Podcast – 9 – Glenn Pendlay Q&A

This podcast features a Q&A with American Olympic weightlifting coach Glenn Pendlay from California Strength. Questions were submitted by readers on the 70’s Big Facebook Fan Page. Also check out (and sign up for) the Muscle Driver Grand Prix Inaugural Meet. That’s a lot of links.

Podcast-9-Pendlay-Q&A
(left click for stream, right click and “save as” to download)
1 hour, 30 seconds long

There’s still trouble with the iTunes availability although it has been submitted. Probably has to do with the iTunes tags in the RSS feed (which I don’t know how to fix).



Some topics from the Q&A include:

Push-press utility
The question was specific to the carryover to the jerk (it helps for beginners), but Glenn touted this exercise as one of the best upper body exercises for a weightlifter saying (paraphrase), “If you’re strong in the push-press, you’re strong in everything else: press, bench, jerk, etc.”

This topic also led to a general discussion with strength and weightlifting and what kind of emphasis or frequency strength training would have in a weightlifting program as a trainee advances from beginner and beyond.

Pulling from blocks
The question was specific to when to do them in the program. Glenn addresses the utility in pulling from blocks and when they would be pertinent to a program. There are even times when a beginner would use them as well, but only in a specific situation.

Being an Olympic weightlifter without a coach
The question was specifically asking what would be good resources to use in order to learn or improve the lifts, and Glenn ticks off a few good products and videos. He also gives some advice about submitting videos to forumz on the interwebz for critiquez.

Conditioning in a strength or weightlifting program
General trainees or beginning weightlifters will benefit from conditioning work. Glenn is an advocate for a very simple method of conditioning that is touted by other popular coaches. He also discusses the utility in complexes for ancillary work at the end of a training session. The complexes or circuits aren’t specifically designed for a conditioning effect, but they let the trainee get some accumulated work with assistance exercises to improve their hips, posterior chain, abdominals, lumbars, shoulders, etc. It’s quick and easy, but I want to add here that assuming no other conditioning work in the program that this would act as conditioning since the relative intensity and pace are higher than a standard strength program. At the minimum, a lifter could create a short complex/circuit like Glenn describes to get a slight endurance effect — something that can help their “between set recovery” as well.

22 thoughts on “Podcast – 9 – Glenn Pendlay Q&A

  1. I just finished my 70’s big reading marathon and after about 1 month, I finally finished reading every damn post. Yes, I am a meathead with way too much time on my hands. I can’t remember how I found the site, but in any case it doesn’t really matter…just wanted to say that this former skinny triathlete (used to weigh in at a paltry 155lbs in my early 30’s) is on the mend and I am currently at 182 and a hell of a lot stronger than my skinny run away from everything days. Thanks for taking the time to post and entertain us while providing great content.

    This brings a tear to my eye and joy into my heart.
    -Tsypkin

  2. Timely podcast. Just finished listening to your previous interview with Pendlay. Between your podcasts and JPs, I always have something amusing to listen to during fasted walks.

  3. Longest podcast I’ve ever listened to in my life, but I’m glad I did. Thanks for putting it together. I’d like more interviews with Glenn, but more focused on food in the future. I have a feeling me and Glenn could smash some buffets together.

  4. Timely as I’ve just started training with a weightlifting group and my overhead strength absolutely sucks. I can clean OK, I just can’t get jerk it overhead. I’m going to replace the press with the push press in my program and see if that helps.

  5. Justin – What do you think a reasonable kettlebell weight would be when first starting out with those conditioning exercises Pendlay described? The gym I go to has one, but I’m pretty sure it’s only 20lbs.

  6. Its funny that the push press came up in the pod cast as i have recently added them into my “program.” I have been wanting to get better at pressing and figured the heavier loads could only help… I am also happy to hear that it could aid in getting a better jerk.

  7. This podcast did kind of make me regret making my home made prowler…COULDA JUST BOUGHT A KETTLEBELL…oh well I’ll just add it to the list of things I want for my home gym

  8. Please don’t buy kettlebells at walmart. And be aware that there are several varieties of the faded glory cargo shorts, you want the ones with the thicker material. I forgot to specify that on the pod cast. Plus, they usually go out of stock in the winter, you might have to wait till March or so to find your size. They run about $13. If you start out by accumulating about 3 pair, then about one new pair a year will keep you in shorts indefinately, as each pair usually lasts a couple of years. Just dont make the mistake of buying 3 pair the same color. Then everyone will think you just wear the same pair every day.

  9. Coture tips from Glenn Pendlay. I fucking love this site.

    Glenn and Justin, thank you for today’s podcast, specifically for the bit about conditioning. I’m recovering from an extended bout of fatassedness and have recently started working conditioning metcons in… have you considered doing a post about programming (both major lifts and conditioning work) for moderately to significantly overweight trainees? I searched around on the site and didn’t see much about using weight/powerlifting to recover from teh fatz.

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