lula - thanks. that is a lovely quote. helped me feel better
minimal - that vid… it upset me because of the ‘jump’ thing. the chick doesn’t open / extend properly at the hip - and that is the main point of the second pull. forceful hip extension / opening that makes the bar pop up. i think… (though I could be wrong)… that olympic lifting helps people jump better because it teaches people to use hip extension to help power their jump. to think of olympic lifting as vertical jumping seems to put people off, though, because they try and use knee extension to get the bar moving up.
i do need to do something about swinging the bar out, though. i’ve realized that it is because i don’t bend at the elbows unless i consciously make an effort to (and I mostly forget). so the bar is guided out by my straight arms instead of being guided close to me as my elbows bend. i’m working some high pulls and i think this is helping teach me… as usual - moar practice!!!
nadia - thanks. i’m hoping the change will be good for me, too. i really think it will be. i used to be in the swing of things properly here, then i went to the US for a year and my father died during that time, which was really hard for me. then when i moved back to Australia i never got back into the swing of things. had a lot of resentment toward academic philosophy since academic philosophy told me that teaching should be prioritized over attending my fathers funeral… got me thinking about priorities / what is important in life… but you don’t need to be totally obsessed with philosophy to be good enough to do it well. i don’t need to have that level of commitment / involvement. i’m optimistic that this move will enable me to set up new work habits with a good balance of gym training and philosophy. and there is always the civil service (which I’m actually eligible to work in in NZ).
bird - yes, bitches be crazy. when i was trained for the job i mostly worked with one of the main boss supervisors. she taught me to do everything ‘properly’ and so it is second nature for me. my current supervisors have a distinct change in how they do things depending on whether one of the main boss supervisors is around or not… on friday one of the main bosses came in and worked alongside the other supervisors. i think they were fairly stressed out about the change in gear it required for them and also all the inevitable pressing they would have got on how things were supposed to be done. they usually don’t get on with one another… but i suppose wrecking my day gave them all something to be united about in their displeasure. lolz. it is okay. i’m leaving soon anyway. they really do need to get their priorities right in figuring out how they can do things better instead of not facing up to errors (which policy could solve) and blaming (instead of figuring out the policy solution). but: it isn’t my problem
I know what I need! I’ve figured out the solution to all of my problems!
Single Leg Work.
That is what I need…
Yesterday did BodyBalance. Realized that my feet don’t seem to be much of a problem for standing balance anymore (in sneakers anyway), rather it is that my knee gets the wobbles. I think it is my hip and my ankles. Stuff like star pose and airplane pose etc seem to be good for my hip of the leg off the ground, too. Trouble is I can’t really control the movement in my lifted leg since my balance sucks. So… Time to fix this.
Today did an awful lot of rolling.
I’ve found I can replicate this nasty stabby painful feeling I get sometimes when externally rotating my hip and bringing my leg up towards my body by positioning myself just so on my plastic ball. Both hip flexors are very tight… My right one just feels like one long steel cable, though. From my quad… Tracing it up all the way to (what feels like) in my abs / belly. I think the stretching I’ve been doing has sort of consolidated knots. The rolling seemed to be helping. Need to gradually work this, though, since it is hard to get the ball on the cable without me rolling off and there are soft tissue structures like kidneys and stuff that I don’t want to accidentally wreck.
Went ballistic at some guys in the gym. I went to the bathroom with a towel over the bar and when I got back a couple retards had rolled it off the back of the platform. I mean c’mon, what did they think the towel meant!!! One of the guys (who I thought was cool) jumped in and started defending them saying he told them it was okay, or something. So I went off at him. Not only do I have to put up with brotarded conversations (noise pollution) when I’m trying to train but I can’t even have people respect my fucking training space. The guys didn’t back down from the platform so I moved (if they wanted to work in that would have been worse than my simply moving). Did a couple snatches (while they watched themselves deadlift in the mirror) and left. So… No coaching today. Guy turned up just as I was leaving. Kinda had the shakes… I shouldn’t have backed down from the platform.
Sometimes I really do get the urge to throw the bar in the direction of people.
i did those exercises that KMC posted… the knee stability ones off a small raise. then got to wondering about pistols. i’m not strong enough for a pistol! my leg also gets serious wobbles as i start to approach parallel and i don’t have the strength to stand up a single leg squat about halfway between the bottom and parallel (which i guess is my main sticking point on ATG squats). i’m gonna master this, though!!
Oh how infuriating. I hate shit like that. Some people really just have no respect.
Single leg work has helped me a bit. I don’t do a lot of it but I do some bulgarian split squats as part of my leg day warm-up, I do clams and single leg hip thrusts and I did a lot of (high) step-ups when training for my half marathon. It helped with my sciatica a fair bit.
No no, the vid was supposed to be a joke, make you go “HA HA”, not upset you. Guess I’m not that funny. Don’t worry I didn’t even really pay attention to what he was saying, so I didn’t get any misinformation.
I think the universe is telling you to look forward to your new place, between girly bitch-fests at work and brotards!
Pistol squats depend a lot on those damn balancing and stabilising muscles, I can kind of do one on the left leg, no chance in hell on the right.
i used to do lunges but then realized i had more trouble than most and loading was a problem because i can’t get my toes to stretch back from the ball of my foot so i don’t have a stable base with my back leg. it causes problems for some of the split stance standing strength poses, too (variations of static lunges, i guess).
step ups sound like a good idea, though. i have played with one legged dumbbell deadlifts before but didn’t really understand what i was supposed to be up to… might try those again, though. figure out if they seem to work something that needs to be worked.
minimal - it didn’t upset me really… it is a funny thought to see if i can get volunteers to stand in front of me, though. maybe i should have asked those guys that took the platform lolz.
usual rolling stuffs. glutes really sore after yesterday
Snatch.
worked up to two misses at 38.5kg, which is pretty good for me at the moment. 37.5kg felt heavy to stand up, though. everything feeling fine up to the 38kg then chickened on the pull, basically. bottom position feeling nice and comfortable.
Hang Snatch High Pulls.
Just with the stick and 20kg. Trying to set my lower and upper back tight and get my elbows bending so the bar / stick stays close.
Power / Squat Jerk
worked up to 30kg and then my shoulders didn’t want to play anymore.
Figured it was about time to do some squats… But I was kind of exhausted at this point (spent a couple hours already)
Pistols.
Nope I can’t do one but I surely tried. Progressions (triples, couple sets each leg):
Standing on a fairly high box aiming for controlled descent.
Raising lifted leg to get to ATG position (needed to hold onto the squat rack to assist the descent and ascent).
Standing on the floor and raising lifted leg to get to ATG position (needed to hold onto the squat rack to assist the descent and ascent).
Band around the upright pins on the squat rack holding onto that. Red band (more assistance) then yellow band. Trying not to use my arms but guess this was a bit of a squat / pull-up combo lolz.
[quote]alexus wrote:
step ups sound like a good idea, though. i have played with one legged dumbbell deadlifts before but didn’t really understand what i was supposed to be up to… might try those again, though. figure out if they seem to work something that needs to be worked.
[/quote]
Step ups are great, put a barbell on your back and step up, but dont use your trailing leg for propulsion. With dB single leg deadlifts, your trying to keep your pelvis stable, lower back arched ofcourse, and your meant to feel it in your butt. It was actually recommended to me as a glute activating exercise. Take a bit of playing around to get used to it and you would start of with a lightweight, maybe about 5kg. Its meant to be a good exercise to “protect your knees”.
Great work in here, girlie! Sorry you had to go bitch mode on those guys, but they deserved it! And frankly, sometimes you gotta let your roar out, no?
So you’re moving pretty soon, huh?! I’m not comfortable with change, I commend you for making things happen.
And brilliant idea on the unilateral work! I’m totally on the same page with that now. Step Ups are great! I do them too. I also do Step Downs, which is basically what you did and is a precursor to a pistol squat (I can’t fully do those myself with good knees!). My PT guy can do them and he showed me (swoon) and basically summed it up by saying that the key to knee health is strength and flexibilty, as exemplified by the pistol squat.
Keep up the good work, lovey! And congrats on the squat PR!!
Alexus: Pistols are tough. I was working on them for awhile, but then lost focus. Single leg work is a bitch. I never consistently do enough of it. You’re reminding me and inspiring me to get back after it.
I’m sorry to hear about your dad. I can see how you would harbor resentment towards your profession based on that response.
I love how motivated you are to nail down pistol squats–they’re tons o’ fun!!
Couple progression ideas–they already touched on step downs, you could also pistol squat to a box and slowly lower the height of the box. Another variation on single leg squats is the skater squat:
For the single-leg deadlift, I’ve found that kettlebells work pretty well, if you have access to them. I load the arm opposite the working leg and start from the floor and it seems to be a pretty effective posterior chain movement.
On a non-training front, hope everything works out with moving. Change isn’t really a bad thing, especially if things have stagnated work-wise.
i do need to do something about swinging the bar out, though. i’ve realized that it is because i don’t bend at the elbows unless i consciously make an effort to (and I mostly forget). so the bar is guided out by my straight arms instead of being guided close to me as my elbows bend. i’m working some high pulls and i think this is helping teach me… as usual - moar practice!!!
[/quote]
This is EXACTLY what I do too. I think it’s because when I first started trying to snatch I was told not to bend my elbows on the first pull (to not use arms) and I’ve got so used to keeping them straight that I do it throughout the whole lift and arc the bar right out in front of me which makes the catch doubley difficult. I’ll be interested to see if the high pulls cure it for you. If they do, I’ll add them in.
I think your analytical nature will make you into a great coach someday!
rolling. took a very long time. lower body feeling like one massive knot after my pistol attempts. apparently single leg work is notorious for DOMS. i didn’t know that
snatch. working mostly on the high pulls (the bar needs to get to shoulder height for the snatch so you can haul your ass under it and catch it with outstretched arms). so the aim is simply to get used to hip driving it to shoulder height and practicing ‘letting’ my elbows bend so i can guide the bar close to my face. it feels a bit awkward to me. like i’m pulling it with my arms instead of letting my arms guide it. think i have some mobility work to do on internal shoulder rotation and also work on keeping my upper back tight.
when i get them right then i really do get a wonderful feeling of myself simply rotating around the bar for the catch. not as fast as i’d like - but getting some sense of how it is supposed to be.
bloody exhausted and achy…
decided to work my back.
lat pull down - pull-up grip. mostly working lat activation.
chin -ups. from a step. then actually did a couple where i jumped up to grip the bar. these didn’t feel anywhere near as hard as i remember them feeling… noticing that when i jump up to grip the bar i automatically grip it with a fairly narrow grip. not sure what that means.
resistence band chin -ups. actually not liking these because they don’t give me enough assistance at the top part of the movement - where i’m wanting to hold my shoulders down and back hard.
face pulls
push-ups. why the hell not… 1x10, 1x5 (bit lazy), 1x10. got the hang of keeping my glutes / core tight on the last set.
waiters walks. 10/15kg again. trying hard to use abs and not hang off my back.
TRAINING (today)
rolling. still really sore after my pistol attempts! damn!!!
snatch. mostly high pulls again. need to rediscover triples
clean. worked up to 2 misses @ 37.5kg. dammit. i used to be able to get this… but i guess i used to catch them a bit higher…
front squat. wanted to get 40kg for a triple so i could get the 37.5kg clean.
15kg 1x5
20kg 1x5
30kg 1x3
35kg 1x3
40kg was going for 1x3 but got a single then fail.
failed the 37.5kg clean again.
I think I needed more time on the front squats. normally I would have done 1x5@ 30kg which would have felt really really really freaking hard but would have got activation / recruitment going better such that I could actually make the 40kg. Felt a bit sad, though, that I may have regressed on these since I haven’t really been practicing them…
Some more rolling of hip flexors / calves / ankles…
bird - thanks for the step-up explanation. i’ll give them a go next time i try pistols (aka: as soon as my lower body recovers from last time!)
masch - thanks! i really do think the single leg work will help me out a lot. especially for balance in my daily life (stepping off curbs and such). also… given the DOMS i have… seems like it is working things that really need to be worked.
nadia - yes, determined to master pistols. thanks for the sentiments.
juniormint - thanks for the dead explanation. i don’t have kettlebells - but i can use a dumbbell. i will give them a go next time i try pistols
the skater squat looks good, too. i’m not sure about whether holding my leg out in front of me is good or bad for my hip flexor… good to try things both ways and see what comes of it.
brett - i’m sure the high pulls will cure it i think… that might be… what high pulls are for i’ve heard people say that they didn’t see the point in them because if you get the bar to that height then you might as well simply catch it… but eliminating the catch component means all you have to focus on is extend and ‘let the elbows bend’. except… it feels like i’m shrugging up my elbows at the moment… which is not quite how it is supposed to be, i think…
Yeah for awhile I was wondering why the bar kept getting away from me, wasn’t until I was playing around that I actually felt that my arms were stiff. Then again my bar is a bit weird so my grip width can be off sometimes, think I need to work on keeping the lats activated though, my neck/traps were killing me yesterday.
my traps seem to be developing fairly well, too. and my shoulders. guess it is all the overhead stuff.
TRAINING (yesterday)
rolling warm-up
Snatches
Just a few (up to 35kg).
Decided today was a good day to try and destroy my lats.
Lat pull down.
played with chin-up grip, pull-up grip, wide pull-up grip. increasing the weight… trying to really use my lats.
Chin ups.
a couple of them. not feeling so fond of them… the movement is too hard for me to be able to focus on properly using lat activation.
back to the lat pull down…
one arm rows.
maybe these will destroy my lats? these felt much better activation-wise. should do more of 'em.
TRAINING (today)
lats not destroyed not even a teeny tiny bit of DOMS
rolling warm-up.
Snatches. Just a few up to 35kg.
Lunch break.
Step ups.
The step is at a height where my raised leg is about parallel if it was squatting (if that makes sense). These are really good! Feeling some part of my right glute really being activated / worked. Feels like that is the part that is meant to be stabilizing my hip from behind! Woo hoo. Seems that these are exactly what i need. worked up to a 15kg dumbbell for sets of 5 reps. Would like to find a higher step so i can try and work a full range of motion.
One of the guys asked me when i do my pylometric work and i kinda laughed ‘what pylometric work’. ended up somehow being conned into doing standing jumps onto a step. worked up to that height. very scary for me. psychologically keep thinking ‘i can’t jump’ and really scared of face planting. mostly holding onto an upright… but managed a couple without that. turns out you are meant to power jumps with hip drive
Pistols (assisted)
So much better at these already!! Sets of 5. Using arms / assistance a bit but the movement is pretty smooth
I think I’m starting to hone in on a couple parts of my hip flexors that need to be released. Need to take some time to feel things out because I don’t want to injure myself trying to release things… Drain pipe seems pretty good for this - but not quite focal enough… But the ball wants to roll out… Need some kind of hook or something…
I got quite the upper body pump trying to fry my lats. Feel… A little ambivalent, I guess. But mostly proud. I think I might have the potential to turn into one of Those People lolz. Watching myself rowing… My body is kinda fascinating lolz.
I think… When I move I might well get coaching / a program. A proper Oly Lifting one. So… I’ve decided to freestyle for a while. Get to know my body better… Do some pylo stuff and focus on sorting out my hip. And have fun. I want to have some fun for a while. Will do some back squats again sometime soon… See if I can do 50kg for reps.
I weighed myself on a digital scale (same one I always weigh myself on).
61.5kg
(After breakfast and that time of the month)
Hrm. Guess the 60kg squat was closer to bodyweight than I thought… But guess my ‘bulk’ has been totally unsuccessful. Obviously I’m underestimating how many calories I’m burning… I do think I’ve gained muscle mass, though. So that is good.
What are you using to roll out your traps? tennis ball? its so hard to get way up into the neck- traps for me.Almost like i need it “massaged deeply” more than rolled.
I dont get a lot of lat soreness either, but when they do watch out its killer!
