Friday, April 6, 2012

On schedule and lifting heavy

Ed note: I submitted this to publish on 03/19, but it never published.  This journal is nearly 3wks dated now.

Welcome back. I last posted in December, and it's been an absolute whirlwind since then. I've had a job change with a relocation, a couple of illnesses in the household, and a death in the family in another state. I'm remarkably close to "on schedule", all things considered, but that was the point of having a schedule. In December, I posed the question "do you have your training plan for the next 6 months?" Copied from that post:

Phase 1 - Off-season (indefinite length, starting in January)
  • I have this idea that I would like to be 150lb and pressing 2x20kg for reps and squatting it for dozens of reps and running miles before I resume LC sport training. Not certain that's all necessary, but I don't want to be struggling every rep and gassed at 6:00 like last time.
  • Strength, conditioning, technique, and GPP. Build strength up to the next bell.
  • Barbell dead lifts and squats, KB swings, jump squats, and military presses.
  • Density KB work: 1-3' sets at comp weight or higher. Done at pace for timing and speed, done with extended overhead time for strength.  Aggregate volume, if not extended sets.
  • Cardio output work at HR 120-150 (5mph or less), 30-90min, 2-3/wk.
Phase 2 was intended to start in March and escalate KB volume and set length.  This is what I'm up to as of now.
  • 151-154lb, same belt size. Strict pressing 2x20kg sets of 5. Squatting 2x24kg sets of 10. Sets of squats and cleans with 2x24kg bells.  OALC with 24kg bell.
  • Dead lift 225lb, clean and front squat 135lb (PR). Push pressing up to 115lb BB for short sets. KB swings regularly with a 24kg, a 32kg, and pairs of 16kg.
  • KB work has been interrupted, but doing 2x20kg LC at 7rpm sets for pace and recovery. 
  • Training 5-6 days/wk. It was fine the first few weeks, then the mental strain hit.
  • Cardio work is notably short. My running HR is 155 with a 3min recovery, and walking is time-consuming. I did run 2mi-plus twice in January and February.
At each of these personal interruptions, I knew I would lose time from KB practice. The clean, push press, and front squat complexes have been invaluable, a barbell analog for KB LC if there ever was one. I'm bigger and stronger, at or beyond where I was last September. Honestly, it's fun working on heavy triples, but I need to focus on submaximal dozens periodically when my max hits a plateau. KB sport is all about the plateau.

This is a remarkably close outcome for a 90-day forecast. I might need higher goals next time.