!

I just did arm/chest exercises and some work in the yard today.  I suppose I wasted another cool morning, and I didn't even feel too tired to attempt an easy run.  Just lazy.  If only there was a flat mile-long stretch somewhere here!  Then out and back would be a fine recovery run.  Otherwise, unless I'm feeling really knotted up and need to loosen up and get blood pumping, it's just another mid-range run.  Might as well rest up and make the next one a little longer.  It feels a little weird to ditch my near-daily run compulsion, but doing so seems to be working out.  Hills every day just isn't cool.

At any rate, the clean was starting to click again.  I did some reps in between sets, and the last one was at the max weight I've been using for front squats...it was definitely easier.  I did 5 solid reps without much fatigue (except, man, that exercise really jacks up heartrate!).  And there were a few reps during which the bar floated up and I got under it.  I think the key for me, at this point, is to have my shoulders prepped right from the start, and to start the jet pack when the bar is starting to get to the max height for the deadlift/first pull.  Lately, I've been conceptualizing pull 1 and pull 2 with too much of a division.

Another hurdle is that my smallest plates are 5 lb.  I have to increase by increments of no less than 10 lbs.  This is not only mentally daunting, but considering my feeble loads, also physically challenging.  My rule of thumb is that, once I get to eight reps, I can go up (unfortunately, this isn't proving the case with delt flies because the increments available are even proportionally wider).

Plus I'm still using the EZ curl bar, and though I'm a lightweight compared to what others are loading on it (warning, amusing profanity), I still have this vision of smashing my larynx with the curve of the bar.  But it hasn't come close to happening yet.  Still, I'm already past the original "safety" (aka, you got to be effing nuts) limit I'd set.

Anyway, I can clean more than 1/2 of my bodyweight now, but my attempt at OHP at the same weight didn't work.  I'm hoping to do this before my long runs this fall get too long.  Onwards and upwards!