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I've posting regularly on my Facebook page "Lins Training". Please go there and check out what I've posted.

Take care of your ..........

Feet! Keep an eye on how your shoes wear. Ask someone(like a good personal trainer or physical therapist) to look at your Achilles to make sure it runs vertically up your leg. All of this will give you a clue as to whether or not you have a proper heal strike. If you have questions ASK someone. If you develop problems with your feet, which is a very common thing, it's going to screw up the entire kinetic chain.

Brace or "draw in" !

The question often arises should one brace or "draw in" the abdominal area. Well from what I've read and if you take Dr. Stuart McGill advise (one of the most respected researchers in spinal care), you would brace. The area with bracing is that there is greater core muscular activation then with the "drawing in" maneuver. Bracing simply feels like your readying yourself to be punched in the stomach. It's quite simple and you don't have to put in a lot of effort, just pretend a small child is going to jump in your arms or punch you in the stomach, it takes just that much effort.

Do you "draw in" or "brace"?

Sometimes!

You just overlook things. About 5 weeks ago I realized I was overtrained. I took a week off then got sick, then got worse (fever of 100.8). So after 3 weeks off I started training again, a little weaker but happy to feeling normal again. Remember when you eat, sleep and manage your stress right, no matter your age you should have the energy to get your workday done!

Rationale

If your a new reader of this blog or my "Training the Older Athlete" blog, you might think these are just my training journals. But in reality I'm trying to teach the reader that most obstacles and injuries can be over come with proper planning. As Ford and Chevy race in NASCAR, some trainers like myself look to training athletes to learn about training your average client. Thing like periodization, intensity, volume and frequency of training all come into play when training ANYBODY. So please read the old blogs if you have the time or feel free to contact me at wnt2trn@att.net.

Discovery

I'm overtrained :(  I've only been working out the last two weeks twice a week a before that I took a whole week off from working out but I'm playing more volleyball now and I started playing doubles. My workout looks like this: Smr, AT, core, then skips, jump rope(50 seconds), box jumps 22" x 6)3. Then on Monday I follow all of that with Snatches, back squats, low incline BP and last bent rows. Wednesdays have been the same but obviously different lifts. Clean & Jerk, front squat and last pullups. I'm going to drop the squats for the next two weeks(the second is an unload week), then after that only squat on Monday. I'll see how this goes and get back to you. I don't like to use this as an excuse but I am 51.

S'mores numbers :)

Monday 4/1/2013 Snatch 52kg x 1+1miss, x 2)2. Back squat 265lbs x 2, 267.5 x 2, 270 x 2. I haven't been recording the Box jumps and the Approach jumps I've been doing.

Wednesdays numbers

Clean & Jerk, 61.25kg x 2 + 1, 63.5kg x 2 + 1 and 65.5kg x 2 + 1. Front squats 165lbs x 2)3.

What YOU can do after back surgery!

With the right therapy and training you can be pain free and very able. These are two lifts I did in the Saint Patrick's Day Weightlifting Championships at Cal State Fullerton. One is a 68 kilo gram (138lbs) clean & jerk, the other is a 51kg (112lbs) snatch. I use these lifts in my training for volleyball, along with squats these are lifts ALL athletes should use.

Snatches and cleans in the last week of this cycle

Monday 3/11/13 snatch 45kg x 3, 47.5kg x 3 and 50kg x 3. Back squats 260lbs x 3)3. Wednesday cleans 65kg x 3, 66kg x 3 and 67kg x 3. Front squats 157.5lbs x 3, 165lbs x 3 and 170lbs x 3.

On my training the older athlete blog.....

I've been tracking my progress in the snatch, clean, jerk, back squat and front squat. Comments are always appreciated.

More numbers posted on my Training the Older Athlete blog.

Check out that blog please. :)

It's always nice to hear.

A client of mine who's been working with me since he had hip replacement surgery went skiing for the first time since the surgery. He's in his early 60's and said not only did the hip feel fine but he felt stable, strong and very confident. Hearing stuff like that never gets old! Thanks Dana!

Should I enter the.......

Saint Patrick's Day Weightlifting Championship at Cal state Fullerton March 16th & 17th ? I will be lifting at the end of an intensification cycle with little or no taper.

Check out my latest post on.....

Trainingtheolderathlete Blog.

End of cycle numbers

Snatches 41kgs for 5, back squat 245lbs x 5, clean 61.5kgs x 5 and front squat 68kgs for 5 reps. I skipped one jerk and OHsquat workout. I finished with 52kgs x5 for the jerk and only 40kgs for 5 reps in the OhSquat/snatch balance, these hurt my right shoulder. An unload week and then increasing weight in the 3's.

A personal blog(but you can still read it)

Monday Jan 28th 2013, start of third cycle. First two 5's(3x5 to 5x5) and 3's(3x3 to 5x3). This cycle will be more intensification. So on Monday I snatched 32.5kg for 5 reps. 35kgs for 5 reps and 37.5 for 5 reps, pretty easy and my hands didn't leave the bar. Over the next 3 weeks I will increase the weight but still do just three sets. I've increased the volume in my plyos so no increase in volume in my lifts. Back squats were 227.5lbs x 5, 232.5 x 5 and 237.5 x 5. Also on this day, incline bench press 5)3 and barbell bent row 5)3. Today Tuesday doesn't really feel like in did anything yesterday.

See my "Training the older athlete" blog!

See what I'm doing now!

A glimpse!

This time of year, this is what my workouts look like. With all my workouts, I start off foam rolling also known as self myofascial release.  After which I do some anatomical therapy to correct some imbalances I have. The AT work is followed by some core work.  Then I'll do some skips, jump rope, box jumps and then some lunch walks.  My first lift will be either the snatch, the clean or the jerk.  Next I'll either back squat or front squat or on the third day snatch balance.  Then I'll work on an upper body pushing exercise and an upper body pulling exercise normally on the same plane.  So this is a typical off-season workout that an athlete would do for a sport that has a predictable season.  In my case I'm just planning on June through September being my quote unquote season for beach volleyball.  As I get closer to my season and in the season itself, I will do a lot more jumping and only train twice a week. I will do probably one lift a workout which will be a compounded lift.  An example would be like a clean and press, a clean and push press or a clean and jerk.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everybody, I hope you're continuing to Embrace The Process!  I start off the new year in the second cycle of my off-season training.  After coming off a cycle where I worked from three sets of 5 to 5 sets of five.  I'm now in a cycle of sets of three, which will run from three sets of 3, to 5 sets of three.  These numbers are for the squats and the Olympic lifts.  This is the type of work that'll increase strength, power and explosive speed.  Remember when training for the sport you love, this is a multiple phase process.  Success does not  happen overnight.  That's why I say you must Embrace The Process.  And you will see success from phase to phase, which will give you the encouragement to continue.