Monday's Machiavelian increase in volume

I spent more hours on a bus than I care to remember over the weekend. It turned out to be great fun, but when twelve hours are spent sitting in a bus, it means one's flexibility and mobility will take a bit of a nose dive. Yesterday's session went well considering and as the title suggested, I inched up my volume and intensity rather than do my usual and get far too enthusiastic and burn myself out. The only way to improve my weightlifting conditioning is to gradually increase what my body can tolerate. Gradual means reasonable and this is something that John Broz was at pains to tell me.

If a long term plan is in place, you have to teach your body and mind about how to deal with physical stress and the mental demands this places on a person. In my effort to do this, I followed my plan and held back my urge to go as heavy as I could. The Monday workout for me, is simply to get in lifting volume and to set up the body for the heavier days to follow. I tend to lift better on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Therefore, these have been assigned as heavy days where the intensity will be raised. On the Tuesday, I will lift heavier in the Clean and Jerk, the workout after, the Snatch. Then there is an active recovery workout where I work on technique and weak points followed by a max session on the Saturday. This is a very simple template, but I am enjoying it none the less. I need to lift more weight in the classical lifts and I need to squat with more volume and also with higher intensity. I believe I can achieve this and thrive over the next few weeks. Here is what I did yesterady:

Snatch--2x4@40 1x2@60, 70, 80 4x1@90 @75%. Last weiik I did three singles with 90kg.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 60, 80 1x1@100, 110, 120, 120, 120 @80%. Last week I did two singles with 120.

Front Squat--1x3@ 60, 110, 125, 135 fo six triples. Last week I did six triple with 132kg.

Essentially, I am inching up this particular workout that, as you can see, is not heavy at all. The idea is that it will facilitate giong heavier on the three days that I will be going heavier and it also helps me adapt to more volume so that I will be better conditioned. My program is very simple: 3 heavy days, 2 lighter days which will be gradually increased in volume over time.

Have a look at this awesome video from the last World Championships. It is of the 94kg weight class and the guy who won is a power freak athlete.