Adachi
Level 7 Valued Member
MY HISTORY
I'm still young in training and ignorant of many ideas in physical training. I know about some kettlebell movements from trying it and using breadcrumbs left by SFGs who left behind a decentralized encyclopedic library of tutorial content. I used S&S to achieve a base of strength, I dipped my toes into power to the people to increase my strength base. I used Q&D many times to at least maintain my situation during some tough times.
For context, I have been training for a few years. My High-Water-Marks of strength are currently...
I've turned back to Q&D several times. And, so far, each time I get stronger off of a strength cycle I find that my Q&D sessions improve in strange ways. the sets become more difficult, the inter-set recovery can feel less complete, but the inter-series recovery feels more complete.
I recently had a form change that spiked the intensity of my snatches and points to the Sumo Deadlift. I may experience some profitable Training there.
My form change was widening my stance with toes pointing 45degrees off center, and putting the inside of my heels outside of the outer edge of my shoulders by more than a couple inches, and my legs are between 30-45 degrees off vertical
this has yielded powerful concentric portions of the snatch, to the point where I shaved off about a second from an all-out set of 10, from 20 to 19 seconds, and also was inducing a pump in the forearms and bicep that I had not previously experienced. and my timing off at the top had unintentional forearm strikes.
I suppose this may suggest that right now I have some glute dominance going on, and maybe a particular portion of the quads that I can tap for additional force. but I digress.
THE OVERTRAINING PROCESS
for about 5 weeks from May to June this year, I attempted to adopt a Two-a-Day schedule that I believed would help me get more with less training time, ala strength shortcuts.
I had planned for this cycle to last for 9 weeks, but I had to pull the plug early.
The plan:
snatch during my lunch hour (40-60 reps) and do some deadlifting and presses at home; 10 reps or less.
I was seeking a max strength increase in parallel with a conditioning effect. (really I should have just been doing Iron Cardio)
There were some things I was mixing together here that maybe I ought not to have.
keeping the intensity relatively flat at 75% and doubling the volume to be more like PttP while also snatching and pressing the way I was, seems to have turned out to be a mistake.
The 40KG press was intense for me at the time, and I think I shouldn't have scheduled it this way. looking back at my training log, I can easily get away with pressing like that 3 days per week if that's all I'm working on. However, the combination was too much.
And after experiencing this failed cycle, I can't imagine doing Q&D 5 days/week on its own. it taps my systems more deeply than I'd previously thought it would.
MY LOWER BACK
I pulled the plug on this cycle as my lower back turned south.
My Press kept getting stronger for my shoulders.
My deadlift kept getting stronger for my hips and grip.
My snatch kept getting faster and more powerful with good pop and float.
But my 1 arm swing wouldn't pop and float like before.
And, my lower back kept getting worse and worse.
I decided to turn back to S&S, and I have done 10x10 with 40kg. but I was surprised that it wasn't there.
I moved into some low-volume maintenance work.
I got down to some 16kg bell work with swings and getups.
That was around the time when I found the Big 3 from Stuart McGill. I posted about how the side plank when I have my left palm on the ground and I'm sinking my shoulder into my torso. The Leftward tension is what's helping things get back into balance. I do have the Sore Joint Solution, and I like it. But, for this problem, I think the Big 3 is more acutely applicable.
THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK
A Point of interest for me was the counterintuitive moments of discovering that something was more deeply wrong than I thought.
I was pressing the 32kg bell for sets of 10. And, one of those sets left me with a certain amount of discomfort. I don't remember exactly when, but I remember it the same way I remember rolling my ankle very slightly. walking it off, and being able to get back to it. but, for my lower back, it was downhill from there. And, in the ensuing weeks, I found dwindling capacity in all my lifts, and I pursued lower-intensity training; which descended to my original 16kg bell, which I never thought I'd touch again.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
My lower back is still recovering and it is still very different from the way I remember it a year ago. I'm coming up on 3 months that have passed since this overtraining happened, and the actual finish line is not currently in view.
PERSISTENCE IS THE IMMORTAL VIRTUE
I love Strength Shortcuts 2.0. it is a premier document that I look to for insight. I think I had a "more-is-just-more" problem. my ideas about how much load I could recover from, and what I was requiring of my lower back were too big. I wasn't recovering, and I didn't know the hole I was digging for myself. Also, I count myself lucky that I didn't exactly have to stop training altogether. I kept lightening the load while I surveyed my options.
I EAT CROW
One thing I wasn't abiding by in Strength Shortcuts was using FABs.
Functional Antagonistic Balance was absolutely not a part of my program.
I'll look to use that design aspect if there is a next time.
I oft say: defer to the program. Geoff didn't tell me what to do. Pavel didn't beat down my door. I solicited advice. And, being my own coach has been a mistake that manifested in my back pain. I proved that putting things together wrong would lead me to an injury that would have been easily avoided. So easily, in fact, that if I had adhered more closely to Strength Shortcuts I would not have programmed loading the spine 3x and unloading it 0x in my plan.
There are a few aspects of Strong Endurance Programming that I've been able to express in my own training with greater fidelity. For now, I'll rely on those areas where I've displayed more success. And, such as it is - my knowledge of SE actually came from a presentation, with questions, answers, instructions, examples, and explanations by its authors to equip me to be able to navigate this area of programming. There is a different dynamic there. and it augments my efforts to balance my GPP interests with the time I reserve for training.
I'm just kind of rambling at this point...
I hope this is useful to others.
Maybe the moral of the story is, as brett says, to trust the process, and enjoy the results. I've already been successful in alternating my barbell and kettlebell practice. mixing them (especially like this ) was like trying to have my cake and eat it too. I got greedy and thought I was outsmarting something when it turned out I was too smart by half. In the end, I departed from what I already knew worked because I wanted more. That was a mistake.
There's a way in which I departed from these principles; albeit unintentionally.
I'm still young in training and ignorant of many ideas in physical training. I know about some kettlebell movements from trying it and using breadcrumbs left by SFGs who left behind a decentralized encyclopedic library of tutorial content. I used S&S to achieve a base of strength, I dipped my toes into power to the people to increase my strength base. I used Q&D many times to at least maintain my situation during some tough times.
For context, I have been training for a few years. My High-Water-Marks of strength are currently...
- Deadlift 365lbs
- KB strict press 40kg 2R, 1L
- Snatch 32KG ~5RM
- Swing 10x10 - 40KG
- TGU 32KG 5L, 5R
I've turned back to Q&D several times. And, so far, each time I get stronger off of a strength cycle I find that my Q&D sessions improve in strange ways. the sets become more difficult, the inter-set recovery can feel less complete, but the inter-series recovery feels more complete.
I recently had a form change that spiked the intensity of my snatches and points to the Sumo Deadlift. I may experience some profitable Training there.
My form change was widening my stance with toes pointing 45degrees off center, and putting the inside of my heels outside of the outer edge of my shoulders by more than a couple inches, and my legs are between 30-45 degrees off vertical
this has yielded powerful concentric portions of the snatch, to the point where I shaved off about a second from an all-out set of 10, from 20 to 19 seconds, and also was inducing a pump in the forearms and bicep that I had not previously experienced. and my timing off at the top had unintentional forearm strikes.
I suppose this may suggest that right now I have some glute dominance going on, and maybe a particular portion of the quads that I can tap for additional force. but I digress.
THE OVERTRAINING PROCESS
for about 5 weeks from May to June this year, I attempted to adopt a Two-a-Day schedule that I believed would help me get more with less training time, ala strength shortcuts.
I had planned for this cycle to last for 9 weeks, but I had to pull the plug early.
The plan:
snatch during my lunch hour (40-60 reps) and do some deadlifting and presses at home; 10 reps or less.
I was seeking a max strength increase in parallel with a conditioning effect. (really I should have just been doing Iron Cardio)
THE PROGRAM WAS TOO MUCH
5x / week
AM
Snatch 2 or 3 series Q&D
24kg
PM
Deadlift @75% ≤ 10 reps
Press
32kg ≤ 5x5
- OR -
40kg 3-5 Singles
There were some things I was mixing together here that maybe I ought not to have.
- PttP style near-daily training, and 5,3,2 sets.
- Daily dose deadlift Flat 75% loading.
- Aggressive pressing loading
- 5 days/week of Q&D loading, (higher than advised, albeit "low volume").
keeping the intensity relatively flat at 75% and doubling the volume to be more like PttP while also snatching and pressing the way I was, seems to have turned out to be a mistake.
The 40KG press was intense for me at the time, and I think I shouldn't have scheduled it this way. looking back at my training log, I can easily get away with pressing like that 3 days per week if that's all I'm working on. However, the combination was too much.
And after experiencing this failed cycle, I can't imagine doing Q&D 5 days/week on its own. it taps my systems more deeply than I'd previously thought it would.
MY LOWER BACK
I pulled the plug on this cycle as my lower back turned south.
My Press kept getting stronger for my shoulders.
My deadlift kept getting stronger for my hips and grip.
My snatch kept getting faster and more powerful with good pop and float.
But my 1 arm swing wouldn't pop and float like before.
And, my lower back kept getting worse and worse.
I decided to turn back to S&S, and I have done 10x10 with 40kg. but I was surprised that it wasn't there.
I moved into some low-volume maintenance work.
I got down to some 16kg bell work with swings and getups.
That was around the time when I found the Big 3 from Stuart McGill. I posted about how the side plank when I have my left palm on the ground and I'm sinking my shoulder into my torso. The Leftward tension is what's helping things get back into balance. I do have the Sore Joint Solution, and I like it. But, for this problem, I think the Big 3 is more acutely applicable.
THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK
A Point of interest for me was the counterintuitive moments of discovering that something was more deeply wrong than I thought.
I was pressing the 32kg bell for sets of 10. And, one of those sets left me with a certain amount of discomfort. I don't remember exactly when, but I remember it the same way I remember rolling my ankle very slightly. walking it off, and being able to get back to it. but, for my lower back, it was downhill from there. And, in the ensuing weeks, I found dwindling capacity in all my lifts, and I pursued lower-intensity training; which descended to my original 16kg bell, which I never thought I'd touch again.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
My lower back is still recovering and it is still very different from the way I remember it a year ago. I'm coming up on 3 months that have passed since this overtraining happened, and the actual finish line is not currently in view.
PERSISTENCE IS THE IMMORTAL VIRTUE
I love Strength Shortcuts 2.0. it is a premier document that I look to for insight. I think I had a "more-is-just-more" problem. my ideas about how much load I could recover from, and what I was requiring of my lower back were too big. I wasn't recovering, and I didn't know the hole I was digging for myself. Also, I count myself lucky that I didn't exactly have to stop training altogether. I kept lightening the load while I surveyed my options.
I EAT CROW
One thing I wasn't abiding by in Strength Shortcuts was using FABs.
Functional Antagonistic Balance was absolutely not a part of my program.
I'll look to use that design aspect if there is a next time.
I oft say: defer to the program. Geoff didn't tell me what to do. Pavel didn't beat down my door. I solicited advice. And, being my own coach has been a mistake that manifested in my back pain. I proved that putting things together wrong would lead me to an injury that would have been easily avoided. So easily, in fact, that if I had adhered more closely to Strength Shortcuts I would not have programmed loading the spine 3x and unloading it 0x in my plan.
There are a few aspects of Strong Endurance Programming that I've been able to express in my own training with greater fidelity. For now, I'll rely on those areas where I've displayed more success. And, such as it is - my knowledge of SE actually came from a presentation, with questions, answers, instructions, examples, and explanations by its authors to equip me to be able to navigate this area of programming. There is a different dynamic there. and it augments my efforts to balance my GPP interests with the time I reserve for training.
I'm just kind of rambling at this point...
I hope this is useful to others.
Maybe the moral of the story is, as brett says, to trust the process, and enjoy the results. I've already been successful in alternating my barbell and kettlebell practice. mixing them (especially like this ) was like trying to have my cake and eat it too. I got greedy and thought I was outsmarting something when it turned out I was too smart by half. In the end, I departed from what I already knew worked because I wanted more. That was a mistake.
There's a way in which I departed from these principles; albeit unintentionally.
- Continuity of training
- my alternation of lifting heavy and lifting fast didn't need to be combined.
- Waviness in the load
- I was just loading up too much, altogether.
- Treat it as a Practice (I'll add: "... with patience")
- I wasn't really just practicing, I was pushing