More on Joe Dube here:
At the age of 15 my snatch was higher than my press; at the time I weighed 195 pounds. I started to devote more time to the press because my ambition was to become the first teenager to press 400 pounds, which I did just before my 20th birthday.
I gained in strength in the press lift due to concentration and gradual gains in bodyweight. My speed in the quick lifts suffered, especially in the snatch. I made gains of course in the snatch and clean & jerk, but the press really zipped up.
When I made my first appearance on the national scene, I was known mostly for my pressing ability. My lifts were out of balance and I knew if I was to become a lifting champion I had to put much more energy into my quick lifting.
I did not succeed for some time and my lifting suffered greatly.
I made several approaches to the problem, with most failing. Finally, after losing the 1969 Senior Nationals to Ken Patera because of a low snatch after leading by 40 pounds in the press, I made up my mind to work the snatch until it was where I wanted.
Walter Imahara [not in the photo] suggested the frog-leg style to me, and I started working immediately on it . . .
In the old-style snatching I employed before, I would either lose the bar forward, or I was continuously off balance to the front. The frog-style made me keep the bar close to my body during the entire pull. I could then get a lot of leg power in my snatching and was in excellent position to descend into the low position faster than before. I worked, or specialized, on this style and began to get the results I wanted. The poundages went up for records in training, and my speed was much better.
With about two months' training from the Senior National loss to Patera to the World Championships, I had the snatch to the point where I could make up ground and not lose any of the top lifters. The snatch in the Senior Nationals was 320, in the World Championships it moved up to 358. It was this specialization work I did before the World Championships that really won it for me. The snatch had finally done me a favor!
Since then the snatch has consistently moved up, but I have begun turning my attention to the clean and jerk. I snatched 363 in the 1970 World Championships making all 3 attempts. This year I have moved the lift up to 369 which I made in the Senior Nationals. I had great expectations for my lifting in the Pan American Games and the World Championships, but rather than disgrace the United States with a subpar performance I withdrew because of an illness and injury I suffered 5 days before competition. My training was going better than ever, but there will be a next time!
With some luck and determination I hope to set a world record in the snatch some time in the next year. My goal is a 402 snatch before I retire.
I believe everyone has a certain style to suit his own body proportions. It's like most things in that no two people do something exactly alike. A lifter should strive to find, work on, and perfect the best style suited for himself. He should do some free movements with a stick or the unloaded bar to mentally and physically train himself to react. Speed, coordination, position and flexibility should be in his mind during any form work.
At this time my TRAINING FOR THE SNATCH consists of mostly basic movements. I do regular snatching, working up to a pre-planned weight, power snatching once a week, and have recently employed into my program the snatch deadlift. The latter is done with a fast pull, but with both arms held straight throughout and rise on toes at the finish. I like to train the snatch twice a week and will alternate power snatches and the snatch deadlifts from one workout to another. I usually lift a limit snatch every couple of weeks; this is no rule, however.
I have trained my snatch and power snatches from wooden blocks about 14 inches high. This tones up my second pull and is an excellent movement for speed training.
Straps are a handy training aid in assisting the grip; so much concentration can be put on actually pulling. I use the straps occasionally during regular snatches, but try to restrict their use to the assistance exercises. I like the natural feel of the bar during the regular snatching, especially the closer it gets to a tournament.
Before each training session I use a wooden stick to limber up my shoulders. I also do some freehand movements to loosen up the back and legs, and the ankles.
I do mostly singles with heavy weights, but do reps on occasion. I keep the reps to under 3 per set, and most of the reps are done during the early phase of the workout or the warmup period.
Here are examples of two snatch workouts I did last week:
Wednesday
Power Snatch - 135x3x2, 205x3, 245x2, 265x1, 285x1, 305x1x3
Snatch Deadlift - 225x2, 295x2, 325x2, 365x2, 385x2
Saturday
Snatch - 135x3x2, 205x2, 255x2, 285x1, 310x1, 330x1, 350x1
I considered the snatch my weakness; overcoming this weak point has helped my lifting greatly.
To me the snatch is the most athletic and beautiful movement in the field of sports. I think it is perhaps the key to a rise in the popularity of the sport.
In concluding this article I would like to point out that everyone should be able to improve on his lifting if he puts enough work in on his weak points. If he doesn't, his lifting may never reach its potential and he will certainly be discouraged. Having an open mind and an honest approach to training is the key to success.
Enjoy Your Lifting!
I enjoy watching Anatoly the Cleaner pranks and videos. He's a good lifter with a great sense of humor who, to the best of my knowledge, has yet to take a beating for it! I wanted to check out some of his programs so I did. Here is a nice power-lifting/building one transcribed to a printable doc.
No comments:
Post a Comment