Vanity is not a sin...
- Thread starter mrthingyx
- Start date
Eccentric part of a dragon flag. Because I am out of practice for proper, manly dragon flags.
I may have the name wrong, however, as Youtube suggests a candlestick is either of:
1) a dragon flag;
2) some weird lunge thing done by aerobics people with their hands above their heads;
3) the vertical start position of a dragon flag and then hold, followed by lowering of bum and then legs.
Cheers dude! Not so awesome this morning, however...
SCARECROW CLEAN (5s) 40-40-50-60
PAUSED (at knee) FULL CLEAN (3s) 60-60-80-80
PAUSED (at knee) SNATCH PANDA PULLS (5s) 110-110 From the floor... that hamstring recruitment!
Decided to dispense with the hang clean as I feel one of the areas I'm missing speed/power is pulling from the floor. The positional pausing was to make sure the first pull was (ahem) clean, and I am in the right place relative to the bar.
Not overly worried about the weight at the moment as whilst I'm on the hypertrophy. That will come later.
EDIT: Afternoon session.
Wasn't feeling particularly awesome this afternoon due to not eating that much in the run up to this afternoon...
BACK SQUATS (...)
70*5
100*3 Ooof. That felt heavy?
120*1 Mmm... not so heavy. Body wants moar.
140*1 Mmm... pretty heavy, but form was still relatively tight...
150*1 Yeah, that's heavy. Back collapsed on the way down, meaning lumbar dumped out and I used my back to get it up.
Well that was interesting. Moar deadlifting it is, then.
And paused back squats when strength time actually comes around.
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Mmmmm. Deadlifts.
DEADLIFTS (5-4-4-3-3) 170-172.5-172.5-172.5-172.5 No serious increase in weight as my back started to go on the second quad. So spent the triples making sure everything was working.
SNATCH PULLS FROM BELOW KNEE (3-3-3-3) 100-120-120-120 Ow. Doing these without straps is painful.
NORDIC CURLS ss/w OHP ss/w CANDLESTICKS (5-5-5) OHP: 55-57.5-57.5 Phwoar! That HURT!
Snatch pulls were used as I'm trying to find something relevant to my end goals that give me some hamstring zing. These seemed pretty good, although straps would have helped focus on the form a bit better.
Strct press is getting better, as is my ability to control the candlesticks (already). Happy days.
DEADLIFTS (5-4-4-3-3) 170-172.5-172.5-172.5-172.5 No serious increase in weight as my back started to go on the second quad. So spent the triples making sure everything was working.
SNATCH PULLS FROM BELOW KNEE (3-3-3-3) 100-120-120-120 Ow. Doing these without straps is painful.
NORDIC CURLS ss/w OHP ss/w CANDLESTICKS (5-5-5) OHP: 55-57.5-57.5 Phwoar! That HURT!
Snatch pulls were used as I'm trying to find something relevant to my end goals that give me some hamstring zing. These seemed pretty good, although straps would have helped focus on the form a bit better.
Strct press is getting better, as is my ability to control the candlesticks (already). Happy days.
mirin' the deadlifts!
Heh. Cheers. They need a lot of work because I borrow too much from my clean technique, but there we go.
So... this morning was meant to be snatch Monday, but I woke up late and felt like I'd been hit by a train (spent a lot of yesterday chopping up tree bits). Still, I went out to the garage to see what damage I could do.
OVERHEAD SQUAT (5s) 40-40-50 Slooooooooooooow. Knees were going in the right place, however.
SNATCH BALANCE (5s) 40-50 Pretty slow, too. Knees were still good and consistent, mind.
SNATCH (3s) 50-60-60 Dropped 60kg twice, which is unusual and rubbish. Was running out of time at this point, so bailed on the snatching...
SNATCH PULL FROM FLOOR (5s) 80-90-90 Ah. That would be why stuff was happening as if in slow motion. It seems I hadn't really woken up, yet.
These were heavy, but were moving nice and fast by the third set. And then out of time, Will hit the gym at work this afternoon to get some back squats and overhead work done.
Weighed in this morning after my gym session (all of half an hour...
) and 'clean' at 95.5kg. 
Still, last night I was 97.1kg. This is all going in the right direction, particularly as I've only got another fortnight on the Afternoon session...
BACK SQUAT (5s) 70-110-120-120-120-110 Not bad. Back squatting is weird because how I feel had a massive impact on whether or not I can get the reps out. Today was pretty good.
OHP (5s) 40-50-60-60-60 Obamanotbad.jpg... haven't repped 60kg that easily for a long time. All this tricep work is paying off. Seemingly. Either that or I just didn't try hard enough with this morning's session.
LAT RAISE ss/w OVERHEAD TRICEP EXTENSION (12s) BEEEEELLIONS (three supersets).
Surprisingly good session. Was pretty happy with that.
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Penultimate quad-dominant day!
FRONT SQUATS (12-10-10-8-8) 80-90-90-95-95 For the two people that might read this log, you know how painful I find these. Back squats yesterday probably didn't help...
DBSS (4*10) 10-20-20-20 Was thinking about another set, but remembered how ill I felt last week...
BANDED SNATCH PANDA PULLS (2*5) BLUE BAND, +40, +70 Oh-ho-ho... I think I have discovered a new uber trap exercise. Legs were having none of it after the first two exercises, but this was pretty brutal for the back and traps. I like it.
Quads are huge. Glutes are huge. Upper body be like YOLO.
FRONT SQUATS (12-10-10-8-8) 80-90-90-95-95 For the two people that might read this log, you know how painful I find these. Back squats yesterday probably didn't help...
DBSS (4*10) 10-20-20-20 Was thinking about another set, but remembered how ill I felt last week...
BANDED SNATCH PANDA PULLS (2*5) BLUE BAND, +40, +70 Oh-ho-ho... I think I have discovered a new uber trap exercise. Legs were having none of it after the first two exercises, but this was pretty brutal for the back and traps. I like it.
Quads are huge. Glutes are huge. Upper body be like YOLO.
make that three people... unless i was already one of the two people!
your fronties still put mine to shame, as do your DBSS.
That's what tomorrow is for.
And if it doesn't include squats, then that's pretty much all my mass gone.
So... Beach workout. Well, not quite, for reasons that will become apparent...
WIDE GRIP CHINS ss/w BENCH (5-4-3-8-10) +14(100), +14(105), +14(107.5), +6(85), +6(85) Bench felt a lot smoother this week for some reason...
SARs (4*10) ss/w OHP (5-4-3-8-10) 40(55)-40(55)-40(55)-40(45)-40(45) OHP was haaaaaaaaaaaard.
LAT RAISES ss/w OVERHEAD EXTENSIONS (3*12) HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS. No guns this week, because something in my right wrist has been tweaked, possibly as a result of a prevalent GymRat pinup reaching 106.5kg BW. Weird, as I'm left-handed...
No broceps /= beach workout. I felt diminished.
WIDE GRIP CHINS ss/w BENCH (5-4-3-8-10) +14(100), +14(105), +14(107.5), +6(85), +6(85) Bench felt a lot smoother this week for some reason...
SARs (4*10) ss/w OHP (5-4-3-8-10) 40(55)-40(55)-40(55)-40(45)-40(45) OHP was haaaaaaaaaaaard.
LAT RAISES ss/w OVERHEAD EXTENSIONS (3*12) HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS. No guns this week, because something in my right wrist has been tweaked, possibly as a result of a prevalent GymRat pinup reaching 106.5kg BW. Weird, as I'm left-handed...
No broceps /= beach workout. I felt diminished.
Yeeesh. Cleans today! Quad insertions were still brutalised from Tuesday, but knee sleeves (tubigrip... ) to the rescue.
SCARECROW CLEAN (5s) 40-40-50 That's interesting. I seemed to have developed a habit of bracing during the lift and then exhaling and re-bracing during the catch. Which is bad. Spent the rest of the reps correcting this.
POWER CLEANS (5s) 60-80
CLEANS (3s) 80-90-90-90 These got better/smoother as time went on.
CLEAN HIGH PULLS FROM FLOOR (5s) 110-120 Traps were burning!
I guess this was inevitable given my workout type and focus over the past couple of months: legs and hips are really tight, meaning my mobility isn't as good as it was, and my technique is a bit lumpy. The snatch work has helped my landing position, and it's a lot more heel-based than it has been in the past, but I know my core bracing isn't what it should be, meaning a spine I probably don't want to see.
So... another week of this and then it's all steam ahead into serious stretching, mobilising and Olympic power and strength.
I will probably switch back to my old routine that my coach doesn't like, along the lines of:
MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY:
AM
- Snatch balance (3*5);
- Hang power snatch (3*5);
- Snatch (4*3);
- Clean'n'Jerk (4*3);
- Snatch/Clean panda pulls (3*5).
PM
- Back/Front squat (4*5);
- OHP (4*5);
- Shoulder'n'Tricep superset (4*12)
TUESDAY/THURSDAY:
- RDLs (4*5);
- Bench (4*5);
- Pendlay Rows (4*5);
- Dumbell Shoulder Press (3*8);
- Chins (3*8);
- Dragonflags/Candlesticks (3*5).
I suspect that will be brutal, particularly during my fast (2-21 March), but something similar really helped my lifting technique last year, and I think running the same again will be an interesting starting point.
Only one way to find out...
Weight post-workout and dump was 96.6kg this morning...
) to the rescue. SCARECROW CLEAN (5s) 40-40-50 That's interesting. I seemed to have developed a habit of bracing during the lift and then exhaling and re-bracing during the catch. Which is bad. Spent the rest of the reps correcting this.
POWER CLEANS (5s) 60-80
CLEANS (3s) 80-90-90-90 These got better/smoother as time went on.
CLEAN HIGH PULLS FROM FLOOR (5s) 110-120 Traps were burning!
I guess this was inevitable given my workout type and focus over the past couple of months: legs and hips are really tight, meaning my mobility isn't as good as it was, and my technique is a bit lumpy. The snatch work has helped my landing position, and it's a lot more heel-based than it has been in the past, but I know my core bracing isn't what it should be, meaning a spine I probably don't want to see.
So... another week of this and then it's all steam ahead into serious stretching, mobilising and Olympic power and strength.
I will probably switch back to my old routine that my coach doesn't like, along the lines of:
MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/FRIDAY:
AM
- Snatch balance (3*5);
- Hang power snatch (3*5);
- Snatch (4*3);
- Clean'n'Jerk (4*3);
- Snatch/Clean panda pulls (3*5).
PM
- Back/Front squat (4*5);
- OHP (4*5);
- Shoulder'n'Tricep superset (4*12)
TUESDAY/THURSDAY:
- RDLs (4*5);
- Bench (4*5);
- Pendlay Rows (4*5);
- Dumbell Shoulder Press (3*8);
- Chins (3*8);
- Dragonflags/Candlesticks (3*5).
I suspect that will be brutal, particularly during my fast (2-21 March), but something similar really helped my lifting technique last year, and I think running the same again will be an interesting starting point.
Only one way to find out...
Weight post-workout and dump was 96.6kg this morning...
Deadlift day. Urrrrgh.
DEADLIFT (5-4-4-3-3) 175-175-175-177.5-177.5 First two sets were beautiful. Last two sets were ropey (i.e. back fatigue). Middle set was alright, but not awesome. Serves me right for going in for around 5/4/3RM each set. And doing them after clean day.
RDLs (4*8) 90-100-100-100 Really concentrated on getting a slower negative and for uber hamstring stretch. I think I won.
WIDE STANCE DBSS (10s) ss/w OHP (5s) BW(50)-10(60)-10(60)-12(60*4+PP) Looking for a different third exercise now that Nordics aren't hurting so much, and this is another interesting variation. I kept the front shin at or behind vertical to make sure my hamstrings did as much of the work as possible and my goodness... those were not fun! The OHP was good - a bit down on Monday's volume, but not overly worried, particularly after all the other stuff.
No candlesticks this time as took too much time faffing about with my deadlifts/RDLs. I was also knackered.
DEADLIFT (5-4-4-3-3) 175-175-175-177.5-177.5 First two sets were beautiful. Last two sets were ropey (i.e. back fatigue). Middle set was alright, but not awesome. Serves me right for going in for around 5/4/3RM each set. And doing them after clean day.
RDLs (4*8) 90-100-100-100 Really concentrated on getting a slower negative and for uber hamstring stretch. I think I won.
WIDE STANCE DBSS (10s) ss/w OHP (5s) BW(50)-10(60)-10(60)-12(60*4+PP) Looking for a different third exercise now that Nordics aren't hurting so much, and this is another interesting variation. I kept the front shin at or behind vertical to make sure my hamstrings did as much of the work as possible and my goodness... those were not fun!
The OHP was good - a bit down on Monday's volume, but not overly worried, particularly after all the other stuff.No candlesticks this time as took too much time faffing about with my deadlifts/RDLs. I was also knackered.
Late in for work, today, so no trainings on a decent platform.
OVERHEAD SQUAT (5s) 40-40-50-50
POWER SNATCH (BELOW KNEE) 50-60-60-70-70
PANDA PULLS (3s) 90-100-100-100
OHP (5s) 40-550-62.5-62.5(2+3PP) Probably not a good idea to do this after all this snatching/pulling, but...
Completely forgot snatch balances, but pffffft.
OVERHEAD SQUAT (5s) 40-40-50-50
POWER SNATCH (BELOW KNEE) 50-60-60-70-70
PANDA PULLS (3s) 90-100-100-100
OHP (5s) 40-550-62.5-62.5(2+3PP) Probably not a good idea to do this after all this snatching/pulling, but...
Completely forgot snatch balances, but pffffft.
Not with it, today - quads were completely devastated from yesterday, so today was going to be tough.
Ran out of time due to screwing around, too...
FRONT SQUATS (12-10-10-8-8) 70-80-80-85-85
Out with a whimper, not a bang.
Ran out of time due to screwing around, too...
FRONT SQUATS (12-10-10-8-8) 70-80-80-85-85
Out with a whimper, not a bang.
Missed beach day, yesterday, so was 'fresh' for clean day!
POWER CLEANS (from floor) (5s) 40-50-60-70-90-110(*1) Powercleaning 110kg from teh floor just feels wrong in my head for some reason.... probably because there's so much momentum in the bar...
FULL CLEAN (3s) 40-60-90-110*1 Catch on 110kg was comically bad (toes, banana back, etc.) but still went up.
CLEAN HIGH PULLS FROM FLOOR (3s) 120-120-120 What pump. Yes.
POrtents are good for the next training block (Olympic lifting).
POWER CLEANS (from floor) (5s) 40-50-60-70-90-110(*1) Powercleaning 110kg from teh floor just feels wrong in my head for some reason.... probably because there's so much momentum in the bar...
FULL CLEAN (3s) 40-60-90-110*1 Catch on 110kg was comically bad (toes, banana back, etc.) but still went up.
CLEAN HIGH PULLS FROM FLOOR (3s) 120-120-120 What pump. Yes.
POrtents are good for the next training block (Olympic lifting).