Topic: Exercise Selection Programming Question

[Andy Dick]

So, I have been trying to fit split jerks into my program.  I feel my snatches andy cleans are much stronger but my jerks are trailing behind a bit.  I partically attribute this to snatching and cleaning 2x a week but jerking only once.  Here is my current week (my rest days are friday and sunday):

WORKOUT #1
Snatch  67.5x2  70x2  75x2  75x2  75x2  75x2
Cl. Pulls (3x3)  110 kgs
Back Squats 290x2  290x2  (275)

WORKOUT #2
Bench  215#x2  225x2  235x2
Pull-ups (3x3)  35 lbs
Shoulder Press  135#x3  140x3  145x3
Core

WORKOUT #3
Cleans  90x2  95x2  100x2  100x2  100x2  100x2
Sn. Pulls (3x3)  82.5 kgs
RDL  225x3  225x3  225x3

WORKOUT #4
Back Squats 320#x2  320x2  320x2  320x2
Front Squats  280#x2  280x2  (245)
Core

WORKOUT #5
Snatch  82.5x1  82.5x1  82.5x1
C&J  100x1  105x1  105x1  110x1  110x1  110x1
Core

My natural choice and best choice is to put it at the beginning of Workout 2.  This has been my plan the whole time but I have not put it in because I was waiting until my knee was 100% (a couple of weeks with no pain) before I put it in before Workout 2.  I feel the extra day of rest on my knee is beneficial.  So now I am trying to find another suitable place to put it.  My next choice is to put it in Workout 3.  I was going to set it up as same intensity but do it as 1 clean + 1 clean and jerk per set, in that order.  This way I look at it as giving me work on the jerk when I am tired.  Would it be beneficial to do it in that format or as 1 clean and jerk + 1 clean?  Would it be of more benefit to do 2 clean and jerks?  Is there a better day to fit it in?

[Arturo Gómez]

In our experience, to train jerk the best was  jerk (without clean, taking the bar from racks), or do with clean 1c + 2j or 1 c + 1 j
More than 1 clean x serie was in our experience very negative for good jerk.
In your particular case, i think (looking the shoulder press and the front squat), that you can jerk in few times more than 160 kgs., and concentrate this independent of clean may be a good politica.
Jerk is usually > 1,5 x press

[Matt Erdman]

My first choice would be to simply add jerks to the 3rd day. 1+1. You can still do doubles.

My second choice would be to drop cln pulls and do rack jerks.

My third (and favorite) choice would be to do both.

[Andy Dick]

Arturo my shoulder press load is in pounds.  Lol, I would love to be about to pull out a 160kg jerk though.

Thanks for the input so far much to consider and some I have not considered.

Matt so are you proposing these alterations?

WORKOUT #3
Cleans  90x2  95x2  100x2  100x2  100x2  100x2
Jerks 90x1  95x1  100x1  100x1  100x1  100x1
Sn. Pulls (3x3)  82.5 kgs
RDL  225x3  225x3  225x3

OR

WORKOUT #3
Cleans  90x2  95x2  100x2  100x2  100x2  100x2
Jerks 90x1  95x1  100x1  100x1  100x1  100x1
RDL  225x3  225x3  225x3

OR

Was it something else you had in mind?

My second choice would be to drop cln pulls and do rack jerks.

Did you mean drop the sn pulls on day 3 or drop the cln pulls on day 1?

[Matt Erdman]

Workout #1 drop the pulls and do rack jerks.

Workout #3 just do c&j, no need to separate.

If you feel obligated to do a clean exercise in #1, then you could try a power clean plus jerk for reps. 1PC + 3J or something like that.

[Andy Dick]

Matt, what is your reasoning for dropping the clean pulls instead of the snatch pulls?  (I agree with dropping the clean pulls, for the pure reason that I feel I am more proficient and efficient on the clean than the snatch, I use the pulls to work/reinforce on proper pulling).  I am more in favor of keeping the jerks separate in order to focus on purely that aspect.  So it would seem the more logical choice would be to put it in workout 1, especially since I am coming off of a pure rest day that I will be more able to handle it.  Atleast until I can move it to workout 2.

I see throwing it in workout 3, as an option because if I run out of time to do RDL no biggie.  However, I am torn on doing cleans then jerks separately or simply putting them together.  Obviously putting them together gets closer to what actually happens with the lift, the same with putting them on the same day. 

[Andy Dick]

LOL, I guess this is a moot point now.  I had a talk with the trainer on how things were going yesterday.  I told him that I was hesitant to put the jerks in on the workout 2 because I was trying to use the day to rest my knee.  He told me to just put it in workout 2 and see what happens.  Basically to try it and if my knee is not much more sore then to keep it in.  The bad news that he said it was entirely possible that I will continue to have some sort of soreness unless I took about 3 months off to let my knee rest.  But this was a theory, he said it was also entirely possible there could be more going on and that after 3 months I could come right back once I start to load again, I don't think I can convince myself to do that though.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I don't believe chronic bursitis will go away from a 3 month rest. In fact, I think thats a terrible idea.