The Polish Meat Locker

[Clay Simczyk]

db bench: 93 - 4,6,6,4

Deadlift: 390 - 5x3

[Clay Simczyk]

Had a coaching session with Juli and got the power clean fixed.

PBR 198x1

Falling a little forward on this rep, but it's 20lbs better than what I've done so far. We did a lot of triples then singles. The last 3 sets were:
198x0, 198x0, 198x1

[Clay Simczyk]

Notes on the Power Clean:

* Patience!
* Work on the hook grip.
* Light high pull warmups.
* Patience! Patience! Patience!
* Squeeze off the floor.
* Squeeze the bar (keeps arms straight).
* Patience!
* Catch it on the shoulders.

[HandPlaneSteve]

Patience during what specifically? I tend to want to get under the bar before the jump is complete... it doesn't really work.

[Clay Simczyk]

Do you have a video?

Patience for me is off the floor. She had me slow waaaaay down. We went to a really light weight and she had me pull it off the floor like it was a max pull deadlift. Then we worked the weight back up. This also applies to throwing in Highland Games. Save the explosion for the right point in the move otherwise your using all your energy too early. I was essentially jumping from the floor.

[bob g]

Outstanding, Clay.

Had a coaching session with Juli and got the power clean fixed.

PBR 198x1

Falling a little forward on this rep, but it's 20lbs better than what I've done so far. We did a lot of triples then singles. The last 3 sets were:
198x0, 198x0, 198x1

[Clay Simczyk]

Thanks Bob. Nice to hear from you. You've been hiding.

I did some more power cleans today. I need to work more on catching the bar.

Singles to 195x1, 205x0

[Clay Simczyk]

Press: 185x1, 195x1, 185x1

Squat: 365x1, 405x1, 385x1

Bench: PBR 265x1
db Bench: 93x8

Deadlift: 450x0

Intensity day turned into a sort of heavy deload. Maybe two days in a row of record setting power cleans doesn’t make a good light day. I’m sure the absinthe at Great Lake Distillery’s Festivus party last night had nothing to do with it.

[Clay Simczyk]

[Clay Simczyk]

2013 actual - 2014 goal - 2014 actual - 2015 goal

Press
180 - 200 - 207.5 - 250

Squat
400 - 450 - 445 - 495

Bench
235 - 265 - 265 - 315

Deadlift
395 - 450 - 445 - 495

Power Clean
n/a - n/a - 198 - 240

Bonus:
Clean and Press 225
PL Total 1300


My goals may be a little ambitious, but I want to step it up since I was very close to my goals for 2014 and most of the progress was made during the last half of the year. I wasted the first half with poor programming and think I have a better grasp of how I need to program myself.

Bench
I'm going to start benching again. (A man should be able to bench 300 pounds.) Dropping the bench and just doing dumbbells taught me the value of using them for accessory work. I added 10 pounds to my bench with dumbbell work alone. I didn't think I would add anything to my 1RM since the weight used was much less. But look at the math: Barbell (9/14) 215x5x5=5,375; dumbells (12/14) 90x2x4x8=5,760.

Dumbbells
Since seeing the results from doing higher rep dumbbell work, I am adding it as an accessory for press and bench. I'll do bench dumbbell work on press day and press dumbbell work on bench day. This will increase volume and spread it across the week. I think one of the benefits of dumbbell work is it must simulate the recruitment of more motor units. A greater effort is needed to maintain a straight bar path. My ability to grind out a rep was nonexistent in my novice phase, it grew slowly during my intermediate phase, but has increased dramatically since I started using dumbbells.

Deadlift
This lift had a rough time. 1x5 wasn't right. I failed many times in the mid 300's and resets would either fail to progress or regress. Deficits worked for a short time. Haltings and rack pulls didn't do much. The reason for my recent progress is because of the chapter in Practical Programming on special populations. 5x3 programming (female programming) has worked flawlessly since I started it. I started triples at 360 in October and my most recent sets were 390.

Squat
My best lift and probably the one that will need new programming first. I'm reading the Tusheer - Tuchshererer - Tuchscherer Reactive Training Manual for a change in programming that will likely happen in the Spring.