May 24th: Week 2 Day 5

Pendlay Row (Bench Grip):
70x6x4

Narrow Cable Row:
72x8x4

DB Row:
35x8x4

Rear Delt Fly:
6sx8x4

DB Curl:
17.5sx8x2

May 26th: Week 3 Day 1 (GS)

Comp Bench Press:
90x4x4

CGBP (TnG):
80x4x4

Incline BP (TnG):
75x4x4

Starting to find my groove with the competition bench press, which is nice as the weights are increasing. 90kg was all pretty fast (as it should be), accessories were manageable. Biked there and back for cardio.

Will have to do tomorrows gym session solo at the Y as I have a meeting that clashes with team training. Will try to take some videos.

May 27th: Week 3 Day 2 (YMCA)

Comp Squat (No Belt):
150x4x4

Sumo DL (hookgrip, no belt):
130x4x4

Forgot my belt so had to go beltless, which I think made it tougher than it needed to be. Complained to my wife that the first set was a bit slow, but she said it was fast enough. Started to slow towards the end but not too bad.

Wife is current leader for mediocre gym challenge: 50 reps of 30% of her bodyweight. Prize is actually decent (month free gym) so I'll give it a go on thursday - need to beat 40 reps with 40kg.

May 30th: Week 3 Day 4 (GS)

Comp Deadlift (Belt + Hookgrip):
147.5x4
150x4x3

3Sec Pause Squat (Belt):
120x3x4

SLDL:
90x4x4

Tough day, but hookgrip felt solid and barely notice it during or immediately after sets now. Pause squats felt solid.

Did the mediocre gym challenge yesterday (43 reps at 42.5kg for a tie for first). Also did some 3sec pause reps with 75kg and some rowing afterwards.

Nice deadlifts. Are you taping your thumbs on hook grip?

Thanks! Yeah, just a thin strip around the part where my thumbnail meets the cuticle. I was using an extra strip on the next segment down but it doesn't do much so I've dropped it.

I take comp bench to mean with a pause, but what does comp squat and comp dl mean?

comp dl = conventional?

ETA: how them sumos treating you?

A large man walks up, yells at him and roughly slaps his buttocks and thighs prior to all attempts.

Comp deadlift is your usual deadlift form (conventional for me). Alternate deadlift is sometimes programmed (sumo for me). Sumo is ok, but I still dont have that many reps of it under my belt. It feels strong off the floor, but lockout is weird because it seems like my hands get in the way and I get off balance. I also seem to bruise my thigh a bunch at lockout.

Comp squat isnt anything in particular.

I wish.

2nd June: Week 4 Day 1 (GS)

Comp Bench Press (no belt):
95x3x3

2-Board Press:
105x3x1
110x3x3

Decline Medium Grip BP:
100x3x4

Solid day. The coach was benching as well, hitting 95kg for sets of ten. Really interesting to see him bench, just amazing consistency in technique and high intensity for what is essentially a low weight day. Definitely an example to heed.

Stopped off at the Y on the way home:

Cable Row:
72x8x4

Facepulls:
36x12x4

Calf Raises

FPS for a 2wheel max bencher. Where is Saw, KC and Aidan to come after this coach?

I always appreciate your monthly pop-ins, loco.

Last set from last weeks deadlift session

June 3rd: Week 4 Day 2 (GS)

Squat:
160x3x3

Sumo DL (belted + hookgrip):
140x3x4

Front Squat:
80x4x4

Good day. Squats were all videoed, I just need to get them off the guy that did them. Probably should have increased the weight on the front squats but was tired, it was an early am session and I didnt have any coffee first.

From that angle, those DLs look very good. I cant tell if there's any low back movement during the lift though. Would need a side view to know.

Thanks, Cha! The video wasnt from an optimal angle I agree, so its hard to judge the critical things. Most interesting take away from the video for me was that it wasnt anywhere near as hard as it felt at the time.

That's a good sign. That means your form is holding up when the weight gets somewhat difficult.

June 4th: Olytarding

Snatch:
up to 50x1 (PR)

C&J:
up to 90x1 (major press-out though)

The new PT at the YMCA is a crossfitter, and he was very nice to let us use his bumpers that he stashes at the gym. First time snatching from the floor, pretty lol-tastic positions etc but it was fun. Pussed out on the 52.5kg. I think 90kg is close to a PR clean, jerk needs major work though. How bad were my attempts??

C&J vid is private, mate. Snatches didn't look half bad for someone who never really does them. The most notable error is your lack of vertical torso on the catch. You could have made every single one of those snatches pretty easily catching them by sitting down with it as opposed to leaning into the catch (if that makes sense at all). That lean results in you getting pitched forward and being forced to bail. Must be all those years of ingrained LBBS motor patterns

The pull and standing up looked trivially easy for you though, so with some minor technique tweaks you could be snatching a lot more in short order. But we know you're a devoted powerlifter now so you won't be prioritizing weightlifting. DT does not approve.

Thanks for the comments. The C&J vid should be fixed now too.

Glad to see you made the switch to weightlifting.

Congrats on snatch pr. I think you could do more than 50 from the hang right now, and hang would help your pulling position a bit. If it's something you're interested in, watch and follow the Pendlay progressions (they are listed as cal strength vids). Pendlay has the best beginner resources. Then doing something like just hang snatches/cleans (no jerks) from both the high hang and then from the knee for several weeks (or as an accessory to PL stuff as you come back to WL more and more frequently, realizing its superiority) would not be a bad idea.

Push press can help the jerk position / pressouts the most.

Other than that, pretty good.

Thanks, dt! I've got those vids bookmarked so i'll go through them again. Any particular tips for the poor receiving position? I suspect its major mobility limitations, but it might just be super poor position awareness. Definitely bad head/neck position at times, too.

I would do PVC passthroughs as a general mobility tool, or at least to get a stretch at the back end-range of motion of a stable overhead snatch-grip position (hopefully that makes sense). Also practice sitting in the hole with the just the bar overhead i.e. the bottom of a snatch/OHS and find a comfortable upright torso postion. Sots press could help, too to find those more comfortable positions.

Push press will help find the correct position for jerk and address the same issue for that lift.

I think Aidan gets a pass because he is strong in the other lifts and is even learning how to Oly lift, which gives him some extra swag points. If it was you board pressing though, oh man, break out the lube cause you would be taking a major pounding. There is a lesson in there somewhere, I think.

Cool, I'll give those a go.