Friday - 25 weeks post-op

A1)
Front squat
3-2-1-1-1 building so that last single is tough, 20X1; :60 rest

193(3), 213(2), 223, 233, 243F - really had no business going for the last one, 233 was pretty sticky

A2)
Strict ring pull-up
5 x 1-2, 21X0; :60 rest

2 across! and probably closer to 31X1, for some reason

B)
3 rounds for time
.5 mile Assault Bike
:60 med ball bear hold (no carry, just hold), 75
:60 front leaning rest on ground

11:25

Wednesday

A) Single-leg unweighted hip hinge

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

B) Clean-grip Romanian deadlifts

3 x 4-6, 31X1; 2:30 rest

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

200m row
10 goblet squats, 70
:60 front leaning rest on ground

D) 3 sets

:35 Assault Bike @ 97%
4:55 walk rest

A. complete

B. 143, 153(5), 153(5)

C. complete

D. complete, 80-82 RPMs

Monday

AM

35:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A) Safety bar squat

3-3-3 building so only last triple is tough - maxing out next week..., 20X1; 3:00 rest

B) Unsupported 1-arm DB row

4 x 5-6/side, 20X0; :60 bewteen sides

C) 3 rounds @ high effort

21 Assault Bike calories
18 alternating pistols
15 glute-ham sit-ups

D) 3 rounds

:30 Sorensen hold
:15 rest
:30 front leaning rest on ground
:15 rest

A. 203, 223, 243

B. 50, 55, 60, 65(6) - right is stronger than left...?

C. 11:58

D. complete

Wednesday

AM

10:00 AirDyne

+

mobility

PM

A) Single-leg unweighted hip hinge

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

B) Clean-grip Romanian deadlifts

3 x 6-8, 31X1; 2:30 rest

C) For time steady

30 goblet squats, 53
:60 front leaning rest on ground
20 goblet squats
:60 front leaning rest on ground
10 goblet squats

D) 4 sets

:30 Assault Bike @ 97%
4:30 walk rest

A. complete
B. 123, 143(6), 143(8) - limited by grip strength
C. 4:20, unbroken
D. complete, 82 RPMs throughout

Monday

A) Safety bar squat

5-5-5, 20X1; 3:00 rest

B) Unsupported 1-arm DB row

4 x 6-8 20X0; :60 bewteen sides

C) 10:00 steady - same idea as last week, focus is on quality movement/positions over reps

30 double-unders
10 glute-ham sit-ups
10 alternating pistols

D) 3 sets not for time

:30 Sorensen hold
:30 front leaning rest on ground

A. 203, 223, 233(4) - not confident on the last rep without a spot

B. 45, 50(6), 50(6), 50(6) - strangely more challenging on the left side

C. complete

D. complete

+

3 sets:

5 banded pull-ups, green band

5 dip progressions

+

5 strict pull-up singles, with s-l-o-w eccentric 

Monday

AM

20:00 AirDyne

+

ROM/mobility

PM

A) Safety bar squat

3-2-1-1-1, 41X1; 3:00 rest

B) Unsupported 1-arm DB row

3 x 8-10, 20X0; :60 bewteen sides

C) 10:00 steady, focus is on quality movement/positions over reps

10 alternating pistols
15 double-unders
:20 front leaning rest on ground

D) 3 sets not for time

30 band good mornings
15 glute-ham sit-ups

A. 203(3), 223(2), 233, 238, 238
B. 30, 35, 40(10)
C. complete
D. complete with green band

So happy to feel like I'm training regularly again! The 10:00 piece was super fun. No issues with double-unders or planks, and pistols are smoother than they've ever been. 

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. 

Friday

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

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

AM

4 sets, subbed FLR for side plank

+

skipped the mobility

+

shoulder stuff, 2 sets, same as yesterday

PM

A. 50, 55(20)

B. 2 singles, DNF 

+

10:12 at half-assed effort 

subbed goblet squats, 35lb

+

complete

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

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

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


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

Lunges were okay, limited by grip (duh).

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

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

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

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

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

Friday

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

PM
A. Power clean, build quickly to 80%
B. CTB pull-ups, 5:00 easy practice
+
3 sets:
:10 row @ 100%
1:50 rest
+
10 sets:
:30 Assault Bike @ 90% aerobic
:30 Assault Bike @ 50%

AM

complete

subbed FLR for side planks

+

tested out some comp prep

PM

A. 153 (82.7%)

B. DNS

+

complete 

+

complete 

+

10:00 Assault bike @ z1

Made the tough call to bail on tomorrow's competition. Woke up feeling really good, and as I started to test some things this morning I was really encouraged. Strict press, push press, push jerk, thruster and snatch with an empty barbell were all totally fine, no issues at all. Static handstands were totally fine, but did one handstand push-up and it was excruciating, like almost brought tears to my eyes. Fuck.

Power cleans were fine through 143, shoulder felt a little tweaked catching the 153. No gear. 

Tuesday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice

PM
A. Clean-grip deadlift, build quickly to tough single - not max, leave 20-30 in the tank
B. 1-arm DB overhead carry, 3 x 20-30m/side; :60 between sides
+
5 sets:
10 deadlifts, 95
200m row
:30 front leaning rest on ground
2:00 rest
+
10:00 mobility of choice

AM

30:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. 273

B. 10lbs across 

+

complete

subbed hollow rock for FLR

+

complete 


Seriously, being injured is the worst.  Although I think my shoulder might feel a little better than it did yesterday... so I'm hopeful.  Still trying not to mess with it at all.

Clean grip deadlift felt fast.  Also, I power cleaned 85lbs just to move my barbell and only had mild discomfort, so that's encouraging.

Once the dumbbell was overhead, there were absolutely zero shoulder issues, but felt a sharp pinching when initiating the press to get it up.  Didn't take the 0:60 between sides, pretty much just went down and back 6x straight through.

Didn't time the 5 sets, but all were within 1:50-1:55.  Deadlifts were fast and easy, tried to push the cycle speed here.  Initially, I was hesitant about rowing, but Stephen advised me to put the damper down to 1 and not try very hard, and this ended up being totally fine (pulled around 2:15/500m).  Hollow rocks were fine.  I tested out a FLR before I started, and felt that same sharp pain in that same spot, so decided not to chance it.

Friday

AM
5 sets very easy:
2:00 bike
10-15' handstand walk
2:00 bike
:30/side plank
+
15:00 mobility work of choice

PM
A. Front squat, 2-2-2-2, 40X1; 2:30 rest
B. Axle Pendlay row, 3 x 3-4, 20X0; 2:00 rest
+
For reps:
2:00 cleans, 155
2:00 CTB pull-ups
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 1 bar muscle-up + 4 toes-to-bar
Odds: 10 overhead squats, 65

AM

4 sets complete

subbed 0:60 FLR for the side planks

skimped on the mobility

PM

A. 223 across 

B. 130, 140(3), 140(3)

+

with Matt

13 cleans (failed the 14th at 1:55)

0:30 transition 

21 CTBs

+

9 minutes complete 

Ugh. Today was rough, and then it got worse. 

Front squats were super heavy. 

Pendlay rows were okay, tough to hang on to the 140. 

2:00 pieces were terrible. Like, awful. This was my first time doing this with a partner, and it was nice to practice like this for a change. However, I was shocked at how heavy 155 got, and I took way too long setting up each time. I just remember looking at Matt who wasn't struggling at all and wondering if I misloded the bar because it felt that heavy. Not happy with this. 

CTBs were a disaster. Tried to butterfly, did a few sets of 3, then some singles and doubles, some regular kip, and a handful of reps that didn't touch the bar. Fuuuuuuucking A. This is not cool. 

The EMOM started off great. No misses on the BMU and buried the depth on the OHS. After the 4th set of OHS, my right shoulder, which has been mildly aggravated for weeks, suddenly got really angry. I went for the 5th set of BMU/TTB anyway, not expecting to generate a big enough kip to make the rep, but I did surprisingly. But as soon as I dropped off the bar, the dull ache in my shoulder/upper arm turned really sharp.  It kind of took my breath away and my immediate thought was that I was fucked. Scratched the last set of OHS. 

 

Friday

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
A. Front squat (sleeves!), 3-3-3-3, 40X1; 2:30 rest
B. Axle Pendlay row, 3 x 4-5, 20X0; 2:00 rest
+
For reps:
2:00 cleans, 105
2:00 ring muscle-ups
+
For 10:00:
Evens: 4 CTB pull-ups + 4 toes-to-bar
Odds: 8 overhead squats, 75

AM

4 sets complete

subbed 0:60 FLR for side planks

PM

A. 183, 203, 208, 213

B. 120, 130, 140(3)

+

25 cleans in 1:33

5 muscle-ups

+

complete


Most of the stressful shit over the past two weeks is finally behind me, thank God.  I felt like a completely different person today, like a huge weight was lifted.

Tempo on the front squats was rough by the 3rd rep.  I don't think these were too ugly, though?

Grip was the limiter on the axle (surprise, surprise).  

Felt so much more comfortable with the lighter cleans and ring muscle-ups than the medium cleans and bar muscle-ups.  Did all quick singles on the cleans (not sure if that's what I was supposed to do?  It didn't occur to me to string any together until after I was done) - had 20 done in the first minute, then slowed down a LOT, and only accumulated 5 from 1:00-1:30.  Wanted to have the full 2:00 on the rings, so stopped early again.  Ring muscle-ups felt great, super happy that I felt able to push the pace on these and jump up and successfully get a rep before I was 100% confident it would happen.  Hoping that Leah doesn't mind doing the bar muscle-ups... it probably won't matter a ton in the grand scheme of things, and I'll do the bar muscle-ups if that's what works out better, but I felt much more confident and happier with my performance on this piece today than last week.  

EMOM was just okay.  I don't know what's going on with my CTBs this week, but the butterfly isn't feeling so hot.  Dammit.  And sorry for shorting the depth on some of the OHS - I really can't tell at all! They felt like the same depth as when I was doing the 20 squat snatches from the other day, and on video those were all super legit, not even a question, so it doesn't make sense.  Blah.

Friday

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
A. Front squat w/no sleeves, build to a tough single in 15:00
B. Axle Pendlay row, 3 x 5-7, 20X0; 2:00 rest
+
For reps:
2:00 cleans, 135
2:00 muscle-ups
+
6:00 rest
+
For reps:
2:00 thrusters, 95
2:00 toes-to-bar

AM

4 sets complete, but sat on the bike until 30:00

subbed 0:60 FLR for the side planks

PM

A. 245, 255F

B. 100(6), 100(7), 120(6)

+

18 cleans in 1:35

2 BMU (+3F)

+

22 thrusters in 1:45

29 TTB


This week has been simply the worst.  The last 2.5 days were the most stressful work days I've had in a very long time, and I have 4 very large tasks on my to-do list for the next 6 days, and somehow all 4 are equal priority.  Also, I still don't feel 100%.  This is stupid.

My right shoulder is starting to bug me a little - side planks are always the first things they complain on.  Going to religiously start doing all the Drew Cook stuff and nip it in the bud before it becomes an issue.

Front squats felt good.  The 245 really wasn't that tough.  Didn't fight very hard for 255, as soon as I started to get stuck I just dumped it.  Anxiously looking forward to the triumphant return of knee sleeves.

Axle pendlay rows were limited by child-sized hands.  I find it much easier to hold on to with my thumbs on the same side as my fingers.

Chose the bar muscle-up piece today, mostly because I haven't done bar muscle-ups since before Christmas.  Hit two easily while warming up.  The cleans at 135 felt really easy, and I moved really quickly through the first 10-12, then started to panic that I would be useless for the bar muscle-ups.  Slowed down the last 6, then walked over to the bar at 1:35 and borrowed the rest time from the cleans.  I'm guessing it will be a little different with a partner... but I felt ready to hit the first BMU as soon as the 2:00 clock started, and made the first one!  Then I got a little cocky, and barely rested at all before attempting another one, and failed.  Then I said to myself "well, I didn't make it, so I didn't really expend any energy, so I'll just go again now" and of course, I failed that one too.  So then I made myself take a full 0:15 rest and hit the second one, then rested until 1:50 on the clock and failed at the buzzer.  Meh.  I've spent so much more time working on ring muscle-ups, so I'm interested to see if that will go any better.

Thrusters started off feeling great; did 5/5/5/5/2.  Took way too much time before picking up the bar after 15, and that last set of 5 was rough.  Had time on the clock but decided to eat the transition time from the thrusters.  Forearms were fried almost immediately on the TTB.  Opened with 5, then 4's, then 3's, then 2's, there was a 1 in there somewhere, and lost the kip at the end.  Ugh.

Saturday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A1. Wrist flexion stretching, kneeling w/top of hands on ground and fingers facing toward feet, rotate locked elbows forward and lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
A2. Wrist extension stretching, kneeling w/palms on ground and hands supinated so fingers facing toward feet, lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
B. Squat snatch clusters, 5 x 1.1; :10-:15 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
AMRAP in 8:00:
1 muscle-up
1 front squat from the ground, 145
2 muscle-ups
2 front squats from the ground, 145
3 muscle-ups
3 front squats from the ground, 145
and so on...
+
3 sets not for time:
:10-:15 L hang from bar accumulation
:10-:15 L sit on parallettes
5 moderate DB upright rows (both arms at same time)

AM

35:00 of row, wallballs, run, FLR

+

shoulder pre-hab

PM

A1/A2. complete 

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

+

4 + 4 MUs

+

complete
0:15 across for both
35/hand


Snatches felt better than last week, but still not crisp at all.  There was a couple of weeks where they were feeling great, I don't know what happened to that.  

Muscle-ups felt awesome again today!  I did the set of 2 unbroken, otherwise all singles with reasonably high catches.  Attempted a double on the very last set at the buzzer to close out the round of 5, but it wasn't even close.  Probably took just a hair too much rest between singles, I could probably push the pace a bit without risking failure.  But, here's why I didn't push it:

First time squat cleaning since pre-surgery, and it went terribly.  Warming up, 125 felt like 175 and I just lost all motivation to do this entire workout.  I just got really sad thinking that something that I have classically been good at is now a huge weakness and I don't have anything that stands out as a strength anymore.  Only squat cleaned the first 145, and I could barely stand up with it, so I ended up power cleaning then front squatting.  In metcons, no belt, and no wrist wraps (which was also challenging, I rely on those a lot but I didn't want to wear them on muscle-ups).  This blows.

Didn't even want to do the not for time stuff, I just wanted to go home.  

Saturday

AM
30:00-60:00 round-the-world of choice or swim

PM
A1. Wrist flexion stretching, kneeling w/top of hands on ground and fingers facing toward feet, rotate locked elbows forward and lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
A2. Wrist extension stretching, kneeling w/palms on ground and hands supinated so fingers facing toward feet, lean back w/fingers pressed into ground, 2 x 10 reps w/short pause @ end range; :30 rest
B. Squat snatch clusters, 5 x 1.1.1; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
5-4-3-2-1 for time:
Muscle-ups
Wall balls, 30 to 9
+
3 sets not for time:
:10 L hang from bar accumulation
:10 L sit on parallettes
5 moderate DB upright rows (both arms at same time)

AM

45:00 complete of row, handstand walk, jog, FLR

+ a little shoulder pre-hab

PM

MobilityFit clinic

+

A1/A2. complete 

B. 115 across

+

9:32

+

complete
35/hand


Didn't want to rush through either the AM or PM session today, so opted to train after the mobility clinic.  Also, figured that would serve as most of my warm-up...

Snatches didn't feel very crisp today, so decided to stick with a moderate weight that carried no risk of failure.  Probably a 50/50 split of true squat snatch and low/parallel power snatch.

Muscle-ups felt terrible today.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong or differently.  All singles, no fails but almost all extremely low catches.  And no discernible kip on the dip, which made a few of these very, very slow lock-outs.  This is so aggravating.  30lb wallballs were challenging; hit myself in the face once, lost my balance more than a few times, but never dropped the ball within a set.

L-sit on parallettes was surprisingly challenging after the L-hang.  Normally 0:10 wouldn't be anything to write home about.

Really enjoyed Drew's clinic.  Honestly, my biggest take-away was that I've been doing a pretty good job keeping up with lower body mobility on my own.  None of the stretches was particularly unpleasant, and nothing felt tight or like it really needed stretching.  After the clinic was over, I asked Drew about that pesky trigger point on the outside of my upper calf (right below the knee) which has been bothering me the entire time that my knee had been injured, so... 16 months? I can't get to it on my own, and Balza has only been able to get it once, so Drew suggested dry needling.  Now that I have real health insurance, I might see if he can knock it out.  It's more of an annoyance than anything, but I'd be very happy to see it go.

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. 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...