EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to the athlete journal of Terry Hadlow. Terry got started in Olympic weightlifting in 1970 and is the only Canadian to have competed in senior nationals in five different decades – 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. Follow Terry’s journal here to learn about his approach to training and competing.
Athlete Journal Entry 20 – 3/10/2014
My next competition is in a little less than three weeks, and my clean is coming along fine. I have to add more jerks as the weak link is quite evident.
Monday: Clean and Jerk
The first workout of the week was clean and jerks. However, my groin was a little tender from the day before, so the clean became a power clean. I started doing speed cleans in sets of six with a weight and then did a power clean and jerk for three reps, with the same weight on the next set.
The first weight I used was 50kg, then I jumped to 70kg, and then made two ten-kilogram jumps to 80kg and then 90kg. I changed up the second part of the reps sequence when I jumped to 100kg doing a power clean, front squat, and a jerk for two sets. The front squat was done cautiously, as my groin was pretty tender. Nevertheless, it went okay as did the set with 110kg. My last set as done with 120kg, cutting out the speed cleans and only doing the power clean, front squat, and jerk once.
Tuesday
Tuesday was another day off due to work commitments.
Wednesday: Clean and Jerk
I woke up Wednesday morning with a very stiff right elbow, which was odd since I didn’t do anything the day before. I tried to do some wide grip movements, but the elbow got worse so snatch work was unlikely. I tried narrow grip with much better results, so clean and jerks it is again. I started with speed cleans doing sets of five with the last rep a jerk with each set.
- Speed clean with jerk: 55kg x 2 sets
- Speed clean with jerk: 75kg x 2 sets
- Power clean from the hang: x 5 reps (last rep was a jerk)
- Power clean from the floor with a front squat and a jerk: 75kg x 2
- Power clean from the floor with a front squat and a jerk: 95 x 2
- Power cleans from the floor and a jerk: 95kg x 2
- Power cleans from the floor and a jerk: 105kg x 2
- Power clean from the floor, front squat, jerk, power clean and a jerk: 115kg
- Power clean, front squat and a jerk: 125kg
- Snatch pull: 130kg x 2 sets of 4
Thursday: Upper Body
Thursday morning was a struggle as my right elbow was on fire. The plan today was upper body, but I knew if I didn’t fix this elbow I’d be missing a lot more than a few sessions. I started with some deep massage on the forearm and tricep and continued until the tenderness subsided. The whole process took about 45 minutes, but there was finally some relief. I managed to do some upper body work with some half decent weights, although I could only manage 20lbs on the dumbbell curls.
- Press behind neck: 125lbs x 4 sets x 6 reps
- Incline: 170lbs x 4 x 6
- Narrow pull down: 120lbs x 4 x 6
- Dumbbell curls: 20lbs x 4 x 6
Friday: Circuit Day
With my elbow not too bad and my groin under control, the Friday circuit went pretty well. We did 51 minutes because there was a birthday in the group. The 35 seconds of work with 25 seconds went smoothly. My body loosened up and I felt the pressure in my groin dissipate and my arm relax. How long that will last we will find out.
Saturday
No work out Saturday due to lots of work. The teams I help with are in final preparation for their playoffs, so my focus is in that direction.
Sunday: Front Squat
Sunday was front squat day, but the stiffness in my groin had returned. I knew if I was unable to get it to function, the day would be very short. I spent a lot of time with the empty bar, and eventually I could hit the bottom position without any pain. The next test was 70kg for two sets of six reps. The pain was reduced during the stop squat, and I didn’t feel any discomfort in my groin during the execution of that movement.
The next weight was 100kg for five squats with one stop squat, and again the pain was reduced during the stop portion of the set. I switched to just stop squats and adjusted the reps to accommodate the change. I took 130kg and did one set of three reps. Then I jumped to 140kg and did three sets of singles. My legs are stronger than they have been in a long time. I just hope I can hold together long enough to use that strength.
