175 lb press x 2 x 11 sets,24 kg swings, band tri ext

 Another potentially HUGE piece of the puzzle today, the wrist angle! My wrist has been bugging a bit of late from a variety of things but the Onyz wrist wrap seems to be hurting more than helping so I went without today.

Realized that I've been letting the wrist bend back more than before and while it wasn't necessarily hurting I was leaking in that position and potentially helping to push the bar forward at the sticking point, as I push over the top a bit

SO I adopted the kb wrist position of "no wrists" and really loaded the bar LOW on the heel of my hand during the set up and man it help keep my elbows in by itself!

Plus it irradiated tension all through my  body on the setup. Excellent and felt natural , 'right' and strong all at the same time

Let me pause longer too and get tighter which I think might be important too. The longer I pause the tighter I get (as long as I don't shift weight back to heels) today worked great.

Hopefully this is the last big piece of the puzzle

set 5

I can even see in this thumbnail my elbows are in a much better under the bar position!

Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2
155 x 2
175 x 2 x 11 sets

24 kg swings

5 x 8/8

band triceps extenions
Green band 4 sets of 15
I think this will work. I like that it's peak contraction at full extension

BW 177.4
BF 13.7

Another 225 lb press, wt pushups, laterals, rear delts

 Well this went well today even though, as usual, I fix one thing and forget to focus on the other. This means I kept my knees locked pretty well today but did not keep my elbows from flaring enough. But I made the lifts despite this, even though it made me work way harder than necessary

It's a big leap though as after a very rough 215 I still made 225  with the  10 lb jump,even though the lockout wasn't great.

I thought offsetting my right hand grip just a tad would fix that but it fixed the soft right elbow lock but didn't keep my elbows in. Can't pinch them in at the start as it always causes me to drop the elbows or flex the T spine so I guess it has to be elbow in at MID PRESS

Good news is that I'm strong and technique issues are minimal

I almost made BOTH the 225 misses as well

205 and a rough 215

then onto the 225 make

then the two strong misses at 225

and then a strong 3rd downset with 205
had some soft knees and a miss on the second attempt going too far back trying to correct the elbow flare

wt pushups horiz parallel bar
BW x 10
53 x 10
85 x 8 x 2
this was good

One arm laterals
3 x 10/10 with  20
bent lateral
3 x 10 with 20

BW 176.8
BF 14.7
W 56.8

Sunday Ruck

Solid one. Not too hot early yesterday and that was nice. Legs and back and lungs all behaved as well. Not a fast pace but not slow either. Took it up a notch the last 1.2 miles ( two laps) and brought it in under 16 minutes.

Decent especially these days, getting used to sweating again

45 lb ruck

12 laps

7.2 miles

1:55

6 squat stretches

last lap 7:50

BW 177.6
BF 14.7

48 Kg One Arm Swings 10 x 5/5, pistol/lunge combo, laterals, rear delts

 Glenn needed to use the 48 kg today so I decided to join him. Dropping down to the 32 kg just didn't sound interesting at all. And since we've decided to stick with 5s across the board it shouldn't have been a problem, and wasn't. In fact it was a great day

Height was better today than ever I thought and power output was excellent. Weight felt light and all parts felt strong. Lungs, of course, no problem

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
48 kg x 5/5 x 10

Left leg pistol and left leg lunge combo
3 sets of 5,6,7 each leg

I realized the other day I have to shift my center of mass over to the working leg just as I do when I walk/ruck. head of foot and all that.
it actually worked fantastic! made a big difference

Didn't even know I had to figure this out, lol!

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

BW 176.8
BF 14.9  No bath

175 lb press 10 sets of 2, 24 kg swings, bw triceps extensions

 

This went perfectly, all but literally ONE rep were exactly the same( second rep 9th set I believe)   but everything else was locked in and timing was spot on

Felt so good

The image

After unracking, the body is literally a CONCRET statue. Concrete doesn't move and and for some reason this really worked well. Locked knees and concrete stillness

Also took my  right hand out about 1/4" and that helped the overhead lockout as much as I had hoped it might. That shoulder is so much tighter than my left and this seemed to make a difference

Plus, by doing this I don't think my left elbow flared as much but it's light and we'll know more on Monday when its heavy

But I do know every time I tried to pinch or squeeze my elbows in the bar and my torso dropped a bit  and can't have that

CONCRETE

Press

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

24 kg swings
5  x 8/9

Ring leaning triecep extension

Give these a tri (pun intended) instead of rep pushdown. Really loathing the idea of them now and that'a  cue :)

4 sets of 12, 12, 12, 10

BW 177.8
BF 14.1

225 lb press! 205 x 1 x 5, wt pushups, laterals

 This worked out WAY better than expected lol. Pretty beat up by the last week(s) and did not have very big expectations about today, But because I was so tired I really relaxed about getting the numbers and just did my best

It all went well. After I made 225 I decided to take my win and go down and not take a chance on a miss. I wanted to end on a win and I did

Standing Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1 FAST

205 x 1
215 x 1

This went "ok" as trying to 'pinch' my elbows tight before the press made them drop down a bit and made it much harder than it should have been
I realized the problem this time AT the Time and corrected for the next lift 225
Thought about taking it over but I thought if I make the correction I'll make 225 but if I waste it on 215 I might not have the juice to do two plates

SO I took the risk and it paid off. this felt great. still need a better lockout and more especially on the right arm but I'LL TAKE IT!! 225 x 1

205 x 1 x 5 sets 

These went perfectly
I just have to make sure to keep my LEFT elbow in as I start and DON'T drop anything trying to get tight. this 205 is technically perfect for me. Elbows don't move down at all before I press

Wt horiz parallette pushups
BW x 10
53 x 10 X 3
done slowly with elbows in.locked knees and pauses at the top of each  rep. This is actually turning into an ideal assistance exercise for my press

one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 20
bent lateral 3 x 8 20

BW 176
BF 14.

Sunday Ruck

 Wow this was hard. Not too hot but more beat up from the Big Bells yesterday than I expected. All was good just slow and hard. Time actually wasn't bad; Tracy joined in for half the laps and I always walk faster when she's there so that was good and it made it harder, lol ( faster)

45 lb Ruck
12 laps
10 squat stretches
1:50 for the 12 laps ( not counting to and from park)

It's gonna take awhile, as usual, to get heat adapted. And it's just starting

BW 176.6
BF 14.7

60 and 68 kg One Arm Swing 8/2 x 5/5, pistol practice, laterals, rear delts

 

Solid heavy day today although it was harder than I expected. It's been stinking HOT here lately andd there's a whole lot of heavy sweating going on all day the last three days. Hydration has been good but it's hard to get it perfect. Been sleeping well too

Bodyweight is down 3 pounds too! But it went well but it was hard. Power and height were decent

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
40 kg x 4/4
44kg  x 4/4
48 kg x 4/4
60 x 5/5 x 8 sets
These were solid but hard. Bodyparts felt ok grip was decent but not optimal
68 kg x 5/5 x 2

Actually planned on NOT using this bell today and doing all 10 sets with the 60. I felt just a bit scared something might 'go'. Hips have been feeling a little tight and things have been more stressful than normal not even counting the heat. But I decided to do just two sets instead of three as I warmed up well with the 60 and everything held together just fine

Glad I did

 Pistol/ lunge practice
4 set of 5/5 left leg only. Left leg has looked to have lost some mass so I have to up the volume a bit on that side

Laterals rear delts

3 x 10/10 15s
3 x 10 with 15s

BW 174.4!!! Lowest in months
BF 13.2 ( bath) 

W 57.5

                                                                                                                                                                        

Hot Ruck

 A solid 93 degress out at 12:30 when I started with a glaring no cloud sky. But my body felt good and my mind was as solid as it's been in ages and it was a very strong effort. Fast even

Finished the six laps in a bout 50 minutes even with rest stops. Not bad at all and legs and lungs felt good. It was freakin hot as hell though especially on the left side of the park where there was no shade and direct sun on the face

45lb ruck

6 laps

:50 min

3.4 ave speed

BW 176.
BF 14.3

175 lb press 10 x 2, 24 kg swings , floor rep pushups

 

This went very very well. Good thing I decided to go light all sets today as I was pretty sore when I got under the bar. All morning though I was great. Warmed up well just a bit creaky at the start

Determined to really keep my knees lock and drive the bar to my face. It worked very well and then after the fourth set I realized I had to fix my elbow flare as well. Decided to try the cure "pinch" as in "pinch my elbows in" before I pressed and it worked perfectly!!!

Just light the 'lock' cue it triggered a nice domino effect of creating the bar drive to my face without having to think about each thing separately

this was the fourth set before figuring out the pinch cue

Pretty good but not as good as later sets! Very pleased with this

10 sets of 2 with 175

Tried used band unracking to isometrically tighten the leg lock but all I felt was arm work so I scrapped that idea

24 kg swings

5 x 8/8

Floor pushups

2 x 50, 40

really cooked by now but in a good way

BW 176.8

BF 14.4

215, 225(miss), 205, wt pushups one arm laterals bent laterals

 Gettin better. Just being able to take the jump from 215 right to 225 is a massive confidence booster as it doesn't freak me out like it did. Didn't quite make the 225 but it was right there and just lost balance at the top. Again losing knee lock was the issue but it's getting better. and the 215 was solid as hell. the first  225 attempt I pushed too far towards my face but it jumped off my chest!

Press

65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1 fast!
205 x 1!

Knees were a bit soft on this actually

215 x 1 strong, this is getting  very solid and consistent great knee lockout at first and second push

225 miss first attempt pushed back too far. weird! strange thing here was that my knees were locked perfectly  the entire time. Should have made this one!

225 attempt second very close to locking but knees leaked just enough to cost me the lockout. If the knees break I can't lockout

205 x 1 x 5 sets  ( this is last rep)

wt v pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3 slow with hold at lockout

One arm laterals 3 x 8/8 w 20
Bent laterals 3 x 10 with 20

BW 176.6
BF 14.0

Sunday Ruck. First hot day of the summer

 Started off pretty well, not cool but not hot, but humid. A  portent of things to come. Good from 7-8 but from 8-9 it got hot and more humid and let me know just what's in store for me for the next few months.

Time to get in heat shape again

Lost 3+ pounds in two hours on a sunday am ruck lol. Lots of sweat

45 lb ruck

12 laps

1:55 min

7.2 miles

8 squat stretches

I was beat at the end. Slow but steady pace. Legs and hips were much more fatigued than expected from yesterdays 48 kg work.

BW 177
BF 14.5

48 kg One arm swings 10 sets of 5/5, pistol practice, band pullaparts

 Another shitty nights sleep ( cat problems again) and both training partners bailed at the last minute. Good thing it wasn't a heavy workout- oh yea it was 

BUT

It's low reps and I  can deal with that

I swear I should just do nothing but sets of 5/5 and adjust volume by  sets. that would be heaven, actually

I think I'm actually going to think about it

40 kg - 20 sets of 5/5
44 kg 15 sets of 5/5
48 kg 10 sets of 5/5
60 kg 10 sets of 5/5
32 kg 20 sets of 5/5

that might actually work ,lol

Very StrongEndurance type training

Regardless today went better than I expected when I walked in the gym

One Arm swings

16 kg  x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 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 5/5 x 10 

5/5 seemed much more palatable than 6/6 for some reason

Pistols
4 sets of 5/5 from top down each side
this worked very well especially on right side

Red band pullaparts

4 x 30 front and angled

behind head pullapart
3 x 10

BW 177.6
BF 14.1
BF 57.2 ( after bath!) dehydrated it seems have to fix that

New Podcast interview up

 

Strong Ruck

 

Really decent one again. Lungs felt surprisingly open early and legs felt loose and strong! So nice. I thought strong and easy ruck days were over and it would all be a struggle but I guess I did have some allergy thing going on.

45 lb ruck

6 laps

3..6 miles

55 min

strong pace

BW 178
BF 14.5

195 lb press x 2 x 8 sets,24 kg swings, floor pushups, band rev curls

  Was a very solid day today despite being fairly tired ( still have this car at night problem, not great sleep) and a bit sore from Monday heavy work. I've wanted to go heavier on Wed lately to test the new technique but I'm pretty  confident that it's right now and will probably back off to 185 and work better speed and longer overhead holds. Today was tough as muscularly things were fatigued 

In a good way but in a way nonetheless

Press

65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2
155 x 2
175 x 2
185 x 2
195 x 2 x 8 sets!

these felt great. Seems I have to focus on KEEPING the knees locked at the sticking point as much as locking them prior to the start 
so the cues

LOCK
FACE
LOCK

if I keep them locked right after the drive to the face then I can stay under the bar as I fight in the lockout
If they leak at all it's very hard to maintain leverage

This feels very natural to me and easiest yet to remember and not 'gap' during the activation

24 kg swing

5 sets of 8/8
no problem

floor pushups
2 sets of 50
done. everythings toasty

Band reverse curls ( red)
3 x 12
these feel right

BW 177.8
BF 14.0

215, 2 close misses at 225 and 5 205 down sets fast!, wt pushups, one arm laterals, rear delts reverse curls

 This was a great day. All the reps were spot on until  the 225 attempts but even those were solid. Still let my knee unlock a bit and it cost me at the lockout BUT the line was correct and the miss was strength, not technique, which is what I've been aiming for 

Plus it's only the second heavy day with this technique and the first time in forever I've jumped from 215 right to 225. This is gonna work

65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1 FAST!
205 x 1 fast

215 x 1 the best ever in terms of technique and line

225 first attempt let knees soften just bit too much

225 second attempt better but triceps were a bit cooked from the previous grind. very close tho

205 x 1 x 5 sets these all went great

No complaints. Really felt confident with the technique just need more time with it and it will be autopilot

wt parallette pushups
bw  x10
53 x 10 x 3 hold lockout

one arm laterals
3 x8/8 20s
bent laterals
3 x 10 20s
bar rev curls
3 x 10 with 25 lbs

BW 177.4
BF 14.2

Cool breeze ruck

 

Got a nice surprise this morning; instead of a heat wave continuance we got a nice crisp blast complete with a cool breeze as well. What a difference, so refreshing instead of stifling

Must have been why my legs and lungs both cooperated today and the ruck was brisk and quit and I started and finished strong again. It's been a good two weeks

45 lb ruck

12 laps

1:50

8 squat stretches ( helped bring the time down) instead of 10

7.2 miles

Actually forgot to weigh for the first time in forever

44 kg One arm swing 10 x 8/8, pistols,laterals, rear delts hammer curls

 Pretty decent one today. Eights are NOT tens, and thank g-d for that. Good sleep., body less sore than yesterday and legs felt decently strong. Not crazy strong. Still have to increase recovery ability as that has definitely decreased slightly of late. No bueno

It's weird to be trying NOT to get a glute pump too early,lol. THAT'S never been an issue before.High quality problem

44 kg One arm swing
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 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 8/8 x 10
160 reps
15,520 lbs

Pistol practice
first set  concentric only alternating legs  4 reps each
second set concentric first then 4 reps alternating
third set top down same leg 4 reps each

decent

side raises/ bent laterals/ double hammer curls
3 x 8/8/9 15s

BW 176.6
BF 13.5 ( bath)
W 57.8

Hot Ruck

 

 The first really hot one yesterday. 12:30 is in the direct heat and man I felt it. But my mind was good, surprisingly, and I was fine. I literally embraced the heat, didn't fight it, and it was so much easier. Actually starting to look forward to the heat rucks and getting back into real shape

We'll see as it progresses but for now, I'm happy with my mindset

Body was fine, calves and back and pace

45 lb ruck

6 laps

3.2 miles

55 min

BW 178

BF 13.5

195 lb press x 2 x 8 sets! PR! 24 kg swings,floor pushups, reverse curls

 Man did this go great! perfectly, in fact! Every rep of each of the eight sets went just bout perfectly. This is NO knee bending and bar paths all went back over face. Some of the fastest reps I've done. Just LOCK THE KNEES! LOCK THE KNEES! LOCK YOUR DAMN KNEES!   (  with apologies to bikram lol)

It just worked. with the knees locked and remaining locked the entire lower body just was solid as hell and no power was leaked. Hence, every ounce of energy I put into the vertical push of the bar went into the bar and bar speed was excellent!

Here are the fourth and eighth set with 195 for doubles ( which is a huge pr)

Could not be happier. Finally felt in control of this press

24 kg swings 5 sets of 8/8

Floor pushups

3 sets of 50 really kept elbows IN tight to mimic and strengthen rack position at start

4 pm band reverse curls ( forgot to add these in so)
red band 3 sets of 20, 15, 10

palms up curls band too

2 set of 10

feels good to do these again.. Arms look big but biceps are puny. I stopped training biceps after my tears from snatching and didn't want to load them too much as I was still snatching and cleaning but I keep my  elbow locked on my swings so this should be fine

Plus I have an imbalance now and need stronger elbow flexors

BW 178!
BF 13.7