Olympic Lifts

Chad Vaughn breaks down the “simplest” of the three Olympic lifts.

In comparison to the snatch and clean, the jerk is theoretically the simplest of the three lifts.

For the jerk, as in the snatch and clean, certain parts of the body have to move out of the way of the bar so it can travel up straight. In other words, these parts have to move around the bar. In the jerk, of course, the head is the only… Continue Reading

At this video filmed at CrossFit Invictus, Coach Mike Burgener explains why he has athletes jerk from behind the neck.

“Forces me to go straight up. My elbows are where automatically? They’re down. They’re already externally rotated. And I can just really drive the heck out of ’em,” he says. “But the reason that I give my athletes jerk behind the neck is because of confidence.”

Casey, one of Burgener’s sons, could clean… Continue Reading

USA Weightlifting has seen increases in its number of athletes and coaches over the past four years. Longtime USAW athletes and coaches say the reason is CrossFit. Andréa Maria Cecil reports.

In four years, the number of USA Weightlifting athletes has grown 30 percent. Meanwhile, the number of USAW coaches has catapulted by 139 percent in the same time period.

“There’s a situation for weightlifting now that has never existed in the 20 years that… Continue Reading

Bob Takano goes over the finer points of cueing lifters in training and competition.

Coaching cues are a form of communication that can be unique to a particular coach and the specific situation. They are in fact abbreviations of concepts that would take a great deal of time to explain.

They can and should be used in the early developmental period as technique is taught, and they can be of even greater… Continue Reading

After 45 years of coaching Olympic weightlifting, Mike Burgener still assesses athletes the same way: stance, grip, position.

“You just eyeball it real quick and you make the changes right away,” he says during this CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting Trainer Course.

After that, it’s the five-step Burgener Warm-Up.

First is the down and up for developing speed through the middle. The hips must open and the shoulders come up.

“Now the… Continue Reading

Olympic-weightlifting coach Mike Burgener says the three snatch positions are the high hang, mid-thigh and floor.

While the weight is somewhat balanced in the foot in the start position, the weight moves back toward the heels very quickly after the bar breaks the ground.

“The knees start everything, and the weight, in my opinion, should be 55 (percent), 45 (percent) and then shifted back immediately once the bar is lifted,” he explains… Continue Reading

Olympic-weightlifting coach Mike Burgener has changed his cues for beginners to produce optimal results. Andréa Maria Cecil explains.

Mike Burgener used to be “real big” on using the coaching cue “pockets” for anybody performing the snatch or clean.

“For years I emphasized ‘mid-thigh’ to ‘pockets,’” said the longtime Olympic-weightlifting coach. “I emphasized the hell out of it.”

Then he noticed one of his own trainers giving the “pockets” cue to a beginner. The result: the athlete… Continue Reading

Christine Girard was the only Olympic weightlifter from North America to win a medal at the London Games, and she fired up the Canadian CrossFit community in the process. Emily Beers reports.

When Christine Girard placed fourth at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, people treated her as if she had failed.

“People reacted like it was a huge disappointment because I didn’t win a medal. It was as if they were saying to me… Continue Reading