It's been a while since I've posted. The good news is it's because work is super busy and I have been training like a mad man. For the last 6 weeks I have been eating, training, and living like a weightlifter. This included training 6 days a week for about 3 hours a day in the snatch and clean and jerk. During this period I was also squatting every training session. I alternated between front and back squat with low volume either before or after the training session. This sounds like overkill and I was honestly a bit worried about the results but I ended up pleasantly surprised at my progress. I was able to not only squat at full intensity both before and after training but I actually PR'd almost daily. The end result was an increase in my front squat double by 15lb. and almost 50lb. in my back squat!
Although I have had several PR's with this increased training it has also taken a toll on my body. The long sessions have left me sore pretty much constantly, I feel my power has diminished sightly and I have also lost a good amount of my stamina/over all fitness from the lack of metabolic conditioning. Then came the stomach bug that was exacerbated by the poor eating. After this I decided to turn gears back to my health. I have cleaned my diet up, started training Metcons 3-4 times a week and have cut back the squatting to every other training session.
Over all I am happy with this program and would recommend it as a temporary cycle to any post-novice looking to get serious about lifting. Of course there are consequences to this but then again, if you have never trained under a crossfit methodology you probably wouldn't notice the lack of power, stamina, energy etc.
That being said this has, in my opinion, turned me into a normal lifter. See before, I was always weaker in my lower body. In other words, if I got the weight up to my shoulders I could lock it out over head no problem. Now, I seem to be standing up with weight and failing jerks. My strength hasn't gone down in the jerk as a matter of fact, I hit a 15lb. PR in my triple earlier this week(315lb.), My legs just seem to be catching up with my arms. Of course, it could also be that standing up these new weights are taking so much out of me that I don't have anything left in the tank for the jerk. This is actually a more likely explanation.
At any rate I'm moving in the right direction. Here is a max squat today. A 25lb. PR from a week and a half ago:
375LB. BACKSQUAT
Sidenote, check the new shoes ;)
