Today we worked on the Clean and Jerk.  For those of you who are frustrated by this move, take solace – you are not alone!  This is a complicated lift.  Do not expect to be proficient at it right away.  Below are instructions on how to execute the Clean which is no doubt the main source of aggravation in today’s workout.

Set-up:
Stand over bar with balls of feet positioned under bar approximately hips width apart.  Squat down and grip bar with over hand grip slightly outside of shoulder width.  Shoulders should be slightly over bar with back arched tightly. Keep arms straight. 

Clean:
Pull bar up off floor by extending hips and knees. As bar reaches knees raise shoulders forcefully.  Jump upward getting full hip extension. Shrug shoulders and pull bar upward as elbows flex out to sides, keeping bar close to body. Aggressively pull body under bar, rotating elbows around bar. (You will hear us cue “fast elbows” here.)  Catch bar on shoulders while moving into squat position.  Once you hit the bottom of the squat, stand-up.  You have completed the Clean. 

Keep working hard and these lifts will get easier!  – Dawna

WOD
4 Rounds
400m Run
15 Clean and Jerks (95#/65#)
Rest one minute between rounds

Olympic Lifting with Sage Burgener
Sage Lifting

This weekend Maggie and I had the amazing fortune to attend the CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certification led by Sage Burgener, the daughter of legendary coach Mike Burgener. Sage started lifting as a small child and in her teens earned the title of Junior National Champion. This weekend she taught a group of CrossFitters how to coach the Snatch, Clean & Jerk, skill transfer exercises, and the famous Burgener Warm-Up. I’ll say it now…. Sage is my HERO! She is intelligent, articulate, humorous, and can pull an enormous amount of weight off the floor and put it over her cute head. If you ever have the opportunity to learn from Sage, do not miss it – she is wise beyond her years. The CrossFit community is lucky to have this wonderful resource. A big “THANKS” to Andy at CrossFit Salem for hosting the event.

I don’t know about everyone else who attended the cert, but I am BEAT! There was so much information to process as well as working on our own lifts. It’s amazing how snatching, pressing, cleaning, jerking, and squatting with a piece of pvc pipe all weekend can wear a girl out! But, there is no time to rest….. We get into our place on Tuesday and have tons of work to do to before we open on June 7th.

Can’t wait to see you in the gym!

-Dawna