Have you figured out your catch related elbow stuff? I asked coach and she confirmed focusing on getting elbows through as fast as possible once you're at the top of your pull.

Kinda beat today, decided to work technique on the snatch.

foam roll
A&C mobility warmup

snatch

bar x 3
95 x 3

135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
155 x 1
165 x 1
175 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1

Clean and jerk

135 x 1
185 x 1

225 x 1
235 x 1
245 x 1
255 x 1
265 x 0
265 x 1
275 x 1
285 x 0
265 x 1
270 x 1

I made all the cleans on the missed reps, and I missed the jerk, not because I couldn't do it, but because I was so stiff today that I couldn't widen my grip bouncing out of the hole. I got my fingers pinned and just bailed at the top. No elbow pain though.

Back squat

225 x 1
315 x 1

415 x 1
415 x1
425 x 1
425 x 1
415 x 1
435 x 1
440 x 1
415 x 1

I did actually, with pretty much the same cue your coach gave you. North told me essentially the same thing. I still have very slight elbow pain, but I am catching all of my cleans firmly on top of the delt, and the pain is nowhere near as bad as it was, to where I couldn't rotate my shoulders properly in the jerk.

And downtown, I saw your comment, it is coming I promise! I am just swamped with a new job, a lame commute, and these extra long training sessions, I will get around to it! It's not epic or anything, it's just that I have not had any time at all to put it all into words. Thanks for tuning in.

Ristos arrived today! They are just a tiny bit big in the toebox, but that's more because I have weirdly wide feet. Currently, there are no problems with slippage, and my foot is very snug as long as I tie them up very tight and pull the strap on as tight as I can. They feel great, and I really felt the different, stomping through with my heel, on push press tonight.

Snatch

bar x 3
95 x 3

135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1

I kept things light again, but after every catch, I dropped into an additional full overhead squat (one of North's recommendations in the early goings).

Push press

185 x 2

205 x 1
225 x 1
235 x 1
245 x 1
255 x 0
235 x 1
245 x 1
250 x 1
255 x 1
260 x 0

Front squat

225 x 1
225 x 1

320 lbs

8 singles

I might have to change gyms very soon. The Iranian Under-Armour-suit-wearing guy from my gym story post gave me a heads-up today, saying that some people are starting to complain when I drop weights. Just a matter of finding/buying bumpers and a rack before they kick me out.

helped a friend install hard wood floors today. **** was hard. seriously. no training today.

Got too drunk in SF two nights in a row, ruined all my training and ate like ****. Decided to "make up" one of the workouts tonight, and it was a ****ty one.

Snatch

135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
155 x 1
155 x 1
155 x 1
165 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1

clean and jerk

175 x 1
185 x 1

235 x 1
245 x 1
255 x 1
265 x 1
275 x 0
275 x 1
280 x 0
245 x 1
250 x 1

back squat - enter ****tiness. I haven't talked about this much but I think I am developing tendonitis or something in my right knee. I also have a weird stretchy pain at the top of my kneecap in what I presume is the quadriceps tendon. It only acts up during the transition from parallel to below parallel and back in the back squat. So far I have just been foam rolling it, but tonight it forced me to cave my knees, and it was hard to keep my knees out. Luckily I am entering weeks 5 and 6, the taper weeks of HFM. If it persists after this, I suppose it's time to see a professional about it.

225 x 1
315 x 1
365 x 1

415 x 1
425 x 1
425 x 0
365 x 1
365 x 2
405 x 1
415 x 1
425 x 1
425 x 0

if it was 24 hour fitness did you sneak in without a membership pass? i dont think they have olympic plates there so how could you do the 335 clean pull?

Nothing stops me from dropping the weights, sayid. Also, I'm not doing high pulls.

Also, got my knee looked at today by a physical therapist, and it is quad tendonitis. I am in the taper weeks now so I will be going much lighter than before anyway, and he physio recommended that I keep up the activity but scale back intensity. I have no pain outside of training sessions, so I will ice it fairly often and see how it goes. And I think I will stop narrow oly squatting. Just scouring the internet, it seems some people handle it better than others, and I probably erred in raising the volume on them so suddenly. It's an overuse injury, so yeah.

it's just dark times bro. keep going, you'll adapt!

the plates don't break if you just drop em on the ground from chest height or from above the head?

They do not, though I can't vouch for those octagonal, plastic, Iron Grip plates. So far, they haven't asked me to leave

week 5, taper week

mobility warmup
foam roll, went slowly on the top of the quads today.

snatch

95 x 2
95 x 2
135 x 1
135 x 1

150 x 1
150 x 1
150 x 1
150 x 1

For the 150 sets, I dropped into an overhead squat at the top as well.

Clean and jerk

150 x 1
185 x 1
205 x 1
205 x 1

225 x 1
225 x 1
225 x 1
225 x 1

Fast and easy.

Back squat

275 x 1
275 x 1
315 x 1
315 x 1

365 x 1
365 x 1
365 x 1
365 x 1

These were slow and I felt weak, but they were not painful today, so there's that at least.

Knee feeling better.

mobility warmup

foam roll - I really slowed down at the top of the quad insertions today and on top of a few trigger points I noted in one of cha's links. It was pretty goddamn painful, would give it a 7/10. The tendon felt a lot better afterward, and still feels good now.

Snatch

135 x 1
135 x 1
155 x 1
155 x 1

180 x 1
180 x 1
180 x 1
180 x 1

Clean and jerk

180 x 1
180 x 1
205 x 1
205 x 1

225 x 1
225 x 1
225 x 1
225 x 1

Front squat

225 x 1
225 x 1
275 x 1
275 x 1

315 x 1
335 x 1
345 x 1
325 x 1

mobility warm up

foam roll quads

snatch

135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1

150 x 1
150 x 1
150 x 1
150 x 1

power clean

150 x 1
185 x 1
205 x 1
205 x 1

225 x 1
225 x 1
225 x 1
225 x 1

OHP

135 x 1
135 x 1
145 x 1
145 x 1

165 x 1
165 x 1
165 x 1
165 x 1

back squat

225 x 1
275 x 1
275 x 1
315 x 1

365 x 1
365 x 1
365 x 1
365 x 1
365 x 1