Thanks for the links I will look at some more stuff. I just really don't want to get comfortable with bad form. Maybe I can borrow a camera so I can get a video up.

yeah you definitely should

I think one of the keys is to realize the difference from just a fast deadlift with a shrug. When you start the pull your knees are vertical and hips are pushed back, and rather than straightening the hips and lower back like in a deadlift from the same stretched position, you extend the hips and kind of push into the jump position by squeezing the hips and straightening the back. The bar accelerates the whole time. I just think jump.

I'm not describing it well, but If you watch those vids you see he stays over the bar and his knees start just about perpendicular to the ground but reextend as he extends his hips and pushes his body into the bar right as he completely extends and shrugs. It's a fast movement and requires a lot of practice. I still suck! That's why the lifts from the hang are good though. Builds proficiency and explosiveness in the second pull, and forces you to start in the correct position and extend

Thanks for the help. I will keep working on it.

Went to the track last night jogged a few laps then timed myself for 400m, I got 1:13. Started out to fast and kinda gassed after about 200m. Did some jumping drills I used to do for hockey after that. I also tried jump up and touch the goal post with two hands then do it again with no pause on the ground but I could only manage to get it twice before I would miss and have to reset myself. Pretty sore this morning so I am going to take a full rest day.

A few things I learned when doing Cleans. The bar actually does not move very far. Start the clean with the weight on lower thighs, head up, lower the weight in a smooth motion to right above the knee, keep your back flat and do not rock your body, jerk the weight up keeping the bar close to your body, drop your butt down and catch it as you thrust your elbows forward and squat up. Also do not let your feet move out laterally, keep them around shoulder width apart the whole movement. You do not need to use heavy weight to gain from this lift. Form and explosion are the most important.

Also since you are a hockey player you might appreciate what Jack Blatherwick has to say. Here is a couple links to his outstanding book and website.
Overspeed Skill Training for Hockey
Jack Blatherwick's Website

Thanks for the advice and the links. Looks like a pretty cool book. I question a few things though. For instance his stating that squatting heavy is more dangerous then leg pressing heavy. His ideas about how to get fast on the ice with the fast interval type training seem pretty good. It is the type of stuff my better coaches would make us do in the off season or beginning of the season. At the time though I was just like *** we gotta skate or we gotta run again and thought it was just punishment or something. Now I am making myself do it just for fun. Wish I was this motivated when I actually played.

Lifted today, I really need to get more serious about working my core as it feels like the weak point on my squats.

Squats supposed to get 1x5 but got 1x3 @280 1x2 @ 280 I'm going to repeat the weight next week I think I can get it.

Bench this one I am going to have to drop some weight on also supposed to get 1x5 but I got 1x3 @ 240 1x1 @ 240

Row 1x5 @ 225 only one I made

Chins 8,8,6,4

Dips 14,12,8,6

Also apparently the whole eat whenever I am hungry thing is leading to unintentional bulking. I don't mind gaining weight as long as I am gaining strength but if it keeps up at this rate I will have to cut at some point. Weighed in between 215-217 the last 4 times I have been to the gym.

Lifted today and felt pretty good, but the work out seemed to take forever. I weighed myself at 212, I think I am going to just quit weighing myself for the time being as the fluctuations mess with my head.

Squats 5x5 @ 235

Bench 5x5 @ 205

Row 5x5 @ 190

Static holds with 315 for 15seconds,10,9,6

2 sets of decline sit ups with a 4 second pause +10 pound plate over my head

2 set of medicine ball throws with a 20 pound ball

One question I have if anybody know is this. On Saturday I missed my attempt at a 1x5 pr but then did my 5x5 this week as if I made it and I completed the 5x5. So if I scale back my 1x5 for this Saturday do I have to scale back my 5x5 for next week as well?


Also a note on my squats. The biggest problem I have is not having my shoulders move at the same speed as my hips. This seems to happen if I pause at all at the bottom so I have been trying to work on coming straight back up quickly and I think it has been helping. When my shoulders slow down it hasn't been to the point where I lost the arch in my back or that I was bringing up the weight like a good morning or anything. It just seems like something I should be able to fix and not what should be the limiting factor on my squats.

Lifted today because of scheduling problem for tomorrow. Felt pretty good, actually feel like I did something resembling a clean today. Actually moved myself under the bar instead of the bar to myself which is what I am supposed to do unless I totally misunderstand the concept.

Hang Clean 2x5 45 2x5 95 1x3 115 1x3 135

Hang Snatch 2x5 45 these not so good

Push press did some warm ups then 1x165 easy 1x185 fail, needed to be more aggressive on the push.

Wide Grip pull ups 30 total reps

hypers 2x10 +45

Only one way to describe todays workout, FAILURE.

Squat 1x3 @ 280 could probably have pushed out the last 2 but I know I was about to start the whole shoulder not moving as fast as my hips thing.

Bench 1x2 @ 240 should have dropped the weight on this like I was planning but instead I decided that if I just worked on maintaining bar speed I could get it but FAIL.

Dead 1x fail @ 415 got 375x3 up in my warm up sets like nothing so figured I could get a triple at 415 and leave with something to feel good about. Instead I got it about half way up my thigh on my first rep and couldn't lock it out. FAIL

chins 2x10

dips 2x15

Next weekend I am going out of town and am going to be hammered for 3 or 4 days straight. After I come back I will have to decide if I want to try and fix the weights for this program or else change it to either a sheiko or westside like program. I really like the sheiko one since every like 8 weeks or whatever you get to spend a week testing your 1rm and then from there every lift for the next 8 weeks is mapped out for you.
Also I like that he has days of rest with sauna time scheduled in.

I liked sheiko a lot. Only thing I'd have changed is adding pullups and some sort of press for shoulders on some days. If you wanna look into it, Hanley on t-nation has a sheiko log that is like 70 pages in training logs, I think he only ran the full cycle once but there's a ton of good info in general on there. Westside is obviously great too but a bit more complicated if less draining. By the 2nd week of Sheiko I was literally depressed most of the time, but it started feeling better near the end. Also gained a LOT of weight.

Thanks man I will check out that log. Westside is obv good but I am just worried I will go all add on exercise selection. At sometime point though I will probably end up at a westside like program.

****ty day at work so I went for an extra work out session to burn off some stress. Probably not good to add extra stuff but it was either go lift or go drink so whatever.

Hang Clean 5x3 @ 135

DB flat bench 3x3 @ 95's

DB incline bench 2x5 @ 70's

Two super sets of pull ups/dips to failure

2x10 squats @ 185

Tweaked my knee on the last set of squats but it only hurt for a minute so I am hoping it is no big deal.

Read a bunch more about the Texas method today, looked at a bunch of ideas on exercise placement and manipulating the sets/reps to keep progress going. Since this week is going to be a short one for me and I will be taking 4-5 days off decided it was a good day to experiment. Overall I would say even though I upped the weight from last weeks 5x5s the 7x3 felt easier.

7x3 Squats @ 240

7x3 Bench @ 215

7X3 Row @ 205

2 sets of incline pause sit ups +5

2 sets of bw hypers

Also I must be real dense. I watched a whole bunch of riptoe squat videos today and I finally after all this time figured out that I was doing some messed up hybrid squats this whole time. Did legit low bar squats today and wow did that feel a lot better.

lol what was wrong with your squat?

Before I had my feet placed outside shoulder width and the bar pretty low, I was starting by pushing my hips back but I didn't push them back far enough and would go down to soon. Coming up I looked up and didn't initiate with my hips. This is why I was having so much trouble keeping my hip and shoulder moving at the same pace. Today I sat way back looked down and used my hips both to start the downward and upward movement. I basically ignored what my upper body was doing and just thought about my hips. I actually got the rubber band effect at the bottom for the first time.

Just did a quick work out today before taking off for the weekend.

5x3 hang cleans 135,145,155,165,165

5x5 db incline bench 50,60,65,70,75

30 wide grip pull ups not sure how many sets it took me, maybe 5?

must be nice to get those squats down.

Not the first time I thought I had them down though so we will see if I still feel like I have them down after I lift a few more times.

haha, every time I have a good squat session with my form, the next session ends up being crap.

Good work out today but really hard compared to the 7x3 from last week. Next week for volume day I will move up five pounds on everything but do 8x3, then the week after repeat the weights for 5x5. I will move up like that because I will not be able to continue week to week progression sticking with 5x5.

Squats 5x5 @ 240

Bench 5x5 @ 215

Row 5x5 @ 205

2x10 hypers

Felt my underwear rip while I was squatting but wasn't sure how bad. When I went to change in the locker room I was wearing a kilt lol. Ripped them all the way.

haha, I've done that before.

Haha yeah it was pretty funny.

I am dumb so I went back to the gym tonight. Played 45 minutes of racquetball.

2 sets of static holds each at 365,315,225

Finished with 8 minutes of burpees 20 seconds on 10 seconds rest.

double overhand w/365? gotdamn, how long?