AAAGHHHH Back pain, I missed you!

Tue 15th

Went for a sprint session with Steph.

 Did a set of 4 reps of 15 seconds all out 3:40 recovery, second set did 3 reps.

After that I got teh gym rings out and messed around with muscle up progressions and a few sets of dips. I also did 3 x 10 of strict knees to elbows on the straight bar.

*Everything was grand till after my last class (10pm) and my back got tight all of a sudden. Really stiff on my right SI joint. It sounds crazy but I went for a dump and that could have set it off - I had a small amount of bread and potatos earlier - maybe linked to a food intollerance, I dunno. Probably clutching at straws now!

The knees to elbows could have aggrivated teh flexion around my SI joint too or the fact my adductors got super tight in the running. Im not sure what the deal is. Ill let this flare up calm down and see what Im at then...

3 PRS in one session!

Mon 14th

Power Snatch heavy single -> 90% 1 x 2 55kg - 55kg (failed on 60)

Jerk Heavy single -> 100kg PR!!


Squat heavy double -> 150kg x 2 (the second rep was probably a fraction high)


Push Press heavy double -> 85kg PR got 90kg for 1

Back Extensions 3 x 10

Sat 12th

Snatch Balance 3 x 3 47.5kg

Snatch Grip Push Press 5 x 5 55kg

HSPU (green plates) 3 x 5

then 3 rounds of;
12KB Snatch 20kg r+l
10 Inverted Ring Rows

Fri 11th

Push Press 3 x 3 75kg

Squat 3 x 3 130kg

Barbell Row 3 x 3 75kg

hill sprints

Wed 9th

Hevent been sleeping great lately. I have been amazed that my strength has been improving lately but I think I may be at the limit of my reserves now. I decided not to push it today - Ill train tomorrow instead.  Bit disappointed that I have been following this current training plan a little loosely but Im still making gains...

Tue 8th

Went for a hill sprint session with Stephanie in the morning. We did 8 sets of 10 seconds all out, 2.30 recovery. From there we did a light jog around deer park adn then I messed around on the monkey bars and did a couple of sets of knees to elbows.

Mon 7th

Split Jerk 3RM; 90% 3 x 2 82.5 (shit!) - 70kg

Push Press 3RM; 90% 3 x 2 80kg - 72.5kg

Squat 3RM; 90% 3 x 2 142.5 - 127.5kg 3RM PR

*had to take the class so finished after with barbell row

Barbell Row 3RM; 90% 3 x 2 80kg - 72.5kg

Sat 5th

Snatch - heavy single got 62.5 but missed 65 - dropped the bar on my back!!


Clean & Jerk got 90kg - jerk needs work!

Front squat 125kg x 2 unbelted

Wed 2nd

Snatch Balance 2RM; 90% 2 x 2
40kg - did 42.5 badly!

Push Press 90% of mon; 3 x 3
70kg

Squat 90% of mon 3 x 3 125kg

Barbell Row 90% of mon 3 x 3 72.5kg

Tue 1st

Clean 3RM 90% 3 x 2 80 / 72.5kg

Power Snatch 75% 2 x 3 47.5kg

Clean Pull 3RM; 90% 3 x 2 100 / 90kg

3 rounds of;
KB Topside Halfmoons 10/10 (16kg, gamed this!)
5 Box jumps mid thigh
2'57

Mon 30th

Jerk 3RM; 90% x 3 x 2 80 / 72.5kg

Push Press 3RM; 90% x 3 x 2 77.5kg / 70kg

Back Squat 3RM; 905 x 3 x 2 *I was having a bad day and for some reason did some singles, got up to 150kg and then went back to 125kg for the last 2 sets to work on speed out of the bottom

Barbell Row 3RM; 90% x 3 x 3 80 / 72.5kg

Sat 28th

Snatch - went for a max of the day and built up to 62.5kg
I hada bit left in the tank, just need to work on speed under the bar

Clean and Jerk - got to 90 and failed on the clean, lost concentration. Did it again, got the clean comfortably and the jerk was so an so 90kg

Front Squat x 2 - 120kg, easy unbelted

Fri 27th

Overhead Squat 86% x 2 x 3 - 60kg

Push Press 85% x 4 x 3 65kg

Back Squat 85% x 4 x 3 102.5kg

Bent Row 85% x 4 x 3 65kg

Wed 25th

Mid Hang Snatch 90% x 2 x 3 - 50kg

Power Clean 65% x 2 x 3 - 65kg 

Single Leg DL 2 x 6/6 12.5kg (one hand)

3 rounds of;
10 Inverted Ring Rows
10 Ring Push Ups

*bit of a mess session, back was tired, 1 arm deadlifts were a bit messy!

My 6monthly run!

Decided I would spend a bit of time with Steph this morning and go for a run. Took 24mins and was approx 4.51k not a stellar time but we were gaming it a little. Lungs are still burnt.

Workout - Mon 23rd

Back on Matt's prog - week 3 day 1 (lower intensity week)
* I am still not push jerking after fucking up my right foot from whatever it was that I did previously

Push Press 90% of last week 4,4,4 65kg

Squat 90% of last week 4,4,4,4 110kg
(didnt do a 5th set as my back got a bit tight)

Barbell Row 90% of last week 4,4,4 62.5kg


Everything felt fine, bar the squats (need to address that but wink too!) Push Press and Rows were fine.

I did this at some stage last week...

23rd Apr - month review!

Serious lack of updates goign on. I hurt my back (again) around hte last time of the update - deadlifting 100kg's!! I didnt do to much but when I went to Sweden for the OPT cert, I trained most days and got a taste for it again (no stress from work either!)

Some highlights were;

Another 130kg front squat

Anze helping me with my Oly lifting

A 48kg chin up

And a 60kg snatch

Since I got home I've been back on Matts Strength Cycle and thats been going well (2 weeks in)

Squatted 140kg x 3

Push Pressing 72.5kg x 5 (improved my 'dip drive')

Power Cleaning is improving 85kg x 3 from the hang for 3 sets

W1D1

Mon 19th

* Back from my hols with Stephanie. Great to relax - sleep wasnt ideal but didnt do much in the way of training, feel rested!

W1D1 - starting Matt Wichlinskis new prog

(Didn't split jerk as my foot is still healing up, will go light on his from next week)

Push Press 5RM; 90% x 5 x 2 -> 75kg / 67.5kg

Squat 5RM; 90% x 5 x 4 -> 110kg / 100kg - this felt heavy today!! Hips were tight and didnt really get a groove going

Barbell Row 5RM; 90% x 5 x 2 -> 70kg / 62.5kg *felt a crackling in my right elbow (lateral) as I pulled up, isnt right today (tuesday)


*Evening*

Went sprinting with Stephanie -> 10 rounds 10m build up into 50m sprint, walk back to start for recovery

Mon 5th

Looking forward to getting back onto Matt's program when I get back from my hols but enjoying the relaxed sessions at the mo.

Box Squat 8 x 2 110/110/115/115/120/120/120/120kg

Incline Bench 4 x 5 75/77.5/77.5/77.5kg

Chins 4 x 5 20/25/30kg

Double KB Swings 4 x 10 20kgs

Leg Raises 3 x 12


3 x 5 130kg from last week

squatting

Sat 3rd

Push Press 3 x 5 72.5kg

Hang Power Clean 3 x 3 70/75/80kg

RDL 4 x 6 80/90/100/100kg

Bicep Curls 15 x 15kg / 8 x 20kg / 6 x 20kg

Fri 2nd

A. Squat 3 x 5 130kg (pretty sure this is a pr for reps!)

B1. DB Incline Press 3 x 10 25kg
B2. Chinese Ro 3 x 10/10 30kg/32.5kg

C. Hanging Leg Raise 2 x 10

29th Feb 2012 - Small Update

Ok, so a bit of a change of pace for the next few weeks - at least unti lI get back from Sligo with Stephanie, then I will get onto Matt's 9week program.

I havent really been keeping track but I have done a few of my own sessions mixed with lots of mat time in my place with Matt...

Wed 29th 

Pretty much rolled for 3 hours with Matt, broken up into 2 sessions

Tue 28th

Rolled for 2 hours with Matt.

Mon 27th

Squat 120/130/140kg x 2 , 150/155 x 1 - 155 PR

Push Press 3 x 5 70kg

Barbell Row 3 x 5 70kg

Hanging Leg Raise 2 x 10

* Got a squat PR today, Rob was going for it so I thought fuck it. Was thinking about a 160 attempt but happy to take the 155, back feels good!! Delighted with this. 

Fri 24th 

1. Incline Bench 4 x 5 - 70,72.5,75,77.5kg

2. Pull ups 2 x 10 , chins 1 x 10

3a. DB Bench Press 3 x 10 30kg
3b. Chinese Rows 3 x 10/10 30kg

4. Tricep Pushdowns 3 x 10 32kg

Test Week D5

(Fri did bjj for 1.5hours)

Sat 18th

Power Snatch Max heavy single - 65kg

C+J - heavy single - 90kg

Front Squat heavy double 120kg


Power Snatch was so and so. This was a PR but with a little bit of practice, there is a lit more in the tank. The C+J was fun. The 90kg was a bit ropey but the first time I've done this in over a year. 


Front squat was tough but do-able.

Test Week D4

Thurs 16th

Mid-hang (power) clean - 3RM; 90% x 3 x 2  -> 80kg / 70kg

    - Power snatch - 70% x 3 x 3  45kg

    - Clean deadlift - 5RM  120kg - was holding back here as I felt tight

    - Good morning - 3 x 5  0kg - back felt tight so didnt go heavy

  

30 sec rest after each interval:

50 hand - hand swings

2 tgu's

40 hand - hand swings

4 tgu's

30 hand - hand swings

6 tgus

20 hand - hand swings

8 tgu's

10 hand - hand swings

Back was pretty tight so held back, survived the session. More stretcing and patience and I should be fine!

Test Week D3

Overhead Squat - 2RM; 90% x 2 x 2 70kg / 62.5kg


The 70kg x 2 - I should have told Rob I was only going for 2 reps - my bad!



Push Press 90% (of mondays 5RM) x 5 x 3 62.5kg

Back Squat 90% (of mondays 5RM) x 5 x 3 107.5kg

Barbell Row 90% (of mondays 5RM) x 5 x 3 67.5kg

Side Plank 2 mins x 2 each side

*My back started to get tight before the session started. I was worried about the squats but got through them. The push press was hurting my right shoulder - I JUST NEED TO STRETCH!!!! Missed this last night after the deadlifts as I had to coach. 


Interestingly, the side planks were tough on my right side....possibly a core weakness as well as tight hips?


Overall, solid session and happy enough! OFF to stretch and foam roll now...

Test Week D2

1. Mid Hang (Power) Snatch 3RM; 90% x 3 x 2 50kg/45kg

2. Power Clean 70% x 3 x 3 70kg

3. Snatch Deadlift - 5RM 110kg

4. RDL 3 x 5 80kg

4sets no rest
15 KB Swings 24kg
20 KB Topside Halfmoons 16kg

Good session. Back held up ok. I didnt have my oly shoes so the power snatches just felt wierd. Happy enough with the power clean, didnt over analyze it, just got aggressive. I held back a bit on the deadlfit as I didnt want to push my back too much, had a little bit more in the tank but happy. Same with the rdls. Conditioning was good, weight was probably right as my back was a little tight from the deadlifts - gotta stretch tomorrow but feel good after this.

Test Week D1

Split Jerk 4rm;90% x 4 x 2sets - 80kg 3rd rep was shit / 70kg

Push Press 5rm;90% x 5 x 2sets - 70kg / 62.5kg

Back Squat - 5rm;90% x 5 x 4sets 120kg / 107.5kg

Barbell Row - 5rm;90% x 5 x 2 75kg / 67.5kg

Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 10reps

Felt good today. I though the back would give me a bit of grief but all good. The squats felt fast.

120kg x 5

Tuesday 7th Feb (Back in the game)

Start of a new Cycle. This week is a test week to see how the back holds up. This will dictate the following 8 weeks. 

W1D1

Split Jerk 4rm;90% x 4 x 2sets - 75kg / 67.5kg

Push Press 5rm;90% x 5 x 2sets - 70kg / 62.5kg

Back Squat - 5rm;90% x 5 x 2sets 110kg / 100kg

Barbell Row - 5rm;90% x 5 x 2 70kg / 62.5kg

Hanging Leg Raise 3 x 10reps

Played around with starting with my elbows higher on the jerk (after watching donny shankle videos!!) and it made a big difference. This actually felt quite comfortable today, my shoulders didnt feel 'pinched' at all afterwards.

Push Press felt solid, bit more in the tank.

Squats felt strong. Really tried to attack the reps. I may have held back slightly in weight as my back wasnt feeling great coming into the session but it was fine afterwards. I was also trying out a new weights belt. Took a bit of getting used to but I think its going to stay.

Barbell row felt strong enough. I still suck at the hanging leg raises - I need a higher bar.

All in all good session - went a lot better than I would have said going into it.

Friday 20th - W7D5

* Back went again *

2. Hang clean or hang power clean + front squat - 6x2 - 70/72.5/75/75/77.5/80kg

3. deficit deadlift (standing on a 45 lb plate or block of wood like a 3 foot long 2x12) - 6x4
130/140/150/160/165 * this is where I stopped. Something went in m lower back on the last rep. Same deal, like I switched off and then lost my lumbar arch / tight midline. Absolutely fucking pissed with myself. I tried to ease up for a minute in the hope it was a false alarm but it started to get worse, so called it a day.

Absolutely furious with myself. I could feel this injury coming on. I never learn, no matter how much I fuck myself up.

Take away points (although I don't know if I will take anything away...)

• My back doesn't like Deadlifts and at this stage I am probably afraid of them. 
• I need to stretch and do mobility work. Will I ever fucking take this on board!
• SLEEP MORE. The past 2 weeks have been shit with sleep and a little stress heavy. If I get into this situation again, maybe I should take an ego check and reign the training in slightly?

I am going ot play it by ear and see how the next couple of days go. Thankfully I was nearly at the end of this cycle, but fucking pissed as I wanted to test everything after next weeks de-load.

Wednesday 18th - W7D3

Met up with Colin and did some hill sprints and a light jog

Hill Sprints x 10 - untimed rest, between 1 - 1.30mins

Tuesday 17th - W7D2

1. bb split jerks - 6x2

80/82.5/82.5/85/87.5/87.5/87.5 - didnt feel great, think it was the fact I didnt want to drop anything on Rob's floor!

2. incline bb press - 8x3

70/72.5/75/75/77.5/80/82.5/82.5kg - getting stronger on these, probably a pr on an incline press for the fact Ive never really done them

3. weighted mixed grip pullups - 6x6 - 15/20/25/25x5/20/20

25kg x 6

4a. DB bench press - 3x8 32.5/37.5 x 6/32.5

4b. Chinese row - 3x10/10 32.5/37.5 x 8/32.5

5a. scarecrows plus face pulls using rings - A set of 10-8-8

5b. standing curls - 10-8-8 15kg db's

5c. tricep extensions - 10-8-8 32.5kg

Monday 16th - W7D1

W7D1

1. BB hang power snatch - 8x1
50/55 - bad landing/55 just bad/ 50/50/52.5/52.5/55kg - just poor all round, was stronger on these in the complex last week, not sure why. Really need to break this movement down and work at it.

2. overhead squat - 4x3 - 60/65/70/75x2 - last set was a joint PR, I found as I was going heavier, the collar to collar width grip was working against me. Need to go lighter and focus on bringing my grip a little closer as I feel this is the major limiting factor.

3. front squat - 8x2 - 100/105/110/115/120/125/125/130kg - the 125's are a rep pr and the 130 is a pr, felt strong on these. Made myself more solid on my set up - really getting the bar on my neck and elbows high, staying tight taking the bar out of the rack, felt good on these today

4a. DB reverse lunge - 3x6/6 25s
4b. DB single leg rdl - 3x6/6 25s

5a. evil wheel (rollouts) use ab wheel or suspension trainer - 3x10 perform from knees or feet if possible
5b. natural ghr - 3x5  didnt have anyone to hold my ankles :(


6. single leg squats - 3x8/8 - standing on 20+10 plate to box


So and so session, very happy with the front squats but the power snatches and ohs need a lot of work, I just dont touch base with these movements enough!

Saturday 14th - W6D5

* Didnt train yesterday (Friday) - got caught up doing a load of errands and was up against the clock all day. ended up in the car for a few hours, this plus the deadlifting has my back a bit cranky at the mo!

1. plyo push ups - 8x3

2a. close grip bench press - 3x5 80kg

2b. bent over row  - 3x8 65kg

3a. inverted row with rings - 3x21/10/10

3b. dips (on rings) - 3x12/10/10

4a. scapular push ups - 3x15 - last set without band

4b. scap pullups - 3x15

 

* I left out the power and broad jumps today as there is something funky goign on in my right knee and I didn't feel confident doing them.

2. hang power clean + front squat  - 4x3 - 70/75/75/77.5kg - left elbow a little sore after messing up the cleans last week. On hte last set I had the bar on the floor after each rep, this helped with losing the hook grip

 3. deficit deadlift (standing on a 45 lb plate) - 4x5 130-140-150-160 started to bottle it a bit on the very last rep but got my head back in the game and got it done, happy with that - also ended up standing on a 10 and 5kg bumper, so 7.5cms - 1.5 higher than last time

4. DB step up - 3x6/6

- 25kg's as it was the heaviest I had

5. heavy 1 arm farmers carry - 4x40 meters per side

-go heavy and try to maintain a rigid torso - improvised. At first I used a 25kg hex plate and 2 small 2.5s as they were the only things I could put together while still getting my hands around. After the second round my hands were getting shredded so dropped to 27.5 and then just the 25kg plate for the last set

First checkpoint

I just thought I'd put this up to help me stay focused and work a little harder on the diet for the last couple of weeks (which is a big weakness - along with sleep!!!)

Obviously the second shot is just after training but I think that's pretty standard for before and after pics? No expense was spared on this photoshoot.

Clearly I have a bit of work to do on my sides but I like chocolate and cheesburgers too much :(

2 months and no regard for diet, just training hard

Tuesday 10th - W6D2

1. bb split jerks - 4x2 80/80/85/87.5kg - first set wasn't great, got into it as the sets went on

85kg x 2


87.5kg x 2


2. incline bb press - 5x4 - 70 (felt heavy!)/70/72.5/72.5/72.5kg

3. weighted chins - 5x5 15/25/25/25/20kg stuck with chins as it was hurting my elbow less, last set was ok, thought 25 would be too much

4a. DB bench press - 3x8 32.5kg
4b. Chinese row - 3x10/10 32.5kg

5a. scarecrows plus face pulls using rings - A set of 10-8-8
5b. standing curls - 10-8-8 30kg
5c. tricep extensions - 10-8-8 pushdowns 32kg

Monday 9th - W6D1

1. BB hang power snatch + overhead squat - 4x2 - 50/55/57.5 2 attempts at first power snatch/60kg 2 attempts at first power snatch

2. front squat - 5x3 - I thought this was 4 x 2, dont know how I missed this!
115/120/125 x 1/125 x 1 - second 125 was better, elbows dropeed too much on the 2nd rep

120kg x 2


125kg x 1, looked comfier than it felt, bottled the second rep



3a. DB reverse lunge - 3x6/6 25kg was the heaviest I had, felt light
3b. DB single leg rdl - 3x6/6 balance is still like a drunks - used 1 25kg DB contra...

4a. evil wheel (rollouts) use ab wheel or suspension trainer - 3x10 perform from knees
4b. natural ghr - 3x5 (colin held onto my ankles - sucked at these!)

5. single leg squats - 2x10/10 - squated to a bench, standing on a 20kg and 10kg plate

Happy to get up to 125kg on the front squat - will have to check if its a PR. thought I had 2 on the second attempt. Annoyed I got the rep range wrong, missed that completely! Power snatch is getting better but needs more work - the OHS was no problem.

Friday 6th - W5D5

W5D5

*updating this at half 3 in the morning, clearly my sleeping issues haven't been resolved. Can't sleep again!*

1. plyo push ups - 8x3

2a. close grip bench press or weighted ring pushups - 4x5 70/75/77.5/80kg
2b. bent over row - 4x8 70/60/62.5/65kg

3a. inverted row with rings - 3x12/10/10
3b. dips (on rings if possible, always pause at top with locked elbows and palms turned forward) - 3x12/10/8+2

4a. scapular push ups - 3x15
4b. scapular pullups - 3x15

Not the stellar session I was hoping for but got it done without any major hassle. First time doing the close grip bench in a very long time. My strength was down on the barbell rows - I got the first set wrong, felt way too heavy and I wouldnt have been able to maintain a rigid spine using that weight across.

The inverted rows got difficult and the rings were surprisingly tough, especially trying to turn my hands out at the top each time.

Could probably do with more scap work too, my scap control was poor!

Thursday 5th - W5D4

W5D4 - I took the option to rest yesterday, sleep has been shit

1. Power jump + broad jump - 4x3-4

I havent really put any jumping into my training since my knee surgery so this was interesting, fun, but needs work!

2. hang power clean or squat clean if possible - 5x2-4

This is where things go to shit - 70kg x 3/ 80kg x 1,f / 75kg x 3 / 80kg x 2 / 80kg x 2

3. deficit deadlift (standing on a 45 lb plate) - 5x5

120/130/140/150/160kg x 3  bitter sweet. First time doing 160 in nearly a year after my back but I should have easily done 5 reps, my head wasnt in it. Aslo, I startedto get a funky compression feeling on the inside of my right knee by the patella as I was lifitng. Wasn't sore enough to stop but knee was a little tender after. 

150kg x 5...


160kg x 3...

I actually ran out of time here. Complete fucking disaster. I wanted to stop after the cleans, I was nearly fucking suicidal. I was feeling so much stronger but this was a set back. I didnt sleep at all last night. Not sure whats going on there, dunno if its anxiety with work? Food was so and so.

One take away point is to NEVER 'do a quick session' before work again. How many fucking times do I tell myself this. Get my ass over to the gym early on my own time and fucking get shit done!!

Tomorrow IS going to be a stronger day.

Tuesday 3rd - W5D2

1. Split Jerk 5 x 3 70/75/80/80/80kg



2. Incline Bench Press 6 x 4 70/75 x 3/65/70/72.5/75kg x3 - couldnt get into a groove on these at all, 72.5 was comfortable, 75 I could only get 3!!!

3. Weighted Mixed Grip Pullups 5 x 5 - pull ups 10kg, 15kg, chins 20kg, 25kg, parallel grip 25kg



4a. DB Bench 4 x 8 25/30/30/30kg
4b. Chinese Row 4 x 12/12 25/30/30/30kg

5a. Scarecrow FacePulls 10-8-8
5b. Barbell Curls 10-8-8 30kg
5c. Tricep Ext (skullcrushers) 10-8-8 ez curl bar + 25kg

Enjoyed this session although it took a little longer than expected. The incline press was a bit messy as I have never really done these (!) felt that bar path was far from straight. the db bench was strong although my grip was dying on the rows - on one of the sets I got a weird electric shock feeling running down beneath my left mcl, I just ignored it but it was a little tender after. All good though - need to spend tiem stretchign and foam rolling tomorrow though, left shoudler is feeling the pinch!!

Monday 2nd - W5D1

1. bb hang power snatch - 5x3
40/45/50/52.5/55kg 




Really jumping backwards here, need to get it sorted!

2. front squat - 6x4

100/105/110/115 x 3/105/105kg

3rd Set...



3a. DB reverse lunge - 3x8/8 25kg dbs
3b. DB single leg rdl - 3x8/8 1 25kg db on opposite arm

4a. evil wheel (rollouts) - 3x10 perform from knees or feet if possible (from knees)
4b. natural ghr - 3x6-8

5. single leg squats - 2x10/10


Really felt poor leaving the house. Stomach was in bits all last night, not sure if it was something I ate, but I didnt really sleep and food has been nearly non existant today. Having said all that, I was happy with how the snatch went (I think this was the heaviest I have gotten on a hang power snatch) and the front squat went well. I may have gotten 4 reps with the 115kg but I didnt want to risk it incase I had to dump the bar on Rob's floor!