Takano Athletics

Power Snatch and Behind the Neck Push Press and Overhead Squat: 77 lbs.:35 kg/3 reps +3+3, (82:37/3+3+3)3 sets

Power Clean and Front Squat and Jerk: (99:45/3+3+3)2 (109:49/3+3+3)2

Back Squat: 109:49/2, 143:65/2, (163:74/2)3

Clean Deadlift: (143:65/2)4

25 February 2010

Back Squat: 99 lbs.:45 kg/1 reps, 121:55/1, 146:66/1, 165:75/1, 180:81/1, 185:84/1, 190:86/1, (165:75/3)3 sets

Snatch: 77:35/2, 87:39/2, 99:45/2, 104:47/11, (104:47/2)2, 104:47/11

Clean & Jerk: 99:45/2+1, 109:49/2+1, 119:54/2+1, (119:54/2+1)3

Snatch Hiigh Pull: (104:47/4)5

Just a little aggravated here with the  NBC announcers covering the events at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.  I know it’s a commercial enterprise and the focus is on attracting viewers within the money spending demographic profile, but every once in a while they could try and make the interviews pertinent to people that are athletes or members of the athletic community.

I keep hearing them ask the athletes “How do you handle the nerves?” as though an Olympic gold medalist suffers from the same anxieties as a 12-year-old in his first Little League game.  Pheeeuw!

Can’t they ask about their thoughts, feelings and perceptions as they approach the event.  How are they envisioning the course, the audience.  What sensations do they feel during the course of the competition.  These are sporting events and as such they are addictive activities.  The actual competition should be satisfying that addiction.

That’s the kind of interviewing I want to hear.  Something that would prove to be educational and perhaps provide a previously overlooked perspective that might have value in the future preparation for athletic competitions.  Alas, that would require some thoughtfulness and maybe a little concern for the education of the audience.

To give credit to some of the athletes, several have gone beyond the standard answers and actually provided some revealing insights to their psyches as they go through their performance.

When it’s all said and done the only thing that makes it, really makes it is the performance.  I think that’s a quote from Mick Jagger’s character in that all but forgotten 1970 movie Performance.

I just got a short e-mail from former USA national superheavyweight champion Tom Stock who provided some useful data about his vertical jumping ability and explosiveness.  Since he was the subject of a tale that has survived and grown until it has become part of the mythology of the sport, I’m happy to present the data from the man who made it happen.

It’s well known that Olympic lifters are extremely explosive and excel at vertical jumping.  Even some of the larger ones can really “sky”, and thus was the case with Tom Stock, the 1978 and 1979 U.S. National Champion in the superheavyweight (over 242.5 lbs. bodyweight) class.  Tom was selected in 1979 to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico.

As I recall the story some athletes were fooling around comparing vertical jumps in the athletes’ village at the San Juan site.  The apparent victor was Henry Hines, a world class triple jumper from the track and field team.  That is until shot putter Dave Laut, who would win a silver five years later at the L.A. Games, out leaped the leaper.  This was not surprising to many of us in the strength sport community since we knew of a study done by John Garhammer in which he measured the vertical jumps of a representative sample of world class throwers.  As I recall the average vertical jump of these behemoths was around 36 inches with the highest one being around 38.

Well, along came superheavyweight lifter Tom Stock who was weighing right around 300 lbs.  Tom had just finished his final lifting workout before his competition.  In that session he had snatched 350 lbs. and cleaned and jerked 450.  To everyone’s amazement, Tom outjumped Laut to win the informal competition with a mark that was measured at 42 inches!   That’s an NBA type number usually done by athletes weighing 100 lbs. less than Tom.

Tom also informs me that at the time he ran a gun start 40 yard dash in 4.46 seconds!  That’s science fiction for a 300 pounder.

We all know that weightlifters are explosive, but it’s good to get a number that everyone can identify and understand.   Thanks for the info, Tom!

Here’s another little vertical jumping story that you might enjoy.  One of the measurements of both vertical jump and hip flexion ability is for an athlete to jump from the ground upward to land in a squatting position on a platform set at a predesignated height.   This requires not only a good explosive jump, but a rapid flexion of the hips to get the feet high enough to land on the platform.

We had heard stories that one of the tests for athletes trying out for the Bulgarian weightlifting team was to see if each candidate could jump up on to a platform pre set at the height of the athlete’s nipples.  This is a pretty good jump if you have an adjustable platform.  Try it out!

In the weightlifting training hall at the 1984 Olympics where I was one of the assistant managers, some of the U.S. lifters got into an impromptu jumping competition since  there were adjustable jumping blocks available.  I believe everybody easily jumped as high as their nipples, but the two winners were extraordinary.  Albert Hood, my 56 kg. lifter who stood just 4′11″, and Guy Carlton, one of the 110 kg. lifters on the team who stood just short of 6′, were the two best.  Each of them jumped up on to a platform that was the same height as their clavicles!   I know because I helped set up the blocks.  I’ve never seen that feat surpassed.  Yes, weightlifters can jump.

Front Squat: 77 lbs.:35 kg/4 reps, 99:45/4 124:56/4, (134:61/4)4*

Power Snatch: 77:35/4, (82:37/4)4

Power Clean: (99:45/4)4

Power Jerk: (99:45/4)4

23 February 2010  The first week had 543 reps

Day 2 of Week 2 of a Preparation Cycle for April 24, 2010 meet

Snatch: 77 lbs.:35 kg/2 reps, 87:39/2, 97/2, 102/2, (102/2)2 sets, 102/11

Clean & Jerk: 99:45/2+1, 109:49/2+1, 119:54/2+1, (124:56/2+1)3

Back Squat: 121:55/3, 141:64/3, 165:75/3, 165/12, 165/3, 165/21

Clean Extension: (126:57/4)4

Press: (77:35/4)4

82 reps

22 February 2011

1st day of 2nd week of preparation cycle

Back Squat: 99 lbs.:45 kg/4 reps, 143:65/4, 163:74/4, 173:78/21, (164/4)2

Snatch: 77:35/2, 87:39/2, 97:44/13, 102:46/112, 102:46/31, 102:46/112

Clean & Jerk: 99:45/2+1, 109:49/2+1, 119:54/211+1, (119/4+1)3

Snatch Ext: (104:47/4)4

85 reps

Sorry, folks.  When I inserted the photo into the previous post, the text disappeared.  Go figure.

Anyway here’s a facsimile of what I wrote before I tried to insert that photo of coach Mike Burgener and the Crossfitters at the recently concluded Olympic Lifting certification held at Max Mormont’s Crossfit Balboa in Costa Mesa.

The event took place over the recently concluded weekend and I have to admit that it was the best one I’ve ever been to.  I’ve attended one and coached at three and under the leadership of Coach B, they just keep getting better and better.

Mike Burgener is, by far, the best at coaching a large group on the fundamentals of the snatch and clean and jerk.  Using the experience gained in 30 years of teaching the lifts to high school P.E. classes, Mike has refined the process to work for the Crossfit nation in a certification that is so popular that 53 of them were scheduled for 2010 and requests for more were coming in for 2011.

Furthermore Coach B provides additional material through his website to those participants that e-mail him a critique of the clinic.  In this way he is regularly receiving feedback, identifying weak points, massaging strengths and generally improving the product in an ongoing process.  Talk about conscientious instruction.

Almost entirely hands-on, the certification offers plenty of opportunity for participants to practice the technique of the Olympic lifts, and then to spend considerable time reviewing what they’ve learned by teaching it to each other.  This keeps everyone paying attention and constantly thinking of ways to express what they’ve learned in an instructional dialogue.

With a number of assistant trainers available to assist with break out groups, Mike, coordinates the learning schedule and almost everyone goes away with the feeling of having been exposed to a great deal of knowledge.

Personally, as one of the trainers, I am impressed by the enthusiasm, athleticism, and general good will of the Crossfit participants.  Some of them came from as far away as Canada and Washington to participate.  There is plenty of cooperative learning going on and everyone is encouraging of each other’s efforts to learn the movements.  The enthusiasm is high and most people leave with plenty of enthusiasm, eager to learn even more.

If the Olympic lifts are a topic of interest to you and you have little previous experience, consider signing up for one of these certifications if you can.  They sell out rather quickly.  There are still some slots available for one in Ramona, California over the March 13-14 weekend.  Check it out at http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/specialty_certs.html.

19 February 2010

Back Squat: 99 lbs.:45 kg/3 reps, 121:55/3, 148:67/3, (165:75/3)3 sets

Power Snatch and Behind the Neck Push Press and Overhead Squat: 77:35/3+3+3, (82:37?3+3+3)3

Power Clean and Front Squat and Power Jerk: (99:45/3+3+3)4

Snatch Extension: (99:45/4)4

Good Morning: (77:35/6)4

130 reps