The Week That Was - 3/25 - 3/31

                                             No idea why but this is absolutely hilarious to me.


Mike Tuchscherer on speed work in powerlifting. Also squatting 705x4. Redonk.
Follow-up from Mike
Chad Wesley Smith's response to Mike response to his own article.

I F---ing Love Science Facebook run by a girl, idiots respond with their outside voices. This is why we can't have nice things, you guys.

The best of Ron Swanson...and more bester

3/26
Sots Press + Russian Snatch Balance (2+2) 40x1x3
Snatch + Below Knee Snatch 60x1x3 70x1x2 80x1x2 87x1 92x1 95x0x2 (made first snatch)
Snatch Complex (snatch + abv knee + OH Squat + Snatch Balance) 70-75-80-85x-85
Clean Pull + Below Knee CJ - 60xsome 80x1x3 100x1x2 110x1 115x1 110x1
Klokov Complex (cl pull + clean + pause front squat + push press + pause jerk) 90x1 100x1x3
Back Squat 60x5 95x5 120x4 135x5x2 140x5
Standing Abs + Heavy Reverse Hypers - Five sets
Band Traction

3/27
Muscle Snatch + OH Squat (2+2) 60x1x2 70x1x2
Pwr Snatch up to 87kgx1x2 90x0x2
Pwr Clean to 117x1 120x0
Back Jerk to 100x2x3 110x2x2
Chins and GH Raises - Three sets each

3/28
Sots Press + Russian Snatch Balance (2+2) - 40x1x6 50x1
High Box Snatch (bar just above kneecap) - 40x3x2 50x3 60x3 70x2 80x2 85x1 90x1 92x1 95x1 80x2x3
High Box CJ - 60x2 80x1x2 100x1x2 110x1 115x1 110x1 C+CJ - 100x1 100x1 105x1
Front Squat 60x5x2 90x3 100x3 110x3 120x3

3/29 - Good Friday (day off work, so of course I trained. Just shaking off some soreness.)
Bunch of sled drags
Back Push Press - 50x5 70x5x2 90x5x2 100x3
Chins
Traction

3/30 @ Centennial Weightlifting
Sots Press + Russian Balance 40x1x3 50x1
Snatch up to 185x1 205x0x2 155x2x3 175x1x2 185x0
Clean and Jerk up to 245x1 with two misses
Clean Pulls up to 335x2x5
Light Traction

3/31
Muscle Snatch + OH Squat (2+2) 50x1x2 60x1x2 70x1x2 75x1 (PR)
Back Squat - barx5 70x5x2 100x4 130x4 150x4 160x3 165x4/135x5 140x5 145x5
Front Push Press - bar x5 50x5x2 70x5 80x5 87x5 92x4/80x5x3
Chinese Row 5x8
JM Press 4x15
GH Raise/Hanging Leg Raise/Four-Way Neck/Grappler Abs - Four circuits
Barbell Hip Thrusts
Traction

Second Week Soreness is kicking in big time right now, as evidenced by the shitshow on 3/30. Legs are really hurting units right now. Not banging my head against a wall trying to get lifts when they clearly aren't going, so I did some pulls and called it an early day. Sometimes you'll be able to challenge new PRs, and sometimes you're gonna have to just check the box and keep swinging the hammer.

The basic idea on Sunday is to either make a new PR for a set of five or a PR for 5x5 in both the back squat and the front push press, then get accessory work done. I just go by how I feel as I start working up. If I'm getting up there and things just aren't moving I can go the rep PR route, and if I'm crushing sets then I can challenge a new PR set of five.

The Week That Was - 3/18 - 3/24

Look and Listen:
-Glenn Pendlay and Team Muscledriver has a new podcast series here. The discussion on nutrition in particular is a really good one. Glad to see elite level weightlifters and coaches advocating a high fat diet and getting down on heavy cream and butter in coffee.
-Josh Brown sez we've learned nothing
-Free CFA study materials here. (also some subscription stuff)
-Thick McRunFast: The many nicknames of David Ryder from Mystery Science Theater 3000
-One of my favs from The Gaslight Anthem
-The Book of Awesome by Fake Grimlock (I'm a backer)

Deload Week(ish; I got after it on Saturday and Sunday but five good days of light lifting)
3/19
Sots Press
Snatch + Below Knee Snatch - up to 70 for a couple sets
1+2 for down sets
Clean Pull + Below Knee CJ up to 100x1
Clean-Clean-Jerk - 3 sets @ 90
Back Squat 70x5 100x5 130x5x2

3/20
Sots Press
Pwr Snatch up to 70kg for some doubles (this is awkward as hell)
Pwr Clean up to 100kg for some doubles
Jerks - Two front jerks + two back jerks at 100kg for some sets
Chins + Standing Abs - Three sets

3/21
Snatch from High Blocks to 70kg for some doubles
Pendlay Snatch Complex (Snatch + Hang Snatch + OH Squat + Drop Snatch) two sets @ 60
CJ from High Blocks to 90 for some doubles
Klokov Complex - two sets at 90
Front Squat 60x3 80x3 100x3x2

3/22 - Roller. Got on a scale for first time in months: 216.6lbs (98.4kg). Perfecto. Just clean the backloads up a wee bit and that'll come off real quick.

3/23 @ Centennial Crossfit/Weightlifting
Snatch up to 205lbs for four singles, then missed 215 twice
CJ up to 260lbsx1 275x1x2 no jerk
-The full lifts both feel shitty but they're getting less shitty, so that's a step in the right direction.

3/24
Muscle Snatch + OH Squat (2+2) 50x1x3 60x1x2
Back Squat barx5x2 70x5 100x4 120x4 135x3 150x3 160x5
Pause Squat 140x2x4
Front Push Press 50x5 70x5 80x5 87x5
Chest Supported Machine Row - buncha sets
JM Press and Grappler Abs - buncha sets
Barbell Hip Thrusts and Banded Hip Thrusts- buncha sets
Band Traction

The Training Week That Was - 3/10 - 3/17

Men's 105kg class from 2012 Olympics. Tremendous lifting from the champion Torokhtiy. Bonk is also interesting to watch in that he externally rotates and "winds up" his hips (jump to 26:25, 32:35 and 38:30) during his setup in the snatch and creates a ton of torque before he starts. As Kelly Starrett has noted about a million times, torque is the key to pretty much everything we do in the athletic realm.

Random reads:
-Quesarito!!!
-Blog post on Carb Backloading from Cookie Monster
-Creatine: How Much article from Schwarzenegger
-My next meet at Flatirons Crossfit. More to come.
-Rachel Guy on Dangerously Hardcore talking back training for the ladies.
-Jim Laird from J&M Strength and Conditioning on meditation, relaxing and chilling the f*** out
   -Jim and Molly are hosting the Train Like A Girl seminar in Lexington on May 18-19, 2013. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.


3/11
Muscle Snatch 3x2 70kg
Snatch + Abv Knee Snatch 50xsome 60x1x2 70x1x2 80x0 80x1x2 85x1 90x0x2 (not too far off)
Down Sets (1+2) - 70x1x2 75x1 80x1
Sn Pull w/ Pause - 140x3x3
Back Squat - 140x5 145x5 145x5
Pause Back Squat - 3x4 @ 120 w/ five count pause
Dead Back Squat - 7x1 @ 150

3/13
Sots Press/Pendlay Snatch Drills
Pendlay Clean Drills
High Hang CJ (pwr jerk)- 80x1x3 90x1x2 100x1 110x1x2 115x1x2 122xFJ 127x0x2
Floating CJ (pwr jerk)- 110x1x3
Cl Pull w/ Pause 150x3x3
Front Squat 120x3x3
Pause Front Squat 100x3x2 90x3
(Skipped my dead front squats; my legs were a MESS)

3/16 (No wrist wraps, no wrist issues and no misses except for the 125 jerk; nice step forward)
Snatch - bar work 40x a bunch 60x a lesser bunch 70x2x2 70x1 80x1x2 90x1
CJ (pwr jerk) - bar work 60x a bunch 80x1x3 100x1x2 110x1 117x1 125xFJ

3/17
Muscle Snatch 60kg 3x3
B Sqt - 60x5x2 100x3 120x3 145x3 160x3 185x1 175x3
Pause Squat - 100x3 130x3 150x1 160x1 170x1
Push Press 3x5 80kg (wrists are weak but all good; no wraps, no worries)
Standing Row + Standing Abs - buncha sets
JM Press - buncha sets

I'll be deloading next week so I'm going to take a carb-free week to get some water out and check the scale. I haven't been on a scale in months, no idea where I'm at; I'm guessing 215-220 realm? I'm going to emphasize lots of overhead accessory work to get that brought up after being gone from training for the better part of four months.

Bonus: You gotta appreciate the awesomeness of this dubstep sign flipper.

The Training Week That Was - 3/3 - 3/9

3/3
Muscle Snatches and some OH Squats (the wrist might be ready for snatching again)
Back Squat barx3x2 60x5x2 90x3 110x3 130x3 150x3 160x3 170x3 then
130x3 and 140x3 each with a five count pause
Push Press 60x5x2 80x5 90x2 (wrists a-ok)
Chest Supported Row + Standing Abs 4x12 each
Traction

3/5
Muscle Snatch
Snatch + Abv Knee Snatch to 70x1, then (1+2) @ 60kg x1x2
Sn Pull w/ Pause - 130x3x3
B Squat - 140x5x3
Pause Back Squat - 3x4 @ 120kg w/ five count pause
Dead Back Squat - 7x1 @ 140

3/6 - Trained at Crossfit SoCal in San Diego. This is an excellent Crossfit box with very smart and qualified coaches and a stout group of athletes, both competitors and non-competitors alike.
OH Press 12x1 @ 155
500m Rower Sprints (three minutes rest between reps) 1:29/1:33/1:37

3/7 - Another day at Crossfit SoCal
Muscle Clean - 60x2x4
High Hang CJ - 60xsome 80x1x2 100x1x2 110x1x2 120x1x2 125x0
Floating CJ - 80x1x2 100x1 110x1x3
Clean Pull w/ Pause - 110x3 130x3 150x3x3
Front Squat - 110x3 120x3 125x3 130x3 135x3 140x3
Pause Front Squat - 80x3 100x3 110x3x3 w/ five count pause
Dead Front Squat - 110x1x3 120x1x7

3/8 - Trained at AFP Center in Santa Monica (GREAT gym, will be my home gym if I relocate to Santa Monica. Also National Champ weightlifter Derrick Johnson's home gym)
Snatch up to 80x1x2
Hip Snatches
CJ up to 110x1x2
Power CJ up to 110x1x2

3/9
Just messed around at Gold's. Some KB windmills and overhead pressing

The Training Week That Was - 2/24 - 3/2

"I'm an entertainer. I have nothing to sell...I just want you to enjoy a point of view that I enjoy" - Alan Watts


2/24 Snowing BALLS here so got a quickie in at the Glendale YMCA
500m row @ 1:33
Abs x60/Chins x10
Military Press bar x10x2 95x5x2 115x3 135x3 145x2 155x1x12 w/ minute between reps (this is a Steve Pulcinella idea from his IronSport Method)
Chinese DB Row 85x10x5
JM Press - 7x10
Pulldown 2x20

2/25 - Acupuncture from Chiropractic of North Denver

2/26
Muscle Snatch (one full + two from high hang) 60kg 3x3
Snatch High Pull (1+2) up to 100x1x4
Floating Snatch High Pull (1+2) bunch at 80
Snatch Pull w/ Pause 100x3 120x3 140x3 150x3 140x3x3
Back Squat 135lbsx5x2 205x5 255x5 275x5 285x5x2 295x5
Pause Squat (seven second pause) 3x5 @ 195lbs
Dead Squat 10x1@245lbs, 30s between reps
Heavy Standing Abs - 3x10  Grappler Abs 2x8+8

2/27
Military Press up to 160x1x6 155x1x3 150x1x3
Chins x20
Bunch of snatch grip upright row-type things

2/28
Muscle Clean 50kgx3x3
High Hang Clean up to 115kgx1x2 then Floating Clean 70x1x2 90x1x2 (wrists getting better)
Clean Pull w/ Pause 110x3 140x3 160x3x3
Front Squat 135lbsx5x2 205x3 245x3 265x3 275x3x2
Seven Count Pause Squat 185lbsx3x3
Dead Front Squat 135lbsx1x3 185x1x5
-Had to cut the squats short because I was running late for a company dinner. This should have been 10x1 of dead squats and 5x3 of the pause squats.

3/2
Only had an hour to lift so I worked up to 120x1 in the clean and then bolted for acupuncture. My back tends to not appreciate rushed morning sessions.