Wednesday's whupping

I had a really enjoyable session tonight; it was very short and sharp. I arrived at the gym determined to get my final warm up lifts for Saturday and I got them and felt good doing so. Here is what I did:

A short pre-hab warm up with some bar work and flexibilty.

Snatch--1x2@50, 50, 70 1x1@80, 90, 97, 100, 103 x,103--I missed this, but got it a few minutes later. Quite simply, I did not finish my pull or accelerate with any real urgency. Tommy made the point that I was iniating my pull too early and not staying over the bar enough, so I focused on that and the lifts felt far stronger afterwards. He also berated me for being over-analytical with my technique and to just get on with it and lift! Tommy knows what he is talking about so I will keep it as simple as I can over the next few weeks.

Clean and Jerk--1x1@70, 70, 100, 110, 120, 130--I kept it as short and sweet as I could and my lifts felt accurate and smooth; but like my Snatches, they were a little slow and without the pop that I know I will have with two rest days before Saturday's competition. Have a look at the videos below and let me know and constructive comments you may have.

I decided not to squat in order to save my legs and energy and I left the gym feeling far better than when I arrived. Zag trained well despite a very very long day in work. He also lifted up to his final warm up reps and he going into Saturday in great knick.

Monday's marshalling of the cumulative fatigue

I had an enjoyable day's training today and I finally got that triple in the Front Squat with 150kg which I have not gotten since early on in the Summer. Again, it was a split session and I deviated from my usual Monday workout as I am competing on Saturday. Here is what I did:

Early afternoon:
A short warm up involving bodyweight movements and pre habs.
Front Squats--2x5@60 1x3@100, 120, 130, 140, 150
15 minutes partner flexibilty with Zag focusing on the hip flexors, groin, hamstrings and internal and external hip rotators.

Evening:
Warm up followed by the counter jump movement test on the computerised mat. I got 45.5 and Zag got 48.3, with our hands on our hips.

Power Snatch--1x3@40, 50 1x2@60, 70 1x1@80, 85, 90--I was happy with these: they were fast and locked in. Perhaps I could have finished my pull a bit more, but have a look at the video below and see if you can spot anything that needs to be changed.

Power Clean and Jerk--1x1@70, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115--I left it there as I did not have too much more in the tank.

I enjoyed training today and I think I may have turned a corner on the fatigue front--assuming I look after myself over the next few days and sleep really well. I will lift up to my last warm ups on Wednesday with as little volume and as big jumps that I can make. If things do not feel hunky dory, I will nip it in the bud and save it for Saturday.

Saturday's standard fare

I had a busy morning and week in general, so when a double espresso only makes you feel normal, you know it is not going to be a standout session. I still enjoyed it and was happy with getting 100/125 in this state. Here is what I did:

I took my time warming up and I did the following:

Clean grip Snatches--I just did these for fun. I did double with 40 twice, then 50 and singles with 60, 70 and 80. I left it there because I did not want to burn up what energy I had.

Snatch--1x2@40, 50, 60, 70 1x1@80, 90, 95--I missed this, then got it, missed 98 and then got. Both misses were due to not finishing the pull coupled with a cumbersome catch. I finished off with a sloppy single with 100 and left it there.

Clean and Jerk--1x1@60, 60, 80, 100, 110, 120, 125--These were ok. I needed to stay over the bar a bit more in the cleans and punch the Jerks out quicker, but I was happy enough.

Back Squats--1x2@110, 120, 130, 140--They were nice and light and I only did them to keep up the routine of squatting so they will go up eventually.

Have a look at the video and see what you see. I see a tired lifter lacking his co-ordination and I am looking forward to getting it back next week for the competition in Ulster. I am not really tapering too much for this one as the London open on Decemeber 5th is my real focus.

Friday's frightfully inspired sessions

I split my session into two today and in the early afternoon I did my squats and pulls and in the evening I did my Snatches and Front Squat and Jerks. It went well considering it was a Friday. Aside form my tired legs not getting the triple with 150 in the Front Squat that I wanted, I was happy with with how the day went from a technique and strength view point. Here is what I did:

Afternoon:
Front Squat--1x5@60, 90 1x3@110, 120, 130, 140, 150--I only got a double in this and then a single. Next week, I will get a triple with this!

Snatch Pulls--1x3@60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 105, 110--I really tried to get my hips and shoulders to come up together and to stay over the bar while transfering the weight from my toes to my heels and back to my toes again. They felt good again today and transfered mostly into my Snatches later that day.

Evening:
Snatch--3x3@40 1x2@50, 50, 60, 70 1x1@80, 85, 85, 90 x, 90, 95 for three singles. I missed one rep with 90 because I did not finish my pull and I found that was the case for many of my Snatches tonight. I was making sure my first pull was accurate and it felt better, but not perfect of course. Have a look at the video and tell me if you see anything.

2 Front Squats and 1 Jerk--This is always tough after squatting earlier in the day but I was happy enough with how it went. I did this combination lift for singles with 60, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 125--I just missed the Jerk as you will see in the video below and I had ru out of time to give it another go, but I will get it next time.

I train tomorrow and I will see how I am feeling after working in the morning. Next week I compete in Belfast so I need to get as fresh as I can in a week so that I can lift bigger weights than I ever have before!

Wednesday's waiting game

I had a late session this evening. I had a quick but thorough warm up and I went straight into:

Snatch doubles--1x2@40, 40, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90--I missed the second rep twice, but then I got both for three doubles with 90. Once I finished my pull and got my back locked it was fine. I find that when I get tired, my back lock and flexibility get steadily worse and the only way I can get them ok, is to focus completely on them.

Snatch Pulls--1x2@90,90, 100, 100--These were not feeling right so I went right back down to basics with 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 100, 100 for three doubles and these last few sets actually felt like they should feel. I focused on getting my lower back locked and curling the weight up with my back while pushing off my legs and staying over the bar. Have a look at the video below and tell what you think. My hips and shoulders come up together on the second set, but not the first.

I left it at that because it was relatively late and I was pretty wrecked. I am looking forward to freshening up for the competition in Belfast on Saturday week.

Tuesday's tightness in the hip flexors

I did my squats in the early afternoon and I finished up my session this afternoon. I was still pretty tired, but the squats definitely helped gear up my system for the afternoon session. Before the session I did the counter movement jump test again and I got 43.8 and Zag got 47.8 which is ok considering his legs are about to fall off and we had both already squatted that day. Here is what I did:

Front Squats--1x5@50, 50 1x3@100, 120, 130, 140 1x2@150, 150, 150--I only got one rep in the last set. My legs were tired!

This afternoon:

Power Snatch--1x2@40, 40, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 85, 85, 85--My Snatches were pretty ropy as well as being slow. The effects of fatigue I am afraid, I just have to accept it.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 60, 60 1x1@80, 90, 100, 110, 115, 120, 125--I missed the Clean and a few minutes later I nailed both the Clean and the Jerk. These lifts were very hard today and I had to give it 100% to make them. I was happy to make them.

I finished off with 10 minutes of flexibility and I had a yoga session that night. My hips have been extremely tight since Saturday and yoga was just what was needed. I have to stretch the hip and back area out every night in order to improve my flexibility so that it shows in the lifts themselves. Have a look at the video and leave any appropriate comments.

Monday's magnum

I was pretty tired during training today and looking back, I set my sights too high. I needed to be a little more realistic considering my training volume last week as well as maxing out on Saturday's second session. That's alright though, this is supposed to be a learning process after all. Here is what I did tonight:

A fifteen minute warm up. I was very stiff and warming up took more effort than usual.

Reverse Pulls--1x2@40, 50, 60, 70, 82 1x1@92--I did these as part of the warm up which also worked on pulling skill and back lock.

Snatch--Because I was so stiff, it was hard to get locked into position.
1x3@40, 40 1x2@60 1x1@80, 90, 95--This was awful so I went back to 90 again for a swinging miss behind and then a decent, but slow Snatch. I left it there.

Snatch Pulls--1x2@90, 100, 105, 110, 115

Cleans--1x2@60, 60, 90, 100, 110 for three doubles. These had to be ground out, but each set got a little better.

Back Squats--1x2@110, 120, 130, 140--I was all done in by then so I left it there for a quick stretch.

Have a look at the video below of some of the lifting today from Zag and I: