Creation of an Explosive Mofo - My Training Journal :)

[coolcolj]

Tuesday 3rd April - Cycle 4 Get Lower Body Stronger + Get Lean - Week 1 - Day 2 - Upper 2 prehab/rehab, Light Lower - Microcycle 1

Not a bad workout.
Did frontsquat first after the warmup stuff, and the did a circuit of the rest of the exercises. Band pull aparts and dislocates getting much easier now, will eventually move up to the purple/light jumpstretch band

Dropped the supported pistol squats. On the single leg kneeling deadlift, the left side is pretty stable, but the right side is wobbly as hell. That's also the side where I had a major ankle sprain, and I get a sprain type inflammation every now and then on it...I can see why now! This exercise should improve stability eventually. Activates my hips too.

Body weight at gym - 205lbs
Workout time - 1 hour
Workout rating - 8/10

General warm up

ankle mobility lunge x 12 each side. I just push my knee as far forward as it can go and lunge and forward etc.

15sec ISO holds - quarter squat, on toes, on heels (toes pulled up), hip back wide stance squat at parallel, on side of feet (for ankles), narrow full squat at bottom on toes

1) standing side leg raise x 8 each side
2) dynamic stretches and swings
3) Prone Scorpion - x 8 each leg alternating
4) Lying on back Scorpion under - x 10 each leg alternating
5) high glute mobility drill x 10 each side
6) hurdle over and unders x 5 each direction and leg
7) Behind-the-Neck Band Pull-Aparts x 10 + band dislocates x 10.
with green jumpstretch band held full length, then 3/4 length For 2 sets
8) SLDL mobility walks
9) scapular pushup against high bench
10) single arm scapular pushup against high bench - BW x 10
11) Reach, Roll and Lift - stretches in the same position and 1 rep, 3 sec hold x 3 each side, alternating x 2 sets
12) single leg kneeling deadlift 2x5 each side



Front Squats - clean grip - no belt

warmups - in sneakers - Bar x5, 95lbs x 3, 135lbs x 3, 165lbs x 2, 195lbs x 2
in oly shoes - 225lbs x 2

90% of 1RM - in oly shoes
1) 255lbs x 3

I'm guessing my 1RM is at 285lbs. Feeling a bit easier now on my upper body, still hard as you'd expect at this %, but my upper body no longer feels like collasping and rounding over at 255lbs. Upper back was aching though, but not a problem for my legs, nice and controlled, tight and upright today. Oly shoes do help...
I focused on arching my back and pushing my ass back without actually sitting back, sorta creating an anterior tilt. That really activated, made the hamstrings ache in the warmup sets in sneakers. See frontsquats can hit the hammies

Rotating Sets between each exercise

Resting 1-2 mins between each exercise - one upper body move, then a lower body move


Pushup with extension at top and hold

Warm ups - x5 on floor

1) On medball x 10

woo hard, core wise too

High angle Dumbbell Rows to ribcage - palms facing - pulling with lower traps and delts

warmups - 30lbs x 3

1) 40lbs x 10 (+5lbs)

Low Incline face down dumbell Raise/External Rotation combo

Thumbs up Y raise + neutral grip side raise + Cuban rotation - all with hold at top
warmups - 1kg x 3

1) 2kg x 6


Dumbbell Curls - hold at the middle on the way down

warm ups - 15lbsx5,

1) 22lbs x 10


Reverse Lunge - vertical shins, medium wide stance, rear leg kept on the straighter side - 2 sec pause at bottom - oly shoes - alternating legs

wamups - BW x 3 each side, Bar x 3 each side

1) 105lbs x 4 each side (+5lbs)


Toe curls on lying leg curl machine - 1 Plate x 5, 2 plates paused top and bottom x 8

Lat Machine situp - BW x 12 (progressively lower each rep with hold at bottom)
hold at middle and bottom on each rep - 15lbs x 3, 25lbs x 8


-----------------------

Cooldown - stretches

knee supported dip/pushup stretched hold - BW x 30secs
reverse hypers - BW x 20
lying on back paused dumbell subscap rotations x 10 + stretched hold x 30secs

upper and lower body stretches

 

[coolcolj]

You ever give Foam Rollers a try? I roll my hips and glutes nightly...helps a ton. Really painful at first, but decently less painful over time...kinda...lol

yeah I sometimes use my ghetto cardboard roll to do that
But my hips are just achey from from just general DOMS from the jump landings and squats

My IT band/pini has been pretty achey though in a strain way, not sure is up with it, but when it's warm I don't even feel it.

 

[coolcolj]

hmm found some related stuff

http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/sportivny/library/farticles007.html

The significantly greater correlation between results in the snatch and the back squat than between the snatch pull and the snatch shows that the back squat is the fundamental training exercise for the snatch. This is indicative of its high significance for weightlifters to achieve high results" (1).

The authors' conclusions would seem to indicate that lifters should turn their attention to improving the back squat in order to achieve higher results in the snatch. Frolov et al (2) found a similar correlation between the squat and snatch results. However, they determined that improvement of the snatch is to a great extent determined by the speed with which the knees shift under the barbell during the "explosion" and the speed of the "explosion" phase as a whole (2).

The faster the "explosion" occurs and the faster the quadriceps muscles are stretched the more powerful the subsequent contraction (2,22). The tests of absolute strength, the back squat and the static pull, were found to have almost no correlation to snatch results. However, the tests of explosive strength such as the vertical jump and the standing long jump revealed a high correlation to results in the snatch. Furthermore, the stronger the hamstrings, the higher the test results in the aforementioned jumps.

Consequently, improvement of snatch results is not conditioned by improvement in the back squat but improvement in explosive strength and the relative strength of the muscles that flex the knees.

Frolov 's (2) findings are what one would anticipate considering the physiology involved. According to Lukashev (18), "One's results in the snatch depend to great extent on the speed of muscular contraction, the reactive abilities of the neuromuscular apparatus and the way these forces are applied".

A weightlifter simply does not have the time to realize his maximum strength for the snatch because the actual time the lifter has to produce muscular force is less than one second. It requires more time for a lifter to generate maximum muscular force than is available in an exercise like the snatch

According to Deniskin (21), "One of the fundamental methods of developing the muscular strength of weightlifters is to employ weights in excess of the weights one can lift in the competition exercises in pulls (clean and snatch) and squats. However, these exercises contribute to the effective development of absolute strength, but they have little effect on the ability to generate explosive force" (A.N. Vorobeyev, 1977; A.S. Medvedyev, 1968; V.S. Avenesov, 1970).

So, even if a lifter continues to increase the absolute strength of the legs by lifting more weight in the back squat, he will never be able to fully utilize this increase in strength in the brief time available to execute the snatch. Over time, a lifter will reach a point of diminishing returns from this exercise, relative to its value as an assistance exercise for the snatch.

Furthermore, one has to be careful not to develop the strength of the quadriceps significantly out of proportion to that of the hamstrings, especially at the critical knee angles of the "explosion" phase. Conceivably this could have the opposite of the desired effect from training which would result in making the lifter slower in the "explosion" phase.

The back squat does not involve a rapid switching of tension from the muscles of the front of the thighs to those in the rear. So, this motor habit is not reinforced with squatting nor is there a concomitant development of the antagonist muscles in the front and rear of the thighs

----------------------------------------

BTW I have noticed that when I jump, just before I reach the bottom of the dip, my knees are actually behind my toes, but when I reach the bottom and a bit after I rebound back upwards I rebend my kness and scoop my hips forward and push my knees well over my toes ---> just like doing an oly lift or oly Good Morning!! I don't know if I have always done this or if this is a by product of me doing powercleans and such. So I essentially get 2 stretch reflex actions kicking in! The main dip and the hip scoop fowards which re-stretches the quads, and it's speed is determined by hamstring strength as stated above...

I can actually see the weight transfer in my shoes - onto heels on the way down and and then shifting foward, by the rocking seen in my shoe's soles

No wonder the paused Good mornings onto toes have helped my vertical jump so much and powerclean the last time I did it heavy - specifically beefing up my weaker hammies. And I sit back until my toes come off the ground and then scoop forward onto toes - exactly like how I jump

 

[coolcolj]

***** sleep, dog's antic woke me up several times, and It was hard to fall back to sleep with the sore throat I got, which started during my training session yesterday! I don't feel drained, but a bit sapped...gah I hope I don't get sick again. Am I really overtrained again?! Waking pulse is either 55 or 65, lost count... Sore everywhere

I have tommorrow off, so gonna take some naps today and get a good night's sleep. It's the calm before the storm, as I have to fill in again on the 2 hardest days for the ass hat who decides to go away for Easter!

weighed 92.6kg 203.7lbs straight out of bed in underwear

Out of protein powder now as well, which is the most expensive thing. Too lazy to go buy some more so will probbaly go without for a while. Or maybe I might mail order in bulk..... wouldn't saving some cash so lets see how I fair with for a while...

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

you eat many eggs right now?

 

[coolcolj]

you eat many eggs right now?

I always eat some before I train.



----------

Feeling better, sleep is still broken. Sore throat is gone, posterior chain still a bit sore.

weighed 92.5kg 203.5lbs straight out of bed in underwear
waist still the same size around 35.25inches. Leg has shrunk back to 27.5 inches...

protein is done a lot, might not be a bad thing, reduce leg size etc..

 

[coolcolj]

Thursday 5th April - Cycle 4 Get Lower Body Strong + Lean up - Week 1 - Day 3 - Lower Power/Strength - Microcycle 2

Didn't feel that greatest and posterior chain was achey, but I finally nailed me a new one step VJ PR!! Was pumped as hell from that!
Nice short and sweet session - productive as hell


Body weight at gym - 204.5lbs
Workout time - 1 hour
Workout rating - 9/10

General warm up -

15sec ISO holds - quarter squat, on toes, on heels (toes pulled up), hip back wide stance squat at parallel, on side of feet (for ankles), narrow full squat at bottom on toes

1) dynamic stretches and swings
2) back extension x 4 + 6 twisting to each side
3) sit up complex on swiss ball
4) standing side leg raise x 8 each side
5) Prone Scorpion - x8 each leg alternating
6) Lying on back Scorpion under - x8 each leg alternating
7) hurdle over and unders x 5 each direction and type
8) glute bridge x 10
9) Single leg SLDL mobility walks
10) various hops and prime times, running on the spot drill etc

Rotating Sets between each exercise

Resting 3 mins

Vertical Jumps

Warm up - a set of 5 speed hops on a 3inch step, rest 30secs, short run of prime times, running one leg jump, rest 30 secs, then a set of 2 standing jumps going higher/harder each time.

did these in between the warm up sets on squats from bar to 185lbs

a) Speed hops on a 3 inch step x 5
b) short run of prime times
c) running on leg jump

rest 30 secs - and 20 sec rest between each jump
a) one step VJ
b) standing Vertical jump
c) 3 step vertical jump

2 hard sets total, jumps were about the same. Disappointed...
Then I did one more rotation, but without the prime times and running one leg jump, starting to feel some fatigue, so I decided to leave em out.

Did a one step jump in the fire exit and grazed the ceiling! +0.5 inch PR got all excited and told a friend there about it!

came back and did 3 more one step vertical jumps and each one got even higher! At least one knuckle past the ceiling +1 inch PR
Then I did another set of 3 more jumps to video, but they not as high, 0.5 to an inch lower, fatigued. So stopped there. Feeling all hyped up I attacked the squats!
If I can drop my gym bodyweight to 198lbs and bring squat back up to 345x6 and I just might put all my fingers flat against the ceiling


Full Oly Squats - Oly Shoes - no Belt

Warm ups - controlled down, power up - frontsquat, rerack, rest 30secs, backsquat
frontsquat - Bar x 3, 95lbs x3
backsquat - bar x 5, 95lbs x 5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x4, 255x2, 285x2

controlled
1) 315lbs x 6 --> hard strain on last rep

I was supposed to just do 90% of my 5RM, ie 285x5 today, well my estimated 5RM of 315lbs based on the 295x7 I did last week. But I decided to go find out what my real 5RM was. Got 6 reps with 315lbs, last rep was a bit of a gut buster, back was aching but I didn't GM it, all reps nice and upright.

So 5RM should be 325lbs. So I'll shot for 330lbs when I am supposed to go for a new 5RM on this day in 2 weeks time, back down to 285lbs for 5 next week.
I did 345x6 before I got sick, so only 30lbs away from my all time best now.
Good for another 1-2 inches on Vertical Jump maybe


video of the vertical Jumps and main full squat set
Right click on video and save first to avoid errors
http://www.members.optushome.com.au...PR_204.5BW_FullSquat 315x6_5April07_Music.mpg

--------------------

split leg Good Mornings - narrow split - high bar - oly shoes - no belt

warmups - BW x 5 , Bar x 3, 65lbs x 1 each side

controlled, 3 sec pause at bottom, left side first, alternating legs
80lbs x 4 each side (+5lbs)

-----

lower body stretches and some upper body ones

 

[al420]

It reads like you are approaching overtraining, but then your workouts look solid....

You be the judge, but small steps back or away can mean bir PR's down the road, and less chance for some BS injury...

Got some new Addidas yesterday...sweet!

 

[coolcolj]

It reads like you are approaching overtraining, but then your workouts look solid....

You be the judge, but small steps back or away can mean bir PR's down the road, and less chance for some BS injury...

Got some new Addidas yesterday...sweet!

I am pretty sure I'm not overeached right now even though I did get a sore throat a few days ago. Must be due to allergy as I have been hit by hay fever
The feelings I had leading up to me last getting sick were different - I started to dread the workouts, but I am so motivated that I can force myself onwards. My knees started to complain. The squat sets were gut busting to the max etc. and the warmup sets were just plain hard. I was just training way too hard and the volume just too high.

My intensity levels and volumes are pretty low compared to before
But higher frequency

My Addidas are worn out as hell at the back, I think that's why I wobble a bit when I squat sometimes....




I think I have finally figured "it" out, but has it taken a while

this post by Charlie Francis - trainer for Ben Johnson - made me think a bit, and it makes a lot of sense to me now, I finally understand what he is getting at. He is refering to sprinting, but I have a hunch it also applies to jumping as well....

While being strong will NOT necessarily make you fast, being fast WILL make you strong.
This is the point I've been trying to get across to all of you with limited success for several years now.
This is why strength work IS general, functions as a stimulus, and why strength moves relentlessly upwards with performance even though the corresponding weight work may, at times, appear spotty.
The concept that weights can be made specific and thus be the leading element in the pursuit of higher sprint performance is dangerous. Despite my best efforts, I am constantly lectured on here that I am wrong.
I will, once again, try to make my point through a cautionary tale. The 1980 Olympic women's sprint champ left her husb/coach and married Yuri Seydich, the Oly Hammer Champ. After having a baby, she started coming back under Yuri's guidance. He told me: "I went through her weight program and it was a mess! The weights were all over the place, here today, absent tomorrow! The first thing I did was straighten out the weight program!"
I recognized why, as a secondary element, her weights varied, but cringed and said nothing. Predictably, perhaps, he wanted to use his unsurpassed knowledge of weights to help his wife. Equally predictably, she never ran well again.
The operation was a success but the patient died!

-------------


Man my CNS was so hyped, and me thinking so much that I found it hard to sleep, and so sleep was pretty light all night. That's downside of setting PR
Plus my feet, lower leg/calves were aching something fierce.
Oh well, I'm in pretty good moods, even then, I don't feel as tired as I should, and there is no drained or sapped feeling!

Moderately achey all over upper back and hammies the most sore. IT band or some muscle on the side of my hips an each side has been bothering me a bit, especially when I walk downstairs, right on the hip bone. I get it too when I land from my first few jumps or from squats before I am fully warmed up...

weighed 92.7kg 203.94lbs straight out of bed in underwear

 

[coolcolj]

Sunday 8th April - Cycle 4 Get Lower Body Stronger + Get Lean - Week 2 - Day 1 - Lower 1 Power/Strength/Assistance - Micro cycle 2

Even though I was fatigued from filling in at my part time job, I felt pretty good warming up, jumps and cleans were good. Squats were hard as hell though. Last Sunday was like that too, again I filled in for someone. I hope thats the reason why, next week things return back to normal and maybe things will change for the better.

Bodyweight down a pound from this time last week.

Body weight at gym - 203.5lbs
Workout time - 1+ hour
Workout rating - 7/10

General warm up -

15sec ISO holds - quarter squat, on toes, on heels (toes pulled up), hip back wide stance squat at parallel, on side of feet (for ankles), narrow full squat at bottom on toes

1) standing Side leg raise x 8 each side
2) dynamic stretches and swings, rocking on side of ankle etc
3) "hurdle" over and unders x 5 each direction and each type
4) Prone Scorpion - x8 each leg alternating
5) Lying on back Scorpion under - x8 each leg alternating
6) glute bridge x 10
7) back extension x 4 + 4 twisting to each side
8) sit up complex on swiss ball
9) Single Leg SLDL mobility walk
10) 40lb bar complex - slow cleanpull, press, GM onto toes, partial snatch grip press, hang powerclean, power jerk - 5 reps each, 3 on the jerks
11) various hops, prime times, running in the spot drills, low 6 inch altitude drops and depth jumps


Rotating Sets between each exercise

Resting 2-3mins

Jumps and Hops

Warm up - a set of 5 speed hops on a 3inch step, then a set of 2 standing 2 handed jumps going higher/harder each time

did these in between the warm up sets on squats from bar to 225lbs

a) Speed hops on a 3 inch step x 5

rest 30secs
a) one step VJ
b) standing Vertical jump
c) 3 step vertical jump --> NEW PR! +0.5 inch

2 hard sets total and a few more one step VJ.
PR'ed onthe 3 step VJ today, eyes level with the lower ceiling above the oly platform.
On every one step VJ, I was able to touch the high ceiling in the fire exit with room to spare. Been stuck an inch under for so long! Finally broken the mental barrier
I expect and know I will get it everytime now, even when my timing is off. Plus my standing VJ is only 1.5 inches away from the same ceiling! Next goal it to touch the ceiling with both hands on the one step VJ, and standing vert. Just 2 more inches for both.


Full Back Squats - sneakers - no Belt

warm ups - controlled - frontsquat, rerack, rest 30secs, backsquat
frontsquat - bar x3, 95lbs x3, 135x3
backsquat - bar x3, 95lbs x3, 135x3, 185x4, 225x4, 255x2

85% of 5RM - controlled - 2.5 mins rest
1) 265lbs x 3
2) 270lbs x 3
3) 270lbs x 3

in oly shoes
4) 265lbs x 3
5) 265lbs x 3

Pretty hard like last week. WTF, granted I went down pretty slowly, but man lots of straining here and the 265 didn't feel that light on my back. Same total reps as last week 3x5 with 265lbs, but sets and reps flipped around.


Power Cleans - in sneakers

Powerclean + 2 High Hang powercleans - warmup with bar
89lbs, 119lbs, 139lbs


---------


Good Mornings onto toes - high bar - oly shoes

warmups - BW x5, Bar x 5, 95lbs x 2, 135lbs x 1

3 sec pause at bottom and hold at top on toes
155lbs 2 x 3 - 3 mins rest

same deal as squats, did 2x3 instead of one set of 5 last week

--

lower body, and some upper body stretches