Something to Prove
I am for the most part a competition lifter. I like to show off, I like people to know how strong I am, I don’t necessarily like them to watch, but I want them to know I have muscles. Therefore in the gym my heavy lifts are not always as amazing as they would be in competition. It’s the same reason the best papers I’ve written have been written between 11pm and 5am the day they are due. No matter how far in advance I start the bulk of the writing seems to get done them. Hence why over the next week I will put in my full days at work, go to training and then go home and attempt to continue writing the draft of my co-op term report…until Thursday night when most of it will probably get written to be handing in Friday.
Training yesterday also turned on my show off gene, or more so my I’ll prove to you I can do. A training mate was teasing that the weight I was squatting (105kg) was light and she could jerk it for a double. I was only doing it for a triple, but had previously done it for an easy 4 last week. The training mate, we’ll call her I. said she bet I couldn’t do 105 for 5. I’m not a big fan of people telling me I can’t do something, I’ve been called stubborn and belligerent more times than I count. So I went up took 105 off the rack, did 1-2-3 paused 4-5 no problem. Coach wasn’t super happy, but understood that I had to prove something to I. and myself. He also said something interesting on Friday about training me differently. He wants to see if being a little tough on me would help, so he says from now on he will “train me like a Nigerian”.
The actual workout yesterday was
Snatch up to 57 x 2 for 3 sets Power Snatch from Hang 47 x 3 for 3 sets Jerk Behind Neck up to 75 x 2 for 3 sets Back Squat 105 x 3 105 x 5 105 x 3 Snatch Pull 75 x 3 for 3 sets Snatch Grip Press Behind Neck 25 x 10 for 3 sets Hyper-extension bodyweight x 10 for 3 setsOverall it was a decent workout. Snatches were light, but we’re really focusing on speed and finishing the pull. I have a tendency to cut my pull just a bit short, and with the weights I’m snatching I can still handle it, but eventually when 90 or 95 kgs is on the bar I’ll need every inch.
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.
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…
Week 2 – Workout 2
Yesterday was my 5th workout back and it feels like the muscle memory is finally jogged. Nothing too heavy, but the motions are becoming more fluid. When my Dad stops in one day I’ll make sure we get some video so I can post them.
The workout was:
Snatch (from floor) 45 x3 for 4 sets Clean and Jerk (from floor) 65 x 2+1 for 4 sets Squat 85 x 3 for 4 sets Clean Pull 75 x 4 for 4 setsThis will be a short entry since it appears it is time to head back up to the gym for the second to last workout of the week!
Training Session #3 – Last workout of week 1
Because of the way my schedule worked out this week I trained 3 days in a row rather than the regular 2 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 2 days off I am planning to do. Needless to say by the 3rd day in the first real week back I had a bit of muscle fatigue. In addition to that I forgot that it takes a little while for my shoulder to re-adapt to bearing load in both cleans and back squat. The bruises will fade and I will stop getting strange looks on the bus when I’m not wearing my coat.
Yesterday’s workout was:
Power Snatch (from blocks) 35 x3 for 5 sets Power Clean (from blocks) 55 x 3 for 5 sets Back Squat 75 x 3 for 5 sets Snatch Pull 55 x 3 for 3 setsI think that the first week went well and I’m excited to contine next week. Training next week will look very much like this week as the coach I’m working with wants to see 2 weeks of power work before we move on to anything else.
Training Session #2 – Lovely screaming muscles
Well yesterday was training session number 2. Weightlifting for me is very much riding a bike, or rollerblading. You never really forget the motions, but the first few times out there is always the threat of crashing and burning. I think that overall I have avoided any dramatic crash and burns. That being said I am SLOW, my hips are coming through SLOW and my pull is accelerating SLOW…SLOW is the key word of this post. The muscle memory is there, but the speed at which my muscles are processing it in an almost delayed manner.
The workout was:
Power Snatch: 45 x3 for 5 sets Power Clean: (1 jerk at end) 55 x 3 for 5 sets Back Squat: 75 x 3 for 5 sets [The backs of my shoulders are an array of black and blue] Snatch Pull: 55 x 3 for 3 sets Hypers: 3 sets of 10 no weightAll in all though it was a successful workout. We are starting to tweak my technique. I have never been one to move my feet much when I lift and I have certainly never been one to take me feet off the platform at the end of a pull. This is the first tweak we are making. At the end of the pull I am focusing on getting on to my toes and having my feet leave the platform. This should help when the weights get heavier and I need to get underneath. The other thing I am beginning to focus on is the drive for my jerk…which will get it’s own paragraph.
For those who don’t know I started lifting doing the power jerk. Two years in I converted to split jerk. However my conversion produced this strange hybrid. I always had a relatively short split, but never really changed it much because jerk has never been a real issue for me. At the end of my first go round I could jerk 25 kg more than I could clean. This time from the beginning I’m focusing and actually dipping, not just some little dip and then doing a proper split. As the weights go up I’m sure this will pay off.
That’s all for today, I might most later on some nutrition thoughts, but for now I should get to work since they’re paying me to code and do bioinformatics.
A time line of my life as an olympic lifter
I was first alerted to the existence of the sport when as a shy 12 year old figure skater I walked into the chemistry classroom of a teacher at my then future (an now former) high school in White Rock, BC. I was wearing jeans shorts, some kind of baby tee and the fleece vest I never took over sporting “Newton FSC” on the back. He turned surveyed the touring group of elementary students, peered over his glasses, and pointed with his hand still holding the chalk, “You, you look like a weightlifer.” I shrugged and blushed a little, only half listening to his description of the Semi Weightlifting club. During the same tour, unknown to me at the time my Mom had met another mother who’s son was on the team and they had exchanged numbers.
The summer following grade 7 and that tour was a time of change, I decided to stop figure skating (and was considering hockey) when during the first week of summer I broke my shin skimboarding at White Rock beach. I was learning to skimboard as part of a daycamp that we’d be placed into after moving from Newton to White Rock the July long weekend. Spending the summer in the cast meant my feet weren’t getting close to any skates that fall. School began and I knew no one and felt slightly uneasy beginning high school in a neighbourhood that was very different from where I grew up. During the first week I heard an annoucement for the weightlifting club, I figured why not give it a shot, rebuild my atrophied calf muscle.
I began training and went through all the stages of learning and competed in my first club competition in October 1998, I came third in the province for under-16 year old women and qualified for the BC Senior Championships. At the BC Senior Championships I came second to a woman who was at least 15 years my senior, but also qualified in the final sport of the Canada Winter Games to be held in Cornerbrook Newfoundland. This was an amazing experience and I think what hooked me. I came 13th…out of the 13, however I was hooked on competing and the prospect of travelling.
I have competed at the juvenile, junior and senior levels, provincially, nationally and internationally. My final serious competition was June 2002 in the Czech Republic, the 2002 Junior World Championships.
Now, 5 years later I’m back. I am 21 and ready to train again.
