NewWorldMan's Learning Olympic Lifting Log

Training Over 35 Lifter
61

Week 1/Day 2:
Power Snatch + Hang Snatch - 4x2@60%
2 Hang Cleans + 1Jerk - 4x2@60%
Front Squat - 100,102,105,107,110%
Push Press - 3x5

Quads a little sore from the 5x5 squats yesterday, but I felt good after I got warmed up with leg/arm swings etc.

As always I start my snatches with bar work to warm up and get limber.
I usually squat/press then do some RDLS and progress to 3 reps from high hang and three more from below the knee.

For an older lifter there’s a fine line between ‘warmed up’ and ‘worn out’ :slight_smile:

SNATCH: POWER + HANG
one set @ 95lbs
4x2@105lbs*
CLEAN & JERK: 2 HANG + 1 JERK
one set @ 115lbs
4x2@ 135**
FRONT SQUAT:
232lbs,235,242,242,242***
PUSH PRESS:
3x5@ 135****

Overall a good crisp workout (and short too - barely over an hour including all the preliminary warm up work).

  • The power snatches flew up at this weight and I felt nice and quick getting under the follow up hang snatches (I did these from below the knee).

**cleans felt crisp; jerks were ok, too easy to not step through and still finish the lift at such a light weight. I need to have more discipline to use good form on lighter weight sets.

*** Weights were a little off from the program progression, but all were in the correct range. Seeing that these are 85% of my front squat 1 RM I focused on keeping tight and coming out of the hole fast.

**** Maybe the fatigue from yesterday caught up here or maybe I don’t push press enough - I seemed to struggle finding my form driving the bar up, pressing out this weight is not too tough. I need to get more efficient in my dip and drive - I can jerk 95/96 solidly, but last Saturday on two attempts @ 100 (the cleans were solid) I barely got the bar past my eyebrows :frowning:

Not sure if we are going the the Rush concert Thursday or not (haven’t missed one since 1989) - so we’ll see how work out three pans out. I am reluctant to do three days in a row.

So far so good - time to apply some discipline to my diet…

62

Wednesday was a day off.
Back at it tonight albeit with only one hour to workout (worked late today).

Weights in lbs…

  1. Back Squat:
    bar/5 then leg swings
    135/5
    225/2
    275/5x2 (skipped 3rd set due to time constraints - there goes the program :stuck_out_tongue: )
  2. Snatch:
    bar work - high hang/3 below knee/3
    95/2
    115/2
    135/1x10 mostly on the minute
  3. Clean and Jerk:
    135/2+2
    150/1+1
    165/1+1x8
  4. RDL:
    185/3x4
  • decent results tonight considering I was hurried to get my work in. Rushed into the squats, but these were 75% so no harm, no foul.
    Snatch seemed crisp: focused on hips - seemed to hit one of the late snatches higher in my belly - not sure about that - no video.
    Cleans were crisp - w/out video or coaching I’m assuming the form is ok - easy to get it up with bad form at a lighter weight.
    Jerks were solid - getting better with my front foot position and pressure.
63

Week 1 Day 4:
Lifting at the club - big turnout today and Rege is back home - that means good coaching available!

Max and front squat day today:

I took my time warming up; but for some reason felt nervous.

SNATCH: (after bar work)
40/3 position
50/2
60/1 (good speed)
65/1 (good speed)
70/1
75/1 (pull was good; had to pause at the bottom to stand up - need to be tighter in the catch.)
80/x (too timid on the pull), x(pull good - didn’t push up enough), x (same)

CLEAN & JERK:
50/1+2
60/1
70/1
80/1
90/1 (good jerk)
100/1+press out, 1+x, 1+x*

FRONT SQUAT:
110/1
120/1
120/1

*the clean at 100 are solid - good pull, stand up fast. Happy with the press out( actually getting it over my head), but no further progress. I need to find a way to get more power in my dip/drive - more practice w/meaningful weights I suppose.

Back squats and multiple singles @77% on Monday…

/sorry I missed 80/100 by end of summer Carl - hated to make your prediction wrong.

64

No worries here, You were darn close. You have come a long way is a short time.

65

Week 2 Day 1 of Hartman’s 8 week contest prep cycle

Back Squats @ 82.5%:
20/5
70/5
100/3
120/2
136/5 for 3 sets* + 136/1 just to do ‘more’!
Snatch (10@ 77.5%):
20/3 from high hang; 3 from below the knee
40/2
50/1
57.5/1
62.5/10 singles**
Clean & Jerk(8@77.5):
50/1+2
60
70
77.5/8 singles***
RDL:
90/3 for 3 sets

  • Doc Hartman suggested lowering the volume from 5 to 3 sets for (older) masters level lifters. I didn’t mind stopping after three sets today! Though I did walk out and do a single for a 4th set - a mental thing to prove to myself that I can do more - learned this from a runner years ago - he used to line up for an additional interval (11 if he did 10) and mentally go through running the additional interval.
    ** Snatches felt smooth and faster tonight though for some reason reps 1 and 5 I caught the pulls on my toes and not back on my heals - I was able to recover but this won’t do at heavier weights. I have video of rep 6 below:

[url]6th single @77.5% (snatch) - YouTube

*** Cleans are good at this weight - I seem to be staying over the bar and turning the elbows over well - standing up with 77.5 is no issue ( front squat is 130). Jerks were more crisp tonight according to a club coach (not Rege). Video is of my 7th rep - the shallow front foot on this video is not indicative of my other jerks - though rep 5 was a ‘soft’ jerk according to coach.

[url]9th single of clean & jerk @77.5% - YouTube

All in all a good workout. Grooving the reps with a single weight is working well for me after spending a few weeks working 3 position snatches and cleans from below the knee. Looking forward to working up to max on power snatch, power clean/jerk, and front squats (2 RM).

66

Not a lot of practice w/the power versions of the lift but gave them a go…

Power Snatch:
bar work
95 (lbs)/2
115/2
135/1
145/1
150/1 - actually dropped under and did a full squat snatch
145/1,1 - tried to keep these as power snatches
150 - yep, dropped under it and caught in full snatch squat.

Power Clean and Jerk:
115/1+2
135/1
150/1
165/1
175/1
185/1
190/1

Front Squat:
205/2
225/2
235/2
245/2

Push Press:
3x5@115

Felt equally weird catching the cleans in a quarter squat/power position - just not used to them I guess.

67

Your workouts are impressive. Olympic lifts are so damn hard too get the form right.

68

Thanks - currently, I am following Michael Hartman’s 8 week contest prep program.
You are correct that the forms are hard to learn - I am still learning myself. Hopefully, I will be able to lift qualifying totals soon (Master’s lifter will compete in 40-44 next year).

69

week 2 day 3
Back Squat:
45 (lbs)/5
135/5
225/3
272/5 for 3 sets
Snatch:
95/2 high hang; 1 from floor
115/1
135/10 singles (mostly OTM)
Clean and Jerk:
115/1+2
135/1
150/1
165/8 singles
RDL:
205/3x3

70

Week 2 Day 4

Worked up to max on both lifts! Quick workout at the school fitness center ( i.e no nice Olympic bar, bumpers in lbs not kilos) before my son’s football game.

Snatch: worked up to 94% of current max, missed one @88% - mostly not having my head right. Made the mental adjustment and did fine from there. I quit w/ a success at 94% rather than keep moving up, mostly due to time constraints.

Clean and Jerk: worked up to 93%, made two attempts at 95% - cleaned both easily. Missed the jerk recovery on the first and didn’t even jerk the bar past my eyebrows on the second attempt.

Not a great workout, but glad to get some work in. Oh, and my son’s team won with ease, they are slowly STARTING to look like a football team.

71

Hartman’s contest prep:week 3 day 1
Back squats for sets of 3@ 85%
20/5
60/3
100/3
120/3
140/3x3
Snatch:
20/3 hang, 3 from below knee
40/2 hang
50
55
60
65/1,x,1,1,1,1,x,1 (8 singles)*
Clean and jerk:
50
60
70
80/1,1,1,1,1,1 (6 singles)
RDL:
3x3@90

*Forgot to mention I suffered a yellow jacket sting at the base of my left thumb Saturday AM - I think he was on my sun glasses and he didn’t like when I grabbed them to take them off.

Funny thing is, this didn’t effect my lifting Saturday but Sunday around 6 AM the darn thing started to swell up and itch.

So, after some topical benydryl (sp?) I tape up as usual.

The swelling was just enough to notice when when I hooked gripped the ball and when I caught the snatches.

72

Power Snatch up to 150lbs, took a few @ 145.
Power Clean and Jerk up to 190lbs.
Push Press 3x5@135lbs
Front Squat up to 247x2.

Still not a fan of the power versions of the lifts, in particular I am don’t have a lot of practice w/power snatch and find myself wanting to drop under the bar.
Push presses could’ve been heavier but that’s what I choose.

73

Week 3 Day 3
Back Squat:
45lbs/5
135/4
225/3
275/3x3
Snatch:
bar(high hang)/3;below knee/3
95lbs/2
115/2
135/8 singles
Clean and jerk:
115/1+2
135
155
165/5 singles

oops I broke from the program! I was supposed to do one more c&j single and then 3x3 on the RDL
but
I had to go pick up my son from football practice and change a brake line on my daughter’s car - so I don’t think one single and nine rdls knocks me too far off the routine :wink:

Plan for Saturday AM → work up to 90% on snatch ans 85% on c&j.
then
weeks four and five (supposed to be tough!)…

74

Your numbers really look like thye are moving in the right direction.

75

[quote]JoeGood wrote:
Your numbers really look like they are moving in the right direction.[/quote]
Thanks! I am following Micheal Hartman’s * Week Contest prep routine - he did suggest to me a few alterations for ‘masters’ (>35) lifters (lower volume on assistance work).

The next two weeks up the intensity - I suspect the numbers may go up then perhaps drop. There’s a taper up to the comp - we’ll see what the numbers look like on Nov. 6/7th.

76

End of week 3:

worked up to 90% on the snatch
and 85% on the clean & jerk.

The snatches felt very good!
The cleans seem to be strong but somewhat awkward.
The jerks were strong, except the last one - a little to the front.

Did some dip/pullups/box jumps just to burn off some energy.

Feeling really good right now, no injuries.

Week 4 and 3 sessions of working to max and one session up to 90%.

We’ll see how a 39 year old holds up to 2 weeks of maxing…

77

Week 4 - maximal
Snatch:
bar work (3 each from high hang and below the knee)
40/2
50/2
60/1
66/1
72.5/1
77.5/x,x,1*
60/1
64/1
68/1
72/1
75/x
Clean and Jerk:
50/1
60/1
70/1
80/1
90/1
95/1
100/x,x**
80/1
85/1
90/1
95/1+x***
90/1
Squat:
100/2
120/2
130/2
140/2
145/2

Snatches were crisp tonight.

  • club coach (not Rege) said I had plenty of pull but needed to get under the bar quicker - third max attempt felt good!
    ** put my belt on for 100 attempts- proceeded to catch the bar on my belt :frowning:
    took the belt off and proceeded to hit my chest and missed again :frowning:
    ***Supposed to back off to 75,80,85,90 but didn’t pay attention and ended up doing 80,85,90,95 then I figured it out and did 90.
78

I got tired just reading it, nice work.

79

[quote]JoeGood wrote:
I got tired just reading it, nice work.[/quote]
It WAS a long workout -but they will be for the next two weeks, then taper to the meet the weekend of Nov. 6/7.

I survived this one - not too bad actually - the last cleans were harder than the squats that followed.

We shall see how the remaining three workouts go this week and then again next week…

80

I used to be able to do that, attempt maxes in both snatch and C&J in the same day, 4 times a week. I could last 3 or 4 weeks before collapsing. Anymore, once a week in each lift is about all I can handle. Keep it up. This has worked well for me when I backed off in time.