Friday

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

PM
A. Front squat w/no sleeves, 2-2-1-1, 20X1; 2:30 rest
B. Pendlay row, 4 x 2-3, 20X0; 2:00 rest
+
For 14:00:
Evens: 5 CTB pull-ups
Odds: 10 wall balls, 14 to 9'
+
1 time through steady:
100m light stone carry
100m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
100m prowler push

AM

(swapped with tomorrow's)
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. 223(2), 233(2), 243(1), 253(1)

B. 153, 163, 173, 183(2)

+

complete

+

7:43 with 140 on the prowler


Today was great!  Except for being so freaking sore.  Holy shit, I feel like I've been hit by a train.  Lats/pecs (75 TTB) and glutes/hamstrings/adductors/quads (75 air squats).  Surprisingly, abs wouldn't even make the top 10 list of most sore muscles.

Happy to finally be back to hitting respectable squats.  243 was a really solid rep - depth was buried, and a little slow on the way up but no sticky points.  253 was very, very heavy - depth was right at parallel, and got stuck on the way up (which I could only get through by rounding my back in my signature style). Officially the most I've ever squatted without knee sleeves, and only 7# off my max.  Sweet.  Knee feels great.  (Wore Olys and a belt).

Pendlay rows were heavy.  Again, limited by grip.

EMOM was super easy, everything unbroken and felt like I had tons of time to rest.

Last piece was different.  The stone carry and FW were both very easy, I split these into 50m/50m.  Weight choice was perhaps slightly ambitious on the prowler, this took over half the total time to complete.  Made 3x 20m, then started stopping every 10m.

Tuesday

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

complete 

0:15 L-sit across 

+

complete 

90 on the prowler on very sticky floors 

+

complete 

held a 20lb wallball

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

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

SO HAPPY TO BE OFF. 

Wednesday

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

PM
A. Front squat w/no sleeves, 4 x 2-3, 20X1; 2:30 rest
B. Pendlay row, 4 x 3-4, 20X0; 2:00 rest
+
For 14:00:
Evens: 1 bar muscle-up + 4 CTB pull-ups
Odds: 10-15' handstand walk
+
For time @ 90%:
12 stone-over-shoulders, small stone
200m run
50m Farmer's walk, 100/hand
400m run

AM

subbed 22:00 AirDyne @ Z1

PM

A. 193, 203, 213, 223(2)

B. 143, 153, 158(3), 158(3)

+

3 sets complete 

3 failed BMUs 

ripped and called it 

+

5:30


Got to the gym a little before 5pm and it immediately stressed me out.  So many people.  So little space for activities.

Front squats felt okay - in nanos and with a belt.  Felt like my upper back was rounding quite a bit on the later sets.

Pendlay rows continue to be limited by grip.  Can I / should I use straps?

Made my first attempt at a BMU, which surprised me.  Doing the CTBs after the BMU was way harder than the TTB last week; the kip wasn't the same.  Still able to butterfly, but it wasn't smooth.  Missed the 4th and 5th BMU, but still did the CTBs (one of these sets was not butterfly, I was swinging all over the place).  Then missed the 6th BMU and ripped, so called it.  Handstand walks would have been easy if I had a place to do 10-15', but it was so crowded that I kept moving around each minute to stay out of peoples' way.

Last piece was fast and fun.  I always like shouldering stones.  Jogged most of the first 200m before I realized that I should be going faster than a jog.  FW may have  been a bit shorter than a true 50m, there was no space on the comp side where I would normally do 50m so I had to go through the class side while they were doing burpees.  Tried to push the pace on the last run, still not a sprint but it was definitely faster than the first 200m.  

Then I had a lovely dinner with Brandie and Leah, which was much needed.  There was a lot of laughing and also a horrible few minutes after we all ingested very, very potent jalapenos.

Talked with Mike a bit today.  I'm taking 2 weeks off from counting macros.  He tried to talk me off the ledge that taking some time off won't completely derail all my progress, but I only halfway believe him.  Why is my personality wired so that everything is all or nothing?  Why am I missing the "moderation" setting?  

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 7 glute-ham sit-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [3 kipping handstand push-ups + 150m row]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean & split jerk, build to a heavy single
B1. 1 segmented snatch-grip deadlift (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh) + 1 snatch pull, 4 x 1 starting @ 1RM snatch & adding 10/set; :15 between all reps, :60 rest
B2. Hand-release push-ups, 4 x 15 fast; 2:00 rest
+
3 rounds for time:
10m handstand walk
8 stone-over-shoulder, 95
50 double-unders
+
1200m row w/increasing effort every 300m (2:10-2:05-2:00-very hard)

AM

Complete

PM

A. 185, failed jerk @ 190 (video)

B1. 135, 145, 155, 165

B2. Complete 

+

8:15

+

Complete 

Handstand push-ups were AWFUL.  I feel like I've lost all the progress I made on these in the spring.  Never made a set of 3 unbroken, lots of singles with a couple doubles and a couple fails.

Clean and jerk @ 175 was crisp and beautiful. Clean was easy @ 185 but jerk was a little soft. Cleaned 190 without an issue but failed the jerk. Video revealed that elbows dropped to point down at the floor on the jerk dip - never had a chance to save it. Didn't film any of the successful jerks, not sure if my elbows always do that or if that was one of my classic "oh it's getting heavy, let's change everything!" fails. Tried to clean 190 again but lost it forward and moved on. 

Snatch pulls at 135 and 145 were excellent; didn't get quite as high at 155 or 165. Hand-release push-ups were all very fast and easy. Also had an easier time keeping elbows tucked in - I feel like that's a result of all the scap work. 

All handstand walks and all double unders unbroken!! Transitions were a little slow because I was really wanting to recover enough to do each piece unbroken, even though that wasn't necessarily the goal. First round done in 2:00 flat, but then second and third rounds took just over 3:00 each. Stones got a little tough by the 3rd round, which surprised me. 

The row was really challenging. Never held exactly the pace I was supposed to. Bounced up and down a lot in the first 300m (2:07 to 2:15). Then was solidly 2-3 seconds slower at 2:05 and 2:00. Final 300 was awful - I built pace a little more slowly than last week to make sure I didn't flame out, but then couldn't get under 1:50 in the final 150m. 

Saturday

AM
10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 5 glute-ham sit-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [1-2 freestanding handstand push-up + 150m row]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean & split jerk gauntlet, 1-1-1-1-1 80-90% 1RM; 2:00 rest
B1. 1 segmented snatch-grip deadlift (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh) + 2 snatch pulls, 3 x 1 starting @ 1RM snatch & adding 10/set; :15 between all reps, :60 rest
B2. Ring push-ups, 3 x 15 unbroken; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
50 double-unders
10 stone-over-shoulder
10m handstand walk
50 double-unders
10m handstand walk
10 stone-over-shoulder
50 double-unders
+
1000m row w/increasing effort every 200m (2:15-2:10-2:05-2:00-very hard)

AM

complete

PM

A. 155, 165x4

B1. 135, 145, 155

B2. Complete 

+

7:07

+

Complete

Kind of an off day; upper body is really sore (guessing from gymnastics?) and needed an extra hour of sleep and an extra cup of coffee to get moving this morning.

Freestanding HSPUs were awful today - successfully got 1 each round, but usually not on the first try.

Clean and jerks felt harder than they should have at that weight.  (I ignored the "gauntlet" part - thought that was a typo from last week?)

Snatch work and ring push-ups felt really good!  SSGDLs felt really light, and snatch pulls were really high at 135 and 145 (less so at 155, but still solid).  Ring push-ups were easy.

Stone/DU/handstand walk thing was AWESOME.  Super fun.  All double unders unbroken!!! 

Another successful week ending with the row, but it was really difficult today.  Couldn't find 2:15 in the beginning - took almost the whole 200m to finally settle in at that pace.  Started to get really tired with 300m left (half-way through the 2:00 pace) but held on.  Finished holding 1:44 and was in the mid-1:40s much earlier than last week.  Really happy that I was able to stick to each pace pretty much spot on.  That's a new talent!

Saturday

AM

10:00 @ 70% of [200m jog + 5 glute-ham sit-ups]
5:00 rest
10:00 @ 70% of [max freestanding handstand hold + 150m row]
+
20:00 shoulder mobility + scap pre/re-hab

PM
A. Squat clean & split jerk gauntlet, 1 every :60 starting @ 145 and adding 5 every :60
B1. Segmented snatch-grip deadlift clusters (pause just off ground, just below knees, & mid-thigh), 2 x 1.1 very heavy; :30 between singles, 2:30 rest
B2. Ring push-ups, 2 x 20 unbroken; 2:00 rest
+
5-4-3-2-1 for time:
Stone-over-shoulder
Wall walks
20 double-unders after every movement
+
1000m row w/increasing effort every 200m so that last 200m is near all-out

AM
complete

PM
A. 180, failed jerk at 185

B1. 205, 215

B2. Complete 

+

9:37

+

Complete 

Handstand holds weren't 100% static (moved hands around a bit), but was upside-down for 0:25-0:40 each time. 

Gauntlet was tough - I was pretty tired by the bar @ 175. Cleans all felt solid, but none of the jerks were crisp. Failed jerk at 185 was way forward. 

It was harder to keep my hook grip on the ssgdl than usual... 

Ring push-ups felt good and easy!

Stones and wall walks were totally easy, but effing double unders were all over the place today. I think every set following the wall walks was unbroken, but every set following the stones was broken at least once or twice. 

Very happy with the row. I started out extremely conservatively, but I LOVED breaking this into 200m chunks. It helped me with pacing and gauging effort (and not going out too hot!), which I always struggle with. Probably should have started around 2:15 and had the second to last chunk around 1:55. Down to 1:43 for the last 5-7 pulls and felt really strong through the finish. Hooray for not ending a Saturday with failure on the erg! 

Wednesday

AM
For 45:00 @ Z1:
500m row
15 AirDyne calories
200m jog
15 light reverse hypers

PM
A. Clean-grip deadlift clusters, 4 x 1.1.1 starting @ 245 and adding from there; :10 between reps, 2:30 rest
B. Weighted flat-surface dips, 3 x 3-4, 21X1; 2:00 rest
+
For time @ 80%:
18 stone-over-shoulders, 95
18 burpee toes-to-bar
+
5:00 rest
+
For time:
:60 front leaning rest on ground
15 unbroken Russian kettlebell swings, very heavy
:60 front leaning rest on ground
15 unbroken Russian kettlebell swings, very heavy
:60 front leaning rest on ground
+
3 sets not for time:
7-9 glute-ham raises, 20X1 - weight if possible

AM

complete; +50 on the reverse hyper

PM
A. 245, 265, 275, 285
B. +5(4), +10(4), +15(3)
+
5:21
+
5:24 with the 88lb KB
+
8, 7, 7 with a 25lb DB

Another good day!

AM session felt really good this morning.  I was surprised to actually be somewhat comfortable on the reverse hyper for the first time ever.

CGDL were tough at 285, but happy to get 3 reps at my 1RM.  Last one was pretty slow.

Stone/burpeeTTB was fun - forgot that it said 80%, and went out a little hot on the first 10 stones (0:60).  I'd never done burpee TTB before... I had a better rhythm doing the TTB almost strict.  Pace dropped significantly on these after the first 5-6 reps.

Again - shoulders were fried going into the second FLR.  First FLR unbroken, then broken 0:30/0:30 with 0:10 rest for the second and third.  Surprised by how good the KBS felt, but still think 88 was the right choice for 15 UB.

Wednesday

AM
For 45:00 @ Z1:
500m row
15 AirDyne calories
200m jog
15 light reverse hypers

PM
A. Clean-grip deadlift, 7 x 1 @ 215-225-235-245-255-265-275; not for time, but only rest long enough to change weights, refocus, and get in a solid lift - probably every :30 to start, then :45-:60 for the last couple
B. Flat-surface dips, accumulate 20 solid singles; rest as needed between reps
+
For time @ 80%
16 stone-to-shoulder
200m Farmer's walk, 70/hand
:60 L-sit on rings accumulation
+
3 sets not for time:
5-7 glute-ham raises, 20X1 - weight if possible
20 hollow rocks (forward & back = 1)

AM
complete with +50 on the RH

PM
A. complete
B. complete
+
9:00
+
complete; +20(7), +25(7), +30(5) on the glute-ham raises

UGH I hate the reverse hyper so much.  But, I have a feeling I'm on the "Your deadlift sucks!" plan, so I'd better make friends with it.  Adding a 4th movement really made the morning fly by, so that was a positive.

CGDL felt super heavy today - at 255, had to double-check the plates to be sure I was adding correctly.  275 was a little grindy...

Flat surface dips were nice and easy.  Had a couple people watch to be sure that depth was good.

Stones done in just over 2:00.  Took the FW outside; made it 100m unbroken, then 50/50 on the way back.  L-sit on the rings done in 6 x 0:10 with 0:20-0:30 rest.

I think my hamstrings are going to be very sore tomorrow from the glute-ham raises... eek.

Monday

@ Next Level

A. Back squat, build quickly to a tough 3

B. 1-arm Waiter's walk, 3 x 50m/side tough; :60 between sides
+

3 sets for even times:

500m row

16 alternating pistols

8 tough med ball or stone-to-shoulders

3:00 rest

A. 280 (video)

B. complete with 53

+

Complete with 115lb stone 

5:27

5:54

6:09

Fun day! Back squats felt heavy but happy to get all 3 @ 280. Hoping for a little PR at Triple Crown in a couple of weeks :)

Rowed at 2:08-2:12. Pistols were challenging today, with a few failed reps on each leg (oly shoes but no knee sleeves). Stone choices at Next Level were 90, 115 or 130 - opted for the 115 for a bit of a challenge. Definitely started to hesitate before picking it up, and the times reflect that... 

Saturday 5 July

AM
60:00 @ easy pace:
200m run
100 single-unders
5m handstand walk
25 row cals
:60 front leaning rest on ground

PM
A. Box jump, build to a max
B. Snatch-grip deadlift clusters w/pause just below knees, 4 x 1.1; 2:00 rest
+
For time:
20 stone-to-shoulders, 95
20 tire flips w/jump in & out
100m 1-arm Farmer's walk, 100, alternate sides as needed
20m reverse sled drag, VERY HEAVY
+
3 sets:
:40 row @ max effort
5:00 rest

AM
complete

PM
A. 35.5" (PR)
B. 185, 205, 215(1.F), 205
+
8:53 with 295 on the sled
+
207m, 1:36.6/500m average
207m, 1:36.6/500m average
199m, 1:40.5/500m average

Box jump was 30" box + 15lb bumper + 2x10lb bumpers.  Failed twice with just another 0.5" or so (2x15s, 1x10).  Building with smaller size plates was easier, mentally, than the big 45 I used last time.

Couldn't keep my grip on the second 215 snatch-grip deadlift.  Got it off the ground just fine, but after the pause, it just slipped out of my hands before I stood all the way up.

Stone/tire/FW/sled thing was really, really fun.  Stones done in 2:00 flat.  Tried to keep a steady pace on the tire, but the jumps in/out were tiring and slowed me down a bit.  1-arm FW is much harder than 2 - how is this possible?  And the sled was very heavy, but could have added a little more or gone a little farther with this load.  Really loving this type of stuff!

First two row sprints felt surprisingly good, but was not recovered by the 3rd and pace was about 0:02 slower the whole way through.  Dropped off badly with 0:06 to go - average pace was sitting at a 1:38 until the final two pulls when it shifted to 1:40.  Disappointing end to a good day.

Saturday 28 June

AM
60:00 @ easy pace:
200m run
100 single-unders
:10 freestanding handstand hold
25 row cals
:60 front leaning rest on ground

PM
A. Standing triple jump, work up to a max distance
B. Snatch-grip deadlift w/pause just below knees, 4 x 1-2; 2:00 rest
+
For reps/distance:
2:00 stone-to-shoulders, 95
2:00 rest
2:00 yoke walk w/10m turnaround
2:00 rest
2:00 shuttle run w/25m turnaround
+
3 sets:
:35 row @ max effort
4:45 rest

AM
complete

PM
A. 18'7" (PR by 9")
B. 185(2), 195(2), 205(2), 215(1)
+
19
80m with 100 on the yoke
350m
+
185m, 1:34.5/500m average
185m, 1:34.5/500m average
181m, 1:36.6/500m average

Happy to PR on the triple jump, since I didn't PR the last time I did this at the OPTathlon.  Old PR was 17'10" (April 2012!) and had 5-6 jumps today that were all over 18'. Still a pathetic jumper, though... 

Snatch-grip deadlifts felt better than the last few weeks.  Should have gotten the second rep at 215 but dropped it because my thumbs were complaining.  Sad.

Stone/yoke/shuttle thing was really fun.  Wanted 20+ stone-to-shoulders, but just wasn't moving fast enough (steady the whole way through, just not super fast).  Dropping the yoke and turning every 10m took a lot of time, never really struggled here.  2:00 of shuttle runs was just stupid.  Got pretty slow in the middle.

Row sprints were awful today.  Got nauseous after the 1st one and felt terrible for at least 30:00 after... Dropped off quite a bit on the last 0:08 of the 3rd one - went from 1:32/500m to about 1:38/500m and much lower s/m (surprised the total meters was only off by 4, it felt like I dropped off way worse than this).

Saturday 21 June

AM
60:00 @ easy pace:
200m run
100 single-unders
:10 freestanding handstand hold
25 row cals
:60 front leaning rest on ground

PM
A. Standing broad jump, work up to a max distance
B. Snatch-grip deadlift w/pause just below knees, 3 x 2-3; 2:00 rest
+
Every 2:00 for 7 sets:
2 stone-to-shoulders @ 95 + 25m stone carry + 50m shuttle run w/2-hand touch to floor @ 25m turn-around
+
3 sets:
:30 row @ max effort
4:30 rest

AM
complete

PM
Oly class - worked on squat cleans 
+
A. 6'7"
B. 175(3), 185(2), 185(3)
+
complete
+
159m / 1:34.3/500m average / 48s/m
160m / 1:33.7/500m average / 45s/m
158m / 1:34.9/500m average / 41s/m

Today was really great!  Bummed that I missed the last few Oly classes, so really wanted to participate today even though the bum shoulder limited me to just squat cleans.  Built up to 165 easily, then stayed there and hit 10-12 really solid singles.  Need to work both full extension and staying tight in the catch - had 2-3 awesome ones today where I did both at the same time, but typically I have a tendency to cut the last pull short (but then I can stay tight), or else I do a good job of extending on the last pull but then collapse a little bit at the catch.  Still quite pleased with how far these have come.

Broad jumps were fun! Did 6-8 attempts and all were within about 3" of each other.

Hands felt trashed on the snatch-grip deadlifts.  Should have had 3 on the first set at 185, but went to re-grip at the bottom and wimped out.  Need to remember to shave down my callouses for barbell work, not just pull-ups/toes to bar...

Stone/shuttle run thing was super fun, even though it was quite the obstacle course today.

Row sprints were terrible, especially the 3rd one.  Stroke rate was slower from the beginning (but pace was pretty similar to the first 2, so I feel like each pull was still strong), and last 0:05 dropped off much more than the first 2.  Happy that I can hang in the low 1:30s for 0:25+.  Black rower, damper @ 6.

Have been doing an enormous amount of t-spine mobility and all the shoulder exercises Drew Cook prescribed, and I think it's already making a difference.  Shoulder feels good, except I can still find a few positions that are uncomfortable.  I feel like I already have better posture and more control over my shoulder blades, and all these strange little muscles in between them are quite sore from all the exercises.  I really think I've never used some of these guys before...

Saturday 14 June

AM
60:00 @ easy pace:
200m run
100 single-unders
:10 freestanding handstand hold
25 row cals
:60 front leaning rest on ground

PM
A. Box jump, build to a tall single
B. Snatch-grip deadlift w/pause just below knees, 3 x 3-4; 2:00 rest
+
For 12:00:
Evens: 2 stone-to-shoulders, 95
Odds: 50m shuttle run (2-hand touch to floor @ 25m turn-around)
+
3 sets:
:25 row @ max effort
4:05 rest

AM
complete

PM
A. 34" (PR)
B. 155(4), 165(4), 175(4)
+
complete
+
134m; 1:33.2 average (briefly saw 1:28!); 48s/m
133m; 1:33.9 average (never got below 1:30); 46s/m
133m; 1:33.9 average (briefly saw 1:29); 48s/m

Had a harder time than I thought I would with the freestanding handstand hold - only had a couple of good several-second stretches, but mostly moved my hands around a lot without going too far in 0:10.  I used to be really good at static holds...

First time going for a max box jump - highest I'd ever done before was 31" (34" = one 45lb bumper plate on top of the 30" box).  Added a 10lb bumper to this and failed about 6-8 times.  First try was the closest, got my feet on top of the plates but didn't stand up and bounced right off the top.  Most of the rest of the attempts were false starts or else I'd jump up and split my feet to land on the box instead of the plates.  Afraid of epically failing, even though I never have...

Always enjoy stone to shoulders :) This part was fun and easy!

That extra 0:05 made the row sprints really terrible.  Same as last week - took a couple of pulls to get into the low 1:30's, then managed to stay between 1:30-1:32 for the duration.  Didn't feel nearly as powerful as last week even though pace was pretty similar, and felt like s/m slowed in the last couple of pulls (I know it did, saw 51s/m for at least a few seconds on the first one...).  New black rower, damper @ 6.

Shoulder continues to improve!

Tuesday 1 April

2 sets, not for time:
40-50 double-unders
16 alternating pistols
15-20m handstand walk
+
for 30:00, rotate through the following stations EMOM:
1. 25m prowler push
2. 3 stone to shoulders
3. 4 HSPU

complete
+
complete; +90 on the prowler; skipped one prowler push at 21:00; only 3 HSPU on the last round (but 4 HSPU UB for 9 rounds!)

Definitely notice improvement in all these skills today (DUs, pistols, HSPU) over the past few months.  It was fun using the stone!  Really digging these 30:00 EMOMs.

Thursday 9 August

Today is my one-year anniversary of joining CSC!  I can't believe it's already been a year, and I can't believe it's only been a year.  This has been the best, and happiest, year of my life.  I feel confident and focused and strong.  I remember what it's like to be competitive, and how much I like to win, which has translated from the gym and improved my personal and professional life.  I regularly exceed the goals I set for myself, and I consistently surprise myself with what I can do when I stop thinking and start doing.  I'm learning to accept myself as I am while still striving to improve.  I have only lost about 8lbs (and a little more than 5 inches), but I have gained respect for my body and what it can do.  I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

930am:
5 sets of:
1 stone to shoulder
5 tire flips
yoke carry down and back (+100lbs)
+
sitting sled pull (attached to big rope; +165lbs)

1045am: eggs scrambled with chicken, broccoli and sweet potato

6pm: wine; olives; cheese; pork chop; steamed broccoli; baked sweet potato; peach

grocery:
$23.67 at Whole Foods (wine, olives, butter, cheese)