Destrength Has Awful Priority Management (road to 405 pound jerk)

Training Logs
461

Same fucking deal today. Apparently my phone turns off if my alarms go off too long without being answered. I am buying a stand alone alarm clock so this bullshit will stop, and I installed an app on my phone for a back up alarm on my phone.

On the plus side my back feels the healthiest it has since the injury, I am going to fucking kill it tomorrow.

edit: Yeah, I think my back/hip is like… 80% healed? It hurts to sit with bad posture, but I don’t get that “oh god I can’t walk until my back and hip pop back into place” feeling, nor am I in constant moderate (which to normal people is high-extreme, I once had a ruptured eardrum and I just thought my ear was sore), and I am not getting any sciatica like ‘tightness’ on my quads. I still have to hold back on absolutely destroying my erectors and all of that and loading my spine too much in one session (and doing stuff that especially bother it), but I think when I lift Monday my back will feel nice and secure.

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462

Pause snatch to 205x1 10lbs PR very easy
215x0 missed twice, couldn’t push under

Snatch deadlifts
Up to
335lbsx2 hook

Snatch press
195lbsx1
155x3

Back extension
135x10 for 3 sets

One hand ring pull up
Bwx3 per side
Bwx2 per side for 2 sets

Left knee is strangely upset and swollen, no pain but there’s tightness might be from how I’ve been sitting (put my ankle up on the back of the desk, keeping it in extension. seems to be extension related stuff), or from how my gait has been messed up. I’ll hit pause squats tomorrow instead of front squats and just hit the minimum numbers I had planned. Disappointed I only hit a 10lbs PR from how the weights felt, if I walked away with 215 which then without a doubt I’d bee snatching 245 the next time I maxed (attempts this Sunday for testing the snatch before I deload on my snatching and pull back slightly on strength work will probably still be 235, 240, 245 with no retries allowed and no lifts higher than that allowed)

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464

snatches up to
95kgX1 literally caught it high enough to power snatch (in fact I think I did power snatch it)
100kgX1
105kgXcrushing defeat for many sets
110kgXwhy would I try this for more than I’d care to admit sets

Supersetted with laying down on the platform and looking dead inside

2 second pause squat
405X5
385X5 yay, I can do back off sets, decided not to do 365X5 because my back felt crampy/tingly.

Knee still tight and swollen, but literally no hinderance on my lifting.

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465

Anyway, lifted heavy when I shouldn’t have. Had a torn callus and fatigue from yesterday, hit 100kgX1 which is a good number for my non-peaked-haven’t-snatched-heavy-in-a-while snatch when I am not tired with a bleeding callus.

I am still going to max Saturday, will lift Wednesday and Friday to squat and do some singles around 85% to not detrain and gain whatever consistency I lost today from missing so many times.

I think if I am going to hit a PR that I would actually be happy about this cycle (and that matches my pulling and overhead strength increasess) I’ll actually have to practice a lot of heavy snatching. Right now I am thinking

Monday: Snatch up to daily maximum (i.e snatch until I’ve missed or I press out or I just feel out of groove or hit a 1-2KG PR), rest until I’ve cooled down and start again from 70KG to another daily max (literally exactly the same as a normal bulgarian heavy day for people who can’t clean and jerk except I didn’t hit a daily max front squat before each of the daily max snatches),
4X2 no feet snatch balances, 4X3 snatch pulls
15 minutes of accessory work

Tuesday
5X3 at 80% on hip snatches, increase by 2kg every week
back squat
jumps
20 minutes of accessory work

Wednesday Same snatching as Monday
4X2(1+1) push press and overhead squat
4X2 pulls from knee

Thursday
5X3 at 80% no feet no hands snatches, add 2kg every week
double pause front squat
20 minutes of accessory work

Friday same snatching as monday and wednesday
work up to a heavy snatch pull double
work up to a heavy but smooth snatch balance double
10-15 minute accessories

Saturday
5X3 starting at 80% no contact snatches, add 2kg every week
front squats
20 minute accessory

Do for 4 weeks, reassess after assuming this doesn’t make me die before then. Basically just a hybrid of russian-ish training with bulgarian-ish training. I am more consistent, my strength is up, and I have been PRing everything except snatches. I just need to do lots of heavy snatches and my snatch will get to where I want it to be before I start prepping for my summer training cycle. I have two 4 week blocks left until I need to back off on the weights and get back to volume and hypertrophy work and lower specificity to let my body heal and get ready for the hell I have ready for Summer.

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466

Nice superset:-)
Sometimes I think it would be a good thing to do :slight_smile:

467

Haha, bad days happen from time to time. Just gotta laugh it off and keep working

468

3/2/18

Yeah. That exam kinda got to me, had about 4 hours of sleep (going to sleep as soon as my steak and spaghetti and salad are done and I have my epsom salt bath). On the bright side, I think I found my daily minimum weight since I was so fucking weak today.

Snatches
115X3
135X3
165X2
185X1
205X1
215X1
225X0 nope, didn’t have enough bar height
225X0 “pulling the fuck” out of snatches never work and I should’ve known that

rested like 10 minutes since I came to the gym later than I wanted to
155X3
185X2
205X1
175X2 for 4 sets

snatch pulls
275X1 for 3 sets

snatch balances
155X2
205X2
225X0 well then. Definitely not a challenging weight, just fell out of groove from fatigue and just a random mistake. Decided not to go any heavier since I just was not in it today.

rope face pulls supersetted with rope tricep extensions
50X20, 20
57.5X20, 20
65X20,20
72.5X12, 2

Standing ab wheel
bwX4
bwX4
bwX4

I just did not have any strength today. My snatches were fast and precise though, the bar path was straight and I was as fast on getting under the snatches as I am on getting under hip snatches (really fucking fast for me). Probably just fatigue and stress, at least I found out what my daily minimum is (which is a little higher than it was, old daily min was 198lbs/90kg)

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469

Also I massaged the heck out of my gastroc and my knee clicked a lot while walking until that went away along with the tightness. I guess my gastroc (which crosses the knee and helps assist with some knee flexion/stabilization in general) was tight and angry from when I did those retardedly heavy calf raises in Vinny’s calf’s memory.

470

3/3/18

Hip snatches
150X3 for 5 sets
I rehook gripped mid-air every rep so I didn’t have to regrip the bar from my hips or picking it up from the ground everytime

double pause front squats (4 second at bottom, 11 second at top)
395X1, 10 pounds off of my non-paused PR
315X3
315X3 progress, I can do two back off sets now. Before I know it I’ll be able to do three then be able to do three without pain.

single leg box jumps
3 sets of 2 per leg

GHRs supersetted with 1 leg 45 degree hypers
bwX8, bwX13
bwX5, 25X6
bwX5, 25X6

Seems like a fun super set. I’ll do them every once in awhile as part of my initiative (among many others) to strengthen my posterior chain now that my quad to everything else seems to have gotten to where it should be for a Weightlifter. I really want to get to the point I can do this with a 25 plate on ghrs and a 45 plate on single leg back extensions.

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471

Important technique note, I am trying to make sure I have my shoulders above the bar in the power position. In the hip snatch I have been noticing that they are behind the bar and I am relying on my legs instead of using my hips and legs.

I don’t know if I am doing this in the normal snatch, I’ll get a video of it. After implementing it on hip snatches, I felt like I had to try a lot less and that my third pull felt a lot more natural.

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3/4/18 night exam

3/5/18
Snatch
115x3
115x3
155x3
185x2
205x2
215x0 nope

Rest for like 15 mins, drank water, washed my face, etc

Snatches
155x2
185x1
205x1
215x0
215x1 you’re a daily min god damn you, even if I fatigue myself with volume I am finding a way to hit you
175x2 for 4 sets, actually really easy (will probably take it up to 180 now) worked on how I was pitching forward in my snatches and having to walk them out

No feet snatch balances
90kgx3 perfect
100kgx3 too heavy
90kgx2 out of groove
90kgx3 good

Deficit snatch pulls
100kgx3 for 4 sets

Assisted single leg ghrs supersetted with waiter walks
Bwx5 both, 70x1 R
Bwx4 both, 70x1 L
Bwx4 both, 70x1 R
Bwx4 both, 70x1 L

Going to do 100 band pull aparts tonight.

The single leg GHRs are for injury prevention, in a study nordic hamstring curls had reduced MCL/ACL tears in track athletes from increased eccentric hamstring strength. My left knee has been fucky (not painful/immobile but just giving me a bad feeling of something catastrophic happening out of nowhere if I ignore it for months on end), and I am far too strong to do nordic hamstring curls so I did the closest thing I could do: assisted single leg GHRs with me basically supporting the whole eccentric on my hamstring.

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473

No hip no hand snatches
155x3 for 5 sets

1 second pause squat
Up to
410x1 tweaked my back a little walking it back
435x5

Weighted ghr and single leg back extensions
25x1, 25x13
25x1, 25x6
25x1, 25x6

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474

3/8/18

Was in pain last night and a little today back wise. Felt good aside from that.

Power snatches
95x3
95x3
135x2
155x1
175x1
195x1
205x1 6lbs pr, called it here

Rest
Power snatched focused on loose straight arms off the floor
135x2
155x2
175x2
195x0 was out of groove, lost it forward
185x1 for three sets

Block snatch pull from knees
245x3 for 4 sets

Snatch push press and overhead squat
245x(1+1)2 for 4 sets. Mixed the sets between (1+1)2 and (2+2)

Weighted ring dips and weighted ring pull ups
70x8, 3
70x5, 2
70x3, 2

Back was surprisingly good when I got warmed up, 0 pain or sensitivity. I feel like I could’ve gotten a snatch PR today if I snatched instead. Pulling power is coming back after I lost a lot of my pulling power from my initial injury.

I didn’t PR my power snatch because my power is better, but because I am more precise and met the bar better (power is still not at its peak).

https://instagram.com/p/BgFMcL2Fdxx/

475

Snatches
115x3
155x2
155x2
185x2
205x1
215x0 a bunch
185x2 for 4 sets

I realized why I’ve been pressy on snatches and why my snatch is weak. The bar is drifting in the third pull. Immediately felt like my punch under did itself with 185 when I cued the bar in.

Snatch pulls
275x2 for 3 sets

Snatch balance
155x3
205x2
225x2
245x2
255x2 first rep was 'staggered ’ i.e I stuck the landing but I had to reposition myself under the bar to squat it

I swear, I’ll be a very good American weightlifter when my snatches are no longer trash. I feel like I’d have hit a 405 BTN jerk by now if I put my effort into jerking instead.

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476

I am really impressed with that weightlifting stuff you’re up to. You make it look so easy.
Tried to learn myself the powersnatch thing. I got to a whooping 60 something pounds, It’s very difficult.

Looking at your video, if it was me, I would happily call that a full snatch… Or do you have do go even deeper to call it a snatch?

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477

Jerked, did wrist rollers and seated calves today. I can jerk pain free though my form is off, did 295. Will swap second max snatch out with power jerks, and add squat jerks on light days.

Back off jerk sets will be apti jerks. Still don’t think it’s wise to do cleans though, cleans I’ll add back in during my volume block.

478

Haha yeah, it’s very hard and frustrating.

Power lifts are any lift that you reverse above parallel, it was very borderline so I doubt I could’ve powered anything more. I did wait awhile to reverse the weight so it was reversed a bit lower than I catchef it, it’s difficult to reverse a snatch unlike a power clean or power jerk that you should be able to normally stick the landing easily.

479

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480

Does it help the phrasing at all that I jerked because I didn’t do any snatches? @MarkKO

481

Not even remotely.

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