Friday, September 18, 2009

I am in the process of putting together a library of sorts that covers my education in the discipline of strength and conditioning. There are a ton of people in the industry that I respect and admire. There are also a number of coaches that I don’t care for and don’t think they have a true understanding of human performance. They read a lot and know a lot about the research but that is not where the magic is happening. It is in the trenches, under the bar. I still respect them because they have other qualities that make them good coaches. For example, you can have the most bullet-proof program in the universe but if your personality is non-existent or you don’t have the capability to manage a group, it is worthless. There are some coaches out there that have lackluster programming but are masters at getting athletes to do what they want them to do and to buy into the program fully. These are good coaches. They have passion and passion is the golden ticket.

I will put together a reading list of the books, now and then, that have shaped my career. I will also list coaches that have shaped my career. If I have time, I will also list articles and websites that you are missing out on. Like I said, they are not all great but do have something you can learn from. The best thing you can do for your training is to train your mind too. Become a student of the sport you are in. Whether that is Olympic weightlifting, power-lifting, CrossFit, etc. Learn how the body works, learn how the mind works, learn how to train it all in an organized and smart way.

Friday’s WOD (090918)
As many rounds in 6 minutes of:
25 Double Unders
10 No Pushup Burpees
100 meter run

Rest 1 minute
Repeat for 3 cycles

Average rounds completed: 5

Thursday’s WOD (090917)
Dead-lift 5×5 @ 85%
set 1 – 245 pounds
set 2 – 275 pounds
set 3 – 310 pounds
set 4 – 345 pounds
set 5 – 379 pounds

followed by
“Tabata Something Else”
20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals of each of the following exercises:
Pull-up
Pushup
Situp
Air Squat

Total reps from all 32 intervals: 373
I did strict pull-ups instead of kipping and still managed to pass the 350 mark. I was shooting for 400 sans kipping but not quite. I was able to complete 85 pushups

Wednesday’s WOD (090916)
Snatch 3×3 @ 80% (sets across)
Warmed up to 157 (80%) with a lot of sets. Practiced the speed component since I was using such a low percentage. I felt really good about all nine of my attempts. Some were better than the rest but overall I felt really fast and think that it will help me when I max out on Snatch again in the future.

followed by
Power Clean and Press for 12-9-6 reps
touch and go at the floor only, no dumping, no re-gripping at the floor. Rest as needed between sets.

Weight used: 132 (first round was the toughest)