Conjugate Methods and O Lifting

Anyone who knows a thing or two, please chime in.

Every time I read something from Dave Tate, EliteFTS or Louie Simmons, at some point or another, the Dynamo Club and O Lifting gets mentioned as sort of the birth place of their ideas on Conjugate lifting, namely what later was described by Zatsiorsky as such;

Dynamic Effort Method
Maximum Effort Method
Repetition Method

What I know: Dynamo (an athletic club in Riga) developed a system of training for their Weightlifting competitors that centered around ~30 'special exercises' that were constantly rotated. These were related to but not the classic lifts. These lifters soon rose to claim many national, world and Olympic titles, before the system was later replaced by others (Russian and Bulgarian national systems).

Louie states directly that reading descriptions of these training methods led to his development of the 'Westside Barbell Method' of training powerlifters.

So, here's where I get a little lost; how do your apply the IDEA and the techniques of something like Dynamic Effort methods to something that's already FAST (like the Snatch).

So, that's what I am working on right now. I have tried to find info in English, but so far have been disappointed.

In a few days, when I have a few more minutes, I will share what I have been coming up with as my own solution to these philosophical questions and the system I am trying to develop to address them.


Here's one easy answer: assistance lifts to the classics, performed 'westside style'...
ie, DE= 50-60% 1RM with CAT
for examples:

ME BS and DE OHS from Full Circle on Vimeo.

For Example, my PR Overhead Squat is 195lbs for 2 reps, so perhaps about 210lbs. 60% of this would be 125lbs, which is the weight I am using in the above video. In addition, there is about 30lbs of Chains, set up such that most of the weight is absent at the bottom of the lift and it increases rapidly as I ascend. I performed one repetition of this submaximal load as explosively as possible, for 8 sets of 1 with about 45 seconds rest between sets. I incorporate a pause as I have no box, and don't wish to pursue to traditional longer pause on a box, typical of traditional Westside training methods.

As a total side note, Dynamic Effort OHS mess up my traps something fierce! Dude, my traps and rhomboids where screaming for a few days after the first time I combined this with High Pulls (part of the mistake perhaps).

4-1-2009

Snatch Training

4-1-2009 Snatch Training from Full Circle on Vimeo.

Some snatch lifts

High Hang Squat Snatches
4 sets of 4 at 100lbs
(1 set of 4 at 100, 2 sets of 4 at 105)

Snatch Balance
5 sets of 2 at 145lbs
(2 sets of 2 at 145, 1 set of 1 at 155 and 165lbs) (PR)

I felt really good snatch balancing 165lbs, though depth and speed could be better. The main thing is it's 20lbs heavier than I have ever done before (never did heavy snatch balances before). I think that if I keep making progress, doing 175 and perhaps 185, then I can make 155lbs look as for sure, and that's the main goal; perfection at the more realistic weights of 145-155lbs that I am struggling to achieve snatch-wise right now.

Here's the view;


High Hang Squat Snatch and Snatch Balance from Full Circle on Vimeo.

Snatch Progression

Been working on my O Lifts...

So, with the clean I have a hard time completing the second pull (the phase from the knee until triple extension is complete). I am also a little slow with the third pull, which is to say that I don't get under the bar or lower myself to a receiving position very fast.
You can see all about that here; Clean

It's at least a little better with the snatch. In most of the videos, I seem to catch the tall or high hang snatches and the 'full' snatches right about parallel, which is better than my power clean into front squat phenomena.
I am also getting a better second pull done (i think). I look and feel a little slow though, but I think this has at least a little to do with the weight. Something a little heavier would force some more speed in the second and third pulls. Anyways, here's what I've been up to;