Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 12

Hello!

I have finally finished the Catalyst OTM cycle, and I must say that it has been a great ride. I feel kind of unfortunate that I had to skip a week between week 11 and 12. A lot of things came up really suddenly (including a Sabaton/Nightwish concert!!) and I was just not in a position to train.

I think that skipping that week, and then doing things like trampolining over that weekend sort of messed me up for week 12. Unfortunately, I was unable to end the term with a PR. Pretty disappointing, but not a big deal.

Week 12 is actually meant to be a deload week that concludes the training cycle with max attempts on the last day. I think that as a part of the program, it would work effectively as a taper to a max. But because I messed up by taking a week off, I was not really ready for heavy weights on the max days. I also split the max day in to two separate days for Snatch/CJ.

Snatching went great, I spent the week working on technique and feeling it out and getting back into it. And on Sunday, I felt really good about snatching. I hit up to 165 without missing. I'm not sure if maybe it was just out of position a bit or I'm just weak, but 165 felt really heavy overhead. And I think that thought along with the pressure of going for a PR messed me up for 170. It's a major weakness of mine, to get nervous before going for a PR. It's 5lbs, perfectly within my capability, practically not even heavier than the previous weight. It's all in my head though; demons I must conquer. Oh well, I was happy to be able to hit 165 twice.

CJ I think is what I messed up with the week off. I wasn't really prepared to go heavy. And I think I made the other mistake of taking minimal warm up weights. The idea was to conserve energy for the max attempts, but the jumps were a bit too big (I was taking 15lb jumps), and the weight felt too heavy off the ground that I just crashed on receiving. It's been a weakness since the day I started lifting, and it has improved a lot, but I still need to work on preventing the bar from crushing me on the receive. I guess a part of it is just confident from lifting heavy often. Either way, the second 225 I missed the jerk because the clean was really inefficient. Now to be fair, I haven't Front Squatted more than 225 for probably > 6 months.

Not such a big deal. I think 225 is a weight that is meant to be lifted for the first time at the PAC. And I hope this coming term to hit it pretty quickly! All it takes is a good day xD

So overall progress with the program: I'm happy. I know that all I managed was a 5lb PR on both lifts. But the program brought my Snatch up from around 135, and I was practically not CJing at all when I started. Besides, I make really really slow progress in weightlifting. I think the OTM cycle was just what I needed. It's unfortunate that complications occurred, such as delaying days/weeks, and the inability to decide on a form to stay consistent with (esp. for the Snatch). But I still think that consistency and confidence have improved significantly.

Moving forward, I will be taking a week off to recuperate mentally/physically. I'll try to post up my next cycle for the summer term by the end of the week. It won't be as set in stone as this one, because I know things will always come up during the school term. The focus will be imbalance correction, Structural/postural & Overhead strength. I think I'll also be squatting more, to try and keep the squatting movement fresh and get the weights back up to what they were before.

Thanks a lot for following, friends! Stay strong!

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 11

Week 11 has been a great week!

I finally finally managed to break my Snatch plateau.

I think it's been close to a year since I snatched 155. I hit 160 like 1-2 weeks after that. And then I tried 165, and I missed. So I tried it again, and I missed. And I tried, and missed again. And again. And again. And again. I would hit 160 just fine, everything was good. Add 5lbs on the bar, and all of a sudden it becomes impossible to lift. 165 haunted me. I used to have nightmares about that weight. I don't even know why, I had the strength to lift it, it was just a mental barrier. Technique always broke down significantly, I'd knock it forward, or I couldn't tighten up and receive it well; everything was just bad.

And then I started thinking about 160. "What if I miss 160..." And I missed. And then I thought about 155. "...What if I miss this too..." And on and on. Next thing I knew, I was missing 135lbs.

I don't lift much weight. But I've already found that this sport is incredibly hard. Not just physically, but mentally. You have to be prepared. You have to believe in yourself at a level beyond thought. Absolute faith in your ability, and you have to be brave enough to pull yourself underneath a heavy ass bar. I lack this.

This was a really depressing time for me. I've never progressed fast in weightlifting. It took me years to get my squat to where it is, and then you can compare it to people who can walk into the gym and squat just as much within a week. So to see my snatch, my favourite lift, actually accumulating negative progress was pretty demotivating.

I was even training 4-5 times a week, and when each session is 3-4 hours long, you spend a lot of time in the gym. Backwards progress is the last thing you want to see.

The Catalyst cycle has been great for me. It's helped me get back to where I was before without over thinking things. I guess all I needed was a reset, high volume at low weights and the ability to throw out my ego. Maybe all that happened was that I got really burned out always trying to push myself. But lessons were learned.

This was the penultimate week of the cycle. The last time you work up to heavy singles. Week 12 is essentially a deload and taper up to a max out day.

Clean and Jerks were a little bit bleh. Main reason was that I was apathetic and put them on the back burner to really push the snatch. I know I can do well in the CJ if I'm well rested.

So, I don't actually have the time this week for week 12's training unfortunately. I'm going to try to sneak in a training session tomorrow but it's a maybe. Week 12 will probably be next week. It's not such a big deal I think. The rest is just going to be trying to hit a PR or two. The goals are 170/225.

So, what's going to happen next?

After the cycle, I'm going to take a short break. I'm feeling really burned out after these 15ish weeks of training 5 times a week for 4 hours a day (my warm up takes forever :( ). So the week before classes is probably going to be all rest, with maybe one or two sessions.

Next term is when I'll begin the new cycle. I think it's pretty obvious watching the video, the reason for my misses at the heaviest weights seems to stem largely from the imbalances that have been formed due to the recent hip injury and my eternally stiff shoulder. At heavy weights I end up gripping and ripping, thus not controlling my movements very well, and imbalances just show more at heavy weights generally.

So fixing those imbalances will be one of the primary focuses for next term's training. For this, I'll probably be taking a much more active approach using exercise selection in the workout as opposed to just stretching and activation in the warmup/cool down. The second focus will be structural/postural strength. I'll be doing a lot of pulls, RDLs, SLDs, etc. To try and maintain strength over the bar and better back positioning. Will probably be 4 days a week (but will vary a lot with class and associated work). Squats will probably be low weight/high volume (to work on the imbalances). I'm also planning on working on Overhead stability. I've been basically power snatching exclusively this term. Partially to save the injured hip, but also because thinking about power snatching really helps tighten up and receive the bar well for me. It's just that my best weights are so low that I have the strength to power snatch them, but I lack other things that cause me to miss. But to get better, I still need to be prepared to hit full snatches though.

Will definitely be carrying forward loading and programming experiences learned from the OTM cycle.

Thanks for the read! Thanks for the support!

PS I'm sorry for being so loud! I've been encouraging myself to let loose a bit more, especially since I'm lifting alone. And the moment I locked out 165 was so cathartic that I ended up getting a bit excited xD

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 10

Week 10 is done. It was a really blergh week. I can make excuses like tiring work and horrible traffic (which for some reason persisted throughout the week). But I dunno, I just wasn't feeling it.

Sunday was better, though I had plenty of rest before then.

No video this week, didn't really have enough footage to justify it :p

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 9

Week 9 is done.

The program has switched to a Bulgarian style daily max training thing. And I've found it so far to be really hard, tiring and time consuming xD

I was doing fine for a Snatch HS and CJ HS once a week on a weekend when I'm rested. But It's really hard on weekdays after a long day at work. I was struggling with CJs this week but then I realized, at the end of the week too, that my start position was off. Also, didn't really have the energy after snatching heavy + back off sets.

The program also includes heavy singles for squats, which is a major first for me. I haven't squatted a heavy single in a really long time, as the last time I was avidly training squats, they were on a high volume program. But this is kind of good because it lets me see where I am, sort of. If only I wasn't so tired when it came time to squatting xD

IT band/Quad on my right leg was feeling really tight this week, so I took it easy on the squats anyway. 240 was 6 reps before the hip injury. I'm hoping to hit a minimum of 275 back squat by the end of the term/cycle.

Unfortunately, family things came up on Sunday so I had to move the training session back to Saturday. This meant I had 5 training sessions in a row. I think the result of this is pretty evident, in that I couldn't hit a 155 snatch on Saturday. (but I'm just making excuses xD)

That being said, I was really glad to hit 155 twice. 150 is the weight I expect myself to be able to hit on a daily basis. So getting back up to 155 feels good. Though every day it happened on the 2nd attempt. If I get it on the first, I'll try for 160. But I need to train smart through this phase. Can't spend excessive energy chasing Snatch PRs and miss out on the Clean and Jerk part. Just gotta put in the work.

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 8

Week 8 was a bit of a bleh week. I'm glad it was a deload week, because I felt so lethargic and more than that, apathetic. Part of the reason is that I was really into the Cricket world cup. I care a little bit less now that Pakistan's been knocked out, but I really wanna play some cricket!

So every day felt like I was just going through the motions.

There's also a lot of accumulated fatigue over the term. Not just physically, but because of work and as always, lack of sleep.

Oh well, will try to be more involved in the coming weeks. The program is now going to begin a bulgarian style cycle, with heavy singles on the Snatch, CJ and squats 3x a week. I'm going to veer off the written path in one major way: The program will have 2 days where CJ's are performed before Snatches. I can appreciate what Greg was doing here, but I think my priority is still on the snatch, so I'll be doing the snatches first.

Adios, and have a good week friends!

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 7

Week 7 is finally done, and with it the high volume portion of this program. Good riddance! (This OTM stuff is so tiring!)

On paper, this looks like a really good week. In many ways it was, but it was hell to get through as well. Back tightness from last week continued periodically throughout the week. As a result, the Jerk day was really not as good as it could have been, but still not bad. Unfortunately, I was so tired after that jerk training session that come Thursday for Cleans, my upper back was just fried. I had a really tough time staying tight on the receive, so I didn't want to push Cleans too much.

Snatching went great! Sort of. I managed to super man 150 after like 18 other reps at or above 85% on Tuesday. It displayed my imbalances to the worst extent they can be though :D. I was really in the mindset of "Just pick this thing up, man."

Friday's reps felt awkward, but I think were important in coming up with the right feeling and helped a lot on Sunday.

Sunday was awesome. Snatched up to 155, and probably couldve done 160 (in another attempt) if I didn't want to save energy for CJs. 160 is the all time best, and I haven't hit anything above 150 for close to 8 months now =|

As is evident in the video, back angle in the snatch is still a major source of inconsistency. The issue is that I just don't know what's right, and I end up improvising according to what feels right the day of...

The issue is that naturally, my back angle would be very horizontal. This feels good in some ways, letting me keep the bar closer in the 3rd pull, but it sacrifices so much power that I have a hard time power snatching anything. It also leads to drifting on my toes, and since I have a weak back, forces a bunch of arm bend.

On the other hand, if I keep my back more vertical, my hips are in a far better position to produce power and I can power snatch my best (probably, maybe?). It also seems to result in a tighter receive. Unfortunately, I end up hitting the bar forward, and this is really costly.

I've been trying to find a middle ground...I guess the experimentation continues =|

BUT GOOD NEWS

A PR, FINALLY! (after like 6 months or something)

And a big one! 220lb/100kg Clean and Jerk! It's only 5lbs better than the previous, but it's huge! First three digit lift, so pretty happy. Not as happy as 225 will make me though! :)

Interestingly, I really was not feeling C&J's on Sunday. Especially the jerks. I was pretty tired after Snatching, and sort of just did it. The jerks were crappy (kept shifting to front leg and not getting front foot out enough), but I managed to do the work. I'm confident that 230 is in the park on a better day.

Also, I randomly suffered an ab cramp while walking around yesterday (after training). It's a bit sore today, but hopefully will be better for tomorrows training.

Week 8 is deload week! (Thank you Greg :) )



p.s. I apologize for all the man grunting. I don't know when I became so noisy >_>

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 6 + Week 6.5

Hi everyone, super late on updating this.

I finished two weeks of training pretty well, including a fun Sunday at the PAC.

But for some reason, on Tuesday when I was meant to start week 7, my back was like NOPE. I think I slept in an awkward position and I woke up with it soo tight, in a way it hasn't been tight before. This time it was the thoracic area, not the traps like usual :p

I decided, regretfully to redo what I did in week 4.5 and take the week easy. All I did was 2 snatch technique sessions.

Will be starting week 7 tomorrow hopefully...

On a different note, I've sort of learned that training 5x a week is a bit too much for my body. It sucks, since that's like the minimum to make decent progress...But every time I train 5x a week, injuries happen >_>
I still plan on finishing this program, but it's something I'm keeping in mind moving forward.

Anyways, week 6:

Pretty decent week actually! 

I'm sort of starting to figure out Cues and etc. for Snatches. They're feeling decent. Cleans this week were awkward and weird, except for Sunday when I matched by all time best CJ of 215. That day Cleans felt awesome O_o, funny because snatches felt horrible. 

Jerks are feeling pretty good as well. 

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 4

A day late in uploading this, but week 4 is over. No videos this week because it was a deload week so not really that interesting.

I got my heel height on the shoes adjusted (raised by 1/2'') on Friday. So the last two days were really about trying to adapt. It'll probably take a while, so I'll be playing it on the slightly conservative side.

On the other hand, this was absolutely the first time I've done a deload week. I'm really glad it's there, because I was starting to feel really beat up. Interestingly, I've always had great progress for the first 4-5 weeks of a program and then suddenly been unable to lift as much/as well. I never thought that it was over training, namely because I figured that I just don't lift heavy enough to be over trained.

Even mentally, it's nice to have a break. One of the reasons for my lack of success in this sport is almost definitely how much I stress myself out over it ._.

In hindsight, I can see why I should have incoporated deload weeks.

Looking forward to week 5. The program is starting to get hard, and it'll be harder with me trying to adjust to the new heel height. But hopefully, things will work out for the better!

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 3

Woohoo, week 3 is over.

And it has left me really tired. This program is starting to get tough, so I'm glad that the coming week is a deload week.

Other than an iffy first day of Snatching, it was another good week of training. More goofs at heavier weights, but I'm starting to see where the weaknesses lie. I was happy to hit 150/195, which is heavier than I've done on either lift in a while.

Though that 150 Snatch was super iffy lol
And I can't believe I didn't get that 200, it's like my right elbow just didn't feel like coming up all the way :(

But as for weaknesses, I think it's pretty obvious from watching the video that back strength is a major one. I really need to work on it. At heavier weights, I have a very hard time staying over the bar, and the back collapses. I used to compensate through this by bending my arms, but after having corrected that (to a degree hopefully), now I just collapse and start the second pull because the body doesn't want to stay over the bar any longer. It seems to be a major cause for me missing heavier lifts (especially with Snatches)

Also, I need to be really conscious about keeping the back tight. This is pretty evident if you watch Monday's session (in the gray full sleeve) where I lifted the heaviest weights. For some reason that day I just forgot to queue proper back tightness, and I lost it instantly. It should be passive, unqued, automatic.

Fortunately, this program has shown me SDLs, and what a great exercise they are!
I've also incorporated Snatch Grip RDLs (just like the SDL but with bent knees) for flexibility and back strength. Back strength will definitely be an ongoing process in my training and will probably feature as a more critical part of future programs.

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 2

Week 2's training went pretty well. It was a bit of a rocky start because I sort of forgot about some of the changes I'd made to my Clean starting position until after I did all of my 20 cleans. I was really confused as to why it felt so different and why I was pulling really low off the legs...Oh well >_>

Shoulders feeling really tight. Well, not really shoulders. More like traps/neck. The new office job isn't helping with this, and it's pretty noticeable in the video (if you watch the bar rotate overhead.)

I've always had this imbalance where my right shoulder is significantly less flexible than my left...This means the right shoulder doesn't go as far back as the left, so the left takes a bit longer and that's why you see that rotation. It's something I'm working on at the end/beginning of training sessions.

First time snatching upto 145 in a long time. Was less than perfect (could've stayed over the bar much longer), but glad I could do it without too much difficulty.

Couple of goofs, but overall a good week.

Catalyst OTM Cycle - Week 1

Hey everyone.

I've decided to start documenting my weightlifting again. I stopped a while ago because I felt like I was making nothing but backwards progress and was somewhat embarrassed and what not. But anyways, I'm going to try my best to keep up with it this time.

There's a change though, I'll be recording training sessions weekly instead of daily. I think this is not just more manageable for me, but more entertaining and easier to read for you guys.

Where I am:

Well, the past few months have been iffy. I had a pretty major hip injury that stopped me from lifting (other than Power snatches and back exercises) for the better part of 2 months. The injury has gotten better now, but I'm left with a couple of imbalances that I'm still working on.

Because of this injury, I won't be squatting really heavy. The focus for this next training cycle will be on technical consistency and improving strength in pulling positions.

To this end, I've decided to, for the first time in my life, run a weightlifting program. I decided that I was thinking too much and confusing myself by self-programming. To that end, I'm going to try the Catalyst Atheletes OTM (on the minute) cycle.

Here's a link:
http://www.catalystathletics.com/olympic-weightlifting-training-program/54/On-The-Minute-Cycle/

I've been doing some similar training recently and I really loved it for technical consistency. Luckily for me, after I spent so long learning a specific & odd style for the Snatch, I decided to flip it and go back to what's more conventional (so I have to relearn everything! :( )

I will be running the above program with some modifications to better tailor it to my own weaknesses. (I think modifications are crucial to a general program, you just need to be smart about it.)

This is how my progress will be shared - With a picture of my daily tracking whiteboard! And occasional videos (though I don't have any for the past week!)

Bottom right corner has the weights I'm using as working maxes going into the program. As you can see, I'm taking it really easy on squats (otherwise I'd have 315 BS & ~250 FS)

So...

Week 1 went pretty well. Weights were generally programmed really light so no major problems. Only miss was that 185 CJ, which was a dumb mistake on the Clean. 

Just so terminology is clear:

OTM: On the minute. This is the trick with this program. The idea is to have a timer running and perform the lift every minute. I've found this to be super advantageous to really get into a good rhythm (and I swear that must be one of the most important things in weightlifting). Also, the movement stays pretty fresh in your mind after every rep, so that helps with technical consistency.

FS: Front Squat

BS: Back Squat

OHS: Overhead Squat

SLDL: Stiff Legged Deadlift

BTNSN: Push Press: Behind the neck Snatch grip push press

SN: Snatch

C&J: Clean and Jerk

Moving forward, I'm going to change the board to show reps x sets. I've always used sets x reps, but it's confusing because the program is written reps x sets...xD 

I'm hoping this program goes well. I'm really behind on my goals! 

Training - 7th June 2014

Clean and Jerk: D1RM: 205 (didn't quite make the jerk), 3x1+1 @ (185,185,185)
Paused Front Squat: 3x3 @ (200,205,205)
Bss 3x, Ab Wheel 3x

Took two attempts at 210. I think I'm just too tired, but more that I just get too nervous. Next time I'm going to try taking jumps from 190->200->210 instead of the current 185->195->205->210, and see how that works out.

Training - 31st May & 1st June 2014

31st May 2014

Snatch + Hang Snatch: 4x1+2 @ (130*,130,130,130)
Clean: 4x3 @ (170,170,170,170)
Snatch Deadlift: 3x3 @ 155, 2x2 @ 165

Felt decent. Bit sloppy on the cleans, forgot to adjust for a new starting position I had been enjoying (lower hips), so just gotta keep that in mind. Rushed the session a bit so I could go watch X-men.

I must say, that movie was absolutely brilliant. I am a bit biased though, X-men and Superman are the only super hero things I was ever super into as a kid.

1st June 2014

Snatch: Won't even bother writing anything, was messy and bad...Got upto 150, lots of misses
Back Squat: 235x2x6, 220x3x8, 185x10 reps
BSS + Ab Wheel 3x

Really crappy day for Snatching. Actually been a pretty bad week for Snatches. I dunno, just wasn't feeling it. Couldn't lock out. I was also trying a wider pulling stance. I think I may stick to the wider pulling stance, since it does make it easier to get around the knees, but further observation is required before that decision is made.

Hopefully things pick up on Tuesday.

Training - 30th May 2014

Clean and Jerk: D1RM: 205, 185, 195*, 185
Snatch Balance: 135x3x3
Paused Front Squat: 3x3 @ (195,200,205)
Bss x3, Ab Wheel x3

Again, super tired but it turned out to be a decent session. Took a CJ attempt at 210, but I guess I wasn't fully trying and was a bit too gassed to really do it.

Training - 28th May 2014

Snatch: 4x3 @ (130,135*, 135,135)
Power + Hang Clean + Jerk: 4x1+1+1 @ (160,165,165*,165)
Snatch Pull w/rebend: 3x3 @ (145,145,150), 2x2 @ (155,160), w/o rebend: 2x2 @ (170,170)
BNSP: 3 sets @ 65, 2 sets @ 75
Russian Twist 3x

Pretty good session. Missed the last snatch on the second triple set, but other wise it felt good. Missed a hang clean, not really sure why. Cleans were feeling a bit bleh but it's alright.

Snatch Pulls were good, started keeping my hands on the bar throughout the set, I think it's a good way to train the weak back muscles if I'm lowering the weight with control.

Training - 27th May 2014

Snatch: D1RM: 155, 3x2 @ (145*,145*,145)
Clean and Jerk: 4x(1+2) @ (170,170,170,170)
Front Squat: D3RM: 215, 190x5, 200x5
Ab Wheel 3x

Tiring day at work and lots of traffic on the way home, and really humid weather so I was generally not set up for an amazing training session. Did alright, bit less than good but oh well, happens.

Missed second rep of back off sets 1 and 2, dunno just felt a bit lethargic about it. Pulled myself together for the last set, CJs felt good.
Accidently used 190 instead of 200 for the first back off FS set :P

Training - 25th May 2014

Snatch: D1RM: 160, 150*,150*,145*,145*
Back Squat: 2x6 @ (230.235), 3x8 @ (215,220,220), 185x12
BNSP: 75x3x7
BSS x3
Ab Wheel x3

Snatching was going great today up to the 1 rep max. I matched my best, which has been a common occurrance recently, and took two attempts at 165. But unfortunately, I'm really unsused to back off sets, and I don't know, maybe I get cocky or something but I do badly on them. I'm thinking I'll taking more weight off the bar and working upto the back off set weight next time. Hopefully it works better?

I also perform badly after I miss once, it's like I just forget how to lockout

Oh well.

Decent week of training.

Training - 24th May 2014

Power + Hang Snatch: 1+2: (125*,130,130,125)
Clean: 4x3 @ (165,170,170,165)
Snatch Deadlift: 3x3 @ 155, 2x2 @ 165, 170
Russian twist 3x

Missed the last rep of the first snatch set for the same reason as usual - unable to lockout tight at the bottom. That's sort of the intention of training this power + hang snatch complex. Trying to get a bit more speed getting under, but also to get used to recieving tight. The first two end up being progressively lower power snatches and the last is full

Training - 28th April 2014

Snatch: Upto 150x1, 135x3x2
Power Clean + Jerk: 165x4x(1+2)
Front Squat: Upto 205x3, 185x2x5
Bulgarian Split Squats: 40x3x6
Ab Wheel 3x

Hello!

I am back, sort of. I haven't updated any of the recent training sessions namely because they were unstructured and more or less a way to just keep moving. Now that the term is finally over though, I hope to be more consistent in maintaining the log.
I am living at home now, and will be lifting on my improvised platform in the garage (pics will be posted soon? Or just watch the videos! :P)

The plan for this week is to just work my way back in to the classicals before starting a more structured program next week (starting with work, to maintain a nice routine).

Training - 24th, 26th, 27th March 2014

24th March:

Back Squats: 3x5/3/1 @ (230/240/250, 240/250/260, 250/260/275)


26th March:

Snatch Balance up to 2x135x3
Front Squat: 3 reps @ (205,215,225,215,205)
Rows: 120x5x10
Ab Wheel 3x

27th March:

Snatches up to 150x1, failed attempt at 160

Trap tightness persists, but is starting to feel a little bit better. Did get a prescription for a massage, so that'll be good - maybe next week?