Spreading Weightlifting Like a Bad Case of Chlamydia in a Frat House

[BubsNBean]

I am also convinced that to improve relationships with others it must come from within. Even if we hate something they do, if we change how we see it or react, then the relationship will be better. We can only control ourselves, right?

[GnomusMaximus]

Which one in March? There is going to be one (I think specifically for Masters) March 29 near York. I was thinking of throwing my hat in that one just to do one, but I'm going to be donating my salary to Disney that weekend.

[NorwichGrad]

I am also convinced that to improve relationships with others it must come from within. Even if we hate something they do, if we change how we see it or react, then the relationship will be better. We can only control ourselves, right?

You got it, Bubz. Everything starts from us.

Which one in March? There is going to be one (I think specifically for Masters) March 29 near York. I was thinking of throwing my hat in that one just to do one, but I'm going to be donating my salary to Disney that weekend.

March 14 in Easton, PA.. That's where Crayola Factory is..

[NorwichGrad]

"I would rather eat the crumbs of knowledge off the table of a wise man, than eat a buffet with an idiot."

First 4 weeks of prep phase, alternate the following:

Week A:

Day 1
Snatch - 65 5x3
Clean pulls with pause at knee - 100 5x3

Day 2
Clean - 95 5x3
Back squat - 130 4x4

Day 3
Snatch pulls with a pause at the knee - 60 5x3
Front squat + jerk - (95 2+1)x5

Day 4 - Vanilla day and your most prepared day
Snatch - 65 2x1, 70 2x1, 72.5 2x1, 75 2x1
Clean and jerk - 95 2x1+1, 100 2x1+1, 105 2x1+1, 110 2x1+1

Week B

Day 1
Snatch - 60 4x4
Clean pulls with pause at knee - 110 5x2

Day 2
Clean - 105 3x2
Back squat - 120 3x5

Day 3
Snatch pulls with a pause at the knee - 70 5x2
Front squat + jerk - (105 1+1)x4

Day 4 - Vanilla day and your most prepared day
Snatch - 65 2x2, 70 2x2, 72.5 1x2, 75 1x2
Clean and jerk - 95 2x2+1, 100 2x2+1, 105 2x2+1, 110 2x2+1

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

Week A, Day 1

[BubsNBean]

Oooh I am SO excited for you!!!

[NorwichGrad]

Thanks Bubz. I have 6 confirmed lifters going with me this time. There will come a point where I wil just coach my lifters at the meet and I won't even lift. This is my goal. The only time I would want to lift is masters nationals or masters pan ams

[NorwichGrad]

"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care."

Week A, Day 2

5 sets x 3 Cleans 95-kg

4 sets x 4 Squat 130-kg

[FlaIronMind]

Good sessions going on in here brother.

Edit -

Posted a vid, but deleted. Really don't want to clog up your journal with some b.s. music vid.

Anyway, good work.

[NorwichGrad]

Good sessions going on in here brother.

Edit -

Posted a vid, but deleted. Really don't want to clog up your journal with some b.s. music vid.

Anyway, good work.

Thanks, brother..

Don't worry about clogging things up. Post away, my friend..

[NorwichGrad]

"I believe that the cardinal virtues of the individual are courage, honesty, temperance, and wisdom. And that the true measure of success is service rendered to God, Country, and Mankind."

- First Paragraph of Norwich Cadet's Creed


Snatch Pulls Triples - 5 sets 60kg
Front Squat + Front Squat + Jerk complex - 5 sets 95kg

[NorwichGrad]

[NorwichGrad]

Great day yesterday.. Lots of PRs.



Great weekend with the kids. We played a lot. I went indoor camping with my boy. I had a date with my daughter; we went for sushi..




Week B, Day 1

[BubsNBean]

Lots of snatch work there, how'd it feel?

I can't get over how effortless you make it all look!

[FlaIronMind]

Excellent work continues. Well done....both with the iron and with the family.

[NorwichGrad]

Lots of snatch work there, how'd it feel?

I can't get over how effortless you make it all look!

Thanks, Bubz. My training since my last meet in September has been snatch-centric. I am 5 to 10 kg behind par on this lift compared to cj. So far so good. The weights I used to struggle with are becoming easier. Most of it is in the head.

[NorwichGrad]

Excellent work continues. Well done....both with the iron and with the family.

Thanks, man. When my kids are old enough maybe they can follow my footsteps in either weightlifting or competitive shooting. Or both.

[BubsNBean]

Thanks, Bubz. My training since my last meet in September has been snatch-centric. I am 5 to 10 kg behind par on this lift compared to cj. So far so good. The weights I used to struggle with are becoming easier. Most of it is in the head.

This I know for sure

[GnomusMaximus]

What lifts are you aiming for in March?

[NorwichGrad]

What lifts are you aiming for in March?

At least 75kg snatch and goal is to C&J 113, which would break the record by 0.5 kg.. 112.5kg has been up for grabs for 13 years.

I have cleaned 113 many times. I have jerked up to 116. I just gotta put them 2 sumbitches together.

[NorwichGrad]

”Learn from mistakes…..preferably someone else’s.”



I like the quote above because hopefully my mistakes from this morning’s training will serve as a lesson for others.

This morning was Week B Day 2.

3 sets x 2 reps of 105kg cleans

3 sets x 5 reps of 120kg squat



That’s it. Simple. Straight forward.

Did my usual warm up and stretches. Did some single cleans starting from 70 and worked my way up to 100kg.



Cleans

70 x 1

80 x 1

90 x 1

95 x 1

100 x 1

100 x 1

100 x 1



105 (X) missed the first rep, so I waved down (1st wave)

102 x 1

105 x 2 (made first one, X). Missed the second rep, so I waved down again (2nd wave)

100 x 1

105 x 2 (made both)

105 x 2 (missed both), So I waved down again (3rd wave)

100

105 x 2 (made both)

105 x 2 (made both)



Then did back squats.



I took some mental notes.

I am usually pretty comfortable with cleaning 105. But what happened this morning was typical if I don’t warm up sufficiently with heavy enough weights to ‘grease the groove.’

I rushed the warm up process and jumped right into 105.



Weightlifting is 50% mental. Sometimes the root cause of ‘mental barrier’ is the head itself. But sometimes, like this morning’s training, the root cause of the 105 ‘getting in my head’ was physical in nature.

If the root cause is mental, the only way to bust through this is INTERNALLY. The best coach in the world can only encourage the lifter to develop the confidence to get under the bar. But the confidence must still come from within.



On the other hand, if the source is physical (like me this AM), there is an easier way to fix the problem by ‘waving’ the weights. There is no sense in encouraging bad behavior if the body is not willing to cooperate. Drop the weight to fix the technique and to encourage the right movement, then go back up.


I was able to accomplish 3 sets of doubles at 105, but at a cost.

[BubsNBean]

Were you exhausted? How many waves do you do before your body is just a stubborn a$$hole and won't cooperate?

[NorwichGrad]

Were you exhausted? How many waves do you do before your body is just a stubborn a$$hole and won't cooperate?

hahaha.. No, I wasn't.. The past 4 months I did a lot of volume, so this helped with my work capacity. To be honest, I usually do the 3 missed and wave down approach. Normally I would only wave ONCE.. But this morning's training, I just knew that I did not grease the groove enough, so I had no problem waving three times.

So make sure you warm up thoroughly.

[jjeane]

Way to get it done Joel!! Excellent job. Analyze the situation correctly and get the job done! Your lifting is looking sharp!!
Are you going to Savannah in Hube for Master Pan Am?

Ps- nice shirt. I have the same one!

[grouchyjarhead]

I thank your posts too often, otherwise I would thank you for that one. A lot of people don't realize how important mindset and preparing your body for the "one big lift" really is, then get discouraged when they can't seem to make progress. That was an awesome post.

[NorwichGrad]

Way to get it done Joel!! Excellent job. Analyze the situation correctly and get the job done! Your lifting is looking sharp!!
Are you going to Savannah in Hube for Master Pan Am?

Ps- nice shirt. I have the same one!

haha.. The shirt I was wearing was a gift from you from last Christmas..

Thanks. I am slowly eliminating that annoying double knee bend garbage that is so common in the US.


One of my goals is to enter PanAms master. I have to qualify first. You are already there.

I thank your posts too often, otherwise I would thank you for that one. A lot of people don't realize how important mindset and preparing your body for the "one big lift" really is, then get discouraged when they can't seem to make progress. That was an awesome post.

Thanks, Marine. I'm glad my experience was something that resonated with you.. We humans are proud creatures. It's common for many of us to only post and talk about the good lifts. But for the more experienced lifters like me, and as a coach, I would do the community a great disservice if I don't discuss the brutal realities of training. It's not always rosey.. It's a tough road, as you know. But the end results are well-worth it..

And if I can somehow help others, then that is even better.




Day 3

Some of this and some of that.

[BubsNBean]

Why do you pause after the first pull instead of just doing hangs?

[jjeane]

Oh that is funny that I got you the shirt! Spacey me!
When are you hoping to qualify? The meet in March? Make sure you bring your paperwork to be signed. I am taking mine this weekend to State. Hoping to qualify for Worlds Sat as well.

[NorwichGrad]

Why do you pause after the first pull instead of just doing hangs?

Good question. Sometimes cues don't work. So we have to force ourselves to physically move the right way. In my case when I snatch, I sometimes bring my knees under the bar too soon as the weights gets heavy. Pausing forces me to stay over the bar until BAM! It's a physical reminder.

[NorwichGrad]

Oh that is funny that I got you the shirt! Spacey me!
When are you hoping to qualify? The meet in March? Make sure you bring your paperwork to be signed. I am taking mine this weekend to State. Hoping to qualify for Worlds Sat as well.

You know what? I'm also spacey. Haha. No need to qualify for master pan ams. Only worlds. Pan ams is definitely on my radar.

[jjeane]

You know what? I'm also spacey. Haha. No need to qualify for master pan ams. Only worlds. Pan ams is definitely on my radar.

You do have to qualify for pan am it just is a lower total. For mens 85 it is 182 for you and 94 is 192. But you have to have this form signed if you qualify at a local meet and not a national meet. You need 2 national refs signatures. Check out Master Weightlifting on FB. Have a good weekend Joel!