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Enhance Your Olympic Weightlifting with Traditional Strength Training & Post Activation Potentiation (PAP)

This 8-week program is designed to improve overall strength, explosive power via Type IIx muscle fiber development, and speed in the clean using traditional strength training methods and post activation potentiation (PAP). PAP involves performing heavy strength exercises followed by explosive movements to enhance neuromuscular performance.

Program Structure & Purpose of This Method of Training

  • Weeks 1-4: Strength and Hypertrophy Focus

Builds a solid foundation of strength in the specific movements and build overall muscle mass.

Emphasis is on moderate to heavy weights with traditional strength training methods.

  • Weeks 5-8: Explosive Strength and Speed

Increase the focus on explosive movements and speed.

Utilize PAP techniques to develop explosiveness in the lifts and maximize power output.

Weekly Training Schedule

Monday: Strength and Clean Technique

  1. Clean: 5 x 3 reps dropping each rep from the top, focusing on as close to perfect reps every set

Focus on technical perfection/bar control in all positions.
Intensity: 70-80% of 1RM; rest 2-3mins between sets

B. Front Squat: Sets: 4

Reps: 6-8 (Weeks 1-4)

Reps: 4-6 (Weeks 5-8)

Intensity: 75-85% of 1RM

C. Romanian Deadlift – sets: 3 x 8-10; rest 2

D. Pull-Ups Sets: 4 x reps: 8-10 (weighted if possible); rest :90secs

E. Trunk Work – Russian Twists & leg raises – sets: 3 x 15-20; rest 1min b/t sets

Tuesday: Traditional Strength and PAP

  1. Back Squat 5 x 5; rest 2-3 mins b/t sets — Intensity: 80-85% of 1RM
  2. Clean Pull (Heavy) Sets: 4 x 3 — Intensity: 90-110% of clean 1RM
    PAP Complex: 3 sets
    C1. Heavy Back Squat: 3 reps at 85-90% of 1RM
    C2. MAX Vertical Jump: 3-5 reps immediately after each squat set; Rest: 2-3 minutes between complexes
    D. Shoulder Press: Sets: 4 x 6-8

Wednesday: EASY MAP 10/Active Recovery/Mobility

MAP 10 for 30-45 minutes or mobility work and stretching focusing on hips, shoulders, and ankles

Thursday: Strength and Clean Technique

  1. Clean: Sets: 5 x 3

Intensity: 75-85% of 1RM

Focus on bar control in the first pull and FINISHing the second pull with maximal bar speed.

B. Deadlift – Sets: 4

x 5-6 (Weeks 1-4)

x 3-4 (Weeks 5-8)

Intensity: 80-90% of your CLEAN DL 1RM

C. Push Press – Sets: 4 x 6-8

D. Barbell Rows – Sets: 4 x 8-10

E. Trunk Work (Hanging Leg Raises, Side bends with empty bar on your back) – Sets: 3 x 15-20

Friday: Explosive Strength and PAP

PAP Complex: 3 sets

A1. Heavy Front Squat – 3 reps at 85-90% of 1RM; rest :10secs

       A2. Clean from Blocks: 3 reps (at 60-75%) immediately after each squat set; rest: 2-3 minutes between complexes

B. EXPLOSIVE Box Jumps 3 x 5; focus on one rep at a time being as explosive as possible; rest 1 min

C. Push Jerk 4 x 4-6; rest 2

D. Glute Ham Raise 3 x 15

Saturday: Accessory Work and Recovery

  1. Snatch Technique work (Light) 5 x 3 – Intensity: 60-70% of 1RM
  2. Overhead Squat 4 x 6-8
  3. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 12-15

    D1. Banded Face Pulls 3 x 15; rest 0
    D2. Banded upright rows 3 x 15; rest 1

Sunday: Rest and Recovery
Full rest day to allow for recovery and muscle repair.

Detailed Program Highlights and Emphasis

Weeks 1-4: Strength and Hypertrophy Focus

Volume and Intensity:

Higher volume with moderate to heavy weights.

Focus on building a strong foundation with hypertrophy and strength work.

Snatch & Clean Technique:

Emphasize proper form and technique in the snatch & clean.

Use moderate weights to allow for technique improvements.

Traditional Strength Training:

We’ve incorporated compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses to build overall strength. We also routinely rotate accessory exercises that target specific muscle groups to build positional strength.

Weeks 5-8: Explosive Strength and Speed

Volume and Intensity:

Increase intensity with heavier weights and lower reps.

Focus on explosive movements and speed strength.

Snatch + Clean & Jerk Technique:

Continue emphasizing technique but increase intensity to prepare for maximal lifts.

Post Activation Potentiation (PAP):

Use PAP complexes to enhance explosive power.

Perform heavy strength exercises followed by explosive movements to maximize power output.

Plyometric Training:

Incorporate plyometrics once a week to improve explosiveness and speed.

Exercises like box jumps and cleans from blocks complement the strength work.

Recovery and Nutrition — all around the world it’s the same song, it’s the same old song!

Sleep – Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support muscle recovery and growth.

Nutrition – Protein: Consume 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily to support muscle repair.

Carbohydrates: Ensure adequate carbohydrate intake to fuel workouts and replenish glycogen stores. Include complex carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Healthy Fats: Incorporate healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil to support overall health and hormone production.

Hydration – Stay well-hydrated to maintain performance and facilitate recovery. Don’t forget your electrolytes!

Active Recovery – Incorporate light activities such as MAP 10, kayaking, swimming, walking, yoga, or stretching on rest days to promote blood flow and reduce muscle soreness.

Monitoring Progress

Tracking your progress is essential for adjusting your program and ensuring continuous improvement.

Use a training log to record your workouts, including weights used, sets, reps, and any relevant notes on how you felt during each session.

Regular Testing: of your 1RMs to gauge strength improvements and adjust training intensities accordingly.

Adjustments – be sure to make them based on your progress and recovery. Then you can modify variables such as intensity, volume, and exercise selection to avoid plateaus and continue to make training fun and make sure youre maximizing your gains.

Final Thoughts

This 8-week Olympic weightlifting program combines traditional strength training with post activation potentiation (PAP) to enhance strength, explosive power, and speed in the and clean. By following this structured and periodized approach, you can achieve significant improvements in your lifting performance. Stay consistent, prioritize proper form, and adjust the program as needed to continue progressing toward your Olympic lifting goals. I hope you’ve enjoyed this article and that you find it beneficial in your training. Ive been writing individual and team/group training plans for almost two decades and am very passionate about helping folks achieve their goals. If you need helping to achieve your goals let me know and Id be happy to help you, too. Until next time, all the best!

Hypertrophy Phase for Building Strength in the High Bar Back Squat

Here’s a sample 8-Week Hypertrophy Phase for Building Strength in the High Bar Back Squat.
The high bar back squat is a foundational exercise for developing leg strength, power, and muscle hypertrophy. This 8-week hypertrophy program focuses on squatting twice a week, with an emphasis on high-repetition sets in the 15-20 rep range to stimulate muscle growth. Complementary accessory exercises, proper recovery, and nutrition are also crucial for maximizing gains during this phase.

Program Overview
The 8-week hypertrophy phase is divided into two 4-week blocks. Each block progressively increases the intensity and volume of your workouts to optimize muscle growth and strength. The program includes two squat sessions per week, supplemented with accessory exercises to target supporting muscle groups and ensure balanced development.

Week 1-4: Volume Accumulation

Focus: Build a foundation of muscle mass and muscle endurance.

  • Rep Range: 15-20 reps
  • Intensity: 50-60% of 1RM
  • Frequency: Twice per week

Week 5-8: Intensification

Focus: Increase intensity, maintaining high volume, and technical proficiency.

  • Rep Range: 12-15 reps
  • Intensity: 60-70% of 1RM
  • Frequency: Twice per week

Weekly Training Schedule

– Monday: High Bar Back Squat Focus

  • High Bar Back Squat: 4 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 sets of 15-20 reps per leg
  • Front Foot Elevates Split Squat (FFESS): 3 sets of 20 reps – 10 per leg
  • Single leg, body weight calf raises: 3 sets of 20-25 reps

– Thursday: High Bar Back Squat Focus

  • High Bar Back Squat: 4 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Walking Lunges: 3 sets of 15-20 reps per leg
  • Front Squats: 3 sets of 10 reps at 40-50%
  • Frog Pumps: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Tib Raises: 3 sets of 30 reps

Week 5-8 Adjustments

As you progress into the second block, increase the intensity by raising the weight and slightly lowering the rep range to 12-15 reps per set while maintaining the same structure and exercise selection.

Monday: High Bar Focus

  • High Bar Back Squat: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
  • Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
  • FFESS: 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg
  • Reverse Hyper: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
  • Single leg, body weight calf raises: 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Thursday: High Bar Focus

  • High Bar Back Squat: 4 sets of 12-15 reps
  • Walking Lunges: 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg
  • Front Squats: 3 sets of 10 reps at 40-50%
  • Frog Pumps: 3 sets of 15-20 reps
  • Tib Raises: 3 sets of 15-20 reps

Recovery and Nutrition: Prioritizing recovery and proper nutrition is crucial for maximizing gains during the hypertrophy phase:

Sleep: The NUMBER 1 thing you can fix to see increases in the gym — adequate rest and recovery! Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support muscle recovery and growth.

Nutrition:

Protein: Consume 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight daily to support muscle repair.

Carbohydrates: Ensure adequate carbohydrate intake to fuel workouts and replenish glycogen stores. Include complex carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Healthy Fats: Incorporate healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil to support overall health and hormone production.

Hydration: Stay well-hydrated to maintain performance and facilitate recovery.

Active Recovery: Incorporate intensity work on such as MAP 10 training, walking, kayaking, yoga, or stretching on rest days to promote blood flow and reduce muscle soreness.

Monitoring Your Progress: Tracking your progress is essential for adjusting your program and ensuring continuous improvement:

Training Log: Record your workouts, including weights used, sets, reps, and any relevant notes on how you felt during each session.

Regular Testing: Periodically test your 1RM to gauge strength improvements and adjust training intensities accordingly. I’d suggest testing your 1RM every 3 to 4 months.

Adjustments: Based on your progress and recovery, modify variables such as intensity, volume, and exercise selection to avoid plateaus and continue making gains.

Final Thoughts:

An 8-week hypertrophy phase focused on the high bar back squat can significantly enhance your leg strength and muscle mass. By incorporating a structured training program that emphasizes high-repetition sets, prioritizing recovery and nutrition, and monitoring your progress, you can achieve substantial gains in your squat performance and overall strength. Stay consistent, maintain proper form, and adjust your program as needed to continue progressing towards your strength and hypertrophy goals.

Always remember, quality of reps over quantity of reps!

How To Program MAP 10 Aerobic Workouts

What are Map 10 Aerobic Workouts?

Map 10, which stands for Maximal Aerobic Power, simply means that work at this pace is very easy. As you move from MAP 10 to MAP 1, the pace increases as and the time of each interval drops in length.

Why do we love MAP 10 specifically?

It’s great for recovery!

The Story of OPEX Fitness and James FitzGerald | OPEX Fitness

MAP 10 Can Help You Recover from Soreness

A time tested and proven method that’s especially relevant to functional fitness athletes is mixing intense training with slow recovery sessions throughout the week. This style of training is often referred to as “High Low Method.”

OPEX Fitness calls the slow recovery style of aerobic work “MAP 10”. This is taught in the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP) because coaches must be able to prescribe a wide variety of training paces, dependent on their client’s needs. When programming different paces, coaches are also tapping into different energy systems. There are three main energy systems refer that we refer to as OPEX Gain, Pain, and Sustain:

(Coach’s Resource: Learn more about how to train specific energy systems in this free guide.)

  • Gain – this is scientifically referred to as the Anaerobic Alactic System. This system refers to very short, 1-20 seconds, bursts of energy at very high power, or “turnover.” Gain refers to you not being able to sustain your power output past that length of time because your muscles cannot continue to turn over fast enough
  • Pain – this is scientifically referred to as the Anaerobic Lactic System. This system refers to a longer interval time, 20 to 720 seconds, at higher power, or turnover. While the range is much longer, you’ll notice the word “Anaerobic” still remains in the name. That means that it isn’t aerobic which means that it isn’t sustainable. If you hold that higher power for those time periods, you will now “feel the burn” and you will recognize that you cannot hold that pace forever
  • Sustain – this is scientifically referred to as the aerobic system. This system refers to efforts that are sustainable. As you move from MAP 1 to MAP 10, your time frame gets even longer, and your power output goes down even more.

MAP 10 pace is on the far end requiring the most amount of time at the slowest pace with the least amount of power, therefore, falling under the Sustain “curve.” Whereas Gain begins with slow and low volume efforts in the beginning followed by a progression of faster, more voluminous efforts later. MAP 10 efforts should begin with longer efforts at a slower pace in the beginning (for most people). The reason MAP 10 needs to start with such long efforts is that you need to keep the pace easy. Very easy effort mixed with smaller amounts of eccentric muscle contractions is often interpreted as recovery by your body.

James FitzGerald vs. Carl Hardwick ...

How to Program MAP 10 Aerobic Workouts

When programming MAP 10 you often want to begin with more aerobic – long easier efforts – work before you implement Gain work into your client/athlete’s fitness program because it builds your ability to do more work – volume – in your training.

To benefit greatly from MAP 10 – and easy aerobic work – make sure you minimize the eccentric load on your client. In the video, you will notice that Solange is doing carries (overhead, suitcase, etc…), Flywheel biking, versa climbing, Front Leaning Rest – FLR (plank) on the rings – etc…The lack of eccentric work allows her body to get better recovery than she would if she was pounding her body day in and day out in her “aerobic” work.

To pick great MAP 10 workouts, you want to pick easy, non-eccentric work and “go easy.” You don’t need to overthink this. You just need to move blood, find relaxation and rhythm, and be consistent in “going long.” People get scared of doing a 60-minute workout because they are going long and hard. MAP 10 is long and easy! To progress in this, you will add volume, but you would still get the pace nice and easy.

Programming MAP 10 Aerobic Workouts For Athletes

High-level athletes may have five morning sessions of 60-90 minutes of MAP 10 work + two “off” days of three sessions/day of 60-90 min of easy aerobic pieces. It will be all different styles of movement but do the math of that volume. They may have 8-12 hours of easy aerobic work each week on top of 3-4 hours per week of intense work.

When you are doing your easy aerobic work, don’t be afraid to go at conversational pace or listen to a podcast or read a book if you are on a machine that allows you to do that. We don’t recommend Deadmau5 for easy aerobic work unless you want to “wake up” 20 min into a row at 180 beats per minute heart rate. Also, don’t be afraid to just walk (in the sun if possible)

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Next Steps

MAP 10 is just tapping into one of the body’s three energy systems. If you are looking to become a professional coach and develop your programming ability download our free guide Energy System Training, today.

For more information visit Opexfit.com today!

Best Practices to Secure Data in a K-12 Environment

1. Implement Strong Access Controls

  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Ensure that only authorized personnel have access to sensitive data. Assign permissions based on roles and responsibilities.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Require MFA for accessing sensitive systems and data to add an extra layer of security.

2. Regular Security Training and Awareness

  • Staff Training: Conduct regular cybersecurity training sessions for teachers, administrators, and support staff to recognize phishing attempts, social engineering, and other common threats.
  • Student Awareness: Educate students about safe online behaviors, the importance of password security, and how to avoid suspicious links and downloads.

3. Use Strong Password Policies

  • Complex Passwords: Enforce the use of strong, complex passwords that include a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters.
  • Password Management: Encourage the use of password managers to help staff and students manage their passwords securely.

4. Network Security

  • Firewalls: Deploy firewalls to protect the school’s network from unauthorized access and malicious traffic.
  • Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS): Implement IDPS to monitor and respond to potential threats in real time.
  • Segmentation: Segment the network to limit access to sensitive data and reduce the attack surface.

5. Data Encryption

  • Encryption at Rest and in Transit: Ensure that all sensitive data is encrypted both when stored and when transmitted over the network.
  • Secure Communication Channels: Use secure protocols like HTTPS, SSL/TLS, and VPNs for remote access and data transfer.

6. Regular Updates and Patch Management

  • Software Updates: Keep all software, including operating systems, applications, and security tools, up to date with the latest patches and security fixes.
  • Automated Patch Management: Use automated tools to manage and apply patches consistently and promptly.

7. Regular Backups and Disaster Recovery Planning

  • Data Backups: Perform regular backups of critical data and store them securely offsite or in the cloud.
  • Disaster Recovery Plan: Develop and regularly test a disaster recovery plan to ensure quick recovery from data breaches, ransomware attacks, or other disruptions.

8. Endpoint Security

  • Antivirus and Anti-Malware: Install and maintain up-to-date antivirus and anti-malware solutions on all devices.
  • Mobile Device Management (MDM): Use MDM solutions to manage and secure mobile devices used by students and staff.

9. Application Security

  • Secure Software Development: Ensure that applications developed or used by the school follow secure coding practices and are regularly tested for vulnerabilities.
  • Third-Party Applications: Vet and monitor third-party applications for security compliance before integrating them into the school’s IT environment.

10. Physical Security

  • Secure Access to Facilities: Implement physical security controls like locks, access badges, and surveillance cameras to protect areas where sensitive data is stored.
  • Device Management: Ensure that devices such as laptops, tablets, and USB drives are securely stored and tracked.

11. Incident Response and Management

  • Incident Response Plan: Develop and maintain a comprehensive incident response plan outlining steps to take in the event of a data breach or security incident.
  • Regular Drills: Conduct regular incident response drills to ensure that staff are prepared to handle security incidents effectively.

12. Compliance and Auditing

  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant regulations such as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act).
  • Regular Audits: Conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify and address vulnerabilities and ensure ongoing compliance with security policies.

Enhancing Explosiveness in Olympic Lifts with Plyometric Training

Plyometric training is an excellent way to develop the explosive power necessary for Olympic lifts like the snatch and clean and jerk. These dynamic movements help improve muscle recruitment, speed, and power, all of which are essential for successful Olympic lifting. By incorporating a weekly plyometric session into your training regimen, you can enhance your explosiveness and overall performance. This article outlines a comprehensive once-a-week plyometric workout designed to complement your Olympic lifting training.

Plyometric Training Overview

Plyometrics, or jump training, involves explosive movements that require rapid stretching and contracting of muscles. This type of training enhances the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) of muscles, which is crucial for generating maximal force in a short amount of time. Plyometric exercises target the fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are responsible for explosive movements.

Key Benefits of Plyometric Training for Olympic Lifters:

  • Increased power output
  • Improved rate of force development
  • Enhanced neuromuscular coordination
  • Greater agility and balance
  • Reduced risk of injury through improved proprioception

Weekly Plyometric Workout

Perform this plyometric workout once a week, preferably on a day when you are not doing heavy lifting, to ensure you are fresh and can maximize your effort in each exercise. Always start with a proper warm-up and finish with a cool-down to reduce the risk of injury.

Warm-Up (10-15 minutes):

  • 2-3 mins on an Ski, bike or row erg
  • Dynamic Stretching: Leg swings, arm circles, hip rotations
  • Light Jogging or Jump Rope: 5-10 minutes to increase heart rate and blood flow
  • Mobility Drills: Ankle hops, high knees, butt kicks, hammie sweeps, et cetera

Plyometric Exercises:

Sets: 3
Reps: 2-3
Rest: rest :10-:12 between reps and 90 seconds

Description: Stand in front of a sturdy box or platform. 1/4 squat down, then explode upward, landing softly on the box with both feet. Step down and repeat.

Depth Jumps

Sets: 3
Reps: 3-5
Rest: rest :10-:12 between reps and 90 seconds

Description: Stand on a box, step off, and upon landing, immediately jump as high as possible. Focus on minimizing ground contact time to develop reactive strength.

Broad Jumps

Sets: 3
Reps: 2-3
Rest: :10-:12 between reps and 90 seconds

Description: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Perform a powerful squat jump forward, aiming for maximum distance. Land softly and reset for the next jump.

Single-Leg Bounding

Sets: 3
Reps: 3-4
Rest :10-:12 between reps and 90 seconds

Description: Hop forward on one leg, focusing on distance and height. Land softly and immediately bound forward again. Complete all reps on one leg before switching.

Tuck Jumps

Sets: 3
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 90 seconds

Description: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Jump as high as possible, tucking your knees toward your chest at the peak of the jump. Land softly and reset.

Medicine Ball Slams

Sets: 3
Reps: 3-5
Rest: 90 seconds

Description: Hold a medicine ball overhead. Explosively slam the ball into the ground, using your whole body. Pick up the ball and repeat.

Cool-Down (10 minutes):

Static Stretching: Hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, hip flexors
Foam Rolling: Focus on the legs and lower back to alleviate any tightness or soreness

Tips for Effective Plyometric Training

Quality Over Quantity: Focus on performing each rep with maximal effort and proper form rather than completing as many reps as possible.

Progress Gradually: Start with lower intensity plyometric exercises if you are new to this type of training and gradually progress to more advanced movements.

Adequate Rest: Ensure you get sufficient rest between sets to maintain high intensity for each exercise.

Listen to Your Body: If you feel any pain or excessive fatigue, stop the workout and assess your condition. Plyometric exercises are high-impact and can strain the joints if not performed correctly.

Integration with Olympic Lifting

Integrating plyometric training with Olympic lifting can significantly enhance your performance. Schedule your plyometric session on a day that allows for adequate recovery before and after your heavy lifting days. For example, if you perform heavy Olympic lifts on Monday and Thursday, schedule your plyometric session on Saturday.

Final thoughts

Incorporating a once-a-week plyometric session into your training regimen can dramatically improve your explosiveness and overall performance in Olympic lifts. By focusing on high-quality, explosive movements and ensuring proper recovery and technique, you can enhance your power output and lift heavier weights more effectively. Stay consistent with your training, listen to your body, and watch your performance in the snatch and clean and jerk reach new heights.

How to Improve Your Deadlift for Olympic Weightlifting

The deadlift is a foundational exercise in Olympic weightlifting, crucial for developing overall strength, maximum power, and athletic performance. Improving your deadlift can enhance your performance in the clean and jerk, snatch, and other compound lifts. Below you’ll find detailed strategies to enhance your deadlift, focusing on technique, strength training, range of motion work, and basic recovery strategies.

1. Perfect Your Technique — the main point here is this exercise will only help improve your lifts if it looks like the the first pull of the lifts. We are emphasizing the clean variation of the deadlift not the traditional deadlift.

Technique is paramount in the deadlift. Proper movement pattern not only reduces the risk of injury but also maximizes strength gains where it matters most. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the essential components of deadlift technique:

Foot Positioning:

Stance: From the start, use your pulling position in the clean and/or snatch as reference. Like the conventional deadlift though be sure not to begin with your feet too narrow or too wide. My starting position varies slightly but should almost always be EXACTLY the same. Stand with your feet hip/shoulder-width apart, ensuring your toes are pointing slightly outward. How much your toes point out will determined by your hip structure genetically and your over mobility or lack-there-of. No matter where you begin, you want it to a habitual and it be a position to allow for a stable base and optimal leverage during the 1st pull, i.e. the deadlift portion of the movement.

Setup: Place the barbell over the mid-foot, close to your shins. This minimizes helps prevent the bar from traveling forward off the ground and helps keep it from getting out of position in any other portion of the lift. Even though some of you are not martial artists always remember this phrase — position before submission. This means make sure you put/keep the bar in the correct position throughout the movement so you can have MAXimal control over the bar throughout the movement.

Grip: There’s only one and that’s the hook grip. get used to it early and make it habitual.

Hook Grip: Thumb is wrapped around the bar and secured by the fingers. This grip is more secure but can be uncomfortable initially.

Bar Path:

Proximity: Keep the barbell close to your body throughout the lift. The bar should travel in a straight line from the ground to the lockout position. This minimizes the distance the bar travels and reduces the strain on your lower back.

Hips and Back:

Starting Position: Begin with your hips lower than in a conventional deadlift, and your torso more upright. This engages your legs more effectively and helps you get used to using your legs to DRIVE the earth away.

Spine Position: Maintain a neutral spine throughout the lift. Avoid rounding your back to prevent injuries. Engage your core to stabilize your spine.

Pulling Motion:

Initial Lift: Drive through your WHOLE FOOT, extending your hips and knees simultaneously. Your shoulders should be slightly in front of the bar at the start.

Engagement: Engage your lats to keep the bar close to your body and prevent it from drifting forward.

Lockout: Fully extend your hips and knees at the top of the lift, ensuring your shoulders are back and your chest is up.

2. Build Strength with Accessory Exercises

Incorporate accessory exercises to target the muscles involved in the deadlift. These exercises help to build strength and address any weaknesses:

Romanian Deadlifts: AKA SLDL, Stiff-Legged Deadlift, Top-Down Deadlift

Execution: Stand in your snatch or clean pulling stance with a clean grip on the bar. Set your back in the same extension you use to pull the snatch and clean and brace your trunk forcefully.

Hinge at the hip while bending the knees very slightly to bring the bar as far down the legs as possible without losing any back extension. Actively keep the bar as close to the legs as possible throughout the motion.

Stay balanced evenly over the whole foot rather than pushing the hips back more than necessary and shifting to the heels. This will limit how much weight you can handle, but it will make the exercise more effective by increasing the force on the hips and back while reinforcing the balance we want in the snatch and clean, as well as strengthening the back and shoulders’ ability to keep the bar close to the body.

Stay braced tightly so as you change directions at the bottom, you don’t allow any softening of the back extension.

If you’re mobile enough to get the plates to the floor with perfect back extension, still stop just short of touching—the changing of direction without compromising back extension is an important element of the exercise.

Benefits: Focuses on the hamstrings and glutes, improving the posterior chain strength essential for a powerful deadlift.

Good Mornings:

Execution: The good morning is a posterior chain strength exercise that emphasizes isometric back extension strength.

Place the bar on the back as you would for a back squat. You can use either your squat or pulling stance depending on which you want to focus on.

Brace the trunk forcefully with the lower back neutral or slightly more extended and the upper back flattened as much as possible.

Bend the knees very slightly as you hinge at the hips as far as you’re able without losing back extension. Bend forward at a controlled speed, and recover at a natural to quick speed.

Maintain whole foot balance or shift slightly more to the heels, but keep the whole foot in contact with the floor.

Don’t allow your back to soften as you change direction in the bottom to stand again—resisting that force with a rigid trunk is a primary element of the exercise.

The knees can be bent more to shift more of the work to the glutes than the hamstrings, or can be locked straight to maximize hamstring emphasis.

Benefits: Strengthens the lower back, glutes, and hamstrings, promoting better hip hinge mechanics.

Pendlay Rows: AKA Bent-over row, bent forward row, barbell row

Execution: The bent row is a basic but effective upper body pulling exercise that strengthens the upper back, shoulders and arms.

Hold the bar with a clean-width grip, brace your trunk in the same position you would when pulling from the floor, and hinge forward at the hips while bending the knees to bring your trunk just above horizontal, letting the bar hang at arms’ length close to the legs.

Pull the bar to the abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades back together and forcefully extending the upper back at the top of each rep. Lower the bar to full elbow extension without losing your braced back position.

Notes
The bent row can be performed strictly with a controlled tempo, or with a little body English to put some speed on the bar and then reach the trunk into the bar at the top of the row. The angle of the trunk can also be varied depending on the desired effect, from horizontal to closer to 45-degrees—the higher the angle, the more heavily it can be loaded, but the smaller the range of motion.

Benefits: Develops mid-back strength, crucial for maintaining proper bar path and posture during the deadlift.

Back Extensions:

Execution: Fix the ankles in a glute-ham bench or similar adjusted to place the pad on the upper thighs. Bend at the hip and back to hang straight down from the hip—back relaxed and trunk hanging vertically.

Extend the hip and back together to bring yourself up to an extended position above horizontal in which the entire back, including the upper back, is extended completely and the glutes are forcefully contracted. Lift your head up at the top to reinforce upper back extension.

For unweighted back extensions, placing the hands behind the head is recommended to help encourage better extension of the upper back. For weighted back extensions, hold the weight in the form of a barbell or dumbbell behind the neck to ensure better resistance and better reinforce that upper back extension.

Notes
Technically, this execution is combined back and hip extension. Back extension can be isolated by fixing the hips in place with the glutes and flexing and extending only along the spine. This can be assisted by relocating the fulcrum or pad of the bench closer to the hips.

Trunk Work: Copenhagen Plank, Chinese Plank (add weight if/when you can) Russian Twists: Leg Raises: Lying Leg Raises. For the Copenhagen & Chinese planks think doing 3-5 sets of 1min resting 1-2 mins between for all of the others think 3-4 set of 15-25 reps per exercise and also resting 1-2 mins between sets.

Additional Strength Building Exercises

Deficit Deadlifts:

Execution: Stand on a platform to increase the range of motion. Perform the deadlift as usual.

Benefits: Increases strength off the floor by emphasizing the initial pull.

Clean pulls:

Execution: Place the barbell on blocks or mats to elevate it. Perform the deadlift from this elevated position.

Benefits: Focuses on the lockout phase, improving strength in the upper portion of the lift.

Snatch-Grip Deadlifts:

Execution: Use a wide grip, similar to a snatch. Perform the deadlift with this grip.

Benefits: Enhances upper back and grip strength and increases the range of motion.

3. Focus on strength in your end ranges of motion not simply “mobility” or being “flexible”

Mobility and flexibility are vital for performing a safe and effective deadlift and overall quality of your movement pattern(s). Think of and possibly implement these movements into your mobility/ROM work exercises into your routine:

Hips: Perform hip flexor stretches, pigeon pose, and hip circles to improve hip flexibility.

For your hamstrings think of using using dynamic and static stretching to enhance hamstring flexibility, allowing for better hip hinge movement. Things like poor man’s GHR, Frankensteins, Hamstring sweeps, and so on.

Ankle Mobility: Incorporate ankle plantar and dorsiflexion exercises to ensure you can maintain proper foot positioning and balance. Worst case scenario just do a couple of slow, controlled bodyweight double and single calf raise to get your calves and ankle complex warm/fired up and ready to lift!

Thoracic Mobility: Here really focus on getting the support structure of your t-spine loose and work on what you need to get yourself closer and closer to the best starting position you can achieve.

Here’s a great exercise The Barbell Physio just dropped on their IG page:

4. Implement Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is essential for continuous improvement. Gradually increase the weight you lift, the number of repetitions, or the volume of your training sessions to challenge your muscles and stimulate growth. Here’s how to effectively implement progressive overload:

Linear Progression: Increase the weight lifted in small, consistent increments/percentages each week.

Volume Training: Add more sets and reps to your routine, focusing on maintaining proper form.

Tempo Variations: Incorporating tempo with your lifts, primarily slow eccentrics (lowering phase), to increase time under tension and build strength are of paramount importance. Using slow tempos also help you feel the muscles you use to do the lifts, and can be the greatest tool you’ll be exposed to help you master the positions of the lifts.

5. Last, and certainly not least, prioritize Recovery

Recovery is just as important as training itself. Proper recovery ensures that your muscles repair and grow stronger, and reduces the rick of injury.

Key recovery strategies include:

NUMBER ONE! Adequate Sleep: Aim for 8-9 hours of sleep per night to support muscle recovery and overall health.

Nutrition: As one famous fitness influencer one said — you can only piss in the gas tank for so long and expect elite performance. So, be sure to quality proteins, healthy fats, and lots of fruits and vegetables. Consider post-workout nutrition/protein shakes if you struggle to meet your daily macros to aid muscle repair. But, first and foremost, be sure you are focusing on eating whole foods vs supplementing with any kind of shakes. Yes, use them when necessary but only when necessary.

Hydration: Stay well-hydrated to maintain muscle function and performance.

Active Recovery: Engage in low-intensity activities such as walking, jogging, rowing, swimming or any sort of quality mixed modal training to help promote blood flow and muscle recovery.

Improving your Olympic weightlifting deadlift requires a comprehensive approach that includes perfecting your technique, incorporating accessory exercises, focusing on mobility, implementing progressive overload, and prioritizing recovery. By consistently applying these strategies, you will build the strength, power, and resilience needed to excel in your deadlift and overall Olympic weightlifting performance. Remember, progress takes time and dedication, so stay patient and committed to your training regimen. More importantly, deadlifting feels cool because you can move a lot of weight but don’t forget to actually do the lifts!

Until next time…

The Best Way to Perform a High Bar Back Squat and Enhancing Your Clean

The high bar back squat is not only a fundamental exercise for building lower body strength but also an essential component for improving Olympic lifts, particularly the clean. By performing the high bar back squat correctly, you can significantly enhance your clean technique and performance. Here’s a step-by-step guide to mastering this powerful movement, along with insights on how it translates to a better clean.

Setup and Overall Positioning

  1. Bar Placement — place the barbell on the upper traps, just below the base of your neck. It should rest comfortably and not cause any pinching or discomfort.
  2. Grip — Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. Keep your hands and wrists straight, not bent. Squeeze your shoulder blades together to create a stable shelf for the bar.
  3. Foot Placement — foot placement is key. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your toes should point slightly outward, roughly at a 15-30 degree angle. This allows for better knee tracking, balance and feeling comfortable as you descend in the squat movement itself.
  4. Bracing and Unracking
    Bracing — Take a deep breath into your belly, not your chest. This helps create intra-abdominal pressure to support your spine. Brace your core as if you’re preparing to get punched in the stomach.
  5. Unracking: Stand up tall to lift the bar off the rack. Take a step back, ensuring you have enough space to squat without hitting the rack.
  6. The Descent — Initiate the Movement: Begin by pushing your hips back slightly, then bend your knees. Think about sitting down rather than straight down. Keep your chest up and eyes forward to maintain a neutral spine.
  7. Depth — Squat down until you feel your hamstrings on the back of your calves. Or, at least squat down far enough where your hip crease is below parallel to your knee joint. The best knee position is when your knees track inline and pass over your toes throughout the descent. Avoid letting them cave inward by actively pressing ‘knees out.’
  8. The Drive UP — Push through your entire foot, not just your heels. Engage your quads, glutes, and hamstrings to drive the weight upward.
  9. Hip and Chest Position — Keep your chest up and your hips under the bar as you rise. Avoid tipping forward by squeezing your glutes to help push hips through to full hip extension.
  10. Breathing — one big deep breath when you go under and lift the bar out of the rack. Step back one step and take one more or max two breaths and brace your trunk and squat. Exhale as you pass up through the most challenging part of the lift (usually just above parallel). Continue to breathe steadily as you return to the starting position.
Team aggressive tempo at crossfithui.com

Common Mistakes to Avoid
Knees caving in? If your knees tend to cave inward, it’s usually a sign of weak glutes and/or poor motor control. Also, if your knees cave in on the way up try to focus on pushing your knees out on the way out of the bottom.

    Heels lifting off the ground? If your heels lift off the ground, it’s usually indicative of a lack of calf and/or ankle mobility. Sometimes you can just be too far forward on the way down or coming out of the bottom. Always be sure your weight is evenly distributed through your entire foot.

    Also, if you have an excessive forward lean focus on keeping your chest up and facing forward while maintaining your lumbar curve. One way to help combat this is to work on weighted back extensions, death marches or other exercises to help build a strong lower back/spinal erectors.

    Tips for Improving Your Squat Range of Motion (ROM)

    The first thing is to have a general as well as a movement specific warm-up.

      Always warm up before squatting with dynamic hamstring and quad stretches, calf/ankle mobility and bodyweight squats can help prepare your muscles and joints. Always remember to warm up the movement you plan on doing with the movement itself.

      How High Bar Back Squats Improve Your Clean

      Enhanced Leg Strength:
      The high bar back squat primarily targets the quadriceps, glutes, and hamstrings, all of which are crucial for generating the explosive power needed in the clean. Stronger legs enable a more powerful drive during the clean pull and a more stable catch position.

      Improved Squat Depth:
      Regularly performing high bar back squats helps you achieve greater squat depth. This translates to a deeper and more secure receiving position in the clean, allowing you to catch heavier weights with stability and confidence.

      Better Postural Strength:
      Maintaining an upright torso during high bar back squats strengthens the muscles of the upper back and core. This is essential for keeping the barbell close to your body during the clean and maintaining a strong, upright position when receiving the bar.

      Enhanced Mobility:
      The high bar back squat demands and improves flexibility in the ankles, hips, and thoracic spine. Enhanced mobility in these areas allows for a more efficient and comfortable receiving position in the clean, reducing the risk of injury and improving overall performance.

      Transferable Movement Pattern:
      The high bar back squat closely mimics the squat position in the clean. By ingraining the correct movement pattern through squatting, you reinforce the motor skills needed for a successful clean. This includes proper knee tracking, hip engagement, and core stability.

      Increased Confidence Under the Bar:
      Regularly handling heavy weights in the high bar back squat builds mental and physical confidence, which is crucial when performing the clean. Knowing that you can squat a particular weight gives you the assurance to pull and catch that weight during your clean attempts.

        In conclusion the high bar back squat is a powerful exercise for building strength and improving athletic performance, especially in Olympic lifts like the clean. By following these steps and focusing on proper technique, you can maximize your gains and reduce the risk of injury.

        Remember, quality over quantity is key. Master the form first, and the strength and skill will follow.

        Happy lifting!

        CompTIA Pentest+ and the CEH exam in the works + some fitness follies

        Well, well, well, the world has changed a lot since my last post. Definitely have a lot of irons in the fire as the old saying goes. Currently working on the PenTest+ certification from CompTIA. I’ll be following that up with the CEH exam. Between those two certs I’ll be working on and getting the ISACA’s Cybersecurity Audit Certificate. 2024 is shaping up to be another great year!

        Hit a new deadlift PR at 521/237

        Playing a little catchup

        A lot has been going on over the last 6 months or so. One of the primary things is that I’ll be doing is taking the ISC(2) Certified Cloud Security Professional exam on 4 NOV.

        What does the CCSP cover you might ask?

        Domain 1 covers architecture, concepts, and design. Domain 1 also includes cloud computing concepts which covers broad network access, on-demand services, resource pooling, rapid elasticity, multi-tenancy and more. It also includes cloud service models, IaaS, storage types, volume storage, object storage, PaaS, storage types and more.

        The cloud service deployment model covers public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, community cloud, management plane, and virtualization.

        The things that are covered in the rest of Domain 1 are:
        Security aspects of virtualization – Type 1 and Type 2 hypervisors.
        Principles of secure cloud computing – covering roles and responsibilities, design principles and Identity and Access Management (IAM).

        Design requirements – covering requirements analysis, functional requirements, inventory, valuation and more. Cloud model boundaries were also covered as well as the cloud service models, IaaS, PaaS and SaaS. Protecting sensitive information portion covered hardening, encryption, layer defense, common threats, secure data life cycles and more. And finally, the Threat Modeling portion of Domain 1 includes STRIDE, DREAD, the OWASP Top 10 security threats and the CSA Top 9 risks.

        I’ll outline Domain 2 tomorrow along with some other important details.

        Ive also been able to make back to CrossFit on a regular basis. Ive also been able to get out on the water a little more often and once I pass this exam in November I’ll take a couple months off and then at the beginning of the year go ALL IN on Heath Adams Practical Network Penetration Testing certification. After that I will take a nice long break from taking certification exams.

        Today as a break from studying I took a nice long walk and I found this cool writing spider along the way.

        Nice easy two hour stroll through the eastern pinelands
        Our old friend the writing spider

        And, it’s kind of fitting that I haven’t posted any sort of lifting videos in…forever, and when I finally get back to training that I end up posting a lifetime PR for my deadlift at 517#. Easy day.

        lifting is the source

        Until next time…

        Another beautiful day in the country

        Physical training for the day:

        A1. Incline curls 10, 10, 10, 10 – :03 second lowering/eccentric load; rest 0
        A2. Seated hammer curls 20, 20, 20, 20; rest 0
        A3. Standard EZ bar curl 20, 20, 20, 20; rest 2mins
        B1. Bench dips 20 x 3; rest 0
        B2. Banded press downs 20, 20, 20; rest 0 – pause for two deep nasal breaths at the top of every 5th rep
        B3. Triceps push-ups max effort/push to failure; rest 2mins
        C1. EZ bar close grip curls 15, 15, 15; rest 0 – try to stay at the same weight for all 3 movements
        C2. EZ bar drag curls 15, 15, 15; rest 0
        C3. EZ bar overhead triceps exts. 20, 20, 20; rest 1
        +
        7 n 7 for 7
        7 Hang power cleans & push press
        7 walk out burpees without the pushup

        On Monday I accepted an offer to begin teaching, part-time, for Chegg/Thinkful.com in their Cyber Security program. I’m really looking forward to helping the next wave of cyber sec professionals. It’ll be another great way to help keep up with current trends, continue to reinforce the fundamentals, and also share past and present experiences with a wide swath of new IT pros. Who knows, before long I just might be able to start posting videos of training and teaching again.

        Current affairs:

        The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.

        Peter Onuf’s Jefferson & Reclaiming 1619

        Pelosi & Congress Claims Sovereign Immunity in Federal Court to Keep January 6 Videos and Emails Secret

        Hawks Smear War Opponents Again by Ted Galen Carpenter

        Putin Wants His Own Monroe Doctrine by Patrick J. Buchanan