Week 2017.07.24

Upcoming events:

• 2017 Testify Barbell Bash Weightlifting Meet
  • Date: The 2nd annual Testify Barbell Bash will take place on Saturday, 09/23/17!
  • Location: Concordia High School (click here for map) - practice gym
  • Registration: Click here (registration is online only).
  • Registration Deadline: Registration ends on 09/16/17, and those who register by September 9 will receive a Barbell Bash shirt, so register soon to get that shirt!
• 2017 USSF Fall Classic
  • Date: Saturday, 10/28/17
  • Location: Concordia High School (click here for map) - mezzanine and weight room
  • Registration: Click here (registration is online only).
  • Registration Deadline: The early registration discount deadline is 08/31/17, so register soon to save some dough.

Maddie reacquaints herself with the the clean-and-jerk after a hiatus of a few years. -- Bent arms in the clean are a major problem. Scholars have long suspected the "early arm bend" as the underlying cause of the fall of the Roman empire, and it is generally accepted that in societies where the early arm bend is prevalent, we also find that moral decay, sloth, and veganism run rampant. -- In addition to the above, bent arms in the clean cause an inefficient transfer of force from the lifter to the barbell - in effect, they act as a shock absorber. Maddie is a soccer player and would not dream of putting a pillow on top of her soccer shoe to cushion the blow that she delivers to the ball. In the same way, we don't want to cushion the "blow" that we deliver to the barbell when we jump it to our shoulders. -- So how do we fix this? Here are two cues that can help: 1. "Tighten the triceps." (this will help keep your elbows straight) 2. "Jump from your shoulders." -- It's probably worth noting that the second cue doesn't make a lot of sense biomechanically - at least at first glance. Remember that, in the clean, the arms are simply ropes or chains that hang from the shoulders, and ropes and chains do not bend or flex of their own volition. A clean, therefore, is simply a jump with the bar hanging from the shoulders. Thus we shorten "Jump with the bar hanging from the shoulders" to the much more manageable cue, "Jump from the shoulders," and it tends to work quite nicely. -- On the first rep of the clean-and-jerk (top), Maddie demonstrates an early arm bend (2nd frame). On the very next rep (bottom sequence), Maddie jumps with straight elbows (2nd frame, although a photo a split second later might admittedly be even more convincing). This is exactly what we want - nice adjustment, Maddie. -- If you have an early arm bend, try out one of these cues the next time you're warming up - it might solve the issue. Moral decay, sloth, and veganism will have to wait. -- #cleanandjerk #weightlifting #startingstrength #startingstrengthgym

A post shared by Testify Strength & Cond. (@testifystrengthconditioning) on Jul 21, 2017 at 9:18am PDT

This Week's ConditioningOption 1Sled10-20 x 25 yds EMOM at a weight of your choiceEvery minute, push the sled 25 yards, i.e., if pushing the sled takes 20 seconds, then you have 40 seconds to rest. Perform 10-20 rounds.Option 28 rounds:4 tire flips50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)Rest 1 minuteCompare to 2017.06.05.Option 34 rounds for time of:400m runRest 2 min between rounds.Compare to 2016.07.18.