Olympic Lifts

Bill Starr explains how to plan strength work for maximum gains.

If a program for beginners is fundamentally sound and they get in their workouts consistently and put lots of effort into them, they will make progress.

The very best program for beginners is one that gives equal attention to the three major muscle groups: shoulder girdle, back, and hips and legs. Gains come quickly and steadily, and if the athletes are… Continue Reading

Coach Mike Burgener has a special gift for simplifying the Olympic lifts—especially for beginners.

“Ninety percent of all missed lifts are attributed to the feet,” Burgener says to a group of athletes at a CrossFit Oly seminar.

To be successful on the platform, Burgener says you need to find the jumping position and the landing position. The first position has the feet right under the hips, while the latter position is the… Continue Reading

Bill Starr says a logbook and a calculator can help you avoid strength plateaus and keep your numbers marching upward.

When my strength gains hit the wall, my first thought was that I was doing too much, so I cut back on the number of exercises I was doing in a workout. That made matters worse, so I reversed the procedure and added in yet more work. That didn’t work either.

I… Continue Reading

When Kulsoom Abdullah found CrossFit Atlanta several years ago, it was her desire to learn the Olympic lifts that brought her there.

“I had the drive. I really wanted to learn lifting, and I really wanted to go do it,” she says.

She either ignored the stares or tried to be assertive and talk to people. But not all women are like that, notes Abdullah, who last year became the first woman to lift in sanctioned U.S… Continue Reading

Kulsoom Abdullah is the first woman to lift in sanctioned U.S. Olympic-weightlifting competitions while wearing traditional Muslim dress covering the head, arms and legs. In keeping with her religious beliefs, she trains during Ramadan.

Ramadan is a month in which participating Muslims don’t eat, drink, smoke or have sex from sunrise to sunset; it is intended to teach patience, spirituality, humility and submissiveness to God.

“The fasting… Continue Reading

The squat snatch is more efficient—there’s no doubt about that. But for some people, particularly those with flexibility, agility and balance issues, the split snatch might be a better option.

If someone has trouble with an overhead squat, the split snatch might be a great option when it’s time to pull a bar overhead. Similarly, if an athlete can’t produce a vertical torso in a squat… Continue Reading

Kulsoom Abdullah is a CrossFitter and Olympic-weightlifting competitor who is breaking social constructions.

To enter the U.S.A. National and American Open, the required attire is a singlet. According to her religious beliefs, Abdullah wears a traditional outfit including headscarf, so she inadvertently found herself standing up for her religious rights. Her plight became a human-rights case that created a media frenzy over Olympic-weightlifting… Continue Reading

Olympian Chad Vaughn explains ideal positioning for success in the Olympic lifts.

As a spectator at the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games, I couldn’t keep the coach in me from slipping out during all the barbell movements.

It was easy to see the increase in the quality of weightlifting technique and leg strength, even from just the year before. I believe strength and technique will continue to increase through the next couple of years until… Continue Reading