FuBarbell

by @joannaita7 “The STRONG supers, Sarah Hopping and Kristin Newman, and their competition coaches! It takes a village sometimes! Great job, ladies! That was FUN!!!”

Big thanks to JoAnn Aita from Max’s Gym and Rob Estrella of Arena Ready for helping with the session. It really does take a village!

#FuBarbell #MaxsGym #ArenaReady #AmericanOpen2013 #USAWeightlifting #crossfit #crossfitgirls #crossfitmen #Olympicweightlifting #snatch #clean #cleanandjerk #technique #strongwomenarebadass

Sarah Estrella-Hopping (@sarahhopping) at The American a Open with a 187lbs/85kg snatch and 242lbs/110kg clean&jerk.

#FuBarbell #AmericanOpen2013 #USAWeightlifting #crossfit #crossfitgirls #crossfitmen #Olympicweightlifting #snatch #clean #cleanandjerk #technique #instagramfitness #strongwomenarebadass

Kristin Newman (@dancefightlift) at The American Open with a 169lbs/77kg snatch and 233lbs/106kg clean&jerk.

#FuBarbell #AmericanOpen2013 #USAWeightlifting #crossfit #crossfitgirls #crossfitmen #Olympicweightlifting #snatch #clean #cleanandjerk #technique #instagramfitness #strongwomenarebadass

Had a good time collaborating with the boys down at PushPress this past weekend. If you enjoyed the poster, here’s a sneak peak at our next project.

Haven’t checked out the poster yet? Head over to:

www.pushpress.com/FuBarbell

#FuBarbell #PushPress #USAWeightlifting #USAW #weightlifting #crossfit #crossfitgirls #crossfitmen #Olympic #Olympicweightlifting #snatch #clean #cleanandjerk #technique #inspiration #motivation #strongwomenarebadass

@oliftmagazine is hitting the stands debuting it’s pilot issue in December at The American Open in Dallas, TX.

OLift Magazine is aimed at providing the community with information on American Weightlifting bringing together the experience and philosophies of coaches around the US.

Be sure to check out the interview with my weightlifting heroine @caraheads in this very first issue!

In your mind, where do you rack a power clean/snatch versus a (squat) clean/snatch?

If you’re new to this game, you were probably told that the power variation was racked tall or above parallel of the thighs, and the squat variation was caught in the hole. This is an accurate description but can lead to some confusion as to how the movement is actually executed.

Kristin Newman post shoulder surgery PR at 178lbs/81kg snatch and 228lbs/114kg clean&jerk.

A noteworthy mention is that we changed Kristin’s technique on her snatch 7 weeks ago and have since put 26lbs/12kg on the bar. She was stuck at 152lbs/69kg for a while because the way she was pulling caused her shoulders pain every 1 out of 5 lifts. We made this change to give her more confidence in pulling under to her receiving position which now she lifts pain free in all her snatches.

A common fault amongst many beginners is using their backs to lift the bar into their hips during the 1st pull. This brings the back into play too soon and diminishes it’s helpfulness in the finish of the 2nd pull. Instead, focus should be on the legs pushing the platform away to elevate the barbell preserving the use of the back for the explosive final extension.

A few line of thoughts to help maintain this movement sequence are:

1. Stay covered over the bar.

2. Keep the sternum over the bar as long as possible.

3. Chest up; push the floor away.

Sarah Hopping-Estrella setting a lifetime best for her power clean & jerk at 243lbs/110kg. Sarah carries an impressive athletic history in track & field from Stanford University and is a current CrossFit Games contender. Yeah, overall awesomeness right here.

#FuBarbell #ArenaReady #USAWeightlifting #USAW #weightlifting #crossfit #crossfitgirls #crossfitmen #Olympic #Olympicweightlifting #snatch #clean #cleanandjerk #technique #inspiration #motivation #instagramfitness #strongwomenarebadass

The eyes help set the proprioception for the rest of the body. In other words, wherever you look, your body will tend to motion in that direction. This is largely a reason why weightlifters look directly ahead to the horizon when lifting.

I actually like having athletes look higher than the horizon level to help rotate the body more upright in the receiving position.