Staiki's Weightlifting TM Log

[Staiki]

Thursday, 8/11/18

Clean + Front Squat
1+1 x 60kg
1+1 x 65kg
1+1 x 70kg
1+1 x 75kg
1+1 x 80kg
1+1 x 82.5kg
1+1 x 85kg

Snatch
3 x 40kg
3 x 45kg
3 x 50kg

Comments:

Platforms were full at the gym so I decided to train in a squat cage, which unfortunately doesn't have any room for jerks - I will do them another day. Decided to do cleans and front squats, and got up to 85kg, which is my best ever clean as well as clean + front squat. Bar speed was faster than 80kg and 82.5kg, as I caught it better, and the front squat was quick; definitely not a limit weight but I wanted to leave it there because my legs were already sore. I've noticed my technique improves as the weights go up; I am quicker under the bar, I pull closer to the body but I need to focus on doing this at lower weights as well...with heavier weights, I really should jump back a bit, so I often get buried and have to break out of the bottom with just my legs.

According to old Soviet ratios, I should be cleaning around 100kg and as silly as that sounds, I don't think I am too far off; judging from videos of my cleans, my bottom catch position is a fair bit lower than where I can pull the bar with no extension or shrug, so I feel I could definitely get under it and rack it, but strength is another issue.

Didn't have much in the legs left for snatches, so I tried something new: pulling as low as possible and jumping under as quick as possible. I noticed my bar path when doing this was much closer, even though I wasn't extending fully. Didn't go very heavy, but my elbow felt pretty good. I'm thinking of including direct triceps work, but push presses might be enough.

Not sure if many people read this, but I have been following the World Championship and am eagerly looking forward to Andrei Aryamnov in the 109kg class. Definitely my favourite lifter, highly recommend his Youtube/Instagram. He won't win, but he looks to be in good shape all things considered (no PEDs) and only having trained for such a short time after injury.

[Staiki]

Saturday, 10/11/18

Back Squat
5 x 115kg
3 x 120kg

Snatch Deadlift
3 x 85kg
3 x 85kg
3 x 85kg

Push Press
3 x 40kg
3 x 50kg
3 x 60kg

Box Jumps
5 x 24''
5 x 24''
5 x 24''
5 x 30''

Comments:

I knew I could do 110kg x 5 as I did it last week, so I decided to skip to to 115kg. It didn't move as quickly as I liked; actually, the 3 reps at 120kg were quicker/more comfortable than the first 3 115kg ones. I attribute this to being more warmed up and keeping my hips under the bar better on the ascent for 120kg. If we're talking in RPE terms, I would say both were around RPE 8. After that, my calves were pretty sore (they get sore from being pressed against by my hamstrings I believe) so I moved onto snatch grip deadlifts, which unfortunately tore a callus and made the rest of the session not very fun. Finished up with some push presses and box jumps. Working towards landing with straight legs on the 30'' box.

Things to work on for next week: striking a balance between staying flat-footed but upright as possible - I find bar speed slows when I am pushed forward and the bar strays towards my toes. This happened today on the last rep, which made it more difficult than it should've been. I need to actively sit upright. Need to get more snatch work in, and see how some of these activities translate to snatch ability (strength activities like the back squat and BTN press, but also box jumps for speed.)

[Staiki]

Sunday, 11/11/18

Snatch Balance + OHS
1+1 x 40kg
1+1 x 45kg
1+1 x 50kg
1+1 x 55kg
1+1 x 60kg
1+1 x 60kg

Block Clean
2 x 50kg
2 x 60kg
2 x 65kg
2 x 70kg
2 x 75kg
2 x 80kg

Comments:

My callus that ripped hasn't healed so I didn't bother with snatches; decided to do snatch balances instead. My wrists get much more sore doing these compared to actual snatches, maybe due to more time under tension. I did wrist curls and reverse wrist curls inbetween sets which helped a lot. It's the reverse with snatches: I get elbow soreness instead of wrist. I alternated between doing snatch jerks and push presses until I got a bit higher than what I am currently snatching. Lastly I wanted to do some clean-related work, and tried doing some from blocks (just below the knee.) I haven't done them much and they felt very awkward, and found myself power cleaning and hurting my knees.

I don't like power cleans. I agree with Andrei - I think they're bad for the knees and they don't teach you correct movement patterns for actual cleans. I remember reading an old Soviet text (I think it was Roman, not sure) stating that the bar should be pulled to pretty much the same height each lift, with the only difference being forced applied to the bar; meaning you should focus on getting under and receiving lower as it is more efficient. Anyway, worked up to 80kg for two reps, and did some accessory work. My calves have been getting extremely tight lately, so I have been rolling them onto the barbell to try and release them.