Last week, I got to attend a Chad Vaughn weightlifting class at Crossfit Austin. Here’s his bio:
Chad Vaughn is a renowned Olympic Weightlifter. He is a 2-time Olympian, 6-time National Champion, and the American Record Holder in the Clean and Jerk. Chad has been involved in CrossFit for the past year, and is CrossFit level 1 certified. He is currently preparing for this years world Championships in Turkey.
It was awesome. He’s super smart, easy to understand, and quick to make corrections. Check out more of his stuff at Olyathlete.com, and sign up for his class!
I, of the long femur and double-jointed elbows, present a bit of a challenge in that my limbs are much longer than the rest of me. Super. But as we worked on the Snatch, he helped me get into position and liked the improvements he saw. Then he prescribed this workout for me once a week so that I’d build strength in the Overhead Squat portion of a Snatch.
Snatch push press from behind the head + OH squat at rock bottom 5+5 x 4
In Denver to hang out with my roomie from college, Christi, I went with her to Denver Athletic Club, a gym that has JUST installed Oly lifting platforms! With colored plates! YAY! She wanted to do my workout, so I warmed her up with a snatch progression and then got her started with a light bar.
I took off with a 45# bar … it got hard even at that in the later rounds! But I LOVED it. Christi and I finished with a mini-WOD (9-7-6 power cleans, double unders, pushups) and basketball court sprints (srsly this downtown gym is legit) of 1 suicide and 4 horses (baseline to half court and back, full court and back).
I love Olympic Lifting. I know I’ve been saying it for awhile, but I think this sesh with Chad will be the drop that spills the bucket or whatever the metaphor is for me finally getting my rock-hoisting self to a gym, at least a few days a week (can’t abandon Nature’s Garage Gym … until we move, that is).