IL State Weightlifting Championships

Wt: 75.75
Class 77kg Masters (35+)

Snatch:
80-More of a power snatch-solid
84-Got it with a little walk out
90-Missed it behind me. 90 was a big jump, but I hit 84 and figured "why not"

Clean and Jerk
105-Solid
108-Soilid
110-Felt a little press out, but I got 2/3 white lights, so it counted

Total: 194

I was the only lifter in my class, but I did improve my total by 9kg. My snatch needs a lot of work. I should have 90kg easily. That is the goal. I plan on just spending some time working on snatch technique.

Snatch

95x1x2
115x1
135x1
145x1
155x1x2
165x1x2
170x1

Did a mix of power and full. Not really feeling fast or solid.

Pull-Ups/Get-Ups

Pull-Up Pyramids:
1-2-3-4-5-6 (too much)
1-2-3-4
1-2-3
1-2

Took about 4min, the first one was too much. The orginal plan was 2 pyramids to 6, but could not do that without form going to pot.

Get-Ups with 35lbs bell

5 each side (took about 3min)

Fast quick workout to keep the system going. I am still tired and not very fresh. I have been putting in a lot of hours at work, maybe that is it.

Power Snatch, Clean and Jerk

In lbs

Power Snatch:

65x1
75x1
95x1
115x1
135x1
145x1
155x1x2
165x1x2

Clean and Jerk

165x1
185x1
205x1

Felt off tonight. Power snatches were not crisp. I wanted to hit a few up to 155-165lbs (around 80%) to keep the system primed. I am more consistent in power snatches and can power snatch almost what I can snatch, so I have been focusing on those lately...maybe too much. Next week, light session both power and snatch. C&J felt better, but stopped at 80%.

I am 78kg and have been holding here for a week. I need to get 1 more KG off this week.

Easy Run

Ran about 2mi this morning with my son (on his bike) and dog. It is nice to get outside and enjoy the 40F morning. I really do enjoy running. It is one thing that I am really, really not naturally good at, but still enjoy doing it. It is the most primal of human movements...the original "explosive" move.

Circuit training

4 Rounds not for time:

KB Complex with 1 Pood bell:
-10 Swings (2 hands)
-10 Swings R hand
-10 Swings L hand
-10 Snatches R hand
-10 Snatches L hand
100 Singles Skips

A good circuit this morning to get the blood flowing. I started to dial down the volume and intensity, but still trying to keep the system primed.

Olifting

Power Snatch-Clean and Jerk

95lbs
115lbs
135lbs
155lbs
175lbs-Failed the snatch, not ready for the load
175lbs

I did one more snatch at 175lbs, then did just Clean and Jerks

195lbsx1
215lbsx1
225lbsx1
235lbsx1

Called it a day. 175lbs (or 80kg) is my opening weight next week. I plan on openning the C&J at 105kg.

I worked all last night. Long day, total 19hours doing anesthesia. A few big cases, got home at 0300. Today was a lazy day, the work disrupts me and the weights felt heavy. Today was all about just getting to the opening weights and knowing I can hit them.

METCON

5 Rounds for time:

10 45lbs KB Snatch-L arm
10 45lbs KB Snatch-R arm
100 Single Skips
10 Kipping Pull-ups

9:15

Everything unbroken, but took a little time on transition. It kicked my butt, the dosage was right on.

Snatch

Snatch

Today's BW 172.5lbs (78kgs)
In lbs:

Power Snatches receiving the bar lower and lower, the last few were deep, but not in full A2G squat.

65x1
95x1
115x1
135x1
145x1
155x1
165x1
175x1 (opening weight)
180x1
185x1
190x1
195x1
200x1 (PR!)
205xF-Could not drop under it fast enough, fell forward.

Happy with the session today. Goal was to hit 185 solid, as my attempts in 2 weeks will be 80,85 and see.

Note the little jumps toward the end. Expressing max strength is more neurological then muscular. The key is getting more individual muscle fibers to fire. These fibers are not activated through excitatory impulses, rather through inhibition of inhibitory impulses. The subconcious mind inhibits our strength. The ideal behind small jumps is to let the mind know the body is ready for that weight.

In Henry Rollins epic Iron and the Soul, he writes how weights will only allow us to lift them we are ready to lift them, how the iron cares for us. I believe this is a romantic notion of the subconcious mind inhibiting us from lifting weight we are secretly afraid might hurt us.

KB Swings, Push-up

Not for time:
40-30-20-10
2 Pood Hardstyle Swings
Push-Up

Goal was all sets unbroken. The swings were good, the push rest in the modified front lean and rest (FLR) 2x in set 20 and 1x in set 10.

Olift Coaching

Meet up with Dave and the CDW crew at Mike Gattone's gym. I was about an hour late and Mike was deep into coaching Dave and the crew. Roger Nielson pulled me aside and gave me some coaching. Roger was the US Olympic Weightlifting Coach in Biejing.

I had a great snatch tehnique session. Roger helped me understand the how and why of lifting the bar off the ground. I have some drills to do.

I just want to say again, tonight I received a 1 hour Olympic Weightlifting Coaching session with the gentleman who coached our Olympic Team in Biejing. That is right, that is the caliber of coaches we have here in Chicago. Roger and Mike are extremely nice and humble. I can not understand for the life of me why the Chicago area CrossFit community is not reaching out to these guys more.

Pull-ups

50 Deadhang Pull-ups
5:40

Done pyramid 1-2-3-4x5. Felt the last 2 pyramids.

KB Snatches

60 1.5 Pood Snatches
2:37

Done 15/15,10/10,5/5. Did this about 3 hours after METCON. I did this in July in 2:33, that 4secs is nothing to lose sleep over. In July, I was probably in better METCON shape, but now I have been working more with the bells.

METCON: Pull-ups, KB Snatch, Double Unders

AMRAP in 15min:

3 Deadhang Pull-ups
4/4 35lbs KB Snatch
9 Double Unders

12 Rounds

The DUs were the weak link. I am so ineffecient at them. I did most round unbroken. I am trying to swing the bell more in the snatch, focused on the punch later. I am trying to avoid pulling with the arm at all and letting all the height of the bell be generated by the swing.

Best training advice in the world

Today I was reading Dan John's blog and read the best piece of training advice I have ever heard.

"I never consider anything about training to be so true and correct that it can’t stand another look. Just about everything you do or try works…for about two weeks. The key, the real key, is discovering those simple and elegant things that provide the most benefit for the least amount of payment. Call it “Bang for the Buck” or “Cost to Benefit,” but there is nothing more true than if one simply mastered three to five things and did them with some intensity some times and some volume some other times, you would find the “perfect program.”"

After nearly 3 years of continuous, dedicated training moving from CrossFit through kettlebells, powerlifting to olympic lifting, I read this and thought, I agree with this statement 100%. Take a few things, get really good at them and if they are used correctly, they will meet almost all of one's training needs.

The key is finding those things that work for you. At this point, these things, for me, are the olympic lifts, kettlebells and calisthenics. The olympic lifts will not only allow me to train strength, but also power, speed, accuracy, agility, coordination, balance, and focus (real mental toughness). Kettlebells give me training in all forms of endurance (strength and power endurance and cardio-respiratory endurance), stamina, coordination, agility. Moving my own body through space trains all type of endurance, stamina, agility, coordination, balance, speed. By combining these things into various ways, I can develop an endless variety of conditioning circuits that will prevent training from becoming boring and provide an ever changing stimulus.

Lastly, I believe doing these exercises will prepare me better to face the unknown and unknowable then any other modality out there. After studying CrossFit for about 3 years, reading everything ever put out by that corporation, discussing it ad nausem, I will stand by that statement. Deadlifts for reps, power cleans, push presses, ergometer whatever are nothing more then tools used to accomplish an end. The best tools are an olympic bar, some bumpers, some kettlebells and one's own body.

Snatch Pulls/OHS

In lbs:

Halting Snatch DL-Snatch Pull-Snatch High Pull

135
155
175
190
200-Did not get the high pull very high

OHS

135x3
155x3
175x3
190x3
200x1,F-2-Got distracted
200x3

Goal today was work both the first pull and to get the feel of 200lbs overhead.

METCON

5 Rounds for time:
10 45lbs KB Snatch L Arm
10 45lbs KB Snatch R Arm
150 Skips

8:08

The dose was just right for tonight. All snatches unbroken, did not set the bell down on hand pass. The 3 round of skips missed at 83, otherwise the 150 were continuous.

Snatch/Clean and Jerk

In lbs:

Snatch
65x3
95x1
115x1
135x1
145xF
145x1
155x1
165xF
165x1
175x1
185x1
190xF
190x1
200xF-missed to the back. I was not strong enough in the catch)
200xF-missed forward
200xF-close, justed missed it forward, I could not stand up fast enough to walk it out.

I could taste 200lbs tonight. I know I can hit this weight!

Clean and Jerk
155x1
175x1
195x1
215x1
215x1

Stopped there. The snatches were catching up to me.

METCON-KB Swings/GHD Sit-Ups

AMRAP in 10min:

15 2 Pood Hardstyle Swings
10 GHD Sit-Ups

8 Rounds

Clean and Jerk/Snatch

In lbs:

Clean and Jerk:
135x1
155x1
175x1
195x1
210x1
225x1
235x1
245x1-Slight push out with L arm. 245 is the most I have C&J
210x1
210x1

Snatch
65x1
95x1
115x1
135x1
145x1
155x1
165x1
175x1
185x1
190XF-caught it in the hole, held it overhead, then lost balance forward.
160x1
160x1

This is based on the beginner program in GE Weightlifting Book. I worked toward a heavy set, then dropped to 85% of the heavy set and did 2 more lifts (he calls for 3 drop sets)

Points-a little less aggressive on my carpet on the jerk, I think that caused the push-out. No worries, I am stoked about getting that close to 245lbs. On the snatch, the small jumps felt good, I did lose the 190 forward. This is a consistent fault of mine, one thing I need to focus on is finishing the second pull. 190lbs should have been made.