Strong ruck

This went very well. Legs and lungs were solid and while it was hot I had no issues. Pace was consistent all six laps except for a little calf tightness on the 5th lap after I had to get a stone out of my shoe and I think just tied the laces too tight.

After I loosened them the issue went away  so perhaps that's the problem, too tight over the top of the arch somehow restricting dorsi flexion

50 lb ruck

6 laps

6836 steps

3.0 miles

55 min 

laps around 7:30-8 min/.5 mile

BW 176.2

BF 13.7

175 lb Press 8 sets of 2,24 kg speed swings 5 x 8/8, wt pushups

Wow, back on track. And what a different groove. I changed the unracking and that changed everything. I was not welding the bar onto my body of late and I ended up too upright. I was unracking it, then laying back and trying to get tight but I have to get under it before I unrack it, then lay back a little more and I'm there!

At least today ,lol :)

I've been feeling this for weeks but didn't really take the time to adjust the setup. I have to wedge myself under the bar and come up in just the same arch as I want to press it.

Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2
155 x 1
175 x 2 x 8 sets

24 kg speed swings
 5 x 8/8 strong and fast!

wt pushups horiz bar
bw x 10
53 x 10
85 x 10 x 2

BW 177.2!
BF 13.7

215 lb Press, band experiment, floor pushups

Rough one today for a lot of reasons. Head not in the game. lots of BS with politics and clients. Tried to remove it in time but I guess it wasn't all the way out
Second, tight as fuck from the weekend and my arch wasn't near enough even though it felt like it
Third, right shoulder not quite right and my first sets with bands ( with 65 lbs) felt like I was overloaded by 20 lbs on my left! so weird
Fourth, bands not only didn't help after I took them off they really threw my groove off! Must not have had them lined up perfectly or something but it was off.

Good news  though is that I fought through some wicked sticking points so they must have helped the triceps

Press
65, 85 x 3
65 + band ( 95/115)
85 + band (115/135)
105 + band (135/155)
135 + band ( 155/185)
145 + band ( 175/195)
200 x 1 no band


lost balance

210 x 1 way off balance( not leaning back enough I now realize)
215 x X out in front ( always from not leaning enough)
215 x 1  (at top)
205 x 1 x 5 ( took me to 4th  set to get groove back)


whew glad that's over. Take away: bands only on speed day- maybe)
 floor pushups
61
61
50 ( just out of mental gas)

one arm laterals
3 x 10/10 20 lbs

BW 175.2
BF 13.9

A long slog

 Heavy legs today but overall ok. Just not fast at all. But no calf or other leg issues other than tired from yesterdays swing and pistol work
Humid as well. Sweated like a pig but good heat tolerance

50 lb ruck
12 laps
12 823 steps
8 squats
5.7 miles
1:50 min for 12 laps
2:00 total
most lap pace around 8 min

BW 175
BF 14.5

44 kg One Arm Swings, pistols practice, laterals

A very strong and powerful session. Was actually shocked and happy to see the height of the  swings on the video they didn't feel that high but the power felt good
Recovery was strong too. Three minutes / sets; hard on the lungs but very doable

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 8/8 x 10
160 reps

Pistols
3 x 5/5
very good depth much  more fluid stroke, too

laterals
3 x 10/10 x with 15s

BW 175
BF 13.9 ( post bath!)
W 57.3

Fast ruck back

One of the best thursday rucks I've had in forever. No calf problems at all and even though pretty hot out I felt strong and fast.
Average 16 min miles for the 2.8 miles
Finished in 54  min or so.

50 lb ruck
6 laps
2.8 miles
average lap time 8- 8:30

BW 175
BF 14.1

Speed press bands + free weight, 24 kg speed swings, wt pushups

Just a  wee bit tired and sore from Monday when I started. Took longer than usual to warmup
started with bar weight, then added bands and took off bar weight lol
If you're not in exactly the right position under the bar this turns into a very heavy triceps extension very fast
so went down and went back up slowly

Press
65,85
85 + bands x 2
65 + bands x 2
85 + bands x 2
105 + bands x 2 x 2
115 + bands x 2 x 6 sets


then
105 x 1 FLEW Up!
145 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 2 x 3

man this just blew up! the transfer of speed INTO the sticking point was incredible. If I can figure out how to use this as a warmup prior to a 225 press attempt it might be amazing
Hard to do though as too much work before taking off the band will tire me out prematurely and not enough might lose the transfer.
Have to think on it

24 kg swings
5 sets of 8/8

strong


wt pushups
bw x 10
53 lbs x 10 x 3

BW 176.2
BF 13.5

Max effort press with black mini band, floor pushups one arm laterals

This was good. And hard. Harder than expected and the top weights were lower than expected.
But it really showed me the groove even better than I had hoped. Don't think it's a substitute for heavy day though as the load on the chest is too light I think for long term.
I think really working it on speed day is the key

Shitty sleep for some reason and I didn't think I've have anything for this workout but it was solid once I got started

65, 85 x 3
bar + band x 3
65 + band x 2
85 + band x 2
105 + band x 2
135 + band x 1
145 + band x 1


155 + band x 1


150 + band x 1 x 4
this was solid and really showed me than when I hit the sticking point the cue is LAYBACK NOT press through. When I layed back it went well
Also have to think layback right from the press call. The only rep I missed is when I tried to press the bar and not lay back first
Tri's were really cooked after all this

Floor pushups
61
61
50

way better than I thought

One db lateral
20 lbs x 10/10 x 3
bent laterals
20 lbs x 10 x 3

BW 174
BF 14.5

Steady state ruck

A very solid one. Nothing special but super happy my shins didn't act up and pace was decent. Stopped and stretched a lot so overall time was slow but made up for it the last three laps and finished with  a nice 7:25 last half mile

50 lb ruck
12 laps
2:05
8 squat stretches
12,967 steps
5.7 miles

BW 174
BF 15.1

40kg One Arm swing 10 x 10/10, pistol practice, laterals

This was strong. The Punisher bell now :)
 Tempo was high, bell height was 'ok" ( had sat in full squat for a long time prior to the training working on the sprinkler system and my hammies were letting me know not to push too hard too soon) but wind was good, pace solid ( about 3 min between sets) and it didn't freak me out at all
 and my body felt fine and the legs were doing the work they were supposed to

One Arm Swing
16 kg x 5/5/ x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 3/3
28 kg x 3/3
32 kg x 3/3
40 kg x 10/10 x 10
200 reps
17,600 lb

 Pistol practice
3 sets of 5/5

legs were cooked!

laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 175
BF 13.9 ( no bath)
W 57.8

50 lb ruck, shoe revelations and mini band weight

Decided to try once more the Salomon high tops and once again my shins locked up and I couldn't really walk right.
Fuck
I really like these boots but I have to accept they don't work for me
Gave them away
Walked three laps and my calves felt like they were going to explode they were so pumped. Switched out to my low  top salomons and went out and finished the last three laps with ZERO calf issue.
That's definitive
Have to accept it

50 lbs ruck
6 laps
7099 step
3.2 miles

4am BW 175.2
        BF 14.8
1 pm
BW 176.6
BF 12.3 (no bath)
W 58.1
LBM 154.6 !

also decided to measure band tension on empty bar

scale weight in start position 252 lbs

- bar weight 45 lbs

- bodyweight 176

band tension at start 31 lbs

band tension at lockout 52 lbs

Just about what the website advertised their tension levels

so for yesterdays workout

at start 125 lb bar weight + 31 lbs =156 lbs

at lockout 177 If I brought bar weight to 145 and added another red band ( 10 lbs at bottom, 25 at top) that would make it 185 at bottom and 220 at top! Can also just start with band and start adding weight on max effort day til I hit top end and see what it is Interesting possibilities!~

185 bar weight + black band + 215 at bottom at 235 at top! lol

125 lb press+ mini band, 24 kg speed swings, wt pushups

This went great! better than expected. The bands pulled me into a tight coil at the start and gave great feedback for the start and really hit hard at the sticking point requiring me to keep good speed through it. Just what I was hoping
Elbows even stayed in better as well. Challenging in all the right places in all the right ways. Once I got used to it it got much easier and faster so I went up in weight. I could see adding a red mini after while too

Press
band + bar x 3
band + 65 x 2
band + 85 x 2
band + 105 x 2 x 2
band + 115 x 2 x 2
band + 125 x 2 x 8 sets
No band x 105 x 1 Man! it flew!

this really helped me stay in the right, vertical groove. It almost felt like I was in a press machine and the only way to push was straight up
this could be a game changer

24 kg one arm swings
10 sets of 8/8

spaced it and did ten sets instead of five. they were strong and easy.very fast pace too and wind was nothing. Still feel good. good sleep last night too plus a long good nap

think we'll do 8 sets of 8/8 as the base. 5 sets of snatches are harder than 5 sets of swings

wt pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3

BW 176.4
BF 13.5

chunky monkey but my 32 pants still fit fine :)

225 attempts, 215 x 1, 210 x 1 x 3 down,floor pushups 60 rep PR, laterals

what a great workout. the best since a month ago when I hit the 100 kg press. My first day back at Cal Ave in four months so I was a bit worried about a new weird routine but it turned out great. I didn't make the 225 but I missed it well, in the groove ,even though I changed shoes

I had a gut feeling the 1/2" adidas shoe would be better for letting me lean back at the start more strongly and I was right
Always trust the gut, at least for the experiment

It worked well from the start and I also figured some other things out

Have to really lean back more at the start ( thanks Nick)
Have to fall back then push ( I thought I learned this but it's crucial) after the press call. Otherwise the bar goes forward. No bueno. the little heel gives me better balance now leaning. the mistake with the shoe before was letting my chin tuck in which shifted me forwards at the sticking point. If I keep looking face up it's not an issue

1)  lay back
2) look up
3) fall back then push

Press
65 85 105 x 3
135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1 Strong~!
225 x X didn't lean back enough at start
225 x X video above a solid attempt
210 x 1 x 3 all three reps were excellent, my best ever and a PR for reps with this weight





Floor pushups
3 x 60 PR!! not sure if this a pure pr or ties it but I haven't been close in ages!
not having to grind for 4-5 reps with 225 makes a difference!

one arm laterals
3 x 10 with 20
bent laterals
3 x 10 with w 25s

BW 175.2
BF 13.9

Hot AM Ruck

 It's real summer now, even hot  at 7 am and by 9 am I was sweating more than I've sweat on a sunday in a year.
But a good ruck, calves no problem, legs and hips solid too
Not fast pace but good steady all two hours


50 lb ruck
12 laps
10 squat stretches
13,904  steps
6.2 miles!!
2:05 total

not sure why  so long  but enough stops and squats too

BW 174.8
BF 15

32 kg One Arm Swing deload week 10 x 8/8, pistols laterals

These felt great. The groove was solid and smooth and power output  high.Legs were good as was lungs

16  kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x x 8/8 x 10

Pistols 3 x 5/5

laterals and rear delts
 3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 175.2
BF 13.9 ( bath)
W 57.3

All good. Heavy press on Monday

Hot ruck

Back to mid day hot summer rucks. Not too bad for the first 41/2 laps but the last 1.5 was just me baking lol

Just being a wuss but I got it done

wore GoRuck Macv1 gen 2  and still don't love em
Calves and shins were fine but it wasn't the salomons

Legs felt solid as well as wind. Just hot overhead sun and no breeze

50 lb Ruck
6  laps
60 min
3 MPH

BW 175.2
BF 13.7

215 press x 1 x 2 , 22 kg snatches

Meh. This experiment was a success. My hypothesis failed. I thought going light on Monday would prime the pump, grease the groove, refine the timing.
It did, but it also tired me out much more than I thought it would

So now I know, Monday is not perfect but it's the  best of all possible worlds for training both heavy swings and heavy press in the same week.

The good news also is that the groove held! and the technique seemed fine, until I fatigued then I started pushing the bar forward.




Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1 decent( above) but not fast. groove was right tho
215 x 1 above
215 x X  x 2
215 x 7/8
215 x X
205 x 1
205 x X
205 x 7/8
205 x X

wow so out of it. But I was laying back well and bar path was good. I might  have had elbows too high up and elbows flared a bit too. Mainly that's from muscle fatigue

22 kg snatch
5 x 5/5

going to go back to 24 kg speed swings
I just like them better and don't feel like I'm fighting my overhead position at all


BW 176.6 !!
BF 14.7

175 lb press 10 x 2 paused, pistols, rear delts

This worked great. I didn't even realize how fatigued I've been on Mondays after heavy swings and heavy  long ruck til I didn't have to do it today

Took awhile to really warmup but the groove was solid. All the pieces fit together plus I realized I have to make sure my elbows are not up but 'not down' right before I press. I think that might be what pushes the bar forward as I press regardless of my arch or head position.
Easy fix too and really finishes the getting tight process

unrack with hips looking at spot
lock into spot and get tight( LEGS) for signal
elbows up
lay BACK as I press- hips automatically go forward
stay under as I press

Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 1
155 x 2
175 x 2 x 10 sets

last set above  best set

Pistol practice
4 sets of 5/5

bent  laterals
3 x 10 20 lbs

BW 175.2
BF 13.9

50 lb Ruck

Another solid one. no problems except little sleep from constant fireworks all night. But didn't feel bad at all once I got moving and the best part was absolutely no calf or leg issues at all. Legs felt light loose and strong

Didn't try to go real fast but the pace was solid 3+ mph

50 lb ruck
12 laps
10 squat stretches
12, 041 steps
5.3 miles ( either missed a lap or something)
2 hours almost even

BW 174.8
BF 14.5

Not that cool or breezy but I handled the temp no problem

60 and 68 kg One Arm Swings, weighted pushups, laterals

Strong one! All systems go and each set was solid. Grip absolutely no problem and neither was groin or back. I didn't realize until yesterday that I've been swinging this thing for just about three years! I thought it was less than a year ,lol

It's not quite 'just another bell' as the 48 kg has become but it's close and the 60 kg even closer


One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 4/4
48 kg x 4/4
60 kg x 5/5 x 7
68 kg x 5/5 x 3

best performance with both bells ever

Wt pushups ( horiz bar)
bw  10
53 lbs x 10 x 3

strong

double laterals 15s
3 x 10/10

BW 175.00 !!
BF 13.2 ( bath)
W 57.8

Single weight ladder 175-210, kb snatch, laterals/Start of new schedule

This went great. Didn't think about it too much just really concentrating on feeling tight on the unracking, holding tight for a longer pause , keeping my eyes on the X and pushing away from the bar not pushing up
Worked great. Pretty well consistent
The longer pause really helps build the tightness

press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 3
155 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1
210 x 1
205 x 1
195 x 1
185 x 1




eight singles at bodyweight or above. Decent workload

20 kg snatch
Practice lions roar technique very smooth today with just a couple weird reps but it definitely is the completion of the snatch technique for me

20 kg x 5/5 x 5

laterals
3 x 10/10 15s

BW 176.6
BF 13.9
W 57.8