Resting heavy on your shoulders

The rack position has the barbell resting on the meat of the front deltoids, elbows up and slightly in front of the bar. It allows proper execution of the front squat, press, push press, and jerk.

When learning the rack position, people often default to trying to control the bar with just their arms, avoiding contact with the shoulders (as in the photo on the left). Notice that most of the load is on the wrists. Ouch. Progress and performance will quickly stall for those who use the arms to rack the barbell. This must be corrected. We do this by loosening the grip (opening the fingers) a bit to allow the bar to drop back onto the shoulders, working with an empty barbell to get the feel for the placement, and adjusting the grip width to find the best position current flexibility limitations will allow (photo on the right).

Get into the groove

More often than not, an experienced observer can predict the eventual success of a lift based simply on the way the lifter approaches the bar and sets up.

Part of learning how to handle heavy weight is establishing consistency in your setup. The importance of a consistent pre-lifting ritual for fixing your stance and grip, setting your body into position, and regulating your breath can’t be overestimated. Eventually it will become almost automatic, allowing you to put your conscious energy into other elements of the challenge.

Veterans to the iron game know that success in lifting—especially as the weight increases and the margin for error gets smaller—requires taking the time to develop a regular pre-lifting ritual and then always performing it the same way. Every time they step to the bar, it looks the same, no matter the setting or the load.

You don’t have to have your own entrance theme song played, UFC-style, every time you approach the platform, but a little bit of ritual is a good thing. There are too many other variables that can make or break a lift; control the ones you can by establishing your own groove and then finding it every time.

Gear

Lifting real weight in running shoes is like swimming in a parka.

Unlike cushioned running shoes and their squishy brethren, weightlifting shoes, which feature a slightly raised, wood heel, give you a stable base for lifting. The heel doesn’t compress or wobble on you, the footing is flat and solid, the heel is slightly raised, and they efficiently transfer force between you and the floor, which is what lifting is all about.

They’re definitely worth having if you plan to squat, deadlift, press, clean, jerk, or snatch anything more than a dowel.

The right tool for the job.

You can't buy them in your local shoe store, but Todd Lyons will ship them to you virtually overnight: Adidas weightlifting shoes. You need to get some!

Actively finishing the press

Great press, Marc!

Totally loved it

Congratulations to the eighteen athletes who showed up and rocked the CrossFit Total on Saturday. They squatted; they pressed; they deadlifted.

From the new folks just learning the mechanics to old hands chasing new PRs, everyone stepped up admirably. Many of the bunch set multiple personal bests and performed well above their expectations. We all learned a great deal and are already looking forward to the next time around.

Special thanks to the friends and family who came along show support. It's good to have you in the house.

Totality

This Saturday, May 5th, at noon, we will be hosting the CrossFit Total (CFT) for CFES members. The contested lifts are the back squat, press, and deadlift. Your best of three attempts at each will be added together to come up with your CFT score (which will go on the new records board in the Blue Room). We will have an open gym from 12:00 until 4:00 pm for members to total each of the lifts.

Post-CFT festivities will be held at Tu Casa (2 blocks from the gym) starting at 4pm. Bring friends and family for a Cinco de Mayo throwdown -- good food, conversation, and maybe even some drinks.

Split jerk

Dip the hip, throw the weight up, and drive the body under the load to a locked-out, straight-arm position overhead. Only, this time, drive the body down under the weight, with one foot forward and one back, into a lunge-like position.

Finish to standing by stepping the front foot back and then the back foot forward. The lift is complete when the feet are in the same horizontal plane, with the bar extended overhead.

Moving bodyweight

CrossFit benchmark "Lynne"

Five rounds for max reps of:

Body weight bench press

Pull-ups