This is the seventh and final section of my 1993 training program. For those of you who haven’t been following these articles in recent months, my entire training experience from January through December of 1993 is being documented in monthly installments of Performance Menu. I made a permanent move from my home in Arizona to Auburn, Washington in January 1993 to train with the Calpian Weightlifting Club and coach John Thrush, and this article covers six weeks of training from the middle of October through the beginning of December. I was twenty-one years old at this time, and I had spent an entire year training to represent the Calpian team at the American Open.

In the first installment of this series, I competed in the Oregon Cup in February and finished with a 115-kilo snatch, 150-kilo clean and jerk, and 265-kilo total. I had previously snatched 120 kilos in competition in 1992, but 265 was still my best total. Here is my progress on this program:

January 1993
Age: 20
Bodyweight: 101 kg
Snatch: 120 kg
Clean and Jerk: 150 kg
Competition Total: 265 kg
Clean: 155 kg
Rack Jerk: 155 kg
Back Squat: 227.5 kg
Front Squat: 180 kg

December 1993
Age: 21
Bodyweight: 102 kg
Snatch: 132.5 kg
Clean and Jerk: 167.5 kg
Competition Total: 300 kg
Clean: 167.5 kg
Rack Jerk: 180 kg
Back Squat: 222.5 kg
Front Squat: 180 kg

As you read this program, keep the following things in mind:
- Every lift I did in my workouts is recorded here, all warm-up sets included.
- I write sets and reps as follows: 5x3 means five sets of three repetitions, 100x2 means 100 kilos for a double (a set of two reps), 2x8 means two sets of eight reps, etc.
- All missed attempts are recorded as well.
- Any personal records are listed in bold print.
- Every workout (weights, sets, and reps) was planned out for me. I just followed the program.
- The lifts are self-explanatory, no tricky names or anything. There are a couple of special exercises we did that need some clarification, and I’ll put those in here.
- General Notes: For those of you who have missed the previous installments of this program, I finished the last section by competing in the National Collegiate Championships where I hit all new personal record lifts of 130 kilos in the snatch, 165 kilos in the clean and jerk, and 295 kilos in the total. This training method had already added 66 pounds to my total since January, and this final installment takes us through the American Open, where I hit 132.5 kg in the snatch, 167.5 kg in the clean and jerk, and 300 kg in the total. This was my first big performance in a major national meet. Forty-six weeks of hard work on this program put 77 pounds on my total, while maintaining basically the same bodyweight. We start with a post-competition week of pulls and squats following the National Collegiates on 10/23, then it’s time to get the freight train rolling.

Week of 10/25/93

Tuesday
- Clean Pulls- 60x5, 60x3, 90x3, 130x3, 150x3, 170x3, 190 5x3
- Snatch Pulls- 135 3x3
- Back Squat- 100x3, 150x3, 180x5, 195x3, 210x1, 180x5
- Seated Good Mornings- 130x8, 140x8

Wednesday
- Clean Pulls- 60x5, 60x3, 90x3, 110x3, 130x3, 150x3, 170 5x3
- Rack Jerk- 70 2x3, 100x3, 130x2, 140x1, 150x1, 160x1
- Military Press- 70 2x5, 75x5

Thursday
- Snatch Pulls- 60x5, 60x3, 90x3, 110x3, 130x3, 150 5x3
- Clean Pulls- 160 3x3
- Back Squat- 70x5, 120x3, 150x3, 180x5, 185x5, 190x5

Saturday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 105x2, 110x2, 115x2, 120x1, 105x2, 110x2(one miss), 115x2
- Clean Pulls- 130x3, 150x3, 180 5x3
- Stop Squat- 130x3, 150x3, 185 2x3, 187.5x3,
- Seated Good Mornings- 140x8, 130x8

Week of 11/1/93

Monday
- Snatch- 50 3x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 105x2, 110x2, 115x2, 120x1, 125(miss), 125x1, 110x2, 115x2, 120x1
- Snatch Pulls- 145 5x3
- Back Squats- 120x3, 150x3, 180x5, 195x3, 205x2, 182.5x5
- Seated Good Mornings- 120 2x8

Tuesday
- Power Clean- 50 2x3, 90 2x3, 110 2x3, 125x2, 130 2x2
- Rack Jerk- 70 2x3, 100x3, 130x1, 140x1
- Military Press- 72.5x3, 77.5 2x3

Wednesday
- Clean and Jerk- 60 3x2, 90 2x2, 110x2, 130x2, 140x1, 145x1, 150x1, 140x1, 145x1, 150x1
- Clean Pulls- 170 3x3
- Military Press- 70 2x5, 75 3x5

Thursday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 70 2x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 105x3, 110x3, 115x2, 105x3, 110x3, 115x2
- Snatch Pulls- 135x3, 145x3, 140x3, 135x3, 130x3
- Stop Squat- 120x3, 160x3, 185x3, 190 2x3
- Seated Good Mornings- 140x5, 145 2x5

Saturday
- Clean- 60 3x3, 90 2x3, 110x2, 130x2, 140x2, 145x2, 150x2, 140x2, 145x2, 150x2
- Clean Pulls- 150x3, 185 5x3
- Front Squat- 90x3, 110x3, 150x2, 165 3x3(one miss)
- Seated Good Mornings- 145x8, 150x8

Week of 11/8/93

Monday
- Clean and Jerk- 60 2x3, 90 2x2, 110x2, 130x2, 140x1, 145x1, 150x1, 155x1, 140x1, 150x1, 155x1
- Snatch Pulls- 130x3, 145 5x3
- Stop Squat- 140x3, 170x3, 185 3x3
- Seated Good Mornings- 145x8, 147.5x8

Tuesday
- Power Clean- 60 2x3, 90 2x3, 110 2x3, 120x2, 127.5 3x3
- Rack Jerk- 70 2x3, 110x3, 130x2, 140x1, 150x1, 160(miss), 160x1, 170(miss), 170x1

Wednesday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 90x2, 100x3, 107.5x3, 112.5x2, 117.5x1, 122.5x1, 115(miss), 115x1, 120x1, 125x1
- Clean Pulls- 120x3, 160x3, 180x3, 190x3, 185x3, 180x3, 175x3
- Military Press- 70x4, 70x5, 75x5, 80x5, 70x5

Thursday
- Clean- 60 2x3, 90 2x3, 110x3, 130x2, 140x2, 145x2, 150x2, 155x2, 140x2
- Snatch Pulls- 130x3, 140x3, 150x3, 145x3, 140x3, 135x3
- Back Squat- 150 2x3, 185x5, 195x5, 205x2, 185x5
- Seated Good Mornings- 145x5, 150x5, 152.5x5

Saturday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 105x2, 110x2, 115x2(one miss), 120x2(2 misses),110x2, 115x2, 120x2
- Clean Pulls- 120x3, 160x3, 190 5x3
- Stop Squats- 70x3, 120x3, 150x3, 187.5x3, 190 2x3
- Seated Good Mornings- 140 2x8

Week of 11/15/93

Tuesday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 105x2, 110x2, 115(miss), 115x1, 120x1, 125x1
- Snatch Pulls- 140x3, 150x3, 145x3, 140x3, 135x3
- Front Squat- 70x3, 120x3, 150x2, 160x2, 170 2x2, 175x2
- Seated Good Mornings- 150 2x8

Wednesday
- Clean- 60 2x3, 90 2x2, 110x3, 130x2, 140x2, 147.5x2, 152.5x2, 157.5x1, 162.5(miss), 162.5x1
- Snatch Pulls- 130 3x5
- Military Press- 50x5, 70 2x5, 75x5, 80x3

Thursday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 70 2x3, 90 2x2, 100x2, 105x1, 110x1, 115x1, 120x1, 125x1, 115x1, 120x1, 125x1
- Clean Pulls- 125x3, 150x3, 180x3, 200 5x3

Saturday
- Clean and Jerk- 60x3, 60x2, 90 2x2, 110x2, 130x1, 140x1, 145x1, 150x1, 155x1, 160x1, 150x1, 155(miss), 155x1, 160x1
- Snatch Pulls- 100x3, 130x3, 150 5x3
- Back Squat- 120x3, 150x3, 190x5, 200x3, 210x2, 192.5x5
- Seated Good Mornings- 150 2x8

Week of 11/22/93

Monday
- Clean and Jerk- 60x3, 60x2, 90x2, 90x2, 110x2, 130x1, 140x1, 145x1, 150x1, 155x1, 160x1
- Clean Pulls- 160x3, 190x3, 200x3, 195x3, 190x3, 185x3
- Stop Squat- 120x3, 160x2, 190 3x3
- Seated Good Mornings- 145 2x8

Tuesday
- Power Cleans- 60 2x3, 90 2x3, 110x2, 120x2, 130 3x2
- Rack Jerk- 70 2x3, 110x2, 130x2, 140x1, 150x1, 160x1, 165x1, 170x1, 175(miss), 175x1

Wednesday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x2, 110x2, 115x1, 120x1, 120x1, 125x1, 130(miss), 120x1, 125x1, 130(miss)
- Snatch Pulls- 150 5x3

Thursday
- Clean- 60 2x3, 90 2x3, 110x3, 130x2, 140x2, 147.5x2, 152.5x2, 157.5x2
- Clean Pulls- 170x1, 185 5x1
- Front Squat- 70x3, 120x3, 150x2, 160x1, 170 2x2, 175x1, 180x1
- Seated Good Mornings- 145 3x5

Saturday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 105x2, 110x2, 115x2, 120x1(one miss), 125x2, 130(miss), 120x1, 125x1, 130(miss)
- Snatch Pulls- 140 3x1, 145 2x1
- Stop Squats- 120x3, 170x3, 190 3x3
- Seated Good Mornings- 150 2x8

Week of 11/29/93(meet week, American Open on Sunday 12/5/93)

Monday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 107.5x2, 112.5x1, 117.5x1, 122.5 5x1
- Clean and Jerk- 50 2x2, 90 2x2, 110x2, 130x1, 140x1, 150 3x1

Wednesday
- Snatch- 50 2x3, 60x3, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 90x2, 100 5x1
- Clean and Jerk- 60 2x3, 90x2, 90x1, 115 3x1

Sunday (meet- American Open)
Warm-ups

Snatch

- 50x3
- 50x3
- 70x3
- 90x3
- 100x2
- 107.5x1
- 112.5x1
- 117.5x1
- 122.5x1

Clean and Jerk

- 60x2
- 60x2
- 90x2
- 110x2
- 130x1
- 140x1
- 150x1
- 157.5x1

Competition Attempts

- 125           - 162.5
- 130           - 167.5
- 132.5        - 170(missed clean)

Total- 300, 108 kilo bodyweight class (actual bodyweight- 102.24)

And that’s that, thirty-five kilos of improvement in forty-six weeks. This is the conclusion of this series.

All of you want to become better lifters and coaches. That’s why you bothered to read this program. You want to find ways to make your weightlifting life better, to make progress and break new personal records. This has been a month-by-month documentation of a training method that worked for me and every other lifter who used it. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s important to understand that the Calpian club cranked out national champions, world team members, and Olympic Trials competitors for over twenty years. The progress I made on this program wasn’t just a fluke. Many other lifters experienced the same results.

So what can you do with this information? The possibilities are endless. First of all, you could simply replicate this program. Set up a year’s worth of your own training by just copying the workouts day by day. I would blend that approach with some caution, especially if you’re older. This program is probably more challenging than what many of you are currently using. We always believed in the Calpian club that we were out-working most of the other teams in the country, and it would be a big commitment on your part if you wanted to follow this program to the letter.

Another possible option, and this is the one that most of you will probably use, is to integrate some of the principles of this program into your own training life. The way we used pulls and squats, the way we organized our training week, the way we peaked for competition, etc.; any of these ideas could be worked into your own training program. It’s up to you to decide how you want to use these resources, if you want to use them at all. However, I’ll finish this record by stating again that this isn’t the only program in the universe that will make you successful. You can use other methods, or even design your own, and still become a champion. Just remember something I heard from Dragomir Cioroslan once. He was lecturing about the different training methods of various countries around the world at a seminar I attended years ago. After a long explanation of a wide range of training methods, he said, “Of course, the best way to become a world champion is to work very, very hard.”
End of story, brothers and sisters. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. Good luck in your own training, all the best in the world to you.