Time for me to stop f***ing around

[Snatchy McClean]

Also, change-it-up syndrome has got the better of me.

I've PB's my deadlift and met my squat, overhead press and push press targets for the post rehab workouts. Probably 7.5-10kgs off my old 110kg bench still but I accept this will take time to develop again.

Power clean is what's bothering me, so I am going to focus on these a bit more. Also implementing a new front squat routine.

What I really want is a 100kg power clean with decent form. That's my main goal right now.

Here's the squat routine I am going to do:

Week 1

Workout A Workout B

70% 7 x 3 80% 5 x 3

Week 2

70% 7 x 3 90% 4 x 2

Week 3

70% 7 x 3 85% 5 x 3

Week 4

70% 7 x 3 95% 4 x 2

Week 5

70% 7 x 3 90% 5 x 3

Week 6

70% 7 x 3 100% 4 x 2

At that point you should max 105-110%

The 7 x 3 should be pushed as fast as possible and all sets should be finished in 10 minutes, leaving you plenty of time for accessories.

[Snatchy McClean]

27/06/11 (I always post the day after workouts and constantly have to edit the dates because I post them wrong. Gah)

Tall Clean (1 min rest)

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

Front Squat (all work sets have to be completed in under 10 minutes)

50 x 5

60 x 3

70 x 2

80 x 1

90 x 3

90 x 3

90 x 3

90 x 3

90 x 3

Plus Arnold Presses, Back Flyes, Foam Rolling, etc.

Notes:

Tall Cleans felt pretty good. Hopefully they will really improve my speed under the bar as that is my aim. They’re a clean drop, from beyond the “hang” position with pretty much no “pop” so you’re pretty much standing straight and use very little hip drive to lift the bar. So it’s just a quick jump and pull under the bar as quickly as possible.

Front Squats felt strong. They will be getting nasty over the next few weeks though!

[Snatchy McClean]

30-6-11

Power Clean (1-2 min rest)

62.5 x 5

67.5 x 5

72.5 x 5

75 x 1

77.5 x 1

80 x 1

82.5 x 1

85 x 1 (previous max)

87.5 x 1 (new PB)

90 x 1 miss

90 x 1 miss

90 x 1 JUST missed it on the catch, gave up here

Deadlift (2-3 min rest)

50 x 5

75 x 3

100 x 3

125 x 2

135 x 2

145 x 3

150 x 2

155 x 2

Was feeling pretty burnt so decided to leave military presses and pull ups until tonight’s workout.

notes:

Power Cleans were good, very happy to hit a new PB. I had been getting pointers from the T-Nation Olympic guys and these paid off. Mainly regarding foot position; I was trying to follow a guide. I was told to instead ignore any suggested widths etc and just set as though for a vertical jump. Also brought my hands out to a thumbs length from my shins, and concentrated on pulling my knees back harder on the first pull, allowing straighter bar path.

Deadlifts were alright, would have liked to do some reps at 160 but must have tweaked my middle back a bit in the Power Cleans so I stopped at 155, all good. Also, I use a deficit whenever deadlifting unless max testing. I use 15kg plates and an inch raise, not major but helps me feel stronger in testing due to decreased range.

[Snatchy McClean]

The back tweak ended up worse than I first thought, so I've been on bodyweight only exercises for the last 10 days.

Anyway back into it last night:

11-7-11

Push Press (2-3 min rests)

60 x 3

65 x 1

70 x 1

75 x 2

75 x 2

75 x 2

75 x 2

75 x 2

Front Squat (Light Day; all sets completed in 10 minutes; SFA rest)

50 x 5

60 x 3

70 x 2

80 x 3

80 x 3

80 x 3

80 x 3

80 x 3

80 x 3

80 x 3

Tall Clean (Clean Assistance exercise; 1 min rests)

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

45 x 3

Pull Up (90s rest)

Wide grip pull up x 6

Left palm away x 6

Right palm away x 6

Ab Wheel Roll

x 6

x 6

x 6

notes:

Push Presses felt fairly heavy after a bit of time off. I usually try for 3 rep sets but was happy to just keep progressing the weight.

Front Squats were easy; looking forward to the heavy day later this week.

[samuelNZ]

Nice squatting dude. You got yourself a pair of WL shoes?

[Snatchy McClean]

Nice squatting dude. You got yourself a pair of WL shoes?

Cheers man. I love the olympic front squat and the core strength it forces you to develop. Plus I don't have a trustworthy spotter so I avoid heavy back squat...

No, I lift in flat sole indoor soccer shoes. They have very minimal heel lift so seem to work pretty well. Wouldn't mind picking up a decent pair of weightlifting shoes if I could find some though!

[samuelNZ]

Cheers man. I love the olympic front squat and the core strength it forces you to develop. Plus I don't have a trustworthy spotter so I avoid heavy back squat...

No, I lift in flat sole indoor soccer shoes. They have very minimal heel lift so seem to work pretty well. Wouldn't mind picking up a decent pair of weightlifting shoes if I could find some though!

Front squats are awesome, its just a pity that they require quite a decent level of flexibility. Ohk, I thought considering the amount of oly style work you do, a pair of decent shoes would be key. Theres plenty of different kinds out there. Have a look here for some decent reviews if your interested. Where abouts do you train?

[Snatchy McClean]

Cheers man. I love the olympic front squat and the core strength it forces you to develop. Plus I don't have a trustworthy spotter so I avoid heavy back squat...

No, I lift in flat sole indoor soccer shoes. They have very minimal heel lift so seem to work pretty well. Wouldn't mind picking up a decent pair of weightlifting shoes if I could find some though!

Front squats are awesome, its just a pity that they require quite a decent level of flexibility. Ohk, I thought considering the amount of oly style work you do, a pair of decent shoes would be key. Theres plenty of different kinds out there. Have a look here for some decent reviews if your interested. Where abouts do you train?

Haha, perhaps they could be key to me getting decent numbers in my cleans. Cheers for the link, I think I'll order some soon actually. Only reason I haven't yet is laziness pretty much. Never really considered that they could have a noticable impact on my lifts.

Do you have issues with Front Squat flexibility? With decent hip and wrist stretches it's easy enough to overcome, just requires patience.

I train partially at Massey Uni (cardio and boxes) and mostly at home. I built a platform out of 7 sheets of thick play and some rubber stall mats and have a pretty good bumper plate selection so it works out quite well. Just need a rack with spotting bars...

You train at "the gym?"

[samuelNZ]

I've got the 2011 Rogue Do-wins and Drizzt and another member of The House have the Ristos. I know they both swear by them and couldn't recommend them more! I have noticed some decent improvements in both front and back squats due to my shoes. Yeah your definitely right about the patience bit, regarding front squats. I can do them, its just after about 3 or 4 sets my wrists and fingers start to get pretty sure due to inflexibility. It'll take time to build into them.

Massey gym being BPM am I right?

Haha well done on the DIY home gym :clap:

Yep, training at "The House" top of Taranaki street. Amazing place, got a nice wee set up oly/deadlift platform there with a good amount of bumper plates if you ever were going to come down for a train.

[Snatchy McClean]

I've got the 2011 Rogue Do-wins and Drizzt and another member of The House have the Ristos. I know they both swear by them and couldn't recommend them more! I have noticed some decent improvements in both front and back squats due to my shoes. Yeah your definitely right about the patience bit, regarding front squats. I can do them, its just after about 3 or 4 sets my wrists and fingers start to get pretty sure due to inflexibility. It'll take time to build into them.

Massey gym being BPM am I right?

Haha well done on the DIY home gym :clap:

Yep, training at "The House" top of Taranaki street. Amazing place, got a nice wee set up oly/deadlift platform there with a good amount of bumper plates if you ever were going to come down for a train.

http://www.ristosports.com/index.php?ma ... cts_id=100

I followed your link to the Risto page and think I'll order a pair of these. Will let you know if they skyrocket my lifts . Main attraction after reading reviews of various lifting shoes is they apparently help peoples' speed under the bar - which is exactly where I need help. I'm strong enough for a good clean, but fail on the catch with heavy weights.

Also try various grip widths and cues with the front squats. When training someone who swore they were physically unable to do them, I found by forcing them to hold the bar on the collar bone RIGHT against the throat, and nagging them non stop to keep their elbows up they got over it pretty fast. It's painful but your bones get used to it.But yeah it could just be a time thing, particularly if you're pretty big.

BPM yeah that's the one. Nothing suitable for actual weight lifting but the cardio machines still work fine and it's dirt cheap haha. It's pretty handy having a platform at home, must come check out the Powerhouse one day though; it looks pretty impressive on the website.

[Snatchy McClean]

Had a total abortion of a session last night. Started an hour and a half later than usual and hadn't eaten enough during the day.

13/7/11

Power Clean

65 x 5

70 x 5

75 x 5

note: Got through the last 5 with 3 misses (I never miss at such a low weight so my ego was flipping out), then lower back was burning and energy dropping so I bailed on the rest of the session. Pretty angry at myself but had a good sleep, cheered up a bit, and will try again tonight