level 4 header

News


Notes from Coach Mike Burgener's O-lifting workshop

Monday, July 30, 2007

Olympic weightlifting coach Mike Burgener gave his third annual O-lifting clinic at CrossFit Seattle last weekend. We used a piece of PVC pipe as a barbell all day. It's light, but it's taxing anyway. I took detailed notes afterward (from memory) on the information and exercises Coach Mike gave us; I drew some from his website too, hoping to make sure my notes were correct. Contact me if you see mistakes.

With Coach Mike's permission, here's what I took away:

Learn the snatch first because it's the hardest. Once you know it, it's easier to learn the clean and jerk.

The "Burgener warm-up" for the snatch:
1-2-3: Snatch grip and hook grip; jumping stance; down and up, bending knees only (no butt back) (later this turns out to be the transition/scoop)
4-5-6: Down and up, shrug, elbows high and outside; keep it close to body
7-8-9: Muscle snatch: shrug, elbows high and outside, pull bar overhead with elbows locked and shoulders shrugged; feet haven't moved
10-11-12: Jump and land in landing stance in quarter squat, bar overhead, arms locked.

Jump and land, creating momentum and elevation on the bar, and pull yourself under it the instant it starts moving up.

Always keep the bar in the area of the base, i.e., over the feet and not out in front of the feet, through the entire lift. This is another way of saying "keep the bar close to the body."

Skill transfer exercises:
Snatch press: Bar on back of shoulders, press yourself down under it to receiving position (the overhead squat)
Snatch drop: Bar on back of shoulders, drop into landing stance in quarter squat without initial dip, as if a trapdoor opened under you
Heave snatch drop: Bar on back of shoulders, dip and drop into landing stance in quarter squat
Snatch balance: Bar on back of shoulders, snatch grip, dip and drop into receiving position
Jump, jump, jump, snatch: Stand straight with the snatch grip. Do the 4-5-6 three times, then snatch: Jump, jump, jump, snatch. Repeat. Don't forget the shrug! When the bar is going up and is virtually weightless, pull yourself under the bar.

Parts of the snatch:
On the ground ("below the knees" if working with PVC): Snatch grip/hook grip. Cover the bar with your chest.
First pull: Pull to mid-thigh. Knees not bent much and were out of the way of the bar traveling straight up. Slight leg bend maximizes the “snap” in hams. Back angle hasn't changed. Cover the bar.
Transition/scoop: This is the "down" of the "down and up" and the beginning of the second pull. Upper body straightens up with knees still bent (back angle has now changed). Knees are now under and forward of the bar, i.e., in its way if it were going downward.
Second pull: With the scoop, jump, extend hips, shrug.
Third pull: Bend the arms with elbows high and outside and pull yourself under the bar with the jump. The instant it starts up a single millimeter with your jump, you're pulling yourself down. Land in the receiving position, receive the bar and stand.

Weightlifting clinic with Coach Burgener

Tuesday, July 24, 2007



A big thank you to everyone who visited Crossfit Seattle for a great olympic weightlifting clinic taught by Coach Mike Burgener. 2007 is the third year Coach Burgener has visited Seattle for this clinic and we are very fortunate to have a spot on his calendar. Being an international level coach as well as a high school teacher does not leave much time for traveling around to put on clinics, so this is a unique opportunity to learn from a fantastic teacher!

As usual Coach Burgener brought his athletes to muscular meltdown using PVC sticks and discipline. Find out more about Mikes training at Mikes Gym

Here is a video of Mikes son Casey Burgener lifting 224 Kilos (497 pounds) at the 2007 Pan American games! Turn the volume down -- a supporter is screaming her head off!


New Article by Fran Mason on How She Lost 20 Pounds

Tuesday, July 10, 2007





Check out our latest article written by Fran Mason about how she lost 20 pounds. It's practical and inspiring!

Labels:

New Trainer and New Class Times


CrossFit Seattle welcomes Tim Tolliver to our staff. As of Monday, July 9th he will be teaching 2 crossfit classes each week on Mondays and Wednesdays at 12:00noon. During these class times he will be offering an express crossfit workout from 12:00noon to 12:30pm for those who need to get in and get out. Welcome Tim! Check out our class schedule here.

RKC certification

Friday, July 6, 2007

I'm a volunteer part-time assistant in the gym for the time being, while I'm learning to train people. As part of the process I've earned a CrossFit certification and the NSCA-CPT certification, and assisted Dave with some fitness classes. And then last month I went to Minneapolis for the three-day RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) kettlebell trainer certification. Dave and Nancy had done the RKC already, so I was prepared with what to expect, and CrossFit had prepared me very well for the workouts.

If you want to know more about what the RKC was like and what we learned, I documented it in two parts on my blog, starting here.

At the end of the event, most of the CrossFitters present assembled to have our picture taken with Pavel, chief instructor and creator of the RKC. Pictured left to right below are Chris Netley (Crossfit Inland Empire), Bill Henniger (Crossfit Columbus), Pavel (he seems to go by just Pavel these days, like Cher), me, Troy Taylor (Crossfit Columbus), Chris Brown (Crossfit Fort Collins), and Michael Latch (Valley Crossfit).

Sub-Tens and PR

Tuesday, July 3, 2007





















Dave Dunkin achieves Sub-Ten on Helen coming in at 9:53 Nice going Dave!

















Jordan Holland achieves Sub-Ten on Helen coming in at 8:12 Nice going Jordan!






















Micky Snir gets a PR on the overhead squat at 100kg. Go Micky!