Pendlay Seminar

As I sit here and write this post, my hands are throbbing, my hip and back are sore, and my shoulder is stinging.  I have never wanted to train more in my life.

Today, I attended the Pendlay Olympic Lifting Seminar.  I learned so much.  I also got to see possibly the greatest lifter in American history (and future olympian) up close and personal.  I can go on and on about Donny Shenkle, but I will keep it to this:

1. His forearms are as big as my thighs
2. He is just a big human (6', 230lbs.)
3. When his hips hit the bar when snatching 165kg, it sound like a sledge hammer hitting the weights
4. He is a man

One of the most valuable experiences of today was listening to Donny and Glenn correct others in the lifts.  Being a coach myself, hearing there cues and adjustments with others gives me a lot to call on when I have to teach others.

I got a ton of video today from not only Donny doing the lifts step by step, slowly, and then with big weights, but also of myself.  I hit a snatch of 205lbs. (10lb. PR), and clean and jerk of 266 lbs (got buried by 283 lbs.).  I have a lot more in the tank for the snatch, and I will need to get my front squat up to improve my clean, but overall I need to improve my second pull if I want to hit the big weights.  When I look at Donny's lifts, I see very little space between his hips and the bar when it gets above his knee.  When I look at my video, I see a big gap and then my hips going to the bar.  I have to keep my hips back, then extend up as the bar comes back in.

I must say, having Donny yell at me to make a lift is very motivating.  I have his southern drawl buried in my mind now, something I can call on when I need to hit a lift, "Feet!"

On a side note, attending the seminar makes me wonder how some crossfitters are so successful with such poor lifting technique.  Oh well, I can only impact myself and those around me.  And it is my intention to help all of my clients and members with there technique.