Dear Diary Part Deux: The Crossover

wasabi

Congrats again on the snatch PB

And apologies for bleeding on the bar... next time a latex glove over all the micropore tape and the paper stitches

the drifter

now that looks like a fun day....

g'em

the drifter wrote: »

now that looks like a fun day....

It was fookin brilliant tbh

Compilation video of all of us can be found here.


Note the seriously funky headwear I have on - Jeebus that place was freezing

DM-BM

g'em wrote: »

The clean pulls were something I hadn't done before, but I'll be introducing them to my program soon. Although I'm a very good deadlifter I still get shaky when I pull my big cleans off the ground (even though they're well less than half of my DL 1RM!). Clean pulls should help me get used to pulling the bar and getting an explosive extension.

g'em, is there a specific reason, why weghtlifters don't seem to deadlift as part of their training?

g'em

DM-BM wrote: »

g'em, is there a specific reason, why weghtlifters don't seem to deadlift as part of their training?

The way I understand it is that there's a few reasons, but primarily it's because we don't need to - it's not a lift we need to do for competition so why train with such a taxing lift unnecessarily? You'll hear various arguments getting thrown around about how deadlifting form is different from clean form and the clean is so much more of a technical skill than the deadlift and yadda yadda yadda.

The truth is some weightlifters DL, some don't - there's really no hard and fast rules. Personally I'd love to DL again, but given that I'm putting a lot of energy into coping with the volume of just my oly lifts I wouldn't want to introduce the DL just yet for fear it would completely bork me up. Your CNS efficency will be taxed differently in the DL than in the clean so adding DLs into a heavy weightlifting program can be argued as an unnecessary evil.

I'd love to be doing more heavy pulling but I'll probably do so in the form of clean and snatch pulls which are that bit more 'specific' to what I do.

Khannie

g'em wrote: »

Compilation video of all of us can be found here.

That looks like a really great Saturday tbh.

g'em

Khannie wrote: »

That looks like a really great Saturday way to spend Valentine's Day tbh.

Fixed that for you

Khannie

ROFL. HAHA. I lol'd in the oifig.

I was very romantic and went training too.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Khannie wrote: »

I was very romantic and went training too.

At least I brought Mrs Chimpy to the gym with me :cool:


:pac:

Jumpy

g'em wrote: »

It was fookin brilliant tbh

Compilation video of all of us can be found here.


Note the seriously funky headwear I have on - Jeebus that place was freezing

Getting the poor lad hitting his danglies on camera was a bit mean
Everyone was making it look so easy.

g'em

Wednesday 18/02/09
OHS 15 x 4 x 2, 25 x 4 x 3
Drop snatches 25 x 4 x 3
Hang Snatch/ Full Snatch combo 30 x 2, 33 x 2, 35 x 2, 38 x 2
Snatch 40, 43, 45, 47 x 1 x 5 (missed the 6th)
Drop snatches 35, 40, 45 x 1 x 3
Jerk Dips 25 x 4 x 2
Jerk catches 25 x 4 x 2
Split Jerk 25 x 3 x 2
Jerk 40, 45, 50, 53, 57, 60

Not feeling the with the jerks tonight for some reason. Happy enough with the snatches, my singles for reps are steadily going up.

g'em

Friday 19/02/09
OHS 15 x 4, 25 x 4 x 2
Drop snatches 30 x 4 x 3
Hang Snatch/ Full Snatch combo 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 38 x 2,
Snatch 40, 43, 45 x 1 x 4
Front Squat 35 x 5 x 2
Hang/ Full Clean combo 45 x 2, 50 x 2
Clean 54, 57, 60, 63 x 1 x 4
Squat 60 x 4, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 90 x 2, 100 x 2 x 3

Pleased with the cleans this evening - getting the singles in for reps makes a huge difference psychologically when you go to test your 1RM; it makes the weight seem light and very doable. Nice session all-in-all.

g'em

Saturday 21/02/09
OH squat 15 x 4 x 3
Snatch jumps 25 x 4 x 3
Power snatch 30 x 3, 33 x 3, 36 x x, 39 x 3 x 3
Jerk Dips 25 x 5 x 3
Jerk catches 25 x 5 x 3
Split Jerk 25 x 3 x 3
Front squat 25 x 5 x 3
Cl & Jk 45, 48, 51, 54, 57, 60, 63 x 0

Pleased with the power snatches, I'm definitely getting more hip drive behind them. Made a silly call with the cl&jk and should have aimed for 61/62kg - it was less than a day since yesterday's session and I underestimated how much the previous evenings' cleans/ todays power cleans had taken out of me. Still, the lighter lifts were solid and easily performed.

Onwards and upwards and whatnot.

g'em

Monday 23/02/09
OHS 25 x 4 x 3
Drop snatches 30 x 4 x 3
Hang Snatch/ Full Snatch combo 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 38 x 2
Snatch 40, 43, 45, 48 x 1 x 5 (missed the 6th)
Drop snatches 35, 40, 45, 48, 50 x 1 x 3
Jerk Dips 25 x 4 x 2
Jerk catches 25 x 4 x 2
Split Jerk 25 x 3 x 2
Jerk 40, 45, 50, 53, 57, 60 x 1 x 3

The snatch is coming along brilliantly and I'm making solid progress each week. Sometimes I look at the weight and I go 48kg? Ah jeebus that's piddly weight >.< But when you're throwing that shit above your head every kilo feels ten times it's actual weight!

The same can't be said for my cleans or jerks though It's weird, it's almost like I'm afraid of the weight as it gets heavier - I know logically that would make sense (and I have dropped the weight on my head before ) but ffs I'm well able to handle it. We're going to start breaking down the lift and working on it in more detail in the next few weeks so I'll be interested (and hopeful!) to see what happens.

Edit: LOL - I've just realised that one of my 48kg snatches was actually a power snatch, a new PB for me

g'em

Wednesday 25/02/09
OHS 15 x 4, 25 x 4 x 2
Drop snatches 30 x 4 x 3
Hang Snatch/ Full Snatch combo 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 38 x 2, 40 x 2
Snatch 43, 45 x 1 x 4
Front Squat 35 x 5 x 2
Hang/ Full Clean combo 45 x 2, 50 x 2
Clean 54, 57, 60, 63 x 1 x 3

I'm pretty pleased with this - it's pretty much exactly the same as last weeks' equivalent session but that's fine tbh - it means I'm getting more consistent!!

I think I've discovered what's causing the pain in my arms too - when I don't extend properly on the clean it causes my elbow to bend prematurely and I take the weight on my arms at an awkward angle. If I extend right up though my arms feel no twinges and the lift feels easier.

Didn't do squats tonight as I'm going to do them & pwr snatches tomorrow - just a nice easy session before the madness of a -110C chamber on Saturday :eek: :pac:

maxchen

Hiya g'em. I've been reading your log with intrest since you started. First of all I'd like to congratulate you on your progress. I have a question about your front squating. I don't mean this in a troll sort of way I'm just curious. Why do you front squat with relativly low weights seen as you are obviously capable of more? Also as regards cleans.... don't think of the weight. Pick a spot on the wall and stare at it, have confidence in your technique and before you know it you'll be recovering from the clean still staring at the same spot!! The same applies for the snatch.

g'em

Thanks for the kind words maxchen

maxchen wrote: »

I don't mean this in a troll sort of way I'm just curious. Why do you front squat with relativly low weights seen as you are obviously capable of more?

It's not trollish at all, it's a good question!! The front squats I do before cleans are just warm-ups for that exercise to help me get my hips nice and loose and get comfortable in a deep FS position for performing the cleans. When I do dedicated front squatting exercises I work up to 70kg+ Again I'm fairly sure I'm capable of more than that, but I seem to be having a problem in that at heavy weight, whatever way I hold the bar, it's rolling back too far on my windpipe and cutting off my breathing - not good when you're trying to lift!! I *think* it may be that I'm not lifting my shoulders enough.

maxchen wrote:

Also as regards cleans.... don't think of the weight. Pick a spot on the wall and stare at it, have confidence in your technique and before you know it you'll be recovering from the clean still staring at the same spot!! The same applies for the snatch.

The bit in bold is the ongoing problem You're absolutely right though - I need to work towards a point where my technique is so solid that I don't even question it anymore. I'm slowly but surely getting there - the consistency I'm seeing in my numbers is enough to convince me of that.

I look forward to the day when my current PBs are my warm-up weight!!

g'em

Thursday 26/02/09
OH squat 15 x 4 x 2, 25 x 4
Snatch jumps 25 x 4 x 3
Power snatch 30 x 3, 34 x 3, 37 x x, 40 x 3 x 3
Front squat 40 x 4, 50 x 3, 55 x 3, 60 x 3, 65 x 3, 70 x 3

Power squats were good, technique is coming along well. Went back to front squats for the first time in ages - by rights I should be capable of a lot more than 70kg for triples, but I'll keep at it and the numbers will go up soon enough.

Just a short session tonight in preparation for our big training day on Saturday - six of us are off down to the cryotherapy chamber in Wexford for a combined day of freezing our asses off and training our asses of Russian high-volume style Should be a great laugh, and it'll be interesting to see how my numbers compare to the high volume session two weeks ago.

wasabi

g'em wrote: »

I seem to be having a problem in that at heavy weight, whatever way I hold the bar, it's rolling back too far on my windpipe and cutting off my breathing - not good when you're trying to lift!! I *think* it may be that I'm not lifting my shoulders enough.

Possibly silly question but when the bar rolls onto your windpipe is that definitely with a weightlifting bar? I find the same thing if I use a standard bar, due to the plates spinning and causing the bar to spin and roll into my neck. Weightlifting bars are fine though because the ends of the bar just spin independently and the bit I'm holding stays put.

spiral

I found raising the shoulders slightly and straightening the cervical spine helped me a lot on this , as I think I had an unconscious habit of jutting the head forward slightly coming up out of the bottom of a heavy clean.

g'em

wasabi wrote: »

Possibly silly question but when the bar rolls onto your windpipe is that definitely with a weightlifting bar? I find the same thing if I use a standard bar, due to the plates spinning and causing the bar to spin and roll into my neck. Weightlifting bars are fine though because the ends of the bar just spin independently and the bit I'm holding stays put.

Yeah I'm definitely using the right bar - I think I'm just not able to raise my shoulders sufficently when the weights get heavier.

spiral wrote: »

I found raising the shoulders slightly and straightening the cervical spine helped me a lot on this , as I think I had an unconscious habit of jutting the head forward slightly coming up out of the bottom of a heavy clean.

Thanks spiral. I know exactly what you mean about keeping the right alignment of the spine but I'm finding it difficult even at the top of the squat. I think it's just going to take soem readjustment over the next few weeks.

g'em

Saturday 28/02/09
High volume (stress) training and Cryotherapy day. Seven of us (four from Hercs and three of the lads from Limerick) headed down to White's Hotel in Wexford for a day of... well, I guess you could call it 'fun' in the loosest sense of the word

Training was structured much the same as two weeks previously in Donnybrook, but this time we were going to do more volume; four x 1 hr sessions with a 30 min break between each. Cryotherapy was planned between sessions 2 and 3 and after 4. In the end I only did the first session - this was my second time in the Cryo chamber (last visit was Feb '07) and my conclusion regarding this form of therapy is simple:

It's pants.

Anyhoodles, training was as follows (warm-ups before all sessions = bar-work, stretching, light reps; PBs in bold):

Session 1
Power Snatch: 25 x 2 x 3, 30 x 2, 33 x 2, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 49
Clean pulls: 45 x 3, 50 x 3, 54 x 3, 58 x 3, 62 x 3, 65 x 3
Press: 25 x 5 x 4

My power snatch has been improving greatly of late - give these numbers I definitely have a 55kg snatch in me if not 60kg; it's just my technique that's holding me back.

Session 2
Snatch: 30 x 3, 33 x 3, 36 x 2, 38 x 2, 40, 43, 46, 48, 50, 52, 53 x 0
Back squat: 60 x 4, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 90, 100, 105, 110

The 52kg was a lot steadier and controlled than the messy 51kg PB I got two weeks ago so I'm happy with that!

Cryotherapy: 3 mins @ -110C

Session 3
Clean & Jerk: 45 x 2, 50 x 2, 55 x 2, 58, 61, 64, 67 x 0
Snatch Pulls: 45 x 3, 50 x 3 x 6

Very hacked off that I didn't get the 67kg c&j - when I pulled it it felt light as a feather, expectantly so, and it threw me off so much that I over-pulled and landed flat on my back with the bar over my neck Tried it one more time but didn't have the oomph left in me by that point.

Session 4
Power Clean: 35 x 3, 40 x 3, 45 x 2, 48, 51, 54, 56, 58 x 0, 45 x 2 x 3
Back squat: 60 x 3, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 85, 90, 95, 100, 80 x 2 x 4

Never has a 60kg squat felt so heavy...


All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the day - it was a long one give that I had to travel from Dublin to Wexford, train all day, then come back again in the evening, but we had a great crew there and fun was had by all. And with a PB in both my power snatch and snatch it was definitely a productive one!!

I'm delighted too that this session was only two weeks since the last high-volume day, and I've been training solidly since then, so now I know that my lifting is getting much more consistent and reliable.

My only bug-bear about the day was the cryo. Practically speaking I just don't think the days' training structure was conducive to this type of therapy - although heavy training sessions are not advised against after you've been in the chamber, I found that we were all grumpy and lethargic during session 3 and I for one definitely wasn't on form at all. It takes about 5 - 10 minutes to warm up again after you've plunged your body into such freezing cold temperatures, and the 30 minute break simply wasn't long enough to do the cryo and recover enough to be lifting again.

The cryo itself was worse than I'd remembered - my skin stung, I've got freeze burns all over my ankles, I was dizzy and disoriented throughout and the so-called rush of endorphins you experience after being in the chamber must have been either totally non-existent or so sleight that it didn't register with my poor icicle-ridden brain.

If a method was proven beyond doubt to have therapeutic effects then I'd gladly just suck it up, but that's the thing - cryo isn't really proven at all. I'd argue that many of the 'benefits' of this kind of therapy are simply a direct result of the rush of knowing that you were at temperatures that no man, woman or creature should voluntarily be capable of surviving in without losing various limbs and external body parts to the ravages of frostbite. Two days later and my body feels no better or worse off than I did the last time.

In short - it's all the head. And my head was telling me it was a load of frozen cobblers. I'll stick to the ice packs for rehab and resting/ eating properly between training sessions

g'em

Monday 02/03/09
OHS 15 x 4 x 2, 25 x 4
Drop snatches 25 x 4 x 3
Hang Snatch 30 x 2
Snatch Combo (Hg Pwr Sn/ Pwr Sn/ Sn) 30, 35 x 3
Drop snatches 35, 40, 44 x 1 x 3
Jerk Dips 20 x 5 x 2
Jerk catches 20 x 5 x 2
Split Jerk 20 x 3 x 2
Jerk 35, 40, 44, 47, 50 x 1 x 3

Still fookin knackered after the weekend, had to take it easy tonight. Right shoulder is giving me hassle, hoping it's just fatigue.

Snatch combo's are eeeeevil - you need to re-set yourself between each lift because they're so demanding of your coordination.

Going to be starting the new program structure on Wed so happy days.