Coup de Todd

[toddmr]

Tonight's theme was protecting my healing hand.

Bench press, 215 x 1,1,1; 195 x 2,2,2; 175 x 3,3,3

Dumbbell bench/flye 55 x 10.5, 8, 8

Hammer curls 40 x 8,8,8 these were harder than last time, I attribute that to the increased weight in the bench and dumbbell bench.

Romanian deadlifts, working up to 315 x 5,5,5

Starr shrugs 5x 225

I was thinking about the bench press and how much I like this Garry Glenn program. It has me benching once a week for three heavy singles, then drop 20# for three doubles, drop another 20# for three triples. Then dumbbell work

In the time since my last power meet, I've gone up to doing three singles at what my third (successful) attempt at that meet was. Then the doubles and triples on top of it.

It's a deceptive program because I initially conceived of it as less bench volume. But my last 5x5 was probably at 180, which gives you a total tonnage of 4500#. Tonight's bench tonnage was 3390, so it's reduced volume, but it's helped me move my heavy presses pretty well from when I seldom did singles. And my double are fifteen pounds higher than my last 5x5. Then the accessory work on top.

And it's kept my shitty elbows from causing me problems.

Will probably do a light oly workout tomorrow morning.

[toddmr]

09-16-2010

Snatches, worked up to a muscle snatch at 65 kg. Tied my PR, but not counting it since I pressed it out.

Snatch pulls @ 80 kg, 5x3

Clean and jerk triples at 70, 75, 80 kg. Single at 86 kg, a 1 kilo PR.

Press 5x 70 kg, couple of intermediate singles, then PR single at 85 kilos, a 2-pound PR over my previous at 185#.

[toddmr]

Today's schedule was kind of fucked-up. I couldn't leave the house early enough to get a full workout at the globo because of work obligations. Went there. Did 4x2 @ 405, was going to try for 6x2 but didn't have time.

Had to go home and shower for the niece's soccer game. Nine-year old soccer is much more fun to watch than younger years.

The first few years, it's a moving cluster of screaming kids around a ball in there somewhere. Then it's all "me, me, me" for a couple years. Now there's actually some concept of team-play and you can see the natural athletes getting to where they're noticeably better, faster, whatever than the other kids.

And if I was coaching and I had a kid who was built big and head-and-shoulders taller than the others, I'd teach that kid to just bull-in-a-china-shop through the scrum of other kids.

I was screaming "kill, kill!" to my niece and the nice suburban soccer parents were suitably appalled.

Did an evening met-con I'm calling "Hand Job". I'm beginning to add exercises for grip and also for maximum forearm jackage because I just want to have stronger hands and big forearms. There I said it. I'm fucking vain.

Anyway, I stole CrossFit's set-rep scheme from Fran, for 55# kettlebell swings in rounds of 21-15-9. After each round I did a farmer's walk with two 40# dumbbells from the top of the driveway to the bottom and back. About 110-115 steps each way, 5 percent grade.

I call "Hand Job" for two reasons. First, it most assuredly will work your grip and forearms. Second, I won't be able to grip my cock for a week because my hands will be so sore.

I didn't put a stopwatch on it because it was my first time with this. I think this'll go into the rotation. Maybe I'll revisit that sentiment when I see how functional my hands are in the morning. Typing this now sucks balls.

I've done that farmer's walk before with the same weights and can usually make the down-trip or back-trip with setting the dumbbells down. But adding those kettlebell swings in there made it impossible.

I'm going to be doing more kettlebell swings, I think, for a while because I believe they'll help my work capacity and my olympic lifts.

Tonight I was able to concentrate on snapping the hips open, and opening them fully in an explosive lift, without all the other shit going on that happens in an Olympic lift.

And I think that it's different enough a movement that it won't fuck up my olympic lift neural patterns. That's the thinking anyway. We'll see how it swings out.

Fuck me, my hands hurt like a motherfucker.

[toddmr]

Tonight's bench workout was 3 singles @ 215#, three doubles at 195# and three triples at 175#. Then three sets of dumbbell bench/flyes with 55# dumbbells for 8, 12, 8 reps. Hammer curls for 8,8,8 with 40# dumbbells.

I believe that this was a straight repeat of my last bench session, but I felt a little weak warming up and decided to be conservative.

Power cleans for triples at 135, 155, up to missing at 175. Shrugs ensued at 185, 235, 285.

I'm going on the record here saying that my next press session will include singles at 187 or 190, depending on what weights are available. 200# press is within sight.

[NewWorldMan]

Congrats on the press PR - looking forward to seeing more soon - ride the wave while it's high!

[toddmr]

Thanks, NWM. And because you asked, we're serving up fresh PRs.

Press 190#. P fucking R. Three singles. Then three doubles at 170, three triples at 150. Missed the second rep of the first set of doubles (didn't count it) because of a brainfart.

Deadlifted up to 415 for a single. Then five singles at 365#. My deadlift sucks.

[toddmr]

Great session tonight except that five of the guys in the weight room were training without their shirts. It was like a Crossfit gym.

Snatched a few triples up to 50 kg to get warm.

Then mainly worked clean-and-jerk starting at 50 kg for five triples. Then 60 kg for a bunch of triples. Working from the hang, then full lift.

Changed my clean grip to widen it and it works much better, I can keep my hands on the bar racking it much more consistently. Also learned to pop the bar up in the rack position to adjust my grip.

Really working three cues at different points in the night.

"Shoulders over the bar."

"Fast elbows"

"slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow..." from the floor to the jumping position.

Went to 70 kgs and it was hit and miss.

Never went heavy tonight, but felt like i got some really good technique work done.

Will practice snatch drops and jerk drops, since I use a push/power jerk.

Did a jerk for every clean that racked. Getting much more confident that I will be able to convert fingers under the bar to a good solid grip, as my racking consistency and hand placement in the rack position have improved. New wider clean grip working well and makes a difference.

[toddmr]

Weight is down to 211.2 this morning.

We'll call today a "craigslist conditioning workout". Farmer walked about 20 feet from basement outside door to street level with pairs of dumbbells at 55#, 60#, 65#, 75# and 80#. Then when I got them home about the same number of steps from car to basement. Actually not a bad workout at all.

[toddmr]

Second day of the CL conditioning workout, which now has a name. Same deal as yesterday with 80# of ivanko iron plates to be put back together as fixed dumbbells. Three pairs of ivanko iron 45# plates. Haven't moved them back into the garage yet because it's raining.

The person I bought them from has some kind of job at the YMCA. It was literally going to be thrown away. All this equipment, including three good old non-chrome olympic bars, was being thrown away. I bought most of it except for the 25 and 35 pound plates as I have much more use for 45s. The Ivanko 45s are very nice and I'm going to sell my sports authority type 45s, which will pay for the upgrade. The seller said she'll let me know what else is going to be thrown away and give me a shot at it.

Stopped by the Globo gym on the way back. It was packed because of the rain, so I did an abbreviated press workout. Worked up to some singles at 185, then went for 205#. Failed twice with 205 about six inches up. Tried 195 and failed at the middle of my forehead.

Fresh I believe I would have gotten them, but did a little too much warmup volume due to having to work in with others.

The seller will also let me know

[toddmr]

PR snatch @ 67.5 kg. Only a half-kilo, but a PR nonetheless. After that went to 69 and it was too fucking heavy.

Clean-and-jerked up to 87.5 kg clean and missed the jerk overhead.

I'm going to separate heavy days from fast days with the olympic lifting. If I'm going to go heavy, I need to ramp up pretty quick to get enough good heavy lifts in. Otherwise it all goes to shit in a hurry.

I'll try to keep rep counts on the faster days and heavy days and see if I can incrementally move the counts up.

Tried to press 91 kg and got it to about my nose twice. Failed 87.5 after that. I think I'd get 87.5 if I went in fresh to it.

Bench will be Thursday this week, then again Monday. See how that goes.