To reach championship heights in Olympic lifting, a lifter, must possess terrific power to push and pull with explosive speed the heavy weights needed to win a competition. To ensure that you have the necessary power to press and pull with equal ability, your training time must be divided with a specific aim in mind.
If you are weak in the press then you should at times in your career include specialized pressing routines. However, the press in most cases is the lift that receives more than its share of attention. In the many years of my association with weightlifting and weightlifters I have advised changes in pressing routines but rarely have I had to advise lifters to do mo9re pressing, because the press is the most popular lift of the three. So much so that many lifters neglect training for a stronger pull in favor of mo9re time on pressing. This is good if you are a very poor presser and outstanding in the snatch and clean. Usually it is the other way and most good pressers have achieved their pressing ability at the expense of their pulling power.
We must not lose sight of the fact that two of the three lifts are dependent upon a powerful and explosive pull. It makes good sense to plan your training with thought to developing a stronger pull because you will have a two to one chance of obtaining a better total by improving the snatch and clean.
I am not suggesting that you cease training on the press but what I do suggest is that you plan your training so that you get at least 25% more training on the pull than you do on the press.
Power training on the pull is designed to develop more power and speed in the snatch and the clean. So this must be kept in mind when designing a routine and slow, laborious such as the slow dead lift must not be practiced over an extended period. However, a routine must be designed around the fast high pull which has become a must for all champions and would be champions. It can be adapted to both snatch and clean by simply changing the hand spacing and the amount of weight used.
The High Pull is performed as follows:
1) Grip the bar as you would for the snatch or clean . . . arms straight, hips low, back flat, head high and hook grip to ensure that the bar does not slip from your grip before your have finished the reps.
2) Now pull with all your power and explode the weight upwards as fast as you can. As the bar passes the knees put in a full effort to accelerate the bar as you reach high on your toes with head up to gain every inch in the height of your pull. When pulling with the clean grip it may help you to pull high and close to the body by pulling the bar up onto a belt.
3) The weight is then lowered to the floor for another rep or to the height of the knees for a dead-hang rep.
Because this is very heavy training and as power is what is sought, the reps should range from singles to five. Most lifters prefer to begin with their top snatch or clean and work up in 20-pound increases from three reps to singles with very heavy poundages. Also, the number of exercises should be kept to three and the training time should be divided into the number of minutes allocated to each exercise. Do not rush this type of training but take sufficient rest between attempts or sets. A suggested five day weekly routine follows:
Monday -- Press 40 minutes; Power Snatch 40 minutes; High Pulls, Snatch Grip 40 minutes.
Tuesday -- Squat 60 minutes; regular, half and quarter.
Wednesday -- Press 40 minutes, Power Cleans 40 minutes; High Pulls, Clean Grip 40 minutes.
Thursday -- Same as Tuesday.
Friday -- Press 40 minutes; Power Snatch 40 minutes; High Pulls, Snatch Grip 40 minutes.
Power training on a five day per week schedule cannot be extended over too long a period or staleness and loss of interest will result. The routine mentioned should be used for six weeks then changed for a three workout per week schedule employing the three Olympic lifts for three weeks then back to the six week power training routine. After two six-week sessions of this power routine you will show great improvement. When you feel that you have had enough of this power routine, continue with the Olympic routine with the inclusion of either the squat or high pulls in each training session.
Train hard, rest well and sufficiently, eat well and success will be yours if you persist.
Courtesy Vimy Athletic Club News Bulletin
Enjoy Your Lifting!
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