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