Wednesday

AM
4000m row @ Z1
+
10:00-15:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. Barefoot front squat, no sleeves, 3 x 4-6, 22X1; 2:30 rest
B1. DB bench press, 3 x 3-5, 20X1; :90 rest
B2. Reverse hypers, 3 x 8-12 moderate; :90 rest
C. DB walking lunges, 2 x 25m moderate; 2:00 rest
D. Banded terminal knee extension, 2 x 30/side w/same band as last week; rest as needed
+
3 rounds easy:
15m Farmer's walk, 100/hand
15 unweighted hip extensions
15 weighted Russian twists, hold a 6 lb med ball @ chest (L + R = 1)

AM

complete

PM

A. 123, 143, 163(4)

B1. 65, 70, 75(2)

B2. 180, 210(12), 210(12)

C. 25m, 20m with 50/hand - this was not moderate 

D. complete with black band 

+

complete 


Today started out pretty good, but lost a bit of steam towards the end.  

Front squats felt okay - knee is doing something weird, and I don't know if it's something to worry about or not.  It doesn't hurt.  

Surprised to get all 5 reps at 70/hand on the DB bench.  75 was a big jump, and it was very challenging to even get the dumbbells into position.  Almost had the 3rd rep at 75, could probably get it if I tried again, and if I was able to get the dumbbells into position with slightly less effort.

Reverse hypers were fine.  

Completely overestimated the dumbbell walking lunge steps - I did not check my notebook before beginning, and thought I had done 50/hand before so I just figured I'd do that.  I made it about 10 steps on the first set before I realized that this was way too heavy, but then decided to just roll with it and finished the 25m unbroken (barely).  Couldn't make it all the way back (grip, mostly), and when I dropped the dumbbells at 20m I considered picking them back up and lunging the remaining 5m then decided that because I went heavier than intended, I was okay to shave off 5m.  Sorry, Stephen.  Now that I'm writing this, I sound like a little bitch.

That was the turning point of the day.

Banded knee extensions got tough in the last 5-8 reps of each set, on both legs.

Took probably 15:00 to complete the final 3 rounds.  Nothing was difficult in particular, I just didn't feel like playing anymore.  Meh.

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM
OFF

PM
softball rained out

Considered jumping on my AirDyne this evening, but the couch was a much more appealing option...

Monday

AM
1200m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Barefoot box squat w/chains (box height to allow just below parallel bottom position), 2-2-2-2 build to tough (no risk of failing, though), 31X1; 3:00 rest
B. Front rack box step-up, 3 x 4-7/leg to 10", control descent as much as possible; :90 between legs
C. CTB pull-ups, 8 x 5 unbroken; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 2:02.0-2:02.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. 165, 165, 175, 185 + chains to biggest jerk block 

B. 123, 133(6), 133(7) to biggest jerk block

C. 6 sets complete, called it after the 3rd rip

+

2:02.7

2:02.7

2:02.7

2:02.5

2:02.3

Solid day!

Box squats felt great; made a big jump to start at 165 and was shocked at how heavy it felt, but the second set at 165 was much better, and built from there.  185 was tough for sure.  I'm hoping the chains are respectably heavy, because it's a little demoralizing to feel like 185 is tough.

Step-ups went well.  Again, found a 7RM on these - no way I would have gotten an 8th rep at 133.

CTBs all butterflied and easier than last week.  Ripped once on the very first set, then again on 3 or 4, and then a big one on 6 and I just called it.  I knew from the muscle-ups yesterday that my hands were in rough shape, so I shaved them down quite a bit this morning, but apparently not enough.  Dammit.  In any case, happy with the way these felt today.  Keep 'em coming.

Felt much stronger on the rows this week than last week, so perhaps it was just the sickness making me feel out of shape last week.  And no grip fatigue this week!  Although I did bleed all over the handles (of course I cleaned it up).

Sunday

AM
30:00-60:00 easy walk or hike

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 on fat rings, 10 x 1, but if no misses you can add another 5 reps; begin a rep every :45
+
For time:
250' handstand walk
+
10:00 @ 85%:
max L-sit
15 ski erg calories
45 double-unders

AM

1:15:30 @ Ault Park with Chelsea, Emily, and Mary

PM

A1/A2. complete 

B. 12 of 13 (missed #3)

+

5:07 (PR by 1:00)

+

2 rounds + 16 double-unders

0:30, 0:20, 0:15 L-sits


Muscle-ups felt really good today - only missed #3 due to a technique issue (I did the first two reps looking up at the ceiling from the very beginning, including the backswing, then changed my mind on #3 and went back to my usual way of swinging and I just wasn't focused enough).  I've decided that I like the idea of spotting the ceiling while I'm throwing my hips up, but I prefer to generate a kip with my head neutral.  Didn't finish out the last two because I felt a callous starting to rip and decided it wasn't worth it.  

Handstand walk started off great, then fell apart pretty badly.  Did 5x 50' increments; the first 50' was easily unbroken, then broke at 25' on the second and third laps - basically, I didn't fight it, if I felt like I would have had to struggle to stay balanced, I just came down.  But then the last two 50' laps were horrible, like nothing over 10'.  I couldn't keep my shoulders or core tight and everything just felt extremely fatigued.  

L-sits felt good.  Ski erg was fine.  Double-unders were shit.  I tried to change out the cable this morning, then realized I don't have wire cutters, so now I have one handle attached to the new cable and one handle attached to the old cable.  I used my original Rogue plastic rope, which actually started off pretty good (42 unbroken on the first set), but as soon as I was fatigued, I was tripping every 10-20 reps.  This is so stupid. 

Saturday

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

PM
A. Power clean, build to a heavy single
B. Double overhand Romanian deadlift w/straps, 5-5-5, 4010; 2:30 rest
C1. DB shoulder press from seated on floor position, 3 x 4-6, 20X1; :60 rest
C2. 1-arm DB row, 3 x 4-6/arm, no tempo but still ensure a high elbow @ the top; :60 between arms, :60 rest
+
2000m row @ Z1, off every 500m for 4-6 touch-and-go double-overhand axle deadlifts - add a little from last week

AM

@ home

30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 10 perfect push-ups + 10 air squats

PM

A. 160, 165F - nanos, no belt, no hook grip

B. 145, 165, 175

C1. 35, 40(4), 40(3)

C2. 60, 65, 70(4)

+

complete 

6 across with 120


Thumb is still broken.  I tried hook gripping an empty bar; this did not go well.  Getting annoyed.  Bar flew out of my hands on the pull at 165.  The 160 does not qualify as a heavy single.  The first pull of the ground feels ridiculously light, but as soon as I start to pick up speed I can't control the bar without a hook grip.

Romanian deadlifts felt good.

DB shoulder press was very challenging today - the actual pressing felt much more difficult than last week, and it was almost impossible to get the 40s to my shoulders from a seated position.  I don't know how I could get anything higher into the starting position, unless I recruit an assistant...

Dumbbell rows felt excellent!  

Axle deadlifts went better than last week - I changed my grip, and feel a little more secure with all my fingers and thumb wrapped the same way over the bar (so then I can rotate my wrists a bit to keep the bar in my fingers), as opposed to gripping the bar with the thumb wrapped one way and the fingers around the other way. 

Pleasant afternoon with my two best buds.  Really fun to watch Austin smash that workout.

Friday

OFF

AM @ home
10:00 AirDyne @ Z1
10:00 mobility
x2

+

adjustment @ Pete's

Thursday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:60 front leaning rest on ground
2:00 bike
:30/side plank
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
10:00 muscle-up tech practice on fat rings - your technique is good right now, just need more touches...
+
A1. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :30 rest
A2. Deadbug w/hands pressed into wall, 5 x 10 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :30 rest
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (just below knees), 5 x 1.1 @ 95-105; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
C. Push press, 2-2-2-2, 21X1; 2:00 rest
+
Every 2:00 for 6 sets:
1 rope climb
5 strict handstand push-ups
+
3 sets:
4/side KB snatches, tough but fast - complete 4 consecutive on 1 side, then 4 consecutive on the other
150m row @ max effort
4:30 walk rest

AM

complete, but rolled the mobility into the 5 sets

PM

complete, 8 singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 105, 105(1.F.1), 105(1.F), 95, 100 - no hook grip

C. 145(1), 140, 140, 145

+

0:26

0:26

0:22

0:22

0:22

0:21
(what?!)

+

0:58 (0:29.4 row)

0:55 (0:29.6 row)

0:54 (0:29.7 row)

with 35lb kettlebell

Felt extremely stiff this morning on the first FLR, so decided to blend the mobility into the 5 sets... 

Totally rough evening session.  I feel physically exhausted from a month of the new work schedule, and mentally exhausted from trying to learn new things quickly, as well as from a demoralizing meeting with my new boss immediately before training this afternoon.  Things will get better, it's just been a bear of an adjustment.

I had been so excited to try out Austin's new muscle-up technique all week (looking up throughout the whole thing for a straight-arm catch), and I'm disappointed that it's not really helping me catch any higher.  A few of the singles were solid, and a few were still caught very low.  No misses, only one attempt at a double and it wasn't close.

Power snatches were slow, soft, and sloppy.  Blocks were set so the bar was mid-kneecap (lower than last week), which was a very awkward height to start from (I remember having this problem last time I progressed through the descending blocks).  Terrible, ugly reps. I don't know what the problem was, other than the awkward position. Tried to hook grip on one set, but thumb isn't ready for that yet.

Push press felt AWFUL.  As soon as I unracked the bar each time, it felt heavy and I felt like there was no way I could get it overhead.  Almost had the second rep on the first set, but was maybe an inch away from locking it out.  There is no world in which I should be failing a 145lb push press.

But then that rope climb / strict handstand push-up thing happened, and I felt like a million bucks.  Rope climbs were fast and easy, and the descent was like fire-pole style.  Zero transition time kicking up at the wall, and all strict hspus unbroken.  This is insane.  Every time I looked up at the clock, I assumed that there was a mistake.

Had a hard time snatching the kettlebell when warming up for the final piece, which is why I stuck with the lighter weight.  I completely forgot the corkscrew method and was whipping it up and the kettlebell would slam into the top of my forearm each time, so I thought that there's no way I could go up in weight.  The first set also went like this, but then on the second arm on the second set I finally remembered the corkscrew and so the final set was a million times easier.  Only saw 1:33 on the first row, bottomed out at 1:34 on the second and third.  Felt like I just had nothing left by the time I got to this piece.

Skyped with Mike last night.  We're both frustrated, but he says he has a plan and he's still confident that we can find something that works.  He's like, "What's your goal weight again? 145?" and I laughed hysterically and said at this point I'd be happy with 159 (162.6 today).  He's assuming that there are some changes in body comp going on despite the plateau on the scale, which I may or may not agree with (depending on the lighting).  Keeping macros at 150/60/240 for a little longer, but adding a refeed day on Fridays (150/55/300).  His next ideas are messing with my PWO shake (currently 20P/40C) or dropping my daily macros just a hair to have a bigger difference with the refeed day.  I feel good (other than today) and it's not terribly difficult to hit these numbers, so I'll continue trucking along... I've been compliant for too long to just say "fuck it" this late in the game, although Mike said that I can eat all the pancakes and gelato I like on Fridays (within the macros), so that kind of helps with the monotony.

Sorry for the novel.  Just one of those days.

Wednesday

AM
4000m row @ Z1
+
10:00-15:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. Barefoot front squat, no sleeves, 4 x 2-3, 42X1; 2:00 rest
B1. DB bench press, 3 x 4-7, 20X1; :90 rest
B2. Reverse hypers, 3 x 10-15 moderate; :90 rest
C. DB weighted Peterson step-ups to box @ mid-shin, 4 x 8/side :60 between sides
D. Banded terminal knee extension, 3 x 20/side w/same band as last week; rest as needed
+
3 rounds easy:
15m/side Farmer's walk, 100/hand
10 unweighted hip extensions
15 weighted Russian twists, hold a 6 lb med ball @ chest (L + R = 1)

AM

complete

PM
A. 165, 175(2), 175(2), 175(2)
B1. 60, 65(5), 65(5)
B2. 160, 180(15), 180(15)
C. complete with 35/hand
D. complete with black band
+
complete

Decent training day! (Kind of shocking considering last night's 9pm softball game and subsequent 6 hours of sleep). 

Front squats felt tough with the tempo today. The first rep was always solid but I felt my back starting to round on the second. Almost blacked out on the last set, got super lightheaded on the way up. 

Bench pressing continues to feel strong, regardless of barbell or dumbbell. Reverse hypers felt good. 

First set of the Peterson step-ups was rough, but got better as they went on. Failed a couple of reps on both legs but was able to regroup and repeat all missed reps. These are so tough. 

Everything else was fine. Back to work. 

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM

38:00 easy AirDyne and mobility @ home

PM

softball

Monday

AM
1200m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Barefoot box squat w/chains (box height to allow just below parallel bottom position), 3-3-3-3 build to tough (no risk of failing, though), 31X1; 3:00 rest
B. Front rack box step-up, 3 x 7-10/leg to 10", control descent as much as possible; :90 between legs
C. CTB pull-ups, 8-10 x 4 unbroken; begin a set every :45
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 2:03.0-2:03.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete

45 on the sled

PM

A. 135, 145, 155, 165 to the biggest jerk block

B. 83, 93, 103 to the biggest jerk block

C. 10 sets, all butterflied and in rhythm 

+

2:03.5

2:03.5

2:03.4

2:03.5

2:03.4


Box squats felt great; only the last rep at 165 was pretty tough (wouldn't have gone any higher than this today if I had another set).  

Box step-ups also felt great; the last couple of reps at 103 were definitely tough on each leg, and this is pretty much a 10RM without pushing off the back leg.

CTBs felt only okay - they were all butterflied and in rhythm, but not effortless and required some focus to stay in rhythm.  Brushed very high (low? closer to stomach than collar bone) on a couple of sets, and these were surprisingly the easiest ones to keep in rhythm, even though I was pulling higher.

Rows felt tough.  I felt very out of shape, especially considering that I was doing 8-10 sets at 1:59 a few months ago.  I don't know if it's just this time of the training year, or the lingering cold, or what, but it didn't feel good today.  Also, my forearms blew up, which is annoying.

Sunday

AM
30:00-60:00 easy walk or hike

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 on fat rings, 10 x 1, but if no misses you can add another 5 reps; begin a rep every :60
C. L-sit, 5 x :12; rest as needed to ensure a solid :12
+
15:00 @ 85%:
max handstand walk
250m ski erg
40 double-unders
250m row

AM
29:00 @ Ault Park

PM
A1/A2. complete 

B. 15 complete, no misses

C. complete

+

2 rounds + 98m row

79', 39', 45' handstand walk 


Today was miles better than last Sunday's training, even with this lingering cold.

Muscle-ups were mostly good; a handful of low catches but no misses and some were fairly high (for me).  I fully credit the Game of Thrones/Lord of the Rings soundtrack.  

L-sit was fine.

79' handstand walk is a PR  by 19' (24m).  Probably could have gone a few meters farther if I had a longer straightaway.  Skiied at 2:25-2:35.  Rowed at 1:55-2:01.  Double unders were TERRIBLE today - each set was broken at least 4 times before 30, then on the last 5-10 of each set I was tripping after EVERY jump (so like, 33, trip, 34, trip, 35, trip, 36, trip, 37, trip, 38, trip, 39, trip, 40).  What the actual fuck.  There was a minute where I was decent at double-unders last year, but for the past several months they've been shit.  I ordered a new cable for my rope a few months ago, since the existing one got kind of bent, but haven't switched them out yet.  I should do that today.

Talked to Mike Kesthely yesterday - we're both frustrated with lack of progress. I've been working with him for 10 weeks and went from a very stable 165 to now a very stable 163.  I'll take the 2lbs, but it's just been an incredible amount of counting and calculating and stressing about perfectly hitting specific numbers for such a small weight loss.  I can't imagine that he has many clients more compliant than I have been.  He made a fairly dramatic adjustment - testing out 150P/60F/240C this week...

Saturday

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

PM
A. Power clean, build to a moderate touch-and-go double
B. Barefoot single-leg Romanian deadlift, build to a very heavy triple/leg
C1. DB shoulder press from seated on floor position, 3 x 6-8, 20X1; :60 rest
C2. 1-arm DB row, 3 x 4-8, no tempo but still ensure a high elbow @ the top; :60 between arms, :60 rest
+
2000m row @ Z1, off every 500m for 5-10 touch-and-go double-overhand axle deadlifts - you pick the weight

AM

complete @ home

30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5 for 10 air squats + 5 perfect push-ups + 0:30 handstand hold against the wall

PM

A. 145, 155x1 - nanos, no belt, no hook grip

B. 145, 155x1/each leg

C1. 25, 30, 35(7)

C2. 55, 60(4), 60(5)

+

complete

6 across with 110


Picked up the cold that's going around... woke up feeling pretty shitty.  Grateful for a kind of chill day, and hoping to feel better by tomorrow.

I don't feel comfortable cleaning anything over 155 without a hook grip - the bar slipped out of my hands on the one rep at 155, so called it there.

The 145 single-leg RDL wasn't "very heavy", but I couldn't get a second rep at 155 (tried twice on the left, only once on the right). I think the issue was mostly balance, but my upper quad/hip flexors felt really tight at the heavier weight.  Pretty sure I was still doing a 31X1 tempo on these, even thought it wasn't specified.

DB press from a seated position was very strange, it was so hard to clean the 35lb dumbbells! I now have a much greater appreciation for the paraplegics who are cleaning barbells and shit.  That's hard.  Dumbbell rows were the same as usual.

As far as I can recall, that was my first time deadlifting the axle bar.  My child-sized hands were not amused.

Friday

OFF

AM

31:00 easy AirDyne and mobility @ home

PM

90:00 massage

Thursday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:60 front leaning rest on ground
2:00 bike
:30/side plank
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
10:00 muscle-up tech work on fat rings
+
A1. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :30 rest
A2. Deadbug w/hands pressed into wall (these should feel easy, by the way, think of it as core activation similar to the bear crawls), 5 x 10 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :30 rest
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (just above knees), 5 x 1.1 @ 105; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
C. Push press, 3-3-3, 21X1; 2:00 rest
+
For reps:
3:00 rope climbs
3:00 rest
3:00 strict handstand push-ups
+
3 sets:
7 kettlebell swings, 70
150m row @ max effort
4:30 walk rest

AM

complete @ home
forgot the mobility

PM

complete

+

A1. complete 

A2. complete 

B. complete - no hook grip

C. 135, 145(2), 140 - nanos, no belt

+

6 rope climbs 

30 strict handstand push-ups 

+

0:51 (0:29.2 row)

0:49 (0:29.5 row)

0:50 (0:29.7 row)


Totally mixed day.  Digging the higher volume though... 

Muscle-ups were better than they were on Sunday, but not nearly as good as they were last week.  Did 9 singles, no misses, but all with very low catches.  Tried getting some tips for a higher catch from Jeff and Austin, but nothing really clicked.  Thinking that I need some instruction for this tech work if I'm going to make any progress... 

Power snatches went well; for some reason my chest/scaps/lats were all a bit sore (DB bench?) so I didn't feel as tight in the set-up, but speed under the bar has gotten much better.  

Push press felt okay, but I was reminded that I don't know how to drive with my legs on these.

Completely bitched out on the rope climbs.  The first 3 were done super fast (under 0:60), and I mistakenly entertained the thought that I could get 8-9 reps. Then the next 2 took a full minute, and I looked at the clock with 0:50 remaining and decided that wasn't enough time for two climbs so I stood there for 0:35.  Fucking lame.  Should have been 7.  

But those strict handstand push-ups!  2 sets of 5, 3 sets of 3, then all doubles plus one single at the buzzer.  At least I have measurably improved at something in the past 6 months.

Enjoyed the mixed sprinting, as per usual.  The row started off feeling excellent and faded a bit with each set (although I did see 1:33 for at least one pull on all sets).  I don't know why I let the 70lb bell intimidate me, because these felt awesome.

Wednesday

AM
3000m row @ Z1
+
20:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work - work on knee flexion ROM

PM
A. Barefoot front squat, no sleeves, 3 x 3-4, 42X1; 2:00 rest
B1. Good morning, 2-2-2, 22X1; :60 rest
B2. DB bench press, 3 x 6-8, 20X1; :60 rest
C. DB weighted Peterson step-ups to box @ mid-shin, 4 x 10/side :60 between sides
D. Banded terminal knee extension, 2 x 25/side w/same band as last week; rest as needed
+
3 rounds easy:
25m Farmer's walk, 100/hand
12 weighted Russian twists, hold a 6 lb med ball @ chest
15 light reverse hypers

AM

complete

PM

A. 123, 143, 163(3)

B1. 143, 153, 158

B2. 45, 55, 60(6)

C. complete with 30/hand

D. complete with black band 
+
complete
120 on the RH


Knee felt tighter than it has in a while this morning, which carried over through the PM.  No issues with depth, it just felt like I had to force it a little... 

So happy to be squatting again.  3-4 reps is much more manageable at that tempo, but I'm pretty sure my face was all shades of red on the last set.

That might be close to a limit on good mornings... I don't know if I could even do one with decent depth at much more weight than that.

DB bench felt great!

Peterson step-ups went better than last week, but I don't know if I can go up in weight... 30/hand is quite challenging (on both sides).

Everything else was good.  That was the lightest that a 100/hand Farmer's walk has ever felt.

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM

35:00 easy AirDyne and mobility @ home

PM

softball

Got roped into being on my new lab's softball team... I'm afraid they've mistaken the amount of time I spend exercising for athletic talent.  But then again, these are scientists we're talking about... 

Monday

AM
1200m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Barefoot box squat w/chains (box height to allow just below parallel bottom position), 5-5-5 all moderate, 31X1; 3:00 rest
B. Front rack box step-up, 2 x 10-12/leg to 10", control descent as much as possible; :90 between legs
C. CTB pull-ups, 6-8 x 5 unbroken; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 85% effort - should be sustainable pace across all sets
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. 95, 125, 135 (+ chains) to biggest jerk block

B. 53, 63 to biggest jerk block (11")

C. 6 sets complete

+

2:04.9

2:04.8

2:04.7

2:04.7

2:04.7

Everything felt a million times better than yesterday, thank god. 

Knee is officially feeling 100% (Wednesday will be 8 weeks). No issues with a full ROM air squat with less than 10:00 mobility! And everything in the PM was completely pain-free even with a very quick warm up. So happy I got it fixed, and that it was an easy fix at that. 

Box squats felt great. 135 was the upper end of moderate, but it felt so good to squat again that I just rolled with it. 

Kept the step-ups on the lighter side, since I don't think I've ever done these. Really focused on not using the back leg to push off at all.

Butterflied the CTBs, but sets 4 and 6 were way out of rhythm. 

Rows felt great! 

I've now told 2 people in my new lab about my preferred work/training schedule, so hopefully I will stop feeling like I'm sneaking around soon. It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission anyway. 

Sunday

AM
30:00-60:00 easy walk or hike

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 on fat rings, 10 x 1, but if no misses you can add another 5 reps; begin a rep every :60
C. L-sit, 6 x :10; rest as needed to ensure a solid :10
+
15:00 @ 85%:
10 kipping handstand push-ups
20 ski-erg calories
30 double-unders

AM

83:00 complete @ Ault Park with Chels

PM
A1. complete

A2. complete 

B. missed #3, 5, 8, 9 :(

C. complete 

+

3 rounds + 11 calories 


This morning started off so nice, and the day just went downhill from there (including a significant fuck-up in my new lab - somehow I contaminated a line of stem cells with bacteria, which they teach you how to not do in like science lab skills 101).  This was the worst I've felt in a training session in months.  

Muscle-ups were AWFUL.  It's been a long time since they were this bad.  I just had zero pop to turn them over, and the ones I did catch were extremely, extremely low with the rings far apart.  I'm surprised I was able to save as many of these as I did. 

L-sit was fine, 0:10 is a totally manageable increment.

Fell off the wall approximately 87 times on the handstand push-ups.  I don't know what was wrong, I wasn't having a problem kipping or locking out, I just kept falling off the wall (both at extension and in the bottom of the kip).  Double-unders were shit today, tripped at least 3-4 times on each set.  Felt like I was skiing for 13:00 of the 15:00.

Mike adjusted my macros when I told him that the last couple of days felt completely unsustainable (and the scale is still not responding, so what's the point?) - 150g protein, 205g carb, 80g fat (but not including fish oil, so I had been effectively only getting 74g fat this week).  

Just having a day where everything sucks.  Sigh.

Saturday

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

PM
A. Power clean, build to a moderate touch-and-go triple
B. Barefoot single-leg Romanian deadlift, 3 x 3-4/leg, 31X1; :90 between legs
C. Shoulder press, build to a max
D. 1-arm DB row, 3 x 5-10, no tempo but still ensure a high elbow @ the top; :60 between arms
+
2-3 attempts:
best row pace in 5 pulls - yep, one more week here
full recovery
+
10:00 row @ 70

AM
43:00 complete @ home
AirDyne, mobility, push-ups and air squats

PM
A. 145, nanos, no belt, no hook grip
B. 125, 135, 140(3)
C. 120 (PR +5), 125F, 122F
D. 50, 55, 60(6)
+
1:25
1:25
1:26
+
complete

Buying my own AirDyne was the best decision ever.  Slept in AND did my AM session!

Power cleans felt solid, but 145 felt like a moderate place to stop.  Getting used to not hook gripping (I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing).

Single leg RDL was fine; balance started to become an issue as it got heavier.

Shoulder press felt FANTASTIC.  120 went up super easily, so put 125 on the bar, and failed immediately.  Tried 122 and this was actually pretty close, hit a sticking point pretty high and thought I had it for a minute there, but not quite. 

Dumbbell rows were much more fun without a tempo.  Grip is still the limiter (surprise surprise).

Alright, I'm satisfied that I just cannot pull faster than a 1:25.  Stupid.

Friday

OFF

AM
20:00 AirDyne @ Z1 @ home

PM
60:00 mobility @ CSC

Can I just say that rolling out of bed and onto an AirDyne is pretty luxurious? I have a feeling I'll be doing that a lot instead of dealing with frosty mornings in a few months.

...I'm so hungry.

Thursday

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

PM
A1. Bear crawl, 5 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :30 rest
A2. Deadbug w/hands pressed into wall (these should feel easy, by the way, think of it as core activation similar to the bear crawls), 5 x 10 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :30 rest
B. Muscle-ups, 10:00 tech work on fat rings
+
7 rounds for time:
1 rope climb
4 strict handstand push-ups
7 kettlebell swings, 53
+
3 sets:
300m run @ 90% aerobic
:90 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A1. complete 

A2. complete 

B. 7 solid singles, worked on generating a bigger backswing for a higher catch

+

8:38

+

complete


Muscle-ups were all pretty smooth today.  Wanted to try stringing two together, but the swing was just off on all attempts of a second rep.  Videoed these, and compared to video taken from muscle-ups on the skinny rings, my backswing is much less aggressive, which means that I'm catching lower.  Had a couple of good attempts on a bigger backswing today, but still not great. I'm trying to be patient in gaining proficiency here; it wasn't too long ago (3-4 months) that I had days where I failed all attempts and ended up in tears. 

7RFT was really fun! Slowed down quite a bit in the second half (first round done in under 0:50, last two rounds were closer to 0:90 each) - this was all in staring at the rope.  I'm so much better than I used to be about jumping up when I'm getting fatigued, but I still take way too long.  All the climbs were super solid, 2.75 pulls.  But the bigger story is that all strict handstand push-ups were unbroken...!  I stared at the wall much less than I stared at the rope, which is kind of shocking.  Kettlebell swings were easy.

Knee got aggravated 50m in to the first run.  It's like more and more fluid gets pumped into the knee joint (medial, specifically) with every step.  This is stupid.  It's not painful, just weird and slightly uncomfortable.  Blah.

Also, I was starving all day today.  I ate lunch an hour earlier than planned, then I had to leave work for the gym an hour earlier than I planned because I was too hungry to sit there reading, and had no macros allotted for snacks.  Grrrrr.  I don't know if this stress is worth it...

Wednesday

AM
3000m row @ Z1
+
20:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work - work on knee flexion ROM

PM
A. Barefoot front squat, no sleeves, 3 x 4-6, 42X1; 2:00 rest
B1. Good morning, 3-3-3-3, 22X1; :60 rest
B2. Close-grip bench press, 2-2-1-1, 21X1; :60 rest
C. DB weighted Peterson step-ups to box @ mid-shin, 3 x 12/side :60 between sides
D. Banded terminal knee extension, 3 x 20/side w/same band as last week; rest as needed
+
3 rounds easy:
50m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
20 unweighted Russian twists
12 moderate reverse hypers

AM

complete

PM

A. 83, 103, 123(4)

B1. 123, 133, 143, 148

B2. 154(2), 159(2), 164, 169, 174 (PR +4)

C. complete with 30/hand

D. complete with black band 

+

complete
160 on the RH

Able to get full knee ROM within the allotted 20:00 mobility today!  That's a relief, ain't nobody got time for 45:00+ each time you want to do an air squat.

SO HAPPY to squat with a barbell again!  Knee felt absolutely perfect on these, but that tempo is a bitch.  Got super lightheaded on the set at 123, just a long time to be crushing your trachea.  Decided to trust that the mobility this morning was enough to prep the ROM for the PM session, and it was!  Just did a quick hip/ankle stretch and I was good to go.  Great success!

It's been a looooong time since I've done barbell good mornings; I think I was doing these correctly (basically lowering until I felt a nice stretch and holding it there for the 2 seconds).  

Bench press felt excellent.  Went for a bonus rep because I knew I'd get it, wasn't even a question.  And with the same tempo!  Cool.

Peterson step-ups were very challenging with that weight.  I will not be sad if these go away soon.

Still like the banded terminal extensions.  This one's a keeper.

Farmer's walk was super easy (unbroken); first time with a Russian twist, that was neat.

Had a mandatory health screening at work today - we can repeat this every couple of months, so this might be cool to come back to later.

5'3" 165 (in jeans, 162.7 @ home)

BP: 120/82 (a little higher than normal for me)

pulse: 54

total cholesterol: 243 (errrrrrr)

HDL: 66

LDL: 166

TG: 55

glucose: 83

waist: 31" (this was 35.4" the day I joined CSC)

Skyped with Mike last night - scale has been completely stuck at 163 for the past 2 weeks (which is most likely stress-related, working blows), so we're making some changes.  150g protein, 80g fat, 190g carb, unless performance starts to tank.  He said "I'd like to see you under 160," and I'm like "ME TOO" with the unimpressed emoji face.  Trying not to get frustrated.

This may be the deepest squat I've ever done.

Tuesday

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

PM
A. Split jerk, build to a tough but crisp single
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (just above knees), 4 x 1.1.1 @ 100; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
5 rounds @ 80% effort:
10 DB walking lunge steps, 45/hand
5 ring rows in same set-up as last week
+
3 sets:
7 burpees
150m row @ max effort
4:30walk rest
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

37:30 complete; 4 rounds of:

2:00 row

3 DH2I

200m jog

3/side KB windmills, 35

2:00 ski erg

:30 FLR

PM

A. 200, 205Fx2, no belt

B. complete, no hook grip

+

5:08

+

0:50 (row in 0:29.1)

0:49 (row in 0:29.3)

0:49 (row in 0:29.5)
+
complete with Chels


Solid day!  Totally played hooky on my "lunch break" - and had major anxiety the whole time.  I just played it off as being super busy balancing both labs... hehe.

Jerks felt excellent; 200 was very crisp and easy.  The first miss at 205 was very close (just a hair in front), but the second miss was not close at all.

Blocks at just above the knee is a much more challenging position for me.  Still focusing on tight lats and engaged scaps, which I can guarantee I never used to do.  It would be nice if this is the key to my snatch problems.  No misses, and these were all pretty crisp, but it definitely required a ton of focus.

Walking lunges felt good.  Ring rows were tough.  The 5th reps on the last two rounds were pretty weak.  The rings may have been at a slightly more challenging height than last week.  At least that's what I'll tell myself.

Burpee/row sprint piece was awesome.  Burpees were super speedy on all rounds.  Saw 1:33/500m on the first one, then 1:34 was the low on the second and third.  Really grateful there were only 3 sets, I got a little nauseous after the last one.

Monday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM
31:45 hike @ Ault Park

PM
30:00 mobility @ CSC

First time hiking post-op - I really missed it.  Knee complained just a little bit; this random swelling is getting old.  Finally found a new trail! I think I know how to link my two trails now to make a decent 1h+ hike next time.

Acquired this vintage AirDyne today... planning to still do my AM sessions at CSC for the most part, just figured having my own would be great in case I'm short on time, or in case of snow days in the winter.  

I think she looks like a Gloria

Sunday

AM (make up from yesterday)
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

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 on fat rings, 8-12 x 1; begin a rep every :75
+
15:00 @ 85%:
max L-sit hold
20 row calories
10 kipping handstand push-ups
40 double-unders

AM

60:00 complete of AirDyne, row, mobility and assorted knee flexion activities

PM
A1. complete 

A2. complete 

B. 12 complete 

+

3 rounds + 9 hspus 

0:23, 0:17, 0:12, 0:12 L-sits 

Neglected mobility a bit this week with the hectic schedule, and I could feel it today.  Definitely need to keep on top of it a bit better.  Highlights of the knee flexion activities: depth on 6lb wallballs is greatly improved, it's not questionable at all anymore; 20" box jumps are totally a non-issue; plus 3 sets of 5 back squats with a 45lb bar, all of which were "well below" parallel, according to Brandie (and confirmed by video).  Huzzah!

Muscle-ups felt SO MUCH BETTER than last week.  Holy crap.  These were probably the highest catches I've ever made on the fat rings (although still not nearly as easy as the skinny rings).  I'll take it.

15:00 piece was tough again, but I liked it.  L-sits went downhill fast.  Rowed just under 900 cal/h. All hspus broken 6/4 (6/3 on the last set when I ran out of time).  First set of double-unders broken like 5 times, but then the next two sets were unbroken.  

Not pictured: 52:00 of mobility to get to this point

Saturday

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

PM
A. Power clean, build to a moderate touch-and-go 5
B. Clean pull w/drop from top, 1-1-1 @ 185; 2:00 rest
C. Barefoot single-leg Romanian deadlift, 2 x 4-6/leg, 31X1; :90 between legs
D1. Shoulder press, 4 x 2-3, 21X1; :60 rest
D2. 1-arm DB row w/straps, 4 x 2-3/arm, 21X0; :30 between arms, :60 rest
+
2 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
+
2000m row @ 90% aerobic

AM

slept in, will make it up tomorrow

PM

A. 103, 135(4), nanos, no belt, no hook grip

B. Fx1, DNF

C. 103, 113(5)

D1. 100, 105, 110(2), 110(2)

D2. 65, 70, 75, 80F, 75

+

1:25

1:26

+

complete, 2:13.4/500m avg


Oh my god, this week has caught up to me in a bad way.  I'm exhausted and I feel like crap.  Was out late last night and had two beers, but I think it's the combined effect of the whole week that made me feel absolutely terrible today.  The worst part is, there's no end in sight - I have zero down time coming up in the next week...and I've gotten quite accustomed to a significant amount of down time. Blah.

Wasn't sure how the TnG power cleans would go without a hook grip, but it was actually okay.  Just too ambitious on the 135 - I definitely wouldn't have failed the 5th rep, but it probably would have been ugly and between my knee and my thumb, I didn't want to chance a bad catch.

Pulled the first clean pull and the bar flew out of my hands (just past my knees), and somehow my thumb got bent back in a terrible way.  I think this hurt more than when I first jammed it.  Had to take a lap outside, and had no interest in trying again.  God dammit, I'm sick of being injured.

Barefoot single-leg RDLs felt good, the best/most stable they've felt to date.

Shoulder press felt fine.  Had a very difficult time with the dumbbell rows today - I was warming up and intended to start heavier (since I got 75 for 3 last week), but I could barely hold on to the 65 today, so that's where I started. Tried the 80 on the 4th set and couldn't even pick it up off the bench to start one rep (left hand, normal grip issues, not broken thumb issues), so moved back down to the 75.  

These little row sprints are annoying.  Happy to get 1:25 this week, but I still feel like I could do better.  Hit 1:26 on the 4th pull, I was sure the 5th pull would be faster than 1:25, but it was not.  Same deal on the second attempt - hit 1:26 on the 4th pull, but then it didn't drop on the 5th pull.

The 2000m row felt good.  Gave myself a cap of 2:15/500m pace, no issues staying under that for the duration.

Friday

OFF

I am exhausted.

Thursday

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

PM
A1. Bear crawl, 4 x 10' forward + 10' reverse, slow & controlled keeping hips level; :30 rest
A2. Deadbug w/hands pressed into wall, 4 x 10 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :30 rest
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, build to a max
+
5 rounds for time:
1 muscle-up
5 strict handstand push-ups
9 Russian kettlebell swings, 70
+
2-4 sets:
200m run @ 90% aerobic
:06 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A1. complete 

A2. complete 

B. 215 (47.5 @167.5)

+

8:28 (missed the first attempt on round 2)

+

4 sets complete 

assumed that was a :60 rest 

Sled drag was quite enjoyable, once again.

My abs were already a little sore from yesterday's GHDs, so I felt the deadbugs just a smidge more than last week. These are still so easy that I assume I'm doing them incorrectly...

Supinated CTBs felt really good. Attempted one more with an additional 2.5 but couldn't make contact. 

5RFT piece went about exactly as I expected. Muscle ups were all caught pretty low (fat rings). Missing that one attempt cost me about 0:45. Grip was weird on that attempt, I should have jumped down and re-set. Strict hspus broken 3/2 for 4 rounds, then 2/1/1/1 in the 5th round. Pretty excited that I can sprinkle muscle ups in a piece like this, and pretty excited about those strict handstand push-ups. Progress! The coolest. 

Knee still felt like there was a little extra fluid in it on the runs (even the first one) but it doesn't hurt, so I did all 4 sets. 

Don't mind training late when it's quiet in the gym, and also while it's light out. Things may change in the winter... 

Wednesday

AM
3500m row @ Z1
+
20:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work - work on knee flexion ROM

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

AM

complete

PM (immediately after AM)

A. 53, 70, 88(4)

B1. 183, 188, 193, 198

B2. 149, 154, 154, 154

C. complete with 25/hand

D. complete with black band

+

complete

160 on the RH

Totally weird work schedule today - didn't have to be at work until 11, but have to stay until after 8, so figured I'd combine the sessions.  Wasn't sure what to do food-wise - I didn't want to do all that work fasted, so I made a double PWO shake and had half while I was doing the mobility.  Not sure if that was optimal, but I don't plan on doing this again anytime soon.

Goblet squats felt great - was more limited by ability to hold the larger kettlebells than anything else.  The actual squatting felt good! Can I pleeeeeeeease try squatting with a barbell soon?

Romanian deadlifts were difficult - still can't hold on to a heavy bar, even with straps, and I'm definitely still driving through my right leg more than my left...

Bench felt great! 

Today was the best that the Peterson step-ups have gone - still a few wobbly reps (on both sides), but feeling more and more comfortable with the exercise.

Banded terminal knee extensions were good.  I think I might add these in more often, I like them.

Tuesday

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

PM
A. Split jerk, 1-1-1-1-1-1 heavy but not maxes; begin a rep every 2:00
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 4 x 1.1.1 @ 100; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
C1. Weighted walking lunge steps, 4 x 10-12m tough; :60 rest
C2. Ring rows, 4 x 5-10 in challenging set-up, 20X1; :60 rest
+
5 sets:
6 alternating DB snatches, tough but fast
125m row @ high effort (whatever that means for you now)
4:00 walk rest
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

30:00 complete with AirDyne, row, plank and side plank

PM

A. 175, 185, 190, 195F, 195, 195 - off the rack, no belt

B. complete, no hook grip

C1. 55/hand for 12m across 

C2. 7, 6, 6, 5, feet on 20" box 
+
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:51
0:51
with 55lb dumbbell
+
complete


To say that I came into the gym today in a bad mood would be the understatement of the year.  Had a very stressful and long day at work, and was already in the mindset that training later in the evening would suck.  Emily, I'm very sorry for being so grumpy.  I really did enjoy seeing you!  Let's just say that I will not be arriving at the gym at 5:45pm again (unless it's Thursday).  If I can't play hooky for a couple of hours in the early afternoon on Mondays and Wednesdays, I'm not coming until 6:30 at the earliest.  This was the worst.  However, my anger must have fueled me, because everything actually felt fantastic.

Jerked from a rack, since Emily was cleaning off the blocks.  Dumped the bar, stripped metal plates, and power cleaned 125 back up each time.  These felt AWESOME today.  Missed the first 195 just an inch in front, but the second attempt at 195 was one of the crispest/best heavy jerks I've ever done.  The final rep at 195 was a little soft on the catch, but wasn't in danger of losing it.  Did all these beltless.

Power snatches off the blocks FINALLY felt good.  All of these were crisp and easy.  Still focusing on a perfect set-up - I'm finding that if I really concentrate on engaging my lats and scaps, I don't need to worry about the bar flying out of my hands so much.

Walking lunges were fine.  I'm not sure if I set up the ring rows correctly - I had my feet on the box so that at the bottom position of the ring row, my head was below the height of my feet.  I tried to keep from piking my hips, but the whole set-up was pretty awkward.  They got tough for sure.

Dumbbell snatches got better with each round, this was fun.  Miscalculated and only took a 3:00 rest between sets 2 and 3, but didn't notice until just now when I was entering my results...