09/09/12
Jerks/Presses
Split Jerks:
40x2x2
50x2x2
60x2x2
70x2x2
80x1
Presses:
40x5
50x5
60x5x8
Pull-ups:
BWx6
BWx8
BW 10x8
BW 15x8
BW 22.5x7
BWx8
Face Pulls:
100lbx3x15
10/09/12
Pulls
Snatches:
20x5
40x2x1
50x2x1
55x2x1
60x1
65x1
67.5x1 (PR)
70x2x1 (PR)
Rack Pulls (3rd pin):
60x2x5
100x5
140x5
160x5
180x3
195x1
190x1
175x2x5
Front Squats:
60x3
80x3
90x3
100x3
100x3
100x2
Glute/Ham Raises:
BWx12
BW 15x12
Snatches were really, really good yesterday. I got some videos and will upload them when I get a chance. Rack pulls average. Front squats going really nicely until the final set, where I felt a sudden shooting pain in my lower back as I drove out of the hole on the second rep. I racked it and ended the session there.
I have to say I’m getting really pissed off with all these niggling injuries. Ice and painkillers are numbing the pain on my back today, but fuck me I can’t wait to go to New Zealand now and have some time off.
12/09/12
Bench Presses
2-board Bench Presses:
20x2x8
60x5
80x5
(All subsequent sets performed to a 2-board)
100x5
110x3
120x3
130x3
135x2
120x2x5
110x8
Dumbbell Incline Presses:
45lbx10
60lbx10
70lbx4x10
Kroc Rows:
45x12
50x12
55x23
Lat Pulldowns:
180lbx2x12
14/09/12
Lower Body
Standing Vertical Jumps:
7x3
Power Cleans:
60x2x3
80x2
90x2x1
102.5x1
Full Cleans:
60x2x1
70x1
80x1
90x1
95x1
100x1
105x1
110x1
Squats:
20x2x5
60x2x5
100x5
120x3
140x3
150x3
165x1
Ab Pulldowns:
140lbx2x10
Reverse Hypers:
70x2x15
Lower back was a bit sore, and I was feeling generally fatigued. When I realised that the power cleans weren’t going to go as planned, I decided to work on my technique for the full clean instead. That went surprisingly well, and I threw on my belt and kept on taking the weight up until I got a single with 110kg. Nice. I filmed it on my phone, but I’m having difficulty uploading at the moment.
The squats didn’t go as planned, I was just shot by the final set, which I intended to be a triple.
15/09/12
Jerks/Presses
Split Jerks:
20x5
40x4
50x2
60x2
70x6x2
Presses:
40x5
50x5
65x5x5
Pull-ups:
BWx6
BW 10x5
BW 20x5
BW 30x5
BW 32.5x4
BW 20x5
Face Pulls:
100lbx2x18
Right, so I’m feeling pretty knackered now, and haven’t had a deload for a while. One more training week to go before the holiday though, so not too long!
When I come back I need to be a bit smarter with my programming. I’m starting to think there are good reasons that when I leave programming up to myself, I make little progress and get injured a lot. Will either pick a programme and do it as-written, or have someone write me one.
17/09/12
Pulls
Snatches:
20x5
40x2x1
50x2x1
55x2x1
60x1
65x1
67.5x1
70x5x1
Rack Pulls (3rd pin):
60x2x5
100x5
140x5
160x5
180x3
200x3 (PR)
180x2x5 (PR)
Olympic Squats:
60x6
100x3x8
Glute/Ham Raises:
BWx12
BW 15x12
BW 20x12
Well that’s more like it. Snatches fine - more like power snatches than anything else. Rack pulls were great, the bar felt light in my hands and I got a strong triple with 200kg with decent technique.
Switched front squats for high-bar, A2G, Oly squats and they felt light too. Last week’s minor injury served as a warning that really pushing rack pulls and squats in one session, as well as doing snatches with relatively high intensity is a bad idea - hence the lighter load used.
So, yeah, all good.
19/09/12
Bench Presses
Floor Presses:
20x2x8
60x5
80x3
90x3
100x3
110x1
120x1
125x1
120x2
110x4
100x2x6
Dumbbell Incline Presses:
45lbx10
60lbx10
70lbx4x10
Kroc Rows:
50x12
60x12
70x15
Lat Pulldowns:
160lbx2x18
On those floor presses, 120kg felt easy as pie, but 125kg was a real grinder. I dropped the weight down to get 3 singles above 90%, but the second attempt at 120kg was so easy I thought I’d work and get a double.
22/09/12
Lower Body
Standing Vertical Jumps:
8x3
Power Cleans:
60x2x3
80x2
90x1
102.5x9x2
Squats:
20x2x5
60x5
100x5
120x3
140x3
160x1
170x1
180xF
175xF
100x3x10
Ab Pulldowns:
140lbx2x10
Really pleased with the power cleans, but they left me very tired for the squats. I would have got 175kg for a knee wraps-less PR if I hadn’t made the jump to 180 first, but missed that and was absolutely toasted by the next attempt. Holiday can’t come soon enough - 1 more session left.
24/09/12
Snatches/Jerks/Presses
Snatches:
20x5
40x2x1
50x2x1
55x1
60x1
65x1
70x1
72.5x2x1 (PR)
Split Jerks:
20x4
40x4
60x2x2
70x2x1
75x6x1 (PR)
Presses:
40x5
50x3
60x1
70x4x3
70x6
Pull-ups:
BWx6
BW 10x5
BW 20x5
BW 30x3
BW 42.5x2
BW 40x2
BWx10
In a little over 24 hours I’ll be climbing aboard a plane to New Zealand, and this was the last session I’ll be doing for a month. That will be the longest time I’ve had between sessions since I started lifting seven years ago.
Anyway, last night was a good way to finish this training cycle, with PRs on the snatch and jerk. The successful attempts with 72.5kg on the snatch were really power snatches - I missed several attempts where I descended into a full squat but had to dump the bar forward. More technique work needed there I think.
The jerks are still pathetically weak, but I’m really trying to focus on an explosive drive and duck under the bar. These felt nice.
Presses were fine - the periodization I’ve used on these appears to have worked well. I decided to go for an AMRAP set on the last set, and got 70x6. I think that might tie a record (or I may have done 70x7 before), but that would have been without for working sets before so it’s a good result.
Adios guys and girls!
Just checking in bud, great lifting. Enjoy your trip!
Cheers bud, I had a blast.
Got back from New Zealand (32 hours from Nelson Airport to Heathrow via Auckland and Kuala Lumpur is not fun) on Monday, and was back in the gym after 1 month out on Wednesday. Feel weak at the moment, a shed a few kilos on the trip, but will slowly build back up.
As for the trip - it was absolutely brilliant. I did a couple of bungy jumps, walked on a glacier, went whale watching and went kayaking in the stunning Abel Tasman National Park. Plenty of pictures and stories to tell, but I won’t bore you with all that any longer.
24/10/12
Bench Presses
Bench Presses:
20x2x8
40x5
60x5
80x5
90x5
100x3x5
Dumbbell Floor Presses:
45lbx10
65lbx10
75lbx2x10
80lbx10
Kroc Rows:
45x15
50x12
55x23
Lat Pulldowns:
2 sets
Nice to be back in the gym, but 100kg felt tough-ish on the bench. I’ll take it steady and hopefully in a month or so I’ll be back to around where I was before.
26/10/12
Squats
Squats:
20x2x5
60x2x5
80x5
100x3x8
Glute/Ham Raises:
BWx15
BW 15x3x12
Ab Pulldowns:
120lbx3x10
Reverse Hypers:
70x2x15
Given all of my recent injury woes (back, ankle, knee etc) I was quite cautious with the squats today. I’m going to do a short ‘hypertrophy’ phase with higher reps - the main idea being not to injure myself with heavy loads.
still alive then? 
i am planning a similar trip for this time next year after my MSc, cant wait!
WHALE PICTURES???
Hahaha - still alive. Are you planning on doing New Zealand or Australia too (or more than that?!)
Weather was a little variable whilst I was out there; if you can, maybe it’d be smart to hold out until November or ideally December for the better weather to come in.
