Exhibits A and B. Hook grip. Watch. Use them or suck at life.
First: If you’re not using the hook grip on your cleans and snatches, stop what you’re doing and punch yourself in the face. Randy, Ryan and Jason: You should all have black eyes next time I see you. Yes Jason, I know it hurts your thumbs. It’s going to hurt worse if you suck.
Second: If you don’t own a watch, buy one. Now. I’m not sure how you function in the “real world” (no, i-Phones don’t count as watches) but in my gym you will bring a watch to class from here until the end of the World. If the Mayans are correct, you only have a couple of days to enjoy your new watch.
Next, two great reads on topics near and dear to our hearts. The first is from Spencer Arnold about staying over the bar in the Snatch and Clean. We’ve covered this many times, but once again, sometimes it’s better to hear it from someone else in their words. Rely on your levers, not your strength.
The second is from John Welbourn. Coach Rudy poised the question on his site yesterday, “Why do ‘1-RM Calculators’ not correlate to 1-RM’s? This is especially important to keep in mind as we train sub-maximal lifts. When we went through our two 6-week cycles of 20-RM Heavy Breathing Squats last January/February, we found that almost no one PR’d their 1-RM after hitting this brutal cycle for almost 2 months. Quite simply, Sub-Maxiaml Strength does not correlate to Maximal Strength. We know this intuitively, but it bears acknowledging that all squats are not created equal.
For example: Tuesday we squatted 3 x 10. I hit 315, 325 and then 330 (I feel like 330 was a TRUE 10-RM, as I collapsed in agony shortly after…). According to this Squat Calculator, I should be able to squat 440# for one. My last 1-RM was 415#. Maybe I could pull out a 440# squat today or tomorrow, but honestly I don’t think I’m there yet.
There are many reasons for this. Muscle fiber type and make-up, mental fortitude and prior training are all important variables that have to be taken into account.
1) Muscle fibers (from Welbourn’s article):
“To understand how it affects strength and muscle fibers, lets apply Dr. Fred Hatfield’s muscle fiber test.
– Find your one rep maximum on the back squat
– Rest 15 mins
– Perform as many reps as possible with 80% of your 1 RM
Analysis:
– Less than 7 repetitions – fast twitch (FT) dominant
– 7-8 repetitions – mixed fiber type
– More than 8 repetitions – slow twitch (ST) dominant”
Coincidentally, 330# is very close to 80% (79.5% to be exact) of my 1-RM of 415#. According to Hatfield, I would be slow twitch dominant. Although knowing myself, my athletic capabilities and work output, I strongly believe I am mixed fiber type. Bottom line: crush whatever you’re doing, whether it’s light for high reps or heavy for one.
2) Mental Fortitude: Some people can handle more pain and push through hard reps better than others.
3) Prior Training: Form follows function. In other words, if you have trained heavy at low reps and single reps, you are going to be good at lifting heavy for singles, doubles and triples. If you have trained higher rep sets, you will be able to handle those weights at those volumes better. Training dictates output. And your goals should dictate your training. If you want to be good at everything, you have to train everything.
Read Welbourn’s article and post your comments and thoughts below. Hopefully it will put some of this into context/perspective.
Modified Outlaw Training
BB Gymnastics
1) Every 30 seconds for 5 minutes (11 total reps):
1 Power Snatch @ 80% (of max Snatch any style)
2) Every 30 seconds for 5 minutes (11 total reps):
1 Power Clean @ 80% (of max Clean any style)
Conditioning
Run: 4X800m – rest 1:1 – 25 burpee penalty for every set that deviates + 5 sec. from the fastest set.
Notes: Work should be at 80-90% RPE.
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coachwinchester 
BBG – Bad form on both lifts.
Power snatch – 180: Bar isn’t making contact with my hips and I’m pressing the bar out at the top, probably a product of bad leverage.
Power clean – 225: I’m leaning back and legs are getting wide. It was ugly.
Run:
2:46
2:50 something (+25 burpees)
2:50 something (+25 burpees)
2:42
1.) 145 Hit 100% and started to get my snatch back. Spencer’s article helped me visualize the lever action. I need to focus on bar path touching hips on the way up, this happened ~50%. Regardless… way better than Monday’s snatch fail.
2.) 190 Felt good, I cut my nails too short and started bleeding at my r. thumb from the hook grip. Used hook grip one handed in sets 7-11.
Got the 1000m rows option in
3:46, 3:46, 3:43
Going to have to try that Dr. Fred test.
You cut your nails to0 short? Possibly the least masculine reason for not hook griping. Need to borrow some vagisil from Dillon
Ha – I would agree with Jeff, but I too have cut my nails too short and bled. Never stopped using the HG though… 😉
BBG
1) 155# evesdropped on the lecture about hips to the 530 class… kept this in mind and snatches felt great.
2) After punching myself in the face, my hook grip was in place and I hit 9 of 11… still trying to get comfortable with hook grip to regular during transition.
Conditioning
3:05/3:01/3:04/3:05
People are going to ask questions when I show up to work tomorrow…
1) 135 11/11 Felt great
2) 205 11/11 A little shaky on the catch at times (most times)
Conditioning
2:33, 2:34, 2:36, 2:34 Felt solid and consistent. I’m probably going to feel silly though after Reid posts his times…
1) 115 Hit most of my attempts – very week in this department
2) 150 Technique is coming around
Conditioning: 2:47 to 2:50…No burpees for the very first time
1. 100# (11/11)
2. 140# (11/11)
3. 3:12/3:10/3:07/3:10
BBG – Felt quick and solid
1) 165
2) 225
Conditioning –
2:23, 2:19, 2:27 & 2:27
A) 140 11/11
B) 175 11/11
C) 2:47, 2:47, 2:43, 2:44
I never cut my fingernails too short. But sometimes the ladies at the mani/pedi shop cut my fingernails too short. Nothing a little lotion can’t fix, though!
Where is the like button on this thing.
1) 75 11/11
2) 95 11/11 – I need to retest this 1RM
Conditioning – 3:40, 3:38, 3:42, 3:40
Are ya’ll seriously complaining about a hook grip? WTF
Thank you Melissa. (AKA: Melissa-I-use-the-man-weight-in-warmup-Feliz).
I told Santa to bring me a watch.
A. 95
B. 130
C. 2:44/2:48/2:50(+25 burpees)/2:47