Monday

AM
1600m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 12 x 2 @ 40% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B1. KB weighted pistols to bench/box (same set up as last week), 3 x 2-4/leg, 21X1; :30 between legs, :30 rest
B2. Weighted pronated pull-ups, 3 x 3-4, 21X0; :60 rest
+
1 set:
max unbroken CTB pull-ups
+
4 sets:
500m row @ 1:53.0-1:53.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

skipped; super early morning in lab

PM

A. complete with 120 on the bar

B1. 40, 45, 53

B2. 20, 25(3), 25(3) @166.5

+

17 (PR +3)

+

1:53.5

1:53.6

1:54.1

DNS


Back squats felt excellent today; no issues at all, and the bar felt extremely light.

Box pistols were fine; the 53 was probably a 4RM, not very easy to stand up the last rep (on both legs).

Weighted pull-ups felt really good.  I always like pronated better.

Haven't tested a max set of CTBs since I've gotten more comfortable with butterfly - opened with 10, then kind of panicked in the same way that you panic when approaching a PR of double-unders ("I'm doing it!  I'm really doing it!  Oh... shit.  Nevermind.").  The last 7 were painfully slow, with a very awkward swing/double kip.  I'd like to practice larger sets of butterfly CTBs, the 10 felt really easy.

I let the row pace intimidate me all day, and sure enough, I failed.  The first one today felt like it was the 4th one.  I had to really, really work to maintain the pace, and I knew I was in trouble.  Shocked that I kept pace on the second one, but at this point it felt like the OPTathlon row repeats, with my legs getting lactic and my breathing was completely out of control.  Didn't even want to start the 3rd one, and kind of gave myself permission to give up before I started, but shockingly, I held on for 480m.  The pace drifted up to 1:58 and I just stopped pulling instead of fighting it with less than 20m remaining.  Laid on the ground for a good 5 minutes after this, then went outside because I legitimately thought I was going to puke.  I don't understand how 0:01 makes that much of a difference.

Sunday

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

PM
A. Hang power clean gauntlet, 1 every :60 starting @ 125 and adding 5 every :60
B. Clean-grip deadlift, 8-6-4 moderate, 11X1; 2:00 rest
+
15.4 @ 85%
+
3 sets steady:
200m ski erg
60 double-unders
1:1 work:rest

AM

30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

+

15:00 mobility

PM

A. 180 power, 185 to parallel (video of both)

B. 195, 215, 225 - no belt

+

66, 2:28 (+17 and 0:47 faster split) (round of 15 hspus)

+

1:56 

1:55

1:57


Hang cleans felt much better than last week.  The 180 was a HPC PR +5, but I'm hesitant to say that the 185 was power.  It felt like a squat, and it looks exactly at parallel... but I'm super pleased that I'm continuing to get lower instead of wider as it gets heavy! 

No issues on the CGDL.  My hamstrings were actually a bit sore from these last week, which was a first - maybe I'm finally learning to pull with something other than my back.

Wanted to smash 15.4.  I didn't.  Huge improvement from 8 months ago, but it's still an extremely weak score (from 699 in the region to 430).  And yes, I know it said @ 85%, but I'm not sure how much faster I really could have gone without risking failing more handstand push-ups.  Did 3, 6, 5/4, 4/4/4, then the video of the 15 is linked above (tried for 3's, but one fail, ended with 2's).  Had 0:10 to get back to the wall - rushed one rep, I locked it out but fell away from the wall, so no-rep.  Heels were clearly over the line on all reps, but I had to move my hands significantly closer to the wall than I naturally would have chosen.  All PCs quick singles.  I really didn't feel like I was resting  all that much, but the video makes it painfully apparent that I'm spending an enormous amount of time standing around.

Ski / double-under was fine... skiied at 2:20-2:25/500m, intentionally broke the first two sets of DUs 40/20, tripped on the third set (38/21/1).

Saturday

AM
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. Squat snatch clusters, 3 x 1.1.1.1.1; :10 between singles, 2:30 rest
+
For reps:
5:00 muscle-ups
:60 rest
3:00 wall balls
:60 rest
:60 double-unders
+
3 sets not for time:
:15 L hang from bar accumulation
6 moderate DB upright rows (both arms at same time)

AM

20:00 AirDyne @ Z1

+

10:00 mobility

PM

A1/A2. complete 

B. 115, 120, 125(F#4)

+

12

70, 14 to 9'

74

+

complete with 35/hand


Everything felt great today!

Snatches felt really crisp for the most part; didn't video, but I'm guessing 90% of these were a low power, not full squat.  Don't really know what happened on that one miss, I think I just got a little lazy.  Took an extra 0:10 then hit the 5th rep, no prob.

Muscle-ups felt really good... don't think I can really score much higher than this until I'm stringing some together.  Did 3 in the first minute, then 2 in minutes 2-4, and 3 in the last minute.  No fails, no issues, but not confident at all to try for any doubles. 

Wallballs felt pretty good in the beginning.  Broken 20/15/15/10/10.  Shoulders got pretty fatigued in the last minute.

Double-unders cooperated for the most part; tripped at 41, then small sets after that.

Sad to see Kellie go... it was so nice having her around this week! 

LOVE

Friday

OFF 

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
+
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. Hang power snatch, build to a 3RM
+
6 sets even:
2 split jerks from the blocks, 165
35 double-unders
:90 walk rest
+
3 sets:
:40 row @ 97%
5:20 walk rest

AM

3 sets complete

PM

complete; a bunch of easy singles, one double 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 120

+

0:41

0:39

0:38

0:39

0:40

0:38

+

209m

209m

207m

Solid day! And it was really nice to do my normal Thursday stuff without feeling rushed. 

Muscle-ups felt great, but kept hesitating on the double for some reason. 

Pleased with the hang snatches today - these went much better than last week. Deadlifted 125 and it felt heavy, gave up. 

Split jerk / double under combo was really solid today. All split jerks crisp and easy, all double-unders unbroken. Huzzah!

Row sprints are getting gross. 0:40 is a long time. 

Wednesday

AM
5000m row @ Z1
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. 1 & 1/4 front squat w/no sleeves, build to a 1RM
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, build to a 1RM (score as bodyweight + load added)
+
6 sets @ high effort:
1 bar muscle-up
5 burpees
1 bar muscle-up
:60 rest
+
3 sets @ high effort:
10 toes-to-bar
200m run
50m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
:90 rest

AM

complete

PM

A. 223

B. 229 (60.5 @168.5)(PR +14); pull-up PR at 231.5, but not CTB

+

7 sets attempted 

1/F

F/F

1/1

1/F

1/1

1/1

1/F

+

1:58

2:02

2:00


1&1/4 front squats felt really good.  The 223 felt extremely ugly, but didn't video.

Big PRs on the weighted CTB and weighted pull-up.  That's cool.  These felt super strong.

Missed several bar muscle-ups while warming up for the 6 sets, and started to get a little nervous.  When I finally hit one, I just counted that as the first set.  All burpees were high effort, and tried to jump back up the bar as quickly as possible with a reasonable chance of hitting the second bar muscle-up.  Overall, I guess I'm pretty happy with hitting the second one on 3 sets, considering that I thought this might be a little ambitious for my current level of bar muscle-up proficiency.  I think if I took an extra breath on those fails, I would have had more success - the "high effort" forced me to push the pace before I was certain I would get one.  And added an extra set because of the one set where I missed both.

3 sets felt awesome.  All TTB easily unbroken, FW easily unbroken, and felt really good to open up a bit on the runs - it's been a long time (June?).

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

45:00 hike @ Ault Park with Kellie

Monday

AM
1600m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 10 x 2 @ 40% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. KB weighted pistols to bench/box (same set up as last week), 3 x 3-5/leg, 21X1; :60 between legs
+
AMRAP in 4:00 - do this again w/all singles right out of the gate:
Strict pull-ups, complete the descent of each rep
+
4 sets:
500m row @ 1:54.0-1:54.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. complete with 120 on the bar

B. 20, 35, 40(4)

+

31

+

1:54.6

1:54.5

1:54.5

1:54.1

Back squats felt good; last couple of sets started to feel a little heavy.  Buried all of these, and came up so fast on a couple of them that I almost lost my balance.

Box pistols were fine.

Strict pull-ups were still so pathetic.  Stood on a jerk block so I wouldn't have to jump for each rep.  Used the bar that faces away from the clock, and didn't look at the clock until I had done 20, and it was 2:12 in, which is almost exactly the same as last week when I opened with bigger sets.  The first 10 or so were really quick, then I thought I was pausing between reps just long enough to shake out my arms, but I must have been standing around much more than I thought.  Merrrrrr I feel like I should be able to score closer to 40.

Rows were tough but didn't feel any danger of dropping off.  This is getting weird.

Also, got a nasty headache in between the pull-ups and rows, which was probably a result of improper fuel timing - I ate breakfast and lunch as if I were training at 12-1pm, but didn't get to the gym until closer to 3.  PWO shake cured it.  Lesson learned.

Sunday

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

PM
A. Hang power clean, build quickly to a heavy single
B. Clean-grip deadlift, 10-8-6 moderate, 11X1; 2:00 rest
+
8:00 @ 80% of [1 hang power clean @ 88% of best load in A + 3 strict handstand push-ups to Open standard]
4:00 rest
For time:
90 double-unders
30 ski-erg calories
90 double-unders

AM

subbed 13:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. 165, 175Fx2

B. 155, 175, 195 - no belt

+

11+1 HPC @ 145

+

6:10

PM2
90:00 rock climbing @ Climb Time


Hang power cleans felt pretty terrible today.  The first miss at 175 was close, just too forward to save it.  Only deadlifted it the second time, and kind of didn't know what to do with the bar from there - it felt super heavy.  It kind of felt like the same problem I was having with the hang snatches from the other day, where I just didn't know how to engage my legs from the hang position. 

Clean-grip deadlifts felt good.  Kind of guessed on what a "moderate" weight would be here... 

Hang power cleans continued to feel like shit in the 8:00 piece, but no misses (some quite ugly, some less ugly).  All strict HSPUs unbroken.  Had Kellie watch a few reps while I warmed up to make sure my heels were over the line, then made chalk handprints to make sure that I always put my hands in the same place.  Made sure to flex my feet to raise my heels as much as possible at the top, but there was no one watching these reps and I didn't video, so I'm just assuming that I was consistent enough to ensure these were all to Open standard.  I did have to adjust to a slightly narrower position and slightly closer to the wall than I had been doing, but not a huge change.

Double-unders were great on the first set; tripped at 67, then a few small sets to finish the 90.  Skiied at >800 cal/h.  Second set of double-unders was complete shit; no set bigger than 25, and lots of trips on the first jump, which added an enormous amount of time.  I really think my rope is just a quarter of an inch too short, and when I get fatigued and my arms drift away, the rope no longer grazes the ground...

Had a work outing to Climb Time today, and Kellie and Chelsea joined me!  This was super fun.  It was really cool to learn something new and, as cheesy as it sounds, use your fitness outside of the gym.  I'd like to go again!

Not pictured: the ground, approximately 6" out of frame...

Saturday

AM
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. Snatch gauntlet, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 tough but not maximal; begin a rep every :90-2:00
+
AMRAP in 12:00:
1 muscle-up
5 wall balls, 20 to 10'
+
3 sets not for time:
:10 L hang from bar
6 light DB upright rows (both arms at same time)

AM

skipped

PM

A1/A2. complete 

B. 115, 120, 125x5

+

13 (+1 MU fail at the buzzer)

+

complete with 30/hand 

So happy Kellie is here! She landed at 5:40am, so skipped the z1.

Snatches didn't feel nearly as crisp as last week, but no misses. I didn't video these, but I have a feeling all were power except the very first rep at 125 which was decidedly squat, my knee told me so :/ Fuckkkkkkk.  It doesn't hurt like it used to, but it's not 100%.

AMRAP was just okay - wallballs were really tough, and had a few reps that didn't quite make it to 10'.  The first few muscle-ups were pretty easy, but had to slow down a touch in the middle when I started catching them really, really low.  Also I felt really crowded during these, there were so many people right around the rings that I felt a little less comfortable generating a big kip, which sounds stupid because I probably wouldn't have kicked anyone.  Had 0:10 left after the 13th round of wallballs, and I knew before I even jumped up to the rings that it wouldn't happen, but tried anyway.

Friday

OFF

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
+
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. 1 power snatch + 1 hang power snatch, build to a tough set for the day
+
5 sets even:
3 split jerks from the blocks, 155
40 double-unders
2:00 walk rest
+
3 sets:
:35 row @ 97%
4:55 walk rest

AM

3 sets complete

PM

failed 2, made 2, moved on 

+

A1/A2. cut to 3 sets 

B. 105, 115FHPS

+

complete, a little over a minute if I tripped (sets 1-3) and a little under a minute if unbroken (sets 4-5)

+

183m

182m

178m (handle flew out of my hands in the middle)


Today was pretty terrible.  I got to the gym after 6pm, which is way too late for this much volume.  I hate this - Thursdays have all my fun stuff, I enjoy higher volume training days, and I really hate deviating from the program.  But after the rough couple of days I've had, the last thing I wanted was to be in an empty gym at 9pm all by my lonesome.

Barely warmed up at all, which explains the fails on the first 2 muscle-ups.  These felt horrible today, and I didn't feel like spending 10 minutes here.

Cut the A1/A2, and didn't rest at all between movements.  Again, didn't feel like spending 10 minutes doing this.

I was excited for the snatch complex, but these felt terrible.  My shoulders were super tight (again with the lack of warm-up), and I completely forgot how to hang snatch.  I did okay at 105, but when I brought the 115 back down to the hang, I just held the bar and felt like I had no tension at all in my body.  Worked on hang snatches alone for a few minutes, and Austin even commented that I didn't look comfortable.  I don't know what the deal was.  Dropped back down to 105 and couldn't do that again either, so... wtf? 

No belt on the split jerks, but did wear Olys.  Bar felt much heavier than it should have, but most of the reps were pretty crisp anyway.

Row sprints actually felt pretty good, until the handle flew out of my hands.  I'm surprised I didn't lose more than 4m with this mishap.

Shitty couple of days.  Busy day tomorrow, then Kellie comes on Saturday!

Wednesday

AM
5000m row @ Z1
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. 1 & 1/4 front squat w/no sleeves, build to a 2RM
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 2-2-2, 31X0; 2:30 rest
+
6 sets:
1-2 bar muscle-up
200m easy jog
:90 rest
+
3 sets:
10 burpee toes-to-bar
50m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
:90 rest

AM

subbed 15:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. 203 (ugly)

B. 35, 40, 45 @167.5

+

complete, all singles 

+

complete, FW unbroken 

Happy to train today, there was a minute there this afternoon when I thought I wouldn't be able to.  Woke up feeling generally ill and like I got punched in the kidney, which got worse throughout the day.  Long story short, I have a kidney stone.  Fan-fucking-tastic.

1&1/4 front squats felt just okay; not happy with how heavy the bar felt.  193 started to get a little ugly, and probably should have stopped there considering how ugly 203 was...

Weighted CTBs felt really good.

Most of the bar muscle-ups felt good, but I still have no idea how to string two together.  Failed one rep in the middle somewhere, but rested 0:30 then hit it.

First set of burpee TTBs were awkward and slow, but found a better rhythm as the sets went on.

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

OFF

Monday

AM
1600m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 8 x 2 @ 40% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Pistols to bench/box just above parallel, 3 x 3-5/leg, 21X1; :60 between legs
+
AMRAP in 4:00:
Strict pull-ups, complete the descent of each rep
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:55.0-1:55.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. complete with 120 on the bar

B. 5 across 

+

28, + 2 fails 

+

1:55.2

1:55.3

1:55.2

1:54.7

1:55.7


Back squats felt really fast today, and the bar felt light.  Videoed the whole thing, and depth was solid on every rep.

Pistols were totally fine, no issues at all.  Stood on a 55lb plate to get the bench right around parallel.

Strict pull-ups were a complete disaster.  I felt really heavy (thanks to the 4 Days of Celebration that concluded yesterday), and I haven't done strict pull-ups in a long time and the movement just felt unnatural.  4/4/3 in the first minute, 2's until 19 in the second minute, then very slow singles in minutes 3 and 4, with the two fails occurring when I tried to rush the next rep.  This is so pathetic.

Wanted to redeem the training day on the rows.  These are getting to be extremely unpleasant.  Tasted a bit of yesterday's Thanksgiving dinner on the last one... 

I like wearing shoes.

Sunday

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

PM
A. 1 power clean + 1 hang power clean, build quickly to a tough set
B. Double overhand Romanian deadlift w/straps, build to a 2RM, 3010 - you can set these up in the rack so you don't have to pull the first from the floor...
+
4:00 @ 90% of [2 heavy power cleans + 4 strict handstand push-ups]
4:00 rest
4:00 @ 90% of [12 kettlebell swings @ 53 + 12 burpees]
4:00 rest
4:00 @ 90% of [10 ski erg calories + 50 double-unders]

AM

slept in

PM

A. 170 (video)

B. 270 (video)

+

3 + 1 PC @ 175

3 + 9 KBS 

2 even

I've been completely off the reservation, diet-wise, for the past 3 days, and I can feel it. I kind of needed the mental break, but it's crazy how sugar/gluten/alcohol makes me feel. Friendsgiving today, then back to normal tomorrow.

Power cleans weren't quite as crisp and easy as they were last week, but happy with the continued success of getting lower instead of wider.  Power cleaned 175 twice pretty easily, then chickened out on the HPC both times.  

Taking the bar from the rack for the RDL was a HUGE gamechanger.  These were so much easier without the initial deadlift.  270 seems like a ridiculous amount of weight, so I took video to make sure that I've been doing them correctly this whole time... 

Intended to use 165 for the power cleans on the first 4:00 piece, but I already had the bar loaded with 175 in competition plates, so I decided not to be a pussy and just use 175.  Definitely had to take a moment or two before each rep, but no misses, and done in metcons.  This is the most consistently I've ever hit heavy power cleans in one day, for sure.  All strict HSPUs easily unbroken.

Had a hard time pushing the pace on the KBS/burpee piece, just because those two movements suck.  Dropped right into the burpees and kept a steady pace on these, but definitely hesitated before picking up the kettlebell each time.

Double-unders were good on the first round (tripped once at 39), but shit on the second round.  I should have had plenty of time to get back to the ski erg, but I tripped like 17 times on the second set.

Saturday

AM

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. Snatch gauntlet, 1 every :60 starting @ 85 and adding 5 every :60
+
AMRAP in 10:00:
90 double-unders
60 wall balls, 14 to 10'
max rope climbs in remaining time
+
3 sets not for time:
:25 L-sit on parallettes
6 light DB upright rows (both arms at same time)

AM
45:00 complete, just row, mobility and shoulder prep

PM
A1/A2. complete 

B. 140 (PR +5 for any snatch, and it was power!), 145Fx2

+

8

+

complete, 30/hand 

+

bonus 800m sled drag with Chels, 60

Another solid training day. 

Super happy with the snatch PR!!! I have video, but it's too ugly to post (just kidding, I posted it here: 125-130-135-140-145F-145F).  Everything up to 135 was pretty crisp, all power (this is so weird). Soft elbows on the catch on the 140, and feet were pretty wide, but the pull felt really good. Two nice pulls at 145 to chin level, this will come soon. I love gauntlets. 

10:00 piece was tough. Double-unders cooperated for the most part, tripped at 60 and 79. Wallballs to the 10' target got tough, broken 15/15/10/10/10, and really focused on depth.  Arms/shoulders were pretty tired when I got to the rope (4:30ish), and grip got completely blown up after the first 2 or 3 climbs. Finished the 7th climb with 1:10 to go and completely bitched out and decided that wasn't enough time for 2, so rested until the 9:30 mark then did the 8th climb. Way better than it used to be, but still not satisfied. 

Friday

OFF

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
+
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. Split jerk, take your time and build to a heavy single for the day
+
5 sets even - focus on snatch quality:
2 power snatches (drop from the top & reset between reps)
10 bar-facing burpees
30 double-unders
2:00 walk rest
+
3 sets:
:30 row @ 97%
4:30 walk rest

AM

3 sets complete

PM

complete, just a handful of singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 210 (PR+5)

+

1:23 @115

1:20 @115

1:21 @115

1:27 @120

1:16 @120

+

157m

157m

155m

Continuing the trend of the best training week I've had in a long time...

Muscle-ups felt just okay.  Re-ripped a spot on the very first rep, so just did a few singles and decided to spend more time on the split jerks.

Split jerks felt so easy.  This is awesome.  Made bigger jumps than I usually do (125-155-175-190-200-210). Unracked 215 and chickened out, but with how easy 210 felt, I could probably get 215 soon.  Thumbs up.

5 sets went well.  Most of the power snatches felt really crisp; mentally "squat snatched" them, but didn't ride any of them below parallel.  Tricking myself is totally working.  Bar-facing burpees were nice and steady.  Double-unders all unbroken (or tripped at 29...grrrr) except for the 4th set, which had 3 trips and thus explains the time difference.

Row sprints were row sprints.  

Happy birthday to me!  The split jerk PR was definitely fueled by two cupcakes at work. Then, celebrated with dinner (and a margarita!) at Mazunte with Austin, Mark, Conner, Brandie, Emily and Chelsea.  I love these people.

Wednesday

AM
5000m row @ Z1
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. 1 & 1/4 front squat w/no sleeves, 3-3-3-3 adding so that only last set is tough (no slow descent this week); 2:30 rest
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 2-3, 31X0; 2:30 rest
+
5 sets:
1 bar muscle-up
200m easy jog
:60 rest
+
5 sets:
1 rope climb
8 glute-ham sit-ups
25m Farmer's walk, 100/hand
:60 rest

AM

complete

PM

A. 123, 153, 163, 183

B. 25, 30, 35(2) @166
+
complete
+
complete

Another good day!

Front squats felt kinda heavy, and actually had a hard time getting much below parallel without the tempo on the first rep of each set.

Weighted CTBs continue to feel really strong.

Missed the first 3 or 4 attempts at a bar muscle-up, but once I made one, no further misses and, again, each rep got smoother and smoother.  

Rope climbs were nice and fast.  Walked between stations, but otherwise moved pretty steadily through everything.

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM

15:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

mobility @ CSC

Monday

AM
1600m light sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Barefoot back squat w/chains, build to a heavy single
B. Alternating front rack reverse lunges, build to a 10m max
C. CTB pull-ups, 10 x 5 unbroken; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:56.0-1:56.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1 - it was cold

PM

A. 215 (questionable depth), 220F (but depth was good)

B. 153 

C. complete 

+

1:56.8

1:56.5

1:56.4

1:56.3

1:56.1


Today was awesome.  I could get used to always feeling this good.

Back squats felt great; the 215 wasn't much of a struggle, but depth continues to be questionable at heavy weights, so I went for 220 and BURIED it - and got stuck on the way up (for approximately 11 seconds) before dumping the bar.  I don't know what to think about this.  It's annoying.  

Walking front rack reverse lunges were super weird.  The 153 was definitely heavy, but probably could have gone a bit heavier.  Accidentally went a couple of feet past 10m because I couldn't see the chalk mark on the ground.

CTBs all butterflied and in rhythm, despite tearing on the 3rd set.  Getting more comfortable here.  Finally.

Rows are starting to really suck, but I continue to be impressed with how much I've improved.

Sunday

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

PM
A. 1 power clean + 2 hang power cleans, build quickly to a tough set
B. Double overhand Romanian deadlift w/straps, 4 x 2-3, 3010; 2:30 rest
+
8:00 @ 80% of [10 kipping handstand push-ups + 10 kettlebell swings @ 53 + 40 double-unders]
4:00 rest
8:00 @ 80% of [21 row calories + 12 burpees over the rower]

AM

45:00 @ Ault Park with Emily and Chelsea

PM

A. 165 (video)

B. 225, 235, 245(2), 245(2)

+

3 + 10 KBS 

+

2 + 6 burpees 


Okay, today was a major breakthrough.  After yesterday's power snatches which were supposed to be squat snatches, I wondered if I could fool myself into doing the same thing with power cleans.  I warmed up as if I was going to be doing squat cleans, then started hitting the complex with a "shallow squat" - so clean it as if it was a squat clean, but then just stand up with it as soon as I caught it instead of riding it to the bottom.  AND IT WORKED! Normally my power cleans are so hideous because "just get under it" doesn't mean anything to me if I'm doing a power clean, so I end up getting super wide and leaving the bar in front, and moving completely differently than I would if I were doing a squat clean.  But, if I just consider a clean a clean, form is a million times better.  This is seriously exciting.  Cleaned 175, but it felt like I caught it very low (right at parallel in video), so I didn't try the hang squat cleans.  Yessssssssssss.

Romanian deadlifts are getting very heavy.  Actually, the first "regular" deadlift is the hardest part, once the bar is off the ground the Romanian deadlifts are comparatively much easier. 

Both 8:00 pieces went well; first two sets of HSPUs unbroken, then 5/5, 5/5.  All KBS and DUs unbroken (yes!).  Took my time between movements, didn't really know how else to make this 80%.  First 21 calories at 950 cal/h, second was at 850 cal/h and third was at 900 cal/h.  Burpees felt nice and fast... I felt like I needed to slow these down to keep this at 80%. 

Also, can I just say that I've never felt better than I do right now?  Knock on wood, I hope I didn't just jinx it.  But seriously, I feel awesome.  Nothing hurts, nothing is bugging me, energy is really good and everything is getting better.  Keep rolling.

Saturday

AM
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. 1 hang squat snatch + 1 squat snatch, 1-1-1-1-1 starting moderate and adding a bit each set; :10 between movements, 2:00 rest
+
For time:
5 muscle-ups
15 wall balls, 14 to 9'
4 muscle-ups
15 wall balls
3 muscle-ups
15 wall balls
2 muscle-ups
15 wall balls
1 muscle-up
+
3 sets not for time:
:20 L-sit on parallettes
8 light DB upright rows (both arms at same time

AM

40:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off twice for a few minutes of mobility

PM

A1/A2. complete 

B. 115, 115, 120, 125(1.F), 125 (videos)

+

10:47

+

complete 

20, 25, 25lb dumbbells

+

bonus 800m sled drag with Emily and Chelsea, 45 on the sled 

Today was great. I have some fun stuff this week, this is very exciting. 

Snatches felt off today, I don't really know what the issue was. I videoed all these to watch technique, and noticed that hip extension seems kind of pathetic, and also noticed that every single one of these reps was power. Errrrrr yeah, I have absolutely zero sense of this while I'm snatching, I just try to get under it and then stand up without really paying attention to where parallel is. I knew none of these reps was a super deep catch, but I was really surprised to see how high some of them were. Can I just think of snatching as snatching, and not distinguish between power and squat? 

Muscle-up / wallball thing was really fun. All singles on the muscle-ups, a few really low catches but no misses; toyed with the idea of trying a few doubles, but I wasn't catching any of them high enough to feel confident for a double. Wallballs all unbroken, no issues at all. 

0:20 L-sit is about the limit of making these pretty.

Added the sled drag because I was done early, it was a nice day, and all the cool kids were doing it. 

Friday

OFF

AM 
slept in

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 practice 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, 5 x 10 alternating breathing out hard each rep; :30 rest
B. Split jerk clusters, 5 x 1.1; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
Every :90 for 9 sets, score as total successful power snatch pounds:
5 burpees + 1 power snatch attempt
+
3 sets:
:25 row @ 97%
4:05 walk rest

AM

4 sets complete

PM

complete, 4 singles and 3 doubles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 155, 165, 175, 185(1.F), 185

+

1035 (115x9)

+

130m

130m

129m


Muscle-ups felt pretty good, all were easy reps except the second on the very last double (low catch).  Almost had a triple on the first double, but no cigar.

Split jerks weren't nearly as crisp as last week, but they still felt pretty good.  Didn't exactly fail that second rep at 185, but I picked up the bar really weird off the blocks and it just felt wrong on the dip so I dumped it.  Wanted to get a bit higher, but between how late it was getting and how less-crisp they were feeling compared to last week, I called it there.

9 sets thing was interesting.  90 seconds was a lot of time, even with very slow burpees and a very deliberate set up at the bar.  I almost put 120 on the bar several times, but the reps at 115 weren't really crisp enough for me to feel confident that I wouldn't miss an attempt at 120.  I couldn't decide if I was being too cautious, or if I was being smart.  I ended up telling myself that if I was in a competition and we're going for max total pounds, an extra 5lbs doesn't make that much of a difference compared to a missed 115lbs.  

Completely out of gas by the time I got to the row sprints - couldn't get below 1:33-1:34.  Had two interruptions to the training, which added about an hour to the time it took me to get through everything, and meant that it had been a very long time since lunch.  

One of those interruptions was Mike Kesthely - we were having a hard time scheduling a Skype call that worked for both of us, so we ended up just talking on the phone.  He's giving me an additional 20g carbs on Fridays :) (150P/60F/260C M/W/Th/S/S, 150P/55F/300C Tues, 150P/55F/320C Fri).  Pancakes for everyone!

Wednesday

AM
4500m row @ Z1
+
15:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

PM
A. 1 & 1/4 front squat, no sleeves, 2-2-2-2 w/:03 initial descent (quick on the rest of each rep); 2:30 rest
B. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 3-4, 31X0; 2:30 rest
C. Bar muscle-ups, 5:00-8:00 practice
+
For time:
7 rope climbs
35 glute-ham sit-ups
100m Farmer's walk, 100/hand
+
3 sets:
300m easy jog
2:00 walk rest

AM

complete

PM

A. 163, 173, 183, 193 (video)

B. 20, 25(3), 25(3) @165.5

C. 5/5 (video)

+

6:58 (RC in 2:49)

+

complete 

Felt kind of stiff coming into today's training, but everything actually felt pretty decent.  

Front squats felt heavier than they looked.  Form started to go a little bit at 193.

Weighted CTBs felt really strong, that's cool.  Still not very comfortable in a supinated grip, but the pulling feels easy.

Bar muscle-ups went so much better than last week!  Definitely feels like one of those things that just needs continued exposure.  No misses, and each rep got smoother and smoother.  Would have liked to keep going, but ripped.  Please enjoy Chelsea's cameo.  Spoiler alert: she's dancing.

For time piece went well, I was moving pretty steadily but not really sprinting at any part of this, so maybe I could have gone faster (but I don't really know where - FW, perhaps?).  Rope climbs felt the best they ever have, definitely slowed down on the last two reps but really don't feel like I wasted too much time staring at the rope like I usually do (5 done under 2:00, which is a PR by 1, and one more than the 3:00 tester from a few months ago).  Wanted to break the GHSU into 20/15, ended up doing 20/9/6, with the last 6 being extremely dizzy.  FW was fine, broken 25x4.

Tuesday

OFF or Z1 active recovery of choice

AM

25:00 AirDyne @ Z1

+

10:00 mobility

PM

softball - last game, for real this time canceled

Finally, finally, FINALLY broke into 159 today.  This is officially the hardest anyone has ever worked to lose 5lbs.  I can count the number of occasions I've been off by more than 1g on my macros since July on one hand, and I've become increasingly neurotic about being perfect.  With how slowly I was losing weight, I really felt like perfection was necessary.  This has been really tough, mostly mentally, but also figuring out how much hunger I can tolerate.  Feeling really good right now, and feeling like the numbers and hunger are sustainable (for now).  I'd like to lose another 5lbs by the Open, which seems an appropriate timeline based on how long it took me to get this far.  Let's see what Mike says when we Skype tomorrow!

Monday

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

PM
A. Barefoot back squat w/chains, build to a heavy double
B. Alternating front rack reverse lunges, 3 x 6-8 total; 2:00 rest
C. CTB pull-ups, 9 x 5 unbroken; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:57.0-1:57.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. 205 (questionable depth)

B. 163, 173(6.5), 173(6)

C. complete 

+

1:57.5

1:57.6

1:57.3

1:57.4

1:57.3


Good day!

Back squats felt great; built quickly (135-165-185-205).  Still having an issue getting well below parallel at heavy weights, but depth on the double at 185 was way better than last week's set at 185 (video).  So, it kind of seems that the first time I get to a new weight, I'm hesitating at parallel, but the second time I get to it, I'm getting below parallel easily.  Am I sub-consciously protecting my knee? It's weird.  Anyway.  That second rep at 205 was s-l-o-w...

Lunges were fine; got stuck at the bottom on the 7th rep on the first set at 173 and had to dump the bar.

CTBs felt the best they have yet; all butterflied and in rhythm.  Hands got really hot, which turned into blisters a few hours later, but no rips.

Rows were tough.  Next week is going to be interesting.