Learning to Lift Log

Training
121

Thanks Claire, although it’s not much weight, I am getting stronger.
I have been lazy about posting my training, so here is the past 2 workouts.

28/01/08-at gym
Half squats 20x55, 15x60, 10x75 (plus 5lbs from last week)
I find that half squats (just below parallel) are easy. I could do more of these, but prefer to go all the way to the ground.

Full squats 12x80, 10x85, 8x90, 5x95, 3x105 (plus 5lbs from last week).
I can do more, but I get nervous without a spotter. The hardest part is getting from the ground to parallel, after that it’s cake. Next week I will do more reps with the half squat to see what kind of numbers I come up with.

Rack Pulls 12x95, 10x100, 8x100 I held the bar at the top for as long as possible, hoping to make my hands stronger. (Ridiculous, plus 30 lbs from last week)
Deadlifts 15x65, 12x70, 10x75 (plus 5lbs from last week)

Hyperextensions 2x10x15lbs, 10xBW only.
30 minutes random hills on elliptical. Still ran up the stairs to the locker room, no soreness, nothing.
Happy with the leg training!

30/01/08-at gym
Incline bench 15x55, 12x60, 10x60, 6x65, 5x70 (plus 15lbs from last workout)
Why was the incline so easy today, my bench was harder!
Bench 12x60, 10x65, 8x65, 5x70, 3x30 same as last workout, need a spotter! I could have gone 5 lbs more with some back-up, but I’m a big chicken.

Pull-ups assisted with 80 lbs 3x10. They hurt my elbow.
BB curl 15, 12, 10x35lbs
BB Scott curl 12x20, 10x30, 8x30

I was supposed to do narrow grip pulldowns, but the roof was leaking right over all the cables and was cordoned off with tape. What a mess. I did some narrow grips rows instead, couldn’t think of anything else. 15x40, 12x50, 10x60.
30 minutes random hills elliptical again.

It’s fun to hit PRs each session hahahaha. I know that won’t last long and it’s normal at his point, but it still feels good to make progress.
OL tomorrow with my noisy new shoes.
ciao
db

122

[quote]dianab wrote:

Oh, and I found out today my gym has a bad name. The studio director who I contract with won’t let her daughter go there because she’s says the place is full of strippers and bikers.

She asked why I go there (it’s far from my house) and when I told her it was for OL (and explained to her what that is) she made a really weird face, kind of between disgust and amusement. Funny, it’s the same face I make when I see her fat ass bending over the printer to clear paper jams.

Shit, I’m turning back into an office bitch already.
db

[/quote]

Sounds like a fun place to me – lots of people watching and interesting stories :wink:

Malinda

123

Diana,
All those PRs are great. 105 on full squats…it sounds like 130 is not far at all!

Do you know anyone at your gym that would be a trustworthy spotter? I get real nervous about increasing weight on bench and squat when I’m alone. Having a spotter right there has given me a confidence boost and enabled me to push myself more.

Have fun with your noisy shoes today :slight_smile:

124

Thanks Buckeye, I’m really going to shoot for that 130 either this week or next. I had a blast with my noisy shoes too, I love them!
I wish that I could find someone to spot me. It doesn’t help that I go to train at different times, everytime, so I don’t really know anyone. I am going to need some one there is I want to break 130, I’ll just have to get over the shyness and ask.
db

125

[quote]firebug9 wrote:

Sounds like a fun place to me – lots of people watching and interesting stories :wink:

Malinda

[/quote]
It is a fun place to people watch, that’s for sure. I worked there for 10 years, but left to take up graphics. Not sure what’s happening with going back yet, although I am doing contract work for them right now. Hopefully will find out more in the upcoming week.

I think the worst part is that so many people in that building are either married to each other, divorced from each other (my ex-husband works there) or screwing each other. So there are tales to tell, I think my ex could write a soap opera about that place, he’s been there 25 years now. Crazy.
db

126

So, once again I am more interested in reading all of your logs than actually posting my training. But I’ve been at it, so here we go:

31/01/08- OL with my coach, Eric a.k.a fartman
Synchro snatch 10x35, 2x10x45, up 2.5 lbs
Split snatch 10x35, 2x10x45, up 2.5 lbs
Floor jump & snatch 12x35, 12x55, 12x60 YIPPEE it was easy, I was struggling with 60 early December on the technical snatch, so I think i’ve solved the problem. Got the speed up from the floor, finally.
Floor jump & clean 12x35, 12x55, 12x65 Eric said it was easy, and you know what? He was right!
Squat jumps 2x10-legs were sore and I had the shakes.

I have one more week of the higher reps and then we switch back to heavy weight for 3-5 reps. It has really helped me get my speed up and get the form into my head. And the noisy shoes help, and the BETA-7 helps too.

Training 2/02/08-at home
Cuban Press with bar 3x10x20lbs (I have a girly bar at home)
Military Press 15x40, 12x40, 10x45. I should mention this is not really a military press since I don’t have a bench and do them standing up. Maybe push press?

BB Bent over Row-to the face 12x50, 10x55, 8x55
Face Pulls 12x40, 10x30, 8x30 my cable weights seemed really heavy, I went down 10 lbs today
Behind Neck Press 12x40, 10x45, 8x45
BB Row 15x60, 12x65, 10x65
OH Tricep Extentions 12x30, 10x30, 8x30
Skulls 12x30, 10x30, 8x30
Standing DB External Rotations (for rotator cuff) 3x10x5lbs
I wanted to try the GBench 12-6-40-12 thing with lateral raises, but soon saw that I hate lateral raises because they really hurt my bum elbow.

This is the only program that I feel I am not making huge stride with. I am going to look into ways I can change this day up. My back is good, but the shoulders should be coming along a bit better. I have a good amount of muscle on my back delts and my upper traps are good, but the side and front delts need work.
Oh yeah, 30 minutes of hill climbs on elliptical and an hour of shoveling heavy snow. I’m a bit tired LOL.
db

127

[quote]dianab wrote:
Military Press 15x40, 12x40, 10x45. I should mention this is not really a military press since I don’t have a bench and do them standing up. Maybe push press?[/quote]

I thought military presses were done standing. And a push press is where you use your legs to help get the weight up?

I’ve been doing military presses with the bar behind my neck–is this what you’re calling a behind the neck press? When you military press do you bring the bar down in front of your chin?

It looks like the OL is going well–those workouts look fun.

128

I always thought they were done sitting, but I googled it and exrx.net shows them standing, bar to the chest and press. I’ve seen people doing them sitting so I wasn’t sure.

Push press is with the legs assisting the press, but I try not to use my legs, maybe on the last reps. And I’m not using them explosively, maybe next program. I could press a lot more if I did, I think. BNP is just that, bar behind the neck and press.
Yep, the OL is fun, getting more fun now that I’m feeling the form better.
db

129

[quote]dianab wrote:
31/01/08- OL with my coach, Eric a.k.a fartman
Synchro snatch 10x35, 2x10x45, up 2.5 lbs
Split snatch 10x35, 2x10x45, up 2.5 lbs
Floor jump & snatch 12x35, 12x55, 12x60 YIPPEE it was easy, I was struggling with 60 early December on the technical snatch, so I think i’ve solved the problem. Got the speed up from the floor, finally.
Floor jump & clean 12x35, 12x55, 12x65 Eric said it was easy, and you know what? He was right!
Squat jumps 2x10-legs were sore and I had the shakes.
[/quote]

You’re making some great progress!

c.

130

[quote]dianab wrote:
I always thought they were done sitting, but I googled it and exrx.net shows them standing, bar to the chest and press. I’ve seen people doing them sitting so I wasn’t sure.

Push press is with the legs assisting the press, but I try not to use my legs, maybe on the last reps. And I’m not using them explosively, maybe next program. I could press a lot more if I did, I think. BNP is just that, bar behind the neck and press.
Yep, the OL is fun, getting more fun now that I’m feeling the form better.
db[/quote]

I think I read somewhere that it’s called military press because you’re standing at attention, heh. Next time I’ll try pressing to my chest rather than behind the neck–not sure where I got the idea to go behind the neck from, just seemed natural at the time.

Feeling totally jealous of your OL-learning right now! I really want to hire a coach to teach me too but I think I should build up a better foundation of fitness/strength first. I think I’ll wait until I move away from China…8 months.

131

China has some great athletes, there must be some good coaches too!
I’ve always been “fit” but never very strong, because I wasn’t lifting heavy on a consistent basis. I would highly recommend the o-lifts for building up both fitness and strength. From what I’ve read on your log, I think you have more strength than I do; don’t hesitate to start a OL program if you can find a coach to work with. Most of the work (for me so far) has been learning explosive movements, balance and coordination, which has helped me in my regular lifting program. I went into it pretty flexible already, but that has improved as well.
My ex was in China for 2 months last year, he was going crazy to come home! Are you there on business or in the service?
db

132

I don’t doubt that I could find a great OL coach here in Beijing. Maybe I am being too cautious but I was totally out of shape a year ago and I had never lifted a weight in my life until last April. Also my husband keeps inviting me to come to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with him and I was going to start that in about a month so it kind of feels like my plate is full. But maybe this summer . . . I really am tempted. The Olympic lifts just look awesome to me. :slight_smile:

My husband works for Siemens out of Germany and we’re on a delegation here. I’m the trailing spouse, which means I get to goof off and work on writing a novel. We actually have no idea where we’re moving next but the 2-year delegation is over at the end of September. It’s probable we’ll end up back in Europe. I’m pretty excited about that; after we move I plan to look around to see what strength sports in the area I might be able to compete in, because I do think I’ll be decently strong by then and I love to compete.

Anyway, for now I’ll keep vicariously experiencing OL through your log. :wink:

133

Got my leg day in on Monday, between morning and afternoon meetings. I had my day scheduled out so well and everything worked, except that I was running on 4 hours sleep. Everything felt really heavy.
Half squats 20x65, 15x70, 10x80 (up 5 lbs)
Full squats 12x80, 10x90, 8x100, 3x105 got really tired after a half hour of squatting, so I left it at that.
Rack Pulls 12x95, 10x95, 8x95
Deadlifts 15x65, 12x70, 10x80 same as last week, but they felt much easier. I have been doing some grip work and it’s helping. I might try putting on my loves next time because the callouses on my palms hurt a bit today.
Hyperextensions 3x10x10lbs
30 minutes random hills elliptical.

Over all happy with the training. In the morning I had to meet up with my hopefully new boss, they are still contracting to me at this point. That’s OK, I get paid more that way. I went to the gym and then I had to meet my printer after and then go downtown to get proofs signed, come back and hand over the proofs, then finally go home. Major nap time, I was toasted. I put about 100km on my car yesterday with all the running around.

I need to start a new program next week, so I am going to try and come up with something myself for the regular training days. I have far to go on the big lifts still so those stay. I have to get rid of the chins, they hurt my elbow too much. I’ll talk it over with Eric and see what kind of rep/sets he thinks I should stick to for now.

I was really hoping that by this time I’d have more muscle showing. I mean there has been improvement since I started the OL program. Previous to that, I was more focused on loosing weight. I’ve added 1.5-2 pounds, but my measurements are about the same. I can see a difference in composition in my legs and back (traps from the OL in particular), but I’ve never been able to put on a lot of muscle. On the bright side, my strength is way better so I guess that counts for something.
db

134

[quote]dianab wrote:

I was really hoping that by this time I’d have more muscle showing. I mean there has been improvement since I started the OL program. Previous to that, I was more focused on loosing weight. I’ve added 1.5-2 pounds, but my measurements are about the same. I can see a difference in composition in my legs and back (traps from the OL in particular), but I’ve never been able to put on a lot of muscle. On the bright side, my strength is way better so I guess that counts for something.
db[/quote]

It seems to take forever to add muscle. You have probably added more than you think. You don’t have to post them but take monthly pictures. That is the best way to see if you like the changes you have made.

Last year I did a lot of sets of 15-25 reps on squats, RDLs, and leg press. Did nothing for strength but added muscle. I could barely walk when I left the gym:)

Great job on the squats and increasing your strength:)

Claire

135

I do need to take some pics.
I wish that I had some decent ones where I’m not making some dumb face. I think I’ll get Mark to do it for me and I will post them. A log is not much with out visuals, and it will help me in the long run.
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m never sure with the reps. Eric has had me on high rep in the regular workouts since I started so I guess he’s doing the right thing.
I have a very limited amount of patience and attention span sometimes.
db

136

06/02/08 Training at gym
Incline bench 15x55, 12x65, 10x65, 7x65, 5x70
Bench 12x60, 10x65,6x70, 6x70, 5x75, 2x80 (up 5lbs and a bunch of reps to get there)
84 reps between the 2 presses, crap I guess that’s what they mean by high rep.
Narrow grip pull downs 20x60, 15x60, 10x70
BB curl 15, 12, 10x35
Scott Curl 12, 10, 8x30
30 minutes elliptical random hills on the old and crappy generation of ellipticals. I wanted to stop every 2 minutes. The resistance is higher on those old machines.

Seemed like a short workout, an hour lifting, but I feel it now.

I want to know what is the general consensus on giving up benching for the next 6 weeks and doing incline and flat DB presses. Or should I just stick with this for the next 6 week period? Since I can’t do pull-ups until this elbow is better, what is a good alternative to these?

Still need to figure out what my goals are. I want to be stronger, I want more muscle, I want to have less fat. I have to pick one I guess…
Good luck to those of you offering it up for Lent.
db

137

[quote]dianab wrote:
I want to know what is the general consensus on giving up benching for the next 6 weeks and doing incline and flat DB presses. Or should I just stick with this for the next 6 week period? Since I can’t do pull-ups until this elbow is better, what is a good alternative to these?
[/quote]

I think DB work is great. Helps with the imbalances. If you were training for a PLing meet I would say no but since you are an OL I think it would be fine.

[quote]
Still need to figure out what my goals are. I want to be stronger, I want more muscle, I want to have less fat. I have to pick one I guess…
Good luck to those of you offering it up for Lent.
db[/quote]

I want all those goals too:)

Giving up peanut butter for lent is tough. I had a little bit of a panic at the grocery store. I bought rice cakes and oat bran pita bread and was wondering what the h*ll I would put on them.

138

[quote]dianab wrote:
I want to be stronger, I want more muscle, I want to have less fat. I have to pick one I guess…
[/quote]

Who says???

Shoot for all 3!!!

And I hope you start posting some videos of your OL’s. Did I say that right? I’d like to see those lifts in action :slight_smile:

c.

139

I’ve been shooting for all 3 for a while now!
I need to get a video phone or something. I’d like to post some too, just to see what my form looks like.

Today was the last day of this OL program. Looking back six weeks, I have accomplished the following:

  1. Fixed the problem I was having with my form in the snatch. That’s a biggie.

  2. Gained some speed. The test will be with added weight, just how much technique and form I am able to stay with.

  3. Endurance is way up. The first week of this program I thought I was going to puke or pass out. Today it was almost too easy. It was the first day I didn’t feel like I’d been dragged thru the muck afterwards.

Synchro Snatch 3x10: increased from 40lbs to 65lbs

Split Snatch 3x12: increased from 40lbs to 60lbs. In the last program a 60lb technical snatch was super hard, it made me want to cry, seriously. 60lbs was hard today, but not overwhelmingly so. I don’t have to drop under the weight into a full squat with this lift (technical snatch) but I’m pretty sure I could.

Floor Jump & Snatch 3x12, progressed with higher weight to 3x6: increased from 35lbs to 65lbs. Again, no drop and catch, just to overhead lockout. 55lbs was where I injured myself on the technical snatch last fall. It was during the jump, having the bar too far from my body. This is fixed now.

Floor Jump & Clean 3x12, progressed with higher weight to 3x6: increased from 45lbs to 85lbs. Need to get my elbows sticking in front more, like when doing a front squat. But happy with the weight.

I feel like I made really good progress in the past 6 weeks. I have yet to squat 130, presently holding at 105. I don’t see going up 25lbs in the one week left, but that’s OK, I went from 60-105. I can’t make the goal of chins without further messing up my left arm. I did get shoes, increase in strength and endurance and bettered my technique. So some goals were met!

Onwards an upwards: I will design my next program (except OL day). Legs, back & chest, OL, and 1 day at home doing shoulders, arms and remedial stuff for the left side, injury etc. I’ll post it and you guys can tell me if I’m an complete idiot or genius!
db

140

Those are some great accomplishments!

I think most of us just post goals but never bother to stop at some point, and see just how far we’ve come. You’ve come a long way :slight_smile:

cool avi. you crazy graphic artist :wink:

c.