I’ve known for a while now that something major needed to change in my life. I’m not really progressing on my thesis and the majority of my time is spent working (catering / functions / waitressing), recovering from work, and training. Things finally came to a head yesterday. My supervisor suggested I move back to NZ. He can possibly arrange office space etc for me there and the shift might get me writing again. I can get the unemployment benefit there, and they will assist me in finding work that is better suited to my physical capacities.
I looked into the place a bit more… Turns out there is a decent gym there associated with the technical institute. Former international level weightlifter coaches out of there. He also teaches at the technical institute - they have a 2 year certificate program in basically… personal training type stuff. Nutrition, strength and conditioning, program writing, postural assessment, movement mechanics etc. He has a special interest in rehab. You get practical experience working out of the gym. It looks like I can get a student allowance to meet my living expenses (just!) and a student loan to cover my fees.
Sounds perfect for me
I’ll be really sad to leave this place because it has been home to me for a while (2006). But it looks like this move will be a good thing for me. I think I’m having a mid-life crisis, really. Been married to philosophy since I was 18. I need a major life overhaul and I guess this is going to be it.
TRAINING
Bodybalance. First time in ages. Really enjoyed it as a mental deload and just moving around and finding tensions. Will try and make next week.
Lunch break.
Snatch
Up to 3x1 @ 35kg. These are feeling better already from more frequent practice / less frequent strength training
Jerk
Trying to get into a solid quarter squat position for these. Have discovered that foam rolling my triceps helps give me confidence to really lock out my elbows pain-free. Worked up to 35kg - though cutting the squat a bit high. Really feeling progress with these.
minimal - saying nice supportive things to your hips sounds nice. i do need to remember to be a bit gentle with them. even if it takes longer to sort the issue out than wrenching it around would it is important to me that i can walk during the rehab process.
birdie - i owe you an x band walk vid… i’ve been trying to sort out a time when the gym is fairly empty… but i’ll get one this week, i promise.
i read somewhere that that particular stretch (where you lift your ankle back off the ground) mostly gets the middle part of the quad. that it is stretching it at both ends (the knee end and the hip end) that makes the exercise so tough. this wouldn’t surprise me at all since all my front squatting work does seem to have tightened up my quads. particularly since i stopped doing lunges (since i can’t balance properly on the ball of my back foot).
i was doing glute bridges to help with glute activation. that part of the glute (if that makes sense) seems to activate fine, though. it is the glutes around the hips that don’t seem to be working… i’ll try and dig out a pic…
Alexus, it will be sad to see you leave Melbourne. I was hoping to catch up with you later this year. Do you have family in NZ?
Are you still studying at uni?
I know what mid-life crisis are like, Im having one myself.
That hip flexor stretch is a tough one, its going to take a long time for me to make progress on it.
And yes, Im still waiting for a video of your X-band walks, although any video with you in it is a good video.
Going back to NZ sounds like a plan. You seem to have it all worked out. Potentially it’s quite exciting. I wish you all the best with whatever you choose to do.
I quite like the NZ plan. So many exciting, new possibilities!
Hips are real buggers, aren’t they? Joining you in monster walks, every night. That and the claims and the hip adduction/abduction band exercises are helping me alot. But its a constant battle.
I think I’m dialing starting strength down to 2 days a week for the new semester. It feels like a program that needs to not have any other physical activities with it, which is just impossible. I understand ditching it.
Bird - sounds like you didn’t get my PM (sometimes they don’t seem to be sent). I’m not in Melbourne, I’m in the ACT. have some family in NZ but i’m not close to them at all… better off away from them truth be told. the plan is to move to a different part of the country. still at Uni, yeah. but will look into starting at that technical institute next Jan…
thanks for the well wishes, guys. basically… i don’t really have a choice in this (my options have dwindled)… but the discovery that there is a platform and an oly coach… and a course that might make it possible for me to work in a non-stupid gym with non-stupid people who go to the gym is actually making me feel happy and optimistic about this.
TRAINING
rolling
snatch
worked up to 37.5kg. almost but not quite getting it. not hitting a very good bottom position. Still, at least 35kg played happily and got 36kg for a nice single, too.
power / squat jerk
worked up to 35kg and got it for a couple nice singles that felt easy. very technique dependent. need to really commit to it - rolling out my triceps is helping a lot.
hip mobilizations. frog stance side walking. leg lifts forwards (like for step-overs) then gradually trying to get more external rotation on the leg lifts. right hip starting to feel a bit better with these.
smoke break (hey, worked for the bulgerians)
snatch
worked up to 35kg. couple misses back. did a standing vertical jump (just to see) and when i landed my right knee collapsed inwards a bit. i think that that is what is going on when i’m landing my squats. need to practice standing vertical jumps and jumps to squat to really get these symmetrical and stable, i think.
bar path is starting to feel better on the snatches. progress with each part of the movement. so happy about this.
power / squat jerk
worked up to 37.5kg which is a PR with power / squat jerking! tried 40kg but 2x fail. felt heavy in the rack and i was basically exhausted at this point. not willing to commit to get my ass under it.
pch - yes. i think that SS is designed for you to do SS and really not much in the way of anything else. i think as you near the end of the beginners gains / ability to linearly progress the program is really very demanding.
deadlifts take time to recover from…
i enjoy oly lifting every day. if i’m careful to drop the weights and not try and lower them in a controlled fashion then i can train them to max daily. i think… i’d rather do that. standing up my catches does get to be limiting… but i’m sure i’ll get better at it with practice…
I am raising my eyebrows at the smoke break. Back when I smoked I would smoke after the gym, never during! Heh.
I’m glad you can continue your oly lifting in NZ. Which city are you heading to?
Usually only get through one lot of snatching and jerking, but then someone arrived so I thought I might as well have another go…
The second round actually went much better (after hip mobility). Technique-wise anyway, and that is what I need to lift greater weights at this point.
Back to Wellington, maybe one of these days (like when I win the lottery) I’ll stop by for session with you. Some nice spots there, Breaker Bay and large kelp forests.
Alexus- Im sorry, but I cant have you spending 4 hours at the gym. I think this is couter-productive to your goals. I want you in and out of the gym in 90 minutes max. 45 minutes of rolling and mobility work and then 45 minutes of lifting. And even that is probably a bit too excessive.
And as for your smoking; when do you intend to quit? 2040? Not good enough young lady!
I hope when you post next you have some good news to tell me.
minimal - sounds like you know more of Wellington than I do. I’ve only been there briefly for conference. Just remember that it was very windy and very hilly. That book shop pic is hilarious. Numbers are even more of a nemesis for me than squats!
matty - cardio, indeed. bloody ‘you must be 10 meters away from the building’ rule.
bird - remember I rest for around 2 minutes between sets. and lots of my sets are singles. i used to try and limit snatches to half an hour - but that resulted in my cutting the warm-ups short. i agree 4 hours is a bit excessive… actually i was only there for 3 I realize. took me longer than usual to walk there and back. I also spent an hour on foam rolling / mobility when I was there…
rolling, snatching, power / squat jerking, cleans.
my log is going to get kinda boring since it will be mostly this.
getting faster under the cleans but not very strong standing them up. power / squat jerks are coming along.
TRAINING (today)
rolling
snatching
worked up to 37.5kg for a nice single. 38.5kg didn’t want to play.
power / squat jerking
worked up to 40kg for an easy single (didn’t get far under it). this equals my best split jerk. 41kg didn’t want to play. not confident enough to really push up hard against it / push myself down under it. foam rolling my triceps seems to be sorting out my elbows but i need to get over the fear that i’ll injure them if i really lock out hard.
hip flexor stretch 4 mins per side.
step overs.
needed to go somewhere this evening… 40 minutes walk each way. getting a feel for really activating my glute hip stabilzers on each walking stride.
