3/11 - Barbell Club

Following Monday’s run time trial and I wandered over to the other side to see what was programmed for the Barbell Club – both oly and strength.

Initially I wasn’t going to jump into it feeling as tired as I was and having promised myself during the run that I could just relax the rest of the evening but I saw the board and figured I’d give it a go.

Warm-up

2 rounds / 5 reps with 15kg bar

200m  row

Deadlift

Hang cleans

Front squats

Jerk

Strength

Clean and Jerk 5x(3+1)

Clean Pull 4x3

Back Squat 5x5

Worked in with Cam on this one which was fun and we both had our own bars which worked well.   I really enjoyed it.  Oh, and Coach Jono was coaching us and it’s amazing – no matter where in the room he was you knew he could see you. 

Clean and Jerk

5x(3+1) – three cleans (full squat) plus one (split) jerk

45-45-45-45-45

I warmed up with 35 and 40kg before going with 45kg for a working weight. It felt solid especially in the squat cleans where my hip flexors/quads were still screaming from the Friday night burpees.

It was good overall – some good movement, some not so good.  It was funny in a matter of two reps I got a ‘very good’ and then a ‘that was average’ which made me laugh, mostly because I also could tell.  Sometimes I just think too much.

Got some awesome coaching on the jerks too from Coach Jono.  He told me to drop my elbows a bit more before the jerk (keeping the bar up on my shoulders still) so that I could get more explosion.  It made it feel easier and then after I as doing that he told me to have confidence in it which I apparently seemed to be lacking.  Definitely will help as I continue to go heavier.

Clean Pull

4x3

55-55-55-55

Warmed up at 45kg as it was already on my bar then did working sets at 55kg which felt good.  After the first one Cam reminded me to keep my heels on the ground which is a good cue for me – push through the heels.  These went quick which I was thankful for as I was starting to feel really tired by this point.

Back Squat

53x5

40-50-50

I started with 40kg presuming this would be a warm-up weight for me but my hip flexors were really unhappy with me.  I did the 5 reps and thought about staying at that weight for the rest but Coach Tara pointed out (when I asked) that back squatting less than I was cleaning and jerking was most definitely not a good thing so I bumped it up (a little).  It hurt.  Every rep of every set.  I called it after three as Tara was talking about doing handstands and when I suggested handstand walking and she was in I ditched it.

Skill (bonus)

3 x 10m handstand walks

This was a ton of fun – for all three I was within a meter of finishing before falling over.  The first two Tara fell first (near the end) and gave a bit of a squeal which immediately caused me to fall over too.  The last one I fell first which caused her to fall at the same time.  It really was quite funny – like we were synchronized walking and subsequently falling.  Felt good though – I haven’t spent much time handstand walking lately and it’s really cool to have someone who can go just as well as I can.  Definitely a fun ending to a long night.  And most definitely worth bailing on the last two sets of back squats.