Friday - post-op day 9

Aerobic recovery 

3 sets:

10:00 AirDyne @ Z1

10:00 mobility/stretching

Hamstrings are still extremely tight, but getting a little better.  Knee is dramatically less swollen today than it has been!

Nutrition update:

• 2260 calories; 165g protein, 175g carb, 100g fat, with consistent calorie intake across the whole week
• super easy to hit these numbers on training days; I'm usually 10-30g short on carbs on rest days without the vitargo
• Shift some carbs to the AM, so that all meals have P/F/C
• done, easy - more consistent energy throughout the day
• Add BCAAs before all training sessions (Z1 and training)
• done, easy - don't really notice a difference
• Ditch the creatine in my PWO shake (probably for a total of 8 weeks)
• done, easy - don't really notice a difference
• Focus on quality/nutrient dense foods
• done, easy - don't even miss Quest bars, I knew those were too good to be true
• Surgery, 3 pints of gelato over 4 days, and weird/limited training this week did not completely derail me
• annoyed that as soon as I get into a good groove, something happens to throw me off - won't be able to track accurately while on vacation, but committed to eyeballing portions and maintaining quality

Weight:
July 16: 165.3
July 21: 163.2

July 31: 162.1

This is uncharted territory.  Officially at my lowest adult weight.

Thursday - post-op day 8

AM

30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 10 walking lunge steps + 0:60 hamstring stretching

PM

8 rounds @ 75%:

250m row

44' unbroken handstand walk 

200m ski erg 

8 alternating step-ups, 12"

8 tough ring rows 

(50:07)

Finally able to AirDyne at my usual Z1 pace, although I still have the seat set one notch higher.  

Super hesitant on the walking lunges (and had to be gentle kissing my bad knee to the floor, the incisions are still pretty tender), but these got better and better with each set.  Knee is pretty tight at 90 degrees, but no pain.  Can't imagine flexing it more than 90 degrees yet... 

Hamstrings are incredibly tight.  Alarmingly tight.  I know it's just from a week of elevating my leg on the couch, but it's still concerning.  Making a conscious effort to stretch for every stint of icing moving forward...

Tested out a few 20" step-ups - not quite ready for this, felt a pretty sharp pain as soon as I transferred weight to the flexed leg (I'm guessing this is 91 degrees). Ended up using the biggest jerk block, zero issues at this height. 

Shorted the return on the erg, but absolutely no problem driving through my legs. Felt that same super sharp pain on the few strokes where I forgot to stop early. 

Trying not to panic that it hurts doing the same things that hurt before... 

Wednesday - post-op day 7

AM

20:00 AirDyne easy, off every 5:00 for 5 strict toes-to-bar

PM

A. Shoulder press

74(5), 84(4), 94(3), 99(3), 104(1), 104(1)

+

for 24:00

1. 6 butterfly CTBs

2. 3 strict handstand push-ups

3. 0:30 FLR

4. 3 strict ring dips

Felt much more comfortable/confident on the bike this morning.  Had the seat only one notch higher than usual (6), and didn't hesitate at the top with every revolution like I did yesterday.  Still a very easy pace, maybe Z0.8 today.

Shoulder press is embarrassingly weak. 

Butterfly CTBs continue to feel excellent! Sets of 3 strict handstand push-ups are getting to be quite consistent. FLR and ring dips fine and easy. 

Post-op appointment with Tim went well! He's pleased with how well I'm walking and how much I've already started using it. Showed me the photos, the tear was in the middle of the meniscus and he had to get rid of a bit of healthy tissue to get at it, but it should be good as new now. Apparently I also had a plica band that he got rid of, just because he saw it. Articular cartilage all looks great, no fraying of the meniscus on either side, acl is textbook.

He told me to start testing it out as much as I want - lunges, air squats, even jumping and running. Nothing loaded yet, but can start pushing it as much as I feel like unless it gets super pissed off. He said to expect it to go up and down for a while, and to be dealing with swelling for a while, but as long as it's not painful he's not concerned. Follow up is 8/27.

I'm kind of nervous to actually do anything, especially since it is still inflamed so easily from walking, but he said that's totally normal and still wants me to start testing it ASAP anyway...

Tuesday - post-op day 6

AM
5:00 AirDyne, very, very gentle
+
20:00 mobility
+
5:00 AirDyne, very, very gentle

PM

Crossover Symmetry activation 

+

A. Weighted pronated pull-up max: 213.5

B. Weighted ring dip max: 208.5 (PR +9.5) video

+

For time:

50 strict pull-ups

7:44 (not good)

+

3 sets, not for time:

300m ski erg 

0:60 FLR on ground 


It's so weird being able to do whatever I feel like doing!  I'm not very creative.  Feels good to be training somewhat normally though.

Tested out the AirDyne this morning - Dr. Google told me that it should be okay.  Raised the seat a couple of notches higher than I typically use to shorten the ROM, and was very, very cautious of bending my knee at the top, but I think this went okay.  Maybe I'll try a little longer tomorrow.  This was like Z0.2 effort.

Weighted pull-ups felt pretty strong; +45 ties my PR, but I've lost 5lbs since the last time I've done this, so the total isn't a PR.  

Weighted ring dips felt AWESOME.  Super easy.  I took video of all attempts to ensure depth, and comparing to my previous weighted ring dips, depth is miles better.  Ok, maybe not miles... centimeters.

The 50 strict pull-ups for time did not go as well as I had hoped.  When I tested this previously, it was at Active in CA, and their pull-up bars are super slippery.  I thought that if I used a nice, grippy bar that this would be an easy PR.  That was not the case.  I considered stopping around 20 (this is why I need someone else to tell me what to do, it would have been too easy to just change my mind and no one would have known), but I just sucked it up and finished.  Basically did singles from like 17 on.  

Ski erg toasted my triceps.  FLRs pretty easy.

Knee feels better and better each day - it still gets quite swollen on and off (basically any time I go more than an hour without icing it), but it's not really painful at all.  Can't wait to see Tim tomorrow!! 

Monday - post-op day 5

Knee is coming along! Walked quite a bit (maybe too much) at work today, but ice nipped it in the bud. It gets pretty swollen off and on, but no real pain at all anymore. Quad is operating at perhaps 80%, consistently improving. Feeling good, and anxious to get the prognosis from Tim on Wednesday...

Skyped with Mike today. We're both pleased with how things are going so far, so not changing anything for the next few weeks. Adding BCAAs before all training sessions, otherwise keeping everything the same. Mike complimented Stephen's programming (he had asked for a sample week) - he said he sees everything from terrible to excellent, and the week I had sent him was among the best he'd seen. I have to agree. 

Pretty much doubled the amount of walking from yesterday to today...

Sunday - post-op day 4

Crossover Symmetry activation
+
For 10:00
evens: 5 butterfly CTBs
odds: 0:30 FLR
+
For 10:00
evens: 3 strict HSPUs
odds: 0:30 hollow rock
+
For 10:00
evens: 3 strict ring dips 

odds: 0:30 ski erg

Ok, totally ready to get back into a normal training/eating/working routine. Still have quite a bit of fullness within the knee joint, but almost zero pain (except for the incisions). Still working on waking up my quad, but I think it's getting a little better each time I do the exercises. 

Reacquired post-surgical skill of the day: ascending and descending stairs using both legs, not one step at a time using Emily's "up to heaven with the good, down to hell with the bad" technique (which was actually super helpful! She makes a good PT). 

And, while the lazy, couch-dwelling portion of my recovery is (nearly) over, I have to give The Imitation Game an A+. Loved it. 

Saturday - post-op day 3

Feeling really good today! Dramatic difference, even from yesterday. It's still pretty full of fluid, but not nearly as uncomfortable. Finally got to unwrap it and take a shower, which was delightful. 

Fooled around with some easy upper body stuff at the gym. Got a little lightheaded by the end, but felt really good to move around a bit. 

Crossover Symmetry activation 

+ 

Shoulder press 

75(5), 85(3), 95(2)x4

+

Strict pull-ups 

10, 5, 5

+

Butterfly CTBs 

5 sets of 5 (easy!)

+

Strict ring dips 

5 sets of 3

Still trying to wake up my quad... this is a very strange and alarming feeling.

Friday - post-op day 2

Feeling completely like myself today... and extremely antsy.  Still quite uncomfortable, but better than yesterday.

Went to lunch with Lea, Brandie and Chelsea (Dylan bought me pancakes!) then watched some of the Games at Mark and Lea's. Swung by the gym on my way to work and borrowed crutches from Heather - I'm walking pretty well I think, but it's quite a trek from my parking garage to the lab, so I wanted to make it a little easier on myself. 

Super happy to get out of the house for a few hours! I may have overdone it just a tad (got pretty swollen) but I was literally going insane sitting on the couch. Hoping to fool around in the gym a little bit tomorrow... I don't know why, but I'm craving some weighted pull-ups. 

Movies watched: 

Horrible Bosses 2 (C)

The Theory of Everything (A)

Thursday - post-op day 1

Bleck. Had kind of a rough night. Thought the Norcos might knock me out, but they had the opposite effect and I just couldn't get comfortable. Got approximately 3.5 hours of broken sleep and watched 3 episodes of Orange is the New Black from the hours of 2-5am. 

Woke up in a significant amount of discomfort, but clear headed and feels like the anesthesia is out of my system. Took half a Norco this morning, then rotated between ibuprofen and Tylenol today. Ice is my best friend. And Chels. She brought me Sleepy Bee and Austin came over for a bit, which was awesome. I'm so bored. 

I'm quite surprised that I can walk on it as well as I can for how uncomfortable it is. Moving extremely slowly, but moving.

Recovery stats

Flavors of gelato accumulated: 

Hazelnut chocolate chip

Sicilian pistachio 

Chocolate peanut butter 

Movies watched: 

Into the Woods (B-)

Lucy (B+)

Maleficent (B+)

Fury (A-)

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies  (B+)

Wednesday - knee scope

Finally got my knee fixed today. 

I'm sure I'll get more details next week at my follow up (and photos!), but Tim said that he found the tear and completely repaired it, and also cleaned up some other stuff. It sounds like the tear was toward the outside and not all the way through the depth of the meniscus, and he had a hard time finding it at first. But, according to Chelsea, he said my knee is now "pristine." He said to take it easy for a few days, but if I feel like moving around a bit, I can (and should). Tim is the coolest.

In a fair bit of discomfort and feel awful from the anesthesia. I'm actually able to walk on it fairly well, which is surprising. 

I'm extremely grateful that Chels played nurse today. I don't know what I would have done without her. Love you, buddy!

Is it just me, or is this an excessive bandage for two tiny holes?

nutrition update

Not Skyping with Mike until Monday, but I'm not sure what I'll feel like eating/doing over the next couple of days, so I figured I'd just summarize the past week now.

Mike's recommendations:

Aim for 2260 calories; 165g protein, 175g carb, 100g fat, with consistent calorie intake across the whole week

Shift some carbs to the AM, so that all meals have P/F/C (for the most part)

Add BCAAs before Z1
Ditch the creatine in my PWO shake

Focus on quality/nutrient dense foods

Weight:

July 16: 165.3

July 21: 163.2 (!)

I feel awesome, training is going well, and I'm not stressing over hitting the numbers exactly, but am having fun rearranging things to make it close.

Looking forward to picking up right back here in a few days... 

Tuesday

AM
15:00 AirDyne @ Z1
+
Crossover Symmetry activation
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Snatch, build to a max
+
For time:
30 muscle-ups

AM

complete

PM

A. 130, 135Fx3

+

17:02 

Snatching felt great today through 125 - solid and very fast under the bar. Caught 130 a little funny (feet were wide, like power snatch style, but in a squat), and then kind of psyched myself out for the attempts at 135. None of these was close. I guess I should be happy with consistently hitting >95% of my max. I just wish my max was higher! 

SO HAPPY with the muscle-ups! Holy shit. I realistically expected to be somewhere between 25:00-30:00. All singles, no fails. 5 done in 2:00, 15 done just over 7:00. Slowed down a bit toward the end, but these were all solid (except one, 24 I think). Ripped once on 19 then twice more in the late 20s, but it didn't really affect my grip or swing at all. This was super cool.  I love the skinny rings. Looking forward to stringing some together consistently. 

Nice pre-op send-off. See ya on the other side! 

Monday

Off

90:00 massage
+
an insane amount of food prep for the week

Sunday

A. Hang snatch, build quickly to a tough single
B. Box squat w/chains to just above parallel, 10 x 3 @ 40% 1RM on bar + heavy chains, 11X1; begin a set every :60
C. 1-arm DB rows w/straps, 3 x 3-4 side very heavy, 10X0; :60 between arms
+
3 rounds for time:
21 row calories
14 pull-ups
7 ring dips
+
4 rounds not for time:
7-10 moderate/tough reverse hypers
12 glute-ham sit-ups

A. 115, 125Fx2

B. complete with 120 + chains 

C. 65, 70, 75(3)

+

11:23

+

complete 

210 on the RH, 10 across 

Ugh, this humidity really takes it out of you. Sluggish day. 

Hang snatches felt terrible. 85 felt heavy. My timing was off on the hang, so these were almost tall snatches, with barely any dip. 

Box squats felt super heavy as well. 

I've never used straps before, so these took a few minutes to get used to, but definitely helped me hang on to the dumbbell longer than I would have been able to without them. Left arm is still the limiter when it gets heavy - today, the DB was swinging all over the place (into my boob, into the bench, etc). Just no control as it gets heavy. 

Butterfly pull-ups are finally starting to click! Haven't tried non-CTB butterfly in a long time, and was extremely pleased with how easy these were. Broken 6/5/3, 7/7, 5/7/2. Shocked that I didn't rip with how wet it is today. Ring dips, on the other hand, felt terrible.  All strict, with no discernible kip, 3/2/2 across. Felt very fatigued on the rower, and struggled to keep the pace above 900 cal/h. 

210 on the RH is finally starting to get tough. Also, I keep banging my shins with the weights - this can't be right. 

Saturday

AM
30:00 AirDyne or mixed round the world of choice @ Z1, if on AirDyne off every 5:00 for 6-8m slow reverse bear crawl w/light bumper on low back (think of trying to keep that level), if not just include the bear crawls somewhere in the mix

PM
A. Snatch pull clusters, 3 x 1.1.1 starting @ 100% 1RM snatch; :10 between singles, :90 rest
B1. Single leg Romanian deadlift, 3 x 2-3/leg, 41X1; :60 between legs, :60 rest
B2. Close-grip bench press, 2-1-1, 30X1; :60 rest
C. Russian kettlebell swings, 3 x 15-20 moderate unbroken; :60 rest
D. Star side plank, 3 x :40/side; :50 between sides
+
5 sets:
:10 sled push w/straight arms, outdoor loaded for fast foot turnover
1:50 walk rest

AM

complete with AirDyne, dead hang to inverted, reverse bear crawl w/ 10lb bumper, freestanding handstand holds

PM

A. 135, 145, 155

B1. 135, 140, 145(2)

B2. 154(2), 164, 169

C. 70(20) across 

D. complete 

+

complete with 90 on the prowler 

Quiet afternoon in the gym, which is always nice. 

Snatch pulls felt okay - I've always focused on being patient on the pull and bringing the bar into my hips, but Angel made a comment about my elbows not getting very high, which is something I've never emphasized. The second pull/turnover is where I think I have the most problems snatching, so maybe this is something to consider moving forward. 

Lost balance at the bottom on the 3rd rep of the single leg RDL, otherwise should have been good for all 3.  Started to  feel these in my upper quads, which felt weird. Wore the black knee sleeves just to see if that would make a difference. It may have while I was doing them, but as soon as I pulled them down my knee blew up (swollen and really sore) so maybe that wasn't a great idea after all. 

Bench press felt really good - the 169 at tempo wasn't very hard at all, so Angel convinced me to go for a bonus rep to PR, which failed (174, current max is 170). I could probably get that relatively soon though, on a day structured differently. 

Kettlebell swings were no big deal.

Struggled to get my foot up as high as usual on the star planks - my outer glute/hip felt very fatigued and a little sore (from the SLRDLs?), but I could hold the 0:40 fairly well. I would guess that 0:45 would be where these might start to get shaky. 

Energy faded badly by the time I went outside for the prowler sprints. I'm sure this was a combination of the heat index (gross) and the fact that it had been a very long time since breakfast by that point. Recovery between sprints was fine, but I felt like I wasn't hitting top speed at all. 

Sad to think I only have 2 training days left... starting to get a little freaked out. 

Friday

long, unplugged hike

38:00 complete @ Ault Park 

Totally different experience doing this without it being so muddy... need to find a way to add a bit next time. 

Thursday

AM
5000m row @ Z1

PM
A. Power clean, build to a heavy single
B. Behind-the-neck shoulder press, 3 x 3-4, 31X1; 2:00 rest
+
10:00 @ 90%:
5 kipping handstand push-ups
10 AirDyne calories
5m handstand walk
10 AirDyne calories
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

complete in 26:18

PM

A. 175, 180Fx2

B. 73, 78(3), 78(3)

+

4 rounds

+

complete 

Today was pretty chill. I love Thursdays in the gym. 

Power cleans felt all over the place today - not my best day for these. Pulled 180 into my neck both times, but the bar was out in front and I wasn't in a position to get my elbows around.

BTN press went better than last week, but these are still so hard for me. 

Handstand push-ups were so fast and easy!! All sets of 5 easily unbroken. This is awesome. Good week for handstand push-ups! What a difference a few months makes. 

Wednesday

AM

20:00 @ very easy pace:
250m row
15 AirDyne calories
200m ski erg
+
Crossover Symmetry activation circuit
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Glute bridge w/shoulder on ground, tough single, 21X2
B. Muscle-up, accumulate 9-12 crisp singles; rest as needed
+
9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for time:
Perfect ring push-ups
CTB pull-ups
+
Not for time:
100m tough indoor sled drag in 10m increments

AM

complete

PM

A. 430

B. 12 complete 

+

7:49

+

complete with 310 on the sled; alternated forwards and reverse 

430 seems like a ridiculous amount of weight on the glute-bridge. Probably could have done just a little more, but ran out of room on the axle bar and already had to reorganize the weights once with metal plates to make them fit, so just called that the tough single and moved on. 

Muscle-ups felt really, really good today! These were all caught really high (for me), except for one or two towards the end. 

Ring push-ups all unbroken. Butterflied all the CTBs; split 9, 8, 7 into two sets, then 6 through 1 done unbroken. Took an extra few seconds each round making sure I was ready to hit a quality set of pull-ups. Rhythm felt great, nice and patient. 

Sled drag was tough, and reverse is much easier than forwards. This took a very long time. 

Tuesday

AM
mixed round-the-world of choice, include :10-:15 L-hangs in there somewhere, nothing else tough though...

PM
A. Split jerk from blocks, build to a tough single
B. Power snatch clusters, 5 x 1.1 @ 75-80% 1RM; :12 between singles, 2:30 rest
C1. Clean-grip deadlift, 3 x 3-4, 31X1; :60 rest
C2. Strict handstand push-ups, 3 x :90 steady; :90 rest
+
3-5 sets:
:30 row very hard
4:30 walk rest

AM

30:00 complete with AirDyne, L-hang, row and freestanding handstand holds

PM

A. 195, 205Fx2

B. complete @ 100

C1. 235, 245, 255(3)

C2. 14, 16, 12

+

157m

157m

158m

156m 

Solid training day!  Nice to finally have a day where I didn't feel rushed.

Enjoyed the unstructured Z1 piece this morning, just cycled through as I felt like it without watching the clock (for the most part). 

Split jerks felt great, considering it's been MONTHS since I've done them.  185 was crisp; had a little bit of a soft catch at 195 but still felt pretty solid, and missed 205 in front twice.  The second miss was pretty close, though.  Fun to work with Chels for a change of pace!  The only not fun part was trying to put the blocks back against the wall, during which I stabbed myself in the finger with an exposed screw, smashed my hand between the wall and the blocks, and faced a very large spider.

Power snatches were nice and crisp.

Clean grip deadlifts were hard on the thumbs, but the weight felt pretty decent.

Strict handstand push-ups felt great today!  The first two sets were done in Oly shoes (the third set in socks).  First set was 2 sets of 3 then all doubles, second set was 4 sets of 3 then doubles, third set was 2 sets of 3, doubles then two singles (one fail).  The improvement here is really cool.

Row sprints felt pretty good; saw 1:31/500m on all, but couldn't get below that and hung out at 1:32-1:34 for the most part.  

Skyped with Mike Kesthely a couple of days ago - he modified his original suggestion and now I'm aiming to hit 165g protein, 175g carb, 100g fat (this is pretty close to what Stephen had previously suggested and pretty close to what I was hitting daily from November through April).  I'm shifting more of these carbs to breakfast, adding BCAAs before Z1, and ditching the creatine in my PWO shake for the next couple of weeks, and we're going to Skype again on July 27.  I know the knee scope is going to throw a little bit of a wrench in things for a few days... just anxious to be back in a regular routine, but that's not going to happen until September... 

Monday

Off

Today, I successfully defended my thesis!  

You seriously gave me a Ph.D.?! 

Sunday

A. Box squat w/chains to just above parallel, 8 x 3 @ 40% 1RM on bar + heavy chains, 11X1; begin a set every :60
B1. 1-arm DB thrusters, 3 x 2-3/side; :60 between arms, :60 rest
B2. 1-arm DB rows, 3 x 4-5/side very heavy, 10X0; :60 between arms, :60 rest
+
5 sets for even times:
2 ring dips
4 strict fat bar pull-ups
2 ring dips
4 strict fat bar pull-ups
16 row calories
2:00 walk rest
+
3 rounds not for time:
7-10 moderate/tough reverse hypers
15 glute-ham sit-ups


A. complete with 120 + chains
B1. 70, 75(3L/2R), 75(3)
B2. 65, 70(3), 70(3)
+
1:49
1:53
1:52
1:52
1:49
+
complete
160 on the RH, 10 across

I really like my Sunday programming.

Box squats were fine.

DB thrusters felt good - lost balance on the one missed rep on the right side at 75, otherwise would have been good for all 3.  Still using the opposite arm to control the negative.

The problem with the DB rows continues to be grip - used the metal dumbbell at 65 and hit 5 reps easily; had to use the rubber DB with the fatter handle for the 70lb and left hand just can't hang on to it.

Even times piece was good.  Rowed at 1000-1100 cal/h.

I'm still not adding enough weight on the reverse hypers to qualify these as tough.

14-15 glute-ham sit-ups is about where I start to get really dizzy...

Saturday

AM
40:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 6-8m slow reverse bear crawl w/light bumper on low back (think of trying to keep that level)

PM
A. Snatch pulls, 6 x 1 starting @ 105-115% 1RM snatch; :90 rest
B1. Single leg Romanian deadlift, 3 x 3-4/leg, 41X1; :60 between legs, :60 rest
B2. Close-grip bench press, 3 x 2-3, 30X1; :60 rest
C. Hip extensions, 3 x 5-7, 2011; 2:00 rest
D. Star side plank, 3 x :30/side; :60 between sides
+
5 sets:
:21 AirDyne @ max effort
3:39 rest

AM

skipped; subbed 2h bike ride with Mom in the PM

PM

A. 143, 148, 153, 158, 163, 168

B1. 124, 129, 134

B2. 149, 154, 159(2)

C. 20, 30, 40

D. complete
+
complete


Skipped the ride on Demetrius for a ride on the Loveland bike trail with Mom this afternoon - perfect, beautiful day for this.  15 miles on a beach cruiser.

Training was fine - nothing exciting to report. 

Snatch pulls felt heavy.

Single leg romanian deadlifts felt really stable today, no issues with balance or weight.

Bench press felt better than it has in recent weeks; Emily was spotting on the 159 and said she thought I could have gotten a 3rd rep, but I don't think it would have happened.  Didn't try.

I've figured out that my knee just hates to be locked in extension - the hip extensions feel the same as the Sorenson holds on my knee.  Other than that, these were fine and could have started heavier.

Star planks were solid today.  No issues whatsoever holding for 0:30.

Used Eduardo for the sprints - Demetrius has something funky going on with his pedal.  The first 4 were fine, but felt pretty rough finishing the 5th.

Super proud of Mom this week - and impressed! - for trying something so far outside her comfort zone, and loving it.  She did her 400m Farmer's walk unbroken today!  She seems motivated to join Kellie's gym when she gets back; hopefully it works out for her.  I love seeing her like this.

Friday

long, unplugged hike

1:36:00 complete @ Ault Park with Mom

Approximately 1 hour of this hike was spent off-roading.  Mom is very adventurous. 

The moment when we finally found a trail again after climbing through the brush for 60:00

Thursday

AM
5500m row @ Z1

PM
A. Power cleans, 3-2-1-1 (touch-and-go on the 3 & 2); 2:00 rest
B. Behind-the-neck shoulder press, 3 x 4-5, 31X1; 2:00 rest
C. Weighted glute-ham raises, 3 x 5-10, 20X1; 2:00 rest
+
10:00 @ 90%:
1 rope climb
10 AirDyne calories
5m handstand walk
10 AirDyne calories
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

complete in 28:10

PM

A. 155(3), 165(2), 175, 185Fx2

B. 68, 73, 78(1)

C. 10, 20(7), 20(7)

+

4 rounds 

+

complete 

So, my knee is fucking with me. Woke up this morning with it extremely stiff and had a sharp pain every time I extended it. I thought it would have improved overnight but it was the same as last night (if not worse) when I woke up this morning. Almost subbed out the row for airdyne, but ended up just shorting the stroke on my Z1 row. Walking was painful all day. Wasn't sure how training would go, but nothing I did made it feel any worse than walking did, so I didn't modify anything. And now, a few hours after training, it feels back to normal. WHAT THE HECK. I've been much better about icing it today and maybe the large quantities of ibuprofen finally kicked in. This is weird.  Anyway. 

Power cleans weren't as good as last week. 

BTN shoulder press continues to be terrible. Failing 2 reps at 78lbs is embarrassing. 

The tempo on the GH raises was much easier this week. 

LOVED the 10:00 piece - super fun. Rope climbs were all very fast and transitions were quick. 

Mom had another great day in class... this makes me happy and proud. 

Wednesday

AM

20:00 @ very easy pace:
250m row
15 AirDyne calories
200m ski erg
+
Crossover Symmetry activation circuit
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Glute bridge w/shoulder on ground, 3 x 3-4, 21X2; 3:00 rest
B1. CTB pull-ups clusters, 3 x 4.4.4; short rest between 4s, :30 rest
B2. Reverse sled drag, 3 x 10-15m very heavy; :30 rest
B3. Double-unders, 3 x max in :30; 2:00 rest
+
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for time:
Perfect ring push-ups
Toes-to-bar

AM

complete 

PM

A. 250, 270, 290

B1. complete

B2. 15m with 265

B3. 36, 44, 47

+

8:49


Pretty decent training day, considering all the other shit I've got going on at the moment.  So happy Mom was game for trying her first CrossFit class - she had a blast, and all night has been saying "I can't believe I did that!" with the cutest smile on her face.  Thanks, Austin, for being so patient with her!  I know it's hard to have someone with zero experience jump into a class.

Glute bridges were fine, it's starting to get a little uncomfortable on the hip bones, but the actual movement continues to feel strong.

Did all CTBs butterflied, but had two "false starts" where I was off rhythm on the first rep, so I dropped off and re-started the set of 4.  I need to emphasize being patient and waiting to come through at the top, I think I try to rush the top and that's where I've been getting off rhythm.  These are coming along, though.

Underestimated how sticky the floors would be, and originally had 355 on the sled (what? I know), which would not budge at all, so stripped a 45 and tried 310, and that also would not budge, so stripped another 45 and used 265 for the drags.  This was a real struggle today - the sled didn't feel heavy at all, it just wouldn't move.

Tripped twice on all 3 sets of double-unders.  Blah.  

And then the for time piece... underestimated how many reps this was going to be, and moved pretty slowly from 9 down to 5.  Felt a callous starting to rip on the set of 4 TTB, so 3, 2 and 1 were done strict.

Side note - my knee is being a complete asshole tonight.  I've definitely been moving around nonstop the past 3 days with the move, and haven't been as diligent about icing it (mostly because the ice was in one apartment and the chairs were in the other), but it's so bad right now that it's alarming.  Two weeks.  This had better actually fix it.  Ughhhhhhhh.

Tuesday

AM
35:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 7:00 for :05-:10/side 1-arm passive hang from bar + :30 front leaning rest on rings

PM
A. Power snatch clusters, 4 x 1.1.1.1 @ 70-75% 1RM; :10 between singles, 2:30 rest
B. Clean-grip deadlift, 3 x 4-6, 31X1; 2:30 rest
C1. Strict handstand push-ups, 3 x max in :75 steady; :75 rest
C2. Reverse hypers, 3 x 3-6, 21X1 (pause @ top); :90 rest
+
3-5 sets:
:25 row very hard
4:05 walk rest

AM

complete 

PM

A. complete @ 95

B. 205, 225(5), 225(4)

C1. 6, 7, 6

C2. +30, +40(5), +40(6)

+

133m

131m

131m

MOVING IS THE WORST.  I'm exhausted. Rushed through everything today because I felt guilty that I left Mom behind to reassemble my furniture. She'll join me at the gym the rest of the week. 

Power snatches were pretty crisp. 

Clean grip deadlifts were murder on my thumbs, otherwise felt fine. 

Strict handstand push-ups felt AWFUL, not nearly as strong as they felt last week. Opened with 3 or 2, then 2s or 1s. Maybe two or three fails where I just lost tension at the bottom and fell on my head. 

Reverse hypers were fine, that tempo is no joke. 

Row sprints were fine, I probably would have been okay for the full 5 sets but I felt pressed for time so I only did 3. Saw 1:29 on the first one, but couldn't get  below 1:30 on the second and third. 

Ugh hopefully we are done with all the hard work moving and the next couple of days will be much more laid back.  Super grateful that Cody and Austin helped!! 

Monday

Off 

Moving all day, couldn't classify this as rest... 

Sunday

A. Box squat w/chains to just above parallel, 12 x 2 @ 40% 1RM on bar + heavy chains, 11X1; begin a set every :60
B1. 1-arm DB thrusters, 3 x 3-4/side; :60 between arms, :60 rest
B2. 1-arm DB rows, 3 x 4-7/side very heavy, 10X0; :60 between arms, :60 rest
+
6 sets for even times:
3 ring dips
6 strict fat bar pull-ups
12 row calories
2:00 walk rest
+
3 rounds not for time:
10-12 moderate/tough reverse hypers
14 glute-ham sit-ups

A. complete with 120 + chains 

B1. 60, 65, 70(4)

B2. 60, 65(4), 65(4)

+

1:25

1:21

1:21 

1:16

1:15

1:12 

+

complete 

+140 on the RH, 12 across 

Really digging the Sunday programming! 

Box squats were fine. 

Surprised myself to get all 4 reps of the dumbbell thrusters at 70... had to use the opposite hand to assist the negative on both sides, but otherwise these were solid, despite the bum knee. 

Grip on the left hand was the limiter on the dumbbell row - seriously could barely hold on at all at 65 (rubber db).   No problems with grip on the right. 

6 sets were super fun, quick transitions throughout. Ring dips were strict, I tried to kip and ended up flailing around... Split the pull-ups 3/3 for the first 3 rounds, 2/2/2 for the last 3 rounds. Rowed at 1050-1100 cal/h (a bit faster on the last one just for kicks). 

Reverse hypers and glute-ham sit-ups were fine. I'm glad these are getting better after how terrible they were during the Regionals prep. 

Mom flies in tonight! She'll be here all week, helping me move then to watch my defense. Maybe I'll convince her to try a class... 

Saturday

AM
35:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for :30 front leaning rest on rings

PM
A. Snatch pull clusters, 4 x 1.1 @ 105% 1RM snatch; :15 between pulls, 2:30 rest
B1. Single leg Romanian deadlift, 3 x 4-5/leg, 41X1; :60 between legs, :60 rest
B2. Close-grip bench press, 3 x 3-4, 30X1; :60 rest
C. Sorensen hold, 3 x :45; 1:45 rest
D. Star side plank, 3 x :20/side; :40 between sides
+
5 sets:
:18 AirDyne @ max effort
3:12 rest

AM

complete

PM

A. complete @ 143

B1. 104, 114, 124(4)

B2. 134, 144, 154(2)

C. complete 

D. complete 

+

complete 

Super chill day in the gym today. 

Played around with externally rotating the rings a bit on the FLR. 

Snatch pulls felt fine, the first one of each cluster was super easy, but had to concentrate a little more for the second. 

Everything else was fine. Knee still doesn't like the Sorenson holds. Last two sets of AD sprints got kind of gross. 

Friday

long, unplugged hike, Ault Park recommended

48:00 complete 

Loved, loved, LOVED this today. I really enjoy hiking when I'm on vacation but for some reason have never been in Cincinnati. Ault Park was awesome, good recommendation. It was a bit muddy but only really slippery on one small stretch.  Also I got completely lost, I started on the tree trail, then took the forest loop, then the cliff trail, and came out on Shattuc, which completely surprised me. 

PS- I really hope there's no poison oak back there... 

Thursday

AM
5000m row @ Z1, off every 1000m for a few minutes of mobility work of choice

PM
A. Power cleans, 3-3-2-2 touch-and-go; :90 rest
B. Behind-the-neck shoulder press, 3 x 5-7, 31X1; 2:00 rest
C. Weighted glute-ham raises, 3 x 5-10, 31X1; 2:00 rest
+
10:00 @ 90%:
2 rope climb
10m bear crawl to Demetrius
15 AirDyne calories
10m bear crawl back to rope
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

complete

PM

A. 145(3), 155(3), 165(2), 175(2)

B. 63(7), 68(5), 68(5)

C. +10(10), +15(7), +15(6)

+

3 rounds + 5 calories 

+

complete 

Solid day. 

Power cleans were as good as they've ever been, especially the first rep of each set. The second at 175 was UGLY, but I failed to get 175 even once a few weeks ago, so this was neat.  Those are new PRs for a triple and a double. I wore knee sleeves just in case, so that I wouldn't be afraid to drop under the bar a little more as it got heavier, and I think that helped a lot mentally. I should try that with power snatches, too. 

BTN shoulder press is getting better, but still feels a little uncomfortable on my left shoulder. Nothing major, just doesn't feel like the other one. 

Glute ham raises were fine, tempo caught up with me.

Happy with effort on the 10:00 piece, although I still rest way too long at the rope when I have multiple reps back to back. The actual climbing has gotten to be pretty solid, though... 

Wednesday

AM

15:00 AirDyne @ Z1
+
Crossover Symmetry "activation" circuit
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Glute bridge w/shoulder on ground, 3 x 4-6, 21X2; 3:00 rest
B1. CTB pull-ups clusters, 2 x 5.5.5; short rest between 5s, :60 rest
B2. Reverse sled drag, 2 x 15-20m very heavy; 2:00 rest
+
For 10:00:
Evens: :30 ski erg @ 90% aerobic
Odds: 5-10 perfect ring push-ups
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 7-10 toes-to-bar
Odds: 30-50 double-unders

AM

complete

PM

A. 180, 200, 230

B1. complete 

B2. 20m, 15m with 325 on the sled 

+

complete 

10 across 

+

10, 10, 10, 8, 8

50, 50, 50, 39, 50

Today was an extremely hectic day at work. I was in lab at 7:15am and didn't sit down until 1:15pm (logged over 12,000 steps in that 6 hour period...) By the time I left at 4:30, I was cranky and had a headache, and was as close as I've ever come to just blowing off a training session. But, I didn't, and as soon as I started training everything magically improved. I'm going to have to prepare myself for some longer/harder work days come Fall with my new job, and just be okay with altering my schedule a bit. Booooo. 

Coulda started a lot heavier on the glute-bridges. Used the axle again but skipped the yoga mat- didn't make much of a difference. 

Used the CTBs as butterfly practice: the first set went much better than the second (4/5/4 in rhythm), the second set was kind of a disaster. 

Sled drag felt easier than last week, even though it was heavier. I felt it more in my quads for some reason, last week was all hammies. 

EMOMs were great. Grip got a little blown up on the toes to bar. Love the improved consistency of hitting bigger sets of double-unders! 

PS- I'm really sorry about breaking the Crossover Symmetry :(