Lol's New HST Log
- Thread starter Lol
- Start date
nativetroutbum
Member
Congrats on the front squat PR! 210 x 15 is ridiculous!
When you do front squats with that much weight, do your shoulders, traps, and upper back start to burn just from holding the weight? Also, do you find your core getting really worked from maintaining the front squat posture? When I've done front squats, I find that my shoulders and core seem to be more the limiting factor than my legs.
When you do front squats with that much weight, do your shoulders, traps, and upper back start to burn just from holding the weight? Also, do you find your core getting really worked from maintaining the front squat posture? When I've done front squats, I find that my shoulders and core seem to be more the limiting factor than my legs.
Thanks NTB. One of the things I love about front squats is that you have to fight the weight the whole time. If you relax your back or abs at all then you'll tend to lean forward coming out of the hole, which makes standing up so much harder. It's so important to maintain as rigid a torso as possible. Only then can you really work your quads as hard as possible.
I find if I mentally coach myself through each rep, it helps take my mind off any discomfort.
I find if I mentally coach myself through each rep, it helps take my mind off any discomfort.
Sat 02/03/13
Today I was meant to go for maxes in my O-lifts but I woke up with a lousy headache and it stayed with me all day. Calves were stuffed full of DOMS too which was a nuisance. Still, I took some paracetamol and thought I'd have a go anyway and see how I got on.
Instead of snatches from the floor, I thought I'd have my first go at snatching off some high-blocks. This is a really good way to learn to increase speed getting under the bar. It drills the position that you need to get the bar in before the explosive hip drive. The bar starts off just below hip-height, without any momentum. You have to fire the bar up as powerfully as you can and almost instantaneously pull yourself down under the bar in order to catch it overhead.
I got hold of a couple of old Peavey bass bins (ie. 15" speaker cabs) and thought that, with a good bit of extra reinforcing, they'd be just the job. I haven't got a lot of space in my lifting room, so standard sized lifting boxes would be too big.
Here's a pic of my high-block set-up:
General Warmup
Med Ball Goblet Squats
Wooden pole dislocates
O-bar Muscle snatches
Snatch Off High Blocks
10 x 40kg
5 x 45kg - straps from this set
5 x 50kg
5 x 55kg
3 x 57.5kg
3 x 60kg
4 x 60kg
3 x 62.5kg
2 x 65kg
3 x 67.5kg
2 x 70kg PR - Ripped callus on palm of my right hand! Rats!
Everything was going so well. I was getting under the bar better with every load increment. Definitely my best snatching to date and I was intending to aim for a double with 75kg which would have been a big PR. Then, on the second rep with 70kg, I felt a sting in my right palm. I put the bar down and had a quick look to find I'd torn a callus on my right palm. Silly to ignore it and carry on (and get blood all over my bar). It wasn't a competition so I figured I'd stop there and patch it up. Blasted nuisance though. I was really psyched to keep going but no more O-lifting tonight.
Push-ups
20 - to warm up shoulders again
Floor Press
20 x 70kg
15 x 80kg
19+1 x 80kg - just missed 20 reps.
Shoulders felt ok. Got cramps in my DOMS-ridden calves on the second set so had to stop at 15 reps. Just managed to get to the end of the third set before they cramped up again.
Pendlay Row
15 x 80kg
15 x 80kg
Didn't need any extra warmup for these. Good solid reps. No calf cramps.
Notes
Pretty frustrating tonight but very glad I tried snatching off the high-blocks. I will be doing this exercise again as soon as I can.
That's the first time I've torn a callus on my palm. I think it happened because I hadn't given my hands time to fully toughen up again after my SD. Lesson learned. I need to get some athletic tape: a lot of lifters tape their hands if they have torn callus problems. It's essential if you want to compete in case this sort of thing happens mid-competition.
Today I was meant to go for maxes in my O-lifts but I woke up with a lousy headache and it stayed with me all day. Calves were stuffed full of DOMS too which was a nuisance. Still, I took some paracetamol and thought I'd have a go anyway and see how I got on.
Instead of snatches from the floor, I thought I'd have my first go at snatching off some high-blocks. This is a really good way to learn to increase speed getting under the bar. It drills the position that you need to get the bar in before the explosive hip drive. The bar starts off just below hip-height, without any momentum. You have to fire the bar up as powerfully as you can and almost instantaneously pull yourself down under the bar in order to catch it overhead.
I got hold of a couple of old Peavey bass bins (ie. 15" speaker cabs) and thought that, with a good bit of extra reinforcing, they'd be just the job. I haven't got a lot of space in my lifting room, so standard sized lifting boxes would be too big.
Here's a pic of my high-block set-up:
General Warmup
Med Ball Goblet Squats
Wooden pole dislocates
O-bar Muscle snatches
Snatch Off High Blocks
10 x 40kg
5 x 45kg - straps from this set
5 x 50kg
5 x 55kg
3 x 57.5kg
3 x 60kg
4 x 60kg
3 x 62.5kg
2 x 65kg
3 x 67.5kg
2 x 70kg PR - Ripped callus on palm of my right hand! Rats!
Everything was going so well. I was getting under the bar better with every load increment. Definitely my best snatching to date and I was intending to aim for a double with 75kg which would have been a big PR. Then, on the second rep with 70kg, I felt a sting in my right palm. I put the bar down and had a quick look to find I'd torn a callus on my right palm. Silly to ignore it and carry on (and get blood all over my bar). It wasn't a competition so I figured I'd stop there and patch it up. Blasted nuisance though. I was really psyched to keep going but no more O-lifting tonight.
Push-ups
20 - to warm up shoulders again
Floor Press
20 x 70kg
15 x 80kg
19+1 x 80kg - just missed 20 reps.
Shoulders felt ok. Got cramps in my DOMS-ridden calves on the second set so had to stop at 15 reps. Just managed to get to the end of the third set before they cramped up again.
Pendlay Row
15 x 80kg
15 x 80kg
Didn't need any extra warmup for these. Good solid reps. No calf cramps.
Notes
Pretty frustrating tonight but very glad I tried snatching off the high-blocks. I will be doing this exercise again as soon as I can.
That's the first time I've torn a callus on my palm. I think it happened because I hadn't given my hands time to fully toughen up again after my SD. Lesson learned. I need to get some athletic tape: a lot of lifters tape their hands if they have torn callus problems. It's essential if you want to compete in case this sort of thing happens mid-competition.
Mon 04/03/13
General Warmup
Wooden Pole Dislocates
Air Squats
Muscle Snatch
(from high blocks)
10 x 40kg (88lb)
10 x 40kg (88lb)
10 x 45kg (99lb)
10 x 50kg (110lb)
15 x 50kg (110lb)
Glove on right hand to protect sore patch. Gloves suck but not as much as a torn callus.
I'm doing these as an accessory lift for snatching. Shoulders and upper-back were pretty fried after that final set.
Push-ups
20 - warmup for bench
Bench Press
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg
10 x 90kg (198lb) @ RPE 9
11 x 90kg (198lb) @ RPE 9 - slightly faster tempo.
First benching since 1st Feb when I went for a PR. I'm not expecting my bench to go up much because I'm not focussing on it but I don't want it to fade away either. The first set with 90kg felt heavier than I expected; the second set felt lighter. The muscle snatches had tired my shoulders and tris out a fair amount so this wasn't too bad an effort really.
Kroc Rows
15 x 36kg (79lb)
25 x 46kg (101lb)
Right arm then left arm; this way round so that my weaker left arm has to match what my stronger arm manages.
Haven't done any unilateral rowing in ages so these were fun to do. Had to catch my breath between switching sides on the second set. Definitely could have made 30 reps with my right arm but my left would have struggled with the last 5.
Pull-ups
8+2,2,3,2 x BW
Did these right after the Krocs hence the low reps. I knew I wouldn't manage a ninth rep so I did a Myo-rep set instead.
Single-leg Calf Raise on Med Ball
20 x BW
20 x BW
40 x partials and pulses - very intense burn.
Stretches.
Really wanted to stretch my calves out after the intense DOMS I got from my previous calf-raise session.
Handstand Practice
Several attempts made; one was pretty good.
Notes
Good session even though I had to start late. Missed squatting tonight so I'll try to make time for a few sets tomorrow.
Right shoulder has improved a bit which is great. I performed my warmup dislocates slower than normal and focussed on the short range of motion that gives me pain in my right shoulder. It did seem to help.
=============================================
RPE 8: 3-4 reps left in tank; RPE 8.5: 2 reps
RPE 9: 1 rep; RPE 9.5: poss 1 rep
RPE 10: no more reps possible
P=Paused rep(s), CG=Clean Grip, SG=Snatch Grip
PO=Press Out, FF=Failed to Front, FB=Failed to Back
General Warmup
Wooden Pole Dislocates
Air Squats
Muscle Snatch
(from high blocks)
10 x 40kg (88lb)
10 x 40kg (88lb)
10 x 45kg (99lb)
10 x 50kg (110lb)
15 x 50kg (110lb)
Glove on right hand to protect sore patch. Gloves suck but not as much as a torn callus.
I'm doing these as an accessory lift for snatching. Shoulders and upper-back were pretty fried after that final set.
Push-ups
20 - warmup for bench
Bench Press
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg
10 x 90kg (198lb) @ RPE 9
11 x 90kg (198lb) @ RPE 9 - slightly faster tempo.
First benching since 1st Feb when I went for a PR. I'm not expecting my bench to go up much because I'm not focussing on it but I don't want it to fade away either. The first set with 90kg felt heavier than I expected; the second set felt lighter. The muscle snatches had tired my shoulders and tris out a fair amount so this wasn't too bad an effort really.
Kroc Rows
15 x 36kg (79lb)
25 x 46kg (101lb)
Right arm then left arm; this way round so that my weaker left arm has to match what my stronger arm manages.
Haven't done any unilateral rowing in ages so these were fun to do. Had to catch my breath between switching sides on the second set. Definitely could have made 30 reps with my right arm but my left would have struggled with the last 5.
Pull-ups
8+2,2,3,2 x BW
Did these right after the Krocs hence the low reps. I knew I wouldn't manage a ninth rep so I did a Myo-rep set instead.
Single-leg Calf Raise on Med Ball
20 x BW
20 x BW
40 x partials and pulses - very intense burn.
Stretches.
Really wanted to stretch my calves out after the intense DOMS I got from my previous calf-raise session.
Handstand Practice
Several attempts made; one was pretty good.
Notes
Good session even though I had to start late. Missed squatting tonight so I'll try to make time for a few sets tomorrow.
Right shoulder has improved a bit which is great. I performed my warmup dislocates slower than normal and focussed on the short range of motion that gives me pain in my right shoulder. It did seem to help.
=============================================
RPE 8: 3-4 reps left in tank; RPE 8.5: 2 reps
RPE 9: 1 rep; RPE 9.5: poss 1 rep
RPE 10: no more reps possible
P=Paused rep(s), CG=Clean Grip, SG=Snatch Grip
PO=Press Out, FF=Failed to Front, FB=Failed to Back
Shoulder dislocates - basically where you grab a broom handle or whatever, start with hands usually double shoulder width with the pole in front of you, raise it over your head and then down your back, keeping hands on the pole at all times. Then back to front... move your hands in as you are able.
Yeah, just as Tot'z said. Sorry, I have become a bit lazy with my descriptions.
My shoulders have never been great, particularly the right one; I think I messed it up as a kid doing too much fast bowling without proper warmups. I used to chuck a lot of stones too. I could out-throw most people I ever met. Now, even the thought of a max effort throw makes me wince!
I actually spend quite a few minutes doing shoulder dislocates. I've slowed them down recently and I really work on the areas where I get most discomfort. My shoulder mobility has improved since I've been doing them.
I remember the first time I tried overhead squatting with just the bar: not good! I had pins-and-needles in my fingers and thumb for a few hours afterwards due to nerve impingement. A few days later I tried using 40kg for a few reps. That gave me buzzing in my fingers for two days! I think that's when I first started doing dislocates to see if they would help.
Sometimes I use a rubber exercise band to get the blood flowing instead of a pole. I always take a band with me if I'm travelling.
Tue 05/03/13
Had a long work day today and very pushed for time as getting ready for trip. Felt tired all day and didn't feel like squatting at all; but seeing that that was all I was going to do, I thought I ought to at least try.
General Warmup
Shoulder Dislocates
Air Squats
Front Squats
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg
3 x 100kg - see below
10 x 100kg @ RPE 8.5
My intention was to attempt to get 15 reps with 100kg for a new PR. Well, after 3 reps my brain talked me out of it. "No way are you getting 12 more reps at this weight!", it said. So I racked the bar, got annoyed, un-racked the bar again and banged out a further 10 good reps. No way I would have made another 5 reps at that point; maybe 2. So I called it a day and carried on packing for my trip.
Even though I didn't make it to 15 tonight, I know I'll get it soon. It's just a matter of getting some decent rest beforehand and then getting my mind right. I'll probably get someone to watch me and count reps next time. Encouragement and an audience definitely helps.
=============================================
RPE 8: 3-4 reps left in tank; RPE 8.5: 2 reps
RPE 9: 1 rep; RPE 9.5: poss 1 rep
RPE 10: no more reps possible
P=Paused rep(s), CG=Clean Grip, SG=Snatch Grip
PO=Press Out, FF=Failed to Front, FB=Failed to Back
Had a long work day today and very pushed for time as getting ready for trip. Felt tired all day and didn't feel like squatting at all; but seeing that that was all I was going to do, I thought I ought to at least try.
General Warmup
Shoulder Dislocates
Air Squats
Front Squats
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg
3 x 100kg - see below
10 x 100kg @ RPE 8.5
My intention was to attempt to get 15 reps with 100kg for a new PR. Well, after 3 reps my brain talked me out of it. "No way are you getting 12 more reps at this weight!", it said. So I racked the bar, got annoyed, un-racked the bar again and banged out a further 10 good reps. No way I would have made another 5 reps at that point; maybe 2. So I called it a day and carried on packing for my trip.
Even though I didn't make it to 15 tonight, I know I'll get it soon. It's just a matter of getting some decent rest beforehand and then getting my mind right. I'll probably get someone to watch me and count reps next time. Encouragement and an audience definitely helps.
=============================================
RPE 8: 3-4 reps left in tank; RPE 8.5: 2 reps
RPE 9: 1 rep; RPE 9.5: poss 1 rep
RPE 10: no more reps possible
P=Paused rep(s), CG=Clean Grip, SG=Snatch Grip
PO=Press Out, FF=Failed to Front, FB=Failed to Back
nativetroutbum
Member
Wholeheartedly agree! Last workout I had a gym-friend do a little "coaching" while I was doing deads. I was feeling a little less than 100% but a little "coaching" and a couple of other fellas in the gym taking notice and offering a little encouragement seemed to go a long way. Nothing too crazy, no slapping me in the face and screaming at me... just a little, "cmon man, pull that $hit!!"... then he said something like, "think about someone going after your wife and kids..." I know it sounds kinda' corny, but man, it sure worked. I blasted through both sets of 320x5.
Wed 13/03/13
I've had another unexpected SD due to having to travel about a bit. The good thing is that it has given my broken body a little more time to heal: my left hand has improved a bit more; my right-shoulder discomfort has eased and other niggles have all but gone away.
I did some walking, handstands, push-ups, air-squats and a few short rows on the C2.
I decided to do a short snatch session to break myself back in.
Warmup
500m C2 Row in 1:47 - gentle start with gradual build up
Snatch: 10 x naked bar from high-hang
Air-squats
Rubber band dislocates
Snatch Off High Blocks (bar height 25")
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg
3 x 55kg
No straps throughout.
OHS
5 x 55kg - Immediately following on from last snatch.
Push-ups
30
Pull-ups
10 - Wow! These were hard!
Notes
I'm learning that hand health for Oly lifting is very important. I've never really thought about it much before.
Doing the snatches tonight caused my hands to get sore quite quickly; the callused skin got pulled and pressed into hard lumps. That's when I realised that my previous callus tear was because I had allowed my calluses to get too hard during my SD and hadn't sanded them down. They grab the bar more when they're hard and then they tear at the weakest point.
A short SD isn't long enough for calluses to reduce or soften. Instead, they get harder and thicker during a short break from training. So, what I need to do is to sand/trim them down at the end of SD, before I start a new period of training. So, at the end of this brief workout, I spent half-an-hour attending to sanding calluses on my fingers and palms followed by a good moisturising session. A good friend let me have some "Intensive restoring hand cream" which seems like really good stuff.
I came across this helpful vid by Donny Shankle:
I've had another unexpected SD due to having to travel about a bit. The good thing is that it has given my broken body a little more time to heal: my left hand has improved a bit more; my right-shoulder discomfort has eased and other niggles have all but gone away.
I did some walking, handstands, push-ups, air-squats and a few short rows on the C2.
I decided to do a short snatch session to break myself back in.
Warmup
500m C2 Row in 1:47 - gentle start with gradual build up
Snatch: 10 x naked bar from high-hang
Air-squats
Rubber band dislocates
Snatch Off High Blocks (bar height 25")
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg
3 x 55kg
No straps throughout.
OHS
5 x 55kg - Immediately following on from last snatch.
Push-ups
30
Pull-ups
10 - Wow! These were hard!
Notes
I'm learning that hand health for Oly lifting is very important. I've never really thought about it much before.
Doing the snatches tonight caused my hands to get sore quite quickly; the callused skin got pulled and pressed into hard lumps. That's when I realised that my previous callus tear was because I had allowed my calluses to get too hard during my SD and hadn't sanded them down. They grab the bar more when they're hard and then they tear at the weakest point.
A short SD isn't long enough for calluses to reduce or soften. Instead, they get harder and thicker during a short break from training. So, what I need to do is to sand/trim them down at the end of SD, before I start a new period of training. So, at the end of this brief workout, I spent half-an-hour attending to sanding calluses on my fingers and palms followed by a good moisturising session. A good friend let me have some "Intensive restoring hand cream" which seems like really good stuff.
I came across this helpful vid by Donny Shankle:
Last edited by a moderator:
Thu 14/03/13
Still working back in slowly.
General Warmup
Walking lunges
Air-squats
Wooden pole shoulder dislocates
Snatch: 10 x naked bar from high-hang
Snatch Off High Blocks (bar height 25")
10 x 30kg - no hook
10 x 40kg - no hook
5 x 45kg - no hook
5 x 50kg - no hook
5 x 55kg
5 x 57.5kg
5 x 60kg
3 x 62.5kg
No straps. No hook for first four sets. This forces you to get under the bar faster because you can't explode as much or you'll lose your grip on the bar. It's very effective. I got into a good groove and was happy with nearly all reps. My technique has improved a lot since I've been snatching off the blocks and that's hardly any time at all.
Push-ups
40
Performed these with elbows tucked in close to sides; forearms vertical at bottom position so hands inline with upper-abs. This makes the movement harder but it more closely matches the way I bench.
Pull-ups
15 x BW
Notes
Hands were much better tonight. Naturally, they still feel sore but absolutely no problems with calluses. You gotta sand and moisturise, people!
I must try to take a vid of my snatching so I can check my form. I just don't have a lot of space in my weight room to position the camera far enough away so I fit in the frame.
Still working back in slowly.
General Warmup
Walking lunges
Air-squats
Wooden pole shoulder dislocates
Snatch: 10 x naked bar from high-hang
Snatch Off High Blocks (bar height 25")
10 x 30kg - no hook
10 x 40kg - no hook
5 x 45kg - no hook
5 x 50kg - no hook
5 x 55kg
5 x 57.5kg
5 x 60kg
3 x 62.5kg
No straps. No hook for first four sets. This forces you to get under the bar faster because you can't explode as much or you'll lose your grip on the bar. It's very effective. I got into a good groove and was happy with nearly all reps. My technique has improved a lot since I've been snatching off the blocks and that's hardly any time at all.
Push-ups
40
Performed these with elbows tucked in close to sides; forearms vertical at bottom position so hands inline with upper-abs. This makes the movement harder but it more closely matches the way I bench.
Pull-ups
15 x BW
Notes
Hands were much better tonight. Naturally, they still feel sore but absolutely no problems with calluses. You gotta sand and moisturise, people!
I must try to take a vid of my snatching so I can check my form. I just don't have a lot of space in my weight room to position the camera far enough away so I fit in the frame.
15/03/13
Away from home again.
Legs were very sore today as yesterday I also did a 10-minute, non-stop air-squat session. Slow and steady tempo. Bit of a daft thing to do but I was watching a training video. I did have to pause during the process each time the burn in my quads became unbearable. As I said, a bit daft!
So, today, I did a few intervals on my dad's C2 rower to try to loosen things up a bit.
C2 Rower
3 x 500m @ ~1:47
It helped for about an hour. :-/
Away from home again.
Legs were very sore today as yesterday I also did a 10-minute, non-stop air-squat session. Slow and steady tempo. Bit of a daft thing to do but I was watching a training video. I did have to pause during the process each time the burn in my quads became unbearable. As I said, a bit daft!
So, today, I did a few intervals on my dad's C2 rower to try to loosen things up a bit.
C2 Rower
3 x 500m @ ~1:47
It helped for about an hour. :-/
Sat 16/03/13
General Warmup
Shoulder dislocates
Goblet squats with 10kg plate
Cleans, Front Squats, OHP, Snatches with 40kg
Front squats
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 70kg, 3 x 80kg, 1 x 90kg
15 x 100kg (220lb) PR
5 x 100kg (220lb)
Yeah! Thanks to a bit of moral support from my brother, I got a new front squat 15RM. Didn't intend to go for it, but after 10 reps, it seemed like the right thing to do. Milestone reached.
Press
W-U: 10 x 20kg, 5 x 40kg, 5 x 45kg
5 x 57.5kg
5 x 57.5kg
5 x 57.5kg
Hang Cleans (from the high hang)
5 x 60kg
5 x 70kg
5 x 85kg
Pull-ups
10 x BW - large diameter bar
Ring Dips
5 x BW - supinated
5 x BW - parallel
5 x BW - supinated
With hands supinated, these are twice as hard.
Iron Cross (not sure if that's the correct term?)
3 x 3 x BW
With elbows locked, I lowered myself down as far as I could under control and then forced my hands back in to my sides to raise back up again. Insanely hard!
Push-ups
25
These were obviously going to be much harder than usual. Yup.
Notes
Great workout in my brother's garage. So pleased I made that front squat PR. Sun was shining so I did some of this stuff outside which was very pleasant.
General Warmup
Shoulder dislocates
Goblet squats with 10kg plate
Cleans, Front Squats, OHP, Snatches with 40kg
Front squats
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 70kg, 3 x 80kg, 1 x 90kg
15 x 100kg (220lb) PR
5 x 100kg (220lb)
Yeah! Thanks to a bit of moral support from my brother, I got a new front squat 15RM. Didn't intend to go for it, but after 10 reps, it seemed like the right thing to do. Milestone reached.
Press
W-U: 10 x 20kg, 5 x 40kg, 5 x 45kg
5 x 57.5kg
5 x 57.5kg
5 x 57.5kg
Hang Cleans (from the high hang)
5 x 60kg
5 x 70kg
5 x 85kg
Pull-ups
10 x BW - large diameter bar
Ring Dips
5 x BW - supinated
5 x BW - parallel
5 x BW - supinated
With hands supinated, these are twice as hard.
Iron Cross (not sure if that's the correct term?)
3 x 3 x BW
With elbows locked, I lowered myself down as far as I could under control and then forced my hands back in to my sides to raise back up again. Insanely hard!
Push-ups
25
These were obviously going to be much harder than usual. Yup.
Notes
Great workout in my brother's garage. So pleased I made that front squat PR. Sun was shining so I did some of this stuff outside which was very pleasant.
Mon 18/03/13
Still sore from the front squats on Saturday. The ring dips and iron cross work etc. wrecked the whole of my chest too.
General Warmup
Wooden pole shoulder dislocated
10kg Medicine ball goblet squats
Walking lunges
Snatch Off High Blocks (bar height 25")
10 x 20kg
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
5 x 45kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg
3 x 60kg
3 x 65kg
3 x 67.5kg
3 x 70kg - not the best reps
No straps throughout. Pleased I worked up to 70kg, even though the reps were not as solid as I would have liked. What didn't help was that it was late and I was a bit concerned about having to dump the bar if I messed up.
Paused Front Squat
10 x 60kg
5 x 80kg
5 x 90kg
5 x 105kg
Everything felt heavy tonight so I didn't do much. I intended to try for 10 x 105 with around 1 second pauses in the hole. It wasn't going to happen so I stopped at 5.
Handstand Against Wall
4 x 30 secs
1 x 80 secs
90 seconds is in my sights!
I followed this with a load of different stretches to try to loosen up a bit.
Still sore from the front squats on Saturday. The ring dips and iron cross work etc. wrecked the whole of my chest too.
General Warmup
Wooden pole shoulder dislocated
10kg Medicine ball goblet squats
Walking lunges
Snatch Off High Blocks (bar height 25")
10 x 20kg
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
5 x 45kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg
3 x 60kg
3 x 65kg
3 x 67.5kg
3 x 70kg - not the best reps
No straps throughout. Pleased I worked up to 70kg, even though the reps were not as solid as I would have liked. What didn't help was that it was late and I was a bit concerned about having to dump the bar if I messed up.
Paused Front Squat
10 x 60kg
5 x 80kg
5 x 90kg
5 x 105kg
Everything felt heavy tonight so I didn't do much. I intended to try for 10 x 105 with around 1 second pauses in the hole. It wasn't going to happen so I stopped at 5.
Handstand Against Wall
4 x 30 secs
1 x 80 secs
90 seconds is in my sights!
I followed this with a load of different stretches to try to loosen up a bit.
Thu 21/03/13
Bad week for training so far. Running out of time tonight too. Rubbish sleep last night so tired and hardly ate a bean all day. Not a great combo.
General Warmup
Wooden pole shoulder dislocates
Air squats
Walking lunges
10 x Nekid hang power snatch
Hang Snatch - below knee (first rep from floor)
10 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg
3 x 60kg - a bit power snatchy
3 x 60kg - better
3 x 60kg - all pretty good
3 x 60kg - first rep a bit forward
No straps throughout. Tonight I was working on sweeping the bar in to my hips and attempting to ensure I didn't allow the bar to go forward much at the start of the second pull. I was trying to make sure that my feet moved a little backwards, with weight on heels, rather than forwards at the catch. Once the bar goes forward you end up catching with weight on toes, and that's most likely going to be a failed lift. Still got a long way to go before I feel I'm hitting the correct groove most times.
Front Squat
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg, 3 x 90kg, 1 x 100kg
5 x 105kg (231lb) @ RPE 8.5!
5 x 105kg (231lb)
5 x 105kg (231lb)
Heck! 105kg felt more like 115kg!
I had thought I'd be doing sets of 10 with 105kg and that it wouldn't wipe me out. Well, that wasn't going to happen tonight by any stretch of the imagination. I'm hoping it was partly tiredness.
Notes
One thing that is quite possibly making front squats tougher is that my squat depth has increased a bit now that my flexibility has improved. That's ok just so long as I can keep my loads going up over time.
Bad week for training so far. Running out of time tonight too. Rubbish sleep last night so tired and hardly ate a bean all day. Not a great combo.
General Warmup
Wooden pole shoulder dislocates
Air squats
Walking lunges
10 x Nekid hang power snatch
Hang Snatch - below knee (first rep from floor)
10 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg
3 x 60kg - a bit power snatchy
3 x 60kg - better
3 x 60kg - all pretty good
3 x 60kg - first rep a bit forward
No straps throughout. Tonight I was working on sweeping the bar in to my hips and attempting to ensure I didn't allow the bar to go forward much at the start of the second pull. I was trying to make sure that my feet moved a little backwards, with weight on heels, rather than forwards at the catch. Once the bar goes forward you end up catching with weight on toes, and that's most likely going to be a failed lift. Still got a long way to go before I feel I'm hitting the correct groove most times.
Front Squat
W-U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg, 3 x 90kg, 1 x 100kg
5 x 105kg (231lb) @ RPE 8.5!
5 x 105kg (231lb)
5 x 105kg (231lb)
Heck! 105kg felt more like 115kg!
I had thought I'd be doing sets of 10 with 105kg and that it wouldn't wipe me out. Well, that wasn't going to happen tonight by any stretch of the imagination. I'm hoping it was partly tiredness.
Notes
One thing that is quite possibly making front squats tougher is that my squat depth has increased a bit now that my flexibility has improved. That's ok just so long as I can keep my loads going up over time.
Last edited:
Fri 22/03/13
General Warmup
Shoulder dislocates
Air squats
Hang Snatch - Below Knee
(No straps)
10 x 20kg
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
Snatch
2 x 55kg (121lb) - no straps; power-snatch
2 x 60kg (132lb)
2 x 60kg
2 x 60kg - less P-Sn'y
2 x 60kg
2 x 60kg
2 x 60kg - straps
2 x 60kg - weight on heels better
2 x 60kg
3 x 60kg - 2nd rep more forward on toes
3 x 60kg - all forward on toes! :-/
Floor Press
20 x 60kg
15 x 70kg
15 x 80kg
12 x 90kg @ RPE 10
Hang Clean - Above Knee
5 x 80kg
Power Clean
1 x 90kg - easy
1 x 90kg
H-cleans and P-cleans for fun! Worked in during floor press with appropriate load on bar.
Pull-ups
10 x BW
15 x BW @ RPE 10 - faster reps
Push-ups
30
Great upper-body pump after last two exercises.
Notes
Snatches were generally not great. Need more work off high blocks and from high hang. Hands, thumbs and wrists all got pretty sore. Connective tissue in arms feeling tougher and better able to cope with the wide overhead position. Plenty more work required.
General Warmup
Shoulder dislocates
Air squats
Hang Snatch - Below Knee
(No straps)
10 x 20kg
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
Snatch
2 x 55kg (121lb) - no straps; power-snatch
2 x 60kg (132lb)
2 x 60kg
2 x 60kg - less P-Sn'y
2 x 60kg
2 x 60kg
2 x 60kg - straps
2 x 60kg - weight on heels better
2 x 60kg
3 x 60kg - 2nd rep more forward on toes
3 x 60kg - all forward on toes! :-/
Floor Press
20 x 60kg
15 x 70kg
15 x 80kg
12 x 90kg @ RPE 10
Hang Clean - Above Knee
5 x 80kg
Power Clean
1 x 90kg - easy
1 x 90kg
H-cleans and P-cleans for fun! Worked in during floor press with appropriate load on bar.
Pull-ups
10 x BW
15 x BW @ RPE 10 - faster reps
Push-ups
30
Great upper-body pump after last two exercises.
Notes
Snatches were generally not great. Need more work off high blocks and from high hang. Hands, thumbs and wrists all got pretty sore. Connective tissue in arms feeling tougher and better able to cope with the wide overhead position. Plenty more work required.
Sat 23/03/13
General Warmup
Shoulder dislocates
Air squats
Lunges
Power Clean & Jerk
5 x 40kg - some double jerks
5 x 60kg - same
2 x 70kg
1 x 80kg
5 x 1 x 90kg (198lb)
5 x 1 x 92.5kg (204lb) - 3rd rep PO
Clean & Jerk
10 x 1 x 95kg (209lb) - 3 PO's, 2 FF's
All cleans were easy but jerks weren't great tonight. Still, that was quite a lot of overhead work for my less-than-great shoulders to deal with.
Deads
5 x 130kg (287lb) - hook grip; Oly shoes
5 x 150kg (331lb) - h-g; socks
5 x 160kg (353lb) - h-g; socks
5 x 170kg (375lb) - h-g; socks
Last set was quite tough going but that's partly because deads are always tough when you don't do them very often. My lower-back needs to do these a bit more often to stay strong.
Notes
My Bodyweight was down to 195lb at the start of this workout (which I'm now logging almost a day after).
I've been messing around with my training so far this year because I've had a few things to deal with outside of training and I've had to be away from base quite a lot; plus, I haven't been getting enough food or sleep to support a progressive training schedule. It now looks like I will get a chance to settle into some serious progressive training sometime during April.
Hands were pretty beaten up after last night's session. I've been using Burt's Bees Hand Salve at night and it seems to be helping keep my skin from cracking up. Especially useful in this cold spell we are currently having in the UK. Come on Spring!
General Warmup
Shoulder dislocates
Air squats
Lunges
Power Clean & Jerk
5 x 40kg - some double jerks
5 x 60kg - same
2 x 70kg
1 x 80kg
5 x 1 x 90kg (198lb)
5 x 1 x 92.5kg (204lb) - 3rd rep PO
Clean & Jerk
10 x 1 x 95kg (209lb) - 3 PO's, 2 FF's
All cleans were easy but jerks weren't great tonight. Still, that was quite a lot of overhead work for my less-than-great shoulders to deal with.
Deads
5 x 130kg (287lb) - hook grip; Oly shoes
5 x 150kg (331lb) - h-g; socks
5 x 160kg (353lb) - h-g; socks
5 x 170kg (375lb) - h-g; socks
Last set was quite tough going but that's partly because deads are always tough when you don't do them very often. My lower-back needs to do these a bit more often to stay strong.
Notes
My Bodyweight was down to 195lb at the start of this workout (which I'm now logging almost a day after).
I've been messing around with my training so far this year because I've had a few things to deal with outside of training and I've had to be away from base quite a lot; plus, I haven't been getting enough food or sleep to support a progressive training schedule. It now looks like I will get a chance to settle into some serious progressive training sometime during April.
Hands were pretty beaten up after last night's session. I've been using Burt's Bees Hand Salve at night and it seems to be helping keep my skin from cracking up. Especially useful in this cold spell we are currently having in the UK. Come on Spring!
Tue 26/03/13
No time! Just squats!
High-bar Back Squat
W-U: 10 x 40kg, 5 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg, 5 x 100kg
10 x 110kg (242lb)
10 x 110kg (242lb)
Oly shoes; no belt.
Seems like ages since I've done any back squats. Annoyingly, right knee was a bit tweaky for some of these reps. It's nothing bad but I want to figure out what's causing it? Left knee is solid as a rock.
I did a few handstands and some push-ups before bed. Pretty frustrating not being able to get time for proper workouts at the moment, but in a couple of weeks I should be able to get back on track.
No time! Just squats!
High-bar Back Squat
W-U: 10 x 40kg, 5 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg, 5 x 100kg
10 x 110kg (242lb)
10 x 110kg (242lb)
Oly shoes; no belt.
Seems like ages since I've done any back squats. Annoyingly, right knee was a bit tweaky for some of these reps. It's nothing bad but I want to figure out what's causing it? Left knee is solid as a rock.
I did a few handstands and some push-ups before bed. Pretty frustrating not being able to get time for proper workouts at the moment, but in a couple of weeks I should be able to get back on track.
Last edited: