A Little About Weight Training

THURSDAY

Took a much needed rest yesterday and hit the weights today with a bit more gusto than I might have had had I worked out yesterday.

Starting last Sunday, I’ve modified my lifting workout eliminating most non-Olympic lifts and increasing weight and intensity a little.  I’m not 100% sure this is the way to go but I need to get down to under 1-hour workouts in the weight room and I need more explosive power as well as endurance/speed in my arms for running.

Below I’m providing an update on the weight I’m lifting and a little detail about each lift.  I’m continuing to lift 2x week (Sunday and Thursday) with a day of plyometrics (Tuesday).  Three weeks on, one week off.

Also I broke 2 minutes in the 530m run through neighborhood.  Wasn’t really all that difficult.

WEIGHT TRAINING

20 years ago I bought my weight bench, bar, weights, etc..  It’s one of the oldest “things” I own and I sure have gotten my money’s worth out of it.  Even though I’ve spent plenty of time in gyms, I’ve always kept my weights set up so I can always get in at least one session a week.  I’ve been very good about weight lifting over the 20 years.  With the exception of the 3-4 weeks I spend in Michigan in the summer, I rarely go more than a week without lifting. With all the years of baseball I’ve played, I’ve been dedicated to physical health and muscular strength and am a huge believer in the benefits of resistance training.

When I bought the weight set, I didn’t know enough to buy Olympic sized stuff.  It’s not a problem, what I have – it’s all good stuff – just not the style of bar and plates you’d find at a gym.  So if you’re wondering why I’m lifting “100 lbs” instead of “90” lbs, it’s because my plates are 50lbs, not 45lbs.  My bar is 30 lbs.  An olympic bar is 35lbs, I think.   So with the bar and the big heavy clamps I have that’s equal to 37lbs.  A 100 lb lift then is actually 137lbs.  A 200 lb lift is 237lbs, etc.

THURSDAYS

I always warm up with a 800m run.  I stretch throughout the workout.  Rest between sets is 3 minutes.

• Cleans – I do each rep from the floor.  1 warm up set with light weight.  3 sets of 3-6 reps.  currently lifting 120lbs. Really love this lift.  I’d never done them before this undertaking.  Great lift for a total body exercise.  Good explosiveness too.
• Squats.  I don’t have a proper squat rack so I need to be extra careful, thus the weight is much lighter than what I can squat in the gym.  I compensate by doing more reps.  I warm up without weight during rests in the clean sets. 4 set of 10 reps.  Currently lifting 200 lbs.
• Bicep Curls.  Until this week I had been doing cheater curls with a barbell.  Pyramiding 3 sets of 8 reps. 50/70/80lbs.  Beginning this week I am “sprinting in place with dumbbells” Want to make my arms strong to get through the 200m.  I’m using 20lbs a dumbbell, 30secs as fast and clean as I can.  2 sets.
• Dead Lifts.  Got to be very careful with this lift because I know you can easily hurt yourself.  FOCUS! I think it’s a great lift though – pure power, strength and control.  Works most of the body.  Currently lifting 280 lbs.  3 sets of 4-8 reps.  I do 5 squat jumps immediately after each set.
• Ab/Core work.  All on the floor with body weight.  Focus and intensity pays off.
• 530m run through the hilly street I live on.  Today I broke 2 minutes!  1:56.

SUNDAYS

I always warm up with a 800m run.  I stretch throughout the workout.  Rest between sets is 3 minutes.

• Bench Press (flat).  My shoulders have been “iffy” for years and with no one to spot me I stay pretty light.  A warm up set with 100lbs then 3 sets of 6 reps.  Currently lifting 170lbs.
• Snatch.  This lift was also new to me since I’ve taken up this endeavor.  I must admit it was not an easy lift to learn and my form is still often suspect (to say the least).  When I do them how I think is correctly, the weight just flies off the floor.  A warm up set working on form.  3 sets of 6 reps.  Lifting a pyramid 70/80/90.
• Overhead Squats.  These are absolutely the toughest lift I’ve ever attempted.  You absolutely MUST do this correctly and that is hard.  Totally commands complete focus and form.  But they make an animal out of you.  I do several practice squats with a broom handle during rests in earlier lifts.  3 sets of 8 reps.  Lifting all of 50 lbs.
• I was doing “21s”.  3 triplesetted lifts with dumbbell (7 reps each) targeting different deltoid muscles .  I can no longer  (or simply don’t do) overhead presses.  I love my shoulders.  Want to keep them around.  I’ve stopped doing this lift in this new period.
• Skull crushers.  A tricep press I’ve also stopped doing.  Good body building lift though….
• Leg curls on bench.  Haven’t really been able to hammer these out too well due to a long sustaining knee tweek.  I figure I’m getting enough hammy work anyway.  Dropped them also in the last week.
• Ab/Core work.  All on the floor with body weight.  Focus and intensity pays off.
• 530m run through the hilly street I live on. Part of my training for the 1500m run.