Lol's New HST Log

[Lol]

Wed 19/12/12

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
OHS

Jerks (Behind neck)
Never done these before so a bit of an experiment.

5 x 20kg
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 60kg
2 x 70kg
2 x 70kg
2 x 72kg
0 x 73kg - Failed behind on first rep!

Left shoulder never felt great doing any of these and with 73kg I got my dip and drive slightly wrong, sending the bar backwards. Tweaked my left shoulder a bit in the process so I stopped there tonight. Too late to start dumping the bar.

Annoyingly, I bent my bar again when I bailed so I had to spend some time trying to straighten it out a bit.

Cleans
5 x 70kg
5 x 80kg

Just wanted to test that the bar was good enough for cleans. Seems ok enough.

Floor Press
W/U: 15 x 70kg, 15 x 80kg

8 x 90kg (198lb) @ RPE 10 - hand-spacing: little fingers 2" inside rings.
10 x 90kg (198lb) @ RPE 10 - faster reps
6 x 95kg (209lb) @ RPE 10 PR - slightly wider hand-spacing: little fingers on rings.
5 x 95kg (209lb) @ RPE 10

Chins
W/U: 10 x BW

3 x 31kg (68lb) @ RPE 9
3 x 31kg (68lb) @ RPE 9
3 x 31kg (68lb) @ RPE 9.5
3 x 31kg (68lb) @ RPE 10
3 x 31kg (68lb) @ RPE 10

17 x BW - slight pauses between last four or five reps

Weighed in at 201 lbs including weight-belt and all my other clobber. So that's 269lb for triples. Not great but my heaviest triples for a while.

Handstand-against-wall
70 secs - still hard

Once I get to a minute, fatigue kicks in really fast. My bodyweight is up a few pounds so I am making slight improvement even though the time is the same.

 

[Lol]

Thu 20/12/12

Generally feeling tired and cold before tonight's session. Didn't eat well today either.

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
OHS

Hang Snatch
All reps from high hang at hips
WU: 10 x 20kg, 5 x 30kg

5 x 40kg
3 x 45kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg - last rep a bit dodgy
2 x 55kg - third rep just failed to front
3 x 55kg - straps; all reps pretty good

Not tremendously happy with my form tonight. I think everything felt heavier because my upper-body was fairly well beaten up from yesterday's workout.

Front Squats
W/U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 80kg, 3 x 100kg, 1 x 110kg

5 x 120kg (265lb) @ RPE 10 PR
3 x 120kg (265lb) @ RPE 9
3 x 120kg (265lb) @ RPE 9.5

10 x 100kg (220lb) - met set (PR?)

New 5RM tonight. Pretty pleased with that. It took some life out of me to get it, but it means I'm on target to get a 300lb single by the end of the year. Also, that last metabolic set may well be a new 10RM. It's certainly a PR for this year.

That's all tonight.

 

[Lol]

I searched my log here to see when I first hit the loads I managed tonight. Found this:

Mon 11/02/08

I'm going to do a week of 10/5s before hitting just 5s as I'd like to try for a few PBs.

Front Squats: warmups then 5 x 60kg (132lb), 10 x 100kg, (220lb), 5 x 102.5kg (225lb), 10 x 102.5kg (225lb) PB – damn hard!

Tues 17/03/08
...

Front Squats: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 90kg (198lb), 5 x 110kg (242lb), 5 x 120kg (264lb) New 5RM, 5 x 3 x 120kg (264lb) - 20 total reps @ 120kg

And then I found this session:

Mon 24/03/08

Front Squats: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 90kg (198lb), 5 x 110kg (242lb), 2 x 120kg (264lb), 1 x 130kg (286lb), 1, 1 x 140kg (308lb) PB, 3 x 130kg (286lb)

Good grief! It was all back near the beginning of 2008!

I don't think I'm far off that level now. I'm definitely lighter though.

Amazing how the time has slipped away since then. It's all been a bit of a blur. Lots of health scares and then cutting to trim down and Crossfit stuff... AND NOT ENOUGH HEAVY LIFTING! Darn it. But at least I'm still here and potentially able to get a lifetime PR or two in the months ahead.

 

[Lol]

Sat 22/12/12

Feeling ok today. Bit more rested.

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
OHS

Full Snatch
All reps from floor
WU: 5 x 20kg, 5 x 30kg, 3 x 35kg

3 x 40kg
2 x 45kg
2 x 50kg
2 x 55kg
0,1 x 60kg - first rep failed to front
1 x 60kg
2 x 55kg - 2nd rep P-Sn
2 x 55kg
1 x 56kg
1 x 57kg - P-Sn

No straps.

I C&J'd between the last few sets. Probably not a good idea because it messes up my movement pattern for snatching. I tried a high-pull with 60kg and I can easily pull it up to my head! So there's no reason for me not to snatch more than 60kg other than my lack of speed getting under the bar. It's such a psychological thing because at 55kg I have no real problem at all. Heigh ho. I will keep at it.

I was intending to do some heavy back squats next but then I realised that I haven't C&J'd with any real load for over three weeks! So...

C&J

1 x 60kg
1 x 65kg
1 x 70kg
1 x 75kg
1 x 80kg
1 x 85kg - failed jerk to front; very annoying!
1 x 85kg - better
1 x 90kg - ok
1 x 92.5kg - ok
1 x 95kg - clean only
1 x 95kg (PR) - ok jerk
1 x 95kg - press-out, ugh!
1 x 95kg - much better jerk
1 x 95kg - saved best jerk for last; about my best clean too

Standing up with 95kg feels easy which is great. However, I have a tendency to move slightly forward when I go to catch the bar. That means I'm not sweeping the bar in towards me enough from the floor and then I'm sending it forward a bit at the point of max hip extension. My last clean was much better as I hardly moved forward at all.

My jerks got gradually better, with the last one being my best for the session. It almost felt easy! Very satisfying. It's definitely the case that a solid clean makes jerking the bar seem much easier.

Traps are ridiculously sore already. Hands are sore too. I should probably ice them.

Decided not to go any heavier today. I'll try to get time to do a back squat session tomorrow.

 

[Totentanz]

I searched my log here to see when I first hit the loads I managed tonight. Found this:





And then I found this session:



Good grief! It was all back near the beginning of 2008!

I don't think I'm far off that level now. I'm definitely lighter though.

Amazing how the time has slipped away since then. It's all been a bit of a blur. Lots of health scares and then cutting to trim down and Crossfit stuff... AND NOT ENOUGH HEAVY LIFTING! Darn it. But at least I'm still here and potentially able to get a lifetime PR or two in the months ahead.

The fact that you are nearly at the same strength levels at a lower bodyweight after everything you've been through since then says a lot.

 

[Lol]

Sun 23/12/12

I was thinking that I might be carrying a bit too much fatigue in my legs to do well in my squats today, but I really wanted to try for a PR.

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
OHS

High-bar Back Squat
WU: 10 x 40kg, 10 x 60kg, 5 x 90kg, 3 x 120kg

Work Sets
5 x 152.5kg (336lb) @ RPE 9 PR
5 x 152.5kg (336lb) @ RPE 9
3 x 152.5kg (336lb) @ RPE 8.5
3 x 152.5kg (336lb) @ RPE 8.5

Oly shoes; belted for work sets.
No metabolic set... again.

Got my PR by 2.5kg over last session. And I managed two sets of 5. I could have done a third too but thought I'd do two triples instead of cooking my CNS.

The good thing is that my high-bar form is continuing to improve. The first work set was straightforward enough that I'm actually wondering if I can get 5 x 160kg soon. Hip extension, by driving hips forward, is really helping me maintain a more upright torso once I'm out of the hole. Reduced hand-spacing on bar a bit too which helped keep upper back tight and left shoulder happier.

When you think that the 69kg women's C&J record is 158kg, it really puts things in perspective. Darn, I'm weak! I have to aim for a 200kg squat.

 

[Lol]

Mon 24/12/12

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
OHS

Hang Snatch
All reps from high hang at hips
WU: 5 x 15kg, 5 x 25kg, 3 x 35kg,

0 x 45kg - tried straps but they kept loosening up
3 x 45kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 55kg
3 x 56kg (123lb) - 2 slight press-outs; last rep good
3 x 56kg - better reps; more aggressive
3 x 56kg - not great; thumbs sore; calling it quits

No straps except for the one set where I tried using my IronMind 'choke-type' straps but they weren't any good—too slippery with a wide hand-spacing.

Hands feeling pretty beaten up.

Finished up with some random handstand work for about 5 minutes.

 

[Lol]

Tue 25/12/12

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
OHS

Hang Snatch
All reps from high hang at hips
WU: 5 x 15kg, 5 x 25kg, 3 x 35kg,

3 x 40kg - tried leather straps
3 x 45kg - good reps
4 x 50kg - not so good; did extra rep
3 x 50kg - much better
4 x 52.5kg - also good
3 x 55kg - ok reps; tried hessian straps
4 x 56kg - 2 ok; 2 slightly forward but rescuable
4 x 56kg - 1st rep flew up, 2 ok, 3 strap slipped, 4 P-Sn
3 x 56kg - all P-Snatchy; tired :-/
3 x 50kg - back-off set for better technique; easy, solid reps

Rather a mixed session. When I get it more right than wrong, the movement is starting to feel really good. I guess that's the nature of the beast. From everything I've read, it can often take a year of practising to get the movement pattern drilled reasonably well... and then it's all uphill from there!

Experimented with some strips of leather and hessian for straps. Both worked better than the slippery Ironmind ones. I cut up some old leather belts and these were ok, if a little thick. The leather grips really well but starts to tear after only a few sets. The hessian webbing I had was a bit too wide. It was actually better than the leather for grip but not really any stronger. Looks like I'm going to have to get hold of some pukka weightlifting straps. The Ironmind ones I have are great for regular deads, shrugs etc., but they're not helping me with snatches and I need all the help I can get!

Front Squats
W/U: 10 x 60kg, 5 x 90kg, 1 x 110kg

2 x 130kg (287lb) @ RPE 9.5 PR - possibly could have made a triple
5 x 122.5kg (270lb) @ RPE 10 PR - started to lose thoracic extension on last rep.
3 x 122.5kg (270lb) @ RPE 8.5
3 x 122.5kg (270lb) @ RPE 9

10 x 100kg (220lb) - met set; not easy after the heavy reps.

Two PR's tonight and it looks like I'm just about on target for a single with 300lb by the end of the year. If I can get 140kg I'll be well pleased. That'll be a bit of a milestone reached.

Chins
W/U: 10 x BW

3 x 35kg (77lb) @ RPE 9
3 x 35kg (77lb)
3 x 35kg (77lb)
3 x 35kg (77lb)
3 x 35kg (77lb) @ RPE 10

10 x BW - met set soon after last heavy set.

Push-ups
40 fast reps for a great pec and tri pump.

Couldn't face doing floor presses so I knocked out a quick set of push-ups. Will do some heavy dips or floor-presses tomorrow.

Time to eat!

 

[Totentanz]

Have you considered getting some versa gripps?

 

[Lol]

Have you considered getting some versa gripps?

The Versa Gripps look a bit bulky around the wrist to go with the wrist wraps I use. It doesn't look as if I could use both at the same time?

I'm hoping I can find something like this in the UK:

Otherwise I'll make some up if I can get some webbing that's tough enough.

 

[Lol]

Wed 26/12/12

Bit of an experiment tonight. I wanted to see how well I could power snatch from the high-hang for sets of 10, starting with the empty bar and working up in 5kg increments.

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates

Hang Power Snatch

All reps from high hang at hips

10 x 15kg
10 x 20kg
10 x 25kg
10 x 30kg
10 x 35kg
10 x 40kg
10 x 45kg
10 x 50kg
10 x 55kg @ RPE 8.5

No straps, no belt, no wraps, no sleeves. Last set got a bit hard by the end due to fatigue but all reps were definitely caught high enough to be classed as power snatches.

The last few sets taught me how important it is to really be aggressive in the turnover. It's very easy to allow 'soft' elbows once fatigue kicks in and the bar doesn't go quite as high.

Getting 10 consecutive reps with 55kg means I should be able to use a fair bit more weight for a max single.

 

[Lol]

My mum recently found a diary of mine from 1977, when I was eleven/twelve years old. In it, I had written about a powerlifting event that my dad took me to watch. Some guy by the name of Mike Hawkins lifted over 600lbs in the deadlift that day. I was blown away! I can still remember it. Soon afterwards, I have a note of me lifting 60lbs in the bench press. Haha. I was obviously keen but didn't have a clue about training. I think I got into table tennis and judo after that. Then skateboarding came along...

I think I'd be squatting a lot more than 330lb for sets of 5 today if I'd started training properly at such an early age, so one of my goals for next year is to get the kid to pull his finger out. He will thank me one day.

 

[thegentleman1981]

My mum recently found a diary of mine from 1977, when I was eleven/twelve years old. In it, I had written about a powerlifting event that my dad took me to watch. Some guy by the name of Mike Hawkins lifted over 600lbs in the deadlift that day. I was blown away! I can still remember it. Soon afterwards, I have a note of me lifting 60lbs in the bench press. Haha. I was obviously keen but didn't have a clue about training. I think I got into table tennis and judo after that. Then skateboarding came along...

I think I'd be squatting a lot more than 330lb for sets of 5 today if I'd started training properly at such an early age, so one of my goals for next year is to get the kid to pull his finger out. He will thank me one day.

He will indeed!

 

[Totentanz]

My mum recently found a diary of mine from 1977, when I was eleven/twelve years old. In it, I had written about a powerlifting event that my dad took me to watch. Some guy by the name of Mike Hawkins lifted over 600lbs in the deadlift that day. I was blown away! I can still remember it. Soon afterwards, I have a note of me lifting 60lbs in the bench press. Haha. I was obviously keen but didn't have a clue about training. I think I got into table tennis and judo after that. Then skateboarding came along...

I think I'd be squatting a lot more than 330lb for sets of 5 today if I'd started training properly at such an early age, so one of my goals for next year is to get the kid to pull his finger out. He will thank me one day.

How old is your kid?

I've often thought the same thing. I remember lifting all stupid when I was a teenager. I started lifting at like 11 or 12 and did that until I was 18, never made any real progress. If we can teach our children the right way, imagine where they will be when they are ages. I think this pursuit we are in is all about lifelong health, and I want them to be healthier than I am when they are my age.

 

[Lol]

How old is your kid?

I've often thought the same thing. I remember lifting all stupid when I was a teenager. I started lifting at like 11 or 12 and did that until I was 18, never made any real progress. If we can teach our children the right way, imagine where they will be when they are ages. I think this pursuit we are in is all about lifelong health, and I want them to be healthier than I am when they are my age.

Actually he's not really a kid anymore. He's 18 now, which is kinda scary to say out loud! Still a kid to his old man though.

I've been banging on about getting into the (good) habit of doing some regular training for years. I have a shed-load of gear he can use so he could train at home if he wanted to, but I really don't mind if he wants to go to a gym with his mates—not that he can afford to do that!

I would like to feel that I've given him a solid grounding in training methodology and programming before he flies the coop. He's learnt some stuff from me but I'd like to add consistency and sticking power to the list.

 

[Lol]

Thu 27/12/12

Not a good day for food before training... and it showed! Lacking energy. Back and arms sore as heck plus definitely feeling more fatigued now.

Strong coffee with honey.

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
Push-ups x 25

Floor Press
W/U: 15 x 55kg, 10 x 75kg

10 x 90kg (198lb) @ RPE 8.5
10 x 95kg (209lb) @ RPE 10 PR - new 10RM
5 x 100kg (220lb) @ RPE 10 PR - new 5RM
5 x 100kg (220lb) @ RPE 10
4 x 100kg (220lb) @ RPE 10
4 x 100kg (220lb) @ RPE 10

11 x 80kg (176lb) - met set

Better at these tonight. Left side is still easily weaker but i don't let my right side 'win', so I'm hoping that things will balance up eventually as the old shoulder gradually heals. Much less soreness now but I am still aware of it the whole time I'm lifting.

High-bar Back Squat
WU: 10 x 40kg, 10 x 65kg, 5 x 90kg, 3 x 120kg, 1 x 145kg

Work-Sets
3 x 155kg (342lb) @ RPE 9 PR - new 3RM
3 x 155kg (342lb) @ RPE 9.5
3 x 155kg (342lb) @ RPE 9
3 x 155kg (342lb) @ RPE 10 - yeah, this one took some life out of me!
5 x 145kg (320lb) @ RPE 9.5

Oly shoes; belted for work sets.

On the fourth set with 155 I slowed down near the top of the rep! Not had that happen as far as I recall. Was a bit unnerving so I dropped the load to 145 for a final set of 5. To heck with an extra metabolic set after that! No way. Had to eat a handful of grapes between each work-set to try to get a bit of energy back in my system. The last set with 145 felt just as heavy as 155.

Pull-ups
15 x BW

Push-ups
30 x BW

Food required.

 

[Lol]

Sat 29/12/12

My left shoulder has been bugging me and quite uncomfortable since the floor presses and squats I did last Thursday. It's been making some funny noises when I move my arm too. Decided to rest it yesterday and for most of today but I wanted to try power snatching again tonight to see if I could improve on my effort from last Wednesday. I only have a couple of days left before I have to try for a 70kg snatch.

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
Naked bar work
Push-ups x 30

Hang Power Snatch

All reps from high hang at hips

10 x 20kg
5 x 30kg
5 x 40kg
5 x 50kg
5 x 55kg
10 x 60kg PR
5 x 65kg PR

Straps, wrist wraps, no belt, no sleeves.

Woohoo! Got 10 good consecutive reps with 60kg. Never expected to manage that. My DIY straps helped: I'm using folded lengths of hessian webbing about 40cm long. All reps caught above parallel so I know I'm getting plenty of height on the bar, even at the end of the set.

I had intended to stop after the 60kg set but I was so buoyed up that I decided to try for a PR with 65kg too. Got it! I had the familiar scent of ammonia immediately afterwards, which is what usually only happens after a max set of heavy squats.

Dips
50 x BW - fast reps to get some blood flowing around my shoulder area.

So, a brief but worthwhile session. I'm hoping my shoulder sorts itself out by Monday so I can go for my 70kg target.

 

[Lol]

I've been toying with the idea of taking a day at the end of each month in 2013 to test some of my maxes: probably something like deads, squat and bench one month and then clean & jerk and snatch the next. I don't think this would really mess with a cycle too much, although it wouldn't be ideal, but it would be a fun challenge. I'll probably get some other lads involved so there's a bit of a competitive air to it.

 

[Totentanz]

That sounds like a good idea, actually. I think it would be a lot of fun.

 

[Lol]

Mon 31/12/12

Two PR's to attempt tonight.

General Warmup
Lunges
Dislocates
Naked bar work

Hang Power Snatch
All reps from high hang at hips

10 x 20kg
5 x 30kg
3 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
1 x 60kg - OHS after catch
1 x 65kg - OHS after catch
1 x 70kg (154lb) PR - OHS after catch
1 x 71kg (156.5lb) PR - OHS after catch

No belt, no knee sleeves. Straps on last four singles. Should have dispensed with them really but I'll still count the PR's. One strap snapped on the 65kg lift but I managed to hold on ok and get a clean turnover and catch.

It turns out that I can catch 71kg quite high when I put my mind to it, so I'm going to set my sights on 80kg now. As the load gets heavier I'll be forced to pull myself down under the bar more. Overhead squatting after each rep will help to reinforce the bottom position. I pause for about 2 seconds in the hole before coming back up. It's much easier coming up than it is lowering down.

Incidentally, I'm fairly sure that an OHS with 71kg also happens to be a PR. That was by no means a max OHS either so I will be PR'ing again in that soon.

Front Squat
5 x 70kg
1 x 95kg
1 x 115kg
1 x 137kg (302lb)
1 x 140kg (308lb) PR

Knee sleeves and belted for last two reps. Came up pretty fast with 137kg so thought I would go for 140kg. Hard but not slow or grindy. Pleased with that.

So, this lifting cycle closes out on a high and I can now look forward to setting some new goals for 2013.