August 3, 2013 Conditioning

• TRX Dismounts: a bunch.
• Sled Push & Pull: (3 minutes): 17
• Box Squats: (3 minutes) 135*55

last day of the challenges at my gym, for the summer anyway, so I wanted to see how I would do fresh.  Got 17 on the push & pulls, still tired from yesterday. Lower back was almost spasming on the box squats.  Good times.  3rd place on box squats, 3rd on the push  & pull.  Barely missed 2nd place by a half inch, repeatedly on the dismounts. 

June 22, 2012 Lower

• BB Box Squats: 335*5 360*4 380*3 400*2
• Hanging Power Snatch: 140*3 160*1 - shoulders exhausted

Love box squatting.  Really love it.  But my hamstrings are toasted right now, my whole posterior chain is after this week.  Shoulders are exhausted, and the joints don't feel great right now, going to rest them this coming week

June 15, 2012 Lower Body

• Box Squats: 315*6 340*4 365*3 385*2
• Hanging Power Snatches: 140*3 150*3 160*3
• Unilateral Deadlifts: 195*4 215*4 225*3

Man I love box squats.  Tried to cram this all into an abbreviated time, whole thing took like 25 minutes.  Brutal.   Felt great though.  Moving along on snatches & the unilateral deadlifting.  Have a cut on my right shin that keeps opening back up every time I do them, so the bar and my leg is soaked with blood by the end. Like a boss. 

May 11, 2012 Lower

• Box Squats: 315*5 365*4 385*3 400*1
• Hanging Power Snatches: 125*3 145*3 155*3 115*6
• 1 Leg Deadlifts: 115*6 135*6 155*6
• Shoulder-Touch Planks: 10

Great session!  I'm going to rotate in Box squats for a week every couple months just to make sure I'm using enough hamstring at the bottom of my regular squat.  Over time I drift away from it.  Snatches went well, working on the very top of the movement at this point, I feel like my arms aren't 100% straight sometimes, so I dropped to 115 and banged out 6 quality reps; I'm trying to pattern.   Also progressing on 1 leg deadlifts.  A word about one legged deadlifts, for anyone that hasn't tried them.  Start light, and gradually work up, as I am here.  I have never had soreness in my hamstrings and ass quite like I did after doing these.  Definitely recommend them.  

January 26, 2012 Lower / Light

• Hanging Power Snatches: 135*3 135*3 145*3 155*3 135*3
• Box Squats: 315*5 345*5 375*4 385*4
• Romanian Deadlifts: 315*5 365*3 385*2

Solid session. Of note, I managed to finally make that mind-muscle connection with my hamstrings on the box squatting.  I realized that when I bench I wouldn't have my pecs be disengaged for any of it, so why would I let that happen with hamstrings on squats.  I think that's what's been holding me back.  I really focused on keeping them flexed while doing the box squats, and sure enough it took away the little 'freefall' I have when I get near parallel.  I may do one more week of box squatting before returning to standard squats to really lock in the feeling, not sure yet.   Romanian deadlifting went well, really focused on ensuring the hips controlled the movement. You'll often see people do these and speak about how taxing it is on their lower back.  If you feel your lower back on them, you're not doing them right.  Focus on pushing your ass back as the weight descends, and then to bring it back up push your hips forward.  

January 19, 2012 Lower / Light

• Box Squats: 315*5 345*5 365*4 395*2
• Hanging Power Snatches: 135*3 135*3 145*3 155*3 165*1
• Romanian Deadlifts: 315*3 335*3 355*3

Not bad, upped weight on box squats. Realized lower sets of snatches were glorified warmups so I went higher all around.  Bumped up romanian deadlifts.  Good session

January 12, 2012 Lower / Light

• Box Squats: 315*5 345*5 365*5 385*3
• Hanging Power Snatches: 105*3 125*3 145*3 155*3 165*1
• Romanian Deadlifts: 275*3 300*3 315*3 335*3

Continuing with box squats, attempting to control descent on them.  Power snatches went well...could only get the one at 165.  Then on to Romanian Deadlifts.  Mochabear was right...hamstrings definitely a weak link in my squat.  The Romanians were very difficult, could only manage 335 and my hamstrings are jelly now.  Good stuff

January 5, 2012 Lower / Light

• Medium Box Squats: 275*6 315*7 355*5 375*3
• Hanging Power Snatches: 100*3 120*3 140*3 150*3 160*3
• Lateral Battling Ropes: 40, 40

Doing box squats for a few weeks since I'm not doing well driving through my heels on regular squats.  It's odd but when I was warming up for the box squats with 225 I felt it almost entirely on my quad.  As I bumped the weight up more though I realized that I had to drive through my posterior chain or I wasn't getting off the box. Felt good.  I also have a bunch of videos from this, for form checks on the box squats & power snatches.  I'm just waiting for youtube to process them.  I got 160 for 3 this week on the snatches, I fired them off pretty easily.  Put 170 on the bar, stepped out and realized I was way too tired at that point.  Finished with some lateral battling ropes since I enjoy that type of thing. 




Here, watch some videos: 

Warming up with 275 on box squats

The 315 set:

95 lbs. snatch:

145 lbs. snatch: