Ben,

A long time trainee at California Strength under David Spitz decided to try deadlifting today. He never deadlifts in training at the gym…

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Jon North describes his recent push onto the National Stage in less than one year training with the elite team at California Strength under Glenn Pendlay and David Spitz

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One small explanation, whenever possible, the whole set is done without setting the bar back to the floor.  So, a snatch double or clean double would be done by lowering the first rep and not quite letting the second ever touch the floor.

Monday

AM

2 snatch high pulls + one hang snatch, hang position just off the floor.  8-10 sets with 80%

clean and jerks, 4 singles with 85%

back raises

PM

Snatches, 4 singles with 85%

2 clean pulls + one hang clean + one jerk. 8-10 sets with about 80%

Muscle snatch 5 sets of 5

Tuesday

power snatch to 90%

power clean + 2 front squats + jerk.  8-10 sets at 90% of best power clean

vertical lift, 3 sets

Wednesday

AM

Snatch 85% for a double

clean and jerk for 8-10 doubles, 3 second pause off the floor on both, 80% of max.

Muscle snatch 5 sets of 5

PM

Snatch for 8-10 doubles, 3 second pause off the floor on both, 80% of max

squat 4 sets of 8.

back raises, 3 sets

Thursday

2 power snatches + 2 overhead squats.  8-10 sets at 90% of best power snatch

power clean to 90%

Friday

AM

clean and jerk to around 90% for 3 singles

Snatch 8-10 doubles with around 80%

PM

snatch to around 90% for 3 singles

clean and jerk 8-10 doubles with around 80%

Saturday

2 snatch high pulls + 1 snatch, 8-10 sets with around 80%

squats 4 sets of 8

Back raises 3 sets

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Just wanted to congratulate Jon North on totaling 332, the highest total in the country in the 94kg weight class this year, at the Redwood Empire Championships today.  He went 155/177, missing the jerk after a good clean with 185.

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Monday

AM

2 Snatch high pulls + 1 hang snatch.  8-10 sets with roughly 75-80%

clean and jerk 5 singles with 75-80%

back raises

PM

Snatch 5 singles with 85-90%

2 clean pulls + clean + jerk   6-8 sets with 75-80%

Muscle snatch 5 sets of 5, light

Tuesday

power clean + 2 front squats + jerk    8-10 sets with about 90% of best power clean

vertical exercise, 3 sets

Wednesday

AM

snatch, 3 doubles at about 80%

clean and jerk, 8-10 doubles with a pause off the floor each clean.  75-80%

Back raises

PM

snatch, 8 to 10 doubles with pause at knee, roughly 75-80%

clean and jerk, 3 doubles at about 80%

Back squat, 4 sets of 8

Thursday

2 snatches + 2 overhead squats     8-10 sets, around 75-80%

Muscle snatch, 5 sets of 5, light

Friday

AM

snatch 6 singles with a pause at knee.  Heavy as possible

clean and jerk 3 doubles with 70%

back raises

PM

snatch 3 doubles at 70%

clean and jerk, 6 singles with pause at knee, as heavy as possible.

Saturday

2 snatch + 1 snatch, 8-10 doubles with 75-80%

Back squat 4 sets of 8

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A DISCUSSION ON WARMING-UP

By Donny Shankle

Explain why warming-up makes you feel good?

There are three areas to be discussed in response to that question. Considering there is much speculation behind the importance of the warm-up, I will elaborate on the third area which I find to be the most important. The following list is taken from the national academy of sport’s medicine.

1.There is an increase in the heart and respiratory rate.

Increases the cardio-respiratory system’s capacity to perform work.

Increases blood flow to active muscle tissue.

Increases the oxygen intake capacity.

2.There is an increase in tissue temperature.

Increases the rate of muscular contraction.

Increases the efficiency of opposing muscle contraction and relaxation.

Increases metabolic rate.

Increases the soft tissue extensibility.

3. Increases psychological readiness.

Are general or specific warm-ups for the body even necessary?

No, all demands placed on the body are secondary only to that same demand placed on the mind. Unless trauma has been placed on an area of the body in which case a certain amount of massage, myo-fascial release and medicine’s may be necessary to perform, an athlete (in this case a weightlifter) can place his body under immediate stress without a general or specific warm-up. Both general and specific warm-ups are unnecessary to training and only deter from your ability to perform better.

How does a weightlifter prepare for increased demand?

Aside from being physically ready (which takes years of training) your mind not your brain must have an underlying motivation to help you achieve your goals fearlessly. You cannot expect to move above present accomplishments without first at-least commanding yourself to achieve more. In weightlifting this means simply putting more weight on the bar and trying many times to be successful with it. If your after increasing the performance in your training you must first learn to viciously move out of comfort zones. This process can be painful or slow at times but embrace these challenges and you will become stronger.

How is the brain different from the mind?

The brain is solely a reaction organ. All action required of the brain is spontaneous and quick when trained to do so. Move your finger from a hot stove or get down when you here gunfire. These actions come without thought and the same approach can be applied to training. Thinking allows hesitation and when you hesitate you become unsure of yourself and your ability. The thought process belongs to the mind. Establishing value and following your conviction undeterred are solely elements of the mind which require preconceived rational thought.

Every animal has a brain and that animal responds to their environment re-actively. If its hungry it hunts and kills or begs to be fed. If its being hunted it runs from danger or stands its ground. Man however although an animal has the ability to use his mind and this elevates him above all life. The convictions and values you establish before your training will determine success on the platform or failure. If you do not succumb to doubt but hold to what is needed to achieve mastery in your discipline while at the same time train your brain to only react to the stress upon it, this is good.

If warming up is unnecessary to achieve maximum performance then how does a weightlifter achieve maximal weights in a short amount of time?

In order to accomplish this requires a mastery of your discipline. Until the body has been prepared through countless hours of repetition and the brain begins to behave solely by reacting and not thinking, then the mind of the weightlifter will never begin to develop the essential quality to reaching mastery. And what is that you say? Being without fear of course!

Through consistent disciplined training you not only began to see what your body is truly capable of but also how your mind conceives its immediate challenges. Only by abandoning fear can a weightlifter achieve maximal performance beyond what is thought to be possible. When he or she does this they elusively move into the exceptional.

How do I focus on increasing my adrenaline to perform when I need it?

This is difficult to do in training but is most always felt in competition. The body will adapt to the demands placed on it over time. Only by increasing those demands consciously will you increase your numbers (increasing numbers when it matters is all that matters.) The same process can be applied to the adrenaline producing gland in your brain. Thinking deters your improvement. Do not think for a moment that it would be better to save this burst of adrenaline in your training for a later training date. No, instead relinquish its powers all the time and instead learn how to replenish its value quickly. The more you focus on using your adrenaline daily then the larger this gland will become. Eventually this should be accomplished without thought. The weightlifter will perform consistently at higher intensities if this process is done constantly. In response to this process your performance will increase.

Explain why there is no better motivation than self-preservation, and why this extreme cannot be applied to training?

Because weightlifting will not at the end of the day kill you. Here is an analogy and how it can roughly translate to any thoughts of warming up. If your hiking in the woods and happen to come across a bear who has it in mind to have you for breakfast, your not going to tell that bear hold on while I stretch my hamstrings and do a couple hip swivels and jumping jacks. Your more than likely (unless your a coward) going to do an about face and run faster than you have ever ran before in order to hike another day, or just punch him in the face. After you make it to safety sure your going to be sore the next day but the idea is to continue placing that stress upon you. Maybe next time go on safari and piss off a herd of hippo’s.

This idea can be applied to warming up. You do not need to spend time preparing to lift, only lift. If you want to call starting with the bar warming up then call it whatever you want. I call it beginning your training.

In theory with this being said you should be able to roll right out of bed and lift maximum weights. Yes, you can if if you place your mind in the most extreme situation you can conceive and then react to the impetus in front of you.

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Squats, 4 sets of 8

Take a Kettlebell, a medicine ball, and maybe a dumbell, and spend 30 minutes doing a variety of stuff.  Make it as hard on yourself as you can.

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AM

Snatch 10 singles.  pause both off the ground and below the knee.  weight to be determined.

clean and jerk to 80%

back raises, work to max set of 10

PM

snatch to max

clean and jerk to max

Kettlebell work for 2 sets.

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Clean and Jerk exercises with 50kg for 1 minute, make it as hard on yourself as possible and dont put the bar down.

Powersnatch to max, but use a 3 second pause just off the ground.

swings for one minute.

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AM

Snatch 10 singles at about 80%, 3 second pause below knee

Clean and jerk, 6 singles at about 80%, 3 second pause below knee.

Some type of rowing, 3 sets of 10, just work hard.

Back raises, work to a hard set of 10

PM

Snatch to 90%.  Then 5 sets of snatch high pull + hang snatch, done as heavy as possible

clean and jerk to 90%.  Then 5 sets of clean pull, then hang clean/jerk, done as heavy as possible

Kettlebell clean and jerk, one set.

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