Wednesday, September 03, 2008

80 sets of 7 in the Max Vo2 Snatch

Finally I hit eighty sets in the Snatch Vo2 protocol, although not the prescribed Gold standard 8 reps per set but it was a 20 set PR for me either. Add in being awake since 2 am and no food and it was a decent feat in and of itself.
I decided to do the eighty sets on a whim, which seems to be the way these days, after looking at the 36:36 protocol which was on the menu and really not wanting to tax my grip hard. Don't want to deal with tight biceps tendons getting ready for the workshop this weekend.
So it was either the 20 kg 15:15 or the 16 kg for sevens.Not having slept well and having gone extra heavy of late( plus an extra bikrams session yesterday) I didnt think I would feel fresh enough to go heavier so it was the 16 kg and 7's that was left.
7 reps per 15 sec work bout seem downright easy to me these days, even tired and drained but I knew I had to do some serious damage on the total number scale. Why? I don't know but my inner masochist was talking out again.
Go big or go home, he said.
Plus Tracy was going to be coaching me through the entire session and it's really hard to not push when she's on the platform.Especially when she's just coaching and not training herself.THe pressure was on,lol.

Snatch Vo2
16 kg
15:15
80 sets of 7 reps All time PR
560 reps!

20,160 pounds

It started out easy, as it always does with 7's but it didnt take too long to ramp itself up,especially as I was trying to go as fast and explosively as I could and still feel like I could go the distance. First goal was 80 sets, second goal was all the reps done as explosively as possible.
Left arm modified corkscrew and right arm hardstyle over the top.
I missed counted my hashmarks at 60 sets and thought I had done 70 the realized the mistake and had to do A LOT more sets.Its like moving the finish line in a race after you have already crossed it.But I didnt want to make a mistake I didnt realize till after and not get the 80 sets. The last ten sets were tough, mentally but I also started to really sprint as I saw the end was near.Tracy yelling in my ear didnt hurt either ;))Knowing she knew exactly what this felt like and had done more it helped me push that much faster.
Top heartrate was around 175-180 at the end.
Sweated like a freakin pig and that is becoming a real problem in that I can't keep the bells dry( and I use two different bells!) and that makes the grip a real issue.grip issues translate into shoulder pain for me so I don't risk it.Plus the extra time drying the bells ,re-chalking wip[ing down etc. really eats into recovery time. 15 seconds goes by FAST!
Especially when you can't breathe.

One Arm Clubbell Swipes
15 lb clubells 60 reps switching every ten
40 reps as above.

Datsit. Bikrams yesterday and 560 snatches got me. I'm done.
Tomorrow, though is another yoga day :))


28 comments:

Jordan Vezina said...

Great work Rif! 80 sets is no joke. It's been cool to be around since close to the beginning and see all the progress with Z, club bells, and vo2 work.
It never occurred to me to use two different bells to address the sweat issue.

Iron Tamer said...

Hardstyle!

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks guys. jordan I had to figure something out. it's nasty,lol.

The Endos & Morenos said...

Congratulations Rif!

I've been bumping up at 30 minutes, so 80 sets is a bit too long for me. But I know how every ten sets on the 15:15 seem to become a new type of animal.

Then again "just ten more" seem close until the skin starts to separate on the hands--or until the grip starts going south.

I've only made to 60 sets on the 15:15 and I lost some skin in the process. Now I'm following your Golden Rule.

I am really getting a lot out of the Max VO2 snatching. This morning I measured a big drop in blood pressure!


Sounds like you can use a support crew to dry a bell and chalk it up for you between sets.

Edmund Meinhardt said...

I'm in awe of 80 sets. I attempted Max Vo2 today also. I'm embarrassed to say that I managed...10 sets. And that's down from 12 sets last week. I've only been doing this type of training for a few weeks, so I'm trying to be patient. *sigh* Maybe I can get Tracy to yell at me over the phone while I train...anyway...I'm a big fan of both you and Tracy and hope to see you one day at a cert.

Gabi said...

Congrats, Mark, that's strong stuff! Using two bells is yet another of those simple solutions of yours that makes perfect sense when you hear it but you'd never think of by yourself :))

Mark Reifkind said...

richard,

I agree ,it is a different animal. Just make sure when you jump up in sets you are ready for it. a 20 set pr was probably a bit too much but since it was sets of 7 not 8 it wasnt too bad. I am determined not to tear anymore if possible so I will cut it short if the skin feels like it is going to go.
Unless I am REALLY close to good pr,lol.

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks gabi,
necessity is the mother of invention.I think I need a third, unsweated on bell as well now.

Mark Reifkind said...

edmund,

don't worry! you start where you start and build from there. going down one week is no biggie, you will be up the next. just take your time, work at building it diligently and it will progress.
andyes, having tracy there to push me on is invaluable.
don't know if it would work over the phone but it might!lol.
thanks for the comment.

Unknown said...

Scary work man! Hey I just noticed that for some reason that my entry for your blog re: UCLA RKC didnt post. I was really tired so I am sure its my fault :) Anyway, congrats on the Master Trainer! I feel lucky that I had the honor of being at the RKC when you became a Senior RKC and the honor of being at the cert where you became a Master RKC. Cool pic of us chatting! Its now my "Fridge pic". Thank you for the kind words. I feel lucky to have been an assistant Inst on your team in UCLA. You are a total pleasure to work with. A lifetime of experience but you still investigate, "think out loud", and voice speculation with sincere interest in progress. The free exchange I enjoyed by your side was worth the price of travel and lodging! Your honest opinions and technical choices allowed me immeadiate progress, gave me a better look at what I was doing as an athlete and a coach. The best of times!
Are you at the Sept 19th RKC, cuz I am?!

Best of health to you and yours (also a pleasure!)
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Gone Fishing said...

You rock. This accomplishment is so big and cool, I got over my techno-shyness and finally left a comment on a blog.

Did I mention that you rock?

molsen said...

I apologize for this stupid question, but when you summarize this workout, what do these numbers mean?


Snatch Vo2
16 kg - got it, 16k bell

15:15 - is this the time to completion? 15 mins 15 secs?

80 sets of 7 reps All time PR - is it 7r 7l back to back to back, or with a rest?

560 reps!
20,160 reps - what is that? is that lbs?

Thanks - apologize.

Mark Reifkind said...

zachariah

thanks man and yes it was cool that you were there for both promotions. you were a great assist to me and I will work withyou anytime!and yes I will be there in sept, that will be great!

take care

rif

Mark Reifkind said...

cindy,

thanks and - it's about time you came to visit here! and don't forget you got to 80 sets before me.see you tomorrow.

Mark Reifkind said...

molsen

15:15 refers to 15 sec work 15 sec rest. standard max vo2 protocol.you do 7 reps left hand rest 15 sec then 7 reps right.onward to 80 sets.
the 2o,160 should be pounds not reps. will fix.

thanks

rif

Aaron Friday said...

Congrats on hitting that big number. Great job!

molsen said...

Thanks Rif for the clarification of the protocol. so 7/7 at 15:15 intervals that's 40 minutes of work. Whew. I'm going to try to get there too.

I've been working on 1:00 intervals with 24k snatches. I do 7left, 7 right and stop, wait out the minute. If I finish early, I can wait out the minute, but when the bell rings, I go again. I've only got 15 mins of that (or 15 sets). I may weight down and go for reps like you and Tracy. Love the blog; great inspiration and learning.

Mark Reifkind said...

molsen,
you should read Kenneth jays blog post on how to do max vo2 right. search my blog for

original article on max vo2

have fun!
!

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks aaron. you could do it if you wanted to no problem

Nikki Shlosser said...

Rock on!!

Franz Snideman said...

Snatch Vo2
16 kg
15:15
80 sets of 7 reps All time PR
560 reps!
20,160 pounds

Frickin awesome Rif!

Do you find that the volume wipes you out for days afterwards?

I am not even close to your volume...but every time I get into the 100's of reps I am so smoked I can't even believe it. Maybe I am just being a wimp but man it kills me. Too many years of low volume sprinting.

I just suck it up and get used to the pain and soreness, right?

Mark Reifkind said...

franz

what you have to do is start very slowly and find the bottom level number that you can do and NOT be wiped out.Regardless of how low that is.start there and build up in a wave fashion( 2 weeks up one down) and when you go down, go a little above where your last start was.
this way you can start at a place you are adapted to, THEN increase at a slow enough level not to burnout.you just have to find an honest( you can recover from it) starting point.
its slow increases over time that really matter, imho.consistency over intensity any time.

Aaron Friday said...

Franz will sprint to the finish and complain about how hard it is, LOL!

He probably won't do that, but it's funny to think about.

My own path will probably follow this curve:
* 4 sets
* 10 sets
* 50 sets
* Fuck it.

You did a great job building up to this total, Rif. I may or not be able to do it if I try, but the fact is I haven't done it and you have. That's like having a handful of $100 bills vs. an empty hand. No comparison.

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks aaron, I just know that if I could go heavier,like you, I wouldnt be messing around with the lighter weights for endurance.gotta be able to push myself still somehow,lol!

Franklin said...

Amazing work! Forty minutes of intense snatching is plain mind-boggling .. great job!

To address the problem with losing track of rep count during MaxVO2, I put my Gymboss on the end of four foot piece of 2x4 that extends out from the top of a fairly tall chest of draws in my basement training dungeon. I weigh the other end down with unused KB.

This way I can clearly see the GymBoss set-counter to counteract the MaxVO2 induced torture that begins to cloud my brain as I start to hallucinate completed sets that never were.

Mark Reifkind said...

thank you Franklin, it was tons of fun :))
I can screw up the count even with the gym boss as it requires me to divide the total number to get to the number of sets.
I just have to figure it out BEFORE I start,lol.

Franklin said...

Ha, ha, I had that problem too!

To avoid having to divide the number of sets by two, I set my Gymboss for two different fifteen second timers. It only increments the set after both timers have fired.

Mark Reifkind said...

franklin,

thats a great idea. thanks man!

195 x 1 x 9 205 x 1 225 x CLOSE! 205 x 1 20kg swings 5 x 8/8, floor pushups 40, 30

 What a great day! Moved my grip and my stance back in. Concentrated on pushing UP on the bar un takeoff and then decided, during warmups, t...