Now we’re 10 weeks from the May Flowers of Power competition, happening May 11th.
(at Forze Gym organized by SDS Strong Woman). This time, LaToya and Crystal R came out to train with us and meet the squad. They’re organizing the May competition. We loved having them around!
So far we have three signed up for the competition and two more who have verbally committed.
We had a great group strength training session, followed by axle clean and press and dumbbell clean and press technique work. Overall, the group is working hard and is stronger and more skilled than ever. Consistent training and skill practice has been paying off in a big way.
Here’s what you’re seeing in the videos:
Crystal clean and pressed 90lbs, for the first time ever.
Lisa clean and pressed 50lbs in this video, and later in the session did 60lbs, for the first time ever.
The axle bar is thicker than an Olympic barbell (which is the standard barbell you see in most gyms.) The axle bar is about 2 inches in diameter, and the Olympic barbell is about 1 inch in diameter. The axle bar usually weighs around 20lbs, and an Olympic barbell weighs around 45lbs. While the axle bar is lighter, it is more challenging to grip and hold because of its thickness.
Amanda cleans and presses a 50lbs circus dumbbell for the first time ever.
LaToya shows us the classic technique for this exercise.
Crystal cleans and presses 60lbs on the circus dumbbell for the first time ever.
The circus dumbbell is bigger and more awkward than a regular dumbbell and has a thicker handle. This makes it harder to grip, hold, and handle. It’s typical to see implements like these in strong person competitions, where heavy and awkward implements abound.
Jenna brings us home with a 47.5lbs dumbbell clean and press.
While seeing how much you can lift is really fun and empowering, these are two movements that require a lot of technique work so we’ll be focusing on building a solid foundation over the next few weeks.
Want to join the fun? Send me a message at dylanirvingfitness@gmail.com. Drop-ins are welcomed and encouraged! You just have to let me know ahead of time 🙂
