175 /185 lb press x 2 singles x 10 sets, 24 kg speed swings, v wt pushups

 This went perfectly. Doing two singles instead of doubles was also perfect. One, I get twice as many start set ups, which is exactly the weak point, and two, the second rep mimics the first one much  more than a traditional " double" .

I pretty much hit exactly the position I wanted on all the sets. SO MUCH EASIER than what I've been doing. Just unrack with my legs, STOP in the exact position I hit once I standup. The shove press initiating with my hips

JUST what I've been trying to do but by 1) adding in all the extra setup movements after I unracked I lost tightness and position and almost never got it back. When I did it was by accident

Two, dead stop pausing.  Before when I missed either over my head or out in front, it was because after the unracking I tried to finish "setting up" and never stopped moving, i.e. getting locked in and static tight.

SO as soon as I hip drive kicked in something 'gave' and my base moved.

this was so solid

65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2 singles
155 x 2 singles
175 x 2 singles x 5 sets

185 x 2 singles x 5 sets

This is definitely the technique No doubt

24 kg speed swings
5 x 8/8

V parallette pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3
strong

BW 178.6!!!
BF 13.7
W 57.9  

what the hell is this about?

New Technique Breakthrough: 205,215,220,225, 205 x 1 x 5, floor pushups, laterals

 This went freaking great; especially for the first time using this technique. I made some mistakes with 225 which kept me from making it on the first two attempts BUT the fact that I made it on the third ( even though  didn't hold lockout) after all that heavy work tells me I'm right on target

AND, it's  come full circle; back to the EASIEST possible way to do this, with the bare minimum of cues

Unrack the bar INTO the precisely correct press position,pause for a sec, then drive. The only thing I can't believe is that it took me SO long to come to this most logical of conclusions; and position

This is really using the power rack exactly why I moved into it: so I don't have to walk out and re adjust to find the perfect start position: just unrack the bar into that position. Makes so much sense, and it's much easier to get and stay tight

warmups went great. best ever up to and including 205

Press
65 85 105 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1

215 x 1 buttah

220 x 1  probably best ever. Only mistake was not waiting long enough before the press. It let me rock back too much and cost me some hip drive

Missed first 225 by deciding to tighten glutes on the unrack which put me on my heels and shifted me back. No need to see it
Second miss at 225 I didn't keep hips forward enough

225 x 1 ( no hold at lockout but I was in the right positions and timing was there. This after two hard grinds to misses. Locking in after unrack and before press is CRUCIAL. Come to complete stop

The KEY CUES:
1) unrack with LEGS

2) PAUSE

3) Initiate with hip drive

205 x 1 x 5 singles! this is last rep

Couldn't be freakin happier and this was just the first time I even tried this! Bodes VERY well for the future.Can't wait to press on Wednesday!

Floor Pushups
3 sets of 50
strong and all on triceps

one arm laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20s
Bent Laterals
3 x 10 with 20s

BW 176.8
BF 14.0

12 noon
BW 178
BF 11.2
W 59.5
( bath)

Fast and easy ruck

 

Really didn't expect it but the  ruck today was seriously strong and fast. Steady state all the way through, kinda out of nowhere, especially considering yesterday was not a strong swing day.

But I will take it!

Went through the first six laps in 52 min and the second six in 48! crazy. No squat stretches but a few stops to check my times and to just shake out the legs

Had some good technique revelations too in my shoulder rotation: instead of focusing on counter shoulder BACK I focused on front shoulder forward and it really connected to my lower body and the opposite glute. Made the gait so much smoother. Most excellent

Lungs took a few laps to open then stayed open the entire time

Nothing felt hard at all til about ten and a half laps then it started slowing down a bit

Last lap was 7:40 seconds and that was a push. Thought I could bring it in under 7:30 but no joy

Except: ALL Joy lol

45 lb Ruck

12 laps

13, 143 steps

speed 3.2- 4.8 mph!

Stride length 27.6- 39.4!

total time door to door :1:50 min

BW 177.2
BF 14.9

44 kg One arm swings 10 x 8/8, pistol practice, laterals, rear delts

 

This went well today although nothing spectacular. It wasn't a great energy day and the bell felt a big heavier than I expected. Height on the swings wasn't bad, about my norm, but the power wasn't that great

The leg endurance however was actually pretty good. I wasn't dying at the end of the second arm part so that's good, and the last three sets did not have much of a drop in power either as usual

This was the last months 44 kg set

Yea and now I remember this above was on Feb 21, I had to skip the 44 last time because of my ribs. That's probably what's up

No worries though form was just a bit off from the Feb work

Pistols

1x 4/4
1x 6/6
1x 7/7

decent actually once I got a little warm

Laterals /rear delts
3 x 10/10 15s

BW 176.2
BF 12.2
W 58.5 ( bath)

Coolbreeze ruck

 

Real decent one. I expected hot and muggy and cool breeze and overcast showed up. Man I love rucking when it's like this, so much easier to push hard when the heat of your work keeps you warm. Big incentive to keep moving

So much the opposite when it's hot , every step saps you creating so much heat it's the main goal just to dissipate it. Not optimal for performance but vital for building spirit, toughness and real condition

I got off easy today. No foot, calf or shin issues at all

45 lb ruck

6 laps

53 min

7826 steps

BW 176..6
BF 13.5

175/185 lb press 4 sets of 2 ea, 24 kg swings, wt pushups

 Tried to link up the hip lock and the torso lift lock. It worked well but I have to get the timing down better as well as decide whether it's torso/hip or hip torso  or try to just stand up out of the unracking and just lock in

Now that certainly sounds better/ right but I'm not 1) I can do it and 2) it will work 

Another piece of the puzzle

There has to be 'enough' back bend, but not too much, to put the bar in the right place and lock my body down enough to withstand the press launch speed without me losing the back brace.

In other words, the perfect bow

basically went fine

65 85 105 x 3

135 x 2
155 x 2
175 x 2 x 4

185 x 2 x 4 sets

Just a little sloppy on the setup I felt, a bit loose, as I searched for the linked tighness. Still the bar moved great

24 kg speed swing
5 x 8/8

V pushups
bwx 10
52 x 10 x 3

BW 176.4
BF 14.1

1 PM
BW 176.6
BF 10.9 !!
W 59.9!!
LBM 157.36

205,215, 220,220 lb presses ( pr), floor pushups, one arm laterals,

 This went great although again, I didn't feel great going in. Nothing wrong just a bit unfocused. But it ended up great

The technique worked very very well and I didn't miss one rep all day. I think that's a pr. I had thought about going up to 225 if I made 220 but the 220 was a bit rough so I decided to repeat it and get a 100kg pr.

And I did!

Press

65 85 105  x 2
135 x 2
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1 probably the best ever
205 x 1 decent

then 215 x 1 pretty well. pretty matter of fact now

up to 220

then the second set which I felt was better

I left it there as it felt great and went down to four strong sets at 205. this is the third set

the key is the hip lock. when I do that right the bar shifts into the right position over my feet and I don't even have to think about pushing back over my face! PLUS I can initiate with a hip thrust and just shove the bar making pretty  much like my bench press groove

back full circle. The key is locking the hips up and in and keep my back stiff as the load hits the sticking point.

Being able to initiate with hip drive makes of so much faster and deliberate of a rep!

One thing on both 100 kg presses, as I was grinding to the finish all I felt were my triceps! Perfect, this means I was in the right groove

Floor pushups

3 sets of 50.

hard, tri's cooked from the presses!

One arm laterals/rear delts

3 x 8/8 with 20's
3 x 8

BW 176.6
BF 14.2

Strong start slow finish ruck

 

This started off so well I thought about calling this post "back of iron and legs that never quit'

Til about the 7th laps when my legs got tired

I didn't quit and didn't even consider it but it was no longer effortless. I had to made the effort to keep the pace instead of just gliding along

But considering how much work I did yesterday it was fine.

45 lb ruck

12 laps

12,791 steps

1:50 min for the 12 laps 2:00 total

 One squat stretch, glutes started tightening up  around 8

No complains

BW 175.6
BF 14.9

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

 Considering how much this workout kicked my ass last month this was a big win. Strong as hell all the way through. Nice. Even cardio wasn't bad

Now, this is never an easy workout; if I fight that it is all that means is that I'm not accelerating the bell enough, slacking too much

This is the equivalent of 10 300 hard sprints ( 30 sec of hard work) at max speed.

I hate it but I have to do it. At the very least once a month.

10's are just THAT much harder than 8's. Shouldnt be but they are

One arm swings

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

40 kg x 10/10 x 10

fast pace too, even with three of us

Pistol practice
3 set of 5/5 top down sets
right knee is back to normal these felt good today

Laterals/rear delts

3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 175.2 !
BF 13.2
W 57.8

Rainy ruck

 Perfect weather today for five laps before it started to rain so I cut it short by a lap. No longer interested in wet rucks after 8 years of toughening it out regardless. Getting old I guess ,lol

But all went well for the five

45 lb ruck
5 laps
5,358 steps
top speed 3.5 mph
total time 40 min

BW 176.6
BF 14.9

175,185,195,205 lb press sets and reps, 24 kg swings, wt pushups

 This went ok. Actually it went very well in terms of the technique change I tried worked, and has great potential

But the workout itself was just ok I missed the double with 205 again and will back of that the next few weeks as I perfect this hip lock technique

But the really work sets went great. Just a bit flat again; this daylight savings time is taking just a wee bit off the edge I think as I would really like some more sleep even though I going to bed earlier than I was  before the switch

No worries I'll adapt and probably had too great an expectation switching the  starting position again and expecting no learning curve

Press

65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2
155 x 2
175 x 2 x 3 sets

this went  like a charm. Hips 'up and in' really loads the hips and not the legs and make it easy to get super stiffness in the bow

then 185 for 2 sets of 2

Even 195 for 2 went very well

First rep of 205 went ok but didn't re place the bar on my chest perfectly and at this weight and work level it made the  difference. Missed the second rep again

Took it over and missed the single then made the last single. I wasn't feeling sore but just tired from Monday too

All in all a very good outing

24 kg swing

5 x 8/8

wt v pushups on parallettes
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3
very strong

BW 177.4
BF 13.5

1 pm
BW 177.2
BF 11.2
W 59.6

205-220 press, 225 attempts, floor pushups, one arm laterals

 Really solid day today although I was a mess leading up to it. Just anxious for no good reason and had to really pull my head out of my ass pronto

I knew if I just started training I would feel much better and I was right. Action of any kind is always an antidote to anxiety

Had the plan to go 215, 220 then 225 and if I hit it, do another rep. Didn't quite work out that way but learned a valuable technique lesson about the setup

Started off rough as I felt

65 85 105 easy

135 x 2 easy

155 x 1

175 x 1

195 x 1 easy but lost my back position a bit much like I have on the last  225's and it begged the questio- why?

I thought it was falling back into confusing pushing the hips forward with letting the back bend too  much at the start and at the sticking point I have no hip support. Just the lumbars and that's not enough

So I focused on pushing the hips forward and locking the lumbars and it worked great

205 - hips went down as much as forward. hence the need for a second drive

not bad but not great then 215 more solid

220 REALLY good. hips have to load forward but NOT down ( telltale is knees will give a bit.Forward not down

then just 5's instead of two plates for 225. missed this but I was in the right place. Just not quite fast enough

225 second attempt. much better but just couldn't maintain leg/hip tightness long enough

I know I lose something by taking such small jumps, but I also gain a better position I feel. Eventually the strength endurance to get all these will come on. It's more important to have the right technique/position down cold
205 x 4 singles ( video is of third, fourth set was much faster)

All in all very pleased. Cues were "hips forward" then "get under it!"

By loading the bow but NOT letting the  spine arch more than it is on the setup I "lock" the back, which is the bench and can load the hips

I know it's right when on unracking the weight feels LIGHT because it's on my hips. If I arch BACK too much it feels heavy  as it's on my lumbars and not my hips

THIS IS A KEY POINT

Floor pushups
3 sets of 50

fast and solid all

One arm laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20s
bent laterals
3 x 10 with 20

BW 177.4
BF 14.6

Steady and fast ruck

 

Really solid one today. Fast pace from the start and kept it up the entire 12 laps.

One squat stretch on lap three just to open up the hips but then no more the rest of the ruck

45 lb ruck

12 laps

1:45  min!

13,320 steps

6 miles

BW 176.6
BF 14.7

32 kg One arm swings de load week, 10 x 8/8, pistols practice, laterals

  Really solid one today. Rib's almost 100% and knee is about the same. Energy and body felt good. Didn't really feel like I needed or wanted a back off day but that's probably the most important time to take one

One arm swings

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

total time = 26 min  about 2 min rest/sets just me and nick today

wasn't hard but wasnt easy either

Pistol practice
4 set of 5/5
the lower I went the better the knee felt. kneecap moving almost normal

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

BW 176
BF 12.5
W 58.5 ( bath)

Strong ruck

 So it was the too tight laces last time that caused all the calf issue. Made a point not to do that today and all was good, calves loose and strong

And overall good ruck, nothing blazing fast but steady the whole way

Nice overcast cool day, perfect for the ruck

45lb ruck

6 laps

3 miles

55 min

ave speed 3.4 mph

BW 177.2
BF 14.2

175 lb press z 2 x 3,185 lb press 2 x 3,195 x 2, 205 x 1&1/2 x 2 sets 24 kg swings, wt pushups

 This went very well. I didn't make the 205 double but the single was good and it was as much about not getting the bar in the right place for the second rep, as well as fatigue.

Rib is very good and knee is basically back to normal

Press

65 85 105 x 2

135 x 2
155 x 2
175 x 2 x 3 sets

this went well, was originally planning on just 2 sets but wasn't warm or fluid enough

185 x 2 x 3 sets

195 x 2

this went pretty well. probably the best set so for
205 x 1 and 1/2
I think the bar was too high on second rep attempt

another attempt from side and rear angles
I think I was just too tired to get enough of a loaded bow

Not bad if I say so myself though. Especially on only one day's rest

24 kg swings

5 x 8/8 
strong and easy

v wt dips
bw x 10

53 x 10 x 2

BW 177.4
BF 14.3

1 pm
BW 177.4
BF 11.5
W 59.3 (bath) !!

Two Plates Press, 215, 220 and 225 lb press!, floor pushups, laterals

 

Well this went WAY better than I thought it would when I started! You just never ever know when it's going to be a good day

I felt fine today, rib was much better as was knee. Body weight was good, 177 ( pretty much ideal) and plenty of mental prep time.

But I was flat. Actually, not that into it. I just didn't have much confidence I would make it and to be honest; I was getting very very tired of missing this. Then when I missed 205 in the warmups( pushed it forward) I really didn't think it was in the cards. 

I took 205 over and made it decently

then moved to 215 where it moved ok but not fast or easy. again not giving me much confidence as I called for 220 instead of two plates because I really didn't think I would make it

220 went really well though, one of my best attempts with it

So I put on two plates pretty nonchalantly and just shut my mind down and went for it. I was actually surprised at the sticking point when I realized I could actually get it! Not perfect lockout but a better hold than last time and without a doubt my best rep with 225 or two plates.

This is the first time I made it. That was with the bar at mid chest

then I followed it with  4 singles with 205 which motored!

I think the first 205 miss was because I had my  elbows TOO far up , and when combined with pushing back to my face over activated triceps. either way it went forward

Having the rack position RIGHT under the collarbone is 100% the right place. Elbows under the bar but not too much in front of it ( just don't let them drop- either ) and get that second hip drive going as soon as the bar even thinks of the sticking point!

Then finish with pressing and continued hip drive

Floor pushups
50
45
40

no rib problem at all but really controlled depth.  felt good to do again

One arm laterals

3 x 10/10 with 15s
bent laterals
3 x 10 with 15s

BW 177.2
BF 13.5

Slow and easy ruck

 

Pretty beat up from yesterdays heavy swing work. Nothing serious but a little rib tightness and overall hip/back fatigue as well as left elbow from overgripping a bit trying to protect left rib

So I went out very slowly and things were fine. Actually speeded up the last hour and didn't really hit fatigue til the last lap

No squat stretches but stopped a few times  to check phone and let legs just loosen up

45 lb ruck

12 laps

13,451 steps

walking speed 2.4- 3.7 mph

walking asymmetry 0 %

BW 176.2
BF 14.3 

48 /60 kg One Arm swings, pistols/TKE's, laterals

 I could swing heavy! I wasn't quite sure I would be able to. Between the rib still a bit achy at times and my right knee still not 100 % ( it was definitely posterior tib and soleus along with popliteus) I had no idea how things would go

Finally learning how to let things rest while doing rehab instead of constantly testing it helped I think as everything was fine
A bit of a dull rib during the middle sets but it never got worse and it was not sharp at all

Knee behaved well and I tried hard not to alter my usual technique to avoid pressure

thank you  G-d, I was a bit worried

One arm swings

16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
36 kg x 5/5
40 kg x 5/5
44 kg x 5/5
48 kg x 5/5 x 8 sets
60 kg x 5/5 x 2 sets

Pistol practice
left leg one

3  x 7 reps
TKE's right leg only

3 sets 15 reps

Laterals/rear delts
3 x 10/10 15s

BW 175.2 !
BF 12.9
W 58.1 ( bath)

down week

 

After spending 3.5 hours going nowhere on the freeway on tuesday with my right leg on the brake and the gas alternately the whole time my right knee said hello to me yesterday in the swings and then decided to start yelling a lot after my ruck

which by the way started with my left calf tightening up because it's been perfect for the last month on thursdays

fuck

at least my ribs feel somewhat better although not right for sure.

Guess I had a good run, but really two injuries from dumpster diving and driving? Man that does mean I'm old.

It's official

45 lb ruck

6 laps

48 min

3 miles

lots of stops to let left calf and shin loosen up. wore the topo's during the work day again but it wasn't enough I guess. Last two laps felt good, normal.

spend time on popliteus before ruck but on the right calf should have done both

both popliteus and vmo on right leg are the culprits

lots of ice, voltaren gel, rolling and thumping

BW 176.6

BF 13.9

175 ,185, 195 lb press x 2 x 3, 205 x 1, 24 kg swings, v pushups

 Rib felt much much better today. Barely felt anything at all all morning but I did start to feel some tightness warming up with even the bar. Nothing sharp at all but more than earlier. Did not get worse than goodness

The thing that bugged me most about missing two plates on Monday was not knowing why. Dumping the bar like that was so odd considering how great warmups felt.

But as soon as I unracked the empty bar today I realized exactly why I missed backwards: I had placed the bar TOO HIGH on my collarbone. Even above the collarbone! As soon as I pushed the bar back towards my face, which is correct to do, it had no support under it and just crashed.

Also, with the bar that high on my neck I lost back stiffness as I loaded the bow. I put the bar right under the clavicle and it felt great again plus I could get under the bar at the sticking point

Man, as soon as I feel I have ALL the details figured out I find another one!

Press

65 85 105  x 3

135 x 2
155 x 2
175 x 2 x 3

these felt perfect
then 185

So much easier to feel the load of the bow in my hips

Fatigue setting in now but great position and leverage

finally 205 x 1

Cues:

WIDE

ELBOWS

HIPS LOAD/PAUSE

FACE/HIPS

24 kg swings
5 set of 8/8

these also felt 95% normal and did NOT feel the left ribs on the right hand swing and still nothing on the left

V parallettes pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 2 set
No problems first pushups since the tweak

BW 176.4
BF 13.5

205, 215, 225 miss, triceps extensions, laterals

 Not the 64th birthday present I wanted but the one I got. On the plus side, the 205 and 215 were probably the best I've ever done. Nice straight line and fast all the way to the lockout. Then 225 knocked me back twice and I kind got it right on the third attempt but didn't the bar high enough to grind to the finish.

Felt very confident on each attempt and did not get in my own way mentally. Plus, the bar did not feel heavy on unracking. so strange.

205 warmup

Straight to 215 easy

the first miss

the second

then the third grinder

decided to try to get ANY pr out of this today so dropped down to 135 lbs and got a PR 16 reps( old pr 15) but I was BEAT. Especially in my quads! Really hard to stay standing lol. Didn't expect that! But a pr is a pr~

ring triceps extensions
3 x 12
( didn't want to chance pushups yet, want to make sure I can swing heavy on Sat)

one arm laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20 lbs

bent laterals
3 x 10 with 20

just over  a week after the rib accident and it's probably 85 % healed. Not bad for an old man

BW 176
BF 14.3