[aivi]

(Original post by The Blind Monk)
Well I suppose it's easier to make gains in the higher rep ranges. Quads seem to respond better to high reps as well.

I don't really have any other programs to compare it to, but I found that the Russian program with its relatively high volume did good for my FS.
(But 10 reps sounds horrible, must try it at some point)

What's your 1RM for FS?

[The Blind Monk]

I've done 90x1 after back squatting so 92.5-95 for a single on any given day as a first excercise?. I mean race to see whether I can get to 80x10 before you can hit it for a single Aim is to be FS 90x3+ by March 18th.

[aivi]

(Original post by The Blind Monk)
I've done 90x1 after back squatting so 92.5-95 for a single on any given day as a first excercise?. I mean race to see whether I can get to 80x10 before you can hit it for a single Aim is to be FS 90x3+ by March 18th.

the race is on

[Illidan_Stormrage]

nice work

[aivi]

standard mob, extra fun with lacrosse ball (gonna do some more before bed), handstand practice

snatch balance:
20kg 2x5
30kg 2x5
35kg 2x3
40kg 2x3
45kg 2x3
50kg 3x1

romanian dl:
20kg 2x5
40kg 2x5
50kg 2x5

sumo dl (first time):
50kg 2x3
60kg 2x3

normal dl:
60kg 2x3
70kg 2x3
75kg 2x1
80kg 1x1
85kg fail (not even a proper attempt) and x1

TGU 16kg DB 5xboth sides

I was kind of surprised by the deadlifts. My hammies felt stronger than I expected them to, but I think I need to add some stuff for my lower back just in case.
The sumo deadlift felt quite comfortable, and I know I could easily pull more with it. Also seems more back friendly than the normal form. The problem I had was grip. My grip suck in general, but with the bar I was using I had to either have my arms a bit wider than shoulder width (and then they would have been on top of my legs) or the middle point of the bar, with my hands right besides each other - which lead to problems balancing the bar.
The 85kg was a tie with my previous PB. My back didn't feel bad, but I think my form was a bit crappy in general. Need to start filming myself.

The TGU was quite tough, as I did it slowly and with proper form (I hadn't realised there was a certain way to do it :P).

[Becca]

I'd love to see a vid of your snatch balance! I find them super hard, even with 40kg, which I can easily snatch now.

[aivi]

(Original post by Becca)
I'd love to see a vid of your snatch balance! I find them super hard, even with 40kg, which I can easily snatch now.

I'll try to remember next time I take vids
I'm still working on getting better form, as I know I have enough strength to go heavier. Also not being able to drop the bar sucks. Atm I need to work dropping down quicker, as a few of the reps I did today had some pressing, cause I didn't go low enough to catch the bar properly.
I guess it's just a question of technique and practice? I haven't snatched in ages, so would suck at it big time and if you don't do snatch balances often, then maybe just the position of the bar on the back (with wide grip) feels weird, at least it did to me in the beginning.

Are you joining me and Monk on the FS race?

[Becca]

(Original post by aivi)
I'll try to remember next time I take vids
I'm still working on getting better form, as I know I have enough strength to go heavier. Also not being able to drop the bar sucks. Atm I need to work dropping down quicker, as a few of the reps I did today had some pressing, cause I didn't go low enough to catch the bar properly.
I guess it's just a question of technique and practice? I haven't snatched in ages, so would suck at it big time and if you don't do snatch balances often, then maybe just the position of the bar on the back (with wide grip) feels weird, at least it did to me in the beginning.

Are you joining me and Monk on the FS race?

Yeah I don't do it often at all, just seems silly not to be able to do 40kg without falling over, but I guess it is a totally different exercise really.
Definitely joining the race. I want 80 x 1 and at least 70 x 3 front squat sometime soon! Will film when I go for it!

[aivi]

NTC and then +2h boxing training yesterday. Did a circuit at the end, and at one point my arms were literally so tired that I had trouble turning the skipping rope.

[aivi]

Just a haircut, NTC and massive (or actually two) dinner(s) today. Tomorrow gonna continue the night's fast to the evening at least, and have a longer session at the gym...though will probably have to skip squatting, knees have been aching a bit recently

[aivi]

Sparring with UCL, Imperial and two girls from Islington, I got around 6-8 rounds. Feeling good about BUCS atm.
Went to the gym afterwards
standard mob, hanstands
5x10 reverse hypers (swiss ball and bench)
5x10 leg curls (swiss ball)

back squat:
20kg 2x6
50kg 2x5
60kg 2x5
70kg 1x5
75kg 1x3
80kg 1x2
85kg 1x1 PB
90kg 2xfail
80kg 1x1+fail

a few chins, 5x5 supine rows on the smith machine
1x5 (alternating hands) 16kg DB TGU

I was really surprised with the back squatting. At first it felt really awkward, since I've been pretty much doing FS or OHS for the last few months. My knees have been aching recently (today and yesterday felt fine, hopefully it will pass...been doing extra mob and remembering to eat my fish oil), so though BS might be a good temporary option to FS. I didn't go ATG with the heavier reps, but was under parallel.

[aivi]

Pads and some sparring with coaches. got some really useful feedback from one coach, and had a bit of fun trying to batter the other (though a bit tough with him being 80kg and almost a head taller than me)
Went to Bloomsbury afterwards for a short sweat session.

short mob
snatch balance with 20/30/40/45kg

circuit: 5 rounds of
5 x 60kg deadlift
5 x burpee
5 x air squat

10min cycling (resistance at 7, doesn't really say much, since they're not standardized) with 1min slow/30s fast


Not too happy with the deadlifting, lifting too much with my back, even though it stayed neutral. Will focus more on sumo, since with that stance I can feel that I'm using my hamstrings more.
63.7kg after session (with sweaty clothes still on), so decently happy. At this rate I'll be comfortably under 64kg for Saturday and won't have to do any last minute sweating sessions.
Now I just need to eat and faceplant on the bed.

[aivi]

woah, haven't updated this in ages.
Briefly: BUCS never happened, since the ABA offices ****ed up, and didn't get our coaching cards sorted in time (which they had plenty of..). I happily stuffed my face for a few days before going back to eating normally.
Plan was to give up sugar (junk food, any processed food with sugar added, bread, fruit) for lent, but that's been scaled back a bit with me eating some bagels and bread, otherwise been strict.
Otherwise haven't really been watching my diet or weighed myself in a while, can't be arsed. I'd say I'm pretty much out of the transformation contest, and will just focus on training and getting stronger unless a bout comes up and I have to lose some weight again.
Also, i hate uni atm. and summer job/internship applications. I just wish I could skip forward a few weeks to the end of term and start a nice cycle of gym/study/eat/sleep.

I think I have two other workouts written down somewhere, will add them here later.
I've been doing boxing and NTC, plus some kb stuff after NTCs, haven't been properly lifting that often.

Thursday 08/03
(after boxing)
short mob
snatch balance:
20kg 3x5
30kg 3x5
35kg 3x5
40kg 3x3
45kg 3x1
50kg 3x1

6x20kg TGU

Sunday 11/03
(after boxing)
standard mob, handstand practice
2x5 supine rows
front squat:
20kg 2x5
50kg 1x5
60kg 3x(2x3) (3 sets of double sets of 3 with short rests)
70kg 3x1
2x5 supine rows, some single chinups

hang cleans 20kg, 30kg
power cleans from low racks, 30kg, 40kg.. succesful (aka not completely crap) cleans followed by squat jerk+split jerk+split+squat

oly lifting is so technical grr. So frustrating to know, that I can easily jerk or even snatch balance weights that I can barely clean. The strength is there (although I need to start doing more clean pulls in addition to deadlifting), but my technique is crap. I have trouble linking in the different pulls, whipping around my elbows and meeting the bar.

Also in addition to handstands, I've added natural GHR to random skills I want to learn. Our NTC trainer can do them for reps, but then again he can't do ATG pistols.

[aivi]

old stuff

Saturday 03/03
front squat:
20kg 2x7
50kg 5x5
60kg 6x3
random (20kg) hang cleans and jerks
5x10 25kg plateOH lunges

Sunday 04/03
jerks:
20kg
30kg 3x2 +2x strict press+ x2
40kg 10x1
45kg 5x1

front squat:
50kg 5x5
60kg 3x3
back squat:
60kg 3x3
70kg 3x1
75kg 2x1

5x 5 supine rows + 5 pushups


Other than that, did kettlebell swings as well as handstand practice after NTC on Wednesday:
2x16 16kg full double-handed swings
2x16 16kg half single-handed (switching) swings
2x16 16kg the same as the first

Sparring was awesome last Sunday and this Thursday. There's an open women's squad session at the Lynn tomorrow morning, should be good.
I was gonna go lifting yesterday and today, but slept so late, that had to choose between gym and library (both close at 5). unfortunately library won.

Also having roast beef and asparagus tonight, nomnom. And bought some venison sausages, they will be next.

[aivi]

Sparring, bagwork and circuits at Lynn.

mobility, handstands,rolling (bought a new lacrosse ball)
Front squat:
20 1x5
50 6x3 (last two sets paused ones)
60 6x1
few single back squats

hang cleans 20 5x5
Cleans from high racks (low hang):
30 3x5
35 3x1 (then went back down to 30, feet were staying stuck even when i got the bar high enough)

Deadlifts:
60 2x5
60 2x3 sumo
70 6x1 narrow/sumo alternating

NGHR negatives (or attempts) 5x1
Back hypers 3x10 with 15k plate

My back has been a bit weird lately; not the kind of muscle soreness that you can usually get from deadliftingIor squatting, but more a kind of occasional twinge and feeling of pressure on my rightside low back/arse. I've just tried to do more mobility, pay attention to my posture and just lift carefully..we'll see what happens.

[aivi]

continuing from last post, back seems fine now, the deadlifts must have cured it

yesterday:
handstands, splits, mobility stuff
snatch balance:
20 2x3
30 3x3
35 3x1+OHS
40 3x2
40 3x1+OHS
45 1, 1+OHS
47.5 1+OHS

strict press:
30 3x5 (last reps for the last two sets were push)

TGU 20kg 4x1
hypers 15kg 4x5
poliquin stepups each sidex3x10

Wrists were a bit sore towards the end, also lack of chalk (will be ordering liquid from myprotein soon).
It looks like I won't be having a bout at the end of April (so no worries about weight or conditioning), so I'm thinking that I'll be just focusing on getting stronger and fitter, and then maybe cutting after exams.

[aivi]

NTC and a few nghr reps

Mobility, some handstands and splits
Some pullups and chinups
3x5 supine row

Front squat:
20 2x5
50 5x5
60 5x3

Cleans:
20 hang warmup
20 5x5 hang going down to just above knees and then cleaning +jerking
30 5x1 clean from knee-height racks + alternating either 5 strict press or 3 press + 2 jerks

[aivi]

Monday 02.04.2012
mobility, handstands, extra rolling
1x3 chinups (full rom)
Front squats:
20 1x5
50 2x5
60 1x3
70 x1
75 x3 fails

1x3 chinups (full rom)
Snatch balance:
20 1x5
30 2x3
40 1x3
45 3x1
50 1x1
55 1x1
few single pullups on the edge of the smith machine lol

Back squat:
60 2x3
75 x1
80 x1
85 x2 fails

Clean pulls:
20 2x5
40 3x5
50 3x3
60 3x3

3 rounds of:
10 x supine rows
5 x side x 16kg DB clean and push press

3 rounds of:
side x 20kg TGU
10 x lunge with 20kg plate overhead


A bit disappointed with the squats, but not too surprised, wasn't feeling very energetic and diet and training have been crap = I am weak. But that will change soon.
I maybe overdid it a bit, felt pretty sore this morning...but got up and went off to the gym for first workout of the new program before catching a train to Brussels (parents' fully stocked fridge FTW):

Tuesday 03.04.2012
short mobility, a bit of rowing

Back Squat (high bar):
52.5 1x10
60 1x8
65 1x6
67.5 1x4

Front Squat (+superset with strict press):
45 1x5 + 30 1x5
52.5 1x5 + 30 1x5 (two last push press)
52.5 1x5 + 30 1x5
52.5 1x5 + 30 1x5

few chinups and pullups

So yeah I'm starting a new program build around the 12-week hatch squat cycle. This should be pretty interesting, since I'll be doing front and back equally, as well as alternating days between low and high bar with the back squat.
Hatch squats are Tuesdays and Fridays, Monday is clean-based oly, Thursday is snatch-based, Wednesday is mixture of DL and other stuff, Saturday is conditioning and bits&bobs and Sunday is a rest day. The squat and oly days are "fixed", but I might change other stuff around a bit depending on how I get on with the program, if I need another rest day etc.
Todays squats felt ridiculously hard (both a combination of being sore and not used to doing such long sets), but it felt really good to work hard. I feel like I haven't really pushed myself at all with my lifts, I've done what I could do relatively easily, and just kept doing that -> not making any progress.
Oh and yeah, though both my squats on Monday fell 5kg short of my previous 1RMs, i still decided to use the old numbers for the percentages of the hatch cycle.

Random: the liquid chalk is messier than I thought. I used it on Monday, and thankfully no-one came to complain, but it did leave marks on my clothes (black) and I had to wipe down the bar and plates after I was done.

EDIT. I really surprised myself on Monday and managed to do 3 full chinups in a row! I remember last summer when I could barely do a proper negative one I've got a doorway bar at my flat, and I've been using it every time I've gone to the kitchen or bathroom, so no wonder really. Now I just need to keep on doing them regularly and try to get more reps each time, as well as practice pullups (getting my chin/chest properly to the bar is the hard part for me).

[Becca]

Ahhh I wish I had your pullup dedication! 3 is awesome and will only get better if you keep it up.
Where was it you were failing in the squats? I suppose you were going for maxes so you were more likely to fail them. I wouldn't say you were weak though, you are definitely becoming a beastly machine!

[aivi]

(Original post by Becca)
Ahhh I wish I had your pullup dedication! 3 is awesome and will only get better if you keep it up.
Where was it you were failing in the squats? I suppose you were going for maxes so you were more likely to fail them. I wouldn't say you were weak though, you are definitely becoming a beastly machine!

I'd get stuck in the hole, just unable to break over parallel again. When I go atg I sometimes lose too much tension from the torso at the bottom and then get stuck. Also I think I need to just try to use my posterior chain more, I've gotten so used to front squatting, which is admittedly quad-dominant. Hopefully the back squatting (and esp. the low bar) will help with that.
By the end of this program I will be beastly It really feels good to have a clear program and goals to work towards. Out of all the girls lifting and posting here you've made the most progress, and I can't let you get too far ahead