BIG day in the gym

[Alan H]

I got me my elusive 300 pound back squat.

Here's the sequence...
stretch cage, about 10 minutes. I credit the stretch cage with my not getting hurt in the gym this season.

5 x the bar
5 x 155
3 x 205
3 x 250 (I think it was actually 255)
1 x 285

the 285 went up easy so I got my spotters back, triple checked the combination of weights to make sure it was 300, and went for it.

I'm jazzed. JAZZED

...also at practice on Sunday I throw a 28'er about 54 feet, probably went well over 13 (14???) in WOB and clocked a nice hammer throw that is sneaking up on 90. Now, if I was more consistant, I'd be scary.

[Jack Daw]

Excellent! Ah, those were the days. I'm relegated to the leg press, now.

[Alan H]

Excellent! Ah, those were the days. I'm relegated to the leg press, now.

Well, I need to remember that I have 53 year old knees. I will maintain the current program through the end of the month and then deload and throw a lot the beginning of March. I'll take a 4-day weekend, the first weekend in March, workout-wise and come in and take a shot at 6 plates....315 pounds. It's going to be dicey, but with the right attitude I can do it. I'll video that.

And then that's IT for the off-season, and squatting. FINIS. Back to much lower weights, moving them fast, and doing Olympic type lifts.

Still, today is a good day. Might as well enjoy it!

[Jack Daw]

Well, my knees are doing well so far.

[o1d_dude]

Great achievement, Alan. Now quit skwatting.

There is no event in our games that involves performing a deep knee bend with a heavy weight across your shoulders. Skwats make you S-L-O-W.

Deadlifts...snatch grip deadlifts are thing. You will handle bigger weights and your knees will love you for it. Use lifting straps if you're subject to elbow tendonitis. Put the barbell on blocks if you like...just as long as the barbell is below your kneecaps.



Do high pulls or power cleans if you like but for caber and WoB, do the Core Blaster thing.



Build one out of 3/4" threaded pipe and fittings. Maybe $10 in parts from Lowe's. Swing between your legs and elevate to about shoulder height. Let it swing back and repeat. Do not use your legs to drive the weight forward, use your hips. Clench the glutes and drive your hips forward as you stand up. The weight will fly. I do these with about 90 lbs these days. 10 reps at a time. Guaranteed to give you at least another foot in the WoB. If your hammer technique is good (i.e. your pull is UP), the core blaster will put extra distance in your throws there as well.

Now that I've totally trashed your 300 lb skwat, let me say that achieving a goal is always fun. If you're serious about the games and I know you are, make sure your training goals have throwing specificity.

[o1d_dude]

But if you do decide to continue with the skwats, visit this website...

SkwatRX w Boris

Boris is good people. He has pretty good advice and has posted a ton of SkwatRX videos on teh y00t00b.

He will show you the opposite side of the coin I was trying to pass off on you.

[Alan H]

Now that the high has worn off, common sense is returning. There's no point in going for 315, I just want to do it because I want video! Dumb. If I'm going to squat, better to do a few more faster squats at 245-255. I got my goal, feels good, but enough!

Kit, I AM dealing with elbow tendonitis. It's been over a month. I've finally resorted to moderate doses of Advil for the anti-inflammatory action. It's getting better, slowly. Any pulls I do in the next few weeks will be with straps.

I tried the core crusher thing for a while with an 80 pound dumbell after watching the Sorinex video. I held it "one end up", and tried to get some hip action going like you describe. It worked, no question about it but wow...my back did NOT like that. I had to knock it off after the third session. Still, I might be able to work it in once in a while....Hmmmm...kind of how I do upright rows, which are "good for you" but my right shoulder really doesn't like. I only do them every two weeks and don't go nuts with the weight and it's OK.

I'm enjoying the hang cleans and hip snatches and high pulls. I wish we had an Olympic platform so that I could just drop the high pulls instead of catching them, it would be much easier on the elbows.

....And NO cheater curls. I think that's what messed up my elbows in the first place..

The end of the "off season" where the focus is the gym is only a few weeks away. From now to then my focus in lifting will be fast and explosive movements. Basically, I stop lifting and throw a whole lot starting the second week in March. I might get in the gym once every other week, March-June and I'll be doing general stuff, mixing it up a lot and doing explosive movements at every workout. The Masters T&F worlds are mid-June. After that, I'm just going to "throw Scottish" twice a week and that's it. I won't do *anything* for a week or ten days before Pleasanton this year. I REFUSE to repeat the last two years disasters.

[KiltedDixon]

Great Numbers Alan!

[Spartan Tartan]

WHAT!!!??? Giving up so easily on 315!?!? Come on...you can do it

Note: after reading my own post, it doesn't have the appropriate sarcasm that was in my head. To be clear, I was just kidding.

[o1d_dude]

Couple things, Alan.

1. Starting out on the core blaster with 80's is something Bert Sorin could probably do single-handed. Masters class guys like you and I, handsome tho we may be, need to start with something more reasonable until we get the hang of the movement. I started with a single 25 lb plate on the core blaster.

2. Tendonitis of the elbow is a royal pain. Use the straps whenever you can. Take a couple of those heavy rubber bands that hold bunches of asparagus together and do the same thing with your fingertips. Then extend your fingers. I have no idea why it works but it has always helped me with the forearm/elbow pain. Possibly because it's exactly the opposite movement to what gave us the condition in the first place.

3. I have NEVER had good luck with upright rows. In short order, I always end up with a shoulder problem that takes quite a bit of rehab to quiet down. I do a LOT of rehab and pre-hab movements for my shoulder just on general principal.

4. I think you're working out in a commercial gym so you're somewhat limited by their equipment and what they allow you to do with it. I'm surprised they let you do snatches. Before I built my lifting platform, I used to drop the barbell on a pair of big heavy sandbags...something I learned from Dan John.

Good idea on focusing on the dynamic/explosive movements. Anyone can get stronger but getting faster takes a lot of work. As your issues with the big dances, you worry too much and throw "tight". Just go there with the idea of having a good time and everything will take care of itself. "Loosey goosey" is where it's at.