Friday

A. Safety bar squat, 12 x 3 @ 70 bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
B1. Seated L-arm DB shoulder press, 3 x 5-6, 21X1; :60 rest
B2. Bent-over L-arm DB row, 3 x 5-6, 20X1; :60 rest
+
3 rounds for time:
.4 mile legless Assault Bike
30 air squats
20 DB anchored sit-ups
+
3 sets:
20/side light lying 1-leg banded curls
20/side light seated banded leg extensions

A. complete 

B1. 30, 35(5), 35(5)

B2. 45, 55, 65(5)

+

7:57 (armless)

+

complete with thin black band 

Fully intended to blow off training today after having 2 beers at work, but then found myself at the gym anyway. Didn't feel like doing anything, then convinced myself to sit on a bike and watch regionals, then got really sad that after this week all I'll be doing for weeks is sitting on a bike and wanted to squat while I still can. And then I just ended up doing everything. 

Squats felt better than last week, but still heavy. Felt like I was recruiting my hamstrings more than I ever have, which was kind of weird but not in a bad way. 

Everything else was fine. 

Friday

AM @ MobilityFit
22:00 Assault bike
+
dry needling (less death)
+
2 sets:
crossover symmetry, rows, As, subscap, pec minor 
banded tricep pull-downs
isometric lower trap hold
isometric subscap hold

PM
A. Safety bar squat, 10 x 3 @ 70 bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
B1. Seated L-arm DB shoulder press, 3 x 6-8, 21X1; :60 rest
B2. Bent-over L-arm DB row, 3 x 6-8, 20X1; :60 rest
+
For time @ 90% effort:
50 air squats
50 arm-less Assault Bike calories
50 air squats
+
3 sets:
20/side light lying 1-leg banded curls
20/side light seated banded leg extensions
:30 hollow rock

A. complete 

B1. 25, 30(7), 30(6)

B2. 25, 30, 40

+

7:02

+

complete with purple band

Tested out some stuff very, very gingerly at MobilityFit. The broken glass pain is gone, but the anterior capsule still feels "off" and all the muscles are angry.  Drew dry needled literally everything, a couple of rough spots but overall much, much better than Wednesday. The plan for the time being is to keep scaps activated and engaged, strengthen internal rotators to improve stability, and not piss off the joint. Everything else is on hold for the time being. 

Shoulder actually complained a LOT on the squats. I almost called it two sets in, but then kept talking myself into "just one more minute." It's been a couple of hours and it calmed down, so that's encouraging. Weight felt fucking heavy after the week off. To be honest, that's why I didn't quit - I can't lose the squatting progress on top of everything else. 

Felt super weird to only do the dumbbell stuff on one side.

Hit pretty much exactly where I thought I would on the for time piece. First 50 squats were super fast with no pauses. Biked at ~58 RPMs, a little over 10 cal/minute. I didn't realize how helpful arms were on the bike. Second round of squats was so hard, my quads were completely toasted. Paused a few times but still pretty fast. Yuck. 

The banded stuff really sucked today. Maybe purple isn't "light," or maybe it was the squat/bike thing. Either way, tough. 

Trying to get my head right for a long road ahead with the shoulder. I just thought the hard part would have been over by now. Drew admitted that the next few months are going to be long, slow, and frustrating, and even after months of therapy I may still have problems with it. It's hard to accept. 

Friday

AM @ MobilityFit
15:00 Assault bike
+
passive ROM
lower trap isometric holds

PM

A. Safety bar squat, 8 x 3 @ 70 bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
For time:
1 mile Assault Bike
200m 1-arm Farmer's walk, moderate/tough
1 mile Assault Bike
100m walking lunges
+
3 sets:
15/side light lying 1-leg banded curls
15/side light seated banded leg extensions
:30 hollow rock

A. complete

+

12:06 with 53lb 

+

complete with purple band


Drew was visibly relieved to hear that there is no tear and the anchors are solid. He thinks that the volume of rehab I was doing early on just surpassed my threshold and set off this cycle of inflammation. He said it was really deceiving because I had great ROM from day 1, and since there was no tendon involvement, I had maintained strength from day 1, so without acute structural limitations we just exceeded the tolerance of the joint.

The plan moving forward is to back off for several weeks and let the cortisone work its magic. I'm back to post-op week 1 protocol, completely starting from zero. He (and Mattie) spent the whole hour working end-range ROM today, which brought me to tears because it was so, so painful. I almost threw up at one point. I can't believe this is "inflammation."

Training was tough this afternoon - I've never felt so rough. Sleep is worse than ever (like, lucky to get a broken 3-4 hours). I have no appetite. I'm in a lot of pain. I'm frustrated and anxious, and I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm aware of how depressing this sounds.  

Squats felt heavy, but better than last week.

For time piece was tough. Couldn't pick up the pace on the bike at all (57 RPMs on the first mile, 59 RPMs on the second mile). Broke the FW 100/50/50, and chose moderate instead of tough. Lunges were hard, you'd think that I'd start to get used to these by now, but my legs were toast.

Aaaaaand... just washed down some vicodin with 2 glasses of wine. I'm getting desperate.

Friday

A. Safety bar squat, 6 x 3 @ 70 bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
3 rounds for time:
.5 mile Assault Bike
50m unweighted walking lunges
+
3 sets:
8/side seated 1-leg band curls, 30X1
:10/side single-leg hamstring bridge
:30 hollow rock

A. complete

+

8:57

+

complete, green band

Felt super rough today - it's been a ridiculous week. Almost subbed a nap.

Squats felt heavy and slow.

Bike/lunge piece was tough. 62/58/60 RPMs, which seems quite slow compared to where I've been pedaling. Legs were super shaky after this.

Shoulder is not good. Ugh. Added 2 sets of standing subscap internal rotation holds and CS internal/external rotations to my warm-up.

Thursday

AM @ MobilityFit

9:00 Assault bike

+

same as Monday, except trap 3s were fine and Z press hurt (front rack)

PM

A. Safety bar squat, 12 x 2 @ 70 on bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
3 sets:
50m Farmer's walk, tough
20m walking lunges, 30 lb med ball bear hugged to chest
:60 rest
200m run
:60 rest
+
3 sets:
10/side seated 1-leg band curls, 30X2
:30 hollow rock

A. complete, fast and easy
+
complete-ish
53/hand (heaviest I felt confident picking up today)
subbed 20 bike calories for the run (65 RPM, 1:20 across)
+
complete with purple band


Drew finally acknowledged that some of my concerns about my shoulder may be valid. In addition to the ongoing instability, I should be way farther along than I am, and the simplest shit keeps setting me back.  It was super aggravated today, for literally no reason... Drew talked to Tim, and we're going to baby the shit out of it for another couple weeks. If things aren't drastically better at the 12 week mark, Tim wants an MRI. I really never had an "oh fuck, I re-tore it" moment, and even though it has felt like it wants to dislocate on a couple of occasions, it hasn't... but I just know something isn't right. 

Drew also said to hold off on the running.  To be honest, with the way my shoulder felt today, I was kind of relieved to hear that. The impact sounds terrible.

Friday

AM
@ MobilityFit
2 sets:

Crossover symmetry

Kettlebell screwdrivers, 15lbs

Quarter external rotations, 2.5lbs

External rotations, unweighted

Z press, PVC pipe

Kettlebell front rack hold with scaps engaged, 0:60 with 0:30 Farmer's hold as rest

PVC pull-aparts

Snow angels

3-way bicep curls, 5lb/hand

Earthquake bar, 20 with red, 20 with orange

Single-arm trap 3

Banded tricep extension 

PM
A. Safety bar squat, 10 x 2 @ 70 on bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
3 sets:
10 DB bent-over rows (both arms together), light & controlled, slight bend in knees and big hinge @ hips so torso is almost parallel to the ground
30m walking lunges, 20 lb med ball bear hugged to chest
:60 rest
20 Assault Bike calories
:60 rest
+
3 sets not for time:
10-15 seated 1-leg band curls
:30 hollow rock

A. complete 

+

complete, but skipped the dumbbell rows 

+

complete, 15 with purple band across

Chains were longer than usual on the squats; didn't notice until 8 sets in... 

Cut the dumbbell rows on Drew's advice. Lunges got tough by the 3rd set, but no issues. Biked at 66-68 RPMs, 1:15, 1:14, 1:19 for 20 calories. The last set hurt, I felt like I was going to poop my pants for like 10 minutes afterwards. Is that why we call it the AssBike?

Had a pretty significant heart-to-heart with Drew this morning - it involved tears and two hugs. Got his side of the story regarding Abby, and am feeling a little bit reassured that I'm not already destined for the same path as her. He's really not all that concerned, but said it's not a bad thing that I am concerned, because that means I'll be careful. Errrr no worries there, I'm so careful I'm about ready to put the sling back on.

Highlights of the heart-to-heart:

 - Both my shoulders are loose, probably always have been, and so I'm already at an increased risk of injury compared to the general population (so was Abby). This means that moving forward, my shoulders have to be stronger than anyone else's before asking them to stabilize weight overhead, and that form and technique need to be absolutely perfect. I will need to be very, very careful with mechanics under fatigue, probably forever.

 - We are going to baby the shit out of it for a while. Staying far away from positions that aggravate it (overhead), and positions that put any stretch on the anterior capsule (elbows back), which will hopefully allow the ligaments to tighten up a bit. I'm still terrified that I fucked it up by all the things I've been doing (I was rowing, with elbows all the way back, at 10 days post-op... I've benched and done push-ups... and not to mention, the stretching we've added in the past few weeks). None of this hurt, but it was stretching the already stretched ligaments. All of this has been cut, and Drew said I'll drive myself nuts trying to figure out if anything I'd done previously was a mistake. 

 - On that note, what was repaired is holding. I've been almost completely pain-free for the past two days, which Drew said would not be the case if I fucked up the repair.

I still don't feel like it's fixed. I still don't feel like it should be close to dislocating on a simple office exam. But, I feel better that there's a plan in place moving forward. 

Saturday

Made up yesterday's squats:

A. Safety squat, 12 x 2 @ 50 on bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
A. Safety bar good morning, 4 x 5-8, 31X1; 2:30 rest
B. 1-arm Farmer's walk, 2 x 80-100m/side light w/perfect posture/scap engagement; start w/R and match load/distance w/L; :30 between sides
+
Not for time:
400m light sled drag, add 10 from last week
+
10:00 Assault Bike easy

A. complete

+

A. +70, +80, +90(5), +90(5)

B. 30, 40

+

complete with 80 on the sled, from waist

+

complete

Yikes. Shoulder is very sore. It feels like I've been kicked right in the joint, super deep and achy. It's distracting. I'm holding out hope that I've just been asking a lot of it this week, and that if I take it easy today and tomorrow, it will make a dramatic improvement. Fingers crossed.

Wanted to make up at least the squats from yesterday. Fast and easy. 

Depth felt a little shallow on the heavier good mornings.

Farmer's walk was fine. Really concentrated on perfect scaps. 

Sled felt way lighter than last week - because I took yesterday off?

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.

Friday

A. Safety squat, 8 x 2 @ 50 on bar + chains, 10X1; begin a set every :60
+
3 sets:
50m walking lunge, 20 med ball bear hugged to chest
:60 rest
15 Assault Bike calories
:60 rest
+
3 sets not for time:
10 unweighted reverse hypers, 2022
:20-:30 hamstring bridge
20 sit-ups w/feet anchored under DBs

A. complete 

+

complete 

+

complete

Squats felt fast and easy. 

Lunges got a little tough by the 3rd set but no issues. Assault bike at 61-63 RPMs on the first two sets, which felt good so I pushed the pace a little on the 3rd set to 65-68 RPMs. Feels good to work a bit again. 

No issues with the last piece, once I figured how to get up onto the reverse hyper with one arm (hint: step on a box).

Included 3 sets of crossover symmetry As (red) and Ts (purple) and Houghston's As and Ts to my warm-up and 3 sets of both external rotation exercises and single-arm trap 3s to the end. Considered doing more, but I'll save the rest of it for this weekend.

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? 

Wednesday

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

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 10 x 3 @ 45% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Axle overhead walking lunge, 3 x 15m @ 80; 2:00 rest
C. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 2-3, 31X0; 2:00 rest
+
4 rounds:
10 CTB pull-ups
15 wall balls, 14 to 10'
2:00 walk rest
+
3 rounds not for time:
25m 1-arm Farmer's walk
25m 1-arm DB overhead carry

AM

skipped; early morning at work

PM

A. complete @ 135

B. complete 

C. 35, 40(2), 40(2) @168.5

+

0:56

0:46 

1:04 

1:12 

+

100 Farmer's walk 

55, 70, 70 overhead


Feeling a million times better than yesterday, but still not 100%.  Blah.

Back squats felt great, probably the best they have in this cycle.  All buried and fast.

Axle lunge felt a lot better than last week, too.

Weighted pull-ups felt heavy.

First two rounds of the CTB/wallball piece were AWESOME, with unbroken butterflied pull-ups.  Pull-ups on the third round fell apart, and I'm not entirely sure why.  Did 6 butterfly then dropped off the bar, then couldn't find the rhythm again and the remaining 4 were horribly out of rhythm with long hangs between reps.  The same thing happened on the 4th set except it was 5 butterflied, then 5 hanging / out of rhythm, even though I felt like I rested long enough before jumping back up.  I wonder if the same thing would have happened if I did 5/5 from the start?  I really want to be comfortable with bigger sets though... argh.  All wallballs unbroken, and no issues throwing the ball 10 feet in the air, but accuracy needs work.

Enjoyed the 1-arm stuff.  There's room to go a bit heavier overhead.

Wednesday

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

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 8 x 3 @ 45% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Axle overhead walking lunge, 3 x 20m @ 75; 2:00 rest
C. Weighted supinated CTB pull-up, 3 x 3-4, 31X0; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
75 toes-to-bar, 30 double-unders every time you come off the bar
+
3 rounds as cool-down:
250m row
25 air squats

AM

complete with 45 on the sled

PM

A. complete with 135 on the bar

B. complete 

C. 20, 25, 30(3) @ 165.5

+

9:20

+

complete


Meh.  Today was rough.  Felt more beat up than I was expecting.

Back squats felt better than last week, but still felt heavier than I would like.  

Axle lunge was fine.  Didn't wear any gear, would probably prefer to wear at least wrist wraps next time.  

Weighted CTBs felt excellent.  Extremely relieved to find that my two weeks of not counting, drinking a fair bit, and dozens of Christmas cookies didn't show up on the scale.

TTB/DU went about exactly as I thought it would (terrible).  My grip felt fatigued before I even started, and no amount of rolling or stretching helped.  Did 9 sets of double-unders, all of which were unbroken which was a happy surprise.  Stopped at: 15/25/32/37/42/47/52/57/64/75.  I lost my ability to kip more than 5 reps early, but it didn't occur to me to hang on and do a few strict after the kip was gone until closer to the end (explains why the last two sets were bigger). I don't know how to do better - grip fatigue is still such a big weakness.  Probably could have snuck out with 8 sets of double-unders if I added just one or two strict to each set of 5 kipping in the middle, but it still wouldn't be a good score.  (Edited to add: remember when 75 TTB for time in sets no smaller than 5 took me 22:57?  One of my first SHE testers in September 2012.  Sigh.  Progress.  Still not satisfied.)

I have a feeling I'll be more sore from the air squats than from everything else combined.  Some cool-down.

Monday

AM
800m light/moderate sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
200m Farmer's walk, moderate/tough
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 12 x 2 @ 45% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Pistols, 5:00-8:00 easy practice, don't accumulate more than 20 total reps
C. Weighted supinated pull-up, build to a max for the day
+
10 rounds for time:
1 rope climb
5 burpees
+
As a cool-down:
500m row
400m run
300m ski-erg
200m run

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. complete with 135 on the bar

B. DNF

C. 235.5 (165.5 + 70, PR+4)

+

7:20

+

complete


Back squats felt AWFUL today.  I don't know what my deal was.  The bar felt so, so heavy when I unracked it each time.  I think depth was still good, but speed was definitely slower than it has been.

Intended to do the same thing with the pistols as last week, where I worked backwards from strongest knee sleeve to bare-kneed, but I was struggling big-time with the bees knees (left only).  I missed a few attempts when I just fell backwards at the bottom, but more concerningly, on my last attempt I felt a very sharp stabbing on the medial side.  Called it.  Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.  Haven't tested an air squat since then, I'm going to pretend it didn't happen.

Weighted pull-up felt great! The 70 was tough but not super slow, so I threw on 75 but only made it half-way.  I was hesitant to weigh myself since I haven't been tracking my food, so I started with the scale at 170 but I had to keep nudging it down, much to my surprise.  Mike was right, relaxing a bit isn't going to completely derail me.  That's a relief.

Didn't feel like moving much faster on the rope climbs.  I think I did a good job of dropping right into a burpee after a climb, but I took a few breaths before each climb.  Nothing was a limiter in particular, I just wasn't in a hurry.

Actually really enjoyed the cool down! 

Monday

AM
800m light/moderate sled drag, alternate forward & backward as desired
200m Farmer's walk, moderate/tough
+
10:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Back squat w/chains, 10 x 2 @ 45% 1RM on bar, 10X1 - emphasis on depth & speed; begin a set every :60
B. Pistols, 5:00-8:00 easy practice, don't accumulate more than 20 total reps
C. Weighted pronated pull-ups, 2-2-1-1, 21X0; :60 rest
+
8:00 @ 80%:
1 rope climb
10m prowler push, moderate grind
30 double-unders
10m prowler push
+
For time:
500m row @ 97%

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM
A. complete with 135 on the bar 

B. complete 

C. 45(2), 50(2), 55.5(1), 60.5(1) @165.5
+

4 + 1 rope climb with 140 on the prowler 

+

DNF, burnt-out headcase


It was pouring this morning, so skipped the outdoor AM session.  Might be able to make this up tomorrow...

Saw Drew Cook this morning - after his clinic, I was intrigued about dry needling and was wondering if it would help knock out this trigger point on my calf that has been bothering me pretty much the entire time my knee has been bad.  Um, that was intense.  I thought I had one trigger point, but turns out I had like 15.  And, I have to go back tomorrow because my hamstring is still jacked up post-op (news to me, I really thought it was back to normal...) and also there's something funky with my foot?  He had me make appointments for 6 weeks, but I guarantee I'm not going to keep them.  I don't have a co-pay, so I'll play along for a while...

Back squats got better as the sets went on.  Didn't really warm up a whole lot.

Pistols started out rough.  Tried a couple with no knee sleeves, and while I could do them on the right, I couldn't reverse direction at the bottom on the left and kept falling backwards.  Put on the bees knees (left only) and did 10 alternating, then put on the thinner black knee sleeve (left only) and did 6 alternating, then finally was able to do 2 or 3 shaky reps on the left with no knee sleeves.  They'll come back.  All in nanos.

Weighted pull-ups felt good.  The last single was very tough, but it's a 7lb PR for a pronated single... that's a PR for a pronated double, as well.

8:00 piece was fine.  All double-unders unbroken.  No issue on the rope climbs.  Took a wild guess on how heavy a moderate grind would be... it wasn't easy, but wasn't all that grindy.

Had absolutely zero motivation to do the 500m row.  I procrastinated for probably 20:00 before starting, and even sat down next to Duprie and asked him if he ever just "didn't want to."  I don't know what my deal is, because I know I'm sitting on a 1:39 PR.  Finally started the row, and it actually felt great - held 1:37-1:38 for approximately 380m, then as soon as it started to get uncomfortable, I stopped rowing.  Let me repeat that.  I had 120m remaining, hadn't fallen off my pace, and I just stopped.  I knew it was going to start to hurt and I just didn't care enough to go there.  I stood up, walked outside, sat down where James pees, and started crying.

I don't like being a headcase.  I need a break.

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 @ 45% 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), 4 x 2-3/leg, 21X1; :30 between legs, :30 rest
B2. Weighted pronated pull-ups, 4 x 2-3, 21X0; :60 rest
+
8:00 @ 80%:
5 CTB pull-ups
10 burpees
30 double-unders
+
Not for time:
2000m row @ 80% effort

AM

subbed 30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. complete with 135 on the bar

B1. 53, 60, 70, 79(2)

B2. 25, 30, 35, 40(2) @ 165.5

+

5 + 1 CTB

+

complete

Solid training day!

Back squats still feel really fast and easy - didn't notice the additional 15lbs on the bar at all.

KB weighted pistols got to be pretty challenging.

Weighted pull-ups felt really good.  Those match a 3RM and 2RM for added weight, but I'm a few pounds lighter so the total isn't a rep PR (not complaining).

The 8:00 piece was weird.  I felt like I was moving really slowly (on purpose), but my breathing felt like it was immediately over 80%.  All CTBs butterflied, steady on the burpees, and all double-unders unbroken (yes!).

Gave myself a 2:15/500m ceiling on the row.  Held 2:09-2:12 on the first and last 500m, and 2:13-2:15 on the middle 1000m. I'd probably call this 82%.

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.

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.

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.

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.