It seems like forever since I last posted on here, so i felt compelled to put down on paper what has been happening with my training, and my outlook on training. My interest in lifting is ever-evolving, and my workouts, as well as my training focus, has completely changed in the last few months. While my main goal at the end of the football season and over winter break was to add back muscle I had lost during the season and start moving heavy weight again through powerlifting, I have changed my focus in the last three months entirely to Olympic lifting. I fell in love with Olympic lifting last spring, but because of my own poor technique and programming, I pushed myself far too hard and burned out, a process that ended in a pretty serious back issue for me.
Now I've come back to weightlifting, I have once again fallen in love with the incredible challenge inherent in the sport. The snatch and clean and jerk are without question the most difficult lifts to learn, and both are nearly impossible to master. I still have a very long way to go in these lifts, which is part of why I keep coming back for more. I love the challenge of trying to hold proper position during a heavy snatch off the floor, or fighting through a heavy clean just to have to gather myself before attempting to throw it overhead. There is no better feeling then hitting a big PR on the Olympic lifts or saving a rep that you thought you had no business making, and it keeps me coming back for more again and again.
There's not enough room to describe all of the changes I've made in my training, the brief, but extremely helpful coaching I've received, or why I do the things I do to improve. So, to keep this short, there are three categories I'll talk about: PRs, programming, and finishers.
First, here are my up to date PRs, for the reader and my own future reference:
Back squat--182.5 kg (401 lbs)
Snatch--100 kg (220 lbs which sets the FDU offensive line record)
Clean and Jerk--125 kg (275 lbs)
Front squat--140 kg (308 lbs) x 4
Clean--140 kg (308 lbs)
Jerk--130 kg (286 lbs)
Bench Press (Irrelevant but we tested it recently so why not?)--350 lbs
Here is my current lifting schedule
Monday--Submax snatch reps (volume & technique), heavy snatch pulls, finisher
Tuesday--Squats, overhead work, lower body push & assistance
Wednesday--Cleans for reps or a heavy single (volume & technique), heavy clean pulls, finisher
Thursday--Active recovery/conditioning
Friday--Upper body work, overhead pressing, finisher
Saturday--Work up to a heavy (if not max) single in the snatch and clean & jerk, back down snatch and clean & jerk technique work, finisher
Sunday--Active recovery with 12 oz curls aka Sunday Funday boozing
Finishers
Last summer after I had hurt my back training I began using odd objects, high intensity circuits, and Crossfit-like training to continue to workout out, build muscle, and burn fat. The results I got were unparalleled. My lifting numbers didn't fall off terribly, my body felt healthier, and I was leaner and more muscular then ever before. So, why not combine the two? With this in mind I've been including high intensity finishers at the end of my heavy training sessions frequently, and I'm loving the results. It gives me the ability to challenge myself with heavy weightlifting training, and push myself past the breaking point with brief but grueling finishers that tax both mind and body. Here are a couple of examples of what I've been doing:
Finisher 1
Double KB Swing--10, 8, 6, 4, 2
Inch Worm + Pushups--10, 8, 6, 4, 2
Finisher 2--6 Minute AMRAP
60 kg Barbell Thruster--6
Pull Ups--6
Finisher 3--10 Minute AMRAP
Overhead KB Swing--10
KB High Pulls--10
Single Arm KB Rows--8 each arm
Finisher 4--Finished in 11 Minutes
KB Swing--20, 15, 10, 5
Hold the Bell KB Goblet Squat--20, 15, 10, 5
Pushups--20, 15, 10, 5
Short and ass-kicking. I'm more motivated to train and get after it then ever before. After reaching my goal from over a year ago of 100kg snatch, I've still got a long way to go, and I'm hungry to keep working. I'm going to continue to re-break my own snatch record, and work toward the FDU Oline Clean & Jerk record of 148 kg. I'm improving on the snatch and clean and jerk and my lifts are continuing to go up. I'm including more finishers and getting creative as the weather gets warmer with kettlebells, stones, sandbags, etc. Anything I can get my hands on that weighs something can be used to condition the body, build muscle, and have fun at the same time. The key now is to stay healthy and find a good balance of heavy lifting and this type of training that I used with great success last summer.
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