Dog Pack

Cycle #2

The main target of these next 4 weeks is going to be overhead strength and stability. That is going to be the main focal point and there will be aspects of each workout that emphasize that. The main way we go about this is by increasing overall time under tension in our overhead position in both the snatch and the jerk. This is typically a difficult thing to target as the joints in the upper body are a bit more fragile and susceptible to minor tweaks then the joints in the lower body. But with the way these workouts are designed, you will be flowing through this program feeling more confident with that bar overhead than you ever have. It is very important that you do not neglect mobility work through the upper body throughout this training cycle, be responsible with your warm up and target the lats and thoracic spine everyday. If you do that and be disciplined with your recovery, you will leave this training cycle with nothing but confidence with a barbell locked out overhead.

Its very common to see olympic weightlifters neglect strengthening and fortifying the upper body which is one of the leading causes of inconsistency in the lifts. Yes, in an ideal world we have perfect technique on every single lift, but we dont, and that bar isnt going to land perfectly in the slot on every single lift. Having a surplus of overhead strength is a security blanket for your lifts, bailing you out of minor mistakes made in the pull and enhancing your ability to save and make more lifts. Not only that, but knowing you have developed strength and stability in the overhead position will give you the confidence to commit to scarier lifts. When your old PRs feel light overhead, attacking new PRs becomes a much easier task. The benefits from 4 solid weeks of committing to building an overhead position you can trust is something that you will benefit from for several months down the road. This is how we make substantial progress in the sport of olympic weightlifting. Make weaknesses strengths, gain new forms of confidence, and build huge amounts of momentum.

The secondary target is building structure to our pull. Slow eccentrics, time under tension in the pull is going to be a staple to the next 4 weeks. The reason we pair the 2 is to create a security blanket throughout the 2 most technical aspects of the lifts. When we pair perfecting positions in the pull, with a bulletproof overhead position, it creates a confidence with the lifts that is almost unflappable. And yes, that means the squats in this phase are going to be fairly easy, but don't get adjusted to that because the squat is going to be a huge target in the following phase.

Approach this next phase with the understanding that you are going to be working hard on specific things, there may be days where the things we are targeting don't feel great but that is all part of the progress, recover hard, train responsibly, and most of all, be a dog.

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