Saturday, September 27, 2008

The first step in the process

of getting back my strength.
Got through a tough Bikrams session on Thursday when my concentration just wasnt up to par. That's a tougher ninety minutes than on the days when my body doesn't want to participate.But I always leave feeling better than when I come in and it doesn't hurt at all that I get to spend that ninety minutes sweating and working with my love, Tracy. We figured out that she has done more than 500 plus 90 min Bikram classes in the last 3 years. Dats a lot of yoga.You can tell by her practice as well.

On to today.Today is the first day of some serious training that has been waiting for the right time to proceed.Both intensity and volume.Need to get strong again and this is the first workout in this new journy.It's amazing, as I've written,just how little backing off it takes for my hips and legs and lungs to loose strength and condition.I was scared of trying a ten or even five minute snatch test as I knew I just wasn't able to push the training volume intensity ( and yes, most importantly, concentration) to where it would have produced the results I wanted. And yes, I am still very aware of my potential to hurt myself when I start looking up at the peaks, or over the edges of cliffs and feeling I can fly.So it will be a slow process, as it always is for me but now that I have a free calender for many months I can refocus on a different challenge.

SSST Snatch training
16 kg x 5/5/5/5x2
20kgx3/3/3/3

24 kg x5/5/5/5
10 sets
200 reps
10,600 lbs

yes! this worked out great and no hand issues at all! The speed of each rep was very fast( after my slow ass warmup, as usual,lol) and the power got better each set till the end. Felt very strong both physically and mentally. I ate up a bit yesterday and that helped as well. Needed a bit more fuel in the tank than have had lately.

Bottoms up cleans
20 kg x 5/5
24kg x5/5
28 kg x5/5
32 kgx3/3

These went great and I think I can safely add them back in the mix.I stopped doing them as they were overloading my elbow flexors which was exacerbating my shoulder issues but I have got that fixed. All those external rotation postures in yoga have really sealed that deal as well.The 32 for 3's was easy and I could have done 5's> Got to make haste slowly though. Got to be smarter than before.

Bikrams tomorrow and I think I will postone the double class til next week.Not sure I am quite ready yet and we have a long time to do it.

datsit.

9 comments:

Jon Alford said...

Rif, thanks again for the excellent instruction this past weekend. You and Mrs Rif are an inspiration. Something clicked on my snatch practice today after watching your blogs. I've been practicing very gently. The body is willing but the hands are not quite up to the task. Greasing the groove for now. Should have you a vid soon. Jon Alford

Franklin said...

200 24kg snatches and then some 32kg BUCs .. NICE!!

Mark Reifkind said...

jon

it was great to have you on my team. you worked 110% the entire time and ALWAYS had a great,postive attitude.Tracy says hi too!

Mark Reifkind said...

thanks franklin,
not a bad starting place.

Mark Reifkind said...

jon

ps, glad the snatches are coming along.

Aaron Friday said...

Never having done yoga, I'm nonetheless convinced that placing myself in the back row is of paramount importance for obvious reasons.

When are you going to do a 5-minute snatch test? They get easier the more you do them.

Mark Reifkind said...

I've only done the 5 min test, 100 with the 20 kg and 80 with the 24 in what seems like eons ago.it will get done once I start training for real again.

Aaron Friday said...

That's cool.

What do you think about being in the back row in yoga classes?

Mark Reifkind said...

aaron

dont like it cause I can't see the mirror and I still need the mirror for adjustments. other wise I wouldnt care at all.

190 x 1 x 12, 210/225 static holds, 24 kg goblet squats, floor pushups 30, 20

 This went VERY well almost all reps identical. Realized I get better drive AND minimize shoulder stress if I unrack it with more weight on ...