Shane's Training

Sn, C&J, Cl pl, Pr

2012-02-11T20:33:00.000-05:00

Afternoon

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 75, 75, 80x

Power clean + 2 jerks
1 x 50, 70, 80, 90, 95, 100 (full clean), 90

Clean pull
3 x 3 x 115

Press
4 x 65
3 x 65
2 x 65
1 x 65

Daily report

Body: decent
Sleep:9 hr
Notes: Strength is coming back pretty quickly. Didn't squat today but the other lifts I did felt pretty fast and I should be back to my regular numbers pretty soon.
Track of the ~~day~~ week: Danzig - Anything

WPU, SU

2012-02-10T23:59:00.002-05:00

Evening

Weighted pullups
3 x 5 x 45#

Situps
2 x 50

Daily report

Body:decent
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes:Took it easy today.
Track of the day: The Misfits - Dig Up Her Bones

Sn, C&J, BS, Pr

2012-02-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 65, 70, 70, 70

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 90, 90, 90

Back squat
2 x 5 x 100kg

Press
1 x 4 x 65kg
2 x 5 x 60kg

Daily report

Body:decent
Sleep:8 hr
Notes: Finally getting some lifting speed back - no misses today. Leg strength is not there though.
Track of the day:Danzig - Godless

WPU, run

2012-02-08T23:59:00.005-05:00

Evening

Weighted pullups

3 x 3 x 55#

unweighted pullups
2 x 10

reverse wrist curls
3 x 20

straight-leg hanging leg raise
3 x 10

run 35 min

Daily report

Body:decent
Sleep:7 hr
Notes:First sustained run in a week, and felt pretty good. Working out some kinks in my shin and ankle muscles but they should be gone pretty soon.

PC+J, PSn, FS

2012-02-07T23:59:00.002-05:00

Evening

Power clean + jerk
5 x 1 x 80kg

Clean pull
2 x 3 x 100kg

Power snatch
4 x 2 x 60kg

Snatch pull
1 x 3 x 90kg

Front squat
3 x 5 x 90kg

barbell curls
3 x 6 x 35kg

Daily report

Body: not as sore today
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Legs were pretty weak today.
Track of the day: Immolation - Higher Coward

Pr, WPU, SU, run

2012-02-06T23:59:00.007-05:00

Evening

Press
3 x 5 x 135#

Weighted pullups
3 x 45#
3 x 55#
3 x 55#
3 x 55#

drop snatches
bar up to 95#, lots of reps

Situps
50-40-30-20-10

running
6x uphill +downhill very easy on 76th St Hill

Daily report

Body: sore overall esp in legs. Both achilles have been either bruised or sore, can't tell which, only can feel it when wearing shoes.
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Trying to get back into the swing of things.
Track of the day:Samael - Shining Kingdom

BS, Cl pl, BP

2012-02-05T23:59:00.014-05:00

Evening

Back squat
3 x 3 x 255#

Hang clean pulls
3 x 3 x 275#

Bench press
3 x 185#
2 x 5 x 155#

Daily report

Body:decent
Sleep:9 hr
Notes: First time lifting since Arrowhead. I thought I felt good, but had to reduce the weights significantly. And on the final set of squats my legs cramped up big time which never happens. On a good note I'm very excited I was accepted into the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance run last night, in Utah the week after Labor Day. It's one of the oldest and most famous ultras in the US, with 26000 feet of cumulative elevation gain and reaching altitudes of over 10k feet. I've got over half a year to train and my goal is to do quite well.
Track of the day: Nile - The Blessed Dead

PU, SU, HSPU

2012-02-04T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Pullups
1 x 20
1,3,5,7,9,11

Situps
1 x 75
2,6,10, 14, 18, 22

Handstand pushups
5 x 20

Daily report

Body: Felt decent today. The lower part of my legs (shins, calves, ankles and most of all achilles) are pretty sore.
Sleep:7 hr
Notes:Took Thursday and Friday off to recover.

Arrowhead 135 Race Report

2012-02-01T23:59:00.001-05:00

Strength, Endurance, Solitude, Survival. Those are the four words that are written on the 2012 Arrowhead t-shirt, and they sum up the event and its intense appeal quite well. The Arrowhead is a 135 mile trail race from International Falls to Tower, Minnesota, and can be completed on foot, bike, or skis. The climate is usually among the coldest anywhere, the terrain is hilly, remote, and monotonous, and the support is minimal. For these reasons, participants must find a way to carry mandatory survival gear with them for the duration of the event. The Arrowhead is sometimes mentioned as one of the toughest races one can enter, and of course this was all of a more reason for me to want to attempt this.

I applied and was accepted back in October, and slowly began building up all the equipment I would need to finish. I had also planned on a very specific snow training regimen. Unfortunately that never materialized as I got absolutely no snow training in before the race; this was certainly the warmest winter I’ve experienced in NYC.

Pre-race

I left on Saturday Jan 28^th to from LaGuardia to Minneapolis and made the drive to International Falls in a little over five hours. I had brought just about all the equipment with me that I needed, except for food and stove fuel. I had hoped to pick up Esbit tabs in Minnesota but none of the stores I went to had them, so I had to settle for those big fuel cannisters with a wick. I checked in with the race officials at the AmericInn and had all my mandatory gear approved. It consisted of: -30F military sleeping bag, headlamp, tent, 2 flashing LEDs, stove, pot, lighter, 8 oz fuel, 2 qt of insulated water containers, whistle, and 3000+ calories (frosting and peanut butter).

Gear check

The rest of the equipment was optional, but I ended up bringing a sled/pole/harness system that my Dad helped build, rope, knife, tape, Vaseline, Yaktrak cramp-ons, and lots of clothing.

After checking into my hotel I met up with Tim Hardy, the only other New Yorker in the race who had DNF’d in 2010 and was coming back for a finish, and had a decent burger and beer at the Border Bar. International Falls is pretty small for a “city,” with only 6400 people. The downtown area is within a stone’s throw of the Canadian border. Aside from a giant paper factory and some retail on the main area, it’s a pretty quiet town, but there’s a nice outdoorsy appeal about it.

Pics from around I Falls.

I had all day Sunday to check and re-check my gear, and then buy all the food I would need to eat. I was permitted a 15lb bag that would be delivered to the cabin at mile 72, and there was a store at mile 35 I could purchase food, but other than that I had to be self-sufficient.

In the afternoon I headed to the local auditorium for the mayor’s welcome, pre-race briefing, and spaghetti dinner. It was interesting to see the cast of characters signed up. There were a record 13 women signed up across all disciplines, but it was still mostly men participating, maybe with more younger guys on bike and older guys on foot. Beards and weather-beaten faces were more common than not here. There were competitors from 8 countries and 20-something states, but people from Minnesota still dominated.

What I packed for food to be stored at Melgorge's

Pre-race briefing at community center

Testing out sled in parking lot

Start to Gateway

6am, before race start

Starting line taken by Kevin at the I Falls Journal. I'm on the left in orange, and Ben S. who I ran with for awhile is in the yellow.

I got a good 9 hours of sleep that night before the race began at 7am. Morning temperatures were around 10F. I wore trail shoes with mountaineering socks, two pairs of tights, UnderArmor turtleneck, a polypropalene mid layer and outer shell, glove liners, neck gaiter, and wool hat. My breakfast of coffee, pop-tarts, and a banana is sort of traditional for me now before morning events.

The race started in waves, with the bikers at 7:00, skiiers at 7:02, and runners at 7:04. The first few miles were spent jockeying for a good location on the trail and trying to decide whether to pass someone or to follow behind them.

The first 12.5 miles went by so quickly that I couldn’t believe it. Of course those miles were flat, and the snow was still cold, well-packed and thick. As soon as we turned onto a new part of the trail after that, it got slightly hillier, and there was quite a few twigs and such sticking up from the snow which slowed things down. It was only around a few hours into the race where I realized I had forgotten something very important: how to store food and water on my person. I had everything in my sled and in order to get it, I would have to remove my harness and unpack my duffel bags and then reattach. I ended up storing some food in my shirt but it still wasn’t an effective setup.

The rest of the day got much warmer, beyond 20F and probably closer to 30F. I ran out of water pretty quickly and had to resort to eating snow to stay hydrated.

My knees were hurting a bit and I figured the trekking poles would help. I took them out around mile 20 and lo and behold, knees felt find for the rest of the event. The poles would end up making a huge difference in my ability to keep moving.

I arrived at the first checkpoint, mile 35 at the Gateway Store around 4:40pm. This was a hunting/fishing store that allowed runners to get water, food, and use the restroom. I was pretty dehydrated so I drank a quart of water along with a Vitamin Water and a grape juice, then I bought a donut and a bunch of cookies. I ended up spending 20 minutes here but I was doing pretty well.

Gateway to Melgorges

The next checkpoint was Melgorges at mile 72. Like any long distance event, the way I approach it is to divide it into smaller tasks, and the next task was getting to Melgorges.

Just out of Gateway a guy by the name of John Bertram came up beside me. I’d seen his name before online and I knew he was fast and experienced. He was a tall thin middle aged man from Ohio with long black hair. His old-school gear approach was impressive: a baseball cap, cargo pants, old frame backpack, mostly-empty sled tied to his waist with a rope, no ski poles, and no headlamp in the dusk. He gave me some good advice before he powered off in front of me.

Darkness hit pretty early and I was forced to use my headlamp from before 6pm for the next 11 hours. Fortunately I didn’t suffer any sleepiness in the first night here. The biggest issue I faced was by midnight I was already pretty low on food. I had that 3000+ calories of peanut butter and frosting but I needed to save most of it if I wanted to cross the finish line without being disqualified.

It goes without saying that I wasn’t doing much running by this point. I was still alternating walking with some running especially on the downhills, but this stretch of the course wasn’t exactly flat. One of the biggest issues one has to contend with on this course is sheer boredom, especially at night. With very few exceptions, all 135 miles of the Arrowhead Trail consist of about a 20-25 foot wide stretch of snowy ground with trees and shrubs on both sides.

I was alone for most of the night although I was leap-frogging with this guy named Jason who had DNF’d last year and was looking for his first finish.

Sometime around midnight I passed by one of the lean-tos along the trail and a couple snowmobilers had a fire going there. I guess I got a little too close, as one of my Yaktrax melted, as did part of my gloves. The Yaktrax weren’t even doing much for me anyway since we’d been sinking, not sliding, in the snow for most of this race.

I heard some wolves but unfortunately didn’t get to see any.

At 3:54am I remember coming across the sign that reads “Melgorge's Resort – 5 miles”. I had read in blogs before that these 5 miles take forever, and I’m glad I knew that because they absolutely did. I didn’t reach Elephant Lake until 5:30. Once you reach the lake it’s a long flat stretch where you faintly see the dim lights of the cabin for almost a mile away, but at night it’s so hard to tell how much further you have to go. I ran pretty hard into Melgorge's at 6:15 and what a refresher this would be. I was over halfway done.

Melgorge’s

When I entered the cabin I saw many of the guys who had been ahead of me at the beginning of the race there, resting. I knew right there I was on a decent pace. But to be honest, I was wrecked – chafed, sleepy, hungry, and sore. One of the volunteers put my socks and gloves in the dryer and I just sat on a chair next to the stove and started eating. I spent 30 minutes nodding off before I opted to head to the loft, where there were a few spare beds. I set my alarm for 8 so I estimate I got like 30-45 minutes of sleep. At 8 I jumped up and spent another 30 minutes fixing up for the second half: packing my 15 lb of food and water, tending to chafing, clearing snow from the sled, and getting organized.

Just before I left, John Bertram headed out in front of me and said, “we just have a 40 mile hump through the hills, then it’s a quick flat marathon to the finish”. I thought that was pretty funny.

This picture was taken by Derek Montgomery of Minnesota Public Radio. This is Melgorge's cabin as seen from the loft. I'm not in the picture but my socks and hat are by the stove, so I know I was still around somewhere.

I ended up spending over 2 hours of downtime here, but this was very important to the overall finish. I heard about so many people in past years who DNF’d because they just never left Melgorges. Not only did I leave, but I felt quite refreshed and the sunshine certainly helped. This was a turning point in the event as I became much more confident that I would finish at some point tomorrow.

Melgorge’s to Ski Pulk

Not too long after leaving the cabin came the hills, and the snow. The next few hours were fun. It was cloudy, snowing hard, and ascending and descending these monster hills were breaking up some of the boredom.

I didn’t end up needing quite as much water the 2^nd day, probably because I was already sweaty and a little bit cooler overall. It was also very solitary for most of the day. I think I only saw maybe a couple people from the morning until sunset.

Around sunset I ended up joining up with Jason and his friend John Taylor, an experienced running veteran going for his 3^rd Arrowhead finish in 6 attempts). I leapfrogged with them and a guy named Kevin for the next few hours, which helped keep me pushing hard. However shortly after nightfall, the hills became absolutely relentless. They weren’t mountains per se, but they were short steep hills of about 200m that just keep repeating themselves for miles. Thankfully my strength training and weighted vest training helped me get over the hills, but the coming down wasn’t so easy. My hamstrings couldn’t handle the running, and just walking wasn’t easy since the sled pulk didn’t always track directly behind me, causing it to spin out of control a few times.

The second night was different than the first in that I was having some minor hallucatinations. The trees with snow on them looked a lot like everyday objects, like ladders, lawn furniture, cars, and so forth. At one point there was a bush in the middle of the trail and the snow was reflecting off my lamp in such a way that it looked like a lynx or something. I didn’t know what to do so I just stood there for awhile until John came up behind me. He also looked at it for awhile and thought it was an animal, but then just showed me it was just a plant. My eyes kept playing tricks on me all night so I ended up just looking straight ahead and avoiding eye contact with the trees.

It took far longer than expected to me to reach the 3^rd and final checkpoint, Ski Pulk at 111 miles. The guy who runs skipulk.com website was there. It’s also known by racers as the “Teepee of Despair.”

Ski Pulk checkpoint (previous night) taken by Jeremy Kershaw

John and I arrived at the same time. My feet had been soaked for half the day, and I was already on my second pair of socks. I hoped there would be a fire there to dry stuff off, but it’s really just a teepee with some chairs and hot water. I spent awhile just sitting and trying to dry out my feet.

Ski Pulk to Fortune Bay

The good news as I left Ski Pulk was that there was 1 more hill, and then the rest of the course was pretty flat. It was only 24 miles to the finish, and I had over 15 hours to do that. My chances of finishing were almost guaranteed by now, but I still had to do it, and that meant at least 8 more hours of this.

I hit the final hill, called “Mt. Wakemup” pretty soon and it was no problem. But John had powered ahead of me and as far as I knew there wasn’t anyone within an hour of me behind me.

I had been chafing pretty bad for the past, oh, 100 miles or so, and the Vaseline wasn’t helping. I just wrapped my thighs in white tape; I knew this would be painful later but it ended up doing the trick.

It was 430am and this was the first time in the race where I got incredibly sleepy. I’d been here before in other events and wasn’t looking forward to it. I tried everything that usually worked in the past: a bunch of caffeine pills, more food, warming up with extra clothing, and my Clip2 amino acid drink. Didn’t work. I thought singing might help, so I sang the national anthem a few dozen times. I kept me awake for awhile but then it became boring.

Then I tried sleepwalking. I waited until I got to a straight section and oriented myself in a straight line and walked with my eyes closed, and felt asleep for a bit and woke up every few minutes. I was going really slow.

Nothing seemed to work. I figured taking a nap in my sleeping bag would be a good idea, but my phone had died and I didn’t have an alarm clock. I slept just standing up for awhile.

At some point I woke up leaning on my trekking poles and I had a little bit of a shock. I didn’t know where I was or why I was attached to a sled. It took me a minute or to realize that I was in the Arrowhead and I had a job to do.

Needless to say this was a low point in the race and I have no idea how far I traveled between 4:30 and 6:30. I knew the sun wouldn’t come up for another hour at least, but fortunately dawn broke around 6:40. At that point it was like someone had turned off the sleepy switch. I started moving again, and fast.

I passed Jason in his sleeping bag a few miles later; I guess he had gotten sleepy too. Not too long afterward, I came across John who was wearing a plastic bag and stopped at the road crossing. He had dropped the main duffel bag from his sled with some important stuff in it, and had no idea where it was. I told him that I had passed a bag on the trail several hours ago, but it turned out that wasn’t his. I offered him some of my gear, but he said he was okay. Later Jason came up behind him and they called the race director, and John eventually finished with a 2 hour time penalty. He found his bag the next day fortunately.

The last 10 miles or so of the course were pretty flat. I wasn’t running yet but I was moving a little bit faster than the previous night. Around noon time I began to see some signs of civilization! A radio tower in the distance, and a highway to cross. There were almost no mile markings anywhere on the course so you never had any idea where you were. But at this point a snowmobiler drove by and told me I had 7.6 miles to the finish.

As I came within 4 miles of the finish, the Arrowhead Trail reaches this big open plateau which has several clubs and resorts hidden beyond the trees. I could see vague outlines of cabins from miles away, but I didn’t know exactly where I was going. The great part about this section was that I could see if anyone was within a mile of me, and fortunately nobody was close. As if this course wasn’t sadistic enough, it leads you all the way around the entire forest and then circles back to reach Fortune Bay (the straight line distance to Fortune Bay would have been much shorter). Finally I saw the signs for Fortune Bay and started running even harder. It must be just around the corner, I thought.

Little did I know that the entrance to Fortune Bay was actually over 2 miles to the finish. Each twist and turn led to a new path or driveway or road crossing. I actually entertained the thought that this was a big joke and that there was no Fortune Bay, since I couldn’t actually see the building.

Nearly an hour after seeing the first signs of Fortune Bay, the course got one last final dig at me – an uphill to the finish. It didn’t matter since I was so happy to finish – 54 hours and 31 minutes after I started.

Post-Race

There was basically nothing at the finish line, but after getting there they bring you into Fortune Bay, which is a giant casino. The race rented out a room for finishers with food and places to sit and sleep. The atmosphere in the room was awesome; people completely wrecked, hungry, blistered, sleepy, but ecstatic and an incredible sense of relief in finishing.

Tim Hardy came in 45 minutes later; pretty strange how he was so close to me and yet I didn’t see him at any point during the race.

I hung out at Fortune Bay for the rest of the night and watched the rest of people finish, which was awesome to see. There were two women finishers, and one of them finished with a push sled. Considering that they have to carry the same amount of gear as the men (40lb on average), that’s pretty impressive. There were also 3 seniors from the Naval Academy

there who have been selected to be SEAL officers, 2 finished this year and 1 last year.

Great video put together of previous years at the Arrowhead.

Conclusion

Well I’ll admit the Arrowhead was probably the hardest thing I’ve done physically. Was it enjoyable? There were more than just a few miserable points. It was certainly a test of patience. There were some points at which I said I would never do the Arrowhead or anything like it again. But now that it’s over, I’m not so sure. Knowing that I can knock out over 100 miles on foot with 40 lb of gear in the cold over rough terrain - that's definitely worth it.
I finished in 14^th place out of 50 starters and 28 finishers. That knocks out one of my current goals: “Finish in top 50% of an ultramarathon with a reputation as being one of the world's hardest, such as Arrowhead 135, Hardrock 100, HURT 100, etc.” I didn’t really have any time goals, so I’d say I did accomplish what I set out to do.

Did I prepare adequately? Considering that I didn’t do any training in the snow or with the sled, absolutely not. But there wasn’t much I could have done about that. I do think that running with the weighted vest absolutely simulated running with the sled, and my weight training certainly helped my legs stay strong. If I were to do alter my training, I would have done my long runs in a weighted vest on the beach. The hardest thing about the course was wet, sinking snow which put a ton of stress on the calves, hamstrings, Achilles, and glutes, and I think sand running would have simulated it quite well.

There’s also that issue about the temperature this year. This race normally has temperatures of -20F and it didn’t even get below 0 this year (it hit -7F the day before the race though). I asked a bunch of veterans what they thought about that. The general consensus was that for runners, it was easier to not quit because of the warmer weather, but that it was harder to drag the sled because the snow was not nearly as smooth as it would be in colder weather. That certainly makes sense, as when I was testing my sled in the hotel parking lot when it was below 0 it definitely moved a lot more easily.

Now, what’s next?

2012-02-01T22:55:00.000-05:00

Won't be able to get on top of my posts until the weekend. Until then, here's my Twitter.

Taper

2012-01-27T21:35:00.001-05:00

pushups
2 x 75

Daily report

Body: good
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes: No time or point to train today. Packing my bags and leaving out of Laguardia to Minneapolis tomorrow at 6:30am. Then I drive 5 hours to International Falls and have gear inspection either tomorrow or Sunday. he forecast is predicting warm weather. Regardless I'm looking forward to this.
Track of the day: Dissection - Unhallowed

Rjk, PSn, HC, FS

2012-01-26T22:58:00.000-05:00

Evening

Rack jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 105, 110, 115, 122x, 122x, 122x

Power snatch
2 x 50, 2x60, 2x70, 2x70, 2x70

Hang clean + clean
1 x 50, 70, 90, 90, 90

Front squat
2 x 5 x 100kg

Daily report

Body: decent
Sleep:7 hr
Notes:No caffeine today. Tapered down today with light volume. Did try a max jerk today and I came very close. I've been practicing my jerk the past couple weeks intensely and I certainly see an improvement. I got directly under the 122 and locked it out overhead but my knee touched the ground on the lunge position each time.
Track of the day: Coroner - Arrogance in Uniform

Rest

2012-01-26T22:52:00.000-05:00

No training.

Daily report

Body: good
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: No caffeine today.
Track of the day: WASP - Wild Child

Sn, C&J, BS, GHD, run

2012-01-25T00:00:00.000-05:00

Evening

Snatch
2 x 50, 60, 70
1 x 75, 80x, 80, 85x, 85, 85x, 70kg

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 105, 110, 115kg

Back squats
10 x 110kg
10 x 100kg

GHD situps
2 x 15

jerk practice
5 x 5 x 40kg

running 60 mins moderate pace

Daily report

Body: traps/neck a little sore but overall ok
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Solid day. Split jerk improving noticeably, at least I think.
Track of the day:Nile - Kafir

FS, Pr, crl, PU

2012-01-23T23:59:00.002-05:00

Front squat
3 x 225#
3 x 265#
3 x 275#
3 x 285#

Press
3 x 5 x 145#

hammer curls
2 x 10 x 35#

pushups
3 x 50

Most of my gear, pulk system included.

Daily report

Body: hams/glutes a bit sore, overall decent
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Strong front squats today. Didn't run today, but will get in some short mileage tomorrow.
Track of the day: Absu - Earth Ripper

hill intervals, PU, SU

2012-01-22T19:42:00.000-05:00

Afternoon

running
3x uphill Bennett's hill - North Brookfield MA - 1:46, 1:52, 1:55
5x short intervals ~50m

some more pulking

pullups ladder
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

situps
2 x 50

Daily report

Body: hammies and traps a bit sore, otherwise ok.
Sleep: 9 hr
Notes: Good day.

Sn pl, Cl pl, BS, Pr, PU, pulk test

2012-01-21T21:07:00.000-05:00

Afternoon

Snatch pulls
3 x 3 x 90kg

Clean pulls
3 x 3 x 115kg

Back squat
4 x 3 x 125kg

Press
3 x 70kg
2 x 75kg
0 x 80kg
15 x 50kg

Pushups
2 x 60

did some sprints with the pulk

Daily report

Body: good
Sleep: 9 hr
Notes: Decent day. Went to Massachusetts to pick up my sled and pulk system for next week's race. There was about 6 inches of snow on the ground outside so I was able to test it out and it works pretty well. It glides pretty well on flat ground and is probably less strenuous than wearing the 20-25# vest I've been using lately.
Track of the day: Moonsorrow - Karhunkynsi

Rest

2012-01-20T23:59:00.001-05:00

Daily report

Body: Legs were a little beat up.
Sleep: 6.5 hr
Notes:
Track of the day: Edguy - Robin Hood

PC/PJ, Sn, FS, Pr, 90' run

2012-01-19T23:59:00.001-05:00

Evening

Power clean + power jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 100, 100, 2 x 90

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80

Front squat
2 x 5 x 110kg

bar muscle-ups (for fun)

Press
3 x 60
5 x 65
2 x 70kg

run 90 minutes at moderate pace

Daily report

Body: good
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Pretty decent day of lifting. Finally getting some consistency with my snatches. The wrist brace I've been wearing has been helping somewhat and I'm getting straighter overall. Run felt good today.
Track of the day: Judas Priest - Victim of Changes

PU, run

2012-01-18T23:35:00.000-05:00

Evening

Weighted pullups
3 x 30#
3 x 45#
3 x 60#
3 x 70# (questionable last rep)

Pullups
3-6-9-12-15

run with 25# weighted vest
40 minutes with 4x up/down Calvary cemetery hill

front plank 3:00

Daily report

Body: Legs are really sore from practicing those split jerks yesterday. It was only 50kg but I down low and held each one for an extended period of time.
Sleep: 7.5 hr
Notes: Decent day.
Track of the day: Burzum - Ea Lord of the Depths

Sn, Cl, J, BS, PU, SU

2012-01-17T23:33:00.000-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85x, 85, 90, 95x, 95x, 93.5x

Power clean + clean
1 x 90, 100, 100, 100, 100

Jerks, emphasizing maximum knee bend
5 x 5 x 50kg

Back squat
2 x 5 x 120kg

pushups
2 x 50

situps
2 x50

Daily report

Body: abs pretty sore. But otherwise good.
Sleep: 6 hr
Notes:Pretty good day. Made 90kg again in the snatch but no luck with more than that.
Track of the day: Iced Earth - Anthem

FS, Pr, hill sprints

2012-01-16T23:59:00.001-05:00

Evening

Front squat
3 x 275, 3x265, 3x265, 3x265#

Press
3x155, 3x155, 5x135#

shoulder stretch/drop snatches

running
76th st hill
5x uphill hard with run downhill recovery
0:44, 0:45, 0:42, 0:41, 0:40

Testing out the Esbit stove. 7:00 to bring 1 pt of cold water to a boil; flame dies after about 8:30.
It's clean, light, and easy to use.

Daily report

Body:headache for most of the day, and legs are sore. didn't recover well last night.
Sleep:9 hr + 1 hr nap
Notes: Not that strong today and didn't feel 100%.
Track of the day: Iced Earth - Dystopia

run, su

2012-01-15T23:59:00.003-05:00

Evening

run 2:05:00 with hard final 30'

situps 2 x 75

Daily report

Body: pretty sore in spinal erectors, traps, glutes, quads
Sleep:10 hrs
Notes: Another halfway cold run. Temp was 24F but wind chill was 6F.
Track of the day:Iced Earth - The Revealing

FDU open

2012-01-14T23:59:00.009-05:00

Afternoon

Fairleigh Dickinson University Weightlifting Open
Madison, NJ

Snatch (kg)
1 x 50, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85x, 85, 85, 87, 90x, 90

Clean and jerk (kg)
1 x 50, 50, 70, 90, 100, 107.5, 112.5, 115 (x jerk), 117 (x jerk), 117, 120 (x jerk)

Back squat
3 x 5 x 255#

Press
3 x 165#, 2 x 155#

FDU open was my 4th weightlifting competition and the most competitive one I've lifted in. This one draws some national medalists since there are cash prizes. Today was not a success for me, but it wasn't a failure either. Somewhere in between.

I had to cut about 5-6 lbs from my normal weight, which is standard. I think I went about it much better this time since although I reduced my calories a little bit, I made sure to keep my blood sugar and glycogen loading high throughout. The dehydration made up for most of the cutting, so starting out the day I felt decent.

I weighed in at 10am at 68.46 kg. Between 10 and 12 I had a bagel, two egg sandwiches, some milk, apple, banana and coffee. By the time I warmed up with my snatches I felt pretty strong. I power snatched all the way up to 70kg. I missed 85 in the warmup room but then made it again, twice.
I opened with 87kg and made it pretty well. I took 90kg as my next snatch and had a good pull but didn't commit all the way underneath and missed it in front. I took it again for my last attempt and got it solidly. This was a competition PR but a bit off my training PR. I haven't hit 90kg in several months and recently my snatch has been twisted and my left wrist/forearm have been killing me. The good news today was that my snatches were straight and my forearm did not hurt. I wish I could have attempted 95kg today.

Moving onto the clean and jerk, I had a candy bar and took some more caffeine, but already I felt tired. The warmup room got really hot, which didn't help. Already on 100kg warmup clean I felt a little lightheaded coming up.

I opened with 117kg and made the clean easily, but I felt shaky at the top and therefore missed the jerk. I took 117kg again and made it, but ugly. On the 3rd attempt I took 120 and cleaned it pretty well, but again got shaky and lightheaded at the top and missed the jerk a little in front.

90kg Sn + 117 CJ = 207kg total @ 69kg bwt. My totals have increased at each meet, but competition numbers still lag behind what I do in training.

I finished 1 kilo behind Lou Mangiaracina and 8 kilos behind Mike Evans, other 69kg men who have placed at nationals.

In summary, I just need to get stronger, and my jerk technique could use some work.

As frustrating as it is to not meet expectations in a meet, I'm still loving this sport and the immense challenges it poses. Meets are very different than training sessions and I think I could benefit from competing more often. The combination of making weight, waiting hours for your turn to lift the heaviest weight you can, and the excitement of the crowd make meets incredibly stressful on the body.

Now, onto my next challenge - Arrowhead 135 Mile Ultramarathon.

Daily report

Body: so so
Sleep: 8 hr
Track of the day: Sabaton - Primo Victoria

Rest

2012-01-13T23:59:00.005-05:00

Rest

Daily report

Body:ok
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Stayed around 153.0 lb during the day. Got some dehydration twitches during the day but better at night. Sweated off the rest in the shower so that I was about 152.2# right before bed.

Sn, C&J, FS, run

2012-01-12T23:59:00.001-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 50, 50, 2 x 60, 2 x 60, 2 x 60

Snatch pull
1 x 90, 95, 97.5

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 90, 90, 90, 100

Clean pull
1 x 110, 2 x 120

Front squat
2 x 110, 2 x 115, 2 x 120

running 30 minutes easy

Daily report

Body:good
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Took it very light today. Reduced calories a bit yesterday (had muffin, pita bread, babaghanoush, eggs, cheese, tomato only) and liquids somewhat. Shaved my head last night too, which may have accounted for 1/2 lb. Bodyweight was 153.0# before last meal last night. Probably going to hover around 154.0# for most of Friday before sweating the rest off at night.
Track of the day:Yngwie Malmsteen - Caught in the Middle

Rest, AHU preparations

2012-01-12T00:00:00.002-05:00

Did not train today; rested.

---

Arrowhead is in 3 weeks. I still have more to do but I do believe I'm in a good state of preparation at the moment. We've had snow here in NYC only once since the summer, and it was before Halloween. Although things have been milder than normal between Duluth and International Falls, there is a decent amount of snow on the Arrowhead trails (with some bare spots) and it is getting colder.

I just noticed that Major Brian Chontosh, Navy Cross recipient, is on the race roster.

Some gear I've put together: bivy tent, winter sleeping bag, insulated sleeping pad, trekking poles, 1qt vacuum cannisters, mini stove, reflective tape, flashing LED, rope, snow pants, neck gaiter, carabiners, whistle, headlamp, handwarmers, winter gloves. So far this weighs about 18#.

Also, not in the picture below but I do already have a sled, sled poles, winter jacket and layering, secondary LED, knife, and 1pt stove.

I still need to buy a sled harness, ~15 Esbit tablets, matches, secondary headlamp, batteries, ~7-8000 calories of food.

Daily report

Body: good overall
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Good day. Need to make weight on Saturday morning but I ate as much as I wanted today and overhydrated to compensate. Tomorrow I will reduce caloric intake a little bit but probably not water. I'm at a better weight this week than what I was last meet (September).
Track of the day: Allen-Lande - Another Battle

Sn, C&J, BS, run, su

2012-01-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 2 x 70, 1x 70, 75, 75

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 95, 100, 105, 2 x 90

Clean pull
1 x 110, 120, 125, 130kg

Back squat
2 x 5 x 120kg

run 40 minutes with 24# vest

situps
1 x 60

Daily report

Body: pretty good
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Tapering down for Saturday's competition. Good day today.
Track of the day: Testament - Down For Life

swim, FS, Pr, PU

2012-01-09T23:59:00.005-05:00

Evening

underwater swims
1 x 25m
1 x 30m
1 x 35m
1 x 37.5m
1 x 25m

combat sidestroke
3 x 200m with brief rest

front squat
4 x 3 x 255#

Press
5 x 155#
3 x 155#
1 x 155#

pushups
2 x 50

shoulder dislocates

Daily report

Body: hip flexors, biceps are a little sore. decent overall. ankle is improving.
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Decent day overall.
Track of the day: Destruction - Black Mass

WPU, SU, long run

2012-01-08T22:59:00.001-05:00

Afternoon

Weighted pullups
3 x 30#
3 x 50#
3 x 60#
1 x 80#
1 x 80#

pullups
2-4-6-8-10-12

situps
1 x 75

Evening

run 2:30:00 at medium to hard pace
no weight

Daily report

Body:pretty good overall. Ankle swelling is almost gone. It's a little tender with extreme range of motion but most of the time don't notice it.
Sleep: 9 hr
Bodyweight: 157.0# after breakfast, 152.6# after run
Notes: Today went well. I hadn't run since Tuesday because of the minor ankle sprain. Iced and compressed it aggressively this week and had no issues on today's run. I felt like I was flying today. Makes sense since yesterday's session was low volume, plus I hadn't run in a few days, plus I didn't wear a vest today.
Track of the day: Blind Guardian - Nightfall

Sn, PC&J, BS, BE, Pr

2012-01-07T23:59:00.003-05:00

Afternoon

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 70, 70

Snatch pull
3 x 90, 1 x 100

Power clean + jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 100, 100

Back squat
2 x 5 x 125

Back extensions
2 x 10 x 20kg

Press
5 x 65kg
3 x 70kg

Daily report

Body: pretty good overall
Sleep: 10 hr
Notes: Tapering down for the meet. Things went well today. Although I'm very unenthused about the temperature hitting 60 today.
Track of the day:

swim, pu

2012-01-06T23:59:00.012-05:00

Evening

underwater swim
4 x 25m
2 x 30m

combat sidestroke
4 x 50m hard

dolphin kicks no arms, no feet
2 x 25m

weighted pullups
3 x 3 x 60#

pullups
3 x 10

reverse wrist curls
3 x 10 x ?

split jerk practice
shoulder dislocates

Daily report

Body: mostly ok. ankle is a little less swollen. sore chest/lats.
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Decent day.
Track of the day: Onslaught - Burn

C&J, Sn pl, FS, Pr, SU, PU

2012-01-05T23:16:00.001-05:00

Evening

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115, 117.5kg

Power clean
2 x 90

Snatch pull
2 x 90, 2 x 95, 2 x 95, 2 x 95, 2 x 95

Front squat with 2 sec pause
4 x 2 x 110kg

Press
3 x 5 x 60kg

Situps unanchored
3 x 50

Pushups
3 x 50

Daily report

Body: overall well rested. rolled ankle from Sunday has bruised over.
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes:Worked up to a 117.5 C&J today, my last heavy lift before next week's competition. Clean felt pretty strong so hopefully I'll be able to more than this at the meet. Didn't snatch today because of my forearm. Don't know how the meet's going to go with the messed up forearm but we'll see. And I opted not to run because my ankle/shin area is a little sprained from Sunday.
Track of the day: Immolation - Put my Hand in the Fire

Rest

2012-01-04T23:59:00.000-05:00

Rest

Daily report

Body: overall decent. forearm hurting.
Sleep: 7 hr
Track of the Day: Emperor - Inno A Satana

Cl, Sn, Rjk, BS, Sn pl, run

2012-01-03T23:59:00.001-05:00

Evening

Clean
1 x 50, 60, 70, 90, 100, 105, 110, 115, 110

Snatch
1 x 50, 70, 70, 75, 75, 80, 85x, 85x, 80x

Rack jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90x2, 100x2, 105, 105, 110x

Back squat
10 x 120kg

Snatch pull - 2 ground + 2 hang
3 x 1 x 90

run 80 minutes decent pace
no vest

Daily report

Body: soreness in hammies behind the knee but otherwise good
Sleep: 6.5 hr
Notes: What started off as a decent day became even better as my run was in 14.5F temp with wind chill of -1F...coldest run of the season! My left forearm is killing me on snatch though. And 10 reps at 265# back squat is a PR.
Track of the day: Judas Priest - Nostradamus

FS, Pr, PJ, PU, SU

2012-01-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

Evening

Front squat with 2 sec pause
3 x 3 x 245#
1 x 1 x 265#

Press
5 x 155#
3 x 155#
1 x 155#

Power jerk
2 x 3 x 185#

Pullups
2 x 15

Situps
2 x 60

Daily report

Body: legs slightly tired, ankle is a little swollen and sore
Sleep: 9 hr
Notes: Strong today. Opted not to run today since I didn't want to aggravate my ankle any further. I threw my name into the lottery for Utah's Wasatch 100 in September today. Not sure what my chances of getting selected are but can't hurt to try.
Track of the day: Motorhead - Iron Fist

Palisades with a vest

2012-01-02T02:21:00.000-05:00

Afternoon into evening

run/walk 7 hours, 30 minutes with 25# weighted vest
from Harlem to Palisades Park past the NJ/NY state line and back

Overlooking the Hudson and Yonkers

Daily report

Body: Legs a little tired but overall ok.
Sleep: 9 hr
Notes: Nice long training day today. Because of the length of the run I decided to go for adequate caloric intake over glycogen depletion. The first 3 hours or so were pretty easy. Right around then I rolled my ankle. By now I'm a pro at this...spent 2 minutes writhing on the ground, tightened my shoes, and walked it off gingerly for the next 45 minutes. I guess this kept the swelling away and after that I was able to finish off the run with very little pain. Weather was unseasonably warm (50F) which was disappointing, but it did rain for at least half the run. Very glad to get in over 4 hours of dark training with my headlamp, especially on wet, technical trails.
Track of the day: Ensiferum - Hero in a Dream

2011-2012

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

"New Year's Resolutions are for losers. Just live the life you want and reach goals all the time. End of story."
-- Jim Wendler

In 2012 I'm just going to keep on plugging away at my goals:

Be the best combined endurance-strength athlete there is
Become a Naval Officer and get to BUD/S

Rjk, Sn, PC, BS

2011-12-31T22:40:00.002-05:00

Afternoon

Rack jerk
1 x 50, 50, 70, 90, 100, 107.5, 112.5, 117.5x, 117.5, 122.5x, 122.5x, 122.5x

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85x, 85x, 85x

Power clean
2 x 90, 90, 90, 90

Back squat
3 x 120
3 x 130
1 x 140

Daily report

Body: sore legs
Sleep: 10 hr
Notes: Went heavy today and didn't end up so well. On a positive note I tried out a wrist brace while snatching and my forearm didn't hurt as much. It's a bandaid only but I'll take it for now. Tomorrow got my peak training run for Arrowhead. Hoping to do at least 7 hrs with the vest.
Track of the day:Nile - Kafir

underwaters, CSS, sprints

2011-12-30T23:27:00.004-05:00

Evening

Underwaters
6 x 25m
1 x ~40m

combat sidestroke
400m easy
2 x 50m hard

run sprints
8 x 100yd at top of 60s

Daily report

Body: sore traps mostly
Sleep: 7 hr + 1.5 hr nap
Notes: My best underwaters ever today. The 25m were real easy. Tried to go as long as I could without pushing and made it to about 40m. Pretty confident I can get 50m if I push it. Maybe next time if I've got someone to watch I'll try 50.
Track of the day:Morbid Angel - Hatework

Sn, C&J, FS, Pr/PJ, GHD, run

2011-12-29T23:59:00.002-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85x, 85, 90x, 90x, 90x

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115, 122.5 (x jerk), 105kg

Front squat with 2-sec pauses
2 x 3 x 110kg

Press
3 x 50
2 x 60
3 x 70
2 x 75
0 x 80

Clean + Power jerk
3 x 80
3 x 95

GHD situps
3 x 10

running 60 minutes with 23# weighted vest

Daily report

Body: decently rested, still some lingering soreness
Bodyweight: 156#
Sleep: 3 hr nap + 7.5 hr
Notes: Snatches were real light off the floor but having some upper body issues. Because I injured my left shoulder earlier this year it's not as flexible as the right one anymore so my catch is always twisted. Furthermore I have a forearm splint on the left arm which is painful when I snatch. I think I have the lower body strength to snatch 95-100kg right now but my arms need to catch up. Clean and jerk...went for a PR but had a tough clean and no legs left for the jerk. Running out of time for my meet on Jan 14.
Track of the day:Queensryche - The Warning

Rest

2011-12-28T23:59:00.001-05:00

Rest

Daily report

Body:pretty sore overall
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Cut out caffeine today. Really needed this rest day.
Track of the day: Morbid Angel - Domination

PC+J, Sn, BS

2011-12-27T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Power clean + jerk
1 x 40, 50, 70, 2 x 90, 1 x 95, 100, 105, 111 (caught below)

Power snatch + overhead squat
1 x 50, 50, 60, 70, 75, 60, 60kg

Back squat
3 x 3 x 125kg

Daily report

Body: really sore in hamstrings and upper body
Sleep: 5.5 hr
Notes: Was really sore today so all I could do was a few lifts. I seem to not have recovered from Sunday's session.
Track of the day:Morbid Angel - Where the Slime Live

Run, Rjk, FS, WD, swim

2011-12-26T21:40:00.004-05:00

Afternoon

Run 2:10:00 easy pace
hilly terrain

Evening

Rack jerk
5 x 1 x 225#

Front squat
5 x 255#
5 x 255#
5 x 225# with 2-sec pauses

Weighted dips
3 x 60#
1 x 90#
5 x 50#
5 x 50#

Bent dumbell rows
10 x 60# each arm

swimming
5x underwaters
5:00 bobbing in 9 feet
easy combat sidestroke, didn't count laps

Daily report

Body: really sore back, hamstrings and biceps also sore.
Sleep: 10 hrs. Should mention that this was outside in a tent. Unfortunately didn't get that cold out last night. mid-30s only.
Notes: Sore back made for a really tough run today. Didn't take much away from the strength though.
Track of the day: Death - Pull The Plug

Cl pl, run ints, PU, curls

2011-12-25T19:40:00.003-05:00

Afternoon

Clean deadlifts
2 x 60, 2 x 90, 2 x 110, 2 x 120, 2 x 140 kg
1 x 160, 1x187.5 (fail)

Clean pull + 2 hang
1 x 160kg
1 x 145

Pullups
1 x 20 strict
1 x 20 kipping

running intervals
3:00 / rest 90s
2:00 / rest 90s
1:00

barbell curls
2 x 8 x 40kg

situps
1 x 50

Another vid

Daily report

Body: legs were aching a bit but mostly fine
Sleep: 7.5 hr
Notes: Merry Christmas. Tried some heavy pulls today. Tried a 412 lb deadlift but didn't make it. But the 160 DL and clean pulls went well.
Track of the day: Saxon - See The Light Shining

Rjk, BS, Pr

2011-12-24T20:39:00.005-05:00

Evening

Jerk
2 x 60, 2 x 80, 2 x 90, 2 x 100, 1 x 110, 2 x 110, 1 x 115kg

Back squat
3 x 5 x 130kg

Press
2 x 5 x 65kg

Some vids:

Daily report

Body:rested
Sleep: 9 hr
Notes: In Massachusetts for the holiday. Back has been sore of late so decided to skip pulls. Decent on the jerks today, but squats were pretty strong. Still having issues with pushing the jerks slightly forward as they get heavier though.
Track of the day: Sabaton - Into The Fire

Rest

2011-12-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

No training.

Daily report

Body: tired
Sleep: 7 hr

C&J, Sn, FS, Pr

2011-12-22T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115, 120 (x jerk), 120 (x), 120 (x)

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 70, 70, 75, 80x, 80x, 70, 60, 50, 50

Front squat
3 x 3 x 112.5

Press
5 x 65
3 x 65
1 x 65
10 x 50

Daily report

Body: really tired
Sleep: 6.5
Notes: Cleaned 120kg the first time pretty easy, but I crashed hard after that. I felt sort of burned out today. Opted not to run.

PU, run, SU

2011-12-21T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Wide grip pullups
3 x 15

run 30 minutes, hilly route

situps
1 x 75

Daily report

Body: tired
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes:
Track of the day: Gorgoroth - Begravelsesnatt

Sn, C&J, BS, Sn pl, run

2011-12-20T23:59:00.005-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 80, 85x, 85x, 85x, 70

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 105, 100, 100

Back squat
3 x 110, 125, 115, 110, 110

Snatch pulls
2 x 90, 2 x 90, 1 x 100+2 hang
2x105+2hang

run 60 minutes with 20# weighted vest

Daily report

Body: ok
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Legs were a bit weak today.

FS, Pr, row, hill ints

2011-12-19T22:33:00.004-05:00

Evening

Front squat
4 x 275#
5 x 265#

Press
3 x 155#
3 x 165#
3 x 155#

DB bent row
2 x 8 x 80# each

wrist rollups at 25#
3 sets of 2 complete rollups

hill intervals
45th ave hill
5x uphill, 1st at 95%, 2-5 at 85%

1:03, 1:14, 1:12, 1:11, 1:11

Daily report

Body: sore hip flexors and shoulders
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Strong day. Tied my PR for fastest climb up 45th ave.
Track of the day: Testament - Down for Life

Pool comp, WPU, vest run

2011-12-18T23:17:00.004-05:00

Evening

1h45m pool comp session in New Rochelle NY

mask-filled flutterkicks
mask-filled underwaters 25m
underwaters 25m
treading
mask retrieval+clearing with pants/shirt
bobbing in 12 feet
pushup/underwater pyramid
ditch+dons with pants/shirt/boots

Weighted pullups
5 x 50#
3 x 65#

run 2:00:00 with 30# weighted vest

Daily report

Body: back is sore
Sleep:10 hr
Notes: Great day at the pool with Steve M. Saw some good improvements in my lung capacity on the underwaters. Neither Steve nor I could do a full ditch+don on a single breath. This video is what a good one is supposed to look like, but we were in water twice as deep.
Track of the day: Flotsam&Jetsam - Bleed

BS, Pr, Sn pl

2011-12-17T22:23:00.003-05:00

Morning

Back squat
5 x 305#
5 x 275#

Press
5 x 145#
3 x 145#
1 x 145#

Snatch pull
2 x 5 x 225#

Hang snatch pull
1 x 5 x 245#

Daily report

Body: still a little sore, mostly in back
Sleep:7 hr
Notes:Quick workout today since I was at a family event for most of the day. I set a new 5RM PR for back squat with 305#.
Track of the day:Sabaton - Purple Heart

Rest

2011-12-16T23:59:00.000-05:00

No training.

Daily report

Body: sore back and forearms
Sleep: 6.5 hr
Notes:
Track of the day: Sabaton - Primo Victoria

cl pl, fs, rjk, pr, run

2011-12-15T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Clean pull
3 x 3 x 265#
1 x 285#

Front squat
3 x 3 x 245#
1 x 275#

Rack jerk
3 x 2 x 225#

Press (wide grip)
3 x 135#
3 x 145#
3 x 155#

run 35 min with 25# weighted vest

Daily report

Body: back is a little sore but mostly ok
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Short workouts today since I had corporate party tonight. Adjusted press width today because I am also going to do the same on my jerk to see if it makes it easier to lock out.
Track of the day: Sabaton - Coat of Arms

run, tgu, su, kb pr

2011-12-14T23:01:00.003-05:00

Evening

Run 85 minutes with 25# weighted vest

Turkish getups with 45# kettlebell
5-3-1 on each arm

situps
2 x 50

kettlebell presses 45#
2 x 10 on each arm

Daily report

Body: all of back is sore and generally tired overall
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Switching up my rest day to Friday this week.
Track of the day: Isengard - Neslepaks

PC, Rjk, HSn, BS

2011-12-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Power clean
1 x 50, 70, 90, 90, 100, 105 (below parallel), 100, 100

Jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110x, 110x, 2 x 100, 2 x 100

Hang snatches + full snatches + pulls
lots of reps with 40-70kg, focusing on technique

Back squat
3 x 110
3 x 120
3 x 120
3 x 120

Daily report

Body: upper body was sore, and a little tired overall
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Trying to focus a lot on my snatch technique to get it right before I go heavy. Wasn't very strong today but that's okay considering the intensity yesterday.
Track of the day: At the Gates - The Dying

FS, Pr, WPU, lockouts, hill ints

2011-12-12T23:02:00.005-05:00

Evening

Front squat
3 x 255#
4 x 275# (fail 5th)
5 x 255#
5 x 245#

Press
3 x 3 x 155#

Weighted pullups
8 x 45#
3 x 70#

Press lockouts (2-3" ROM)
3 x 3 x 185#

snatch / jerk practice

Hill intervals with 20# weighted vest
76th st hill
8x uphill / recover downhill

1:01, 1:02, 1:02, 1:07, 1:06, 1:05, 1:01, 0:54

Post-workout meal: 3 eggs, scrambled with monterey jack cheese inside a paratha. Then an apple, banana, and lots of whole milk.

Daily report

Body: pretty good overall
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Legs were working pretty well today despite 5 hours on the roads/trails yesterday. I decided to attempt 5x275# front squat today but came up with only 4 reps. Nevertheless it's one of my strongest squatting days ever and I should be able to make this by the end of the year. Front squatting 3 plates is not too far away...
Track of the day: Sepultura - Roots Bloody Roots

5 hr run

2011-12-11T23:04:00.004-05:00

Afternoon

Run/walk 5 hours with 20# weighted vest
Route: Elmhurst, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Forest Park, Rego Park, Flushing Meadows Park, Rego Park, Elmhurst.
intake: honey bun + 12 oz water

Daily report

Body: good all-around
Sleep: 10 hr
Notes: Pretty decent run today. Probably ran about 80% of the way. In preparation for the Arrowhead I slept in my MSS (modular sleep system) in my bivy tent indoors last night, which was quite comfortable. Soon I will actually move it outside. It probably won't get even within 30 degrees as cold at night here as on the Arrowhead course but it's the best I can do.
Track of the day: Opeth - Wreath

C&J, BS, Pr, Sn pl

2011-12-10T19:34:00.002-05:00

Afternoon

Clean + 2 jerks
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 110, 110kg (missed 2nd jerk)

Back squat
3 x 110
3 x 125
3 x 130
3 x 130
3 x 125kg

Press
3 x 5 x 60kg

High-hang snatch pulls
2 x 3 x 90kg
2 x 3 x 100kg

5-second snatch grip static holds (from blocks)
100, 110, 130, 130

snatch practice w/ empty bar
jerk practice w /empty bar

Daily report

Body: still a little sore in hamstrings but otherwise ok
Sleep: 9 hr
Notes:Decent day. I'm going to be spending a little while just working on different elements of the snatch rather than the full lifts, since I have a technical error that will need a few weeks to wrinkle out. (My 2nd pull involves too much swing.)
Track of the day: Jeff Beck - Spanish Boots

Hill ints, pushups, situps

2011-12-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

Afternoon

C0C #1
3 x 10

Evening

Hill intervals
41st ave hill
5x uphill / recover downhill

1:07, 1:16, 1:17, 1:17, 1:10

Pushups
3 x 40

Situps
3 x 40

Daily report

Body: hamstrings are a little sore
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes:
Track of the day: Queensryche - Get Started

HSn, C&J

2011-12-08T23:45:00.002-05:00

Evening

Hang snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 70, 80, 85x, 85x, 90x, 90x

Clean and jerk
1 x 60, 80, 90, 100, 100, 100, 90

Clean pull
3 x 125
3 x 130
3 x 125

Press
5 x 65
5 x 60

Pullups
1 x 20

60 minutes run with 25# weighted vest
medium/fast pace

Daily report

Body: mostly good, upper body is still a little sore
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes:Went light on the lifts today but the rest day from running on Tuesday allowed me to pick up the pace today.
Track of the day: Savatage - Morphine Child

Rest

2011-12-07T23:59:00.001-05:00

No training.

Daily report

Body: sore traps and shoulders, otherwise ok
Sleep: 6.5 hr + 1 hr total nap

C&J, HSn, BS

2011-12-06T22:23:00.004-05:00

Evening

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115, 119 (x jerk), 124 (x clean), 124 (x jerk), 2 x 90

Hang snatch
2 x 50, 60, 70, 1 x 80, 0 x 85, 0 x 85
2 x 70

Back squat
10 x 115kg

Daily report

Body:a little stuffy today, but otherwise ok.
Sleep:8 hr
Notes: Today was good for two reasons: First, I set my first lifting PR in a long time - cleaned 124kg / 273 lb. Second, Antonio Krastev was at the gym tonight - which certainly motivates you to lift a little heavier. I opted not to run tonight; need to get up early to got to Philly tomorrow for work so I am going to lose some sleep.
Track of the day: Samael - Moonskin

FS, Pr, hill ints

2011-12-05T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Front squat
3 x 5 x 255#

Press
1 x 135, 155, 165, 175, 185x, 185x
5 x 155#

hill intervals with 25# weighted vest
76th st hill
6x uphill at 85% / recover down
ranged 0:55- 1:02

Daily report

Body: hip flexors are pretty sore and abs are bruised from the vest run.
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Went for a press PR today but came up short. The 175# went up pretty easily but couldn't get the 185# to budge.
Track of the day: Cryptopsy - Abigor

Pool comp , vest run

2011-12-04T23:21:00.002-05:00

Afternoon

Weighted pullups
3 x 15#
3 x 40#
3 x 60#

Pool competency session
YMCA in New Rochelle, NY

mask clearings
underwaters
bobbing
underwaters + pushup pyramid
snorkeling harassment
mask dives with pants and t-shirt

Evening

Run 2:05:00 with 25# weighted vest
to Flushing Meadows park and back
Easy pace for most of run then picked it up hard for the final 10 minutes

Daily report

Body: shoulders and legs are pretty sore
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes: Did pool training with Steve M and Andrew M today who are both training for PJ.
Track of the day: Iron Maiden - Judgement of Heaven

Sn, Cl, Rjk, BS, Cl pl, GHD

2011-12-03T23:04:00.003-05:00

Afternoon

Power snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 75, 75, 75x, 60, 60, 60

Clean
1 x 60, 80, 90, 100, 110, 110 (x), 110, 105

Rack jerk
2 x 70, 90, 100
1 x 105, 110 (x), 105 (x)

Back squat
2 x 5 x 110

Clean pull
3 x 125
3 x 135

GHD situps
2 x 10

Daily report

Body: very sore in delts / abs
Sleep:9 hr
Notes: Weak today. I tried switching up my Thursday run (long) and Friday run (short intervals) this week to see what the effects were, and it didn't help.
Track of the day: King Diamond - The Trial

vest run / pushups

2011-12-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

50 minute weighted vest run with 20#

1 x 100 pushups

Daily report

Body: quads were really tight but mostly ok
Sleep: 6.5 hr
Notes: The 100 pushups today was hard.
Track of the day: Cryptopsy - Abigor

C&J, Sn, FS, hill ints

2011-12-01T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115 (x jerk), 95, 105, 105

Power Snatch / Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 80x, 80, 82.5 (full), 87.5 (full), 90 (full), 95 x

Snatch pull
2 x 100

Front squats
2 x 5 x 110

Press
5 x 62.5

hill intervals in 20# weighted vest
5x uphill 74th St hill at 90% / recover downhill easy

1:13, 1:14, 1:15, 1:16, 1:13

Daily report

Body: a little achy, from cold temp while sleeping.
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Well I snatched 90kg for the first time in a long time, and I came pretty close to 95kg! Lost it behind me, which means I got it high enough so pulling strength is probably not the issue. JP was telling me how my knees are getting in the way of the bar on the way up so possible solutions are to take a very wide pulling stance or to do the opposite and to take a frog style stance. I'm going to experiment some.
Track of the day: Children of Bodom - Cry of the Nihilist

Rest day

2011-11-30T23:59:00.001-05:00

No training.

Daily report

Body: felt great
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes:
Track of the day: Rainbow - Man on the Silver Mountain

Sn, C&J, BS, vest run

2011-11-29T23:59:00.001-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 80x, 80, 85, 90x, 90x, 75

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 110, 110

Back squat
5 x 130
5 x 132.5

run 45 minutes with 20# weighted vest

Daily report

Body: mostly good
Sleep:8 hr
Notes: Pretty decent day. Probably the most I've back squatted for 5 reps.
Track of the day:Arch Enemy - Enemy Within

FS,Pr,WPU

2011-11-28T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Front squat
5 x 3 x 255#

Press
2 x 5 x 145#

Weighted pullups
1 x 5 x 55#

Daily report

Body:quads are pretty sore
Sleep:4 hours
Notes: Only got a couple hours of sleep so thought it was best not to do too much tonight.
Track of the day: Sepultura - Ratamahatta

Does LSD training really cause oxidative stress?

2011-11-28T14:43:00.004-05:00

I'd like to comment on some unsound conclusions I've seen made recently regarding the HIT / LSD debate. This was mostly precipitated by Charles Poliquin's article "The (Many) Negatives of Aerobic Training" published 1-Nov-2011 and subsequently the blog post "Charles Poloquin on the Negative Effects of Volume-Based Endurance Training" on Zone 5 Endurance. As expected, the folks over at Crossfit Endurance have embraced these articles as evidence that the science supports their unconventional methodology.

The main conclusion offered by the Zone 5 article is that LSD training is bad for your health, but HIT training is good for you. Indeed it's stated,

"though Poliquin identifies aerobic exercise as the source of many negative effects, it seems the evidence he cites largely points to traditional, volume-based endurance training as the culprit"

The irony that is lost on the author is that while excessive oxidative stress can have negative health effects, most of these health effects are caused by intensive aerobic training! In other words, intensity - the training variable that Crossfit Endurance elevates over volume - is actually the villain to which they attribute health drawbacks. They will continue to demonize LSD without acknowledging that it means long slow distance, not long fast distance.

The primary health effect up for discussion in these articles is chronic inflammation as measured by cortisol levels and aging. The Kirschbaum study is mentioned as evidence that traditional long slow distance programs lead to elevated cortisol levels. Yet the conclusion from the study states, "these data suggest that repeated physical stress of intensive training and competitive races among endurance athletes is associated with elevated cortisol exposure over prolonged periods of time."

In other words, the researcher believes it's the intensity of training and racing that is responsible for elevated cortisol.

Similarly, the Packer study states, "strenuous physical exercise induces oxidative stress." This alone is a death blow to the conclusion that HIT is superior to LSD training. After all, high intensity is by definition strenuous. What is most interesting is that the study doesn't specifically mention aerobic exercise as a culprit in oxidative stress. The articles go on to cite studies by Marzatico and Martarelli which demonstrate that the levels of oxidative stress for a sprinter were half that of a distance runner. The conclusion offered is that there is a "significant difference between volume-based training used by marathoners versus strength- and intensity-based protocols used by sprinters." The studies don't tell us what the specific training protocols were, but it's reasonable to assume that the sprinters spent most of their time sprinting (anaerobic) and the marathoners spent most of their time distance running (aerobic). Given that both HIT and LSD type training protocols are aerobic, these studies don't offer any evidence to believe one to be inferior to the other in terms of health benefits.

The fact that intense exercise induces no insignificant amount of oxidative stress is well-documented. In 2010 Deminice et al concluded that the "anaerobic training bout proposed induces oxidative stress and cell muscle damage markers as well as modulates some antioxidants of competitive swimmers." Another study in 2003 by Büyükyazi demonstrated that interval training and continuous training both induced increased production of growth hormone and cortisol levels.

Poliquin does offer a follow-up article entitled "How to Counter the Many Negatives of Aerobic Training." His basic suggestions are to do more strength/anaerobic training and to consume anti-inflammatories such as omega-3, creatine, zinc and Vitamin E. I think these are sensible suggestions. Note that Poloquin doesn't suggest reducing long slow distance in favor of high intensity interval training.

In all these articles and studies, I've yet to see anything that suggests that true long slow distance causes severe oxidative stress problems. Instead what I'm finding is that the more high-intensity aerobic exercised performed, the greater the long-term stress indicators placed on the body. Though not necessarily backed by scientific reasoning, Mark Sisson seems to agree, saying that several hours of low intensity aerobic exercise and a couple minutes of high intensity exercise helped him feel far healthier when compared to many hours of high intensity aerobic exercise weekly.

I will go even further and suggest that an endurance training program designed primarily on aerobic intensity will be detrimental to performance and possibly health. Virtually all endurance athletes in the world have "hard days" and "light days" and variations thereof, because they know that constant intensity in aerobic training is sub-optimal. Certainly high intensity aerobic training has benefits, and it should certainly be incorporated along with low intensity aerobic exercise in an endurance training program. However, neither the current anecdotal data nor the clinical data support the idea that low-volume high intensity training is superior to low-intensity aerobic exercise for health or performance.

I'd also like to make one final point about the dichotomy between health and performance. Even if it were proven that one type of training had some negative health risks, one still needs to recognize that top-level performance is often at odds with optimal health. All athletes who pursue elite level performance inherently risk (or even require) detriment to health and safety. I'm certain that Ryan Hall has little concern for any cortisol indicators that may be found in his hair samples, when he gets paid to accomplish such feats as a sub-2:05 marathon. Therefore when I read that a certain training methodology is superior, I'm forced to ask: better for what - performance or health?

References:

Büyükyazi, G, et al. "Effects of continuous and interval running training on serum growth and cortisol hormones in junior male basketball players." Acta Physiol Hung. 2003.

Deminice R, et al. "Oxidative stress biomarker responses to an acute session of hypertrophy-resistance traditional interval training and circuit training." J Strength Cond Res. 2010

Poliquin, Charles. "The (Many) Negatives of Aerobic Training." 2011. http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/728/The_%28Many%29_Negatives_of_Aerobic_Training.aspx.

Poliquin, Charles. "How to Counter The Many Negatives of Aerobic Training" 2011. http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/734/How_to_Counter_The_Many_Negatives_of_Aerobic_Train.aspx.

Sisson, Mark. "A Case Against Cardio". http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/ 2008.

Zone 5 Endurance. "Charles Poliquin on The Negative Effects of Volume-Based Endurance Training". 2011. http://www.zone5endurance.com/?p=1501.

Mt Wachusett

2011-11-27T18:17:00.005-05:00

Afternoon

5+ hours (running and hiking) at Mount Wachusett - Princeton, MA

Daily report

Body: good
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes: Great day of mountain running today. I spent a lot of time hiking because some of the trails on the mountain are very technical, but I also got in some fast running. Included in there was about 6 ascents and fast descents of a ski trail (there's no snow yet). Weather was quite warm and comfortable. I did base camp to summit via Pine Trail in 12:43 - faster than the last few times I've done that and I wasn't even going hard.
Track of the day: Blind Guardian - Nightfall

PJ, Cl pl, Sn pl/d, BS, Pr

2011-11-26T19:54:00.004-05:00

Afternoon

Power jerk
5 x 2 x 100kg

Clean pull
3 x 3 x 100kg

Snatch pull
2 x 3 x 80kg

Snatch deadlift
2 x 5 x 95kg

Back squat
2 x 5 x 125kg

Press
4 x 3 x 70kg

Daily report

Body:mostly good, lats are a bit sore though
Sleep:8 hr
Notes: Another garage workout so no full-lifts, but today went pretty well and I felt very strong. I got a sled today and some PVC and fiberglass poles that I'll be using for my pulk at Arrowhead. Tomorrow I'm going to be running at Mt Wachusett.
Track of the day: Dissection - Elisabeth Bathory

Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

2011-11-25T18:42:00.011-05:00

I'd like to write down my thoughts on what sort of strength training (ST) routine is optimal for an endurance athlete, as this is a question I'm asked often. The recommendations below are based partly on my experience, consulting with some very skilled athletes and coaches, and reading about what has or has not worked for other endurance athletes. I have not tried out the template myself, since I have other goals, but it is a framework I think many athletes could follow if interested. Take from it what you will.

The purpose of this template is to provide an endurance athlete with a routine that will keep them healthy, make them more resistant to injury, and provide strength in a way that will benefit performance. When I say "endurance athlete" I'm referring to people such as long distance runners, hikers, triathletes, rowers, distance swimmers, mountaineers, and any athlete whose sport is primarily aerobic in nature.

It's important to note that increased strength for strength's sake will not always be beneficial for the endurance athlete. Strength training must fit in the context of the athlete's training, or else it can be highly counterproductive. Additionally, when we discuss strength training, we can't confuse cross training with strength training. ST increases strength, which is a measurement of the maximal application of force. There are other products of ST, but any type of training that does not have increased strength as its primary goal is not ST.

Given the above, we have to consider why an endurance athlete should spend time doing ST when their sport utilizes minimal or no application of force. There are a few advantages that I see:

ST done properly not only strengthens muscles, but also tendons, ligaments, and bone.
Direct training of a body part via ST can assist in correcting muscle imbalances that occur from endurance training or from prior injuries.
ST can enhance an athlete's hormonal profile. Excessive endurance training can decrease testosterone in men, and ST can reverse this process somewhat. For both men and women, endurance training can result in high amounts of cortisol release. While ST will also release cortisol in the short term, it's my belief that it will bring about balance in the long term.
ST can increase speed and power. At worst this could mean a slightly faster kick in the last minute of a race, and at best it could mean dramatic increases in overall race performance.
Some athletes may become more motivated when they notice they are gaining strength, which in turn can result in better performance.
It is possible to gain a significant amount of strength with no increase in muscle mass or overall bodyweight.
Certain strength exercises can increase and maintain flexibility, which can prevent tight muscles that may lead to injury.

There are some disadvantages of strength training for an endurance athlete:

If not ramped up correctly, ST can cause fatigue and soreness, which can result in degraded endurance training sessions. This can lead to slower performance.
For an endurance athlete new to ST, there are new skills to learn which may have a steep learning curve.

Despite these disadvantages, I believe all endurance athletes should engage in a modicum of ST. But what exercises to choose, and why?

There are hundreds of great exercises, but when it comes to fitting within the context of the endurance athlete's schedule, I am going to reduce the primary routine to a handful: front squat, clean pull, strict press, and straight-legged hanging leg raise. With less frequency I would also recommend the KB/DB-swing (Russian-style only), strict pullup, and back squat.

What is so great about these exercises is that they can develop a notable amount of strength, speed, power, and flexibility with little learning curve. They also cover every major muscle group and movement pattern one may be tasked with in endurance sport. Here are some reasons why I am a fan of each of these exercises for endurance athletes:

Front squat: Strengthens the entire lower body along with the abdomen. Promotes flexibility of the hips and shoulders. Easier to maintain upright positioning than the back squat, which makes it safer for the uninitiated.
Back squat: Strengthens the entire lower body and the entire back, and allows greater loads than the front squat. The king of all strength exercises.
Clean pull: Strengthens the rear of the legs, the lower back, the forearms, and the trapezius. Better than the conventional deadlift because it is great at building explosive strength; also because it requires an arched back and the deadlift does not, making it less likely than the deadlift to cause injury in the uninitiated athlete.
Swing: Strengthens the lower back and hips. Promotes rapid opening and closing of the hips, which is key to nearly all endurance sports. Allows flexibility of hips.
Pullup: Strengthens the biceps, forearms, lats, and delts. Very easy to learn and to maintain proper form.
Hanging leg raise: Strengthens the hip flexors, abdomen, and lats, and requires far greater core strengthto complete than most any other abdominal exercise. Promotes flexibility of the quadriceps and shoulders.
Strict press: Strengthens the triceps, trapezius, biceps, deltoids, and abdomen. Very easy to learn and to maintain proper form.

Below is a general purpose ST plan I might suggest for an athlete whose primary athletic goal is endurance and not strength.

(click to expand)

The above template is based on the expectation that the endurance athlete will only have at most 60 minutes three times per week to dedicate to strength training, and most of these sessions will take 35-55 minutes. Keep in mind that while the volume may seem low for an athlete looking to gain strength quickly, it is designed instead for athletes who may be running up to 80mpw or swimming 12 hours/weekly.

For weighted exercises, the template uses the schema sets x reps and does not include warm-up sets. When beginning a weighted exercise, the athlete should take 3-4 sets with a progressively heavier weight until a weight that can be used as the work set is reached. For the “C” days, the athlete should use a weight that can be used for all the specified sets and repetitions that is challenging but does not feel maximal. For these days it is very important that the athlete does not “grind” any repetitions; all repetitions should have the bar moving as fast as possible on the concentric portion. Maximal acceleration of the bar is key! For the “E” days, the athlete should feel as if he or she is being asked to “hold back” effort. There are no maximal effort days for weighted exercises because in my opinion they pose too great risk for the endurance athlete in terms of recovery and injury-risk, and their benefits can be achieved in other ways.

For the bodyweight exercises, no specified number of repetitions is given, since there will be high variability among athletes, but the athlete should use his or her judgment to select a repetition scheme that conforms to the effort level.

On all the exercises, maintaining perfect form is paramount. The actual technique of each of these exercises is another topic, but if the athlete ever finds him or herself breaking form to obtain a heavier load, it is time to step back and reduce the load. Sacrificing perfect form for load may be acceptable in strength sports at certain times, but in ST for endurance sport, it is unnecessary.

The endurance athlete would benefit from using weightlifting shoes and chalk, but any additional equipment would be unnecessary and possibly counterproductive.

This microcycle uses a gentle progression scheme, with week 3 involving the most work, and week 4 being a back-off week. After completion of the microcycle, the athlete can go ahead and restart using different loads, or can modify the schedule altogether to work on weaknesses that may have been identified in the microcycle.

Best of luck! Let me know if you find this useful, or if you have any comments or suggestions.

Shane

run, pu, su, pu

2011-11-25T18:37:00.003-05:00

Evening

Running
75 minutes at medium pace with hard final 5 min

Pullups
4 x 15

Situps
2 x 50

Pushups
1 x 50

Daily report

Body: hip flexors are a little sore but overall pretty good.
Sleep:8 hr
Notes: Ran on backroads in North/West Brookfield MA today.
Track of the day: Queensryche - Jet City Woman

PJ, Cl pl, FS, Pr

2011-11-24T20:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Power jerk
3 x 90, 3 x 90, 3 x 90
2 x 95
3 x 100kg

Clean pull
3 x 110, 3 x 110, 3 x 110
3 x 125kg

Front squat
5 x 110, 5 x 120, 5 x 110kg

Press
7 x 65kg

Daily report

Body: good
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes: Had a short workout at my parent's house but I felt very strong and was pleased to hit 5x120kg front squat. Happy Thanksgiving! Among other things I'm thankful for the ability to train hard and stay healthy so I can someday reach my goal.

Rest

2011-11-23T23:59:00.000-05:00

Rest

Daily report

Body: pretty good
Sleep: 8 hr
Notes: Bad part about today was that I sat for a half day at work and then sat on a bus for 7 hours so I got very tight.

PSn, C&J, BS, Sn pl

2011-11-22T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Power snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85x, 85x, 75, 75, 70

Clean and jerk
1 x 70, 70, 90, 100, 105, 105, 105, 105, 105

Back squat
1 x 10 x 110

1 Snatch pull + 2 pulls from hang
2 x 1 x 100

Snatch deadlift
5 x 90

Daily report

Body: Mostly good; abs and back are sore
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Decided to give my legs a break from running today.
Track of the day: Black Sabbath - War Pigs

FS, Pr, WPU, swings, hill ints

2011-11-21T23:35:00.003-05:00

Evening

Front squat
4 x 265# (fail 5th)
5 x 255#
5 x 245#

Press
2 x 5 x 145#

Weighted pullups
2 x 65#
2 x 75#
1 x 85#

Dumbbell swings
3 x 8 x 95#

Hill intervals with 20# weighted vest
45th Ave hill
5x uphill at 85% with run downhill recovery
1:28, 1:22, 1:22, 1:23, 1:24

Daily report

Body: back is a little sore still, but mostly good.
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Pretty solid day.
Track of the day: Queensryche - Get Started

Beef and long run

2011-11-20T16:49:00.005-05:00

Evening

CoC #1
3 x 6

run 90 minutes

45 minutes easy with 30# vest
45 minutes with no vest, first 35 min easy, last 10 min hard

1 x 75 situps, unanchored

This morning my Dad and I headed up to Fox Hill Farms in Ancramdale NY. They have about 90 British White cows and bulls who are fed only grass and apples and live low-stress lives. I got 1/2 a steer, so I've got enough healthy meat to last me a long time.

Daily report

Body: upper and lower back is sore, but otherwise good.
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Kept the mileage low today, as I plan on doing a longer run next Sunday.
Track of the day: Dream Theater - Pull Me Under

C&J, Sn, BS, OHS, Cl pl

2011-11-19T16:18:00.003-05:00

Afternoon

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 116, 122 (x jerk), 122 (pinned), 112

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 80x, 75, 80x, 70

Back squat
2 x 5 x 120

Overhead squat
3 x 5 x 50

Clean pull + 2 hang pulls
1 x 125, 1 x 130

Daily report

Body: delts and hip flexors are sore but overall good.
Sleep: 9 hr
Notes: I haven't cleaned more than 115 since September. The 122 would have been a C&J PR but the squat portion sapped all my energy. Things are looking up so I'm hoping to make some serious strength progress very soon.
Track of the day:Guns and Roses - It's So Easy

PU, hill ints

2011-11-18T23:59:00.001-05:00

Evening

CoC #1
3 x 12 each hand
closed about 90% each rep right hand, 75% left hand

Pullups
1 x 25 (slight kip last 2)
1 x 15
1 x 5

Hill intervals, no weight
76th St hill
4x hard uphill / run downhill
0:49, 0:48, 0:54, 0:47

Daily report

Body: sore delts
Sleep: 7.5 hr
Notes: Delts were sore, otherwise I would have been able to do over 25 pullups I think. I started cycling in creatine monohydrate today; haven't been on it since mid-September.
Track of the day: Finntroll - Grottans Barn

Sn, Rjk, PC, FS, rows, running

2011-11-17T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 70, 70, 75, 80

Overhead squat - slow
3 x 5 x 50

Rack jerk
2 x 100, 105, 105, 105 (x 2nd)

Power clean
1 x 90, 2 x 95, 95, 95, 1 x 100

Front squat
2 x 110, 2 x 120, 1 x 125, 2 x 115, 2 x 115

Hammer curls
2 x 6 x 45#

Bent dumbbell rows
2 x 10 x 95#

30 minutes easy run with 20# weighted vest

Daily report

Body: good although back was a little sore
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Decent day. I am going to be focusing on OHS because my snatch position is completely rotated when I catch.
Track of the day: Queensryche - The Warning

Rest

2011-11-16T23:59:00.002-05:00

Rest.

Daily report

Body: back is really sore
Sleep: 7.5 hr
Notes: Too much pulling on Tuesday...
Track of the day: Sisters of Mercy - This Corrosion

Rjk, Cl, Sn, Sn pl/d, vest run

2011-11-15T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Rack jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115x, 115x, 105, 110

Clean
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 110, 110

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 80x, 80, 85

Snatch deadlift
3 x 110

Snatch pull
2 x 3 x 70

80 minutes weighted vest run with 17#

Daily report

Body: ok
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Legs were toast today, but I did manage to snatch 85 which I have not done in some time. The vest run also trashed my legs and I'm sure I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
Track of the day: Satyricon - K.I.N.G.

BS, Pr, curls, hill ints

2011-11-14T23:59:00.001-05:00

Afternoon

CoC #1
2 x 10 sec max holds

Evening

Back squat
3 x 5 x 275#

Press
3 x 5 x 135#

Hammer curls
2 x 10 x 35#

reverse wrist curls
3 x 12 x 10#

Hill intervals with 17# weighted vest
4x uphill 95%, recover downhill easy
1:16, 1:16, 1:20, 1:13

Daily report

Body: pretty good
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Pretty solid day.
Track of the day: Metallica - Am I Evil

Forest park long run

2011-11-13T23:59:00.007-05:00

Afternoon

CoC #1
3 x 10 each hand

Evening

run 2:40 with 25# weighted vest + trekking poles
~1 hr on trails
~35 min walking

Daily report

Body: fine
Sleep:
Notes: First time using my new trekking poles. I tried not to draw too much attention to myself but when running the streets of Queens in a weighted vest, trekking poles, and black underarmor at night it's hard to do. I only carried the poles while on the road, and then expanded them and used them when on the trails. I find that aerobically the weighted vest running is not more difficult, but it makes my legs more prone to soreness especially in the hip flexors.
Track of the day: Iced Earth - The Coming Curse

PC+J, PSn, Sn pl, FS, Grips

2011-11-12T23:59:00.000-05:00

Afternoon

Power clean + 2 jerks
5 x 1 x 100

Power snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75x, 75x, 70, 70

Snatch pull
3 x 3 x 90

Front squat
3 x 110
3 x 120
2 x 126 (x 3rd rep)
3 x 120
3 x 120

CoC #1
3 x 10 each hand

Daily report

Body: legs a little sore but overall good
Sleep:9 hr + 1 hr nap
Notes: I'm definitely making some headway on my squat strength. I need to start doing a lot more pulls and deadlifts to regain some of the snatch pulling strength I no longer have.
Track of the day:Chastain - I Fear No Evil

WPU, hill ints

2011-11-11T23:59:00.002-05:00

Evening

Weighted pullups
4 x 10 x 19#

Hill intervals on 76th St
6x uphill at 90% / walk downhill
ranged 52-56s

Daily report

Body: upper back is sore, otherwise good though. Over my cold definitely.
Sleep:6 hr
Notes: Worked late, kept volume low since I'm working out Saturday afternoon.
Track of the day: Edguy - Key to My Fate

Sn, C&J, BS, Pr, vest run

2011-11-10T23:59:00.000-05:00

Evening

Snatch
1 x 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85x 85x, 75, 80x, 70

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115, 115 (x jerk), 115, 105

Back squat
2 x 5 x 120

Press
3 x 67.5
3 x 65
3 x 62.5
3 x 60

60 minutes run with 25# vest

Daily report

Body:
Sleep: 8.5 hr
Bodyweight: 155.0 lb - consistently
Notes: Decent day coming off some rest. On snatch I can't get a straight 1st pull due to hips rising faster than shoulders - need to do more snatch deadlifts.
Track of the day:Vaden Plas - I Can See

Rest

2011-11-09T23:59:00.000-05:00

No training.

Daily report

Body: A little congested.
Sleep:4 hrs

Rjk, Sn pl, Cl pl, FS, vest run

2011-11-08T23:56:00.002-05:00

Evening

Rack jerk
1 x 135#, 155#, 185#, 195#, 225#, 225#, 225#, 225#, 225#

Snatch pull + 2 hang pulls
5 x 1 x 155#

Clean pull + 2 hang pulls
4 x 1 275#

Front squat
3 x 5 x 225#

vest run, 30 minutes easy with 25#

Daily report

Body: Much better. Woke up feeling good and got progressively better throughout the day. I took about 50,000 IU of Vitamin D this morning for a total of 150,000 IU over the last 36 hours. Obviously it worked because I'm just about over my cold already.
Sleep: 5 hr
Notes: LBH closed due to Election Day so I lifted at my neighborhood gym. Felt reasonably strong today.
Track of the day: Iron Maiden - The Talisman

BS, Pr, curls, hill ints

2011-11-07T23:59:00.001-05:00

Evening

Back squat
3 x 285#
2 x 295#
1 x 305#
1 x 295#
1 x 285#
3 x 275#

Press
3 x 5 x 145#

wrist hyperextension curls (to prevent forearm injuries)
3 x 10 x 20#

hammer curls
1 x 10 x 40#

hill sprints
74th st hill
3 x hard up / walk down
0:59, 1:01, 1:00

Daily report

Body: Came down with a cold today. Pretty sure it had something to do with being in a pool and shivering for 2 hrs yesterday. I hate being sick because it ruins my reputation of never getting sick. I think the last time I had a cold was May 2010.
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Didn't go that hard today so as to allow some recovery, but the cold didn't affect my work capacity at all today. Also, I mega dosed on Vitamin D today to try to cure the cold. Took about 100,000 IU worth.
Track of the day: Mercyful Fate - Evil

water comp, heavy vest run

2011-11-06T21:28:00.004-05:00

Afternoon

@ the Nassau County Aquatic Center
1.5 hrs of pool comp including:
bobbing
underwaters (relay format)
mask clearing
mask diving/switching
buddy mask switching

Evening

90 minutes with 45# weighted vest
30 min run / 35 min walk / 25 min run

Daily report

Body:pretty good. I've been a consistent 155-156# the past couple weeks and I'm feeling very lean (probably 7% BF). Colder weather is burning more calories.
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Good day, trained with a couple of PJ candidates, Steve and Andrew. Steve taught me how to do mask clearings underwater, which is a simple skill but very useful. Weighted vest run wasn't so bad on my legs but was brutal on my shoulders.
Track of the day: Chastain - Black Knight

Rjk, PC, HSn, Sn pl, BS, pu

2011-11-05T21:00:00.003-04:00

Afternoon

Jerks from rack
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100
4 x 2 x 105
1 x 110

Power clean
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 105, 111 (caught slightly below parallel)

Hang snatch
2 x 50, 2 x 60, 2 x 70, 2 x 80, 0 x 85, 0 x 85, 2 x 70, 0 x 82.5

Snatch pull
3 x 90

Back squat
5 x 115
5 x 122.5

Pullups
1 x 20

Daily report

Body: mostly good. My left forearm is still bugging me when I snatch. Think it's a case of forearm splints cause by top/bottom forearm imbalance. I'm going to do wrist extensions to fix it.
Sleep: 11 hr + 1.5 hr nap
Notes: Pretty decent day. Not yet in shape to set any PRs but within another couple weeks I will set a PR.
Track of the day: Queensryche - Empire

Rest

2011-11-04T23:59:00.000-04:00

Some grip work w/ CoC #1 but otherwise nothing.

Daily report

Body: underrecovered
Sleep:7 hr
Notes: Felt not so great today and worked late so no workout.
Track of the day: Lord Vader - Go On

C&J, Sn, Cl pl, Sn

2011-11-03T23:59:00.000-04:00

Evening

CoC #1
3 x 10 each hand
max reps each hand - 3 on right, almost 1 on left

Clean and jerk
1 x 50, 70, 90, 100, 110, 115, 122.5 (pinned), 122.5 (miss rack), 110

Snatch
1 x 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85 (x), 85 (x), 80

Clean pull
3 x 110
5 x 120

Front squat
3 x 3 x 110

Daily report

Body: ok
Sleep:7.5 hr
Notes: No luck on the C&J PR attempt. Jerks were good today but legs weren't strong enough to get up with 270. Couldn't run today because I had to go back to work after lifting...yippee.
Track of the day:Edguy - Paradise

CoC, WPU, hill ints, SU

2011-11-02T23:06:00.003-04:00

Afternoon

CoC #1 gripper
2 x 10 each hand

random attempts throughout the day
got 3 in a row with the right hand

Evening

Weighted pullups with 24.5# vest
3 x 12

hill intervals
76th st hill
6x uphill hard / walk downhill
0:56, 0:58, 0:50, 0:50, 0:49, 0:48

situps unanchored
1 x 75

Daily report

Body: A little sore but overall ok
Sleep: 7 hr
Notes: Good day, low volume.
Track of the day: Gorgoroth – Begravelsesnatt