Dear Diary Part Deux: The Crossover

g'em

It's about time I started keeping one of these again, more for myself than anything. Lifting-wise, the last 8 months or so have been... well they've been pants to be honest. After the Powerlifting Nationals in March training went into a very swift downhill slide, the reasons for which are varied and far too boring to go into in any great detail on my first post of the thread. Over the course of six months I went from having a double bodyweight deadlift to struggling to lift half that, and my motivation and determination were at an all time low.

Biggest PL competition lifts to date:

Bench: 70kg
Squat: 130kg
Deadlift: 158kg

Training lifts as of August 08:
Bench: 55kg
Squat: 80kg
Deadlift: 100kg

It's hard to stay at your peak when you train on your own, plan on your own and simply don't have the resources available to you to improve with ease. I was picking up bad habits and niggling injuries and struggling without anyone to keep an eye on me and correct me where needed.

So now, instead of trying to flog a dead horse, I've taken a side-step and (thanks to wasabi) I've found a new coach, new gym and a new direction - I'm a weight-lifter and I it!!

Training is immensely different to anything I've done before, it's more dynamic, it's tougher mentally, it's physically demanding in a whole new way, and (for the time being anyway) the big weights are a long way off in the distance. Given that this is only my fourth week training the oly lifts I'm still very much at the start of the learning curve - hell, I haven't even put together a whole sequence yet

So for now it's all very lightweight but totally technique focused. Having said that, I challenge anyone to to high volume sets of snatches and cleans with 50% bw and not feel shattered by the end of an hour long session!! [As an aside actually, I've never found it so easy to manage my weight, yet another reason why oly lifting quite simply rocks ]

Training centers around the three lift components: the snatch, the clean and the jerk. While I'll be doing accessory work at a later stage right now the priority is getting the technique right and get rid of any bad habits/ posture problems I may have picked up in previous training. You'll see a lot of repetition from day to day, but that's expected and will probably never change - I'll simply get the basics done quicker as I get better!

Monday 29/09/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch from above knee 20 x 2, 23 x 2, 25 x 2, 27 x 2
Front squat (light) 20 x 5 x 2
Clean from above knee 25 x 3, 28 x 3, 30 x 3, 32 x 3, 37 x 2, 40 x 2, 43 x 2, 45 x 2
Front Squat 50 x 5, 55 x 5, 60 x 3, 65 x 3 x 2

So yeah, super light, but fairly demanding. My lower back has been feeling a little twinge-y of late, not entirely sure what's behind it but I'm going to have to stop procrastinating and get back into the foam-rolling habit. I think part of it is also spending so much time prepping my lift in the above knee position for snatches/ cleans - again, once my form and confidence improves I can lift faster and without second guessing myself all the time. Right now one of the biggest issues is learning to keep my shoulders far over the bar throughout the lift whereas previously I could let them pull back to lift big.

That's it for now (yes, I do talk that much all the time), no training today but back in the gym on Wednesday.

gabgab

Hey G'em,

Always helpful to anyone that has a qquestion, with your attitude you'l hit the target you want to or whatever goal you have,

Fair play, I will be reading with great interest,

Gab

lindak

I will be reading with great interest

Me too !

brianthebard

Good to see you are back training and have a new challenge ahead G'em. Best of luck.
Get that back sorted though!

ali.c

Look forward to reading your journal! Good luck with you new direction!

g'em

Thanks guys

Wednesday 01/10/08
Work (which is crazy busy right now and has me pooped all the time) didn't get done until 5.30pm so it was too late to go to the 'proper' gym adn I had to make do with the Uni gym instead. This meant that I had a) no women's weightlifting bar (which is slimmer so allow's for easier hook grip with smaller hands), b) no bumper plates and c) no platform to drop the bar on so it wasn't a great session. Not being able to drop means I was overly cautious and couldn't' explode behind the lifts. Bleugh.

OH squat 20 x 5 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 5 x 3
Front squat (light) 25 x 5 x 2
Clean from above knee 25 x 3, 28 x 3, 30 x 3, 33 x 3, 35 x 3, 38 x 2, 40 x 2
Push Press 40 x 3 x 4
Squat 60 x 5 x 2, 65 x 5, 70 x 5, 75 x , 80 x 3, 85 x 3

My squats are still really tentative. I know I can lift more than that but it's when I squat heavy that my lower back plays up so I'm v. v. wary of it. I've lost some confidence in that lift so it's just going to take a little time to regain it.

Other than that there was nothing impressive - everything was kind of awkward using a standard oly bar - it's amazing how quickly I've got used to the feel of the more slimline 15kg bar in my hands.

That's more than enough cleans for this week, hopefully tonight I'll get to do some jerks, which I'm loving, and I can walk away from training with that "Hell yeah!!" feeling that all lifters know and love

g'em

Thursday 02/10/08
OH squat 15 x 5 x 2, 20 x 5
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch from above knee 25 x 2, 27 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2 x 3
Special Ex 35 x 5 x 3
Jerk Dips 20 x 3 x 2
Jerk catches 20 x 3 x 2
Split jerk 25 x 3 x 3
Jerk 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 2 x 4, 45 x 2
Pwr Clean & Jerk 47.5 x 2, 50 x 2

Cracking session, really enjoyed myself. It was lovely to get something substantial on the bar for the jerks, and in all honesty 50kg felt really light - 60kg will come easy and 70kg is do-able at this point. The only thing holding me back is technique; my back leg isn't positioned very well in the jerk although I am getting good acceleration in the arms.

Fingers crossed it won't take long to pull everything together and I can start doing hte full lifts properly

brianthebard

Nice lifting g'em. Did something happen your back? I wasn't aware of you injuring yourself. Sucks doesn't it? That's some really good jerk lifts though even when I wasn't injured I wouldn't have attempted or thought about 60kg and I have several several kilos on you. Is it weird being back at the start, considering the deads you were pulling and whatnot? (Hope I'm not going to bum you out by reminding you of all that!)

g'em

brianthebard wrote: »

Did something happen your back? I wasn't aware of you injuring yourself. Sucks doesn't it?

I've never actually injured it per se *knocks on wood* but my lower back has given me some hassle over the years since I started lifting thanks to a combination of some sh!te core strength, a dodgy sacro-iliac and poor form when I started out. Right now one of the primary reasons for it being sore (and it's not overly painful, it just feels constantly "used" if that makes sense?!) is because I'm doing so much lifting from above the knee (in a bent over position) and don't have the right shoes to support me - I'm still using my chucks but should have oly shoes by early next week. With oly lifting you really have to put a lot of weight on the balls of your feet and your shoulders stay waaay over the bar, whereas with PLing you can rock back onto your heels during pulling. At this point I think some decent deep tissue massage would go a long way towards sorting it out tbh.

brianthebard wrote:

That's some really good jerk lifts though even when I wasn't injured I wouldn't have attempted or thought about 60kg and I have several several kilos on you.

Thanks, they felt great - as wasabi said to me (and she's a girl, she can say these things to me without me lamping a 15kg plate across her head ) I'm all legs (wide, not long unfortunately!!), and I'm feeling the benefit of the power in them for exercises like the jerk.

brianthebard wrote:

Is it weird being back at the start, considering the deads you were pulling and whatnot? (Hope I'm not going to bum you out by reminding you of all that!)

You're not at all, and yes, it honestly is weird, I'm a n00b again!! But at the same time it's wonderful lifting pressure-free. I get to enjoy the rush of quick gains all over again and this time around my learning curve is that much quicker. I still have a long, long, long way to go before I can start breaking records again (which I will, be sure of it ) but I'm getting so much of a buzz from training with a great crew and enjoying the lifts again that I'm totally fine with putting the big, heavy shit on the long finger. Technique first, heavy later

And in other news I'm back down to 75kg again - haven't been this weight in 2 years or so. I haven't been dieting, just not eating crap, and the training and the walking have been taking care of the rest. W00t!!

wasabi

g'em wrote: »

Thanks, they felt great - as wasabi said to me (and she's a girl, she can say these things to me without me lamping a 15kg plate across her head ) I'm all legs (wide, not long unfortunately!!), and I'm feeling the benefit of the power in them for exercises like the jerk.

I meant it in a good way. I'm dead jealous of your legs

Good work on the jerks, also, they're coming along fast.

g'em

wasabi wrote: »

I meant it in a good way. I'm dead jealous of your legs

I've heard a lot of things in my time, but hearing that's a new one... :pac:

Monday 06/10/08
OH squat 15 x 3, 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch from above knee 25 x 3, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2, 33 x 2 x 2, 25 x 2
Front squat (light) 25 x 5 x 2
Clean from above knee 25 x 2, 30 x 2, 33 x 2, 36 x 2, 38 x 2, 40 x 2, 42 x 2
Front Squat 45 x 5, 50 x 5, 55 x 3, 60 x 3, 65 x 3, 70 x 3

Lovely session, really enjoyed that. Progress is slow but steady and I'm starting to get more comfortable with the lifts. I need to start using my hips more and remember to lift with my legs not my elbows but otherwise it's coming along fairly ok.

Well... that is unless wasabi is just trying to placate me by telling me that it all looks alright

wasabi

g'em wrote: »

Well... that is unless wasabi is just trying to placate me by telling me that it all looks alright

Nope, it's all coming together nicely as far as I can see! Well done.

g'em

Wednesday 08/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Hang snatch 25 x 3, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2, 34 x 2, 35 x 2 x 3
Special Exercise 45 x 4, 50 x 4 x 2
Front squat (light) 35 x 5 x 2
Hang clean 30 x 2, 33 x 2, 36 x 2, 38 x 2
Special Exercise 38 x 4 x 2
Clean 38 x 2*, 40 x 2, 42 x 2, 44 x 2, 46 x 2, 47.5 x 2

*At this point, having done my first succesful clean, I did a little dance that looked a bit like this

Great session, numbers are on the up and up. Delighted about the cleans, my technique is a long way from perfect, but I'm getting there. I need to stop letting the bar drift out to much and improve the acceleration, but other than that they felt good and light. Happy days indeed.

eclectichoney

g'em wrote: »

Special Exercise 45 x 4, 50 x 4 x 2

Intrigued!

BossArky

Good to see you resurrecting your logging :pac: Sounds like it will be interesting as you progress with these lifts. Best of luck with it.

g'em

Thanks BA

eclectichoney wrote: »

Intrigued!

lol it's not nearly as exotic as it sounds!! Essentially for the snatch and the clean the "special exercise" is just performing the very initial part of the lift as an exercise in itself but it's to help to teach you the correct positioning for the start of the lift, kinda like deadlifting but using natch/ clean grip and positioning. With these lifts you have to keep your shoulders much further over the bar and you learn to keep your weight on the balls of your feet instead of your heels, and the "special exercise" just gets you used to it.

g'em

Thursday 09/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch from above knee 25 x 2, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2, 34 x 2, 36 x 2 x 2
Jerk Dips 20 x 5 x 2
Jerk catches 20 x 4 x 2
Split jerk 30 x 2 x 2
Jerk 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 2 x 3, 45 x 2 x 3

After two great sessions this week I was feeling fairly pooped tonight by the time the jerks came around. Still though, my hang snatch numbers are improving so all's not lost. The high volume is taking some getting used to - silly things like power cleaning the bar up between every jerk tends to take its toll after a little while.

I'll take it a little easier on Saturday, get some solid squats in, and a good week will have been had

wasabi

g'em wrote: »

The high volume is taking some getting used to - silly things like power cleaning the bar up between every jerk tends to take its toll after a little while.

It does get tiring - that's what the racks are for
Congrats on your first ever cleans off the floor, incidentally

g'em

Saturday 11/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 2, 20 x 4 x 2
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 4
Hang snatch 25 x 3, 27.5 x 3, 30 x 2 x 5
Front squat (light) 30 x 5 x 3
Hang clean 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 2 x 3
Clean 42.5 x 2, 45 x 2 x 2
Squat 50 x 5, 60 x 5, 65 x 3, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 2 x 3

Nice back off session. 30kg is the perfect weight for working on snatch form - heavy enough that I'm throwing the bar around wildly and light enough that it feels easy. Snatches starting to feel good - I have a bad habit of dipping into the lift from the hang which makes me lose power and the bar moves out of alignment but once I'm slowly getting used to the pull from a dead hang.

I cleans

Went and had some accupuncture and massage done on my back on Saturday - apparently my sacrum is slightly out of alignment which is contributing the mass of knotting doing on down the sides of my spine and my hip flexors are tight as fcuk. Feeling better now though and looking forward to another session tonight.

g'em

Monday 13/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Hang snatch 25 x 2, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2
Sp. Exercise 35 x 3 x 3
Snatch 30 x 2, 33 x 2*, 35 x 2, 37 x 2, 39 x 2 x 2, 39 x 1
Jerk Dips 25 x 3 x 2
Jerk catches 25 x 3
Split jerk 25 x 3
Jerk 30 x 2, 33 x 2, 36 x 2, 40 x 2, 45 x 2, 47 x 2

W00t #1 New shoooooes!! Got some new weight lifting shoes, they make a big difference for balance and overhead work. Girls + shoes (even sporty ones) = happiness

W00t #2 Full snatches!! Not brilliant ones mind you, I was tentative and kind of unsure but it's a start.

*I dropped the bar on my head. Seriously. All 33kg of it I'm not entirely sure how this happened but suffice to say I have a mofo'ing headache this morning.

The jerks weren't great, I'm having a really hard time getting my back leg to dip - it tends to stay rigid and puts strain on my back. Actually the very last set of 47kg were virtually form perfect - I seem to be better at handling the bigger weights than the light ones, it's like the bar is too light and I find it difficult to control?

g'em

Wednesday 15/10/08
OH squat 15 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 25 x 3 x 2
Hang snatch 25 x 2, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2, 35 x 2
Sp Ex 35 x 3 x 2
Snatch 30 x 2, 32 x 2 x 2, 35 x 2 x 3
Front squat (light) 30 x 5 x 2
Hang clean 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 2 x 2
Sp Ex 40 x 2 x 2
Clean 40 x 2, 43 x 2, 46 x 2, 48 x 2, 50 x 2, 52 x 2, 54 x 2, 56 x 2

W00t!! Really enjoyed those cleans. The lighter weights are actually too light and it's hard to snap my elbows underneath the bar because it tends to travel too high. Lovely evening altogether. Note to self: next time, squat ffs you silly bitch.

g'em

Thursday 17/10/08
OH squat 15 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 25 x 3 x 3
Hang snatch 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2, 35 x 2 x 2
Sp. Exercise 35 x 3 x 2
Snatch 30 x 2, 33 x 2, 34 x 2, 35 x 2, 36 x 2, 38 x 2, 40 x 2 x 3
Jerk Dips 20 x 3 x 2
Jerk catches 20 x 3
Jerk 35 x 2 x 2, 40 x 2, 42.5 x 2, 45 x 2, 47.5 x 2, 50 x 2, 52.5 x 2
Squat 50 x 5, 60 x 5, 65 x 3, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 3 x 2

Hoo-ha. I fcuking love training when I'm angry.

PBs on the snatch and the jerk and there was a lot of gas left in the tank for bigger jerks. I find that my technique actually improves as the weights get heavier because the bar gets easier to control - when its light it tends to bounce around and I throw it too high/ far.

There is, of course, still a lot of room for improvement. On the snatches I have a tendency to bring the bar around my knees instead of pushing my knees back and letting the bar travel in a straight line. On the jerks I need more explosiveness and need to push back and lock my shoulders.

Still and all, very happy with that.

g'em

Saturday 18/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Front Squat 40 x 5, 50 x 5, 60 x 3, 70 x 3, 75 x 2 x 2
OH Squat 35 x 5, 30 x 5, 35 x 5, 40 x 5, 45 x 5
Leg Curl 40 x 8, 45 x 8 x 2, 50 x 8

The ladies' bar had gone walkabout so snatches and cleans were off the menu. It was only meant to be a back-off day anyway, so meh.


Monday 20/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 2
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Hang snatch 25 x 2, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2, 35 x 2
Sp Ex 35 x 3 x 2
Snatch 35 x 2, 37.5 x 2, 40 x 2 x 2, 35 x 2 x 2
Front squat (light) 45 x 5
Hang clean 35 x 2, 40 x 2
Sp Ex 50 x 3 x 2
Clean 45 x 2, 49 x 2, 52 x 2, 55 x 2, 57 x 1, 59 x 1, 60 x 1

My snatches were shite, shite, shite. It was like as if the whole lift just broke down and I couldn't get to grips with it. I'm not pushing my knees back, I'm not pulling off the arms and everything felt heavy as hell. The only upside was resisting the overwhelming urge to throw the bar at someone.

Cleans were better - a long way from perfect but I had to get the 60kg done, for the sake of my sanity and to redeem whatever little bit self-confidence had escaped demolition from the debacle that was my snatching.

The weights will need to drop for the rest of the week and I'll be going back to the drawing board.

memtalman

Hi,

I've followed a few of your logs - what prompted the change from powerlifting to Olympic lifting?

mem.

g'em

A combination of things really but it was mostly the lack of coaching and having to train solo all the time that caused me to leave powerlifting. I went through a fairly crappy patch of lifting this time last year, and although I came back from it to lift pretty well at this years' Nationals, I felt like I was treading water and couldn't figure out how to take myself any further. Plus, I was beginning to not enjoy lifting anymore and I hated that.

I'd always fancied giving weight lifting a go, and when the offer of a new gym/ coach/ training partner came along it was too good an opportunity to miss! I love it now and this style of training seems to suit me (even the crap days are more tolerable and don't happen that often in fairness, and more importantly I know I have people on hand to give me pointers and help out for the next session), so long may it continue

g'em

Wednesday 22/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 3
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 3
Hang snatch 25 x 2, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2
Sp. Exercise 32 x 4 x 2
Snatch 30 x 2, 33 x 2, 36 x 1, 39 x 1, 41 x 1 x 2, 42 x 1, 43 x 1
Jerk Dips 25 x 4 x 2
Jerk catches 25 x 4 x 2
Jerk 35 x 2, 40 x 2, 42 x 1, 45 x 1, 48 x 1, 50 x 1, 53 x 1, 55 x 1, 58 x 1, 60 x 1
Squat 50 x 5, 60 x 5, 65 x 5, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 3, 85 x 3

Much better day than Monday, I was a lot more relaxed and confident with the lifts. The snatch was much improved - I was remembering to keep the bar closer to me and it was much snappier than I've got it before. New PB there with the 43kg.

The jerk felt lovely and light, and plenty of gas left in the tank after the new 60kg PB. I lost focus a couple of times and was push pressing the last few inches, but when I kept the head I was able to get good drive underneath it. Note to self: remember to keep the knees pointed slightly out, it'll help drive upwards and not out at an angle.

Hoo-hah indeed.

g'em

Friday 24/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 2
Snatch jumps 20 x 3, 25 x 3
Hang snatch 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2, 34 x 2
Sp Ex 35 x 4 x 2
Snatch 35 x 2, 38 x 2, 40 x 1, 42 x 2 x 1, 44 x 0 x 2
Front squat 25 x 4 x 2
Hang clean 35 x 2, 40 x 2, 42.5 x 1
Sp Ex 45 x 4 x 2
Clean 45 x 1 x 3

What a shuhiiiite day. Everything was heavy, difficult and a struggle; it felt like my CNS was broken and my upper body and lower body had lost all communication with each other. Totally missed the 44kg snatch. Bleh.

Tuesday 28/10/08
OH squat 20 x 3 x 2
Snatch jumps 20 x 3 x 2
Hang snatch 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2 x 2
Sp Ex 40 x 4 x 2
Snatch 32 x 2, 35 x 2 x 2, 38 x 2, 40 x 1, 42 x 1 x 2, 44 x 1, 45 x 1 x 2
OH Squat 40 x 2, 45 x 2, 48 x 2, 50 x 2
Hang clean 35 x 3, 40 x 3
Clean 47 x 2, 52 x 2

Better day today, new PB on the snatch. Ran out of time so could do many cleans but what I did felt nice. I'm still very much getting used to the volume of training, and I think I can expect to have crappy days like Friday at some point again, but at least I know it really was just a case of being CNS-tired and not being a shit lifter

g'em

Wednesday 29/10/08
OH squat 15 x 4 x 2
Snatch jumps 25 x 3 x 2
Hang snatch 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 2
Sp. Exercise 32 x 4 x 2
Snatch 32 x 2, 35 x 1, 38 x 1, 39 x 1, 40 x 1 x 2
Jerk Dips 25 x 4 x 2
Jerk catches 25 x 4 x 2
Splite Jerk 25 x 3 x 2
Clean & Jerk 35 x 1, 40 x 1, 43 x 1, 45 x 1, 48 x 1, 50 x 1, 52 x 1, 54 x 1, 55 x 0, 55 x 1
Squat 50 x 5, 60 x 5, 65 x 3, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 2, 85 x 2, 90 x 2, 95 x 2, 100 x 2

Full clean and jerk - w00t!!!

100kg squat - w00t no.2!!!

Lovely session today, took it handy enough on the snatch so that I'd have some oomph for the c&j. Holy moly - when it's described as a full body exercise, you don't fathom how true that is until you do it I nearly blacked out twice (crap afternoon of eating, blood sugar went down super fast) and by the time the 55kg rolled around I was lethargic and couldn't do anymore. And in all honesty the last c&j was probably more of a power clean than a full clean... still, it counts as a lift!! There's a long, long way to go before I master the technique but for a first attempt I'm pretty happy.

Delighted too with the squatting, haven't felt that comfortable in a while, my back didn't give me any problems whatsoever. Happy days.

g'em

Friday 31/10/08
OH squat 25 x 3 x 2
Snatch jumps 25 x 3 x 2
Hang snatch 25 x 2, 28 x 2, 30 x 2, 32 x 1
Sp. Exercise 40 x 4 x 2
Snatch 32 x 1, 35 x 1, 38 x 1, 40 x 1, 42 x 1 x 3
Jerk Dips 20 x 4 x 2
Jerk catches 20 x 4 x 2
Jerk 40 x 2, 42.5 x 2, 45 x 2, 47.5 x 2, 50 x 1, 52.5 x 1, 55 x 1 x 2, 58 x 1, 60 x 1, 62 x 1

New PB on the jerks Having said that though, my jerk drive is leaving a lot to be desired. Even when I did get it sorted out towards the end of the session my back leg was stiffening up and I was getting enough of a dip in.

g'em

Saturday 01/11/08
OH squat 15 x 4 x 3
Snatch jumps 15 x 4 x 3
Hang snatch 25 x 2, 28 x 2, 30 x 2
Sp. Exercise 45 x 4 x 2
Snatch 32 x 2, 35 x 2 x 5
Front Squat 35 x 5 x2
Squat 60 x5, 65 x 5, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 3, 85 x 3, 90 x 2, 95 x 2, 100 x 1, 105 x 1

Took it handy enough today (although \o/ for the 105kg squat ). My shoulder is giving me a lot of hassle at the moment - I started trying ot do some cleans but when I pull, my right shoulder starts hurting and I don't know what it's from. It could just be over-use at this point though so I'm not worried (yet!).

daveywavey08

Fair play to ya, yer a strong young lady