So wifey and I talk about the WODs we'd really like to have sometimes. I don't have HSPUs or even pullups. However, I really like Diane, and she really likes Fran. Well, as much as can like these sorts of workouts that make you want to barf your face off.
And so, the solution is Difran:
For time,
21-15-9
225 (175) DL
35 (25) DB thrusters
You'd use two barbells and have that by 65/45 thrusters or something, but that becomes a mess when you've got multiple people working out.
Haven't had a chance to do this yet, but I'm really looking forward to it.
17 August, 2012
16 August, 2012
One size fits all
I had a great session with Cara tonight. It wasn't the most I'd ever lifted (it's not supposed to be). But we did make some interesting conclusions.
So we normally (at least in my limited experience) say that olympic lifting is done a certain way. When we clean the bar, our hands are in a specific place (my Crossfit coach – take that for what you will – says your hands are an inch to two outside your hips). When we receive the bar, it is in the front rack position. Generally, we also say that a jerk is a split jerk, rather than a "power" or squat jerk.
But I've been struggling with this. My front rack position is not terrific. There are a couple reasons for this. The first is I have poor mobility in my elbows. This is a lot better than when I started, but it's still not as terrific as a lot of the lifters I've seen (especially my wife!). I think this probably stems from all the time I spend at the keyboard, with my arms being tight, and so on. The other thing is, though, the "space" between my shoulders (that is, my deltoids) and my neck just doesn't exist. I can rest the bar ("receiving") on my deltoids, but the weight is supported on my fingers because there isn't room for the bar "between" my deltoids and my neck. It's not really relevant whether this is because my neck is big (it doesn't seem to be) or my deltoids are small (they could be bigger, but I'm a real big dude, and they're not small).
What does all this mean? Well, it means that my grip is a little modified. It means that my receiving position is necessarily a little wider so I can bring my hands under it. And, it means my receiving position looks pretty different than what you're accustomed to seeing.
But the other thing that's kind of kicking my behind is that I cannot squat very well when I receive the bar because I can't hold it very well in the front rack. I can do it with pvc, but as the weight gets heavier, the weight wants to "strip" the bar from my front rack and I drop it in front of me. And lose the lift. What I have been doing to receive the weight of the bar is leaning back (not too unlike a continental clean), but retaining a straight line in my back. That is, there's a slight bend in my knee, and I'm bending back from the hip rather than bending in my lumbar (hyper extending). This is certainly weird to look at. However, I'm very comfortable, I do receive it with a bit of a squat (just a couple inches), adjust my grip, take a breath, and then throw it up in a jerk.
Which is the next issue: I've got a great power jerk. Well, that is, it's super stable for me, it's quick enough to throw heavy weights up, and it's a motion I can do comfortably, and well. I lack back mobility because of the bone carnage back there, and my front rack doesn't allow me to hold the bar straight upright without losing it. So I clean to my shoulders, lean back a bit, and press/jerk from there. But when I split the jerk, I'm unstable. There's a bit of a bend involved. And it just doesn't work.
The good news is, there are a couple of olympic-level lifters who do use the power jerk. And Cara, anyways, uses a squat jerk (so, incidentally, does my wife).
So what came out of tonight's session was great: I just lift a little differently. It's still a clean, it's still a jerk, and it just looks a little different than yours. Because I have this reduced mobility, I probably have to work harder to pull the same weight, but that doesn't bother me.
Tonight, I lost some of the insecurity and discomfort I've had about my "weird" form in the C&J. I really banged those lifts, and started adding weight because I was very confident in what I was doing. Two weeks ago I PR'd my snatch from 95 to 125. That same night, though, I had been working on hitting my C&J hard, and because of this "awkward form," we stopped at 145. I'd previously jerked 175 twice (well, fourteen times, but sets of two) with a split jerk, and we were going for single reps, but my form was off. Tonight I cleaned and jerked 145 numerous times, and only at the end did I start getting a bit sloppy due to fatigue. To be honest, it felt light. 125 felt silly light.
I am really looking forward to hitting that 175 C&J again, and with any luck, I'll be able to PR that snatch, too. Maybe next week – that will give me three weeks of rest. I'm also mostly over this sinus/ear/lung infection. So, hopefully, I'll be stronger than I was two weeks ago (when I was on methylprednisolone and levofloxacin, dehydrated, had poor sleep, and was generally just out of sorts).
Here's to being different.
So we normally (at least in my limited experience) say that olympic lifting is done a certain way. When we clean the bar, our hands are in a specific place (my Crossfit coach – take that for what you will – says your hands are an inch to two outside your hips). When we receive the bar, it is in the front rack position. Generally, we also say that a jerk is a split jerk, rather than a "power" or squat jerk.
But I've been struggling with this. My front rack position is not terrific. There are a couple reasons for this. The first is I have poor mobility in my elbows. This is a lot better than when I started, but it's still not as terrific as a lot of the lifters I've seen (especially my wife!). I think this probably stems from all the time I spend at the keyboard, with my arms being tight, and so on. The other thing is, though, the "space" between my shoulders (that is, my deltoids) and my neck just doesn't exist. I can rest the bar ("receiving") on my deltoids, but the weight is supported on my fingers because there isn't room for the bar "between" my deltoids and my neck. It's not really relevant whether this is because my neck is big (it doesn't seem to be) or my deltoids are small (they could be bigger, but I'm a real big dude, and they're not small).
What does all this mean? Well, it means that my grip is a little modified. It means that my receiving position is necessarily a little wider so I can bring my hands under it. And, it means my receiving position looks pretty different than what you're accustomed to seeing.
But the other thing that's kind of kicking my behind is that I cannot squat very well when I receive the bar because I can't hold it very well in the front rack. I can do it with pvc, but as the weight gets heavier, the weight wants to "strip" the bar from my front rack and I drop it in front of me. And lose the lift. What I have been doing to receive the weight of the bar is leaning back (not too unlike a continental clean), but retaining a straight line in my back. That is, there's a slight bend in my knee, and I'm bending back from the hip rather than bending in my lumbar (hyper extending). This is certainly weird to look at. However, I'm very comfortable, I do receive it with a bit of a squat (just a couple inches), adjust my grip, take a breath, and then throw it up in a jerk.
Which is the next issue: I've got a great power jerk. Well, that is, it's super stable for me, it's quick enough to throw heavy weights up, and it's a motion I can do comfortably, and well. I lack back mobility because of the bone carnage back there, and my front rack doesn't allow me to hold the bar straight upright without losing it. So I clean to my shoulders, lean back a bit, and press/jerk from there. But when I split the jerk, I'm unstable. There's a bit of a bend involved. And it just doesn't work.
The good news is, there are a couple of olympic-level lifters who do use the power jerk. And Cara, anyways, uses a squat jerk (so, incidentally, does my wife).
So what came out of tonight's session was great: I just lift a little differently. It's still a clean, it's still a jerk, and it just looks a little different than yours. Because I have this reduced mobility, I probably have to work harder to pull the same weight, but that doesn't bother me.
Tonight, I lost some of the insecurity and discomfort I've had about my "weird" form in the C&J. I really banged those lifts, and started adding weight because I was very confident in what I was doing. Two weeks ago I PR'd my snatch from 95 to 125. That same night, though, I had been working on hitting my C&J hard, and because of this "awkward form," we stopped at 145. I'd previously jerked 175 twice (well, fourteen times, but sets of two) with a split jerk, and we were going for single reps, but my form was off. Tonight I cleaned and jerked 145 numerous times, and only at the end did I start getting a bit sloppy due to fatigue. To be honest, it felt light. 125 felt silly light.
I am really looking forward to hitting that 175 C&J again, and with any luck, I'll be able to PR that snatch, too. Maybe next week – that will give me three weeks of rest. I'm also mostly over this sinus/ear/lung infection. So, hopefully, I'll be stronger than I was two weeks ago (when I was on methylprednisolone and levofloxacin, dehydrated, had poor sleep, and was generally just out of sorts).
Here's to being different.
12 August, 2012
new dl
Today's deadlift:
95 x 10
145 x 5
195 x 3
245 x 1
295 x 1
300 x 1
300 x 1
245 x 2
195 x 5
145 x 4
My previous high deadlift (20 July) was 275. That workout was:
Back squat:
2 x 85
2 x 115
2 x 145
2 x 155
2 x 175
Press (strict):
2 x 65
2 x 85
Deadlift:
2 x 135
2 x 205
2 x 255
2 x 275
So in some ways it's not a real surprise that I hit a 300 DL today. I was really, really tired on 20 July. It was a crossfit total, and we had 30-ish minutes to hit 2RM's on DL, BS, and Press; today, I spent about an hour and a half on today's ten sets. Towards the end, I had more "lift" in me, but my hands were shredded and I was just out of grip. I'm not sure why, but the 300 DL was kind of my white whale; I'd been hunting it and was disappointed when I didn't get it back in July. Now I'm out for 330. We'll see again in 6-8 weeks.
I also did an "olympic total" on 8 Aug, but I'm not real pleased with it. I've been sick for about two weeks (sinus infection, ear infections, and bronchitis), and taking steroids (not those steroids) and antibiotics. I'm hoping I'll come back stronger next time through. My olympic total for the time being is just 260. :(
95 x 10
145 x 5
195 x 3
245 x 1
295 x 1
300 x 1
300 x 1
245 x 2
195 x 5
145 x 4
My previous high deadlift (20 July) was 275. That workout was:
Back squat:
2 x 85
2 x 115
2 x 145
2 x 155
2 x 175
Press (strict):
2 x 65
2 x 85
Deadlift:
2 x 135
2 x 205
2 x 255
2 x 275
So in some ways it's not a real surprise that I hit a 300 DL today. I was really, really tired on 20 July. It was a crossfit total, and we had 30-ish minutes to hit 2RM's on DL, BS, and Press; today, I spent about an hour and a half on today's ten sets. Towards the end, I had more "lift" in me, but my hands were shredded and I was just out of grip. I'm not sure why, but the 300 DL was kind of my white whale; I'd been hunting it and was disappointed when I didn't get it back in July. Now I'm out for 330. We'll see again in 6-8 weeks.
I also did an "olympic total" on 8 Aug, but I'm not real pleased with it. I've been sick for about two weeks (sinus infection, ear infections, and bronchitis), and taking steroids (not those steroids) and antibiotics. I'm hoping I'll come back stronger next time through. My olympic total for the time being is just 260. :(