Monday - RSR 2-1, Hang Snatch, Deadlift, DB Press

I was feeling really tired today since we sparred for a few hours yesterday at Black Belt Club. Also, it is Monday morning, which never helps.

Back Squat:
-135 x 3
-225 x 3,3
-275 x 3
-310 x 6 x 4
This sucked, I was so tired and yawning the whole time.

Skipped the front squats today.

Hang Snatch:
-95 x 3
-115 x 3
-135 (60 kg) x 3,2,3

Deficit DL:
-135 x 5
-225 x 5
-315 x 3
-385 x 1 (Damn this was so much harder than it should have been)

DB Press:
-55 x 5,5,5

+stretching
+some side kick combinations from Cung Le's book Sanshou: The Compete Fighting System

New goals: not just for lifting

With all that has been going on for me with injuries, competitions, and so on, I feel like I need to step back and really reassess what my goals are for myself. This isn't just about weightlifting, its about martial arts too. I've been reading everything I get my hands on, buying tons of books on amazon, upping my training, my stretching, and so forth, but I don't really know what I'm working towards.

My friend Patrick lefts this item on his own workout log.

WORKOUT GUIDELINES

1. Leave most workouts feeling better than you started.
2. Always break a sweat.
3. Want to do what you ought to do, then actually go and do it.
4. If it's not working, stop doing it. If it is working, keep doing it. Either way, don't make a decision until you've honestly tried it.
5. Intuitive training is great, but have some guidelines to help you keep focus.

1. This takes care of itself as long as I'm training what I need to train.
2. No worries there, lol.
3. Maybe I need a bit more work here. I tend to do what I want to do sometimes, and not what I should do often enough. Usually pretty good here though.
4. I'm usually pretty good on this front.
5. I'm a fan of intuitive training, but my intuitive training usually just devolves into maxing my lifts over and over until I stall.

I need some new goals. My goals for lifting should be easier so I'll tackle those first.

Weightlifting Goals:

I need to get stronger, more maximal strength. I need to increase my back and front squat, which will help increase my snatch and clean and jerk. I need to continue to work the snatch and clean and jerk to improve my technique. I specifically need to increase my one rep max in the squat, front squat, clean and jerk, and snatch. I don't need to increase my strength endurance or overall endurance.

Aside from that, I'd like to make sure that I don't neglect the parts of my body that are needed by not worked by the olympic lifts and squats. I need to continue to work my upper back so it doesn't collapse on front squats. I need to strengthen my shoulder so I get it back to full working capacity, and I'm almost there. I want to make sure my lower back doesn't lose strength. To counter all the squats, I should really do some more heavy ab exercises, because I tend to skip those.

Those goals in bullets:

• back and front squat strength
• snatch and clean and jerk strength and technique
• upper back, shoulder, lower back, abdominal strength

I need to ensure that the programs that I do incorporate something from all those areas. Since I'm still strengthening the shoulder, heavy Olympic lifts will be held off for a bit more, but I'm getting there.

Martial Arts Goals:

If I want to test for 3rd dan this winter, I need to set some goals to make sure I am ready. In addition to that, I want to make sure I continue to improve. The first goal here is to increase my flexibility. I've been stretching 7 days a week, doing harder stretches after lifting 5x per week, focusing on the front and side splits. I've already made some progress, and I need to stick with that.

I need to finish learning and practice my testing forms, and practice my lower level forms so I don't forget any and continue to improve them. In addition to that,  I need to take a look at the testing requirements and practice doing those so I know I am ready.

Aside from testing, I want to change my style of kicking with the instep to kicking with the lower shin. I have broken my foot in the past kicking elbows and I don't want it to happen again. Kicking with the shin requires a slightly different technique, and I need to practice that. I want to practice low kicks and sweeps, since I don't have much skill there. I want to improve my hand technique proficiency so I can fight with my hands and not just kicks. I want to continue to learn about different styles and try to incorporate what I find useful from them into my own style of martial arts - it doesn't have to be taekwondo, I already put wrestling and judo in there. Though some of these goals are harder to pin down, I'll try. 

In bullets:

• keep stretching
• review the testing requirements of USTF 3rd dan and practice them
• review older forms and master testing forms
• change my kicks with instep to kicks with the shin and the different technique that entails
• improve hand proficiency
• improve low kicking and sweeping
• keep learning about other styles and incorporate what I can

Short term goals fulfilled

Short Term Goals:

Full range of motion in the shoulder!

Get my squat comfortable and heavy.

Do a front squat!

Do a clean!

Do a snatch!

Do a barbell press!

Long Term Goals:

Squat my max again, and then some!

Get back to Olympic lifting, stronger than before!

I have fulfilled my short term goals and I would say I am stronger than I was in the squat. I missed 395 but I know I can make it on a good day. I'm back into Olympic lifting, but I need to go heavy soon!

Thursday - RSR 1.3, Front Squat,

Back Squat:
-135 x 4
-205 x3
-275 x 2
-310 x 6 x 2
This felt pretty easy.


Front Squat:
-225 x 1
-275 x 1
-315 x 1
-340 x 1 (97%)
The last one was pretty hard but that is expected at 97%.

Hang Clean and Jerk:
-up to 185 x 1
This felt pretty heavy and I was using the Ivanko bar and metal plates so I stopped.

+stretching

Wednesday - RSR: 1.2, Front Squat, Press, Row

Pretty tired today but the squats weren't that hard. They just were really exhausting. I tested out the new belt from bestbelts.net today. I really like it, its much more secure than the cloth Valeo. My only worry is that I am using the tightest setting, and if I lose weight it may not fit, so when I go home in a few weeks I'm going to take it to a leather shop and get them to punch 2 or so more holes in it for peace of mind.

Back Squat:
-135 x 4
-225 x 3
-275 x 2
-310 x 6 x 3

Front Squat:
-225 x 2 - really easy
-295 x 1 - this was hard
-315 x 1 - this was hard, but not as bad as 295

DB Press:
-50 x 6,6,6 (1 more rep per set than Monday, when was 3x5)

DB Row:
-80 x 8,8,8

Rack Jerks up to 185 lbs
+stretching

Monday - Start Russian Squat Program

I was pretty stiff today. The back squats were harder than they should have been. It must have been my back and shoulders though because front squats didn't feel too terrible, though not great. Guess it was just one of those days.

Back Squat:
-135 x 5
-225 x 4
-275 x 2
-310 x 6 x 2

Front Squat:
-225 x 2
-295 x 1
-315 x 1
-unracked 335 but no attempt because I would have missed it

Deadlift:
-135 x 3
-225 x 3
-315 x 3,3 - kept it light since I was still feeling pretty tired

DB Press:
-50 x 5,5,5 (I'd like to try doing more reps Wed and then even more on Fri, then bump the weight again)

I got my new belt in the mail. Its from bestbelts. It looks almost identical to one made by Inzer, though I spent less on it. I'm excited to try it on Wednesday.

Friday - Back Squat, Front Squat, Press, Clean and Jerk

This was an early morning workout.

Squat:

-135 x 2,4

-185 x 3

-225 x 2

-295 x 1

-335 x 1

-365 x  miss (still really stiff)

Front Squat:

-225 x 1

-275 x 1

-315 x 1

Back Squat again:

-315 x 1

-365 x 1

DB Press:

-45 x 8,8,8 - 50 next time

Snatch up to 95 lbs

Clean and jerk:

-135,155,175,195,225 (102 kg)

Thursday - Squat Max Test, Front Squat

Squat max test again. This went better than last time, as I expected.



Back Squat:
-185 x 4
-225 x 3
-275 x 2
-315 x 1
-355 x 1 Easy
-380 x 1 Not too hard
-395 x 0 Unracked, it felt hard but I felt I could do it. I guess not lol. Next time less intermediate max attempts.

Front Squat:
-135 x 2
-225 x 1
-295 x 1
-315 x 1
Called it a day for the front squat there.

+Stretching

Back Squat Test, Front Squat

Mixed results testing the back squat today. Worked up to a pretty easy lift at 365 which is 10+ more than my previous tested max after the injury, but still -20 off my best at 385. To be expected, I suppose. I then attempted 385 but didn't catch a good bounce at the bottom and missed.

I then worked with a few single back up to another easy 345, then unracked 370 but by that point I was pretty gassed. Came back for a single in the front squat at 335 for 95%.

I think if I max it out over a few days like with the front squat I'll get better at max squatting and achieve slightly better results. Still gunning for the 400.

Back Squat:

-135 x 4

-225 x 2

-295 x 1

-325 x 1

-365 x 1

-385 x miss

-135 x 1

-225 x 1

-315 x 1

-345 x 1

-370 x no attempt (unrack only)

Front Squat

-225 x 1

-275 x 1

-315 x 1

-335 x 1

DB Press:

-45 x 8,8,8

+stretching

Monday - So hot. Squat, Rack Jerks

Its like 90 today and the fans in class beforehand weren't working. Worked up to a light set of doubles and called it a day for the squat. Testing wednesday.

Squat:

-135 x 2

-195 x 3,3

-225 x 3

-275 x 2,2

Rack Jerks:

-135 x 2

-155 x 2,

-175 x 2,2

Snatch bar work, stretching

Friday - Finished Bulgarian Squat Program, Front Squat, Light Clean and Jerk

I can see why they say to put a rest day in. No matter, I didn't take it and I lifted the day after maxing. I was so stiff though.

Back Squat:

-135 x 1,3

-195 x 7

-250 x 4

-305 x 3

-250 x 6

Front Squat:

-135 x 1

-185 x 2

-225 x 1

-275 x 1

-315 x 1 (90%)

-335 x miss (very tired from back squatting yesterday) (95%)

DB Press:

-40 x 8,8,8

P Clean and Jerkx3:

-95 x 1

-135 x 1

-145 x 1

-155 x 1

+stretching. I'm definitely getting better.

Next step, maxing the back squat! After that, Russian Squat Program!

Thursday - Back Squat, Front Squat, Light Oly work

Back Squat:

-195 x 5

-250 x 3

-290 x 2

-355 x 2,2 (This was the 100% I based the program on)

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 1

-295 x 1

-325 x 1

-355 x miss (PR attempt)

DB Row:

-70 x 5,8

Snatch up to 95 lbs

Clean and many jerks up to 135 lbs

Some barbell press at 135 lbs

Wednesday - Back Squat, Front Squat PR, DB Press, Light Oly lifts

Back Squat:

-195 x 7

-230 x 4

-285 x 3

-230 x 8

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 1

-295 x 1

-320 x 1

-350 x 1 (PR +5lbs)

DB Press:

-35 x 8,8,8 (40 next time)

Hang Snatch, hang clean and jerk:

-up to 95 lbs for several sets, this felt fine.

Monday - Back Squat, Front Squat PR, Deadlift, DB Press, Light Snatch

Back Squat:

-185 x 7 (supposed to be 195 but made a mistake)

-250 x 3

-285 x 2

-335 x 2,2

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 2

-285 x 1

-315 x 1

-345 x 1 (PR +5lbs)

Deadlift:

-135 x 3

-225 x 3

-315 x 1,2

-385 x 1 (kept it light, I had already squatted pretty heavy and my legs and back were tired)

DB Press:

-35 lbs x 8,8,8

Snatch

-bar for several sets (hang snatch, muscle snatch)

-65 lbs x several sets (hang snatch)

Saturday - BSquat, FSquat, Rows

Back Squat:

-195 x 7

-230 x 4

-285 x 3

-250 x 5,5

-215 x 8

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 2

-275 x 1

-305 x 1

-325 x 1

-335 x 1 (98.5%)

Snatch bar work

DB Row:

-60 x 8,8,8

Stretching

IRs, ERs, Band rows

Friday - Back Squat, Front Squat, DB Press, Snatch Bar Work

Decided I should start doing bar work for the Oly lifts. I did snatch stuff today after lifting. Muscle and hang snatch.

Back Squat:

-195 x 10

-250 x 6

-285 x 2

-320 x 3,3,3

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 2

-275 x 1

-305 x 1

-325 x 1

-345 x miss (102% attempt)

DB Press:

-30 x 8,8,8

+Snatch bar work

+band rows, IRs, ERs

Thursday - Back Squat, Front Squat PR, DB Row

Everything felt strong today, even though this morning I felt like shit.

Back Squat:

-135 x 4

-195 x 10

-230 x 7

-285 x 4

-230 x 10

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 2

-275 x 1

-295 x 1

-315 x 1

-340 x 1 (PR!)

Previous PR 335 in November.

DB Row:

-85 x 6,6,6

Wednesday - Real Squat, Front Squat, DB Press, DB Row

Real squat!

Back Squat:

-195 x 10

-250 x 6

-285 x 2

-320 x 3,3

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 2

-275 x 1

-300 x 1

-325 x 1 (97%!)

DB Press:

-30 x 8,8,8

DB Row:

-85 x 8,8,8

+scapular protractions, stretching

Monday - Squat, Front Squat, Press, DL

Squat:

-195 x 10

-250 x 7

-285 x 4

-230 x 10

Front Squat:

-135 x 3

-225 x 2

-275 x 1

-315 x 1 (94%)

-325 x miss (97%)

DB Press:

-20 x 10,10,10

Deadlift:

-135 x 3

-225 x 3

-275 x 3

-325 x 2

-375 x 1

-395 x 1 (88%)

+external rotations, internal rotations, band rows