What a week. Highs and lows. Lows and highs. Brigid and Keith are experiencing the volume and loading effects of the last few weeks. The next few weeks bring about a volume reduction, an increase in intensity, and the hitting of PR lifts. And, just in time for the American Open. The improvements will come...
Brian cracks the 82 barrier and does it consistently. Hits an 85 snatch for a PR and snatches 82 2 times out of 3. he earns a sticker!
Garrett hits a PR in the BTN push press, but cannot get down with this weight into the overhead squat position. What is up with that? He does earn a sticker for the PR, though.
Next up is the meet at home on October 16 and the "Can you do a double?" squat off. The club's title belt is at stake. Will Josh be able to hang on to the belt?
Friday, October 7, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Good day for a PR
Definitely not a good day to die.
Apparently, today picked Keith for him to have the energetic session. Snatch work started off OK, not great. Lifts above 90% were just a millimeter to the front and a nanosecond off in timing.
Clean and jerk improved immensely. 92% was challenging, but do-able. Nice work. Then came the best part: squats. After being pinned to the floor under a 105 front squat on Saturday, Keith was smashing his squats, today. A few sets at 92% had him pumped and feeling pretty good.
"Can I go to 120; just give it a try?"
"Yup, but to prove you have increased your strength, why not do it for a double?"
So, doing my best imitation of Captain Kirk's spotter, "Don't nobody touch the bar!", Keith double dunked double bodyweight and obliterated his previous PR. He has much more in him...
Fun stuff and excellent performance!
Apparently, today picked Keith for him to have the energetic session. Snatch work started off OK, not great. Lifts above 90% were just a millimeter to the front and a nanosecond off in timing.
Clean and jerk improved immensely. 92% was challenging, but do-able. Nice work. Then came the best part: squats. After being pinned to the floor under a 105 front squat on Saturday, Keith was smashing his squats, today. A few sets at 92% had him pumped and feeling pretty good.
"Can I go to 120; just give it a try?"
"Yup, but to prove you have increased your strength, why not do it for a double?"
So, doing my best imitation of Captain Kirk's spotter, "Don't nobody touch the bar!", Keith double dunked double bodyweight and obliterated his previous PR. He has much more in him...
Fun stuff and excellent performance!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Saturday Maximum Training
With the dog show trumping training at the usual location, 4 lifters came to the newly christened RWF Regional Training Headquarters (LOL). Today's plan was max snatch, CJ, and front squat double. Lifters over 5'9" could only clean.
Snatch results with the goal of each lifter hitting at least 90% of current maximum.
Ron, PR 85, hit 78 with attempts at 81.
Brian, PR 82, hit 78 with attempts at 87 (an on-purpose misload) and 90.
Ben, PR 95, hit 90 with a few steps to chase after it.
Keith, PR 77, hit 71, after valiant attempts at 72 & 73.
Clean and jerk was a bit more iffy. So much energy was expended in the previous lift that there was not much left for the King of the Lifts.
Brian, PR 115, could get no higher than 97.
Ben, PR 127, could get no more than 95.
Keith, PR 94, hit 85 with no problems, cleaned 90 three times. No jerk on the latter, too much press and not enough punch under.
Ron, PR 102, hit 100 easy, but could not stand up with 105.
Front squat was made more difficult with a very stiff, unforgiving bar so, no boing out of the hole.
Keith, double PR of 105, could double 100 but was pinned by 105.
Ben hit a double of 155 which is 5 kilos away from his single PR.
Ron, double PR of 110, hit a new PR of 115 and a new single PR of 125, earning himself 2 stickers.
Back to the usual location on Monday with the usual suspects.
Snatch results with the goal of each lifter hitting at least 90% of current maximum.
Ron, PR 85, hit 78 with attempts at 81.
Brian, PR 82, hit 78 with attempts at 87 (an on-purpose misload) and 90.
Ben, PR 95, hit 90 with a few steps to chase after it.
Keith, PR 77, hit 71, after valiant attempts at 72 & 73.
Clean and jerk was a bit more iffy. So much energy was expended in the previous lift that there was not much left for the King of the Lifts.
Brian, PR 115, could get no higher than 97.
Ben, PR 127, could get no more than 95.
Keith, PR 94, hit 85 with no problems, cleaned 90 three times. No jerk on the latter, too much press and not enough punch under.
Ron, PR 102, hit 100 easy, but could not stand up with 105.
Front squat was made more difficult with a very stiff, unforgiving bar so, no boing out of the hole.
Keith, double PR of 105, could double 100 but was pinned by 105.
Ben hit a double of 155 which is 5 kilos away from his single PR.
Ron, double PR of 110, hit a new PR of 115 and a new single PR of 125, earning himself 2 stickers.
Back to the usual location on Monday with the usual suspects.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Training Update
Brutality is the one word that can sum up this past week. Loading with heavy weights, many reps, bodies sore days later, and more. All in the name of "Will this help my snatch and CJ?" Short answer, "Yes."
First step to solid signs of lifter improvement: ETSU Meet on Saturday the 17th. Tight, close, finish, keep the feet flat for as long as possible. How many PRs will be set at this meet? In October, the plan is to host a local meet at the new location of the weightlifting club on a Sunday to provide another step along the way to improvement.
First step to solid signs of lifter improvement: ETSU Meet on Saturday the 17th. Tight, close, finish, keep the feet flat for as long as possible. How many PRs will be set at this meet? In October, the plan is to host a local meet at the new location of the weightlifting club on a Sunday to provide another step along the way to improvement.
Mom Was Right
And I say what she said, "Eat food rich in vitamins and minerals as well as hefty amounts of protein. Watch your sweets and fats. Get some sun." With the added qualifier that you can keep more money in your pocket to buy essentials for the weightlifting room: bars, bumpers, chalk, tape, etc.
Too many supplements and you are risking shortening your life.
From a doctor's update:
Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 11, 2011
Get Vitamins from Food, Not Pills
One in three women and one in four men in the United
States take vitamin pills regularly. This month, a study that
followed 182,099 people in California and Hawaii for an average
of 11 years showed that taking multivitamin pills neither
decreased nor increased the death rate for all causes or the rates
of heart attack or cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology,
August, 2011).
A previous review of 67 randomized trials of vitamin pill
effects on life and health found that taking vitamin pills may
shorten life (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1,
2008). The authors found an increased death rate of 16 percent
in those taking vitamin A pills, seven percent with beta-
carotene, and seven percent with vitamin E. The Women's Health
Initiative study followed women for eight years and found that
taking multivitamin pills has little or no influence on the risk
of common cancers, heart attacks or death rate in postmenopausal
women (Archives of Internal Medicine, February, 2009). A review
of the world's literature shows that multivitamin use neither
increases nor decreases risk for breast cancer (Annals of
Pharmacotherapy. published online April 2011)...
...VITAMIN B PILLS MAY CAUSE HARM: Every chemical reaction in
your body is started by an enzyme. For your body to convert
chemical A to chemical B, you need an enzyme to start that
reaction. All eight B vitamins are parts of enzymes. When you
take large doses of one enzyme, you accumulate end products that
must be balanced by also taking large doses of other enzymes.
For example, NIACIN LOWERS CHOLESTEROL, BUT RAISES HOMOCYSTEINE:
People who take large doses of niacin to lower cholesterol have a
marked elevation of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart
attacks. Here is how it happens: Proteins are made up of
building blocks called amino acids. The B vitamin, Niacin, is
part of the enzyme that converts an amino acid, cysteine, into
homocysteine..."
Now, I am not a doctor nor do I have a doctorate, but it seems that there is some pretty good data to concentrate first on food and much further down the list cramming a truck load of supplements down your gut.
Too many supplements and you are risking shortening your life.
From a doctor's update:
Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 11, 2011
Get Vitamins from Food, Not Pills
One in three women and one in four men in the United
States take vitamin pills regularly. This month, a study that
followed 182,099 people in California and Hawaii for an average
of 11 years showed that taking multivitamin pills neither
decreased nor increased the death rate for all causes or the rates
of heart attack or cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology,
August, 2011).
A previous review of 67 randomized trials of vitamin pill
effects on life and health found that taking vitamin pills may
shorten life (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1,
2008). The authors found an increased death rate of 16 percent
in those taking vitamin A pills, seven percent with beta-
carotene, and seven percent with vitamin E. The Women's Health
Initiative study followed women for eight years and found that
taking multivitamin pills has little or no influence on the risk
of common cancers, heart attacks or death rate in postmenopausal
women (Archives of Internal Medicine, February, 2009). A review
of the world's literature shows that multivitamin use neither
increases nor decreases risk for breast cancer (Annals of
Pharmacotherapy. published online April 2011)...
...VITAMIN B PILLS MAY CAUSE HARM: Every chemical reaction in
your body is started by an enzyme. For your body to convert
chemical A to chemical B, you need an enzyme to start that
reaction. All eight B vitamins are parts of enzymes. When you
take large doses of one enzyme, you accumulate end products that
must be balanced by also taking large doses of other enzymes.
For example, NIACIN LOWERS CHOLESTEROL, BUT RAISES HOMOCYSTEINE:
People who take large doses of niacin to lower cholesterol have a
marked elevation of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart
attacks. Here is how it happens: Proteins are made up of
building blocks called amino acids. The B vitamin, Niacin, is
part of the enzyme that converts an amino acid, cysteine, into
homocysteine..."
Now, I am not a doctor nor do I have a doctorate, but it seems that there is some pretty good data to concentrate first on food and much further down the list cramming a truck load of supplements down your gut.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Mini Meet in the Books: Instructive
Competition is where you learn how your training is progressing. 3 weeks of training since the state meet (with a few changes in the programming) and this was the first check point. With the Title Belt on the line, anything could happen. It did.
The meet format was a point system. Each lifter would get 4 attempts per lift. Attempts would be at 92, 95, 97, and 102% of current maximums. 3 points for each lift made, bonus for 3 lifts and a bigger bonus for 4 lifts. Lifter with the most points gets the Title Belt. A crazy tiebreaker would take place if there was a tie.
The details.
Ron and Brian started at the same opener in snatch of 78. Easy. Megan, Ben, and Josh also easy times with their openers.
Ron had trouble the rest of the way with 80. Obviously thinking of drinks, food, and ships...
Brian progressed nicely hitting a PR snatch.
Ben made the second snatch, but slipped back into old habits as he edged closer to 100%
Josh went 3 for 3 and on number 4 ran it far in front of himself.
Megan hits her opening 2 snatches easily then tightens up the wrong way for #3. She pulls it together for the fourth and nails it.
3 way tie after snatch. Funny, it always seems to come down to the CJ.
Megan: easy opener. Cleans the second, valiantly struggles to stand, gathers herself, and misses the jerk. So much work for nothing! She gets credited with her first CJ of 64.
Ron's tropical woes continue in the CJ. he hits the first one with a bit of bother and gets nothing after that. He struggled to stand with 100 but could not put it overhead.
Brian cleans his first two with mostly upper body and jerks with authority. He misses attempts 3 and 4, leaving the door open for Josh to step on through.
Ben steps up to the platform and hits a solid three initial CJ. he calls for a PR of 130. It was a very fast moving dead lift, but not a clean.
Josh matches Ben by going 3 for 3. His fourth attempt is loaded; will he lift the weight or lift the bar? The weight. He misses, but still totals 22 points to Brian's and Ben's 17 each to take the Title Belt.
Lessons learned: it's still a meet and you still only get the one shot on the platform. It's tight, close, finish with your feet flat for as long as possible.
I see programming changes for all starting next week!
Thanks for Frank for visiting and Garrett for cheering the lifters on. Josh got the belt, but everyone else got cupcakes.
The meet format was a point system. Each lifter would get 4 attempts per lift. Attempts would be at 92, 95, 97, and 102% of current maximums. 3 points for each lift made, bonus for 3 lifts and a bigger bonus for 4 lifts. Lifter with the most points gets the Title Belt. A crazy tiebreaker would take place if there was a tie.
The details.
Ron and Brian started at the same opener in snatch of 78. Easy. Megan, Ben, and Josh also easy times with their openers.
Ron had trouble the rest of the way with 80. Obviously thinking of drinks, food, and ships...
Brian progressed nicely hitting a PR snatch.
Ben made the second snatch, but slipped back into old habits as he edged closer to 100%
Josh went 3 for 3 and on number 4 ran it far in front of himself.
Megan hits her opening 2 snatches easily then tightens up the wrong way for #3. She pulls it together for the fourth and nails it.
3 way tie after snatch. Funny, it always seems to come down to the CJ.
Megan: easy opener. Cleans the second, valiantly struggles to stand, gathers herself, and misses the jerk. So much work for nothing! She gets credited with her first CJ of 64.
Ron's tropical woes continue in the CJ. he hits the first one with a bit of bother and gets nothing after that. He struggled to stand with 100 but could not put it overhead.
Brian cleans his first two with mostly upper body and jerks with authority. He misses attempts 3 and 4, leaving the door open for Josh to step on through.
Ben steps up to the platform and hits a solid three initial CJ. he calls for a PR of 130. It was a very fast moving dead lift, but not a clean.
Josh matches Ben by going 3 for 3. His fourth attempt is loaded; will he lift the weight or lift the bar? The weight. He misses, but still totals 22 points to Brian's and Ben's 17 each to take the Title Belt.
Lessons learned: it's still a meet and you still only get the one shot on the platform. It's tight, close, finish with your feet flat for as long as possible.
I see programming changes for all starting next week!
Thanks for Frank for visiting and Garrett for cheering the lifters on. Josh got the belt, but everyone else got cupcakes.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Borders to Tryharder Land are closed
Sadly, Tryharder Land has closed its borders to all immigrants. No more of "I will try harder next time". The good news is that the borders of DoGood Land are wide open and always looking for newcomers.
Competition requires one to do good (grammatically it should be Do Well, but this ain't English class...) at that point in time. To have goals to accomplish or to reach based upon what training and preparation has led up to that point is what competition is for. If you do not hit your goal(s), then something in the preparation went poorly.
Nor is progress linear; if it were we all would have 200 kilo snatches, 350 kilo squats, run 4 minute miles, and weigh what we want to weigh. Trying harder does not magically put 100 pounds on to your PR. Just saying, "I will put 5 kilos on my snatch in the next month" won't happen if you don't do the necessary and sometimes tedious work to get to this point.
"I keep missing snatches out in front when I get near my max weights. I will just try harder." No more. Knuckle down, perhaps even asking the ego to step aside for a while, develop the plan, work the plan, check yourself, and then adjust the plan.
Recently, our program has gone through some minor adjustments in the last few weeks. The effects will be checked at a meet simulation day, read that to be a competition. So much information in such a compact little piece of time.
Who will have his or her visa to Tryharder Land refused? Who will enter DoGood Land?
Saturday August 27 will be the day for the test.
Competition requires one to do good (grammatically it should be Do Well, but this ain't English class...) at that point in time. To have goals to accomplish or to reach based upon what training and preparation has led up to that point is what competition is for. If you do not hit your goal(s), then something in the preparation went poorly.
Nor is progress linear; if it were we all would have 200 kilo snatches, 350 kilo squats, run 4 minute miles, and weigh what we want to weigh. Trying harder does not magically put 100 pounds on to your PR. Just saying, "I will put 5 kilos on my snatch in the next month" won't happen if you don't do the necessary and sometimes tedious work to get to this point.
"I keep missing snatches out in front when I get near my max weights. I will just try harder." No more. Knuckle down, perhaps even asking the ego to step aside for a while, develop the plan, work the plan, check yourself, and then adjust the plan.
Recently, our program has gone through some minor adjustments in the last few weeks. The effects will be checked at a meet simulation day, read that to be a competition. So much information in such a compact little piece of time.
Who will have his or her visa to Tryharder Land refused? Who will enter DoGood Land?
Saturday August 27 will be the day for the test.
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