Vanity Log: how much in a year?
- Thread starter mrthingyx
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I do a huge amount of mobility work, but I think the trick is really learning the correct pattern. I spent six months doing cleans incorrectly, and it was only when a new coach tried a different set of cues that it really clicked. Six months later... 
I could explain or find you some other videos if you want, but I don't want to bother you with something you're not really worried about or whatever.
@Morba: you already use (or should be using!) the pattern for your squats and deadlifts - it's just a question of dialling it in for overhead work.
It takes a good few sets to get it wired correctly, but it's definitely worth it, particularly if your knees are not helping.
I could explain or find you some other videos if you want, but I don't want to bother you with something you're not really worried about or whatever.
@Morba: you already use (or should be using!) the pattern for your squats and deadlifts - it's just a question of dialling it in for overhead work.
It takes a good few sets to get it wired correctly, but it's definitely worth it, particularly if your knees are not helping.
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I can clean and press 110kg - but it's not technically that good. 
I'll have to come and spend some time with you!
I'll have to come and spend some time with you!
I can clean and press 110kg - but it's not technically that good.
I'll have to come and spend some time with you!
As long as we can get a workout in, too, it's all good.
My training sessions generally involve a lot of falling over, so you'd probably spend more time laughing than lifting, mind.
You are my heroClean day! Whoop-di-whoop! But also scheduled PB day! ****.
Knowing how much this was going to take out of me, I was keeping the build/warm-up weights low to try and prevent too much fatigue setting in...
DAY 3
Power clean from hip 4x3
70-70-90-110(1ff)
Thassrite. 110kg powerclean.
Clean pulls 3x3 (strapped)
120-120-120
These weren't from the floor, so were quite easy. Kind of defeating the point of the exercise...
Hang clean 5x2
70(1f)-70(1f)-70-80-80
Core bracing was rubbish today: some residual lower back DOMS from yesterday points at ropey lumbar form on the heavy pulling. Dumb. Point of the loading was to try and get under the bar as fast as possible to straighten myself out and improve my ability to lift bigger weights.
Clean 3x2 Hang cleans again because of floor space.
70-70-70
As above, really. Form was a LOT better on these.
Front squat 5-4-3-3
70-100-110-115(2f)
Finally cracked 115kg. Very happy, particularly as the shape was consistently good for a change!
Overall, a bit irritated with the crud lumber control, but once that sorted itself out it all went a lot better. Heppy with everything (at the end), with PBs to boot.
Double awesome.
My legs are completed ruined now, however. Good workout.
6hrs sleep last night, but was on the magic dust, so didn't feel too bad at all.
DAY 4
Overhead squat 4x3
40*5 WU-60-70-70-75
Trouble with the lumbar again on the 60s, but the rest were fine. Still some residual stiffness from yesterday's work, but this had gone by the second 70. 75kg felt a bit like I was cheating, so will have to warm up better next time and get stuck in.
Push press from back 4x3
80-90-100(fff)-90
Thought I'd have a laugh with the 100kg and wasn't that far off. I'm guessing there is a psychological component to this because it's not THAT much more than 90, but just that whole "woah, that looks heavy" issue.
Push jerk 5x2
70-80-80-100(1f)-105*1-110*1(f)
Wanted to see how heavy I could go, so had a slow ramp and then hit what I could. 105kg for 1 isn't too bad, but 110 was a bridge too far. Again, same issue as the big push-press applies, I think.
Barbell military press 5-4-3-3
55-57.5-60-60
More volume, more weight. Happy with that.
Single arm military press 3x5
25-27.5-30(2f*)-16*8
Clearly the OHP had taken more than I'd realised. Still not Skillmister...
Again, a fun session once my muscles had woken up. I could have doused myself in caffeine today for that extra mindfulness, but I've got a religious fast coming up as of Saturday, so need to be as caffeine-free as possible so I don't kill anybody.
Glad the overhead weights are going up, so it's just a case of carrying on.
DAY 4
Overhead squat 4x3
40*5 WU-60-70-70-75
Trouble with the lumbar again on the 60s, but the rest were fine. Still some residual stiffness from yesterday's work, but this had gone by the second 70. 75kg felt a bit like I was cheating, so will have to warm up better next time and get stuck in.
Push press from back 4x3
80-90-100(fff)-90
Thought I'd have a laugh with the 100kg and wasn't that far off. I'm guessing there is a psychological component to this because it's not THAT much more than 90, but just that whole "woah, that looks heavy" issue.
Push jerk 5x2
70-80-80-100(1f)-105*1-110*1(f)
Wanted to see how heavy I could go, so had a slow ramp and then hit what I could. 105kg for 1 isn't too bad, but 110 was a bridge too far. Again, same issue as the big push-press applies, I think.
Barbell military press 5-4-3-3
55-57.5-60-60
More volume, more weight. Happy with that.
Single arm military press 3x5
25-27.5-30(2f*)-16*8
Clearly the OHP had taken more than I'd realised. Still not Skillmister...
Again, a fun session once my muscles had woken up. I could have doused myself in caffeine today for that extra mindfulness, but I've got a religious fast coming up as of Saturday, so need to be as caffeine-free as possible so I don't kill anybody.
Glad the overhead weights are going up, so it's just a case of carrying on.
DAY 5.
Pull-ups 5x5
Bodyweight for all, supersetted with
Lat pull-downs 4x5
Bench press 5x5
80kg for all supersetted with
Floor press 4x5
Again - 80kg for all.
Close grip lat pull-downs 5x5
Supersetted with
Single arm row 5x5
90-70-80-75-75
Tried to find a good load that would spank my back rather than just exhaust me... And I did. Lats and pecs are currently not responding.
BONUS TIME DBSS 3*8 (dumbells in each hand)
14-16-18
Never had hamstring pump before... that's very strange.
Overall, not very interesting, but my goodness it is tiring. I can't feel my lats, pecs, quads or hammies at the moment so sitting down at my desk feels quite unusual.
Skins compression tights were REALLY tight on my thighs after today, which was awesome.
Pull-ups 5x5
Bodyweight for all, supersetted with
Lat pull-downs 4x5
Bench press 5x5
80kg for all supersetted with
Floor press 4x5
Again - 80kg for all.
Close grip lat pull-downs 5x5
Supersetted with
Single arm row 5x5
90-70-80-75-75
Tried to find a good load that would spank my back rather than just exhaust me... And I did. Lats and pecs are currently not responding.
BONUS TIME DBSS 3*8 (dumbells in each hand)
14-16-18
Never had hamstring pump before... that's very strange.
Overall, not very interesting, but my goodness it is tiring. I can't feel my lats, pecs, quads or hammies at the moment so sitting down at my desk feels quite unusual.
Skins compression tights were REALLY tight on my thighs after today, which was awesome.
First of all, you just reminded me to order some compression tights (I wonder what colour brings out deep cuts and striations out the best... 
).
It always surprises me how much DBSS hit my hammies. I wonder if this is because my hamstrings have some activation/ROM weakness, which kind of makes sense. I'm planning on investigating after a period of obliterating my hammies with accessory work - if they still feel very worked with DBSS after that, then it's definitely the issues I mentioned above. To me, this would make sense as we don't get a lot of bi-lateral stimulus at deep hip flexion, so there is probably huge amounts of motor patterning gains to be had.
Don't know where that ramble came from, but there you go!
).It always surprises me how much DBSS hit my hammies. I wonder if this is because my hamstrings have some activation/ROM weakness, which kind of makes sense. I'm planning on investigating after a period of obliterating my hammies with accessory work - if they still feel very worked with DBSS after that, then it's definitely the issues I mentioned above. To me, this would make sense as we don't get a lot of bi-lateral stimulus at deep hip flexion, so there is probably huge amounts of motor patterning gains to be had.
Don't know where that ramble came from, but there you go!
White. Has to be. 
Mine are black and they still make my legs look enormous...
DBSS may possibly so brutal because it's the equivalent of a monstrous isolation exercise. Sure, it's closed-chain compound, but I think it's reasonably unique in a couple of senses:
- it's quite a stable movement (eventually): I do single leg squats and I spend most of my time trying to balance;
- there is an enormous amount of stress on those muscles: bodyweight and then everything else stacked on top concentrated ion that chain;
- For things like back squats, back comes into it, whereas DBSS, you are forcing the hamstrings to take that weight: straight back? Yup. Vertical back? Yup. Big weight? Yup.
Single leg squats are tiring, but they hurt everything because classic form on them is rubbish. I try to keep my balance, slouch over the knees at the bottom, etc.
Exercise I love and hate. My quads this morning were ridiculous. Only thing that tanks them that much is a big, heavy front squat as upright as possible.
Spot the difference between the part time SnC coach and the layman.
Mine are black and they still make my legs look enormous...
DBSS may possibly so brutal because it's the equivalent of a monstrous isolation exercise. Sure, it's closed-chain compound, but I think it's reasonably unique in a couple of senses:
- it's quite a stable movement (eventually): I do single leg squats and I spend most of my time trying to balance;
- there is an enormous amount of stress on those muscles: bodyweight and then everything else stacked on top concentrated ion that chain;
- For things like back squats, back comes into it, whereas DBSS, you are forcing the hamstrings to take that weight: straight back? Yup. Vertical back? Yup. Big weight? Yup.
Single leg squats are tiring, but they hurt everything because classic form on them is rubbish. I try to keep my balance, slouch over the knees at the bottom, etc.
Exercise I love and hate. My quads this morning were ridiculous. Only thing that tanks them that much is a big, heavy front squat as upright as possible.
Spot the difference between the part time SnC coach and the layman.
Joocy.
I actually find them to be massively unstable, and considering that you can load them more than more unstable options (pistols, which I can't do XD) I think it provides a massive stability stimulus. I can feel all of my muscles firing like crazy to keep everything in a straight line. I'm aware that this could be exaggerated in my mechanics, I do seem to have a large bi lateral deficit and I've always been rubbish at changing direction compared to my straight line speed.
Agree about the stress though, they're great for exposing any weak link because of the ruthless loading that occurs.
You are you calling a layman?!
I actually find them to be massively unstable, and considering that you can load them more than more unstable options (pistols, which I can't do XD) I think it provides a massive stability stimulus. I can feel all of my muscles firing like crazy to keep everything in a straight line. I'm aware that this could be exaggerated in my mechanics, I do seem to have a large bi lateral deficit and I've always been rubbish at changing direction compared to my straight line speed.
Agree about the stress though, they're great for exposing any weak link because of the ruthless loading that occurs.
You are you calling a layman?!
It's funny - after doing them on a given day, I don't find stability too much of an issue.
Back when I was sub-90kg, my old coach ad me doing regular BSS with a loaded barbell, and spent six months of 3*8 ... Whilst that tore some of my glute's coccyx insertion, it also gave me monster quads, so I ain't complaining.
And that's with a double scoliosis and one leg nearly an inch shorter than the other due to pelvic tilt. Truck me if that's an excuse.
And on this forum? I'm definitely a layman - check out my 'How to clean' thread for any evidence you need.
Back when I was sub-90kg, my old coach ad me doing regular BSS with a loaded barbell, and spent six months of 3*8 ... Whilst that tore some of my glute's coccyx insertion, it also gave me monster quads, so I ain't complaining.
And that's with a double scoliosis and one leg nearly an inch shorter than the other due to pelvic tilt. Truck me if that's an excuse.
And on this forum? I'm definitely a layman - check out my 'How to clean' thread for any evidence you need.
Sooooo... first day training during my fast. This was going to be interesting. I already knew I was running on a big glycogen depletion as my 'clean' budyweight has dropped by nearly a kilo in the past two days (it's water, due to the lack of carbz, I'm guessing).
Whilst I feel 'trimmer' in a manner of speaking, my muscles didn't feel as itchy for masochism as they normally do...
DAY 1
Snatch balance 4x3
BAR-30-30-30
Yup. Slow. Getting faster on the last two sets, however.
Snatch pulls 3x3
100-100-100
Finally getting into the swing of things. These are a great way to wake the glutes up.
Hang snatch 5x3
50-60-60-60-60
Trained during office hours this morning, so nothing heavy. Concentrating on really fast hip drive. The problem is that then the squat to catch is optional only, meaning that - as a technical session, this is somewhat pointless.
Snatch 4x2
60-50-50-50
Wow. That first pull makes an enormous difference. After the second 60 my head was swimming, so backed off the weight and tried to technique. Middle two were very ropey, but the last 50 was a lot 'better' technically.
Overhead squat 5-4-3-3
50-60-60-F
Ran out of time. It's funny because I can feel my muscles aren't badly bruised by this workout, but they just feel worn out and neglected from the lack of high quality fuel. How you CBL/IF guys do this on a daily basis I will never know.
Not bad as a technical workout, even if the strength element was lacking. I know this will balance out after this week or whatever, but it's still pretty galling to feel exhausted after repping what is normally 'easy' pickings for me. Anyway, feeling nice and spiritual, I'm going to see how bad I feel before eating something this afternoon.
Apologies for lack of vids, but it wasn't the most interesting session in the world for people that aren't bothered by Olympic lifting...
Whilst I feel 'trimmer' in a manner of speaking, my muscles didn't feel as itchy for masochism as they normally do...
DAY 1
Snatch balance 4x3
BAR-30-30-30
Yup. Slow. Getting faster on the last two sets, however.
Snatch pulls 3x3
100-100-100
Finally getting into the swing of things. These are a great way to wake the glutes up.
Hang snatch 5x3
50-60-60-60-60
Trained during office hours this morning, so nothing heavy. Concentrating on really fast hip drive. The problem is that then the squat to catch is optional only, meaning that - as a technical session, this is somewhat pointless.
Snatch 4x2
60-50-50-50
Wow. That first pull makes an enormous difference. After the second 60 my head was swimming, so backed off the weight and tried to technique. Middle two were very ropey, but the last 50 was a lot 'better' technically.
Overhead squat 5-4-3-3
50-60-60-F
Ran out of time. It's funny because I can feel my muscles aren't badly bruised by this workout, but they just feel worn out and neglected from the lack of high quality fuel. How you CBL/IF guys do this on a daily basis I will never know.
Not bad as a technical workout, even if the strength element was lacking. I know this will balance out after this week or whatever, but it's still pretty galling to feel exhausted after repping what is normally 'easy' pickings for me. Anyway, feeling nice and spiritual, I'm going to see how bad I feel before eating something this afternoon.
Apologies for lack of vids, but it wasn't the most interesting session in the world for people that aren't bothered by Olympic lifting...