Six of One - L's 2009 Log

[Lathiel]

Well, i've been gone so long it's pretty much as if I'm new. A ton of new faces, and lots of great lifts. Everyone in my family calls me Salathiel (they really call me Sally), after my uncle since we favor each other so much. I just drop the Sa, makes it easier for others to pronounce. kinda.

For the last year and a half I started using strong lifts 5x5 for a while, before I started mixing and matching and finding what i enjoyed most and what worked best. And It's a combination of Heavy Deadlifts, Heavy Squats, and Olympic Lifts. I don't progress as linearly as I should because I spaz out as far as my training goes and like to try different methods and approaches.

So for the last 5 months i've been deconditioned since i stopped training for a while, so now for this year i'm getting back into it. Learned the hard way about coming back slow. haha, so I'm kinda recovering from some crippling DOMS.

Right Now i'm 6'1 at 180lbs. Not too bad if I say so, i've gotten past my need to be at 200lbs, since I don't look at things from a competition point of view...but I will probably have to gain some weight eventually. who knows. I don't have any aesthetic goals at the moment really, I would just prefer to have my strength back to where it was, and my flexibility too, a squat snatch has gotten somewhat difficult.

So what i'm planning to do for training at the moment, is low volume, heavy intensity. Pretty much starting each session with Cleans, Snatches, or Jerks, for doubles and triples (8x2, 10x2). Then Squats and Deadlifts for around 5x3, 8x3, or 10x3, depending. Then some auxiliary work after wards, chin ups, pull ups, incline presses. I'm aiming to work up my recovery to where i can take things from 3 sessions a week, to every weekday. I don't go to a gym that's true olympic friendly, so i will have some negative phase on these, but not so much that I couldn't go in and train the next day. But at the moment since i'm using my squats and deadlifts to get strength and power back up, I don't think i'll be able to pull off those moves back to back.

Maybe a couple 20 rep deadlift sessions. I always loved those, they were my absolute favorite thing to do, but probably the most unsafest thing ever. I really enjoy Max Effort work too, and would love to find a way to employ it on the regular.

I'm going to be starting very low, and work up gradually.

It's going to be a great year!

And no matter where you go, people are always curling in the squat rack. geeze.
OH, and just for laughs, the other day, I saw a guy strap on a belt for seated presses in the smith machine.

Hooray YMCA.

[Lathiel]

1.8.09

Clean and Jerk @ 70kg - 10x1

Felt a little heavy, or just awkward, having not done them for a while. Power has decreased, feel slow in the first and second pull. Will use a higher volume day and lower intensity for speed and technique. Concerned that deadlift is just as weak as well.

Incline DB Bench Press @ 40lbs - 5x5

Don't know why I did these, a total waste of time. Scrapped from the program

Front Squat @ 72.5kg - 3x3

Didn't want to jump too far ahead of my C&J. These felt solid, and powerful, just a little slow. Will have a 5x5 and lower intensity for speed and neurological work

Deadlift @ 102kg - 5x3
Felt slow. Curious if my form was a little off. I hate training with a mirror straight infront of me, prevents you from feeling out your body. Will have to lift with my eyes closed. By the 4th set, things felt more comfortable, and more secure.

Pull Up -3x5

For the sake of progression i probably should be even lower than now, but screw it. I'll either got stronger or I won't.

[Lathiel]

1.13.09

Squat - 85kg @ 8x3

Deadlift - 105kg @ 8x3

Snatch - 60kg @ 8x2

I'm back in my own house, for a visit using my own home gym, on my own platform, on my own olympic bar. Everything just feels better. Nothing felt weak. I lost two Snatches, loosened up out of the hole and lost it out front, and cut my extension short on the second so i couldn't pull under. Glad those are still easy.