"And in those simple beautiful movements I remembered what was really important in training; that consistency trumps intensity; all the time. That intensity is born from consistency. That one cannot force it, one has to lay in wait for it, patiently, instinctively, calmly and be ready to grab it when Grace lays it down in front of you."
Well this was damn close to a miracle that I got this workout in. Slept for shit last night after my traps and shoulders woke me up at 10 pm for no discernible reason. It could have been the presses but it might also have been the heavier tradionally done laterals OR the hangs I did that morning.
Either way I had almost no sleep and couldn't get my traps and delt(s) to calm down. Tracy dug into my traps and I worked the teres all day but it didn't release. I felt tons of tension in the flexor pollicus longus but didn't have the time to work it enough to release it.
By the time I got home today I could barely lift my right arm over my head at all but I was hoping the snatch would reset the shoulder and the musculature like it has done so many time. It took a few sets but it did :)
Snatch
12 kg x 5/5 x 2
14 kg x 5/5 x 2
16 kg x 5/5
x 10/10
18 kg x 10/10 x 4 sets
20 kg x 10/10 x 4 sets
the heavier I went the better it felt and the more the shoulder opened up For some reason both pecs were locked down tight last night as well. So weird but the overhead positioned, when arrived at via the snatch, for me, really counter balances it all.
Not a pr but good solid work and not too hard even considering I was fighting not just the weight of the bell buy my own tightness
Goblet squats
4 x 5 with 20 kg
best ever, really starting to love this movement
legs feel great
Walking lunges , bodyweight ( with counter arm motion)
4 laps of 60 feet.
these went GREAT and adding in the arm motion made a huge difference. and the easiest I've ever lunged. knees were touching the ground effortlessly.if I'm ok tomorrow these are in.
datsit. crazy good that I got this in. NOW I have to actually SLEEP tonight!
Well just it goes to show you you can't pick the workouts that are going to shine. I thought today's presses would go easy. I slept great, got a solid shoulder stretchout, ate well was mentally ready and then; meh.
I got the reps alright but they weren't right. The bell felt heavy in the rack and there was no zip on the presses. I should have dropped to singles but I ground out six sets instead, dropping to the 24 kg for some triples that weren't that great either( that was a sign).
Saturday's workout took more out of me than I thought even though I wasn't sore or achy at all. Just tired it seems.
'Just another brick for the foundation
KB press
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 3/3
24 kg x 2/2
28 kg x 2/2 x 5 sets
1/1 x 1 ( first rep sucked so I stopped- spun out early)
24 kg x 3/3 x 2 sets
.....next.
Belt squat
32 kg x 10
x 12
x 14
x 20 !!! ALL reps the bell paused on the floor.solid flex at each lockout too. Nice!
on this set I also did a free squat ( no tug of war with glenn) and got it to pause as well. Definitely different groove but it's coming and I can see how the tug of war squats are helping to transfer to the free ones( as well as ALL the bodyweight squats I do all day. Counted 60 today at work :)
Db laterals
12 lbs x 15
15 lbs x 10 x 3 sets
best these have felt. groove was solid and arms stayed in correct alignment and shoulders didn't hurt at all. heaviest yet.
sled pull
92 lbs x 250 x 4
VERY strong and powerful. could be time for more weight.
Great walk today! A solid one hour 45 minutes and I finally was able to finish strongly, as opposed to just slogging in :) Legs still felt good at the end and neither ankle gave me any trouble. Lap speed started slow as usual- about 8:20 per lap, but the last three were right around the 8 minute mark and I wasn't trying to speed up, it just happened, as it should.
Each lap I did my squat stretches and narrowed the stances down to three: close stance for seiza, medium stance as for my front squat and a wide, horse stance for that type of adductor/glute strength/stretch. All felt solid and my squat is at a new level as of the last few weeks.
Shoulders still holding up great and the back is good as well. Didn't feel any residual from yesterday's workout which is the goal.
Good day. This is a recent pr ( 200 reps, best ever is 400 back in 2008) and a solid one for me. No problem at all. Just another day at the office. Last month I did 160 in 8 sets, this was just two sets more. Had plenty more in the tank. Shoulder was good and got a 20 minute stretchout this morning pre workout. Everything's working correctly for a change.
one arm swings
16 kg x 5/5/ x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 10/10 x 10
200 reps
14,00 lbs! Nice!
Two hand swings
44 kg x 5,6,7,8, 9, 10
45 swings
these were strong but I should have done more reps. no worries, always next week. Each was very fast and powerful so that was good.
Db rear delts
db thumb down lateral
4 sets of 15-12 with 12 lbers
easy peasy
and out. going to add in goblet squat on this day too next week . fast paced today with only Joe and me there, so that added another intensity component. Basically I go, you go speed. Random changes in rest are perfect. Just an organic process.
datsit.
Neverquit
full ruck walk tomorrow at o dark thirty. can't wait :)
What a day! Had a solid 1.5 hour break this AM and really put it to good use. full lower and upper body stretchout, mobility work and leg drills PLUS my first real "run" in 27 years! hahahaha, that's crazy to write much less think about.
I used to run A LOT. Twice a day, seven days a week for almost two years. I once ran 50 miles by myself just to see if I could and I did a marathon race 6 months after taking up running. I loved to run and even though I wasn't fast I could go forever. For that reason ultra marathon events appealed to me and I studied the sport and the people and their training methods intently.
One of my big influences was Marine ultra marathoner Frank Bozanich. This guy was not just a skinny marathoner but a muscular tough marine. that's what I wanted to be at the time . He did 100 mile runs like they were nothing and had a look of a fighter.
But the main thing was the incredible freedom of movement and travel running gave me. All I needed was some shoes and shorts and the world was my gym. I used to travel around town running and walking for quite awhile and would often run to and from friend's house to visit them.
They thought I was crazy when I told them how I got there and they were right. It was 1978/79 after all and running wasn't anywhere near as popular or common as it is now.
In fact most runners were thought of as very weird indeed.
But I weighed 135 and it wasn't easy to get dates at the time being short, skinny AND broke so I went back to bodybuilding. If I would have kept SOME running in the mix I would have fared much better down the line imo but bodybuilders didn't run and my obsessive perfectionism told me I couldn't either so I didn't .
But I could.
Until one day I couldn't and I really knew, in my heart, what I was missing. Then I started to having dream where I was running and it was glorious. I could run effortlessly, strongly and forever and I also woke up feeling better until I looked down and put my weight on my knee and knew it was a dream I really wouldn't ever do in real life again.
Until today.
I've been doing the 100 ups for months every day and lately they turned into 100 up minor then major for another 50-100 steps and all of a suddent I could run in place! It was real running too
Then I found myself just, kinda, striding out as I walked down the length of the studio using the Pose method. I would just lean more and more as I walked and as I started to fall I let myself break out into a trot!
It was great and I knew I could run more than 5-8 strides but I didn't want to be greedy and go too fast.
I had Curtis Cramblett of R.I.F. physical therapists check out my stride and he ok'd it as not too bad.
Then today after a full leg/ squat stretchout and mobs I did the above. That video was probably the third take and it was intoxicating. I really was afraid to really "do it" as I wasn't sure how the leg would hold up but I just wanted to keep going :)
My brain knows how to run that's for sure but I have to go slowly.
Really slowly as the implant is not going to like it in the long run but a little is fine.I have to get in some shallow water and practice my gait there, with no impact. That's coming but today was an amazing day.
But I can analyze my stride with the video and that is giving me tons of data already.
then
Snatch
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 6/6 x 11 sets
132 reps
6996 lbs
these were tougher than expected. I was stiffer than expected from Monday's workout as well as the mornings running. But it warmed up well and by set five I was feeling the groove.I guess I hadn't spent enough time on opening up my upper body but it's ok
Goblet squat
16 kg x 5 x 2
20 kg x 5
24 kg x 5
WOW. these were deeper and easier than ever! Using starrets jump stretch band squats seems to have done something interesting to my squat depth I was lower easier than ever. Very fun
Farmers walks
2 24 kg x 200 feet x 4 laps
wow this was tough! concentrated on using a hook and not a deep grip as well as keeping the arms locked out completely the entire time. I think this is a keeper. feels like even though it works the grip it will also help stretch out the biceps/forearms more.we'll see tomorrow.
so far the S hook teres release is doing the trick and the right shoulder is as pain free as it's been in 8 months.
nice
datsit.
neverquit.
you never know when you are going to have an epic day. :)
Surprisingly great press day today ( the title could be a giveaway) even though I didn't realize I was pressing and not snatching until mid morning :) I wrote I had to prepare for a 24 kg snatch workout today, and was, until this AM when I realized I had to press and not snatch. Much relieved although I felt very recovered today any way.
My shoulders have been feeling as good as they have in years lately as I've been religious about releasing the teres major with the S hook device and that seems to do the trick. That, and the straight arm ring work have been magic.
I just lodge that ball in any various parts of the teres that light up and hold it there til they calm down. And then so does my shoulder.
But I was still surprised when my press warmups went great and when I got to the work weight, the 28 kg, I did doubles instead of singles and thought I could have done triples easily as well. BIG difference.
I had to rotate less to get under it,the elbow didn't spin out so early or so much and the overhead position on both arms was much better.
Crazy.
When you least expect it :)
But I grabbed it
KB Press
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 3/3
24 kg x 2/2 ( a sign)
28 kg x 2/2 x 5 sets
24 kg x 5/5 x 1 ( easy! could have done 8-10 each ! So weird.)
KB Cleans
32 kg x 3/3
haven't done this in years as well. getting tight with the weight before the press and feeling zipped up is EVERYTHING in my press. I've only been feeling that full body connected tightness in the last few weeks. I took for granted all the strength I had gotten from 21 years of bodybuilding and powerlifting. It lasted a good long time after I stopped the barbell but it finally gave out the last two years. It's finally started to come back again since I got my new knee! Just in freakin' time, too. It was close. :)
Belt squat
40 kg x 10
x 12 x 3 ( each rep touched the floor and paused!)
this was crazy deep and strong as well! weighed 160.4 this morning, heaviest in a long time and bodyfat was the same as it's been. that left leg must be growing :)
DB laterals
4 sets of 12 with 12 lbs
these even felt easy and good. shoulders did this movement with the best mechanics in years. that's a sign
sled drag
92 lbs 250 ft x 4 laps
up on toes and leaning in. feel like I can run with it
datsit.
Neverquit ( you just never know when things will turn around !)
Didn't know exactly how this would go, given that I missed last weeks walk.Yesterday's work was tough but strong and I wasn't sure how that would effect today. Not to worry, everything went very well. Started off slow, as usual but the legs felt loose and relatively fast for about 3/4's of the walk.
Then my right ankle started saying hello, nothing serious but just a little wonky so I decided to do just nine laps instead of ten and that proved to be a good choice. Ankle is fine but I didn't want to push anything at all. I am more concerned about giving my feet and ankles time to adapt than my knee.
I haven't walked or conditioned my feet for beans for the last 25 years and the last thing I want it to tweak something there that prevents me from walking or hiking, so make haste slowly is the rule to live by. Small issues with small bones in the can turn into giant pains in the asses and I'm not taking that chance.
I walked 1 hour 35 minutes with the 30 lb pack. Got a solid stretchout first as well. the squat stretches went well also. Got deeper faster and easier than ever, in each stance as well.This is definitely the way to go for me. One rep strength did zippo for my leg functionality, size, endurance or useable day to day strength.
My legs were best ,most functional and most balanced when I was a bodybuilder doing tons and tons of reps and exercises , but even MORESO when I was an ultra athlete doing serious bike riding and climbing. Nothing built my legs and calves up better than that. Nothing before or since.They were functional pistons of power :)
datsit. heavy snatches tomorrow so got to prepare for that as well.
