Weightlifting epiphanies

We all need our moment of belief. Win, Rocky...win....

2012-02-16T19:47:00.005Z

So, moving on from the last post, I got to the stage where I could not pull the bar at all, even to do skill work. Something had to change and for the first time in my sporting career, I was thinking of my long term health and basic lifestyle in the following ten years.

I decided to try something different and I went to a chiropractor. He told me that my SI joint was out of place and that this explained my back pain and the subsequent issues. He urged me to take ten days off training completely and I actually did it. I had not taken off ten days from training since I was 18 years old and even though I was very restless and even more annoying than usual, I enjoyed the time off training. My back felt great and I decided to go back and try again. I kept things very light the first two sessions and I pushed it a bit a few days later. It was fine at the time but I was in bits the following few days; I tightened up badly and I was back to square one again. I had around 6 sessions or so and they gave me some relief without sorting me out.

By this stage, I was very frustrated and had not been able to train properly for around three or four weeks. After some careful deliberating, I decided to give my back a break and leave off weightlifting for a few months. I had played a few games of social rugby for fun but my ankle got worse and I had to stop that also. My shoulder was still bandied and the soft tissue work I was getting was only giving me comfort for a few days, rather than sorting out the underlying issues.

Around this time, I had entered an arrangement with John Connor, the co-owner of the Irish Strength Institute alongside Eoin Lacey. I would coach him weightlifting and he would give me soft tissue treatments and help me recover from my injuries. We only had three sessions together before he left for 9 weeks teaching and travelling. John gives me ART treatments or he uses other soft tissue protocols and I found these very helpful. While John was gone, I also went to a physical therapist called Paul Hevey who made a good bit of ground with my shoulder and ankle, giving me the first major signs of progress I had seen in a long, long time.

In December, I asked Eoin Lacey if he would hook me up with a strength program while John was away. They have different kinds of strength and conditioning protocols than I would be used to and would be heavily influenced by Charles Poliquin, a Candian strength coach. I knew it would be good for me to experience a different mode of training while taking a break from weightlifting and Eoin was gracious enough to help. After giving me a basic testing protocol, he said my trunk strength and erector strength were both appalling in relative terms. I did the program he gave me for five weeks with 3 or 4 sessions a week. I was not used to the higher reps, the short rest periods or the super-setted programming, but it was really nice to do something different. He put in some Clean grip pulls from pins into the program to keep up my strength. I enjoyed doing them but when I tried to do it again a few days later, even pulling the bar and 60kg hurt. I kept going hoping it was just stiffness, but just before the working sets, I decided to leave it. Once again, it was a few days after pulling that really hurt my back. It also seemed like it was changing in nature also, going from the musculature to the actual joints and spine. Not good.

I obviously left out any pulling whatsoever from the rest of my programming for the next two months aside from very light weightlifting movements that I would do when coaching some of the other lads in ISI. I kept in touch with weightlifting by doing the skill drills with the bar and 30/40kg. Doing some of these drills from the hang felt great while it kept me in touch with basic technique and the positions.

In the second week of January, I started coaching John again and he changed my general strength program. Once again, we used dumbell split squats except this time the back foot was elevated by 4 inches and I did one a quarter reps where I would go to the bottom, back up a quarter of the way, back down and up fully; that was one rep. These opened up my hip flexors while the unilateral work was great for strengthening my legs while not loading my back. A win win situation for all. I was also doing single arm work when pressing and using a neutral grip which took pressure off my shoulder. It felt really nice to able to press again. I had decided that I would begin weightlifting in the middle of February after I finished my second program as well as one of my busiest work periods. I had gotten stronger in the program I was given and I had continued to get healthier. I worked up to being able to lift twice a week in the classical lifts and each session, I would keep the weights really light and gradually increase the volume. I even did a 5x5 in the Clean and Jerk with 50kg! 5 Cleans and 2 Jerks were very tiring even though the weight was light. None of this hurt and I knew it would stand to me when I started training the lifts again.

I had asked the legend that is Tommy Hayden to coach me when I returned lifting again. He wrote me a program based off conservative numbers of 110/140. The next post focuses on my return to the platform. I think I need an Adrian in my life to give me a moment like this. If you don't understand the context of the scene, I hope you are suitably embarrassed and humbled.

This is an ever so slight exaggeration of how I felt, but you get the message:

What I learned from a disappointing sixth installment in an awesomely primal franchise.

2012-02-11T13:07:00.008Z

Well, I thought I would make a blogging and weightlifting comeback; if I enjoy writing it, I will stick with the blog. Weightlifting: always! My last few months of blogging was a chore though, so I am glad I stopped.

For the last three months I have not been able to squat or do the classical lifts. This was immensely frustrating, but like all things in life, reflection leads to learning. So, in this comeback post, I will give a brief rendition of where I am now and what I have been doing since September. Here is the soundtrack to listen to while you read this post:

On Monday, I had my first proper weightlifting training session in three months. I loved being able to do the classical lifts again and it kicks several shades of fecal matter out of regular strength and conditioning work. Today's post shall be about what I was doing from July up to mid November.

When I came back from California Strength in the end of June ( you read the posts below and also watch the amazing interviews ), the back problem I had continued to get worse and I modified my lifting so that I could continue. In August, I found out that I had a labral tear in my right hip and an osteophyte in my right hip and a smaller one in my left hip also. This is where a bony growth forms to protect the damaged joint and is essentially osteo-arthiritis. This worsening condition was obviously causing havoc on the right hand side of my body and led to me getting a lower back injury that I could not shake from April to mid February. My old rugby shoulder injury prevented me pressing at all and my right ankle had also taken a beating and had a debilitating wear and tear injury. To put it bluntly, I was a shambles.

I finally understood why every time I trained hard, my hips and back would get stiffer and tighter so that I could not really train at all. My hip function was basically non existant in my lifting and I could never fathom how to get them to extend properly. When I worked on my flexibility, it never improved and my hips seemed to get more painful. With the results of the scan it finally dawned on me what was happening and it was more a blessing than a curse. Ignorance was most certainly not bliss in this case. I did not understand why I was not improving. Now I do.

In order to help my back injury recover and to protect my hip from getting worse, I changed how I trained. Instead of lifting from the floor, I lifted off either two thick plates or blocks that went between my shin and the bottom of my knee. I got a load of work done on my back, shoulder ( an old rugby injury that would not go away) and my hip. So, I trained from the low blocks from mid July to the end of September and I got stronger in these positions. I also started doing more pulling exercises and did some push presses also for general strength. I still couldn't press in the bottom range and all the work I had done on it did not seem to help my back or my shoulder at all. I also started squatting to a bench and when I started, I was really weak in these positions. In the beginning, I struggled with 180 and then two months later I hit 200 for a triple. Weak, yes, less weak then before. I was also still able to Front Squat and I hit 167kg which was a 2kg pb. Embarrassing, yes, but I got stronger in most things while my injuries continued to worsen.

Eventually, I got to the stage where I had to stop pulling off any kind because my back was quite inflamed and it hurt lifting with the bar. In the next post I will take you on my journey from November to mid February. I will address the things that I have learned of course, and over the next few weeks, I will write up a post about the biggest things I have learned since my lifting debacle that has been my last 9 months. But, this is a happy post because I know I will be a better lifter because of all this!

Power Snatch from blocks, then above knee and then below knee with 100kg:

Power Clean with 120 from block, then above knee, below knee and followed by Jerk:

Bench Squat single with 210kg:

This is a complete cliche of a speech, but cliches can be awesome. This is the message of my post and it shall be explained soon.

Essential Somatics: A review

2011-09-27T20:53:00.002+01:00

I have been researching the world of Somatics and I got my hands on a copy of Martha Peterson's DVD 'Essential Somatics.' The basic premise of Somatics is lifted from Martha's website directly:

Sensory Motor Amnesia is the condition of chronically tight muscles that develops due to accidents, injuries, surgeries, and on-going stress. These muscles have learned to stay so contracted, that no matter what you do - stretching, massaging, or drugging the muscles - they won't relax for the long term. Muscles that have learned to stay contracted must learn to relax. HSE goes to the root of the problem: your brain and nervous system, and its control of muscles and movement. Your brain has simply forgotten how to relax these muscles, so you must retrain the brain to retrain your muscles in order to reverse pain and regain mobility.

While most pain relief methods focus on the one specific area of pain (e.g. the neck, hip, shoulder), Hanna Somatics understands that pain in one part of the body is part of a larger pattern of muscular dysfunction:

So, I got Martha's DVD and I definitely learned a lot from it. You know something is good when it leads to you buying the source work ' Somatics' by Thomas Hanna. Martha's DVD was easy to follow and had solid, basic instructions. The premise is simple: learn to release chronically tight muscles and activate muscles that have forgotten how to work. The movements themselves are very basic and one of the keys is to avoid straining, pushing or pulling of any kind. Martha is effectively trying to get you to re-educate certain parts of your body and that is really what Somatics is all about. i had spent a good time reading her site that is linked above, and also her blog. I quickly realised that some of the exercises I was reading about I was doing plain wrong. the DVD massively helps clear up any gray areas and is a necessity in my view. The blog helps deepen your understanding of the ideas, but the DVD gives you the visual and aural cues needed.

Here is an example:

Can Somatics help a weightliter or strength athlete? Yes it can. When you learn more about why your body moves in a certain way and how to identify and correct faulty movement patterns, you should be able to do the following:

1 Improve your positioning and therefore your power. Learning greater proprioception is vital to any athlete.
2. Improve your flexibility and joint mobility
3. Learn to release chronically tight muscles which will aid recovery and also help avoid overuse injuries.
4. The more your body relaxes, the more your mind will relax and this should improve your sleep and therefore recovery.

These are just some of the benefits that I have gotten from Somatics and I know there are lifters out there who can also benefit in the same way. The practice is simple: do ten minutes every day and your body will learn. If you have the discipline for ten minutes a day, then I think purchasing this DVD will help you. Martha is also bringing out a DVD specifically on releasing the Hips and lower body; I will also review this when it comes out; one thing I know for sure is that weightlifters get tight hips and this is my Achilles' Heel so bring this one on! Dan John has also reviewed this product and is actually using Martha's advice to help recover from a hip operation. Dan John is a strength training legend, so if he likes it and you don't, you should be embarressed. Here is a link to his review.

I am currently organising a private Somatics session with an instructor in Dublin and I feel that this will help. Any product that inspires you to get the source material, get a DVD and organise an actual session with an Irish instructor is definitely one to check out for yourself. Here is a link to Matha's site where you can buy the DVD.

Food facts for weightlifters

2011-09-01T11:38:00.003+01:00

David Rogerson has kindly agreed to write a guest article for weightlifting epiphanies and I think you will agree that it will drop an awful lot of knowledge bombs on an awful lot of people. David is the lead sport nutritionist at Podium Performance as well as a member of the academic teaching team at Sheffield Hallam University. David currently delivers nutrition consultancy services through the athlete support programme, conducts interactive seminars and workshops as part of the SHU Wellness service and assists the Podium Performance strength and conditioning programme; he is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Thanks again to David, and here it is:

The sports nutrition world can seem a little daunting to the uninitiated, with contradictory information, pseudoscience, real science and heavy links with industry making it a bit of a melting pot of useful and misinformation. Lots of popular internet sources and lay press articles are clearly influenced by bodybuilding culture where high protein diets and (potentially heavy) supplement use seems norm, and on the flip-side, it seems like much academic writing is written for full time and / or endurance athletes and can be typified by (sometimes) very high carbohydrate intakes and lower protein diets; it’s no wonder that people get confused about what information is useful and what’s probably bunk. The weightlifter, or coach, is probably wondering where the sport fits into the sports' nutrition world and what the necessary nutritional requirements for the athletes are. Well the goal of this article, really, is to hopefully shed some light and provide a little context, and hopefully, allow the reader to form some reasonable judgement and opinions about how plan and construct a reasonable diet for a weightlifting.

When looking at a sport, strength and conditioning coaches, nutritionists, physiologists, therapists, etc, will most likely perform some form of ‘needs analysis’, which provides useful background information about the physical peculiarities of a sport and an individual and his / her situation as it relates to performance. This is important, and the above staff would likely use this info to form their respective programs and support systems. When asked by folks what is the best diet, I will often be a little cagey and say, ‘that depends’, and clearly it depends on the information provided by such analyses. Let’s have a brief look at weightlifting as a sport, considering the demands of training and the demands of competition separately, which are often a little different. This also depends on your training philosophy and is something that I cover a little later, and map out some general ideas about how to create a basic dietary template. Perhaps in a future article or two I can go into a little more detail about a few specifics such as supplements, weight loss, weight gain, etc, but to get the ball rolling I will cover the major macronutrients, protein, carbohydrates and fats to begin, anyway onto our ‘needs analysis’.

Weightlifing

We all know that weight lifting is a brief, maximal intensity sport requiring masses of strength-speed, maximal strength, mobility, coordination, etc, etc. From an energy perspective, most lifts tax the immediate energy systems mostly, the ATP-PC system being most notable. The fuel for this comes from the immediate provision and recycling of stored ATP, which we have stored in very, very small amounts. Contrast this to another sport or activity, such as the marathon or even a 400m sprint where energy is obtained from a variety of systems and fuel sources throughout the duration of the event(s); fats, carbohydrates and proteins are all probably utilised to a noticeable degree from most if not all of the available systems, particularly for the marathon. The fuels required for effective performance in these activities are different and really the diet needs to reflect this. Weightlifting poses an interesting challenge to the body structurally, we see muscle, soft tissue and bone adaptations and consistent heavy loading places tensile stresses on our bodies’ structures, which can damage them. Intense training also leads to inflammation, which is important for the structural adaptations that we want to occur, but can also make us feel sore, tired and quite stiff. With higher frequency training, typical of some weightlifting systems, we have to deal with this most of the time. Each of these factors, and many more, can (and perhaps should) be addressed with the athlete’s habitual diet.

Training

This is where things can be a little tricky. Consider the effect that your training methods are likely to have on your dietary requirements: with higher volume training it’s likely that more overall energy is being used, and perhaps more overall calories and carbohydrates specifically are needed. Lower volume training requires less of each. We know that pre and post-training meals are important from a recovery perspective, and if you train multiple times per day, then perhaps you need to eat more frequently to reflect this. Maybe you periodise your training such that you have higher volume phases, lower volume phases, higher frequency phases or days and at certain points you may need to gain or lose weight depending on a few things. Again, I would suggest that your diet would need to reflect this.

However, my goal isn’t to baffle you with possibilities or to make my job seem that more complicated and scientific than it needs to be. Rather, my preference with most things in general is when in doubt, simplify. So, let’s explore some basic and easy ideas that we can all incorporate into our training.

Protein

So most folks are aware that carbohydrates and fats provide energy and protein is used to repair damaged tissues primarily, along with a few other important functions. Let’s start with protein intake, as that seems to be the nutrient most associated with strength and power sports. A topic of much academic debate, it seems pretty straightforward that strength and power sports require a good chunk of protein in their diet; most bodybuilding sources recommend values ranging from 1.0g to 1.5g x lb of bodyweight, or around 2.2g to 3.3g/kg. So using these values, a 70kg / 154 lb lifter would require around 154g to 231g or so (no need to be too specific) per day. That is a lot of protein. Certainly the academic / scientific literature suggests that are clear benefits for athletes to eat lots of protein, with values up to 2.2g /kg being beneficial; there doesn’t appear to be any additional benefits (that are measurable at this time) with values beyond that, but eating more probably isn’t all that harmful either, as long as the lifter doesn’t have any pre-existing kidney problems. This is where things get interesting. Some of the academic research suggests that people need more protein when they start new training programs, as the training represents a new stress on the body, but that over time, as people become accustomed to the training, they need less. I suppose if we look at it anecdotally, when we start a new training program we tend to get pretty sore and beat up for a period of time ( 5 x 5 anyone?), but that as the weeks progress we tend to adapt. The scientific press also suggests that more advanced trainees require less protein than beginners too, as they have become pretty effective at adapting to training loads. Well, if you periodise your training into distinct blocks then I suppose we could argue that due to the fluctuation and variation of training stresses, chances are, you may need more protein at certain times. If however, your training is much more stable, akin to a higher intensity, specific model like the ‘Bulgarian – style’ then perhaps you need less overall protein due to the comparative stability of the training. Now to keep things simple, perhaps then for those systems that segregate training into distinct training phases, we could suggest that they need an overall higher protein intake throughout the training calendar (no need to vary the protein amount because, chances are, the training phases change somewhat frequently anyway). Let’s say for these athletes, something like 2.0 – 2.4g / kg per day perhaps equating to 140 – 168g per day if my maths is correct for the 70kg chap, and for those with more stable training systems, something like 1.8 – 2.2g / kg would probably be fine, working out to be around 126 – 154g per day this time. In the real world, the values don’t differ drastically for either system, probably the equivalent of an extra protein shake or so per day, but it provides interesting food for thought (sorry). I would also add (I thought I was keeping things simple – sorry!) that when trying to lose weight / cut for a competition the relative importance of protein as a nutrient increases, to help prevent the loss of muscle mass. So if you need to lose weight, perhaps keep your protein intake consistent as you cut kcalories from fats and carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates, the energy currency

Well we know that carbs provide easily usable energy and we mentioned earlier that because weightlifting is a maximal intensity strength/power sport, we rely on the immediate energy systems for energy provision mostly. Well, during training we use up the immediate energy supply pretty quickly and tap into other energy stores as time goes on, we also use energy obtained from foods to replenish these depleted reserves when we rest and recover. The academic writing has paid a lot of lip-service to carbohydrate intakes, and we can find some pretty massive amounts being recommended to some athletes. I would argue that for a weightlifter, these values (sometimes up to 60 – 70% of your total energy), are probably a little too high. If we consider that other sports spend much more training time using energy systems that rely on stored carbohydrates and fats, like team sports, most running and cycling activities and even bodybuilding, then perhaps we can see that a weightlifter’s requirements are probably a little less given that weightlifters don’t perform so many cyclic / repetitive activities. Generally I don’t really like advising specific ratios for nutrients, as these don’t tend to factor in body-size, overall kcalorie intakes, etc, but I think that a more balanced approach is probably better where the three major macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) are eaten in fairly equal amounts, give or take a few here and there, for most weightlifters most of the time depending on some stuff I will detail below. An interesting caveat is that the more carbohydrate you eat, the less your requirement for protein (and fat) is likely to be: carbohydrates ‘spare’ other nutrients being used for energy when the diet contains sufficient amounts of total energy / kcalories. As a (very) general guide then, I recommend that values somewhere around 2 to 3g / kg per day are a good starting point if training volume is fairly low or about 140 to 210g for our 70kg lifter and perhaps up to around 3 to 5g per day if training volume is higher, which would work out to be 210 to 350g per day. If you want to work these recommendations into your current program, specifically if you have some sort of periodised plan, then perhaps the higher values could be used for the higher volume training phases and the lower values used for lower volume phases leading up to competition. Inadvertently, this can help lifters lose a little weight if the values above helps to put them in an energy deficit (where and individual burns more energy / kcalories than they ingest). For some folks carbohydrates can be tricky, so I suggest that you play around a little with your intakes to find what seems to work for you. As a guide, for most people I personally like them to eat as much food (and carbohydrate) as they can before they gain weight, the larger intake can infer some metabolic advantages and the more wiggle room you have to play with, the easier it can be to cut weight.
A quick note about nutrient timings, I like to use the sponge analogy when talking about pre/post training nutrition: after training your body is incredibly receptive to the food that you eat and will soak up nutrients and absorb them like a dry sponge does when submerged in water. Consider that the overall effect of training is to take away your body’s energy reserves and to damage the tissues that contribute to the training, and then when in this position your body is essentially crying out for nutrients to ameliorate the damage and depleted reserves. So, a big chunk of the sports nutrition research looks into the effects of ingesting protein and carbohydrate meals or supplements before, during and after training and certainly. This drip-feeding of nutrients seems to assist recovery. Perhaps I can cover this later, but let’s say for now though that eating or drinking something with protein and carbohydrates before and after your training is a good idea, and maybe having a little something during your longer sessions could help as well. This doesn’t have to be an expensive supplement, whole food is awesome, but I will say that if you are training multiple times per day ingesting a liquid meal after training could help you recover a little quicker between sessions.

Fat

Fats are awesome and traditionally undervalued in mainstream nutrition media. Most likely, this was based on research the links intakes of saturated fats with poor health. This is not something I want to discuss here as it opens a proverbial can of worms but I will say that fats serve some very important functions and that habitually low fat intakes could be detrimental to health and performance. Fats help us to absorb fat soluble vitamins as well as assist the production of important hormones and help form cellular structures amongst other things. It seems as well that certain types of fats posses’ metabolic and anti-inflammatory functions as well as helps us to feel full and improve the taste and sensory qualities of our food. As a guide, values of around 0.8 - 1g per kg of bodyweight will probably be about right, so the 70kg lifter will probably ingest around 58 – 70g per day. Personally, I would opt for the higher value, but that’s just my preference. What types? Well don’t be afraid of the animal-based saturated fats, so please do eat red meat, dairy products, butter and whole eggs but try to balance this out by being sure to ingest other sources of fats too, particularly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. We can get these from things like olive oil, nuts, seeds, fish, avocados, flax seeds, etc. Probably one of the easiest ways to make this stuff work is to use some olive oil each day, eat good quality sources of meat and eggs, and have some fatty fish regularly. I would also recommend a fish oil supplement too and anecdotally, they do seem to aide recovery and help some folks with joint problems when taken daily due to their inherent anti-inflammatory properties, something to the tune of 6g or so depending on the strength of the product you buy.

Fluids

Simply, the more you sweat the more you need to drink. Maintaining a hydrated state will help an abundance of physiologic and thermoregulatory processes, and remember, the body likes to maintain homeostasis, or essentially an even keel, like anything, if a little is good more is not necessarily better. You can drink too many fluids which can dilute the concentration of important minerals in your body. Outside of training times I would say drink when you feel the need to but be sure to maintain a clear urine colour; you should urinate every couple of hours or so too. During training, just be sure to drink something and if you want to get a little more technical, perhaps weigh yourself before and after training and be sure to replace any weight loss with fluids. Roughly 1kg or weight loss will equate to 1 – 1.3L of fluids.

Competition

Let’s discuss some of the competitive demands and how this relates to food. Firstly, the lifter needs to weigh in, and so for everyone but the superheavyweights, this is probably your first concern on competition day. For most, this means dropping bodyweight be it through fat loss, water loss or a combination of the two. Clearly diet is hugely important for these to be achieved without detriment to a lifter’s performance and is something that we can manipulate to good effect. This is perhaps a topic in detail for another day, but a strategic reduction in overall energy and carbohydrate intake in the days / weeks leading up to a competition, plus a little water manipulation through strategic over consumption and restriction in the days leading up as well (if needed), will get the job done as long as the lifter isn’t a million miles away from their target weight. After the weigh in it is important that the lifter re-hydrates and fuels up for the competition with appropriate fluids and foodstuffs. The goal of this is to get back into you what you took out with your cutting procedures, so, hypotonic sports drinks are handy here to get some fluids and minerals back in quickly (those drinks without all of the added sugars and carbohydrates, such as Powerade zero, Lucozade hydroactive, etc – read the labels carefully). If not, dairy products, milkshakes and coconut water will also provide the necessary minerals too, as well as plenty of other nutrients as well, but you may have to drink additional water with these. In addition to the fluids, you want to eat a mixture of proteins and carbohydrates immediately after the weigh in, something easily digestible and something that agrees with your gut tolerance. Probably little need to get overly concerned with stuff like Glycemic Index or Glycemic load at this point and go for something that you enjoy, can eat manageably and gets into the blood stream fairly quickly; sugary foods are fine for this purpose if you want to eat / drink them but remember to have some protein in here too. I generally recommend that if you haven’t eaten yet, have a piece of fruit, fruit contains fructose (and other carbohydrates and fibre) which can help replenish liver glycogen, which is generally lower in the morning or when we are fasted and is important for maintaining blood glucose. An added benefit is that some research also suggests that combining glucose and fructose carbohydrates helps to replenish muscle glycogen faster, which is important if you are depleted and have finite time before you compete. So get some fruit in you as well as anything else you eat. I’d generally recommend that you make all this food, and the other stuff you may eat during competition, to be things that you have eaten habitually for a while though. The last thing you need to be worrying about during a lift is if the worrisome gurgling of your gut and potential gassiness as you catch a heavy snatch or clean. As a rule, I say to folks that you probably want to eat little and often during a competition and snack, rather than eat meals. Eating larger portions of food can make you feel a little sluggish, full and lethargic for a while thereafter, and it seems that eating little and often tends to keep you more on an even keel in this regard. If you like to feel fuller as you lift (as I do personally), I would recommend a larger meal / snack immediately after you weigh in and then snack and drink fluids after that to maintain that satiety, rather than go for an all out binge before you lift. If you have time, eat / drink something small after you snatch, before you clean and jerk. The goal of these frequent feedings is to keep overall blood glucose fairly consistent within reason. If your blood glucose drops too much feelings of fatigue and exertion can creep up on you that aren’t just due to the exertion of the competition, low blood glucose can increase effort perception, so, if you do opt for sugary carbohydrate foods beware that blood glucose can drop rapidly (for some people) after eating them. A small amount of carbohydrate, something to the tune of as little as 10g can help ameliorate this, and some research also suggests that a simple carbohydrate mouth rinse could potentially do something similar. So, to recap, after weigh ins drink and eat and get your weight back up, get the fluids, minerals and carbohydrates back into your body and then graze thereafter. If you simply cannot eat due to nerves, go for liquid meals: protein supplements, meal replacements and flavoured milk shakes will get the job done. After the competition, well, I will leave that up to you. What I will say though,is if weight is a concern for you and you have another competition coming up, consider the overall amount of lifts that you perform during a competition and warm ups; chances are, even with all the nervous energy, you probably aren’t burning too many total kcalories and probably not as much as you would during a normal training session, and when eating little and often, it is easy to overeat if you are not careful, especially if you decide to inhale your bodyweight in food / drink after the competition too.

Summary

So there we have it, a basic introductory guide to some nutritional recommendation for a weightlifter. None of this is revolutionary stuff I would argue, but I would hope that it at least makes you consider how the amount and type of training you do could impact your dietary requirements and how things don’t always have to be static. One of the tenets of this article is that we alter our training volumes and training stressors to coincide with our objectives and goals; I think that it is generally a wise idea to do the same with our diet as well, to at least match the demands of the training with the dietary tools that enable and assist your adaptation to the training. Because really, training is a stimulus for adaptation and diet and recovery are some of the tools that enable to it happen effectively. I will get off my soapbox for a moment and say that for most people most of the time, counting every kcalorie or nutrient you eat is not necessary to simply getting better as a lifter, but I think that having a systematic approach to your diet is useful, especially when it comes to gaining and losing weight. If we step back for a minute and assess what I have written as a whole and simplify the information, in sum:
• Eat a good amount of protein, eat more / less based on your training objectives,
• Eat carbohydrates to coincide with your training volume,
• Eat / drink protein and carbohydrates before and after training, especially if you train multiple times per day, maybe even have some as well during your longer sessions,
• Fats need to be eaten in reasonable amounts and be sure to eat a range of foods that contain all of the important fatty acids.
• Drink to sustain hydration, measured by urine colour,
• During competition, replace any fluids and energy sources that you have depleted and drip-feed foods throughout the day.

But most of all, and something that sometimes gets omitted from nutrition articles, just enjoy your food. The best diet / nutrition program is one that you can stick to long term.

Abadjiev's attitudes

2011-07-25T13:28:00.002+01:00

Here is the final part to the interview. He was a very nice man and by the end of my visit, had warmed to me and the other Cal Strength guys. When he found out that the interview would be done by interview, he even tidied his hair in the mirror!

Abadjiev's answers

2011-07-21T23:06:00.001+01:00

Any post by me is both unnecessary and embarrassing.

Interview interest

2011-07-20T12:29:00.002+01:00

I have been missing for a short while, but I will make up for it by posting an interview with the most famous weightlifting coach of all time. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Friday's feast day

2011-06-30T19:04:00.004+01:00

I trained twice on Friday and even though I was not as sharp as I would have liked, it was nice to be able to lift without severe DOMS. I did some hip mobility drills in the morning and for the first session I simply Back Squatted. I worked up to a single with 175kg and I failed. Very embarrassing. I followed this up with a double with the same weight and I got a nice little pb double in the Back Squat. My positioning felt rough, but I just needed to gut it out.

In the second session of the day, I lifted in the awesome gym, United Barbell, owned by Jenny Werba and her business partner. It is a Crossfit gym and it is fantastic! It has beautiful Eleiko weightlifting equipment and a nice platform. Max Aita was coaching a few of his lifters there and I was allowed join in. There was a really fun and intense atmosphere there with Kirsten, Joanne and Jenny kicking ass and taking names. I started off Snatching and worked up to a double with 100 and I failed the second rep with 105. I then did singles with 110 and 113 and I failed 115 and then Clarked it. I worked up to 128kg in the Power Clean and Jerk and I finished up with the Back Squat. I ended up hitting a double with 177kg and then I got a single with 182kg which felt great in regards to my form. We were rushing off, so I did not have time to finish off with a pb set of 5 which I know I would have hit.

Max was helping me out technically and there were a few points that he was making that hit the nail on the head. The important thing is that what Max was saying, was very similar to what Kelly Starret was telling from a completely different perspective when I saw him about my hip. I need to digest this more and I will write a full post on this also alongside my overall reflections and experiences from my trip.. Max said he would write a guest post for Weightlifting Epiphanies also, so that should be something to look forward to.

Here is an interview that I know will help an awful lot of people out there who are trying to set up their own weightlifting clubs and gyms. David Spitz owns California Strength and he wants to help you:

DOMS domination

2011-06-27T04:57:00.003+01:00

Well, Monday was one of the best training sessions I had ever had in the sport of weightlifting. The following day, only the soles of my feet and my scalp did not hurt. I understand what was happening and why it was happening, but holy sweet mother of God did it hurt. Every part of me that is. I had a token workout on Tuesday and on Wednesday morning. In both sessions, I was basically just trying to get the blood flowing and some active recovery on board.

For the Wednesday afternoon workout, I had a nap before hand and some caffeine. I was still really stiff so I Snatched from the blocks and was able to muster out 110kg which I was happy with considering the circumstances. Sami was able to Snatch high pull and then hang snatch 100 pretty easily too. He destroyed 120 in the Clean and Jerk afterwards also. The Clean and Jerks were hurting pretty badly and I had to summon up the fury of the gods to hit 130kg. Glenn told me to do a few Clean Pulls with 135, but the general whole body pain was too much and was something I have not experienced since I played rugby. I tried to squat after, but that was a no go also.

The Thursday morning workout was also a washout. Last year I would have been incredibly frustrated by this, but I knew what was happening; DOMS is something I have not experienced that much in weightlifting, but Monday's workout was incredibly taxing but worth it. I was able to conquer my mind on Monday and even if I could not lift for the rest of the week, it would be worth it.

Here is an interview I had with Kevin Cornell and it is very different to the ones I have done before; Kevin's journey as a weightlifter has been interesting and something that a lot of us can learn from:

Monday's mutilation

2011-06-22T20:07:00.003+01:00

I woke up in a haze of pain and body confusion, but thankfully I ended the day well. Myself and Sami had our best sessions of the trip and these were needed very badly. All the guys were sore and tired from the competition on Saturday and there was a general sense of fatigue.

Our first session was 25 Snatches every 90 seconds. I had to Snatch off the blocks and Sami joined me there. I started off struggling to hit 90kg, but around 15 Snatches in, I worked up to 95 and then a few Snatches later, I worked up to 100; a few later I went up to 105 and for my last Snatch I worked up to 108kg; not a heavy weight but it felt far better Snatching this than Snatching 90kg for my first one or two singles. After the session, I chilled out and rested. It was actually a struggle to force myself to eat because when you are that tired, it is the last thing you want to do. It is quite weird because it is the same when I need to sleep very badly: it is really hard to go to bed and sleep and when I am feeling very tight and inflexible, the last thing you want to do is stretch. Counter-intuitive it may be, but it is still there.

The second session had us start off with Back Squats and we were all going for pr's with our five rep maxes. Jon hit 220kg for five reps which turned out to be a 10kg pr. Sami hit 150kg, Kevin hit 222kg for four reps. Spencer just missed squatting 280kg for a single. I went up to 170, but only hit 3 reps with it; I could not get through the sticking point with the fourth. I went back down to 162.5kg and got my five for a 2.5kg pr. Embarrassingly small, but 2.5kg less so.

We then moved onto Clean and Jerks and we had 20 to do every 90 seconds. I worked up to 130kg and started from there. I needed to hit this figure and try to get over my fear with the Clean. Everyone really pushed it in this session and it was the most intense training session I have ever had in the sport of weightlifting. It felt far longer than the Snatches and everyone's legs were already shot from squatting to maximum. After 15 Clean and Jerks, the fatigue really started to creep in and I had to switch off the mind completely in order to get through the lifts. Every now and then just at the mid point of my pull, that little doubt would creep in and try to screw me over. I had to try and not think about it at all. On my last Clean and Jerk, I worked up to 135kg and forced myself to lift past the point were that devil whispered in my ear that I can't do it.

Here is a video of the Clean and Jerk part of the session. Everyone was sweating really badly and everyone was hurting from the squats; it is only really in the last ten minutes of the video that you can tell people were hurting.

I did a massive amount of active recovery after the session again, with an ice bath and later that evening some contrast water therapy also.

Sacramento slip up

2011-06-20T21:05:00.007+01:00

Sacramento was about an hour and a half away and we were all looking forward to the competition. The gym was amazingly awesome and the competition was a small one for American standards, but still had over 70/80 people competing in it. The organisers were really efficient and everything ran very smoothly. The MC's in particular were instrumental in keeping the action moving and in getting the crowd involved before and after. The only Irish person who could possibly compare would be if Paudie Roche took the mike in a competition.

Donny and Rob both lifted very well and hit total pr's; Rob hit 127/153 and Donny hit 166/203, but he narrowly missed 210kg. Jon hit 152/185kg and Spenser hit 155/195kg. These were big numbers and the Cal Strength team took the overall medals. Two female lifters Joanne and Jenny bot qualified for nationals. Sami ended up with 100/126kg and lifted three out of six.

The gym has a powerlifting club, a crossfit club and a weightlifting club. It has absolutely everything a gym can want and it is all contained in what looks like an outdoor shed/warehouse. It was very hot that day and even when we were in the shade, we were effectively outdoors. We Irish boys were not quite used to that.

When we got there, we registered and ended up weighing in and waiting around for a few hours to lift. I was very stiff by the time that I started warming up, so it was a relief to get a bar in my hands at last. The plan was to open with 115/140. I warmed up in the usual manner and ended up missing 110, which was supposed to be my last warm up. I asked Glenn to put me up to 116kg as an opener so I could actually make 110 in the warm up room. For my opener, I only high pulled the bar. I then missed it out front and I ended up making the lift on my third attempt. The relief was enormous and it was not nice staring down the barrel of bombing out. This did not go as planned, but what can you do?

I had a good rest for the Clean and Jerks and I warmed up to 137kg. I asked Glenn to bump up my opener to 142 and after I hit that, I ended up only high pulling 148kg twice. This was extremely humiliating, but there is no choice but to simply get on with it. I wanted to hit this lift very badly, but fear clearly won the day. Frustrating, yes, but this will be one hell of a challenge to overcome and it will make me a stronger person when I do overcome it.

After the competition, I felt just like every single one of you reading this blog have felt when something you want really bad does not come out the way you have worked so hard to achieve. Everyone feels disappointment, but not everyone reacts in a positive way. Which am I? This is what I feel like:

Here is another cool video:

Thursday and Friday's fingerfood

2011-06-17T02:25:00.004+01:00

After our intense sessions on Wednesday, I was generally stiff and sore the next day. My lower back was quite tight also, but I did not mind this because I trained well on Wednesday and I had two days to recover for Saturday's competition. On Thursday we only had one session and it was Power Snatch and Power Clean. I only Power Snatched because my back was stiff and sore. I worked up to 90kg and then I tried to Power Snatch 100 twice but only managed to bring it to parallel or lower. I left the Power Clean and had an ice bath. Spenser hooked me up with a quick back massage after as well, which felt good.

On Friday, all the guys were pretty focused on the next day's competition and basically went through the motions in training. I only went up to a few reps with 50kg, 70 and 90kg in the Snatch and Clean and Jerk. Sami did the same. The rest of the guys went up heavier. Jon went up to around 120/160, Rob 110/130, Spenser around the same as Jon and Kevin also.

Wednesday's wiping of our floor

2011-06-15T23:08:00.006+01:00

We did two sessions today. All last night and this morning I did some active recovery things that made my back feel good going into the morning session. All the guys trained really hard and were pretty wiped after the day was out.

In the first session, we all started off with a Snatch High Pull followed by a Snatch from below the knee. I only worked up to three of these with 90kg and Sami got some excellent technique work done with Glenn. Kevin Cornell was the beast of the morning and hit a high pull and Snatch from below the knee with 140. It was awesome and he has impressed myself and Sami massively since we arrived. Himself and Jon are going to push each other massively over the next few months. Donny Snatched 160, Clean and Jerked 185 and Back Squatted 270kg in the morning session alone. He is a machine.

The guys then went on to do the same with Cleans, but I skipped that to protect my lower back. I went on to do Jerks from the blocks and I ended up hitting 150kg for a pr. Once I get used to this exercise, I should be able to put up a good bit more weight because I have power to spare in the Jerk. The rest of the lads then went on to do Jerks from behind the neck off the blocks and Sami hit an easy 110 for a triple. Jon hit 160kg for four reps. Kevin hit 160 for five reps and 170kg for three.

For the second session of the day, everyone was having their last maximum intensity session before the competition on Saturday. It was intense and there were some big weights. Myself and Sami struggled in our first afternoon session because it would be three or four in the morning at home while we were training. It was a strange sensation feeling like you should be asleep but adrenaline coursing through you at the same time. Jon Snatched 147kg and Clean and Jerked 175kg, which was impressive because he was working for hours before the second workout and had eaten very little all day. Kevin Snatched 140 and I am not sure what he Jerked. Donny had 195 overhead in the Jerk and Snatched somewhere over 160kg. Spenser Clean and Jerked 180 which was impressive considering he has had a sore knee all week. Rob hit 120/140 and Brian just did pulls because he has a sore wrist.

Sami was zonked and hit 95/115kg despite being practically asleep. He finished off with an easy 160 squat and called it a day. I had a decent second session. In the Snatch, I worked up with one Power Snatch and a full Snatch with 50, 50, 50, 70, 90, 100 and then I hit 110 and 115 twice for two singles in the Snatch. I was happy to get them considering my turnover and lifting in general was pretty slow. My first 115 was like a delayed high pull followed by a dive under to catch. I hit it again and it felt like that was the end of the road. I intend to open with this on Saturday, so I was happy to hit it twice. In the Clean and Jerk, I did doubles with 50 and 70. I then did singles with 95, 105, 115, 130 and 140kg. I wussed out of 145kg which was embarrassing because it was there and I could not control my mind. I finished up with some Back Squats and did a double with 100 and singles with 120, 140, 160 and I missed 180 twice which I found surprising. Maybe the jump was too big, but I will get it next time.

All in all, it was a good session in that I got a lot of work done; I hit a pb in the Jerk from the rack and I hit my openers for Saturday. It is funny for myself and Sami, because our lifting is literally in slow motion compared to the other guys and it is awesome watching guys lift so quickly from the floor to the catch. We are both enjoying training here immensely and are enjoying the Cal Strength hospitality from Glenn and the boys.

Tuesday's talent for not hurting myself

2011-06-15T05:49:00.003+01:00

Sleep, active recovery and simply being able to lift was the name of the day. Ice baths, jacuzzi contrast work and some anti-inflammatries and a good sleep left me feeling ok today. I woke up and did some trans-abs and lower abs work in the morning to try and take the strain off my lower back; I followed this up with a mwod workout and ended up feeling good in the morning, determined to be careful and not ruin myself.

We were supposed to have a Power Snatch and Power Clean workout. I decided to Power Snatch off blocks because it is at the bottom of the pull where I feel it the most. I started off with triples with 40, 40, 60 and then a double with 80. I then did singles with 90, then three singles with 100 and I finished up with 105kg which brought me down to parallel.

I left it there with the powers so that I did not make the same mistakes of the previous day. Instead of doing Power Cleans and loading my lower back again, I went on to behind the neck Jerks off the blocks. I had not done this movement in around a year and a half and I wanted to get 160kg. I worked up to 150, but 160 was just beyond me today.

I tried 160 three times, but it was not there. I finished off with some flexibility work and one set of reverse-hypers to get some blood flow into my back. I then spent some time in the pool with a few of the guys and after lunch, I had a lovely ice bath to cap things off.

All in all, this was a light day for everyone. All of the guys looked pretty beat up and lifted like it too. There will be two training sessions tomorrow and everyone will more than likely be more fired up for them than today. There is a competition in Sacramento on Saturday that most of the guys will be lifting in. Glenn put myself and Sami down also, so I am really looking forward to it and I want to make sure that I can lift properly and do myself justice. Today was an important day for me because I was able to train with moderate intensity and without pain. I was stiff and sore afterward, but that can be worked around. Once I am intelligent in my training over the next few days, I should be fine and lift well on Saturday.

Cal Strength sign in

2011-06-14T07:01:00.005+01:00

Myself and Sami arrived in the airport at 4am and flew from Dublin to Paris and then from Paris to San Francisco. Glenn picked us up and we got a quick bite to eat and we were straight into the gym for our first workout. 14 hours of travelling after only two or three hours sleep is generally not conducive to hard training, but we made it work.

When we arrived into the gym, it looked very similar to last year, but it was far busier. There were lots of High School kids training there and pretty much all of them had some form of the Olympic Lifts in their training, just like East Coast Barbell. It was a real pleasure walking in somewhere where people are training hard and weightlifting is the norm as opposed to the exception. Again, this is one of the main reasons myself and Sami started ECB.

When we were driving to the gym, Glenn said we should have a workout to help us sleep that night and get over jet lag, but that we should keep the weights light for obvious reasons. When we started warming up, I surprised myself by feeling ok, and generally pretty loose. I had seen a physical therapist who helped me with my lower back the previous day and I was not sure how I would feel, so I used a belt for support also. Myself and Sami warmed up with the bar and then we both worked up in doubles in the Snatch with 40kg for a few, then 50, 60, 70 and once I hit 80kg I did a single with that, 90 and then 100kg. Sami worked up to 90 and then we thought that was that. But no, not he wasn't. Glenn said we were Snatching once every 90 seconds on that weight and we thought he was joking. But no, no he wasn't.

My first rep with 100 felt light but very rough. Five reps in I started to find my rhythm and my Snatches felt really smooth and generally pretty powerful. Sami was Snatching the best I have seen him in many months--he had been on holiday for the past ten days and had not touched a bar at all-- and I could feel my lower back, but it was not sore. I was going to leave it after 12, but I felt good so I kept going. Sami was spent after his twenty lifts and developed a weird pain in the left arm and shoulder, so he could not really Clean and Jerk afterwards.

I rested for fifteen minutes and I said that I would skip the 20 Clean and Jerks that the other guys were doing and just work up to a single and leave it there. Jon North and Kevin Cornell were starting with 160 with Spenser also. Rob Blackwell started with 120 and Power Cleaned because the low catch hurt his back. Donny had just worked up to 170kg in the Snatch, so the atmosphere was set. I worked up to 120 and then for some unfathomable reason, said maybe Power Cleaning would be easier on my back too. I worked in with Rob and we both did five or six Power Clean and Jerks and my back felt stiff, but ok. Then on the next rep, I felt it give out and it was almost like I fully contracted it for the first time. Very strange. I left it there, cursing myself for not listening to my instinct and calling it a day after the first 120.

The real fireworks began after Jon and Kevin began to creep up the weight after ten singles or so from 160, gradually to 170. After the twenty reps every 90 seconds, they then started trash talking and worked up to 175. Then Kevin hit 177.5kg for a pr (after 20 singles!) and then they both hit 180, again, Kevin got a pr. The intensity in the air was palpable and myself and Sami were wishing we could have gotten in on the action. Sweat was flying everywhere and Jon was ranting incoherently at the bar and all around him. Kevin had just ripped up his finger quite badly changing weights and they were both somehow managing to keep increasing weights despite their lungs nearly coming out of their mouths. Here it is:

Video streaming by Ustream

After we finished training, we all ate an outrageous amount of food in Glenn's at an impromptu team bonding session. He also gave me a go on his ems unit to help loosen up my back which had tightened quite rapidly. We finished up with a few trips in Jon's hot tub and then we slept the hell out of it after 28 hours of little or no sleep.

Lessons learned:

1. Follow your instinct: I said I would take it easy in my first workout, and I predictably let myself get caught up in the atmosphere and kept training on when I should not have. I am an idiot and did exactly what I said I wouldn't. It will take me a few days to get back to where I should be, but I will not make the same mistake again.

2. Tempo lifts are awesome: When myself and Sami were doing the classical lifts every 60 or 90 seconds at home, it was great for our lifting because you let the rhythm of the movement take over rather than trying to overpower the bar. This is a vital aspect to lifting and the fact that you do not have time to over-analyse also helps smoothen out your creases.

3. We need to get stronger and stop worrying about technique. I have said this a few times and yesterday simply reinforced this indisputable fact.

Sunday's slight back strain

2011-06-12T15:20:00.004+01:00

Over the last six weeks or so my back has been gradually getting more and more stiff and on Thursday, I strained it with a 95kg Snatch. It was nothing major, but it was the same area that has been at me since I got back from holiday. I felt it go with a light Snatch and it got worse as the day went on; I definitely strained it. I went for a swim in the sea both days after and took the appropriate anti-inflammatories and fish oil etc. I felt ok and I did some bar work on the Friday and felt fine and had another swim in the delightfully cold sea to help things along.

I drove up to Belfast hoping to compete yesterday and fifteen minutes into the warm up, I had to call it a day. Lifting from the floor was painful and I could not generate any power at all. I left it at 100kg and I was disappointed, but I knew that if I lifted I would have injured myself badly, rather than having a simple enough strain. Also, I am going to California Strength with Zag tomorrow for two weeks and that is definitely the priority. I am glad i listened to my body, because usually my default position would be to dig in my heels and "man up" even when it would be silly to do so.

I am seeing a physical therapist today and hopefully he can help me before I leave for California so that I can train to a full extent. Last year I went over to train with the lads and do as many sessions as I could with them. I knew it would burn me out, but I wanted to experience it anyway. This time, I will formulate a plan with Glenn; myself and Sami will go over with specific goals in mind, rather than to lift as often and as heavy as we can. Last year I came back in a heap and this year I want to build on my last few months training and take it from there.

I am still worn out from the last few months, but so is everyone else reading this blog! I will get my energy back in a few days and then hopefully I will have loads to write about in California. Bring it on!

If this does not make you laugh, God help you:

Sunday's stranger moments

2011-06-05T20:14:00.002+01:00

Like I said last week, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The past month has been manic and it has taken a toll on my lifting. My squatting has continued to improve however and I have gotten my first squatting pb's in a year and a half.

Last week I equalled my pb double with 155 in the Front Squat and got a double with 170kg in the Back Squat. This week I got a triple with 170 and a double with 160kg in the Front Squat. I then went for a double with 165, my one rep max, but I could not get through the sticking point.

On Monday, I Snatched 105 and missed 110 twice with it being slightly out front both times. I worked up to a Clean double with 120 and a single with 130 and then I hit 160 for a double on the second attempt. On the Wednesday, I Power Snatched 95 and hit 100 but it was a full Snatch. I went on to Power Clean and Jerk my old pb of 130 despite struggling to Clean it two days earlier. Very strange. I then Back Squatted a triple with 170 and I was going for a double with 175, but the previous effort took it our of me and I could only get a single. The third repitition with 170 was one that breaks your form and your back, but you get it anyway.

On the Friday, I Snatched 105 and Clean and Jerked 130. I was not able to even try and Clean 135. I have no idea why not, but I was not able to make myself do it. I then was determined to get a double with 165, but I was only able to get one rep with it.

All in all, this was a very strange week's training. My lower back has been very stiff and sore for the last few weeks, but this week it was stopping me getting into good positions from the floor.

I have been trying something a little different this week also. Because my schedule changed a bit, I had a bit of time to combine squatting while working during the day. Around afternoon time, I would work up to a conservative max single where I would not push it. I would then train as usual later that evening and I would find it helped me squat heavier weights later in the day. I wanted to focus more on my squat this week because they were going well and also because I knew how hectic my scedule would be. Equalling my Power Clean pb after not hitting close to it for over a year and a half was also an unexpected surprise, but I will take it when I can get it.

I am competing next Saturday in the Ulster Open up in Belfast and I am really looking forward to getting out to the platform. I need to get a bit rested and train intelligently this week. I am not tapering for the competition but I want to lift well for it. On the 13th of June, I am also going to Claifornia Sterngth for two weeks to train with those boys, so that should be fun also. It will be a novelty to be able to focus sloely on my lifting and not ECB or anything else, so bring it on!

Watch this video. Kolecki is unbelievable in it and he was only 18 years old!

Saturday's staple: call a spade a spade...

2011-05-28T17:34:00.003+01:00

Life has taken over this week, so I had to adapt my training accordingly. I still trained three times this week, but my classical lifts were down. The upside to this is that my squats were a lot better this week and I was able to match my Front Squat double and triple pb's for the first time in a year and a half.

On Monday, I Snatched up to 100 and I did Clean doubles up to 130. I tried for 134, but I could only get the first rep in on two attempts; my mind won over and I did not even go under the second attempts. It was very frustrating because I wanted to get it badly. My training was affected quite a bit by a gash in my left leg that has been very slow to heal, but it affected my Snatch a lot more. I Front Squatted afterwards, and worked up to a double with 150 and then I hit a double with 155kg which matched my pb from 18 months ago. Embarrassing, yes, but I was happy to get it. I had a four second sticking point to get through, but it was worth it.

On Wednesday, I Power Snatched up to 95 for two singles and one No Man's Landed Snatch 98kg. I was unable to Clean and Jerk at all and ended up missing 130. Very strange and very frustrating. It has been a long time since I have missed that weight. Anyway, I had to accept it and move on to the Back Squat. Last week I was unable to hit 167. This week I hit 160 and 165 for a triple. I then hit 170kg for a double, which I was happy with because I think that was a first. I was pleasantly surprised, because I felt so empty in my lifting and devoid of any momentum.

Today, I was knackered again and I was happy to hit 108/134. Not impressive weights at all, but a year ago I would not have been able to hit them when I had been this drained. I then worked up to a single with 160 in the Front Squat and then I hit 150kg for a triple. Harry Leech was training a few lads in Santry gym and I was able to get out there for a session. it was great training with him again and he also gave me a Chinese-style weightlifter's massage where the coach walks up and down the lifter's back and legs.

I finished off with some shoulder mobility drills also and I felt tired, but happy.

So, I finally bit the bullet and I started following Kelly Starrett's MWOD. I was taking bits and pieces, but I decided to actually follow someone who knows far far more than me. I went all the way back to day one and I am now finished day 30. Generally, I do two mobility of the day workouts and I am really enjoying them. I thought my shoulders were flexible, but I was wrong. It takes around ten or twelve minutes for each MWOD, so sometimes I do two, sometimes three. I am following Starrett's direction for general health as much as for weightlifting. One thing I know for certain is that I am getting more flexible generally and I am also enjoying the process.

Here is an awesome old school Bulgarian weightlifting video:

Here is an outrageously impressive physical performance of a different kind:

And lastly, Ray Lewis's speech to a team before kick off is probably up there with Jim Telfer's 1997 Lions' pre-games' speeches:

Which do you prefer?

Monday's moonshine

2011-05-16T17:13:00.002+01:00

What do you do when you are down? Get back up and start working harder. So that's what I am doing.

On Monday, I was determined to get a better Front Squat and a Clean double pb. The previous Monday I hit 150 for two doubles in the Front Squat and then last Monday I hit 150 and 152.5 for a double. Once I get a small bit better, my pathetic squats will get slightly less pathetic. Each week, I either get an extra rep or I get 2.5kg more. Taaaappppp it in. Just taaaaaaaappp in in Happy.

So, this is what I am trying to do. Sleep more and get more every session. This sounds very familiar of course, but I am trying to arrange it so that every time I train, I am fully prepared in every facet that I can control. Being busy is not an excuse. Being tired is not an excuse. Being someone of little fortitude is also no excuse. It's funny because my mind kept trying to screw me over on Monday and that nagging little voice that says you can't do it was insistent. On the fourth go, I hit a Clean double with 133 which is again, embarrassing, but it is 1kg less embarrassing than it was before.

Here is another cool old school video. Maybe I need some of their rage. All I know is that they have nothing on Klokov:

Here is a weightlifting video that I really like because you can tell Lapikov is tired from training and is not competition fresh and fast:

Sometimes I get frustrated that I have been training like this guy:

Aside from this hilarity, all I am trying to do at the moment is to do my last training program properly. I am currently on a download week, but I will squat heavy. I need to get stronger and I need to consistently lift bigger weights in training. Does this sound familiar anyone?

Nationals' nightmare

2011-05-08T15:45:00.003+01:00

Yep, I had a shocker. I wanted 122/150. I got 118/143. Embarrassing and gutting, but there are a few lessons to learn here. I weighed in at 94.3kg and I cut almost two and a half kilos, just missing the 94kg bodyweight. Hindsight being as it is, this said a lot about the day.

The most important thing was that the competition was a resounding success. There were 43 lifters which is the biggest competition Irish weightlifting has had since the 60's. Most people lifted really well and I think it is safe to say the Jordanstown University is the best competition venue in the country. Irish weightlifting is really improving and our overall standard is gradually going progressing.

On to my report. I arrived for the weigh in at around 10.30am and I lifted at around 5pm. It was a long wait, but the 94kg and upwards lifters all had to wait the same amount. I did a quick warm up session to wake myself up after waiting around for so long. I did two doubles with 50 and then did Power Snatch singles with 70, 80, 90 and 100kg. Maybe 30 or 35 minutes later I started my proper warm up. I did a few doubles with 50 and 70kg. I then did singles with 80, 90, 100, 105 and 110kg. I felt the strongest I have ever felt pre competition and I was 100% confident that I would hit 122.

Wayne had me open with 114kg and it was a joke. I went on to smoke 118 and actually pulled back on it slightly, which made the recovery tricky because the bar was pretty far back. It felt stupidly light though and I was ready for why I was there in the first place. I gave 122 everything I had but the bar was out front and I missed it. The bar was high enough and I was low enough, but I could not fix her overhead. I was genuinely surprised I missed it.

I then chilled out for 15 minutes and refuelled. I did a bit of bar work and did a few doubles with 70. I then warmed up with singles with 90, 100, 110 and I power cleaned 120 and 130 before I jerked it. In hindsight this was a mistake, but I wanted to really finish the pull and use my hips. I then hit 137 as my last warm up and Wayne had me open with 143kg. I was feeling a bit light headed but I knew what I had to do. I cleaned it easier than I have ever Cleaned 143 and somehow contrived to miss the Jerk. This very very rarely happens and I simply just took the Jerk for granted. Stupid is as stupid does. I then hit it again and got the lift, but the Jerk was tough. Wayne bumped me up to 148 and I pulled too far back on the Clean and ended up not even being able to rack it. I felt heartbroken and extremely disappointed. I went upstairs and finally got that Front squat with 160 after missing it the last four times I went for it.

Lessons learned:

1. I did not prepare properly: I don't actually need to go back to the drawing board, I simply needed to give the original drawing board a proper go. I put the effort into the training, but it was in the preparation outside of the actual training itself where I let myself down. My training has not been as productive as it should have been because of general fatigue. I am fatigued because I am not sleeping enough to recover from my demanding lifestyle. I am only training three times a week, so I am not tired from training. It is life outside training that causes fatigue and I am not sleeping enough because I am idling what spare time I have away online. The perfect embodiment of my lack of preparation was in how I did not make weight. In and of itself, this is not important but it speaks volumes on how I was not organising myself accordingly. My behaviours are simply not matching my goals and this has to change. If I want to qualify for the European Championships, and I am so staggeringly close already, I simply need to sleep far more.

2. Conservation of energy: I need to be more disciplined about internalising my energy, particularly when I am waiting so long to lift. I made an effort to contain my enthusiasm, but the simple thing to do is to organise somewhere else to go. I went to Tesco for an hour with German and Oleg, but walking around a supermarket is not an ideal resting place during a seven hour wait. Doing something else not only conserves my energy, but also keeps me from brooding on what is to come. This allows me to stay more relaxed and conserve more physical and mental energy.

3. The Ulster Open in June is going to be awesome: Myself and Byrdie have some unfinished business with Jordanstown and this will occur on June 11th. I will be more prepared and I will have my squats and training lifts at a higher intensity. Weightlifting is simple but it sure isn't easy.

Saturday's seasoning

2011-04-30T19:17:00.003+01:00

I took a break from life in general for a week and did not train for 8 days. Wednesday was my first session back, so I trained then, Thursday and today. I had a great break and it was a novelty waking up and actually feeling refreshed and ready to go. While I was away I did two short sessions with some hill sprints and I did yoga four or five times which kept me feeling relatively loose. All in all, I felt fantastic on Wednesday.

The slight issue with all this, of course, is that I have the Senior National Championships this day week. This means that I need to find the delicate balance of being competition sharp with the lifts, with being rested and strong. This week's training was very important in order to find that balance.

In training on Wednesday, my body was practically asleep and this session was more of a tune up for Thursday and Saturday. I ended up Snatching up to 105kg in an extremely shoddy manner. I missed the return leg with the weight. Embarrassing, yes; but my system was not exactly firing on all cylinders and my back was as stiff as a board because my flight home was delayed the previous day and I spent an awful lot of time in the airport and on a plane. Wayne had me Power Clean and Jerk instead of full Clean because my legs were still asleep and I enjoyed them. I ended up with 117.5kg and brought 120 to parallel so it was a no man's land Clean. Embarrassing again, but understandable. I also Front Squatted 150 for a double and then two singles which felt good.

The following day I trained in Morton Stadium in Santry with Shane McQuillan, Sami, Byrdie, Killer and Cedric Unholz, who came over for a few days to train. Cedric is a strength and conditioning coach based in Edinburgh and took up weightlifting in February. It was nice training with someone who is a knowledgeable coach in their own right . It was also nice training in a different environment and everyone enjoyed it. I had spent the day in the sun showing Cedric around Dublin and neither of us were in good nick to train really. My back was very stiff, but I ended up Snatching 111kg despite it. My positioning was awful because I was so tight and stiff, but I just got on with it and focused more on finishing the pull. As you will see in the video below, there was a while lot of pulling with the arms, but c'est la vie. You just have to get on with it.

I then Clean and Jerked up to 132 and missed the Clean with 137. Annoying, but again, you have to accept it. My lifting was feeling very out of sync in both the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. I then Back Squatted regularly for the first time in many months. I hit a very easy 160 and missed 170 which was very surprising. I lost my position on the way down and I will attribute that a stiff and tight back. Hopefully that is all it is. Hopefully...

I then trained today and I felt pretty tired with a hectic last few days. Cedric had treated my back the previous evening and he really knows his stuff; he is qualified in KMI treatment. I Snatched up to 100kg but I was feeling off, so I went back down and worked up in a second wave, hitting 108 and then missed 112 very narrowly twice. I was going to do a third wave and went up to 90, but I left it there because I was feeling pretty rough. I Clean and Jerked then and the rot continued. I actually missed a Clean with 127 and 130 which was bizarre. Oleg was there and he gave me the required slap around and I then hit 134, 136 and then 140 which is shown below. This showed me again how weightlifting can expose a weak mind, so thankfully Oleg was able to help me snap out of it.

I finished up with some Front Squats and worked up to an easy 150 and inexplicably missed 160 despite getting past the sticking point. I went back down to 150 again and then 158, but missed that too. Frustrating, yes it most certainly is. I have to get on with it an keep squatting I suppose. As I said earlier, I have Nationals this day week and I will train twice. Wayne will let me know what I need to do and I will make sure that I recover as much as I can and that I am nice and loose. Cedric lifted well and we really worked on his overhead position in the Snatch and turning a passive catch into an active one. He is a good athlete and I know he will progress well.

A Doctor's dressage

2011-04-25T13:53:00.002+01:00

I have been away for a while indulging in a spot of rest and recreation. Usually, these both involve weightlifting, but this time around, I am taking a seven day break from the sport. I am actually still away, but this has been the first time I have been able to update my blog, so I will leave you with a review of Glenn's Edinbrugh seminar from the one and only Dr Eamonn Flanagan. Eamonn, is a Strength and Conditioning coach with Edinburgh rugby and he also a weightlifter. Yes, I agree with you: that is a devastating combination. Without further aplomb, here is the man in question:

Having spent more years in formal education than I care to admit, it is somewhat surprising that I would still be anxious when asked for a composition from an English teacher. But Barry’s infectious appetite for all things weightlifting is best indulged so I will try my best to summarise my thoughts regarding the recent seminar given by Glenn Pendlay in Edinburgh.
Barry has already described the general outline and content of the seminar, so I won’t spend too much time setting the scene. Rather, I will just focus on a few of the specific aspects of the seminar which I found most valuable and about which I have some of my own thoughts on.

The seminar began with a question and answer session and I opened by asking Glenn how he had achieved such great recruitment of youngsters into a weightlifting program. Glenn professed that there is no magic formula, just a willingness to work hard to spread the word and to encourage kids to come in and giving it a try. But as Glenn expanded on his answer he did offer some insight into an aspect that is just as important, if not more important than initial recruitment – athlete retention. Glenn explained that he liked new lifters to compete as soon as possible. He doesn’t demand that lifters spend an age refining perfect technique before they get an opportunity to compete and put some heavy (relatively) weights over head. It is a simple principle that is common in so many other better represented sports, but can often be neglected in weightlifting. Let kids compete, give them opportunities to win things and to beat people and they will be more likely to enjoy the sport, want to continue in the sport and develop a competitive and winning mentality. Glenn also stressed how he has gone to great lengths to publicise results and achievements from young kids in local newspapers and other media – again further developing kids excitement about the sport and excitement about their achievement. Talent Code author Daniel Coyle would call this whole process “ignition” but it is simply a process of getting kids excited about a sport and developing a desire to continue and improve in the sport. In many other more common sports like rugby, soccer or football kids compete early and often and results and achievements are often carried in local media by default. Yet in weightlifting, many newcomers to the sport can wait an age before (if ever) competing and those in the sport must make a big effort to get knowledge of results into mainstream media to get appropriate coverage and credit to young competitors.

The seminar moved on to the processes of teaching the lifts. Glenn has a straightforward and concise reverse method approach to teaching the lifts. He strictly emphasises a small number of key positions and technical cues and allows much scope for the learner to “fill in the gaps” themselves – creating a stimulating, active learning process in which the learner can explore solutions themselves.

The first key positions that Glenn focuses strictly on is the finish or power position with the bar at the hip. There is much focus from the coach on ensuring the learner is in the right position: bar at the hip, in the crease; big chest and shoulders back actively squeezing the bar into the crease; knees slightly flexed; weight through the heels. The position is drilled strictly on every rep. From this position a power snatch is performed. The cue is to “jump and catch” with little explanation beyond this. The learner observes the skill, and attempts to replicate it. The real focus is on the key position at the hip, but the learner is not inundated with information on performing the rest of the movement. Gradually, with practice, the learner catches the weight tight, bracing isometrically and fixing the bar, and begins to descend with the weight into an overhead squat. With further practice, the movement becomes smoother and the learner is performing a full snatch from the high hang/hip position. All the while the main emphasis from the coach in on getting in the correct position. The learner must be hitting the appropriate power position from the hip. Glenn described this as “90% of the lifts” – there is really no point progressing further if the learner is struggling to get the bar “in the crease” and in a position to apply power.

From this point the learning moves down the chain. The next position that is strictly drilled is from just below the knee. The learner reinforces what was previously learned by starting in the power position and then pushes the hips back and stays over the bar as he or she lowers the bar to just below the knee. This position is key. The prospective weightlifter must be strong over the bar as it passes the knees. The learner performs many reps taking the bar from the hip to below the knee and back up to the hip again and into the snatch movement from the hip. The position below the knee is focused on strongly and it is imperative to find the power position at the hip also. As the bar is lowered to below the knee, the timing of contributions to the movement of the hips and the knees is very important. On the way back up, the learner finds his or her own way a little more and fills in the gaps between positions themselves based on their own anthropometry. Little instruction is given regarding the movement in between these two points.

I quite like this approach to learning the lifts. Instruction is precise and concise. Position is of the utmost importance and progression does not occur until certain positions are mastered. The big bonus for me though is that although the goal of each drill is to facilitate developing skill in the snatch, each drill also has its own, stand alone, merits as a training modality. The snatch movements from the hip begin to allow the lifter to train rate of force development characteristics. Catching the bar “tight” and bracing isometrically develops the athlete’s ability to resist external forces, a key element for athletes in contact sports. The work moving into position to below the knee allows the athlete to begin to learn how to differentiate knee and hip movement - a key factor in sports performance and injury prevention. The slow, controlled lowering of the bar to the below knee position also begins to develop posterior chain strength in the novice lifter.

Glenn’s coaching style is concise and direct. Glenn explained that he is not afraid to really exaggerate certain aspects of technique. For example staying out “over the bar” in the as the bar transitions past the knees. This might initially appear excessive but Glenn explained that over time there is an inevitable regression to the mean (or to the way the lifter usually does it). So to make effective change in technique certain aspects may need to be over-exaggerated in practice to ensure that changes are retained when lifting meaningful weights.

Having spent much time observing, drilling and discussing the positions when learning the snatch we took a back seat and watched Jon North work his way through a brief snatch session. Jon is a rambunctious, energetic, macho lifter. He thinks he’s the man and he lifts like it. He worked his way through routine warm-up weights at 70kg, 100kg and 120kg. These are light weights for Jon but each lift was approached with appropriate focus and effort. Technique and effort was constant with each lift. This is something I think many novice lifters can learn from. You must focus your concentration and effort appropriately on the lighter warm-up weights. If you do not, then your performance at the heavier and more challenging weights will suffer. Focus, concentration and effort is not something that the novice can just switch on and off like a light bulb – the mental side of lifting must be practiced repeatedly just like everything else. You can’t snatch 100kg well, if you can’t snatch 60kg well. Jon worked up into the 150kg range – weights which many in the room had probably not seen snatched in person before. It was an impressive display, but just a normal workout for Jon.

All of us attending the seminar then had the opportunity to lift ourselves. After having watched Jon shift some serious weight and with everyone in the room eager to put what wee had learned into practice it made for a motivating environment. Jon seamlessly shape shifted from lifter into coach and was an awesome help to many in the room. Although he is a brash, aggressive lifter on the platform, in person Jon is incredibly humble and helpful. His enthusiasm for the sport shines through and he has a personality that motivates you to want to lift heavy. Everyone lifting got a massive boost from Jon’s enthusiastic coaching and Glenn’s technical advice and quite a few PBs were hit.

Eamonn is a hero, so thanks to him for that. I hope everyone enjoyed it and I will update my blog over the next few days.

DCU dichotomy

2011-04-10T21:38:00.002+01:00

I competed yesterday as a guest lifter at the University and College Championships. I am one month out from the nationals on May 7th and the goal was to hit 120 again and go for 148kg in the Clean and Jerk. I did not hit my 120 and I did not hit my 148. I did, however, learn some vital lessons and got a timely reminder coming up to Nationals.

I weighed in at 96kg and I had to wait around four and a half or five hours before I was lifting. I coached Sami who hit an awesome 105kg Snatch and I know he will hit 107 in Nationals. His Jerk did not go so well , but he will be strong and ready for nationals. Lots of people lifted really well and there were a good few in the first competition. It was a great competition and I really enjoyed it. Byrdie hit a nice 116/150 and like Murph, who hit a solid 100, there is a lot more to come.

I was delighted to start warming up after a very long wait. I went up to 106 in the warm up and then opened with an easy 110. This is now too light weight for me to open up on and I took it too easily and cut my pull far too short. My 116 was faster, but I lost my position; I got the lift but it was out front. My third attempt with 120 was so close, I thought I got it. I was lacking that 100% commitment though; the weight felt far lighter than when I hit it last time and I was genuinely surprised to miss it.

I warmed up for the Clean and Jerk and went up to 136kg. I opened up on 140 just to get that monkey off my back and then I jumped to 145 for my second. I got it but I rushed my Jerk and it was a little shaky. I then went up to 148 for my third and I got under it but could not get past the sticking point, which really frustrated and surprised me. This was the most I have Clean and Jerked since November though so although I am a little gutted, I know Nationals will bring more.

So, what did I learn:

1. I have learned this before, but I did not realise how long the wait would be. Get out of the competition hall before you compete! It wastes nervous energy and leaves one frustrated.

2. My Front Squat numbers need to go back up to 165/170. I should have squatted 148 up. It was embarrassing.

3. I am far stronger than my mind tells me. I am capable of hitting my 122/150 right now. Once I get my front squat back up over the next few weeks, that should do the trick, as will continuing doing those Clean pulls to work on strength off the ground.

Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.

Seminar soliloquy

2011-04-03T11:39:00.003+01:00

ECB had the pleasure of hosting a seminar with Glenn Pendlay and Jon North on Wednesday the 23rd of March. Due to time constraints (Glenn and Jon were only over for five and a half days really) we could only have a four hour seminar form 6-10pm. In the end, Glenn graciously agreed to extend to a little after half ten as everyone was so anxious to Snatch, we spent more time practicing the lift than anticipated.

There was a great mixture of people attending, ranging from strength and conditioning coaches, to Crossfit coaches, weightlifting athletes and coaches and also a few personal trainers. Most people had a good general grasp of the lifts, so Glenn took us through his basic progressions, using Jon North as an able demonstrator. Like any worthwhile teaching endevour, this proved to be a practical workshop so all the participants then went through the progressions themselves under Glenn and Jon's watchful eyes. Again, like any teacher or coach worth his/her salt, Glenn had the lifters coach each other so that they could get used to applying the coaching cues to another person; Glenn was also able to making cues to the people coaching, not just the athletes, and this as another small point that separates a good seminar from a great one.

Jon North then went up to a max single in the Snatch for two main reasons: firstly, so we could see the progressions in real time speed being performed by an elite athlete. Jon was actually going through the steps we had just learned, except he was Snatching over 150kg! Secondly, the participants were watching Glenn coach Jon and then asking Glenn questions about his methods while Jon rested. This was the Q&A part of the seminar really. Jon finished up with a meagre 155kg, barely missing 161, he did a few doubles with 130 and then 140kg and left it there. He was completely spent from all the flying and his legs were gone. Afterward, it was the participants' turn to Snatch and Snatch they did. Several people got significant pb's and made the most use of the intense atmosphere coupled with Glenn and Jon's coaching. The same format occurred with the Clean and Jerk. Jon went up to a Clean and Jerk with 170kg and then missed the Jerk with 180kg. Due to time constraints, we spent less time practicing the Clean and then went over the major coaching points for the Jerk.

All in all, the seminar was a great success and it proved to be a fantastic learning experience while also being a great laugh. The Edinburgh seminar was run along slightly different lines because we had far more time on our hands. Dr Eamonn Flanagan has agreed to write a seminar review of that experience, so I will leave it to him. Here are the three most important points I learned from having Glenn over:

1. Simple is beautiful: Glenn's teaching progressions go hand in hand with his programming, his man management of his lifters during training and competitions and also with his running of a seminar. He applies a shed load of common sense, boatloads of experience, practical application and a genuine appreciation for the intricacies for the art of coaching to his methods. He has a holistic approach towards the sport of weightlifting, and simply taking out one part means nothing unless you look at the overall scheme of things. As he pointed out in the last sentence of the last minute of the seminar in Edinburgh, "you must have an over-riding philosophy in how you coach." This philosophy carries through to his entire repertoire for getting people insanely strong for the sport of weightlifting. Simple is elegant and effective. I never though I would associate Glenn Pendlay with elegance, but there you go!

2. You must supplement your academic background with an understanding of how to work with people and how to best enable an individual to learn optimally to be an effective coach. Coaching is an art that has to be learned through making mistakes and having a honest love of the learning process. I feel very, very strongly about this and had many discussions with Glenn on this topic and it was interesting to hear his views.

3. You cannot separate strength and technique in the sport of weightlifting. A lot of people have very different opinions on this matter, but Glenn's point was that we all know people who have a massive deadlift or high pull, but cannot Clean anywhere close to the same weight. If one cannot apply their strength to a weightlifting movement, it is through a lack of technique, but also a lack of strength in applying their technique. Because weightlifting is such a neurally demanding sport and requires so much skill refinement, the separation of strength and technique is essentially redundant, as Glenn believes they cannot be separated. Squats and Pulls work general strength, but this general strength cannot be directly applied until the lifter learns how to apply it within the classical lifts themselves. Of course, we are talking about someone whose squat goes up ten or twenty kilos, not 100. It is for these reasons that Glenn values technical efficiency in his lifters and put so much into the lifts themselves and not the assistance lifts.

It will be interesting to hear your points on whether you agree or disagree with any of these ideas. Please leave a comment below and we might be able to get a constructive discussion going. As for my own training this week, it was a good one. I had a download week and trained on Wednesday, working up to a double in the Power Clean with 110 and a 3,4,3 with 137kg and 3,4,2 with 147kg in the Clean Pull. I then did some Front Squat doubles to finish. on Saturday, I Snatched up to 110 and Clean and Jerked 135kg and Front Squatted 155. They all felt reasonably comfortable and I will feel better for it next week. I am competing next Saturday in a small competition and I am really looking forward to it. I want to hit 120kg in the Snatch again to make it consistent and hit a heavier Clean and Jerk. This is essentially a warm up competition for the Seniors, so I will treat it as such.

Monday's mission

2011-03-28T12:28:00.003+01:00

Last week was like an episode of the Twilight Zone: it was surreal, passed by in a blur; and a few crazy things happened. As some of you who read this blog already know, Glenn Pendlay and Jon North of California Strength were over in Ireland and ECB for a few days, and then Edinburgh for the weekend. ECB hosted a seminar with Glenn on Wednesday evening and then the awesome Sport's Performance gym in Edinburgh hosted a two day seminar with Glenn and Jon on the Sturday and Sunday. To say both seminars were awesome would be an understatement. When I have the time, I will make a video of the last week and include some of Jon's lifting as well as comment on what I learned from Glenn in both seminars.

Here is what I lifted last week:

Monday was day one of my new program,I which I shall write about soon. I Snatched, Clean and Jerked and Front Squated and kept all weights at a medium intensity in order to accomodate what I knew would be a big lifting week and a stressful organisational one also.

We had our seminar in ECB on Wednesday and along with everyone else, I did all the learning progressions that Glenn coaches and I Snatched alongside everyone who attended. Jon North hit 155/180kg and just barely missed 161kg. Wayne hit a sweet 105 as did I. Considering how tired I was, I was happy and I left it there. I did a few Cleans with the progression that Glenn reccommends, did a double with 100 and left it there. When 100kg feels heavy, that is when you should stop!

On the Thursday, most of our ECB lifters trained with Jon and Glenn. They gym was buzzing to say the least. I was tired from the week's exertions and from the very little sleep the night before, but if you can't get up for training with these boys, you deserve to be shot! I Snatched 114kg and then missed 116 twice. I tried to hit a double with 110kg four times, but I missed the second rep each time. There was simply not enough in the tank. This was the most I have ever hit during the week, though, so I was happy. I then Clean and Jerked up to 136kg and I was proper spent. Happy, but wrecked. Everyone trained really well and watching Jon Power Clean and then Full Clean and Jerk 160kg is always inspiring to watch.

We flew over to Edinburgh on Friday evening and the seminar was really well organized by Cedric Unholz. Again, I did all the learning skill progressions and I was looking forward to lifting. In the Snatch, I went up to 105kg but I was feeling a bit off, so I went back down to 90kg and then 97.5, 102.5, 107.5, 110, 113.5, 115, and once I hit 117.5kg, I left it there. I knew that my final single was dragging me out of position quite badly and to be honest, I could feel it from the beginning of the session. It was a tiring week and whenever I am fatigued, my positioning suffers quite a bit. I accepted this from the beginning and just got determined to use every last inch of my pull and hip explosion to get the weight up. 117.5kg is the most I have ever lifted in training, and I know that if I can hit that in training when tired, I can hit over 120 in competition when I am more rested. I dropped back down to 110kg and went for a double which has eluded me since I tried it in California Strength last June. It took two attempts, but I got it. It was as ugly as sin, but I got it. I felt immense relief to finally get this double.

I Clean and Jerked after the seminar was over and I hit 140kg on my second try. I missed the Jerk in the first attempt because I rushed it. 140kg has been my voodoo weight for the last few months despite my pb being 147. No idea why, but I was genuinely scared of lifting the weight; my mind was desperately telling me not to go under it despite my rational self completely disagreeing. Sami gave me a few choice words and thankfully I hit it. The following day I Clean and Jerked up to 135kg and I was not able to put the doubt out of my mind and I ended up missing the Clean with 140kg. Oh, well. I don't have all of my lifts as I was too busy lifting and coaching:

So, I got home late last night and I think this week will be a deserved lighter week. I know I am looking forward to it. More than likely most of you reading this are only interested in funny videos and not my inner dialogues, so I shall oblige accordingly. I will put up reviews and reports of both seminars and all will be well.

Saturday's sincerity

2011-03-19T21:58:00.002Z

Today was one of those sessions to get through. I enjoyed it, but it was lacking in any glamour or inspiration. I was tired and at the end of my download week; my legs were not working right; my hip was sore all week and stopped me training on Wednesday. So I decided to Power Snatch because catching the bar low was tagging my hip. I decided to Power Clean for the same reason and worked up to 120 and then did three singles with 130kg which felt hilariousy heavy. It was not even embarrassing. Just damn heavy. When 130kg feels heavy you know it is going to be a conservative day.

I finished up with some squats, a few sets of posterior chain work and I toasted it all off with a massage. Very happy to finish the day.

Here is a video of the squad session last weekend:

Thanks to Stephen Kinsella for making an awesome video. I need some inspiration, so here is some:

I also need a laugh, so here is one:

And another:

Finally, I need an injection of adrenaline, so here it is:

I am really looking forward to Glenn Pendlay and Jon North coming over to ECB to give a seminar. There are two spots left for the ECB seminar on Wednesday the 23rd of March, starting from 6-10pm. Email eastcoastbarbell@gmail.com to book a spot. There are also two spots left fro the Edinburgh seminar, so email me if you are interested.

Squad sharpshooting

2011-03-14T16:14:00.004Z

ECB hosted the Irish squad training camp this weekend and it proved to be a resounding success.It was great fun and there was some superb lifting. I got some footage of the lifting but only from my group on the first day. Everyone lifted well and the camp was very well organised by Wayne Healy. Here is a video of some of the top lifts from my group:

EDIT: After watching the video, I realised I put in Sami's miss with 106 not his success. I must be sub-conscious jealousy.

As for my own lifting, I did ok. On the Saturday morning I did a little wake up session forty five minutes before everyone started. I worked up to a Power Snatch with 90kg and a full Snatch with 100kg and I left it there. In retrospect I should have stopped at 90 but it did not make much of a difference; I felt strong but not particularly fast.

In the full session with my group I worked up to singles in the Snatch with 110, 115 and then I sailed to of 120 and only pulled it. A bit embarrassing. I dropped back to 100 and then hit 107.5 and promptly missed 112.5. It simply was not there so I left it. I was feeling a little tight and not as fast as I would have hoped, but 115 is the most I have Snatched in training in a year, so I am happy enough. If I can hit 115 or so in training then I now I can hit over 120 in competition. In the Clean and Jerk I was tired, but all felt fine. I worked up to 137.5kg and then for some reason, I could not Clean 142.5kg. Very frustrating and for the first time in quite a while, I threw a bit of a wobbler on the platform. On reflection, I put too much pressure on myself and I was also not in the state needed for record weights. Unreasonable expectations and fatigue are not ideal bedfellows. I finished my session with a single with 180kg in the Box Squat and I left it there. I got an awesome massage and followed this with a stretch so that I would be ok to lift the following day.

On Sunday, I was far more relaxed and I Snatched 110kg well. I missed 113 twice and I did not mind really, because, as Wayne correctly pointed out, I was "not going after it." I worked up to 130 in the Clean and Jerk and I could feel I was drained, but for pride's sake, I had to hit 135kg. An embarrasingly small weight to psyche oneself over, but it is what it is. I wanted to get a squat pb so I worked up to 160 and I got 5 reps with it on the 14 inch box.

When I got home on the Sunday, my entire back, legs and hamstrings in particular, traps, shoulders and abs were really feeling the exertion. I felt like I used to feel after a rugby match: battered and bruised. I was happy enough that a sub-par performance could yield 115/137.5 but a few issues were highlighted and I will write about these later when I have had some time to think about them. Everyone lifted particularly well, but I have to mention Sami for his Snatch pb. It was a brave lift considering he was as tired as I was; I just did not have his mental strength!

The Reverend's recital

2011-03-10T21:52:00.002Z

Here is a guest post from the legend that is Andy Murphy. His post flies in the face of traditional weightlifting dogma, but it is the result of observing how he responds to training in the sport of weightlifting for the last five or six years. Andy's ideas are what works for him by the way, not how he would train other lifters who respond differently to the same stimulis.I respect how lifters like himself and David Woodhouse put themselves out there and find alternative methods that work for them and also allows them to enjoy their lifting. Whatever works for you, do it regardless of whether people agree with you or not. Results don't lie and if you lift heavier weights training in a completely different style to the general lifting population, wh ogives a flying fiddler's f!%k? Anyway, enough of my ramblings, here is the article, so enjoy and leave any comments below:

A happy weightlifter = a strong weightlifter

Before I go into much more detail, I would like to preface with the following my best lifts are 102 and 122 at 77kg far from amazing lifting, but I have worked hard and learned a hell of a lot along the way to these lifts.

My most important discovery on my weightlifting journey was a number of weeks ago. My epiphany was repeated heavy maximal lifting in my training does nothing for my lifts. I know this can be seen as sacrilege, saying heavy maximal lifts don't improve my lifts. Every year I make progress in my training when I am in a traditional preparatory type phase of training, lots of lifting between 75-90% and the odd very few lifts around the 95% mark. I have always set personal bests in these times of the year when strength type exercises are abundant and the volume of lifts quite high. I then follow what I believe would result in an increase in my lifting a reduction in volume and an increase in intensity with more maximal attempts in my training. What then follows is a period of frustration where I am unable to hit weights for a single that I was doing multiple doubles and even trebles with a few weeks previously in the preparation phase. This frustration period continues for a long time until I get injured and then I start again in a preparation phase and the viscous cycle repeats itself. What happens as a result of this is a lifter that is making incredibly frustratingly slow progress.

When I look back through my training diary and results from competitions/ squad sessions, I can't believe I have not come to this realization sooner. I firmly believe I need to stick with what works for me and what works for me is lots of lifting between 75% and 90 % with doubles, trebles, combos and bucket loads of variation. This training has always brought me back to the 100 and 120 region and it is around this mark that I usually become an idiot and attempt maximal weights far too often and end up below the 100 and 120 regions and crocked. I am in no doubt that the best way to train for weightlifting is a methodology based around heavy maximal attempts in the classical lifts supplemented with heavy squats; unfortunately, from experience, it just doesn't do it for me.

I believe this type of training does nothing for me for a number of reasons:
1. My technique gets worse when I am repeatedly attempting and missing maximal lifts
2. Maximal weights hurt me cause of how weak my legs are (best front squat= 142.5 best clean= 130)
3. I hate missing lifts
4. I don't find attempting repeated maximal attempts enjoyable. I am unfortunately never going to make a living or even a few quid from weightlifting. Weightlifting is my hobby so if I don't enjoy the training whats the point? I enjoy going into the gym and bursting my ass on the platform with multiple heavy doubles and trebles, pulls, squats and more variation than anyone can dream of.

It's like I always say a happy weightlifter = a strong weightlifter.

Fortune favours the brave

2011-03-06T13:31:00.004Z

I had an interesting week's training in which there were vastly varying energy states to work off. More importantly, here is something to help you enjoy life:

Even if you can't view these clips in work, please watch them later. They are impossibly funny; and yes, they are more interesting than anything I have to say.

For Monday's session, I had was feeling good but not particularly sharp, I warmed up with the Clean and Jerk up to two Cleans and one Jerk with 100kg and then Snatched 105kg. I moved onto the RDL and worked up to a very strict triple with 125kg which I was happy with and then did three triples with 150kg in the Box Squat. There were no impressive numbers in my session at all, but I was happy enough because I was not feeling too hot.

I spent most of Wednesday in a car or sitting down which was not ideal for training the following day. I had another good session with trying to get myself fixed and the following day I was knackered. I worked up to a double in the Hang Snatch with 95kg and missed the third behind. I then worked up to 130kg in the Clean and Jerk and it felt far too heavy for the actual weight. I got it, but it as ugly as sin. I left out the Front Squats and did my Pendlay Rows working up to 90kg for five reps.

On Saturday, I worked up to 100kg in the Snatch but they felt very slow and I was feeling a little feint, so I started up again from 60kg and did singles with 95kg, 102.5kg, 107.5kg and 112.5kg which was the most I have lifted in training in quite a while. Since April or May I would think. In the Clean and Jerk I worked up to 135kg which was disappointing, but I accepted it and am determined to turn it around. My squats did not go to plan. I wanted three reps with 170 and I only got one. Annoying but I will get it next weekend. Here are my Snatches from Saturday:

Next weekend, the Irish weightlifting squad is having a training camp in East Coast Barbell on the Saturday and Sunday so I will be sure to train accordingly as I want to lift some big ass weights when it counts.

A week's winter hibernation

2011-02-27T14:57:00.003Z

This last week off work has allowed some time off and I graciously took it. My shoulder has ached increasingly as the last few months have gone by, so I decided to get my shoulder and hip looked at this last week to try and get both issues sorted as well as I could. I am seeing a different physical therapist at the moment and hopefully he will be able to help me. He has already identified a basic imbalance in my overall structure which explains why I have had problems with my right ankle, hip and shoulder. Hopefully he will be able to help and if he does, I will write a lot more about the process. Until then, I will see what happens. My hip is a problem that has major implications for my future and if I do not fix it now, I know I will regret it in ten years time. I will still be able to train around it and continue getting stronger, but my future as an athlete and more importantly, as person who likes to have basic movement literacy skills, I need to face the music. If it has a positive effect on my weightlifting, it will be a bonus.

I trained twice this week and I kept the intensity in the squatting only. I basically rested a lot and caught up on an outstanding amount of sleep. I feel good and am really looking forward to the next few training weeks because there is a national training squad weekend on the 12/13th of March in ECB which will be the best ever squad session ever in Irish weightlifting.

Here are a few cool videos. David Woodhouse Power Cleans 152kg. His methods of training have clearly helped him develop as a weightlifter. I am really looking forward to seeing him lift 130/160 in competition and I know he will do it very soon.

Here is a young weightlifter from Tralee who is so far ahead of the rest of Irish weightlifting athletically, it is not even funny:

Yes, Clarence is a far better weightlifter than me and yes, he is 17. He is so much more athletic than me I am not even embarrassed, I am actually very happy to have someone like this in Irish weightlifting.

Coolmine Clearwater Revival

2011-02-20T15:16:00.002Z

Well done to everyone on the weekend. Every member of ECB lifted pr's and we had Richie Pedreschi lifting in his first competition. Here is a video of the competition as a while that Stephen Kinsella (who also lifted pb's of course!)made:

Well, I suppose I ought to start my good news. On Saturday I competed in the Dublin Open in Coolmine and I Snatched 120kg. This lift has been two frustrating years in the making and when I finally got it on the platform having never even attempted it before, the elation and sheer exhiliration was something I have never felt before in this sport that I love so much. I have experienced this in rugby a few times, but never in weightlifting. I am still off the 272kg total I need to qualify for the European Championships, but I know I will Clean and Jerk 150kg soon. I may have gotten my ass handed to me by a 17 year old 79kg lifter in his second competition, but I still enjoyed myself immensely. Clarence is the best talent Irish weightlifting has ever had and I hope to see him progress like the mutant that he is!

First off, here is my third attempt Snatch:

I will start at the beginning. My previous week was one of the hardest I have experienced in a long time. My lower back was still extremely stiff and sore from learning how to contract it for the first time and I had to take a download week to let it heal. This week also proved to be incredibly demanding in both work and also in ECB and by the end of it, I was in an absolute heap.

I still wanted to compete in the Dublin Open so I decided to train on Monday and Wednesday and have two days to rest up before the competition. On the Monday, I Snatched up to a single of 108kg which was really my max for the day. It was strong and decent technically, but very slow because I was still knackered. I went back down to singles with 90, 95 and 100 to get some speed back into my lifting. I then skipped my RDLS's because my back was still recovering and made a 2.5kg increase in my 5x5 squats.

On the Wednesday, I worked up to one triple with 90kg in the Hang Snatch. I would usually do three, but I was still very tired and I needed a bigger single in the Jerk so I went straight onto the Clean and Jerk where I worked up to singles with 130 and 135kg which felt pretty hard, particularly mid week. I only did one triple with 130 in the Front Squat. Three triples is what I would usually do for my recovery squat workout, but I was knackered so I left it at one. My right shoulder was too sore to do my presses so I worked up to five reps with 92.5kg in the Pendlay Row and left it there. I did some soft tissue work on my IT bands and quads in particular and some joint mobility and flexibility work. When I finished up in the gym, I did some hot/cold contrast work in the sauna and cold shower.

By the time Saturday came around I was feeling pretty good. I weighed in at 96.5kg--I was not willing to cut weight for a small competition--after eating quite liberally in the preceding days. I chilled out for a few hours and when I started my warm up, I did an initial 20 minute warm up and then relaxed for fifteen or twenty minutes. I wanted to do this earlier but there was not enough room to do it. I started off some bar work and then with two doubles at 50kg. I did singles with 70, 80, 90 in the Power Snatch and then I Snatched 100 powerfully, but it was not a Power Snatch. I went outside and relaxed for fifteen minutes or so and then came back again. I did two doubles with 50 and did singles with 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and then 105kg, calling 110 as my opener.

I hit my opener of 110kg quite easily, but for some reason I have a habit of underpulling my first attempts every time. I am not sure if this is simply due to complacency, but it is what it is. All I can do is try and improve it I guess. Wayne called for 115kg for my second attempt and in my mind I knew that if I got this, 120 was on. This was probably my best Snatch of the day technically, or at least it felt like it. It shot up and Wayne asked me if I wanted 118kg (this was my pb) to which I replied "f*%k 118, you know exactly what I want." We called it and I had two minutes to get myself ready. I slowed down my breathing and tried to focus and visualise a solid catch position. I went out, got the lift and went a little mad with sheer relief and joy.

It took me a while to calm down and relax before warming up for the Clean and Jerks. There was a five minute break so I chilled out for ten minutes maybe. I warmed up with 60kg for a few singles and hit 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, and 130 as my last warm up. I had between ten and fifteen minutes to wait and in retrospect, I probably should have lifted 135 in the warm up and put my opener up.

I opened up with 137kg and I actually felt like I pressed out the Jerk. It was shaky, but I thought I was just a little cold from waiting. I went up to 142kg and this felt pretty rough also. I knew I did not have 150 in me on the day so I asked Wayne to call for 148 which would be a one kg pb but I did not go under the Clean. I rushed it off the ground and completely lost my position. Embarrasing, but I will learn from it and get on with it. I will Clean and Jerk 150kg very soon.

Tuesday's think tank

2011-02-15T10:58:00.004Z

Because I have been late with my update, here is something to make up:

I actually had a much longer interview with Donny, but the connection was poor and for whatever reason, the program I was using to record the conversation did not work right and I lost most of it. Annoying, but what can you do?

Another piece of news is that this blog has made another list of the best blogs/sites to look out for. Apparently I am an authority on getting huge, but this list also looks suspiciously like the other one I was included in a few weeks back. Like I said before, I am now officially above the law. I will become this man:

As for my own training, last week I had to take a download week because my lower back would not allow me to train. I still squatted heavy and slightly altered my squatting style by not sending my hips back as much, but after I Snatched on the Wednesday, I stiffened up quite a bit again. So, I decided to take last week as a taper week and this week load up again, even though I have a competiton on Saturday. This is not an important competition so getting my training right is far more important and I feel far better now. My lumbar area is still stiff in the attachment area and no longer the muscle belly. Every day it gets a small bit better, so all I can do is be patient. Because I was able to contract my lumber spine for the first time, I experienced quite severe doms. This is productive pain though, so the key is simply to manage the inflammation and accept it.

Last night, I Snatched for 8 singles and Box Squatted for 5x5; I left out the RDL's for obvious reasons. In the Snatch, I did a single with 90, 100, 105 which I stupidly missed because I did not stay over the bar, but I got it easily on my second attempt. I then hit 108kg, but it was quite slow. I was happy with the technique and positioning, but it was a monotone lift. I then went back to hit 90, 95 and 100kg again but increased the tempo significantly. I found it very difficult to lift with speed because I am very tired at the moment. Work and ECB committments are kicking my ass at the moment, so from that perspective as well as a physical one, a download week was probably in order anyway. My 5x5 in the squat went up another 2.5kg and I hit 142.5kg. Once again, the weight was not heavy, but the third and four reps on the last two sets in particular are real grinders and I am finding that as my numbers rise, the amount of rest I am taking is also rising. I am ok with that and the fact that I did not do the RDL's gave me the time anyway.

So, I have another session on Wednesday where I will do my Hang Snatches, Clean and Jerk singles and light Front Squats. I will then finish with some presses and Pendlay Rows, neither of which I did last week. Over and out.

Saturday's soreness

2011-02-05T18:19:00.003Z

I trained well today, but my lower back hates me right now. It has been tight all week and after I finished Snatching today, it was even sorer. Not muscle pulling pain, just severe doms--delayed onset muscular soreness. Monday's session was a good one, but after getting more locked in with the first pull with my Snatches, RDL's and Box Squats, my lower back was quite stiff from Tuesday onwards. I read this article from Mark Rippetoe and I have been applying some of his ideas to good effect.

I had another good session on Wednesday and did ten working singles with the Clean and Jerk and started with 115kg and ended with 130kg. Before this, I did three triples in the Hang Snatch with 90kg and after the Jerks, I did three triples with 130kg in the Front Squat which was nice and light. I finished off with presses and Pendlay Rows. On Thursday and Friday again, my lower back and hamstrings were still stiff and sore, but I felt a good bit better for today's workout.

Today I had ten working singles and I started off with 95kg in the Snatch; I then hit 100, 101, 102.5kg--it was supposed to be 102 but I put on a 1.5kg plate on one side instead of a 1kg plate--103, 104, 105, 106, 107 and I wanted the 110kg so I went for it and got it nicely. After my Snatches my lower back was very tight and a little sore. I rested for five minutes and started my Clean and Jerks and worked up to a double with 100 and a single with 110kg but I had to stop because my lower back was inflamed and sore. I can feel it is a bit of overuse, so I am not unduly worried.

Because I could not Clean and Jerk properly, I insisted on doing my Box Squats and simply did not sit back as much. Last week I hit four reps with 150kg and today I hit 5 reps with 152.5kg which was hard, but I got it. I was
sore afterwards, but I really wanted to squat and keep my numbers ticking over. I will do some contrast hot/cold work on my back and go a little mad with fish oil and ginger to help reduce the inflamation.

Have a look at my Snatches below and leave any constructive feedback that you think can help. As a reminder, Glenn Pendlay and Jon North are coming over to ECB on March 23rd to give a Wednesday night seminar on learning the Olympic lifts and also how to improve for intermediate and advanced lifters. There are also five or six places left in the Edinburgh two day seminar that weekend. Email eastcoastbarbell@gmail.com to book your place.

ECB echelons

2011-01-31T23:44:00.003Z

Here is the new East Coast Barbell video I made. Our beginner weightlifting classes are going really well and all the lifters are improving rapidly, so if anyone is interested, email eastcoastbarbell@gmail.com to join up. I hope you like it:

Along with my friend Cedric Unholz, I have also organised for Glenn Pendlay and Jon North to come over and do a seminar in ECB on Wednesday, March the 23rd from 6-10 pm. This is going to be amazing and the cost of the seminar is €120. I only started to let people know about it today and already we have 8 places out of 20 booked. We are limiting it to 20 people because we want it to be an optimal learning environment. That weekend on March 26th and 27th we will be hosting a two day seminar in Edinburgh and this will be a more in depth look into how Glenn trains people. There are only 8 places for that left though. If anyone has any interest in attending either seminars, email me at eastcoastbarbell@gmail.com in order to book your place.

Here is a video of Jon Snatching 155kg; he has actually hit 160kg in competition. Jon will be demonstrating Glenn's coaching methods and will assist in helping to coach others.

In other news, I had a good session today. Today focused on the Snatch and I worked up to 12 singles with one and a half minutes between each lift. I started with 95kg and went up in one kilo increments until I hit 102kg which I stayed on for four reps and I finished up with a really comfortable single with 103kg. Here is a video of my last lift:

I then did my RDL's and Box Squats and saw an improvement in both. A good session tonight and I felt even more comfortable with a slightly narrower grip again.

Saturday's splurge

2011-01-29T19:40:00.003Z

Life kicked my ass this week and I had to alter my training accordingly. Competitions always drain me and last Saturday was no exception; my hip was quite sore also and I had an extremely busy week work wise. Therefore, I had to alter my training and drastically reduce volume. This was not ideal because I wanted this to be my first week in my month cycle, but my hip hurt and I could not have Snatched properly anyway. Here is one good thing I did on Thursday though: a bodyweight Clean grip Snatch. The higher hip position did not hurt so I went for it:

I still got my squats in and I got some work done, but not what the plan was. I found it hard to take a few steps back and listen to my body; over the last two and a half years I would have simply gone on training and done whatever I could push myself to do. This never worked out for me though, so I ended up in a better place today because of the change in pace and I ended up having a good session.

Because my hip still hurts when it is at the end range of motion, I decided to move my Snatch grip back to where it use to be, but a finger width wider. This put my hips in a pain free position and it also felt great lifting from the narrower grip again. As in very very great. I started the day off working up to doubles with 80, 90 and 100 and I missed a single with 105kg. Something felt slightly off though and I could not pinpoint it. I was very loose off the floor. I went back to 100kg and really focused on tightening up my scaps and upper back and this proved to be the winning coaching cue for the day. I ended up Snatching 100kg for ten singles very comfortably and actually brought my tenth single down to the hang and did 3 consecutive Hang Snatches with it after the full Snatch. I have never done this before, but I saw a few of the guys in Cal Strength do it and I had to have a go.

After that, I worked up in the Clean and Jerk determined to so something I had never done before, which was Clean and Jerk 130 for a double--quite embarrassing really. I started off with a few doubles with 70kg and then I did singles with 90, 100, 110, 120 and I went up to 130kg. I hit it for a double, but I pressed out the second Jerk so I did it again and actually hit a third Jerk with 130 after getting my double. It was outrageously pressed out and I nearly broke my back bringing it down, but I got it. This left me gasping though and definitely affected my squats. I only hit 150kg for four reps in the Box Squat which is better than two weeks ago, but I really should have gotten the five reps.

So, where does this leave me? I am really enjoying training again and I am really looking forward to the competition on February 19th in Coolmine. I talk to Sami, Wayne and Harry and we will decide togther exactly where to go with my training. I know the tempo training is really helping my lifting and I know thatmy squat program is also working because my hamstrings are getting stronger and even though I am kitten weak in the box squat, I am improving.

My biggest issues are sleeping earlier and therefore recovering and dedicated training time during which I don't coach anyone--it is very hard for me to do this because I love coaching, as in, I REALLY enjoy coaching people. Not in a creepy way though. The learning process fascinates me and I love how everyone learns similar principles in a different ways. Example being Eamonn, a Crossfitter who came to East Coast Barbell today for a visit. He was a Power Snatch lifter and when he Snatched to depth, he split Snatched. Within 30 minutes he was fully Squat Snatching with more than he had Split Snatched and his technique was actually very good. I coached him in a completely different way to how I have ever coached the Snatch before, but it seemed to suit him and he learned very quickly, which says more about him than me though! Dee also visited and how we worked together was completely different. She lifted very well and is making great strides in her lifting despite the fact that she is going down in weight classes. Ed also came and lifted more than he has lifted in 9 months. Ed and his awesome beard are awesome. It was a pleasure having them lift in in ECB.

For anyone interested, ECB is trying to promote weightlifting and we hold beginner weightlifting classes on Monday and Wednesdays from 6.30 to 8pm. We only charge €40 for 8 sessions, so be sure to take advantage of the offer and pop down to learn more about an incredible sport that has an enormous effect on training for other sports also.

Have a look at my video below and leave any constructive criticism you can:

Limerick lechery

2011-01-22T23:42:00.004Z

I was really looking forward to my first competition of the year and it did not disappoint. It was a very small affair with only ten lifters, but everyone enjoyed it and generally lifted well for the time of year.

Sami came down to coach for two reasons: the competition did not fit into his training schedule and he also had to coach four lifters through the competition--I was one of them. There were some great performances: Byrdie hit a big pr total with 114/152 at 81kg bodyweight. Sinead Ryan hit 50/70 in a great six for six performance and Gillian Roddie hit three sweet Snatches with 52/55/57, but still felt the after effects of the Irish women's training camp, succeeding with an easy 70kg Clean and Jerk. The Reverend hit 95/115 weighing in at a svelt 73kg and this competition coincided with the end of his general preparation phase, so there is far more to come from him. Stephen Kinsella got fantastic pr's with 73/98 in only his second competition. He is rapidly improving in strength and skill and his work ethic is an example for others to follow. Paudie Roche also competed well considering he is coming back from a hip injury.

As for my own lifting, I am relatively happy with my five out of six performance. I had a quick twenty minute warm up after the weigh in--I was 96.2kg--in order to get the car journey out of my system. I worked up to a double with 80kg in Snatch and left it there. This was badly needed and meant that when I began my actual competition warm up forty five minutes later I was already feeling loose and ready to go. I did two doubles with 50 and a double with 60 and 70. I then hit singles with 80, 90, 100 and 105kg.

All my warm ups felt pretty good, so out I went with 108kg as my opener. It flew up and the lift was successful, but I made it harder than it should have been because I underpulled it quite a bit. I then went to 111kg and this was a far better lift and felt great. Sami then made the call for me to stick to 114kg for my final attempt and even though I could feel that I messed up my first pull, I just cranked that bit harder and got it overhead. Sami made the right call staying conservative, because it is the first competition of the season and I have not Snatched this much since last May when I hit 118kg. I also had a month of lifting 20 reps in 20 minutes in both the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk which is not that conducive to max single attempts. I am capable of lifting more but I need to be patient in my build up.

I chilled out for ten or fifteen minutes and then started my warm up for the Clean and Jerk. I felt great and my final two warm ups were a Power Clean and Jerk with 120kg and a single Clean and Jerk with 130kg. These all felt very easy and in the groove so I opened up with 138kg which I made. My balance on the platform felt quite strange though and something felt different. With my second attempt, I went up to 143kg and my left foot slipped back a few inches, which was weird. I ended up not pulling the weight over my waist. I retook it and got a shaky final lift. It felt like I massively overpulled it and the weight fell down on me, causing me to stall in the bottom of the Clean. All my Jerks felt very solid though and I knew I would not miss them.

I finished off with a nice stretch and after helping Murph and Byrdie clear away the platforms and weights, myself and Murph had a short swim and sauna; I felt far better after this and it will definitely help speed up my recovery. I am still focusing on improving my hip flexibility but instead of doing what I usually do, I am working on one stretch and that is it. This stretch is my nemesis and my number one weakness, so I work on it everday on at least five seperate occasions. Here is one example of how I stretch my piriformus out; I actually use a variety of surfaces:

As a result, my flexibility is improving rapidly like never before and even though I am still pathetic in the stretch, I am now able to get into this pathetic position when before I was unable. I have been stretching like this for the last three weeks and I have seen major improvements so when I get my flexibility in that position to a decent standard, I will focus on my next weakest area while maintaining the previous one.

I have another competition in four weeks time and one a month after that. This suits me really well because I know that in each competition I will raise my game and continue lifting heavier weights. My training is going well and the next few months is vital: I need to stay focused on getting stronger and more consistent with my lifts. That is all I need to in order to get my 272kg total.

Friday's fringe benefits

2011-01-21T14:59:00.002Z

What are the benefits of massively reducing training volume? You guessed it. A fresher, happier lifter. I needed an extra download week than I had originally planned because the previous weeks were demanding training wise, but work and the gym were far more demanding. Training stressors are easy compared to life stressors, so one of the main things I have learned over the last two and a half years of training in the sport of weightlifting, is that when you need to take a step back, do it. There is no plowing ahead when you have responsibilities above and beyond weightlifting. The ego finds it very hard to take, because you read everwhere that you just have to get on with it and fight the good fight. I have tried this so many times you would not believe. It has always meant that I end up taking two or three steps back rather than the planned one step that facilitates future improvement.

I trained twice this week and worked up to two singles in the Snatch with around 85% of my training max (97.5kg) but I know I will lift far far more in competition tomorrow. I then did the 5x5 in the box squat and did not start where I left off two weeks ago--this is another mistake I have made so many times-- and I have doms in the upper hamstrings two days later. You have to love the box squats: they do exactly as they say on the tin. I finished off with a step loaded 5x5 in the press.

I only Clean and Jerked 120 yesterday and it was a rushed session because we were busy in the gym. Again I will probably end up opening with around 137/138kg on Saturday. I always lift far more in competition than I do in training; I love competing and the emotional arousal cannot compare with training.

I have my first competition of the season tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it. It is not an important competition and ideally I would have had a regular training week rather than another download week, but I had to make a priority call. I still trained twice and kept the intensity up, but dropped the volume completely. I feel great coming into Saturday, but also for my next training phase coming up where, you guessed it, I will focus on getting stronger and getting more consistent with the rhythm, tempo and positioning of my lifts.

To finish off with, this is the kind of gym I want to train in:

Saturday's stilted work week.

2011-01-16T17:48:00.003Z

I had a devilishly busy week and I was really glad I emptied my training of volume. On the Monday, I Snatched doubles up to 80 and then did 9okg three times and 100kg once. I followed this up with Power Clean and Power Jerks up to 120kg. I have not done these two movements in a while and it was nice to do something different. Very low volume with a slight increase in intensity. I enjoyed the session.

On Wednesday, I ended up training very late because I was really busy in the gym. I did some Snatch Pulls but I spoiled it by going to heavy, particularly when I was tired. I did some Clean and Jerks and finished with 120. I wanted to hit 130, but I was too wrecked at that stage.

On Thursday I did some Presses and Pendlay Rows and on Saturday I trained after coaching for five hours. Here is a video of my session. I was actually quite happy considering how crazy my week was and that I was coaching all morning.

Snatch: 1x2@40, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 1x1@90, 95, 100, 105, 110xxx

This was the first time I have lifted 100kg or over in a few months and it felt a little weird. I should have hit 110 the first time, but I pulled back on it and I left it out front. The other two misses were too slow. No worries, I know I will hit it and more next Saturday in Ul in the first comp of the year.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60 1x1@70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 127.5, 132.5, 137.5x, 137.5

I felt good working up with the Clean and Jerks and I missed the 137.5 first time because I was thinking of the next lift. I focused on it and nailed it. All in all, I was content with the session because I was and am, knackered. I was planning on having the first week of my new program next week, but I was not ready for that yet. Life took over this and week and will do so next week so I will have two easy enough sessions and hit it hard in Limerick for what should be an awesome competition.

I also spent the weekend coaching in the women's national squad in ECB on Saturday and Sunday. All the women lifted very well and worked really hard. It was definitely a positive experience and I know the Irish femal weightlifters will continue to progress, just like the men are.

Saturday's school report

2011-01-08T20:45:00.003Z

Ok, I can report back from my four week training program that I posted a while back. I actually did three weeks of that exact program and a week of the squat progression and 20/20's in the Snatch and Clean and Jerk. I have a very busy week coming, so this is the perfect time for a download week.

Here is where I wrote out my actual program for the month and here is my school report over the last month:

Texas Method squat routine: A

I started light because I was not used to the 14 inch box squat exercise and the volume. Week one I started off light and hit the 5x5 with 125kg and 130kg for the intensity day. Today, four weeks later, I hit 145kg for five reps and earlier in the week I hit 132.5kg in the volume day. Embarrassingly weak, but a start to get my strength levels back up and actually improve on them. The 5x5 is a tough protocol after the twenty Snatches in twenty minutes, but the squat routine does exactly what it says on the tin: it gets you stronger. Simple is beautiful. The light Front Squats also have my squatting to full depth and reinforcing the movement pattern that I am trying to and am changing. So, I am getting stronger and getting a better squat technically. So far at least.

RDL's: B

I included the RDL's in the program on Day one after the Snatches and squat volume day. They were originally before the squats but Zag correctly pointed out that I was emphasising the squat so that was what I should be prioritising first. I have gotten stronger in the RDL's and I picked the movement to work on mainly because it works on my weakest areas: my posterior chain and strength staying over the bar. I started off with three triples with 120kg and this Monday I hit 130kg with strict technique. I find this exercise very difficult which is a sure sign that I need to stick with it! When done properly, this is a very tough exercise for me and I am shockingly weak at it. This and the squat MUST get stronger and so far, they are. Enough said.

20 Snatches in 20 minutes: B

I am extremely happy with how my Snatch has progressed over the last month. I started off light with 90kg on day one and today I did my twenty lifts with 96kg which is between 80 and 85% of my 1RM which is 118kg. I had been really struggling with positioning over the last six months and my hip injury made matters worse as did an enormous case of paralysis by analysis. When I lift on the minute, I get around 40 seconds rest and there is no time to think or over-analyse. My positioning has vastly improved as has the tempo and rhythm of my Snatch because of the nature of this loading protocol. I am forced to stay lighter where I have better positioning and it becomes more automatic.

20 Clean and Jerks in 20 minutes: B

This is far tougher than the Snatches for obvious reasons and your heart and lungs really feel it--as do my hands! I started off with a modest 110kg and today I hit 117kg. Over the month, like the Snatch, I was hitting far better positions consistently and getting a more fluid tempo with my lifting. With the Clean and Jerks, you get around 35 to 40 seconds rest in this loading protcol. I adapted nicely to the demands of lifting on the minute and even though you are breathing hard, you can keep going and let the rhythm and technique do the work rather than relying on what I used to do, which was simply horse the weight up. I think I had an epiphany with my Clean today with Wayne's help, but I shall discuss that in another post.

Press/Pendlay Rows: B

I have not done any upper body strength work in over two years so it was fun doing these two exercises once a week. In both, I used a basic step-loading 5x5 protocol and essentially only ended up doing one top set in each exercise. In the first week I finished with 4 reps with 67.5kg and two weeks later I finished with four reps with 72.5kg. Embarrasingly weak, but I will press bodyweight in no time. I also really like the exercise alongside the Pendlay Row. Here is the Glenn Pendlay demonstrating the exercise:

I finished off with 5 reps with 75kg in the first week and two weeks later I did five reps with 82.5kg. These do not feel heavy at all but I am being very strict and taking my time learning the movement properly. As a horizontal pull, these hit the obvious muscles but they also work the rest of my posterior chain isometricaly, which makes me like the exercise even more. I take this exercise pretty easily but I will start to push myself more on the numbers side over the next few weeks.

Overall impressions:

This program has been hard and I could not train any more than three days a week with it, but everything I needed to work on improved slightly. Because of my manic life over the last six months and the fact that my hip injury set me back, my overall strength and weightlifting conditioning slipped back quite a bit. This program has gotten me back on track.

I will regain my previous strength levels and surpass them. It will take more time, but not having a double bodyweight back squat is possibly the most excruciating thing to admit as a weightlifter, but if I do not admit it, then I won't get better! There, I said it. A 180kg Back Squat weighing between 95 and 97kg would get someone stabbed, or at the very least slapped in some countries and rightfully so. This can no longer be the case and it won't.

Anyway, back to the effects of my program. I have better general weightlifting conditioning now and I was happy with how quickly I adapted to the lack of rest. I was really happy with how this loading protocol affected me physiologically and technically. What is tough is obviously the volume coupled with the squatting program. Both are working nicely and both are tough. Today, after my Snatches I felt great and it turned out that my twentieth rep was my best of the day. After the Clean and Jerks however, I was feeling pretty woozy and I took ten minutes to get some sugar and recovery before the max set of five in the Box Squat. My hamstrings were screaming at me later that day, but that means I am hitting the right areas so I am happy.

I was chatting with Wayne and Sami after the session today and we will decide where I will go from here. As Murph very correctly pointed out in a comment on the page I linked earlier to what the full program looked like, there needs to be a better overall structure to the program. Four weeks will not burn anyone out, but a poorly executed plan will. I basically wanted to do something different than I had ever done before and work directly on my weaknesses. I will have to decide where to go from here and will listen to what Wayne, Harry and Saami have to say. If you have any advice, please leave a comment below. There are a few things I know I am sticking with:

The Texas Squat method--I want to get up to 5 reps with 160kg and then I can either transition to the 12 inch box or simply squat ass to grass again.

RDL's and once a week upper body strength work--I really enjoy doing them and the RDL's focus on where I am weakest.

20 reps in 20 minutes: Even if I only do them once a week, they have a very positive effect on my lifting. Positive is good. But proper structure and positive is even better.

Core work: I have enjoyed doing this twice a week again and it is very basic hanging window wipers and horizontal extensions on one day and the good ole' ab wheel the next day. Strong core is good and the ab wheel feels nice for counter-acting the weightlifters' lordosis.

Flexibility: I have been stretching my hips a lot following Kelly Starret's approach and principles. His coaching methods and hip flexibility make me want to be a better man. Because I stretch every day--I did not stretch on Christmas day and Stephen's Day though--I am not better in the starting position and getting locked into the lifts in general. I also like the fact that I am improving my hip flexibility. The reality is that if I do not stretch every day at least twice a day, I will not improve to where I need to be. You do it and shut up, or you don't do and shut up. I was just not doing and not shutting up.

Enjoying training again: I have really enjoyed my last month's training and that is the most important thing. I can be my own worst enemy in weightlifting and if you need to enjoy what you are doing. I am and I hope you are.

How are you training and what do you think of my weightlifting school report?

Tuesday's trinket

2011-01-04T08:49:00.002Z

This is a very short post due to time constraints. A while back, John Broz asked me to take down the interview with Pat Mendes because he was looking for some big sponsors; the sight of Pat cursing and discussing steroids was not ideal for these circumstances, so I took it down for him. I decided to put the full thing back up on my blog however, because this will not be as widely spread--as is nine and a half people read this blog--and Pat actually has a very interesting story to tell, so here it is:

Friday's fitness buff

2010-12-24T21:51:00.002Z

This video is far more important than anything I have to say:

I do have a few things to discuss unfortunately, so here it goes:

My week's training has been refreshing, tough and very, very enjoyable. I had a wonderful Christmas Eve workout with Zag and few of our dedicated ECB members. We all trained well and Stephen Kinsella hit a huge pb in the Clean and Jerk; the more impressive part is that he got it after failing twice. Awesome. Zag also trained well and it is great to see him getting his training back on track. Aco is another new member in ECB and the man has an awful lot of potential, as does young Josh who is a beast of a 16 year old. I wish I had trained like that when I was 16.

As for my own training, today I Snatched 94kg for twenty singles in twenty minutes, lifting on every minute, giving me around 40 seconds of recovery. Again, my technique got better every lift and I really enjoyed the challenge. I Clean and Jerked straight after and did my 20 singles with 114kg in twenty minutes, giving me around 35 seconds of recovery between each lift. I followed this up with a max set of 5 reps with 140kg in the box squat. Yes, this is embarrassingly small, but it is better than last week and there is more there. I am aiming to push it more in week three and four.

As for my new program, there are a few points I neglected to make in my previous post. I chose the Box Squat over the regular Back Squat for the following reasons:

1. I am awful at the movement because I have a weak posterior chain and poor--but improving--hip mobility. My first day of doing 5x5 in the Box Squat had my hamstrings about to pop off the bone.

2. Both John Broz, David Spitz, Max Aita and Glenn Pendlay all told me the Box Squat would help me immensely for the above reasons. As well as that, Broz gave out to me in length about how I was Back Squatting like I should Front Squat and that basically, it was embarrassing. The idea is that performing the Box Squat for a few months will help me regroove a proper Back Squat and allow me to focus on a physical imbalance. When I get up to hitting 160 for five reps, I will drop down from a 14 inch box to a 12 inch box and build my numbers up again. Once I get stronger at this height, I know the proper movement pattern will be ingrained and some of my physical areas to work will have been strengthened.

3. I am choosing to do the twenty lifts in twenty minutes for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I got the idea from Glenn Pendlay who has used the program with his beginners with great success. The amount of repetitions helps lifters get a high amount of reps in to learn the movements; but more importantly for me: because there is very little recovery between lifts, rhythm, tempo and technique determine success and it is far more difficult to muscle up weights, which is something I have been very guilty of for a long time. My twentieth rep today with 94kg was far better than my twentieth rep with 90kg a week and a half ago. I was hitting the positions I want to hit far better after all the reps. Usually I would hit higher weights regardless of positioning and go on ingraining negative movement patterns.

Also, the lack of recovery time means that I dwell less on technique and simply focus on controlling my breathing, getting set and lifting the weight overhead. Basically, it gets me to shut up and lift. Another reason I chose this style of training because it is great for off season sport specific conditioning. It is very demanding on the heart and lungs, particularly the Clean and Jerk.

And finally, I actually enjoy the challenge of lifting this way. I have never done anything like it and it is my short term aim to hit twenty reps in twenty minutes with 100/120 within the next four weeks. I know I can do it.

I am really enjoying training again and this makes me happy. The most simple squatting system in the world is making me stronger and I am getting lots of reps in improving weights.

For all of you who love X-Factor, Christmas and comedy:

For people who love to laugh:

Everyone knows weightlifting is the same as bodybuilding, right?

Last one to make you smile. If it doesn't, I never liked you anyway:

Tuesday's tap it in the hole moment--tappity tapperoo!

2010-12-21T21:12:00.005Z

I have found my weightlifting mojo again and it feels great. To start off today's post, here is a video of a British sprinter Power Cleaning 170kg weighing around 88kg:

I love watching raw power and passionate lifters.

As for my own training, I am effectively in an off season and I needed to do something different to get my mojo back. Here is the reality of my situation over the last few months:

1. I was not getting stronger.
2. I was not lifting more weight in the classical lifts.
3. My positioning was not improving.
4. Running a gym alongside a full time job pretty much sapped my physical and mental energy.
5. Putting myself under pressure to lift certain weights by a certain time actually made the problems worse because the more wound up I got the worse I lifted.

So, these are the main priorites for my lifting in the next two months:

1. Get stronger: I will focus on the Box Squat and the RDL.
2. Lift only three days a week so that I can recover adequately to work both jobs and lift at the same time. The idea of not recovering as a weightlifter in order to force adaptation does not wash with me in my current life situation.
3. Get lots of reps in with the classical lifts.
4. Chill out and enjoy training again.

So here is my program for the next month. I am a week in and I really love it because I know I will make progress and it is completely different to anything I have done before. I am basically lifting using some of Glenn Pendlay's coaching methods for beginners and it is great for improving strength, rhythm and tempo in the classical lifts, and sport specific weightlifting conditioning. Here it is:

Day One:

Snatch: Work up to a top weight and Snatch it twenty times in twenty minutes; you lift every minute and this generally adds up to around 35 to 40 seconds of recovery. Today I lifted 93kg for 20 singles and I am finding so far that my last ten are the smoothest and fluid lifts.

RDL: Work up to 3x3 with a top set. Each week I will increase the weight slightly and improve the range of movement.

Box Squat (14 inch box): I am following the Texas Squat Method and it is delightfully simple. Day one is the volume day and you work up to 5 sets of 5.

Core work: I neglected this too much in the last two years. Laziness.

Day Two:

Hang Snatch: I work up to 5 triples with a modest weight. This is as much positional reinfocement as it is a warm up for the main act that is the focus as follows:

Clean and Jerk: Work up to 20 singles in 20 minutes. I have only done this once so far and it is tiring, but like the Clean and Jerk, it is doing wonders for my timing and overall feel of the lift. Because there is so little recovery, I cannot muscle up the weights like I have been guilty of in the past. Technique and rhythm and tempo improve as the lifts mount up.

Front Squat: Work up to a medium weight for 3x3. This is effectively a squat recovery.

Pressing and Pendlay rows: I need to get stronger and mentally, I need the variety for something different.

Core work

Day Three:

Snatch : 20 singles in twenty minutes.

Clean and Jerk: 20 in 20.

Box Squat: Intensity day of Texas method. Work up to a max set of 5 in the squat. If I cannot progress in this basic squat program, I deserve to be shot. I have every faith in it though. This is my second week and it feels great already.

Core work and fexibility. I will have to stretch every day or else my hips will tighten up and get painful and restrict my movement very negatively. I have been far too lazy with my stretching and doing it two or three times a week is simply not good enough for me. I need to stretch my hips out every day if I am to improve and get my flexibility to any kind of standard for weightlifting. It is currently awful and holding me back; I simply have not worked hard at it enough.

Let me know what you think of the program. I will monitor my progress closely and it it helps me out and I gain from it, it will obviously affect what my following program will look like. 4 weeks on and 1 week download. Let's see how it goes then!

Here is a brilliant lifting video to leave you with:

Wednesday's whippets

2010-12-15T19:57:00.002Z

I found missing out on London quite deflating and the anti-climax has temporarily killed my training mojo. I will get it back. Last week I trained once and this week I will get three sessions in. Listen to this song as you read this post because it is beautiful:

Because I have very little to report on my own training, here are some interesting links to cool things to read and watch:

This is directly taken from Vern Gambetta's blog and strikes home:
Knowing & Learning Stuff

There is stuff you know.

There is stuff you think you know.

There is stuff you know you don’t know.

Then there is stuff you don’t know, you don’t know.

It seems to me one of the biggest challenges is moving stuff from the category of you don’t know you don’t know it, to knowing you don’t know it. I know, as I get older I realize that the stuff I know and the stuff I think I know pales in significance in relation to the stuff I know I don’t know. I just want to keep learning, challenging myself and exploring the mysteries of human movement and performance by getting more stuff into the category of stuff I know. I do know it is a process.

This makes me think about the training errors I have made and how I need to evolve.

Next up is an interview with Donny Shankle from my new friend Cedric's website. He is a cool guy and we are bringing Glenn Pendlay over in March next year to perform a weightlifting workshop in both Edinburgh and in Ireland.

Donny also reveals an extract from his new book in this blog post.

Here is an interesting post from a blog I like; it has interesting ideas about how to learn and develop talent.

Here is a video with David Rigert in it. Enough said:

Three lighthearted entries:

Sunday's snickering

2010-12-05T15:11:00.002Z

Firstly, here is a great video to start the post with:

As for weightlifting, sadly the competition was not able to go ahead because of the weather and it has been postponed till January 8th. A little part of me died inside when David Woodhouse kindly texted me to say the London Open was not going on. We had a fun training session yesterday in ECB, but it was not the same. I have been focusing on this competition for a long time and my next competition will be in February for the UL Open. It gives me more time to train for my 272kg total, so all is not in vain. Gillian, Zag and Dee lifted really well yesterday and it was great seeing each of them improve.

Here is another mood booster:

And one more for good luck:

I am going to have two fun training weeks and see how it goes. I hope everyone is training hard and enjoying it.

Monday's miraculous November snowfall

2010-11-29T13:19:00.003Z

As you may have guessed fromt the title, it is snowing and most people seem to have a smile on their face which is always a plus. The last time it snowed, this happened. The video in this post was a tragic admission to a dependency on a drug known as Trexabol, a weightlifting drug of choice made popular by the legendary coach Konboyevski. What followed the day after was another clear sign of the madness that Trexabol afflicts on its poor victims, so look at the video to see firsthand what happens to drug addicts and how snow can drive us all mad.

Right, now the pain, suffering and massive gains that one can get from designer drugs has been taken care of, we can discuss other matters. I trained well on Saturday considering the conditions. I Snatched up to 100kg the first time up and I was very stiff and not in the groove at all, missing 104 and 105kg. The weights really did not feel heavy so I stretched my hips out for twenty minutes and came back again and Snatched up to 111kg. Here are my attempts with 108 and 111kg.

I only Clean and Jerked up to 130kg and missed 136. I was pretty tired and cold. I know my Clean and Jerk will be strong for next week and that I will lift better than I have ever lifted before. Before I leave, here is one of Oleg's freinds over in Latvia making 210kg look like an embarrasingly small weight. I love the gym and the old school metal plates. And the fact that he is way stringer than me.

Here is another cool weightlifting video:

Klokov pressing 157kg like a joke:

And this comic masterpiece that makes me want to be a better man:

Friday's feng shui

2010-11-19T12:01:00.004Z

Firstly, here is the second part of my interview with Rachel Crass:

Thank you Rachel for giving the time to talk about our sport and for giving your perspective on training and lifting in general. I can speak for all five people who read this blog and say we all appreciate it!

As for my own training, I have had a positive week so far. I feel like I got a bit of momentum from my last competition and it definitely makes training when you are tired that little bit easier. Last night I hit two nice 85% doubles in the Snatch and it felt like it should, which is great. My second double was better than my first and the showed that what I have been working on--maintaining my positions throughout the lift--is beginning to pay off. London is just over two weeks away and it feels nice to build some sort of momentum.

German has been lifting some big weights also, he recently hit 132.5kg in the Snatch and 160kg in the Clean and Jerk weighing around 92kg. I have a higher intensity session tomorrow, so I will see how that goes. Have a nice weekend everyone; train hard and train smart!

Tuesday's turnpike

2010-11-16T14:06:00.003Z

I enjoyed the competition up in Belfast on Saturday. As usual, it was very well organised and it was refreshing to have so much space to warm up and relax in. This is by far and away the best venue in the country and I heard that the Irish Seniors will be held there in April, so hopefully that goes ahead.

As far as my own performance went, I lifted relatively well and more importantly I enjoyed it. Gillian lifted really well and once she was finished lifting, I was able to relax and chill out for a while. I made sure that I ate foods that would not be too heavy on the stomach and that I had enough energy for the day. My warm up went relatively well and I Snatched up to 100kg and went out to the platform. I deliberately left my warm up as late as possible so that I could use my scant nervous energy in the competition platform. I almost left my warm up too late for the Clean and Jerk, but I woul rather be too rushed than too tired! Here is a video of my lifts. My Snatches were 106kg, 111kg, and 113kg. My Clean and Jerks were 135, 140 and 145kg.

I was happy with my performance here because it was another small step up from my last two competitions. I am not exactly where I should be right now, but I have no choice other to to get on with it. I felt strong, but quite slow in general. These are the heaviest weights I have hit since May and I know I am getting back on track. London is in two and a half weeks and I know I will have another step up again. I have an intense week this week followed by a lighter week with a heavy session the week before. The week of the competition will be a get as fresh as possible week so that I rip it up as much as possible in London.

Friday's franchise questions

2010-11-12T12:20:00.005Z

Here is a short video of Rachel Crass, who is a 75kg lifter for the USA:

Here is part one of an interview I had with Rachel, so I hope you enjoy it and any questions that you have, leave a comment below and Rachel might answer them herself. I will have part two of the interview ready for next week.

As for my own training, I have taken a download week to recharge my batteries. Being tired all the time is not fun so I have trained onece this week with a light session and then the following day I did some squatting to make sure my legs did not forget who I was. I have a competition on Saturady in Belfast so I am going to go up and enjoy it. I will be coaching beforehand again, but there is no way I can change this, so get on with it I suppose! Have a nice weekend everyone and train hard!

Saturday’s stellar showdown

2010-11-08T11:18:00.004Z

It was a long, long day and despite the obstacles, we made a success of the first inaugural joint Ireland and Scotland team versus a combined California team. Fun was had by all and it is definitely satisfying being part of something new in the sport of weightlifting. There has never been a competition like this before and it definitely opens up the possibility of greater communication with other weightlifting nations and can undoubtedly help Irish weightlifting.

We had an early start in the morning and after meeting up with the legend that is Charlie Hamilton, we ate breakfast and chilled out for a while. We were lifting at 6pm which is far later than any of us was used to, but all was well. Each lifter in our team had their own particular circumstances: Peter Kirkbride was getting sick all day and had was quite ill—he still lifted though and hit 140/170 and Power Jerked because his lower back was sore. Graeme Kane was a last minute arrival and rocked up after his shift as a fireman. He had less than ten minutes to warm up and he still Snatched 112kg on his third attempt and hit 140kg, also Power Jerking because of a sore back. The Irish boys were a little tired from the flight and long day, but Byrdie Clean and Jerked 150kg which made my day.

Sami ended up Snatching well hitting 95kg, 99kg, narrowly missed 103kg and hit 125kg in the Jerk. Byrdie hit 105kg on his second attempt and missed 108kg, but nailed 150kg in the Jerk. Kevin hit 110kg, missed 115kg and after getting it, Jerked 140kg. I missed my opener with 106kg and then hit it and followed it with 110kg. Craig Carfray hit 95 and 127 and missed 100kg and 130kg. Dale Cree ended up with an awesome 110kg and 132kg. Kyle Pearson ended up with 108kg and 145kg. Like I said earlier, Kirkbride hit 140/170 and Kane 112/140.

My warm up was negligible, because everything that we needed to host our part of the live feed was not there. A lot of time was spent starting up the whole process all over again as I frantically found a different laptop to use and when it was finally done, it was a major relief. We were forced to start a little late, but the crisis was averted and all was ready to go. I knew from my first five minutes with the bar and with 40kg that today would not be my greatest day. I was due to open with 105kg, but had to push it up to 106kg because I needed a bit more time in my warm up because of the rush. I missed my opener, but then got it and was also successful with 110kg on my third attempt. 60kg felt pretty heavy in the Clean and Jerk warm ups and it was only in my first attempt with 135kg that I felt comfortable. I then hit 140kg and missed the Clean with 142kg.

Pretty much everything I have been working on in training went out the window and I had to simply get the weights up overhead. The fact that I can hit 110/140 in this condition is a good sign because a year ago if I was in bad form, I could not have hit those weights. As lifts in themselves, they are very disappointing, but considering the conditions, I have to accept it and be realistic: I actually did ok. Four out of six is not bad.

I have a download week coming up and I need this badly to recover. The strength is there to get what I need and so is the technique. Now I need to be fresh enough so that I can express my proper potential and focus on myself as a lifter, not in any other role.

Thanks so much to Glenn, Dave Corbin and Matt Johnson for setting this competition up and even though it did not go entirely as planned; all the lifters and some of the online viewers really enjoyed the competition.

Friday's fringe benefits

2010-11-05T21:45:00.007Z

Irish weightlifting and East Coast Barbell are going global, ladies and gentlemen. Have a read about the inaugral Ireland/Scotland vs California event on the IWF website; we are the third or fourth story down.

It has taken time and effort for myself, Glenn Pendlay and Matt Johnson from California Strength to set this gig up, but it finally happening tomorrow evening. We have also set up a live feed that will show the competition from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and here is the link. This is a first in international weightlifting and has hopefully set up new possibilities for cross-cultural links in weightlifting and sporting countries. The idea is to create more awareness of the sport of weightlifting in general and specifically Irish weightlifting. I know East Coast Barbell can help lead this charge and this is one of the main reasons that I am thankful of all the support the IAWA continues to give us and also Colin Buckley for helping us get recognised by the IWF and EWF.

Here is the Irish/Scottish team with their weight class and lifts:

Scotland:
Craig Carfray: 69kg class: 98/128--17 years old
Dale Cree: 85kg class: 105/130--17 years old
Peter Kirkbride: 94kg class: 146/186--23 years old
Kyle Pearson: 105kg class--107/145--19 years old

Ireland:
C. Byrd: 77kg class--114/147--23 years old
Sami Dowling: 85kg class--101/128--23 years old
Kevin D'Arcy begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting: 94kg class--130/160--25 years old--returning from injury
Barry Kinsella: 105kg class, I will weigh in around 95kg--118/147

Here are the rules of the competition according to the gospel of Pendlay written by the man himself--even if he is a red necked, slack jawed yokel from Kansas:

Rules of Engagement

Other than the following, all normal weightlifting rules apply.

Each team is allowed 8 men of any weight class. Each team lifts as in a normal weightlifting session, with the bar starting at the lightest lift and progressing to the heaviest.

Lifts from each team alternate in the following manner, Team A takes first attempt, Team B takes first attempt, Team A takes second attempt, Team B takes second attempt, Team A takes third attempt, and so on, till all 24 attempts for each team have been taken. Each 1 minute clock will start when the preceding lift from the opposite team has been judged. There will be no 2 minute clocks.

The contest will be scored with 5, 3, 2, and 1 points for places 1st through 4th. Any lifter placing below 4th in a weight class will score no points. Highest score wins. In the case of a tie, the team with the lifter that has the highest sinclair formula wins.

If that doesnt break the tie, then internet viewers of the opposite sex of the lifters will vote on the single most attractive participant, and the team he or she is on will be the winner. That seems fair.

So, I am off to Kilmarnock where we will lift in Charlie Hamilton's gym--some of you may remember the training camp we organised for myself, Byrdie and Andy Murphy last year and all our other Scottish experiences-- tomorrow morning very early. We will lift at 6pm our time and 10am Californian time and I am really looking forward to it. I have this competition, where I know I will improve on the 108/137 in my last competition and then I have the Northern Ireland Open in which I will be a little fresher; then I have the big one in London three weeks after and boy, I am looking forward to that one. Each competition and week's training will build on the last and I know I can get my 272kg total in London. Bring it on!

Satuday's synopsism

2010-10-30T19:11:00.004+01:00

Firstly, here is an amazing video that everyone needs to watch. It is four minutes long.

If you do not have the time to watch it, or your computer in work will not allow you to watch it, I hate you and do not want you to read this blog. Now this might lead me to have all of three or four readers, but they will be the three or four readers that will try and regenerate their mids and actually learn something rather than simply regurgitating what they already know. Perspective is everything and everything we do should lead to new insights into ourselves and our environments. I have nowhere near the knowledge I will have this time next year and in five years time, but I will make sure I continue to improve.

Clearly, you wise readers can see where this post is going. Are we connecting with people to learn more and discussing ideas and concepts, or are we arguing our points of view and refusing to budge from our stance no matter what? I hoped this blog would be the latter but most readers tend to observe rather than interact. Here is a post that got scant discussion and it deserves more. David very clearly states his views and there was little to no discussion of them which I think David deserves for formally putting out his views and opening them up for debate. Let your opinion be heard and have your say!

I find the idea of training twice a week to be great if I need to get fresh for a competition and feel rejuvinated, but I do not find it conducive to building skill and refining technique. However, I think that David is right in that too many people try to train like full time professional weightlifters who are on so much juice that they are a walking advertisement for Tropicana OJ. This is the reason I am only training three times a week for the next 8 weeks. I am mind numbingly busy and I try to train more I shall regress completely.

Different systems work for different lifters and I believe programming needs to vary according to one's long term plan and at what stage of the year you are at. That is my view and what I find works best for me. What my body needs, and what Wayne Healy's (he writes my program) is entirely different. My body type and ohysical requirements are entirely seperate from his. I have flexibility and mobility issues and he does not have any, which means my body's ability to perform a program is totally different. He is also a 62kg lifter with very high skill levels while I am a 94kg lifter who has neither the skill nor the physical capacity to maintain positions that he has--I am getting there though, slowly but surely.

Throughout my last four months of lifting we have learned the following:

1. I was as intelligent as this person in not following my program properly. I injured my hip by not having a download week when I needed one and let my ego do the talking, not the program:

2. I am very happy with my current phase of training because I am working on getting stronger as well as increasing the intensity slowly and taking some of the volume out because I have a few competitions coming up. The focus in still on the Europeans next April and we don't feel it would be conducive to have a full competition period of training yet.

3. I need some flexion exercises for my back and also a lot of mobility work for my hips. Most people are able to lift with an arched or flat back and I am not. This requires slightly different programming to most.

4. Now, I need to shut up; prevent over-analysing and be very proactive in how I recover so that my training and lifting will hit levels like never before. Feel free to do this to me if I do not follow through with this action plan:

What are you learning and how do you like to train? Are you going to read this and simply think "this guy is irritating and has an embarrassing lack of knowledge about our sport" or are you going to start up a discussion rather than an argument. How does YOUR body react to training? EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT There are principles of training and there are programs no matter what. What do you follow?

Saturday's sneer at the previous two and a half month's form

2010-10-23T19:26:00.004+01:00

I trained well today and for the first time in two or three months, I felt rested and ready to go. I managed to fit in a nap on Friday afternoon and a decent night's sleep that night; sweet sweet bliss as a result. We had a great atmosphere in ECB today and it was great to have Barry Whelan along and he recieved the inimitabley sage advice from Coach Harry Leech. Killer lifted very well and the one and only John McDaid also kicked ass alongside the man who makes me feel small and insecure: Cathal "Big Guns" Byrd.

I started off doing a few box jumps to kick start my cns and they felt great. I hit a conservative 46 inches and left it there. I worked up to a double with 80kg and because my lifting felt about as smooth as Murph's back, I had a quick five minute break and started off with 60kg again with Byrdie. I hit that for a double and then did singles with 80, 90, 100, 104, 107, 109 and 111kg. This is the heaviest I have lifted since the last week of July and I was happy to get it. My 109kg was by far my best Snatch of the day; the other ones were muscled up a bit and about as elegant as any of the Tiger Woods' scandals. Like Tiger though, I said screw it anyway. My days of obsessing over technique are over. I hope.

Here are some of my lifts. Apologies for how dodgy the video quality is: Harry still is unable to use his iphone properly so that the videos come out straight. It is embarrassing for both of us really.

I took five minutes to eat some fruit, relax and stretch the hips out a bit. I felt reasonably sharp in the Clean and Jerk warm ups and started with doubles of 60, 80 and 100kg. I then worked up to singles with 110, 120, 130, 135 and I missed the Clean with 141kg because I did not finish my hip drive in the Clean. I took it again and hammered it home.

I left it there, determined to learn from my mistakes in the past. I have not lifted near these weights since I hurt my hip and now that it is healed again, I will bide my time. What really counts is that I bring everything to the table when I am lifting over in Scotland in two weeks, in the Northern Ireland Open the week after and then in the London Open on the fourth of Decemeber. I will get my 272kg total in London and that is my focus one hundred percent. I know if I can hit anywhere close to 110/140 in training that I can tear up in competition and hit weights I have never even attempted before. Each week, I need to build slowly and stay patient. The only thing that matters is that I qualify for the Senior European Championships and I believe and have complete faith in my ability to do so.

My program now has me lifting three days a week for many of the reasons that David Woodhouse espouses in his article "The System" a few posts back. I have invested a whole lot of time and volume into my training since the end of June and now it is time to reap what I have sowed. I just need to make sure I avoid screwing it up by letting my ego drive my training, which is what I did by not following the program properly in July. Patience and faith. Let's hope that we have all learned this from our mistakes.

Friday's fortuitous change in pace

2010-10-22T09:51:00.003+01:00

I have reached the end of my phase of training and started my new phase at nine pm last night. Thank God. Volume is being slashed quite a bit and I am only training three times a week so I will recover far better in between sessions. Thank God. No more fifteen doubles in the squat; no more endless doubles in the Classical lifts. Wayne wrote an initial program that would have been too much so he rewrote it and the new one is awesome and I really enjoyed it last night. Here is what I did:

Snatch: 4x2@40 1x3@60, 66, 77 1x2@85, 85, 90, 92

Power Clean: 2x2@60, 80, 91, 105, 110

Back Squat: 1x2@110, 130, 145--I took some of the squats out because it was ten at night and I had done some medium squatting the previous evening.

In my last phase I was box squatting onto a 17 inch soft top bench and for this phase of training I am using a 14 inch wooden box. I started using the box squats because it limited the chance of me re-injuring my hip and it also allowed me to work on my squatting weaknesses. The progression for after the London Open will be to move down to the 12 inch box afterwards as well as getting stronger obviously!

I have not Power Cleaned in ages and I really enjoyed it. I am really happy I will only be training three times a week and I have no doubt that this boost in energy will result in better numbers in training and in competition.

Random funny video:

Some good news to finish on is that a joint invitational Irish and Scottish team will be facing California Strength in a controlled team competition on Saturday, November 6th. The competition will be run via skype and the Irish lifters will travel over to Kilmarnock, Scotland to Charlie Hamilton's gym. Myself, Sami Dowling, Cathal Byrd and Kevin D'Arcy will be joining forces with Peter Kirkbride, Graham Kane, Craig Caffrey and a fourth member. Wayne Healy might possibly be joining us; we have Sky News on the alert for a possible press conference from Wayne's agent. The competition will be very simple: add up the sinclairs of each lifter (there will be teams of 8) and all lifts will be given the yeah or nay by the group as a whole: the honour system will apply. The competition will be run at six pm Scottish time and ten am Californian time. It has taken me months to set this up, so thanks to Glenn Pendlay for the awesome idea and all the lifters for taking part in what should prove to be great fun.

I hipe everyone's training is going well and that we are all continuing to learn from our mistakes and also learning from what has helped us! People tend to forget the latter.

Sunday's statistics

2010-10-17T12:08:00.005+01:00

I had my competition yesterday and I enjoyed it immensely. I was not in a great state to compete, but I enjoyed it none-the-less. Looking back, I am pleased with how I did but at the time I was quite embarrassed. I weighed in at 95.6kg after a breakfast and ample feed the night before.

I opened with 105kg in the Snatch and actually missed it, but got it on the second attempt and then hit 108kg in my third attempt and it was by far and away, my best Snatch of the day despite it being quite rough in reality. In the Clean and Jerk, I opened with 132kg and went on to hit 137kg and I then sailed 150kg which we thought we needed to win the Club Championships. I didn't even go under it. Embarrassing. We actually won the Club Championship though, so all is well. Here are some of my lifts:

The day started out well; I was coaching Gillian who lifted really well considering it was her first competition in a year. This meant I was in the venue from 10 in the morning up until when I competed at three in the afternoon, which was not ideal, but what can you do. Ideally I could have gone somewhere and slept after the weigh in but that was not to be. It was worth it though because Gillian hit a 4kg competition pb in her Clean and Jerk.

Zag came out and lifted really well on the spur of the moment because he was not going to lift at all. He is going on holidays today and his training, like mine, has been stuttering because of his double jobbing. He Snatched a competition pb with 101kg and Clean and Jerked 125kg and his 101kg was pretty much a Power Snatch.

By the time I was lifting in the fourth group, I felt pretty drained and found it very hard to get myself going in my warm up. My Snatch warm up was dreadful and after hitting 100 for two singles before going out, I missed 105kg in my opener which was very, very silly. I hit it in my second attempt, but the lift was as ugly as the face of a bulldog chewing on a wasp. Wayne told me that my hips were shooting up far too early and that I needed to get my hips into the pull straight from teh ground and I focused on this. My 108kg was still didgy, but a far better lift and I hit it when I felt as rough as a badger's a%s*. My legs felt drained and very tight and I had that feeling you get when you stay up too late when you are already tired.

After the snatches finished I started to feel more like myself and like I had woken up. My Clean and Jerk warm up went relatively well, so I put up my opener to 132 instead of 130. Very low figures, but I felt very low. I hit 132kg very easily and then hit 137kg nicely also. We waited out to see what I would have to lift, but we were never told by the person in charge. thinking we would need something big, Harry and Sami put 150kg on the bar and I did a nice high pull and completely sailed out of it. At least I know how it feels now and maybe next time I will borrow someone else's balls if mine disappear like that again.

All in all, I am really happy that my current phase of training is now over and that I got my first warm up competition out of the way. Onwards and upwards! These were the heaviest weights I have hit since the end of July when I first got my hip injury. I will get my 272kg total in the London Open on December 4th.

Thursday's takedown

2010-10-14T16:04:00.003+01:00

First, I will start off with this piece. I want to be like this coach:

Here is another video that puts things in perspective:

I am competing in Saturday and I can't wait to get out in the platform. I have not competed in ages and the focus is still on London, so hopefully the Hercs team can overturn UL's dominance over Irish weightlifting. Murph is the man to fear and Eamonn Flanagan has been specially flown over from Scotland as a shoo-in. I am not sure if I agree with this tactic, but what can you do? I love those guys anyway.

My program finished last Saturday, and I am trying to get as fresh as possible for the competition. My next program will take me up to London and I am looking forward to the change of pace. I have a few competitions coming up so I will use this first one as a build up to London. Byrdie is lifting really well, so I will be doing well to beat him. My legs are still recovering from the four weeks of doing fifteen doubles in the Back Squat twice a week, so when I did a few singles in the Front Squat today, it felt like a dream. I only worked up to a single with 150kg, but my legs felt a bit better afterwards. I still have to do a quick and light Snatch and Clean and Jerk and then I should be ready to go. Yeahh buudddddy!

Wednesday's wrath

2010-10-06T16:26:00.004+01:00

I only have half a week left in my current program. The squatting is very tough, but I am getting stronger and that is the important thing. I only have one squatting workout left thank God and I will do it on Sunday. 15 doubles is a lot of doubles, but I am getting through it and more importantly, improving my numbers. I trust Wayne and I will continue to go along with his advice. Last week was a lighter week which proved a blessing because I was very busy all week and was taking the Weightlifting Level Two coaching course on Saturday and Sunday.

I have a competition on Saturday week which I am really looking forward to. I love lifting on the platform and I always lift well in competitions. This comp will be used to set me up for London where I will qualify for the European Championships with the needed 272kg total.

Here is the Clean and Jerk companion to last week's post where John Broz gives his advice to Zag for what he needs with his Clean and Jerk. There is also the latet ECB video, so hopefully you will enjoy all of them and you are enjoying your training.

Friday's fruity Snatching.

2010-10-01T22:55:00.003+01:00

So. I have made a long term decision. I am now Snatching with a collar to collar grip. Before, it was very narrow and I did not have the flexibility to go wider. I am now more flexible--I still have a ways to go yet-- and I am far more able to get into position. For the first time, I feel like can open up at the start of my pull and although I am not string in the position yet, I will get there.

I worked up to six doubles with 90kg in the Snatch tonight at around 9 in the evening and Murph was there to help me. Without him, I would not have lifted nearly as well. I was too tense at the start of my pull which led to my arms swinging the bar as opposed to pulling myself under the bar. I relaxed completely and then tightened up the scaps while trying to relax everything else. It helped quite a bit. Murph is awesome.

I am also doing my fifteen doubles in the squat twice a week and it is demanding to say the least. Once it gets me stronger, I will be a happy camper. I have another week of my current program left and then I will be on to something different. As I am so busy with my regular job, coaching and alongside Zag, looking after ECB, my training time is limited to say the least. I have to be as productive as I can with the time and cns energy that I have.

Here is something I never published before. This was a present to Sami that I knew he would like. John Broz gave Sami the coaching advice he would offer if he was his coach. Here it is and here is Sami's lift with 105kg that he was looking at.

Here is the man beast that is Chigishev Snatching 210kg and making it look impossibly fast. I have never seen a save like this before and it shows just how strong the man is. He can lift in East Coast Barbell any day.

Here is another awesome lifter. Klokov. Need I say more?

David's delivery

2010-09-22T16:27:00.003+01:00

My hip has mostly healed and I have been back training for the last week and a half. I am now training four days a week and along with ECB, my regular job and the coaching that goes along with it, I am one busy bee. But, where there is a will, there's a way. I will qualify for the European Championships next April even if I have to sell my soul to Murph himself. In my training program, everything was going swimmingly, and the program itself was great, but I did not take a step back when I should have and I got a minor injury as a result. Lesson learned.

We have another guest article here. David Woodhouse writes about his coaching system and his experiences in the trenches. Here is his youtube channel so you can see some of his lifters go at it. Thank you to David for the submission, and as always, if anyone has anything they would like to write about, let me know and we can publish your thoughts here.

The System: 300+ Sinclair in <5 years
‎
'Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.' - Albert Einstein

I am not suggesting that the System is the only method of improving Olympic lifting performance, or even that it is necessarily the best method. I am simply stating that this program is universally effective in generating consistent improvement in novice/ intermediate lifters. I am perhaps slightly different from most coaches in that I can make a rational and objective argument why we do what we do.

The training frequency employed in the System was determined by simple application of Supercompensation Theory. To summarise the theory, strength decreases immediately following a training stimulus and, over time, the body will first recover and then, if no further training stimulus interrupts the process, adapt. To clarify, a lifter cannot adapt or grow stronger until he has first recovered. The challenge was to arrange training sessions such that they coincide with the peak in super-compensation.

When a lifter trains to and beyond maximum in every session I found that 72 hour period between sessions to be optimal. In reality, due to logistics resulting from the 7 day week, it is generally necessary to have 96 hours after the second session. I do however accept that full time professional lifters who get optimal sleep, a balanced optimal diet, and who take advantage of restorative measures such as massage and hydro therapy, may be able to adapt to a training program that calls for training on alternate days.

Over the last 12 months I have discovered an interesting phenomena. Two to three weeks after one begins the System limit weights will usually jump up significantly. Most likely the lifter is finally expressing the dormant strength which was already present but that was blunted by residual fatigue. Importantly once the lifter begins lifting at his absolute maximum, and not just his training or daily maximum , his need for recovery also increases. To express this differently, lifting at absolute maximum both requires and necessitates more recovery. When training frequency is too high not only will optimal supercompensation fail to occur but the athlete significantly increases his risk of chronic and acute injury. Ironically these injuries often require extended training lay offs to allow the body to heal.

A logical argument: The central nervous cannot generate the frequency of impulses required to activate the highest threshold motor units if it is fatigued. If these motor units are not activated then they will not be trained and, since they are responsible for the highest force outputs, it follows that training to improve strength in a state of neural at fatigue is at best inefficient.

I believe in the application of the SAID principle. In simple terms and applied to weightlifting, this states that the most effective way of improving the snatch and jerk is through maximum efforts on the snatch and jerk! Training frequency in the System is so low that one must be very specific in the exercise choices. I could write a detailed article on the limitations of most accessory exercises including pulls, deadlifts and partial lift variations but will leave that for another day.

It is accepted within Exercise Physiology that to train the largest fast twitch fibres an athlete must either lift a maximal load or lift a sub maximal load to failure. The System takes advantage of both these training methods every single session. A common belief is that training to maximum for prolonged periods can cause overtraining. However, according to Supercompensation Theory, a lifter cannot overtrain providing that sufficient recovery is taken between sessions.

To improve technical aspects of the lifts (an issue when training frequency is so low) I suggest all lifters, and especially novices, do 20 minutes of broom or bar work every day. This should consist of either technical exercises such as snatch balance or rehearsal of movement pattern with minimal load. I have discovered that not only are these abbreviated sessions useful in ‘greasing the groove’ they are also effective as active recovery from the core workouts.

Initially I favoured front squats as the main (only!) assistance exercise as they are more specific to the clean recovery and can be performed safely without the need for spotters. However I was also keen to gain greater benefit from structural adaptation (hypertrophy) and found that repetitions on the front squat were difficult as the upper back generally fatigues before the legs and hips. Since I switched to back squat pulling strength improved with no obvious detriment to clean recoveries.

Originally we also performed both competition lifts every session but I soon realised it was necessary to cut back. With that program my lifters were unable to fully recover within the 72 hour allotted time frame and as a result the quality of the second session suffered. Also when performing three exercises the quality of the cleans, and more significantly, the squats dropped off due to the accumulation of fatigue. By performing only one competition lift per session the lifter can attack his maximum repeatedly and is still sufficiently fresh to maintain the quality on his squats. If a lifter is overly fatigued for squatting the exercise will become a negative training stimulus, i.e. will increase fatigue without promoting any further adaptation.

Carl Johnson, coach of world triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards, once said to me, ‘do the minimal required to illicit an improvement’. That is a simple but revelatory statement. Let’s assume that the minimal acceptable rate of improvement is 1kg per month. That’s a 24kg on the total in 12 months, or 120kg over five years. How many lifters do you know who wouldn’t be satisfied with that? Cynics will say it is impossible to maintain a linear rate of improvement as one approaches his genetic potential. What they overlook however is that the rate of improvement is NOT linear because 1kg constitutes a smaller percentage of maximum as the weights continue to increase (e.g. 1kg is 1% of 100kg but 0.5% of 200kg).

A common attitude taken by athletes is, ‘I improved 24kg last year off two sessions per week. I’ll improve more this year if I do 3 or 4.” However, doing 4 sessions is not just an extra two workouts, it is a 100% increase in workload! Commonly therefore, this change does not increase the rate of progress, it actually stops it. The body cannot recover from training let alone adapt to it. Why would a lifter ever perform five sessions when they can still improve on two?!

So do away with the dogma, put aside everything you think you know about training, and give the System a try... BUT if you are going to do it be warned, you must be aggressive and totally fearless in your pursuit of those extra kilos. Do not think of failures think only of the training effect. Good Luck.

The System

Day 1
Snatch - Singles to 3 attempts at maximum, 3 repetitions at 80%
Squat - Triples to maximum

Day 2
Clean & Jerk - Singles to 3 attempts at maximum
Squat - Triples to maximum

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results”
- Winston Churchill

Example

Lifter A, PBs: Snatch 100, Squat 160x3

Snatch Squat
50 3x2r 60 3r
60 1r 100 3r
65 1r 121 3r
70 1r 141 3r
75 1r 161 3r
80 1r
85 1r
90 1r
95 1r
98 1r
101 3 Attempts

Murph's magic

2010-09-15T20:18:00.003+01:00

Our esteemed friend, the Reverend Andy Murphy, has written a guest blog that I hope you folks enjoy.

Some people argue about the use of various hang lifts and the usefulness of such exercises. I believe they have their place for a number of factors.

• Allowing lifters to train when injured
• Providing variation in exercise (the whole variation and injury debacle)
• Making it easier for rugby heads to do the lifts
• Skill work transfer i.e certain lifters are unable to get the bar into the correct position when lifting off the floor therefore getting them into the correct position and then working this starting position down lower until you eventually reach the floor (that’s if you believe in teaching down instead of up which I do most of the time )
• Their ability to target and develop specific strength qualities

I believe the final point is one of the main reasons I include hang lifts in my own training and why they should be included in the training of many others weightlifters and non weightlifters. This is something I have pondered for a long time and from watching hours and hours of lifting and reading various texts on weightlifting, power lifting, bodybuilding and other sports and also from seeing the way other coaches programme.

In the lifts the so called second pull/ where the lifter generates some decent speed on the barbell/ or to quote a famous American lifter where you rip the head off the lion is one of the most important areas for the successful performance of the lift. In the lifts from the floor when the bar enters the area of the “second pull” it is already moving and thus making it move faster is not too hard well should not be too hard anyway or so they say. If we can alter the conditions of the barbell at this position we can directly influence the specific strength qualities that we target. With the use of the many different hang lifts we can manipulate the conditions in which this bar is presented for the “second pull”.

The way we perform the lifts has profound effects on the way we adapt to the lift performed. With the use of various starting conditions we can target specific strength qualities that are required by an athlete or that are lacking. The use of intra- rep pauses in the middle of the lifts whether it is full lifts or pulls or squats to develop starting strength or the use of a quick reflex for lifts from the hang or pulls from the hang to develop speed strength or weightlifting plyometrics.

Intra-rep pauses are where the lifter pauses in the various hang positions either by descending down into this position before pausing or taking the bar from the floor and pausing in this position on the way up before completing the lift the latter I find further shifts the emphasis to building starting strength. It requires a great amount of effort to generate the required force to overcome the less than optimal starting position and complete a successful lift. The repeated use of these techniques enhances the starting strength of the athlete. The use of pauses in the lifts can also further enhance positioning and skill in the lifts as the lifter gets a feel for the correct positions and this is most evident with the use of pause snatches just off the floor or below the knee the lifters becomes familiar and strong in such positions and thus is more likely to hit these correct positions during a full lift. However there are negatives to use of pause such as the development of high amounts of muscular tension in certain positions which may “slow lifters down” and also the worry of lifters breaking the lifts down into two or three phases and pausing in their full lifts. However I believe with the appropriate use of these intra rep pauses in conjunction with bucket loads of full lifts benefits can be gained outweighing the use of bucket loads of full lifts alone.

A further advantage of hang lifts comes in at the other end of the specific strength qualities speed strength. For the optimisation of such qualities it is a requirement that we descend into the hang position and immediately complete the lift utilizing the full benefit of the stretch shortening cycle “plyometric weightlifting” if you may (damn you Poliquin you have written about this before I got to empty my mind. For example you take the bar from the floor with a snatch grip and stand you then descend into a position just below the knee and upon reaching this position immediately perform a full snatch without any pause below the knee. The uses of such techniques are to increase speed of movement. Theoretically practicing at higher speeds should result in the ability to lift or perform at higher speeds. Obviously using a fairly violent reflex at the bottom of the descent or hang is going to put a serious strain/ loading on the lower back but I think if they are done sensibly and introduced slowly can really increase lifting speed without the worry of injury.

Like all assistance lifts I think it is important that they are used as assistance lifts in conjunction with the full lifts and people do not become obsessed with a certain variation that they are very good at it I think if there is a certain variation that you are rubbish at it might be the area you need to address. Obviously there are disadvantages to the use of hang lifts such as lack of specificity (not the same as a full lift in terms of tempo and starting positions), incomplete range motion and many other however I believe with the correct use of hang lifts from various starting positions one can address areas of their lifting and specific strength qualities that are beyond the possibilities with the use of just lifts from the floor.
Note:
Hang = not from the floor it can be from below the knee or at the knee or above each of these have their own merits which I will not touch upon in this waffle
Plyometric= a bastardised term thrown around to mean jumping exercises for the arms and legs

Here is an example of an elite Russian weightlifter working from the hang:

If you have any thoughts on this article or wish to publish some of your own thoughts, please leave a comment below. Thanks again Murph!

Saturday's seasoned return

2010-09-11T20:16:00.002+01:00

I am a happy camper. As of last night, I am able to train the classical lifts again and it feels sooo good. I had my second physical therapy session and although my hip felt dodgy the day after the session, it feels better now. Not perfect, but far better. Let's start off with a classic video that many of you should enjoy:

Chris Chea, an English 77kg weightlifter with 121/148 as his all time bests, came over this morning for the next few days. I can't train tomorrow as I am taking the Level two IAWA coaching course and this has to take precedence. There was a great atmosphere in ECB today with Chris, Murph who was up from Limerick, German, Laura, Wayne, Killer, Gillian, Byrdie and myself lifting. It was intense and enjoyable for all except for Byrdie who is still feeling the effects of a brutal three month prep phase. He should be just about right for the World's in Turkey.

As for my own lifting, I wanted to see what I could do on Friday night and Snatching felt good so I worked up to a nice single with 100kg and left it there for the night. The previous day I was not able to do any of the classical lifts, so I did the bench press, as many pull ups as possible in ten minutes and some bench squats. I was definitely stiffer two days after, so lifting today was not as pleasant as last night. After feeling like crap, I eventually hit 105kg in the Snatch and hit 130kg in the Clean and Jerk. Very modest numbers, but I am happy considering how long I was not able to lift properly. Starting next week I will be on the last four weeks of Wayne's program and I have promised myself to be good and to follow teh dictates of the program fully. These four weeks will be focusing on the back squat in particular and it should be quite demanding to say the least. I refuse to let myself give in to temptation and go overboard on the mid week intensity. Patience.....

Sunday's snag list

2010-08-29T21:12:00.004+01:00

This week has been a frustrating one, but more importantly than this, it has brought another change in perspective that is needed for me to continue improving in the art of weightlifting.

As Einstein said: “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Another favourite quote is: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

So, it comes down to this: I did not follow my program properly despite this being the main intention before I started. Emotion and ambition got in the way and even though they were not as prevalent as last time, I still allowed them to kick my ass. Embarrassing. The program was there to help me improve my ability to tolerate a greater work load. As David pointed out in a previous comment, I also increased intensity along with the significant increase in volume. I got away with a slight hip injury that reoccured from the original injury from playing rugby in my last season. Hindsight is always 20/20, but this is another lesson learned along the path of me qualifying for the European Championships. I got an amazing amount of work done in five and a half weeks, but I could have gotten more done in the 8 weeks that were scheduled. I know my training will stick to me, but I also know I should have gotten more out of it. Wayne kept telling me and I kept listening to the emotion and ambition in each session.

I read some of Glenn Pendlay's comments on a forum and I kept thinking of how they related to me and my own training. There are several aspects to training that are mainly ignored when discussing weightlifting and I called Glenn in order to discuss some of his ideas. Most of the 15 readers of this blog are weekend warriors like myself and are in a similar situation, so I thought to myself, why not talk about things that are relevant to us more than professional lifters? Here is the conversation and very many apologies for my fat head being in the picture; I could not edit it out. As always, if you have feedback, leave a comment.

Wednesday's whittling away

2010-08-25T10:50:00.003+01:00

I took off training for five days to rest and come back stronger and better than ever. My ankle got better and my hip also had more time to recover and I came back feeling pretty good and raring to go, so I trained on Monday. I worked my way back into the Snatches and my Cleans felt the best they have ever felt. I kept visualising Pablo Lara and him staying tight and getting under the Clean lightening fast. My Clean and Jerks were light and I stayed with 110 for six doubles. When I went to Front squat my hips had tightened up considerably and I thought the squatting would loosen them out which happens sometimes. It didn't.

After my fourth triple, I said to myself, lower the weight because I am not getting into the correct position. The weight was fine but my hips were not opening up properly. Then I said, no no, these are the tough sets you have to get through. March on and toughen up. Why did I not listen to my body? In the fifth set and on the last rep, at the bottom of the squat I felt a very tight pinch in my right hip, the one I hurt two weeks earlier. It pinches when I internally or externally rotate and it wraps right around my hip. I know this is a minor set back, but it is frustrating none the less.

I think that I will be able to keep training the classical lifts light but I will have to warm up carefully and take my time. Not sure about what kind of squatting I can do yet, but I will try and see what I can do. Either way, this is a minor road block and I know with patience and time I will come back stronger with a lesson learned (again!) to help protect me in the future.

Have a look at Byrdie's class new video:

Friday's frying pan contents: my cns

2010-08-20T11:19:00.005+01:00

This has been a download week and boy did I need it. Burning the candle in more ends than I knew were there can be exhausting. Starting up ECB aside, Wayne pointed out to me that I was being too aggressive with my program. Instead of doing the eight weeks continually working off my regular training max--a safe 110--I kept trying to push and inch the weights up week in and week out. Instead, the idea is to get through the program and strengthen all my tendons and ligaments; sharpen my consistency with the lifts and shore up on my physical weaknesses. My response was that there are worse things than being too ambitious; however, the reality is that I let my ego take over a bit and I have gotten a slap on the wrist from my cns.

On Thursday morning, I went to bed feeling fine and I woke up with a swollen ankle. How this happened is a mystery to me, but it happened. This has forced me to take a few days off training as it is swollen just on the outside of where the foot meets the ankle. I am already looking forward to next week and how fresh I am going to feel. I have two weeks left in my program and they need to be as productive as possible, so I will leave my ego at the door and follow the dictates of the program. I have said before--you'd think I would have learned-- that for me to succeed in weightlifting, I need an objective voice beside me because I can get wildly optimistic about what I can do. I would rather have this atribute than not, but one workout is part of a cycle and this is the skill I am learning at the moment. One workout should not take precedence over a week. Please leave any comments if you have experienced anything like this before so we can learn from each other.

Have a look at this video and see how it applies to you. I know it struck me as an essential truth when I watch it.

Tuesday's trip down (short term) memory lane

2010-08-17T11:02:00.003+01:00

It has been a manic last few days, but all is well. On Saturday morning we had Blackrock rugby club come and do their testing in ECB before the Irish weightlifting squad had its two day training camp. Here are some of the highlights of the week's training:

The Saturday session turned out to be good fun and very productive for everyone. The ball started rolling with some vertical jump testing and this was followed by a quick session where we Snatched up to 85% or so and then Back Squatted up to 80% for a double. Maybe two hours later the second session started where we Snatched to a max of the day and did the same with the Clean and Jerk and Front Squat.

There were several great lifts, but none more so than Wayne Healy hitting his 230 total to qualify for the World Championships as a 62kg lifter. Even though one or two lifts were slightly out of place, Wayne had the experience and composure to settle into the lift and grind it out. Murph hit an awesome 102 Snatch and Cathal Twaddle nailed 96 like it was not even there. James Small did really well with his 95 Snatch and pulled off a gravity defying save when it looked like the bar would go anywhere but overhead. Matthew McCoy, Aaron Small and Neil Doogan all lifted really well also and Zag was Snatching in defiance of the last few month's training limitations. Kris Greene continues to improve and if ever a man was built for weightlifting, it is Kris. Paudie Roche hit an outstanding 94kg in the Clean and Jerk and looking at the lift, it is clear there is far more in the tank. Byrdie hit 113/145 in a convincing manner also. Thanks to all the coaches for their help and to Wayne Healy who did the majority of the organising.

As for my own lifting, I hit 113kg in the Snatch and 142.5kg in the Clean and Jerk on the Saturday. I was disappointed to hit this little, but it was up from 112.5/140 from the week earlier and each Saturday session keeps trickling up. On the Sunday session, all the lifters did remarkably well considering the team bonding session on the Saturday night in Bray. We are all an awesome wolf pack. None of us were feeling fresh in any sense of the word, but this is where team spirit comes into the equation! Zag hit 98kg in the Snatch and I hit 110, while Byrdie hit 111. He needed a bit of this treatment and it spiced up his lifting. He hit 146kg in the Clean and Jerk which again, defied more than I can comprehend. I hit 137.5kg in the Clean and Jerk. It felt hideous, but I needed to get the lift just to get one over on the part of my mind that was screaming at me to call it a day and leave it there.

I have another two weeks in my current training phase. It is very hard, but as I was told on Saturday night: " Shut up and get on with it!"

Thursday's tail wind.

2010-08-12T10:46:00.004+01:00

The Irish National weightlifting squad is having a training camp this weekend and it will be hosted by East Coast Barbell. I had a bit of a mad weekend and this ended up not allowing me to recover from a tough week's training. I ended up training ok on Monday, but on Tuesday I hit the wall and I got a sore hip, which I think came about from all the flexiility work I was doing coupled with all the driving after the weekend.

So, it's no big deal: all I am doing is backing off a few days and training very light active recovery sessions to keep the blood flowing. I think I may have needed a lighter few days anyway, but the weekend I had made this a necessity. I know I will be fine for Saturday's session and I am looking forward to Saturday and Sunday immensely. I am predicting some big lifts from the guys coming down.

I would also like to mention that the Irish women's rugby team are leaving for their World Cup on Monday and that I know they will play their hearts out and kick ass. They have worked so hard for this and they are an inspiration to be around. Sinead Ryan hit a 55kg Snatch last night and it was possibly the bravest lift I have ever seen.

Here is a video that could change your life:

Monday's mediocre puching in the clock training session

2010-08-09T22:48:00.004+01:00

There was an awesome atmosphere in East Coast Barbell on Saturday and our session turned out to be a good one. Here is a link to our website by the way. Here is a video showing some of the action:

I ended up having a decent day despite feeling like a broken spinning wheel. Byrdie hit 140, despite being a shadow of himself, so he should be raring to go next weekend. Thank God for the competitive spirit and guarana.... I worked up 10 singles with 100, 105, 110 and I got 112.5kg on my third attempt. Because I was tired I was slinging the bar up any way I could. I hit 140kg in the Clean and Jerk and this was the first time I have hit this number since May. The Clean was ugly but I got it. Again, the increase in lifting volume is draining, but I can feel myself adapting and getting more skillfull in the lifts. Every week, my numbers on the Saturday sessions have been steadily increasing to where they were when I was fresher. Next week, the Irish weightlifting squad will be having a two day training camp in ECB, so I want to get my numbers up again for that. Step by step.

Today's session was very hard and I was tired from a hectic weekend. Tom Turner came in to train with myself and Zag, so it was nice to have someone different to train with. My legs feel like they are about to fall off, but I still feel happy with my training. I am improving and I WILL qualify for the European Championships. Tomorrow I have six doubles with 100 in the Snatch and 122.5 in the Clean and Jerk. Love it.

Thursday's thought process

2010-08-05T10:38:00.003+01:00

I am through the hardest part of the training week now and it is still going well. Last week it was my legs that were sore from the higher volume of squatting, and now it is the joints that are a little sore. I was talking to Glenn Pendlay and telling him how my training is going and he made the basic point that you should be continuosly adapting in different ways because you should be always striving to train harder and get the body to lift more than ever before.

This is what is happening to me and it is very interesting to say the least. First it was my back which was fighting to get me to stop what I was doing. Then it was my legs. Now it is my hands and hamstrings. I am genuinely interested to know what it will be next. Glenn has told me a few times that my posterior strength is shambolic, so that is why I work on it after every session, building up the weight and reps of my exercises slowly but surely. I can feel the benefits already and coupled with my program that is already improving my consistency with the lifts, I know I am improving. I can feel it and when I adapt to the volume more my lifts on the max sessions will steadily rise. Every week I go up a kilo or two in one of the lifts and I will get my training lifts up to where they are in a rested state. I always lift more in competition, so then I will be in a good place to go further than I have before.

This is my grand masterplan to rule the universe and actually make a decent lifter out of myself. I have glaring weaknesses, but I am stubborn enough to continue learning and evolve as a lifter and person. I have a lot more in me to come out on the platform and once I get consisent in my technique and far stronger in my weak areas, my numbers will go up. Patience is what I have learned in this training program and I will not let a few days of letting my ego run riot ruin my progress over the last five weeks.

Have a look at this incredible video. This is a not so subtle metaphor for how I was training...

Saturday's start up

2010-07-31T20:01:00.006+01:00

Training went well this week, but as the intensity dipped ever so slightly in the Classical lifts, the volume and intensity increased with the squats. This made my legs and the rest of my body sore and grumpy. I had a day off on the Friday and I did a little bar work and very light Hang Cleans in order not to stiffen up for today's session.

This week in particular has led to feeling sore and stiff in the mornings, particularly in the legs and even the hand muscles! I can feel the benefits already and as I have been told: " If it was easy, everyone would be doing it!" I did a little warm up session with Byrdie and after a nice stretch, worked up to 70kg for a triple and then a single in the Snatch. Half an hour later, we started the main session, but only after the legend that is John McDaid walked in and on a random request Benched 160kg after not training for the previous month!

Byrdie worked up to a solid 107.5kg in the Snatch and then went up to 145 for a single in the Clean and Jerk. He jumped straight to 152.5kg which is 2.5kg over his pb and got under the bar, but it was slightly out front and he could not rack it. He worked back up to 145kg again and ended up squatting 200 for a solid single, down to 180 for four and 160 for a triple. I worked up to a single with 110kg which I was happy with considering I felt like tripe. I ended up completely wasted for the Clean and Jerk, but I got my back work in and left it there. A good week's training and I have one more of the same program before I go back to three weeks of what I started with. Writing it now makes it seem daunting, but I know I will adapt and get on with it. I definitely believe in myself and I know I will continue to get stronger and consistent.

Here is a video of two of the teams training in East Coast Barbell this week:

Here is a brilliant advertisement that really satirises popular marketing techniques. Who doesn't love a bit of comeuppance?

This is is also memorable:

While we are on the satire buzz:

Tuesday's tactical maneuver

2010-07-27T22:36:00.003+01:00

As some of you may have guessed, I have been a busy bee as of late. Here is the reason why:

Here is something else to watch: Byrdie making 150kg his bi%ch:

As for my training, I finished the first three weeks of the program and for the next two weeks, I am on a slightly different schedule. I posted my program in a comment last week and I will copy it here:

It is very very basic. For July and August I will be training with greater volume in the classical lifts and the squats and this will be the case with September also. In October I will start to drop a small part of the volume and increase the intensity and this will occur in November again so that I am ready to go for December.

My program is just as basic. It is five days:

Day one and three: 80% for six doubles in the Snatch and CJ and 8x3 in Front Squat one day and 6x2 the other.

Day two and four: 85% for six doubles in Snatch and Clean and Jerk and 6x2 and 8x3 in Back Squat. In the first four days I do some back strengthening work also.

Day five: Snatch, CJ and Front Squat to max of the day and then back down in Front squat to 1x2@90% and 2x3@80%.

For the next two weeks I am still lifting five days a week, but there will be slightly less volume. Today I went up to six doubles in the Clean and Jerk with 120kg and then eight triples in the Back Squat and my legs were ready to fall off by the end. Tough love, but I know it will help. I felt very rough throughout the session and I know last week took a lot out of me, but I will adapt because there is no other choice. Tomorrow's session will be the 85% day for six doubles in the Snatch, Clean and Jerk and the Front Squat. I can't wait.

Thursday's tabulation

2010-07-22T23:00:00.002+01:00

I wanted to hit 97.5kg for my six double in the Snatch and 120kg for six doubles in the Clean and Jerk and I got both. I followed these with 8 doubles with 150kg in the Back squat which is not a heavy weight at all, but the legs were pretty fried from the Clean and Jerks, so a combination of physical and mental fatigue made them pretty tough. Lastly I did 3 sets of 12 with the barbell rows Glenn Pendlay showed me. A tough session but hugely productive; I actually felt like getting sick for most of my Clean and Jerks, but thankfully this was kept at bay. Gillian had an excellent session also and it is very clear that her numbers will go up very soon. A few of us will be lifting in East Coast Barbell on Saturday morning which should prove to be an awesome training session, so we will see how that goes.

Here is our address at East Coast Barbell:

Unit B
Solus Tower Industrial Estate
Dublin Road
Bray
South Count Dublin

We will be open for business on Monday, so everyone is welcome of course! The website is nearly there and all we need is a few finishing touches with some videos and photgraphy work.

Here are some videos of Donny lifting because, well, he is more interesting than my ramblings:

Tuesday's toll

2010-07-20T23:14:00.004+01:00

I had an enjoyable workout today and yesterday in East Coast Barbell. We are very close to opening and I am really looking forward to starting officially. The carpentry is now finished and the place needs a thorough cleaning, but otherwise we should be ready by the end of this week.

Myself, Byrdie and Germans trained today and I had a good session. Today was my 85% day and I worked up to 97.5kg for six doubles in the Snatch and 117.5kg in the Clean and Jerk. These are not heavy weights, but the doubles are killers! I had an 80% session for the six doubles on Monday and I will have another 80% session tomorrow. On Thursday, which will be my second 85% session, I will move the Clean and Jerk doubles up to 120kg and maintain the 97.5 for the Snatch. I am still squatting loads and three times a week I Front Squat and twice a week I Back Squat.

I am happy, because for the first time I feel stronger in the third week of a program, when usually I go over the top in the first two weeks rather than build up. Because I have a 6 month plan, I am far happier to be more patient and gradually build things up. It is easy to do this as a coach, but as a lifter, far more difficult. How have you found this process? Do you find it easy or difficult to gradually build up to when it really matters?

Have a look at this interview. There are four parts in total:

Friday's flippant schedule

2010-07-16T22:10:00.004+01:00

Well, I was supposed to train today, but the pressing needs of East Coast Barbell had to take precedence and I had to take it on the chin. We are aiming to open informally on Monday and get the ball rolling, so all are welcome of course. Once we get ourselves properly established, we will have a decent official opening with krystale champagne and copious amounts of strippers for people of every persuasion. I am supposed to train with Byrdie and Wayne tomorrow in Hercs, but I am not sure I will be able to make it. Hopefully I can make it for the last hour of the session! Among other things we are working on our website and once that is up and running, myself and Zag will take over the world and turn into the people that you always knew we were: bastards.....

Here is a little compilation of two back exercises that Glen showed me to help improve my back strength, which was something Tom Bruijen also told me I needed to work on. Thankfully I am doing just that and not being a complete moron--only a partial one....

Tuesday's trapezius twist

2010-07-13T20:44:00.002+01:00

Firstly, here is a short guided tour of California Strength that I put together:

I have some more things to put up from my trip, so here is a short one of Donny passing judgement on Jon North:

As far as my own training is going, it is hard but I am happy. Towards the end of my Clean and Jerk doubles I strained my trap a bit, but I was able to finish my last two sets and get my 8 triples in the Front squat also. It was tiring to say the least, but I did it.

This morning was a different story and it was only some of Wayne's magical Georgian heat rub that allowed me to train properly. I worked up to three top set doubles rather than the usual six on both the Clean and Jerk because I wanted to make sure that I can train for the rest of the week and that I would not make the strain worse. It feels far better now and I know I will be ok for the next three sessions this week. I went a little heavier for the three doubles and I did all my squats as normal. It was funny how the six sets I did not do left me so much fresher than normal where I feel like a bot of a zombie.

I was talking to Glenn Pendlay this morning and he said that he thought I strained my trap from overpulling the bar which was one of his observations from when I trained over there. He also said that when fatigued, I need to use speed rather than strength. Speed comes from exploding from the hips rather than continuing to overpull with the arms. Wayne and Harry were of the opinion that my back was simply tired from all the extra work I am doing.

Saturday's salvo

2010-07-10T18:43:00.002+01:00

I finished the first week of my program and I feel the better for it. Byrdie was up today to train and he joined myself, Zag and Wayne. I am training five days a week; Saturday will be the max of the day session for the classical lifts and Front squat. During the week, two of the days I will go up to six doubles at 80% and two days with 85% with both the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. I will Back squat two days and Front squat on the other days. It is all very simple and it looks so much easier on paper than it actually is to perform; however, doubles can be grinders and the best thing is that they are precisely what I need. It will be a case of inching up my lifts and numbers and getting my body to tolerate a higher workload while working on getting stronger and better technically. That is the plan at least and I am going to stick with it.

I am working on a California Strength video at the moment and it will take a while to get it fully right. The videos here are embarrassing, but helpful in improving flexibility:

To leave on an alternative note, have a look at this video and challenge yourself to watch it without laughing:

Wednesday's waiting area

2010-07-07T18:01:00.005+01:00

I finally realised what was happening with the videos so without further ado, here is my short and sweet interview with Rob Adell, who happened to be in a state many of us understand: being wrecked from a week's worth of training!

My own training is going swimmingly, but it is as hard as one would expect. I am lifting far more repititions than usual and as Murph said to me today: they test your inner zen. Every part of my body is feeling it: lower, mid and upper back; glutes, hamstrings and calves; shoulders, all the attachments and connective tissue around my shoulders and scapula and even my arms! What would Ronnie Coleman say about the burn?

I really want those pants!

Monday's manoeuvrability

2010-07-03T17:38:00.006+01:00

For some reason Blogger will not let me put up videos that are internally hosted anymore which is a shame because for the last week I have wanted to post a brief interview with Rob Adell and some extra footage of California Strength I never put up. When I try to add a video, it uploads and then says it is unavailable. This has only been happening over the last two weeks and it is rather annoying, so if anyone knows how to sort this out, let me know and I will fix it.

I started my new 12 week program today and it is amazingly simple. It has lots of the lifts. Then more and these are followed by lots of squats. Simple, isn't it? I have two months to get in as much volume as I can stand without burning myself out nd the biggest key is to make small and incremental progress. The goal is to keep the goal the goal as Dan John is want to say. My goal is to qualify for the European Championships before the end of the year and I will need a 272 total. I am five kilos away from this and I know I can do it. Right now, I am building a base and on top of the countless doubles I shall execute, I am also improving my flexibility slowly but surely and getting myself into better positions; the soft tissue work is keeping me healthy and injury free.

The competition I am targeting is the London Open in Decemeber and all the other competitions will be a build up to this. The idea is to use July, August and September to build as wide a base as I can and then in October and November I will drop the doubles and up the intensity. This morning, Byrdie was training alongside myself and Coach Lee and we got some really good work in. Since I got back from holiday--which was fun, but in the short term, detrimental to weightlifting!--I am gradually getting back to hitting normal positions and I know I will improve on where I left off. Broz kept hammering away to me how the flexibility training I do needs to be specific to weightlifting and I have been doing a lot of it. I need to learn to open up my hips and vastly improve their mobility; I also need to improve my hamstring flexibility and back strength but I think the hip mobility is the key.

This is a bit of a rambling post, but essentially, I am trying to do things differently in this training cycle. I feel like I have not been improving as much as I would have liked and for the next four weeks, I will make gradual and steady progress rather than doing as much as I possibly can and being burnt out towards the end of the second week. This goes with all my lifts and squats as well as the extra stuff that I do which I mentioned above. I have a very simple goal: I need to hit 272kg and I have the training plan and the motivation to get me there. Now I need to go and do it and follow my own wildly plagurised advice.

Here are two impossibly cool videos to inspire and motivate:

Click here to see what is possibilty the greatest weightlifting video ever.

Thursday's tightrope muscles

2010-07-01T14:59:00.005+01:00

On Monday I am starting a new six month training cycle and I am really looking forward to it. This week I am trying to get my body to some semblance of trainability. I got home on the Saturday morning and competed after 8 days of laying on my ass in Duborvnik where I was so lazy I made Homer Simpson look like Monica from friends. After the competition, I was even more in a heap, particularly on Monday I have never had such painful DOMS, particularly in the upper back and hip areas. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were simpy trying to get my body back into workable shape again and I will do what I can on Friday and Saturday also. Here are the final three parts of my interview with John Broz:

Saturday's sloppy slip up

2010-06-27T23:13:00.007+01:00

I was away on holiday for a week and I got back home at around three thirty on Saturday morning. The Leinster Open was on a few hours later in Crossfit Ireland and it was great fun, but my lifting was not the Mae West--108/132 which is roughly 90% of my best. I had not touched a bar in nine days and I was finding it quite difficult to focus my mind. I still enjoyed myself though and was happy to see everyone again. I am really looking forward to the next two months where I can train to my heart's content and continue setting up and establishing East Coast Barbell. By the way, I am setting up an ECB youtube account and will publish my four part interview with John Broz on it and switch over a few of my other interviews also. Here is the first part of John's interview:

I have talked about Pat a few times now, but I have neglected to discuss his training partner. Rob Adell is a 94kg lifter who is training with the Average Broz club; he is around 97kg and is about 5"7 in height. I have never met anyone like him physically: he is like a mutant shark in human form. The man is a perfect fit for the 94kg class and with his background of heavy lifting since he was 12 and his lifestyle, weightlifting is a match made in heaven. The first assumption that jumps to mind is that he is using, but when you realise his lifestyle and fanatical devotion to nutrition, my opinion evolved.

Rob is only 19 and he does not drink, smoke or eat junk food of any kind. So when people jump on the bandwagon and assume him and Pat are using, they are using a mind set that is completely alien to both athletes. People cannot understand their lifting and this means they try and work out in their minds how THEY could do it and gear is the only way they can imagine it. Of course I will not preach how these guys are using steroids or not, but what people need to understand is that there are far more important things to understand. The problem is that Pat's and Rob's brains do not work like ours. In Average Broz gymnasiun, Rob's lifting is treated as a tragic Greek drama: so much potential that has come nowhere near realised due to the main protaganist's conscious decision to ignore the calling of fate. Neither Rob or anyone else in the gym are anywhere even remotely satisfied with his lifts. Now that Rob has decided to focus on lifting and not football, we will see his results sky rocket.

When he was 17 years old he had Cleaned either 180kg or slightly less after little over a year of training. Himself and Pat started training at the same time and Rob was actually making better progress than Pat, but he was still playing football and actually hardly training with John for about a year. He is back and we will be hearing a lot more about him soon. In an interview I will show when Blogger stops being a stubborn 8 year old girl who just got her first Barbie taken off her on Christmas day so that she will eat her dinner, he was so tired from his week's training that he was practically a walking zombie and was not nearly as articulate as he would be normally. I will put up the rest of John's interviews over the next few days.

Friday's fare thee well moment

2010-06-18T08:19:00.003+01:00

Here are the latest installments from my series of interviews where I talk to Pat Mendes, who is training to become Olympic champion. He discusses the physical and mental process of his journey and hopefully you will enjoy watching it.

When people discuss Pat, the issue of steroids is raised every time and what is not realised, is just how much time, effort and dedication have gone into his training. Pat has put everything in his life on hold for the last two and a half years in order to become a world champion. Everything that we take for granted in life such as going out with friends whenever we want, college, romance and even the feeling of vitality every day-- these things are not applicable to Pat. He has dedicated his life one hundred percent to achieving his goals. There is no luck in this equation; every fibre of his being is invested in becoming Olympic champion. Can people like us relate to this? No. Pat's progress is one of the major reasons that people assume he is taking drugs, as is his lack of competing in a tested competition in the last year and a bit. As I said before, it is not my job to explain his and John's decisions and quite frankly, it is none of my business either.

Aside from the fact that Pat is simply a really nice guy, the main reason I conducted these interviews with John's lifters and the equally hard working lifters in California Strength, is so that we can change our perspective on what is possible. Glenn Pendlay and John Broz have dedicated a major part of their lives to the sport as have the lifters I trained with. They are professional lifters, but their mindset is different and Pat's is almost even more intense again.

I will be away for the next few days on a non weightlifting holiday. I can't remember the last time I went without a week of training, but I will rest up and enjoy it. I will be back the night before the Leinster Open on June 26th and I am really looking forward to competing and enjoying myself. When I come back I shall finish off my series of interviews with a John Broz four part finale.

Some of you may know already that I am starting up an athletic performance centre and weightlifting club in Bray. It is going to be called East Coast Barbell and it is around 20-30 minutes from Dublin, depending on what time of day one is travelling at. We shall be opening up around the beginning of July, so my summer shall be dedicated to training as hard as I can and turning East Coast Barbell into one of the best training centres in the country.

Wednesday's withered lifting

2010-06-16T20:38:00.005+01:00

I am now back home after my weightlifting odyssey in the States. I trained today and it went as swimmingly as I could have hoped. I was weak as a kitten, but it was nice seeing Wayne and Zag again. I was telling them how jet-lag was not a problem--and then I trained...Uh oh. Here is a link to my first interview taken from my stay in Average Broz gymnasium:

For the first time since I started this blog, I am not sure about how to write about the experience because it went beyond weightlifting. I learned a lot in regards to weightlifting in both California and also in Vegas, but I really enjoyed myself in the process and it was in meeting so many interesting, fun and genuinely nice individuals that will make my trip a powerful and indisposable memory. What people don't understand is just how generous both the guys out in California are and John Broz is out in Vegas. I have spoken about Glenn and David out in San Ramon in length, so I will focus more on John in this post.

People's perceptions of John lack both accuracy and credibility. Some people think of him as an extremist and that all his lifters use enough gear to help them fly. I refuse to be naive enough to igmore the possibility of drugs, but people fail to realise it is simply an opinion, not a fact. There is a difference. Last year, I met John Broz by complete chance and after training in his club, I thought it would be fun to interview a man who loved weightlifting and strength even more than I do. John has dedicated most of his life to both and is incredibly passionate in helping his lifters as well as other people who ask for his help. I have visited on two occasions now and my good friend Cathal Byrd--don't tell him I called him that: it is embarrassing for us both--has also visited him:click here to read his report.

Both of us found him to be a generous and genuinely top guy who is a charismatic character in our sport. I can see how he can rub some people the wrong way with his brash manner in dealing with the USAWA, but he is a man who will do anything for his lifters and he has always strived from day one to set international standards for them; he has deliberately avoided most local and national competitions which bucks the trend to get competition and platform experience. It is not my place to explain his actions and I will not presume to answer for him, but there are answers that that go beyond the presumption that Pat Mendes and Rob Adell are taking copious amounts of steroids. Sometimes an assumption is made that says more about the people making it rather than the intended recipient--the temptation is to use the word "victim" but John and Pat are certainly no victims; they have made their decision and are happy to face the consequences.

I still do not really know how to relate my experience. John helped me technically and I spent a good bit of time both with him and his lifters. People ask me about him and the first thing that comes to mind is that he is just a really nice guy who I get on well with. How great a weightlifting coach will be decided in the future and this is a challenge that he seems to revel in; many of his lifters make similar gains, but with Pat and Rob the starting points were different. Pat walked into the gym with a 230kg Back Squat and a 200 odd Bench Press. Both himself and Rob had been weight training since they were thirteen, going as heavy as they could. This kind of training and "genetics" are incomprehensible to most people. Most people assume that without gear, training twice a day is impossible over the long run. In my interview above, Jessica is plainly not using and she maintains this schedule despite having an injury history before taking up the sport. Sometimes expectations set from the beginning alters a person's thought process and therefore their mental and physical ability to learn. All good teachers and coaches know this. Irish expectations are too low. We all know this and this is why we are making a collective effort to improve.

Over the next few days I shall release my series of interviews that I took with different people who train in Average Broz so that an overall perspective can be gained and not just a focus on Pat and John. Are you going to be one who makes an easy assumption or are you going to think for yourself and reflect on more than numbers?

Tuesday's trip report

2010-06-15T15:13:00.002+01:00

I just got back home and I have a lot of things to do. The good news is that I got a lot of cool interviews that I will be putting up over the next few days and while I was in Vegas, I also took a few with John Broz and Pat Mendes. Here is an interview with Donny Shankle, who is simply awesome--even more so than Murph, which is saying a lot. Here it is:

A weightlifter that all the boys in California spoke very fondly of is James Moser and here is a video of him Snatching at the Arnold's two years ago.

All the guys are looking forward to him returning back again--he is currently in jail--and hopefully all will be well.

I will write about training in Average Broz over the next few days. I will be away again on Thursday--not for weightlifting though--and I have a lot of things to get sorted before I leave, so, till the morrow. I hope you enjoy Donny's interview.