Let’s stalk track Ilya Ilyin’s progress during his 2014 build up.
A while ago I had the idea to keep track of Ilya’s progress. So for each of his videos I started to enter the biggest lifts into a spreadsheet.
This thing will be updated along the way.
Download: Link to the spreadsheet. Go to File – ‘Make a Copy’ to your Google Drive or ‘Download as’ (xlsx for Excel for example).
When you click on a weight it will open the video at the time of the lift.
- What it is: A way to visualize Ilya’s progress.
- What it is not: His training program. He does a lot more than what is shown in his videos.
Share ideas, or report errors I may have introduced, in the comments.
Highlight 16.01.2015: Ilya uploads a 290kg Front Squat
Highlight 26.09.2014: After an hiatus here is a XXX(?) Snatch from Ilya
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Highlight 29.08.2014: 242kg Clean & Jerk
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Highlight 25.08.2014: Ilya hits a 190kg Snatch
Highlight 20.08.2014: Ilya Snatches 205kg off Blocks
Highlight 15.08.2014: 189kg Snatch and 241kg Clean & Jerk (all time PR)
Highlight 07.08.2014: 245kg Rack Jerk
While we’re talking 245kg Overhead, re-watch:
Highlight 31.07.2014:
Highlight 20.07.2014: 185kg Snatch and 239kg Clean & Jerked at the Anatoly Khrapaty Memorial Tournament.
Update 07.07.2014 – Observations: His loading pattern when working up to a heavy single is often that of a “Wave” (Ilya refers to them as “attacks“. Sportivnypress has an article about them).
Like on the 30.06.2014 videos he did 3 waves for Snatch and C&J:
- he worked up to 215kg, then dropped down to 200kg
- takes 200, 210 and 220kg for the heaviest weight that day
- repeats the process with the same weights (200-210-220)
And he doesn’t limit this approach to the classical either, he often uses it for Squats [video] / Front Squats too.
What’s more, he doesn’t take too long of a rest either (judging from the music in the background). So it kind of resembles competition attempts in a way.
Highlight 15.07.2014: Ilya hits a 195kg Snatch off Blocks! (attempted 200kg)
Highlight 11.07.2014: 237kg Clean & Jerk in Training
Highlight 04.07.2014: Ilya hits a 230kg Clean & Jerk!
… and 186kg Snatch during his 22:00 session.
Highlight 28.06.2014: 235kg Rack Jerk. No Problem.
Highlights 27.06.2014: Here’s what happened during his 2nd (17:00) practice.
- Ilya hits a 182kg Snatch from the floor, PR
- tries 235kg C&J a couple of times
- gets a 275kg Front Squat PR (those thicker small reds are 5kg)
Then later during his 3rd session this day (at 22:00) Ilya snatched 185kg!
Highlight 24.06.2014: Ilya hits a 190kg Snatch from Blocks.
Update 23.06.2014: Ilya is now doing 3 training sessions a day.
Highlight 13.06.2014: 181kg Snatch, 227kg C&J and 265kg Front Squat PR (at 5:50)!
Highlight 09.06.2014: Ilya gets a 215kg Clean + Front Squat + Jerk.
Highlight 29.05.2014: Ilya hits a 185kg Snatch off Blocks.
Highlight 23.05.2014: Ilya hits a 225kg Clean & Jerk and 250kg Front Squat.
DID YOU NOTICE THAT FROM MARCH 21 THE AMOUNT OF AUXILIARY EXERCISE ALMOST IS 0?
THIS IS WHAT HIS COACH SAID ON THE VIDEO “SCIENCE OF VICTORY” HEAVY WEIGHTS AND ALMOST NO AUXILIARY JUST THE CLASSICS ONE
Yep, no need to scream 🙂
jajaja i did not realize it until i post it
ahahah epic quote !
Ilyas videos are fun in a sort of ADD kinda way, butI can never be arsed counting plates while watching. This makes it so i dont have to! also i like graphs and stats !
Did you see Pat Mendes’s 180kg snatch the other day on Instagram. He commented something about keeping up will Ilya.
Yep, saw it and shared it on twitter/ ATG Facebook/ Google+
Mendes better start snatching 210 if he wants to be anywhere close to Ilya’s total. Nevertheless, go Mendes.
(i’m french, first of all, apologizes for my english !!) for all the heavy snatches, he uses straps ? i’m a bit surprised, i thought that it was not a good thing for testing himself close to real competition rules !
how much is Ilyan weighing?
There is a “Bodyweight” Column in the spreadsheet (as well as a ‘Bodyweight Chart’)
ahhhh i saw it 106kg interesting
227kg C&J five months away from the WWC indicates to me that he’s aiming for the WR in Almaty. Prediction: 245-250 max training, 230-235-239 in November. 🙂
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How much weighs barbell? 25 or 30 kilo?
20kg
@Gregor: If the reds are 5 kg plates (which I would agree to because it makes sense with his weight increases and they are way thicker than the Eleiko 2,5’s) – wouldn’t that mean he has done a 205 snatch off blocks pre London? Looks like they are the same plates … is there some info anywhere from the man himself?
It’s definitely 275kg on the Front Squat. I asked Ilya on twitter.
As for the 200 snatch video… both, Ilya and his coach uploaded the video saying it’s 200. So there is really no room for speculation I think
I can’t seem to find much on this topic, though I am sure there is somewhere. Are lifts from blocks harder than full lifts, or does it depend on the strengths of the lifter?
On one hand blocks are partials, but it also seems like you have a lot less time to accelerate.
Lifts from blocks are easier. I can’t imagine even one lifter who does more from the floor than from blocks. It’s less about the acceleration time than about hitting perfect angles and technique easier from blocks and a strength/power reserve due to eliminating the first pull.
Thanks a lot! Been wondering that forever
he seems to do very little hang work – much more from blocks – has he talked about this before?
While in London he had no blocks, so he did plenty of hang work, probably lighter than he would with the blocks of course
im curious what he does in his 1st training
He’s using wave loading schemes quite often, not only when working up to a max attempt. He was/is doing it with snatches (140×3, 150×2, 160×1, 150×3, 160×2, 170×1 etc.) and squats (same 3/2/1 scheme) too.
In the c&j I noticed that he often does the classic 1+1+1 complex with lighter weights in between his heavier sets (with increasing weights in both exercises).
I tried wave loading with snatches and squats in my own training and it worked pretty good.
when they snatch from the blocks is that the “hard” part of the lift? (not a weightlifter here). Am I right to assume that the pull section is generally easier but getting “under” the bar is the stick point?
Disclaimer: I’ve only been weightlifting exclusively for about a year and a half and only some of that time has been with a coach (a lot being self taught) so I would say my knowledge is still very much on the basic side. Now that being said, I’m not sure I fully understand your question. It’s a little bit of a cop out but I would think the hard part of a lift is really different for every lifter. Some people have great flexibility and have no problem dropping quickly into the bottom position for the catch. Others are not as explosive so do not have a strong second pull. And still others may lack some good old fashioned brute strength and are not strong off the floor. It all depends, hence why you see so much variation in training programs. Each lifter has to work on specific weaknesses, especially at the olympic level. Now for a beginner, outside of strength, flexibility and mental comfort make the pull under the bar the most difficult part to learn (IMO). The full bottom position in a snatch requires incredible shoulder and hip flexibility that I’m years away from even scratching the surface on. But again, it really does vary person to person.
interesting! thanks!
(242cj) Oh my god .. has he became even faster under the bar? Thats ridiculous, as well as his timing and speed out of the hole. I wouldn’t be able to stand up immediately given the small height difference between catch and bottom position. I think this ability is a very elite skill even among top weightlifters. For example: Adam Maligov had to sit out his 219 c&j whereas Ilya would have been able to stand up asap (not considering weight on the bar). Just an outstanding lifter!
On a side note: His quads are looking like they are about to separate from his body and form a living entity on their own.
even his arms and torso look gigantic! HOSS CENTRAL.
I’m quite curious what kind of auxiliary exercises he’s doing, especially for triceps. Maybe even some bodybuilding stuff like the Chinese? That kind of upper body muscularity is very unusual for a bulgarian-type training. Maybe someone can ask him on instagram? It would be nice to see a full training session of his current cycle anyway…
I dunno…if you look at him when he’s “on” shape…I mean “in” shape…he always gets some arm thickness (thinking competitions), never “huge” like Klokov but definitely athletic. Look at his freaking legs though. I don’t think he’s doing a bunch of bodybuilding stuff for his quads. I think he’s just an athletic freak. Hahaha…
One of the sessions I was really lucky to see recently (won’t describe percentages or rep scheme out of respect for both Ilya and Toishan’s request, so don’t ask) involved warming up with a lot of empty barbell overhead squat, typical mobility stuff, lots of vertical jumps and I mean lots.
Then muscle snatches up to the point where it seemed futile to muscle that weight overhead without using hips (and it was a lot can tell you that much), then several sets of Snatches, and finished up with Power Snatches (no Snatch pulls that I can remember but I might have been busy following instructions). Then a generous break and some moderate C&J work but only like 3 sets (if I remember correctly). Another rest while correcting my shabby hip contact, and then he ended up with some work on the GHD, pull ups, push ups and weighted planks.
Clearly most weightlifters won’t be doing anything arcane or mysterious here and what they might be most protective of is the weights they are hitting, everybody knows that this sort of knowledge helps the competition, so I can understand why they would not want that information available (I got the impression they would be happy with the wider public having it but not his competitors, sadly, you can’t control that unless you simply don’t divulge it)
Any impressions? the man is simply a beast, a kind and generous beast, and it is obvious it has taken him a lifetime to perfect all of that. We laughed about that interview in English where the interviewer made that silly comment about his Snatch not being as good as his C&J, but was as usual really humble about everything always needing improving.
An experience I will never forget and a huge motivation to work more and improve.
Re: tricep exercises, He mentioned ring dips and bent over rows as useful exercises, whether that would be useful for me or whether he uses them that is a different matter as I don’t recall seeing rings in one of his training halls.
that 242 looked too easy…just way too easy…he’s going to hit 255 in training before 2016.
Well in a recent interview he said he wants to hit 260 at Rio so expect more like 265/270 in training which is just crazy
sheesh…if anyone can do it’ll be him. I think Nurudinov and Benjanyan will be hot on his tail though. Nurudinov DEFINITELY had more in the tank 239 wasn’t a max. He looked like he had a reasonable shot at 242 too…the ‘stans are strong:)
apart from this new PR, i’m impressed by his body ! gosh, he’s really, really thick. His physical transformation since last december is simply amazing. he took 16 kgs bodyweight in eight months !! i can’t imagine that is only with vegetables for dinner.
That is all I saw him eat for dinner, that and what seemed like pearl barley. Unfortunately updates to this excel sheet are unlikely to be made in the future. For the sake of preserving privacy in their preparation Toishan told me those videos would be far less common.
good God he’s HUGE…and that looked easy…maybe he’s going to go SHW!?
Anyone else think that Illya might get nailed for not waiting till the bar stops flexing before he jerks? Aramnau got away with it in 2008 but they went after him at the Europeans. He was a lot worse but I think Illya is real close to a no lift. I’d like to see him wait a tick longer….
From when is this new rule? I know they added something like “the lifter AND the bar must become motionless” but that is bullshit. If you pop the bar up very high in the clean you would have to wait for hours before the jerk and this thing opens the door for crazy judging. Good luck with defining a motionless bar when medals are at stake. Maybe the IWF has discussed this internally and knows how to deal with the rule but I don’t see how. IMO they can give Ilya (or any other lifter) white or red lights at will. It looks to me like they didn’t thought out the whole thing. I hope this gets clarified for everybody including the lifters so it’s not gonna be a pain in the ass.
I agree that forcing the lifter to wait forever for the bar to stop moving would be crazy. Most of the lifters I see are able to achieve a more motionless bar with a pretty brief pause, even after a significant pop up. I’m an Ilyin fan and don’t doubt he would easily hit his lifts if he waited a bit longer. I’d rather he not give opposing teams anything to cry about and possibly force him to repeat a lift. I got the feeling they were waiting to pounce on Aramnau. Of course Ilya is a very popular guy and deservedly so.
Is there any reason he haven’t post new videos lately?
I posted above why. Sorry but can’t be bothered to repeat the post. Apologies
XXX is 198. 3x25kg big red plates, 1x10kg green plate, 1×2.5kg small red plate, 1×1.5kg yellow plate. That’s 89kg one side of the bar. 89×2 sides, plus 20kg bar makes 198. He’s at 198/242! Getting closer to that 1000 pound total 😀
we miss his training videos on youtube!!