Tag: snatch balance

feel in pull position, small drive
[training timing + speed]

Gravity Facts

 

“You can’t start a fire, Worrying about your little world falling apart.” -The Boss

how is yous

Continuing down the multitudes of you, you, you path I seem to be meandering, some recent questions were fired up from Hidden Brain. This week’s episode was a little bland – I struggled to relate to the real life examples they gave – but there were still some meaty bites in there.

The first piece I’ve been chewing on is called Odyssey Planning. Essentially, it’s developing 3 completely different variations of your 5-year plan, and then using those articulated alternatives to take action in a new direction. Again, combating this idea that there is one path, one plan, one self. I like it.

The other spark was that of “gravity problems” – problems that we get stuck on that really aren’t problems at all:

“If it’s not actionable, it’s not a problem, it’s a circumstance. Once you accept your gravity problem as, in fact, not a problem but a circumstance – maybe a difficult one, maybe a heart-breaking one – but just a fact, you free yourself to go do something you can do.” -Dave Evans, Designing Your Life

What would the titles of your three Odyssey Plans be? Do you have any gravity facts weighing you down?

Facts of Life from Jo Polniaczek

29 Aug | Tu
Mobility | 3x
Wall slides x 10
Bird dogs x 12 ea
TVAs x 15

Warm-up | 3x
TGUs x 2 ea @ 40, 45, 50#

Work |
A1. Seated SA press 5 x 8 ea (2 @27.5, 3 @25#)
A2. Cable row x 10 (70, 4 @60#) [1:00]
C1. Tricep (cable?) push-downs 4 x 15 (3 @40, 30#) [1:00]
C2. Hammer curls x 20 (10#) [1:00]
B. Concentric bench 5 x 5 (75, 3 @85, 90#) [3:00]
D. Easy bike x 15:00

31 Aug | Th
Mobility | 3x
GA squats x 10
Scap press x 10
Popes x 15 ea

Warm-up | 3x
KB things x 5 ea: goblet – swing – SA swing – snatch – RTW – RDL

Work |
A. Row x 20:00 (4505m)
B. Wall walks 4 x 3 [2:00]
C1. Farmers carry 5 x 20m (50# KBs)
C2. Wall-pressing dead bugs x 20
C3. Cossack lunges x 5 ea OHWL x 10

Stretch | 15:00

01 Sept | F
Mobility | 3x
SL elev hip bridge x 12 ea
Prone Y raise x 16
Monster walks x 10 ea

Work |
A. Bike x 20:00
B. TGUs x 16 (4 ea @40, 45, 50, 60#)
C1. Hip extensions 3 x 8
C2. Reverse DB fly x 12 (10, 2 @12.5#) [1:00]

Stretch-ish | 15:00

02 Sept | Sa
Work | Snatch Sesh @ DTP HQ
A. Snatch balance complex – 4 sets:
Pressing snatch balance x 2 (45, 55, 65, 65#)
Heaving snatch balance x 2 (65, 65, 75, 75#)
Snatch balance x 1 (80#)
B. Snatch high-pull 3 x 3 [across] (100#)
C. Segmented snatch 5 x 3 [build] (3 @75#, 2 @80#)

03 Sept | Su
Mobility | 3x
Hip hikes x 15 ea
Wall rotation + slides x 10
Side clammie hold x :20 ea

Warm-up | 3x
Banded RDLs x 8 ea
DUs x 30
DLs x 3

Work |
C. Deadlifts 5 x 3 build (185, 190, 195, 200, 195#) [2:00]
D. Reverse Zercher lunges 3 x 5 ea (85#) [1:00]
A. Shoulder CARs 3 x 5ea
B. Hip CARs 3 x 5 ea

Stretch Home yoga | 20:00

04 Sept | M
Warm-up | 3x
Row x 1:00
KBS x 10
SA KB snatch x 5 ea

Work |
A. Barbell complex x 5 sets: (BB only)
Row x 5
RDL x 5
FS x 5
Kang x 5
B. Cleans 10 x 2 building [2:00]
C. Good mornings 3 x 10 [1:30]
B/C. 3x:
Suitcase carry x 30m ea (50#)
XO step-ups x 10 ea
Handstand stills x max
D. Knee extension machina 3 x 12 (70#) [1:00]

Handstand play + stretch | 15:ish

Tu | Feeling really good post hike. Sore in the calves hips a little bit. Rearranged the workout sequence because they need more racks at Globo Mountain. Hammer curls: burn like a MF in the bi’s and make for veiny arms. Failed on the very last rep of the bench press; was a solid 5s iso hold.

Th | The row time passed surprisingly quick; really focused on my form – not cheating the release. Wall walks are still fun; performed the last 2 unbroken in an effort to better my first “step”. Cossacks didn’t feel great on the right side; not painful, just still feeling some fatigue from The Hump, so I subbed overhead walking variety.

F | Is there an advantage to using an incline bench for reverse flies? I just do them bent over
 Bike felt really great. As did the get-ups. A nice session to head into the weekend with.

Sa | Kept it light and speedy on the snatch sesh, as it’s been a while. Things felt good. The last half of C my flexors were trying to be glutes, and made the last set power snatches for that reason. I need a glute switch. Some delicious post-workout hammie quivers – washed down with a burger and strawberry malt with the crew at Joe’s Farm Grill (which was also delicious! And holy smokes – those trees! <3).

Su | The weight felt smooth until that last attempted rep at 200#, and then they all felt harder. Not moving that datum much, but feel great – all three H’s – so, I say, “so what”.  

M | As I worked through the barbell complex my low back didn’t loosen up at all; it was feeling really sore when I ran the roller across it in warm-up and I noticed how tight it was whilst on the AM dog walk sesh. It was an easy call to scrap B & C for some recovery work.

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Comfort Food

“People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster.” -James Baldwin

say-grace

Anomalous Observations : the thing that doesn’t fit with any of your beliefs; that which pushes you to develop a better theory because you have something else you have to explain.

30 Jan | M
Mobility | 3x
GA squats x 10
COB hold x :20
Reverse curl-ups x 8

Warm-up | 3x
AD x 1:00
Wall ball x 7
Banded rows x10

Work | [From the archives]
EMOM x 10:00, rotating:
Clean – FS – FS (115, 120#…)
DUs x 40
– Rest x 4:00 –
EMOM x 10:00, rotating:
Wall walk + hip taps x 10
Slam balls x 7 (30#)
– Rest x 4:00 –
TGUs x 10:00 (53# KB, 30# slam ball)

31 Jan | Tu
Mobility | 3x
Adductor squats x 10 ea
Single-leg elevated hip bridge x 10 ea
Single-arm plank x :20

Warm-up | KB complex

Work | [From the archives]
7x | Press x 5 [across] (65#)
Right into,
Alternating tire hits x 20
Rest x 2:00
5x | RFESS x 8 ea (3 @26#, 2 @35#)
Rest x 1:00 btwn legs
3x | GHR x 8 (15#)
Right into,
Push-ups x 8
Right into,
GHD x8
Rest x :30

Stretch | 15:00

01 Feb | W
Warm-up | 3x
Row x 1:00
KB complex
DUs x 20

Work | O-lifting
OHS 4 x 3 + snatch balance x 3 (95/65, 105/65#…)
Clean high pull 3 x 3 + high hang clean x 2 (115/115, 135/125#…)
4x: Hollow body hold x :20, rest x :10
Hollow body rocks x :20, rest x :10

M | These are cool. And useful if you get shot in one arm during the resistance but still need to tend to the fence. (And if you squint a little you’ll see Matty Nice…)

04 WB 1-Hand Tire Smash Switch from Hanlon Studios Photography on Vimeo.

I attempted them with the 8lb hammer but the transition from around to over the head… tricky. Need to shorten the lever.

W | Oly vibes were strong, though the OHS were not. This is not surprising considering the seven sets of pressing on Tuesday. Not the best sequencing, Morgan. I want to re-test part ‘A’ down the road. 

The open is coming…

is-it-a-clean-yet-01
When someone lets a ‘squat clean’ slip 

The Big Bad Wolf

“Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” -Rumi

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Tracey Emin, The Last Great Adventure is You, 2014

This week has felt like an information bomb; not sure if it’s the news feed, the stretching of my head with shadowing, or one too many podcast marathons. Whatever it is, I chose to offset my data consumption via the visual arts.

In the process of de-loading my brain, I ran across the work of photographer Christian Houge, and then this fantastic read on his work, In the Shadows of Wolves and Men. I think I could spin a conversation off every paragraph in that piece.

“We are born as something much larger than ourselves. Then you have culture coming in with boxes, with identities, teachers, religion. Before all that, we are nature and we still have all this nature inside us. Well, some more than others.”

Where does your your inner wolf fall in the pack? Mine would definitely be nearest the banjos.

24 Jan | Tu
Mobility | 3x:
GA squats x 8
Elbow plank + fwd tap x 10 ea
Monster walks x 10 ea
Reverse curl-ups x 8

Warm-up | 3x:
AD x 1:00
Dbl KBS – snatch – clean – push press x 3
Wall walk + hip taps x 3 ea
DUs x 20

Work | [from the archives]
Front squat 5 x 1 (135, 145, 155, 165 [PR] 175, 170#)
Rest x 2:00 btwn
EMOM x 10:00:
1-1/4 Front squats x 3 @ 50% (85#)
– then –
AD 30/30’s

Stretch | 10:00

Jan 26 | Th
Mobility| 3x
Wall slides x 10
SL elev glute bride x 10ea
COB hold x :20**
Hanging leg raise x 10 (straight legs, minus the momentum)

Warm-up | 3x
AD x 1:00
Wall ball x 7 @20#
Slam balls x 7 @20#
DUs x 30

Work | O-lifting
A | 6x: Heaving snatch balance + snatch balance (4 @65, 70, 75#)
B | 4x: Front squat x 3 + 3 bounding jumps [PAP] (135/bench, 145/45×1, 145/45×2, 145#/45×2)
C | Clean + jerk [build] 6 x 1 (115, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145#)**

Auxiliary | Handstand shapes + banded hammie curls

Stretch | 20:00

Tu | Added 10 lbs to my front squat 1 RM, which delighted the fuck right outta me. Really thought I was gonna hit 175; the weight felt light. Upon review of the tapes, it looked like my bar path wasn’t as straight as it could me. Notes for next time (which ended up being O-lifting). 

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Watching the CrossFit class back squat like…

 Th | Was sort of a subdued day and felt that heading into the gymnasium. But, man, that turned around once I got going. Jumping after lifting heavy is pretty trippy. The clean and jerks felt fantastic after the PAP work. Failed on the last of six sets, at my 1RM.

Jolly AF

“The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.” -George Carlin

bouguereau-nymphs26satyr-no

24 Dec | Eve
Warm-up | 3x
DUs x 30
Slam balls x 5
Wall slides x 10

Work | O-lifting
Snatch balance 3 x 3 (65#)
OHS [pause @ bottom] 4 x 2 (85, 95#…)
Snatch pull + hang snatch 6 x 1 (75, 85, 85, 90#…)

23 Dec | Eve Eve
Mobility | 3x
Bird dogs x 10 ea
Prone y raise x 10
Banded clammies x 15 ea

Warm-up | 3x
Row x 1:00
Push-ups x 7
V-ups x 7
Pistol x 1 ea

Work [Favorite] | 7x:
Bench press x 3 (85#)
Right into
Slam balls x 5 @ 20# (30#)
Rest x 2:00 (?)
5x:
Incline SA KB BP (ha!) x 5 ea (26# +2.5)
Right into
Hang power snatch (85#)
Rest x 2:00
3x:
Row x 300m
AD x 15 cals
Zercher lunge x 5 ea @ 75#-ish (85#)

Stretch’n’ convos | 15:00

F | Upped the lbs on the balls, as the goal was to be breathing heavy. Check. Really felt the glutes by the time we got ’round to the zerchers.

Sa | Quick session before hopping on a flight to Iowa. The hip felt good – zero pain/hesitation! The back fatigued quickly, I’m guessing due to all the work it did Friday.

Let It Ride

“The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed.

Proficiency and the results of proficiency come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing and not doing, or combining relaxation with activity, of letting go as a person in order that the immanent and transcendent unknown quantity may take hold.

We cannot make ourselves understand; the most we can do is to foster a state of mind, in which understanding may come to us”. –Aldous Huxley, The Law of Reversed Effort

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December brought the start of a new audio book, though I’m not sure how much further I’ll make it; too many fucks, even for me. Or maybe I’ve already gleaned out of it what was intended… Hmm. Here’s an excerpt on The Backwards Law. And if all the fucks get to you too, hit the last three paragraphs.

And if instead, you’re saying, “Fuck, Morgan! I’ve had my fill of the words,” here’s a highly scientific dominant personality trait quiz. I got Intelligence, which only proves it’s flawed.

03 Dec | Sa
Warm-up | 3x
Row x 1:00
Wall slides x 10
DUs x 30
Slam ball x 7

Work | O-lifting – Week 5
3x: (65, 65, 75#)
Heaving snatch balance x 2
Snatch balance x 2
-then-
Two-position snatch [floor – hang] + OHS 5 x 1 (75, 80, 85, 90, 95#)
Tabata hollow body holds/push-ups

02 Dec | F
Mobility | 3x
Single-leg adductor squat x 10 ea
Chin-over-bar holds x :20
Reverse curl-ups x 10

Warm-up | 3x
Row x 1:00
KB sequence
DUs x 30
KB row x 8 ea

Work [From the archives]| Back squats 10 x 2 (165#)
Rest x 2:00
-then-
3x:
BB bi’s x 10
Rest x 1:00
Tricep push-downs x 20
Rest x 1:00
-then-
Death march 3 x 20 steps (26# KBs)
Rest x 1:30

Stretch | Not tonight, Batman

30 Nov | W
Mobility | 3x
Prone glute press x 10
Scap press x 10
TVA drops x 15

Warm-up | 3x
AD x 1:00
Wall ball x 10
DUs x 30

Work | O-lifting – Week 5
Tall muscle clean 3 x 3 (75, 85, 90#)
Tall power clean 3 x 3 (95, 105, 100#)
Tall clean 3 x 3 (105, 105, 110#)
Mid-hang clean 3 x 3 (115, 120, 125#)
Clean segment DL [2s pause @1″ – knee – mid thigh] 3 x 3 (145#)
Clean 3 x 1 (145, 135, 140, 140#)

W | Lots of volume; really enjoyed the progression. On the mid-hangs I was surprised at how much I’d gotten accustomed to standing all the way up and then backing down to get tension, rather than keeping tension from the floor. Oooh, awareness. Pre-fatigue was a real thing by the time we arrived to the full cleans. Protecting that right hip a bit, so I was cautious not to go crazy with the lbs. Pretty happy with how solid they felt coming outta the bottom. 

queso del fuego.JPG
I was gonna post some footage, but the clean progression pales in comparison to the cheese on the face of El Fuego, amiright? You know you smiled too…

F | Rolled thru the workout. Gotta up my game with the death march using KBs; I think it’s easier with KBs compared to the dumbbells, but will wait for the soreness check manana. Post work-out re-feed food prep morphed into My Drunk Kitchen with shocking speed #lightweight #noob

Sa | My hip and back felt a little tight, but the movement felt good. Kept it light so it’d stay that way. Well – *steps into the honestly zone* – the balance things stay light regardless. Gotta get faster on the push/pull under there. The snatches felt nice, with minimal air brakes. Here are some visuals…. which I’ll also file under “when you are reminded why a beanie pairs better with side braids than a pony”… #penishead #justthetip #whyamIhashtaggingeverything

Weak Spots

“Up to a point a person’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and changes in the world about them. Then there comes a time when it lies within their grasp to shape the clay of their life into the sort of thing they wish it to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune or the quirks of fate. Everyone has the power to say, ‘This I am today. That I shall be tomorrow.'”- Louis L’Amour

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Shawn Huckins, James Beard: The Fuck?

Mr. L’Amour’s words seem a fitting reminder for today’s elections, and conjure up some counter points to the content of my current read, The Sports Gene. More on that once I’ve completed it. So far the highlights have been the 5:1 muscle ratio bookshelf analogy and the narrator’s impersonations of quotations from other researchers. (Is it a “read” if it’s an audio book? Normally I’d say no, but tonight nothing makes a lick of sense.)

08 Nov | Tu
Mobility | 3x
Adductor squat x 10 ea
Single-leg elevated glute bridge x 10 ea
Single-arm plank x :20 ea

Warm-up | 3x:
AD x 1:00
Wall walk x 1
V-up x 10

Work | Press 7 x 5 [across] (3 @65, eeked out 1 @70, 3 @ 65#)
right into
DUs x 20
Rest x 2:00
-then-
RFESS 5 x 8 ea (35# KBs)
Rest x 1:00 btwn legs
-and-
3x: GHR x 8 (15#)
right into
Push-ups x 8
Rest x :20

Stretch ‘n’ Share | 20:00

07 Nov | M
Mobility | 3x
Wall slides x 10
Prone Y raise x 10
Glute press x 10

Warm-up | 3x
AD x 1:00
Wall ball x 10
Banded row x 10

Work | Back squat 7 x 5 (135, 145,145, 155, 155, 160 (4), 155#)
Rest x 2:00
5x:
KBS x 5 @44#, right into
KB row x 10 ea (26#), right into
DUs x 50 (UB, UB, 49, 49, UB)
Rest x 1:30

Stretch + Handstand walkin’ | 20:00

05 Nov | Sa
Mobility | 3x
GA squat  x 10
Bird dogs x 10 ea
Plank + fwd tap x 10 ea

Warm-up | 3x
Row x 1:00
DUs x 30
Shoulder roll with the bands x 10 ea direction

Work | Lifting
Snatch balance [build] 4 x 2 (70, 75#)
Snatch-grip pause DL [BTK, focus on lats] 3 x 3 (135, 145, 155#)
High-hang snatch + 1-1/4 OHS 6 x 1 (85, 95#…)
Med ball drops 3 x 10 (14, 14, 20#)

Some stretching.

Sa | Felt like I was landing nice and low on the snatch. Video proved otherwise.

M | In the morning hours I tested the back with a short-ish hike, about 4 miles, up South Mountain. Seems like that’s about the mileage threshold. The evening squats felt good and strong. Arbitrarily wanted to hit 165# on the last set, but fuck me legs were terrrd. The single-arm rows got really challenging at set 4 on the left side, which is not the jacked up side, having to reset before each rep to get that lat to do the work. DUs: 50 is the new 40 – pushing the datum.

Tu | Press is a weak spot (queue the Detroit Cobras). Sixty-five got sticky on the last rep, seventy was neck straining on rep three. Dafuq?  The 35# KBs were the lightest available due to TGU class workout, so… gave it a go. And was pleasantly surprised. On my way to 1/3 BW in each mitt for… what was that Rx rep scheme again?

Glistening Bollocks

“I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain; and never shut myself up in a numb corner of nonfeeling, or stop questioning and criticizing life and take the easy way out. To learn and think: to think and live; to live and learn: this always with new insight, new understanding, and new love.” -Sylvia Plath

And to lighten things up a bit from the weight of the bell jar there, here’s a solid read on The Pursuit of Happiness.

09  Oct | Su
Mobility | 3x
Chin-over-bar holds x :20
Cossack lunge x 8 ea
Elbow plank + fwd tap x 10 ea

Warm-up | 3x
Wall ball x 10
BB pres x 5
Palms fwd BB row x 10
BB sit-ups x 10

Work | EMOM x 30:00, rotating:
Incline bench x 3 (75#) + DUs x 30
1-1/4 OHS x 3 (80#)
Assault bike x 1:00
-then-
4x:
DB row x 12 ea (25#)
Rest x 1:00
Banded T’s x 10 (Yella)
Rest x 1:00

Stretch | 15:00

08 Oct | Sa
Mobility | 3x
GA squats x 10
Wall rotation + press x 10
Single-leg elev hip bridge x 10 ea
TVA drops x 15

Warm-up | 3x
AD x 1:00
DUs x 30
Banded rows x 10

Work | O-lifting – Week 6
Muscle snatch 4 x 2 (65#)
Snatch balance 8 x 1 [build] (4 sets @ 70#)
3x:
Snatch high-pull x 2 (115#)
Snatch x 2 (75, 75, 85#)
-then-
ISO back squats 4 x 10s

07 Oct | F
Mobility | 3x
Single-leg adductor squat x 8 ea
Scap press x 10
Prone glute press x 10
Reverse curl-ups x 10

Work | x 30:00, rotating:
Carries x 100m (44#ers: see notes)
AD x 1:00
Sumo DL x 5 (155#)
HSW x 12′ (10′ UB max)
Row x 1:00

Stretch | 15:00

06 Oct | Th
Mobility | 3x
GA skwaat x 10
Elbow plank + reach thru x 10 ea
Prone y raise x 10
Hanging leg raise x 10

Warm-up | 3x
Row x 1:00
KBS x 10
Single-arm press x 7 ea

Work [Favorite] | 4x:
Box squats x 5 (115#)
Hip thrusts x 10 (115#)
GH raise x 10 (15#)
Rest x 2:00
-then-
TGUs x 15:00 (44,53#)

Stretch | 15:00

Booty blast Thursday (!) made for a Recovery Friday. The lighter sumos helped alleviate some of the soreness in the region where the ‘strangs meet the glutes. The carries were uncomfortable as designed; switched from front rack to OH + suitcase after three rounds – kept losing my shoulder position. After two rounds of the OH/suitcase combo went to farmer’s style, because I was doing the neck strain thing. Perhaps it would have been better to just use lighter KBs from the start and maintain the front rack carries…?

Saturdays Oly: Tight mid-back. Man, snatches felt so awesome last week! Couldn’t get the back to fire on the snatch balance; s-l-o-w, bent elbows. Stopped after 4 attempts when it was clear it wasn’t gonna happen. Rolled through the remainder of the workout keeping it on the lighter side. Felt those ISO holds the rest of the day #CNSdonezo

Came in on Sunday with the intention to just foam roll. Decided to EMOM, too. 

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Post-EMOM Sunday feels. And a true story