Preparing for the Open with Rachael Stull

During my preparation for the 2016 Open, we needed to increase strength while maintaining my metabolic capacity, and the solution was adding The Barbell WOD programming to my training arsenal. The Barbell WOD provided a spotlight focus on my Olympic weightlifting while still allowing me to recover enough to complete my daily Metcons. The strength that I gained as a result of the programming has had a huge impact on increasing my 1RM's in the Olympic lifts and building CrossFit-specific strength in barbell cycling.

Building the Barbell WOD Program

Community Content, Strength trainingScott EsparzaNovember 6, 2015Programming, Program, Training, Coaching, Barbell WOD, The Barbell WOD, CrossFitComment

Snatch Pull Vs. Clean Pull

While many of the principles with respect to force production are similar in the Snatch Pull and the Clean Pull there are also some noteworthy difference in how the pulls develop. Below are factors that influence the differences in the mechanics of the Snatch and Clean Pull.

Grip width in the Snatch is wider than the Clean.
Relatively speaking, Clean weights are 20 - 25% heavier than Snatch weights.
The Acceleration of the bar begins more gradually in the Snatch and ends with 10-15% greater Velocity than the Clean.
The “fixation” height or the height at which the bar is stabilized in the catch positions is 25-30% higher in the Snatch than in the Clean

Here is how we account for these differences….

Heavy Weights: Let your speed be the variable

In this article we want to discuss a concept that may seem obvious at first glance and yet it is an area where mistakes are made frequently. The issue we want to address is how an athlete should attack progressively loading heavier weights on a bar in the Snatch and Clean in a given workout. As an athlete loads heavier weight on a barbell, the bar cannot continue to be accelerated using the same force or achieve the same peak velocity. For example, Spencer Moorman cannot pull 160kg with the same speed as he can pull 100kg. Therefore we must have an approach and a strategy to counter this slower bar speed as he makes progressively heavier attempts.