Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Snatches and push presses.

Wow. I was even lighter today. 158.4 That is really the lightest I have been in eons. Not dieting at all and not aware that I am eating less than normal.The original idea behind dropping from my weight of the last 15 years 185lbs was to decrease the loads on my knee and back.It definitely is helping.I was at the point where being lighter was way more important than being stronger.
But my strength feels great. AS well as my endurance.I had told myself that 155 would be the lightest I would get; that was the weight I had trained at during my road bike phase when I had the best combination of anaerobic and aerobic endurance as well as total body strength. I always felt( and was) weak as a runner. But cycling takes big strength to climb hills, sprint and chase down attackers.On top of a serious aerobic base.KB work always reminds me of sprinting up hills.Just plain hard. I had a very good physical balance when training for road racing.
BF read 8.5% but only 60.5% hydrated so I need a bit more H20.
More snatches today and more little pieces of teshnik are coming together. Really focused on the descent of the arm today and rearranged myself so that even with my long arms the bell stays tighter over my base of support.
Got that from the descent of my push press where I lay back a bit before I lower the bell. Did that as bit with the snatch and it felt great. I was planning on doing some faster reps and not holding at the top but I think I am too used to it now,lol. Isnt that ironic.It definitely is easier on my CV system than pushing right off and going into the next rep.
Also really focused on not what is 'right' form but what is MY form.

Snatch
16kgx10/10x2
20kgx7/7

24kgx6/6x9 sets
108 reps
5724 lbs

Long overhead holds and strong and explosive full body extension, thinking speed and acceleration on the way up.ALso making not to forget to use the back with the hips as I stand up. Louie was always saying that in a good squat one has to 'push into the bar' as their first move out of the squat.Not pushing with the legs, as that causes one to bend over as just knee extension occurs.Push the traps into the bar to open the hips so they can extend. Knees lock you out.
I think the same is true with a good swing or snatch, the back opens the hips which open the knee .Full body chain.Stand up strongly.

Push press
16kgx5/5
24kgx5/5x4 sets
LC 24 kg 5/5x 1 set

These were strong,even after the snatches. Legs were slow getting into it though and I could really tell what a difference that makes.Overhead position is still gettting better.Descent still needs some work; a bit 'bumpy'.The long cycle was interesting.seems easier than just standing there jerking, things get distributed more but it would be harder cv wise I'm sure. I just have to keep rememering that it is a leg exercise.

Clubbell work:
rock its
front back swings
one arm side rockits
one arm side swings
front swing to torch( one and two bells)
pendulums ( one and two bells)
inside/outside pendulums (first time I tried these,solid)
flag presses one and two bells
torch press one and two bells
front press one and two bells
back position work
armpit cast( first time for this-not bad at all glad to see those millions of db and machine pullovers I did weren't wasted)
swipes with one and two bells( another first, rough but no problem with basic form,excellent!)

about 3 sets of each exercise.this needs it's own day when I'm fresh, I can see that.


datsit,staying loose. 9 short sessions of z throughout the day as well as rifga stretches.

6 comments:

Tommy Shook said...

Hey Rif,

When you were a road racer, what category were you? What club did you race for? Roughly what time frame are you talking about 1980"s??

Mark Reifkind said...

I was just an entry level cat 4 and did more training than racing. I trained with cat 2-3 racers in Eugene oregon in 1979 and then the Palo Alto bike club in '82 through '84 but want good enough to race for them.The year after Lemond left the club and turned pro. Kieth Vierra, Dave McLaughlin, the McBride brothers and other guys I can't remember. Eric Heiden ride with us for awhile too when he was in town.
I had all those guys( including eric) doing HIT circuit training at the gymnastics school I was coaching in.
I lived in santa fe in '80-81 and trained with Todd Gogulski, who turned pro with Team Crest. We rode from the plaza to the ski basin all the time, the guy could climb!

Tommy Shook said...

I remember Todd Gogulski and Team Crest. One of their riders, Tony Palmer was my roomate at the OTC before the 88 games in Seoul, he was on the TTT squad. Another one of their guys, Craig Schommer was on the road squad with Bob Mionski and Scott McKinley. Schommer was from San Jose, did you know him? McKinley was a fast sprinter and used to do the river ride in Sac with Harv Nitz (4 time olympian). harv taught me a lot about track racing and he was fast, fast fast. Eddie B really wanted him for the 88 road race team because it was a pancake, but it didn't pan out. I raced at Mammoth with him that year and both of us were like "F*&# THIS!!".

Pretty cool about Heiden. he's running a sports medicine facility in Salt lake City now, he's an M.D.

Mark Reifkind said...

wow man, thats great stuff to read. I used to LOVE to ride, I sucked as a climber but I was great on descents. gymnastics and all.Its funny I never really had any legs til I started riding, even though I had done a lot of bodybuilding leg work for a few years prior. Nothing like sprinting and climbing for MILES to kill the legs. loved it.
dont know schommer but
I did do the San Fran to LA overnight ride with talbots cycling club one year. Went with them to cover it as a journalist for city sports magazine and ended up riding three shifts including the last one into the city! First time I had ever rode in a peloton was at MIDNIGHT in the desert with these guys!
mark Kahn rode the whole thing and broke the 24 hour record and I got a pretty good article and story out of it.also learned ALOT about riding and riders that night.
Todd was such a freak, he would spin up to the ski basin like it was nothing. It always killed me.
eric was a very very cool guy with TONS of great stories.

Mark Reifkind said...

lol, Tom. I didnt know it was you. good to hear from you hope all is well.

Tommy Shook said...

LOL Mark,Yeah its my alter ego.
All is well, busy though. I don't really cruise the boards too much these days, I just drop in for a look from time to time, caught your cycling analogy and thought I would take a spin down memory lane! LOL. Glad your gaining more mobility and training is going well.

Cheers.

190 x 1 x 12,210 static hold, 225 static hold, bodyweight squats 3 x 15

 What a freaking great day! This is without a doubt the best group of heavy reps I have ever done! Every set was just about perfect. Plus I ...