Posted: 3/11/10 at 3:32pm | IP Logged

Today, in kg except where noted:

DL: 60x5, 90x3, 132.5x5, 150x3, 167.5x3, 185(408#)x1

Push Press: 40x5, 50x3, 62.5x5, 70x3, 77.5(171#)x2

BTN Jerk 80(176#)x1

Alt. DB Hammer Curl(#): 50x10(5/5), 65x10(5/5)

Naut. Calf Press(#): 415x20, 415x20

Posted: 3/12/10 at 6:08am | IP Logged

Weigh in: 206#  Fat % down another .5% by the evil electronic scale. 

OK, I can't tell if I should be happy or worried.

Posted: 3/12/10 at 7:01am | IP Logged

Need to be at least under 200 for some of the stuff I wanted to do this year, and my metabolism functions in geological time frames so cutting weight has never been good for me.

Posted: 3/12/10 at 8:23am | IP Logged

Maybe you are leveling off...I would imagine your body comp has changed significantly, and you are getting more powerful.

Posted: 3/13/10 at 4:21pm | IP Logged

I'm hoping you are right.  Most of the time the under 200s and Masters use the same weights so no big deal untill I decide to do an OL meet which prbly won't be a while, nothing coming up near me.

When presented the option of going outside and running or taking a nap I chose the latter.  I felt great shame so I figured I would at least play with the only COC grippers I have (The G and S).  2x10 with both grippers with both hands, 2 sets of holds with both sets both hands then turned them upside down for 1x5G, and 1x10S with both hands.  Went out back and saw my stones weren't frozen to the ground anymore so I cleaned and pressed the "Stupid Stone" 1 x just for fun.

Posted: 3/15/10 at 8:00am | IP Logged

I'm down in Lake Placid (yes, I have to go South to get to Lake Placid) for a coference this week.  Although there is a good gym in town, I don't think I'll be able to get to it.  There is a fitness room at the hotel, but....ha!  So anyway...

Last night: 25 minutes on some sort of thing that made me sweat a lot.

Posted: 3/16/10 at 6:25pm | IP Logged

About an hour down 11, in Canton.  Takes me about 2 1/2 to get to Burlington.  We usually take the Grand Isle ferry. 

So here's what I have....You card into the fitness room, walk up 18 stairs to the room.  There is a wall of various sweaty stuff, one bench and DB's from 2.5 to 20 lbs.  Here's what I came up with:

Circuit:

DB twists on bench withthe 20's and 15's so it was 20, 15, 15, 20 stack R to L then L to R  - 3 sets.

Hammer Winds with one of the 15#.  5 revs each sidex 3

DB jumps.  Take the 20 #DB's down the steps jump up 2 steps at a time so it was 9 jumps.

Got it?

So the workout was 10minutes eliptical, 1 circuit, 5 minutes eliptical, 1 circuit, 5 minutes eliptical, 1 circuit.  By the end I was sucking gas, much to the silent confusion of the other patrons.  I might be fat, but at least I'm fat with a purpose....I have to admit I was somewhat proud of my creativity given such limited resources.

Posted: 3/18/10 at 5:27pm | IP Logged

All in kg:

Squat: 60x5, 90x3, 97.5x5, 112.5x5, 127.5x6

Bench: 50x5, 60x3, 72.5x5, 85x5, 95x6

Clean High Pulls: 70x3, 75x3, 80x2, 90x2

C&J: 80x1, 85x0, 85x0 (see below)

Not sure who all is reading this, by the numbers must be some of yunz (Hey, I'm still a Pgh kid at heart).  Anyway if you remember from the first few pages I was struggling with cleans in the 85kg/185lbs range and a little bit ago I got one.  Well today I hit 2 of them @ 85kg and they was E-A-S-Y, and that was after doing squats and high pulls, so the conditioning stuff seems to be working. The second pull was majorly improved, now for that jerk part...

Posted: 3/19/10 at 8:27am | IP Logged

Are you power cleaning or squat cleaning?  The Jerk is all about comitment.  You hesitate and you are going to loose it.  Takes some guts to dive under a large ammount weight that is hovering mid-air for a split second.

By the way, there is a great O lifting coach in Essex VT.  May be worth the trip to fine tune some things.

Essex Junction

TEAM VERMONT

Christopher Polakowski

(802) 879-7252

Posted: 3/19/10 at 8:53am | IP Logged

Thanks Duncan!  Will thanks for the info, I did one of Coach P's meets a few years ago after having done Olympic Lifts for about 6 weeks.  Great guy, and the set up at that school is amazing!!!  I definately need to get in touch with him.

Oh, I can sort of almost, kinda squat clean, but with those I didn't need to, I was way above paralell on the catch.

Posted: 3/19/10 at 9:09am | IP Logged

Between you and me Andrew, I rarely go parallel on the catch.  I do not feel as secure, and I have a tendency to lean forward and run after the weight.  A timing/racking issue.  Even when I was cleaning 315 for reps I had minimal knee bend.  Mine is probably NOT the example to follow, and it is most likely the reason why I have never been an OLM Oly lifter.

But I totally get where you are coming from...

Did you ever stop and think you might just be that strong?

Posted: 3/19/10 at 11:28am | IP Logged

This highlights one of the most interesting aspects of the Oly lifts.  On paper it makes total sense for you to react to the increase in weight on the bar by lowering the point of the catch.  As your ability to elevate the bar decreases you respond by dropping under it at a lower height.  Totally obvious.  However in actuality that rarely happens outside of the dedicated Oly lifting community. 

The average person tends to catch the bar higher as the weight goes up.  Even if you start squat cleaning with a very light weight and add slowly the person will tend to catch higher as they get closer to their max. 

I think this shows the mental aspect of the lifts.  The confidence and commitment these lifts require, at weights nearing the individual’s max, is significant.  I think that is part of the reason that proficiency requires such high levels of training.  The number of reps to forge the physiological mechanics and the psychological comfort is significant.  At least in my opinion.

Posted: 3/21/10 at 7:13am | IP Logged

Andrew,

Boss, I am going to be stuck in GA for about a month training...I am told the weight room at the facility leaves something to be desired, and so I will most likely be doing some jogging, etc.  You seem to do a lot of outside Dinosaur type stuff...can you make any suggestions?  I think it is close to the beach, and I thought about maybe racing Apollo Creed or something.

I don't need a vacation from the iron, but I need something to do to improve.

Posted: 3/21/10 at 7:47am | IP Logged

If I don't find rocks I will just get some smaller officers.  Or just run.  I am kinda screwed either way...either I don't lift, get fat, and still get dominated by Nathan B., or I run a bunch, lose weight, and get a beat down by Isaac B.

Can I get a witness?

Posted: 3/21/10 at 2:52pm | IP Logged

The first thing you should do is PM skullsplitter or nesa.  As far as rocks go they are the resources. 

I look at my own stone stuff like this, there are 4 basic things you can do 1) throw em 2)lift em 3) carry em 4) press em.  I like to try and look at my surroundings and see what is there as opposed to what isn't. One thing pops into my head when you mention the beach....SAND!!!  If you don't have rocks then you will have sand.   I would go to a Tractor Supply store and get some good bags, grain bags or something nice and tight.  Or if you have enough time/$ then the Milo ones look great.  Throw those and a little fold up spade in a gym bag.  Even a little gardening spade would work.  Now you have an infinite range of weights to play with.  Medicine ball stuff, carrys, presses...let the imagination roll.  If you have stairs those weighted stair jumps really kicked my arse last week.  Grab some DB's from the gym and hop up the stairs (it did bug my knee a bit).  Can't wait to see how it turns out for you. 

Posted: 3/21/10 at 3:00pm | IP Logged

Rain, snow, cold, yuch, so I was inside for my first "event day" of the year.  So here's what I did....

All in lbs.

Stone Trainer Load: Shoulder Level: 105x3, 150, 175,  195, 220

                              Chest level: 240, 265, 285x (got it in my lap)

Tricep Bar Press (Clean on first): 115x3, 130x3, 145x3, 165x2, 175x0

Farmers Walk (w/DB's): 180x100ft, 180x100ft, 180x100ft (These were 90/hand)

The stone trainer was the end off an old oly bar. My previous best was 5 plates and I only had managed to do that once.  Today I got 5 and a 25.  Missed on 6, but I think it's in there somewhere.  I did the Tri bar because I figured it was close to a log.  I ran into problems at 175 with the clean, it was too odd to lap and curl, and too narrow to get a good extension for a clean.  I know I could do the press.

Posted: 3/22/10 at 6:50am | IP Logged

Nice one Craig, or should I call you "Giant Claw"?

I watched the Elite FTS vid and I am definately doing them wrong.  I 'm rolling the stack up and grabbing it by the edge which is definately must be easier than wrapping all the way around the plates.  Given my lack of height that puts me in a position similar to a sumo DL as opposed to a row.  Still, it's more than I had done before and once it's off the ground I still had to pick it up, so I'm still happy.

Posted: 3/22/10 at 2:17pm | IP Logged

Conditioning Day

Circuit (C) = 10 jumps 40kg trap bar, 10 vertical med ball tosses (10# ball), 10/10  off the wall hip throws (9# ball)

The workout = 5 min eliptical + C + 5 min rower + C + 5 min eliptical + C + 5 min rower + C

I guess it could be summed up as

W = 10 (mE) + 10 (mR) + 4(C)

Is it me, or am I starting to get just a little bit weird about all this...