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Quality, Patience, Quiet, Strength - Shahaf's Training Log

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14.10.2017
Morning prep
OS resets

Noon session
Movement prep
Rocking

Practice
Hand & thighs lift @126kg x 4 x 1

Daily singles bent press - day 7 / cycle 2 - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 x 1 + 1
Goblet squat @24kg x 5

Practice
Bent press @28kg x 16 x 1

  • SOS get-up: Really like this one. I skipped armbars today cause I felt it work my thoracic mobility enough, but I should keep the bent armbar for now because of the different feel of the bent arm.
 
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15.10.2017
Morning session
Movement prep
Leopard crawl x 20m

Practice
Hand & thighs lift @131kg x 4 x 1

Daily singles bent press - day 1 / cycle 3 - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 x 1 + 1
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 2 + 2
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Cook @20kg

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 4 x 1
 
16.10.17
Morning prep (late morning at work)
OS resets

Evening session
Had short time so

Leopard crawl x 15m (10m forward + 5m backwards)
SOS get up @16kg x 1 (R)
Hand & thighs lift @131 x 1
Leopard crawl x 15m (10m forward + 5m backwards)
SOS get up @16kg x 1 (L)
Hand & thighs lift @131 x 3 x 1

17.10.17
Morning prep (late morning at work)
OS resets
some "Static" leopard crawls (2 steps forward, 2 steps backward)

Noon (at work)
Water bottle SOS get up x 1 + 1

Daily singles bent press - day 2 / cycle 3 - afternoon
Short time before BVB practice
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 1 + 1
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 2 + 2
Leopard crawl x 15m (10m F + 5m B)

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 6 x 1
  • Backwards crawls: It is not "reverse the forward". It is it's own thing with it's own groove.
  • BtP @32kg: Feels good.
Beach volleyball practice - evening
Some defense, mostly game management. Tons of wind, hard and super challenging session.

Beach volleyball practice - night
After around 15 - 20 min break I joined the women practice that follow my session. They had 5 trainees, so I filled in the 6th slot. The wind speed was much lower than my session so things was way easier.

3 session in 4 hours - time for food and sleep
 
18.10.17
Morning prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls

Noon (at work)
Water bottle SOS get up x 1 + 1
Water bottle bent press x 1 + 1

Daily singles bent press - day 3 / cycle 3 - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 x 1 + 1
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 2 + 2
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 20m

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 8 x 1

Hand & thighs lift @131kg x 4 x 1
 
19.10.17
Morning prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls

Noon (at work)
Water bottle SOS get up x 1 + 1
Water bottle bent press x 1 + 1

Strength session- afternoon
Drunk allot last night, didn't ate well and had to rush things to get to the beach. Definitely not enough coffee today, so no bent press today
Movement prep
OS resets
Leopard crawl x 20m

Practice
Hand & thighs lift - 2" @131kg x 4 x 1

Beach volleyball
Light session. Not consistent focus. My serves seems off lately and not as impactful on he game as they used to. I think it is a general lack of sharpness.

20.10.17
Morning session
Movement prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls

Practice
Hand & thighs lift - 2" @131kg x 4 x 1

Daily singles bent press - day 4 / cycle 3 - afternoon
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 x 1 + 1
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m (F + B)

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 10 x 1

21.10.17
Morning prep
OS resets

Daily singles bent press - day 5 / cycle 3 - afternoon
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 1 + 1
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 12 x 1

  • Felt a bit off today. Not as smooth and less tight groove. I had a weird eating schedule today and practiced time constrained about 20 minutes after (a very late) lunch, probably had some affect.
  • I think that I was somewhat coffee deprived since Thursday. That might had something to do with my lack of focus this weekend :rolleyes:
Beach volleyball
Light session. Better focus than Thursday.
 
22.10.17
Morning session
Movement prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls

Practice
Hand & thighs lift - 2" @131kg x 4 x 1

Daily singles bent press - day 6 / cycle 3 - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 + 2
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m (F + B)

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 14 x 1

  • Multiple getups: First time I'm doing these in about 2 years. This time I actually do them properly. Felt good.
  • Bent press groove: Today I am well fed and caffeinated. Back to smooth and tight.
[EDIT: Addition]
Beach volleyball - night
Light session. The smoothness and tight-groove-ness carried fully from the bent press to the sand. High focus and control. I felt that I am just playing well and over my recent out-of-focus days, but Tor (my partner) told that me I'm playing at (around) peak performance. She never gave me a reason to disbelieve her :)
 
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23.10.17
Morning session
Movement prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls

Practice
1/3 deadlift @131kg x 4 x 1

(Hand & thighs lift - 4" - ~inch above the knee)

Evening
Rest. Long day at work including 3:15 hrs long meeting in a room without windows. Felt exhausted.

24.10.2017
Morning
OS resets
Beach volleyball session - light with the girls. Morning sessions are still hard for me, maybe I should lift before.

Evening
Beach volleyball practice - 1:30 hrs, offense and transition game. Than one more match with the girls. Than eat and sleep.

Lifting
Rest. Didn't ate well today and had plenty of BVB. Practice was demanding and it is good that I hadn't been lifting before... First time in a long time without bent pressing two days in row.

25.10.2017
Morning
Movement prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls

Practice
1/3 deadlift @131kg x 4 x 1

Daily singles bent press - day 7 / cycle 3 - afternoon
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 + 2
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m (F + B)

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 16 x 1
 
26.10.2017
Morning prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls

Daily singles bent press - day 1 / cycle 4 - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 1 + 1 , 2 + 2
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m (F + B)

Practice
Bent press @36kg x 4 x 1

OHS @24kg x 4 x 5
Snatch @24kg x 2 x 5

Some rolling
  • Bent press groove: The 36kg groove was just as any weight increase I had recently. Less smooth than the 32kg yesterday, but still my bent press groove.
  • PRing: The 36kg BtP is a PR. Non-issue. Nothing fancy, just switching to a more demanding teacher.
  • Swing & snatch: I had to take the 36kg of the bar I used for H&T so decided to use this time to go back to ballistics. Both swings and snatches felt lighter than ever before. Will increase volume by feel over time.
 
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27.10.2017
Morning prep
OS resets

Beach volleyball morning - afternoon
Spent around 7 hours at the beach.
Some more resets. Pull up x 1 , 2 , 3 , 3, couple of sets of light play, some OS stuff, several sets of moderate-heavy play, on more light set.

Daily singles bent press - day 2 / cycle 4 - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 + 2
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m (F + B)

Practice
Bent press @36kg x 6 x 1

  • Bent press: I need to put more focus on the clean itself. The challenging part is the lockout, but it was the challenging part in every new load. Than again, maybe it's all the work I did at the beach today.
  • No swings: Did my share of explosive hip-hinges on the sand, no need to overwork it.
 
28.10.2017
Some OS in the morning.
We had our annual beach volleyball tournament in memory of a friend today. Played 3 sets.

It was suppose to be rainy but was hot. Looong day at the beach. Felt that hoisting over 1/2 BW overhead in that fatigued state will be useless at best, so no lifting today.

29.10.2017
Morning session
Prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls x 10m + 5m + 5m (F+B+F)

Practice
Two handed swing @40kg x 4 x 5
  • Felt good, can gradually increase volume (sets, than reps). These are way easier than 32kg OHS.
Daily singles bent press - day 3 / cycle 4 - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 + 2
Brettzel bent armbar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squat @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m (F + B)

Practice
Bent press @36kg x 8 x 1
  • Lesson of the day: The clean was not the (main) problem. I thought it is the clean since I had somewhat banged wrists for the first time since I learned how to clean properly. Today I noticed I tried to pull the bell down (active-negative) to the front rack like I did with all the other bells successfully. However, the 36kg is shifting my center-of-mass in a way that I have to pull it to the side rack. When I pulled the bell to the front rack I banged the bell on my wrist when it fell when I lost alignment. After figuring it I started pulling to the side and cleared it (+-) in the last reps. Than I remembered I read about it in ETK where over 1/2 BW pressing groove is discussed.
  • Lockout: Felt way less challenging today than in previous days. The entire lift felt much better than. Usually happens to me in day 3 or 4 of a cycle with new weight.
  • Programing: I'm doing back a cycle, even though the 36kg is starting to feel "familiar". I did it when I introduced the 32kg a while back with good results. It prevents to many consecutive sessions at high intensity and serves as some form of deload. Furthermore, and more importantly, it keeps things I Justa's target zone (70%-80%). Since I decided not to max at then moment I prefer to err on the side of lighter. And it will give me some more room for ballistics.
 
I have a bent press question...

Do you feel a tensing/working of the opposite glute when you bent press? When pressing with the right hand, flex the left glute as you're straightening the right arm? I was playing with this earlier today and I think it was working well, but I haven't tried this yet with heavier weight.
 
Anna C said:
I have a bent press question...

Do you feel a tensing/working of the opposite glute when you bent press? When pressing with the right hand, flex the left glute as you're straightening the right arm? I was playing with this earlier today and I think it was working well, but I haven't tried this yet with heavier weight.
Click to expand...

Mmm... never thought about it... I gave it a try with a water bottle and it didn't feel much different, should give it a try loaded tonight. What I can say after the water bottle test is that, IMO, it seems to encourage good rooting with the off leg and prevents excessive bend in the knees. In the bent press the (majority of the) load shifts from the on leg to the off leg somewhere along the bend (I am pretty sure the exact point is personal, based on body structure and groove). Better rooting with the off leg make sure the off side is "ready" for this transition and make it tension-leak-free, smoother and safer. The smoothness and lack of tension leaks will naturally lead to a better feel for the movement and ability to lift better. Excessive bend in the knees will probably lead to rooting problems and faulty wedging "mechanics". "Excessive" is related to ones own body type/optimal groove. [Reference: The Development of Physical Power]

My problem at the beginning was shifting too early to the off leg, so my focus was on better rooting and wedging of the on side leg (driving the right heel deep)... Actually when I think about it I made sure I'm rooting well on both feet... It's always comes down to rooting and wedging... (and shoulder packing :) )

From all the various lifts I have done I think the bent press is the most personal, with the greatest variations in style between people. I think this is the result of putting the trunk, hips and shoulder girdle to their extremes of both mobility and stability/motor control simultaneously. Anyone who has locked out a heavy bent press knows that feeling. I think this is why in Taming the Bent Press Dave Whitley gives principles of movement and support and not a do-this-and-than-that-exactly-when...

Hope that made sense :)

[EDIT: reference added :)]
 
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Yes, makes sense! I like the way you explain the load shift from the on leg to the off leg. I will experiment with it some today.
 
30.10.2017
Morning session
Prep
OS resets
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m + 5m (F + B + F)

Practice
One handed swing @24kg x 6 x 5

Daily singles bent press - day 4 / cycle 3B - evening
Had less than 18 minutes to do this one so...
Movement prep
OS resets - super abbreviated - just a couple of rolls and some rocking
SOS get-up @16kg x 2 + 2

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 10 x 1 - took less than 10 minutes
  • EMOTM bent press @32kg: Did it with proper groove. Nice to know I can, but this is not going to be frequent in my training. Body recovers enough, brain does not. I need those extra 20-30 sec rest.
31.10.2017
Morning - beach
Teaching a strength session for couple of friends / students (first they are friends, than students). FMS fundamental 4 screening, some OS rocking variation, goblet squats, TGU, loaded carries.
Than we played 1:30 beach volleyball.

Daily singles bent press - day 5 / cycle 3B - afternoon
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @20kg x 1 + 1 ,@16kg x 1 + 1
Brettzel bent arm-bar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squats @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 12 x 1

Snatch @16kg x 6 x 5
  • Bent press groove: I experimented with @Anna C's suggestion of contracting the off leg glute. I have the same conclusions as with the water bottle. Better rooting and less knee bend in the off leg. I like it, it kept me tighter, and since the 32kg feel a little on cruise control I need something to focus on to make my groove deeper before I go bacj to the 36kg.
Beach volleyball practice - evening
2 hrs. Some ball control, mostly offense and sideouts. The snatches helped with the feel of my jump.
 
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1.11.2017
Rest of lifting. No special reason, just used the day of beach volleyball to take a true rest day.
OS resets in the morning and evening.

2.11.2017
Morning session
Prep
OS resets
Leopard crawls x 10m + 5m + 5m

Practice
One handed swing @24kg x 8 x 5

Daily singles bent press - day 6/ cycle 3B - evening
Movement prep
OS resets
SOS get-up @20kg x 1 + 1 ,@16kg x 1 + 1
Brettzel bent arm-bar @BU 8kg x 3 + 3
Goblet squats @24kg x 5
Leopard crawl x 10m + 5m

Practice
Bent press @32kg x 14 x 1
  • From some reason it took me some time to get into meditative lifting state. All lifts were good quality but something in my mind was off. Cleared and got into the zone at lift 11 or 12.
 
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