Friday

AM @ MobilityFit
10:00 Assault bike
+
3 sets:
Front rack kettlebell hold with scaps retracted, 5 x 0:60 with 12/hand, 0:30 rest
Banded external rotation with single orange band, 10
Banded shoulder press with orange band, 10
Banded tricep pull-down, 20 with cut red band
Earthquake bar, 2:00 hold with red bands and 20s, orange bands and 15s
Crossover Symmetry, rows (red), As (purple), Ts (thumbs up and palms up, green), single-side seated external rotation (green), 10 each
Z press, 10 with PVC pipe
Kettlebell screwdrivers, 10/side with 15lb
Quarter external rotations, 5/side with 2.5lbs
External rotation with elbow on knee, 10/side unweighted

Snow angel, 10 unweighted
Single-arm trap 3, 10/side unweighted
PVC pull-aparts, 10 with #1
3-way bicep curl, 10 each way with 5lb/hand


PM
A. Safety squat, 8 x 2 @ 70 on bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
7-10 controlled ring rows - slightly tougher than last week if shoulder allows
16 alternating reverse lunges, 30 med ball bear hugged to chest
:60 rest
15 Assault Bike calories
:60 rest
+
3 sets not for time:
5-7/side single-leg reverse hypers, 20X2
10-20 seated 1-leg band curls
:30 hollow rock

A. complete
+
complete
7 ring rows across
15 calories in 0:51-0:54
+
complete
unweighted, +10, +20 on the RH
15/leg with purple band


Drew was really happy to hear that after the week off (two, really), my shoulder has markedly calmed down. It's still a little more aggravated than it was two weeks ago, but not nearly as concerning as it was last week. Stayed extremely cautious on the rehab stuff this morning - reduced weight on everything, cut anything that even slightly felt off, and shorted ROM to completely, 100% pain free across the board. I'm still annoyed that I'm doing less 7 weeks out than I was 2 weeks out, but Drew assures me it's normal. Had a conversation about expectations and the road ahead, and we discussed that it might be months before I'm comfortable overhead (deadhang, kipping, snatching, jerking, etc). I can get close without pain, but as soon as I reach 180 degrees, I hit the anchors, and that's probably what caused the latest setback, so we're staying far away from that at the moment.

Squats felt great, really fast. Metcons, no gear.

5 sets got tough, mostly because of the pace I wanted to hold on the bike (66-70 RPMs). Ring rows felt totally fine on my shoulder, still very deliberate about scap engagement and definitely more challenging than last time. 

Wouldn't hate losing the reverse hyper from the program... it's so freaking awkward to get on to without boosting myself up with both arms, and I feel like I'm not even doing it right with the one leg. I know it's supposed to be good for many things, but I'm just not feeling it. On the other hand, once I figured out how to set up the banded curls, I really liked those!

And finally, did a BodPod this morning. Mike keeps asking me about body comp, and I can't tell objectively and I refuse to take a bathroom selfie. I'm a scientist and I like data, so I figured this might be interesting. I did one in December 2013 (I had played with ETP for a few months, and was on Invictus at the time), but I didn't like the result so I just ignored it and decided to focus on performance. Which was a great decision! But didn't get me very far on the scale. I weighed 167 in December 2013, and weighed 167 in May 2015, and while performance was greatly improved, I wanted to drop weight to improve gymnastics (we know this story). Mike wasn't very impressed with these results if you consider it's been 2.5 years, but I figure almost all of this change has occurred since I started working with Mike in July 2015. I was actually pretty pumped to see that those 7 pounds were 11lbs of fat lost and 4lbs of muscle gained, that seems pretty legit to me, especially with maintaining / increasing / prioritizing performance. And it's not like I'm surprised that progress is slow, I mean, come on, I've complained about how perfectly compliant I can be with minimal results since day 1. Although, I wish I had done this before I ate all the gelato and drank all the margaritas last week, because I was pretty solid at 158 for a minute there...

Friday

A. Safety squat, 10 x 2 @ 50 on bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
4 sets:
6-12 controlled ring rows
20 alternating reverse lunges, 20 med ball bear hugged to chest
:60 rest
15 Assault Bike calories
:60 rest
+
3 sets not for time:
5-8/side single-leg reverse hypers, 20X2
:20-:30 hamstring bridge
20 sit-ups w/feet anchored under DBs

A. complete 

+

complete

12 ring rows across 

66-69 RPMs across (0:58-0:55)

+

complete
8 across on the RH, unweighted
0:30 bridge across


Good day. 

Squats were super fast and easy.

Ring rows felt great, made a conscious effort to keep scaps engaged throughout.  Didn't set these up to be tough, just wanted to test it out. Felt good to push the Assault bike.

Had some difficulty with the single-leg reverse hypers... I've done them before, but they were super awkward today. Hamstring bridge is pretty easy, I played around with slightly different foot positions to try to make it more challenging...

Included 2 sets of Crossover symmetry (rows, As, Ts), kettlebell screwdrivers and TGU progressions to my warm-up, and 2 sets of both external rotation exercises and the single-arm trap 3 to the end.

Wednesday

AM @ MobilityFit
10:00 Assault bike

+

3 sets:

Kettlebell rotations, 10/side with 15lb
Beginning of TGU, just to elbow support, 5/side unweighted

Quarter external rotations, 10/side with 2.5lb
External rotations with elbow on knee, 10/side with 2.5lb

Houghston's As, 10 unweighted
Houghston's Ts, palms down, 10 unweighted

+

4 sets:

Crossover Symmetry rows, red, x 10

Crossover Symmetry Ts (thumbs up), purple x 10

Crossover Symmetry Ts (palms up), green x 10
Crossover Symmetry As, purple, x 10

Crossover Symmetry A/T/Y, green, x 10

Crossover Symmetry Ys, green, x 10

Crossover Symmetry half snow angels, green, x10

Crossover symmetry external rotation, green, x 10

Earthquake bar, 0:60 hold with 2x double red bands and 25s 

Earthquake bar bench press, 10 with double red bands and 25s

Earthquake bar seated overhead hold, 2:00 with double orange bands and 15s

Earthquake bar seated strict press, 10 with double orange bands and 15s

Close-grip bench press, 10 with 33lb bar

Farmers walk, 50m with 65/hand

Push-ups, perfect: 7, 5, 5, 5 

Tricep kick backs, with 20/hand 10, 10, 9, 8

Dumbbell floor press, with 25/hand 15, 15, 15, 10
Serratus punches, 10/side with 25lb

Single-arm bent-over trap 3, 10/side unweighted

3-way bicep curls, 10 with 10/hand

PVC bar overhead pull-aparts in front, 10 with #1

Plank steps up and over 25lb plate, 3/side

Lateral plank steps, 5 steps/side 

Z press, 10 with training bar and 5s

Strict pull-ups, 10 with toes on box throughout

Plank with hands on indo board, 0:60

Plank with hands on indo board, rocking front/back, left/right, clockwise, counterclockwise, 10 each

PM @ CSC
A. Clean-grip deadlift, 5-5-5-5-5 light, 3131; :90 rest
B. Safety bar alternating reverse lunges, 3 x 12-16 total; 2:00 rest
+
5 sets:
10 hip extensions right into :20 Sorensen hold
:30 rest
:30 hollow rock
:30 rest
+
10:00 Assault Bike @ 90% aerobic

A. 83, 103, 123, 123, 123

B. +70, +90, +100(12)

+

complete

+

complete, 92 calories, 53-55 RPMs

Highlights of PT: regular bench press! And regular push-ups! And getting a bar overhead! A fair bit of discomfort overhead, especially if the earthquake bar drifted backwards, but not bad enough to cut it. Actually the most uncomfortable things today were all on the Crossover Symmetry. Have a hard time bringing hands together in front of me with straight elbows (Ts) with even 3lb resistance, snow angels had pathetic wings (like, hip height), and external rotation at 90 degrees abduction is awful (around 60 degrees even with no resistance). Feeling like it's going to be a while to get full ROM back in all directions... but happy with all the additions and strength improvements within the ROM that I do have. It's only been 5 weeks. It's already been 5 weeks! 

Stuff at CSC was good. Deadlift weight was light on everything except the thumbs, those poor guys are out of practice. Lunges were great. 5 sets were great. Assault bike was great, getting pretty close to the upper limit of aerobic but it feels excellent to push it a little. 

Also, Mike suggested cutting all my PM supplements (melatonin, GABA and ZMA - which all together STILL didn't improve sleep), and so far no change. Ughhhhhhh. I forget what it's like to sleep. 

Friday

AM
3-5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:60 front leaning rest on ground
2:00 bike
:60 single-unders
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Alternating DB reverse lunges, 3 x 12-16 total; 2:00 rest
+
For 16:00:
Evens: 8 goblet squats
Odds: 8 ring rows
+
8 sets:
:60 Assault Bike @ 90% aerobic
:60 Assault Bike @ 50%

AM

skipped

PM

A. 55, 60, 65(12)
+
complete, 53lb kettlebell
+
complete 


Didn't decide until about 4:45pm whether I'd train today or not.  I mean, it's kind of like: what's the point? But also: what else would I do?

Had to switch to the fat dumbbells at 65; if we had skinny 65s, probably could have hung on for the full 16 reps.

Goblet squats were nice and fast.  Still no issues with ring rows.

Assault bike got tough.  Maintained >60 RPMs for the 90% minutes.

I hope you guys don't mind me just hanging out in the gym in my sling.  I don't know what I'd do with myself without the 20+ hours a week I spend at CSC.

Friday

AM
3-5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:20-:30 handstand hold
2:00 bike
:30/side plank
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Alternating DB reverse lunges, 2 x 16-20 total; 2:00 rest
B. Strict pull-ups, accumulate 15-30 solid singles according to feel; rest as needed
+
For time @ high effort:
1000m row
50 thrusters, 33
30 ring rows, strict w/tough set-up
+
8 sets:
:45 Assault Bike @ 90% aerobic
:45 Assault Bike @ 50%

AM

4 sets, subbed FLR for side plank

+

skipped the mobility

+

shoulder stuff, 2 sets, same as yesterday

PM

A. 50, 55(20)

B. 2 singles, DNF 

+

10:12 at half-assed effort 

subbed goblet squats, 35lb

+

complete

Denial: "I did a handstand push-up, and it didn't hurt nearly as much as last week! Let's cancel the appointment, it'll heal on its own." 

Anger:  "This is fucking stupid.  I literally JUST recovered from knee surgery, oh and also I broke my thumb in a freak accident, and now my shoulder is fucked up, like really fucked up, like it-won't-stay-in-its-goddamned-socket fucked up."
Bargaining: "Well, if I need surgery anyway, maybe I can just train on it through the Open? I did that with my knee and it turned out fine!"

Depression: "Training while injured is lame and I can't imagine being healthy enough to compete in the Open in 3 weeks, I may as well just stop trying." 
(I think we're going to be stuck in the Depression stage for at least the next 5 days)


Today was awful.  Long and shitty day at work, and didn't get to the gym until almost 7.  Came really close to blowing off the whole day - my shoulder was aching and I had zero interest in anything high-effort.

Lunges were okay, limited by grip (duh).

Shoulder pops out at the initiation of the pull from a dead-hang.  Shoulder also pops out when raising my arm to just past my ear (although it does not on the static handstand holds...those are totally fine).  Two reps and called it, this is scaring me.

Shoulder pops out at the top of the thruster.  No pain at all in the press, but can't lock out at the top and keep my humerus in place.  Two reps and called it, this is really scaring me.

Felt sorry for myself on the baby Jackie piece, and just didn't feel like giving high-effort.  Row done at 4:09.  Dropped the kettlebell at 15/30/40/50 (lame).  Initially set up the rings way too challenging, after 10 reps I ditched the box and put feet on the floor (still tough, sets of 3).  No pain or popping out of place with the horizontal pulling, shoulder tolerated the row and ring rows just fine.

The Assault bike and I are becoming friends, though.  90% aerobic is a solid 62-66 RPMs.

I didn't notice my shoulder popping out at ALL last week, I wonder if the tape from Balza was actually doing something?  Can I just construct a shirt out of KT tape?  Or, because it hurt a fair bit worse last week than it does right now, I just wasn't moving it around as much.  Or, Emily suggested that perhaps Tim's maneuvering it around made it more susceptible to move around... except that the first time I noticed it was on the pull-up before I saw Tim.  I'm glad I tested the pull-up, I think it gave Tim important information.  It would have sucked if I tested a pull-up the day after I saw Tim and then had to make a repeat visit a week later, and this whole process of waiting and not knowing would just be delayed.  Bottom line: this is alarming.

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.

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.

Monday

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

PM
A. Barefoot back squat w/chains, 3-3-3 building to a tough set (same deal, still no risk of failing), 20X1; 3:00 rest
B. Alternating front rack reverse lunges, 3 x 8-10 total; 2:00 rest
C. CTB pull-ups, 8 x 5 unbroken; begin a set every :60
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:58.0-1:58.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. 165, 185, 195 (videos)

B. 143, 153, 163(8)

C. complete 

+

1:58.6

1:58.6

1:58.3

1:58.3

1:58.0


Barefoot back squats feel better each week; compared to last week, depth was greatly improved.  I think all the reps at 165 and 185 were legit, and the first and 3rd rep at 195 were below parallel with the second rep right on the line.  I really wasn't happy with how heavy 195 felt, but Stephen told me the chains are about 70lbs, so that made me feel a lot better (I assumed they were closer to 40lbs).  That's by far the most I've ever squatted without a belt or knee sleeves (or shoes, obviously), so now I don't feel quite so bad about how heavy it felt.

Reverse lunges were fine.  Saw stars on all of these.

CTBs felt really tough today.  All butterflied and in rhythm, but not easy and it felt like way too much effort.  Also, Chelsea and Pat were talking in the background about butterfly pull-up technique, and Chelsea mentioned that it's all hips and your arms should be just there to keep you attached to the bar, and that's not how I feel at all.  I do think I'm using my hips, but my elbows/arms are definitely doing a LOT of work... 

Row repeats felt more challenging this week than they have yet this cycle.  I mean, obviously they would, they're getting faster.  But, I also felt like my energy was fading and I got a headache after the first one.  Last week (during my insane hunger phase), I took a few shot blocks before the row repeats and I felt amazing on the rows, so I'm wondering if I should start doing that... I'll run it by Mike, but I don't really see the harm, especially since I already did it last week. Even if it's just mental, I'll take any edge I can get.  Kind of excited (in a masochistic way) to see how fast these will get...

Monday

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

PM
A. Barefoot back squat w/chains, 5-5-5 building to a tough set (same deal, still no risk of failing), 20X1; 3:00 rest
B. Alternating front rack reverse lunges, 3 x 12-16 total; 2:00 rest
C. CTB pull-ups, 10 x 4 unbroken; begin a set every :40
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 1:59.0-1:59.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

subbed:

30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

+

25:00 mobility

PM

A. 135, 155 (barely legit), 175 (questionable), 175 (still questionable)

B. 123, 133, 143(12)

C. complete 

+

1:59.7

1:59.6

1:59.6

1:59.4

1:59.1

Planning to make up the sled drag on a warmer morning... (I know, I know, I'm a Californian wimp).

Back squats felt so much easier without the pause at the bottom. Videoed all these again, and I'm still just barely riding the line, but the first set of 5 at 175 looked really questionable on video, so I made the executive decision to repeat the set and really focus on going as deep as possible, and on the second attempt at 175 I still only think the first two reps are legit. There's no pain or even stiffness, so I don't know what the deal is. I seriously feel like I'm going ATG.

Lunges were fine.

CTBs better than they have been, but still require a lot of focus. All butterflied and in rhythm.

Rows felt excellent, yet again. This is cool.

Monday

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

PM
A. Barefoot back squat w/chains, 3-3-3-3 building to a tough set (still no risk of failing, though), 21X1; 3:00 rest
B. Alternating front rack reverse lunges, 2 x 16-20 total; 2:00 rest
C. CTB pull-ups, 10 x 4 unbroken; begin a set every :45
+
5 sets:
500m row @ 2:00.0-2:00.9/500m
2:30 walk rest

AM

complete with 45

PM

A. 155, 165, 175, 180(2) video

B. 103, 123(16)

C. complete, sets 8 and 9 out of rhythm 

+

2:00.7

2:00.7

2:00.6

2:00.5

2:00.3


Solid day - felt much better than the last two days, which is totally weird since it's day 3.

Continue to be disappointed at how heavy the back squats are feeling.  This makes me sad. The second rep at 180 was so slow that I wasn't confident I could get the 3rd.  Videoed all these, and depth is juuuuuuuuust barely legit... I don't know if it's (still) a mobility issue, because I have no issues with greatly improved depth on front squats...? Or is this how my back squats have always looked?  I really need to start videoing a lot more of regular training than just PR attempts.

Lunges felt good; limited mostly by time in the front rack.  Probably could have gotten the last 4 reps at 123, just didn't feel like crushing my trachea any longer.

CTBs mostly good; I don't really know what happened on those two sets, other than the very first rep was already off, and then I couldn't save it.  I still have to focus a lot to maintain rhythm.  Looking forward to the day when these are second nature.

Row repeats were the highlight of the day (what?!).  These felt really good.

Thursday 19 September

AM:
35:00 AirDyne @z1

PM:
A. Squat clean, 10 x 1 starting @ 55% and adding so that last 3 are 95+%, go for a PR if it’s there; begin a set every 2:00
B. High-bar back squat, 4-3-2-1-1-1-1-1 @ 70-80-90-95%-then go for a PR; 3:00 rest
+
3 rounds for time:
5 power cleans, 185/135
10 alternating reverse lunges, 185/135
50 double-unders

A. 95, 105, 125, 135, 145, 155, 160, 165, 170Fx2 - not feeling aggressive with the hips today.
B. 170(4), 195(3), 220(2), 235(1), 250(PR), 260(PR), 266(PR+21)
+
Subbed 15 AD calories for DUs
11:18

Holy cow.  I was hoping to squat 255 today.  250 and 260 were not very difficult at all, and 266 wasn't perfect but wasn't nearly as ugly as my last 1RM of 245 in April.  Super, super happy with this!  Was concerned about power cleaning 135 (prefer squat cleans) but took my time, did all singles, and didn't miss any.  The lunges weren't bad, but I was tired after parts A and B.  Did the first round of lunges unbroken, then dropped at 6 on rounds 2 and 3 (didn't have to... stupid).  

I'm really not looking forward to calculating 85% of this for the next cycle... uh oh.

Saturday 13 July

sleep: 1030pm to 7am (no alarm; not great quality)

weight: 164.3

8am: eggs, rice, avocado
9am: opt-she
1030am: progenex with coconut water
1pm: chicken, rice, sweet potato
530pm: tilapia, rice, pico de gallo
730pm: cottage cheese and strawberries

calories: 2058
protein: 169
carbs: 263
fat: 35

-----

A. Hang squat snatch; 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2; rest 3 min
B. Back squat; build to a 10rm
C. Front rack reverse lunges; 20 continuous alt’ing lunges x4; rest 2 min

A. 75(3), 85(3), 90(3), 100(2), 110(1), 110(2)
B. 185
C. 64, 74, 84, 94

Felt really good this morning.  Snatches weren't as solid in the bottom as usual.  Should have gone heavier on the 10RM back squats, but it's hard when you really only get one shot at it.  I was dreading the lunges all week, but they weren't as bad as I thought they would be.

Wednesday 23 January

A. 1&1/4 high-bar back squats, 3-3-3-3; 2:00 rest
B. DB alternating reverse lunges, 5 x 20 total; :90 rest
C1. Weighted pull-up negatives, 4 x 2-3 tough, 61A1; :20 rest
C2. Pull-ups, chest-to-bar, 4 x max reps in :45; 3:00 rest
+
10-8-6-4-2 for time of:
Hang squat clean, 73% max clean
Knees-to-elbows

A. 165, 175, 185, 195
B. 25, 25, 25, 30, 35
C1. 20, 25, 30, 35(2)
C2. 6, 7, 7, 8
+
9:10 at 105lbs

Wednesday 16 January

A. 1&1/4 high-bar back squats, 5-5-3-3; 2:00 rest
B1. Alternating DB reverse lunges, 5 x 24 total; :90 rest
B2. Weighted pull-up negatives, 5 x 1.1.1.1.1, 61A1; :20 rest between singles, :90 rest
+
21-15-9 for time of:
Thrusters, 45
Toes-to-bar

A. 135, 155, 175, 190
B1. 25s for all
B2. 20, 25, 30, 30, 30
+
6:00

Wednesday 9 January

A. Back squat, build to a 5RM; rest as needed
B1. DB alternating reverse lunges, 4 x 30 total steps; 2:00 rest
B2. Weighted pull-up negatives clusters, 4 x 1.1.1.1.1, 61A1; :20 rest between singles, 2:00 rest
+
3 rounds for time of:
50 wall balls
25 glute-ham sit-ups

A. 205
B1. 25s for all
B2. 10, 15, 20, 25
+
17:35