Ask Powerlifter - Gents and gals of all goals welcome

Thanks for the help.

So would overhead squats be useful to help me get the mobility/technique for the full snatch or would I be better off just trying to do the snatch and squat lower every time?

start of with the bar and just do the full snatch[, overhead squats are good but they get you good at overhead squats, you need to catch the bar first!

I think that the narrower grip is better for me, then. I always used to fail bench press reps because I could not break through the sticking point right on the chest or a few inches up above the chest. The narrower grip gives me more speed through this sticking point, so I think that I'll continue using it. Moreover, it's purportedly safer for the shoulders and the more vertical bar path seems more efficient (even though the bar is probably moving a longer distance overall).

I tried some squats with slightly reduced depth today and my speed was much better. So I guess that more depth gives you less speed and that I need to work on squatting atg. But the problem I had was that I was leaning forward far too much, especially on later sets (with higher weight). This didn't hurt my back or anything (I am sure my back was still in extension) but I feel like this makes for an ugly, poor, Olympic squat. So how do I make my Olympic squat look more like a real Olympic squat? I'm already using the high bar position but I lean forward too much and it ends up looking like a powerlifter squat. Should I just keep squatting like this and not worry about it?
you sound like you have quad weakness then, sit back on your heels, lower the weight and focus on driving your hips forward rather than just getting the weight up

Thanks for the reply. Also,where should my hands be when I OH mil press? Closer seems easier for me so I usually do it around shoulder width but it seems that people do it really quite wide...

Ok, Matt for doing DB press, is there an easy/safe way to get the DB into the position and out of it after?

I can manage to get it into the position easily enough by resting it on quad and kind of rocking it onto the chest but on the way down when my arms are knackered i can't find a good way of getting them down...

Other than basically placing them onto the chest then rocking them onto my legs as i sit up...

Powerlifter, if you were to go back in time to when you started lifting seriously, what would you do differently, if anything?

1. What are all the muscles which need to be worked on by runners when devising a weights programme?
2. What sets/reps should an 800m runner be doing of each exercise? I was thinking low reps and doing them explosively, your opinion?

I'll quite happily make my own routine up given this info. Cheers.

I would think core, posterior chain, quads and calves.

The 800m is more endurance than power based so 20 reps sets of squats etc would be more likely to be effective.

Honestly though I am not sure how distance athletics train, you would do better talking to a running coach.

Lift one up in two hands and get the other passed to you. Then just drop them when you fail.

Cheers. I've heard from one of my coaches that the aim is power over strength, and that it's similar to 400m weight training, as the running prevents any large gains in mass. I'm a bit confused as to whether to go for 6 reps, 12+ reps for strength, or mix it up. Could you advise?

Thanks.

I do leg at gym twice a week (and that is the only thing worked in the gym) spend roughly 2 hours there.

Usually manage 2 exercises of 5 sets with 5 reps and 3 minute rest between.

The question is - what are the most effective four leg exercises for strength (and some increase of mass) so that two can be paired up and worked during the same day with those amount of reps and sets?

What's your supplementation like? Aside from whey what do you recommend to someone who trains around 6 times a week? I was thinking of getting glutamine and dextrose

Thanks

What is your view on a power/hypertrophy split? So, for example, 4-day routine where first two days are power (upper and lower) and then another two days are more hypertrophy (upper and lower).

It's cak

Any reasons? Just interested to know why.

Hypertrophy training damages a muscle beyond useful use for a good period (around 10 days for legs and back and 7 days for pressing upper), it is not possible to "Power train" alongside it properly with severly reducing the ability of the powerlifts