5 Rounds, 1 Minute Each:
KB Swing 44/26
Rope Slams
Air Squats
Toes To Bar
Rest
Rx+
KB 53/35
Rope Slams
Goblet Squat 53/35
GHD Sit Ups
Here is a quick clip of Erin hitting 100 and 105 for 3 rep thruster sets. Erin is a great athlete and a hard worker and has been kicking ass lately. At 47 years old and probably around 125# BW these are some impressive lifts.
What you will notice is that Erin has no problem with the squat portion of the lift, well except for one rep she gets a little forward, but the squat is quite strong and ready to handle quite a bit more weight. The overhead portion of the lift is a bit more difficult and erratic, which is somewhat normal for max thruster loads anyways. What I notice looking at the movement is that there is a significant change in elbow position part way up on the front squat which causes some loss of tension, balance and connection to the bar.
The thruster is difficult for many reasons, but one of them is the fact that you have to compromise between perfect front squat position and perfect pressing position in order to effectively transition from the squat to the press. Erin’s elbows are very high in the front squat, which is good if she were only front squatting, but makes it very difficult to transition to a press. Right as she passes the sticking point of the squat, she drops the elbows and tries to begin the press prematurely, causing some problems.
My suggestion on these lifts would be to grip the bar tighter and drop the elbows down a little for the squat, or in other words squat with a bit more of a pressing position. This is especially true for Erin since the squat is by far the easier part of the lift. In the video I was coaching her to keep the elbows up, but after watching it a few times, I think it would be even better to adjust them down a little to start with and try to maintain that position. What we really need is to see an elbow position that does not change until she has finished jumping into the push press portion of the lift. This will help her stay more connected and express more hip drive for the overhead portion.
Another key point at the very end of the video, and that is to keep your lifting area clear. Missed lifts need to land on an open floor, not a rack or pile of plates that might kick a barbell back at you. Luckily Erin got away with a little bruise to the quad here.
Erin commented as I filmed her that I would post this and point out the errors, which I did. Mainly I wanted to give Erin props on some great lifts, as well as some pointers for ways to lift even more.
Keep up the strong work Erin.
