12/4/2024
Best session in a while. I need more of this - just basic, routine stuff. No thinking, just work.
Snatch
All reps are from the floor, trying to focus on my cues (Knuckles down, look up, back back). And with a drop into the full overhead squat even if I catch high.
3x65
3x85
3x95
3x115
3x135 - only at this weight is there a distinct freezing up when I catch it, before I sink into the squat. Catching with knees a little bent but still psychologically prevented from catching in the “vulnerable” position of dropping properly into the OHS.
6x115 - good reps.
OH Squat
6x115
6x125
6x135 - felt pretty darn wobbly. I’d have tried for a PR set but by the end of rep 6 I was too wobbly to do another rep.
“up” like uncomfortably far up compared to what I’ve always done.
He pointed to a pullup bar about 4 feet in front of me, for reference.
I’m sure there are differences of opinion on this but I’ll defer to him as he is working with me 1-on-1. I assume it’s about how my upper body moves when initiating, that he wants my torso to come up before my hips do.
Yeah it was a Spartan Race, and it was the time of our lives. My wife loved it so much we very nearly booked tickets for the next year’s race that same day. (Held off due to the impossibility of guaranteeing child care).
We ran together.
I did really, really well. Crushed the obstacles. (OK I failed the spear throw but everything else…) In many cases I was able to climb up on something and give her a hand up, which just feels cool. She was SO impressed with me. I slowed to a walk for her at times, she was giving it all she had and kinda gassed out for a period in the middle, but she did really well too. We were keeping pace with a group of young soldiers or marines the entire time.
Work got so busy I forgot to log this morning. Snatches Just training, nothing big. Sets of 3 up to 105lb. Clean and Jerk 6 reps at 135. All good reps. One rep at 155. It was fine but taxing as hell. Caught high, did a full slow front squat before doing the jerk. Front squat
Sets of 3 to 165. Single at 185. FAILED a single at 205. Jesus.
Edit - forgot to add, was so frustrated by this, that I immediately did an angry 20-rep set at 95lbs. I remember this now because my abs are sore (next day). Press
Some reps. Ultimately a set of 3 push press at 135.
Can it be a good practice for a person having spinal pain at the pack of the neck? Actually, the spaces between the neck joints have been reduced that are causing the pain?
If I had some experience with that, I’d share it, but I really don’t know. I would be careful with anything you try. A physical therapist may be the best help here, or even a licensed massage therapist.
Weekend update first
Saturday - kids to their music practice, then a family beach day. I did a little surfing (only riding on my knees or belly though) and my wife did a lot of surfing. The kids had a blast and the wife and I were worn totally out.
Sunday - really good day. No obligations, took two family walks, did a little calisthenics, rested and caught up on chores and admin around the house.
Today’s session: Snatches
Snatches felt really good today.
Worked up, then did 8 minutes EMOM: first four at 115, next four at 125. All these were good.
Then did 2 at 135, and 2 at 145.
On the way down - 1 at 135, 1 at 125, 1 at 115.
Squat
5x135, 5x185, 5x225.
1x245, 3x1x265.
These singles at 265 actually felt fine, and my knees felt solid the whole time, which is rare for me. If I feel like this every session for a few weeks I can make some real progress.
12/11/2024 Wednesday
Lighter day.
Light back squats to warm up while waiting on a platform.
Cleans, alternating with clean-and-jerks, up to 135lbs. I don’t think i went above that weight.
Overhead squats: 8x95, 3x8x115, 3x135.
That 135 SUCKS to keep overhead. But keep hitting it until it works.
Then I thought I’d do some BTN push presses and I hurt myself. I heard this ripping sound as I pressed 115lbs up for the second rep of a set from behind my neck. Immediately racked the bar, cleaned up my area and went in a corner to figure out what happened. Rolling my neck around I discover that when my head is forward, the back of my neck hurts.
Now a bit later my neck just aches and there’s this tension in my neck, left side, back. I don’t think I’m injured - but I don’t know what I heard - I think I’m just a little strained and will recover by tomorrow. Some icyhot when I get home and hope for the best.
12/13/2024
Thursday 12/12 my neck was sore all day but by the evening, when I had a coaching session scheduled, it wasn’t a limiting factor.
And ironically coach wanted to use this session to focus on the jerk and push press, including a lot of BTN.
This wasn’t a problem.
Anyway last night’s session counts as my Friday morning session for this week, for a combination of now my neck hurts again (Pretty bad this morning) and logistically, driving to the gym just didn’t make sense - some conflicts timewise this morning - and got to bed way late last night.
So this morning I did do a 2 mile hilly walk, which I think was much better for me.
So on the coaching session: Damnit too busy with work, can’t log about this right now. Maybe later. It was a good session.
Work’s been extra-demanding lately, on multiple fronts.
Anyway for the sake of completeness, my coaching session Thursday night was:
Focused on jerk and push press. I learned a LOT.
-On the split jerk, my back foot toes need to point straight or in, not out. My instinct is to point them out, have to change that.
-Slightly wider stance for the jerk than for the clean.
-Head back, and look down your nose at a specific point on the wall. This ensures your chin is clear of the bar so you don’t have to dynamically move your head out of the way. Once the bar is past your eyes start thrusting head through.
-He had me take a lot of reps from behind the neck. Invariably, these reps were BETTER than from the front rack. Why? Starting behind, I was naturally landing with my arms further back/head further forward. More stable there. The goal is to land there even when starting from the front rack.
-Confidence with weight overhead: I told him my fear of having heavy weight overhead and that I think it’s holding me back. He had me do a handstand hold - proving I can safely hold 190lbs over my head; and encouraged me to learn and train handstand pushups to become more comfortable and confident with that much weight up there.
-The strict press - which I haven’t focused on in a LONG time - he wants me to work on it and bring it up. Testing there, at the very end of the session, 125lbs was fine but 135 got stuck at the top of my head.
-The front squat will be a driver as well, so bring that up too. Pick one day per week and don’t worry about O-lifts. Focus on FS and Strict.
(can do - that was a good portion of my training a few years ago, to great effect).
-There are more variations than I conceived of for pressing. Various grip widths, yes or no jerking, split or squat (or power) jerking, yes or no pushing. Different stances. BTN and front rack to start.
So the possibilities are endless.
This weekend is slammed for me, all-day activities today and tomorrow, but I’ll need to set aside some time to actually program out my 3 weekly sessions now. He proposed 5/3/1 for the strict and FS. (poop emoji).
Crazy weekend as I said. Haven’t had time to sit and plan out exercises, programming, or even a change to the basic approach.
-What I’ve been doing since basically September, is:
M-W-F (that’s non-negotiable)
Snatch, Clean and Jerk, with some variations
Squat, Front Squat, Overhead Squat
Some just-Overhead work
At a basic level there’s nothing wrong with that, but coach is saying to dedicate actual progression to the strict press and front squat, following 5/3/1 for those lifts one day per week.
What sucks about that is how many times I"ve been down the 5/3/1 road and how many times I’ve been disappointed in results. I’ve felt like the volume accrued at lower percentages isn’t enough to grow me to hit even a single at the higher percentages. To get into the weeds: Everyone has a different reps/max curve, and I feel like mine is flatter (or steeper depending on how you figure) than most - meaning I can hit reps and volume like crazy, then go up 5 pounds and not do a single; whereas lots of people can’t get past 3 reps with X weight, yet at X+10 they can still do 2, and at X+20 they can get a single.
However maybe this time will be different. In part because I’m not in some crazy rush to hit some arbitrary number, and I’n part because front squatting and strict pressing are NOT the goal - the goal is to snatch and clean and jerk more, and those are accessories.
So if there’s a 5/3/1 for those, that takes up probably 15 minutes each for the session - leaving 30 more minutes that day. Maybe I spend it doing more related movements, or maybe I spread those across the week, and spend the extra time on something else that I’m not already doing? I think I won’t snatch or C&J at all on that day because all these lifts are quite demanding.
Let’s face it: BSS are important, I’ve said it in this log a million times I need to keep doing them because they’re so hard. Maybe I fit them in after the front squats.
All this is just a ramble. Gotta go for now. Gotta figure out a plan by 4:30 tomorrow morning though, even if it’s just to do the status quo on Monday and make Wednesday the FS/OHP day lol.
12/16/2024 Monday Front Squats
Didn’t take the time to run a 5/3/1 calculator so I messed this up. Should have taken a 90%TM (or 90% of 90% like JW says) but instead I started with 65% of my assumed 1RM.
And I only remembered when I was at the rack that Coach said to do Bottoms-Up front squats, so rest it on the safeties at the bottom of every rep. This makes it harder so I should have gone even lower.
5x135
5x155 and this was really really hard
5x155 again. I expect to make this my 3’s week top set (85%) next week. “start light” is a tenet of 5/3/1 - but then again I’m not doing this per JW, I’m doing it per my coach, and he didn’t harp on “start light”.
Regular front squats (top-down),
10x135.
And that’s hard enough!
Strict Press
Here I just plugged in 65, 75, and 85% of 120 because I made 125x1 last week with the coach.
5x75, 5x90, 5x100.
Brought the grip back in a little closer compared to how he had me push-pressing. Feels better that way, at least for the strict.
10x85.
Pullups
10 BSS
BW only, 2x10 per side. Dumbbells
Some shoulder stuff at different angles. A set of biceps curls. Light set of RDLs. Nothing noteworthy.
12/18/2024
Snatch: Worked up and did 5 or 6 at 135 and 4 at 145.
Felt good. Getting lower under the bar as I catch, but still far from flawless. Still dropping to a full OH squat after catching.
OH squat: 3x8 at 95, 115, 115.
That’s about it - a little light BTN and a set of 10 pullups.