Lazy Sunday

Yesterday, I was very disappointed with my training. I chalk it up to the lack of eats on my Friday Rest Day.  Very annoyed to go out there and only perform on the squats, which were difficult. I also strayed from the program due to some issues with my Ego.  I just got annoyed and decided I can do what I want, which obviously isn't true. These next two days I'm going to use as Rest Days and reflect on what I need to work on the most.

Rest Days are very important and Listening to your body is even more important.  I need to pay more attention to myself and not always try to overdo it.  Enjoy your Sunday.  Be lazy and EAT!!!

Last chance to dance, Saturday

Last training session of the week, can't hold anything back now. Lets get out there and play like a champion today!

Squats @ 160kg 8 x 3
Snatch
Clean and jerk

Accessory work.

These squats are fun. Hopefully they pay off at the end of this cycle.

"Grab somebody sexy tell 'em, Hey. Give me everything tonight, for all we know we might not be here tomorrow. Lets do it tonight!"

- President John Quincy Adams, 1827

TGIF

Yesterday I may have overdone it a bit on my training.  I was definitely beat up from the rest of the week and it showed in my Power Clean attempts.  I should have took it back and worked to technical failure, but I let my Ego get the better of me and made some really ugly lifts.  So I am calling yesterday's training an Active rest day since I did not train for very long or very well.  Live and learn. Never let your Ego get in the way of your training and Train to technical failure.  If you do ugly reps, what's the point.

That being said, Today is Friday and a REST DAY!!!

Today I will get some good rest and some good eats.  Rest and Recover, tomorrow we hit it hard!

Thursday Night Smack Down

Today I'm going to try and level out the platform and I'm going to have a special guest athlete today in the garage, hopefully get some cool Video for later.

My workout will consist of two options:

5 Rounds

Pull Ups 8 Reps
Box Jumps 5 Reps
Power Cleans 3 Reps

or

Power Cleans- Something Heavy but not to failure
Some Snatch Bench Pulls 5 x 5

I haven't decided what I want to do yet.  It all could change when I get to it.

Hopefully set the platform today is my first priority.  Let's get out there and lift some shit, Jabroni!

Stress of Everyday Life

This is a subject that has been written about numerous times so I will keep this brief.  I am not the best writer so bear with me.

 

Most athletes that I have encountered do not take into consideration the amount of stress they put on their body outside of the gym.  The average gym rat goes to the gym, let's say 4 times a week for about 2 hours a day.  That's 8 hours a week you are doing physical damage to your body. That's basically one day of work a week.  That doesn't sound so bad,  You may be thinking,  "8 hours isn't a lot at all." True it's not but what about the rest of the week?  What do you do with yourself the other 70+ hours a week? If the answer is 'sitting, resting and eating in order to recover properly for my next training session.' Read no further,  I wish I could be like you.  If it isn't, then you need to understand how this works.

Let's say you don't have the luxury of getting the proper rest and recovery that you need in between sessions.  Let's say you have a shitty job, that you go to everyday and grind out hours on hours of work that you aren't very happy with, so each day you wake up miserable because you have to go to a dead end job that you really don't care for.  You sleep only 4-6 hours a night because you train after work and become restless at night.  Now every time you wake up you are already in a bad mood and as the day progresses more and more little things begin to build and build and snowball your mood into a ticking time bomb.  You finally make it to the gym, your 'sanctuary' and you miss all of your lifts because you have been on tilt all day.  You storm out of the gym, wanting to kill everybody and fall into a depression so deep you wish you could just crawl into a hole never to be seen again.

This is a tough situation to be apart of and I was in the same boat not too long ago.  The biggest thing you have to understand is that you cannot place all this pressure on yourself.  And if you fail in the gym it isn't that you cannot do the lift and you are worthless, it is more that you have been beating the shit out of yourself inside and outside of the gym and it has taken its toll on you.  If you are having a bad day sometimes you are able to take it out in the gym and do some damage, but its hard to continue that momentum everyday.  It is all about balance, balance your life and your recovery and you will see the gains come.  Without finding that balance you will just keeping going in circles with your training and drive yourself crazy, Balance and Consistency is the name of the game. 

I used to work in a restaurant 50plus hours a week, sometimes it was over 60.  Whenever I could find time,  I would lift, be it after work or before.  And on my one off day I would go twice.  I was basically working 2 full time jobs and honestly I was not even seeing results.  I was tired all the time,  stressed out that I wasn't making gains, stressed about work,  stressed about everything.  I had no life outside of the gym and never did anything just for me.  I worked at the restaurant for over ten years and the people there are like family to me.  It was not easy to tell my bosses and friends I had to leave to pursue other opportunities.  I had to make a choice of what I wanted more and what made me happy because at the end of the day if you're not happy what's the point? 

Humpday

Middle of the week blues. I built most of the platform yesterday which means I'm one step closer to opening the garage for some bad ass training sessions.

Today my workout will be.... ::drum roll::

Squats!

Doing some squats today (surprise)
5 x 5 @150 ahhh

Then some cleans from the hang. 5 triples at some weight heavier than last week. Like 70% roughly.

Clean halting deadlifts @ 145 3 x 3

Rough day today. I think we should get some lemonade soon and chill the f$#! Out on a beach!

Who wants to massage my legs?

Hump day! Get some!

Tuesday

Jerks from rack 75% 5 x 3

Jerk Dip Squat 90% 3 x 5 (Percentage of Best Jerk)

Snatch Fast Pulls 90% 3 x 3 (Percentage of Best Snatch)

Today is Tuesday, If up to it I may do a Light Conditioning. Nothing crazy, just something to get me moving. 

How I feel when Conditioning.

A Bad Case of the Monday's

Today we will... SQUAT

Squat 70% 3 x 10 Volume Bitch!

Block Snatch 65% 3 x 3

                      70% 2 x 3

Overhead Squats 65 % 2 x 3

                            70% 3 x 3

Abs and Back ext

Respect the Chemistry.

Sunday FunDay

A Poem for Sunday.

Sunday is the day we Rest

Because All Week we tried Our Best

Sunday is the day we Relax

Because everyone almost broke their Backs

Sunday is the day to lay

Stay off your feet and eat some whey

Sunday is the greatest time

As long as you have some real good wine

Enjoy Your Sunday, Be Lazy and Eat lots for Next Week!

That's a poem I just wrote about Sunday.  Thanks for reading. Let's be lazy and eat a side of Beef. 

For the Fanatics who must workout:

AMRAP

In 20 minutes

Sliders.

They can be Beef or Chicken, but seriously who's eating chicken Sliders?? hahahaha Ridiculous. Extra points for Kobe Beef. That's the two sexiest words I ever heard... KOBE BEEF!

S-A-TUR-DAY

Squat 80% x 3 x 8

Snatch 70% x 3 x 3
              75% x 2 x 2

Clean and Jerk 75% x 1 x 6

Enjoy your Saturday!  Get a little crazy tonight!

Tonight's movie of the night on Netflix... "12 Angry Men." The original.  Brilliant movie.  The voice of piglet is on this one.  Glorious. 

Friday

For time:

5 Rounds
Lay on couch
Watch three tv shows
Sip lemonade 3 times.  (Iced Tea is an acceptable substitute)
Snack on a leg of chicken,  Turkey or rib steak.  (Pork chop also acceptable)

This is a serious workout, should you choose to accept it... God Speed. 

If you have a pet (Dogs only,  cats are useless) allow your dog to sit with you add you embark on this treacherous journey. 

Power Thursday

Power Snatch + Snatch Balance x 2 + 1 x 5

Power Clean + Power Jerk x 2 + 1 x 5

It's been a rough week, working by feel today.  Not going heavy keeping it light and keeping it tight.
Gear up for the rest day tomorrow!

"By the Power of Grey-skull."

Wednesday Workout

Squat 75% 5 x 5
Clean 65% 5 x 3
Clean deadlift 90% 3 x 3 (pause at knee and thigh)

3 sets:
15 back ext
15 ghd sit ups

"Power comes in response to a need, not a desire."

Blacking Out

At one point in a weightlifter's career, they will black out.  It happens when the blood is restricted to the brain (Syncope- loss of consciousness).  This can happen for various reasons.  Here are a few ways you can avoid blacking out in the gym and preventing harm to yourself:

1) Stay hydrated.  Especially in the summer when the gym can get very hot and humid, you can get very dehydrated which causes low blood pressure.  Make sure to drink plenty of water. 

2) EAT!! Low blood sugar can cause you to black out. A lot of people I have seen with this issue will come to the gym on an empty stomach or without eating carbs in their meal for some strange reason. Carbohydrates give you energy. You need energy to workout so make sure you have something substantial to eat before you lift especially if you are Cleaning.  Get some juice, pop-tarts, cookies, stickers anything that will give you fast carbs. You will burn it off and it will fuel you for your lifting session.

3) Breathing.  If you hold your breath too long or hold the bar too close to the carotid artery, You will build tremendous amounts of pressure when catching a heavy clean. If you don't release some of the pressure, it builds up and you will once again restrict the blood flow to the brain.  Breathe out on the way up if you are having this problem.  This will release some of the pressure and help get the blood flowing to the brain.  

Blacking out in itself is not dangerous, the dangerous part is falling on some miscellaneous gym equipment.  If you ever feel like you are in the midst of the black out, take some time to grab a gatorade or a snack, especially if you haven't eaten since lunch and you decide you want to work out 5 hours later.  Take the time to set yourself up it will benefit you in the end. Happy Lifting. 

Tuesday Workout

Power Snatch+Snatch Push Press 65% 5 x 3+3

Power Clean + Power Jerk 65% 5 x 2+1

Squat Jump (Unloaded) 5 x 5

3 Rounds:
2 Minute Jump Rope
15 Pull Ups

"Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake. Beefcake."

-Eric Cartman

Monday Workout

Squat 65% 3 x 10
Mid thigh hang snatch 65% 5 x 3
Overhead Squat 65% 3 x 5

Mini Conditioning:

5 rounds
10 Pull Ups (Strict)
3 power cleans 70kg

Today's Workout

Warm up with some jump rope

Overhead squat 1 rep max

Conditioning:
3 Rounds
5 nonstop box jumps - you choose height
Max rep push up take 1 min in between.

I hit a PR at 130 kg on overhead then tried 140 which ended up as a good negative. Decent session. I think I got 140 if o had my lifting shoes on and made a better effort. Happy lifting.

Rest and Recovery

It is important to take the time after any competition to rest and recover.  Your body has been put through a lot training for the platform and your CNS takes a beating during the meet as well.  Give your body a break, take this time to relax and ease back into your next cycle.  Stay hydrated so that when you get back to practice you start with a fresh slate and you're ready to go, ya Dingus.

Today's Workout

Snatch Pulls  @95% 3 x 3
Halting Clean Deadlift @110% 5 x 2 (to power position)

Conditioning: 3 rounds
250m row
12kb swings (Russian)

It is a light week after competition we will kick it up a notch next week.

The Original Team

Andrew Gelber, David Charbonneau, Joe Marble, Joe Arias, Elie Zeitlin and Thomas Maresca

The Original Team of Certified Awesome Athletics.  Never forget where you came from and the guys who helped you get to where you are.  These are some of the coolest guys I ever had the pleasure to lift with.  They are all very talented and strong individuals and I hope to continue the journey with them into the future.  Thank you Gentlemen! 

Today's Workout

Getting back into it after a competition, keep it light today.

Snatch Pull+ Snatch x 2+1 x 3 @ 70% of Snatch
Front Squat- 4 x 3 @ 75%

Back Extensions/GHD sit ups 3 x 12 Super Set

Happy Snatching!

Introduction and some Competition Stories

This is my first article and I would like to introduce myself. My name is Joseph Cosenza but I go by the name Joe Marble. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and grew up playing sports along with my older brother Frank; baseball, football, wrestling and anything else we can find to kill time.  I have been lifting weights since I am 14 years old and Olympic Weightlifting since I was 24 years old. About 4 months ago I decided I wanted to quit my job at the restaurant I had been working for 12 years and be a coach and take my training seriously.  I began coaching at South Brooklyn Weightlifting Club where I trained regularly.  Coaching there was a great experience, I learned a lot in my short time there but unfortunately it wasn't a good fit for me and I left to further my education in lifting and coaching.  I had the pleasure of meeting and working with a lot of people in and around that gym, but I had to move on.

2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to my first USA Powerlifting Competition in New Jersey (to pseudo-coach/experience) and it was a very different atmosphere than the Olympic meets I am used to. If you have not had the pleasure of going to a Powerlifting Competition, you are missing out.  They are about 10 times more lively than the Olympic Meets and this one in particular had a brilliant MC who kept the energy up.  There were two platforms set up and everybody was working hard to keep the competition moving forward.  The warm-up area was packed with weights and athletes struggling to convert kilos to pounds, which is where I came in very handy.  I stayed mostly in the warm-up area to support the SBWC team and by doing so was able to help out a few athletes with the conversion.

I had the opportunity to help a man named, Dennis Cieri.  I had no idea who this man was and if you are a Powerlifting fan you will know exactly who this guy is.  This guy is a Monster.  I helped him warm-up, eventually taking 215kg (473lbs) as his last warm-up with the competition pause and he was ready.  This guy only benched.  He ended up Matching a World Record lift of 232.5kg (512lbs).  It was Amazing to work with him even though he probably does not remember me.  Ha, It was a blast and I can't wait to bring an athlete to a competition to be a part of it again.

The following week I had a competition of my own in Stamford, Connecticut; Connecticut Open 2014.  I had 2 athletes, Alvaro Atienza (85kg) and Joe DeVitis(105kg), that I was coaching and I was competing as well.  It was a great showing for us as a new team.  Both of them ended up doing very well, going 6 for 6 with their lifts and hitting PRs in both lifts.  Joe DeVitis even placed 3rd in the 105kg class.  I am proud of them and happy about their progress.  I look forward to continuing the momentum and working harder for the future.  I had a tougher time with the meet, I sometimes cannot control my nerves and it throws me off my game.  I ended up taking second place in the 85kg class, but I missed half of my lifts due to nerves.  I hope to keep that under control in the future.

Starting this blog and this team is a big move for me.  I hope to continue making progress with my athletes and myself and further educating myself in the Sports of Lifting.  I will continue to pursue my goals as an athlete and a coach and hopefully share my experiences with everyone who cares to enjoy them.  Special Thanks to Ron Yellin and everybody at CrossFit Greenpoint!  Thanks for helping me get started!  Also thanks to Marc Chasnov and Dan Casey for helping me move forward with my Education and Training!  Thank everybody for Reading, Happy Lifting!