135 lb press 5x5,Pistol practice ladder,floor pushups , laterals

Swapped out the York olympic bar for the Texas Power bar to see if it would give me a bit more 'bounce' at the start. Really shouldn't at all, even with 225 lbs much less 135 but I could feel a slight difference today and the thinner diameter bar felt better in my grip than last time when it seemed to make it harder to grip tightly
Today, it was easier. I'll take it/

Plan on taking 215 out for a ride on Saturday as I will be in Croatia teaching an  SFG the next week and will miss training and I'm sure it will take me a few weeks at least to get back to the strength I'm at now so why not. Everything's been a PR lately at high weights so I should be able to get 215 on the books

Timing and technique felt spot on today
 Press

65,85, 105 x 4
135 x 5 x 5 all paused

very very solid

Pistol practice ladder
1/1 x 4
2/2 x 3
4/4 x 3


Floor Pushups
2 sets of 50
1 set of 51! PR

wow these felt great

laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s
strongest ever

BW 173.2
BF 12.3!

Fast steady state ruck. Autopilot.

Great ruck today. All systems were go. My legs felt loose, strong and fast and held up that way for all twelve laps!
I expected them to start getting heavy after ten but no problem. Haven't felt that in forever.

And I basically hit auto pilot right from the start and just cruised it in

As always it helps it was cool and overcast with a light breeze. Perfect for me to go harder in as well.

Just a really nice ruck and the pace was solid for all 12 laps

Didn't take a test lap and not sure I'm going to anymore. It forces me into a gait that's really not normal  and I don't think I could ever maintain for more than one or two laps tops. If I want to concentrate on speed I should concentrate on getting the 12 lap time lower as I can

We'll see,

48lb ruck
12 laps
10 squat stretches
1:50 min !
RPE 6.5 !

BW 171.2
BF 13.2 ~

the beard at 10 months in!

190 lb Press 4 sets of 3, 1x2 3/4, 1x2 PR! 24 kg speed swings, laterals

Pretty freakin strong today. The fix to unracking the bar worked for not taking my biceps tendon out at the start and everything else worked well; including my mind and my self talk! Got out of position a bit on the third rep of the first set and only got 3/4 but it didn't stop me from getting the next four sets of three

The last sets lockout was iffy so I took another set and got two.

It was just a year ago that I missed this weight for a single and now I'm doing triples and 16+ reps in one workout with it! I'll take it



Press
65,85, 105 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1
180 x 1
190 x 2 3/4
       x 3 x 4 sets
       x 2

24 kg speed swings
5 reps every 30 sec
150 reps
RPR 7

pretty strong and explosive today. cardio strong

Laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20's

BW 171.2
BF 13.8
W 57.2

Heat lamp ruck

Ah, another nice 90 degree ruck under a scorching heat lamp sun. ack.  But the good news was that I felt great and despite  just enjoying one second of it other than being able to walk, my legs and lungs felt great and it wasn't that hard to keep the legs going.
If I could have just had that heat lamp off my face.
Having to wear a hat to keep from getting skin cancer on my scalp and nose doesn't make it much easier too.
Have I complained enough?
It got done and I felt good.
That's plenty

48 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min
RPE 7

BW 171.8
BF 13.9

60 kg One Arm Swings 10x5/5,wt pushups, waking lunges, laterals

I wouldn't have given two cents for todays workout given how I felt 24 hours before. My traps neck and upper back did not like those close floor pushups nor my left biceps tendon the 15 presses I did before figuring out what not to do to inflame it.

Not a great nights sleep and weird nervy pain throughout. Great.
But I think it was just my body seeking neutral and bouncing around trying to find it as I kept feeling better and more "square and plumb" as the day went by and by time I got to training I felt great with NO joints talking to me at all!

So freaking weird but I'll take it1

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 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 4/4
48 kg x 4/4
60 kg x 5/5 x 10
100 reps
13,200 lbs
RPE 7.5

Left wrist and shoulder were FINE! Perhaps the best in forever and grip was no issue at all! Left TFL and right glute were 100% normal as well. So weird.
AND the Reebok Legacy shoes were perfect too

First time swinging the 60 kb in them and they made me feel like I was glued to the ground. Crazy stable and the heel height is literally ideal. Balance is great and quad activation and lumbar curve is just where I want it
Couldn't be happier
Plus it makes me an inch taller ,lol

Wt pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3

shoulder was fine,. going to use these on rep days as well as weight. no more floor for ahile

Walking lunges
3 laps

BEST my knees and hips and quads have felt doing these in months! so freaking weird

I did start 7-8 benzoflavone adaptogen two days ago and I wonder if that's making the difference?

I've used it and like it before but it's been months.

laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 172.8
BF 13.9

135 lb press 6x5,pistol practice, parallel floor pushups, laterals

 I KNEW there was another piece of the puzzle and I thought it was about 'laying back' on the descent on these paused reps but it was earlier in the chain than that.
I realized that one thing I was doing wrong with rep set press was letting my elbows drop a bit on each rep and or the first max rep.
SO I decided to really focus on that; on swiveling my elbows up as I unracked the weight and on each rep prior to pressing.
But that's also's what caused all that bicep tendon grief on Saturday it seems and it started back up today with just light warmup weights

Then, I realized I had been down this road before last year when I was in the other rack and the problem was just that, leading with the elbows. SO I cut that shit right out and the rest of the sets went fine. Just a strong lack back and then press

The only thing harder than figuring something out is remembering to do it!

65, 85, 105 x 3
135 x 6 sets of 5 ( two single rep sets as false starts til I realized the technique problem)

Pistol Practice


3 sets of 3 like this above. these are feeling better all the time and I do like this front/stick self spotting.
First time doing this in the reeboks and they were perfect.

Parallel pushups on dbs on floor. close stance
35
35
30

whew! this COOKS my triceps and doesn't work my shoulders so much. PERFECT! The close hand space helps too. Wider on Wednesdays

Laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20's
strong! wrist better

BW 172.8
BF 14

Sunday Ruckings

Nice and cool out this morning and it started off just fine. The first hour was strong and crisp but then the legs got a bit heavy and it got hotter,not the strong finish I was hoping for. Ended up saying hi to too many neighbors and had to hustle to get the 12 laps in in the two hours. Ended up with less squat stretches as a result

48 lb ruck
12 laps
6 squat stretches
2:00
last lap 7:02 !! dammit!
RPE 8/9

BW 171.4
BF 14.5

187.5 Press 3x3 PR, 185 x 2x2 , 24 kg speed swings, laterals

Well this went perfectly! The shoes made a huge difference and that translated to the strongest press position I've ever had. Gave me a lot of confidence too
Going to pauses and triples only worked too
The only thing I have to change now is the descent after each rep- I have to remember to lean back a bit first, as if I was going to do touch and go reps, or my left biceps tendon yells at me. But, other than that everything went the best ever!

Press
65, 85, 105 x 3
135 x 3
155 x 2
175 x 1
185 x 2 x 2
187.5 x 3 x 3

this was the plan, if 185 went easy go up to 187.5 for a pr. and didn't have to grind on any of the reps! that's a first

Next week up to 190 for trips


24 kg speed swings
30 sets of 5
150 reps
RPE 7

the shoes worked perfectly for these too, which had me a bit concerned. Got my onto my big toe without having to force it at all, AND could get back to the heels for the lockout. Perfect. Except, the heels are still silver, lol :(

Laterals

3 x 10/10 with 15s strong too

BW 171.6

BF 13.1

Strong Ruck

Got the hip issued resolved. Lots of SMR with Rec fem and stick work, piroformis release with small super nova, rumble roller for adductors and IT and lots of hip flexor activation isometrically and then moving into primitve squat pattern stretching

Also included cossack squat stretches which I have been avoiding. No longer  adductors have to stay open and strong.
Also banded hip flossing helped a lot after the SMR
By the time I got to the ruck hip flex pretty normal thank G-d

48 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min
 No timed laps ( not going to push it )

BW 171.6
BF 14.2

whew, that was a wake up call that heavy swings on Wednesday afternoons are NOT the same as Saturday mornings. DO NOT GET DISTRACTED!

48 kg One Arm Swings 10 x 6/6,Wt pushups,walking lunges, laterals

Tweaked my adductor on set two compensating for my left wrist ( anticipating a hard grab) on the right to left transfer. Nothing bad but I've never done it before and it's because I lost my pre training focus worrying about getting my oly shoes delivered on time. Got pissed off and I believe it cost me! Nothing bad and a good reminder of how great I've had in on injuries for quite awhile and not to let my bodymaintence get too low in volume!
I'm getting the big pieces but probably need more details

Bummer too because I felt very strong and the weight felt light, probably another reason I lost a bit of focus

Decided to start the rest of the sets on my left arm so I didn't have to test it on the transfer. It was stupid enough to continue the workout.

One armswings
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 3/3
48 kg x 6/6 x 10 sets
120 reps
12,720 lbs
RPE 7 ( tweak aside)

Wt pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3
very strong

Walking lunges
3 x 40 steps
no problem but was ginger. Felt it but it was not getting worse at all

Laterals
3x8/8 with 20s

BW 172.6
BF 13.8

125 lb press practice/pauses,pistol practice, parallel floorpushups, laterals

Really good session today, learned lots and got to put them in practice right away. Presses were all paused, every rep of every set. Basically 25 singles in sets of five. I think this will be the way forward as getting better at the skill of heavy five rep sets does not seem to transfer well a single. Especially since I have the habit of fucking up my first reps, especially new pr weights, with stunning regularity.

We'll see how this pans out  with 185 on Saturdays but I think it will. Heavy sets of 3's and then onto multiple sets of singles. Lighter fives on Mondays

Get my new Reebok Legacy lifting shoes Wednesday and this have the highest heel/ heel-toe drop of any modern shoe, 22 mm which is a true 3/4 inch heel. I'm closer to half inch now and I think it will really help both my press and my swing positions but we will see

Press
65, 85,105 x 4 paused
125 x 5 x 5 all paused.

Pistol practice , concentric start
2 x 3/3
2 x 4/4

used stick in front support for help and balance and only needed one finger on each hand. these are really getting stronger!

Knuckle pushup 1 x 3 Yeow!!1 triceps
parallel pushups on DB handle 2 x 30

wow! wanted to move away from flat palm as it seems to really get my left pec tendon/bicep tendon going every time now and the parallel wt ones dont and MAN did these fry the tri's!! Just want I want and what I hoped for.

The knuckle version was ok but I think the DB one is safer for the bones of my hand. My tri's got cooked fast!

Laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 171.6
BF 12.3  ?? !! wow!

Sunday Ruck

Surprisingly strong ruck today. Legs and back felt loose and solid, took lungs a bit to open up but they did ok. Not too hot and that always helped

48 lb ruck
12 laps
10 squat stretches
2 hours exactly
6:55 last lap! not bad at all and no jogging! Very decent

BW 171.6
BF 13.5

185 lb press-1x3,2x4,2x2,1x3, 24 kg speed swings, laterals

Was all over the place! should have been better but at least I got the two sets of four. Decided, during warmups to open my foot stance up a bit and it helped,  much more stable and that was good. Most of the issues getting the extra reps were from breath, running out of air.
the first set of three was really strong but belt was too tight and ran out of air. But groove was good
Second set four reps were very strong, loosened belt
third set barely got four, now I realize my elbows do not go up enough on rep sets and this cost me
Third and fourth sets of TWO! were that problem
Then just hit it right and got three on sixth set

I think I need to drop back to sets of three only BUT pause all reps. That will give me the first rep practice I need to do a heavy single.The techniques for touch and go rep sets are much different than a heavy single

This is the big takeaway from this workout. Next week 5 x 3 with all pauses. And pause all reps on Monday's light day too

24 kg speed swings
30 sets x 5
solid power
15 min
150 reps


Laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20's strong

BW 171.6
BF 13.3 !!

Decent ruck

Not quite as hot today with some breeze and that helped a lot. Legs not bad at all and I got into my stride pretty quickly. No lactic acid buildup in calves or hips. back was good too.

Got a decent last lap of 7:02 but don't know how to make my legs go faster. Don't know how I did  this a few years ago. I must have airborne shuffled a bit but I'm not doing any of that anymore. But I must have.

48 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min
7:02 last lap
RPE 75

BW 172.6
BF 13.6

44 kg One arm swing 12 x 8,wt pushups, walking lunges, laterals

pretty solid workout. decided, obviously, to do sets of 8 on just one arm instead of 5/5's. It seems harder without getting into a longer work bout. Went fine and power was solid throughout. will probably work this up to 15 sets though to get over 100 reps -120-.
40 kg will be 15 sets of 10 for 150 reps
48 kg 10 sets of 5/5 for 100 reps and the same for the 60 kg

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5
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 8 x 12 sets
96 reps
9312 lbs ( surprisingly high)
RPE 7.5

good height and power throughout

Wt Parallel pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10
78 x 10 x 2
sandbag and chain

love this. will do 103 with the other chain next week!

walking lunges
4 laps of 40 ft
strong!

laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s
strong as well

BW 172.8
BF 13.3

127 lb press practice, pistol practice,floor pushups, laterals

Decent workout today. Body held up well from the weekend and actually felt strong today

Press
65,85,105 x 5
127 x 5 x 5
 technique felt solid

Pistol practice ( concentric start)
1/1 x 2
2/2 x 2
3/3 x 2

long pauses in bottom, strongest in bottom ever

Floor pushups
3 sets of 50! solid too first two sets unbroken third set unbroken to 40 then ten then 5 and 5

Laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20s

BW 173.8
BF 12.3 !!!
W 58

BW 1 pm (poop :) )
173

Strong Ruck

Finally a Strong one!! Cool morning  but most importantly legs felt light and loose! So nice. I did worry about a crash in the second hour but then realized I should just enjoy the loose speed as long as possible

Did squat stretches each lap and that felt good too

Last lap at 6:59 lol that's cutting it too close

48 lb Ruck
12 laps
1:55 min
11 squat stretches
Last lap 6:59

BW 172.8
BF 13.4

Weird day.  All over the place but it ended well. Started off with my Adidas powerlift shoe and I could tell pretty quick that the heels is too low and it wouldn't help me but I wanted to test it more.
I wore it through the 185 x 3 first two sets then switched to the Innov8 and it was immediately better. But I wasted the first sets a bit but now I know.

So I ordered the shoe with the highest heel out there, the AdiPower 2

Looks a lot like the Innov8 but with a slightly higher heel and heel to toe drop. We'll see. But I know that the Do Wins are too low. I just wish this had a leather stacked heel but oh well

Plus the colors are right :) Mustang Blue and Black :)

Press
65, 85 105 x 3
135 x 3
155 x 3 ( low heel)
175 x 2
185 x 3 x 2
this is second set


then back to Innov8 shoe and
3x3 ( first video is 5th set)

135 x 10

I was so pissed ( even though I have no right to be, for gods sake this is a HUGE PR! that I thought I would give 20 reps a go but I was shot ,lol

24 kg speed swings
30 sets x 5 reps
150 reps
7950 lbs
RPE 7

this was good. Used the GS style bell and the smaller handle was a nice change. Longer bell meant a longer stroke and it took a few sets to get use to but in the end it was good

Laterals
3 x 10/10 wth 15

BW 172.2
BF 12.3
W 58.3

dont know where the hell the bodyfat and hydration came from but I'll take it! this is the lowest it's been in ages and I actually feel leaner than at 174 a few months ago

Hot ruck

man I was caught off guard by the heat today. an hour earlier than usual but i don't think that made the difference. It just felt like I was rucking in a smelly sauna. No breeze, no clouds just nasty 90 deg heat that brought out the lovely bouquet of the park.

Got a decent last lap and the legs felt good but this was just pure mental training. straight up masochism

48 lg ruck
6 laps
55 min
Last lap= 7:04
RPE 11

BW 171.2
BW 13.8

40kg one arm swings 10x5/5 78 lb wt pushups, walking lunges, laterals

Interesting one. Right glute at IT band insertion has been touchy for the last week and I was very careful not to overload it. It got a bit weird after the pistol attempts a few weeks ago and I've been working on it. It's releasing well so I didn't want to tweak anything trying for too much power on the lower rep sets

Worked out fine and went back to my Inov8 fastlight heels which I think  I'll stay with for swings. Need the 3/4 " height. 1/2 is not enough. I 'll use the do wins for pressing which I think will actually be better

Wasn't sure if fives were going to be enough work but putting out max effort to accelerate really caught up. Did twelve sets but actually could have stopped  at ten

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
40 kg x 5/5 x 12 sets
120 reps
10,560 lbs
RPE 7.5

Weight pushups parallel bars
bw x 8
53 x 8
78 x 8
78 x 10

first time going up by adding a chain. worked great. need to up this too

Walking lunges
3 sets of 40 sets

VERY ginger here because of the glute but it actually helped a lot to rebalance quad to glute tension
much better at end than at start

laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20's

BW 172.0
BF 14.1