Year in Review

I know it's not quite the end of the year yet, but I think now's a good time to go over some stuff.  Obviously, I've transitioned to the sport of weightlifting pretty much full-time at this point, so the CF stats are basically moot.

Stats:  

6'2", 185#  

Press/Bench/Squat/Dead:
105/205/245/355
3x140/230/3x313/415
Snatch/C&J:
160/205
236/264

Fran - 5:32
Grace - 3:16
Isabel - 5:45
Jackie - 9:30
Nancy - 14:42

400m run - :54
Mile run - 4:51
500m row - 1:28.8
2000m row - 7:09
Screw these for now :-)


Goals (2013):

1. Get stronger.  Short term, I want to get to pressing a plate, benching 2, squatting 3 and deadlifting 4.  Bazinga.  Haven't actually squatted 3 plates, but 3x313 and 5x302 says I can.  Longer term, I'd love to add a plate to each of those.  I don't want weightlifting and the requisite mass that comes with it to take away the advantages I have in the speed and conditioning departments though.
2. Compete.  I'm on the borderline of the Scaled and RX'd divisions of CF competitions, and I want to be proficient enough in everything to be a confident RX'er.  Outside of CF, I would honestly love to get back into swimming a little.  Not something I'm going to do unless I have the time and energy to devote to get myself back into racing shape again though, which is the hard part.  Did 5 CF competitions this year, and 1 WL meet.  Probably dropping the CF comps, but going to more WL meets when they happen.
3. Gain weight.  This goes back to #1 a little in that I don't want to get so big I can't run anymore.  I'm thinking getting to 195# in the next 6 months would be perfect.  Somewhere around 193-195 right now.  Took more than 6 months.  Working my way up.

Goals (2014):

1.  Total 255.  That'd be 115/140 (253/308) and I think that's doable over a year's time.

2.  160/255/390/450 for the powerlifts.  The big goal is aiming for a 200kg squat by the end of 2015.

3.  Weight to 203-205 lbs.  94kg weight class is 206.  I'd like to be on the high end of that.  Gotta eat more!

4.  Continuous improvement as a coach.  Not really measurable, but I got into coaching at the end of this summer and I want to make sure I'm doing as good a job as I can.

Weekly Recap, Week of 12/1/13

Monday - Got my new Pendlay HD bar, time to give it a spin!  Felt smooth on the snatches, no misses up to 100, so went straight to 105 - missed because I caught it a little off balance and ran out of room walking it forward, so decided to go up and... 107!  BAM!  Nice.  Easy C&J up to 115, then pulls were good enough.  Back squat 3x138, then 4x3x140 (3, 2, 1, 3), which wasn't too bad considering 140 was a PR.  Then something different - overhead squat triples, 3 sets at 90, can probably go up to 95 next week.

Tuesday - Was feeling a little tight warming up, just not a ton of pop.  PSnatch to 200#, missed that a couple times before getting it, then missed 205 a couple times to boot.  10s of bench press are a bitch!  Got 10, 10, 9 at 175 superset with chest supported rows.  Then those snatch sots presses I was talking about 3x10x65, superset with 3x15 hanging leg raises.

Wednesday - Snatch up to 103 (missed one at 80?!), C&J up to 115.  Pulls about the same.  Back squat 5x132, 4x5x133, making progress on those pretty consistently.  RDL 3x8x110.  Just kind of a "get the work done" day, besides the fact that I was trying to keep an eye out for some of the less-experienced folks since there was only one coach there most of the time.

Thursday - As usual, knees were creaking through the workout.  No squatting for sure.  PC&J to 235#, missed the jerk at 245.  Odd to think I have snatched more than 235!  Push press 5x175, 2x5x185, will probably do 3x5x180 next time, the 185s were maybe questionable on the last could reps.  Then press 10x110 (9), 2x10x105 (need some smaller change plates :( ), superset with 3x5x58 weighted pullups.

Saturday - Working on 4 hours sleep and weekend duty :/.  Snatch to 100 easy, missed 105 twice and it felt really heavy.  C&J to 115, clean 118.  Was missing the bounce bigtime.  Front squats all good - 3x130, 2x134, 1x141 all PRs.  Back squat 10x120, 10x122, 10x124 for a PR on the last set.  Cl Deadlifts 3x5x140.  Good week overall!  Hopefully can keep it consistent.

Weekly Recap - Week of 11/24/13

Up and down week this week.  Here goes.

Monday - Snatch was on today.  Tried a little different warmup, did squatting quad drills with the bar and dropped the 3-2-1 power/power-to-squat/squat at the beginning.  Up to 100 no misses, missed 105 once really close, and then nailed it.  1kg PR.  C&J was a touch off, felt like I was fighting cleans up so stopped at 110.  Strong pulls, then back squat 5x3x138.  Snatch balance not quite as good as last week, 3x90, 2x95, missed 1x100.  I'll take it though.

Tuesday - Think I found a pretty good lineup of stuff finally for the light days.  Power snatch up to 205#, that's 5lb PR.  Missed 210 a couple times, actually the first 210 miss I caught it almost perfectly for a full snatch but wasn't quite expecting the full squat.  Then bench and bent-over row triples, chest supported DB rows and leg raises.  Will probably sub Sn Sots presses for something starting next week.  Sets of 10 or something.

Wednesday - Must have ate something questionable or caught a bug, my stomach was angry at me in the morning and I had no gas at all today.  Everything was slow and weak - Sn to 90, C&J to 100, Cl to 105, Bad pulls, terrible squats (4x127, 4x5x120), survived RDLs.  Wipe the memory of that one, feel better tomorrow.

Thursday - Turkey day!  Thankful for having a job and being near my family, thankful for having pastimes I enjoy, thankful for having built friendships and met an amazing girl through those pastimes, thankful for living somewhere that lets me enjoy all these things.  Was very tight, did some stretching after nap and played catch with the sibs.

Friday - Just a mini-workout to get the essentials in and get moving after pig-out day.  Power C&J up to 245#, was nailing heavy jerks which isn't normal in my garage.  Missed J's but got power clean PRs at 250 and 255.  Then press, 3x3x140.  Good thing we are going to 10s next week, I think I about maxed out triples this cycle.

Saturday - Snatch up to 100, was very close on a few 103s but just not feeling the lockout well.  This is where Sots presses will come in.  C&J up to 120, 110 was probably the best heavy C&J I have done, caught it perfect and crushed the jerk.  115 and 120 were definitely ugly on the cleans, but I am amazed how much better my jerks have gotten without focusing on them.  Front squat 3x129 for PR, missed the 134 double, got the 140 single, also PR - and "officially" more than I've ever back squatted too :-).  Back squats 'eh', 10x120, 10x122 (got 7), 10x120.  Deadlift 3x3x160, in hindsight probably not a great idea since my back is tight today.  Have to swallow ego on those.

Weekly Highlights, Week of 11/17/13

Monday - First day in the new Lab Gym.  It's neat.  20 platforms, actually heated/air conditioned.  Not a good day on the bar though.  95/110 and those took effort.  Snatch pulls, skipped clean pulls for snatch balance.  Squats bad - only finished a couple full sets of the 5x3.  Need to not let it get to me, Justin says.  Stalling happens often on this program.  Snatch balance afterward was at least decent - 3x95, 2x100, both PRs.

Tuesday - Power snatches were fun - up to 200# with the usual 3x Sn PP in a complex.  Starting to get a little wider on the feet in the catch, probably getting really close to max so I might have to seperate that complex up soon.  Bench press 3x3x210 with some chest-supported rows, then legs raises and a L-sit hold to close.

Wednesday - Decided to stop trying to push out the classic lifts during the week with this squat program.  95/110 and left it there.  Clean/snatch pulls, and 5x5x132 squats.  Tons better than Monday, sets got more comfortable as I went along.

Thursday - Knees felt like an old man.  Good thing no squatting today.  PC&J to 235#, tried 245 but just wasn't getting under that well.  Push press doubles up to 205.  Haven't done straight push press in a long time so went for max to get an idea where to work at.  Got a single at 215, maybe.  Might have been a jerk, I'm not sure so I'm not counting it.  Then strict press 3x3x135 (first time doing any strict pressing with a wheel on either side!  Actually felt pretty easy.) with weighted pullups 3x5x53.

Saturday - Huh.  Good day, as usual, came out of nowhere.  Started C&J first, up to 120 without much trouble - was my second time jerking 120 and it was oh so much cleaner than the first (at the competition).  Smoked it.  Got a 124 clean too to match PR.  Snatched 100 finally again.  Was a little gnarly standing up but a lot more pop on the pull than I have been getting.  Front squat tried 3x129 and missed the last rep, but got 132x2 and 138x1 just fine (over 300# there!).  Then 1x10x120, 1x10x122, 1x9+1 (thanks Ian!)x122.  So not too bad.  Then 3x3x155 deadlift.  Not gonna push those.  

Weekly Update, Week of 11/10/13

A little late with this one... Oops!

Monday - Classic lifts were kinda blah - 95/112, 118 clean.  Squats were pretty fun though - Did first triple at 135, Justin said go up.  Next at 137, new PR there, Justin said go up again.  Triple at 139.  Not too bad!  Only got the double for the next set though, and dropped the last set to 135 on instructions.  4kg of PR ain't something to complain about though.

Tuesday - More power snatch + 3 snatch push press today, up to 195# for three sets, for a PR there.  Then bench triples at 205 and the chest-supported rows Justin told me to do.  And some sets of 10 strict pullups for fun.

Wednesday - Better day under the bar today - 98/117.  Took a few misses to get to the snatch though.  Squats did one 5 at 127, then 4x5x130.  Keep aiming higher!

Thursday - Rack jerk triples - 3 sets at 245#.  Dang, wish there were jerk blocks at J5.  I hate reracking on my chest.  Strict pressed triples at 130#, actually my first time pressing 130 even once - we'll see how 135 goes next week.  Some one arm rows and strict ring dips to finish things off.

Saturday - Not so hot on the main lifts.  Fought with 95 way too much and only gave 98 one try on snatch.  C&J 110, cleaned up to 120 but it was ugly.  Onto front squats, tripled 127, doubled 130, singled 136 all for PRs.  Amazing that back in July/August I fought with 110-115 there.  Back squat did one set of 10 at 118 and 2 more at 120.  Clean deadlifts 3,2,1 to 160/170/180.  Maybe need to back off those, was bugging my back the rest of the weekend.  Didn't have much legs after squats and probably too much back on those lifts. 

Weekly Update, Week of 11/3/13

Monday - Start Justin's "Squat Armageddon" program today.  Gotta get stronger!  Got stuck in the corner for the first half an hour with a crappy 31mm bolted bar with no spin and missing my wrist wraps.  Was not in a good mood.  Got myself a platform and nice bar finally just when snatches started getting heavy - hit up to 98 first try (where was that Saturday?), missed 101.  Clean and jerk felt not-so-good, barely made 112 and whiffed on 116 clean a couple times.  Squats 5x3x135, was at my triple PR and was very hard.  Made it through though.  Felt a little cold coming on all day.

Tuesday - Yep, definitely a cold, and not a little one.  Got home from work and passed out.  Rest day.

Wednesday - Still felt like crap.  Took sick day from work, tried to workout when I felt a little better.  185#/215# was the most frustrated I have ever been lifting I think.  Made my squats though - 5x5x280#/127kg.  Bit of a grind but not bad.

Thursday - Starting to feel much better.  Auxiliary stuff at J5 like usual.  Rack jerk PR for a double - 255#/116kg.  Strict press 3x5 at my old 1RM of 125#, I think I can do more than that now.  Some bench-supported dumbbell rows as prescribed by Justin.

Saturday - Still stuffy, and feeling a little bit of sickness fatigue still.  So, today was mildly surprising.  Snatch up to 101 no problem, 104 was off but not that far away.  C&J only up to 112 again, jerk not feeling it, but kept going with cleans to a 4kg PR at 124.  Had more but coaches said to save some for squats.  3/2/1 FS to 125/128/134, all PRs.  3x10 BS at 113, 116, 118.  Also all progressively PRs.  Dead legs by deadlifts - 3x3x150.  Add in a nasty new accessory of back extension holds.  Only nasty because those spinal erectors are definitely a weakness for me.  Good day overall.

Weekly Update - Week of 10/27/2013

Monday - Finally got over 100 again on snatch.  Some of the lifts were fights - 95 and 98 specifically - but overall decent day there.  Something in my cleans clicked today, everything was easy up to 112, then jumped to 117 and nailed it.  PR there.  Maybe psyched myself out on 120 because it just wasn't quite there.  FS and Pause FS good, 124/112 for 3 doubles each.

Tuesday - Continuing with the PSnatch + 3 Sn PP theme I started last week.  Up to 3 sets at 190# this time, technically a PSn PR, but who's counting for that?  Dropped down to 195 for 5x5 on bench because of my math mix-up last week.  Much better.

Wednesday - Worked on progression for the meet today.  Snatch not so hot - missed 90 a couple times and 95 once, got 98 (opener) first try but bombed out on 102s.  C&J no problems up to opener (110) and second attempt (115).  Fought 120 clean up twice but couldn't jerk because of it.  BS OK, 134 for 5 triples, only got a double on third set.  No pulls/RDLs due to meet.

Thursday - Justin told me to try out my singlet and work up to snatch opener and PC&J.  Bad.  Took 3 tries for 195#, two for 205# and three for 215# (basically 98).  Total confidence killer.  PC&J a little better - up to 240 for a fight of a power clean but really easy jerk.

Saturday - Meet time.  Long day - got there first thing in the morning to watch Ashley go for AO qualifying.  Almost there - went 69/78.  Missed first 67 snatch so was kinda stuck there, got 81 C&J but got called for a double dip on the jerk, tried 83 but got caught on the clean.  Fast forward to men's heavier-weights (I weighed in at 87.12, didn't really care which class I ended up in).  Warmed up to 95, no misses, not even anything close to missing.  Once I got up to the platform though, managed to whiff 98 three times.  Pissed/embarassed.  Have to check the videos but I probably just rushed and was a little scared maybe.  Bummed around till C&J warmup, worked up to 105 easy.  Opened at 110, was cake.  Didn't even have to break before the jerk.  115 almost as easy - caught bounce almost perfectly and no upper back crumple at all.  120 was a little bit more of a fight - had to step into the clean recovery, and danced around a ton on the jerk recovery.  But I'll take that 3kg PR for sure.  Overall, let's call the meet a dead heat.

Went to after party with friends.  Pigged out on pork.  Listened to Pat narrate a pro wrestling fight as a Red Lobster vs Ponderosa battle.  Justin said he wanted to be "diddled."  These are my new friends? :-)