Friday

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

Friday

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

A. complete 

+

complete

12 ring rows across 

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

+

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


Good day. 

Squats were super fast and easy.

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

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

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

Friday

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

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

AM

skipped

PM

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


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

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

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

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

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

Friday

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

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

AM

4 sets, subbed FLR for side plank

+

skipped the mobility

+

shoulder stuff, 2 sets, same as yesterday

PM

A. 50, 55(20)

B. 2 singles, DNF 

+

10:12 at half-assed effort 

subbed goblet squats, 35lb

+

complete

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

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

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


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

Lunges were okay, limited by grip (duh).

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

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

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

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

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

Tuesday

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

PM
A. Split jerk, build to a tough but crisp single
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (just above knees), 4 x 1.1.1 @ 100; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
+
5 rounds @ 80% effort:
10 DB walking lunge steps, 45/hand
5 ring rows in same set-up as last week
+
3 sets:
7 burpees
150m row @ max effort
4:30walk rest
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

37:30 complete; 4 rounds of:

2:00 row

3 DH2I

200m jog

3/side KB windmills, 35

2:00 ski erg

:30 FLR

PM

A. 200, 205Fx2, no belt

B. complete, no hook grip

+

5:08

+

0:50 (row in 0:29.1)

0:49 (row in 0:29.3)

0:49 (row in 0:29.5)
+
complete with Chels


Solid day!  Totally played hooky on my "lunch break" - and had major anxiety the whole time.  I just played it off as being super busy balancing both labs... hehe.

Jerks felt excellent; 200 was very crisp and easy.  The first miss at 205 was very close (just a hair in front), but the second miss was not close at all.

Blocks at just above the knee is a much more challenging position for me.  Still focusing on tight lats and engaged scaps, which I can guarantee I never used to do.  It would be nice if this is the key to my snatch problems.  No misses, and these were all pretty crisp, but it definitely required a ton of focus.

Walking lunges felt good.  Ring rows were tough.  The 5th reps on the last two rounds were pretty weak.  The rings may have been at a slightly more challenging height than last week.  At least that's what I'll tell myself.

Burpee/row sprint piece was awesome.  Burpees were super speedy on all rounds.  Saw 1:33/500m on the first one, then 1:34 was the low on the second and third.  Really grateful there were only 3 sets, I got a little nauseous after the last one.

Tuesday

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

PM
A. Split jerk, 1-1-1-1-1-1 heavy but not maxes; begin a rep every 2:00
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 4 x 1.1.1 @ 100; :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
C1. Weighted walking lunge steps, 4 x 10-12m tough; :60 rest
C2. Ring rows, 4 x 5-10 in challenging set-up, 20X1; :60 rest
+
5 sets:
6 alternating DB snatches, tough but fast
125m row @ high effort (whatever that means for you now)
4:00 walk rest
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

30:00 complete with AirDyne, row, plank and side plank

PM

A. 175, 185, 190, 195F, 195, 195 - off the rack, no belt

B. complete, no hook grip

C1. 55/hand for 12m across 

C2. 7, 6, 6, 5, feet on 20" box 
+
0:52
0:52
0:52
0:51
0:51
with 55lb dumbbell
+
complete


To say that I came into the gym today in a bad mood would be the understatement of the year.  Had a very stressful and long day at work, and was already in the mindset that training later in the evening would suck.  Emily, I'm very sorry for being so grumpy.  I really did enjoy seeing you!  Let's just say that I will not be arriving at the gym at 5:45pm again (unless it's Thursday).  If I can't play hooky for a couple of hours in the early afternoon on Mondays and Wednesdays, I'm not coming until 6:30 at the earliest.  This was the worst.  However, my anger must have fueled me, because everything actually felt fantastic.

Jerked from a rack, since Emily was cleaning off the blocks.  Dumped the bar, stripped metal plates, and power cleaned 125 back up each time.  These felt AWESOME today.  Missed the first 195 just an inch in front, but the second attempt at 195 was one of the crispest/best heavy jerks I've ever done.  The final rep at 195 was a little soft on the catch, but wasn't in danger of losing it.  Did all these beltless.

Power snatches off the blocks FINALLY felt good.  All of these were crisp and easy.  Still focusing on a perfect set-up - I'm finding that if I really concentrate on engaging my lats and scaps, I don't need to worry about the bar flying out of my hands so much.

Walking lunges were fine.  I'm not sure if I set up the ring rows correctly - I had my feet on the box so that at the bottom position of the ring row, my head was below the height of my feet.  I tried to keep from piking my hips, but the whole set-up was pretty awkward.  They got tough for sure.

Dumbbell snatches got better with each round, this was fun.  Miscalculated and only took a 3:00 rest between sets 2 and 3, but didn't notice until just now when I was entering my results...

Tuesday

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

PM
A. Split jerk, build to a heavy (not max) single
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 5 x 1.1 adding a bit from 08.16 :10 between singles, 2:00 rest
C1. Weighted walking lunge steps, 3 x 15m moderate; :60 rest
C2. Ring rows, 3 x 5-8 in challenging set-up, 20X2; :60 rest
+
5 sets:
5 burpees
5 heavy Russian KB swings
100m row @ high effort (whatever that means for you now)
3:30 walk rest
+
800m walk cool-down

AM

35:00 complete with jog, mobility, ski erg and 6lb wallballs

PM

A. 185

B. 100, 100, 100, 105, 105 - no hook grip

C1. 40/hand across 

C2. 8 across 

+

0:48

0:47

0:46

0:46

0:46

with 88lb kettlebell
+
complete

Air squats were feeling pretty good this morning, so tested out some 6lb wallballs - no pain at all, but video revealed that depth continues to be a problem.  I seriously feel like I'm going ATG, but I'm barely breaking parallel, if at all.  Is this how my wallballs have always looked? My knee doesn't even feel that tight anymore, and with all the time I've been spending on lower body mobility, I don't really think that's the problem... Grrrrr.....

Split jerks felt pretty good; wore Olys and a belt, but after I was done I was thinking that I might have preferred jerking belt-less.  Something I might play around with.  

Power snatches were really, really tough.  This is a challenging weight for me in this set-up already, but then not being able to hook-grip made these feel even tougher.  No fails once I started, but missed 100 on the very first attempt then re-started the whole thing a few minutes later.  I took exponentially longer in my set-up for each attempt (so much that the 0:10 between singles drifted toward 0:20), making sure the bar was exactly where I wanted it in my hand and concentrating on tight lats.  I just don't feel aggressive at all when I feel like the bar is going to fly out of my hands.  Now that I'm writing this, this is how I was feeling when snatching with the men's bar, but I was able to tie my 1RM without a hook grip, so maybe I should just grow a pair.

I don't know why it didn't occur to me to just HOLD the weights for the weighted lunges last week... this was so much easier.  Similar set-up on the ring rows as last week, just an inch above horizontal at the bottom position, arms straight underneath the rings.  Last couple of reps on each set were definitely tough with this tempo.  I guess adding a box under the feet is the next progression?

Loved the 5 sets - this is definitely my favorite type of unpleasant training.  Considered the 100lb kettlebell, but I'm glad I didn't... no hesitation picking up the 88, but I think I might have taken an extra breath to pick up the 100.  Never broke under 1:35/500m today.

Sunday

A. Split jerk, build to a moderate single
B. Power snatch clusters from blocks (mid-thigh), 4 x 1.1.1 adding a bit from last week :10 between singles, :90 rest
C1. Weighted walking lunge steps, 3 x 20m moderate; :60 rest
C2. Ring rows, 3 x 7-10 in challenging set-up, 20X1; :60 rest
+
3-5 sets:
5 fast burpees
100m row @ high effort (whatever that means for you now)
3:00 walk rest
+
5:00 walk or bike cool-down

@ Active 

A. 165 in nanos, no belt

B. 95, 100(1.F.1), 100(1.F.1), 100

C1. 26/hand across, kettlebell front rack

C2. 10 across

+

0:36

0:35

0:35

0:34

0:35

+

walk complete 

Solid day!

Jerks felt crisp and easy, but 165 felt like a "moderate" stopping point. Basically, I couldn't guarantee that 175 would be as crisp as 165 was, so I called it. 

Power snatches were really tough today. Again, the blocks were closer to upper thigh than mid. The two fails were just pulls where I lost a little focus.

Wasn't sure what kind of weighted walking lunges to do, so I chose front rack. Weight choice was appropriate for a moderate 20m; considered jumping to 35/hand but I think that would have edged toward tough. 

I always forget how difficult ring rows can be. Set up rings about 18" off the ground, and walked my feet all the way out in front so I was just an inch above horizontal at the bottom position. 

Burpee/row piece kicked my ass but I loved it. I really enjoy these types of sprint pieces. Couldn't get the row pace under 1:34/500m, but no knee pain at all. 

Hamstring is still jacked up, spending a lot of extra time on stretching and mobility. 

Thursday - post-op day 8

AM

30:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for 10 walking lunge steps + 0:60 hamstring stretching

PM

8 rounds @ 75%:

250m row

44' unbroken handstand walk 

200m ski erg 

8 alternating step-ups, 12"

8 tough ring rows 

(50:07)

Finally able to AirDyne at my usual Z1 pace, although I still have the seat set one notch higher.  

Super hesitant on the walking lunges (and had to be gentle kissing my bad knee to the floor, the incisions are still pretty tender), but these got better and better with each set.  Knee is pretty tight at 90 degrees, but no pain.  Can't imagine flexing it more than 90 degrees yet... 

Hamstrings are incredibly tight.  Alarmingly tight.  I know it's just from a week of elevating my leg on the couch, but it's still concerning.  Making a conscious effort to stretch for every stint of icing moving forward...

Tested out a few 20" step-ups - not quite ready for this, felt a pretty sharp pain as soon as I transferred weight to the flexed leg (I'm guessing this is 91 degrees). Ended up using the biggest jerk block, zero issues at this height. 

Shorted the return on the erg, but absolutely no problem driving through my legs. Felt that same super sharp pain on the few strokes where I forgot to stop early. 

Trying not to panic that it hurts doing the same things that hurt before... 

Tuesday

3 rounds not for time:
10 hand-release push-ups
10 ring rows
+
10:00 @ very easy pace:
15 row calories
20m unweighted walking lunges
10 burpees
+
10 sets:
:30 AirDyne @ 90% aerobic
:30 AirDyne @ 50%

complete 

Thursday

AM

45:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off every 5:00 for :10-:20 L-sit

PM

10:00 light scap activation

+

A. Paused front squat, 3-2-1, 21X1; 3:00 rest

B1. Unweighted strict pull-up clusters on rings, 4 x 3.3.2.2; minimal rest between, :60 rest

B2. 1 push jerk + 3 split jerks (hold on to bar throughout), 4 x 1 building each set; 2:00 rest

+

AMRAP in 12:00:

20 AirDyne calories

15 wall balls, 14 to 10

10 tough strict ring rows

+

Not for time:

200m heavy 1-arm Farmer's walk, switch sides every 25m

AM

complete; 0:15 on parallettes

PM

complete

+

A. 205(3), 225(2), 245(1)

B1. complete

B2. 125, 135, 145, 155(F PJ)

+

4 rounds + 13 calories

+

complete with the hundo

L-sits felt very tough this morning - legs were dropping earlier than usual (around 0:08), but managed to hold on for 0:15 each time (got a bit shaky).

PM session started out a little low energy but got better.  Probably could have gone a little heavier for the paused front squat sets of 3 and 2, but the single at 245 was definitely heavy for today.

Took longer breaks between the clusters of ring pull-ups than last week, but they were all less than 0:10 for the most part.  Maybe a little longer on the last set.

Jerk complex at 145 felt really excellent.  Push jerk was a little forward at 155, and it completely surprised me to fail it.  The 3 split jerks were fine at 155 but not as crisp as at 145.

AMRAP started out a little rough, but got into a good groove as the minutes went on (errr... that probably means I should have warmed up a little better, rather than just doing 3 wallballs and a test spin on the bike to make sure it wasn't broken).  All wallballs and ring rows unbroken.  Legs were fatiguing more quickly on the wallballs than shoulders, which was totally weird.  I kept having to remind myself that I'm good at squatting, and it would be stupid and wimpy to break up the sets for leg fatigue when my shoulders could keep up.  Transitions could have been faster.  Everything probably should have been faster... I could have kept that pace for several more minutes, but I didn't want to push the AD much more, considering how the legs were feeling on the wallballs... meh.

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. Paused front squat, build to a max @ 21X1, then perform 5 more singles @ 85% of that @ same tempo; rest as needed between singles to ensure solid reps
B1. Unweighted strict pull-up clusters on rings, 5 x 2.2.2.2; minimal rest between doubles, :60 rest
B2. 1 push press + 1 push jerks, build to a tough set in 5 sets; :60 rest
+
3 rounds for time:
24 AirDyne calories
18 wall balls, 14 to 10
12 tough strict ring rows
+
Not for time:
100m heavy double KB/DB overhead carry

complete

+

A. 245, then 5 @ 210

B1. complete

B2. 125, 140, 150(FPP), 150, 155(FPP)

+

9:37

+

complete with 53lb KBs

Front squats felt HEAVY today, very different from last week.  245 was really sticky on the way up.  First 2 singles at 210 felt way heavier than they should have, but the last 3 started feeling easier.  Also - got extremely lightheaded on every single rep today, like, so much that I had to hold on to the rack for a couple of seconds.  That was weird.  That's happened before on heavy singles, but it was of the ordinary to happen at lighter weights, especially the later singles that felt easier...

Rest was minimal between the first 2 clusters of each set, but then became a little longer before the 3rd and a little longer (0:10 to start, then 0:15 by the end) before the 4th cluster.  Failed the last rep on the 4th set twice by not waiting long enough.  

Effing push press. These all felt terrible today.

Breathing got pretty high on the 3 rounds.  Pushed the AD a little harder than last week (probably 92%ish, if I had to put a number on it), which made the wallballs much harder.  All broken 10/8, but definitely rested too much after dropping it.  First 2 rounds of ring rows were unbroken, the last one was 8/4.  Happy to go faster this week even with an increase in reps.

Overhead carry done in 2x 50m.  The 53s felt pretty easy, so after the first 50m I considered jumping to the 70s... but chickened out on cleaning them (twice).  I could probably clean then with a little more practice, but wasn't gonna happen today.

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. Paused front squat, build to a max @ 21X1, then perform 7 front squat singles @ that weight w/no tempo; rest as needed between singles to ensure solid reps
B1. Unweighted strict pull-ups on rings, 5 x AMRAP in :60; :60 rest
B2. 1 push press + 2 push jerks, build to a tough set in 5 sets; :60 rest
+
For time:
75 AirDyne calories
50 wall balls, 14 to 10
25 tough strict ring rows
+
Not for time:
200m light/moderate double KB/DB overhead carry

complete
+
A. complete @ 245
B1. 9, 8, 7, 7, 7
B2. 125, 135, 145, 150, 155(F PP)
+
9:53
+
complete with 35lb KBs

Great training day!

Front squats felt good working up to the 245.  245 wasn't as hard as I was expecting it to be, so considered trying 250.  Very glad I didn't, because the 7 singles got pretty tough by the end.

Ring pull-ups felt better than last week; was able to knock out a slightly bigger set in the beginning (5, then 4s), then singles or doubles to finish out each minute.  Still a lot of standing around, but also had 2 or 3 failed reps where I didn't wait long enough.

Only the push press at 145 felt solid.  Every other push press felt really tough (even the lighter ones) - still not using my legs for the most part on these.  It makes SUCH a difference when I do, but I couldn't tell you what I did differently on that one rep.  I just know it flew up without issue.

Thought the FT piece was going to be much worse than it was.  Finished the 75 calories at 5:45, going about 85%.  Wallballs broken 15/10/10/8/7.  Ring rows broken 10/8/7.  Quads and shoulders were blown up, but breathing was totally under control, which is a huge improvement.

Took the OH carry outside, and broken into 4 segments of approximately 50m each.  Felt solid.

Thursday

AM
10:00 light scap activation
+
A. 1 paused front squat, 21X1 + 2 front squat, build to a max
B1. Unweighted strict pull-ups on rings, 5 x AMRAP in :60; :60 rest
B2. 1 push press + 3 push jerks, build to a tough set in 5 sets; :60 rest
+
AMRAP in 12:00:
15 AirDyne calories
12 tough strict ring rows
9 wall balls, 14 to 10
+
Not for time:
100m snatch-grip overhead carry, very heavy

PM
Oly class

AM
complete
+
A. 235 (PR+5)
B1. 7, 6, 6, 5, 6
B2. 150
+
5 rounds + 14 calories
+
complete with 135

PM
45:00 snatch (up to 115) + 15:00 CJ (up to 135)


Front squats felt good!

Ring pull-ups did not feel good.  Opened every minute with a set of 3, but then was doing mostly singles and a few doubles throughout the rest of the minute.  Lots of standing around.

Push press was a little shaky at 150, but push jerks were easy.

Went about 85% on the AirDyne and unbroken on the ring rows and wallballs with fast transitions.  Pushed the pace in the last 0:30, but couldn't finish the 15 calories.

Snatch-grip OH carry is murder on my wrists, but it wasn't any worse today than it was 20lbs lighter.  Could do this with at least 145, if not 155, next time.

Was fried coming into the Oly class.  Perhaps I should skip the ones on Thursdays - between today being day 3, and already training in the morning, and having an uncharacteristically busy day/week at work, I just wanted to sit and watch.  Snatching was really off, and spent too much time starting to overthink things that haven't been a problem recently.  Failed a number of reps.  Switched to CJ with 15:00 remaining - cleans were sloppy, but looking forward to jerking again, these felt good!

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation
+
A. 1 paused front squat, 21X1 + 1 front squat, 1-1-1-1-1-1; 2:00 rest
B1. Unweighted strict pull-ups on rings, 5 x AMRAP; :60 rest
B2. Push press, build to a heavy single in 5 sets; :60 rest
+
10 sets:
8 AirDyne calories @ high effort
7 tough ring rows, 10X0
6 wall balls, 14 to 10
:60 rest
+
Not for time:
100m double DB/KB overhead carry, very heavy

complete

+

A. 195, 205, 215, 225, 235, 240(1)

B1. 6, 5, 4, 4, 4

B2. 105, 125, 140, 155, 165F

+

complete

+

complete with 53lb KBs

+

gymnastics clinic

Kind of an off day... nothing felt as good as last week (except the ring pull-ups!)

Front squats felt heavy.  Did the paused front squat at 240, but it was a real grind standing up, so didn't attempt the second rep. 

Strict pull-ups on the rings get better and better each week.  

Push press felt good through 155... but I think I'm missing the leg drive again on these.

10 sets felt good for the first 5, and tough for the second 5.  Could have used some air flow in the corner, but it's all good; summer's almost over.  8 cals done in under 0:20 every time. 

Double KB clean and jerk was tough with the 53s the first time, but got better and better each time - broke the 100m into 3 segments.  Definitely prefer the KBs over DBs on these, so weight choices were kind of limited.  Not sure this qualified as very heavy.

Gymnastics clinic was AWESOME! We were broken up into 3 groups and spent about 40 minutes at three stations: tumbling, rings, and bars. Worked on static handstands, handstand walking, press to handstand, pirouettes, and standing back tucks. Then moved to the rings - holy shit. I am so, so close to an unassisted muscle up. A coach was spotting on the side, and I got 4 or 5 muscle ups with less and less assistance from him. On the last one, he barely touched me (but he did, so still doesn't count). Kip and swing is MUCH improved, and I'm very, very excited about practicing in the gym. So, then we rotated to the horizontal bar, and I jumped up and immediately got 2 big rips, so I skipped that station and spent the remainder of the session fooling around on the tumble track and trampoline :) Highly recommend, and can't wait to go back!

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation (pick a few pieces from the Drew Cook files)
+
A. 1 paused front squat, 21X1 + 2 front squats, 1-1-1-1-1; 2:00 rest
B1. Unweighted strict pull-ups on rings, 5 x AMRAP; :60 rest
B2. Push press, build to a tough double in 5 sets; :60 rest
+
10 sets:
10 AirDyne calories @ moderate effort
7 ring rows, 2020
5 wall balls, 14 to 10
:60 rest
+
Not for time:
100m snatch-grip overhead carry, 115

complete
+
A. 195, 205, 215, 225, 230
B1. 4, 4, 4, 4, 3
B2. 105, 125, 135, 145(1), 145(1)
+
complete
+
complete

Another solid training day!

Front squats felt really, really good today - probably the best since the Invictus days.  230 is a PR for a triple, but saw a few stars on the last rep...

Strict pull-ups on the rings get easier every week.  Almost had the second rep on the second attempt at 145, but just couldn't lock it out.  When will my overhead pressing strength return? Blahhhh.

10 sets were super easy - either I'm getting way better at aerobic work, or Stephen's going easy on me this week.  Wall balls were a joke.

Snatch grip OH carry done in 5x 20m.  Felt very stable with it overhead, but this was murder on my wrists (even with wrist wraps).

Thursday

10:00 light scap activation (pick a few pieces from the Drew Cook files)
+
A. 1 paused front squat, 21X1 + 2 front squats, 1-1-1-1-1 tough; 2:00 rest
B1. Unweighted strict pull-ups on rings, 5 x AMRAP; :60 rest
B2. Push press, build to a moderate triple in 5 sets; :60 rest
+
8 sets:
12 AirDyne calories @ moderate effort
7 ring rows, 2020
25m bear crawl
:60 rest
+
For time @ 80%:
100m L-arm overhead DB/KB carry
100m R-arm overhead DB/KB carry

Skipped due to time - will do tomorrow
+
A. 185, 195, 205, 215, 220 (video)
B1. 4, 3, 3, 3, 3
B2. 85, 105, 115, 125, 130
+
complete
+
8:40 with 60lb DB

Early morning session - done with coffee and a protein shake.  Felt surprisingly good, considering I'd been bitching about having to train early for days.  Also, first day since the CF Total that barbell work felt solid.

Front squats felt great through 215. I like the pause!  Felt like the last squat at 220 was uglier than it was on video.  Happy that what feels ugly to me now isn't nearly as bad as my ugly reps used to be.

Push press got heavy, fast.  115 was easy, and 125 was tough - kind of skipped moderate.  Shoulder felt fine, so did the last set at 130, which was definitely tough for today.

Had a really hard time getting the DB overhead, especially with the left arm.  I thought I'd snatched the 70lb DB before, so I was a little surprised that I could barely clean and jerk the 60lb DB.  Definitely feel more stable with a KB rather than a DB.  Both sides broken 4x 25m.

Tuesday 17 June

AM
45:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off bike every 5:00 for 5 ring rows @ 2020

PM
A. Squat clean from blocks (mid-thigh), build quickly to a heavy but fast single
B. Back squat, build to a set of 10 (add 5 from last week)
+
8 sets sets:
350m row
:40 front leaning rest on rings
2:30 rest

AM
complete

PM
A. 175, 180Fx1
B. 10 @ 240
+
complete; each row got a little faster
row splits (/500m average):
2:10.0
2:07.9
2:06.6
2:05.2
2:03.8
2:02.8
2:01.6
2:00.9

Blocks were maybe just a tad high... still mid-thigh, but a little closer to hip than knee (two smallest blocks + rubber tops).  Haven't cleaned off the blocks much at all, and it took a few reps to get used to it.  Elbows weren't fast enough to get the 180 - caught it forward with my wrists in a weird position and called it there.

Last 2 back squats were very tough.  Not sure I have much more than that...

Wanted to do the same thing with the row/FLR piece as last week (increasing pace each round).  Which I did... but the last 3 rounds were a struggle to keep the pace under 2:05/500m.   I'm kinda annoyed that I have a hard time keeping a 2:00/500m pace... I feel like I should be a better rower than that.  Rested probably 0:10 longer before getting on the rings than last week in the later rounds.  This felt like it dragged on forever today.  The humidity didn't help... and neither did being in the corner away from the breeze.

Shoulder was a little angry after the 90 minutes with Drew Cook right before training... a lot of what he said made sense, but I don't think my shoulder is as bad as he made it sound, so I'm not sure I agree 100% with what he wants to do moving forward.  Going to see him again on Thursday, but anxious to talk to Stephen about it when he gets back...

Tuesday 10 June

AM
45:00 AirDyne @ Z1, off bike every 5:00 for 5 ring rows @ 2020

PM
A. Squat clean, 12 x 1 waveload @ 155-165-175; begin a set every :60
B. Back squat, build to a set of 10 (add 5-10 from last week)
+
10 sets:
250m row
:30 front leaning rest on rings
2:00 rest

AM

complete

PM
A. complete
B. 10 @ 235
+
complete; each row got a little faster from 1:06.3 to 0:59.6
row splits:
1:06.3
1:06.3
1:05.7
1:05.2
1:04.4
1:04.2
1:03.2
1:01.9
1:01.0
0:59.6

Up and at the AM session much earlier than usual, and first full day back at work in 10 days meant that I was exhausted going into in the PM session, but it actually ended up being a great training day.  Squat cleans all felt solid, very happy that I can consistently hit 175!  Back squats were tough but manageable.  Wasn't excited about the row/FLR piece at all, but actually really enjoyed it.  First two rows felt great and totally sustainable at about 2:12/500m pace, so decided to play with the pacing a little bit and see if I could make each one just a little faster - and I succeeded!  Pacing is not my strong suit... haha.  I ended up exactly where I wanted to, so pleased with that.  Aerobically, felt awesome.

Shoulder feels the same.  No better, no worse.  Felt a little tight at times going into the squat cleans and back squats, but not painful and it went away as I got deeper into the sets. 

And definitely ready to get back on the wagon food-wise after last week's ice cream extravaganza.

FOODS	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Cholest	Sodium	Sugars	Fiber
Breakfast
Egg - Whole, Raw, Extra Large, Xl, 3 egg	240	0g	15g	21g	630mg	240mg	0g	0g
Lunch
Sweet potato - Raw, unprepared (Sweetpotato), 400 g	344	80g	0g	6g	0mg	220mg	17g	12g
Beef - Flank Steak (Usda Round Steak), 6 oz/84g	340	0g	16g	48g	140mg	60mg	0g	0g
Broccoli - Raw, 102 g	35	7g	0g	3g	0mg	34mg	2g	3g
Post-WO
Genr8 Vitargo® S2™ Muscle Fuel and Recovery Unflavored - Supplment, 1 scoops	140	35g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Beverly Int'l - Ump Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 scoop (31.5g)	120	5g	3g	20g	10mg	170mg	1g	1g
Dinner
Trader Joe's - White Jasmine Rice, 1/2 cup - Dry	320	70g	0g	6g	0mg	0mg	0g	0g
Kirkland Signature (Costco) - Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloin - Corrected, 6 oz	165	0g	2g	38g	90mg	300mg	0g	0g
Snack
Trader Joe's - Frozen Mixed Berries, 3/8 cup	40	8g	1g	1g	0mg	0mg	3g	3g
Honey - Clover, 0.25 Tablespoon (21g)	15	4g	0g	0g	0mg	0mg	4g	0g
Trader Joe's - Greek Style 0% Nonfat Plain Yogurt, 1 cup (56.8 g)	120	7g	0g	22g	0mg	70mg	6g	0g
TOTAL:	1,879	216g	37g	165g	870mg	1,094mg	33g	19g