Topic: Irish Beginner

[Cillian McNamara]

I've been a member of Cambridge University Powerlifting club [CUPLC] since November 08'. I did a Powerlifting competition on 2009-03-08. So most of my training prior to March 09' was geared towards Powerlifting. At the competition I did 140kgs squat, 90kgs bench and 200kgs deadlift at a bodyweight of 88kgs.

Since after the competition I've been doing exclusively Olympic lifting. There is a member of the CUPLC who does Olympic lifting and he has been coaching\helping me.

[Cillian McNamara]

I'll begin by posting my workouts for the last week or two just to get the Training journal up to speed.

Also I'm studying Statistics so don't mind the extra figures that I add in. I use volume and intensity (=volume/total number of reps) just as statistics for myself. I know that I'm too much of a beginner to do any type of volume periodisation.

Saturday Training Session 2009-03-28

Started at 10:40
(All weights in kgs)

Stretching for about 10min

Snatch
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 3,3,3,3,3,2,2,2
Weights: 30,35,35,37.5,40,40,42.5,45
Volume: 787.5
Total reps: 21
Intensity: 37+1/2

Cleans
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 3,3,2,2,2
Weights: 50,60,65,70,75
Volume: 750
Total reps: 12
Intensity: 62+1/2

Front Squats
Reps: 5,4,4,4
Weights: 70,75,80,80
Volume: 1290
Total reps: 17
Intensity: 75+15/17

Chinups
Reps: 8,8,5,3
@BW: 88
Total reps: 24

(Following excluding chins)
Total Workout Volume: 2827.5
Total workout reps: 50
Total workout intensity: 56.55

Finished at 12:00

Also did 10 minute run around the block with Steve. Going to do this every week on Saturdays.

[Cillian McNamara]

Tuesday Training Session 2009-03-31

Started at 18:10
(All weights in kgs)

Stretching for about 10min

Clean and Jerk
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 2,2,2,2,2,1,1,1*
Weights: 50,55,60,65,70,75,77.5,80
Volume: 832.5
Total reps: 13
Intensity: 64+1/26
*Press-out in the jerk

Snatch pulls
Reps: 4,4,4,4,4
Weights: 40,45,50,55,57.5
Volume: 990
Total reps: 20
Intensity: 49.5

Military press
Reps: 4,4,3,3
Weights: 50,55,57.5,60
Volume: 772.5
Total reps: 14
Intensity: 55+5/28

Pull-ups
Reps: 4,4,4,4,4
@BW: 88
Total reps: 20

(Following excluding chins)
Total Workout Volume: 2595
Total workout reps: 47
Total workout intensity: 55.21

Finished at 19:30
Duration 80 minutes

[Cillian McNamara]

Thursday Training Session 2009-04-02

Started at 18:10
(All weights in kgs)

Stretching for about 10min

Snatch
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 3,3,3,2,2,1,1,1
Weights: 30,35,35,40,42.5,45,47.5,50
Volume: 607.5
Total reps: 16
Intensity: 37+31/32
I think I'll start doing my reps like this anymore; 3,3,3,2,2,1,1,1. Try and get heavier on my snatches.

Jerk from racks
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 3,3,2,2,1,1
Weights: 50,60,65,70,75,80
Volume: 755
Total reps: 12
Intensity: 62+11/12

Overhead Squats
Reps: 5,5,5,5,3*
Weights: 40,47.5,50,55,55
Volume: 1127.5
Total reps: 23
Intensity: 49+1/46
*2 second pause at bottom
I think I will switch to lower reps and add in a pause in the bottom position. Also might experiment with a bounce.

Chin-ups
Reps: 8,8,7
@BW: 88
Total reps: 23

(Following excluding chins)
Total Workout Volume: 2490
Total workout reps: 51
Total workout intensity: 48.82

Finished at 19:30
Duration 80 minutes

[Cillian McNamara]

Saturday Training Session 2009-04-04

Started at 11:10
(All weights in kgs)

Stretching for about 10min

Snatch
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 3,2,2,2,1,1,FAIL*,1
Weights: 35,37.5,42.5,47.5,50,52.5,55,55
Volume: 517.5
Total reps: 12
Intensity: 43+1/8
Snatch PB at 55
*Arms bent at the catch, dropped the weight.

Cleans
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 3,3,1,1,1,1
Weights: 55,65,75,80,85,88
Volume: 688
Total reps: 10
Intensity: 68+4/5
Clean PB at 88 (=Bodyweight)

Front Squats
Reps: 5,4,3,3
Weights: 70,80,85,90
Volume: 1195
Total reps: 15
Intensity: 79+2/3

Pullups
Reps: 7,6,4,2,1
@BW: 88
Total reps: 20

(Following excluding chins)
Total Workout Volume: 2400.5
Total workout reps: 37
Total workout intensity: 64.88

Finished at 12:35

Also did 5 minute run around the block with Steve, about 1km.

[Cillian McNamara]

Tuesday Training Session 2009-04-07

Started at 18:10
(All weights in kgs)

Stretching for about 10min

Clean and Jerk
(Following inclusive of warm-up)
Reps: 2,2,2,1,1,1,1,FAIL*,FAIL**
Weights: 55,65,70,75,80,85,90,95,95
Volume: 710
Total reps: 10
Intensity: 71
*Failed on the clean. Got a clean pull.
**Failed on the jerk. Got the clean.
New Clean and Jerk PB at 90
New Clean PB at 95

Snatch pulls
Reps: 4,3,3,3,3
Weights: 50,55,60,62.5,65
Volume: 927.5
Total reps: 16
Intensity: 57+31/32

Military press
Reps: 5,4,3,3
Weights: 50,55,60,60
Volume: 830
Total reps: 15
Intensity: 55+1/3

Chin-ups
Reps: 8,7,5,4
@BW: 88
Total reps: 24

(Following excluding chins)
Total Workout Volume: 2467.5
Total workout reps: 41
Total workout intensity: 60.18

Finished at 19:20
Duration 70 minutes

[Matt Erdman]

Looks good man. Keep working at it.

[Cillian McNamara]

Looks good man. Keep working at it.

Thanks. I made some really good progress in the last two weeks. I was kind of slow to increase the weight, in case I would fail a lift but the guy coaching me said "Failing alot of lifts in training is bad but never failing a lift in training is even worse."