the grain but cleaning in a fatigued state forced good hip snap and really made me work to get the elbows under and up. Cleaned up all the problems I was having.

    Great fun too!

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogen View Post
    Hi Coach,

    I've dropped the rows for power cleans per your suggestion. My form is terrible, but the bruises at least have moved from my sternum to the tops of my shoulders, so I think I've made some small progress over the past three workouts.

    Question is, I've been using 20kg on the bar as the lightest bumper plates my gym has are 10kg. Should I begin to increase the weight by 5lb per workout while still getting the form togehter or should I keep it where it is until the technique is a bit more correct?

    Thanks.
    Do you have access to any 1.25 pound plates? Upping your weight by 2.5 pounds is still upping the weight. I used to get frustrated at not being able to add decent amounts to the PCs -- I mean it's a pull right -- not an upper body push movement. Then I realized something: The biggest world class super heavies, who are no doubt enhanced, doing full SQUAT cleans, pull somewhere in the mid-500s. The mid 500s would represent the MOST to expect out of only the most gifted human beings. So why do I think I should be able to add 5 - 10 lbs to my power cleans when I weigh 225#, am not enhanced, can't even DEADLIFT in the mid500s and am not world class anything (with the possible exception of avoiding work). Even though PCs are a pull, I think in terms of getting stronger at them, they more closely resemble an upper body push movement.

    Another thing to consider would be the form you need for your specific body. Thanks to a tip I got on this board from The Rippetoe himself, I adjusted my grip out wider to accomodate my gorilla-length arms. I was keeping my grip too narrow before; it made it very difficult to rack the bar at my shoulders. My little fingers are now on or slightly outside the rings -- it made the pull go much smoother and allows me to better get under the bar at the top.

    Keep adding the weight, but keep the increases manageable. You may be able to get away with 5# jumps for awhile, but don't be afraid to drop that to 2.5# over time.

    ~ bif ~

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Harry Munro View Post
    I found my power clean form improved hugely while performing ladder complexes with it. eg 8 reps powerclean, PC to 8 reps press, PC to 8 reps front squat. Repeated after 1 min rest and dropping the reps by 2 each set, with a conservative weight that can be done for all reps.

    I know this goes against the grain but cleaning in a fatigued state forced good hip snap and really made me work to get the elbows under and up. Cleaned up all the problems I was having.

    Great fun too!
    This is a wonderful suggestion, Harry. Practice your cleans in a way that absolutely rules out focusing on their technique. Just rely on native physical intelligence to figure it out. Sounds like a training breakthrough to me.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    This is a wonderful suggestion, Harry. Practice your cleans in a way that absolutely rules out focusing on their technique. Just rely on native physical intelligence to figure it out. Sounds like a training breakthrough to me.
    Anyone know if Mark is being facetious or not? I find it hard to tell in this case.

  10. #10
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    Helps reinforce the weak areas of technique. Worked very very well for me. Although thinking about it I had been practicing powercleans for a good while before so I wasn't a complete noob.

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