BEYOND STRONG

Today's circuit

I've not done any heavy weights this week. I'm trying to do 3 weeks of heavy weights with a week off doing more fitness and conditioning work. Yesterday I did a big plyometrics session at Thames Valley Athletics centre and today was the following.

This was done circuit style so a set of pushups then Orbi Grip then Delt Raises then pushdowns and then a 500m row and repeat.

Pushups - 22/30/20/20/28. I am following the 100 Pushups program at the moment.
Orbi Grip with 2.5kg - left60/right75, 60/75, 50/60, 50/60, 50/60
Band Delt Raises to front and rear - 10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 10/10, 10/10
Pushdowns - 5x15 reps
Row 500m on Concept 2 - averaging between 1m45secs to 1min50secs.
Total time was 38mins 19secs.

That was a tough all round circuit with my upper body looking really pumped!

But...not as pumped as this...

This is a video of the AMAZING Konstantin Konstantinov, the Russian Multiple Champion Powerlifter and Deadlift supremo doing 55 CHINS!

Nick

Grip and Cardio

I did virtually zero grip work last year. Mainly as it wasn't my main focus and also because adding it to the end of a workout was a time consuming task. In days gone by I have spent up to half a day training grip before but right now I need to just 'get it done'.

Fortunately David Horne has produced a series of products that take up very little room and require zero set up time. I am currently using the Vulcan Gripper, the Wrist Developer and the Orbi Grip in a series of circuits. I've actually changed the springs on the Vulcan and the Wrist Developer as they were too heavy for me to get the workout I wanted. I can do a workout with these three in 15 minutes. Here's an example...

Vulcan gripper - from level 7 to level 13 with a blue spring for sets of 5-10 reps.
Wrist Developer - one level 1 or 1 1/2 for sets of 3-12 reps. I use the original red spring from the Vulcan here.
Orbi Grip - 2kg for sets of 80 on the left hand and 100 on the right hand.

Result = PUMP CITY!

My cardio the last month or so has been building up the intervals on the Concept 2 rower and then jumping straight onto the XTrainer for 20 minutes to get a sweat up and continue burning some calories. During the week I am also getting down the track. More on that as I progress.

This week's rowing...

7x500m with 1 minute rest intervals. I average around 1:51 for these splits with a best 500m time of 1.29. The goal is 10 intervals then I will see where we go from there. Either reducing the rest or upping the distance.
20 minutes Xtrainer - Level 16 on Hills.

Nick

This is FAST!!!

Bands

I have had no choice but to rest yesterday and think about this whole Oly lifting 'plan'. Gary John, older brother of Coach Dan John, simply posed the question to me, 'What do you want?'. Gary is a wise man despite his 'dumb luck and chance'!

I've decided then not to decide.

Yesterday I went to gymnastics which wasn't much fun.Too many kids latching on to the Parkour craze and the usual burst of enthusiasm after the Olympics. I warm-up, threw a few sumersault and left feeling, well, very good. And that in part is one of the solutions. I just need to enjoy the moment and not the future. I love training. Love it! I spoke with my good friend David Horne yesterday and he said, 'Why can't writing be like training? I never let my training get interrupted but writing there always seems to be an excuse not to write". I couldn't agree more.

So here's what I enjoyed today.

Kettlebell Warm-up of goblet squats, presses, rows, figure 8's, swings, snatches, side bends and windmills. I still cannot press anything overhead with my right arm.

Power Pushups - 80lb green bandsx12, 80lb green and 40lbs mauvex10, 2xgreensx6. Go here for Power Pushups. I have had my Power Pushups for 6 years now. Awesome bit of kit that you can use for everything from speed benching to dips to punching drills.
Face Pulls - Iron Woody blue bandsx20, doubled bluesx20, blacksx20
Power pushup Chest Press - 2xgreenx3 (too heavy), green and mauvex5 (still too heavy), greenx16
Green Band Iron Woody Pull Aparts - x15x15x15
Bicep Curl with Blue bands Iron Woodyx8x8x8
Tricep Overhead Ext with Green Iron Woodyx15x15x15
Side/Front raise/Cubans/Press combo - 1x5 each with light bands
Power Wheel - max extensions on rollouts. Getting very close to a full rollout!
Stretch

Laurence texted me today and said he is really pleased with how he went at WSM and that he can now 'hang with the big boys'. Here he is with Jimmy Marku...

Photo courtesy of mariuszfan1

Squatting deep

I am trying to force myself into deeper squat positions for the Oly lifts but it is not easy and probably not the best idea with my hips and lower back. Stretching is helping but slow.

Today...

OHS - bar, 90x5, 135x3x3x3
FS - 135x5, 220x3, 265x3, 310x2
Squat - 310x3, 350x3, 400x2
FS - 310x1
Romanian Deadlift and Shrug - 135x3x3, 220x3x3, 265x3x3
Face Pulls - 95x20, 155x20
Band Pull aparts - x20x20

Stretching later.

Nick

Soreness.

I have anew found respect for Olympic weightlifters. Having not really ever done the full versions of the Oly lifts I am beginning to feel muscles I didn't think existed!

Friday was another super stretch session. Over an hour of sport specific stretches which was as brutal as a tough set of squats or deadlifts.

Saturday...

Warm-up

Power Snatch and OHS - barx10, 90lbsx5, 135xx3x3, 155x2x2, 180x1x1x1xfxf. The fails were lost forwards. Getting better.
PC and FS - 180x1x1, 200x1x1x1, 220x1x1x1x1. Starting to hit 3/4 full position.
Rack Jerk - 135x2x2, 180x2x2, 200x1x1, 220x1. By now I had no speed and no timing.
Planks - 50kg platex1 minute
Chins x13x12
Dipsx20x20

Took today off as I was wiped out from the last week. This is fun but tough!

Nick

RocknRolla

If you liked Lock, Stock and Two Smokin' Barrels and Snatch form director Guy Ritchie you are probably going to really enjoy his latest offering RocknRolla. I haven't seen it yet myself but by all accounts it is another rip roaring british gangster classic. If you see a policeman getting 'happy slapped' then you'll have also seen yours truly!

Here's the trailer...

Today I also went and did my first proper Olympic workout.

Nice warm up.

Power Snatch and Overhead Squat (PS+OHS) - barx10, 90lbsx3, 135x1x1x1x1x1x1, 155x1. One of those was actually a full squat snatch of sorts!
Power Clean and Front Squat (PC and FS) - 155x1x1, 180x1x1, 200x1x1x1x1.
Jerk From Racks - 135x3, 155x1x1, 180x1x1, 200x1. By that time my wrists were trashed.
Planks with 50kg platex45 secs
Plate Floor Press - 155x15, 135x4, 110x4 drop set.

       Observations.

• Both hands on the webbing have torn and are weeping as I type.
• I scratched my shins up which must be a good thing.
• I hit a squat snatch so I must have the flexibility in there, it's now about coaxing my body to go there.
• I changed my foot spacing which allowed me to go from the PC to the FS immediately.
• I am going to need to use the elbow wraps and wrists wraps for a while for the conditioning in those areas.
• It's all about timing and flow.
• My body feels really good. Worked but loose.
• My rear delt is still killing me. Even letting the jerks down with such a light weight was painful.
• My legs are plenty strong. Back will need work. Overhead not too bad.

All in all very good. It will get easier I have no doubt.

Nick

Oly Lifting

Everytime I watch Olympic Weight Lifting I want to do it again. Strongman has definitely been good to me the last few years and I am sure I will go back to it one day but with Olympic lifting I can do a number of things that I don't seem to have the discipline to do with my regular strength training.

• I will be able to work on my flexibility and mobility as I lift and train. Not only that if I don't work on it I just won't be able to hit the right postitions at all.
• It allows me to do what I really enjoy - squatting and putting stuff overhead.
• If I get to work now I can at least consider competing in Master's Weight Lifting which is still very competitive. This is some way off of for me.
• It keeps me athletic for my work.
• It keeps me strong all over without having to gain any weight. I can stay at my current 95-96kg and easily get down to the 94kg category in the future.
• I can train technique when I am tired and not go heavy all the time. This is a natural way of deloaded the stress of heavy lifting. I am terrible for going too heavy too often.

I have contacted all my Olympic lifting friends who gave me some great advice and I went back and started reading my Olympic lifting books like Tommy Kono's fantastic Weightlifting, Olympic Style and the brilliant must have book by Art Drechsler, The Weightlifting Encyclopedia.

Last week I had already started painfully stretching my wrists, elbows and shoulders and yesterday and today I did some super light prelimanary stuff.

W-up with barbell
Overhead squats - barx10, 90lbsx5x5x5
Front Squat - 135x5x5x5, 180x3x3. Trying to keep the bar in my hands but ending up on 2 fingers
Squat - 220x5x5x5. Pausing at the bottom and doing VERY small bounces.
Front Squat - 180x5
Overhead Squat - 135x5x5

I then did a rotator cuff circuit based on Eric Cressey's excellent article HERE.

Cuban Press with Oly barx10x10
L lat raise - 15lb DBsx10x10
Side DB Abduction - 15lbsx10x10
Low Pulley Ext Rotation x10x10
Wrestler's Wall Walksx3

Then today...

Lot's of rotation warm ups like in Super Joints.
Overhead squats with bands. Standing on the bands and using a broom handle I stretched the bands overhead. Lots of sets of 10 with different strength bands.
KB overhead walks and lunges. For overhead stability.
Quad, glute, hamstring, achilles, shoulders, wrists stretches throughout
Overhead Wall Squats
Tricep Band Extensions
KB Windmills
KB Figure 8's with flat back
Yoga Bridges

Nick

And for inspiration...the current Russian Olympic Weightlifting National Coach, David Rigert, shows us how it's done...

 

Dan John

Dan John.

I have been a fan of Dan's work for many, many years. I can remember doing his brilliant 'Transformation Routine' way back in 2000 to great effect and I have read his articles with anticipation each time they are published. Dan's one of those coaches who you can really put trust in. Why? Well because he has ACTUALLY BEEN AN ATHLETE and CONTINUES TO BE AN ATHLETE! This is not another wannabe, this is not another has been. This is a man who has put nearly 400lbs overhead, is a National Champion and who put the Overhead Squat onto the tips of every strength coaches tongue. Plus he delves into the darkest depths of strength and conditioning to enlighten us - FOR FREE!

I could go on and on but that's not Dan's bag. I'll let his work do the talking...check out more information about how you should train here...Dan John's Awesome And FREE website!!!

Dan John practicing what he preaches.

Sunday...

Green Band Warm-up - various stretches, squats, presses.
Ab Wheel - 3x15 leg curl
Ab Wheel - 3x10 pushup and straight leg pikes
Band Pushups on pushup bars - x10x10x10
Pulse lat squeezes - x30x30x30
L sit - 3x15 secs
Wrestler's Wall Walksx3
Shoulder stretches

Might need one of Dan's routines soon!

Nick

Took another day off and my backs feeling better. I've been doing my stretches for my wrists and shoulders to help the injury there.

Today...

Front Squat - 155x5, 242x5, 286x3, 330x3, 375x2.
3 Board press - 135x10, 220x5, 265x5, 310x3
5 Board Press - 330x3, 350x2
Hammer Alternate (Iso) Pulldown - 1plate each sidex15, 2px12, 3px8, 3 1/2px4
Hammer Row - 2px15, 3px8

Yoga tonight!

And now for something completely different. If you liked Mad Max,guts and gore, amazing action and Australian humour then this is for you. This film is out soon and I can't wait!

Nick

WARNING: THIS TRAILER CONTAINS NUDITY AND ADULT CONTENT!

More Yoga yesterday. I realise just how awful some of my mobility and flexibility is when doing this sort of exercise. I've also been working on my shoulder and back mobility as well.

Today...

Overhead Squats - oly barx10, 65lbsx10, 90lbsx10, 110lbsx5x5. I used wrists straps and that made them more bearable although there is a long way to go with these.
2 Board press - 135x10, 220x5, 265x5
4 Board Press - 310x5x5
Alternate One Arm Hammer Pulldowns - 1platex10 each, 2 platesx10 each, 2 1/2 platesx8 each, 3 platesx6 each
Pinch - 165x1x1x1x1x1 (using the same difficult 25kg discs)

Nick