Snatches and CJs

Adding to the list of things I suck at: Weightlifting. I used to think the Bench Press was complex. It’s not. Pick any joint in my body. Any joint, pick one. That joint can’t figure out how to Snatch or Clean & Jerk. Even if my brain knew how to tell it what to do it physically could not be made to go into that position. What joint did you pick? Ankle: no. Knee: no. Hip, scapula, shoulder, elbow, wrist? No, no, no, no, no.

I’ve been trying though. I’ve been going to the local CrossFit, whose owner both oddly and thankfully agrees with me that CrossFit has an image problem. She’s also a USA Weightlifting certified instructor and former gymnast so I forgive her. We agree that my “technique” super sucks. She’ll stand there and say stuff like, “Use your legs.” That’s where I’m at. I’m the special needs guy over in the corner trying to row the fricking bar up like an upside down and inverted pull-up. My legs are fully turned off. One day last week I walked over and did a one-arm on the pull-up bar just to recoup some dignity. She was like, “That’s crazy.” No. What’s crazy is my max deadlift is ~95lbs.

I feel it now in my climbing. Not one neutron is wasted contemplating anything below my wist. I guess I look for where to put my feet but that’s the end of the story. When I’m tired my whole thought process is like, “Where’s my elbow? How’s my breathing? Core is tight?” Lately I do force myself to think, “Where’s my knee? Where’s my hip?” If I’m asking the answer is usually, “Not where it should be.” That’s too bad because, if I’m asking, my arms are probably blasted and my legs sure could help out. I’m hoping weightlifting can get these old bones to start talking to each other.

The Olympic lifts are crazy complex. I love it.