Wednesday

A) Single-leg unweighted hip hinge: 3 x 10/side slow & controlled; :60 between sides

Complete

B) Clean-grip Romanian deadlifts: 3-3-3-3-3, 31X1; 2:30 rest

193, 203 x 4

C) 10:00 @ 70% effort - same as last few weeks, save the intensity of the bike: 30m unweighted walking lunges 30m bear crawl 300m row

Complete

D) 3 sets: :50 Assault Bike @ 97% 5:10 walk rest

79-80 RPMs for the first one and the first 0:40 of the second,

Wednesday

AM

10:00 AirDyne

PM

A) Single-leg unweighted hip hinge

3 x 8/side slow & controlled; :60 between sides

B) Clean-grip Romanian deadlifts

4 x 3-4, 31X1; 2:30 rest

C) 10:00 @ 70% effort - save the intensity of the bike

10 goblet squats, 70
10m bear crawl
200m row
10m bear crawl

D) 3 sets

:40 Assault Bike @ 97%
4:50 walk rest

A. complete

B. 163, 173, 183, 193(4) - finally able to tolerate hanging on to a hook grip

C. complete

D. complete, 78-80 RPMs

Saturday

AM
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 clean, 16 x 1 - you pick the weight; begin a rep every :30
+
For time:
30 Assault Bike calories
150 double-unders
30 deadlifts, 125

PM
5 rounds steady:
500m row
5 banded glute-ham raises, slow & controlled
:60 front leaning rest on ground

AM

A1/A2. complete 

B. DNF 

+

6:29

+

10:00 Assault bike, easy 

PM
skipped, no time and no interest


Power cleaned 103 twice, and both times felt like a shock-wave reverberate through my shoulder when I caught the bar, so ditched this piece.  

Assault bike and deadlifts were great; double-unders were AWFUL today.  No set bigger than 20.  30 calories in just under 2:00, RPMs >60.  Deadlifts split 20/10.  I would have been fine to hang on to the bar for all 30, I don't really know why I dropped it, other than that was my plan going in.

I kind of figured that today would be my last training day, and was sad that it was so anticlimactic.  But then, Stephen asked, "what about Monday?" and I agreed to re-test 10:00 max cals on the Assault bike.  That's a much more appropriate send-off.  And, perhaps... a deadlift max?? Hmmmm?

Saturday

AM
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 clean, build to a moderate single in 8:00
C. Dead hang to inverted, accumulate 5-10 controlled singles; rest as needed
+
For time:
5 deadlifts, 215 - set up women's bar w/1 45 & 3 15s on each side, then take off a 15 each set
50 double-unders
10 deadlifts, 185
50 double-unders
15 deadlifts, 155
50 double-unders
20 deadlifts, 125

PM
3 rounds for time @ 85%:
1000m row
:90 front leaning rest on ground

AM

A1/A2. complete 

B. 143, no gear

C. skipped 

+

4:23

PM
18:55

Shoulder was fine on the bear crawl and deadbug.

Stayed very cautious on the power clean.  No pain or popping out of place when cleaning, but I can't flip the bar over and return it to the hang without it slipping out of place.  The pull felt super easy at 143, right into the neck.  Hesitant to catch anything heavier than that.

Dead hang to inverted sounded like a bad idea in light of the current sitch. 

For time piece was kind of fun.  Deadlifts unbroken until the set of 20, split that 10/10 with a VERY short rest (one breath).  Tripped on the first set of double-unders at 32, the other two sets were unbroken.  Probably should have moved faster, I was kind of disappointed to see my time was over 4 minutes.

Kind of enjoyed having a second session that was a little more than Z1. Rowed at 2:07-2:09. First two FLRs broken 0:45/0:45, third one in 3x 0:30. Shoulder was just sore and achy, nothing sharp and no instability here. 

Intended to do shoulder stuff after the PM, but decided against it - shoulder is fucking pissed right now. My last two days at work have been insane, like nonstop experiments which require my right arm, maybe that's what is making it worse. It's a super deep ache through the joint itself, worse in the front. I kind of feel like digging up the Oxys from my knee surgery... 

I'm trying not to panic that it's now been 2 full weeks of rest, rehab, and anti-inflammatories and, if anything, it's getting worse. 

Saturday

AM
3 sets:
1200m row @ 85% effort - moderate, sustainable, high-breathing pace
5:00 walk rest
+
10:00 hamstring/hip/quad mobility work

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. Power snatch, 10:00 to build to a heavy single
C. Close-grip bench press, build quickly to heavy single
+
w/partners (comp group has the same training):
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 1
rest as needed
Barbell Blitz 6:00 AMRAP 2
+
For total time:
250m row
:60 rest w/feet in straps
250m row

AM

5:00.7 (2:05.2/500m)

4:59.8 (2:04.9/500m)

4:59.1 (2:04.6/500m)

PM

shoulder clinic 

+

3 rough singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 135, 140Fx1

C. 180 (PR +6)

+

with Leah 

30 KB snatch + 17 pistols 

(1:00 rest)

18 S2O + 7 BBJ

+

2:41.3
(0:49.7 + 0:51.6)


Oy.  Today was a lot.

Rows at 85% were challenging.  That felt like the upper limit of sustainable, at least for right out of bed... 

Surprised at how cold my shoulders felt on the muscle-ups despite the 2 hour shoulder clinic... not nearly as good as they felt last night, so I called it early.

The snatch at 130 was one of the crispest heavy snatches I've ever done (it even sounded good!).  135 was a little wobbly, but super relieved to get it today (I think only the 3rd time ever?). (Video of both). I wasn't sure if these were actually power snatches or squat snatches, and I still can't tell on video, but after I hit 135, McNaughton said "and it was power, too!", so take that for what it's worth.  I think I'm just good at snatching at exactly parallel.  Had a nice pull at 140, then chickened out.

Kind of surprised that I hit that bench PR today - 170 wasn't as easy as I was hoping, but went for 180 just for the hell of it.  Pretty slow on the way up, and McNaughton had to yell at Leah who was spotting not to touch the bar, I think she was about ready to save me, haha.  That's cool.  180 sounds pretty legit for a chick.

The two 6:00 AMRAPs were tough.  Eeeesh.  Leah suggested that we only take the 1:00 transition like we'll have in the competition, which I wasn't super excited about but went along with because I didn't have a good reason not to.  This was unpleasant.

Leah did all the pistols and I did all the kettlebell snatches.  Through 18 was no big deal.  I don't think I slowed down at all, even in the rounds of 24 and 30, but I was starting to get pretty fatigued, and my back was getting a little blown up.  It doesn't take long for Leah to do 24 pistols, which was sad for me personally but good for us as a team.

My shoulders were wrecked going into the second AMRAP.  This is how we broke it up:
3 S2O: Leah
3 BBJ: me
6 S2O: Leah
6 BBJ: 3 for me, 3 for Leah
9 S2O: 5 for me, 4 for Leah
9 BBJ: alternated 3's
12 S2O: 6 for Leah, 3 for me, 3 for Leah --> not planned, I thought we would do 4's, but she did 6 and I couldn't match her
and we alternated 3's on everything after that
I was a hot mess on this.  I legitimately thought I might fail some reps, which was a strange and unpleasant feeling.  They were all fast, with no re-setting at the shoulders, but got pretty ugly. I even ended up split jerking in the last set.  The BBJ weren't an issue at all, my shoulders were just completely toasted.  We might need to work up a better game plan... 

Did not feel recovered at all before doing the row, but felt pressed for time at this point.  Held back just a hair on the first one, intending to empty the tank on the second, but hit a wall with 100m to go on the second one and completely lost it.  Disappointing.

Wednesday

AM
20:00 easy:
500m row
50m heavy reverse sled drag
5 strict knees-to-elbows
50m bear crawl
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 12 x 3 @ 45% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Axle overhead walking lunge, 3 x 20m @ 80; 2:00 rest
C. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 2-2-2, 31X0; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
75 double-unders
75 wall balls, 14 to 10'
75 double-unders
+
3 rounds not for time:
10 CTB pull-ups
20m 1-arm DB overhead carry

AM

2 rounds + 250m row, with 250 on the sled

PM

A. complete @ 135

B. complete 

C. 40, 45, 50(1) @ 166.75

+

7:27

+

complete-ish

75, 80, 80 overhead 

Enjoyed the morning piece a lot! 

Back squats felt fast and easy again, huzzah!

Axle lunge feels easier and easier each week. 

Weighted CTBs did not feel great. I knew I shouldn't have increased for the last set. 

Ugh, I was dreading the 75 wallballs all week. 10' is no joke. I actually missed the target on the first two attempts, so I dropped the ball and regrouped, then hit 15/10s. I took a reeeeeeeeally long time picking up the ball each time. Shoulders were tired but also I just was having a hard time pushing it. The second set of double-unders wasn't great, lots of trips (tripped at 31 and 67 on the first set).  Not my best effort, and I'm happy to hand this off to Emily for the competition. 

CTBs were rough today. Rhythm felt off and I had a few reps where my chest didn't actually touch the bar, but I didn't add on any extra reps because my hands felt 2 pulls away from tearing. Did 10 unbroken on the first and last set, 5/4/1 on the second. Ugh. At least I ended on a solid note with the overhead carry. I like these a lot. Side note: do we not have an 85lb? 

Saturday

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

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. Power snatch from blocks (bar just below knees), 10:00 to build to a heavy single
C. Close-grip bench press, build quickly to a tough double
+
For time:
10 touch-and-go power snatches, 85
30 unbroken double-unders
8 touch-and-go power snatches, 85
30 unbroken double-unders
6 touch-and-go power snatches, 85
30 unbroken double-unders
4 touch-and-go power snatches, 85
30 unbroken double-unders
2 touch-and-go power snatches, 85
+
3 sets:
150m row sprint
5:00 walk rest

AM

complete

+

shoulder stuff

PM

1 single, 4 doubles, 1 single 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 123, 128F from mid-shin

C. 165 (PR +5)

+

4:47

+

0:28.8

0:28.8

0:28.7

Muscle-ups felt good today, huzzah! 

Power snatches felt slow and soft. Only deadlifted 128, didn't even pull. 

Bench press felt good! Considered going for 170, but decided to be happy with the PR and move on. 

Touch and go power snatches were AWFUL. The last 2 reps on all sets were a real struggle to hold on to. Grip was tired but more than anything my technique was just shoddy, these were some of the ugliest starfished power snatches in history. Took about 5 breaths before the double-unders each time, no issues hitting 30 unbroken on the first attempt. Felt Open-ish, and not in a good way. 

Row sprints were fine. 

Saturday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:30 handstand hold - can be against wall
2:00 bike
:30/side plank or 3 wall walks
+
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. Power snatch from blocks (bar just above knees), 10:00 to build to a heavy single
+
Death by touch-and-go power snatches @ 85
+
5 sets:
2-3 tough close grip bench presses
150m row sprint
5:00 walk rest

AM

(made up yesterday's)

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

PM

complete, several rough singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 118 from mid-thigh

+

9 + 6

+

135(3), :29.4

145(3), :29.2

150(3), :29.3

150(2), :29.4

150(3), :29.5


Merrrrr today was rough.  Feeling incredibly beat up - because of the week off?

Muscle-ups were awful, all very low catches (but no misses).  Didn't push it, just accumulated a handful of singles and moved on.

Snatch off the blocks was just okay - the bar felt heavy, and speed felt slow.  Surprised to get up as high as I did.

My least favorite thing in all of CrossFit are light touch and go power snatches.  Seriously hate them so much.  I was surprised that the sets of 5, 6, 7, 8 felt as crisp as they did.  The set of 9 was tough, and when I was looking at the clock waiting to start the round of 10, I knew I wasn't recovered enough to get all 10.  I probably could have squeaked out one more rep, but I don't think I could have finished the round of 10 today.  I don't even know what the limiter was, everything was just tired and I didn't want to do any more.  Didn't rest at the top or the hang at all until the last couple of reps on the unfinished set, and never lost my grip.  

Bench press felt impossibly heavy today.  I did 150 for 5 two weeks ago in this same set-up, and today I don't think I could have done 135 for 5.  Felt strong on the row, but almost tossed my cookies on the last two sets.  Gross.

Tuesday

For 10:00:
Evens: :30 2-arm passive hang from fat bar
Odds: :10-:15 L-sit
+
5 rounds easy:
200m jog
20m bear crawl
20m stone carry
20m prowler push, tough indoors
+
3 sets not for time:
2:30 anterior loaded banded march (bear hug a med ball @ your chest)
5/leg unweighted 1-leg reverse hyper, controlled throughout

complete 

0:15 L-sit across 

+

complete 

90 on the prowler on very sticky floors 

+

complete 

held a 20lb wallball

This was fun! And now I understand what all the complaining has been about on the banded march. Oy. 

Oh, and false alarm on the knee. Very gingerly tested an air squat and it's fine. I spent the last 16 hours in a dead panic that I tore what's left of my meniscus. That was weird. 

SO HAPPY TO BE OFF. 

Thursday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:30 handstand hold - can be against wall
2:00 bike
:30/side plank or 3 wall walks
+
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. Power snatch from blocks (bar @ mid-thigh), 10:00 to build to a heavy single, then take off 20 and accumulate 3-5 more singles there according to feel
+
5 sets:
3-5 tough close grip bench presses
150m row sprint
5:00 walk rest

AM

3 sets complete

PM

3 rough singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 110, 5 @ 90

+

135(5), row in :29.8

140(5), row in :29.3

145(5), row in :29.3

150(5), row in :29.3

155(3), row in :29.2

Really not a fan of training in the morning, but we have our lab's Christmas party this evening. I think I might get drunk. It just sounds like a good idea. 

Could not get my shoulders warm at all for the muscle-ups. Caught these all very low and just felt like more of a struggle than it should be. The 3rd rep wasn't any easier than the first, so I just called it. 

Snatches off the blocks were also rough. I really think I'm missing some huge cue mechanically. The turnover at 110 was soft and slow, so didn't go any higher. The reps at 90 were fine. 

Bench felt really good. Couldn't pull any faster than 1:35-1:36. I like this combo. 

Thursday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:30 handstand hold - can be against wall
2:00 bike
3 wall walks
+
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 max for the day
+
10:00 @ 80%:
1 split jerk from blocks, 145-165
5 kipping handstand push-ups
30 double-unders
+
2 sets:
:50 row @ 97%
5:40 walk rest

AM

complete (minus last set of wall walks)

PM

complete, 2 singles, 4 doubles, 1 more single 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 120, 125F

+

6 + 3 hspus, with 165

+

254m

253m


So...I really appreciate the change of pace, but... errr... it was super awkward doing wall walks in my apartment.  If the Assault bikes ever come, I can do this at the gym next week, or else... could we try a different movement?  

Today was the best that muscle-ups have felt in many, many weeks.  Consistently caught the first one very high, and the doubles felt super easy today.  Went for a triple on one and was close, but not quite there.  This is a big relief.

Hang snatches didn't feel great.  I really don't like the hang position; it's really hard for me to remain patient and bring the bar all the way into my hips.  120 was pretty crisp, but caught the 125 with bent elbows and lost it behind.  Considered going for 125 again, but wasn't confident I'd make it, so called it there.

10:00 piece started off great and went downhill.  Jerks were very easy, 165 has become a weight I don't even have to think about.  First 3 rounds of HSPUs unbroken, but not easy at all.  Fell off the wall on the first or second rep on all remaining sets (so 1/4, 2/3, 1/4 and 1/2).  This is super annoying.  Why are strict so much easier for me?  Double-unders all unbroken except one early trip on one round, which was just a fluke.

Couldn't quite get to the pace I wanted on the row sprints.  Hung out at 1:36-1:38 throughout, no fading.  I could just tell that the output wasn't as high as it could be, but I couldn't do anything about it, which was kind of a weird feeling.

Thursday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
:30 handstand hold - can be against wall
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 2RM
+
6 sets even:
1 split jerk from the blocks - your call on weight
35 double-unders
1 split jerk from the blocks
:90 walk rest
+
3 sets:
:45 row @ 97%
5:45 walk rest

AM

4 sets complete

PM

6 not-so-easy singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 115

+

0:45

0:44

0:43

0:43

0:42

0:43

all unbroken, with 165

+

231m

231m

232m


Thursdays are getting to be hectic days at work, and wouldn't have made it into the gym until 6:30-7pm today, so experimented with training in the morning before work.  I'm not a fan.  Looking forward to switching my schedule around a bit after Christmas... 

Muscle-ups felt terrible, all low catches and not aggressive at all.  I feel like I'm going backwards here; I was stringing together doubles fairly consistently, and today singles were a struggle.  

Hang snatches did not feel nearly as crisp as last week.  Attempted 115 twice, on the first attempt I snatched it once then just pulled it the second time.  The second set at 115 wasn't crisp or smooth at all, so called it there.  Mehhhhhhh.

Split jerk / double-under combo was the highlight of the day.  This was super fun.  Double-unders continue to cooperate, to my great relief. Wanted to choose a weight that I could walk up to without any hesitation, and I think I chose appropriately.  Most of these were crisp and easy, but a couple of the second jerks (after the DUs) were a little shaky.  

Row sprints felt as good as they can... held 1:35-1:36 throughout, no fading. 

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. 

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!

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.

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!

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. Power snatch, 9 x 1 waveload (for ex: 95-105-115); begin a rep every :60
C. Split jerk clusters, 3 x 1.1.1; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
3 sets @ high effort:
:30 burpees
:30 rest
+
3 sets:
:20 row @ 97%
3:20 walk rest

AM

4 sets complete

PM

complete, 7 singles 

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 105, 110, 115, 110, 115, 120, 115, 120, 125F, 125

C. 175, 185, 195(1.F.F), 190(1.F.F)

+

15, 15, 13

+

106m

106m

105m


Today was weird.  I felt really good overall, but only parts of the training matched how good I was feeling.

Muscle-ups didn't feel strong at all; I actually failed the first attempt, which hasn't happened in at least a month.  I thought these all felt like pretty low catches, but on video they don't look that low at all, most of them right around parallel.  Not even close for a double today.  No idea what the issue was here.

Power snatches felt super weird; for some reason, I wasn't moving my feet at ALL.  Caught the second rep 120 (8th rep) really low and with wobbly arms, and I guarantee my feet never left the ground, which has never been my style.  Missed the first rep at 125 (9th rep) just a little in front and didn't want to end on a miss so added the extra rep at 125, which I caught fairly well but walked forward a few steps with.  Meh.  Can I just go back to squat snatching from now on?  I hate power everything.

Jerks, however, felt AWESOME.  These were some of the crispest/easiest jerks I've ever done, until I started failing.  The 3 reps at 185 were totally solid.  The first rep at 195 was super easy, missed the second one just an inch in front and missed the third one two inches in front.  The first rep at 190 was also super easy, then missed the second rep wayyyy out front and dumped the third rep without trying.  Not really sure what that was about.  Sorry for being ambitious and messing up the rep scheme, but with how good they were feeling today, I don't know that I would have chosen lighter weights if I were to do it again.

Burpees were blazing fast on the first round, never slowed down and stood up the 15th rep at 0:29.  Second round felt just as fast as the first, but I didn't stand up the 15th rep until 0:30 was already on the clock.  Third round caught up a lot - never consciously slowed down, but the speed just wasn't there.  Felt great aerobically, even through I was breathing pretty hard.  

Bumped the damper to 8 on the row sprints but didn't really feel a difference from my usual 6.  Saw 1:29 on the first one, 1:30 on the second and 1:31 on the third.  

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. Power snatch, 1-1-1-1-1 tough but not maxes; begin a rep every :90
C. Push jerk, build to a heavy single for the day
+
For time:
500m row

AM

only 4 sets complete

PM

complete, one single and 7 doubles (video of all)

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 110, 115, 120, 125, 125 (video of last two)

C. 185, 190F (video of both)

+

1:40.4 (PR by 0:03.4)


Today was one of the best training days I've had in a long time.  

Muscle-ups felt so good today.  Barely missed the first double, then hit 7 more doubles with no further misses.  Most of the second reps were caught super low, but one or two actually felt pretty decent.  Looking forward to working on 3's soon.  But, did you see how high I'm consistently catching the first one?  This is so cool.

Power snatches felt really crisp through 120; the first rep at 125 felt a little wobbly and I wasn't confident that I could hit 130 on the first try (my current 1RM), so I opted to stay at 125 for the final rep and I'm glad I did - it was much smoother.  I don't know why it's easier for me to drop lower instead of wider to get under a power snatch as opposed to a power clean.  Getting very, very antsy to squat snatch... pleeeeeeeeease?

Would have liked to get a little higher on the push jerk, but I was kind of rushing at this point because I didn't want to do the 500m row all alone in an empty gym (remember when I did the 60:00 row all alone in an empty gym and I quit with like 7 minutes left and laid down on the erg?  Not my finest moment.)

I knew I would PR the row; I realistically knew I could get 1:41-1:42 (previous best was 1:43.8 from April 2013).  My reach goal was 1:39.9, which sounded crazy this afternoon but now I completely believe I'm capable of.  Held sub-1:38 for the first 250m, then gradually creeped up a second per 500m every couple of strokes, but I never hit a wall and never faded.  When I passed the half-way mark, I was shocked that I still felt as good as I did.  I was able to get up and walk around right away without flopping on the ground, but the nausea hit about 2 minutes after I was done.  I'm 100% happy with the effort today, but I think I could get that half a second if I had someone in my ear.  I distinctly remember Kerry downplaying her impressive row sprints a while back, and I said "I'll never row a 1:39 500m" - ha!  While I still haven't done that, now I actually know it's possible.  This kind of progress is the best kind of progress. 

Skyped with Mike last night, and very much looking forward to his seminar on Saturday!  I've been insanely, distractingly, unsustainably hungry for the past several days, so he bumped my daily carbs (150P/60F/260C, keeping the 150P/55F/300C refeed on Fridays).  I think I finally believe there's a bit of body comp changing, and I'm very happy with performance, so that's taking a little of the frustration away from the scale not moving very much at all.  I mean, performance is why I started doing working with him anyway, and I'm getting better at the things I needed to get better at, so the hard work has been successful.  I'd still like to see 159, though... 

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. Push jerk, 2-2-2-2, 21X1; :90 rest
+
5 sets:
5 kipping handstand push-ups
5 power snatches, 75
15 row calories
5:00 walk rest

AM

only 4 sets complete

PM

complete, 3 singles, 3 doubles, 2 singles with a missed second rep

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 155, 165, 175, 175

+

1:09

1:07

1:09

1:08

1:12

Muscle-ups felt really good today.  All caught nice and high, and happy to hit a few doubles!  The two misses at the end were close - just an inch shy.  Still have a hard time generating as big of a kip on the second rep.

The first push jerk of each of the sets at 175 was nice and crisp, but the second rep was wobbly with a press-out on both sets.  Returning the bar with a tempo is pretty terrible.  

The first 3 sets of the 5 sets started off great - felt good, and recovery between sets was good.  The 4th set started to really hurt, and couldn't hold on to the last row.  All HSPUs easy and unbroken (thankfully), all snatches unbroken and easy for 4 rounds, struggled with grip on the 5th round but didn't drop the bar.  Rowed at >1500 cal/h across, except faded to 1200 in the last 5 calories of the last row.  Grip was 100% shot after the 4th round, my forearms were completely blown up.  

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, build to a heavy single for the day
C. Push jerk, 3-3-3-3, 21X1; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
25 strict handstand push-ups
25 kipping handstand push-ups
+
3 sets:
1 rope climb
5 burpees
20 row calories @ max effort
5:00 walk rest

AM

only 3 sets complete - short on time again

PM

MUs complete, 6 easy singles and two doubles  https://youtu.be/k7EI0BmjcJY

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 125  https://youtu.be/mxdukkZuq1A

C. 155, 165, 165, 165

+

6:15 (strict done at 1:46)

+

1:21

1:23

1:37 / death

I got up 45:00 earlier than normal this morning, and still felt crunched for time (had to be at work by 9).  Prioritized the mobility, so cut two of the sets... sorry, Stephen.  I can make up the planks Saturday morning if you give me RTW.

Felt really good going into the PM. 

Muscle-ups felt fantastic. I'm extremely relieved that I am now having more muscle-up good days than bad days. All the singles were caught with arms right around parallel, and finally hit the double on the fat rings, twice! Although that second double was rough, I've NEVER caught a muscle-up that low and been able to save it. So, so happy with these today. 

Power snatches felt pretty good. 125 qualified as tough for today - pretty proud of myself that I recognized this was a tough rep and didn't get greedy as usual and subsequently fail 130 three times.  I videoed all of them to watch technique, because I am pretty frustrated that this is significantly lagging behind all the other progress I'm making across the board. What I notice from the videos: I don't seem to bend my arms on the pull, I've gotten very patient with waiting until the bar connects with my hips, but then the bar is bouncing away from me instead of up and overhead. All other comments, tips, critiques, advice, etc. welcome. Also, please enjoy my sad walk away from the bar after the 125 snatch. I thought that was hilarious. 

Push jerks also felt pretty good, but the tempo was the limiting factor. I was only able to control the initial descent, but once the bar was about at face level, it crashed onto my shoulders without control. I tried to make the initial descent as slow as possible to compensate for this...

Strict handstand push-ups went well, broken 10/6/5/4. Kipping handstand push-ups did not go well. All sets were 3s or 4s, with a handful of fails (failure to lock out or falling off the wall). In what universe is strict easier than kipping? I was definitely fatigued from the 25 strict, but I think the problem is really poor kipping technique. I definitely don't lower my knees all the way to my chest because it feels like it takes so much time, but when I do ocasionally have a good kip it feels a million times easier. Bahhhh, I need lots of practice here before the open. 

Speaking of the open, I got myself pretty messed up on the row sprints, reminiscent of 15.5. Didn't really realize how long it was going to take to get 20 calories and basically emptied the tank on the first 15 calories of the first row (>1700 cal/h). Faded to 1200 in the last few seconds. Wasn't even close to being recovered by the second set, and held 1400-1500 for the majority, but still faded to 1200 by the end. Dug myself into a pretty big hole and almost just scratched the 3rd set altogether, then almost convinced myself to just stop after the burpees and skip the row, but during a very long transition to the erg I talked myself into just seeing what I could do and testing it as if it were a competition. Held 1200-1300 cal/h, then collapsed on the floor, then crawled to the garage door and tried not to vomit for approximately 30 minutes. 

I love this shit.