alongthelinesof

PM (yesterday)

Snatched 50 and decided it was NOT a good idea to continue.

Power cleans: 130.  Barely.

AM (Today)

Snatch: Jumped straight from 100 to 120×2, 130×2, 120×3.

Clean and jerks:  No belted 150.  I actually won the “Nobelt Peace Prize” for the day as the heaviest weight lifted with no belt.  I have also dubbed it the “NO, NO, NO, NO lift.”  No belt, knee wraps, ibuprofen, or caffeine.

My JR 69kg lifter got some PRs today with a 52kg. snatch, Cleaned 80 but barely missed the jerk.  Great fucking work today.  We’ll both be competing on the 22nd of May.

PM

I kind of felt off yesterday.  More than that I feel disappointed in myself for not clean and jerking 175.

Snatch: Went up to 130.  Took a few attempts at 140, worked my way down and back up.  So frustrating.  I hit 30 for a double that morning.

Clean and jerks:  hit a real nice 160.  Like an idiot, I decided to go straight for 75 and failed.  God. Dammit.

I have finally accepted my role as a competitive weightlifter.  I’ve been at this for about 6 years and I work just as hard as anybody else.  I also recently turned 24, which means that I’m just too damn old to be spending literally all of my time doing this to not be good at it.  I want my 150 snatch.  I want my 180 Clean and Jerk.  Now.

I began this sport and have pursued it with such enthusiasm thus far because of the feeling that weightlifting gives me.  It feels good!  It’s empowering.  It gives me something to look forward to; something to distract from an otherwise painfully normal life.  I would go as far to say that it is even creative.  Obviously this does not mean that you are actually performing movements different than anyone else can do, but you are producing results that were not there previously.  So in a sense, you are creating a new perception of yourself every time you train.

But more than anything, weightlifting takes courage.  It actually takes as much courage as it builds.  That’s fuckin’ science.

Courage (initial) x Effort=Courage (final) x Progress.

The Courage actually cancels out, so you are left with

Effort=Jacked.

I was going to write more, but I started laughing after that last little bit and now it’s pointless.  Anyways, 150 snatch.  180 Clean and jerk.  And then I’m going to drink for a week.

Big thanks to Brian for posting this video in the comments section.  Klokov is the man.

AM

Snatch:  took it up to 130.  Went back down to 110 and took that for a set of 4 from the hang.

Clean and Jerk:  hit 140.  Cleaned 155 and missed the jerk.  Took a few hang cleans at 110.

Squat:  Worked up to 180kg. for a single (no belt).

Press: 5×5 at 60kg.

Glute-ham raise: 3×8.

PM

Snatch: took it up to 137.  Clarked the shit out of 142.  Took it back down and hit 120 for a triple.

Clean and jerk:  Took it up to a nice 160.  Missed 167.  Went back down to 140 and hit it for a set of 4 cleans.  It was difficult.

AM

Bench pressed real light

Power cleaned 90 a few times

RDLs: 3×5 at 140.

Sunday extra credit PM

Lat Pull downs alternated with RACK SUPPORTS.  

Glute-ham raise: 3×12.

Wattup, 170 Clean and Jerk!

If I didn’t freakout like such a spazz, I would’ve made 175 after this.  Rookie move, Ben.  Act like you’ve been there.  Youthful enthusiasm, I suppose.  This IS after over 6 months of stagnant clean and jerks.

AM

Snatch: 130

Clean and Jerk: 140

PM

Snatch: 140

Clean and Jerk: 170 (PR)

You know what’s funny about overtraining? It feels exactly like a hangover. I woke up this morning feeling like I killed an entire bottle of JD and then snorted a line of NO-Xplode the night before. “Oh, hello overtraining! Can I fix you some eggs and coffee?” I guess I’m like an alcoholic, except my drug of choice is Ibuprofen (otherwise known as “Vitamin I”). Funny story, I was arrested and charged with a LUII (Lifting Under the Influence of Ibuprofen). I blew above a .08 for ibuprofen.

(Just kidding guys, I actually try to go without most of the time. I’m sure my stomach lining thanks me.)

PM

I dragged my zombie ass into the gym and did what most alcoholics do to feel better: more of the same.

Power snatch: hit a whopping 100kg. I’m sure it looked blazing fast too.

Power cleans: I actually started to wake up a little bit for these. Hit a nice 130 and had a solid attempt at 140.

Jerks from the rack: 3 singles at 160.

I left the gym feeling like I just woke up from a drunken haze and had regained full cognitive function. That’s great because I’m training at Cal Strength tomorrow and I’d rather not look like a complete Sally.

Brightblack Morning Light.  For when you really, really want to chill (or for when you’re hungover).

A few weeks ago, I convinced my friend, Sarah, to start a blog.  Well actually, I told her that she should write something for my blog.  About a year ago, Sarah broke her arm in a freak accident while doing some jerks off the rack.  She thought that she would never lift weights again.  But after a long and intensive rehab process and a renewed sense of confidence, she’s back on the platform and is wrecking shit.  She just placed 4th at Collegiates in the 75kg. division and intends on going to Senior Nationals this year.  Boom.

Anyways, HERE’S her story.

AM

Snatch:  took it up to 130kg.

Clean and jerks:  I took a few attempt with light weight and just could not force myself to do them properly.  So then I benched.

Bench press:  6×5 at 70kg. with like 5 chains hanging off of either end (I have no idea how much these things weighed).  I figured that the more chains I had hanging off the side, the more it would appear that I knew what I was doing.

PM

Clean and jerks:  I decided to do these first.  Hit a nice 160kg.  The clean was super easy but the jerk felt like shit.  Then I got to thinking.  Then I loaded 172 on the bar.  Clean PR? Maybe.  Just maybe.

It was a fantastic miss, but I haven’t had the audacity to load 170 on the bar in at least 6 months.  Progress.

Snatch:  Took it up to 130 again.

I’m 5 weeks away from the next local meet.  So basically that means I have 3 weeks to throw myself into as over-trained state as I can possibly handle while still hitting some decently heavy weights, 1 week to hit the wall and realize that if I don’t cut back I will die a premature death and 1 more week to hopefully rebound back and hit some sweet ass PRs on the platform.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

AM

Power snatch:  I hit 110 for a double.  I’m not actually sure if I’ve done that before sooooo PR?

Power cleans: 130 for a double.

Press: 60 for 3×5.

PM

Snatch: Worked up to 130.

“Pause” snatch:  Went back down to 100 and worked back up to 120×2.  If you don’t know what a pause snatch is, it looks like this.

If you think this is just a hang snatch, fuck you.  A properly performed hang snatch is lowered to the knee and then immediately snatched overhead which is approximately hella easier than pausing for about a second.  These are also a good teaching tool for beginners.

Cleans: hit 140 for 3 singles.

PM

Snatch:  Went to 120, back down to 100, then back up to 130 and missed.

Back Squat: 200×3.

I felt unsatisfied with this, so I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen and that tomorrow is Saturday.  DO OVER!

DO OVER! Workout.  Sunday4/17

Power snatch: hit a solid 115.

Power cleans:  Hit a 130. Swing and a miss at 140.

RDLs: 5×5 at 140.

Press:3×8 at 50.