Which lifts give you the most bang for buck?
One of my weaknesses in CrossFit has been in the strength department. Of course, the only way to improve is to practice. I’m pretty happy now with the basic Power lifts – having gone from a beginner’s deadlift of about 140lbs in December 2008 to lifting 370lbs (at 165lbs body weight) in June 2009! With a better level of all-around strength and flexibility, I’m now focusing on the more challenging technical lifts – like cleans, front squats, overhead squats, snatches and jerks.
Part of this focus has been trying to learn as much as possible about training for this kind of stuff. As part of my learning process, I came across Dan John’s excellent free book “From the Ground Up” [pdf]. He talks about a lot of different things, from nutrition to the psychology of an athlete, to lots of discussion about lifting specifically. One of the more interesting pieces I found is a quick list of the lifts which he thinks give the most “bang for buck”. Here it is:
1 Clean and Press…if all you did was Clean and Press, you could be awesome
2 Front Squat…flexible, solid and strong
3 Power Snatch and Overhead Squat Combo…Tony Nielson, a young man I
coached for a few years, was the smallest football player on the field, yet I
watched him run for 200+ yards in several games. His reason: this combo. Easy to
learn, difficult to master, excellent long term benefits.4 Dragging a sled, pushing a car or hill sprints…shoot me, but I believe these are
superior to squats for most athletes.5 Power Clean…’nuff said
6 Farmer Walk…a year ago, I would have laughed at these…now, I don’t laugh
7 One arm lift of some kind…they work, they are simple to learn, they work
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