Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Snatches and LCCJ

I was looking forward to my snatch workout all day since I wanted to try the new "hook" technique posted on the DD forum yesterday by Jordan Vezina.

Warm-up: 24kg 1 arm swings 10/10, high pulls 10/10, MP 5/5
24kg snatches 10L/10R x 6 sets with 10 seconds rest between sets
24kg LCCJ 5L/5R x 12 sets with 30 seconds rest between sets
Double 24kg Farmer Walks - 30 seconds on/30 seconds rest x 4 sets

The snatches went very well.  Absolutely no hand pain for the first time I can remember.  I used hardstyle technique and was able to crank out 10 reps per side without any hand pain.  The hardstyle technique is faster than the corkscrew technique.  Instead of 1 minute to complete 20 reps (corkscrew) it only took me 50-55 seconds using hardstyle.  

Per recent discussions on the DD forum, I thought I would give the long cycle clean and jerk (LCCJ) a try today too.  As I discovered, the clean is also an excellent exercise to work on the hook grip (actually easier than the snatch since the bell is not falling such a long distance).  The LCCJ is a great full body workout, including the legs, and I am sure I will be feeling this one tomorrow.

In order to improve my hook style grip, I have decided to also start focusing on grip strength training.  Today I started with some farmer's walks.  My forearms and hands are still tired now!  I also plan to use the hook grip on pullups, instead of holding the bar with the palm, to further strengthen my grip.  

That is all for today

2 comments:

Unknown said...

We should both, get the beginner nail bending kit for Iron Mind. I have tried some of Nate's. I could do the yellow, struggled with the blue, couldn't touch the red. not even a dent.
http://www6.mailordercentral.com/ironmind/prodinfo.asp?number=1236

Jordan Vezina said...

I'm glad you're having some success with the hook grip. I figured out using an over the top descent from the clean to train in the snatch descent as well after I did the video. That drill definitely makes it a little easier to learn. Good luck with the long cycle. If you haven't seen it yet I have a good video of Steve Cotter going over long cycle on that same youtube page.