Squat 11-29-09 and 11-30-09

After a conversation with Jon North who is ranked #5 in the 94kg class in the USA, it became apparent that I need to be squatting more. The elite team at CSA lift 6 days a week. Squatting 1 or 2 times a day. He was fully confident that I'd be able to handle that kind of volume and more if I had the time/discipline to do it. Stepping up my squatting game to 5 days a week may now be necessary. My only concern is the tolls of shift work and lack of sleep and how that may play into it. We shall see. Today took all of 20 minutes including warmup. Nice to get back into my garage and lift there again.

Back Squat - 95lbs/5, 155/2, 185/1, 205/1, 225/1, 255/1, 265/1, 280lbs/1 PR

300lbs should be here soon. So a PR Front Squat yesterday and Back Squat today. Might be something to this squatting 5 days a week thing.

11-30-09

Back Squat - 95lbs/3, 155/3, 185/1, 205/1, 225/1, 255/1, 265/1, 285lbs/1 PR

That matches my best ever low bar back squat! 3 days and 3 squat PR's. Not bad. Been sleeping good, eating tons and lifting heavy. Loving it.

CSA 11-28-09

Snatch - 40/1, 50/1, 55/1, 60/1, 65/1, 70/m x 3
Clean and Jerk - 40/1, 50/1, 60/1, 70/1, 80/1, 92.5/1, 102.5/1 PR!
Front Squat - 90/1, 100/1, 107.5/1, 115/1 PR
Block Jerks - 90/1, 100/m x 2, 90/2, 70/3

Snatch - grrrr
Clean and Jerk - Failed the clean twice, then 225lb x 1 (102.5kg) which was my goal for this year! Nailed it! Game Over!!
Front Squat - heavy, but it went up
Block Jerks- Sometimes I put my head through, sometimes I dont. Really need to square that away.

CSA 11-25-09

Alex Honnold Half Dome Free Solo from Joshua Wagner on Vimeo.

Snatch High Pull + Snatch - 40/2, 40/2, 50/2 x 5, 55/1, 60/1, 65/1, 70/1, 75/m x 3
Clean + 2 Jerk - 40/1, 50/1, 60/1, 70/1, 80/1, 85/1, 90/1, 95/m the jerk
Back Squat - 100/5, 100/5, 100/5, 100/5, 100/5 (5x5 PR)

Snatch - First time I've snatched 70 in exactly a month. It went up quick, and like just about all successful snatches it felt easy and good. I think the keys to making that lift was being more aggressive at the end of my pull, being quicker under the bar, and snapping my hands up explosively. Glad I hit it, but tired of being stuck here. I've got some form issues that I need to iron out.
Back Squat - that was 80% of my max 5x5. Uoof. I don't know if I wasn't expecting to work when I came into the gym or what, but that was tough. Certainly doable, but the first set was harder then it should of been because mentally I wasn't ready. I also think a couple of my first set squats may have been shallow.

Now its time to load up on a lot of delicious calories today and tomorrow (2 thanksgivings, woot!) and go into my Saturday lifting session 2 kilos heavier. Yeehaww! Happy Gobbler day!

CSA 11-21-09

Snatch - 40/1, 50/1, 60/1, 65/1, 70/m x 3
Clean and Jerk - 60/1, 70/1, 85/1, 95/1, 102.5/ made the clean for a PR and missed the jerk
Front Squat - 90/1, 100/1, 107.5/1, 115/1 PR
Snatch Push Press - 52.5/5, 57.5/5, 62.5/5, 67.5/5 PR

Clean PR of 225lbs and a Front Squat PR of 253lbs. Both were absolute eye popping grind your teeth gut check maximums. Woot! The Snatch Push Press is a PR as well, haven't trained them much.

CSA 11-19-09

Snatch High Pull + Snatch - 40/2, 40/2, 50/2 x 6
Power Clean and Power Jerk - 60/3, 70/2, 75/2, 80/2, 85/1, 90/1 PR for Power Jerk
Back Squat - 70/3, 90/2, 110/1, 120/1, 125/1 PR, 115/1, 115/1
Jerk off Blocks - 85/3, 95/2, 95/2, 105/m, 100/1, 102.5/m, 102.5/1 PR

3 PRs. I'm a happy man. First time I've gone for a heavy single on a back squat while at CSA. Up to this point its been all front squats and when back squatting its been speed work on the tendo machine, or strength work for sets of 5. I was stoked with my 14 kg (31lbs) PR. That puts me at only 5 kg away from my previous best low bar back squat PR of 285lbs. It'll be fun to finally catch up with that and start squatting heavier then ever before. Now if I had continued doing low bar back squats I'm sure I'd be up around 300lbs right now. But I'll get there soon enough with the high bar back squat and its better for the olympic lifts (in my opinion).

Donnie was surprised with my 198lb Power Jerk. He figured I'd max out at 80. With a 90kg power jerk he said I should have a 110kg split jerk instead of 100kg. So something is off that is keeping me from the numbers I should be hitting in the split jerk. I've got some form issues to iron out or some weakness in that position to improve upon. Not sure what it is just yet. It could be based upon the large amounts of power jerks done in crossfit causing me to be stronger in that position then the average lifter who rarely works it.

Took a fight to make the jerk PR. I mean it was a grind. Rode that puppy super low, but managed to keep the arms locked out and got it done. 225lbs overhead is a good way to end a workout. Especially when clean and jerking 225 is my goal for the year. Should be happening in the next week or two.

CSA 11-14-09

Snatch - 40/2, 50/2, 50/2, 60/1, 60/1, 65/1, 67.5/m, 72/m x 3, 60/1, 67.5/m, 65/1, 55/2, 55/2
Clean and Jerk - 40/2, 50/2, 60/1, 70/1, 80/1, 90/1, 97.5/1 (PR), 100/1 (PR)
Front Squat - 80/3, 90/2, 100/1, 110/1, 115/m, 100/2
Dumbell Shoulder Press - 40lbs/12, 40/10, 40/8, 40/6, 40/6, 40/6

Stoked about the Clean and Jerk PR. Triple Digits!! SAt 100kg I made the first clean, missed the jerk, missed the second clean, made the third clean, missed the jerk and on the fourth attempt it finally went up. So that was also 3 clean singles at PR weight. Nice to know it wasn't a fluke to clean 100. A lightbulb went on today that I've gotta explode out of the bottom of the clean. I had been collapsing before today at the bottom of a real heavy clean. But I figured out if I don't wait around at the bottom of the front squat (though I wasn't doing this consciously) and instead concentrate on firing the weight back up as soon as possible, I don't collapse under the weight like I did before. A subtle but important difference. I'm now 5lbs away from this year's C&J goal of 225lbs. A good day. Now all I have to do is get those darn snatches to start coming along.

CSA 11-10-09

Snatch - 50 - 1 x 8, 55/m, 50/1, 52/1, 55/1, 57.5/1, 60/m, 60/1, 65/1, 65.7/1, 70/m x 3
Clean and Jerk - 50/1, 60/1, 70/1, 80/1, 90/1, 95/1, 97.5/m, 97.5/clean then missed the jerk - that makes a clean PR
Back Squat - 88.75/5, 92.5/5, 92.5/5

Got some good coaching from Max today. He suggested box squats (bodyweight only for now) as a part of my warmup to get my hips, groin and hamstrings more flexible. On the Snatch need to raise my back/head faster in order to keep up with my hips which were coming up off the ground ahead of my back/head. My back squat is about the same as my front squat. Which says that my back is the weak link in the chain. I was happy with my Clean PR of 97.5, and I think that Jerk will happen next time. 100 is getting within range.

CSA 11-7-09

Snatch - 40/2, 50/1, 60/1, 65/1, 70/Mx3, Snatch High Pull+Snatch - 50/2, 55/2
Clean & Jerk - 60/1, 70/1, 80/1, 90/1, 95/M on clean, 97.5/M on clean, 70/1, 80/1, 85/1, 85/1
Front Squat - 90/1, 100/1, 105/1, 90/2, 90/2
Snatch Grip Push Press - 50/5, 50/5, 55/5, 60/5
OHS - 60/3, 65/3, 70/3

Was hoping for a PR today. No dice. Probably should have gone a little heavier on the Snatch Grip Push Press.

CSA 11-5-09

Snatch - 30/3, 40/3, 50/3, 55/3, 60/3, 60/3
Power Clean, Clean & Jerk - 50/3, 60/3, 65/3, 70/3, 70/3, 70/3, 70/3
Back Squat (tendo) - 90/2, 90/2, 90/2, 90/2, 90/2, 90/2, 90/2, 90/2 - velocity varied between 0.67 - 0.83
Dumbell Shoulder Press - 40lb/8, 40/8, 45/6, 40/8
OHS - 60/3, 60/3, 65/3

CSA 11-4-09

2008 Bejing Gold medalist @ 105 kg - with an Olympic and World Record total of 436kg



Snatch High Pull, Snatch - 30/1, 40/1, 50/1, 55/1, 60/1, 60/1, 60/1, 60/1, 60/1
Clean and Jerk - 30/1, 40/1, 50/2, 50/2, 60/1, 70/1, 80/1, 90/1
Front Squat - 80/3, 90/2, 100/1, 102.5/1, 112.5/1 (PR +2.5kg), 100/3 (PR)
Jerk from Blocks - 75/3, 75/3, 75/3, 75/3
Sled Drag 50kg x 2
Back Extensions - 2 x 10

On the snatches stayed at a lower weight and goal was to have zero misses. Missed twice with 60 on 2nd and 2nd to last attempts. Immediately redid them and made the lifts.

Donny just wanted me to C&J to 90. No misses. Which ended leaving my legs fresh for a Front Squat PR of 112.5 kg or 248lbs. And then a PR on the triple of 100 kg or 220lbs. My legs felt strong and I had a little more left in them but Donnie called it there. He said with a triple at 100 on the front squat I can be confident that I'll be able to clean 100 on Saturday no problem when I go for a PR C&J. Interesting because I was tired after a long night of work ridden with overtime. I almost didn't train today and didn't think I'd have much in me. I hadn't planned on going for a PR but Donnie told me to try. The outside voice of a coach is so important. Its not always best to listen to our bodies but rather the voice of an experienced guide.

Jerks went up pretty well with no misses. Need to have quicker feet.

CSA 10-31-09

Snatch - 30/3, 40/2, 50/1, 57.5/1, 62.5/1, 67.5/m x 3, 60/1, 65/1, 67.5/m, 60/1
Clean & Jerk - 50/2, 60/1, 70/1, 80/1, 90/1, 100/mx3, 90/1
Front Squat - 90/3, 100/1, 105/1, 107.5/1, 100/2
Push Press - 40/5, 50/5, 60/5, 65/5 (PR)
Back Extension - 10 x 3 with 5kg bar

Just wasn't my day to snatch

C&J - Missed all three attempts at 100 on the clean. 2nd attempt was close but couldn't stand up with it, failed at the sticking point. Would have been a 4kg PR. All the pulls looked good, it was just too heavy to front squat it.

Push Press - I think I have more in me if I approached a 5 rep max fresh.