Monday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

just mobility @ the gym

Alright, knee feels good and I'm getting antsy to start testing it out a bit more.  Even though I've been saying that my knee feels good for a while now, I think today was the first day where I really couldn't tell a difference between left and right at all. Didn't pack shoes today, so did all the mobility and knee ROM stuff barefoot, and I really liked it. 

Sunday

A1. Wrist flexion stretching, kneeling w/top of hands on ground and fingers facing toward feet, rotate locked elbows forward and lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
A2. Wrist extension stretching, kneeling w/palms on ground and hands supinated so fingers facing toward feet, lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
B. Muscle-ups, 6-10 x 2 unbroken; begin a rep every :90
+
15:00 @ 85%:
9 kipping handstand push-ups
15 row calories
9 burpees
12 toes-to-bar
27 double-unders

A1. complete 

A2. complete 

B. 5 singles complete (failed #6) - back on fat rings :(

+

3 rounds + 14 calories 


Ugh, muscle-ups felt terrible today.  I don't want to be reliant on the skinny rings, but they're ridiculously easier.  Forcing myself to get comfortable on the fat rings for now.  Caught all of these very low and had absolutely zero momentum coming out of the first one to generate a kip for a second attempt.  Just called it when I missed #6 - pretty demoralizing after how easy they felt in CA.  I've done one double before on the fat rings (and at the end of 10 EMOM if I remember correctly), so I know I'll eventually get these.  It's just frustrating.

Enjoyed all the movements in the 15:00 piece, but it was tough and 15:00 felt like a very long time.  First two rounds of HSPUs unbroken, then 5/4 for rounds 3 and 4.  I'm shocked at how much these have improved, it's crazy.  Row and burpees were steady; did the first round of TTB unbroken, then split 7/5, 6/6.  Only one set of DUs unbroken, one trip on the other two rounds.  Transitions felt slow.

Saturday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A. Power clean, 10:00 to build to a tough single - stop before feet move out
B. Clean pull w/drop from top, 1-1-1-1-1 @ 110-115% of A; 2:00 rest
C. Barefoot single-leg Romanian deadlift, 2 x 6-8/leg, 31X1; :90 between legs
D1. Shoulder press, 3 x 3-4, 21X1; :60 rest
D2. 1-arm DB row w/straps, 3 x 3-4/arm, 21X0; :30 between arms, :60 rest
+
3-5 attempts:
best row pace in 5 pulls (recommend damper @ 10 and long, very aggressive pulls right from the start)
full recovery - go again when you feel like you can rip it
+
1500m easy row cool-down

AM

60:00 complete with row, mobility, 20" box jumps and 6lb wallballs

PM
A. 145, 155F - nanos, no belt, no hook grip 

B. complete @ 165

C. 85, 95(7)

D1. 100, 105(3), 105(3)

D2. 65, 70, 75(3)

+

1:28

1:27

1:26

1:26

1:26

+

complete

Cycled through row and mobility a few times, then switched the mobility for air squats and step-ups, then graduated to box jumps and wallballs.  Box jumps felt great, no issues whatsoever. Wallballs also felt great, I didn't video these today but I know I'm definitely going as deep as I always have, and if that's not ATG, I'm not going to stress over it.  Tried one wallball with the 14lb ball, and while I think my knee would have been fine, my thumb was not.

Power cleans felt super crisp and easy through 145, although it felt super weird to do these without a hook grip (I hook gripped these while in CA when I thought it was just jammed and I told myself to just suck it up). Pulled 155 plenty high, but wasn't able to get my elbows around fast enough and caught my thumb a little weird, so I called it there. Clean pulls were okay. I'm really digging doing some of this stuff without all the gear. 

Single leg RDLs went much better this week, perhaps because I was barefoot? Not nearly as wobbly. 

Shoulder press and dumbbell rows felt great. 

Kind of annoyed at the row sprints - pretty sure that with practice and better technique, I could get below 1:25. 

Friday

90:00 massage
+
maybe some mobility, if my day goes as planned

Thursday

AM
1600m very light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired

PM
A1. Bear crawl, 3 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :60 rest
A2. Deadbug w/hands pressed into wall, 3 x 12 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :60 rest
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 4 x 2-3; 2:00 rest
+
3 rounds for time:
6 strict handstand push-ups
3 rounds of [2 toes-to-bar + 2 CTB pull-ups]
18 kettlebell swings, 53
+
2-4 sets:
300m run @ 90% aerobic
:90 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A1. complete 

A2. complete?

B. +15, +20, +25, +30(2) @166

+

7:26

+

3 sets complete 

Loved the AM sled drag! Wouldn't mind doing this every week, while the weather is nice.

Bear crawl continues to be very easy, but I have absolutely no idea if i was doing the deadbugs correctly. I watched a number of videos and they all pretty much said the same thing, but this felt like relaxing yoga hour, not one of the "best abs exercises EVER". 

Weighted CTBs felt very strong. 166 includes belt (161.7 @ home). 

3RFT was fun! Shockingly, the strict handstand push-ups were the easiest part of the whole thing...! All broken 3/3 with minimal rest. Did all the TTB/CTBs unbroken (so 12 total), all in rhythm until the very last 2 CTBs on the 3rd round, but didn't drop off. That was fun. Definitely hesitated picking up the kettlebell - this was the hardest part of the whole thing, but all unbroken.  Thumb was fine on the swings until just about vertical, so most of the reps were about 1" shy of completely overhead.  First round was done in 2:04, so definitely slowed down a bit as the rounds went on (all in the transitions).

Knee felt great on the first two runs, then as soon as I started the 3rd, it started to feel like it was getting a little swollen.  No pain, but I'm still hesitant to push through it if it's not feeling great, so I finished out the 3rd run and called it there.  The easy jogging from the RTW on Tuesday morning bugged it a little too, but it seems like running is the only thing that is aggravating my knee right now, and it goes away pretty quickly, so I'm not worried.

Also - I noticed something, as I continue to work back into squatting.  When I'm setting up for a squat, I flare my right foot out more than my left.  I *can* squat with my feet both pointing directly forward, but what feels more natural to me is to flare my left out maybe 10-15 degrees, and right maybe 20-25 degrees.  Now that I think about it, I know that I've always done this - I distinctly remember setting up for heavy back squats, unracking the bar, taking two steps back, then adjusting my feet and flaring only my right foot, it became almost a ritual.  Anyway, while I was in CA, I went with Kellie one day to her recovery/PT guy (like a one stop shop for Drew Cook, Balza and Pete, except none of the fancy degrees), and he noticed that when I walk I flare my right foot out more than my left, and suggested that was contributing to my left knee issues, and almost certainly originates from when I fucked up my right ankle in back high school.  Since then, I've made a conscious effort to walk with both feet pointing forward, but it wasn't until today that I realized I squat with my right foot flared out too, and I wonder if that's how I tore my left meniscus.  

Wednesday

AM
4000m row @ Z1
+
20:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work - work on knee flexion ROM

PM
A. Barefoot KB goblet squats, no sleeves, 3 x 6-8, 4211; :60-2:00 rest
B1. Romanian deadlift w/straps, 4 x 2-3, 41X1; :60 rest
B2. Close-grip bench press, 3-3-3-3, 21X1; :60 rest
C. DB weighted Peterson step-ups to box @ mid-shin, 3 x 20/side :60 between sides
D. Banded terminal knee extension, 1 x 30/side; rest as needed
+
3 rounds easy:
2:00 AirDyne
12 glute-ham sit-ups
15 light reverse hypers

AM

complete

PM

A. 35, 45, 53

B1. 183(2) across 

B2. 144, 149, 149, 149(2)

C. 20/hand across 

D. complete with green band 

+

complete 

90 on the RH

Austin showed up for his Z1 at the same time I did, which was a real treat.  Made that 4000m fly by!

Barefoot goblet squats felt really, really good.  No issues with the knee.  Interesting to note that depth is not a problem AT ALL on goblet squats.  I don't get it. 

When I was putting the kettlebell away, I picked it up weird and banged my broken thumb into the side of my leg, and heard and felt a large crack, which was very painful.  It kind of calmed down though, and I'm not sure if I did any additional damage or not.  It's not blown up like it was when I initially broke it, so I don't really think it's broken worse, but I don't know what else other than bone would have made a sound like that.  This is stupid.

Couldn't hold on to the heavier bar for the RDLs, even with straps.  Tried really hard to drive through both legs equally, but not sure how successful I was.

Bench press felt heavy; no spotter and chickened out on the last set.  The second rep was a struggle, so just racked it.

Petersen step-ups continue to be the hardest part of my week.  I think the box was just a little higher today than the box I was using at Active (middle block + rubber top), and had to take at least one small break in all sets of 20, on both legs.

Terminal knee extensions were interesting, I did my good knee first and thought I must have been doing them wrong because they were pretty easy, but then on my left knee I could definitely tell a difference.

Sigh.  One day, I'll be healthy.  Or dead.

Tuesday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A. Split jerk, build to a heavy (not max) single
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 5 x 1.1 adding a bit from 08.16 :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
C1. Weighted walking lunge steps, 3 x 15m moderate; :60 rest
C2. Ring rows, 3 x 5-8 in challenging set-up, 20X2; :60 rest
+
5 sets:
5 burpees
5 heavy Russian KB swings
100m row @ high effort (whatever that means for you now)
3:30 walk rest
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

35:00 complete with jog, mobility, ski erg and 6lb wallballs

PM

A. 185

B. 100, 100, 100, 105, 105 - no hook grip

C1. 40/hand across 

C2. 8 across 

+

0:48

0:47

0:46

0:46

0:46

with 88lb kettlebell
+
complete

Air squats were feeling pretty good this morning, so tested out some 6lb wallballs - no pain at all, but video revealed that depth continues to be a problem.  I seriously feel like I'm going ATG, but I'm barely breaking parallel, if at all.  Is this how my wallballs have always looked? My knee doesn't even feel that tight anymore, and with all the time I've been spending on lower body mobility, I don't really think that's the problem... Grrrrr.....

Split jerks felt pretty good; wore Olys and a belt, but after I was done I was thinking that I might have preferred jerking belt-less.  Something I might play around with.  

Power snatches were really, really tough.  This is a challenging weight for me in this set-up already, but then not being able to hook-grip made these feel even tougher.  No fails once I started, but missed 100 on the very first attempt then re-started the whole thing a few minutes later.  I took exponentially longer in my set-up for each attempt (so much that the 0:10 between singles drifted toward 0:20), making sure the bar was exactly where I wanted it in my hand and concentrating on tight lats.  I just don't feel aggressive at all when I feel like the bar is going to fly out of my hands.  Now that I'm writing this, this is how I was feeling when snatching with the men's bar, but I was able to tie my 1RM without a hook grip, so maybe I should just grow a pair.

I don't know why it didn't occur to me to just HOLD the weights for the weighted lunges last week... this was so much easier.  Similar set-up on the ring rows as last week, just an inch above horizontal at the bottom position, arms straight underneath the rings.  Last couple of reps on each set were definitely tough with this tempo.  I guess adding a box under the feet is the next progression?

Loved the 5 sets - this is definitely my favorite type of unpleasant training.  Considered the 100lb kettlebell, but I'm glad I didn't... no hesitation picking up the 88, but I think I might have taken an extra breath to pick up the 100.  Never broke under 1:35/500m today.

Monday

Back @ CSC!

Easy AM work of choice 

60:00 of AirDyne, mobility, row and air squats

Saw Tim for a follow-up this afternoon - he's happy that the knee is doing well! I'm cleared for anything I want to do, just start off easy, and no reliance on knee sleeves. He shares my concerns about subpar quad and hamstring activation, and did a few tests and was able to easily see that the left is way weaker than the right. He said to keep an eye on it and make sure stuff doesn't get too off balance, as that would put the knee at risk for patellar femoral problems. I told him I had been doing a lot of posterior chain stuff, and some single leg stuff and he said this was all great and keep these in the mix. No follow-up needed, as long as things continue to go well!

Since I was all the way up there already, I had Tim look at my thumb.  He could tell just by looking at it that it was broken but wanted to do an x-ray to make sure it wasn't an avulsion fracture, which would need to be pinned. The x-ray shows that it's stable but broken pretty much clear across the joint. He could already see that it's been healing, and expects it to be good to go in another three or four weeks. I can do whatever I like in the gym as long as it doesn't hurt - except absolutely no hook gripping for at least the next three weeks. Apparently hook gripping with this type of fracture could pull the bone completely away from the joint …oops.... 

Sunday

OFF for travel

Kind of bittersweet leaving today... probably the last time I'll see my house (it's in Escrow) and probably my last 2+ week vacation, considering I'm starting a real job and have to accrue vacation days like an adult.  This was a perfect vacation, incredibly relaxing and a good re-set before starting the next chapter.  Once again, super grateful for the hospitality at Active.  It's really fun to be able to share this with Kellie (and my mom is still thinking about joining, but hasn't pulled the trigger yet).  Pretty cool to not only keep up with training while on vacation, but to hit a couple of PRs in there as well...

Saturday

OFF or easy recovery of choice

60:00 stroll around Dana Point harbor 

+

3 hours of walking on the beach, swimming in the ocean and lying in the sun 

Adios, Cali. 

Friday

AM
30:00 walk

PM
A1. Wrist flexion stretching, kneeling w/top of hands on ground and fingers facing toward feet, rotate locked elbows forward and lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
A2. Wrist extension stretching, kneeling w/palms on ground and hands supinated so fingers facing toward feet, lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
B. Muscle-ups, 6-8 x 2 unbroken; begin a rep every :90
+
10:00 @ 70% of [7 handstand push-ups + 14 double-unders + 21 AirDyne calories (14 Assault Bike)]
5:00 walk rest
10:00 @ 70% of [15 burpee toes-to-bar + 30 row calories]

@ Active

AM

subbed walk on the beach in the PM

PM

A1. complete 

A2. complete 

B. 8 sets, missed the second rep on sets 1, 3 and 8

+

3 rounds + 7 calories (Assault Bike)

2 rounds + 1 burpee TTB

Muscle-ups weren't quite as effortless as they were the other day, but I'm very happy to hit doubles more consistently. Hopefully I can replicate this on the fat rings when I'm back at CSC. 

Again, pushed the 70% to 80-85%. Maybe I'm just out of shape. All HSPUs and DUs easily unbroken, spent the majority of the time accumulating calories. Burpee TTB were slow, and the combo with rowing kicked my ass. 

Good day :)

Also - Mike is shifting my macros just a touch... 90g fat, 190g carb, 165g protein. 

Thursday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A. Hang power clean, 10:00 to build to a moderate single - stop before feet move out
B. Clean pull w/drop from top, 2-2-2 @ 105-110% of A; 2:00 rest
C. Single-leg Romanian deadlift, 2 x 8-10/leg, 31X1; :90 between legs
D1. Shoulder press, 3 x 4-5, 21X1; :60 rest
D2. 1-arm DB row, 3 x 4-5/arm, 21X0; :30 between arms, :60 rest
+
12 sets:
:30 bike @ 80% aerobic - above Z1
:30 bike @ 50%

@ Active

AM

70:00 complete with bike, mobility, row, air squats, FLR and legless rope climbs (video)

PM

A. 145 in nanos, no belt

B. complete @ 155

C. 85(10, but wobbly), 85(9, still wobbly)

D1. 95, 100(4), 100(4)

D2. 55, 60, 65(4)

+

complete 

I really, really enjoy the unstructured round-the-world.  Cycled through bike, mobility, row and FLR until I was nice and warm, then added in the air squats and legless rope climbs in the second half.  Knee ROM continues to improve, was getting substantially deeper than just the other day.  Saw the class doing rope climbs, and wanted to throw those in the mix but one regular rope climb without socks burned the shit out of my leg, so I decided to work on legless.  I was very surprised at how easy these felt, compared to the last time I tried!  Not confident at all at the top to touch a target, but did 5 legless to the top of the rope before the knot (at least 10', definitely not more than 12').  That was neat.

Felt kind of drained going into the PM - all the sun is catching up with me. 

Feet were great on the 145 HPC but elbows weren't very fast so called it there. Clean pulls were fine. 

Struggled with balance on both legs on the Romanian deadlifts, and couldn't feel the left hamstring activate until the very last few reps on the second set. Merrrrrrr this is annoying. More of this, I guess. 

Bar felt heavy on the shoulder press, so I was surprised to hit the numbers I did. Dumbbell also felt heavy but grip was better than usual (despite fat handles). 

Only one more training session at Active! Loving being home, but I miss CSC. 

Wednesday

30:00 easy swim or hike

22:00 swim
+
15:00 walk home from the pool
+
4 hours floating on a raft in the backyard
+
30:00 walk after dinner

Tuesday

AM
5000m row @ Z1, off every 1000m for 10m single-arm overhead DB carry (switch hands @ 5m)

PM
A. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :60 rest
B1. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 3-4; :60 rest
B2. 1 toes-to-bar + 1 CTB pull-up, 3 x 5 (so 10 reps total, 5 of each, goal is unbroken); 2:00 rest
+
10:00 @ 80%:
3 strict handstand push-ups
15 unweighted hip extensions
25m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
+
3-5 sets:
200m run @ 90% aerobic
:60 walk rest

@ Active 

AM

complete with 65lb dumbbell 

PM

A. complete

B1. +9, +14, +18(3) on fat bar 

B2. complete on fat bar

+

6 + 3 strict handstand push-ups 

+

3 sets complete 

DB overhead carry was pretty easy, but 65 was the heaviest they have. 5m felt like too short of a distance before switching... 

Pull-ups felt good. Added in a lot more of the wrist stretching, this helped. Not sure on total weight pulled, their scale was missing. Same deal as last week on the TTB/CTB combo - regular kip out of the TTB, butterfly out of the CTB and right back into a TTB. This was fun!

Felt like I was doing hip extensions for the full 10:00. Lower back got a little bit blown up toward the end. All strict HSPUs unbroken! Lots of walking between stations but no hesitation as soon as I got to the next movement. 

Knee complained quite a bit on the runs, and started to swell up within the first few steps. Pushed the pace on all 3 runs, but only did 3 just to be safe. It hasn't been this swollen in weeks, which pisses me off. Tim said to expect this to happen for a while, but it's still annoying. Blah.

Monday

AM
20:00 bike @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 3 controlled deadhang to inverted + 50 single-unders w/heavy rope if available
+
20:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work - work on knee flexion ROM

PM
A1. Romanian deadlift (use straps if needed), 3 x 3-4, 41X1; :60 rest
A2. Close-grip bench press, 4-4-4, 21X1; :60 rest
B. Goblet squats to parallel (no bench), 3 x 15 very light, 2111; :60-2:00 rest
C. DB weighted Peterson step-ups to box @ mid-shin, 3 x 15/side heavier than last week; :60 between sides
+
20:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 5-10 glute-ham sit-ups

@ Active 

AM

complete https://youtu.be/vkCoCyF4jvw

PM
added muscle-up practice, including 4 sets of 2 and one set of 3 (PR) https://youtu.be/YD8NcYLRboY
+

A1. 155, 165, 175

A2. 139, 144(2), 144(4)

B. 18 across 

C. 20/hand across 

+

complete, 10 across 

Today was pretty great.

Spent a ridiculous amount of time on stretching and mobility this morning - which makes a HUGE difference with how well my knee tolerates flexion.  It was stiff and uncomfortable before doing any mobility, and couldn't get below parallel without forcing it, but after about 45:00 of doing every stretch and mobilization I could think of, I couldn't tell a difference from right to left, and wasn't hesitating at parallel.  Still not super deep ROM (but when have I ever?), but I'm consistently getting a hair below parallel with no pain whatsoever after all the mobility.  Did probably a total of 35-40 air squats throughout the 45:00.

Wanted to practice muscle-ups today; these felt awesome.  I'm consistently catching the first one much higher than usual, and haven't missed a double in the last 3 days that I've tried.  And got a triple!  Excellent. A couple of the coaches remembered my flailing and failing from January and were pretty impressed with the progress, so that's neat.

Hook gripped the RDLs today - made a huge difference in being able to hang on, but there's a distinct possibility that my thumb might actually be fractured.  I'm just going to keep taping it and ignoring it.  As the weight got heavier, I felt like I was driving through my right leg more than my left, which I tried very hard to correct but it was still noticeable.

Should have had the 4 reps on all sets of the bench press, but my spotter (cough cough Kellie) dripped her sweat on my face and I got distracted and just set the bar down on my chest and couldn't finish the rep.

Goblet squats felt fine.  Didn't really stop myself at parallel, but I don't think ROM is much deeper than that at the moment anyway.

Petersen step-ups are literally the hardest part of my entire week.  So difficult.

Sunday

A. Split jerk, build to a moderate single
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 4 x 1.1.1 adding a bit from last week :10 between singles, :90 rest
C1. Weighted walking lunge steps, 3 x 20m moderate; :60 rest
C2. Ring rows, 3 x 7-10 in challenging set-up, 20X1; :60 rest
+
3-5 sets:
5 fast burpees
100m row @ high effort (whatever that means for you now)
3:00 walk rest
+
5:00 walk or bike cool-down

@ Active 

A. 165 in nanos, no belt

B. 95, 100(1.F.1), 100(1.F.1), 100

C1. 26/hand across, kettlebell front rack

C2. 10 across

+

0:36

0:35

0:35

0:34

0:35

+

walk complete 

Solid day!

Jerks felt crisp and easy, but 165 felt like a "moderate" stopping point. Basically, I couldn't guarantee that 175 would be as crisp as 165 was, so I called it. 

Power snatches were really tough today. Again, the blocks were closer to upper thigh than mid. The two fails were just pulls where I lost a little focus.

Wasn't sure what kind of weighted walking lunges to do, so I chose front rack. Weight choice was appropriate for a moderate 20m; considered jumping to 35/hand but I think that would have edged toward tough. 

I always forget how difficult ring rows can be. Set up rings about 18" off the ground, and walked my feet all the way out in front so I was just an inch above horizontal at the bottom position. 

Burpee/row piece kicked my ass but I loved it. I really enjoy these types of sprint pieces. Couldn't get the row pace under 1:34/500m, but no knee pain at all. 

Hamstring is still jacked up, spending a lot of extra time on stretching and mobility. 

Saturday

OFF or easy recovery of choice 

60:00 leisurely stroll around Balboa Island with the fam 

Friday

AM
30:00 walk

PM
A1. Wrist flexion stretching, kneeling w/top of hands on ground and fingers facing toward feet, rotate locked elbows forward and lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x :10-:15; :30 rest
A2. Wrist extension stretching, kneeling w/palms on ground and hands supinated so fingers facing toward feet, lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x :10-:15; :30 rest
B. Muscle-ups, 9-12 x 1; begin a rep every :60
+
20:00 @ 70%:
10 ring push-ups
10 double-unders
20 AirDyne calories (15 Assault Bike)
10 toes-to-bar
10 burpees
20 row calories

@ Active 

AM

complete

PM

A1. complete 

A2. complete 

B. 10 singles, + double on the last one 

+

3 rounds + 10 double-unders

Really enjoyed everything today! Muscle-ups were solid again, so threw in the last double for good measure. 

I've been having a problem sticking to the % effort prescribed. Kept the bike and row at 70%, but overall this felt closer to 80-85%. Just kept moving, and did everything unbroken. 

Thursday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A. Power clean, 10:00 to build to a moderate single - stop before feet move out
B. Clean pull w/drop from top, 3-3-3 @ A; 2:00 rest
C. Clean-grip deadlift, build quickly to moderate single
D1. Shoulder press, 3 x 5-6, 21X1; :60 rest
D2. 1-arm DB row, 3 x 5-6/arm, 21X0; :30 between arms, :60 rest
+
10 sets:
:30 bike @ 80% aerobic - above Z1
:30 bike @ 50%

@ Active

AM
60:00 complete with bike, row, mobility and a few air squats, + 3 sets of 2 unbroken MUs

PM
A. 155 in nanos, no belt 

B. Complete @ 155

C. 245, no belt

D1. 75, 85, 95(5)

D2. 45, 55, 60(5)

+

complete 

Felt fantastic after the 60:00 AM session, so spent an additional 10:00 on muscle-ups. I'd like to try to get 3 in a row within the next week... these were excellent today, with the first one of each double caught very high (for me), with a lower catch on the second but no struggle. Getting more and more comfortable pushing ROM beyond 90 on the air squats, as long as I spend a ridiculous amount of time stretching first. 

So happy to put a little weight on the bar today! Feels good to get back to somewhat normal training. 

Didn't bring home any gear except for wrist wraps. Felt kind of nice to be able to hit the cleans and deadlifts easily without relying on shoes or a belt. Power cleans felt super crisp and easy, 145 felt like 95, so went up to 155 which was still very easy but not quite as crisp, so called it there. Clean pulls were fine. Clean-grip deadlifts were also very easy, speed slowed just a tiny bit at 245 so called that moderate and moved on. Built very fast (175-225-245). Thumb is still jacked up, but triple-taped it and was able to loosely hook grip for A-C. 

Shoulder press and dumbbell rows felt great. Assault bike also felt great. Solid day all around. 

Wednesday

30:00 easy swim or hike

swim complete

Tuesday

AM
5000m row @ Z1, off every 1000m for 3/side moderate/tough KB windmills

PM
A. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :60 rest
B1. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 4-6; :60 rest
B2. 1 toes-to-bar + 1 CTB pull-up, 3 x 4 (so 8 reps total, 4 of each, goal is unbroken); 2:00 rest
+
10:00 @ 80%:
10 alternating shoulder taps facing wall (top of wall walk)
50m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
5 perfect ring push-ups
10 moderate Russian kettlebell swings, nothing above 53
+
3 rounds not for time:
:30/side plank
200m jog

@ Active

AM

complete with 53lb windmills

PM

A. complete 

B1. 168(6), 173(4), 173(4) on fat bar

B2. complete on fat bar

+

5 rounds even with 53lb swings 

+

complete


Today was much better than yesterday! Much less demoralizing.

Supinated pull-ups are so uncomfortable for my wrists/elbows, but it's crazy how strong and easy the actual pulling is with that grip. Limited by the amount of time holding the supinated position, could have probably gotten 4 reps with a bit more weight.

The TTB/CTB combo was really fun!  I was able to butterfly out of the CTB right into the next TTB, then a normal gymnastics kip out of the TTB.  Cool beans.

Pushed the 10:00 piece closer to 90% - just kept a steady pace throughout, with smooth transitions.  Hard to find a place to slow down on this.

Ready to add some different stuff in the mix... (insert grimace emoji with all the teeth).

Monday

AM
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 2 controlled deadhang to inverted + 20 single-unders w/heavy rope if available (seriously, only 20)
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A1. Romanian deadlift, 3 x 4-6 loaded according to feel, can be aggressive if knee allows, 41X1; :60 rest
A2. Close-grip bench press, 5-5-5, 21X1; :60 rest
B. Goblet squats to bench just at parallel, 4 x 10 very light, 2111; :60-2:00 rest
C. DB weighted Peterson step-ups to box @ mid-shin, 3 x 15/side light w/controlled descent; :45 between sides
+
16:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 4:00 for :20-:30 hollow rock emphasizing flexed quads

@ Active

AM

complete 

PM

A1. 143, 153(4), 153(4)

A2. 129, 134, 134

B. 18 across 

C. 10/hand across 

+
complete


No issues at all with the single-unders.

Grip was the problem again with the RDLs - still not able to hook grip comfortably, and with the long tempo, I just couldn't hold on.

Bench felt good, getting used to the pause at the bottom.

Knee is still very, very tight at parallel.  Legs got pretty fatigued with the added weight.  This is sad.

Peterson step-ups went better than last week, but these are still so freaking hard.  I can tell that I need them, but that doesn't make them any easier.

Flexed quads on the hollow rock was a disaster.  I don't know if it's because my legs were so tired from all the other stuff, or just that it's harder to keep quads flexed during a hollow rock normally?  Either way, not very successful. 

Tough day.  

Sunday

A. Split jerk, 8:00 tech work w/light loads - can go above empty bar but nothing tough
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 3 x 1.1.1.1.1 adding a bit from last week :10 between singles, :90 rest
C. 10m DB death march heavy + 10m unweighted walking lunge steps, 4 x 1; 2:00 rest
+
10:00 @ 80%:
150m row
8 alternating DB rows from plank position (like a renegade row w/out the push-up)
+
5:00 walk or bike cool-down

@ Active

A. up to 103

B. 85, 90, 95

C. complete with 45/hand 

+

7 + 100m with 35/hand

+

complete on Assault bike 


Split jerks felt good, easy and fast.

Blocks were just a hair higher than our blocks at CSC - closer to upper thigh than mid-thigh.  These continue to feel crisp.

I think death march is officially my least favorite exercise.  Not a fan.  Not one bit.  Lunges were easy, completely back to normal with these.

The 10:00 piece felt like it dragged on forever.  Rowed at 2:12-2:15/500m.  Pushed the pace on the erg in the last 100m just to see if I could; got down to 1:49/500m with no pain at all, full ROM.

Added in a few muscle-ups to my warm-up - the first since the 30FT 3 weeks ago.  Felt really easy on their skinny rings :)

Saturday

20:00 swim, easy 

Friday

AM
5000m row @ Z1, off every 1000m for 4 alternating Turkish get-ups, light

PM
A. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :60 rest
B1. Weighted pull-up, 3-2-1; :60 rest
B2. CTB pull-up clusters, 3 x 4.4.4 (each 4 must be unbroken; short rest between 4s, 2:00 rest
+
15:00 @ 80%:
3 wall walks
50m tough Farmer's walk
10 burpees
25 row calories
+
3 rounds not for time:
10 light kettlebell swings
:30/side plank
200m jog

@ Active

AM

complete; subbed 4/side kettlebell windmills @35

PM

A. complete 

B1. 26(3), 35(3), 42.5(1) @167.8, pronated on fat bar

B2. 2 sets complete, 4.3.2 on 3rd set, all butterflied on fat bar 

+

3 rounds + 3 wall walks with 70/hand for Farmer's walk 

+

complete with 35lb kettlebell swings 

Knee is still a little too bruised/tender to kneel on it, so opted out of the TGUs. 

Bear crawls were easy. 

One of the coaches tipped me off to grippier bars - they are homemade bars hanging from the garage door frame made of aluminum pipe from Home Depot. They're fat, but nice and grippy! The bars on their rig are seriously useless.  Weighted pull-ups felt good, did the extra rep at 35 because I knew I could get it (PR for 3). All CTBs butterflied and smooth, until I almost ripped on the last set and dropped off early. 

15:00 piece was fine, felt good to breathe. Burpees are back to normal. 70/hand is the heaviest they have, more moderate than tough. 

No issues with the NFT piece. Jogging is totally fine, and now that the swelling is 99% gone, knee doesn't even have that weird feeling. Huzzah!

Extremely relieved with how well the knee is coming along! 

Thursday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A1. Romanian deadlift, 3 x 5-6 loaded according to feel, can be aggressive if knee allows, 41X1; :60 rest
A2. Close-grip bench press, 6-6-6, 21X1; :60 rest
B. Air squats to bench just at parallel, 3 x 12, 3111; :60-2:00 rest
C. Peterson step-ups to box @ mid-shin - physically touch the working quad w/your hand to ensure activation, 2 x 20/side unweighted w/controlled descent; :30 between sides
+
20:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for :45 front leaning rest on rings emphasizing keeping quads flexed

@ Active

AM

60:00 complete with Assault Bike, row, strict toes-to-bar, push-ups and freestanding handstand holds

PM

A1. 123, 133, 143(4)

A2. 124, 129, 129(5)

B. complete 

C. complete 

+

complete on Assault Bike 

ROM is completely back to 100% on the erg, pain free! 

PM session was much tougher than it looked on paper - legs are dead. Knee feels fine, though! 

Grip was the limiter on the RDLs - normally I would hook grip these, but my thumb is still jacked up from the other day. Getting better though, pretty sure it's not life-threatening. 

Tempo got to be tough on the cgbp. Had a spotter but chickened out on the very last rep. 

Set up the bench to just a hair below parallel - two 45s and a 25. No sharp pain at all, but knee is still pretty tight. 

Holy shit, the Peterson step ups were SO HARD. Jeez. Quads were definitely active, but so were glutes and hamstrings. Both legs were equally challenging. 

Legs were fried by the time I got to the bike, and had a very hard time keeping quads flexed for the entire 0:45. Leftie is still behind. 

Wednesday

AM

travel

PM

20:00-30:00 easy swim or hike

30:00 swim complete in the California sun 

+

an additional 2 hours lounging in the pool 

Nice to be home. 

Tuesday

AM
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for :10 L-hang w/quads flexed hard
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. Jerk balance, 5:00 tech work w/empty bar, play w/both legs forward on split
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 3 x 1.1.1.1.1 light; :10 between singles, :90 rest
+
3 sets:
10m DB death march heavy right into 10m unweighted walking lunge steps
2:00 rest
+
3 sets:
10 ring dips
10 pull-ups
2:00 rest

AM

complete

PM

A. complete 

B. 65, 75, 85

+

complete with 50/hand 

+

complete

dips 5/5

pull-ups unbroken, butterflied


Today was awesome!  Except for the part where I jammed my thumb trying to steady the bar on the blocks after a weird bounce.

Quads felt like they were firing equally on the L-hang, but Leftie's still only 85%ish when standing or sitting.

Jerk balance was fine on my normal split leg, but soft and tentative on the opposite leg forward (which happens to be left, and maybe I was just hesitant to stomp on it?).  It didn't hurt at all, I was just not as aggressive with that leg forward.

Power snatches felt awesome, except for the mishap with my thumb.  Couldn't hook grip on the last set, but the snatching itself felt crisp and fast.  Knee was fine here, too.

I am not a fan of the death march.  This was super awkward.  Lunges were fine and easy.

Since it wasn't specified, I "kipped" the ring dips.  I don't think you'd call what I did kipping, but it wasn't exactly strict, so... yeah.  I really need to learn how to kip properly.  But those pull-ups!!  Smooth, in rhythm, and 10 wasn't even close to a max set.  Super excited about this.

Errrrrr... SERIOUSLY?!

Monday

AM
30:00 mobility @ home

PM
90:00 mobility @ gym

Tested out a couple of very slow air squats - great success! Knee is still very tight, but end range ROM is improving every day. I didn't remember what it was like to squat without stabbing pain, so this was awesome. 

Sunday

A1. Weighted pull-up, 3 x 2-3; :60 rest
A2. CTB pull-ups, 3 x 5-10 unbroken; 2:00 rest
+
10:00 @ 80%:
15 row calories
9 burpees
3 strict dips
+
2 rounds not for time:
10 light kettlebell swings to feel it out
:30/side plank
200m jog

A1. +20, +30, +40(2) @166.5

A2. 9, 9, 9 (butterflied!)

+

4 rounds even with push-up burpees 

+

complete with 35lb kettlebell

Went up with Mark, Lea and Emily to watch Chelsea, Brandie and Duprie yesterday - super proud of my fit friends, and a little (ok, a lot) antsy to do a competition soon.  Ended up going 10 hours without icing or elevating my knee... which I'm feeling today. Not painful, just a lot more swollen today than it has been in a few days.  Lesson learned. 

Pull-ups felt AWESOME. Those are PRs for a triple and a double, pronated. Butterfly CTBs were on point today, really, really excited about this. A little nervous that I'm going to forget how to do these while I'm in CA on their shitty, slippery bars.

ROM on the erg was a lot better than the other day - almost back to normal, still shorting the return just a hair, but barely noticeable, and none of that sharp pain. Kept the pace moderate, around 800cal/h. My normal burpee style is pretty hard on my knees (they always get bruised), and my incisions are still tender and my knee cap feels like it's still deeply bruised from surgery, so I modified these to controlled push-up burpees. Felt good to breathe a bit. 

No issues at all with the kettlebell swings. I was very nervous for the jogging, but this ended up being totally fine. The impact felt weird with each step, but not painful. Shocked that I'm running 11 days post-op. Cool. 

AM weight @ home: 162.0

Saturday

A1. Romanian deadlift, 3 x 5-7 light (more for hammie stretch than strength work), 41X1; :60 rest
A2. Close-grip bench press, 8-8-8, 21X1; :60 rest
B. Air squats to bench just at parallel, 3 x 10, 3111; :60-2:00 rest
+
20:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for :40 front leaning rest on rings emphasizing keeping quads flexed

A1. 83(7) across 

A2. 114, 119, 119

B. complete 

+

complete 


Woke up for the second day in a row with knee not swollen at all, so this is promising!  It still gets swollen after activity, but at least it's getting better overall.

Romanian deadlifts felt really good - definitely need the stretch, although all the stretching over the past couple of days is really helping.

I don't think I've ever paused at the bottom of a bench press (Chelsea can attest that I'm a fan of bouncing the bar off my chest) - this ended up getting pretty challenging.  The 8th rep on the two sets at 119 were pretty much max effort, wouldn't have gotten a 9th.

Set up a 55lb+25lb competition plate to stand on to get the bench just at parallel - Mark Byrd said I was either exactly at parallel or maybe just a hair below, but with just the 55lb I was definitely above.  Knee was super, super tight on the squats.  Didn't get that sharp pain, it's just not really comfortable at that ROM (not in a bad way, definitely want to keep pushing this).  Could feel it swelling more and more with each rep... but happy to be testing it out.

Quad still isn't firing at 100% - I definitely felt a difference in left versus right on the FLR, and I also felt the tension decreasing after about 0:30... I was trying to flex as hard as I could, it just slowly started to shut off each time...