This is the second section of my 1993 training program. For those of you who haven’t been following these articles for the last couple of 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 seven weeks of training from the beginning of March through the end of April. I was twenty years old at this time and the Calpians were one of the elite clubs in America.

This follows last month’s installment, where 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: In the first few weeks of this section of the program, my training started to catch fire and I made some new personal records in the gym that improved on the ones I had already recorded in the previous weeks. Unfortunately, the only injury I had during 1993 happened in this section. When I was attempting a 152.5 kilo clean in the week of 3/29, I got a moderate strain of the lateral collateral ligament in my knee. It was a painful one and it set me back for a while. So the last three weeks of this program are recovery from an injury, where I had to modify my workouts considerably.


Week of 3/8/93

Monday
• Clean and Jerk- 60x3, 80x3, 80x3, 80x2, 100x2, 120x2, 130x1, 140x1, 147.5x1, 152.5x1, 157.5 (missed jerk)
• Snatch Pulls- 135x3, 145x3, 140x3, 135x3, 130x3
• Stop Squat- 110x3, 140x3, 170x3, 177.5x3, 180x3

Tuesday
• Rack Jerk- 60x3, 60x3, 80x3, 100x3, 120x2, 130x1, 140x1, 145x1, 150x1, 140x1, 145x1, 150x1
• Power Clean- 60x3, 80x3, 100x2, 120x2, 125x2, 127.5x2

Wednesday
• Snatch- 50x3, 50x3, 70x3, 70x3, 90x3, 90x2, 100x2, 100x1, 105x2, 105x1, 105x1, 107.5x2, 112.5x2, 117.5x1, 110x2, 115x2
• Clean Pulls- 130x3, 150x3, 180x3, 190x3, 185x3, 180x3, 175x3
• Military Press- 55 3x10

Thursday
• Clean and Jerk- 60x3, 60x2, 80x3, 80x2, 100x2, 110x1, 120x1
• Snatch Pulls- 130x3, 145 5x3
• Back Squat- 100x3, 140x3, 140x3, 140x3, 160x3

Saturday
• Snatch- 50x4, 50x3, 70x3, 70x3, 90x3, 90x2, 95x2, 100x2, 100x1, 105x2, 105x1, 107.5x1, 107.5x1, 112.5x2, 117.5 (miss), 110x1, 110x2, 115x1
• Clean Pulls- 145x3, 165x3, 175x1, 185 5x3
• Stop Squat- 100x3, 140x3, 170x3, 177.5x3, 180x3, 182.5x2

Week of 3/15/93

Monday
• Snatch Pulls- 60 2x5, 90x3, 110x3, 120x3, 130x3, 142.5 5x3
• Clean Pulls- 147.5x3, 155 5x3
• Back Squat- 100x5, 140x3, 160x3, 170 5x5
• Seated Good Mornings- 60 2x8
o These are good mornings while seated on a bench, with the bar on the shoulders like a back squat.

Tuesday
• Rack Jerk- 70x5, 70x4, 90x3, 110x2, 120x1, 130x1, 140x1, 150x1, 160 (miss), 165 (miss), 140 5x2
• Clean Pulls- 110x3, 140 3x3

Wednesday
• Clean Pulls- 70x5, 100x3, 130x3, 130x3, 150x3, 170x3, 190 3x3
• Stop Squat- 100x3, 100x3, 140x3, 140x3, 160x3, 170 3x3

Thursday
• Snatch Pulls- 60 2x5, 90x3, 110x3, 120x2, 140x2
• Front Squat- 70x5, 90x3, 110x3, 130x3, 150x3, 160 5x3

Saturday
• Clean Pulls- 60x4, 90x3, 120x3, 160 5x3
• Snatch Pulls- 120 3x3
• Back Squat- 70x5, 110x4, 140x3, 160x3, 180x3, 185 3x3
• Seated Good Mornings- 50 3x6

Week of 3/22/93

Monday
• Clean and Jerk- 60x3, 60x2, 80x3, 80x2, 100x2, 120x2, 130x1, 140x1, 150x1, 155x1, 160 (miss)
• Snatch Pulls- 120 3x3
• Front Squat- 70x3, 100x3, 130x3, 150x1, 160x3

Tuesday
• Rack Jerk- 60 2x3, 80x3, 90x3, 110x2, 120x1, 135x1, 145x1, 152.5x1, 160x1, 165x1
• Clean Pulls- 110x3, 155 3x3
• Pressing- 60x5, 70 2x5, 75 2x5

Wednesday
• Clean Pulls- 60 2x3, 80x3, 100x2, 120x1, 140x2, 160x2, 180 5x3
• Snatch Pulls- 140 3x3
• Back Squat- 180 5x3

Thursday
• Snatch- 50x3, 50x3, 70x3, 70x3, 90x3, 90x2, 95x2, 95x1, 100x2, 100x1, 105x1, 90x2, 95x2, 100x2, 105x1
• Front Squat- 70x4, 100x3, 120x3, 145 3x3

Saturday
• Snatch- 50x4, 50x3, 70x3, 70x3, 90x3, 90x2, 95x2, 100x2, 100x2, 105x2, 105x1, 110x1, 110x1, 115x1, 120x1, 105x2, 110x2
• Snatch Pulls- 137.5 3x3
• Stop Squat- 100x3, 140x3, 177.5 3x3

Week of 3/29/93

Monday
• Snatch- 50x3, 50x3, 70x3, 70x3, 90x3, 90x2, 95x2, 100x2, 100x2, 105x2, 105x2, 110x2, 115x1, 117.5x1
• Snatch Pulls- 145 5x3
• Back Squat- 100x3, 140x3, 170x5, 185x3, 185x2, 170x5
• Seated Good Mornings- 70 2x8

Tuesday
• Power Clean- 60 2x3, 80x3, 100x2, 110x2, 120x1
• Jerk- 60x3, 80x3, 100x2, 120x1

Thursday
• Clean and Jerk- 60x3, 60x2, 80x3, 80x2, 100x2, 120x2, 130x1, 140x1, 147.5x1, 152.5 (missed clean, knee injury)

Week of 4/4/93

Monday
• Back Squat- 50 2x8, 70 2x8
• Shrugs- 85x8, 125x8, 165 3x8

Tuesday
• Back Squat- 60 4x10

Thursday
• Back Squat- 60 3x5, 80 5x5
• Military Press- 60x5, 70 3x5

Week of 4/12/93

Monday
• Snatch Pulls- 60x5, 60x3, 80x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 110x3, 120 5x3
• Back Squat- 60 2x5, 90x5, 110x3, 130x3, 140x3
• Seated Good Mornings- 60 2x8

Tuesday
• Rack Jerk- 60 2x3, 80x3, 100x2, 120x2, 130x1, 140x1, 130x1, 135x1, 140x1, 145x1
• Power Clean from blocks- 60 2x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3

Wednesday
• Snatch Pulls- 60x5, 60x3, 90x3, 90x3, 110x3, 120x3, 130 7x3
• Clean Pulls- 130 5x3
• Back Squat- 60x5, 90x5, 110x5, 130x5, 140 3x5
• Seated Good Mornings- 70 2x8

Thursday
• Clean Pulls- 60x5, 60x3, 90x3, 110x3, 130x3, 150x3, 160 7x3
• Snatch Pulls- 130 3x3
• Front Squat- 60x5, 80x3, 100x3, 120x3, 130 3x3
• Seated Good Mornings- 75 3x5

Saturday
• Clean Pulls- 60x5, 60x3, 90x3, 110x3, 130x3, 150x3, 170 5x3
• Snatch Pulls- 130 3x3
• Back Squat- 60x5, 90x3, 130x3, 150x3, 170x3, 175x3, 175x3
• Seated Good Mornings- 80 2x5

Week of 4/19/93

Monday
• Snatch- 50x3, 50x3, 70x3, 70x3, 80x3, 80x3, 90x3, 90x3, 95x3, 95x3, 100x1, 100x1, 100x1, 100x1
• Snatch Pulls- 120x3, 130x3, 140 5x3
• Back Squat- 100x3, 140x3, 160x3, 170 3x3
• Seated Good Mornings- 90 3x5

Tuesday
• Rack Jerk- 60x5, 60x3, 80x3, 90x3, 110x2, 120x1, 130x1, 130x1, 140x1, 140x1, 150x1, 155x1, 160x1, 165 (miss), 165 (miss), 165 (miss), 165x1
• Power Clean- 60x3, 80x3, 90x3, 110x2, 110x2, 115x2

Wednesday
• Clean- 50x3, 60x3, 80x3, 80x2, 90x3, 90x2, 100x2, 110x1
• Clean Pulls- 120x3, 140x3, 160x3, 170x3, 175 4x3
• Back Squat- 100x3, 140x3, 160x3, 175 3x3

Thursday
• Snatch- 40 2x3, 50x3, 70 2x3, 90x3, 90x3, 95x3, 95x3, 100x2, 105x2, 105x2, 105x2, 90x4
• Snatch Pulls- 120x3, 130x3, 145 4x3
• Front Squat- 100x3, 120x3, 120x2, 140 3x3
• Seated Good Mornings- 90 3x5

Saturday
• Clean- 50x4, 60x3, 60x2, 70x3, 80x3, 90x3, 100x3, 100x3, 110x3, 110x3, 110x3, 115x3, 120x3, 110x3, 110x3
• Clean Pulls- 150 5x3
• Back Squat- 120x3, 150x3, 170x3, 180x3, 190 3x3

That does it for this month’s section. Injuries are no fun, but they happen sometimes. In next month’s installment, the injury heals all the way up and I start having some big breakthroughs.

There are many ways that you can examine and use this information, and hopefully you’ll get some effective ideas for your own programming that will lead to big personal records. See you next month, and remember the Calpian motto: “Beware the fury of a patient man.”