O.P.F. Olympic Lifting via Remote Coaching/Programming Update - June 18, 2018

Olympic Power and Fitness

<source:  https://www.instagram.com/olympic.power.and.fitness/>

Thoughts:
Custom Olympic lifting program with coach, Kevin Zimmerman from Olympic Power and Fitness; via remote coaching.   

I video my lifts for review with him for feedback.  These are just my notes on my progress for each day I work thru my programming.  It may include videos of my lifts if it's warranted or I may just point you to my instagram as it's easier to see the quirks, humor and the the work in progress!


June 13:   
It's a Wednesday and I'm just getting back from a work function from another city. Arrived back at 6:30 PM, grab something light to eat.  Arrived at Crossfit Armoury at 7:30 PM and started my warm up procedure.   The box usually closes at 9 PM, but I know the one of the gatekeeper and she's training as well.

There's a few weights that I rounded up as the plates here are in lbs and not in kg.  That and I get a bit lazy with plates and just go to the nearest whole plate.  For example, the programming would call for 154 lb or 70 kg.  I would use 155 lb.  I never round down.

Today's work is on Power Snatch, Snatch; Jerk from Rack, Clean Pull and Back squat.  

As I work thru Kevin's program, I ran into a failed attempt with my snatch on  my first video and lift.  It appears that I'm not quite warmed up and did some more warm up and stretches.   Resumed with training.

I always review my video after my lift to see what I'm thinking I'm doing wrong.  Clean Pull, I have to work on it as it doesn't look right.  Technique more so.

Back Squats; coach likes to keep the Squats for my last movement of the programming.  The build up to the initial weight at 65% was steady. But hitting my 80% weight for 5 reps, 2 sets was 50% mental, and 50% capacity.   It might had been more like 75% mental and 25% capacity.  I had to get it out of my head that this is heavy and I CAN lift it.   Not use to doing reps like this and trying to maintain a pace (slowing down - reminding myself it's not Crossfit, NOT for Speed).  The pace is to slow down the drop of the weight to the bottom of the squat, and then if possible to explode up.    But at 80% of the weight, it's a slow drop the bottom and push it up at whatever speed I can muster.   

True to fashion, Kevin's program takes me about 2 hours.   Finished and left Crossfit Armoury at 10 PM.   Thank you Gatekeeper!!!

For a good laugh, here's one of my classmates deciding to video bomb me while I'm videoing my movement for my coach.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkAwu21DXOw/?taken-by=rockyquon

June 15:
It's Friday and I'm at training in the evening.  This just works for my schedule and I'll keep doing this until something else changes.  I suspect next week, it may as a good chunk of those people who are training this week will be getting ready for the Fight of the Fittest crossfit competition.   This include the gatekeeper, so I'll have to adjust my schedule.  

For tonight, I'm working on Hang Clean/Clean, Power Jerk & Jerk, Snatch Deadlift, Front Squats, and accessory work with Seated dumbbell press.


June 18:
Today is my heavy day for olympic lifting.  The temperature was 25 C at noon and it only drop one degree to 24 C when I was done my two plus hours of training.   Heat always impact me in a negative way.  Makes me move like a slug or it just simply saps all my energy.

Temperature at 1:00 PM (MST)

The challenges today was doing my heavy lift day after yesterday's #inVEST workout.   Hindsight, I should had rested an additional day and did my heavy lift on Tuesday.  But who knew how sapping the crossfit workout the night before and the temperature was going to be what it was today.   The other thing was that I had originally scheduled my workout based on the time of the Gatekeeper (Whitney).  She normally stays later than what the box is open.  

Regardless, my heavy singles didn't pan out as well as I had hope nor as close as it was last week when we did 1 RM for almost all the olympic lifts during the Crossfit classes (damn you Crossfit!!!).

Temperature at 9:22 PM (MST)

Areas where I failed tonight:
- attempted twice on the Squat Snatch; both time failed my weight of 150 lb (68 kg), a drop of 15 lb (6.8 kg) from last week max attempt.
- attempted my heavy single on the Clean & Jerk for 205 lb (93 kg), able to clean it but couldn't jerk it above my head.   This was a 20 lb drop from my last week max attempt.   

However, I was able to C&J at 195 lb (88.6 kg).  That was my heavy single.  Still a far cry from what weight I was getting last week during crossfit class.

Snatch Grip Push Press; a new movement for me to practice.  Did something similar when I went for my Max weight for Overhead Squat.  I certainly didn't have to do as many reps (5) and in max set of 5.   Of all the programming up to date, this is one that I feel I will need to work on.  As it was one of the ones that really taxes your body.

I managed to complete all 5 reps for set #1, 2, 5.   I failed on set #3 and #4; where I only able to get 3 reps.  I think I need to build up my drive upwards and as well as build up some muscle on my chicken wing.  Dropping that bar back on to the neck muscle, makes it very challenging.

Back Squat was pretty much straightforward.   I didn't start use my belt until I hit my 70% and then, the rest of the back squat was pretty easy.

That's it for now, I've already received my this coming week Olympic programming.  Will keep you updated with the progress!


Practice, practice with consistency, practice with intention.