<–Janelle shows us what functional squatting is all about. I should have posted this one yesterday for the front squat day!

A. Deadlift – Find your 1 rep max, or a heavy single. As always, good form is paramount.

B. Strict pull-up strength – 2 max effort sets of each movement: wide grip (beyond shoulder width), normal grip, supinated grip (chin-up). Use bands if necessary, but the pull-ups must still be strict. The wide grip pull-up may be new for some of you, so play around with it a bit beforehand.

C. 3 max effort holds in a ring support, or support on the dipping station. Keep those shoulders active, and if you can’t, that’s the end of your set.

**Just some notes about the Olympic weightlifting classes, as I’ve had some questions.

1. Do I have to come to all of the classes? – No. It’s a chance to practice your lifts a bit more intensively that you might in a regular class, but you will be working at your own level for that particular day. Once you have the basics down, you just need practice, and lots of it. The more you practice, the more progress you’ll make, as with the regular classes (and learning any skill). Just come out to classes that you can fit in your schedule.

I will still be programming Olympic lifts in the regular classes, so you’ll still get some exposure that way, just as you have up to this point. The Olympic lifts are high skill movements, and indeed a sport unto themselves, so it makes sense to have dedicated practice time. I try to program a couple of Oly-themed days a week for this very reason.

2. I can’t come to the classes right now. Will there be more offered? – More than likely, yes. We just wanted to have a defined trial period, and then if there’s sufficient interest, we will make this a regular thing.