2011-06-16

Clean Grip Overhead Squat (in WL shoes with heels on block), paused 45 x 5, 95 x 3, 135 x 2
Unilateral Cone Hops

Squat (high bar, no belt)
45 x 9 x 2
135 x 9
185 x 6
235 x 3
275 x 2
315 x 1
(loose wraps)
265 x 7 x 5

Been having to drain left knee a lot lately. Drained a lot of bloody fluid after that jump day. Cleared up, but still had to drain yesterday and the day before. Knee seems okay with the squatting, however, and I'm attributing that to the wraps. Last time I did this shit, I could barely get in and out of the car during the cycle and for weeks afterward. Now my knees are pain-free. Probably helps that I PVC roll just about daily now. I also do mobility almost every morning. Just Hindu squats and floor touches (touch floor with palms while standing with legs straight--long arms require going this extra bit to get a good stretch). Taking RICE more seriously, especially with the left knee. Icing after sessions, keeping compressed with neoprene during the day.

I'm not doing any upper body work either so all my recovery can go to squats. The dream is to get to ~400 with the base phase, put on a couple inches on the vertical with the switching phase and then get to ~440 with the Feduleyev intensive phase. And then really push the vertical. Maybe do a meet in January and get the lowbar+belt to over 520 (it's 80 pounds over the beltless high bar when I practice it); maybe get it to 550 with a cycle of RSR. It would be nice to do all this while I'm under 190. The key for me seems to be concentrated loading and then coasting for a few months. Drinking about 1/2 gallon whole milk on top of regular eating each day. Waking up at 180 and getting to 182 during the day.

Awesome! Thanks much for this, Lance. I will most certainly make this a part of my routine. Will also compliment the quad-favoring high bar I'm doing. I'll give it a few weeks and report any changes.

I've been using knee extension to some good effect. I do those high rep Hindu squats every morning as a diagnostic as well as prehab measure. Got the move from Pavel Tsatsouline's "Superjoints". My knees have been too effed to do them for the past couple of years, but I've been able to incorporate them again in the last few weeks. I find that a set or two in the 20+ range helps my knees feel great for the rest of the day, especially when I wake up all creaky from squatting or jumping. Plus they also let me know that the fluid levels in my knee are manageable. If the fluid pressure in a knee causes pain in the bottom of the Hindu squat (heels way up and knees way out in front of toes), then I know for a fact that I need to drain that knee.

2011-06-19

Clean Grip Overhead Squat with heels on block 45 x 5 x 2, 95 x 5, 135 x 3, 165 x 1
Bilateral Tuck Jump x 5 x 2
Unilateral Tuck Jump x 5 x 2

Squat (high bar, no belt)
45 x 10 x 2
135 x 8
185 x 4
235 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 1
(loose wraps)
335 x 1
345 x 1
305 x 3 x 10

Pull Up x 3 x 5

Pulled something in right calf on overhead squats yesterday and something in left calf in overhead squats today. No biggie, but still tender. Had to get help getting the 165 overhead; embarrassing. But I think it's worth it because that squat really ingrains an upright torso habit. Today's back squats were super tight with a very vertical torso. Started with bilateral jumps today to ease into the unilateral stuff. Did a couple of pistols which get easier when my legs and knees are warmed up. Had the guys yelling at me after the first triple and it really made a difference. Nervous system seemed to keep getting amped up with each set so I was cutting the rest times and moving through the sticking point hard on the last six sets. I was pushing so hard that I came up on my toes on the last rep of each set after the fifth. I was so dialed in that I could have done a couple more sets after the tenth. I might have too, but some dude had been eyeing me venomously the whole time as he waited to do his floor presses in the rack (I'd offered to let him work in as I began my work sets because I knew I had a long way to go; the guys and I would have happily moved the loaded bar down for floor presses between my squat sets.) Big thanks to Connor and Dave for the encouragement today. Finished with some easy pull up triples. Was going to bench a little, but the 45's were all being used and I really didn't feel like benching. Maybe next week.

Edit: I drained a fairly clear 20 cc from the left knee tonight. Not that bad, but I really wish this knee would stabilize like the right did. I've also been eating like crazy. I've had two chicken dinners and then spaghetti and meatballs. Had a half gallon of whole milk after the session and another quarter gallon tonight. I was weighing 180 yesterday, but I'm 187 right now. It's clearly all the squat volume and frequency; Smolov is making me hungry. It had better make me bigger and stronger too!

Edit II: Drained another 20 cc from the left knee this morning. It looks like the knee really just likes to have that extra 15-20 cc in there as I can drain that amount on any given day. I'm also weighing ~184 upon waking up. This little piggy is putting on weight. I expect to end up between 185 and 190 by the end of the Smolov base phase. I don't know if I have to put on weight to make it through the Feduleyev intensive phase; it's about 66% of the volume then and with one day less per week.

Edit III: Knees both feeling kinda full. Drained 20 cc from each while in the Hindu squat position (which increases internal pressure greatly and forces more fluid out). A little worried that the left has so much fluid to give and the right had excess at all. I mean, they're both always kinda effused, but this is a little much. Of course, I'm squatting high intensity/frequency/volume so...

Edit IV: And another 23 cc (cloudy) from the left knee tonight.

nice overhead squat man.

how do u go about draining the knees? how does it work?

Excuse me, but what the fuck? I thought snuff and gore videos were forbidden on this site

Sorry, guys.

Stiff this morning and I just felt plain slow. Fearful of losing my hops from lack of practice so I went out to the court this afternoon and tried some dunks on the 9'10" rim. Took me like an hour to warm up. Calves still burning from pogo hop session a couple days ago. Rim seemed so far away. I managed to dunk the 2.5" diameter squishy ball from standing and then got a couple with the smaller 4.5" diameter soccer ball. I am NOT getting my fingertips 4.5" over the rim, however. Maybe 3". I could just barely touch a 10' rim in my track shoes right now, which is about where I left off a couple weeks ago. Tried a couple running bilateral jumps, but couldn't get up at all with those. After three or four tries, I just didn't have anything left. My vertical is probably 26" right now. My best was 28" and I could usually get over 27" when fresh and adequately warmed up. Guess I shouldn't be depressed about my vert being down in the middle of a goddamned Smolov. The hope is to get 30" consistently after I hit a new max around 400+ in wraps and switch.