a few observations i have made in my own training

the importance of reflection !!!!!!

become more methodical in my planning and sticking to the aims of the session and i dont mean just weight !!

my skill has a long way to go and the only way to get this better is by practicing with whatever the heaviest weight i can replicate the correct movement time after time after time som days that may be 90 kg and other days that may be 80kg whatever that weight is in future i must continue to practice with perfect technique and worry less about the weight and aim to bring up this weight i can perfect technically slowly

i respond well to lots of full snatch it does not have to be that heavy but lots of perfect repetitions

the above can be said for the clean and the jerk

i have added roughly 5 kg to my clean when i trained it for 4-5 weeks with lots of practice and heavy doubles and trebles

beginning my sessions with some light back squats loosens out my hips far better than any foofoo rubbish flexibility and also makes my knee feel better

snatch balance helps my snatch

weightlifting according to murph

snatch single doubels trebles
clean and jerk single doubles and combos
jerk singles doubles trebles
back squat 1-5s
front squat 1-3s i see stars and pass out most days with higher reps
snatch pulls 100% of snatch or less
clean pulls 110% of clean or less
power snatch 1s, 2s, 3s
power clean 1s, 2s, 3s
snatch and clean skill work ie. hang work and block 1s, 2s and 3s (this does not make up a significant portion for every 3or 4 full snatch or full clean roughly 1 hang or block)
push press 2s-5s
snatch balance as it works for me

all exercises should be performed with impeccable technique rocket science aint it

you cant take your max squat onto the dance floor

ihave been doing a lot of thinking and reading and yes it is dangerous i know my head may explode !!! the subject of my studies at the moment and as usual is weightlifting training i have so much to learn and i mean so so so so much .... i had a conversation with the big b yesterday in which we were talking about rugby and working with rugby players and some people would be having the perception of me just being a gym and weightlifting dude I came to an interesting conclusion on this fact I KNOW MORE ABOUT RUGBY THAN I DO ABOUT WEIGHTLIFTING .... Initially i thought this as quite amusing and then i thought more and more about it and realised its actually probably true i am only weightlifting properly around 4-5 years pending on breaks and other stuff where as i played rugby for 10 years so yes in fact i do believe i know more about rugby than weightlifting so its time to right this wrong and broaden my mind and learn more and more as each day goes on.

at training every day with the big b i usually come up with some insightful thoughts and learnings regarding training and techniques most of which i usually forget so i have decided i am going to write down these ramblings every day and see what happens as a result

yesterdays thoughts were as a result of a long morning of watching lot of my own lifting byrds lifting and some world class lifting as well as thinking back on some lil coaching advice i gave uls lady lifter. i had noticed in my own lifting and byrds that are pulls have gotten sloppy and kinda messy with the bar drifting away above the knee and the hips coming in too early so time to be conscious of this aspect now for this week and try fix one thing at a time.

this stuff gives me a hard on !!!

http://www.athleticscoaching.ca/?pid=7&spid=35&sspid=58

amazing free articles

a great source for geeks like myself

here is a link to some really interesting literature on sports training and performance a lot of it heavily influenced by zee russian. if you are sports geek like me this is gold dust

http://www.powerdevelopmentinc.com/index.php?cat=2

mondays mess

back squat 60 for few doubles, 90 for few doubles, 120 for one double
snatch 50 for few doubles, 70 for double, 80 for double, 80 for double, 80 for double, 85 for single, 90 for single, 92.5 missed a load of times just a little off as i would put it they can be seen in the video below, 92.5 made it time to move on,

snatch pull 70 for 3, 90 for 3, 95 for 2, 95, for 2, 95 for 2,

more snatch 70 for 2, 80 for single, 85 for single, 90 for single, all felt really quick and very very easy then 92.5 missed horribly mind not in it

back squat 70 for 3, 110 for 3, 130 for 3 done





today will be some lighter snatch and some clean and jerk if does not hurt knee and if does will try do something clean and jerk related pain free

the best piece of writing ever on weightlifting

read this on califoria strength this morning very insightful from glenn pendlay everyone should check it out !!!!!

http://calstrengthacademy.com/?cat=3

pure genius

thursdays other new beginning !!!!!!

knee is feeling great today after my rub and that yesterday so decided i would do some easy squats and go from there

back squat very slow eccentric 60 for 5, 60 for 5, 80 for 5, 100 for 3, 100 for 3, 100 for 3
snatch 3 at 40, 3 at 40, 3 at 40, 3 at 50, 3 at 60, 2 at 60, 1 at 70, 1 at 70, 1 at 70, 1 at 70, 1 at 70, 1 at 75, 1 at 75, 1 at 80, 1 at 80
back extensions 3 sets 12 bodyweight

in work this evening and knee still feels pretty good so i am quite happy with it !!!
not going to attempt to lift at the weekend but am going to go along to cheer on and abuse the rest of the lads mainly you barry kinsella for god sake please put up those john borz interviews the world is waiting !!!

got the timetable for the seeseeseeseessee course i am doing in two works and there is only like 2 hours of strength work i cant wait twill be a nice break from all the gym stuff and an opportunity to really focus on the pitch based stuff i cant wait !!!!

wednesday

had an appointment today with a physical therapist to get the knee sorted and try to remove that enormous golf ball from my quads......... rub was amazing and knee feels so much better but i need to take it very slowly along with about 20 fish oil a day for the next few weeks!!!

rocked into the gym anyway and went for an interesting social experiment i trained with a powerlifter hahaha that was fun

dumbell bent over rows i did 5 sets of 8 22-26s
dumbell press neutral grip i find these dont tighten the shoulders as bad 2 sets 5 at 24kg then i ran into fatz and decided to work in with him

fat bar seated shoulder press from pins 60 for 5 sets 5, 70 for 3 sets 3
log curl 8s and db incline tricep extensions 8s
dumbell cleans 4 sets 8
db hammer curls 2 sets 12

was good crack to get told what to do next !!!

i have to say i really enjoyed the fat bar press from pins and have virtually no tightness in the shoulders today from it which would not usually happen after heavy overhead pressing

a false dawn !!!

tuesday session
was hoping today to be a good day but didnt turn out that way !!!!

worked up to 85 in the snatch and it felt shite on the knee!!!

on i went to push press and made 100kg which is my best push press so i was relatively happy with that but not with how gammy my knee felt !!!had to leave it there then

a false dawn !!!

tuesday i tried going a little heavier than the previous day i worked up to 85 in the snatch but the knee felt really really shite !!!!!

then did some push press and ended up making a pb in the push press of 100kg was very happy with this left it there then knee felt poopy !!!

another new beginning i am sick of these

back again training had enough of that upper body rubbish and foofooo foam rolling shite !!!!!

power snatch 40 for few doubles, 50 for few doubles, 60 few doubles, 70 for single
snatch 40 for few doubles, 60 for few doubles, 70 double, 80 single
clean and jerk 50 few doubles, 70 doubles, 80 single, 90 single, 100 single
back squat 135 for single

just worked up to 80% in all lifts today to get a feel for it again and just test out the knee..... test passed feeling good the day after so the plan for today is to go up to 85-90% in the snatch pending on how it feels and then 85% in clean and jerk and 85% in back squat

censorship !!!!!

dman it i never though this day would come but i have to put my politically correct hat on for the next few weeks its going to be tough but a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do

anybody got some pritt stik ?? my body is falling apart

back was feeling better today so decided i would try full snatch and jerk

snatches 80, 80, 80, 805, 85, 85, 85, 90 missed, 90 made, 90 missed a lot of time, 90 made, 90 missed, 90, 90, 90, 90, 90
didnt have the real confidence at the start to really attack the positions at speed but that came as the session went on

jerk 90, 90, 100, 100, 100, 110 missed, 110, 110, 115 best jerk in ages but crippled my knee

knee is quite swollen still and was icing it all day yesterday, its not as bad as yesterday but defo not up to training

the straws that broke the murphs back

130kg clean



95kg snatch

MONDAYS BROKEN-NESS

Have been criplled since saturday my back has been killing me walking around is ok but stairs and sitting down not that big a fan of them !!!

anyway coach roache is in the hood for the next few days so said i had to train ...

went in not really able to sit down or do anything but with a decent lot of empty bar stuff i was able to power snatch from blocks with no pain so off i went
power snatch from blocks 70 for 3, 72.5 for 3, 75 for 3, 75 for 3, 75 for 3
snatch pull from blocks 90 for 4, 95 fo r4, 95 for 4, 95 for 4,
snatch push press behind the neck 75 for 4, 80 for 4, 80 for 4, 80 for 4,

was feeling good now so said would give some front squat a bash ended up doing 5 by 5 at 110 in the front squat so was quite happy with this all in all did not have to vary the session that much from what monday session is anyway
twas supposed to power snatch from floor then two from below the knee, pulls as i had done, press as i had done and then back squat.

Relatively happy with how i went and back felt a hell of a lot better after it. Writing this at my desk now and feeling relatively good will prob take today off and then try some full snatch tomorrow and some jerk and just keep hoping the back settles down

saturday saturday saturday saturday

snatch didnt exactly go to plan putting it mildly but in the end it went to plan haha talking in riddles again andy !!!

snatch 70, 80, 87.5 , 92.5 missed, 92.5 made annoyingly easy, 95 missed at least 7 times stopped counting and then made it 3 in arow the last 2 being quite good then attempted 97.5 not there at all

right time for clean
did 50 for a double and then decided right going to max out just to keep the fans happy fuckers !!!
90, 105, 115, 120, 125, 127.5 pb yippee, 130 pb yipppee yippee
back squat 90 for 2, 90 for 2, 130 for 2, 140 for 2, 150 for 2
back cramped up and is still cramping i cant laugh and its very annoying i also cant really sit on the toilet me thinks i need some super cider ...........

friday

hit the james today with byrd in toe
shoulder was feeling a bit gammy so the plan to do snatch balance was not going to work out or well so i thought i warmed up and the shoulder felt great so on i went

snatch balance 70, 80, 90, 95, 100, 105, 107.5 pb happy out
back for double 92.5 for 2 missed due to being an idiot, 92.5 for 2, 92.5 for 2, 92.5 for 2, 95 for 2, 95 for 2,

power clean 50 for a few sets , 90 for 2, 100 for 1, 105 for 1, 110 full clean left it there in preperation for going heavier tomorrow

tomorrows plan 97.5 for 3 singles then 87.5 for 5 doubles
then 122.5 for 3 singles in the clean and then back down for some double clean and jerk around the 95-105 mark

thursday at the office

went training today with a soreness in that muscle between my ear and my toes

snatch from below the knew, 70 for 2, 80 for 1, 80 for 1, 85 for 1, 87.5 for 1, 90 missed, 90 missed, 77.5 for 2, 77.5 for 2, 80 for 2, 80 for 2, 80 for 2

not done these in a long time but was good to get back into these ensuring i am hitting all the correct positions and getting the turnover correct

jerk from rack 90 for 1, 90 for 1, 105 for 1, 112.5 for 1, 117.5 for 1, 122.5 for 1
happy with this only 2,5kg below my best and i felt like shit !!!!

front squat 90 for 2, 110 for 1, 130 for 1, 142.5
see above comment related to jerk
plan is 145 next week in front squat and then 147.5 the week after nice steady progress !!!!

getting back on track

having a good start to the week

monday
power snatch one floor 2 from hang 72.5, 72.5, 72.5, 72.5, 72.5
snatch pull from below kneeX4 90, 90, 90,90
snatch push press X4 75, 75, 75, 75
back squat 130 for 5, 130 for 5, 130 for 5, 130 for 5, 130 for 10

may have been still drunk when i rocked up for this training session ha the squats sobred me up and a after a trip to speak to god on the big white telephone after the last set i was flying

tuesday
red bull energy shot into me before training got a heap of these free at the weekend mighty stuff !!!

snatch 70 for 2, 80 for 2, 87.5 for 1, 92.5, 95, 97.5 felt quite good in the snatch
back down for 5 double at 85 missed only one lift

jerk from blocks 90 for 2, 105 for 1, 110 for 1, 115 for 1, 117.5 for 1, 120 for 1
back down for 5 doubles at 105

i felt as if there was more there in the snatch and jerk in terms of singles and double however i am being patient and not going to jump more than 2.5kg a week i am going to take it slowly and work on getting lots of good quality lifts in and hopefully with this patient approach i can get some progress longterm wise.

i feel as if i can equal or maybe break my pbs at the moment but i feel as if i need to hold back and be patient and keep nailing the repeated doubles as well as nailing some heavier single so when i do break them i give them a good shattering

wednesday
clean 80 for 3, 100 for 2, 110 for 1, 115 for 1, 120 for 1, 120 for 1, 120 for 1
back down 5 sets of 2 at 110

all of these cleans were surprsingly easy i fought the temptation to go 122.5 for the last few and resisted the urge to go 115 for a few doubles. I NEED TO KEEP THINKING LONG TERM and resist the APOLLO CREED MENTALITY OF THERE IS NO TOMORROW.

Clean pulls 125 for 4 sets of 3
push press 75 for 4 sets of 4
weighted sit ups 3 sets of 10

the amazingness of john broz

last night i went to the picturehouse to see robin hood and boy did i get a surprise who was playing robin hoods arch nemesis only the one and only john broz

http://www.cinemablend.com/images/news/16294/_1261599769.jpg

what makes this eveb better the guys real name is mark strong crazy really

playing hide and go seek with doms and losing

gotten kinda lazy with this the past few weeks so just a quick update on the life of murph !!!

had a comp last weekend in the old capital of ireland even though it aint in Ireland anymore regardless of what that crazy hurling wielding nordy says

travelled up the night before to dub and relaxed and had a good sleep and then got up very early ..... i would not be the fondest of getting up early but this was worth it as i had a two hour long journey with king john and coach lee to look forward to.... what can be said about king john what a guy what an enigma some of the stories he told about old lifting were epic . got to the capital anyway and weighed in at 79.6 carrying a bit of holiday weight of late hahaha

comp went well 98 and 115 .... 115 is a shite result in clean and jerk but i tried the jump from 115 to 122 but alas it didnt work ...

training started again this week as in proper training loads of lifting loads of squats loads of presses... enjoying being back to proper training now and i can feel some good lifts about to come soon .

each day i have went into training this week walking like a duck with really stiff sore hamstring and glutes the legs dont want to function but after a few horrible over heads with the empty bar i am off and into it again

this week did trebles in power snatch and power clean and then 3 singles in snatch, clean and the jerk before coming abck down for 5 doubles simple enough really feeling some muscle soreness for the first time in months haha.

OH AND FINALLY A PB IN THE BACK SQUAT FOR A SINGLE I GOT 170 KG SO I AM PRETTY HAPPY WITH THAT I TOOK 175 THEN BOTTLED IT AND THEN 175 AGAIN AND JUST HIT A STICKING POINT AND COULD GO NOWHERE

HERE IS VID OF THE 170



HEHE NOT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!