"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."
Really good one today. Not great sleep ( cat again ) but a short nap before and the six laps went down very easy. really really enjoying no ruck walking now. It almost feels as good as running used to; light fast and easy. Need to keep the ruck on for strength for sure but this is good too.
Heavy and day and light day. two sides of the same coin
Still dizzy, took some bonine, didn't really help. Not bad but more consistent throughout the day. Seems to be the benign positional vertigo. not really digging it
Well I was not expecting this today. I mean to suck so badly. All over the place and, of course, I didn't figure it out until the end. I was planning on doing sets with 195 and 5 with 200 but 195 was so wobbly I didn't dare go up. I could have gone down
I just could not seem to get my lets to stay tight after the launch of the press. started off right but then lost it, or the X at the sticking point
Still having some vertigo and slight dizziness which I attribute to semi clog eustachian tubes, I thought my hearing was going but it's congestion which is better than meniere's disease. for sure. The other good news is that my knee is locking back out again and I didn't realized til the end of the workout that this, and wearing the flatter Adidas shoe, was what was throwing me off
I switched to the adidas shoe to help me get off my toes as much and lock out my knee better. But now it is and I think I need the innov8 heel again
Which after I finished the 12 shitty sets I but the innov8s back on and smoked 185 like nothing
The lower heel was making it harder to root. So kinda wasted workout but not really
Strong though
These are sets 2, 5 and 10
sets 1, 3,6 and 9 really were so so and I missed outright behind me? weird but all kinds of weird shit happens when the base doesn't stay tight. forward backward nowhere. who knows but not right that's for sure
Really solid day! Would have loved to make the 225 but the workout; from the warmup up to 220 press was the best bunch of reps I have ever done. Everything flew!
I got back on my heels just a touch with 215 which caused some elbow flare, not enough to miss it but enough to slow it down. still good lockout though but very confident with the weight
220 was the best I've ever done it and one of my all time best reps period
First 225 I got back on my heels a bit too and that's what put it forward I think. Pretty much the same thing with the second attempt but fatigue came in too
I think if I had gone 225 right after 215 I would have made it.If I had done it like I did the 220 there is no doubt it would have gone
then 205 for 5 singles, some better than others. Right calf tightening up a bit by now and that kept me from staying mid foot enough except for the 4th and 5th reps
Next week if 215 flies again like this I'll go right to 225
Wt pushups BW x 10 53 x 10 x 3 slow up and down and pause at top
one arm laterals 3 x 10/10 20 bent laterals 3 x 10 20
Started off good but right upper lateral calf tightened up a bit at 8 laps and decided to just go 10 laps instead of the 12 I was thinking I was going to get.
Had to deal with some vertigo this morning again, as I did yesterday and it was freaking me out just a bit too. Lots of anxiety so it took me longer than normal to get my lungs opened up. Once they did things went much better .
I went much faster than usual for some reason ( which might be due to the no ruck walk on thursday) but I got some 4.8 MPH times on the phone but I don't believe that
But it was faster than usual and the average for the entire 10 laps was 3.6 mph which is higher than usual.
No issues from yesterdays training though which is great.
45 lb ruck
10 laps
10 squat stretches ( this started out rough on the calf then was fine)
Decided to back off to the 36 instead of the 40 and lets things settle in. Right calf, knee is feeling about 98% normal and not keeping me up and night and daily bodymaintence work is back to normal. So that's a great relief and thought it best to back off more than normal just to be safe
Plus I am swinging in my black Adidas Powerlifts that I have been pressing in and want to see how my back takes to them
the heel is just 1/2 inch just a 1/4" lower than the Innov8's but I seem to be a delicate flower for this shit still. Felt very solid today though, more flat footed but didn't seem to have a problem holding a lower back arch. Next few weeks with really heavy loads will tell me whether it ends up loading my abs too much
One arm swings
36 kg x 17 sets of 5/5 170 reps 13, 600 lbs
Really happy, and very surprised at the excellent bell height I was getting today. Really had no idea til I saw the video. Sweet!
Split squats 3 x 10/10
ready to hold some kbs
laterals rear delts
3 x 10/10 with 15s
BW 174.8 BF 13.2 W 58.5 ( bath)
Plan is to go the full two hours tomorrow with the ruck
Calf is almost all better but still think I'm going to stay with unweighted walk on thursday and focus on speed. So much more fun!
Warmed up easily and got the first three laps in 21 minutes! basically under 7 min miles as each lap is .6 mile. second three laps in a little slower 23 min but still counting stopping to check for asymmetry in gait ( none!).
All told 6 laps, 3.6 miles in 50 minutes or so average of 3.8 MPH. that's great and felt strong the whole way
These went great and made one mistake which (re)taught me a valuable lesson.Knee is locking out very well and it's about 92-95% all better.Felt good going in.
Spotted the X, locked the knees, waited, drove the head and made sure to KEEP the knees lockout throughout the entire press
I lost the 7th set with 200 forward as I lost the gaze on the X spot and the bar dropped forward. As soon as I fixed that man it flew!
SO
Spot the X
Lock the knee
Wait
Drive the head as I press and keep the legs LOCKED
Wow! what a great workout and what a complete surprise! Didn't miss a lift and they were all very very solid
Plus my right knee, for reasons unknown, decided to actually fully lockout just before my last client and wow that's a huge relief! Wasn't sure if that was ever going to settle in and get back to normal ROM.Even if it doesn't still right away at least I know it can do it so that's huge relief
It made it much easier to get and stay rooted, and keep my knees locked during the full press. And that was the big takeaway from today not just lock my knees on the setup and then re lock them at the sticking point but KEEP THEM LOCKED FROM START TO FINISH!
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 205 x 1
215 x 1220 x 1!222.5 x 1 lockout but not held but everything was in the right line and it was fun!205 x 1 x 5 sets made each one strong!
Couldn't be happier/ on all levels
Wt pushups bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 slow with hold at lockout
One arm laterals 3 x 10/10 with 20 bent laterals 3 x 10 w 20
This went great! Calf/knee felt fine getting up and even starting the ruck. A slow start, stopped a lot and stretched to make sure things were ok. Left shin felt a bit tight and realized I have been giving almost no attention to the left calf . it took 55 minute for things to really relax but the next 35 were damn near perfect
Like old times before this nonsense.
Could have gone for the 12 laps but that would have been silly. and greedy so I called it there.
Hours later as I write this calf is still good. Makes me very happy
This went pretty well, all things considered. Right leg felt great but I can see from the video the lockout wasn't that great. I'm just happy I didn't hurt anything. On the 36 kg bell warmup I felt a weird twinge in my right hip flexor but that went away immediately and didn't seem to affect anything after. Another little twinge under the right knee cap on one rep with the 48 but that was ok too.
Weird
But the sets and reps with the 60 felt generally good and height and power was decent too. Just nervous the whole time but now it's given me some confidence. If tomorrow morning is ok.
and fast it was! right calf is about 90-95% better and it feels better moving than standing so I started the walk with high hopes and they were rewarded!
Did the first three laps in a little over 21 minutes and things were flying! fast loose and easy
Finished with a last lap of 7:15 for .6 mile that means under 14 min/ mile!
Plus no calf issues. Great!
Sunday will take the ruck out for 60 min and if leg feels ok finish up the next hour unweighted then go from there
Things are finally getting back to almost normal. Tib Fib is just about tracking right and the correctives seem to be working. Enough that I slept really well last night and that's so key. When I'm in pain I can't sleep which increases tension, which increases pain. Truly a vicious circle and one I'm so glad to be breaking it seems
Either way last night was great. And so was today. Sacrum has calmed down too and that makes me feel tons better and nothing scares me more than that going out again
I might have taken back extension to it's productive limit for me and have to include a wee bit of posterior tilt/ lower ab activation in the mix. So I went down in heel height to the Adidas Power lift shoe instead of inov8 and it seemed easier to get into, and stay in balance today
I also really focused on NOT RUSHING into the press after the unrack and just settling in. It made an immediate difference. Once I not only locked my knees but kept them locked at the sticking point everything went very smoothly
If my knees get soft at sticking point my elbows flare. Anytime my knees flex to help start the lift or give in the middle my elbows flare and it's pretty much game over
Took me half way through the workout to get that but it was worth it
56 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 x 2 185 x 1 x 3
195 x 1 x 8
24 kg swings ( also adidas shoe) 5 x 5/5 being cautious
Pretty much a disaster and good thing I didn't really fuck myself up considering how disconnected I was from my lower body today
Calf tight last night and sleep medium poor. Not horrible but was just not really awake and getting seriously tired of this injury
Activating adductors while standing at work seemed to help a lot. We'll see if it holds but I REALLY miss walking around feeling NOTHING in my body, especially my legs and hips
The press technique itself was fine but I just could not hold my lower body tight or really root down. My brain just didn't trust the legs and while the bar launched off my chest, when it hit sticking point the legs got soft and I ended up giving just enough to fuck up the lockouts.
Plus, it felt unsafe and I was stupid for keep adding weight to the bar. Lesson learned. Hopefully this won't jack my up tomorrrow am
Press 65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 fast 195 x 1 solid 205 x 1 legs not solid already, elbows flared
215 x MISS, 215 x 1 ( shown) just not rooted
220 x almost - no base locksecond attempt at 220 just a miss 205 x 1 down set x 5 1 miss 1 super ugly
3 finished but mehall upper body
NOT HAPPY
wt pushups bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 slow with pause at lockout
This went well, as far as the walk went. Everything started fine and finished fine but the right calf tightened up soon after and persisted through the night. Nothing terrible, and better than of late, but still annoying and still enough to rob me of a great nights sleep.
The cat behaved my my calf wouldn't. This is really getting to me.
Sleeping with the super nova helps but I'm still not hitting the right muscle to get the relief and to re balance it. Activating dorsi flexion helps as does squat pattern with big toe UP but it's not the key
Today as I write this ( monday afternoon) I used the supernova between legs while standing to activate adductors and this seemed to make the biggest difference yet
We'll see tonight but so far knee lockout is best it's been in weeks and the dull ache is gone , for now
Good day, A bit scattered from all the political bullshit but calf/ knee is feeling much better, gotten two almost three nights of decent sleep and stress levels are basically down. at least much better than recently
Thank g-d back/sacrum and sciatica seem to be dealt with ( I think mainly from stress/ panic and that's gone) . that really freaks me out; which of course makes it worse etc, etc
Weird but on first set with 48 I totally lost my grip! on both hands. I was just hook gripping it it seems and once I took a deep palm set it was fine but that was weird. did 3 and three and didn't count that set
One Arm swings 48 kg x 10 sets of 5/5 ( usual warmups )
Once I got going these were strong. Height actually looks pretty decent on the video and body mechanics and power seemed good
Split squat lunges
5/5 8/8 10/10
these felt good and I'll keep these for the near future. I think the pistol requires me to over grip the toe and that was some part of this fibula ankle lockout
What a weird ass night and day. Had to report for jury duty selection this AM at 10 am and it messed me up. Got almost no sleep, my tib fib was aching and even my lower back got in the act , which I KNEW was purely from stress but it stressed me out even more
Back shit trips me out these days and I can't even bear to think about dealing with that crap again like I lived for so long. After feeling SO great for these so many years. But I know what's it from and I'm dealing with it.
But the no sleep thing fucks me up more than anything. Trying to FORCE yourself to relax is impossible and each second you don't get sleep the more you freak out,
Then long ass walk getting lost to the courthouse, sweating my balls off and ending up walking 3 miles at a solid pace
Good news was the knee felt great and that it was opening up during the walk. But more stress
All's well that ends well and I didn't get picked and actually got home in time to jump in the gym!
It was a great session all things considered!
Press
195 x 1 x 8 sets
Over all technique for the sets were 'ok' but not perfect. Once I went back to the Cues and actually Spotted hard then things got faster
All things considered this was a great workout. Right knee (fibula/ calf) was still 'out' and giving me grief. A little better and I have a little better handle on what to do but it's still achey.Slept ok after basically not sleeping at all monday night so pretty fatigued going in and the pain is getting to me.Especially not being able to walk well and gimping around again
I find that SO abhorrent now I can barely deal with it. Being able to walk painfree and squat down as well is everything. Any thing else is really gravy and when I can't do that,it drives me nuts
I know I'll get out of this but man I do enjoy what's been going on these last years. It all stems from heavy rucking and getting heavy on my right leg of late ( extra ball of foot calluses) and overworking that right soleus and, I guess, the popliteus. Just hit that breaking point.
But I'm figuring a lot of new stuff I need to know and remember out too and that's good.
Strange as it may seem it looks like a vertical shin, wider stance squat pattern is activating the glutes and upper hams and that seems to help a lot get the fib/tib to slide and glide :) the exact opposite of everything I've been doing for years
Makes sense, actually,
Nothing hurt when I pressed but did not have a lot of confidence in my rooting and I got loose or I would have made the 220 better and actually made the 222.5
Press
65-175 warmup
195 x 1
205 warmup not bad215 x 1 got loose at sticking point but bar path was solid and that saved me220 x 1 ( well, almost but I'm counting it. knees gave and got loose at stick but again, bar path was good 222.5 x miss first attemptsecond 205 x 1 x 5 down sets
the cues were simple
Spot the X
Lock the knee
Drive the head
very very happy with the consistency of the bar path for what was a lot of heavy reps
Plus I was light 174.4! pain kills my appetite plus bad sleep and spending too much time working on myself
Floor pushups 40 35 30
no training partners so this seemed right. hard too , haven't done reps in months and months
And were going so good. It started out fine, if a little light on sleep ( cat again) but the ruck was decent and I didn't even stop for squats for the first 4-5 laps as legs felt good. long story short around lap 7-8 the right fibula/calf juncture started tightening up and I felt my symmetry going.
this stupid little calf spasm has not turned into a real issue and I cut the ruck short at 10 laps as I was worried I was going to do some damage
After I got done it tightened up a lot and I've spent the afternoon trying to un fuck it. Just like old time. Bad old times. It's the popliteus/ and or soleus and it spasms and I can't fully lock out my knee. VMO wont fire.
worked everything but rec fem, popliteus and soles seem to be the keys
much better standing and walking. getting up from sitting locks it up
Legs felt much weaker after not using weight on thursday. but that could have been the right calf talking to me
Second week of no ruck thursday and, again, it was glorious. I've gone from hating thursday afternoon rucks ( just doing them out of sheer discipline) to really really enjoying this fast and light walk
After 7 hours of standing for my work it was not fun to put the extra 50 lbs on my back and walk, and although undoubtedly made me stronger I was getting very tired of loathing it. Now however I am really digging these fast and light walks and have no problem getting out the door
And fast it was. The 6th lap was just under 7 minutes and that's without really trying. I don't want to turn this into a race but I've been able to get into a great flow state easily these last two weeks
Will see if it lasts but it's still way easier to get out that door and after 8 years of twice weekly heavy rucks I think I'm ok with one heavy and one light day. In fact, I think my legs and conditioning will be better for it for sure
Despite being pretty sore from Monday this went very very well. Technique was easy to implement and stayed very consistent
1) Spot X
2) lock knees
3) move head back and shove bar up
worked great.timing wasn't perfect on all reps but no major errors
200 x 1 x 5
the head initiation might just be the right trigger to press I've been looking for. Matches well with my high bar placement on the neck and makes real sense to move the head out of the way instead of trying to 'press the bar to my face'
24 kg swings
5 x 8/8
green and red mini band tri ext
3 x 20
BW 177.4! highest of later BF 12.8 very low for morning no bath
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