Friday Solo Day

As many pushups as possible in 3 min: 89 (full range of motion). Goal was 100+

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
135 x 1
185 x 1 - slight press
185 x 1
185 x 1

Dumbbell Presses - 4 sets at 80lbs
Cable Crossovers - 4 sets

2 mile run - Nice, easy pace. First time going out for a run in 6 months. Felt great getting outside.

Laces to bar - 3 x 10

Tonight I am going to build a Bulgarian sandbag (to go along with my slosh pipe).

Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Team Metcon

Snatch
135 x 1
145 x 1
155 - Failed 3 times
160 - Failed 3 times

I can feel what I'm doing wrong on the snatch...the bar is swinging away from my body, and I'm still lacking that "punch" in the third pull. I can OH squat 160lbs 9 times, but can't snatch it once! I'll keep at it.

Clean & Jerk
160 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1

Team Metcon:
Teams of two, where only 1 person can be working at once, complete:
100 wall balls
100 burpees
1000m row
100 box jumps (24")
1 mile run

Joel and I lost to Andy and Adam by about 2 minutes.

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
145 x 1
155 - Failed 3x
155 x 1 - Tied my PR!
160 - Failed 3x

SOOOO close to that bodyweight (160lb) snatch! I can OH squat 160lbs 9 times, but I can't snatch it. Frustrating, but I'll of course keep at it. I'm still not punching the bar aggressively enough in that third pull. Garth said he'd try to come in tomorrow and give me some pointers, so I'll plan to try again tomorrow.

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1 - slight press on top

Played 25 minutes of 2 on 2 full court basketball. Awesome cardio. Will do Ab Ripper X and 6 minutes of planks tonight.

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
140 x 1
145 x 1
150 - Failed
150 x 1
155 - Failed 8 times (this would have tied my PR)

My first movement on the snatch is still my butt coming straight up - that was one of the things I was working on today. The other was that "punch" to lock my arms out at the top. My goal was to get 160lbs (bodyweight), which would have been a PR. I was only going to get there, though, by making 5lb jumps and only allowing myself to move up if I got the previous weight. Couldn't get the 155 today, so never had a chance to try 160. I'll keep at it!!

Clean & Jerk
155 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
185 - squat cleaned it, failed on the jerk
185 x 1

Laces to bar: 3x10

Pull-up bar muscle ups: 5
By getting in a good swing, I was able to do 5 muscle ups on the pullup bar. Just having fun.

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch - Spent time with just 135lbs today, paying close attention to the "feel" of each one
Did 135lbs 12 times this morning. Got it 8 times, missed it 4 times.

Clean & Jerk:
135 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1

Pullup Pyramid:
2x: 1x2x3x4

Sprints:
7x: Down the basketball court and back

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
140 - Failed
140 - Failed
140 x 1
145 x 1
150 - Failed
150 x 1
155 x 1 - Tied PR!
160 - Failed four times

Things to remember on the snatch:

(1) Approach the bar calm and relaxed. As Gattone says, "Like a ninja". Need to harness that energy into the explosiveness of the movement.
(2) PUNCH that bar when I've pulled myself under for the 3rd pull. Felt great tying my PR today at 155lbs. Really wanted 160lbs...will keep working towards that!

Clean & Jerk
160 x 1
160 x 1
160 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1 Pressed it out on top
185 x 1

Laces to bar: 3 sets of 10 reps

Clean & Jerk, Snatch, Incline Bench Press, Pullups, Sprints

Clean & Jerk
135 x 2
185 x 1 - pressed out on top
195 x 1 - pressed out on top
195 x 1 - slight press out on top
195 x 1 - slight press out on top
195 x 1 - NO press

Snatch
95 x 2 - hanging power snatch to warm up
135 x 1
135 x 1 - stepped forward
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1 - stepped forward

Got all six snatches at 135lbs without a miss. Good, slightly challenging weight for me (87% of my 1RM).

Incline Bench Press
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 4
185 x 3

Pullup Pyramid:
4x: 1x2x3x4 (4o pullups total)

7 minutes of sprinting

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
125 x 1
135 x 1
140 - Failed
140 x 1
145 x 1
150 - Failed
150 - Failed
150 - Failed
150 x 1
155 - Failed
155 - Failed

Took Pat and Tom's advice and just made 5lb jumps. This was good advice from them, I liked these smaller jumps, and not 'allowing' myself to go up until I hit the lower weight. Got 150lbs today (155 is my PR). Will snatch again tomorrow and see if I can get 155, and maybe even 160. Still not "punching" that bar aggressively enough - getting under it just fine, just not standing up with it.

Clean & Jerk
165 x 1
165 x 1
185 x 1 - Slight press at the top
185 x 1 - No press

Pullups: 10-10-8-6

Assorted ab exercises

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
145 x 1
160lbs - Failed 12 times

My PR on the snatch is 155lbs (set last week). I REALLY wanted to hit 160lbs today, which is my bodyweight. I was close a number of times today, once even holding the bar steady overhead in a full squat snatch, but didn't stand it up. I could feel what I was doing wrong...I just wasn't aggressive enough in that third pull, and wasn't completing the second pull. I was so close to getting 160 today. I probably should have stopped after a few attempts and not gone for it 12 times, but I REALLY wanted it! I'm confident I will hit 160lbs next week.

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
185 x 1 - no press
185 x 1 - no press
205 - pressed it out
210 - got the squat clean, couldn't jerk it

Pullup Pyramid
4x: 1x2x3x4

Played catch for 15 minutes with the 20lb Dynamex ball

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
Missed 3 at 135lbs
Got 3 in a row at 135lbs

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
185 x 1 x 4 - No press on any of them

Pullup Pyramid:
4x: 1x2x3x4

Planks
2x: 1m front, 1m left, 1m right

Post-workout:
36g whey protein
15g L-Glutamine
5g Glycine
1.5g Vitamin C
3.8g EPA/DHA fish oil

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 3 x F (Failed three times at 135lbs)
135 x 1 x 4 (Got four singles in a row at 135lbs)
145 x 1 - Tied PR
155 x 3 x F (Failed three times at 155lbs)
155 x 1 - NEW PR! (70kg)

On 1/21 I set a PR at 145lbs on the snatch. Today, with Garth's cues, I got 155lbs, a new PR by 10lbs! Very exciting. My 175lb snatch goal for 2010 is definitely within reach. I'm loving this OLY lifting!

Clean & Jerk
155 x 1
185 x 1 x 4 (Four singles at 185lbs). All four had a slight press on the top.

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk
135 x 2
155 x 1
185 x 1 - slight press
195 x 1 - slight press
210 - Got the clean, failed on the jerk. PR for me on the squat clean, that part felt great.

Snatch
135 x 1 x 4 x F - Failed four times in a row!
135 x 1 x 5: Got aggressive and got five in a row at 135lbs unbroken

Four rounds of pullup pyramid: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total)

Planks, 2x: 1m front, 1m left, 1m right

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk
135 x 2
185 x 1 - slight press
185 x 1 - no press*
185 x 1 - no press*
185 x 1 - no press*
185 x 1 - press

Snatch
135 x 1 x 5*

*Big breakthrough day today for me. Today was the first time I got three straight clean & jerks at 185lbs without a press at the top. I also snatched 135lbs for a single five times straight without a single miss. And both the c&j and snatch didn't feel as heavy as it has in the past. I think I'm learning the movements better (ie becoming more efficient at them), getting more confidence, building strength, and teaching my body to fire more fibers during the lift. I love this OLY lifting!!

Four rounds of pullup pyramid: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total in about 5 minutes)

30 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill (3.8mph, 6% incline)

Today is Day 2 of my 30 day "Beef and Water Experiment". Yesterday was no problem at all!

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch:
125 x 2
135 x 1
135 x 2
135 x 1
135 - Failed (rushed the 3rd pull, lost it forward)
135 x 1

Clean & Jerk:
155 x 1
185 x 1 - slight press
185 x 1 - blatant press
185 x 1 - no press at all
185 x 1 - slight press (same as 1st one)

Pullup Pyramid:
4x: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total)

3 sets of 10 reps of laces to bar (like knees to elbows, but instead brought front of foot, aka 'laces', to the bar).

Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Pullups

Snatch
125 x 1
135 - Failed (lost it forward)
135 - Failed (lost it forward)
135 x 1
145 - Failed (bar didn't travel high enough to get under)
145 - Failed (bar didn't travel high enough to get under)
145 x 1 - PR! Remembered Coach Zach's cue to be AGGRESSIVE and got it in a full squat

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
155 x 1
185 x 1 (pressed it out on top, just not aggressive enough in the jerk)
185 - Failed (My elbow touched my knee. This was a first for me; I was clearly fatigued and didn't get my elbows through fast and high enough)
135 x 3

Pullups:
4 pyramids of 1x2x3x4: Pat's advice of four pyramids worked! Did 40 pullups in the same amount of time that I was doing 30-32 before.

30" Box Jump Pyramid: 1x2x3x4x5x6x7x8x9x10

Clean & Jerk, Snatch, Pullups & Tabata Pushups/Situps

Clean & Jerk
185 x 1 - Pressed it out
185 x 1 - Pressed it out
185 x 1 - No press, much more aggressive on the jerk
135 x 3

Snatch
115 x 2
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 - Failed
135 - Failed

Deadhang Pullups
13
9
7

Tabata Pushups & Situps
Dave Eagle: 85 pushups + 77 situps = 162 (159 on 12/29)
Adam Oldenburg: 66 pushups + 74 situps = 140 (103 on 12/29)
Andy Heikes: 56 pushups + 86 situps = 142 total (first time)
Joel Santos: 20 pushups + 59 situps = 79 total (first time)

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk:
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
195 - Failed
195 - Failed

Lack the leg strength to get out of the hole on the cleans at 195. I'm able to shoot my elbows through and get under the bar, but I can't stand up out of the hole with 195.

Snatch:
135 x 1
135 - Failed: Pat talks about liking the OLY lifts for many reasons: strength, power, speed, accuracy, agility, coordination, balance and FOCUS (what Pat calls "Real Mental Toughness"). I wasn't focused, and I dropped it. Simple as that. So I got focused and went for it again:
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1

Got all three after getting my head focused. Plus Tom and Garth were watching me, so I couldn't mess it up!

Dead hang pullups:
14
9
6

Ab Ripper X

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Today we welcome our 8th and newest member to the crew, Joel Santos! Welcome, Joel.

Snatch:
Got 135 for four and 140 for four in the last two weeks, so moved onto 145lbs today. Failed on all four. Will take it back down and keep drilling technique. Looking forward to learning more at Gattone's place on Thursday night.

Clean & Jerk:
185 x 1 (press at the top)
185 x 1 (very slight press with left arm)
185 x 1 -- No press, aggressively got under it

Tabata deadlifts and burpees:

Dave Eagle: 185lbs, 101 total reps
Adam: 135lbs, about the same # of reps as Eagle
Dave G: 135lbs, 99 reps
Andy: 135lbs, 80 reps
Joel: 75lbs, 82 reps

Tomorrow's workout: Front Squat, Clean Deadlift, Snatch Push Press

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch:
135 - Failed - wasn't aggressive enough and dropped it in the hole
135
135
135

Clean & Jerk:
185 - pressed it at the top
185 - couldn't complete the clean, realized how drained I was from the last three days of training
155 x 3 x 1 (155 three times in a row, just practicing technique and explosiveness)

Dead Hang Pullups: 3x max reps
14
10
8

Knees to elbows, three sets of 10 reps

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk -- Work up to a heavy single, then 85% x 1 x 3
155
185
205 - Failed. Got the full squat clean (PR) but dropped it in the jerk. Wasn't aggressive enough.
175
175
175

Snatch -- Goal was to continue with Pat's advice to get four unbroken, going up 5lbs each week. Was successful at 135 x 4 at Garth's house on 1/1, so went for 140 today - was successful at this today. 140 (63kg) is a PR with perfect form. Caught all in a full squat. At the OLY meet on 12/12 I got 65kg, but that was a power snatch and I had a press in it. Today were all full squat snatches with no press.

140 x 1 x 4

Pullups: 3x max reps
20, 14, 12

2x: 1min front, 1min left, 1min right side planks