Head colds suck
As you can see by the title I’m a little bit bitter having woken up Sunday morning with a lovely summer head cold. I am a big baby when it comes to having my nose plugged, I don’t like it all, I hate feeling like I can’t get enough oxygen. All that complaining aside the weekend was quiet successful. I moved on Sunday and got all settled in to my new place. Didn’t sleep well the first night which was probably a combination of being sick and it being a new environment. Last night I slept much better and I’m loving having half the commute to work. Today is the first day of my last month at the GSC…I’m ready to get back to the books, but the past 7 months have been an amazing learning experience and having research I’ve been involved in published is pretty awesome!
Now to the part that this whole blog thing has been created for. Training. Friday was a bit of a bust my body was fatigued. Not sore per-say, but the stabilizer muscles along my spine wouldn’t tighten up so i kept losing snatches forward. Did a couple other light exercises and called it a day. After training headed home to hang out with my Dad who ended up ordering Chinese food, my diet lately has been really clean so I splurged…bad idea, 20 minutes after dinner and the MSG and sodium had swollen my limbs up like crazy. Note to self stick to the clean diet haha.
Yesterday’s workout was intentionally light since coach knew I was moving. Did some power snatches up to 60 for doubles. Not heavy, need to finish the pull, I’m feeling more rested today than I did during Monday’s training so I will finish my pulls better tonight. Then some jerk from behind the neck, off the rack, up to 75 for a single. Mostly position work, practicing driving straight up and dipping deep enough, rather than the shallow dip I sometimes do and driving forward. Back-squats up to 115 for a triple, did two triples at 105 before 115. My legs still aren’t tired after 115, so that’s a good sign. My leg strength is coming back at a decent rate. Then just some snatch pulls at 75 x 3 for 4 sets. Nice and easy, today I think is power work, then we’ll do a couple more heavyish days before tapering down to the comp August 11th. Less than two weeks until I compete for the first time in 4 years and the first time I compete in 5 years after any training.
Being the lover of random facts that I am I often check what people have googled to find my blog. Today someone googled very specifically “45 degree hyper extension on craigslist” and found me. What they were looking for I’m not sure, I’m quite certain they did not find it on my blog. A few days ago someone googled “nothing feels as good as a snatch”…something tells me they weren’t looking for gym info that day. The rest make sense, but those two stick out and made me laugh.
I bought the new Smashing Pumpkins CD yesterday, I’ve only had time to listen to the first half, but I’m quite enjoying it. I also bought “The Con” by Tegan and Sara – and it’s only made me love them more. Not workout music, but I’ve listened to the whole CD 4 times through already.
It’s holding me, morphing me. And forcing me to strive.
Workout 6.3 was another episode of the clean show. The aim at the beginning get to 80, the aim by the end manage a 3rd double at 75. The progression upwards was fine. I was still fiddling with my grip trying to see if it felt better or worse. Did a couple sets at 45 just to get my body feeling the motion, proper technique, going under the bar, just getting into the groove. I really do think of it like that with cleans, I get in a groove and then suddenly I fall out of it and I can’t get back in. Went up to 55, did another couple triples. More reps are better in clean for me because I really need my body to get this motion, it needs to be like the snatch where I don’t have to think and my body responds. Got up to 65, still felt good. Eventually got to 75, the program was to do two doubles here and then move up to 80. Did one double at 75 successfully, feeling good. Did the first rep in the next set and then missed rep number two. Too the weight off because I know my mind won’t overcome that weight unless I go down. I stayed calm today, wasn’t going to let it get to me. Did a couple of up and downs with the weight and couldn’t do 75 again. Didn’t have as many misses as last week and managed to actually do 75 so my coach was happy. Little victories. But with a competition 2.5 weeks away even little victories make me feel like a failure.
The rest of the workout was decent:
Power Snatch from hang up to 50 x 2 for 3 sets Front Squat up to 90 x 3 for 3 sets Clean Pull 95 x3 for 3 setsFriday the goal is to attempt a 75 kg snatch, if I make, which I believe I can, it’s not crazy to speculate that I could snatch 80 at the meet on August 11th. That would match my old PR with 6 weeks of heavy training and 2 weeks of lighter work leading up. Even if I did 75 I don’t think I could complain since I’ve only been back at it a month and a half. However given that I am currently clean and jerking a whopping 75 kgs and not even on a consistent basis I have a pretty funny looking total. I’m a competition lifter so hopefully the adrenaline and need to show off at a meet will pump me up and I’ll do a decent c & j. Ideally if I snatched 80 I’d like to clean and jerk 85 at least if not 90. 85 would put me over the qualifying total for nationals. 90 would match my best clean and jerk. Though it isn’t even close to my best jerk. Regardless I’ll be pleased with a 150/155 total and happy with 160 or above.
Suppermassive Blackhole (Workout 6.2)
The title of this post has nothing to do with my workout, it’s just a song I like to listen to before I workout and what I’m currently listening to while I’m working and writing this post. For those of you who have yet to hear Muse, check them out.
Workout 6.2 was not particularly eventful. Nothing to heavy, no big misses.
Power Snatch up to 55 x2 for 3 sets Cleans up to 65 x3 for 3 sets Snatch Pull from Block up to 80 x 3 for 3 setsTwo things of note I will discuss from yesterday are: second skin and changing my clean.
Topic 1: Second Skin I switched to weightlifting after an unfortunate incident involving my ankle twisting the wrong way in the sand when I fell off a skimboard, the first and last time I tried that sport. Breaking your tibia does not bode well for a continuing figure skating career, nor does the cost of figure skates, ice time and coaches. People often think that figure skating represents a big jump – I suppose on the outside it is. But figure skaters are tougher than they look we fall hard and get bruises and cuts and oh the blisters. The one thing I’ve transferred from figure skating, aside from a high level of natural leg strength, is the wonders of Second Skin. The past week my hands have been tearing like crazy, not unexpected, but after 5 years of nice girly hands not something I want to display at work when I am talking at a meeting or something I want to continue to open up at training. Second skin works wonders for me. After trimming my torn callouses at night I put on a small piece of the moist burn pads and a bandaid and in the morning my callouses are totally bearable. That’s my little advert for second skin, it’s been working wonders for me, though sometimes I look a little foolish with 2 plasters on each hand. Once I get to training I just tape my hands until I’m healed enough to go without, since I prefer lifting without tape on my hands.
Topic 2: Changing my Clean Grip My clean grip hasn’t changed since I started weightlifting, one thumb length in from the beginning of the knurling (I looked this word up in the dictionary, still looks wrong). However since I’m still having problems going under the clean I’m starting to fiddle with how my body feels during the clean. I think the part that really throws me is the beginning of the pull, off the floor. Explaining at one point why I could clean from the blocks and from the floor exactly the same amount. As an aside, the problem are of my back is at the thoracic-lumbar junction particularly concentrated in my weak multifidus muscles, and I feel it a lot in any bent over position. In the snatch when my grip is wider there is less stress on these weak muscles because the weight is distributed more across my back. When I start my clean with such a narrow grip these muscles feel a lot of pressure coming off the floor and my body responds by not going under. This is all speculation, but I’m really trying to listen to my body this time around. After a conversation with my Dad about this (he is a level 3 referee so isn’t naive to the sport) I decided to give widening my grip a touch a go. During this past workout I edged it out about an inch and it felt alright, I definitely felt less pressure on my back off the floor and less back fatigue. Today the weights will be heavier so I can see if it was just light weights making the cleans feel easier.
That was a long post. Sorry guys! Any feedback on changing clean grip would be greatly welcomed.
A two post day – things I assume, and maybe shouldn’t
A conversation I had the other day with a friend has inspired me to post a couple of general musings about what olympic weightlifters do on a daily basis.
Paraphrased interaction: Friend: Congrats on the 95lb backsquat Me: What 95 lb backsquat (realizing to myself this friend has probably taken a look at this blog)…ooo that was 95 kgs and now I’ve done 105 Friend: WowTo her 95lbs (43 kgs) seemed like a pretty decent weight, so saying I did 95 kgs made it even better. At the same time I was thinking that 95 lbs isn’t very much at all.
What we do is strange to a lot of the world. Why we chose to go into the gym and lift for the sake of the weights and strength, rather than tone and mucles. These come to some extent as by-products. But the way I see it Olympic lifters walk into a gym to battle the weights. My first coach used to repeat something he heard Doug Hepburn say “The weight is never too heavy, the lifter is just too weak.” To me 95 kgs is an almost shameful back squat, though keeping it in perspective I’d only been back training 4 weeks then. I’m proud to be part of this sport and I love it even sitting here with 4 freshly torn callouses from last nights workout. It’s part of me, once you’re in the sport it’s got you.
To all you lifters reading this keep at it. To my non-lifting friends reading this yes I am a bit crazy but that’s why you love me.
Maybe I’m not entirely crazy…
Yesterday was workout 6.1. Hard to believe that I’ve been back 6 weeks, or hard to believe it’s only been 6 weeks. Depends on the day, I waffle. Sometimes I have to step back and put it all in prospective though because I can be a little hard on myself. The last time I trained with any vigour was June 2002. If my math is correct that’s 5 years ago, I was 16 with little to worry about other than getting into university and training. I ate and slept school and weightlifting. My parents paid for my trips, fed my, clothed me. Fast forward to the year 2007, I am now 21, almost 22, moving out on my own again, working full time, in the fall this will switch to a full course load and generally paying my own way in the world. When I get to training at night it’s not after an afternoon nap or a lovely dinner, it’s after an hour and a bit commute on public transit following a full day at work. No complaints I like my job, and I do sit for the bulk of the day. But the situation training now is different. In addition to lifestyle changes following lifting I lost about 18kgs. I’ve gained some back, but my body composition is different now, not better, not worse, but different. I’m more aware now than I was of what I eat, how I rest, what I do. I’m again eating and sleeping weightlifting, but with more emphasis on eating and sleeping than ever before. This is my last chance, if I had waited any longer to get back it probably wouldn’t have happened. All that being said it’s only been 6 weeks and I’m 10 kilos below my best snatch, in my opinion that’s not too bad, though I’m not sure of the general comeback curve after 5 years. I may be having some issues with my clean, but I’ll work with it. My back squat is coming back, maybe even faster than I expected. 6 weeks…it took me 4 years to get to my PRs before, patience and not beating myself up that I’m not backsquatting 150 yet is something I need to learn.
Monday’s workout was neither a major challenge nor a cake walk.
Snatch up to up to 60 x 2 for 2 sets, 65 x 1 for 3 sets Jerk from Rack up to 75 x 2 for 2 sets, 80 x 1 for 3 sets Back Squats up to 110 x 3 for 3 sets Snatch Pull 75 x 3 for 3 setsSnatch felt great, though I missed a few at 45 kilos out front not finishing the pull. Jerk from rack is back to my old form and felt great. Back squats coach said to do doubles and triples only if I could…110 for triples was no problem.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday will have cleans. Wish me luck!
Why am I doing this all over again? (Workout 5.4)
Where to start. I don’t even know. Friday night I went to the gym forgoing normal social outings of a 21 year old in favor of metal and rubber and sweat. I can honestly say I prefer the feeling of grasping a bar in my hands than a cold drink most days. But this past Friday I almost wish I’d skipped the gym and headed for a cold pint.
Two words come to mind in describing Friday night: EXHAUSTING DISASTER.
I’ll start with the highest point of the evening (and by no means do I want to take away from it because it was a pretty decent accomplishment). I snatched 70 kilos. My coach only had me going to 65, but after the disaster that was Wednesday workout I really wanted to feel like I was progressing. So I made 70…or really like 69.8 or something like that since our smaller plates are totally exact. Regardless it felt great to make 10 kilos less than my old PR and know I am attempting 75 next week. Should be able to match my old PR at the meet in August.
Moving from snatch to clean and jerk I was elated and even happy to be starting. Working my way up was fine, but reached 75 and wasn’t going under I proceeded to do cleans for an hour. Going up and down, up and down, trying to get my body to react. It was incredibly frustrating and I only managed to do 75 a couple times. I don’t want to dwell on it here. I’ve been working in my head to figure out why my body doesn’t respond. It happens at weights as low as 55 so it’s not a case of the weights being too heavy. So I’m working on it. It’s incredibly frustrating when the strength is there and the knowledge of what to do, but the body doesn’t respond.
We’re only a few weeks out from the competition and I don’t want to mess up my cleans. Keep plugging away. My coach and training mates are fantastic. Unlike previous situations where I felt belittled I feel like they believe that I can get past this.
Until tomorrow!
Workout 5.3 – An exercise in frustration
My workout yesterday required that I take some time to step back and relax before posting an entry that was angry and bitter. My session yesterday was an exercise in frustration as much as it was patience. I am not by nature patient, however I am by nature a perfectionist.
The goal of yesterday’s workout was to reach an 80kg clean and jerk for a single. Having done 75 for multiple single last week this task did not seem at all daunting. It proved by the end to be emotionally and physically trying.
The workout consisted of clean and jerk working up to 80, I made it 75 and made the first one no problem, the second one in the double I hit the belt on my way up so I missed it. Took the belt off and pulled the next one up to my chest. It seems like as soon as I miss on I can’t get back to doing it right. Missed a few at 75, power cleaned a couple it was hit and miss. Coach put on 80 since 75 was so light for me. Missed 80, went back down to 55 to work my way back up again, missed a bunch at 75, went down to 65 work up again, missed again at 75. Finally coach said it was time to move on. Took the weight down to 55 and did clean from hang for triples, 3 sets. Did front squats up to 95 x 3 for 3 sets, no problem. Did cleans pulls at 95 x 3 for 3. Then the masochist in me went back to cleans.
Cleans – take 2: Was another horror show. Started working my way up from 55, pulls felt really light after pulling 95. 55 x2, 65 x2 fine…75×1 beautiful clean and then click it was gone again, back down to 65, missed it, back down to 55 made it it, up to 65 made it, 75 missed it…after a couple of up and downs like this it was time to stop. I had to walk out of the gym and take a breather because I was so frustrated. This weird problem is why I left the sport the first time, I refuse to let it beat me again. I will overcome it.
The training evironment now is much more encouraging and with the help of my coach and my training mates I will become a better lifter and get through this.
Weightlifting Belts and Workout 5.2
Yesterday’s workout made up a bit for Monday’s dismal performance. Coach wasn’t there so it was more of a speed and strength workout than technique. I also stopped by the mall on the way to work to pick up a belt (this will get a blurb later on).
The workout:
Power Snatch up to 51 x 3 sets of 3 Power Clean and Split Jerk up to 67 x 2 + 2 for 3 sets Snatch Pull up to 75 x4 for 3 sets NO SQUATSNot a lot of news about this workout. I made it through another workout without missing a clean, I think I am building up my confidence now and going under the bar in some instances when I wouldn’t have beforehand.
Now the history behind “the belt”. I have to learn to love “the belt”. Having suffered through back pain during my first go round in weightlifting I was often exposed to the use of belts. I even accepted their use during squats and jerk from rack. However I never seemed to be able to adapt to wearing one during cleans. I like the idea of belts with a velcro closure, but I find I exhale too heavily and always end up undoing them. Leather belts are so stiff and confining and I’m always worried that I will hit the buckle during my pull. However after my craptastic workout Monday and the dull radiating pain in my back I figured a belt might be necessary. During the craptastic time that was Monday I borrowed I.’s belt and it seemed to allow me to properly position my body under the jerk for once. So now it seems I will be becoming close with “the belt.”
The current on “the belt”. I wore it during power clean and jerk and must admit experienced less back strain, however it felt awkward and I have no idea how to place it. Day 1 with “the belt” was mildly successful, but I’m not convinced. Stay tuned for more…
Workout 5.1
Wow, 5 weeks back at the gym. It doesn’t seem like much time has passed. Yesterday’s workout was less than stellar. I headed to the gym feeling good, ready for the week to start. Snatchs went alright, I missed quite a few out front. Then I got to jerk behind neck and missed an easy weight. It’s very odd for me to miss jerks. Stopped jerks and did some back squats up to 105 for triples. They weren’t bad, I could still feel the back pain, but it was bearable and not mobility limiting. Finally did some Snatch pulls off the blocks, they went alright, but by the end my back hated me. Spent a long time stretching afterwards – coach helped me stretch out my back. I went home and iced for most of the night and I’m feeling a bit better today.
Assuming I have time I’m going to stop at a shop on the way to training and get a new belt. It seemed to help for most of the jerks I wore it for. I’ve never been a fan of belts, I worry about hitting them if I’m pulling close during pulls, but I think wearing one for clean and jerk will become a reality for me.
That’s the update for today, hopefully the next one is better news.
