81 Jerks!

Today was the climax of a 6 week training program.  I had mixed results, but that’s my fault. 

First, about the program.  I went to http://www.girevik.info/gsprogram/eng/index/index and entered a goal of 75 jerks and 150 snatches with 20.  I chose the medium curve, and trained with 24k, 20k, and 16k kettlebells.  The program was 21 sessions, which is about 6 weeks if one trains every other day, as I did.  The program is a three phase linear cycle, with peaks at sessions 6, 12, and 18.  Sessions 19 and 20 are deloading sessions, and 21 is the test. I completed all sessions except 18, the hardest peak.  This session came at a time when I was busy with other physical activities around the house and farm, and after putting it off for two sessions, I just went ahead and deloaded, because it felt right.

Today I tested Jerks.  My goal was 75 reps, and my strategy was to do 7 minutes @ 8rpm, then 3 minutes @ 6 rpm, for 74 reps.  I thought I’d sneak in one extra rep.  At 7 minutes, I felt strong, so I went for another minute @ 8 rpm, then another, then another.  I even managed to get one more in a sprint at the end, for 81 reps!  The most I did with 20k’s during this program was 44, and if I had not skipped that last hard session, I would have done 47.  This program took me from 85 reps with 2x16k at Cyrus Peterson’s meet in June, to 81 reps with 20k, in just over 6 weeks!  The workload was manageable, but some sessions were admittedly quite difficult.  I like the linear peaks- once it gets hard, then you get to back off and build back up. 

I waited an hour between the Jerk and the Snatch.  During this hour, I edited my jerk video, adding numbers for each rep, checked email, and rested.  My mistake was that I did not eat.  The Jerks really took it out of me, and when I started snatching, I felt lightheaded and weak.  I started with my left hand, and got 49 before I put it down, feeling like I would faint.  My fault for not eating.  I can see, even from this limited set, how this program has worked so well.  The most I did on this program with 20k was 44 reps per arm, and I got 49 while feeling very fatigued.  If I were fresh, I think I could certainly hit 75 reps per arm. I’m out of time for today, but in the next day or two, I’ll test the snatch, and hit 75/75.  I’ll post it here when I do.