RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY4B, WEEK 8 (2013APR30)

155kg - Close but No Cigar!

Rack Split Jerk:
20 x bar work
50 x 3
75 x 2
90 x 2 (2:2:249)
105 x 2 (2:4:251)
113 x 2 (2:6:253)
120 x 2 (2:8:255)
128 x 2 (2:10:257)
135 x 2 (2:12:259)
140 x 1 (1:13:260)
145 x 1 (1:14:261)
150 x (F)2 (2:16:263)
150 x 1 (1:17:264)
155 x (F)2 (2:19:266)

155kg asked for a ride three times around the block!  BOOM!

Front Squat:
20 x bar work
75 x 3
90 x 3
110 x 3 (3:22:269)
135 x 3 (3:25:272)
145 x 3 (3:28:275)
155 x 3 (3:31:278)

* Notes:

- What the split is going on?  I decided to switch things up today and try split jerking.  I haven't done a split in a long time and it felt relatively good.  I felt quick under the bar and my foot work seemed spot-on; however, I'm having issues with locking the shoulders and elbows under heavier weights.  I think a lot of this is mentally driven, because I'm jerking off a relatively small block and I have some apprehension in losing a lift and sending bumpers through my walls.  Nonetheless, I managed to split jerk 150kg and 155kg was very close.

- Front squats went well.  I even pushed past the prescribed 135kg x 3 x 3 and made it 135kg/145kg/155kg x 3.  Not a shabby day on the platform.  Bring on week 9!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 4A, WEEK 8 (2013APR29)

2013APR29 from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

18" Block Clean:
20 x bar work
50 x (3)2
75 x 2
90 x 2 (2:2:223)
105 x 2 (2:4:225)
113 x 2 (2:6:227)
120 x 2 (2:8:229)
128 x 1 (1:9:230)
128 x F (1:10:231)
128 x 1 (1:11:232)
135 x 2 (2:13:234)
143 x 1 (1:14:235) PR
140 x 1 (1:15:236)
150 x (F)2 (2:17:238)

18" Block Power Clean:
105 x 3 (3:20:241)
110 x 3 (3:23:244)
105 x 1 (1:24:245)
107 x 1 (1:25:246)
109 x 1 (1:26:247)

* Notes:

- Mediocre workout today.  I nailed a new block clean PR at 143kg, and I was feeling very confident in pulling off 150kg.  However, during the 143kg attempt I ripped my hand during the pull.  I made the lift but the tear was at the junction between my thumb and forefinger.  Thankfully, I didn't rip the skin open.  Regardless, I couldn't hold onto the bar with a firm grip after the tear, because I could feel the top layer of skin separating from the bottom layers.  Each attempt at 150kg exacerbated the separation and my level of frustration!  I'm so FUCKING PISSED!  I want 150kg like a fat kid wants a twelve pack of Coke and a box of Oreos!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 3B, WEEK 8 (2013APR28)

Squatting the Rainbow!

Back Squat:
20 x bar work
70 x 3
95 x 3
115 x 3 (3:3:185)
125 x 3 (3:6:188)
140 x 3 (3:9:191)
155 x 3 (3:12:194)
170 x (3)2 (6:18:200)
175 x 3 (3:21:203)

Push Press:
20 x bar work
50 x 3
70 x 3 (3:24:206)
80 x 3 (3:27:209)
95 x 3 (3:30:212)
105 x 3 (3:33:215)
110 x 1 (1:34:216)
115 x 1 (1:35:217)
120 x 1 (1:36:218)
115 x 1 (1:37:219)
120 x 1 (1:38:220)
127 x 1 (1:39:221) PR
120 x 1 (1:40:222)

* Notes:

- Awesome workout.  I was planning on taking a day off, but lifted instead -- and it was fucking awesome!  I nailed a back squat triple at 175kg and it felt ridiculously easy.  I could have pushed to a higher weight but I wanted to work more on my push press because I feel it's been neglected lately.  Thankfully, the push presses went exceptionally well.  I managed to establish a new PR at 127kg!  Feeling like a damn monster today!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 3A, WEEK 8 (2013APR27)

Today - 126kg is my BITCH!

18" Block Snatch:
20 x bar work
50 x (3)2
70 x 2
82 x 2 (2:2:151)
95 x F (1:3:152)
95 x 2 (2:5:154)
103 x F (1:6:155)
103 x 2 (2:8:157)
108 x (F)2 (2:10:159)
108 x 2 (2:12:161)
115 x 2 (2:14:163)
120 x 1 (1:15:164)
122 x 1 (1:16:165)
124 x (F)4 (4:20:169)
126 x 1 (1:21:170) PR
128 x F (1:22:171)

18" Block Power Snatch:
103 x 3 (3:25:174)
106 x 3 (3:28:177)
109 x 3 (3:31:180)

* Notes:

- I wasn't planning on working out today, but considering I overindulged last night with pizza and ice cream birthday cake, I had to workout.  Initially, I thought to myself, "this is going to be a complete shit-storm again," because I was missing early in the workout -- 95kg!  WTFO?  Not sure what was going on aside from me being slower than molasses under the bar.  This lack of speed resulted in a string of misses at 103kg and 108kg, plus four misses at 124kg!  However, I did managed to gather myself and quickly adjust fire and successfully nail a 126kg snatch!  This is a new PR from the blocks by 6kg!  I made a very lukewarm attempt at 128kg but decided to be conservative and finish out the remainder of the workout without any further attempts.

-  The 18 inch block power snatches weren't all to difficult, so I made a decision to add 3kg per set.  Ultimately, resulting in a triple at 109kg.  Not a bad day on the platform.  A new PR along with a good sweat -- can't beat it!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 2, WEEK 8 (2013APR26)

138kg Power Jerk!

Clean + Power Jerk:
20 x bar work
50 x (1+1)3(2)
75 x (1+1)2
90 x (1+1)2 (4:4:99)
105 x (1+1)2 (4:8:103)
113 x (1+1)2 (4:12:107)
120 x (1+1)2 (4:16:111)
128 x (1+1)2 (4:20:115)
135 x (1+1)2 (4:24:119)
138 x (1+1)1 (2:26:121)
141 x (1+F)2 (4:30:125)
135 x (1+F)2 (4:34:129)

Front Squat:
75 x 3
90 x 3
105 x 3 (3:37:132)
113 x 3 (3:40:135)
125 x 3 (3:43:138)
135 x 3 (3:47:141)
140 x 3 (3:50:144)
145 x 3 (3:53:147)
150 x 2 (2:55:149)

* Notes:

- Stick with the FUCKING PLAN!  Another frustrating day on the platform.  I should have stopped after the 138kg clean and power jerk, but being a stubborn old Marine, I pushed and I got punished.  The cleans at 141kg were fairly easy but the jerk was completely off -- maybe due to all the push presses from yesterday and a completely shitty night of rest.  Either way, I smoked the "weightlifting dick" today.  Terrible showing on the platform!

- After getting my ass handed to me in the clean and power jerk, I pushed forward with front squats, which weren't all to difficult.  135kg was a breeze, so I decided to venture further -- all the way to 145kg.  My attempt at 150kg x 3 failed after the second rep.  A small victory, nonetheless considering I was to finish at 135kg.  After my piss poor showing with the clean and power jerk -- I'll take it.  Tomorrow is a day of rest.  I need it to recover physically and clear my fucking mind of all the garbage that's been piling up in it.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 1B, WEEK 8 (2013APR25)

Taking 170kg for a ride!

Back Squat:
20 x (5)2
70 x 5
95 x 3
115 x 3 (3:3:45)
125 x 3 (3:6:48)
140 x 3 (3:9:51)
155 x 3 (3:12:54)
160 x 3 (3:15:57)
165 x 3 (3:18:60)
170 x (3)2 (6:24:66)
170 x 1 (1:25:67)
170 x 2 (1:27:69)

Push Press:
20 x (5)2
70 x 3 (3:30:72)
80 x 3 (3:33:75)
95 x 3 (3:36:78)
100 x 3 (3:39:81)
110 x 1 (1:40:82)
120 x 1 (1:41:83)
130 x F (1:42:84)
128 x F (1:43:85)
126 x F (1:44:86)

Behind the Neck Snatch Grip Push Press:
70 x 3
82 x 3 (3:47:89)
90 x 3 (3:50:92)
97 x 3 (3:53:95)

* Notes:

- Super workout.  Hell-a-lot better than yesterday's blunder.  I was a little apprehensive about the back squats as 170kg is 90% of my 1RM, but I managed to push through them without much trouble.  However, I did get hung up on my last set of 170kg was only able to squeeze out 1 rep before having to rack the bar -- I believe my feet weren't positioned properly and the lift felt a zillion times heavier than normal.  After readjusting the feet, I was able to comfortably knock out the last two reps without any problems.

- Push presses were manageable and after finishing my prescribed sets up to 100kg, I decided to push further to attempt a new PR.  That never materialized but I'm becoming more comfortable attacking 120kg with success.  130kg was a little to ambitious and each subsequent attempt was lackluster.  There's always another day.

- I included behind the neck snatch grip push presses to hopefully address my weak reception issue in the snatch.  The movement was fairly easy until I started with 97kg.  Even though the movement is extremely short, it places a considerable amount of stress on my wrists, which I may have strained from yesterday's snatch debacle.  Nevertheless, I plan on including this particular exercise more often into my training regimen with the thoughts of correcting the snatch weakness.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 1A, WEEK 8 (2013APR24)

FRUSTRATION!!!

Snatch:
20 x bar work
50 x 3
70 x 2
81 x 2 (2:2:2)
95 x 1 (1:3:3)
95 x F (1:4:4)
95 x 1 (1:5:5)
103 x 2 (2:7:7)
108 x 2 (2:9:9)
115 x 2 (2:11:11)
123 x 1 (1:12:12)
123 x (F)2 (2:14:14)
123 x 1 (1:15:15)
128 x (F)2 (2:17:17)
123 x (F)2 (2:19:19)
123 x 2 (2:21:21)
128 x 1 (1:22:22)
132 x F (1:23:23)
135 x (F)4 (4:27:27)
137 x F (1:28:28)
132 x F (1:29:29)
133 x F (1:30:30)

12" Block Snatch Extension:
135 x 3 (3:33:33)
138 x 3 (3:36:36)
141 x 3 (3:39:39)
144 x 3 (3:42:42)

* Notes:

- A complete shit-storm on the platform today.  The miss at 95kg was an omen of bad things to come.  I was doing fine with the snatches until I reached the prescribed top end sets at 123kg.  Then, things started to get ugly and didn't get any better.  After two failed attempts (2nd and 3rd) at 123kg and then a successful fourth attempt, I decided to push up to 128kg, which didn't fair well.  All of the misses today were due to a lack of speed in turning my wrists over and locking out my elbows and firmly packing my shoulders. I even had a miss at 123kg which I nearly dropped on my head because of soft shoulders -- not to mention, the escalating level of frustration which built upon miss, after miss, after another miss.  I've been told and have read that you shouldn't chase a PR attempt past three failed attempts; unless, the misses were so close that there was a significant possibility of making the attempt.  I thought this was my case today, but it wasn't.  Frustrated, I should have stopped on a high note at 128kg.

- However, not all is lost today.  This less than desirable day of training has made me realize two very important things:

-  1.  I'm making attempts at 130+kg and this is a dramatic improvement within the past two months.  Eventually, I'll successfully snatch 135+kg.  It shall happen and with each missed attempt, I'm getting closer and closer.

- 2.  I need to focus on a blatant weakness in my snatch -- the catch.  All my missed attempts were a result of my inability to lock my writs, elbows, and shoulders.  Therefore, I'm going to focus on this issue within the next four weeks, and hopefully strengthen a notable weakness.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 4, WEEK 7 (2013APR22)

Clean + Squat Jerk:
20 x bar work
50 x (1+1)6
75 x (1+1)2
90 x (1+1)2 (4:4:86)
105 x (1+1)4 (8:12:94)

24" Block Power Clean:
90 x 3 (3:15:97)
93 x 3 (3:18:100)

Front Squat:
105 x 3 (3:21:103)
110 x 3 (3:24:106)
115 x 3 (3:27:109)

* Notes:

- Blink and you'll miss this workout.  Super quick workout with very light weights averaging around 60% of my 1RM.  This was the final day of "unloading" and I'll start the super-compensation "reloading" phase (Week #8) on Wednesday.  As for tomorrow, I'm scheduling a day of rest; and, hopefully, I can capitalize on Wednesday when I return to the platform.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 3, WEEK 7 (2013APR21)

Snatch:
20 x bar work
50 x (3)2
70 x 2
81 x 2 (2:2:61)
90 x 2 (2:4:63)
95 x 2 (2:6:65)
100 x 2 (2:8:67)

20" Block Power Snatch:
60 x 3
82.5 x 3 (3:11:70)
85 x 3 (3:14:73)

Back Squat:
20 x 5
70 x 3
100 x 3
120 x 3 (3:17:76)
135 x 3 (3:20:79)
140 x 3 (3:23:82)

* Notes:

- Taking two days away from the platform was a great idea.  Today, I felt fast and the lifts were "crisp" and had lots of "snap".  Snatches at 100kg were very easy and the block snatches were simple -- nearly effortless.  I've got another day of unloading before I start the next week's worth of heavy training and I plan on capitalizing on it before the next phase of this program.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 2, WEEK 7 (2013APR18)

Feeling like a slow lumbering lug!

Power Clean + Power Jerk:
20 x bar work
50 x (1+1)3
70 x (1+1)2
90 x (1+1)2 (4:4:33)
105 x (1+1)2 (4:8:37)
110 x (1+1)2 (4:12:41)

24" Block Clean Extension:
120 x 3 (3:15:44)
125 x (3)2 (6:21:50)

Front Squat:
50 x 3
70 x 3
90 x 3
105 x 3 (3:24:53)
110 x 3 (3:27:56)
115 x 3 (3:30:59)

* Notes:

- Another slow day.  Struggled with the weights, as everything felt heavy today.  Furthermore, I've been trying to use a pair of old leather weightlifting shoes, which I had altered by increasing the heel height by 3/4 inch -- at the moment, they suck!  I feel too far forward on my toes in the beginning of the lifts and that forward feeling is causing low back pain along with inconsistencies in my lifting technique.  I experienced this yesterday as well with the snatches.  Time to "shit-can" the shoes and revert back to my Nike Romaleos.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 1, WEEK 7 (2013APR17)

Using only the best today!

Power Snatch:
20 x bar work
50 x 3
70 x 2
80 x 2 (2:2:2)
95 x (2)2 (4:6:6)

Snatch Deadlift + Hang Panda Pull:
108 x (1+3)2 (8:14:14)

Back Squat:
20 x bar work
70 x 3
100 x 3
125 x 3 (3:17:17)
135 x (3)2 (6:23:23)

Push Press:
20 x bar work
60 x 3
75 x (3)2 (6:29:29)

* Notes:

- Ultra easy day.  Nothing terribly challenging and I'm grateful, because I feel worn down.  I'll probably take a complete day of rest tomorrow.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 4B, WEEK 6 (2013APR16)

143kg x 3 -- BOOOOM!

Block Power Jerk:

20 x bar work

50 x 3

70 x 3

90 x 3 (3:3:286)

105 x 3 (3:6:289)

113 x 3 (3:9:292)

118 x 3 (3:12:295)

123 x 3 (3:15:298)

128 x 3 (3:18:301)

133 x 1 (1:19:302)

138 x 1 (1:20:303)

143 x 3 (3:23:306)

Back Squat:

70 x 5

100 x 5

120 x 5 (5:28:311)

133 x 5 (5:33:316)

143 x (5)3 (15:48:331)

148 x 5 (5:53:336)

* Notes:

- I did not want to workout today.  I'm still struggling with a bit of sluggishness and lethargy: but, somehow, I managed to muster enough focus and strength to get through today's workout with a bang! I was only scheduled to power jerk up to 112.5kg and ended with a triple at 143kg!  MONSTER!

- Back squats were tough as well at the start but I pushed past the prescribed 142.5kg and ended the day with 148kg x 5.  I'll chalk today in the "win" column.  I can't wait to start my unloading week starting tomorrow!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - 20" BLOCK CLEAN PR 142.5KG

2013APR14 from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

I lifted fairly heavy yesterday and the amount of volume was high as well.  As such, I'm feeling a little sluggish and worn down today, so I decided to take a day of rest.  This also gives me an opportunity to heal; because, yesterday, I tore a large hunk of flesh off my left hand -- between my thumb and forefinger.  The video clip above is of yesterday's 20" block clean PR at 142.5kg.  Surprisingly, this clean was easier than the previous two attempts at a lighter weight.  Watch out 155kg!  I'm coming for you!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 4A, WEEK 6 (2013APR14)

142.5kg Block Clean from 20".  New PR!

20" Block Clean:
20 x bar work
50 x (3)2
75 x 3
90 x 3 (3:3:244)
105 x 3 (3:6:247)
112.5 x 3 (3:9:250)
117.5 x 3 (3:12:253)
122.5 x 3 (3:15:256)
127.5 x 3 (3:18:259)
132.5 x 1 (1:19:260)
137.5 x 1 (1:20:261)
140 x 1 (1:21:262)
142.5 x 1 (1:22:263) PR

20" Block Power Clean:
90 x 5 (5:27:268)
95 x 5 (5:32:273)
100 x 5 (5:37:278)
105 x 5 (5:42:283)

* Notes:

- Outstanding and noteworthy workout today.  Even though I was feeling a bit sluggish, I managed to dial up the intensity and knock out a new block clean PR at 142.5kg.  The PR of 142.5kg felt dramatically easier than the previous attempts at 137.5kg and 140kg -- strange.  Power cleans from the 20" blocks were a breeze, up to the point of tearing my hand open.  Nevertheless, I finished with the prescibed sets but pushed past the recommended weight of 80kg.

- It was great to train with fellow weightlifters and to have my coach (Javiar SanJuan) around to provide some oversight and motivation.  Our group (soon to be official USAW club) is growing exponentially and the level of intensity is contagious.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 3B, WEEK 6 (2013APR13)

Going through the motions.

Front Squat + Push Press:
20 x bar work
60 x (3+3)1
70 x (3+3)1
80 x (3+3)1 (6:6:217)
90 x (3+3)4 (24:30:241)

* Notes:

- Quite possibly the shortest workout in history.  I think I've had farts that lasted longer!  Seriously, this workout was the second half of yesterday's prescribed workout.  In retrospect, I still glad I broke the workout in half because it's providing me additional rest.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 3A, WEEK 6 (2013APR12)

Fighting for 122.5kg!

20" Block Snatch:
50 x 3
70 x 3
82.5 x 3 (3:3:171)
90 x 3 (3:6:174)
97.5 x 3 (3:9:177)
102.5 x 3 (3:12:180)
107.5 x 3 (3:15:183)
112.5 x 2 (2:17:185)
117.5 x 2 (2:19:187) PR
122.5 x (F)2 (2:21:189)
120 x 1 (1:22:190) PR
122.5 x F (1:23:191)

20" Block Power Snatch:
90 x 5 (5:28:196)
92.5 x 5 (5:33:201)
95 x 5 (5:38:206)
97.5 x 5 (5:43:211)

* Notes:

- Superb workout.  Two PRs in the block snatch.  First a double at 117.5kg and then a single at 120kg. I made a few attempts at 122.5kg and they were VERY close.  I'll get it next time.  All in all, an excellent day on the platform.  Killing Kilos!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 2B, WEEK 6 (2013APR10)

Back Squat:
20 x bar work
50 x (5)2
70 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 5 (5:5:124)
140 x 5 (5:10:129)
150 x (5)3 (15:25:144)

Clean + Front Squat + Push Press + Squat Jerk:
20 x bar work
50 x (1+1+1+1)1
70 x (1+1+1+1)1 (4:29:148)
80 x (1+1+1+1)1 (4:33:152)
90 x (1+1+1+1)1 (4:37:156)

Clean + Squat Jerk:
100 x (1+1)6 (12:49:168)

* Notes:

- Quick workout today.  It should have ended after the back squats, as that was the final exercise prescribed for day 2 of week 6; however, I decided to modify the routine and add the clean complex to focus on bar speed.  This definitely helped as the clean + squat jerk was ridiculously easy at 100kg.  Looking forward to taking a day off to rest and recuperate.  I plan on attacking the kilos again on Friday.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 2A, WEEK 6 (2013APR09)

Another day in the office.

Clean Pull + Clean:
20 x bar work
50 x (3+1)2
70 x (3+1)1
90 x (3+1)1 (4:4:75)
105 x (3+1)1 (4:8:79)
112.5 x (3+1)2 (8:16:87)
117.5 x (3+1)1 (4:20:91)
122.5 x (3+1)1 (4:24:95)

Clean:
127.5 x 1 (1:25:96)
132.5 x 1 (1:26:97)
137.5 x 1 (1:27:98)

Rack Power Jerk:
50 x 3
75 x 3
90 x 3 (3:30:101)
105 x 3 (3:33:104)
112.5 x 3 (3:36:107)
117.5 x 3 (3:39:110)
122.5 x 3 (3:42:113)
127.5 x 3 (3:45:116)
132.5 x 1 (1:46:117)
137.5 x 1 (1:47:118)
142.5 x 1 (1:48:119)

* Notes:

- Super day on the platform.  The clean pull + clean complex went exceptionally well and I was very pleased with successfully cleaning 137.5kg -- with ease!  This is the first time, in a long time, 137.5kg has felt so easy.  No, correction -- it's the first time ever where 137.5kg felt so easy, not only in the pull but also the recovery.  This Russian program is outstanding!

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 1, WEEK 6 (2013APR08)

Frustration, after nearly making 132.5kg!

Snatch Pull + Snatch:
20 x bar work
50 x (3+1)2
70 x (3+1)1
80 x (3+1)1 (4:4:4)
90 x (3+1)1 (4:8:8)
100 x (3+1)1 (4:12:12)
110 x (3+1)1 (4:16:16)
115 x (3+F)1 (4:20:20)
115 x F (1:21:21) * snatch only
110 x (3+1)1 (4:25:25)
115 x (3+F)1 (4:29:29)
115 x 1 (1:30:30) * snatch only

Snatch:
120 x F (1:31:31)
120 x 1 (1:32:32)
125 x F (1:33:33)
125 x 1 (1:34:34)
132.5 x (F)3 (3:37:37)
135 x (F)2 (2:39:39)

Clean + Front Squat + Push Press + Squat Jerk:
50 x (1+1+1+1)2
70 x (1+1+1+1)2 (8:47:47)
80 x (1+1+1+1)2 (8:55:55)
90 x (1+1+1+1)4 (16:71:71)

* Notes:

- Frustrating day on the platform.  The snatch pull + snatch complex was going fairly well, until I reached the prescribed 115kg.  The triple pulls definitely tapped into my energy reserves and I felt exceptionally slow under the bar -- hence the misses.  I decided to regress back to 110kg, which worked like a charm, but climbing back up to 115kg resulted in another miss.  Frustrated with my performance, I decided to push further focusing on just the snatch, which again proved fruitless.  Misses were abound and my level of concentration and enthusiasm dwindled with each successive attempt past 125kg.  By the time I reached the clean complex, I was tired and ready to call it a day.  Not the best day on the platform but it definitely showed me that there is plenty of room for more growth.  The first missed snatch attempt at 132.5kg was ridiculously high and I lost the lift behind -- indicative of sufficient pull and new PRs to come.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 4, WEEK 5 (2013APR07)

2013APR07 from Bison Barbell Club on Vimeo.

Squat Jerks are like a "knife fight with a monkey" -- you never know what's going to happen.

Clean + Squat Jerk:
20 x bar work
50 x ((1+1)3)2
75 x (1+1)2
90 x (1+1)2 (4:4:198)
105 x (1+1)2 (4:8:202)
112.5 x (1+1)2 (4:12:206)
117.5 x (1+1)2 (4:16:210)
122.5 x (1+1)2 (4:20:214)

12" Block Power Clean:
90 x 3 (3:23:217)
100 x 3 (3:26:220)
110 x 3 (3:29:223)

Front Squat:
70 x 5
112.5 x 3 (3:32:226)
130 x 3 (3:35:229)
140 x 3 (3:38:232)

* Notes:

- Extremely quick workout.  I was scheduled to perform 24" block cleans but, due to equipment issues, I decided to substitute clean and squat jerks, which turned out fairly well.  The 12" block power cleans were ridiculously easy and the front squats weren't overly challenging.  Looking forward to starting the next week's worth of training.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 3B, WEEK 5 (2013APR05)

Push Press:
20 x bar work
50 x (3)2
70 x 3
80 x 3 (3:3:170)
90 x 3 (3:6:173)
100 x 3 (3:9:176)
110 x 3 (3:12:179)

Back Squat:
20 x 5
70 x 5
95 x 5
120 x 3 (3:15:182)
135 x 3 (3:18:185)
145 x (3)3 (9:27:194)

* Notes:

- Extremely short workout.  This was the second half of yesterday's prescribed workout, which went quickly.  I'm didn't have much "Chinese Channel" today -- I'm feeling tired and unmotivated to train.  I plan on taking tomorrow off and reengaging with day 4 on Sunday.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 3A, WEEK 5 (2013APR04)

24" Block Snatch:
20 x bar work
50 x (3)2
70 x 3
82.5 x 3 (3:3:134)
90 x 3 (3:6:137)
97.5 x 1 (1:7:138)
97.5 x F (1:8:139)
97.5 x 2 (2:10:141)
102.5 x F (1:11:142)
102.5 x 3 (3:14:145)
107.5 x (F)2 (2:16:147)
107.5 x 3 (3:19:150)
110 x F (1:20:151)
110 x 3 (3:23:154)

24" Block Power Snatch:
95 x 3 (3:26:157)
97.5 x 1 (1:27:158)
97.5 x F (1:28:159)
97.5 x 2 (2:30:161)
100 x F (1:31:162)
100 x 3 (3:34:165)
102.5 x 1 (1:35:166)
105 x 1 (1:36:167)*

* Notes:

- Not the most aggressive or noteworthy workout.  The last power snatch attempt resulted in a full squat, which was indicative of running out of juice and failing to fully extend/explode to receive in a power position.  Snatching off a 24" block was extremely difficult and it required a lot of focus and determination.  I did manage to get up to 110kg for a triple -- not bad.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 2, WEEK 5 (2013APR02)

Clean Deadlift + Hang Clean + Power Jerk:
20 x bar work
50 x (1+1+1)3
65 x (1+1+1)3
75 x (1+1+1)2
90 x (1+1+1)2 (6:6:80)
105 x (1+1+1)2 (6:12:86)
112.5 x (1+1+1)2 (6:18:92)
117.5 x (1+1+1)2 (6:24:98)
122.5 x (1+1+1)2 (6:30:104)

Clean Extension:
125 x 3 (3:33:107)
130 x 3 (3:36:110)
135 x 3 (3:39:113)

Front Squat:
20 x bar work
75 x 5
105 x 3 (3:42:116)
112.5 x 3 (3:45:119)
117.5 x 3 (3:48:122)
122.5 x 3 (3:51:125)
127.5 x 3 (3:54:128)
132.5 x 3 (3:57:131)

* Notes:

- Quick, down and dirty workout.  Nothing remarkable.  The clean complex was fairly easy.  Even 122.5kg felt pretty light.  I know I have the capacity to go heavier, but I'm trying to follow within the guidelines of the program template.  Even so, I managed to squeeze slightly higher than the prescribed cap of 112.5kg, resulting in a final set at 80%.

RUSSIAN MODIFIED TRAINING - DAY 1B, WEEK 5 (2013APR01)

Push Press:
20 x bar work
50 x (3)2
70 x 3
90 x 3 (3:3:48)
95 x 3 (3:6:51)
100 x 3 (3:9:54)
105 x 3 (3:12:57)

Back Squat:
20 x 5
70 x 5
100 x 3
120 x 3 (3:15:60)
140 x 3 (3:18:63)
150 x 3 (3:21:66)
160 x 3 (3:24:69)
160 x 5 (5:29:74)

* Notes:

- Nothing stellar with today's workout.  Push presses went fairly well.  I could have gone heavier, but wanted to dial back some to preserve some energy for the upcoming week's workouts; particularly, the next workout focusing on the hang clean.