Weightlifting Monogatari

[Papa Raf C]

I'll update this post for every new PR.

All weight values in KG. Lifts are 5RM unless mentioned otherwise.

Status

Height: 177.8 cm

Bodyweight: 82.5

Lifts as of 1st post

Back squat: 90

Front squat: 67.5

Deadlift: 105

Overhead press: 45

Clean: 47 (3rm)

Jerk: 20

Snatch: 20 (3rm)

Best Lifts

Back squat: 92.5

Front squat: 70

Deadlift: 105

Overhead press: 45

Clean: 47 (3rm)

Jerk: 45

Snatch: 20 (3rm)

[Papa Raf C]

Snatch balance

15 x 3/3

17.5 x 3

20 x 3/3

I'm getting some consistency with the receiving position, though I still have to consciously rotate my left shoulder to the proper position. An improvement nevertheless, especially considering I strained it just a couple of days ago.

Back squat

45 x 3

60 x 3

75 x 2

90 x 5/5/5

I learned that slightly tilting the neck up and looking straight ahead when doing high bar helps a lot in keeping the torso upright and prevents good morning incidents.

Overhead press

20 x 5/5

30 x 3

37.5 x 2

45 x 5/4/5

Missed the last rep of the second set by *THAT* much. I took a 7 minute breather after the failure and voila, got my 5 for the finisher. This is the third time I failed, but I'll give 45 kg another shot before I deload.

Clean Pull

70 x 3

80 x 3

Did these as warm up for the deadlift. Not sure if that was a good idea, but it seemed like so at the time.

Deadlift

95 x 2

105 x 5

I did my best to do this like the first pull up to the power position, so no lockout. I used hook grip until the 3rd rep of the work set where I switched to mixed grip. My fingers were a bit sweaty and my thumb just kept slipping: the lift is willing but the grip is weak.

Wrapped up the workout with tall split jerks with empty bar for misc. reps.

[wildross]

You're doing a lot of leg work each day.  How they feeling?

[Papa Raf C]

Not too bad. I get sore the next day, but just some tingling sensations here and there. I find my shoulders and upper back more tired than my legs most of the time.

[Papa Raf C]

Warm up: Power Snatch + OHS (1+3)

20 x 3

Back Squat

45 x 5

62.5 x 3

77.5 x 2

92.5 x 5/5/5

Slow bar speed, but manageable. Looking forward or up definitely helps a lot in preventing good mornings.

Press

20 x 5

20 x 5

30 x 3

40 x 2

45 x 5/5/5

Finally broke the failing streak. Some things I changed: a slightly narrower grip and unracking the bar from about mid-chest height (which gave me a tighter starting setup).

Power Clean

20 x 5 (from power position)

38 x 3

40.5 x 3

43 x 3

45.5 x 3/3

48 x 3

I had a failed lift due to not raising my elbows fast enough (which I immediately corrected) and about 2 or 3 due to extending way too early which made the bar fly forward, but all in all I was pretty happy with these.

[Papa Raf C]

Overhead Squat

10 x 5

15 x 3

20 x 3/3/3

New shoes definitely made a huge difference. I was able to do these with a narrower stance, more upright posture, and a much more stable shoulder.

Full Clean

20 x 5 (power position)

43 x 2/2/2/2/2

45.5 x 2/2

48 x 2/2/2

Not too good. Lots of mistakes particularly with the pull under. I failed to properly drop to a squat stance for more than half of these; feet felt like they were glued to the floor. I'm thinking drop squat drills.

I also had the bar fly forward about twice which resulted in a miss. Gotta work on hang cleans.

Push Jerk

20 x 5/5

25 x 5

30 x 5/5/5

Found myself push pressing the first few attempts on the empty bar despite the double dip. I didn't completely hold on to the bar on the 30's which definitely helped in making sure I didn't push press those. Keep working on lockout speed. Also, tall split jerk drills.

Front Squat

40 x 3

55 x 2

67.5 x 5/5/5

Raised heel helped tons in alleviating the stress on erectors (main contributor to my failure last front squat session). Good bar speed. Need to remember to bounce at the bottom.

[Papa Raf C]

Overhead Squat

20 x 5/5/5

For warm up.

Back Squat

50 x 5

65 x 3

80 x 2

95 x 3/1/3

Flunked like a boss.

Press

20 x 5/5

30 x 3

40 x 2

47.5 x 1/1/1

Oh wow.

Power Clean

20 x 5 (power position)

43 x 3/3/3/3/3/3

Form sucked all over the place. Only decent ones were in the last set. Transition from first pull to second pull proved quite problematic, finding myself pulling way to early on the second pull.

Oh, and these were supposed to be deadlifts. After the failed squats and presses, I didn't want to tempt fate.

My mistakes? Definitely not eating enough. I spent the entire day yesterday sleeping. I dropped a kilo+ since my last workout. I guess I was already expecting the brick wall, but man did I get slammed!

[Papa Raf C]

Late post!

 

Monday - Oct. 13, 2014

 

Hang Power Snatch

20 x 3/3

22.5 x 3

25 x 3

27.5 x 3/3/3

 

Overhead Squat

20 x 5

22.5 x 5/5/5

 

Negative Tucked Dragon Flag

3 sec x 8/8/8

 

Looking back, I should've done the Hang Power Snatch and OHS as combo.

 

On another note, I'm adding a light day in my workout schedule specifically for practicing and troubleshooting the olympic lifts along with some ab work and other stuff. 

 

Oh, and I strained something in my knee after the last workout due to a quad stretch like this:

 

 

Only I was wearing shoes which pushed my feet a bit farther out. Now whenever I'm just lying down, I feel like they're about to break off anytime.

[Papa Raf C]

Tuesday - Oct. 14, 2014

 

Back Squat

20 x 5/5

45 x 5

60 x 3

75 x 2

85 x 5/5/5

 

My knees were still feeling funky so I backed off the weight. To compensate, I focused on bounce, speed, and staying as upright as possible.

 

Press

20 x 5/5

27.5 x 3

35 x 2

40 x 5/5/5

 

Dropped the weight to focus on speed and lockout.

 

Back Extension

10 x 14/14/14

 

Emphasis on glute and hamstring activation.

 

Negative Chin Up

2 sec x 4/4/4

 

Yes, my upper body strength is bleh. These helped a lot in reminding me that my lats were there. Looking forward to working towards my first full chin up.

[Papa Raf C]

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014

Front Squat

20 x 5/5

40 x 3

55 x 2

70 x 5/5/5

These went pretty well, much easier than I expected, probably because I did them before anything else. I didn't have as much trouble holding the rack compared to when I did 67.5kg.

Jerk

20 x 3/3

30 x 3

35 x 3/3

40 x 3/3

45 x 3

Power jerks, no jump/stomp. Slight press out at the last rep. Need more practice with leg drive.

Negative Chin Up

2-3 secs. 5/5/5

Barely held 2 secs. on the last rep. Upper half was generally more difficult to hold.

All in all, everything went well.

[Papa Raf C]

Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014

Power Snatch + OHS

20 X 3 X 3

Clean & Jerk

20 x 3

40 x 2 x 5

42.5 x 2 x 4

Jerk posed a lot of problems for me, more than half of which ended with press outs and some not going straight up. I also slammed the bar on my chin on one, lol.

Back Squat

20 x 5/5

47.5 x 5

62.5 x 3

75 x 2

87.5 x 5/3/3

Got pinned under while attempting a 4th rep on the last set.

Barbell Row

30 x 5

35 x 5

40 x 5

45 x 5/5/5

Getting my starting load for the rows.

Overall, a pretty sucky day. Generally everything felt ridiculously heavy. Guess that's what I get for not taking recovery days seriously.

[Papa Raf C]

Monday, Oct. 20, 2014

 

Clean Pull + Hang Clean

20 x 3/3

38 x 2

43 x 2/2/2/2/2

45.5 x 2/2

48 x 2/2

50.5 x 2

 

Most of these were hang power cleans than hang cleans. I actually caught some of the cleans square into my rack which felt pretty awesome. Still have lots of work to do on the pull under.

 

Press

20 x 5/5

30 x 3

35 x 2

42.5 x 5/5/5

 

Slowly working my way back up. Speed on these were fair.

 

Back Squat

20 x 5/5

47.5 x 3

62.5 x 2

75 x 2

87.5 x 5/5/5

 

Redemption! Cut down on some warm-up reps to save up some energy. I was torched by the end.

 

Barbell Row

30 x 5

40 x 3

50 x 5/5/5

 

5 kg jump. Seems good, though I think I strained my neck a bit overemphasizing upper back extension.

[Papa Raf C]

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014

Power Clean

20 x 5/5

38 x 3

43 x 3/3/3

45.5 x 3

48 x 3/3

I think these went well. Amusingly, I found that trying to imitate Ilya Ilyin's clean & jerk really helps me get into the groove.

Split Jerk

20 x 5/5

25 x 3/3/3

30 x 3/3

35 x 3

I still have this tendency to lunge like a fencer when I'm not focusing hard on my feet. Footwork drills incoming.

Negative Chin Up

3-4 sec. x 5/5/5

Except for the last rep, I definitely felt like I could've held on to these longer. Gonna try to widen my grip next time.

[Papa Raf C]

Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014

Clean Pull + Hang Clean from hips

20 x 5/5

38 x 3

43 x 2/2

45.5 x 2/2

48 x 2

50 x 2/2

52.5 x 2/2

http://youtu.be/dYva-yOzIug

Gonna try to experiment more on the first pull speed; I think I'm pulling too fast most of the time.

Press

20 x 5/5

30 x 3

37.5 x 2

45 x 5/5/5

Only 2-3 mins. rest between sets compared to 5 mins. since last 45 kg attempt.

Front Squat

20 x 5/5

47.5 x 3

60 x 2

72.5 x 3/3/3

Cut down reps per set to 3 as per jdanger's recommendation. I still had some more fight in me but I don't wanna botch the coming intensity day.

Romanian Deadlift

40 x 5

50 x 2

60 x 8/8/8

I need to buy me some straps. This is murder on my calluses.

[Papa Raf C]

Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014

Clean

20 x 5/5

34 x 3

38 x 2/2/2

43 x 2/2/2

45.5 x 2/2

48 x 2/2

50 x 2/2

52.5 x 2

Learned the hard way that you don't really have to spend too much time on the light weights on warm ups, or at least not to really bother about doing full squat clean with them. Over and underpulled most of the lifts at 34 to 43 (with one actually putting me down on my butt), but they gradually got better when I decided to f it and bump up the load.

Back Squat

20 x 5

45 x 5

60 x 5

75 x 5

90 x 3

Well this sucked. My mind was 50/50 going into these back squats, having had not enough sleep last night because of Andrei Aramnau and Nanny McPhee, as well as me not really being a morning workout person. More volume on Monday it is then.

Barbell Row

40 x 3

55 x 5/5/5

Rushed through these sets hard, with only 1 min. rests in between. Back is pretty sore right now, heh.

[Papa Raf C]

Monday, Oct. 27, 2014

 

I caught a cold last Saturday and it felt like it peaked this day, with me sneezing left and right and just feeling light-headed and sore all over especially my knees. I decided to skip today's workout, else I might just make things worse.

 

I really miss doing cleans though. :|

[Papa Raf C]

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014

AM - Push ups

10 x 5

Something light to start the day.

Power Clean

20 x 5/5 (from hip)

34 x 3

43 x 3

48 x 3

50 x 3/3/3/3/3/3/3

I might have gotten a bit carried away on the 50's... Anyway, these were ok. One thing I realized when I'm thinking power cleans is that I get lazy on the catch and that I think too much, which led to a couple of botched lifts. I'm starting to think of doing full cleans exclusively until I get rid of this habit.

Power Jerk

20 x 5/5

30 x 3

35 x 3

45 x 3/3/3/3

50 x 3/3

40 x 3 (split)

I had my sis get a vid of me while doing this and am glad to say the lockout was the least of my worries even on the 50's. Bar path wasn't completely consistent, with one flying forward and another going way back, but good sets nevertheless. At least now I know I can jerk what I'm currently cleaning.

Back squat

20 x 5/5

45 x 3

60 x 2

75 x 2

90 x 3/2/1

Bombed hard. I tried the "hips forward" cue upon hitting my sticking point, but the problem it seems is in getting to that sticking point. I'm thinking of replacing intensity squats in my Saturday schedule with paused squats instead; no sense doing heavies if I can't even pop out of the hole.

Romanian Deadlift

40 x 5

52.5 x 5

62.5 x 10/10/10

My butt just got torched.

[Papa Raf C]

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014

 

Push ups

10/12/12/10/10

 

On a dietary note, I just clocked in on the weighing scale and I found out I've been losing weight. I did a quick check of my default meal plan for the last 2 weeks and realized that I forgot to take into account the calorie difference when I switched from pure milk to non-fat milk...

[Papa Raf C]

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2014

Clean Pull + Hang Clean (from hip)

20 x 5/5

34 x 3

43 x 2

48 x 2

55 x 2/2/2/2/2

Good news: no failed attempts! And PR for hang clean from hips!

Bad news: these absolutely wiped me out. Everything that followed is pretty much a disaster.

Press

20 x 5/5

30 x 3

40 x 2

47.5 x 3

45 x 2

42.5 x 5

I actually expected this to happen. I came into the workout with sore shoulders and arms from the previous workout, so yeah.

Front Squat

20 x 5/5

45 x 3

60 x 2

75 x 1

70 x 3/2

Bombed. After that 75 x 1, I had that feeling like I suddenly lost the will to finish the rest of my workout.

Hip Extensions (unweighted)

10/10/10/10/10

Finished light.

My left knee hasn't been very cooperative these past 2 weeks; it feels stiff whenever I drop past parallel. It takes me forever to warm up and I have to do it everytime I don't squat beyond parallel within 10 minutes or so. I guess I should have this checked by a doctor asap. Hope it's not something serious...

[Papa Raf C]

Monday, Nov. 3, 2014

This week will be nothing but technique practice for oly lifts (snatch in particular), light exercises, and a little bit of cardio.

Warm up: 10 mins. on rowing machine

Tall Snatch + Snatch Balance

10 kg x 3/3/3/3/3

Tall Clean

20 x 3/3/3/3/3

Back hyperextensions

10 x 10/10/10

Negative Chin Up + Push Up superset

(5 sec hold + 10) x 3 sets

[Papa Raf C]

Recap!

Since I went AWOL on this thread, I've:

* taken about a week off due to sucky knees;

* messed up my left shoulder due to a being an idiot and not letting go of a missed snatch;

* switched to a low volume but high intensity and frequency day; and

* dropped back squats in favor of Front Squats.

Lots of experimenting, which thankfully worked because despite almost having no rest days for 3 weeks, I actually upped my lifts without feeling all sucky:

* Snatch: 35 kg to 45 kg

* Clean: 65 kg to 75 kg

* Jerk: 45 kg to 55 kg

* Front Squat: 70 kg to 85 kg

I did bomb a sub-max Snatch about a week ago and the pain has just subsided enough to be tolerable that I can finally start some rehab work.

While it sucked not to be able to do Snatches, thankfully it didn't affect my Jerk so I've been able to give a lot of time into working with my confidence under the bar - which I realized was the biggest issue I had with the jerk. Fear really is the mind killer.

Also, heavy-ass rack holds are boss! Fantastic way to finish a heavy Clean and Front Squat session.

[Papa Raf C]

Rest day today and it was glorious! Eat, sleep, and TV all day long without any disturbance.

I did do a fair amount of rehab work though like cuban presses, side-lying external rotations, and a couple of overhead squats with an empty regular barbell. The ROM on my left shoulder is much, much better but I can't do fast shoulder rotations with a snatch-grip yet.

More Clean & Jerks it is then! Pumped for tomorrow's workout!

[Papa Raf C]

I've confirmed that confidence is my biggest hurdle in all my lifts.

Since Saturday, I've been trying something new: whenever my mind wanders off, starts to nitpick on my form, begins to doubt myself or whatever, I scream in my mind: "Shut up! Again, FASTER!"

So far so good; I've had easy PRs since then, no grind outs and missed lifts. :-D

Power Clean to Power Jerk + Split Jerk

40 kg x 1

50 x 1

55 x 1

57.5 x 1

60 x 1 (PR)

Clean

65 kg x 1

72.5 x 1

77.5 x 1 (PR)

70 x 3

Front Squat

70 kg x 1

80 x 1

87.5 x 1 (PR)

82.5 x 3 (PR)

82.5 x 3

Rack Holds

100 kg x 30 sec.

105 x 30 sec.

100 x 30 sec.

Post-workout: snatch-grip shoulder rehab work, split position footwork exercises, mobility exercises.

[Papa Raf C]

Light technique day and it was good! Summarized:

* started off with sucky power jerks (which I kinda expected since I maxed out yesterday)

* +5kg PR on paused Front Squats

* some more power jerks after my formal workout routine (see below); much better than what I started with.

* snatch complexes with empty bar. NO PAIN!

* locked in a clean-grip OHS position and even got to load up some plates (sub-empty bar still)

All in all, a very good, productive workout!

Power Clean + 2x power jerk

40 kg x 1

50 x 1

50 x 1

55 x 1

50 x 1

Paused Front Squat

70 x 3

72.5 x 3 (PR)

75 X 3 (PR again)

Hyperextensions

15 kg x 8

15 x 8

15 x 8

[msuroo]

Oh, here you are (subbed).

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