Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Let's all Critique my Push Jerk

Ok...So we all know how much I struggle overhead.  I know I am strong enough to put up atleast 205lbs but I need to work on technique.  Below is the workout I did and the last set of Power Clean and Push Jerk at 85kg (186lbs).  The complete workout was 5 sets at 2 reps of each.  I kept the weights low to work on my jerk.  These are the last two and felt strong, I could have done more but I was unhappy with my landing....post thoughts, critiques, etc. to comments.  The rest of the workout as per Max Fit USA  - Deadlift x 5 reps at 60%, 70% and 80% of 1 rep max.  I didn't use my actual one rep max of 420...I used 400lbs.  Finally, 15,10,5 Parallette Push-ups, GHD sit-ups AQAP - 2:26. 

4 comments:

  1. looking strong to me seany

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  2. Nice work on the power clean! Looking good. On the jerk the weight went behind over-head, seems like this is what set you off balance. I'm so jealous of your facility right now. Miss you.

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  3. Sean,

    I put a longer critique up, but it got lost. It really was not a critique, as these both look good to me. Your clean looks very good. Your jerk looks good too. Your Dad's take was a good one, very insightful.

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  4. Sean,
    As Pat mentioned, there's not much to critique. Some things I did notice were:

    (1) Soft lumber in the bottom of the dip. As a result, this caused your elbows to drop and probably a slight weight shift onto your toes...not good. This also lead to an "arcing" bar path which is why you lost your balance behind you. If you throw the bar straight you will catch it will proper and complete balance. If you "arc" the bar overhead you will usually lose it too the front. The fact that you almost lost it behind you must mean that the weight was failrly insignificant...in other words, the weight was so light that the bar path was of little concern. This is good for only one reason, it means that you would have more in you if you fix that bar path...probably a lot more!!

    (2) Slight pause at the bottom of the dip. This is a minor fault and shouldn't be of too much concern to you right now. What I am refering to is proper timing. You want to allow the "bounce" of the bar to assist you in jerking the weight overhead. If you pause in the bottom of the dip the timing will be off. You need to dip at an appropriate speed (relative to the weight of the bar), allow the bar to flex under its own weight and simultaneously explode upwards which will allow you to use the "recoil" effect of the bar to help you throw that thing overhead. And, as mentioned, a straight bar path will be most efficient. Oh, the reason why this is somewhat insignificant right now is because there isn't really enough weight on the bar (85kg i think...?) to cause a whole lot of "flex" which means that the bar isn't going to help you too much.....but, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. Eliminate that slight pause (and I mean really slight) and perfect that timing.

    (3) More importantly then pulling your head back (after the power clean in preparation for the jerk) is tiliting it slightly upward as well as back. Pulling your chin into your neck is good because it will allow clearance for a vertical bar path, but try also tilting it upwards (at about a 45 degree angle). This will help you to keep your chest up in the dip and hopefully allow a perfectly vertical dip/drive which will hopefully produce a vertical/straight bar path. It should also provide plenty of clearance for that bar to sneek past your face and travel straight up...which is key! This will probably be a hard and awkward thing at first but give it a try and see if it helps. Practice with lighter weights at first of course so that you can hopefully become comfortable with the new head position. And, as always, watch out for your chin!!

    I hope this helps! keep in mind that these are all fairly minor faults. Your form as a whole is quite good. But fixing that bar path will be of utmost importance if you ever want to jerk really heavy shit. And you defiantely have the strength to do it!!
    Keep it up buddy, the posts lately have been sweet by the way...missin' ya back here.

    Jere

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