Tuesday

AM
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 1 dead hang to inverted + 3 toes-through-rings

PM
A. Power snatch, build to a max for the day
B. Clean-grip deadlift, 3-3-3, 3131; 2:30 rest
C. Reverse hypers, 3 x 3-5, 21X0 - note the tempo, these are tough, may be unweighted; :90 rest
+
For time:
50 handstand push-ups
+
5 sets:
:15 row very hard
2:15 walk rest

AM

complete 

PM

A. 120, 125Fx3

B. 125, 155, 185

C. unweighted, +20, +40

+

7:07 (25 in 2:33) - took me 17:28 last year 

+

complete; saw 1:30-1:31/500m on all


Today was pretty great - partially due to completing my dissertation, partially due to finally having a test that I could PR, and partially due to the fact that I bumped up my carbs back to where they were (175ish).  Still waiting on a response from the Dynamic Nutrition people... but in the meantime, if I'm not losing weight on 125g carbs or 175g carbs, I'm going back to 175g where I felt much better.

Added in a few muscle-ups to my warm up... it makes me nervous to go a whole week without doing any.  Used the skinny rings for a change of pace, and confirmed my preference for these.  Hit a couple of singles and one double.  I catch the dip so much higher on these rings, it's crazy.

I hate power snatching.  Caught 115 pretty wide, caught 120 with bent arms, and missed 125 three times.  Stephen suggested just thinking it of a snatch, and don't distinguish between power and squat, but for today it was too late, my brain thinks of them as two different movements.  But maybe in the future that will work for me...

Tempo CGDL were fine, definitely could have started at something closer to 185.

Tempo reverse hypers were also fine, but +40 got to be challenging.  I kept wanting to also pause at the top, it felt very strange not to hold it for a second...

SO HAPPY about the handstand push-up improvement! Did 5s until 25, 3s until 40, 2s until 48 and two singles to finish.  These are feeling excellent, the kip is greatly improved, and I don't stand around staring at the wall nearly as much.  Great success!

I really enjoy short sprints.  Got it down to 1:30-1:31 within a few pulls, then hovered around 1:32 to finish each of these.  Plenty of time to recover.

Wednesday

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

PM
A. Power clean, build to a max
B. Behind-the-neck shoulder press, 3 x 7-10, 31X1; 2:00 rest
+
21-15-9 for time:
Deadlifts, 155
Box jumps, 20
Burpees
+
10:00 AirDyne @ Z1

AM

complete 

PM

A. 170 

B. 44(10), 54(10), 59(6)

+

8:48

+

complete 

Another rough day :/ Came into the gym with a pretty significant headache, which never went away.  Not sure if I can continue to blame these mediocre days on the humidity, or maybe it's the change in diet? 

Power cleans were AWFUL. 165 was sloppy and caught it really forward. Failed 175 twice, then failed 170 twice before finally getting it on the 3rd attempt. I really hate power cleans.  I was pulling it PLENTY high enough, just super hesitant to get under it. 

BTN shoulder press was really hard!  Also, it was a little uncomfortable on my left shoulder (the one that gave me the most problems last year). Felt like my left shoulder was never in the right position, and it felt kind of unstable. It's not painful or giving me any other problems (other than a little instability on the max side plank), so I don't know what that's about.

Felt slow and sluggish on the deadlift/box jump/ burpee piece. Just couldn't get my act together, and couldn't control my breathing. Lots of standing around being a little bitch.

Also, all week I've been questioning whether I'm doing the right thing by letting Tim fix my knee, asking myself whether it's really THAT bad.  But then today - for the first time - it locked on me (in between the BTN shoulder press and the FT piece, I just turned kind of funny while I was checking my phone), and I couldn't extend it all the way.  I panicked for a few minutes, because this hasn't happened before, but then somehow it went away... this was the weirdest feeling. Sooo... now I'm feeling more confident that it actually needs to be fixed.

Tuesday

AM
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 2 toes-to-bar + 1 dead hang to inverted

PM
A. Back squat, build to a max for the day
B. Back squat, 1 x max reps @ 85% of A, 30X0
+
20 sets for time:
5 unbroken CTB pull-ups
+
10 sets:
:30 AirDyne @ 90% aerobic
:30 AirDyne @ 50%

AM
complete with toes-through-rings 

PM
A. 285, 295Fx1

B. 3 @ 242

+

DNF 

10 sets done in 5:00

15 sets done in 14:30

total of 5 rips 

+

complete 


Merrrrr today wasn't the greatest.

I knew I couldn't expect much on the back squat, considering I haven't squatted anything heavy since October.  275 felt better than I thought it would, 285 got pretty slow on the way up.  Really, I had no business even trying 295, should have just called it at 285 for today.  The max reps at 85% were stupid.  Was extremely faithful on tempo, and when I stood up the 3rd I knew I needed to rest at the top it I was going to get a 4th rep, but that's not allowed, so I just racked it.  Hard to believe that I squatted 245 for 10 last year.  Sigh.  Knee feels like shit, but I kind of just want to run it into the ground over the next month... why not? 

I was looking forward to seeing the improvement on the CTB test, and I did... last year it took me over 9:00 to get 10 sets.  I'm in a weird place now where I'm not yet proficient at butterfly but I've kind of lost the regular kipping rhythm, so these weren't great but I had no problems hitting 5 unbroken reps for the first 10 sets even if I had to reset the kip.  Ripped once on the second set, then again on the 6th set, then accumulated 3 more bloody rips between sets 10-15.  Also had 3 failed sets within the last few minutes where I just did 2-3 reps and dropped off, my hands were just fucking done.  I don't think I've ever ripped this badly, I definitely have never had to clean blood off a bar before today.  I don't think I'll be washing my hair today.

Sunday

A. Good morning, build to a tough but perfect triple, 32X1
B. DB external rotation, 1 x AMRAP up to 8/side @ 10% of tested CGBP, 30X0
C. Powell raise, 1 x AMRAP up to 8/side @ 10% of tested CGBP, 30X0
D. Trap 3, 1 x AMRAP up to 8 @ 10% of tested CGBP, 30X0
E. Side plank, 1 x max hold/side up to :90
F. Sorensen hold, 1 x max hold up to 2:00
+
Not for time:
1200m moderate sled drag outdoors

A. 125

B. 8/8 @ 15

C. 8/8 @ 15

D. 8 @ 15/hand with questionable height 

E. 0:90/0:90

F. 1:28

+

complete with 70 on the sled 

EVERYTHING HURTS. I am so freaking sore... 

Have very limited experience with good mornings, so I'm not sure if 125 was lame orrrrr.... The tempo got tricky on the 3rd, so I called it there.  

No issues with the external rotation or the Powell raise, but I couldn't even do one trap 3 to an acceptable height with 15/hand. I don't know if I had the incline bench to the wrong level (first notch on the black one)? I know I've gotten much stronger with the scap stuff over the past year, so there's something fishy going on. 

0:90 side plank was an absolute max on both sides, barely made it and was pretty shaky for the last 0:20. Limiter on the right was wrist discomfort and shoulder stability on the left. 

Sorensen hold was tough - I think I've only done this once right when I started. Low back got super tight and hamstrings started cramping. I know for sure that this score is embarrassing...    

Saturday

AM
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for :20/side star plank

PM
A. DB rear foot elevated split squat, 1 x max reps/side up to 8 @ .33 bwt/hand, 30X0
B. Close-grip bench press, build to a max for the day
C. CTB pull-ups, 4 x 7-10 unbroken; rest as needed
+
3 sets for even times:
24 AirDyne calories
3 rope climbs
12 burpees
3:00 walk rest
+
10:00 AirDyne @ Z1

AM

complete

PM
A. 8/8 @ 55/hand 

B. 155, 165Fx1, 160Fx1

C. 10, 10, 10, 7

+

4:41

4:43

4:48

+

complete 

Ugh it was SO HOT today, everything felt sluggish and gross. Better get used to it... 

Split squats weren't really challenging, but my knee really hates these (even with knee sleeves on) when it's the elevated leg and the knee is maximally flexed at the bottom. Hopefully this was just for testing, I really don't want to do these again until my knee is fixed. 

155 bench was EASY. Perhaps made too big of a jump to 165, it wasn't even close. Maybe could have gotten 160 if I tried that first, almost had it but Cody helped. 

Started each set of CTBs with a max set of butterfly, then reset as needed without dropping off. 5ish is getting to be fairly consistent. Hit 7 in rhythm on the 3rd set! But then the last set was a disaster with no rhythm at all. I think I forgot how to kip normally, butterfly is feeling much more natural. 

Happy that my times were pretty even on the rope climb piece, normally I drop off really badly with that many rope climbs. Only the very last climb got dicey, I hung out 1' from the top for a really long time...

Thursday

AM
A. Shoulder press, build to a max
+
AMRAP in 15:00:
Muscle-ups

PM
A. Squat clean, build to a max
+
For time:
30 squat cleans, 155

AM

A. 105, 110Fx2

+

20

PM

A. 185, 195Fx2, 190Fx1

+

7:41

Shoulder press felt really heavy today - disappointed with this. I kind of thought with all the strict handstand push-ups this would have translated over a little, but apparently not. I've hit 110 for 2 before, so this was stupid. 

Muscle-ups, on the other hand, were fantastic!! All singles, no misses. Wanted to hit 20 and I did! Only had one low catch, and the dip is getting much better overall. Tried to just go as soon as I felt confident I could get one without watching the clock, but I know I slowed down a bit in the middle and rushed the last 3 in under 0:90 because I really wanted to hit 20. Pretty cool. Time to start stringing some together consistently. 

Squat cleans felt terrible today - kept catching them really soft, even when warming up with light weight. Nothing felt crisp. The 185 was one of the uglier 185s I've ever made. Almost every single rep of the 30 at 155 was super ugly, with low elbows, soft catch, and rounded back when standing up the squat. Beat last year's time by just a couple of seconds, but last year was at 145, so I guess I should consider this a win. It just didn't feel good or look pretty. 

Wednesday

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

PM
A. DB snatch, build to a 10RM/side - controlled touch-and-go
+
For time:
2000m row OR "300FY" - your call...

AM
complete

PM
A. 55

+

8:08.7 (PR by 0:14.1)

LOVE the crossover symmetry - today was my first time using it. Planning on including this in my warm-up most every day, unless there's some reason I shouldn't? 

DB snatch was fine; grip was a little shaky on the last 3 reps on the left arm, but the right was solid. 

Super pleased with the row PR - ended up exactly where I was hoping (sub-8:10). Went out at 2:01-2:02, but couldn't hold that in the middle, and drifted to 2:04-2:07 for a couple hundred meters (like 1000-1500ish). Back under 2:05 by 1500, but didn't really kick it in until 1650-1700. Held 1:55ish for a bit and finally down to 1:49 in the final 50 meters. This was a great effort for me for today, not much else I could have done. Huge improvement since October.  Legs got pretty heavy by the end, but grip was fine and felt really good aerobically. Would eventually love to get under 8:00, but I think the easiest way to do that would be to grow 6". 

Tuesday

AM
30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 2 dead hang to inverted

PM
A. Paused front squat, build to a max, 22X1
B. Weighted pronated CTB pull-up (include body weight in score), build to a 1RM, 21X0
C. Wall balls, 1 x max unbroken @ 14 to 9
+
2000m row @ Z1

AM
complete

PM

A. 235

B. 186

C. 54
+

complete 

AM weight @ home: 165.7

What an underwhelming first day of testing.  

Front squats felt really tough with the extended pause.  Can't believe I front squatted 260 last year (and with a pause! only 0:01, but still).

I've never done weighted CTB pull-ups, so I didn't know what to expect here.  Failed to connect twice with an added 2.5.  Score of 186 is total scale-weight of me, Oly shoes, belt, and 15lbs of plates.

I also wasn't sure what to expect on the max wall balls - I've never done more than 25.  Going into this, I was pretty confident I could hit 50, but wasn't sure where I'd end up beyond that.  These felt great through 35 then started to get a little rough.  In the upper 40's I was really struggling, and reps 53 and 54 BARELY hit the target.  My shoulders were just smoked; I tried jumping with my legs more so that my arms wouldn't have to work so hard, but then accuracy of hitting the target was off.  The ball never felt heavy, I think it was just the repetitive motion without a break that got to be fatiguing.  I also thought 50 would have been a reasonably good score, but apparently not... dammit.

Here's hoping the rest of testing is a little more exciting.

PS - I've been eating super strict lower carb paleo for 12 days and my weight has. not. budged.  This is why I gave up dieting.  

testing - Thursday 24 April

10 rounds for time:
500m row
15 burpees

36:21

Did better than I thought I would on this one - had been dreading it all week, and built it up in my head to be worse than it was.  That's not to say it was pleasant, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  Settled in to a nice rhythm in the middle - looked at the clock at 11:00 in, then the next thing I saw was 27:00.  Decided to keep the row sustainable and try to push it on the burpees.  For 9 rounds, rowed between 2:20-2:25 (21s/m) and did the burpees quickly with a conscious effort to never stop (almost exactly 1:00 for the first 9 rounds).  Transition off the rower to the burpees was always very fast, but took a good 0:10-0:15 marking the round with chalk and taking a sip of water after each set of burpees.  Rowed at 2:10 for the last 500m and did the last 15 burpees AFAP.  Pleasantly surprised!  Really thought I would be closer to 40:00.

testing - Wednesday 23 April

For time:
30 squat cleans, 145
+
(rest as needed)
+
10 sets for time:
5 unbroken CTB pull-ups

7:45
+
9:13

Squat cleans felt excellent today.  Done with 10 just under 2:00, then slowed down considerably.  Only the last 3 got a little ugly.  Last time I did this was June of last year, finished in 6:35 but weight was only 115... !

Had absolutely zero rhythm on the first 3-4 sets of CTBs; basically came to a hanging dead stop between reps 3, 4 and 5.  Picked up a little bit of rhythm in the middle sets, but then in sets 8 and 9 came dangerously close to failing at 4 (but didn't).  Rested about 0:30 in the first half, which crept up to 0:45 between the last 3 sets.  If this was 50 for time, instead of mandatory sets of 5, this would have been a good 4 minutes faster.  I've gotten really good at the quick singles recently, but really, really need work on stringing together bigger sets.

testing - Tuesday 22 April

A. Squat clean & jerk, build to a max
+
For time:
1000m row

A. 185 (PR+5), cleaned 190 (PR+10) but failed the jerk
+
3:54.6

Very happy with the squat clean!  Jumped: 105, 135, 155, 165, 175, 185, 190.  185 was very easy, and the jerk was much more crisp than the jerk at 175.  Cleaned 190 on the first try but missed the jerk.  Tried two more times, but couldn't clean it again.

Disappointed with the row.  This is 4 seconds slower than my PR from over a year ago.  Wanted to average 1:55 to finish just under 3:50, but wasn't able to hold 1:55 at all, and kept creeping back up to 1:57-1:58.  Brushed 2:00 twice, but quickly got it back under.  Down to 1:50 in the last 100m but it wasn't enough.  Felt like I had no power, and had to work harder than usual to keep it under 2:00. 

testing - Sunday 20 April

A. DB external rotation, 1 x AMRAP/side @ 10% of CGBP max
B. Powell raise, 1 x AMRAP/side @ 10% of CGBP max
C. Trap 3, 1 x AMRAP @ 10% of CGBP max
+
“300FY”, note which bike you use

A. @15, 8R/8L
B. @15, 8R/8L
C. 8 with 15s - but height on the last couple may have been questionable
+
161

Used the good black bike (same as last time).  1 calorie off from December's PR (162).  Watched cal/hr for the first 9 minutes, and switched to total calories at 9:00 (was at 140).  >1200 for the first minute, 1000-1100 minutes 2-3, then mostly between 900-1000 until the 9:00 mark.  Dropped to 777 once when I wasn't paying attention, but got it back to 900 quickly.  Sprinted the last minute but lost it in the last 0:05 - there's my one calorie.  Everything actually felt really good throughout, not sure how much better I could have done...

testing - Saturday 19 April

A. Deadlift, build to a max
+
For time:
50 handstand push-ups
+
Oly class

A. 305, 325Fx2
+
17:28
+
snatch work, 85-95lbs

Kind of surprised that I wasn't able to get the 325 DL.  315 is current PR from last May.  Jumped from 305 to 325, and barely broke it off the ground.

HSPU have improved significantly but they didn't feel as strong today as they have recently.  Mostly sets of 2 through 20, then almost all singles with a couple doubles.  Was at 25 at about 6:30; second half was a little rough, with 3 or 4 fails.  Used the blue gymnastics mat.

testing - Thursday 17 April

A. Squat snatch, build to a max
+
For time:
20 squat snatches, 77% of A
+
For time:
50 toes-to-bar

A. 125, 130Fx3
+
3:38 @ 95
+
4:54

Extremely frustrated with snatching.  Been stuck at 125 since August.  The good news is that this made the 20 @ 77% very easy - could have (should have) gone faster (all singles).  Wanted to beat 4:00, and when it was obvious I was going to do that, I kind of coasted through the second half.  Toes to bar have improved, but still not my favorite.  Sets of 5 until 30, then a couple sets of 4, couple sets of 3, singles to finish.

testing - Wednesday 16 April

AM:

25:00 AD @ z1 (500-600 cal/hr)

PM:

A1. Shoulder press, build to a max
A2. Weighted pull-up, build to a max
B. Unweighted ring dips, 10 x 2, 20X1; begin a set every :60
+

10:00 AirDyne @ Z1

A1. 104, 110F, 108Fx2

A2. 205.5 (173 + 32.5) - PR

B. complete

+

complete (600-700 cal/hr)

AM weight @ home = 169lbs

PM weight @ gym (including belt) = 173lbs 

Disappointed with the shoulder press (max is 108 from August).  Used the men's bar for 104 and 110, then switched to the women's bar for the attempts @ 108, but couldn't get past my nose.  Weighted pullups and ring dips felt good!

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Egg - Whole, Raw, Extra Large, Xl, 3 egg	240	0g	15g	21g	630mg	240mg	0g	0g
Pure Farms - Applewood Smoked Bacon, 1 fried slice (12g)	50	0g	4g	4g	15mg	170mg	0g	0g
Red Potato - Red Potato - Small, 222 g	150	39g	0g	5g	0mg	0mg	2g	3g
Lunch
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Trader Joe's Gluten Free Oats - Rolled Oats, 1/2 cup	150	27g	3g	6g	0mg	0mg	1g	4g
Trader Joe's - Almond Butter Raw Crunchy Unsalted, 32 grams (2 tbsp)	190	6g	17g	8g	0mg	0mg	2g	3g
Post-WO
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Genr8 Vitargo® S2™ Muscle Fuel and Recovery Unflavored - Supplment, 0.5 scoops	70	18g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Avocado - Californian, Raw, 140 g	225	12g	21g	3g	0mg	5mg	1g	10g
Beef - Flank Steak (Usda Round Steak), 6 oz/84g	340	0g	16g	48g	140mg	60mg	0g	0g
Trader Joe's - White Jasmine Rice, 1/2 cup - Dry	320	70g	0g	6g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Snack
Egg - Whole, Raw, Extra Large, Xl, 3 egg	240	0g	15g	21g	630mg	240mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	2,215	182g	97g	162g	1,435mg	1,055mg	8g	22g

testing - Tuesday 15 April

8:00 build to power clean max, clock starts @ 85
2:00 rest
8:00 AMRAP power cleans @ 90% A

185 (PR+5)
+
19 @ 165 (1 miss)

Really happy with that!  In October, PR'ed @ 170 and got 18 @ 155 (4 misses).  Power clean is now 5lbs more than squat clean... really antsy to test a max squat clean!

Built very quickly: 105, 135, 155, 165 - done in the first 3:00.  Then 175, 180, 185, with about 0:90 between each.

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Egg - Whole, Raw, Extra Large, Xl, 3 egg	240	0g	15g	21g	630mg	240mg	0g	0g
Pure Farms - Applewood Smoked Bacon, 1 fried slice (12g)	50	0g	4g	4g	15mg	170mg	0g	0g
Red Potato - Red Potato - Small, 222 g	150	39g	0g	5g	0mg	0mg	2g	3g
Lunch
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Trader Joe's Gluten Free Oats - Rolled Oats, 1/2 cup	150	27g	3g	6g	0mg	0mg	1g	4g
Trader Joe's - Almond Butter Raw Crunchy Unsalted, 32 grams (2 tbsp)	190	6g	17g	8g	0mg	0mg	2g	3g
Post-WO
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Genr8 Vitargo® S2™ Muscle Fuel and Recovery Unflavored - Supplment, 0.5 scoops	70	18g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Dinner
Avocado - Californian, Raw, 140 g	225	12g	21g	3g	0mg	5mg	1g	10g
Beef - Flank Steak (Usda Round Steak), 6 oz/84g	340	0g	16g	48g	140mg	60mg	0g	0g
Trader Joe's - White Jasmine Rice, 1/2 cup - Dry	320	70g	0g	6g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Snack
Kirkland Signature (Costco) - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloin - Corrected, 2 oz	55	0g	1g	13g	30mg	100mg	0g	0g
TOTAL:	2,030	182g	83g	154g	835mg	915mg	8g	22g