all weights in kilograms dynamic warmup
arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat @ 10kg, Russian twist @ 4kg ball, and SHELC
A1 semi-Javorek
12,5: 6x6
B1 power snatches + OH squat (within the same rep)
12,5:3+3
15: 3+3
18: 2+2
20: 2+2
22:1+1
No separate OH squats this time but doing them within the same rep as the power snatch , trying to decrease time between the pull and the squat. Not too bad, but not great either.
C1 walking db lunges
BW+(2x9): 12/12-12/12
C2 db swing
8x10-10
C3 lateral throws
8x10/10 – 6/6
D1 db press
(15x2)x12
(18x2)x12-12-11
D2 Pendlay row (from floor)
40x10-10-12
Last one was a bit cheat-style
Comment : hmmm not bad at all, considering I’d not done a carbup at all. Wasn’t dissatisfied about the technical part either, especially since I’m gaining confidence..
The depletion part was OK.
Unlike last week I’d not taken extra stims. Was way less agitated, but yet got the same nausea effect going on for a bit, except not as severe. So, I’m positive it wasn’t the bottle since I was using a new one. I’m betting there’s an influx of FFAs /ketones that are a bit overkill for my digestive system.. using a somewhat larger amount of coconut oil which contains a TON of MCT fats, has the same effect.. starting to wonder if I don’t have a gall bladder problem. Last week after a funeral, I’ve been doing some family visits /chats and heard gall bladder problems run in the family..hmm. Yet, the weird thing is that normally I tolerate a higher fat intake quite well, so it can’t be lack of bile.
Can you have similar effects from too much fats in the blood as you can have from too much glucose (high blood sugar)? The nausea also frequently happens when I erroneously eat a fatty breakfast after a cup of java, instead of before.. so it could also be non-food FFAs that are causing trouble...
The exercises themselves a bit less than an hour, but I chatted with a young guy training there (he's very interested in nutrition and also a PT in the same gym), so it took about an hour and a half.
Comments: in comparison with last week, everything felt really heavy, especially the deadlifts.. no Creatyl used this time, nor any caffeine.. I’m blaming the lack of caffeine and eating lower calories several days in a row.. grrrr!
in comparison with last week, everything felt really heavy, especially the deadlifts.. no Creatyl used this time, nor any caffeine.. I’m blaming the lack of caffeine and eating lower calories several days in a row.. grrrr!
I've only done it once, but I saw a difference when I was lifting during a maintenance week. Every other time I've done rest and maintenance together though.
You are in an eternal cut, so don't get the rush yet from lifting well fed. It's quite addictive and explains why predominantly powerlifters eat so much.
BTW, I've been to an Olympic meet yesterday. Just watching.. it was fun to finally understand how they actually need to be done and see what is wrong or right.
Unfortunately the 2 participants from my own Oly gym didn't do too greatly. One abandoned since she got all dizzy before the meet. It would have been awesome to see her lift as her clean & jerk goes up to 85kg on a good day. She's been overtrained though and hadn't lifted in close to a month.
The other guy met a biased jury. Or rather the jury before him had been way too lax, while they were stricter with him. Nonetheless he got to 81kg snatch & 95kg (or 93?) C&J. I'd say he is actually too tall to be a great lifter: nonetheless so much the more awesome he still tries to be the best he can be.. not bad at all as he was in the 75% group.
dynamic front squat
15x6-6
35x5
42,5x3
50x3
57,5x3-3-3
Comment: satisfied with technical improvements, esp. starting to be a bit more relaxed and fearless . Forgot to take my notebook home, so a few sets are guesswork.
The exercises themselves a bit less than an hour, but I chatted with a young guy training there (he's very interested in nutrition and also a PT in the same gym), so it took about an hour and a half.
not bad i do half as much and it takes me twice as long
The one above you, does take about an hour and a half for less work. It's just that I get more cues and those are all straight sets..
It makes a big difference when you do supersets. Plus when I feel that I need to rest a bit longer, already prepare for the next 2 exercises by setting up the 'scene', viz. put the starting weights on the barbell or when e.g. doing a LPD, connect the 2 hooks so I get a unilateral set up. All time-savers, as long as the gym is not terribly crowded.
Plans for 2009 are being made. The original idea had been to emphasize dropping body fat first and then concentrate on putting on muscle. Well, rather than a teeny tiny cut I'm switching gears to a teeny-tiny bulk. Let's see if LBM comes back on that one. I've been dropping a ton of LBM over the past month, which mostly seems like glycogen but it disturbed me nonetheless.
As for the new plan.. the layout for workouts will be like I had before switching to a UD2.0 like program in November . High volume, higher intensity , less high rep stuff... FTW.
WAVE LOADING WILL BE BACK! WOOOTTT.
Some new stuff too like high pulls.. not sure if I want to do them with a snatch grip or clean grip. Dunno what's the usual thing to do.
I am still working on a switch from a mixed workout that has elements of everything (but the kitchensink) , viz. BB with moderate reps, PL with low reps, OL with very low reps and some metabolic/endurance stuff to replace cardio to a more Oly-oriented routine.. but can't really say I found something that made my heart beat faster or rather, something which seemed appropriate for an aspiring beginner.
The plan for 2009 is to
GET FRIGGING STRONG: at least improve at every lift
GET MORE MUSCLE: not lose but gain LBM and perhaps still drop fat
EAT at a very small surplus
EAT less crap & more fruit/veggies
EAT more protein on off days (& more red meat on ON days)
C1front squat
35x5
44x5
54x4
59x4
64x2
Called it quits after 2 reps
C2conventional DL w hook grip
75x5
85x4
90x4
95x4
Dpull through
41,3xF
Gave up on it.
At the end I did 6 different stretches as described in the procedure how to get to a real split:
1 butterfly stretch
2 calf lunge
3 retiré hamstring stretch
4 kneeling adductor stretch
5 kneeling iliapsoas stretch
6 lying quad stretch
Didn’t do them as long as prescribed, this was just to get a taste of it.. besides w/o a watch that’s always difficult.
Comments: Didn’t have my heart into lifting heavy today, mostly because of Monday’s injury to my hand. The PR on weighted chins was a surprise.. must have been since I was still fresh and then the hand didn’t hurt yet. It started bothering me after a few cleans and presses.
It seems I'll have to take a few more days off and am not even sure if I will go lift tomorrow (my weekly Oly session). My hand that was on the mend , after getting caught between the bar and my chest when I toppled over backwards doing a clean, is all numb & tingling again including the nerves leading towards it, up to the shoulder.
I'm told it would be smart to let it rest for a week and skip a few workouts rather than see its' condition worsen and get a problem. I don't like skipping workouts and especially don't like to skip workouts with a trainer.. but considering the circumstances?
Another reason is that everything just felt heavy. And not just yesterday but for the past few weeks. I'd repeated my 1RM for deadlifts (110kg) late November and even managed 87,5x13 a few weeks before, but yesterday everything more than 80kg was plain heavy.. even at a mere 4 reps. Same for cleans at just 30kg
This strenght decrease that started a few weeks ago would also explain the pretty alarming BW drop w/o any change in bf%
Funny how addictive not working out is... yesterday I didn't even need to think twice whether or not I'd go to yoga ... nah, let's not.
Besides, upon waking the hand still feels as if an elephant stood on it (gently), whcih goes away after a while. MrEspi insisted I should work out today and I even committed myself after eating my first fufu pancake to fuel the workout, but then again thought.. nah, let's not.
Perhaps I will go in for a cardio session tonight when they are drawing cards for a prize. If I'd gone just 2 times more often in December I'd have won 2 bottles of champagne as they were giving one bottle for every 6 workouts (3 for people who have a once a week membership) and I fell short twice since I couldn't go on Thursday once and didn't know they were closed on Dec 31. Anyway, tonight they will draw a card and the winner will get a free dinner cheque for €75 (~100USD), not too shabby.
Even decided to skip Monday's Oly session so that I can start again on Tuesday with lighter than usual workouts .. have got everything laid out for 6-7 consecutive weeks (mostly I only do 3.5 weeks). Besides, they still predict icy weather for Monday PLUS our car battery is dead.. I forgot to switch off the reading light (to jot down distance driven) and that light drained the battery in 3-4 days . We'll have to use someone else's car plus cables to get it going again... as the Oly gym is at about a 30min drive plus impossible to reach by public transport.. nor am I willing to cycle that distance in such icy weather.
Hand is still painful, so taking another week off from Olympic training sessions but starting anew with regular training in 2 days (Tuesday).
Apart from having a painful hand when I press on it with my thumb, I've also been waking up with it being totally numb & then having tingling fingers, sometimes extending further back.
I'm starting to fear the pain may be caused by the very thing I've started to like.. This tingling comes & goes, was really bad late 2006 when it was there all the time, and was told I have carpal tunnel syndrome .
What to do about it, other than operating it, never became clear to me.
However, it just disappeared spontaneously. To reappear late September, which coincided with me starting to learn how to do the Olympic lifts.
I *think* it's the excessive upright rowing I do. This is not just part of every warmup (called Javorek complex) which has me do
1 upright row
2 pull
3 back squat
4 behind the neck push press
5 good morning
6 bent over row
but a lot of the power cleans/snatches that I do, are done the wrong way = me ROW-ing up the weight rather than pulling it up...
What should I do to stop having that tingling feeling?
One thing I've tried last night was wearing a (loose) wrist brace, which did help = much less tingling and not as numb as before.
all weights in kilograms dynamic warmup
arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat @ 10kg, Russian twist @ 4kg ball, and SHELC
A1db swings
7x10-10
A2lateral throws
7x10/10- 8/8
B1semi-Javorek: pull-back squat-BTN PP – GM - BOR
10: 5x6
Left out the upright row because of the shoulder problem, but the BTN PP was extremely painful too, lost all strength in the right hand (more specifically the area between thumb & index finger), when lifting the barbell.
C1power snatches + OH squat (within the same rep)
10:4+4
15: 3+3
17: 3+3
19: 3+3
16:3+3
18:3+3
20:2+2
Technique went slowly down the drain as the pain increased..
D1db press
(13x2)x10
(15x2)x8
(17x2)x6
(19x2)x4
(16x2)x8
(18x2)x6
(20x2)x4
Pain wasn’t as bad, but there was a very significant strength loss.. I’d actually planned to go up to 21kg, but felt during the WU things wouldn’t go well.
D2Pendlay row (from floor)
32,5x10
35x8
40x6
45x4
37,5x8
42,5x6
47,5x4
Not as bad, but not good either
E1achin up
BWx2
Stopped at 2
E1bwide grip LPD
45,5x9
42x9-6
F1preacher curl (bench)
20x15-14
17,5x16
F2triceps (rope) pushdown
21,3x8
18,8x12-13
G1leg extension
35,5x12
Comment: totally & entirely shitty workout.. man am I ever so bummed.. the week off only seems to have made things worse: everything hurts. Not just the hand & shoulder that got worse after 2 weeks of near complete rest, but also knees, hips, lower back (from too careful walking over icy pavement) … that latter pain suddenly started last night.. totally weird, I’ve never really had truly bad knee pain but 1 week of snow & ice suddenly caught up with it. Did walk with pretty heavy parcels last night and also had to run (which I never do) to catch a bus.
dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball, and SHELC
Like Tuesday, even just 8 pushups felt hard!
A1 renegade rows
8x12/12- 12/12
A2 plank
60s – 60s
Phew, 60 seconds seemed to last forever..
B1 pull – squat – BTN PP – squat – GM – hang snatch
10: 6x6
Same pain
C1 weighted chin up
(BW+6)x1
(BW+5)x2
(BW+4)x2
(BW+5)x2
(BW+4)x2
(BW+3)x1
C2 front squat
45x5
50x3
55x1
47x5
It wasn’t going to be my day today, so cut it short at 4 sets.. it wasn’t just painful to hold up the bb, but left knee was throbbing & I felt piss-poor weak to boot.. nearly lost the bb at 55kg and barely GM-ed it up.. stopped at 1 rep
C3 snatch grip DL
45x10-8
Needless to say this felt piss-poor weak too. Did those once I’d finished the first wave for the other 2 exercises
D1 pull through
33,8x15-15
Took a lower wt than planned for.
D2 pec deck
42,5x12
Normally this is an easy wt, so 12 reps felt hard...
Comments:
A nice thing did happen though.. one of the few people there, a woman in her 50s gave me reiki-healing… who knows it might help?
dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball, and SHELC
A Turkish getup
(BW+2)x4/4 (4.5lbs)
At a very very very easy wt.
As fast superset w/o rest
B1 db swing
8x10-10 (18lbs)
B2 goblet squat
8x10-10 (18lbs)
C pull – squat – BTN PP – squat – GM – hang snatch
10: 6x6 (22lbs)
Some pain
D1 hang clean
22x2
1st wave: 25x3 – 27x2– 29x1
2nd wave: 26x3– 28x2– 30x1 (66lbs)
Right at the first warm up clean, the pain rushed right back when I bent my hand backwards upon the impact of catching the bb, was barely able to do the other sets, other than just out of determination to not quit right away.
D2 hook grip DL
65x8
1st wave: 72,5x6 – 77,5x5– 82,5x4
2nd wave: 75x6 – 80x5– 85x4 (187lbs)
Deliberately dropped 5kg from all lifts, but it was still hard.
E1 db press
(2x14)x14
(2x17)x11-13 (75lbs)
(2x16)x12
Had dropped wts here as well.
E2 1-arm lat pulldown
19x12-12 (42lbs)
17x16
F supine row
BWx10
Hmm, could have known this sequence wouldn’t work well..
Comments: Major bummer.. had hoped for a good session, since my hand & shoulder felt a lot better after the massage treatment by mrEspi, but after the first hang clean.. I knew this injury is going to hinder my progress (or rather making me regress) for a long time.
Been training this morning/afternoon: snatches went nearly flawless, didn't do technical ones, just power snatches (no squatting).
But as soon as I started warming up for cleans , which involves stretching the hand backwards.. the hand was extremely painful again.. so the conclusion is that I can't hold anything up which requires bending backwards Oly style.
Can do a front squat , but only with the finger tips barely touching the bar at the right side, no gripping at all.
So, we didn't do hang cleans or front squats, just pulls & back squats.
Details will follow very late tonight or tomorrow morning as I'm extremely busy now and will leave soon till very late at night.
Dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf/ham stretch, Frankensteins, cat/camel, hip stretch , lateral lunge, reverse lunge, BW squat , glute bridge , dislocations with broomstick.
A power snatch/
7,5x5-5
12,5x3-4
15x3-3
20x3
22,5xF+2-3
27,5x2-3-3-2-1 (61#)
To our surprise , there was barely any pain during this exercise.
pulls
35x5-5
40x5-5
45x5 (99#)
Did pulls instead of cleans because it was impossible to get the hand in the clean grip w/o pain.
dynamic back squat
35x5
42,5x6-5-5-5
These were painful too, not just for the hand (only mild pain) but also for the knee, since it has been overstressed for a bit.
Comment: considering how much pain I had with the clean grip, it was a big & pleasant surprise there was very little pain during snatches.
Comment: workout wasn’t really tons better than last week, but I’d approached it with so much apprehension, things went really well in comparison. Funny how change of perspective can bring a different appreciation of things. Besides, things *did* go a lot better.
dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups (8r), lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball & SHELC
A renegade rows
9x12/12- 12/12 (20lbs)
B hang snatch
10x6 (22lbs)
No pain
C1 weighted chin up
1st wave: (BW+6)x2 – (BW+5)x2 – (BW+4)x3 (13lbs)
2nd wave: (BW+5)x2 – (BW+4)x2 – (BW+3)x2
A few more reps
C2 back squat
WU: 42,5x6
1st wave: 47,5x5 – 50x4– 52,5x3
2nd wave: 50x5 – 52,5x5 – 55x4 (121lbs)
First time I’m using the fixed wt bb rack for back squats. Had to hunch down and do it with my back to the rack, as facing forwards meant my head would get stuck against the top tier (?). Anyway, it didn’t hurt the hands, but the knee is still throbbing, so neither speed nor depth was where it should be (barely breaking parallel).
D1 snatch grip DL
45x10
50x10– 10 (110lbs)
Better than last week.
D2 pull through
33,8x15– 14 - 14 (74lbs)
Same but didn’t put a real effort into it. Not an optimal combo with DLs.
Comments: not the greatest workout, but considering the circumstances, pretty decent.
dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball, & SHELC
A Turkish getup
(BW+3)x4/4 – 4/4 (6.6#)
Again at a very easy wt.
As fast superset w/o rest
B1 db swing
9x10– 10 (20#)
B2 goblet squat
9x10– 10 (20#)
C pull –GM – squat – BOR - hang snatch
10: 5x6 (22#)
D1 overhead press (from rack w/o hang clean)
23x8
1st wave: 26x6 – 28x5– 30x4
2nd wave: 27x6– 29x6– 31x5 (68#)
Since I’m trying to not aggravate the pain in my hand, all sets were started at chest height by putting the bb on the top rack of the bb rack. No pain and went up 1 rep for 2nd wave
Still not good, but this was to be expected after doing snatch-grip DLs just 1 day before..this routine isn’t meant for lifting 2 days in a row, so considering circumstances not too crappy.
E1 db press
(2x15)x10
(2x18)x8– 8 (79#)
(2x16)x12
Felt some pain in left shoulder, must have overworked left side.. crossing fingers.
E2 1-arm lat pulldown
20x14/14-13/13 (43#)
17x14
F leg curl
40x18 (88#)
Comments: had to lift 1 day earlier out of necessity. Doesn’t vibe well with a routine that can’t really be done 2 days in a row. Considerng the circumstances: bum shoulder/hand & having lifted yesterday as well, the session went just fine.
Dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf/ham stretch, Frankensteins, cat/camel, hip stretch , lateral lunge, reverse lunge, BW squat , glute bridge , dislocations with broomstick.
A power snatch from shin
15x5-5 (knee)
15x5
20x3-3
25x3-3
27,5x2-2-2-2 (61#)
Better than last week
pulls
35x5-5-5-6 (77#)
dynamic back squat
35x5
45x5-5-5
55x3-3-3 (121#)
Hand was OKish but now knee as well as hip & left shoulder weren’t really in ‘mint’ condition. Too much GM-like & too slow.
Comment: better workout than last week, we eased up for a bit on the pulls as I had major DOMS from the last session and also skipped front squat & cleans as per order of the physio.
Tuesday January 27 pm: Waves 1 – A3
all weights in kilograms (top wt in #)
dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball & SHELC
dynamic warmup
Straight single sets of arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel+ hip stretches, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball & SHELC + glute bridges
A plank
BWx45s
Didn’t do a 2nd set. It’s not very motivating to do them without a watch or clock (forgot again)
B pull+back SQ + GM+ BOR + hang snatch
15x6 (33#)
Avoiding the upright row & BTN PP
POWER: back & legs
C1 weighted chin up
1st wave: (BW+6)x3 – (BW+5)x3 – (BW+4)x3 (13#)
2nd wave: (BW+5)x2 – (BW+4)x2 – (BW+3)x2
2 more reps.. getting better again.
C2 back squat
WU: 40x5
1st wave: 47,5x5 – 50x4– 52,5x5
2nd wave: 50x5 – 52,5x4 – 55x5 (121#)
Forgot the last set of 1st wave was supposed to be done 3 times, since this exercise isn’t in sync with the chins. Getting used to the ‘getto’ squat rack (using a too low fixed-wt bb rack)
TENSION : posterior chain& shoulders
D1 snatch grip DL
47,5x12
50x12– 12 (110#)
Two more reps @ same wt. Felt easy
D2 OHP
15x16
18x12 (40#)
Since I’m omitting the hang cleans, I had to insert another shoulder exercise, but as it was a last minute decision, chose too low weights, making it into a depletion exercise instead.
E pull through
36,3x15 (80#)
Same but didn’t put a real effort into it. Not an optimal combo with DLs.
DEPLETION: back & legs *
F1 renegade rows
9x16/16- 15/15 (20#)
Up to 4 more reps
F2 leg extension
35,5x16-15 (78#)
Note: moving the depletion part for the same muscles from the next workout to the same workout as the power part . Feels better..
Comments: chose more or less the same wts as last week due to the painful hands, shoulder & knees, and was very happy about the progress in reps & lacking pain.. still a bit slow though.
Been disconnected from Internet from Feb 1 thru Thursday 5 afternoon, so there's been a few workouts I've not reported on, in case anyone wondered where I've been.
Only after finishing the 1st wave and being amazed at how light every set felt, it dawned on me that I’d halved the weights I’d pre-set as the weights to be used on either end. Doh.. so did the 2nd & 3rd wave with the proper weights that felt way harder.
TENSION : chest & back
E1 db press
(2x14)x10
(2x18)x10– 13 (79#)
(2x16)x13
Up to 5 more reps than last week w same wt.
E2 1-arm lat pulldown
20x12/12-10/10 (43#)
17,5x13/13
Trying to emphasize a slower negative phase.
DEPLETION: posterior chain & shoulders
F leg curl
40x28, PR! (88#)
G Saxon side bend
6x15/15
It’s been a very long time I ever did those.. works both on the core as well as stabilizing the shoulder joints. Quite similar to the Turkish get up but unlike that one, this one allows for more reps & getting into the depletion range.
Comments: good workout. Normally I’d take a day off for this workout and start a new one, since that’s been my habit to do with the start of a new cycle. Due to the 10 days off and starting with sub-maximal weights, I’m going for a 6-7 week schedule this time.. lo & behold, it was a really good workout, especially for the endurance range.. not so much in the strength range.
.............................. .............................. .............................. .................... Tuesday February 3: Olympic training #18
all weights in kilograms (top wt in #)
Dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf/ham stretch, Frankensteins, cat/camel, hip stretch , lateral lunge, reverse lunge, BW squat , glute bridge , dislocations with broomstick.
A technical snatch
7,5x5-6-5
15x5-6
20x3
B power snatch
25x3
27,5x1+F (61#)
Stopped after 1 rep, since bb came into the hand with such an impact it hurt pretty bad and I didn’t dare to go further w/o hurting my injured hand again, so stopped after 1 failed rep.
Technically most of them were better than they’d been in a while
C dynamic back squat
15x8
35x6
45x5-5-5 (99#)
Depending on the knee angle (think it’s mostly when pointing out, the left knee hurts at the joint, mostly the insertion of the muscle, so it’s not the joint itself). Still the remnant of the early January snow-shuffle.
D BTN MP
15x6-5-5
Comment: felt really good : focused & strong, apart from the injuries I’m still nursing and trying to not aggravate until they get better. Tomorrow (Wed) I’m seeing the physio again.
dynamic warmup
Straight sets of arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball & SHELC
A1 lateral throws
8x10/10- 10/10
A2 db swings
8x10-10 (17.5#)
Olympic
C power snatches + OH squat (after each rep)
17:3+3
1st wave: 20x3+3 – 22x1+3 – 24x1+2
2nd wave: 25x1+2 (55#)
Cut things short for lack of energy
POWER: chest & back H
D1 db press
WU: (14x2)x8
1st wave: (16x2)x8 – (18x2)x6 – (20x2)x4
2nd wave : (17x2)x8 – (19x2)x6 – (21x2)x5 (46#x2)
Same wts as last week, slightly fewer reps. Arms were already tired.
D2 Pendlay row (from floor)
35x8
1st wave: 37,5x8 – 42,5x6 – 47,5x4
2nd wave: 40x8 – 45x6 – 50x4 (110#)
Same as other exercise, slightly fewer reps
TENSION: back & bis/tris
B chin up
BWx6
Yay! Did this one at the start of the workout, close to best effort (7r)
E1 wide grip LPD
44x8-8 (98#)
E2 preacher curl (bench)
22,5x15-12 (50#)
E3 triceps (rope) pushdown
23,8x9-8 (52#)
DEPLETION: chest & back
F pec deck
42,5x13 (94#)
G supine row
BWx10
Comment: decent workout, despite being a bit tired.
F leg extension
35,5x17 , PR(78#)
One more rep, bringing me a PR.
G renegade rows
9x15/15 (20#)
Same amt of reps
Comments: decent workout, but not enough flow due to getting sleepy (too many carbs in breakfast), which is one of the reasons I’ve cut down a few exercises to the bare basics.
TENSION : chest & back
E1 db press
(2x16)x8
(2x19)x8 – 8 (84#)
(2x18)x8
Concentrated on lowering the wt more slowly than before
E2 1-arm lat pulldown (R/L)
21x10/10, PR! – 8/8 – 10/10+4 (self assisted)
Again trying to emphasize a slower negative phase. Last set I got the idea to do 4 more self-assisted reps after having finished the right side already. Normally I start at the left (weaker) side, but due to the hand injury, my right hand is now the weakest link.
DEPLETION: posterior chain & shoulders
F leg curl
40x20 slower reps (88#)
G Saxon side bend
7x13/13
Comments: good workout. I’ve been discussing set tempo lately with MrEspi and he recommended me to slow down more on the eccentric part of a rep, in order to generate more hypertrophy. This probably means no more PRs for the medium range as I’ve been moving wts pretty fast most of the time, but the higher and lowest rep range may still improve.. and who knows, even more than before.
Decided to do the weights & reps at the end of the week, so it gives more insight in how my training is built up, but still do a written write-up for most trainings. The first one of the week is the most important one, my single Olympic weight lifting session with a trainer. The rest of the week are at my own disposal. Too bad he's not giving me any home work, so I'm having to design my own routine, which isn't all that easy when you have so little back ground in weight lifting.. at least I see that I've got to adapt quite a few exercises to make it more similar to what an Oly lifter needs.
Tuesday February 10: Olympic training #19
Did power snatches up till 30kg. Technically the first and perhaps also second one were OK, then form went into the gutter and I lost confidence it was going to happen, ended with triples at 25kg that were smooth again.
Tried hang cleans with the empty barbell but no go. Hand just won't tolerate bending backwards with any weight in it yet.. it's fine when I just stretch it with my other hand, but as soon as a bb is in it (for front squat or cleans) it's a no go area.
Continued with Oly - style back squats doubles up to 60kg.
In case someone wonders: Oly style = keeping back more upright, carry bb higher up on the traps, go a bit further forwards with the knee than you do for PL-squats and actually drop down fastish using the bounce to get up again. Paused for a bit at the top to concentrate on the correct execution.
Knee still gets a bit whiney at the left.. it seems to 'give out' to the left down below, which is when it gets a bit painful. Wonder if it is because my tendons are weak , hips too tight or just weak legs?
Considering how I've done most of my back squats barely breaking parallel, while I am now going below parallel, the 60kg must have been a PR.
Finished with narrow grip pulls for triples @ 55kg and that was all.
Still hard to wrap my head around quality over quantity, since it's so difficult to measure or compare.. it's all so subjective and unquantifiable.
Anyway, apart from the crappy hand injury, it was a good training. Still need to work on focus & speed though.. always lots of work ahead.
Hmm so this didn't work either, viz. going just 1 hr before gym closes.
Gym was still busy, and actually busier than when I manage to go before 6 pm , which I didn't manage.. it gets busy around 630pm but apparently it won't get quiet until 930pm.
Even then I had to still wait for the cable station where a bunch of young guys were doing triceps pushdowns.
One thing is certain: I'm not going to do snatches again nor overhead squats on Tues evening.
For 2 reasons: major one is that I'm already too tired neurologically from the morning workout. Second one is that it is simply too busy and impossible to focus with people moving around you.
Lots of yakking with the gym guy, who seems to know more about lifting than I thought he does. Goes on to show one can be mistaken at times.. just like the other guy he had requested a true squat rack, but again, no go with the owners that keep pissing me off on so many levels it's not funny anymore.
One of the main reasons for staying is that despite everything, I like the relaxed atmosphere of 'wellness' gyms (not as agressive, nice colours and an orderly gym with liberal opening hours).
Did my usual B-program but as I thought on Tuesday already, my next plan will have to change.
Not just because Tuesday night I'm too spent to do quality OH squats, but now I'm also hitting heavier squattage on Tuesday morning, I'm still a bit too sore on Thursday to do heavy-ish squatting in the morning. Makes for a perfect day to do technical stuff again that I can't do on Tues evening: snatches & OH squats, but go heavy on the deadlifts instead.
I'm probably good enough for snatch-grip DL on Tues.
Anyways.. tried a few variations on back squats, among which the bouncy sqyuats , as well as the opposite = pause at the bottom and try to get out of the hole as fast as possible. Contrary to what I feared, I really liked that one. Feels way more stable than doing the bounce thing.
Had 1 PR at the very end.. did leg extensions @ 35,5kg for 20 reps. Didn't bother going higher as it'd be too boring but will up wts next time.
Only fly in the ointment, must have made a weird move either with OHPs or with the renegade rows, as the shoulder suddenly started hurting.. hand is still not well either .. that's why I am not doing front squats nor cleans. Grrrrr!
WEEK 4 Tuesday February 10: Olympic training #19 all weights in kilograms (top wt in #)
Dynamic warmup : arm circles, calf/ham stretch, Frankensteins, cat/camel, hip stretch , lateral lunge, reverse lunge, BW squat , SHELC, glute bridge , dislocations & Javorek warmup w broomstick
A power snatch
7,5x5-5-5
15x5
20x3
25x3
27,5x3
30x1-1-F-1 (66#)
25x3
Did the easier power snatches today. Got a few good ones at 30kg but then lost faith and … couldn’t bring them up w adequate speed anymore, form went into the gutter.
Trainer and me had a little confrontation on whether it is better to hit failure or stay away from it.. he thinks it’s good to be confronted with it, while my girly brain says staying away from failure will build up more confidence and also is less fatigueing neurally.
What was good this time is that we rapidly progressed through the weights so there was no time to fatigue on lower weights, but my idea is that when I can easily do 27,5 kg but fail at 30kg, it’s better to add 1kg at the time. He’s got 0.5 kg disks lying around, so it’s not like it is impossible to use these.. but that’s apparently not ‘how it is done normally’. Any ideas what is ‘normal’?
B hang cleans
15x1
Even just 1 single measly rep at 15kg brought back the pain.. damn damn triple damn.
C dynamic back squat
15x8-8
35x5-5
45x5
50x3
55x3-3 (a bit wobbly)
60x2-3-2 (99#)
Got better at the bouncing .. it’s just weird to be using the ‘cheat’ effect to go deepest, but that’s how you’re supposed to do it. Pause at the top to get form right, rather than ‘keep pumping’ like how my trainer calls it.
Depending on how you look at it, the 60kg was a PR. Have done heavier squats but those were way slower, more GM-like and perhaps not even parallel.
D narrow pulls off the floor
55x3-3-3 (121#)
Easy PR when you’ve never done narrow pulls before
Comment: felt good except for our discussion on whether or not to do mini-loading. I’m a big proponent of small increments while my trainer is not.. and likewise over time I’ve backed away from looking for failure. Considering how I’ve got no background whatsoever in Oly lifting, I’ll just have faith he knows better. Major bummer was continuous pain in my hand whenever I bend it backwards with a weight in it. It doesn’t even hurt when I bend it with my other hand.
______________________________ ______________________________ __ Tuesday February 10: Waves 1 – A5 all weights in kilograms (top wt in #) dynamic warmup
Straight sets of arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball & SHELC
A1 lateral throws
9x10/10- 10/10
A2 db swings
9x10-10 (20#) Olympic
B power snatches + OH squat (after each rep)
15:3+0 – 18:3+4
1st wave: 21x3+3 – 23x2+3
Cut things even shorter than last week. Not lack of energy, but lack of explosive energy plus too many people dicking around and making it impossible to focus. This is the last time I’m doing this exercise on Tues night, will need to make changes to my program to fit them into my Thurs or Sat routine. On Thurs I do heavy chins, heavy squats plus moderate (snatch-grip) deadlifts.. I could change that to snatches & OH squats plus heavy chins & moderate DL and then do all of the heavy squatting & DLs on Saturday. Which means that the hang cleans & push presses will be moved on to Tuesday again.. but then the hang cleans will have to be ditched again… gah!
POWER: chest & back H
C1 db press
WU: (15x2)x8
1st wave: (17x2)x6 – (19x2)x5 – (21x2)x4
2nd wave : (18x2)x6 – (20x2)x5 – (22x2)x4 (49#x2)
C2 Pendlay row (from floor)
37,5x8
1st wave: 40x6 – 45x5 – 50x4
2nd wave: 42,5x8 – 47,5x6 – 52,5x4 (116#)
An easier wave than last time: 6-5-4 instead of 8-6-4 and staying away from failure too. Added wt though. Highest wt used sofar for Pendlay rows.
TENSION: back & bis/tris
D1a chin up
BWx4
Had to wait till 10 to 10 before finally able to use the cable station, stayed away from failure but still got 4 reps: yay!
D1b wide grip LPD
45,5x6 (100#)
42x9
D2 preacher curl (bench)
25x12-8 (55#)
D3 triceps (rope) pushdown
26,3x3 (58#)
23,8x7
All of the tension exercises were done slower than before on the eccentric part.
DEPLETION: chest & back
E pec deck
42,5x13 (94#)
F supine row
BWx8
Comment: was amazed I got everything done, goes on to show how the small exercises really don’t require much rest time.. especially when you do a triset. Will need to think hard again to make the shifts so that I only do dumb stuff on Tues night.. working out on Wed or Mon is out of the question since I’ll either be too sore on Tues to do my Oly stuff or too sore on Wed to do the dumb stuff. Same day workout = no soreness yet, so no limitations except for the more tricky ones.
______________________________ ______________________________ __ Thursday February 12: Waves 1 – B5 all weights in kilograms (top wt in #) dynamic warmup
Straight single sets of arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel+ hip stretches, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, reverse lunge, goblet squat w 10kg db, Russian twist w 4kg ball & SHELC + glute bridges
A plank
BWx60s
B pull+back SQ + GM+ BOR + hang snatch
18x6 (40#)
POWER: back V & legs
C1 weighted chin up
1st wave: (BW+7)x2 – (BW+6)x3 – (BW+5)x2 (15#)
2nd wave: (BW+6)x3 – (BW+5)x3 – (BW+4)x2
More or less same amt of reps as last week w slightly more volume.
C2 back squat
WU: 42,5x5
1st wave: 47,5x5 – 50x4– 52,5x3 (pausing at the bottom)
2nd wave: 50x5 – 52,5x5 – 55x5 (121#)
Concentrating on form.. finally started clicking around the 3rd set of 1st wave. Used a belt for 2nd wave and it’s pretty weird how such a simple device can make squatting so much easier.
DEPLETION: back & legs
F leg extension
35,5x20 , PR(78#)
And yet, more reps.. had even more in me, but called it quits after 20. Time to increase weight.
G renegade rows
10x10/10 (22#)
Was pretty wiped out by now.
Comments: good workout.. only afterwards I noticed how shoulder hurted. Either doing too many OHPs too fast or the renegade rows did me in.
______________________________ ______________________________ __
Saturday February 14: Waves 1 – C4 all weights in kilograms (top wt in #) dynamic warmup
Straight sets of arm circles, calf stretch, Frankensteins, cat /camel, hip stretch, scaptions, pushups, lateral lunge, walking lunge w extra stretching, Russian twist w 4kg ball , SHELC & glute bridges
POWER: posterior chain & chest
C1 overhead press (from rack w/o hang clean)
26x6
1st wave: 29x6– 31x5– 33x4
2nd wave: 30x6– 32x5– 34x4 +15-count static hold (75#)
Most of the sets were decent when I remembered giving a bit of a shove with the legs.. when I forgot and was making it into a MP, it went (as expected) more grindingly. I still don’t know how much of an extra push I should give it.. lots of it over time I guess when I want to make it a real ‘jerk’ as it’s supposed to follow a hang clean (and over time a clean from the floor).
C2 hook grip DL
WU: 50x5 – 60x5 - 75x5
1st wave: 82,5x5 – 87,5x4– 92,5x3
2nd wave: 85x5 – 90x4– 95x3 (209#)
Dissatisfied.. I’m really weaker than I was 1-2 months ago when I was making sets of 95x5. Not sure what I want to change, but I may drop a few reps and not grind as much in order to bring a bit more speed into the workout.
Leg strength HAS to improve here.. it’s preposterous that keeping hips higher = more strength because I’m pulling from the back more and once I try to make the DL more hip dominant by starting lower and use more legs , I’m losing strength? (did heavy-ish squats and snatch-grip DLs at a higher tempo 2 days before, so that may also explain a few things).
For the next routine this workout will move to Tuesday night as I don’t want to do too technical stuff on Tues night (am doing an Oly session in the morning) and also will have 2 rest days after having done the heavy squats/moderate DL session.
TENSION : chest & back
D1 db press
(2x16)x8
(2x19)x8 – 8 (84#)
(2x18)x8
Exact same as last week.. a bit more wobbly now.
B neutral grip pullups
BWx3
Nagging pain both in hand & shoulder.
D2 1-arm lat pulldown (R/L)
21x13/13, PR! – 10/10
No self-assisted reps this time after reading up on the stupidity of going beyond failure for an un-assisted lifter.. gah, this is so confusing sometimes..
DEPLETION: posterior chain & shoulders
F leg curl
40x22 (88#)
Time to move up with the weights.. I could have done more, but just like w leg extension, it’s too boring to do 20+ reps.
G Saxon side bend
7x13/13
Same as last week.
Comments: good workout again.. no self-assisted stuff this time as I want to avoid getting too fatigued. I’m not happy with the way the deadlifts are going .. considering I PR’d on 87,5x13 in November and got to a tie with the previous 1RM of 110kg and I’m now grinding out the reps too much.. To make the deadlifts more compliant with my goals: improving on Olympic lifting I have to make them more hip-dominant = go lower w hips, strengthen legs and use hookgrip exclusively.. perhaps also increase speed for a bit? Thinking about not exceeding 3 reps for DLs..
Also thinking of starting a new thread on programming for my goals (improving on Olympic lifting, increasing ankle & hip flexibility , developing better balance) and yet, not burn out, which is the main reason I’m so adamant on doing 4 workouts in 3 days (Tues am/pm –Thurs am –Sat am) rather than 4 in 4 days.. (every other day would be best, but it’s too much of a hassle to be there on different week days. Besides, this would once again collide with the day I go in for Olympic lifts (used to be on Monday, but it's been moved to Tuesday since I can can't lift twice anymore on Monday).
. Forgot to take my notebook home, so a few sets are guesswork.
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