March 2018 Training Log

28      180.5 lb. Great training day. Started with barbell work. Clean and push press, full squat clean. 1 rep with 135, but it felt heavy, so 6 more singles with 115. Two single clean and power jerks, 115. Took about a minute between reps. Kettlebell work: half snatch, 24k: 22m @ 8rpm, hand switch OTM = 176 reps. Legs and lungs were going strong, but shoulders are not used to the barbell work, or the snatch volume, so I stopped. Finished with two circuits of pullup (6 reps), dips (10 reps), Roman chair back raises (10 reps), Roman chair situps (10 reps). Total 12 pullups, 20 each dips, back raises, situps. Full range of motion of Roman chair work. Total session took about 45 minutes. Finished feeling strong. Used BCAA’s before session. It seems to really help. At less than $.50 a scoop, this may become a staple in my routine.

27      180.5 lb. First day of good training in a while. Planned to train yesterday, but ran out of time. Had a little delayed soreness and fatigue after the big set of long cycle on the 21^st, so did not push it. Today’s session:  Back squat: 4 singles @ 155lb. Military press from racks: 4 singles @ 95 lb. Deadlift: 4 singles @ 175 lb. Power clean and push press: 4 singles @ 135 lb. All but clean and press were very easy. I want to include a Steve Justa singles routine in my training to bring up strength levels, but I’m still not sure which lifts to use. After today, I’m thinking about either power clean/push press and back squats, or a combination power clean/front squat/push press. This second option would give me the push/pull/squat I need. A few singles everyday, increasing weight slow and steady, would fill some holes in my strength training.  I’ll play around and see how it goes. After barbell work today, half snatch, 24k: 20m @ 8rpm, hand switch every 1-2 minutes. 160 reps. Felt easy at this pace. Hardest on shoulders- legs and lungs could have gone much longer.

26      No real training. In the evening, two easy sets of pullups (8, 5) and dips (10, 8).

25      No training. One set of 8 pullups.

24      Busy all day. On my feet, but no training

22      177 lb. After yesterday’s training, no soreness or stiffness. Feel great, except for stuffy head, which I’ve had for weeks.

21      177 lb. Single clean and jerk, 28k: 6m @ 8rpm, hand switch OTM = 48 reps. Did not use chalk or spray my shirt with water. It makes a big difference. Later, half-snatch, 28k: 4m @ 8rpm, hand switch OTM = 32 reps. Spent about 20 minutes digging a hole for repair of the well pump. Later in the afternoon, single clean and jerk, 28k: 30m @ 6rpm, hand switch OTM = 180 reps. This is the second time I’ve done 180 with the 28k, and this was much stronger than last year. Total time under the bells today: 40 minutes. Total reps long cycle: 228. 14,136 pounds lifted in long cycle. 1,984 pounds lifted in half snatch. Total tonnage: 16,120. I don’t always calculate tonnage, but it’s useful to set benchmarks occasionally.

20      180 lb.

19      180 lb. Single clean and jerk, 24k: 6m @ 10 rpm, hand switch OTM = 60 reps. This pace is really hard on my legs. Half snatch, 24k: 2m @ 10 rpm = 20 reps.  Had to stop because of respiratory difficulty. Rode the bike a few minutes, but just could not breathe.

16       Long cycle clean and jerk, 12k: 10m @ 10 rpm, 1 hand switch = 50/50 reps. Later, played with 32k long cycle and half snatches for a few minutes, then half snatch, 24k: 10m @ 8rpm, hand switch OTM = 80 reps. Had long breaks between sets, working on house. 

15       177 lb. Worked on hardwood flooring for several hours. Throughout the day, did 5 sets of 10 pullups and 10 dips. 10 pullups is still difficult for me, but is much more manageable than before.

14        Today was a failure, from a training perspective. Started long cycle, 2x16k. Did just over 2m @ 8rpm, and had to put the bells down. Likewise with single clean and jerk with a 28k. My stomach where my elbows rest was raw and abraded from Monday’s PR session. I usually end my workouts with red places there, but they go away. These bruises are turning blue, and the surface of the skin is raw. Perhaps the shirt I wore was not soft enough for such use. Too painful to use proper technique, so I called it a day.

12       Pullups: 3.5, 3 with 16k added. Was trying for 4, 3. Perhaps too heavy. I may drop to 25 lbs. and see how that goes. Long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k: 2x 2:30 @ 8rpm = 40 reps. 1:30 rest between sets. Rested until full recovery, then half snatch, 28k: 20m @ 6rpm (did 7 rpm the first 2m), hand switch OTM = 120 reps. This is probably a PR for me in this lift. I used another serving of BCAA’s, and had lots of energy. I could have lifted longer, but had localized fatigue in my shoulders, and did not want to push it. I feel like if it were a test or competition, I had 30m in me at this pace.  Rested a couple hours, then did an experiment with pushups: did 6 pushups a minute – 1 every 10s- resting on all fours between reps. 10m @ 6rpm = 60 single pushups. Focused on perfect form. Each rep was easy, of course, but I wanted an anterior chain exercise to balance out all the snatches. 

9         178 lb. In the morning: pullups, dips: 3,3,2 with 16k added. Clean and front squat, 2x16k: 3,3,2. In the afternoon: long cycle clean and jerk, 2x16k: 3 x 2m @ 8 rpm = 48 reps. Rested 5m, then clean and jerk, 28k: 14m @ 6 rpm = 84 reps. Rested 5m, then started a set of half-snatches. Got 2m @ 7rpm, but did not have steam to keep going.

8         178 lb. In the morning: pullups, dips: 3,2,2 with 16k added. Worked on well house for several hours of easy work.

7         179 lb. In the morning: pullups, dips: 3,2,1 with 16k added. Long cycle, 2x16k: 4 sets of 1:30 @ 8 rpm, 1m rest = 48 reps. Rested 10m because I needed to use my inhaler to stop wheezing. Long cycle, 28k: 12m @ 6 rpm, hand switch OTM = 72 reps. Rested 4m. Half-snatch, 28k: 10m @ 7 rpm, hand switch OTM = 70 reps. Used an amino acid supplement powder (a free sample from the vitamin store) before lifting. After I got my wheezing under control, felt great. Lots of energy, could have lifted longer. Might give this stuff a try.

4         180 lb. Long cycle, 2x16k: 6 sets of 1m @ 8rpm, 1m rest = 48 reps. Rested 5m, then long cycle, 28k: 10m @ 6 rpm, hand switch OTM = 60 reps. Rest 5m, then half-snatch, 28k: 10m @ 7 rpm, hand switch OTM = 70 reps. Worked about an hour building the roof of the wellhouse. Later, 10 pullups, 10 dips.

3          Long cycle, 2x16k: 5 sets of 1m @ 8rpm, 1m rest = 40 reps. Rested 1m, then long cycle, 28k, 10m @ 6 rpm, hand switch OTM = 60 reps. Rested 5m, then half-snatch, 28k, 10m @ 6 rpm, hand switch OTM = 60 reps. Rested about 20m until fully recovered, then 3 sets of 5 pullups, dips, and squats with 135 lb.         

1         177 lb. Long cycle, 2x16k: 4m @ 5rpm = 20 reps. Long cycle clean and jerk, 32k: 2m @ 5rpm = 10 reps. Stopped there because I started wheezing. This cold, wet air is really getting to me. Better to try again tomorrow than to trigger an asthma attack. Did 10 pullups.