Wednesday - SPH before the heavy weeks

Had to lift at SPH today, but I was supposed to go 90% in the snatch. I didn't want to do that at school, so I ad-libbed a workout. I will start week 4 on Saturday.

Back Squat:
-up to 143 x 1
I remembered how much I really enjoy squatting first in a workout. Much better than starting with snatches. After this program I will try to re-incorporate that. Three weeks left, then a good strength focused program.

Clean:
-up to 90 x 2,2,2

Snatch Push Press:
-60 x 4,3,3

Chins:
-up to 40 kg x 1, attempted 50 kg

Dumbbell Press:
-85 lbs test max, for fun

Not the most focused workout, but it was fun. I did hurt my right hand with the last presses though, which sucks. It should be fine tomorrow but the back of my hand hurts when I bend it forward or put too much weight on it backward. I hope its good enough for snatching on Saturday. It better be.

Monday - Snatch 71, Clean 90, Push Press 70

Back is feeling much better, but I still used the belt in the squats. Waiting for mine to get here!

Snatch:
-up to 71 x 2,2,2

Clean:
-up to 90 x 2,2,2

Push Press:
-up to 70 x 5,5,5

Back Squat:
-143 x 2,2,2

Wednesday - Hang Snatch 68, Clean and Jerk 96

Feeling better than last time for sure, but I am still recovering from being sick. The workout should have been easier. I didn't front squat because I was feeling it in my lower back. Gonna wait till I have my belt. Where the hell is it!?



Hang Snatch:
-40 x 2,2,2,2
-50 x 2
-60 x 2
-68 x 2,2,2

Clean and Jerk:
-60 x 2
-70 x 2
-85 x 2
-96 x 2,2,2

Snatch Push Press:
-45 x 5
-67 x 5,5,5

No front squats.

Chins:
-BW x 5
-22 x 5,5,5

Monday - Snatch 71, Power Clean 90, Press 62, Back Squat 143

Woke up with a terrible stuffed up nose. Moved stuff around yesterday and all the dust collected inside my lungs, it appears. Or I might be sick but I refuse to believe that. I am sure I will be better tomorrow.

That said, the workout wasn't bad. My back is feeling a lot better. I used the belt on the cleans, presses, and squats, and it helped.



Snatch:
-up to 71 x 2,2,2

Power Clean:
-90 x 2,2,2

Press:
-62 x 2,2,2

Back Squat:
-up to 143 x 2,2,2

Did core stuff at BBC Sunday, and I didn't do chins because I wasn't feeling great.

Saturday - Snatch 76, Clean 102, Push Press 81, Back Squat 135

Since I didn't lift on Wednesday to help my back, I wasn't sure how I would fair. The snatches weren't great, I was rounding my back on the pull. I need a bit more time with those. The cleans were good though. Push Presses at 81 were a bit too heavy for sets of 5, but 3s worked. Lastly, squats were great, partly because I went light, but I tested out Josh's belt. It was amazing. I am excited for mine to come in the mail soon. Felt really strong with it.

Snatch:
-up to 76 x 1,1,1

Snatch Pull:
-76 x 5

Clean:
-102 x 2,2,2

Push Press:
-76 x 3
-81 x 3,3,3

Back Squat:
-135 x 3,1
Didn't want too much volume because I'm trying to ease back into it.

Chins:
-18 kg x 5,5,5

One great thing about Black Belt Club conditioning starting back up is I never have to do ab exercises in the gym again!

Day Off, what's this?

I don't normally miss workouts, but my back has been hurting and I think taking a day off will be good for me. Didn't want my loyal workout log to think I missed a workout for no reason.

Monday - Hang Snatch 68, Clean and Jerk 100, Front Squat 110

My back has been hurting me recently, especially my side. I decided to buy a belt to squat with, I will see if it helps at all. It should be here in a few days.

Hang Snatch:
-worked up to 68 x 2,2,2
I have to make sure I bend my elbows and try to brush the chest with the bar. Maybe doing some high pulls followed by snatches might help. That and finishing the pull are my main issues with the snatch.

Clean and Jerk:
-work up to 100 x 1,1,1,1,1,1
This was supposed to be 3x2 but I preferred the 6x1 and it helped me to keep my back tight since I was worried about hurting my side. The catch wasn't too bad but the recovery did hurt a bit in a couple. It actually hurt more when I let the weight go at the end than anything else, like when the pressure was gone.

Snatch Push Press:
-up to 67 x 5,5,5

Front Squat:
-up to 110 x 2 2
I was supposed to go to 126 but it was hurting on the second rep in the squat, probably because I was losing tightness. Either way I felt going light was better than nothing, but going heavy wasn't a good idea.

Ring Chins:
-BW x 5,5,5,5

Saturday - Snatch Doubles, Power Cleans, Press

Not the best workout. My back was pretty sore and I didn't get enough sleep. Dropping down to 3x per week instead of 4 will be good for me.

Snatch:
-work up to 76 x 2,2,1
I couldn't hammer down the starting position and it killed me. I kept looping the bar. Got the lifts though at least. Wasn't finishing the pull. Cut it short because of that, didn't want to hammer in bad technique.

Power Clean:
-work up to 90 x 2,2,2
Not bad.

Press:
-work up to 62 x 3,3,3
This wasn't nearly as difficult as it was last time. I switched up my starting position, hand width, and also did more warmup sets. The extra warmups really helped a lot. I was worried I wouldn't have enough energy but it wasn't the case.

Back Squat:
-up to 100 kg
I was supposed to go 3x2 at 134 but I felt a weird, painful thing in my right side during the recovery phase of the squat, and decided not to go higher.

Friday - Snatch Triples, Cleans, Push Press

This workout would have been much better if I had not eaten 2 lbs of roast pork beforehand. Not the best idea. Now that I have my schedule figured out, it looks like I'll be lifting MWS for the most part. 3x per week is enough with martial arts too.

Snatch:
-work up to 68 x 3,3,3
These felt really fast in the drop under.

Power Clean:
-work up to 90 x 3,3,3
These were supposed to be full clean but my legs weren't feeling it. Nor was my stomach.

Push Press:
-work up to 79 x 5,5,5
Not bad, a bit heavy but I got it.

I decided not to squat because of all the food I ate, I was feeling pretty sick.

I'm not eating enough

I realized that I need to track my food again, because I'm not recovering, and it doesn't feel like I'm eating enough. Sure, when I eat, I get full, but I don't do it enough. I tracked what I ate today and it was less than 2000 calories. That has to stop. I came up with a plan on what I need to eat if I am to eat at least 3000, if not more.

I'm not going to be able to follow this perfectly of course, but I will do my best to follow it. I need the food to recover. No wonder I'm losing weight.

Figured out what I need to eat. If I do this, I will eat enough. Rough estimates of course.

Breakfast:

3-4 eggs, ~1/3 meat of some kind, some bread or starch (2 slice equivalent), some fruit

Cals: ~800

Lunch:

2/3 to 1 lb meat of some kind, some rice or potatoes or starch of some kind (400-500 cals worth, like 2 cups of rice), vegetables

Cals:~1000

Dinner:

same as dinner but don't eat the same thing, thats boring. But use those stats

Cals: ~1000

Late Dinner:

same as dinner and lunch but cut back a bit on all the values, so like 1/2 to 2/3 meat, maybe 1 cup rice equivalent starch, vegetables are still cool, fruit too

Cals: ~800

Total, if I do it right: ~3600 cals

Wednesday - Tiring Olympic Workout

Tiring workout, lowering the weights in the SPH for the lifts. Plus it was really hot and humid.

Hang Snatch:
-work up to 64 x 3,3,3

These felt really good. I was looping the bar a bit on the first sets, but I really hammered it down for the last few work sets. Troy told me to think about "brushing my chest with the bar" and it helped get me to bend my arms and keep the bar close. The drop under was REALLY fast and it felt awesome.

Clean and Jerk:
-work up to 90 x 2,2,2

This was supposed to be 3x3 but with lowering the weights, it was too much to do. In addition, I had to sneak the chalk so it was difficult to hold for three reps, and lowering, etc. 3x2 isn't bad. The clean and jerks felt strong at least.

Snatch Push Press:
-work up to 64 x 5,5,5

This felt really good. I really like this lift. Doing it in the rack might be better next time though.

Front Squat:
-work up to 118 x 3,3,3

This should have been really easy, but it was kind of hard. Not grinding or anything, but not easy like the weight should be. I was pretty tired from the other lifts. I need to get back into squatting more volume and intensity, I've been out of it. The volume at least.

Chins:
-16 x 5,5
Back Extensions:
-14 x 10,10,10

First Day of New Program

Lifted at Crossfit Silver Spring today, Josh was really nice and is allowing us to lift there in light of our troubles lifting at school. Its not far and its a nice facility.

Besides that, the workout itself was pretty bad. I was tired and couldn't get all the lifts I wanted. The presses are probably too heavy but I think when I do them for a few weeks I will get back into it. The snatches were just bad, and the squats were heavy and I wasn't able to even do 3x3 with 134. I decided to cut the volume and intensity a bit on the way into this program.

Snatch:
-work up to 67 x 3,3,3

Power Clean:
-work up to 83 x 3,3,3

Press:
-work up to 60 x 2
-drop back to 53 x 3,3

Back Squat:
-work up to 134 x 2,1 (instead of 3x3)

Chins:
-work up to 12 x 5,5,5

Situps:
-work up to 12 x 10,10,10

Despite the poor lifting, I am really excited about being able to lift in a real gym.

Light workout, low volume. I really understand why going heavy in the deadlift screws everything else. Kind of sucks. Smolov I will start next week. I may set my back squat max at 155 kg instead of 168, just because I haven't done high volume in a while and I haven't maxed the back squat since May.

Snatch:
-50 x 3
-60 x 3,3,3
-67 x 3,3,3

Power Clean and Jerk:
-67 x 3
-80 x 3,3

Back Squat:
-60 x 3
-100 x 3
-125 x 1
-135 x 1
-143 x 1