Saturday, December 27, 2008
Week of the New Year Summary
Below is a summary of my Kettlebell and Oly training session for the week of the New Year with no commentary ..
Saturday December 27, 2008
Morning Oly Session
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Clean and Jerk (kg)
40 x 1 x 2
50 x 1 x 2
55 x 1 x 2
60 x 1 x 1
65 x 1 x 1
70 x 1 x 1
72 x 1 x 3
Clean Grip Deadlift (kg)
60 x 4 x 3
70 x 1 x 1
80 x 1 x 1
90 x 1 x 1
Total Volume: 3650 lbs
Tuesday December 30, 2008
Morning Oly Session
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Evening Oly Session:
Squat Snatch: (kg)
30 x 3 x 3
35 x 3 x 3
40 x 5 x 3
Front Squat (kg)
50 x 1 x 5
60 x 1 x 5
65 x 1 x 5
70 x 1 x 5
Total Volume: 5300 lbs
Thursday January 1, 2009
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
Kettlebell Session:
Double 24kg x 5 x 10 Swings
Press Complex: 6 sets
A1: Double 24kg x 1 x 2 MP
A2: Double 24kg x 1 x 2 C&P
Total Volume: 7800 lbs
Friday January 2, 2009
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
Barbell Front Squat (lb)
135 x 1 x 4
145 x 1 x 4
155 x 1 x 4
165 x 6 x 2
Total Volume: 3700 lbs
Saturday January 3, 2009
Kettlebell Session:
24kg x 2 x 2/2 TGU
Swings: New set every 90 secs
32kg x 2 x 20
24kg x 3 x 20
16kg x 2 10/10
24kg x 2 x 20
32kg, 24kg x 1 x 10,10
Total: 200 swings
Total Volume: 11100 lbs
Sunday January 4, 2009
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
Afternoon Oly Session:
Clean & Jerk (kg)
40 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 2
60 x 1 x 2
70 x 6 x 2
Push Presses (lbs)
45 x 1 x 5
90 x 1 x 5
110 x 1 x 5
Jerk Thrusts (lbs)
135 x 1 x 3
155 x 1 x 3
185 x 1 x 3
Reverse Lunges (lbs)
95 x 1 x 5/5
105 x 1 x 5/5
125 x 1 x 5/5
Total volume: 8470 lbs
Friday, December 26, 2008
Snatches and Front Squats
Tuesday December 23, 2008
Evening Oly Session
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Snatch (kg)
40 x 1 x 3 Squat Snatch
45 x 1 x 3 Squat Snatch
50 x 1 x 3 Squat Snatch
55 x 1 x 3 Power Snatch
40 kg Combo Chain
A1: Hang Squat Snatch
A2: Full Squat Snatch
Total: 8 sets
20kg 1 x 10 Steps of OH Walking Lunges
20kg 2 x 10 Steps of Walking Lunges
I was not very flexible and had a great deal of difficulty squat snatching with any speed .. I would catch the bar high and then ride it down very slowly; basically a power snatch followed by a OH squat. Coach Yasha had me work hang snatches for speed with a lighter weight .. a very small pull and then a quick drop under. Hmm .. I basically fell on my butt most of the time. I'll be looking forward to trying these again. A low volume day but I one that I could barely handle.
Weight: 181 lbs
Total Volume: 2660 lbs
Thursday December 25, 2008
Today I just worked my second day of the Russian Strength Program for Barbell Front Squats.
Morning:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
24kg x 3 x 1/1 Kettlebell TGU
Barbell Front Squats (lb)
145 x 1 x 3
155 x 1 x 3
165 x 6 x 3
The 24kg TGUs feel heavy. Once again the front squats got easier as the sets progressed.
Weight: 181 1/2 lbs
Total Volume: 4180 lbs
Evening Oly Session
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Snatch (kg)
40 x 1 x 3 Squat Snatch
45 x 1 x 3 Squat Snatch
50 x 1 x 3 Squat Snatch
55 x 1 x 3 Power Snatch
40 kg Combo Chain
A1: Hang Squat Snatch
A2: Full Squat Snatch
Total: 8 sets
20kg 1 x 10 Steps of OH Walking Lunges
20kg 2 x 10 Steps of Walking Lunges
I was not very flexible and had a great deal of difficulty squat snatching with any speed .. I would catch the bar high and then ride it down very slowly; basically a power snatch followed by a OH squat. Coach Yasha had me work hang snatches for speed with a lighter weight .. a very small pull and then a quick drop under. Hmm .. I basically fell on my butt most of the time. I'll be looking forward to trying these again. A low volume day but I one that I could barely handle.
Weight: 181 lbs
Total Volume: 2660 lbs
Thursday December 25, 2008
Today I just worked my second day of the Russian Strength Program for Barbell Front Squats.
Morning:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
24kg x 3 x 1/1 Kettlebell TGU
Barbell Front Squats (lb)
145 x 1 x 3
155 x 1 x 3
165 x 6 x 3
The 24kg TGUs feel heavy. Once again the front squats got easier as the sets progressed.
Weight: 181 1/2 lbs
Total Volume: 4180 lbs
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Behind the neck split jerks
Saturday December 20, 2008
About 8" of light powder was only a mild hurdle to navigate over as I made it to the club this morning for an Oly session.
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Clean and jerk (kg)
40 x 1 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 1 x 2
65 x 1 x 2
70 x 1 x 2
80 x 1 x 1
85 x 1 x 1 Clean only (PR) but no jerk
Hang Clean followed by full Clean Chains (kg)
60 x 5 x 1
Off the rack, back squat followed by a split jerk chains (kg)
50 x 2 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 1 x 3
65 x 2 x 3 (PR)
Tactical Grip Pullups:
BW x 5,4,3
After cleaning 85kg (for a 5kg PR) I diddled around far too long trying to get my left wrist comfortable prior to the failed jerk attempt. I know it won't bee too long before I clean, short pause and jerk that buffer up.
One of the coaches, Yasha Kahn (who at a body weight of 104kg out snatched all weight classes at the recent North American Open in Arizona with smooth as silk 150kg monster snatch), had me work on speed squat cleans. First after deadlifting the bar and getting into the hang position I was directed to extend upward minimally just drop under it as fast as possible and then immediately repeat the movement without a break from the floor. He kept challenging me to raise the bar as little as possible before dropping under it. I finally got the "hang" of it after the last set .. although very scary at first I found that keeping very relaxed was the key.
Performing a back squat and then a behind the neck split jerk felt very easy. For the first time I was able to handle the after jerk negative with relative ease by lowering the bar quickly and dipping my knees to a quarter squat to catch the bar. These last three Oly sessions have featured combo/chain lifts which I really enjoy just as I did with Kettlebells.
Weight: 180 1/2 lbs
Total Volume: 5800 lbs
Sunday December 21, 2008
Mother nature graced us with another foot of white cool powder. With my left shoulder a bit sore from yesterday, I just worked on front squats based on the this Russian Strength Program. The total volume was very light and just enough!
Evening:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Barbell Front Squats (lbs)
135 x 1 x 2
155 x 1 x 2
165 x 6 x 2 (80% of 1RM)
Its always interesting that my first set of any light front squats always feels heavy .. my last set of heavy's feel lighter.
Weight: 181 lbs
Total Volume: 2560 lbs
About 8" of light powder was only a mild hurdle to navigate over as I made it to the club this morning for an Oly session.
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Clean and jerk (kg)
40 x 1 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 1 x 2
65 x 1 x 2
70 x 1 x 2
80 x 1 x 1
85 x 1 x 1 Clean only (PR) but no jerk
Hang Clean followed by full Clean Chains (kg)
60 x 5 x 1
Off the rack, back squat followed by a split jerk chains (kg)
50 x 2 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 1 x 3
65 x 2 x 3 (PR)
Tactical Grip Pullups:
BW x 5,4,3
After cleaning 85kg (for a 5kg PR) I diddled around far too long trying to get my left wrist comfortable prior to the failed jerk attempt. I know it won't bee too long before I clean, short pause and jerk that buffer up.
One of the coaches, Yasha Kahn (who at a body weight of 104kg out snatched all weight classes at the recent North American Open in Arizona with smooth as silk 150kg monster snatch), had me work on speed squat cleans. First after deadlifting the bar and getting into the hang position I was directed to extend upward minimally just drop under it as fast as possible and then immediately repeat the movement without a break from the floor. He kept challenging me to raise the bar as little as possible before dropping under it. I finally got the "hang" of it after the last set .. although very scary at first I found that keeping very relaxed was the key.
Performing a back squat and then a behind the neck split jerk felt very easy. For the first time I was able to handle the after jerk negative with relative ease by lowering the bar quickly and dipping my knees to a quarter squat to catch the bar. These last three Oly sessions have featured combo/chain lifts which I really enjoy just as I did with Kettlebells.
Weight: 180 1/2 lbs
Total Volume: 5800 lbs
Sunday December 21, 2008
Mother nature graced us with another foot of white cool powder. With my left shoulder a bit sore from yesterday, I just worked on front squats based on the this Russian Strength Program. The total volume was very light and just enough!
Evening:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Barbell Front Squats (lbs)
135 x 1 x 2
155 x 1 x 2
165 x 6 x 2 (80% of 1RM)
Its always interesting that my first set of any light front squats always feels heavy .. my last set of heavy's feel lighter.
Weight: 181 lbs
Total Volume: 2560 lbs
Friday, December 19, 2008
Squat snatch baby steps
Wednesday December 17, 2008
I felt great after the previous evening's Oly session. As a result I trained with my evening client.
Evening Kettlebell session:
24kg x 1 x 5/5 Front squat
Double 24kg x 1 x 5 Front squat
24kg x 10 x 20 Two-hand swings every 1:25
24kg x 2 x 1/1 TGU
Total volume: 11,800 lbs
Thursday December 18, 2008
The two days of training in a row seemed to agree with me.
Evening Oly session:
Squat Snatch with Overhead Squat Chains (kgs)
30 x 1 x 3
35 x 1 x 3
40 x 1 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
47 x 1 x 3
49 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 3
52 x 1 x 3 (PR)
40 x 2 x 3
From the ground Snatch Pulls (kgs)
60kg x 4 x 3
Partial One legged squats:
BW x 4 x 5/5
The extra over-head squat after a squat snatch adds up quickly. On a positive note the 40kg snatches felt much easier after the 52's. Also it was nice to be able to squat snatch 52. Although I've already power snatched 60, it will take several months to catch up with my squat snatch. The new shoes definitely made a difference but I was still very sore the next morning.
Total volume: 7230 lbs
I felt great after the previous evening's Oly session. As a result I trained with my evening client.
Evening Kettlebell session:
24kg x 1 x 5/5 Front squat
Double 24kg x 1 x 5 Front squat
24kg x 10 x 20 Two-hand swings every 1:25
24kg x 2 x 1/1 TGU
Total volume: 11,800 lbs
Thursday December 18, 2008
The two days of training in a row seemed to agree with me.
Evening Oly session:
Squat Snatch with Overhead Squat Chains (kgs)
30 x 1 x 3
35 x 1 x 3
40 x 1 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
47 x 1 x 3
49 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 3
52 x 1 x 3 (PR)
40 x 2 x 3
From the ground Snatch Pulls (kgs)
60kg x 4 x 3
Partial One legged squats:
BW x 4 x 5/5
The extra over-head squat after a squat snatch adds up quickly. On a positive note the 40kg snatches felt much easier after the 52's. Also it was nice to be able to squat snatch 52. Although I've already power snatched 60, it will take several months to catch up with my squat snatch. The new shoes definitely made a difference but I was still very sore the next morning.
Total volume: 7230 lbs
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Reset and go
Tuesday December 17, 2008
After losing power for four days due to a nasty ice storm while recovering from a chest cold (which extended the recovery) I was able to train last night.
Evening Oly session:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Clean, Front Squat and Jerk Combo (kg)
40 x 2 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 1 x 3
65 x 1 x 3
70 x 1 x 2
60 x 1 x 3
Back squat with 40lb chains (lb)
95 x 4 x 5
115 x 2 x 5
Barbell walking lunges (lb)
65 x 3 x 10 steps
Tactical Pull-ups
BW x 4 x 3
The extra front squat inserted between the clean and jerk makes a big difference .. when I worked up to 70kg I was already cooked. A nice session to get back into things.
Total Volume: 8040 lbs
After losing power for four days due to a nasty ice storm while recovering from a chest cold (which extended the recovery) I was able to train last night.
Evening Oly session:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Clean, Front Squat and Jerk Combo (kg)
40 x 2 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
50 x 1 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 1 x 3
65 x 1 x 3
70 x 1 x 2
60 x 1 x 3
Back squat with 40lb chains (lb)
95 x 4 x 5
115 x 2 x 5
Barbell walking lunges (lb)
65 x 3 x 10 steps
Tactical Pull-ups
BW x 4 x 3
The extra front squat inserted between the clean and jerk makes a big difference .. when I worked up to 70kg I was already cooked. A nice session to get back into things.
Total Volume: 8040 lbs
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Dropping under the Snatch
Thursday December 4, 2008
Weight: 180 1/2 lbs
Woke up feeling the after effects of the late evening swing session. The left shoulder was a little tender but its been much worse. I was really looking on the evening Oly session to train cleans and jerks as I had a very frustrating snatch session on Tuesday and wanted to work on something that I was comfortable with. Well, Coach Fuller had other ideas. He was concerned that my squat snatch was too far behind my clean and jerks so he had me start squat snatch triples at a low weight and slowly work up .. only a kilo or two increase at a time. A combination of the swings last night and the previous snatch session (although quite flawed) led to surprisingly much better session:
Evening Oly session:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Squat Snatch (kg):
30 x 2 x 5
35 x 2 x 5
40 x 2 x 3
41 x 1 x 3
43 x 1 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
46 x 1 x 3
48 x 1 x 3
49 x 1 x 3
Out of the forty snatches I only missed three, a less than 10% failure rate compared to Tuesday where the failure rate was 66% .. a massive improvement.
Snatch pulls (kg):
50 x 1 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 3 x 3
70 x 2 x 3
Romanian Dead Lift (kg)
70 x 1 x 5
80 x 1 x 5
90 x 1 x 5
100 x 2 x 5
BW x 4 x 4 Tactical Pullups
This was a great session and some decent volume as well. I got some great coaching cues tonight that I was able to respond to. I was starting to pull with more force and with much less fear of dropping under the bar.
Total volume: 11400 lbs
Weight: 180 1/2 lbs
Woke up feeling the after effects of the late evening swing session. The left shoulder was a little tender but its been much worse. I was really looking on the evening Oly session to train cleans and jerks as I had a very frustrating snatch session on Tuesday and wanted to work on something that I was comfortable with. Well, Coach Fuller had other ideas. He was concerned that my squat snatch was too far behind my clean and jerks so he had me start squat snatch triples at a low weight and slowly work up .. only a kilo or two increase at a time. A combination of the swings last night and the previous snatch session (although quite flawed) led to surprisingly much better session:
Evening Oly session:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Squat Snatch (kg):
30 x 2 x 5
35 x 2 x 5
40 x 2 x 3
41 x 1 x 3
43 x 1 x 3
45 x 1 x 3
46 x 1 x 3
48 x 1 x 3
49 x 1 x 3
Out of the forty snatches I only missed three, a less than 10% failure rate compared to Tuesday where the failure rate was 66% .. a massive improvement.
Snatch pulls (kg):
50 x 1 x 3
55 x 1 x 3
60 x 3 x 3
70 x 2 x 3
Romanian Dead Lift (kg)
70 x 1 x 5
80 x 1 x 5
90 x 1 x 5
100 x 2 x 5
BW x 4 x 4 Tactical Pullups
This was a great session and some decent volume as well. I got some great coaching cues tonight that I was able to respond to. I was starting to pull with more force and with much less fear of dropping under the bar.
Total volume: 11400 lbs
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Snatch Balances ,OH Squats and the ETK Program Minimum
Here is a summary of consecutive day sessions:
Tuesday December 2, 2008
Weight: 180 lbs
My Olympic lifting coach, Ben Fuller, is certainly tuned into my needs as he had me perform both OH squats and snatch balances (snatch drops) as my first set of lifts.
Morning:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Back & Ab Complex: 1 set
A1: BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
A2: BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
Evening Oly Session:
40kg x 3 x 5 OH Squat
30kg x 3 x 3 Snatch Balance (50% failure)
40kg x 7 x 3 Squat Snatch (66% failure)
Front Squat (lbs):
135 x 1 x 3
145 x 1 x 3
155 x 1 x 3
165 x 1 x 3
175 x 1 x 3
185 x 1 x 3
I am really looking forward to receiving the Olympic lifting shoes I ordered on-line as the position of my OH squat is so uncomfortable and I have been told the high heel on the shoe makes a big difference. A snatch balance is were the barbell is held on the back with the wide snatch grip and the lifter quickly drops to a squat while extending the arms fully as if dropping into the squat after performing a snatch. I had incredible difficulty with these as well. Finally I forced myself to drop into a full squat with each snatch with only 40kg and struggled mightily. I can power snatch 60kg but I know I have to master the squat snatch to really progress. The flexibility and balance needed by Oly lifters is really extraordinary. Its a good thing that I don't give up easily as this is extremely humbling.
Total volume: 4700 lbs
Wednesday December 3, 2008
Weight: 180 lbs
Although yesterdays volume was under 5000 lbs, I was very sore for most of the day. I had planned in the evening to join my client with a program minimum like session of swings and TGUs.
Evening:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Back & Ab Complex: 1 set
A1: BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
A2: BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
24kg x 1 x 8/8 Snatch warmup
24kg x 10 x 20 Swings @ top of every 1:30
2kkg x 5 x 10/10 One-hand swings @ top of every 1:30
Total: 300 swings
32kg x 2 x 1/1 TGU
BW x 3 x 3 Tactical Pullups
I made every rep of the 300 as explosive as possible with hard negative throw downs and glute-squeezing lockouts. Would have liked to have done some double TGUs, but my left wrist is c;lose but just not ready yet for that intensity.
Total volume: 16900 lbs
Tuesday December 2, 2008
Weight: 180 lbs
My Olympic lifting coach, Ben Fuller, is certainly tuned into my needs as he had me perform both OH squats and snatch balances (snatch drops) as my first set of lifts.
Morning:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Back & Ab Complex: 1 set
A1: BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
A2: BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
Evening Oly Session:
40kg x 3 x 5 OH Squat
30kg x 3 x 3 Snatch Balance (50% failure)
40kg x 7 x 3 Squat Snatch (66% failure)
Front Squat (lbs):
135 x 1 x 3
145 x 1 x 3
155 x 1 x 3
165 x 1 x 3
175 x 1 x 3
185 x 1 x 3
I am really looking forward to receiving the Olympic lifting shoes I ordered on-line as the position of my OH squat is so uncomfortable and I have been told the high heel on the shoe makes a big difference. A snatch balance is were the barbell is held on the back with the wide snatch grip and the lifter quickly drops to a squat while extending the arms fully as if dropping into the squat after performing a snatch. I had incredible difficulty with these as well. Finally I forced myself to drop into a full squat with each snatch with only 40kg and struggled mightily. I can power snatch 60kg but I know I have to master the squat snatch to really progress. The flexibility and balance needed by Oly lifters is really extraordinary. Its a good thing that I don't give up easily as this is extremely humbling.
Total volume: 4700 lbs
Wednesday December 3, 2008
Weight: 180 lbs
Although yesterdays volume was under 5000 lbs, I was very sore for most of the day. I had planned in the evening to join my client with a program minimum like session of swings and TGUs.
Evening:
Z-Health: Neural Warm-up Level 2 (Dynamic Joint Mobility Drills)
Back & Ab Complex: 1 set
A1: BW x 1 x 10 Heavy blue band Goodmorning
A2: BW x 1 x 5 Ab wheel on the knee rollouts, 5 sec hold and rollback
24kg x 1 x 8/8 Snatch warmup
24kg x 10 x 20 Swings @ top of every 1:30
2kkg x 5 x 10/10 One-hand swings @ top of every 1:30
Total: 300 swings
32kg x 2 x 1/1 TGU
BW x 3 x 3 Tactical Pullups
I made every rep of the 300 as explosive as possible with hard negative throw downs and glute-squeezing lockouts. Would have liked to have done some double TGUs, but my left wrist is c;lose but just not ready yet for that intensity.
Total volume: 16900 lbs
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