Luke 8-29-11 Squat

woke up at 6:30 today, worked 9.5 hours, and I have the same schedule tomorrow. shoulder is still hurting, but in a new way. I'm not sure if I should try to bench 230 x 2 on bench day and then go for a 240 max the following week or just go for 235 x 1 on bench day. maybe I should skip it, but I want to hit a new PR single. This week is gonna suck.

Squats

new warmups

45 x 10

135 x 7

225 x 3

275 x 2 (add belt and wraps)

325 x 5 @ 8+

355 x 5 @ 9+

375 x 5 @ 10 (5 pound PR) The 2nd rep was way below parallel and felt hard, the ones after were border line depth

Zercher Squats

185 x 6

225 x 6 x 2 tired

I hate it when these roll into my stomach, it feels like getting punched.

Pin Squats

I wasn't about to reset the pins again and reload the weight back up to 405. Next time I'll do them right after normal squats.

Abs and stretching and foam rolling

Luke 7-2-11 Press

Push Press

105 x 5 @ 7

125 x 5 @ 9

135 x 5 @ 9+

145 x 4 @ 10- lost balance at top and was afraid to do 5th

135 x 5 @ 9+

My shoulder was hurting during these kinda. I started from a hang clean and pushed from an elbows up position like how Ross does kinda. It helps to get the push started and felt better on my left shoulder.

Dumbbell Row

120 x 8 x 3 per arm with straps

Dumbbell Bench

60's x 8

65's x 8 x 2

left shoulder still hurt

Pull Ups / Dips superset

this felt awful. I was so tired I got about 10 of each per set. this superset is always hard for me, and this time I felt sick after

Abs

Squat

Band-lightened squats (purples)

335 x 2

345 x 2

355 x 2

Terence's advice on wrapping my thumbs around the bar and pulling it apart seem to be helping to prevent the bar rolling on my back. Hopefully I can do this with no problems with my heavy squats at the meet.

Power cleans

155 x 2

165 x 2

175 x 2

Lunges

135 x 10 per leg

145 x 10

Left side of my hip started feeling a dull pain after the first set, and it got worse after the second set. I'm still limping slightly when I walk right now. I'm pretty sure this is just a result of squatting twice a week for 7 weeks straight now. I looked back at my training log and apparently my last deload was right after the February meet, which means I've trained for 17 weeks straight. Next week off is much needed as I'm clearly starting to feel beat up. Hopefully I'll be good to go for one last heavy squat session on Thursday though.

Standing abs

2 sets

Deadlift

Deadlift:
571 x 1
605 x 1

My deep lower back is fahked. Squatting feels fine, but starting the pull feels like murder on it. Foam-roller + Vitamin-I does nothing. I need to go see a PT about this for real to fix whatever's messed up down there before Nationals.

Cleans:
181 x 1
201 x f + 1

No lower-back = no explosion off floor. Bagged it early because I couldn't move fast have personal problems.

Pause Squat:
315 x 3 @ 3
335 x 3 @ 3
365 x 3 @ 3

No pain here. I've been trying to bury these to increase flexibility and hip strength. Feels good so far.

Tried to do rainbow dragonfly ponies for abs, but lots of back pain, so i switched to cable abs, which only had some back pain.

4-21-10 I quit bench

November 2, 2009 Bench Max: 205

December 7, 2009 Bench Max: 210

February 6, 2010 at meet Benched 209.25

April 21, 2010 Bench Max: failed at 220, probably had 210 in me

I'm sick of bench. Old max before powerlifting was 215. It was touch n go so I decided today I would try to hit a new touch n go max. I went for 220 and failed. My elbowed then started hurting really bad. I couldn't do any pressing exercises and even just standing I felt pain in my elbows. I've gained 10 pounds and have only seen about 5 pound bench increase. It's very frustrating. I should probably take some time off to let my elbow recover. I don't know what to do to improve my bench. I always fail at the point, about 4 inches off the chest, right around a 3 board height. Once my elbows break the plane of my chest I can lock out about 275. Whatever, at least my squat has improved.

Bench

220 x fail

Incline Press

115 x fail

Machine Flyes

205 x 10

220 x 8

235 x 8

Lat Pullovers Machine

3 plates x 10

4 plates x 10

5 plates x 10

Weigh in: 154 lbs

Then I went with Scott to Drake Stadium

Mile: 5:34

Not too bad a time considering my PR is around 5:19 and I weighed 20 pounds less at the time, and I've have practically no running training since high school.

By the way fuck bench

RE Squat + ME PAIN

Squat:
405 x 5 x 5 @ ???
PAIN @ 11

My right femur started aching from my knee to 6" above it. This was pretty distracting for the first set, but felt slightly better on the second. However, then the pain racheted up quite a bit and each rep was very hard mentally. After the sets I hobbled around and got an ice pack from the front desk. Nearest I can tell, I irritated some tendon/ligament deep in my quad. Until the ice/vitamin-I kicked in, I thought I might pass out.

Skipped pause squats and cleans.

Finished with ab wheel.

Bench

Bench (paused)
165 x 5
175 x 2+1(spotter touched the bar on the last rep so I didn't count it)
175 x 3
190 x 1
-on the sets of more than 1 rep I seem to be explosive off the chest on the first rep but there's a huge decrease in speed on the later reps

Floor press
185 x 3, 3, 3, 3
-Since I was alone I did these instead of foam presses but it was probably a bad idea because they made my elbows hurt pretty badly

Incline press
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 3+1fail

Did a set of dumbbell presses but my elbows hurt too much so I just finished with flyes
145 x 12
160 x 10, 8

Squat (Bleh)

Last saturday, i tried to deadlift, but my back felt so nasty, i couldn't get 405 off the floor... So today I decided to squat :D

Squat:
315 x 8
365 x 5
405 x 3
335 x 8
385 x 5
425 x 2

This rep scheme was according to plan, but the weights were lighter than I would have liked. Around my 225 warm-up set, I could tell my back was not 100%. At 315, I could tell it was around 60%... It hurt so bad on the 425, I had to have someone help me unrack the bar. Squatting felt ok, but putting direct pressure on it felt nasty.

Box Squat

225 x 1

Terrence kept suggesting that I stop. After 1 rep on box squatting, I agreed. At this point it hurt to move and even to undo the belt. After a few minutes I could walk without pain though. That's good, right?

Leg Extensions:
stack x 20
stack x 17
stack x 23
stack x 15
stack x 10
stack x 7

Finished with some ab wheel.

Off to the doctor tomorrow to get this business checked out.

1-31, 2-2

Power snatch 75/3 x 3
Snatch 85/2 90/1, 95/1, 100/1 105/1 110 - missed 3 times

Got up to my best competition lift with no real rest so I feel pretty good. 110 was pretty close

Sn. Pull. Bel. Kn 100/3 105/3 110/3
Drop Sn. 70/2 80/2 90/2
Good Morning 110, 110, 120
B. Squat 107/3 125/3 165/3 x 3, 165/2+fail

After this I worked on pulls and snatches with Mike for technique and flexibility. I can get into the proper deep squat snatch when the weight forces me into it and I still can't quite get into a proper snatch or clean starting position due to adductor/hamstring inflexibility (mostly adductor). When the weight forces me into the right position, though, I basically end up pulling my groin, making it nearly impossible for me to squat and even do pulls for several days, which hampered my next workout. I emailed Mike Burgener about it and he forwarded it to a physical therapist. I attached what she said at the end.


Power clean 85/5 100/1+1 x 4
Power clean and jerk 105/2+2 x 2
Jerk (couldn't do cleans because my groin was so sore) 117/1 x 3 120/1 x 2
Cl Pull Bel Kn. 120/3 x 2 132/2 couldn't do more because groin hurt like a bitch
BTN Press 60 - 3,2,1
The only redeeming quality of this workout is that I pressed 60kg again and thus felt like less of a pussy. I guess it's good taht I jerked 120 without any problems either.

Here's what the PT said:
Jacob,
I would recommend that you seriously work on light, and then progressively heavier OH squats and snatch g DLs with perfect position. You need to be able to sit, bodyweight first, in that good bottom position; and then you need to be able to move into and out of it--with progressively heavier weight, and then at more dynamic speeds. If you continue just to let the weight crush you into that position, you could really do a number on your adductors. Which is what sounds like is starting to happen.You also need to make sure you are squatting with the same good, low technique that is required in your snatches. Need to create mobility in the groin, hammies and maybe hip flexors and quads--hard to tell from here. Lots of leg swings, some lateral and forward lunges, maybe some roational work in standing, combined with lots of bodyweight sits in that good position. I would have Coach B watch your squatting and pulling positions and see how they jive with your bottom positions in the snatch. Also let him know what assistance work you are doing and what kind of warmup prep you are doing. Sounds like you might need to do more. You can also drill with power snatches and ride it down and up, with perfect form--work from bottom up with pain-free pulls, DLs and OHS and then from top down with catching snatches high and riding them down. I'd let those adductors become pain free and not worry so much about max snatch weight. The hips need mobility and strength in that range if you are going to full snatch. Just might have to take it a little more slowly and let your body accomodate to the movement.That help?

So my question is, how do I get more flexible and not lose any strength? I've done stuff like this before but then I backslide in my strength which kinda defeats the purpose...

Ouch

Well, about halfaway though my workout, I tried to clean and jerk 90kg. While normally a perfectly simple task, today it was complicated by the fact that, during the jerk, the muscles of my mid back siezed up, causing several pops and leaving me on the floor. I got the best ab workout I've had in years from this because my abs tightened (and are still tightening) to stabilize my back. It wasn't very easy to breathe when this first happened but now I'm used to it. The pain is just regular, but very severe, soreness at this point so I'm confident I'll be back in action soon, but it still hurts like a bitch. Doing anything but leasving my back in its current position causes rather pronounced pain so I need to do things like sumo deadlift stuff off the floor and turn my whole body if I want to face left or right. The good news: the injury occurred exactly in the muscles I've been working in the jerk, which explains why Sunday's and today's workouts sucked ballsack. It also means that I'm probably working the right muscles, just a little too hard. Good to know.

1st Day in Suit

Some warm-up sets, and then I put on my suit.

Box Squats: 135 +greens x 2 x 8

PowerCleans: 115x5
135x5, 5, 5

Barbell Lunges: 95x6/6
135x6/6, ?/?
95x?/?

Strip set: leg ext./135lb squat

Brutally painful hamstring stretch

The suit was tight, and will take a bit of getting used to. Got some nice bruises though.

Also, Brent and Dave came up with the phrase "no more kylin' around".