all posts post new thread

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

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
14.2.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 76 / 55
OS resets - morning

Evening
Movement prep
OS resets
Goblet squat @20kg x 5
OHS @24kg x 2 x 10
Bent armbar @16kg x 3 + 3

Bent press session #5
Bent press @28kg x 12 x 1

Front squat session #3
Double KB front squat @(2 x 20kg) x 5 x (2 , 2 , 1 , 1 , 1)

Actually 20kg + (16kg+4kg)

Notes
  • Changing the squat: I can't carry the squat rack to the back room of the gym (where I deadlift) and sometimes feel uncomfortable in the gym atmosphere. Because of that, and since I bent press at home anyway, I decided to do double KB front squats instead.
  • Choosing load: Last time I KBFSQ I used 20kg+24kg for 2-3-5 ladders, the 5s felt like 1-2 reps left in the tank so I figured it's to heavy for this program, tried double 20s, they felt good so I kept them.
  • KBFSQ feel: These felt more "body challenging" the 60kg barbell, every small leak in tension will be accounted for. The cleans added definitely didn't reduced the challenge.
  • KBFSQ technique: On some sets I felt that I came out of the hole less explosively. It felt I leaked some strength through the ankles. Need to do better rooting next time.
  • EDIT after video: Double clean: I don't sit back enough in the back swing. On the way up it seems like part of the rooting problem and on the way down seems like I evade the bells too early. Correct and verify next session.
 
Last edited:
15.2.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 76 / 57
OS resets - morning

Early afternoon - beach
Prep
OS resets

OS performance
Leopard crawl x 7 x ~1 min - session length : ~23 min

  • Due to the squats and deadlift at this iteration of the Justa's singles I dialed the crawling volume back a little. Dropped a set today and took some more rest. Will dial back up when the time is right (meaning 1 min leopard crawls is easy).
 
Stuart Elliott said:
@Shahaf Levin I'm interested in your crawling progression, I crawl daily as per OS resets. But what benefits have you seen since crawling as per OS performance?
Click to expand...

Benefits:
  • Mobility: My mobility, which was already fine, took a step forward, both hip and shoulder. Some minor shoulder issues I had in my left shoulder had been cleaned pretty much completely. An important thing is that my mobility also feels more "steady", meaning less variation throughout the day and day-to-day.
  • Stability: Stability-wise I feel that my reflexive strength, as Tim calls it, improved allot. I create stabilize reflexively pretty much at any posture. It is evident when I play beach volleyball, I can do off-balance defense with greater ease. More accurately, I don't feel off-balance. At all.
  • Strength & tension: Being mobile and stable enables one to utilize "raw strength" better. I do not need allot of feed-forward tension, and actually when I lift I feel that the change in body tightness when pressurizing is not big as it was. Same maximal level, but better higher starting point. It did not replaced feed forward tension, and does not suppose to, just requires less.
  • Overall: I just feel more tied together and better coordinated. Loading the resets just takes them to the next level. Naked TGU are good, loaded ones are great. Same here.
Progression:
I just followed OS Performance suggestion and loaded the crawls (I can argue that by bent pressing I also loaded the half-roll...). The first loading parameter in the book is time (followed by distance, speed and load) and it is suggested to start "collecting" time crawling.

My progression was:
  • Baby crawling: Starting by collecting 10 min and trying to compress the session. First session I collected just over 10 min in around 16-18 min in about 4-5 sets (can't remember, can't check a few pages back). Than I started to make the sets longer and compress the rest periods until I got 10 min straight.
  • Leopard crawling: The next step was leopard crawling. This is MUCH more challenging than baby crawling. Something along the lines of doing for the first time a heavy 1-arm swing, pistols or heavy SLDL. I just started to collect time. At the beginning crawling slowly with small steps to learn and than started to crawl for longer. I than decided to crawls for ~1 min sets even that I crawled ~1:20 because of the added volume of deadlifts and squats AND the added load of longer stride. When I'll collect 10 min at a session for a few times I will start compressing the session length. The goal is 10 min straight.
  • Near future: I will probably drop down the barbell work at the gym (once you get used to work alone...) and go for another round of Justafied bent pressing and crawling (with some added swings this time), so crawling will be back in focus for hip drive.
 
16.2.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 77 / 62
OS resets

Evening
Movement prep
OS resets
Goblet squat @20kg x 5
OHS @24kg x 2 x 10
Bent armbar @16kg x 3 + 4 , 3 (R)

Work
Bent press @28kg x 12 x 1
sets 7 - 10 with stacked 24kg+4kg
​
Double KB front squat @2x20kg x 5 x (2 , 2 , 2 , 1 , 1)

Notes
  • OHS: I seem to evade the bell a little to early. Somewhat understandable since I haven't been swinging for a month, but need to be fixed. Emphasize the plank at the top, keeping tall and lat tension next session.
  • KBFSQ: Corrected the minor issues from last session. Gave more attention to rooting and tension. Made the rise from the hole slower and stronger - much more tension.
  • Clean: The attention to rooting and evading the bell later was better. Used wider stance at the beginning of the session for more confidence.
  • Squatting instead of deadlifting (on a DL day): Well, couldn't get to the gym early and didn't felt like working around other people today. Will do some more deadlifts next week and than back to gymless program (as it seems now another month of bent pressing and crawling) after the ski trip.
  • 3 lifts programs: After doing 1-2 lifts programs since July, 3 lifts seems allot... ;)
 
17.02.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 79 / 60
OS resets
Suitcase carry @48kg x 1 + 1

Night
Loaded carries
BU rack carry @16kg x 1 + 1

Continuous carries "flow" of
Waiter L -> rack L -> suitcase L -> waiter R -> rack R -> suitcase R
@24kg x 2 x (1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1)​

Suitcase holds @60kg x 8 breaths + 8 breaths

Notes
  • Waiter carry: The bell was strict pressed, apparently I can do that with relative ease now, by no means max effort. A nice side effect from recent month of, well, holding weight over my head...
  • Suitcase holds: "natural" breaths. As natural as I could holding 60kg in suitcase position...
 
Last edited:
@Shahaf Levin thanks for posting your crawling progression. I was unsure what OS performance would give me over what I currently do, but 'Never feeling off balance ' has certainly piqued my attention :) I doing OS reset leopard crawls for roughly a minute, so time to look at OS performance.
 
I tried your Crawl progression today. I managed 5 x 1min leopard crawls with roughly 30 secs rest in between at 'easy' pace. I felt great after these and will definitely be reading OS performance and adding these to my training.
Thanks for sharing you training log, I would have probably bypassed this crawl progression.
 
Stuart Elliott said:
I managed 5 x 1min leopard crawls with roughly 30 secs rest in between at 'easy' pace
Click to expand...

1 min sets with 30 sec rest is awesome IMO! I take around 2:30 min rest between rounds at the moment ("around" since I don't time the rest, only overall session)

Stuart Elliott said:
I felt great after these
Click to expand...

I know the feeling :cool:

Stuart Elliott said:
Thanks for sharing you training log, I would have probably bypassed this crawl progression.
Click to expand...

My pleasure! I'm glad people finding it useful!
 
18.02.2017
Morning - beach
Tap / HR : 76 / 60
Suitcase carry @32kg x 1 + 1

Beach volleyball ~2 hrs

Noon - park
Acroyoga practice. Worked with a more experienced flyer, she taught me some new stuff (knees to hands, shoulder stand, jump from chair to airplane) and we tried to figure some on our own (transitioning from bat to airplane through side balance).
Some OS resets in between.

Evening
Rest. Some OS stuff. Playing in the morning and than doing acroyoga with allot of new challenging moves got me tired, so no lifting.

19.02.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 74 / 57
OS resets

Noon - beach
Pull up @BW x 1 , 2 , 3

Remembered @Dan John's suggestion to not pass a pull up bar without doing some... Easy ladder, but a good thing to make sure everything still clicks right...

Late evening
Loaded carries
Suitcase holds @60kg x 8 breaths + 8 breaths

Flow of waiter L -> rack L -> suitcase L -> waiter R -> rack R -> suitcase R
@24kg x 2​
Flow of rack L -> suitcase L -> rack R -> suitcase R
@36kg x 1​

Each "rep" is a full flow

Just felt like taking a day without coordinated moves, carries fit perfectly :)

This Gray Cook flow of waiter -> rack -> suitcase is challenging. Seems to be teaching allot of body management.

EDIT: loaded carry flows rep count notations
EDIT 2: Added the pull ups I forgot to log
 
Last edited:
A note about the performance pyramid and the roll of practicing Fundamental Movement

When I see carry over from strength training to beach volleyball I somewhat take it for granted, probably because I started to develop my volleyball skills way before I started strength training. This masks the performance pyramid and contribution of wide base of fundamental movement and capacity.

My new journey in the world of acroyoga highlights the performance pyramid and it's importance. I have acquired wide base of fundamental movement and solid functional capacity through training rooted in SF principles. This is evident that all I really need to do in acroyoga is "just" to learn the skills, there is no question if I can do it, I just need to learn how. Wide base, just build the last stage. It greatly shorten the learning curve and makes the final result more steady, stable and graceful.
 
Shahaf Levin said:
1 min sets with 30 sec rest is awesome IMO! I take around 2:30 min rest between rounds at the moment ("around" since I don't time the rest, only overall session)
Thanks! I've been doing OS Crawls for a while now, so must have built a solid crawling base.
I bought OS Performance this morning.
Click to expand...
 
20.02.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 76 / 56
OS resets

Evening
Movement prep
OS resets
Goblet squat @20kg x 5
OHS @24kg x 2 x 10
Bent armbar @16kg x 3 + 3

Work
Bent press @28kg x 14 x 1

Notes
  • Setup felt out of sync and lead to a mediocre session, movement was not smooth and out of groove. Stance, side rack, something was off... Canceled the squats because of that. Didn't see any reason to continue a session if I can't figure out what is off. Did the extra single each side to finish with a proper set (and did).
  • Video showed what I felt, but not enough to try and analyze the root of it. Probably don't need to since it is an isolated session. However, afterwards it felt that by videoing the entire session (rather than just a 2-3 singles) I felt somehow less aware and accountable during the session. I did felt things get better when I did not videoed frequently.
  • Somehow it felt that on the long Justafied Bent Pressing sessions it was easier to get meditative, even at the beginning of the session. Probably the expectation of a long session... Maybe the problem today was that I was in a "it's only 12 singles" state of mind instead of doing them one by one. I didn't rushed through the session, but maybe my mind did...
  • I might have worked little, and the quality was not up to par either, but the conclusions from this session can be beneficial.
 
21.02.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 76 / 57
OS resets

Sometime along the day
KB press @24kg x 1 + 1
Tall kneeling press @16kg x 3 + 3

Noon - beach
Acroyoga practice ~1:30 hrs, nearly continuous - tiring... Spent most of the time on airplane -> side balance -> bat and back... the sand makes also acroyoga more challenging, but breaks the falls nicely :)

~ 15 min rest

OS resets

OS performance
Leopard crawl x 8 x ~1 min - session length < 32 min

Acroyoga session really drained me, took long rests between crawling sets to compensate.
Probably would have been smarter to cut the number of sets, but the long rests felt fine so..........

Earned my dinner.

Note
When I PRed the 24kg KB press a few months ago it called for a "maxing out" session with all the bells and whistles (haven't strict pressed anything since than until this week), so I started to write next to today's 24kg press a note that it was cold without any prep work. Than I figured that with all the OS resets (and "undocumented" OS playtime during the day), sitting and the floor and generally being anti-sedentary the last 2+ months I cannot say with clean conscience that I do anything "cold without any prep"...
 
22.02.2017
Morning
Tap / HR : 80 / 64 (to much beer last night?)
OS resets

Noon
After reading @Pavel Macek Hack squat article I did 3 - 5 from all BW variations and some prying @16kg.

Evening
Movement prep
Loaded carry complex - waiter->rack->suitcase
@24kg x 1 + 1​
Goblet squat @32kg x 5

Work
Bent press @28kg x 12 x 1 (sets 3 - 6 stacked 24kg+4kg)
Snatch
@24kg x 2 x 10
@28kg x 2 x 3 , 2 x 2 (inspired by @Stuart Elliott's ES)​
Hack squat @16kg x 5 (proper-ish)
KB press @24kg x 5 + 5

Notes
  • Program: Since my original program for this two weeks was long abandoned due to my re-discovered dislike of commercial gyms I decided to play a little at test some stuff for future use.
  • Bent press: Back where everything should be. In the groove.
  • Hack squat: This one is challenging. Will require proper practice (strength is a skill).
  • Snatch: The easiest 24kg snatches I have ever done, felt easy as the 20kg I used before. 28kg was not hard, kept reps conservative in ES fashion. Tempted to test the 32kg for a second but 28kg was a "PR" and PRing the same lift twice in the same session is anti-ES.
  • KB press: Since I was able a press the 24kg without to much effort I decided to test my self. While testing my self at the end of a session is far from ideal (read - stupid) the results are interesting.
    • Presses were strict. The last rep at each side (R more pronounced) might had a bit too much side lean, but they "passed" @Karen Smith's suggested test of putting the off hand elbow next to the body and see if it "digs in".
    • My previous PR was 1 R, 2 L, and as mentioned in a previous post a true MAX with a dedicated session. This time it was at the tail end of allot of heavy OH work and it was comfortable 5 at L and less comfortable at R (there was about 15 sec rest between sides which probably has something to do with R being more strenuous).
    • I considered the ease of pressing 24kg to all the OH work with bent pressing and refused to call it WTH!? since it was expectable. 5 reps at the end of OH sessions is dragging it to WTH!? territory.
  • Overall: Good session. Learned allot! And I still don't like competition bells...

EDIT: corrected snatch set/rep scheme
 
Last edited:
A note about my 28kg competition bell
Yesterday I read @Brett Jones's Military press article and reread some of the other stuff regarding center of mass (CoM). In the article Brett says that once the kettlebell get big enough (40kg mentioned for him) the change in CoM changes the groove in the military press (the article has the full explanation). While the article is about military press it made me think about my 28kg bent press groove. Furthermore, it made me think about why the 32kg feel smoother than the 28kg which is somewhat awkward.

The good thing about competition bells is that they all have the same CoM, and you don't need to adapt your technique when changing bells. In addition, you don't have this "awkward bell" which changes thing in a pronounced way (the 40kg classic bell in the article). This also somewhat of a downside of competition bells when using them alongside classic bells. The CoM of the competition 28kg is the same as the competition 48kg and makes one (eg. me) adjust a substantial change in CoM "abruptly". This is neither good nor bad, just the way it is. It also explains why the 28kg does not feel less challenging than the 32kg, it has the CoM of a 48kg (or at least a competition 48kg)...

Again, it is not a good or bad thing, just the way things are.
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom