Thursday 052710 – Cleans

May 26th, 2010 by Mike J

Clean 1-1-1-1-1, then:

Front squat 2-2-2-2

Quick story – My father in-law has been working with his hands his whole life, and is pretty strong for a 5 foot tall 65 year old man.  I’m pretty sure he’s never exercised and I’m sure he’s never done CrossFit, he’s just led an active lifestyle that keeps him strong and mobile.  Nonetheless, last night we were putting up a big shelving unit and we both had to lift it from the ground and get it overhead to attach it to the wall about 5 feet high.  We both picked it up from the ground, and I pretty much curled it up to get it overhead, but my father in-law didn’t curl it, he cleaned it!  He picked it up with fully locked out elbows up to about mid-thigh, then jumped it up slightly and dipped under it before pressing it into position on the wall.  I saw this and looked at Andrea and said, “he just cleaned the s**t out of that shelf”, and she looked at me and said “You’re a dork”.  This may be true, but the fact that this little person did a perfect clean to get a heavy object overhead made me happy, and reinforces that this is the most efficient way to get a heavy load overhead, we just need to teach our bodies to move the way they’re meant to move and they’ll take care of the rest.  So think about old man Nunes today when you’re cleaning the barbell, if he can do it without pulling early with the arms, so can you!

  1. Jaime J May 26, 2010 / 9pm

    Drea’s right…

  2. Joyce May 26, 2010 / 9pm

    Agree with Andrea, you are a dork :)

  3. Jess M May 26, 2010 / 9pm

    I’m with Joyce and Jaime! :)

  4. Jon May 26, 2010 / 9pm

    “… and then the zombies showed up, and made us do five burpees every minute while we were putting up the shelf, or they would eat our brains. And that’s when CrossFit finally started to make sense.”

  5. Mike J May 27, 2010 / 8am

    Thanks guys, Jon the zombie analogy is simply a coaching tool to get you to do more pullups or lift more weight, I’ve personally never been involved in a zombie attack – which doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

  6. Emily May 27, 2010 / 11am

    Yep, a dork! Remember Mike, somethings need to be kept in your “thinking bubble” and not put in your “speaking bubble”! : )

  7. Andy May 27, 2010 / 2pm

    I think that story, and your dad, are awesome. Hilarious!

  8. Jeff B. May 27, 2010 / 4pm

    Let me suggest zombiefit.org to all those preparing for zombie attacks.

    That and a remington 870 are the way to go. :)

  9. Doug J May 27, 2010 / 5pm

    Mike, you’re not a dork and you shouldn’t let your wife talk to you like that! Good story otherwise though!

  10. Ian S May 27, 2010 / 9pm

    Cleans – maxed at 185. Still my PR.

    FS – 2 max -> 205
    1 max -> 225

  11. Steve May 27, 2010 / 9pm

    Drea’s right…

  12. Kalen May 28, 2010 / 9am

    Squat Cleans PR – #195
    Front Squat – #200

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