| Kill With Power; Die!! Die!! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 5 2005, 07:37 PM (10,144 Views) | |
| Tom Jones | Apr 3 2006, 02:14 PM Post #476 |
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Administrator and don't you bastards forget it
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Nice work Matt, good solid performance and well related. |
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| MaxPower | Apr 3 2006, 02:20 PM Post #477 |
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Follower of Branigann's Law
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Congrats, a couple contest PRs are always good. |
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| Frozenkilt | Apr 3 2006, 04:21 PM Post #478 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Big meet PRs, going 4/6, more contest experience and an alltime PR clean. That, to me, is a good day. If you have video of you getting plowed in the back with the bar, I'd love to see it though. - Sean |
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| Jamie | Apr 3 2006, 06:07 PM Post #479 |
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First Moderator on the SDF; first to have moderator title revoked.
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Great work, Matt. Sounds like a learning experience! |
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| Caber McJock | Apr 3 2006, 06:32 PM Post #480 |
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I agree
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Great stuff Matt. A pair of PR's and like Sean said, 4/6 is a sweet day. Glad your shoulder was ok. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 3 2006, 07:03 PM Post #481 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Thanks guys. I don't have the video on hand, but some old codger (using that term lovingly) named Joel Jesinowski shot it and if I can get in touch with him, I will see if I can get a copy. He played it back for me right away, so I don't know if he kept the video. When he showed it to me I asked him if he had any vids of my successful lifts. Joel, by the way, has been competing for 41+ years and I am not sure how old he is exactly (he looks mid-late 60's or early 70's- almost as old as Jeff), but he snatched 75kg and clean & jerked over 90kg, though I only saw the 91. I suppose I shouldn't complain about my age anymore. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 4 2006, 01:35 PM Post #482 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Just got my new workout for this month and lots of things are changed up. I have almost no direct training on the quick lifts, it's all piecemeal. Snatches and cleans are either done from the power position or following a 2 second pause below the knee. Lots of pulls with pauses, front squats with pauses. I needed work on my jerks, well I now have it in abundance. Looking forward to this. As usual, you will be kept posted. |
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| Frozenkilt | Apr 4 2006, 01:41 PM Post #483 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Starting to get the workouts tuned to your specific weaknesses now? Awesome. How long is this next cycle, btw? - Sean |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 5 2006, 02:29 AM Post #484 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Sean, this current cycle is 4 weeks, and then there will be a 3 week cycle leading to my next contest on May 20 (Vineland, NJ). I discussed things with Leo Totten, who writes my workouts, and I related my concerns to him. Most notably, how my jerk has started to plateau and in some cases, weaken, and general overall strength in the quick lifts. The good thing is now I've got a much better snatch-to-C&J ratio- I'm at 100/130 and I want to maintain that as my lifts improve, or, at least, be able to bring them up separately without one lift going down. So, when he wrote this cycle he included a lot of jerk work and a lot of pulls and front squats with pauses. I still do squat snatches from the floor and from the power position, but those have pauses too. No clean & jerks until my developmental meet in 3 weeks, no pauseless snatches either. Just a lot of piecemeal strength and technique work, with some speed stuff added in. It sums up like this: Session 1: Jerk Balance Squat Clean from power position Clean Pulls with 2 second pause at knee Overhead Squat Session 2: Squat Snatch from power position Jerk from rack, hold split 3 seconds Front Squat Snatch Grip Push Press Session 3: Snatch Balance Squat Clean from foor, 2 second pause at knee Snatch Pull from floor, 2 second pause at knee Jerk Balance Session 4: Squat Snatch from floor, 2 second pause at knee Snatch Pulls to the knee from 2" elevation, hold 2 seconds Front Squat with 2 second pause at bottom The only changeup is in the developmental meet, aside of that, the only variance is in the percentage and reps. Next post, you'll see how the first session went... |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 5 2006, 02:30 AM Post #485 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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The following takes place between 6 PM and 8 PM on Tuesday, August 4, 2006. Always an exciting feeling walking in with a new program. Everything has been rearranged, and that puts a whole new fire in my heart. Warmed up with some shrug cleans, using only the bar x 3. Of course, this follows rotations, dislocations, and some dynamic warmups with the dislocation stick.. Jerk Balance: bar x 5 40 x 5 50 x 4 60 x 3 65 x 3 70 x 3 These are different than jerks from the rack. I was told to do these by placing my back foot where it would be once I split, then dipping and driving up while stomping my front foot into position. The back foot remains planted, so it makes a drive under more challenging. But, it also helps drill foot positioning and bar path into your head, or so I hope. I went relatively light because it was the first time. Squat Clean from power position: 65 x 3 80 x 3 90 x 2 100 x 2 100 x 2 100 x 2 Been a month since I hit cleans from this position. It's funny that it's from the power position because it's hard to generate as much power from a dead stop here than it isd accelerating into the scoop and explosion. These will come back to me, but some of these weren't my best. Clean Pulls: Pause 2 seconds at knee, then finish pull 120 x 4 120 x 4 120 x 4 120 x 4 120 x 4 Ouch. These were brutal on my posterior chain. The first three sets were strong. The last two were as well, but when I walked off the platform my legs felt like rubber. But- that's good. The scoop into the pulls were very powerful and I got a very good trap contraction, even on the last few reps when I was quite tired. Power Snatch/Overhead Squat: 50 x 1+3 60 x 1+3 70 x 1+2 75 x 1+2 75 x 1+ miss. 75 x 1+2 75 x 1+2 Well, it wasn't supposed to be a power snatch, just the overhead squat. Yet, all the racks at the gym were in use, so my choice was either to wait for an open rack or just power snatch. Since the weight was light I decided to snatch. I could tell I was really gassed, my legs were fried, but I forged on. When I missed the overhead squat at 75, it pissed me off. All I did was squat down but somehow I lost my core and it fell forward. I rested a minute then drilled the snatch and the subsequent squats, and did one more set to finish out. I didn't have to like it, I just had to do it. Thank you, Richard Marcinko. Abs, x 80 reps total: Weighted Machine Crunch: 50 x 20, 60 x 20 Floor Crunch, alt. leg extended: bw x 20, bw x 20 Didn't feel too beat up when I left. These are mostly new exercises and I am glad for that. Changing it up will help me become stronger. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 7 2006, 04:45 AM Post #486 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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The following takes place oh fuck it. Tonight's workout took forever. Thursday, 4.6.06 I don't know what went wrong, but it seemed like tonight just beat the ever-loving shit out of me. Coming into the gym I wasn't tired, sore, or malnourished- in fact, I've been eating cleaner this week than I have in recent weeks past. Always remembering my supplements and never skipping a meal. Getting enough sleep... But the minute I started my first exercise I knew it was going to be a grueling task. Warmed up with 10 minutes of light/moderate cycling, rotations and dislocations, stretches, and shrug snatches, bar x 3, bar x 3. Followed with 40kg x 3 snatch from the power position. Snatch from the Power Position: 50 x 3 60 x 3 70 x 2 75 x miss 75 x 2 75 x 2 75 x 2 This may be a case of "blame it on the bar". I didn't use my Eleiko, instead, Kevin had purchased a new York bar that he wanted my opinion on, so I figured, why not? Light workout, see how it goes. In fact, I think my approach to this session was a little flippant which caused me in turn to not pay attention. My power positions were all out of whack and I wasn't getting the full force behind my snatch. The bar, while it had a good amount of whip, had poor rotation compared to my Eleiko bar. It really jolted me on every lockout. The knurling, while large, was not very sharp. Plus, being new, the bar was slippery and I had to use straps. I normally do not use straps, but the miss was due to the bar slipping. And the cherry on top was, you guessed it, horrible lower back pain from the paused clean pulls I did two nights ago. Holy fuck did my back hurt. I broke out a Tiger Balm patch and that soothed it a little, but that's a tradeoff... sore back or a chemical burn? Either way, it was hard getting through those. Jerks from the Rack: hold split position 3 seconds warmup 40 x 3, 60 x 3 70 x 3 85 x 3 100 x 2 105 x 2 110 x 2 110 x 2 And things just continued to get better. By "better", I mean, completely worse. Looking back now, I don't think it was that bad. I didn't miss any jerks, though some were ugly. And I had better drive-under than usual- today my weakness was the re-rack and second rep on the heavier sets. On the 100kg set I missed one of the stands and the bar dumped, so I looked like a fuckhead who didn't know what I was doing. Yeah, 6 or 7 people staring at me. I wanted to scream WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU LOOKING AT?????? But, I just got help from Doug and we put the bar back and I continued on. I was pretty demoralized at this point and I wanted to just pack it in and try another day. And, a few months ago, I might have done just that, but tonight, something stopped me. Pride, or just knowing that people who won don't walk away from their workouts when they get tough. Who the hell was I to think that every training session should be smooth and painless? No, I didn't have to like the rest of this workout, I just had to finish it. So, I got my thoughts together and went out and finished the jerks. Front Squat: 90 x 5 110 x 4 125 x 3 135 x 3 135 x 3 135 x 3 I seemed to be getting a second wind about halfway through my front squats. The first three sets felt like they weighed twice as much, but when I got to my 135's I just got a surge of energy and went on a tear. Oh, they still hurt, but I fed off the pain, knowing that the worst was already over and I wasn't beaten back to the locker room in shame. BTN Snatch-Grip Push Presses: 40 x 5 50 x 5 60 x 4 65 x 4 70 x 3 Stayed light on these, as I had no set percentage to work off of. They felt decent. Abs- Weighted Machine Crunch, 60 lbs. x 20 reps x 3 sets. As an additional "fuck you" I added in a set of rope tricep extensions, 50 x 50. Actually I had been considering adding in one high-rep/light weight isolation/cable movement after everything else, and why wait? I won't lie, tonight was far from my best workout. The first half of it beat me into the ground and I almost quit in frustration. It would have been so easy to just give up and say, hey, I'll do better next time. But there really is no next time, and I wasn't seriously hurt or injured. Sore and uncomfortable? Sure, but that comes with the package. I'm glad I stuck it out, it's going to make sleeping much easier tonight. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 9 2006, 02:48 PM Post #487 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Saturday, April 8, 2006. Session One- 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM Arrived late thanks to shitty weather and the mass stupidity that afflicts 90% of people who drive in it. Look- going 20 MPH below the speed limit on a rainy day doesn't make you safer. Not if you're in my way. So, I got to Moorestown around 11 and I took my time getting ready. In fact, I did have all day, so I didn't want to rush onto the floor. After Thursday's workout I realized that (again) I should never misunderestimate a light day. I was done with warmups and ready to roll by 11:30. Snatch Balance: While warming up for these, I had another humbling experience. I missed 40kg... twice in a row. Just had to find my groove, but once I did things went much better. Following the warmups, 40 x 3 50 x 3 60 x 3 70 x 2 75 x 2 75 x 1, miss, 1 75 x 2 Not bad. I can see progress on these in the heavier sets. I'm more comfortable snapping into them like I do with the lighter sets. When I started with these, heavier SB's were tentative, more like a snatch-grip jerk that I would ride down and back up. Now, I'm getting that drop into the hole with a tight lockout. Still have to work on keeping the bar path straight, but again, practice and more practice. Squat Clean from floor 2 second pause at the knees 65 x 3 80 x 3 90 x 2 100 x 2 100 x 2 100 x 2 Some of these weren't so snappy, but my legs were just dragging, still fatigued from Thursday. My lower back was in a lot of pain too, so I really had to just grit my teeth and get through these. By the last set, with input from my coaches, I did manage to overcome some of the pain by not letting it take me out of proper form and thus, making the pain worse. The last set of cleans was my best. Snatch Pulls from floor 2 second pause at the knee 90 x 4 90 x 4 90 x 4 90 x 4 90 x 4 These were not so uncomfortable, and I got some really strong pulls. My legs were not happy... in fact, they were a bit rubbery by the end of the exercise, but fuck 'em. Jerk Balance: bar x 5 40 x 4 50 x 3 60 x 3 65 x 2 I stayed light with these because I had Dave watch me and correct any errors in my form. I'm still pushing the bar a little forward off the drive, but with corrections in my dip and in my foot positioning, I should be able to fix those mistakes. That ended session one, and Christ, was I tired. My legs were spent and my back was wound tighter than a cheap guitar. Dave had something in his bag of tricks, though. First, he helped to stretch out my spinal erectors and hip flexors, and then he tried to adjust me. Though I didn't feel my back crack, he said he felt a shift... Dave is about half my size so this was quite comical to the viewer, I am sure... but afterwards... There was no pain in my back besides some residual DOMS. Even today, I don't feel those usual stabs of pain. I did talk to Dave and he did suggest seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis, but that it's important to check around and choose the right one, and develop a working relationship with one who knows your body and the demands you put on it. Sound advice, and if it means I live with less pain, it's something worth looking into. Anyway... Session two started at 3:00 and went to 4:30 PM. Didn't have a lot of time to rest after the adjustment and eating, but the gym closes at 5, so I had to boogie. Squat Snatch from floor 2 second pause at knee. 40 x 3 50 x 3 60 x 3 70 x 2 75 x 1, miss, miss 75 x 2 75 x 2 I was a little miffed at the misses. First one I had, but inexplicably lost it out front right before I stood up. Victor said that I rushed the pull. Makes sense. Next attempt, I overpulled. I stuck it, then it went behind me. Victor said it was better than my last, but my response was, "no it wasn't, I missed the lift". I mean, I understand that it was a better attempt than my last one as far as the technique is concerned but the end result was the same- a miss. And I don't like missing lifts. Still, I let the weight win this time, and came back on my next two sets and killed it both times. Snatch Deadlift to knee standing on 2" platform. 60 x 4 75 x 4 85 x 3 90 x 3 90 x 3 90 x 3 These were fun. By "fun" I mean, how the hell was I even able to grab the bar? Still, I did it. And I could probably do more weight than what I did and still keep tight form. Again, though, these strenuously taxed my already-baked legs, and the final exercise of the day was- Front Squat pause 2 seconds at bottom warmup 60 x 5 90 x 5 110 x 4 125 x 3 135 x 3 135 x 3 135 x 3 This was, to put it mildly, an ordeal. Every rep hurt. Every one. even the warmups. But, at no point did I feel like I couldn't stand up with the weight, I just knew it was going to be painful. So, I said, fuck it. I'll deal with the pain until my legs just quit, then I'll dump the bar and go home. But, that didn't happen. I finished my sets... though, truth be told if I had done one more set I would most likely have faltered. This coming week is a heavy week. I am doing a lot of eating and resting these next two days. Fuck the diet for now. Didn't do me any good this last week, so I am not going to regulate my portion sizes... though I will continue to eat relatively clean. I just know I am going to need a lot of energy to get through this week. |
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| ANDY OX | Apr 9 2006, 04:11 PM Post #488 |
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Not The Mama
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Good work Matt, with a whole heap a pain. Could you explain the jerk balance. |
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| StrohPA | Apr 9 2006, 04:21 PM Post #489 |
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Fresh out of jail
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sounds like a fun day matt, good work |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 10 2006, 01:13 PM Post #490 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Thanks Andy & Craig. Yesterday, my legs felt like they were made of lead. Today... not so bad. Tomorrow I'll be asking a lot from them again. Andy, the jerk balance is as follows: Start by going into your foot split that you would use for a split jerk. Make a mental note as to where your back foot position is. Now, take an empty bar and hold it in the start position for the jerk. Move your back foot into the position it would be in once you split. Now, you should be holding the bar in the start position with your rear foot set. Dip straight down with both legs and then drive the bar up while extending your front foot into it's final split position. You are only going to move your front foot forward, your back foot stays planted. Drive the bar up as you would normally, pinning it behind your ears. This exercise is designed to improve bar path and foot positioning. I haven't gone heavier than 50% of my best jerk yet- still feeling it out. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 12 2006, 01:43 PM Post #491 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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The following takes place between 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM. Tuesday, April 10, 2006. Tonight was better than it should have been. I had a massage last night on my legs, and I figured that would make me a little weaker, but it didn't, at least not that I noticed. Jerk Balance: 40 x 5 50 x 4 60 x 3 67 x 3 75 x 3 Much better. With these, you can tell if you're pushing the bar forward because your front foot will bear the weight towards the toes. This happened a couple times but much less than the previous two times I've done these. Plus, I was getting a much better snap into the jerk. Squat Clean from power position: 65 x 3 80 x 3 90 x 2 102 x 2 110 x 1 110 x 1 110 x 1 Again- better than last week's, because I found my groove here. The first 110 was a little off-kilter but otherwise, these were solid. Clean Pulls 2 second pause at the knees 120 x 4 135 x 3 150 x 2 150 x 2 150 x 1, no pull The first set- rocked. The second set- not too bad. The first rep of each 150kg set, also good. It's that second rep I had trouble with because the first one took so much out of me. I'd say the second set of 150kg was the strongest overall. On the last set, I got the first pull and then just deadlifted the second one. That pause is downright excruciating. Overhead Squat: 50 x 3 60 x 3 70 x 2 80 x 2 85 x 2 85 x 2 85 x 2 Thank God, the racks were free this week, as I was in no condition to power snatch these weights. Simply took them out of the rack, got the snatch grip, push-pressed the weight, and did the reps. Fairly strong on these, though the first set was squirrely because I forgot to hold a good amount of air in my abdomen. Aside of that, they were tight, the last set being the best one. And that was a wrap. Thursday looks tough too, but I think I do better with heavier weight and less reps, so who knows. |
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| Frozenkilt | Apr 12 2006, 02:53 PM Post #492 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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So Matt, for your pulls, you're taking a slow lift to just above or just below the knees when you pause? - Sean |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 13 2006, 01:54 PM Post #493 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Yes, well, unintentionally so with 150kg- I'm just not as fast off the floor with it- but I try to maintain the same speed. The pause is at the knees, then a scoop into the pull. It's pretty taxing on my lower back. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 14 2006, 04:10 AM Post #494 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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The following takes place between 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Thursday, April 13, 2006 Trained in Moorestown tonight and ran into an old friend- big Walt Gogola. He usually trains there Wednesdays, but he came tonight, and brought a 12" log to toss around. All the Iron Sport guys were there too- Kirk and Kevin, Doug Kirby, and also Cam Gardner and another training partner of his- guy named Alex, I forget his last name. Those guys made a lot of noise. It reminded me of old times. Anyway, enough reminiscing. Snatch from the power position: warmup bar x 3, 40 x 3 50 x 3 60 x 3 70 x 2 80 x 2 85 x miss, miss, and miss. Dropped it down to 80, wiffed again. My finishes were not so tight, and that's a really difficult position for me to pull from. It was just too much this day, so rather than dwell on it or plug away ceaselessly at it, I decided to move on. Jerks from the blocks: hold split 3 seconds warmup 50 x 3 70 x 3 85 x 3 100 x 2 110 x 2 120 x 2 120 x 2 A couple of these jerks weren't so good, but- overall, improvement. I held the split almsot every time. Only once was I a little off balance. And, my foot placement was pretty solid. My drive under was more of an issue. My foot speed has to increase as the weight rises to get the same drive-under, but I also need to get stronger pushing the weights overhead too. Still- a much better jerk session that I've had in recent weeks. Front Squat: 90 x 5 110 x 4 125 x 3 145 x 3 155 x 2 165 x 2 165 x 2 Again, very strong, though the last two sets were a fight. That is, as it should be. BTN Snatch-Grip Push Press: 50 x 5 60 x 5 70 x 4 80 x 4 90 x 3 Abs, 60 reps. A good workout. My knees are killing me. My quads are burnt. But I'm alive. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 16 2006, 02:22 AM Post #495 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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The following takes place between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM. Saturday, April 15, 2006 Had to abbreviate my session today, as I had a 4 hour drive to my parents' house for Easter. Made it count, though. Snatch from floor: Pause 2 sec. at knees warmups bar x 3, 40 x 3 50 x 3 60 x 3 70 x 2 80 x 2 85 x miss 85 x 1 85 x 1 85 x 1 Not bad, a lot better than Thursday's efforts. Squat Clean from floor: Pause 2 sec. at knees 50 x 3 70 x 3 80 x 3 90 x 2 105 x 2 110 x 1 110 x 1 110 x 1 Not as lively as I would have liked, but they were all successful. Snatch-grip Deadlift to knees: Standing on 2" platform 90 x 4 100 x 3 115 x 2 115 x 2 115 x 2 Lifting these was not difficult, but getting down to the bar... now that was the challenge. Front Squat: Pause 2 second at bottom 90 x 5 125 x 3 145 x 2 165 x 1 165 x 1 165 x 1 I cut out some of the volume on these, I had some smaller jumps in between some of those sets and I said, fuck it. It's more important for me to make those three 165's. They were very tough, but I made it. Cool. Well, I'mma keep this short, I'm on the folks' computer. Lots of good eats tomorrow. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 24 2006, 02:11 AM Post #496 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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This past week has been very stressful for me. After the great Easter visit I had with my family, shit just went downhill fast. First- Gas is expensive everywhere, but in Connecticut, it's *really* expensive. So, I had a half tank and I figured I could make it to Jersey. After all, the first half of the tank got me to Connecticut from Pennsylvania. Well, it didn't work out that way, and I ended up having to stop near New York City where gas is even more expensive than it is in Connecticut. After getting gas and a sammich at Subway, I was back on the road. Now, I had to take a different route to find this gas station. Normally I avoid NYC, but that highway, I wasn't familiar with where the gas stations were, and I figured, what the hell, it's 1:00 on Monday afternoon, traffic won't be that bad. It took me two hours to get to the other side of the Hudson. I was ready to start killing people. No matter which way I went I got fucked. I couldn't stay on I-95 because I was moving three feet every two minutes, so I took a different highway as soon as I could- and ended up sitting in more traffic *and* spending a total of $17 on tolls. By the time I got home I was already late for work, so I had to go right in. Came home, went to bed, got up, went back to work. After work I was supposed to lift but I was not in the mood to face Philadelphia traffic, so I lifted on my front porch. It's a concrete slab, and I have a bar and bumpers, so, I did power snatch/overhead squat up to 75kg, clean & jerk up to 100kg, and clean pulls at 120kg. I don't have a squat rack or stands (yet). So, the rest of the week was just, no sleep. My diet was a wreck because the week before Easter was a heavy week and I threw my diet out the window and just ate everything in sight. It's just today starting to get back on track, but I gained 2 kilos in the last 2 weeks and I feel it in every lift. I don't like it. Thursday was more fucking traffic on the way to Iron Sport. Almost two hours to get there. I've had it, man. I've really fucking had it. I phoned in that workout, going very light. Storm clouds were gathering and I couldn't keep them at bay for long. I've been driving to Iron Sport and back two to three days a week for two years, and it's a 110-mile round trip. The drive there can be a nightmare if there's the slightest bit of construction on the highway, or a fender-bender or even a disabled car. Traffic backs up for miles and no matter which alternate route you take, I sit. I wait. In the summertime I roast, sitting in my black car that doesn't have air conditioning. The drive back is actually nice and I enjoy it, but I am often spending so much time in my car that I have little time to do anything else with my days besides work, drive, train, drive, and pass out when I get home. Since I got my car last year, the trips to Iron Sport has racked up over 30,000 miles on the odometer. I couldn't shake the thought- should I leave Iron Sport? It was something I didn't want to face because I really love it there. All the people who work there, who lift there, we're all like a big family. But, there's a gym that's much closer that has Olympic equipment. There's rarely traffic jams on the way. It only takes me 20 minutes to get there. I could also use the gym membership to a greater extent because it would be feasible to train more often, if that's where my lifting will go. When I thought about it, all the way home, and all the next day, the choice was really clear. As much as I love it there, I can't afford the trips, and I can't take the traffic and the stress of just getting there. I made my decision, but I had to wait until Sunday to tell Steve. Saturday, it was lifting day again. Every few weeks they have developmental meets at Moorestown. They start at noon, or so I thought. When I got there it looked to be underway. It's OK because I was already in my gear, I just put on my knee sleeves and shoes and I was warming up. I weighed in (160, FAT) and began to warm up. I tried to tell Victor to add me onto the list- it wasn't noon yet and I was sure I wasn't late because he's the one who always tells me that they start at noon. But, Victor was busy judging so I decided to warm up to my opener and then let him know. I had to share a platform with another lifter, and we smoked through our warmups. I wanted to open with 95, he was opening at 100, so we worked the same warmups and only rested the time it took to swap weights and watch the other guy lift. When it was time for me to open, I asked Victor, but he surprised me and said that it might be too late to enter. Well, I shrugged, doesn't matter if it's official. I asked him if he could just keep an eye on my lifts, he said OK, and I went back to my platform. I missed 95. First time I missed an opener. Alright, first time for everything. My partner went, then I tried 95 again- and missed again. I was having some lockout issues. When I was resting, my partner came by and mentioned that someone had said we were taking a long time on the platform. I looked at the clock- 25 minutes had elapsed from the time I began dislocations and stretches until the time I made my second attempt. I didn't know the context of how it was said, or who said it, but for some reason that really frosted me. I had a lot on my mind already about Iron Sport, I hadn't slept well all week, my diet was in the shitter, and I had wiffed my first two attempts, and now someone is going to clown on me for being slow when I wasn't being slow at all?? My mood just turned black. And it was totally my fault, I should have just ignored it, or maybe found out who said it and offered my own witty retort. Instead I just let it get to me. I tried a third time at 95 and I came ever so close, but lost it out front. I sighed inward and just let it go. I bombed. At least, I thought to myself, it's not official, because I was never in the meet. But it was a small comfort. I was mad at myself for getting mad. How's that for a catch-22? I relaxed for a few minutes. Some of the lifters wrapped up and left. I got my own platform for the clean & jerk. I worked up to 110 and did power jerks. Always been more comfortable with those. I feel much more stable- I get equal leg involvement, whereas in the split my back leg doesn't feel nearly as engaged. I was going to "open" with 125, but I never made it that far. I set up with 120 for my final warmup, got set, and the second I squeezed off the floor I knew it was out front. I tried to save it- no, that's not right. I was already committed and I couldn't stop, even though I was telling myself to let it go. I hit the second pull and it was a mile away. I jumped forward to catch it and my right wrist ended up perpendicular to the bar coming down. It jammed so hard I saw stars, and felt the tension rocket through my elbow *and* my shoulder. That was it, I was done. Any other day I'd have shaken it off and tried again, but today was just kicking my ass and I decided to let the day win and spare myself a nervous breakdown. Today (Sunday) I went to Iron Sport for two reasons. I had a second session to train, and they had a cool contest. The events were, touch & go bench press, max clean, 18" deadlift, and Rolling Thunder. I didn't compete but I saw some great lifts, and once the crew had moved off the platform I began my own workout. Power Snatch/Overhead Squat: 50 x 2+2 60 x 2+2 70 x 1+1 70 x 1+1 Front Squat: pause 2 second at bottom 90 x 3 110 x 3 125 x 2 125 x 2 BTN Split Jerk: hold split 3 seconds 60 x 5 65 x 4 80 x 4 90 x 3 100 x 3 The last exercise was odd, it was supposed to be jerk balance but I always nail the split position better with BTN jerks. I wasn't in the mood to feel shaky. After my workout I discussed my situation with Steve, and he was understanding. You know, it's odd. People change gyms all the time. I was a regular at Iron Sport for two years and I am going to miss that place sorely. It's not like I am gone for good, I'll still come back once a month or so, but when something is such a regular part of your life, when you never thought twice about it, you just knew you were going to be there, when you missed it when you were gone and people missed you being there... It just seems like more than a gym to me, that's all. It's a place where I had friends and coaches, where I had lots of great times and nailed lots of PR's. If this new place I am going to doesn't work out I will go back, but I have to stick it out until gas prices come down some. If they come down some, more like it. I know this has been very long. Whaddaya want, I haven't posted in a week. Till next time. |
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| Frozenkilt | Apr 24 2006, 12:56 PM Post #497 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Rough week, pal. Hope the wrist is doing better and I do think the decision to switch gyms will work in your favour in a lot of ways down the road, but I know what you mean. When you find a place you like, it's hard to switch. Take'er easy, Matt. It all comes back around. - Sean |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 24 2006, 01:24 PM Post #498 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Thanks Sean. I feel relieved more than anything right now, and optimistic about the future. My wrist is okay- I iced it a bit but it wasn't as bad as it felt when it happened. And, this is post number 666 for me. Hail Satan. |
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| Jamie | Apr 24 2006, 04:12 PM Post #499 |
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First Moderator on the SDF; first to have moderator title revoked.
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Things will pick up, Matt. Sorry to hear about the rough times. |
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| Matt Frost | Apr 26 2006, 03:57 AM Post #500 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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The following takes place between 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM. Today I moved into my new home, so to speak. I had trained here at Kennedy's Gym before, but only occasionally. Walking in here tonight felt different, but in a good way. I got to the gym pretty early- well, there was no traffic and the drive was half of what it used to be. I was warming up by 5:15, and had I still been going to Iron Sport, I would have still been stuck on the highway in bumper to bumper 10 MPH traffic. Jerk Balance: bar x 5 30 x 4 40 x 3 50 x 3 60 x 3 I started fresh with these, worked very light. I wrote Leo and, like I thought he would say, I still have to emphasize the split jerk over the power jerk. He's right- weaknesses need to be attacked, not avoided. These were solid, but next time I do these they will be heavier. Squat Clean: from power position 65 x 3 80 x 3 90 x 2 100 x 2 100 x 2 100 x 2 These felt great! It's been a while since I had some real snap to my explosive movements. Even though my legs were sore for some reason, they didn't feel fatigued. I could have kept going, but I wanted to stick to the plan. Clean Pulls: pause 2 seconds at knee 110 x 4 130 x 3 130 x 3 130 x 3 OK, these kicked my ass, because that 2 second pause really fried out the lower back. But, the pulls were powerful. And, looking at the clock, I realized I was tearing through my workout. It was only about 6:10 and I had but two things left to do. Overhead Squat: warmup bar x 5 50 x 3 60 x 3 70 x 2 75 x miss, lost my balance. 75 x 2 75 x 2 75 x 2 Not bad at all here. Legs were a little tired, but the back soreness abated a little bit. Lost my balance on one as I descended and ended up dropping it. Quick power clean to reset the bar and I went right back at it. Took them all very deep, as I am usually very flexible at this stage of the workout. Abs, floor crunches 2 x 20 and lying trunk rotations, 2 x 20. Time: 6:40. Excluding my warmups, an hour and ten minutes. Then again, I don't know anyone here so I wasn't bullshitting, and there wasn't anyone else using the platform. I was home by 7:30 PM. I usually got home from Iron Sport after 10:00. I also think that me being de-stressed was a big help in my training today. Plus, my eating is back on track now. So things are looking up. Time for some sleep. |
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