Wednesday's withered lifting

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

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.

Thursday’s talent hotbed

Everyone only trained once today and even at that, physically I was a broken mess. But, I was one happy weightlifting camper and I still really enjoyed our session. Caleb ‘s back was still hurting and he kept it light and snappy; after all the hard work he has put in, I really hope he stays relatively healthy for the Junior World’s next week in Bulgaria. He has put the hard yards in and he deserves a break. Donny and Jon Power Snatched and Power Clean and Jerked. After their vicious session the previous day, I could see they were hurting a bit, but they still got on with it.

I went straight to the blocks and started Snatching from there. I worked up to a few singles with 100 and I left it there as I was struggling to maintain tension in my back due to fatigue. I moved onto Power Clean and Jerks except I lifted off one 25 as a platform and worked up to a few singles with 110kg which felt incredibly heavy despite the fact that it is usually a joke of a Power Clean. Again, the cues were to keep my weight on my heels and to really get my hips into the Clean. In the Jerk, it was to aggressively get my head through in the catch and again, to keep my weight in my heels. By the time I finished, my tank was empty and it was plainly obvious why. I am not used to lifting with this volume and intensity over the last week and this shows that instead of me being over-trained, I am very much undertrained. Of course I am not going to beat myself up over it; the wrong thing to do in my life situation would be to jump straight into doing as much as I possibly could and bury myself in a hole. Instead, I need to gradually increase the amount of volume I can successfully tolerate and in the process, improve my technique and consistency in the lifts and get stronger. It sounds simple and a sensible head will have to reign; therefore I need to take myself and my nonsensical mind out of the situation and trust Zag, Harry and Wayne.

For my last few hours in California, Glenn showed me a few different exercises to strengthen my weak back; the way he performed them was slightly different and some of them were quite similar to some of Tom Bruijen’s. They were some back raises; back extensions and some basic barbell rows and you can see two of them in the video below.

All in all, my week’s stay in California Strength proved to be an incredibly enjoyable experience. I learned a lot in regards to weightlifting technique, programming and the type of environment required for success. But just as importantly I had a lot of fun and spent a lot of time laughing my ass off. Everyone works hard in this place. Max is one of the most intelligent people I have met and has a razor sharp dry delivery. Caleb is incredibly talented, generous and was full of brilliant stories—mainly about Donny and Jon. Donny is one in a million and you shall see the interview I took with him in a few days. How a man can combine culture, a voracious competitive streak and being an old school eccentric is beyond me, but Donny pulls it off in style and it is an honour to have spent time with him. Jon is a beast and his intensity is incredible; He is only lifting for a little under three years and we are going to see some major numbers from him. There were a number of young lifters coming up the ranks that are being fostered in this environment and I know they will experience undoubted success.

Glenn and Lori were very generous and Glenn needs no obsequious rambling: his results speak for themselves. As a person, he is passionate and extremely learned. His mindset is something I aspire to as a coach and a teacher. David and Catherine were two of the coolest people I have ever met and spending time with them was a pleasure. David’s experience in weightlifting and business is amplified in the success of California Strength as a weightlifting club and as a business.

Have a look at the videos below; one is a brief look at Thursday’s training and the other is an interview I had with Jon North. As always, constructive feedback is always appreciated.

Wednesday's warrior king: Donny Shankle

This was a great day's training and the inevitable happened: I broke. Training like this exposed my weaknesses and there is absolutely hiding from them. So, I did what I could and will try and fight my way through it.

In the first session on Wednesday, for the majority of it, I felt like I was about to get sick. Not good. My battery was empty and I was running on adrenaline. I started off with the Snatch and worked on doubles up to 90kg and I missed the second rep with 100. I went back down to 90 and then missed the second rep with 95 twice. Embarrassing. I went back down to 90 for a double and left it there. I thought I had nothing left to give, but then I went onto the Clean and Jerk.

In between reps, I tried to stay focused and not get sick all over the gym. I worked up to singles with 120 and I missed the Jerk behind with 125kg. I called it a day for the first session and went and had lunch and a double espresso for the second session. I knew this would be tough, but I came here to push myself, so push I did.

The afternoon session was around three hours later and I started off with Snatch singles and worked up to 100 and I got 105 on the second attempt. I missed 107.5 and after looking at the video, a little part of me died inside. Training outside my usual comfort zone and with volume that I am not used to has pushed me beyond anything I have had so far in my brief weightlifting adventure. I have learned a lot and watching these guys push the envelope every day is both inspiring and is also shows what clean lifters are capable of. However, in an environment like this, your weaknesses get exposed and there is absolutely no hiding place—nor would I want one. My back was rounded worse than a five dollar hooker’s. What has always been my weak point was now kicking my ass and there was very little that I could do about it. I had my moment where I looked at the video in horror and was both embarrassed and appalled. Then Glenn had me do Snatches from a block of two 25’s instead and I did what I could; I was now in a position where I could get proper leverages and I worked up to four singles with 105 and had a good workout. I always knew my back was weak, but my weaknesses in conditioning and my posterior chain were so ruthlessly exposed out here that there is no going back to what I was doing. Quite simply I have to strengthen my back, glutes and hamstrings which is of more immediate importance than squats right now because I am not struggling coming out of Cleans; it is rather keeping proper positions is the problem. When I am fresh and rested, it is not really a problem, but when I am tired, those muscles fatigue the quickest and let me down. I need to sort this out and I will.

After my Snatches, I moved onto the Clean and Jerk and I worked up to singles with 100, 120 and 130. I Cleaned 135 and missed the Jerk. I was irritated with my Cleans, so I went back down to 120, Cleaned it and Jerked it three times lowering it down each time. This felt like the most functional ab exercise I have ever done and it allowed me leave the training hall feeling like I had achieved something I had not done before. Around an hour later, I squatted with Donny and Back Squatted doubles up to 150 and then went for 5 reps with 160kg. I only got four though and two on the second attempt. I then went back down to 150kg and got 5 reps with that. Job done and day over; I was as tired as I have ever been in my weightlifting odyssey, but facts that I already knew were hammered home in as blunt a manner as I actually needed. If I don’t work on my weak points, I will remain weak.



Here is an interview with Glenn Pendlay and hopefuly we can all learn something.

Tuesday's tactile takeover bid

Tuesday was supposed to be a light day where we did doubles with relatively light intensity. They did not feel light. I felt beat down and I was doing a Power Snatch with a Hang Snatch working up from 50 for a few, 70 for one or two, 80 and then 90 for five doubles. They felt like they were 110 and Jon felt just as rough except his doubles were with 130kg. Embarrassing....

When I moved onto the Clean and Jerk, I worked up to Clean doubles with 110 for five doubles and finished on 120kg. My timing felt a lot better even though I felt weak as a kitten that just fell out of a tumble dryer. It was one of those sessions where you just have to power through and get on with it. Glenn had me focus on staying back on my heels, keeping the back as tight as possible and getting quicker elbows. I knew this was coming: weights that are usually light Power Cleans feel like 90%+ full Cleans where you have to grind them out. The Snatches were the same: rough as a bear's arse and and Murph's stubbled chin. Even though my positions were not as optimal as I would like them to be, the rhythm of my lifts felt more consistent, particularly the second reps where I had to rely more on technique.

I can feel the nervous system straining; the body is not that sore but the fatigue is creeping up in different ways: positions are harder to achieve and maintain as is mental focus; the adrenaline you feel being in this kind of electric atmosphere is at odds with how you feel physically but you are buoyed up; Jon is howling at you--Donny is making his Southern gentleman remarks that inspire but with a double edged sword, cause hilarity and a cacophony of chaos. Glenn lords over the process with a concise and accurate delivery of instructions and directions while David plays the yin to Glenn's yang. The only thing I have been mising is Caleb's intensity--he is injured. I cannot describe the atmosphere any better than this.

Here is another interview I did with Max Aita. He discusses his experiences training under Ivan Abadjiev in greater detail and his Oscar Wilde witticisms shine through to boot. Enjoy:

Monday's malicious doubles

I woke up with a tight back and posterior chain in general after a day off on Sunday. I expected this, but after a little warm up and stretch, I felt better. There were two sessions yesterday and it was extremely demanding, but very beneficial.

In the first session, after around fifteen minutes I felt a little better and after going up to a double with 100, I hit 110 for a single on my second attempt. I went up to 130kg in the Clean and Jerk, and even though these are not heavy weights, I had never hit high intensity weights so early in the morning. Glenn had me focus the most on staying back on my heels rather than falling onto my toes which would cause me to leave it out front. He repeatedly said that the biggest thing I need to work on in my lifting is consistency--Wayne Healy also told me the same thing several times--and that if I am going to make mistakes, that they should be the same mistakes every time. One of the issues in my lifting is that I am not doing the same thing every time. With the Cleans, he also had me focus on staying back on the heels and timing the catch so that the bar was racked at the same time as my feel landed when I got under the bar. I was pulling the bar, planting my feet and then letting the bar fall down on me. The more I focused on it, the better I got and the Cleans felt far more comfortable. My Jerks felt pretty good also. John was training with me that morning and he was feeling pretty rough, but he turned it around massively in his second session.

The second session was quite frustrating as what I wanted to work on--consistency--did not play out like I wanted. In the Snatch, I worked up to doubles with 100 and 105 and I was unable to get it with 110. I worked back down to 90 and I hit my sharpest Snatches with 90 and then 100. The timing and speed felt great, but I could not translate that afterwards. So many doubles.....

In the Clean and Jerk, I did doubles again trying to work on my technique and my consistency. I worked up to doubles with 120, 125 and then I could only get one rep with 130 and 135. I worked back down to 120, hit 125 again, hit another single with 130 and then the bar fell back on me on the second rep. I went back down to 120 and ground out three of the hardest reps of my life, but I got them. I was so frustrated with myself for not going under the second reps of my few attempts with 130 and 135kg. It felt horrible to feel like I was lacking the necessary testicular fortitude and I needed to hit my triple with 120 just to show myself that I could do it. So many doubles, but when you have John North screaming encouragement and Glenn Pendlay sitting there in judgement, you can push it that extra bit. Now I simply need to get a double with 130kg which should not be a problem considering my max single is 147kg. Frustrating, but you have to start somewhere I guess.

Have a look at this video and let me know what you think. John had an insane session with countless doubles in both lifts and he was sore and beat up today. There is also a nice interview with Max Aita and I think many of you will find it fascinating. He trained under Ivan Abadjiev and Steve Gough and he has had a lot of experience in this sport:

Saturday’s stipulations

I woke up feeling better than I thought I would. My back and postural muscles were tired and a little stiff, but otherwise I was ok. The Saturday workout usually comprised of pulls and squats mainly, but Glenn changed it around on the day so that we focused more on the classical lifts and squats. As I said earlier, he was telling me to stop doing any Power Cleans and Power Snatches because they are getting me to overpull the bar, causing a sloppy and awkward catch, particularly in the Clean. After a brief warm up, we started with Snatch doubles and did two doubles with 50, 70, 90 and then I did one with 100 and for some reason could not get another with 100 so I dropped back down to 90 for five doubles and then went up to 95 for my final double. I was working on getting a consistent rhythm in my lifts and getting under the bar quicker. Donny and John did five doubles with 130 as did John as Glenn said afterwards, despite the intensity being pretty light, he was moving well and his technique was consistent.

After the Snatch, we moved onto the Clean and Jerks and I did around three double with 110, two with 115 and then I finished off with 120kg. I do not do Clean and Jerk doubles often, but they are quite demanding and after every set, I could feel myself getting more and more consistent. Glenn had me focus on tightening my back as much as I could, getting my feet out in the catch and like the Snatch, getting under the bar far quicker. Normally these weights feel very light, but doubles are very tiring and obviously this makes the second rep in particular feel a lot heavier than it actually is. John was doing doubles with 130 and after his big workout the previous day, along with his jet lag from his trip back from the Pan-Am’s, he was feeling very rough. For his final set, he jumped up to 150kg because that is what Donny was doing and he made this look better than any of his 130’s. These guys compete against each other and that is one of the reasons why they keep improving—this is the case whenever Irish lifters train together also. A competitive environment is a vital component to a successful training program.

The guys had a 45 minute break and then went back to squat. After a brief lunch, we went back, but the owner of the gym, David Spitz along with his lovely wife, took me out to experience the joys of San Francisco in a memorable day, so I skipped squats. I’ll have to make up for the missed lifts, but something tells me that should not be a problem...

On the Sunday a few of us went to the beach to chill out and rest up. I had a short interview with Caleb Ward and hopefully you shall enjoy it.

Friday's fortuitous Irish weightlifter

After a fifteen hour journey, I arrived in San Francisco airport and got in at the same time as Glenn and Jon who were returning from the Pan Am championships where the US placed third in the team event. Luck showed her face at the start of my trip and I was able to get a lift to San Ramon with the other guys. By the time I got back to where I am staying--David Spitz and his wife are amazingly gracious--I had only slept three hours in the previous two days. I had gotten my third or fourth wind, so this meant that although my mind had turned to mush, I was bizarrely alert. My body clock did not know its arse from its elbow and I ended up waking up at five fifteen in the morning and I could not get back to sweet precious sleep.

I arrived at the gym for around 9.30 and started my work out around forty five minutes later. Caleb is still coming back from a back injury and held back from lifting heavy, preferring to wait for the afternoon session. Donny decided to take the day off training as he is still fatigued from the Pan-Ams, as was John, who took the morning session off. Max was coaching a client and squatting also. I felt pretty rough warming up, but after each lift I felt better and better. I worked up to doubles with 80, 90 and 100 and then jumped to a relatively easy single with 110kg. I decided to leave it there as the afternoon session was later and I did not want to jump the gun. Glenn enquired whether I was going up again and I decided to move up to 115, but I did not have the mental power to switch it back on again, so I left it there a little embarrassed. I worked up to a Power Clean and Jerk with 120 and saved it for later on.

I chilled out for several hours with a few of the guys and came back to lift at 4.30 that evening. I was not feeling too great in the second session and when I realised it was half twelve at night at home, I understood why. I was not feeling sharp like I was earlier and although I worked up to a single with 110kg, I left it there and went back down to 90 for a double, then 100, then 105 and on the second attempt, I got a double with 107.5kg for a pb—it was 105kg. I then went up to 110kg and I missed the second rep around six times in my quest for a double with 110. I was so close my last two sets in particular, but as Glenn said, my first attempts were getting better and the tank was empty for the second attempts. Donny and Glenn kept telling me that I was overpulling the bar and this was causing me to be slow under the weight. Also, because there was an element of fear with the second rep—it felt far heavier on the second rep due to fatigue—this was also another reason for me being a little slower under the bar. This mental aspect is something that I will get better at the more I do heavier doubles.

I then moved onto the Clean and Jerk and I worked up to 130kg and it felt pretty nasty. I went back down to 115kg for a double and then up to 125 for a double. On the second or third attempt, I got 127.5kg for a double and it required every ounce that I had because on the second rep my brain was screaming at me not to go under the Clean and to leave it be. Thankfully I gutted it out and eventually got it, but it was purely a mental exercise and this was something I had to do. I had never done so many doubles in my life and even though I was feeling a bit drained and lethargic, I was able to get through it because of the unique atmosphere in the gym and among the lifters.
John North hit a pb double in the Snatch with 145kg and it was actually better than when he hit it with a single. He started of doing singles with Caleb Ward and Donny Shankle. Donny was taking it easy after his last competition in the Pan-American championships and along with Caleb hit 150 and then 155, but Caleb re-injured his back on 155kg. John North hit 145 on the second attempt and then missed 151kg in a death defying lift. He went back down to 120 for a double, then did 130, 140 and hit his 145kg double. He wanted to go back down to 130 and start up again on singles, but Glenn stopped him. This guy has a big engine on him and he is great to train with. He worked up to a Clean and Jerk with 170 and then hit a 175kg Clean and finished off with some doubles with 150kg.
Friday is their big workout day so they put everything into their classical lifts and leave squatting for the following day. I was happy to leave it there for the day and eat an awesome barbeque in Glenn’s house. Nutrition is vital for recovery! Here are a few of the lifts from the day. I was trying to focus more on my own lifting rather than be an overwhelmed puppy that runs around sniffing everything and tripping people over.

California Strength summit

I will soon be on my way to California Strength for a week's worth of training and learning and I can't wait. Everything is settled and ready to go and after Glenn and Caleb travel to the Junior World's, I will fly to Vegas to train with John Broz and his lifters over there. I am not going to lie: this will be an immense trip and even though it will leave me destitute for most of the summer, I know it will be worth it.

As always, I will document my trip in an extravagent amount of detail and yes, there is a strong chance I will over-analyse things. Thankfully this will accepted before hand, so be patient with me. I have been so insanely busy over the last week that for the first time ever, I can officially say I had no time to train. I will be over in the States for 10 days of training and considering I had a competition on Saturday as well as being very fatigued in general, the few days rest will suit me fine.

John is very eager to do another interview, so if you have any questions that are reasonable, post them in the comments section and I will see if I can fit them in. As soon as I have something to say, I will get on the blogging bandwagon and as always, your feedback is always welcomed and appreciated. It is brilliant when people can engage in a dialogue when they are coming from different directions and as long as we respect each other's right to have their own opinions, we might actually learn something. Till next time.

Ulster Open opulence

I drove up the night before and after a good night's sleep, I did not feel as drained as I felt all week. I think Jordanstown is the best competition and training venue in the country and all the lifters loved being there. There was space to move about and warm up at your leisure. That morning I had a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast with a bit of fruit. I had a little under a pint of water and weighed in around half ten at 93kg on the dot. I did not realise I would weigh that light, but I felt pretty good so I didn't mind.

In the first session the two ladies lifted very well. Byrdie got 112 and got called for a pressout with a very smooth looking 114kg. He then Clean and Jerked an impressive 147kg for a 1kg pb. Zag was treating this one as a training session and Murph hit 98/115, narrowly missing 122 in the Jerk twice. Germans hit 117/148 in the 85kg class and Alex hit 117/145. Cillian hit 90/102 and narrowly missed 106 twice. Here's how I did:

I had the luxury of time and space to warm up fully. I had a lovely twenty minute stretch followed by some mobility work and then some bar work. This was followed by a 15 minute rest. Around half an hour later I had another little stretch and got going with the bar again. I worked up to a single with 90 and realised I was warming up too quickly, so I took a break for around 8 minutes. I then went back to 80kg and then I missed 90kg despite the fact that I was feeling awesome. I then Snatched 90 and 95kg and in order to make sure I was finishing my pull, I power Snatched 100 and 105 for a new Power Snatch pb. Even though I was only 93kg, I felt very strong and almost like I was 100kg again.

In the competition I opened up with 110kg in what felt like the easiest 110 I have ever made. 114kg was then a better lift because it was faster. I then went up to 118kg and made it. I felt very strong in the Snatch, but this felt like the most I could get on the day. The catch was the type you feel on a max weight where it wobbles without pressing out. I enjoyed the lifts though and there was a great atmosphere with the rest of the lifters.

I chilled out for ten minutes and got going on the Clean and Jerk warm up. I did a bit of bar work for a few minutes and did two doubles with 70kg. I then did singles with 100, 110, 120, 130 and 135 in the warm up room. None of them felt great, but I got them all anyway. This was the most I have Cleaned in three and a half weeks and I felt a hell of a lot better than over that time period.

I opened up with 140kg which went pretty smoothly. I then went up to 145kg which felt ridiculously heavy and I was happy to get it. Because this was such a struggle--the video makes it look a lot easier than it felt--I went up to 148kg instead of the projected 150kg. Instead of following my regular routine, I psyched myself up and got far more aggressive than I usually would have. I think that because my Cleans have been so bad over the last month or so, I was lacking the confidence I would normally have. I ended up deadlifting the weight and it caught me as much in surprise as it did everyone else. Lesson learned: follow your routine, particularly when you are going heavier than you ever have before!

That was it. I really enjoyed the competition and as always, the venue and organisation was brilliant. It was great watching Byrdie and Neil Dougan hit pb's in the Clean and Jerk and five out of six was not bad for myself considering my state of affairs over the last few weeks. Have a look at the videos and leave any constructive criticisms you may have.

110

114

118

140

145

Byrdie's 147

Wednesday's war whoop

I am really enjoying only training twice this week and I know I will be far fresher on Saturday because of it. This is one of my busiest times of year in work and I am also very busy outside work, so the rest is needed for pb's to come. I had a short and sharp workout on Saturday and I followed the plan to a t. Here is what I did:

Snatch--3x3@50 1x2@70, 80 1x1@90, 99kg(85%)

Clean and Jerk--2x2@70 1x1@100, 110

Front Squat--1x2@120 1x1@130, 150

That was it. Zag had a great session also and for the first time in the last five weeks or so has strung together two decent weeks' worth of training. Have a look at the video and leave any feedback you may have.



On a side note, I will be going over to train in California Strength with Glenn Pendlay and his lifters for a week and then I will fly to Vegas to train with John Broz and his lifters for four days. It should be a fun trip. All is booked and ready to go, so bring it on! I will leave you with two hilarious videos that are funny for different reasons:

Monday's mandate

This is my download week, as I have a competition on Saturday. I had a weekend in which I was able to recover a bit from my hectic last few weeks. Good food, decent sleep and a lack of excess go a long way towards feeling better. I trained well today after a very sluggish start. It took me longer than usual to warm up properly and feel like I could lift properly. Here is what I did today:

Snatch--3x3@50 1x2@70 1x1@80, 90, 95--These got better each time I lifted.

Clean and Jerk--2x2@50 1x2@70 1x1@100, 110, 120, 127x, 132--I felt normal today for the first time in three weeks with the Clean and Jerk. With 127kg the Clean was easy and I simply did not put enough power or focus into the Jerk. I skipped to 132kg which is 88% of the 150kg that I will lift on Saturday. Aside from slow elbows, the lift felt great. When I am fatigued, my elbows tend to drop a bit and I expect that to improve over the course of the week.

Front Squat--1x2@125 1x1@140, 150--I simply worked up to a single with what I will Clean and Jerk in competition and it felt great.

Mobility squats--4x3@60 and 80kg. I am getting better at these. They are still painful and annoying, but I need to do them. Active flexibility and technical training all rolled into one.

Have a look at the video below and let me know if you have any constructive criticism. With only two days training this week and a better sleeping pattern, I should be firing on all cylinders on Saturday.

Sunny Saturday

I trained with Zag and Germans today and since the weather was so nice, we took some equipment out and trained in the sun. It was lifting in a different stimulis; there was a slight slope and this was slightly off putting, but it was well worth it. We all enjoyed our training and something differrent is always welcome. I let myself get a bit run down over the last few days and this has not happened in a long time. I am far better today than I was yesterday and another good sleep should do the trick. I will only train twice next week, so that come Saturday, I am fresh for the Ulster Open. Here is what I did today:

Snatch--4x2@60 1x2@80, 80, 90 1x1@90, 95, 100, 105x, 105--I missed the first rep to not extending fully. I got the next rep and it felt like the right weight of the day. I was happy to hit 90% in the sun, on a slope and without any stimulants depsite being very fatigued. This spells good things for next weekend. My hips shot up a bit early, but I will fix that.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60 1x1@90, 100, 110, 120, 130--I missed the Clean the first time, got it the second time and missed the Jerk. Then on the third attempt, I nailed it. The clean was pretty ugly, but I needed to hit it. 88% when I am feeling that rough is an accomplishment in my book. It was not the ideal weight I wanted to be hitting this week, but when you are given lemons, you have to make lemonade.

Concentric band squat--1x3@70, 3x3@100--Zag was doing these so I tried them for something different. They are there to work on your speed and it was nice to try something different without buring myself out.

Front Squat--1x3@70 1x1@100, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160
We went back inside for the squats but I was pretty worn out from lifting in the sun. I was happy to hit 160 and it felt like there was more weight there.

All in all, it was a great day's training. I will train twice next week and both will be light, short and sharp affairs. As David said in a comment from my last post, rest up and lift more weight!

Weekly wonders

This last few weeks has been exceedingly busy and as a result, my training has taken a bit of a hit. Not to worry though, today was a little better and I think that I have broken the downward spiral. This post is a triple header and as you will see in the video below, there are some awesome lifts from people other than myself. Saturday was a disappointing session and like last week, I was fatigued both mentally and physically this week. However, the rough sessions of this week are now over and I have two days to rest and recuperate as much as possible. Here is what I did this week:

Monday

Snatch: 3x3@40 1x2@60, 70 1x1@80, 90 for five singles

Clean and Jerk: 2x2@60 1x1@80, 90, 100, 110, 120 for four singles

Front squat: 1x3@125, 138 for three triples. My left knee was at me at this point so I left it at three triples instead of six. Aside from this, the volume increased from the previous week and even though I was not feeling too hot, I was content enough. Byrdie had a great session Snatching 110 easily and Clean and Jerking 136 like it was not there. Wayne and Germans also had good session with Wayne hitting 102/120 and Germans 120/140


Tuesday

Power Snatch: I was feeling awful at this stage and my body was not co-operating with my mind. Somehow I succeeded with a Power Snatch with 97 and then I hot 102kg to a little above parallel. I will not call it a Power Snatch, but it was as close as 100 the previous week.

Clean and Jerk: The proverbial hit the fan here and 120 felt like a criminally heavy weight. I ended up getting 125kg which was better and 130kg, but this was at the very limit of what I could lift. The Jerks felt fine, but the Cleans felt awful and I was happy to hit 130kg considering how I felt. Byrdie hit 107 in the Snatch and missed 110 and 111 a few times each and a few of them were behind and very close. He hit 142kg on his third attempt and the only reason it took three times was that he was a little tired from the previous day.

Wednesday

Snatch: 3x3@50 1x2@70 1x1@80, 90, 95, 100, 105, 108
After a length warm up, I felt far more able to achieve the correct positions and even though I was not at my quickest, I lifted far better today than the previous two days. 108 felt awful, but I was happy to hit 92.5% when this fatigued. Germans hit a 125 and 127kg Snatch from the blocks and both were gutsy and impressive lifts.

Clean and Jerk: 2x2@70 1x1@100, 110, 120
These felt great and for the first time in a week and a half, 120 felt like it should: a light weight that was easily handled.

Back Squat: 1x2@70, 110, 130, 145, 155 for six doubles. Again, an increase in volume from last week and my knees felt great which was encouraging.

All in all, the last week and a half has been trying, but I have come out the far side the better for the struggle. I will train on Saturday and go to the max of the day and then I will have a blessed download week to take me into the Ulster Open in Belfast on Saturday week. Have a look at the videos and leave any constructive criticism.

Saturday's slippery ambitions

I arrived to training in a good state of mind and after stretching dynamically for half an hour to wake myself up, I got started. The plan was to Snatch, Clean and Jerk and then Front Squat to max. This did not turn out as I would have hoped however. Halfway through my Clean and Jerks, me left knee started to hurt after I Power Cleaned 120. This meant I could not generate force through my left knee without pain. Hopefully this will be one of those phantom pains that arise every now and then because my knees have been feeling great lately. Germans Snatched 119kg and Clean and Jerked 140, just missing the 144 Jerk. I was not able to Snatch with him and I missed out because of this. Zag got 97/115 and barely missed the Jerk with 120. He has been ill and overworked for the last three weeks and his training has suffered accordingly, so he is simply getting back into the swing of things. Here is what I did:

Snatch--3x3@50 1x2@70, 80, 90 1x1@100, 105, 100xxx
It was frustrating to keep on missing 110 because the bar was high enough and I was low enough. I kept pushing it out front and one thing the videos showed me was that I was not finishing my extension fully. This may or may not have been the reason, but one positive was that I felt far better yesterday than I did on Wednesday.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@70, 70 1x1@90, 100, 110, 120--My Cleans were feeling sluggish so I power cleaned 120 and in the catch I felt something tug a bit in my left knee. I Cleaned 125kg a few minutes later, but it did not feel right, so I left the Jerk and my goal of hitting 137kg for the day.

Instead of squatting, I did a few pulls off some high blocks made up of weights and then did press triples with 50, 60, 70 and 75kg. I took a video of Sami doing his mobility squats so you can see for yourself why we do them.

Altogether, this week was frustrating in that I did not hit my targets, but I can see why. On top of being very busy outside work and training, my previous weekend drained me far more than I realised it would. I have to accept where I am rather than focus where I think I should be. Next week will be a sharper week. Have a look at the video below and leave any constructive criticism.

Wednesday's waiting list

I went training on Wednesday prepared to accept how I felt. I was supposed to Snatch heavy, Power Clean and Jerk as much as I could and then do six doubles with the Back Squat between 80 and 85%. I enjoyed training with Wayne who had his first session in ten days. Here is what I did:

Snatch--4x2@60 1x2@80 1x1@90, 95, 100, 105, 110xx--My 105 was 90% and it was my best Snatch of the day. Before this they all felt quite rough, so I decided to lift as well as I could and simply focus on getting the lift rather than style. 110 was not there on the day, but I feel far more recovered at the end of the week than I did at the start of the week, which is very unusual for me.

Power Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 60, 80 1x1@90, 100, 110, 120, 120
I was pulling the bar very high but my speed was not the Mae West, so the weight felt more awkward than it should have.

Back Squat--1x2@60, 110, 123, 133, 143, 153 (83%) for six doubles. The previous week I did 150kg which is not heavy, but I am going for gradual progress rather than simply doing as much as I can resulting in me being wrecked because I am not conditioned enough yet for that level of frequent intensity. Next week I will do 155kg. Again, the weight is not heavy, but I need to stick to the plan. As Dan John says: the goal is to keep the goal the goal. This is particularly prevalent for me as I can be wanton to try too many new things.

I did 1 hour of joint mobility and resistance flexibility on Thursday and Friday something similar except not as much. This week was a mior step back from where I wanted to be, but all in all, I am well set for my goal: to Snatch 118kg and Clean and Jerk 150kg on May 29th up in Belfast. Have a look at this video and enjoy.

Tuesday's taciturn appraisal

The full impact of the previous weekend hit me with a bang on Tuesday and considering the circumstances, I am happy with how the last two days' training has gone. Obviously sitting in a bus/ferry for 18 hours over three days is not good for, but I did not realise how fatiguing it would be for my back. Once I got over my initial disappointment and realised what was happening, I was able to view my training performance with greater clarity.

Aside from, warming up with a mixture of bar work, pre hab movements, calisthenics and dynamlic flexibility, here is what I did on Tuesday:


Power Snatch--3x3@50 1x2@70 1x1@ 80, 90, 96, 100--I caught this just above parallel and it was faster and more accurate than the previous week. At this stage, I was not feeling particularly great, but I just got on with it.

Clean and Jerk: 1x2 @ 60, 60, 90 1x1@ 110, 120, 127, 132x, 132, 136xx
It was my aim to Clean and Jerk 137 this week after getting 135 last week. My 132kg lift was a limit lift and looking back, I should have left it there. Even with the light weights I was struggling to keep any semblance of a locked back and with 132kg it felt like I was completely bowed over. With 136kg, for some reason I could not Clean the bar at all. My body refused to obey my mind. Looking back at the videos, I am really glad of this because it was an injury waiting to happen. I have a lot to thank my central nervous system for as I could not understand why I could not Clean the weight which would usually be so straight forward. I understood why this was happening and was actually happy with my 132kg because it was one of those lifts where your instinct is screaming at you not to go under the weight.

Mobility squats: 3x3@70kg 1x2@ 100
These are still very hard on my hips but for the first time I can feel some progress in the movement. Once I get better at these, I think my squatting will improve nicely as I will be able to get better leverages.

Have a look at this video and love it.

Monday's Machiavelian increase in volume

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thursday's takeover

I had another positive session today and even though I did not go quite so heavy, it was still productive. Germans was not there to spur me on, but Harry and Gillian were excellent training partners! As I will be away the next three days, like yesterday I had to change up the program a bit. Here is what I did:

Snatch--2x3@50 1x2@70, 90 1x1@95, 100, 104 xx--I was only supposed to go up to 100, but I got a little carried away. I had prepared mentally for 100 and as you will see on the video, it was fast enough.

Power Clean and Jerk--I did these instead of full Cleans because my soleus and calf muscles were sore from the last few days of lifting and squatting. I worked up with doubles with 70 and 90 and then singles with 100, 110, 115 and 120kg. They felt fast and powerful and my Jerk technique was far smoother than the last few days.

Front Squat--1x3@70, 1x2@100 1x1@120, 140, 150, 160, 165--This equalled my pb and it felt relatively comfortable. I have not gone heavy in the Front Squat in a long time so I know that pb will be smashed soon enough. More important is getting all the squatting volume in though.I must get stronger!

Have a look at the video and let me know what you think. I will have a full week to get my training in next week, so I am looking forward to setting my base standard and inching things up a little more.

Wednesday's weaponry

This turned out to be exactly the session I needed. I was lifting with Germans and we were both trying to outSnatch the other. I lost in the end, but damn it, it as fun! There was a fast tempo between attmepts and even though I was feeling sloppy at the beginning of the session, I focused on what needed to be done and turned it around. I am away this weekend on a three day tour with work, so I had to condense my week's training a little. I was supposed to only go up to 120 or so in the Clean and Jerk and then go to max on the Saturday, but since I will not be around then, I did it yesterday. Here is what I did:

I mixed in some joint mobility with bar work and dynamic felxibility.

Snatch--2x3@50 1x2@70, 90 1x1@100, 105, 110, 112 x, 112, 114 xx

I missed 112 the first time because I did not quite finish the pull, but I nailed it on the second go. I then missed 114 twice; it simply was not there on the day. Germans got the 114 and then hammered home 116kg to seal the deal.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@70, 70, 90 1x1@100,110 , 120, 125, 130, 135 xx
My Jerk was far better today and I did around 5 minutes of bar work which helped. The lifts felt great, but I missed 135 twice because my ryhthm and tempo were off a bit. I was letting the bar fall down on me in the catch and this caused me to miss the Clean. This can be easily fixed.

Back Squat--1x2@70, 100, 130, 150(83%) for six doubles.

I finished up with around 20 minutes of flexibility and a short sauna. All in all it was a good session. It was the first time I have Snatched over 110 in a regular training session and without any stimulants such as caffeine or guarana. Obviously I plan to inch up my lifts sensibly over the next two and a half weeks so that by the Ulster Open I will be raring to go. Have a look at the video and let me know if you spot anything that will help me.

Tuesday's torpedo

Yesterday's session proved to be another little stepping stone towards my world domination. It did not go as smoothly as I would have hoped, but all in all it went well. Germans--a Latvian 85kg lifter who is friends with Alex--had a whopper of a day Snatching 118 off blocks and Clean and Jerking 142kg, as well as doing his Clean Pulls with 160 in exemplorary style. He finished off with squats and 155kg on the Jerk behind the neck. Here is what I did:

Power Snatch--3x2@50 1x2@70 1x1@80, 90, 95, 100-- I caught this one just below parallel, but I was happy because it was smooth and fast. I wanted to take it again and Power it up, but the focus was on the Clean and Jerk for the day so I left it there. Here is a video of the 100. I can get a quicker turnover also, but it is a minor detail that I can fix the next day.


Clean and Jerk--1x2@70, 70, 90 1x1@110, 120, 130, 135--I missed the Jerk twice and on my third attempt I got it. I kept pushing it out front and I was not getting my usual leverages right. Harry made the point that I was messing up on my Jerk dip, so I will do some skill work with that over the next few days. 90% of what I want for the competition. I wanted to nail it first time, but I got it in the end; next time I simply need to be more accurate.

Mobility squats and flexibility--I do not squat on this day as I will be doing plenty the following sessions. The idea is to help me recover from the heavier Clean and Jerks. I felt like I needed to do more work, but for now I need to shut up and simply follow the program.

Have a look at the videos and leave any constructive criticism you may have:

Monday's mythology, weightlifting style

Today's training was a great start to my three week preparation for the Ulster Open on May 29th. Everything I needed to do got done and got done well; the session was primarily to get the ball rolling and to lead me into the heavier workouts of the week. It is a moderate weight day with the lifts and squat volume with 6 triples in the Front Squat with 80%. Tomorrow, I will Clean and Jerk heavier and on the Thursday I will Snatch heavier. Friday is an active recovery day where I will focus on getting a few more reps in and Saturday is the max for the day session. Here is what I did yesterday:

Snatch: I warmed up doing a few pulls with 60kg and I did some basic joint mobility work. I then worked up with doubles with 60, 60, 80 and then three singles with 90kg. It felt smooth and fast.

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 60, 80, 90 1x1@100, 110, 120 for two singles

Front Squat--1x3@60, 60, 100, 120, 132 for six triples which is 80% of my Front Squat max. I have not been Front Squatting a lot lately and it will take a little while to get used to them again. Obviously, this will help my Clean and Jerk nicely.

I am looking forward to going heavier in the Power Snatch and Clean and Jerk tomorrow. It should be a fun session and every time I lift over 90% the weights feel better and better. That is the object for the next three weeks. I want 118/150 and I am going to get it.

Have a look at these two videos. The first is possibly the most impressive Clean and Jerk in history. Kakhiashvili needed to Jerk this weight to win the Olympic gold after Alexyeev held him back in the Snatch because he wanted someone else to win. Kakki had to make this to win on bodyweight. The second is a video I jave shown before, but I am going to show it again just because it is awesome.

Saturday's set up

Saturday proved to be an invigorating session that will set myself and Zag up nicely for the next 3 week competitive intensity period in training. The previous day I had off, but I still did a good bit of prehab work on my shoulders and hips as well as some quality flexibility work. On the Saturday, we had a warm up session where we worked on technique and simply waking the body and mind properly. Wayne Healy and Alex were also there along with myself Zag and James Hanley. Alex is a Lativan 105 lifter who got 124/158 in running shoes last weekend and James is a brutally strong powerlifter who has excellent flexibility alongside an intelligent approach towards lifting.

In the second session I went up to 100 in the Snatch for five singles and I missed the second. It took me a good while to get into my stride, but I got there eventually. After a week of recovery and lifting pretty light, it simply took a bit of time to remind the body what it needs to do! I then went up to 120 in the Clean and Jerk for three singles and then did one with 130 because Wayne went up to it. You have to love the competitive edge! My 130 was by far my best Clean and Jerk of the day as was my last Snatch.

Myself and Zag tried Box Squats for a change after that and we are planning to do this movement once a week to help try an kick start our squats and give a new stimulis. They certainly felt different to regular squats and the change of scenery was welcomed with open arms. All that I will be doing for the next month is the classical lifts and squats and lots of them, so a nice variation that can help is always appreciated. I went up to 3 triples with 150 and after controlling the weight down, I stayed on the box for two seconds and then powered up the weight as fast as I could. They hit the legs in a different way to normal.

Have a look at the video below and lt me know what you think. There is a big month coming up for me and I want to get 118/150 in the Ulster Open on May 29th. I will get it once I prepare properly.

Thursday's terrace

This has been a busy last few days and it was perfect that this was the selected download week. After training on Sunday and doing my squats on Monday, I was left with a bit of leeway as life got in in the way this last few days. It is very rare that training is not my priority, but download week allows you to step back. I trained last night and I enjoyed the session immensely. I knew that my 3 week competition preparation was coming up which would also allow me a one week taper for the Ulster Open and everything is planned accordingly. It is a structure I feel very comfortable with and I can't wait to walk the walk.

Last night I went up to 95 in the Power Snatch and after some light Clean and Jerks which were a bit painful on my shoulder, I spent time doing some rehab work. I will train again today but treat it as a skill technique session and then Saturday will be heavier than yesterday to lead me into my 3 week comp period.

Here are two videos and it will be interesting to compare techniques and quality of lifting. I know which video I prefer watching, what about you>

Sunday's smuggled squats

I decided to try training the day after my competition on the Saturday to see how this would affect my next few days. Intensity was not that high but it was more the active recovery aspect I was looking at and getting more repititions in keep learning skill. Here is what I did:

Snatch: I did a good few sets with 40kg, 60kg and a few singles with 70kg focusing on speed, precision and also simply working out any tension I had from the previous day. I worked of 20kg plates initialy and gradually descended down to 5kg plates and then the floor. My back was a bit stiff, but that was to be expected.

Modified RDL--3x5@90kg--I did these to stimulate the back and postural muscles.

Power Clean and Press--3x3@70kg--I simply did these because I have not pressed in so long and wanted to do something different.

Back Squat--3x3@70kg for mobility and then doubles with 110, 130, 140 and 150 to finish with. These felt great and I am glad I went up 83% for a double.

I am going to squat up to 150 again today as an active recovery workout for three doubles and leave it there aside from some basic movement drills to improve my mobility. Aside from a little sleep that I need to catch up on, I feel great, so bring on the next few weeks! Here is Byrdie's 146kg Clean and Jerk which we all knew he could get. I have a funny feeling he will be nailing 150 very soon.....

National's napalm in the morning

I ended up competing well yesterday and enjoyed myself in the process. There were a good few lifters who could not make it and were missed, but everyone who came gave it their all. I ended up hitting my targets of 116/147 and had a good day at the office. Zag hit 100/128 and missed the Jerk on 135kg. Byrdie hit 110/146 and made the Jerk that eluded him in the Europeans. Cillian hit pb's also as did many other lifters. All in all, it was a great competition. Here is what I did:

I weighed in at an easy 93.3kg. I cleaned up the diet over the last few weeks and dropped around 2kg of fat, so I ended up going down to 93.3kg because I knew that if I hit my targets at that weight, I would get a 300 sinclair for the first time. After the weigh in I ended up going home for two hours to chill out--Irish competitions only have one weigh in due to small numbers-- and I came back afterwards.

I lifted in the last group and my warm up went swimmingly. After ten minutes or so, I looked across at Alex--A Latvian lifter in his first Irish competition. He wore runners when lifting!--who was just having a good time. I recognised that I was getting far too intense and then I just chilled out a bit and ended up Snatching well. Here was my warm up: 3x2@40 1x2@60 1x1@80, 90, 99, 104--I actually Power Snatched my last two warm ups because although my technique felt great, I was not finishing the pull.

My opener was with 108kg and it was fast, but hit out front a little so I had to adjust at the bottom a bit before rising. This was the first time I have ever been able to do this in a competition. I then moved onto 112kg and this felt far more in the groove and for my third attempt I went up to 116kg which I had missed in my last two competitions. This felt sweet again and it was the way I lifted, rather than the weight, that pleased me. I can feel my technique getting sharper and it was very encouraging.

For the Clean and Jerks, I warmed up with doubles with 60 and then singles with 80, 100, 115, 125 and my last warm up was with 131kg which I actually missed in the Jerk! I went out a few minutes later to an opener of 137kg and hit it pretty easily. Looking at the videos I can see my weight was not over the bar enough and that I was leaning back a little much in all the Cleans and using my back a little early. This should be easily fixable. I then went up to 143kg and 147kg for my final attempt. Like my Snatch, this was a 1kg pb and I was happy to get it because I have not been hitting many heavy Clean and Jerks lately.

I am already looking forward to the Ulster Open on May 29th and I should be hitting bigger weights as I am two weeks into my competition period of training and this will get me used to the heavier Clean and Jerks again. What I want in Ulster is 118/150. One step at a time and if it is there, I will go and get it. If not, so be it. I need to keep getting stronger and more disciplined in the mind and I should be getting the lifts that I have the potential to get. Love the journey.

I only have a few videos, so liet me know if you have any constructive criticism:

Thursday's tenor

I was determined to have a short and sharp one hour workout and that I did. I Snatched up to 90% and Front Squatted up to what I want to Clean and Jerk for two singles. I did a short and effective joint and muscle warm up and followed that with some bar work and got straight into it. I have decided to make my workouts a lot shorter by reducing my rest times and simply demanding more from myself. Here is what I did:

Snatch--1x2@50, 50, 50, 70 1x1@80, 90, 95, 100, 105

Funnily enough, what I have been working on the most: my starting position--went exactly what the way I wanted it to. However, as you will see in the video below, I was far too relaxed and that was something I was actively trying to do. I was trying to stay as relaxed as possible, but I will need to to get the back as tight as it needs to be as well as keeping the arms and traps relaxed for speed. As Murph said a few days ago: chest up, back tight, hips in. There is no need to worry about it though, because this was something I tried that did not work out. I know I can easily fix this on Saturday.

Front Squat--3x3@70 in order to do mobility squats. Consistency is the key here. It feels like I am not improving, but my body will learn eventually, I just have to make it. I can feel my joint mobility improving because I work on it every day. I need to do the same with my hips.

Have a look at the video below and let me know what you think. I am really looking forward to competing on Saturday; it is the start of my competition training period which will culminate in the end of May in the Ulster Open. Every session I contine to improve in a variety of ways and that is my main goal as an athlete and a lifelong learner. Constant and never-ending improvement is what I must have.




Most people will hve already seen this but, it is even more awesome every time you watch it. If you click on John Broz or Pat Mendes in the menu to your right, you can read about and watch he videos.

Tuesday's tingling sense of anticipation

My build up of momentum continued apace yesterday and each session is building on the last. Last week I missed 132kg twice in the Clean and I only Clean and Jerked 127. Every time I lift I am getting more used to the heavier weights again and getting sharper and more precise. As the focus was on the Clean and Jerk yesterday, I Power Snatched up to a weight that required a bit of speed without draining me.

Power Snatch--1x2@50, 50, 50, 60 1x1@70, 80, 90

Clean and Jerk--1x2@60, 60 1x1@80, 100, 110, 120, 127, 132
Each rep got a little sharper and I made sure that in my Jerk dip, my knees went out rather than forward. This kept my balance and centre of gravity where it needed to be and the bar went where it was supposed to go. My right shoulder was still at me a bit, but it was not really a problem.

Back Squat--3x3@60 working on mobility. 1x2@110 1x1@130, 140, 150, 160
Again, I worked up to a single that would stimulate my legs enough without fatiguing them. They need to be fresh for Saturday!

That was it. I crowned the session off with a little soft tissue work and a 10 minute sauna and cold shower for relaxation and recovery. I will train on Thursday where I Snatch up to 90% in as few singles as possible. I will do a bit of Jerk skill work and squat high enough to stimulate my cns without faiguing it.

Here is a video of the man who I try to model myself after as a lifter:


And here is just an awesome video:

Monday's marble topped assumptions

I had a short and compact training session on Monday and everything was done swiftly. I felt pretty good after the weekend and in better fettle than I would most Mondays. As I am just getting back to hitting weights that are around 90% or a little over, I was fresh and eager to lift.

I worked up to 95kg for two Snatches and a Power Snatch just to get a little more speed in the pull. I was supposed to work up to 115kg in the Clean and Jerk but my shoulder was pinging me in the catch portion of the Jerk so I left it at 110 which felt light and fast--which it should do! I sorted out my Jerk dip by going straight down and letting the legs go out rather than straifght forward. This kept me in balance and allowed me use my improved technique in the Jerk. I followed these with Front Squats and worked up to a double with 140kg which felt nice and smooth. I did a bit of flexibility work with Zag afterwards and that concluded the session.

As I have not had the run up to this comptition to require a taper, my approach this week will be a little different to what it would normally be, but I will talk to Harry about it and see what we come up with. Each session I lift a little better than before, both technically and power wise. I am really looking forward to competing on Saturday just for the hell of it; lift what you can and enjoy doing it.



Here is the parody Woodso made of my interviewing and training style which some of you have a chuckle over:

Saturday's simplicity

I had a nice training session on Friday where I simply Snatched up to 80kg and Front Squatted up to 140kg for a nice and easy single. This workout was as much as an active recovery workout as it was a technical one. I was actually quite stiff from the previous day's workout and subsequent stretching and soft tissue work.

Today, I had two enjoyable sessions. I did a short power up session with James for around 45 minutes which was basically a warm up and a few Snatch doubles with 60kg. We had an hour break, for a quick bite to eat and an espresso. For the second session, Byrdie, Wayne, and Killer McNamara joined us, as did a Latvian 105kg lifter Alex, who Snatched 115kg quite easily and Clean and Jerked 140 like it was not there. It ended up being a productive session for everyone. I was able to up the intensity a little bit again as was Killer and James; Byrdie and Wayne were able to get the volume in that they needed. Here is what I did:

Snatch--1x2@40, 40, 60, 80, 90 1x1@95, 100, 105, 110--I missed this the first time and got it on the second attempt. It felt like my max on the day, so I knew to leave it there. I only have the miss on video and it felt like I swung back on it a bit rather than extended up. The video below shows this, but not the 110 attempt I made!

Clean and Jerk--I was feeling sharp with these and worked up to singles with 100, 110, 120, 125 and 130. Each lift felt sharper and I was feeling more like myself and getting used to lifting 90% weights again. I got up to 135kg and Cleaned it twice and missed the Jerk twice. This was very surprising as it did not feel particularly heavy; it felt like I was messing up my Jerk dip; that I was off balance and thus not putting my full power into the Jerks. Looking at the videos, it seems that my knees were not going out, but rather too far forward which almost had me leaning back as I was trying to get my back locked. This can be very easily fixed, so I am not worried.

Back Squat--I had to hurry with these due to life getting in the way of training, so I worked up to an easy double with 150 in the Back Squat and left it there.

I have Nationals this time next week. My training cycle was been disrupted due to my training camp in Amsterdam and change in grip and me being an idiot when I did the Russian squat cycle and tried to Snatch to max so that I was completely burnt out. However, I consider myself a platform lifter and I always lift better in competitions so I feel I can and should get small pr's in both lifts. I have the strength and technique to get 120/150 so I need to get used to lifting maximum weights now that I have been working on my technique for the last while. Bring it on! Have a look at the video and leave any constructive criticism you may have.

Thursday's turnpike

I had my first great session in a while today. Harry sent me an email that helped focus my perspective and it really helped today. I prepared far better mentally for the session and left all else behind once I hit the platform. I always do this when I have my best sessions: I simply shut up and perform; I focus on what is in front of me and leave the emotions and other distractions outside.

I need to get used to lifting heavier weights again, so today was a bridge to what will be a heavier session on Saturday. I worked up to 100 kg in the Snatch and really focused on speed and eliminating any thoughts of technique from my mind. Of course this helped my technique. So much discipline is needed to take the mind out of the equation and let the body learn and demonstrate how it can accomplish a task on its own, without interference from the intellect. Here is what I did:

Snatch bar work and then for my first few sets I did my Snatches from 15kg plates, then 10kg plates and then the floor in descending order.

Snatch--1x2@40, 40, 40, 60, 70 1x1@80, 90, 90, 95, 100, 100, 100
I really focused on moving as fast as I can. This meant I was cutting the pull a bit short, but otherwise they felt great and my back was nicely locked also.

Cleans--1x2@60, 60, 80, 100 1x1@110, 117, 122, 122, 122--Again I worked on my speed under the bar. I need to get used to the timing on plus 110 weights again because at the moment I am letting the bar crash down on me a bit which stops my catch being as fluid as I can make it. The weight felt great though.

Back Squat--I did three triples with 70kg to work on my hip mobility and then I did doubles with 110, 130, 140 and three doubles with 150kg. They felt nice and smooth and technically precise. I finished off with a little soft tissue work and a short sauna followed by a cold shower. Have a look at the video below and let me know of any constructive criticism.



As a little bonus I am also putting up the second part of my interview with Tom, so hopefully you will find it thought provoking.

A week's worth of training

I have been back from Amsterdam over a week now. I came back on the Monday morning and trained on the Tuesday and Wednesday. My hip was at me a bit from all the flexibility I have been doing so I left out training on Thursday and did some soft tissue work instead. I spent the time working on my first pull and adjusting to my new technique. On the Monday I was Power Snatching up to 88kg for a few reps and Clean and Jerked up to 120. On the Tuesday, I Snatched up to 90 for a few singles and Power Cleaned and Jerked up to 110 for a few singles also. I squatted all the time as well as worked on my mobility squats. I did not go heavy at all last week and simply tried to adjust to the work I did the previous week.

On Monday night, I Snatched up to 97kg for a three singles and Power Cleaned and Jerked 115 for three singles. I missed a few Snatches which was surprising. I was not putting enough finish in my pull and I was lacking in the speed department. Four days on holiday has left me a little too relaxed I think. I Back Squatted up to 150 for three doubles to finish with.

Last night, I Power Snatched up 93kg. 90 was fast and sharp, but after that I felt sluggish and got 93, but then missed it. I Clean adn Jerked up to 127 and then missed 132 twice which would be very rare for me. I was not getting the start of my pull sorted and this negatively affected how I finished the pull and this meant that I was not catching the bar. Very strange, but it has been a while since I have Clean and Jerked over 115 and 120, so I will have to accept it. I have no doubt that I will get used to the weights very quickly again, but it is a little gut check all the same. I am glad I spent time working on my technique, so now I need to get used to lifting some weight pretty quickly so that I can lift something decent in Seniors next weekend. I finished up with a light double on 140 in the Back squat and spent time stretching and doing some soft tissue work.

Here is part one of an interview with Tom Bruijnen, the Dutch coach I spent time with over in Amsterdam:

Sunday's star turn

I have been away for the last few days, hence the lack of updates. I am editing the interview I took with Tom on the last day and also one I took with Sander.

On the last day of the training camp we worked mainly on the Clean and Tom also showed us a variety of active and dynamic warm ups designed to warm up the whole body. We began working on the first pull in the Clean. True to form, Tom had us over-exaggerate a little and had me start my hips a little higher than usual. He also got me to relax my arms and generally relax into the position more while locking up the back. This felt pretty comfortable and I am looking forward to practicing this with heavier weights. Keeping the arms more relaxed will also help emphasise the finish of the pull, and therefore the speed and fluidity of the catch.

We then worked on the process of shrugging an empty bar up and whipping the elbows around in the catch. This was an interesting exercise and I found it quite helpful. I already knew this, but was failing the apply the principle that the stronger your finish is, the stronger and more centred your catch will be. We then proceeded to work on this principle with some Power Cleans where I tried to combine a fast hip extension and a shrug. This is always tricky, particularly when you are working on more than one technical point. I can't really focus on more than one point, so the ego needs to be taken out and the mind focused on one coaching cue.

We did more work on the Back Squat technique and again, I found this very tough on my hips and back. I have worked on this for the last week and it is hard, but you have to get to the point where your back is locked and allow the weight get you down a bit farther. It is very demanding because it is my instinct to load up the bar and lift as heavy as I can, but there is a time for that and there is a time for working on your technique. I need to work on both.

Sander showed up to train during the session and he showed us some more soft tissue techniques that are immediately applicable. Here is a link to one of the main influences on his approach to flexibility. Here is another link to an interesting style of soft tissue work that I have found helpful in the past and both Sander and Tom showed me a few different ways to apply the system. I have bought the manual from the website and will learn how to apply it better.

I am currently making the twp part video of Tom's interview as well as an interview with Sander who demonstrates his methods on Zag.

Saturday's snapper

Tom hosted an informal controlled competition in his gym Sportsquest on Saturday. It turned out to be great fun and Zag got a beutiful 3 kg pb with 105kg in the Snatch. I was not in the same mode and was actually quite stiff from all the soft tissue work on the Friday. I felt good, but lacked that bit of pop needed to Snatch a new pb.

As you will see in the video below, I have videos of everyone except for Ryan Shinn. Zag lifted extremely well and his obvious improvements in the catch position of the lift were obvious. He had geared himself up for this all week and as you will see in the video, there is more to come. I only Snatched my opener of 108kg and missed 113kg twice. The finish and the speed were not there and I felt very disappointed. My postural muscles and upper back and shoulders were pretty stiff and I did not display the improved first pull I had worked on. Loking back on it now I can see why this happened, but at the time I allowed my disappointment to affect my Clean and Jerks and again, I only lifted my opener of 130kg which is usually a solid Power Clean and Jerk. I was pretty tired and let my expectations get in the way of simply going with the flow and emjoying the moment. I will learn from the experience though.

I have included a short interview with a Dutch weightlifting legend towards the end on the video and he lifted some serious numbers back in the day. He is 48 years old and after 4 months back training after a number of years off, he is an animal! Have a look at the video below and leave any constructive criticism you think may help.

Friday's fanclub

This turned out to be an incredibly interesting day for Zag and myself. I got a much better look at Tom's teaching style--and I say teaching, not coaching--and how he progressed the demands placed on both of us. Another amazing experience was being helped by a trainer, Sander Beenders. He is a soft tissue, flexibility and movement expert and he really helped both myself and Sami out. He patiently explained his ideas and applied some of them on us as well as showing us how to stretch each other properly. Here is a link to his mentor and flexibility philosophy. There are several other tricks up his sleeve, so I had a quick interview with him and will put this up over the next week.

For the first workout on the Friday, we worked on the Snatch and the Front Squat. As Murph correctly pointed out, on the video from Thursday's session I was too far behind the bar and I was also too low. Tom deliberately had me over-exaggerate these movements so that I could get the feel of a locked back with all the correct muscles activated. On the Friday, he had me apply the same principles but he got me to put my hips far higher and get over the bar far more. This was the teaching progression and although it was frustrating at first, it worked because I was able to Snatch 100kg with my hips high and back locked. It felt very different to anything I had ever done before, but when I came over to him last June for the first time, I would not have been physically ready for this position.

When we Front Squatted afterwards, he had me change my technique slightly in that I am not quite as vertical and my stance is wider. These squats murder my hips but they are a form of active and dynamic flexibility, which is a good thing! Zag was shown a exercise to help improve his Snatch recieving position that is very similar to one shown to Cathal Byrd when he was in the Ukraine training and it is in the video below. Neither of our upper backs or shoulder girdles are strong or flexible enough.

In the second session, we Snatched again but I only worked up to 80 and Zag up to 70. I Clean and Jerked up to 110kg for two singles and then we worked on our Back Squat technique which again was very uncomfortable, but effective. The idea was to open up the hips to allow the Back to stay locked and get the legs to do the work rather than the back. This mobility will greatly enhance our positioning in the Classical lifts and purposely going wider like this is fantanstic for improving my hip tragedy. The video below shows what I am talking about.

Tom's teaching style is to over-emphasise the aspects he wants to change so that when it comes to implementing them, there is a realistic balance between the new approach and what you have worked on before. I came to realise over the days that there was a clear progression from how he was coaching me from June last year to this last week and the progression was based on my improved technique, strength and physical condition.

At the end of the second session, Sander came into the gym and after every stretch I did 3 Overhead squats in bare feet and the progression in my positioning was staggering as well as the effect the work had on opening up my shoulder girdle, hips, upper back and chest. As soon as I can, I will post the interview with him which also has him working on Zag's shoulders.

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

Thursday's tenacity

We only trained once again today and although it was frustrating working on weaknesses, that is why myself and Zag came here. The focus was on the first pull in the Snatch while yesterday it was on the catch portion of the lift. Tom had me start from the top of the first pull going down and we started off using 25kg bumper plates to raise the height. Within twenty minutes I was able to get down to the floor and get pretty well locked in from the bottom.

The main coaching queues were really forcibly getting the knees out in the bottom; focusing on gettting the scapula down and back, rather than just back which in turn got the chest out; elbows brought back around clockwise to open up the chest and lock up the upper back and the chin tucked in rather than jutting out. Obviously focusing on all these actions and tensing the appropriate muscles was tiring, but if it is turned into a habit and I get more efficient and mobile in those areas, all will be good. I worked up to a few Power Snatches with 80kg.

We also worked on the Power Clean and Power Jerk and the focus points were keeping the back locked a lot more than I had previously and to maintain that back lock in the catch. The principles seem to be the same throughout the lifts and I found this helpful. I worked up to 3 singles with 110 and then went on to his modified RDL exercise that is a great back exercise for me. I find it good for muscle education and also strength in the lower lumbar area. We did a lot of soft tissue work on the upper back and shoulders that we both found very helpful also.

David mentioned a valid point the other day when he commented that the weights we were lifting were too light and that we were doing too much functional work. Firstly, the weights were very light, but I think when you are trying to learn a new skill and also trying to get your body to function in a manner that it never has before, throwing too much weight on is not a good idea. Fatigue is not conducive to learning and what I am focusing on is learning skill for weightlifting technique and I am also trying to teach my body how to move in ways that it is capable of, but it still has to be learnt. When it is time to cement that learning with volume and intensity, then I will go hell for leather and I will enjoy the process.

Secondly, the reason why we do the functional training is for long term physical health. I will be weightlifting 2 years in May and I find that my physical condition is improving all the time. This is because of the time I spend improving my mobility, flexibility, diet and soft tissue health. There are weightlifters I know and their body is a mess. I do not want this. I love weightlifting and I love training. I think that weightlifting should improve one's health, not break down the body and it is my opinion that spending time working on the above factors is necessary for me in order to improve my body's ability to function and in turn, allow the body to lift with the technique that I know I am capable of. I will not compromise my long term health. Have a look at the video below and let me know what you think.

Wednesday’s wanderlust

Myself and Zag flew over mid-afternoon to Amsterdam and as usually happens when travelling, had far less time than we imagined to get ready for training. It felt great to be back in the Sportquest gym, and although I could feel the three flights in two days in my bones, I was happy.

We started off with an assessment of our quality of movement. We went on to work on some Overhead Squatting but in between we did various soft tissue release work focusing on our shoulders and pecs as well as some dynamic warm up movements such as a jumping squat and lunge movement. Tom then asked us to perform close grip (hand to hand) overhead squats. It’s a exercise/movement that he uses to analyse how mobile his lifters are from time to time. His lifter Safak had an extremely hyper-mobile back & shoulder girdle. Myself and Zag obviously need some work in this area.

We then went on to the Hang Snatch so that we could work on our catch. The main coaching point was to keep the back locked throughout the pull and the catch. Neither myself or Zag were doing this properly; both us of had the habit of keeping it relatively tight throughout the pull, relaxing on the way down and then locking it again. We also both have the habit of jutting our chin out throughout the pull and the catch and this causes the body to be out of line and also makes the catch harder. He was telling me in particular, to adjust the chin at the bottom of each rep so that it becomes automatic. I worked up to four doubles with 90 and Zag worked up to four singles with 80.

The Hang Power Clean and Squat Jerk were next. Again, neither of us were used to the Hang Power Clean and we had never performed the Squat Jerk before. One thing the latter movement is really excellent for is keeping the back tight throughout the catch. Any time I relaxed my back and shoulders at all, the barbell fell to the floor. After 15 minutes of this movement where I worked up to a few singles with 90, my basic movement skills and co-ordination were shot. The workout was pretty late and the travelling had both of us in a slightly altered state.

The last two things we did were an exercise that is like a Good Morning Lunge for a few very light sets and abdominal routine. Tom did some soft tissue work at the end where he rinsed out all around my hip area and my adductors—which are slightly bruised today!—and my hips felt the looser for it. I think it will take another day or two until I am at my sharpest, but we are both really glad we came over as there is a lot to try and learn in five days. Have a look at the video and let me know what you think.