COACH THIB JOURNAL 4

Monday, January 31st

So, after an intense discussion with myself, I adapted my strategy to take into account my desire to work on my Olympic lifting technique and performance (which is not a change of end game since I was training as a weightlifter when I established my best 40 yards sprint).

As I explained (a few times), my limitations for now are mostly related to mobility; specifically overhead and front rack mobility.

And since I haven’t done the Olympic lifts seriously in over 10 years, I have lots to do technique-wise.

I still need to gain strength and explosiveness to reach my end goal (sprinting fast). My secondary goals are piling up so I decided to adapt my periodization scheme to more of an Issurin block periodization approach.

Essentially, I will use short mesocycles of 6-8 weeks (mostly 6) composed of three blocks:

Block I –  Accumulation / General development: here the goal is to use a larger number of exercises to develop technique and the whole body. Essentially my goal during these blocks is to improve technical mastery of the snatch (and eventually clean), improve mobility to do every lifts as efficiently as possible, and build the key muscles required to achieve my secondary (Olympic lifting performance) and primary (a fast 40 yards sprint) goals. The volume is higher (mostly through more practice sets and a greater number of accessory exercises) and the intensity is lower. This category of block will be 3 weeks long.

Block II – Intensification / Specific development: the number of accessory exercises decrease, and they are selected to be more similar/specific to my current objective. For example, I will do more front squats than back squats, more snatch/clean deadlifts than hip thrusts or reverse hyper. The overall volume of the sessions is lower (even though more sets can be done per exercise, but there are less exercises and fewer repetitions) and the intensity is higher. This category of block will be 2 weeks long.

Block III – Peaking: during this block the amount of strength work is minimized while there is an increase in the volume spent on the snatch (and eventually the clean) as well as explosive exercises like jumps, depth jumps, loaded jumps, etc. In fact, this is very similar to the “power” blocks I had originally planned. This category of block will be 1 week long.

Depending on how I’m feeling, I might have a recovery week after each 6 weeks cycle in which I will only do mobility and light technique work.

Today’s training

I did my warm-up routine twice in a row today. Not for any physical reason but because my wife was doing power cleans on the platform and I couldn’t do my snatch work.

Turns out to be a positive as I was markedly smoother and faster.

My workout was as follow:

1. Snatch technique work (this is essentially empty bar work for 10-15 minutes)
2. Snatch/power snatch (some reps were full snatches, other low power snatches and some high power snatches. This is done on purpose to improve my pulling precision). Since this is a technique block, I didn’t go heavy. I used Joe Mills Big 21 loading scheme.

1 set of 5

Add 10lbs

1 set of 5

Add 10lbs

1 set of 5

Add 10lbs

1 set of 1

Add 10lbs

1 set of 1

Add 10lbs

1 set of 1

Add 10lbs

1 set of 1

Add 10lbs

1 set of 1

Add 10lbs

1 set of 1

* There is a normal rest period between all the sets.

* While in the original Big 21, the 6^th single was done with your maximum, I kept it at around 85-90% to really emphasize technique and speed.

* In the original Big 21 if you successfully complete all 21 reps without missing or poor technique, you start at a higher point in your next session. But I will keep the same loads for the whole week (likely 4 or maybe 5 snatch workouts) even if all 21 reps are easy.

* It is also worth noting that in the original Big 21 program, you only attempt the 21^st rep if you were successful with the previous 20 reps (no misses).

3. Snatch pulls from blocks work up to a heavy set of 3. My target was the nipple line and I worked up until I reached the heaviest weight I could get there in good form.
4. Snatch-grip Pendlay row work up to a heavy set of 6 reps (I did 6 sets to get there, 3 would be considered work sets)
5. Barbell hip thrust 3 x 6-8 reps
6. DB windmill (essentially shoulder rotations with light dumbbells) 3 x 10 rotations in each direction

Later in the evening I did an EMS strength session for my quads.

I am pretty happy with this workout. Especially with how snappy the snatches were and how good the high pulls felt.

I changed the way I do high pulls to make them more specific to snatching. I make that change after watching videos of Chinese weighlifters and Egyptian lifter Mohammed Ehab.

I used to do high pulls the way I was taught: pull as high as possible, almost in a straight line, finishing with the elbows high. While I reached very high weights this way, it never translated to my snatches.

What I noticed is that the lifters I mentioned tend to have the elbows back when doing their pulls. Essentially, they try to pull “through their chest”. Which makes sense because if you pull a snatch in a straight line, it ends up in front of you and you must jump forward to catch it in the right spot overhead (which I used to do).

In my snatches I found that focusing on pulling through my chest make the movement a lot more efficient and precise. And I reason that if I want my high pulls to be useful, I must do them the same way.

I did it so “well” that I slammed my chest pretty hard of a few reps.

Tuesday, February 1^st

As usual, nothing special to report on my off days.

I did some abdominal work and my warm-up/mobility routine.

I also added something new that I hope will help fix a shoulder issue that has been plaguing me for close to 10 years: hanging!

It’s very simple: I let myself hang from a pull-up bar (pronated grip).

Even though it’s super simple, I just finished reading a whole boo on that specific topic, written by an orthopedic surgeon: Shoulder Pain? The Solution and Prevention by John M. Kirsch MD.

I’ve also watched a lot of videos on that topic. Basically, with time, the weight of arms pulling it down and poor posture, the arch covering the rotator cuff tendons is reshaped and compresses the tendons creating the impingement syndrome and rotator cuff muscles pain and dysfunction. With daily hanging you can reshape that arch and free up more space for the tendons, alleviating the pain and dysfunction.

In fact, this strategy was recommended to me by powerlifting coach Jason Blaha, who successfully used this method to fix his shoulder problem. But because I didn’t understand how it could work, I didn’t do it.

I stumbled on a few videos on hanging and shoulder health while searching for good exercises to improve shoulder overhead mobility and decided to give it a go.

The recommendation is to accumulate 5 to 15 minutes of hanging in 10-30 second sets (the book was written for the general population, for whom hanging for 30 seconds is super demanding, an athlete can use longer hangs). I will start with 5 minutes of hanging time to begin my daily warm-up, add another 5 minutes at the end of my workouts and a last 5 minutes before bed.

From what I’ve read and seen, it could be the solution I’ve been looking for. Fingers crossed.

Wednesday, February 2^nd

Ok, something unusual for me, I abused and overdid something useful (that is sarcasm). I started a big too aggressively on the hanging thing. I did 3 sessions of 5 minutes throughout the day and finished with another 5 minutes sessions done with other aggressive overhead/front rack stretching right before bed.

This morning by shoulders were sorer than after the most grueling pressing workout I’ve ever done! And since my adductor is still bothering me, I prefer to take another day off rather than do some half-assed session.

The shortest and most boring journal entry might end up being the most important one, providing two key lessons:

1. Too much of a good thing = a bad thing! When you introduce something new in your regimen, introduce it slowly to evaluate the impact on your body before going all-out on it.
2. If you training to improve performance and you just know that you will not be able to perform a productive session, take one more day off. Recover and come back stronger.

Thursday, February 3rd

Because of some appointments and despite having taken two days off in a row, today will be an easy technical day.

I will simply do my mobility routine and work on one element of the snatch by doing light muscle snatches.

Essentially, I want to increase shoulder external rotation when catching the weight overhead.

There are two main schools of taught when it comes to the overhead position in a snatch/jerk.

In the Russian approach you catch the bar with the shoulders eternally rotated. Basically, trying to turn the biceps toward the ceiling (or even further back) and “showing your armpits”.

In the Chinese approach you are taught to do the opposite: you internally rotate the shoulders while supinating the forearm, essentially creating a lot of torque at the shoulder and elbow joint (not unlike what is taught in gymnastics).

Because I have some natural internal shoulder rotation I naturally defaulted to the “Chinese” approach. But it actually led to some issues:

1. You need very good mobility to do it and still have the bar far enough back to be able to go down into a deep squat with the bar overhead. See, when you externally rotate the shoulders overhead, the bar is naturally going to be further back and if you internally rotate the shoulders it will stay forward. You really need to open the chest up to bring the bar back while the shoulders are internally rotated. And I simply don’t have that mobility and while I can improve it, it will never really “get there”.
2. When you internally rotate the shoulders, especially in the overhead position, you can more easily compress the rotator cuff tendons. There is a gap in your shoulder area (an arch made of bony structure and a ligament) in which the rotator cuff muscle tendons pass. When you internally rotate the shoulder, it can lead to what is called an impingement syndrome. Some people are more at risk than others. One factor is if the arch of the gap is flattened. Which can happen if someone spends a lot of time in the seated work posture and doesn’t do much overhead stretching. Overtime the bony parts and ligaments can be reshaped into a narrower/flattened arch which can more easily lead to impingements. That’s my case. And while I’m doing work to reshape the arch (hanging from a chin-up bar several minutes a day) it will likely get better but for now it’s an issue. I will say that one time out of two that I receive a bar overhead I get a stabbing sensation in my shoulder.
3. My right elbow doesn’t fully straighten (injury from doing gymnastic rings work). And when I supinate my right forearm, there is a pain in my elbow. Combined with the impingement, it leads to a weak and painful position overhead.

After trying the externally rotated position (from watching old videos of Soviet lifters like Vardanyan and Rigert) I was shocked: zero pain in my shoulder. If anything, it felt better by acting as an active stretch for the internal rotators.

So today all I did were light muscle snatches, exaggerating the externally rotated position and then light overhead squat in that position.

Felt really good, especially when I played the Soviet national anthem in the background (those who know me will get the 2A reference, others will have to buy the Neurotyping course to get the joke).

Friday, February 4th

Oddly enough (well not really when you understand that the pectorals are internal rotators) my chest was sore this morning. Remember that yesterday I worked on being externally rotated in the overhead position.

Must have acted as a form of loaded stretching.

Anyway, after my regular warm-up routine it felt okay and I did a productive workout.

My workout was as follow:

1. Muscle snatches, sets of 3 reps working to a challenging but fast and technically solid last set. Then I added just a bit more weight and did 2 muscle snatches + 1 power snatch and did 3 sets like that.
2. Snatch grip high pulls from blocks (just above knees). Following this scheme:

* Ramp up to a heavy set of 3

* Reduce weight by 20lbs and perform another set of 3

* Reduce weight by another 20lbs and perform 4 sets of 4

3.Snatch grip low pulls from blocks (same blocks).

* Starting from my heaviest high pull weight for 3 reps and ramping up to the heaviest weight I could still do for 3 reps pulled around the low part of my rib cage (took 4 sets)

4.Muscle snatch to overhead squat

* These were light, really more of a stretching exercise (135lbs) just doing one muscle snatched followed by 5 overhead squats.

* I did 3 sets, trying to do faster reps (eccentric and concentric) from set to set.

This was a satisfying workout as everything felt useful and the workload was challenging. If I had to point out one “less than ideal” thing with my session is that I got some new plates (competition style bumper plates) and there was a fine layer of grease on it and I just couldn’t get it off of my hands and it did affect my grip during pulls, even if I wore straps. I likely could have used a bit more weight or acceleration without that factor. But I’m really grasping at straws here.

Nutrition

You will notice that I don’t talk about my nutrition much. I’m not gonna lie, I just don’t love nutrition like I love training and really don’t put much thought into what I’m eating.

To illustrate that fact, I can tell you that a very popular female Instagram fitness influencer approached me to do her diet (not her training). I refused and my message included these words: “I HATE planning nutrition programs. I am a trainer not a nutritionist”. Anyway, that was the end of that.

Plus, and I’ll be 100% honest with you here, if I posted what I eat I would be harshly judged by “nutrition purists” and likely get asked 2000 questions that I don’t feel like answering.

Just to give you an idea. The central element of my diet (which I eat at my two biggest meals) is turkey hamburger (lean ground turkey and your typical commercial white bread hamburger buns) and I have 2-4 of them per meal depending on how hungry I am.

That selection alone would get me around 500 questions, all variations of:

– “Isn’t white bread bad for you?”

– “Why ground turkey, is it for the higher tryptophan content?”

– “Wouldn’t red meat be better?”

– “What, no veggies?”

And while my food choices don’t include a lot of “crap” there are other choices that can seem odd to the fitness crowd.

I also don’t want people to copy my way of eating. I make choices mostly based on taste and what I feel like eating, as long as I have enough protein. I’m lucky in that I do not crave processed crap (and don’t feel good when I have it anyway).

But I am ingesting tons of fruits as well as some cereals, sliced cheese and rice cakes, which might offend some fitpros.

I also don’t measure my food. And I typically recommend measuring your food. But because I tend to always follow the same nutrition routine, it is actually fairly easy for me to adjust my food intake, and that is likely not the case for most,

I can tell you that I’m eating more.  My body weight was getting too low. And that issue has been fixed as my body weight is back up to the 204-206lbs level upon waking up.

Saturday, February 5th

Didn’t train today because we had several family activities.

Today’s lesson is: not doing activities with your kids and wife because you have to train is not being dedicated, it’s being a selfish asshole who is addicted to the stimulus of training.

Jayden had his gymnastic class (every Saturday he has gymnastic classes and every Tuesday it’s motricity classes) and we had a smash the cake photoshoot for Madyson’s first birthday.

With work (I had to write a new article) I didn’t have time to schedule in a workout. Which is probably a good thing because yesterday’s volume had me stiff in the traps and back.

I did do some work for my left adductor (I pulled it a few weeks back). Two EMS sessions (one at the massage setting and one for strength development) as well as some band + blood restriction work.

Besides that, nothing exciting to report. I will be training tomorrow because I skipped today. I will be a pressing (overhead) focus day with some snatches in there too.

Sunday, February 6^th

Very productive training day as I was able to do plenty of overhead work without pain (first time in what, 6-8 years?).

My workout was as follow:

1. Muscle snatch from blocks

3 sets of 5

2 fairly heavy sets of 3

4 sets of 3 with 90% of the heaviest set of 3

2.Military press

Working up to the heaviest weight I can do for 5 technically solid and not grinded reps

1 set of 5 with 90% of the heaviest weight reached

4 sets of 4 with 80% of the heaviest weight reached

3.Muscle snatch from blocks

4 sets of 3 (same weight as the 90% sets) holding the overhead position while exaggerating the external shoulder rotation for 3 sec per rep

4.Military press wide grip (1” per side wider than normal)

1 heavy sets of 5 reps (no grinding or postural change)

1 set of 5 with 90% of the previous set

3 sets of 5 with 80% of the previous set

5.Roman press (from Soviet Coach Robert Roman)

This is a military press with the bar starting from the chest (instead of just shoulders) and a bit of a back bend

3 light sets of 5 reps

I finished the workout with dead hangs from the pull-up bar for 5 sets of 30 seconds.

Shoulder is feeling better and better. In fact, today was the first time in 10 years that I could hold a front rack (next week I plan to start doing front squats and then cleans on the next phase).

Fingers crossed, things are really improving.