110 lb Mil Press, 32 kg belt squat, floor pushups,crawls, rear delt

Pretty solid one today considering I woke up with my left elbow a bit wonky from 'sleeping on it' wrong. That's my definition of old. When you get hurt in your sleep. I know it's just from too much work on the grip but that's what 170 48 kg one arm reps can get you.
Oh and that goblet squat as well
So I went to work on the flexors but it's hard to get things right when I have to do as I train clients. Can't really focus just try to keep it open

I figured the barbell presses today would either fix it or finish it.
It got fixed. but it really bugs me when this happens. the whole arm is just basically useless when the elbow is stuck in external rotation a bit.
But the fix; release the muscle tension, definitely allows the joint to sit back into neutral
When one has loose ligaments and tight muscles this can happen. and does :)

Military press
stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 3 x 4
110 x 5

this turned out better than expected. took a few sets to remember the groove as the elbow was not entirely happy but it settled down as I went on. Without that I could have done 5x5 with the weight no problem.

Belt squats
32 kg x 15 x 4
legs are pretty tired by this point and I didn't spend enough time on the roller. right IT band pretty tight against the kneecap.

Floor pushups
4 sets of 20

good test for the elbow and the flat palm position always helps the elbow rotate back into the groove. Iso holds on lockout at the end . after these it felt normal. could fully lockout with no pressure on it

Crawls
2 laps of 60 ft.

cut it short we have 20 min of swings to do on wed and  I was feeling done. pain always drains one even if it's not serious. Also I figured I'd pushed the elbow enough

band rear delts
3 sets of 15 slowly with blue band

datsit
neverquit

Sunday ruck; just turn the motor on

and let it run.

That's what today felt like. Up until the ninth lap that is.
But until then it was great. No residual issues from yesterday's PR fest at all. Another pr of sorts in it's own right. That shows the loading was appropriate and the recovery included.

Got a decent stretchout before the start and legs and back felt good. The pack felt light at 51.4 lbs. Time to bump the weight up again. Another 2.5 lbs next week.

Things were focused and smooth up until the start of the 9th lap (1.5 hrs  in) when 'the training began'. No big deal just started to get a little fatigued and  bored. Harder to keep increasing the pace but I got it done. Up until then I felt like a machine, just ready to move. I LOVE this feeling :) That's what keeps me coming back time and time again, waiting for it to make it's appearance.
Strong always feels good.

A really good example of negative split training
5th lap = 8:20
7th lap: 8:06
11th lap : 7:45!

really got warmed up by then :)
 51.4 lbs
12 laps
5 iso squats
2 hours.

the thing to remember too when walking for time is that it doesn't matter if you go faster each lap, you still have to stay on your feet for the full time :)
this makes it both easier and tougher at the same time

ok presses tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

48 kg One Arm Swings 170 reps PR, 48 kg Goblet squat PR, Horiz Pushups, side laterals

HUGE day today with a huge bell. Looking back at my log I saw my old pr ( done twice but in different ways) is 160 reps. The  first way did 5 sets of 9/9 a set of 10/10 then sets of 5/5 to finish. I wanted to do more reps and keep the reps per set higher.

I set out to do  5 x 9/9 and 5 x 8/8 and got it done but it was not as easy as I had hoped. The first rep of the first set I felt my left hand grip say hello and let me know I couldn't treat that bell like a 32 or so. I had to grip the shit out of it to keep it going!

It got better as I warmed up. as usual, but that got my attention.

things got better until set 7 or so then it got just damn hard to keep the rep speed and height where I wanted it and 8 reps, while better than 9 is not that much easier :)

and we went VERY fast. Only three of us and we got finished about 20 minutes sooner than usual. Just a screaming pace. didn't plan it, it just happened but it didn't make it easier

One armswings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kgx  5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
40 kg x 4/4

48 kg x 9/9 x 5 sets
          x 8/8 x 5 sets
170 reps PR
18,020 lbs

seriously hard from a strength AND a conditioning standpoint.
And while I got this done it truly let me know just how tough the end game goal: 10 sets of 10/10 with this thing will be. I remember when I first did 100 reps with it and was pleased as punch. As I am now. Still lots of work to do to get that PR under my belt.

Lots of people do some swings, almost nobody ( except our crew and my wife ) TRAINS the swing. Crazy! You get so much from so little

Oh yea, it's fucking HARD that's why.

Goblet squat


This was HUGE for me! The end result of the last 2+ years since my TKR! I dreamed I would one day be able to squat this thing, like this, but I really didn't know when. My squats and legs have been feeling very strong and this is the peak of the cycle. I crushed the 40 kg goblet last week so no good reason not to try.

Except I was freaking BEAT UP by all those swings but what was the worst case? I missed. No big deal. I wanted to just try. And it was STRONG! The hardest part was cleaning the damn thing! I though a bunch about doing a timer swing and, in hindsight I should have, and will do next time. The squat wasn't that hard at all but if I don't get a great rack hold position it makes it much harder than it should be .

Still , very very veryhappy with this

my 44 kg  set


Goblet squat
28 kg x 3
36 kg x 3
44 kg x 2
48 kg x 2 PR!!!!!

Horiz bar pushups
25
25
20
 these were tough just cause I was TIRED!

side delts
3 sets of 12 with 12's

 very very good day. big ruck tomorrow and Tracy will be back too! Can't wait :)

datsit
neverquit

A different Thursday ruck

Got started a bit later than usual today. Tracy's still in Vietnam and I got stuck on a business phone call. I felt good, the pack was light ( 44 lbs) and the weather was moderate. But I was hungry and ready to get it over with so I could eat.

On my second lap though I noticed a homeless guy sitting behind a tree. There are many homeless who call this park their home; I took note of him and walked on. He called out to me as I passed;" is that a Craft international patch"? At first I didn't know if he was talking to me or not and I forgot I had my Chris Kyle patch on my ruck then it dawned on me what he was asking.

I told him it was and walked over to him; he had to be a vet to know what the patch was. He was young and obviously homeless, we started talking about Chris Kyle and Craft Int and he told me he was a vet and had done two tours in Iraq as a Marine.
He asked if I was a Marine and complimented me on how I carried my ruck. No greater compliment to me than to be mistaken for a Marine :) We talked a bit more; he told me about his time in Iraq and how hard it was when he came back. But I had to go.I wished him good luck and told him I wished I had some money to give him and that if he were around here on Sunday am when I rucked I would help him out.

But as I walked away I realized my house was just two blocks away. The house that I owned with the car that I owned in front of it and plenty of food and warmth and money in it. I felt guilty about not wanting to break my training routine to help this guy out.

So I told him I would be back in ten minutes and to wait. I walked back home as fast as I could and made him a care package. A bunch of cooked bacon I had in the fridge, a handful of quest bars, shortbread cookies, a box of tricuits, a Craft International t shirt I had just lying around, a casio watch I didn't need , a small bottle of moonshine and $100 in 20's.

I had no idea what he would do with the money but I didn't care. It felt great to be helping this guy out and these are the things I would want in his current situation.

When I gave him the  money he just about cried. He put the shirt right on and was as happy as I have seen a person in a long time. He stuffed the bacon in his mouth and promised me the moonshine wouldn't mess him up.

He had a son and a wife in modesto and  was trying to get back to them and now he could. He was 27 and said this was the first time anyone had helped him out on the street. He hugged me and shook my hand and thanked me over and over. He is the same age as my son.

I headed back to finish my laps and he headed to the train station to buy a ticket. I haven't felt this good in a long long time

44 lb ruck
6 laps
last lap time 7:45
helping a homeless Marine vet : priceless.


datsit
neverquit.

24 kg Speed Swings, 10 min, Sandbag walking lunges, parallel pushups , 28 kg kb rows

This is a backoff week for speed swings, to set up not only the weekends 48kg swing work but also next weeks 20 min speed swing peak

This is working out very well. Not only does 10 min now feel like cheating( lol Glenn) it also really lets me concentrate on going all out each and every rep, which I try to do but can't, for 20 minutes.This is shorter work bout but the intensity is very high. Power out put the best ever for 10 minutes

Speed swings
24 kg
15;15 x 10 reps
10 min 200 reps
10, 600 lbs

Walking Lunges with 29 lb sandbag

 1st lap x 40 sets with bag both directions
2nd lap with bag forward only, bw back
3rd lap the same

this KICKED MY ASS!!
the bag was comfortable to carry but the load on the quads was off the hook. Next week only 1/2 lap on each set until I adapt.

Parallel bar pushups
20
20
20
15

these were strong and shoulder was fine. No residual problems from Mon mil press workout

kb row
28 kg x 6/6 x 3 sets

quick and dirty workout. perfect

tomorrow hour ruck

datsit
neverquit

100 lb Mil Press, 44 kg belt squat, floor pushups, crawls, rear delts

Decided to give the bar another try and it felt very good I have to say.  I couldn't get into a much more vertical position by trying to brace the abs but the weight went up as easily as it ever has. Even with the close grip my hand position at the lockout is still  much wider than it would be with a kettlebell and I think that still makes a difference for the shoulder.

The key thing is is that my shoulders don't hurt and the weight felt light

Mil Press
 stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 x 5

Belt squats
 44 kg x 10, 12, 14, 16


these felt deeper than they look. again it's all my back/hip flexion that fools me. I put my arms up in the barbell front squat position and this makes me hinge back as I approach the bottom to counterbalance even though my shin angle is very good I only get to parallel with this weight

But even though the depth is less with this bell the work is good because of the load , and the load on a different section of the force curve.holding onto something makes SO much difference in upright posture it's crazy.

Still more work to do but the knee and legs feel great!

Floor pushups
4 sets of 20 reps!!!
best EVER and NO clunking at all! that could be a first

Crawls
3 sets of 60 ft

strong

Band rear delts
3 x 12

like these better for actually getting almost pure rear delt

ok

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck

This was the first long ruck in quite awhile by myself. Tracy is still in Vietnam so it was just me today. No problem and it's always different when you go by yourself or with a partner, whether it's running rucking or cycling. You fall into a different pace, breath, mindset.

Not better or worse, just different.

 Legs and back felt fine after yesterday's heavy but small workload.

51.5 lb ruck
1 hr 55 min time
12 laps
5 30 second iso squats
5th lap time = 8:05
12 laps time 7:48

fast from the start.

wore the salomon's today for the first time for a full weight 2 hr session. they were just fine, even perhaps better than the combat boots.  plenty of support and cushioning and they move well

ok barbell presses tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

44 kg one arm swings, 28 kg double bell cleans,40 kg goblet squat ( pr) weighted pushups, side delts

Solid work today. An official 'stepping back' workload, just 100 total reps in sets of 5/5 to focus on more power output and getting set for pr work next week with the 48 kg bell.

This felt very strong the whole time; grip, legs back everything felt solid.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 3/3
36 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 5/5 x 10 sets
100 reps
9700 lbs work

Two bell cleans
2 20's x 5
2 24's x 5
2 28's x 3 x 3

first two sets were pulling  me forward I got it figured out for this last set


this is always a tough move for me as it gets heavy. just not much leverage in this wide stance

Goblet squat


24 kg x 5
32 kg x 5
40 kg x 5 PR!!
36 kg x 5

strongest goblets ever! bottom position felt SO solid

Horiz bar pushups
29 lb sandbag on back x 10, 10, 10 , 8

the bag works perfectly for loading this. sits flush with the back even with no one stabilizing it

side delts
3 sets of 12 with 12 lbs

great workout!

ok long ruck tomorrow by my lonesome. Tracy's off to Vietnam with my kids.

datsit
neverquit

Work Capacity

Work Capacity : Being able to produce large amounts of force over an extended period of time with minimal fatigue and quick recovery.

Fast Ruck

Back on track again with a very fast 6 lap ruck with Tracy
Lower ruck weight to 44 lbs and it almost felt empty  which is just right

6  laps
56 min
44 lb ruck
5th lap= 8:05

legs and back feel great after yesterday's training. finally catching up recovery wise.

24 kg Speed Swing 15 min,Walking Lunges Wt,Parallel bar pushups, kb row

Hard one today. No good reason but 15 minutes was long today. Had no doubt I could do it but the power output went down from 10 min on. I had to work very hard to keep the speed up through each set.
It got done but effort was up for sure. Hey, this is what training's about. This made me stronger in many ways. mentally as well as physically.

Speed Swings
24 kg
15:15 10 rep set
15 min
300 reps
15,900 lbs

I'll take it. If I can do this tired it's good.

Walking Lunges
2 laps of 40 steps bodyweight
1 lap of 40 steps with 29 lb sandbag in zercher position

this was great. could rotate it in the cross lateral gait pattern and it worked great! definitely another set next week

parallel pushups
20
20
17
10

67 reps

Kb rows
24 kg x 6/6 x 3 sets

ok ruck up tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

24 kg kb press, 40 kg belt squats, floor pushups, crawls, kb laterals

decided to go with kb today and see two things;
1) if I could still do them as I did last week
2) if I didn't wake up with impingement the next day

SO for one for one. We'll see how things are tomorrow but today went well
Took my time and warmed up slowly and really concentrated on playing with this new technique

1) arm across chest bell sits  directly over hip in rack. thumb to collarbone
2) initiate with elbow lift then drive into the bell. keeps bell over hip in initial drive
3) maintain ab brace during entire lift. abs and glutes to maximize tspine extension and minimize rib flare and lumbar arch.


worked pretty well I feel. shoulder and t spine mobility work continues and shoulder pain is negligible. this will take some time but I like it so far. feels like I can work from here.

KB press
12 kg x 5/5
14 kg x 5/5
16 kg x 3/3
20 kg x 3/3
24 kg x 3/3 x 5 sets

 Belt squats
40 kg x 12 x 4 sets

crossed arms on shoulders trying to keep chest up. worked very well. like a mock bb 'er front squat

floor pushup
3 sets of 20
1 x 18 shoulder clunked. new rule is, once it cluncks set's over

Crawls
3 sets of 50 feet

getting better

back on track and happy about the kb press. I do like the barbell but it definitely encourages my default bad shoulder mechanics. I might try it again just focused on the ab bracing.that might change things a lot. we'll see

KB lateral
hold the kb in the rack position and lift elbow. this is from pavel's original RKC book. not bad, actually
12 kg x 12
14 kg x 12
16 kg x 10

got in a solid one hour full stretchout. love when I have the full hour to get the whole body unlocked!

datsit
neverquit

53 lb Ruck

Bumped the weight up a few pounds today and was grateful I didn't go more. Hamstrings and thighs were just a bit tired after all those swings but it finished fine. Just getting back to full loading after a little break. Got stronger each lap until 11 then I got tired
Also only did 5 sets of iso squats. My right hip flexor is getting tighter than the left and I think all the squatting I do everyday is catching up so I backed off these a bit. The original purpose of these squats was to gain ROM and that's been done.
Doing five sets was perfect to loosen up the hips and thighs after a couple laps but I don't think I need ten anymore.

2 hour ruck
53 lbs
12 laps
5 isometric hold squats 30 sec
10th lap = 8:05 ( pretty fast, actually )

KB Presses tomorrow I think

datsit
neverquit

40 kg One Arm Swings, 28 kg Front squats, horiz bar pushups, side delts

these went well. I felt surprisingly strong as soon as I gripped the bell. Power and wind were better than expected too.
My old pr was 172 reps with 5 sets of 9/9 and  5 sets of 5/5 so I just went back a little and kept them all at 8's. Good choice

One Arm Swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5

40 kg x 8/8 x 10
160 reps
14,080 lbs

Long cycle clean and squat
20 kg x 3/3
24 kg x 3/3
28 kg x 3/3 x 2 sets


these were good but harder to hold in the rack than expected.Not much direct leg work but overall good total body work

Horiz pushups
4 sets of 15

tougher than expected

Side laterals
3 x 12 with 12's

ok big ruck tomorrow
BW 163.4

datsit
neverquit

Fast ruck

Solid one today. Fitness coming back it seems. No problems from yesterday's training and early morning energy good

Lowered pack weight to 42.5lb  Felt empty :)

6 laps with my honey
60 min
5th lap = 8:05

legs back and shoulders feel great. day off tomorrow then 40 kg swings on Sat

datsit
neverquit

24 kg Speed Swings, 17 min,walking lunges,parallel bar pushups, rear delts

Glenn was sick and didn't train but he was healthy enough to come over and support me . Now that's a real training partner. It also meant that I could get some footage of the swing sets. Usually he and I are going at the same time so- no video. Just wanted to have it on record.

Still not up to full power so this was tough but steady. The total time wasn't so bad  it's just hard to keep as much power output as I want on the later sets. I did my best. which is the key to progress.

24 kg Speed swings
17 min
340 reps
18,020 lbs

why that does add up quickly. Still hot enough here for me to want some sweatbands not wear a shirt AND have the fan on me. I can do long but I overheat fast and sweat like a pig

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

these were WAY tough today. Quads were still lit up from mondays belt squat.

Parallel bar pushups
20
18
15
13

66 reps

triceps death. they started tired

db rear delts
3 sets of 12 with 12 lbs

ruck up tomorrow! almost back to full strength

datsit
neverquit

24 kg KB Snatch, 24 kg KB Press, headstands, 32 kg belt squat, floor pushups, side delt

Since Glenn was still out of town I decided to play a bit and check to see how my kb snatch and press were going. After my shitty handstand attempts on Saturday I wasn't expecting much, but I wasn't in the mood for presses especially after a cert. It still really torques me I can't kb press or snatch regularly so, like I did with my two hand swing for years, I will test it occasionally to see what's up.

What's up is that is is the best it's been in years! Caught me totally by surprise. Left arm looked normal and right was damn decent for  me.

The biggest change is really working upper t spine mobility by doing extensions over the roller WITH the abs braced. It must be doing something as this felt decent!Haven't been doing as much hanging as that didn't seem to really help.

While not jetlagged a bit fatigued from jumping right back into full work and training mode
 this was the 20 kg set preceding the 24


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

KB press
that this felt good was even more surprising than the snatch!
 16 kg x 3/3 x 2
20 kg x 3/3 x 2
24 kg x 3/3 x 2 !!


Definitely noticed on video that my right elbow does not come as deep into contact with the ribs as my left. Looks like I am not flexing the lat enough. will fix that.

Also, after watching the video a few times I notice that my right arm is not coming across the body as it does in the left.It's staying too externally rotated. Never saw that.Plus the clean ends too high on the ribs.
 Also , it looks like the side laterals I am doing are helping the press as well as the first move almost mimics that position and the shoulder is holding.Interesting.

Headstands
3 sets of practice headstand from straddle stand. Surprisingly this was waaay tougher than the lasst time I did it!! Even this. It must be something with the TKR as my weight distribution upper to lower has totally changed ,as well as left to right. even my hamstring flexibility is much different ( worse) than before. very weird.

anyway, managed to get it done. I had thoughts of being able to press up but that's a long way off for now.this will be a good thing to do if it doesn't throat punch me tomorrow :) It should help re acquaint my body with the hips over shoulder position ( stacking)

belt squat
32 kg x
12
14
16
18
20

this was TOUGH. deep squats and great leg isolation. it was good conditioning as well

Floor pushups
20
18
15
15
68 reps

side laterals
 3 x 12 with 12 lbs

not sure if I'm going to continue using the kb or go back to the barbell.I am definitely stronger because of the bar even though the weight( total) is not anymore than a 24 kg bell. I will sleep on it.
While definitely cool to be able to do again it does look like what I am doing is making the shoulder overhead ROM better so perhaps I will stick with it

But maybe not. And, we'll see if I can comb my hair tomorrow.
Oh was supposed to do craws but was too tired, laterals are easy

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck. Digging back in

Things caught up a little by this morning; it's only been a week since we've been home and jumping back to basically full training loads after a week off made itself known,
Nothing terrible at all, just tired and sore overall.

Made the pack a bit lighter, 51 lbs and we're off
Starting to cool off a bit which I love so that made it easier
Still a slow start. Every lap after 5 I felt better. The first 5 were not pretty.

51 lb Ruck
12 laps
10 sets of iso squats 30 seconds ( strong and deep)
5th lap =8:15
12 lap the same
2 hours even.

BW 163

36 kg One Arm Swings, PR tie,Handstand practice, rack lunges, pushups

Surprisingly strong today. Bell felt light up the whole time, which was not expected, but after set 6 it was nothing but work. I was fine on the first arm's ten reps but after 5 on the second hand it was uphill all the way.

I hung tough and the power didn't go down too much, but like Wednesday I did it but it wasn't that strong.
But the doing of it will make me that much stronger. that's just how it works

One arm swings
16 kg x5/5 x2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 10/10 x 10 PR tie

Hanstand practice
worked this with Joe as I thought I might be able to do it but no go. About 5 sets of attempts and I have to say that they were better in that I didn't feel like I was going to collapse as I kicked up- like last time!:)
So more strength but still not enough proprioception of where my hips are and still a lot of muscular restriction from ribs and lats

Lunges double bells in rack
2 12s x 5/5
2 16s x 5/5 x 4 sets

these were tough but good. using the front squat rack position forces me to stay more upright but doesn't seem to overload the shoulders as much as the 2 kb front squat does.
it's all good but these 5's are not easy on the second side so that is good. have lots to improve. starting with right leg to work the ROM on the left first and then finish with it in front for strengthening.

Parallel bar pushups
4 sets of 15

playing around with scapula mechanics with Joe

Assisted stretching overhead.

took advance of having Joe stretch out my shoulders. Oddly enough with passive stretch and a active partner my right shoulder ROM was 170 degrees! can't do that with out help but it wasn't that bad overhead!
The mystery continues

datsit
neverquit

Thursday ruck; cruising back in

The one thing that gets worked the most when I travel are my legs. I carry my ruck as my luggage so even though it's much lighter than my rucking weight it's still about 20 + lbs and it adds up over lots of airport and other walking.

So today it wasn't that much of a shock at all putting on my 47 lb ruck and getting back to the rhythm.
Still want to break back in slowly

47 lb ruck
6 laps
55 minutes
 5th lap time: 8:15

a bit slow but the whole system is a bit tired so I didn't push it at all
 a full day off then 36 kg swings

datsit
neverquit

Back in the mix

Fresh back from the first ever StrengthMatters SMK certification in the UK and I still had to make my workout.
I wrote a full debrief of the cert for another blog so this is just about getting back on the horse while my body thinks it time to go to sleep again
Actually the jet lap in either direction wasn't too bad this time and the travel was exceptionally easy. Plus I had plenty of energy and my body behaved well . I dont' think i got on a full roller all weekend but I did get a lot of stretching and demo type training in.
that was good.

So today was easy and I would have rather not started back with swing vo2 but there it was.

Speed swings
24 kg
12 minutes
15;15
10 reps /set
240 reps
12, 720 reps

this was not strong but it wasn't hard either. Just tired and hungry. But it got done and it made me just that much stronger for next time

Walking lunges
3 laps of 40
tough here, starting to run out of gas.
Legs got the most work this weekend/

Horiz bar pushups
20
15
15

trying to hold on now :)

DB side laterals
3 sets of 12 with 12's

about 60 minutes total. not bad considering. back to ruck tomorrow, that should be easier

bw after trip 161.8 pretty much exactly the same as when I left :)

datsit
neverquit

90 lb Military press,36 kg belt squat,floor pushups, leopard crawls, rear delts

last day before I leave to teach the first ever StrengthMatters Kettlebell certification. Very excited but wanted to make sure I left with no new dings so I backed off and it worked out perfectly

Military press
stick x 5
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
75 x 5
90 x 5 x 6 sets

these were the best presses I have done since I started pressing with a barbell again early this year. Moving my grip in ( right at the edge of the knurling) has made a HUGE difference. I can really  angle my hand on the bar and actually get some torque into my shoulders and arms

I was really  having trouble squeezing the bar( even though I was trying hard to) with the old grip. Plus I am pulling my elbows underneath me right at the start. Plus , after the initial drive I am letting my elbows flare as they want. with this narrow of a grip it won't be much

my shoulders aren't achy at the start, not getting ANY left tricep bite like I was before and the overhead position feels much better. Need less arch at the top

Interesting to see this with my shirt off and my scaps go through their paces. They are not as bad as I expected although I can really see where my scoliosis kicks in around T11-12. Right erector is still smaller than the left but the scaps are moving pretty well together . Lockout was even decent

Belt squat
36 kg x 12, 14, 16

wanted to do another set so I stopped :)

Floor pushups
3 sets of 20

same here

Crawls
3 sets of 50 ft

much stronger than last time
 db rear delts
3 sets of 12 with 12's


ok wheels up tomorrow going to make some kb instructors

datsit
neverquit

Hard ruck

Yesterdays lunges took a toll on my legs today during the ruck. I could really feel my quads working harder than normal; a good sign :) It will take a bit to adapt but it's exactly what I want-more quad work.

Fast one too though, second lap was 8:10 and last lap was 7:45! After two hours and 10 iso squats
PLUS I got the ruck selfie I told Morgan I was going to attempt. Easier to do than i thought but harder to take the damn picture.

Tried it for three laps before I got one and Tracy took this selfie photobomb :)

12 lap ruck
55 lbs
1 hr 55 min
10 isosquats

32 kg One Arm Swings, 12's, 28 kg double cleans,kb lunges, horiz pushups, side delts

Solid solid workout. I knew it was going to be good the second I hiked the 32 kg back and it felt light in my hand. Always a good sign.
It was tougher cardio wise then I expected but I think that's because I was trying to, and able, to really accelerate each and every rep as hard as I could. The second half of the second hand was always tough but getting this power out is the idea.
Maximize power and speed on heavy day and try to do the same on speed and volume day when it is lighter. It's so much easier for me to deal with being out of breath and still trying to keep acceleration of the bell high when I know I get a decent rest after the set :)

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 12/12 x 10 sets
240 reps
16,800 lbs work

this was the most consistent power output I have ever done with this weight for this many reps. and that is the goal, 12' are tough though,lol. Anything over 7 reps per arm is freakin' long
each set took about 35-40 seconds and rest/ sets about 90 seconds ( two man crew today)

Double cleans
2 20s x 5
2 24's x 5
2 28s x 5 PR


these were HARD. especially the 28''s which I think my previous best was triples. Just didn't have a lot of gas in the tank at this point. But, they got done! Need to bend my knees more on the backswing. next time

KB Lunge


these were still tough! but they really are good. I can remember when I tried to do these in the first year of my TKR recovery and could not at all so this is good progress and that's what counts

Horiz Pushups
20
20
15

55 total reps.

beat.

db side laterals
3 x 12 with 12 lbs

these are getting better and right shoulder mechanics are virtually identical to right

big ruck tomorrow. last one for ten days or more

datsit
neverquit

Fast Ruck

 Another good one today. Didn't feel any side effect at all from yesterdays 20 min swing session. Adapting very well to the workload.
Today's ruck as loose and fast too with lots of energy. Nice.
Setting up well for the week off at the cert.

47 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min( fast)

nice that the weather was 15 degrees cooler than it's been too. that helped.

ok day off then 32 kg swings.Finally heavy day isn't too heavy!

datsit
neverquit

Speed swings, 20 min,walking lunges,parallel pushups, kb rows

Slept well and after thinking just a bit about it with Glenn, decided to shoot for the full twenty minutes of speed swings. At this point it's not that big a deal how long we go. Which is precisely the level I wanted to get to.
Now it's about trying to maximize acceleration on each and every rep of every set for however minutes the set takes, The base is there, the foundation solid.This is what we've trained for. Pretty soon we should take the 32kg swing test again.  But I have a cert to do first.

Speed Swings
15:15 10 reps per set
40 sets
20 minutes
400 reps
21,200 lbs
10.6 tons

Still stayed with the head up in the bottom position. Seemed what my body wanted to do. I did use double breathing after 11-12 minute. again my body said yes so I went with it.

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 feet

this was tough from the start as it usually is after 20 minute sets. On the last round I was taking break after the first 20 reps!

Parallel pushups
20
20
18
16
 74 total

these were very strong and no shoulder clunks at all

KB row
24 kg x 8/8 x 3 sets

solid day. ruck up tomorrow glad I did the 20 minutes now I don't have that waiting for me when I get back :)

datsit
neverquit

115 lb Military press,40 kg belt squat, floor pushups, leopard crawls, side delt

Well this was a better workout than I thought it was! Just looking back at my numbers for this and my 5x5 pr is with 110 lbs and with 120 lbs I've done 4 sets of 2. Today I did 5 sets of 3 with 115 and it was strong! Definitely could have done 4's for sure.
Made a great technique discovery too- brought my grip in about 1/2 inch closer and really worked to get and keep my elbows IN more in the rack and what a difference it made! Way more torque in the shoulder and hand

I've been struggling trying to squeeze the bar harder because it really helps strength but I just have felt like I didn't have a great grip connection- well bringing the hands in just that much made the bar fit so much better in the hand I could really crush it.

Crazy such a small thing makes such a huge difference but it can.

It also helps that my shoulders have been feeling much better of late

Military press
 stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5
     x 3
85 x 3
105 x 3
115 x 3 x 5 sets! PR


Belt squats
4 sets of 15 with 40 kg
VERY strong. Love these shoes

Floor pushups
4 sets of 21
84 reps

use the same thing here. closer hand spacing and more shoulder torque. NO clunking even at the later sets and reps!

Leopard crawls
3 sets of 40 50 and 60 ft

db side delts
12 lbs x 3 sets of 12

just getting back to it but man these were strong! having a strong day :)

ok day off tomorrow then speed swings!

datsit
neverquit

Long Ruck

After having to miss last week because of the workshop this weeks 2 hour session, especially after the 48kg swings yesterday was just a wee bit hard! Plus a little too much wine and food last night and it was 'you play you pay"

So I payed. Not that bad really, the weather was cooler and overcast and that helped. Nothing hurt I was just feeling tired and my legs weren't as loose. I could definitely feel the lunges I did yesterday too.

It's funny how one miss can make a difference in "feel" of effort but it does. I can still perform but it takes more to do so.

Ruck
55 lb pack
12 laps
1 hr 55 min ( fast!)
last lap time 8;03 (fast too!)
10 iso squats ( one each lap)

bw at start 163 .6
after 160.6  lol just a bit of sweating going on

presses tomorrow!

datsit
neverquit

48 kg One Arm Swing ( PR),20 kg double cleans,Wt lunges,horiz pushups

This was tough but good. I was a bit worried after the first set when I found the left hand grip not so strong for all 8 reps! Not a good sign. I really had to grip it tight to reinforce it and then I was concerned about tearing.
No  tears but this was some serious work.
All four of us agreed but in silence. When it's this tough all the chatter stops and people are just trying to survive. And not lose focus.Everyone was working
It seems that when the reps get over seven per hand with heavy loads it really gets tough.Especially on the second hand but hey, this was PR territory.
That means I've never done it so it should be expected to be a bit tough.
But my body felt great, I slept well and was mentally ready. I should have expected a tough one :)

One arm swing
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 3/3
48 kg x 8/8 (pr) x 10
160 reps ( ties pr)
16,960 lbs
8.48 tons

nice. and the pace was quick even with four of us rotating through. Getting close to 200 rep goal( 10 x 10/10) but it that will be a muther!
Also swing height is still lower than I want so even as I approach 200 I will have to recycle and rebuild to get more power and height in the swing.
No worries, I'll be working on something in either case

Double cleans
2 20's x 6,7,8

these were great. wanted something light after the beast work. Getting back to cleans and may play around with single cleans for reps, as a snatch substitute :)

Weighted Lunges( split squat)
2 16's x 5/5 x 5 sets

these worked perfectly. I want to give pistols a rest as it is bothering my right rectus femoris and locking the right hip a lot. I went to them to isolate the left leg for size but I think the simultaneous stretch on the right back leg might be a good thing to keep things balanced. If the right is a little bigger than the left it won't kill me
But these felt good, hard in a very good way.
some kickstand squats too but not much.

Will work those in to my daily squat/mobility work

Horiz Pushups
3 sets of 20

easy

datsit
neverquit

long ruck tomorrow.

Hot ruck

It twas a bit warm this afternoon. Close to 100 degrees at 1 pm but we kicked it into gear anyway. It's just an hour > just six laps. No worries.

Ruck
47 lbs
58 minutes
4th lap= 8:10

right hip is fine since I really unlocked that right rectus femoris

ok dats it
neverquit

Beast swings for 9/9 on saturday!

24 kg speed swings 15 min, walking lunges,parallel bar pushups, kb rows

Hardly any sleep last night but a solidly good workout today. Just didn't think about it much and it all went well. Definitely getting into the best shape in forever with this speed swing work. 15 minutes today was easy and went by like a breeze. Power and acceleration were the best ever as well.
One thing this type of training does, like it's counterpart in snatch vo2 is make you very efficient at going fast. and fast is power and high forces. 

Just what I'm going for. But it's really cleaned up my swing groove too and let  me really find my power spot better than ever. Today again. I kept my head up on the descent. Didn't think about it much I just went where the stroke felt fastest and tightest.

Don't seem to be able to do that much with the over 40 kg bells but I'm sure I'll get there.It's more of a pure hip hinge and less back but at those weights I'm not quite ready for that groove.Need all the help for power I can get

Speed swings

15:15

24 kg x 10 rep/set

30 sets

300 reps

15,900 lbs

7.95 tons

Didn't even look up til five minutes in and it seemed like two:) Just stayed with my ritual and focused on the breath.No double breathing the entire time. Didn't need it

Walking lunges

4 sets of 40 steps

changed my stride a bit. taking a longer step then really letting the knee hinge forward more rather than sharing the load more with the hip. Feels great and really puts the torch on my quads

Parallel bar pushups

 20

20

18

15

73 reps

easy. shoulder was fine

kb row

24 kg x 8/8 x 3

solid

ok ruck up tomorrow. going to be in triple digits! heat conditioning! yea :)

datsit

neverquit

Ruck on.

After yesterday's 8 hour teaching/demo workshop ( which

went great) I was planning on doing my normal press workout but then Tracy wanted to ruck and I thought since I had to sacrifice a press workout or my sunday ruck I decided I would rather ruck it.

But I also through in 100 pushups after wards to keep the upper body engaged.
Just an hour with a lightened pack but it was hot as hell out and the perfect session

Ruck
47 lb ruck
6 laps
51 minutes ! ( PR)
last lap at 8:00

don't know how we went so fast, didn't seem so at the time but it felt great. I so love and appreciated being able to walk strong again. It's really a miracle for me and I'll never ever forget that.

Floor pushups
5 sets of 20

100 reps!

last set was hard in that the left shoulder started clunking but I really wanted to finish the five sets so I went through. Not that smart but it seems fine now.

44 kg One Arm Swings 5/5, 24 kg double cleans, pistols, Horiz pushups

This went great, better than I expected. Back got a little tight last night and that had me worried a bit but it unraveled nicely during sleep. My right hip flexor needed some serious love yesterday as it was STILL tight from last weeks pistol work on the right side! Have never trained that leg like that before and it was talking to me all week. I finally paid enough attention and gave it enough SMR to finally get it all the way out.
That what was tugging on my back I'm sure.
Important thing was that I felt great this morning

And the program for just 5/5 for 10 sets was brilliant. Just what we need PLUS it gave us an opportunity to not just survive the sets but really focus on power and acceleration. I think this new alternating intensity schedule will work well.

What we've been doing has been working great but it's time for a change. I'm listening to my body and that's what it says.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 3/3
32 kg x 3/3
40 kg x 3/3
44 kg x 5/5 x 10 sets
100 reps
9700 lbs
4.85 tons

fast paced too as we were only doing 20 second sets even though there were four of us. Shoes still are performing perfectly. Feel like I could wear them all day.

Double Cleans


2 20's x 5
2 24's x 4 x 5

these were the best cleans I've ever done. Not sure if I am going to ramp these up to 10 rep sets or increase the load but this is definitely the second exercise for Saturdays. Makes me use a wider stance and hit the glutes and hips differently. It will feel differently though after 200 Beast swings :)

Pistol/ kickstand squat practice


These went great. using a hand spot instead of me holding on works better. I have to reach out more to keep my center of mass over my foot. If I grab tight I sit back and that'll never translate. The kickstand squats continue to be a winner on many levels

Horiz bar pushups
3 sets of 15
easy backing off for tomorrows KB Basics workshop

Superset with 30 second chin bar hangs

still going well here, too

ok no ruck tomorrow just 8 hours of kb demos! this is what I train for, to be able to do this stuff and not skip a beat

datsit
neverquit

Hour Ruck

Rushed for time today but got it done. Since I will miss the long ruck on Sunday because of the workshop I left the full weight in the ruck. Only 7 lbs more but I could feel it. No problems from yesterday's swing fest and got a full one hour stretch out this morning. Nice to have that 6 am hour open again if even for a day.

Ruck
55 lbs
6 laps
55 min
3rd lap pace = 8:20
Last lap pace = 8:05

nice and cool out today fall is in the air a bit.

datsit
neverquit

Speed Swings 17 min,walking lunges, parallel bar pushups,kb rows

Well the rule still stands; you can't tell if it's going to be a good workout by how well you did or did not sleep the night before. Or how you feel going in. It might just be that the worse you slept or feel the better you might do.
That's the case today. rough night's sleep last night and was a bit concerned it might hurt more than usual in the swing workout but it was the strongest effort EVER in this protocol. Groove was good. body felt good, wind, power the whole shebang.
Didn't have to double breath at ALL for the duration and that's hasn't happened since I discovered how much it helps and that my back can tolerate it.
Ended up with a more heads up groove , staying back behind mid line more than usual. Left side of lower back, which has been touchy sometimes towards the end said nothing.
Innov8 shoes felt perfect and I could tell the angles are just right for my power production. First time I used them in this protocol

Speed swings
24 kg x 15:15 10 reps per sets
17minutes
340 reps
18.020 lbs
9 tons!

Best recovery ever as well. Good power output throughout the set.

Walking lunges
4 laps of 20 first two sets unbroken
taking longer more upright steps and then letting the knee move forward more. More pure quad and ankle work and adductors

Parallel pushups
20
20
15
15

70 reps
these felt strong too!

kb row
24 kg x 8/8 x 3 sets

finished strong.

ok ruck up tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

110 lb Military press( PR tie), 36 kg Belt squat, 40 rep pushup PR,Sled drag and crawls/rear delt

Very strong day today. All parts attached and  a"go" although I was tired all day for no good reason. Slept well and enough but must have waken up at an odd time in my sleep cycle because I just couldn't get going, no matter how much caffeine :)
 Of course it couldn't have been jumping right back on the horse with 40 kg swings and heavy rucks? Naw, just gettin' old :)

But I forgot how strong one can be when they don't feel good coming into the workout. PLUS I was solo as Glenn is out of town working. Hot as shit too for good measure.
Shoulders are still as plumb and even as I can ever remember too, and holding. Elbow back to normal too.

Was going to play it by ear and it worked out strong!

Mil Press
 stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5
65 x 3
85 x 3
95 x 1
110 x 5 x 5 tie PR!

this STRONG and much more solid than the first time I did it. Thought about putting on 115 and doing 3's but decided it was a big enough jump from last weeks 95 lbs and I was right. By the last set I was tuckered out. But shoulders felt good, speed was decent and overhead ok as well.
Much harder to concentrate on the lockout when I have five heavy reps to do :)
The Innov8's were perfect here as well, Much better rooting for me than the Risto's

Belt squat
36 kg x15 x 4 sets
 great groove here as well and most reps/set I've one in a long time. Again the shoes felt perfect. Legs felt properly cooked.

Floor pushups
1 x 40 PR!! five more reps than last pr. very solid
1 x 16 lol cooked triceps!
1 x 15 done!

Sled pull
105 x 250 ft x 3 laps

Leopard Crawls
1 x 50 ft.

have to put these back in. felt great.

Band rear delts
3 sets 15 with red band

I do like this version.

solid solid day

BW = 162.4 this AM

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck

ok back in the saddle. This was more solid than expected until lap nine. then it got a bit hard. Had to tell myself " this is where the training begins'.
Not when it's easy but when it actually starts to challenge you.
Everything else was fine, legs, wind back and even both shoulders still feel the most even they've had in eons! Have to say the ruck actually doesn't feel heavy anymore. It doesn't feel light but it's not heavy either  :)
Yesterdays work and skipping last weeks heavy swing and ruck made things a little tougher but today got them back on track

Ruck wt : 54 lbs
12 laps
1 hr 55 min
10 iso squats
7th lap pace=8:10
last lap pace= 7:50

Barbell presses tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

40 kg One arm swings 172 reps PR,double clean squats,pistol practice,parallel pushups, side delts

Today wasn't hard but it wasn't easy, either. Missing last weeks heavy training made it's presence felt just a little. Rest doesn't help as much as consistency for higher levels of strength or endurance. The base foundations stays easy but the top edge always falls off quickly.
That's just the way it is
But it does come back fast


Took the innov8s out for a test ride and they performed perfectly! Literally fit me like a glove, just like the running shoes. SO light and flexible but plenty of support and the heel height is perfect as well.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 9/9 x 4
          x 10/10 x 1 ( miscount!) Pr for reps
40 kg x 5/5 x5
172 reps Total reps PR
15, 136 lbs

was thinking of test this weight for five minutes but then I realized I haven't done 10 sets of 10/10 with it. That has to be the requirement for any bell. 200 reps in sets of 10/10
getting closer

Double bell clean and squat
2 20s x 3 x 2
2 24's x 3 x 2



as usual I just don't like doing double squats, trying re clean each rep was awkward too, too much moving feet out to adjust stance. Plus, as usual it's more abs for me than anything. But the bells felt light and the squats decent

Pistol practice and Kickstand squats
4 sets of 5/5/5


these felt good except for the rings allow too much arm help AND sitting back. will go back to the hand spot. more realistic positions. leg strength felt good and ROM too.

Parallel pushups
3 sets of 20

elbow and shoulder fine

db laterals
3 sets of 12 with 12 lbs

ok roll out and hangs later. big ruck tomorrow. missed last week's ruck too. this should be interesting

datsit
neverquit

Fast Ruck

Nice and toasty today. into the mid to high 90's. Not bad at all, hit the ground running with Tracy. Six laps feels like nothing these days

Fast ruck
ruck weight = 49 lbs
six laps
58 minutes
last lap pace = 8:00

It was weird though having missed the last Sunday's ruck even I spent the weekend walking around with a ( light) pack and walking more than I would have had I stayed home.
Legs felt light and loose but it took me a few laps to find my rhythm.

New Innov8's are here can't wait to swing in them Saturday

datsit
neverquit

Speed Swings, 24 kg 14 min, walking lunges, Horiz bar pushups,kb row

Another solid speed day in the books. We jumped up from 10 minutes last week and it went ok but in weird stages

First five minutes were easy
Second five were moderately tough but mainly mental hard to stay focused on staying calm
Last four just cruised by and then it was over before I knew it. very distinct stages.Elbow is perfect,completely back to normal. Strange too but I'm happy and for the first time in ages both shoulders are as balanced together as I can remember.
Maybe the torque is, as I've been saying, just working it's way out of my body. maybe it came out the elbow and is gone :)

Speed Swings
24 kg
15;15
10 reps per set
28 sets
280 swings
14,480 lbs
7.42 tons

Not as powerful as I hoped but they were steady. Still a bit off my game per the travel.

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

hard after the swings, as usual but not weak

Horiz Bar pushups
20
18
15
15

68 reps upper back was tired but shoulder and elbow were great

KB Row 20 kg x 8 x 4 sets

ok back to a ruck tomorrow!

oh yea decided to sell my Risto's, the toe box is just too narrow for me and it's harder to get rooted. Buying a pair of Innov8 fast lifts. I've pretty much worn Innov8's continuously since my TKR and they fit my foot perfectly. All three pairs.
Hopefully their oly shoes are built on the same last

datsit
neverquit

95 lb Military press, 36 kg belt squats, floor pushups, sled, rear delts

Fun but hard weekend in Chicago for the StrengthMatters summit. Lots of travel with quick turnaround was actually tougher than my last trip to UK it seems. Or, I'm getting old or I'm out of traveling shape.

I don't have much time to adapt, I'll be doing alot very soon.

The summit was great, and the best part was partaking of Franz's sprinting group. Wasn't sure I should, or could but the drills felt great and I ended up doing some seriously decent striders at the last part of the session, it was heaven!

Just like in the running dreams I used to have before my TKR.

Did a ton of walking through airports with packs so it was a light rucking weekend but still lots got done

only 4 or so hours of sleep last night so today was a bit rough. lessened the loads but things went fine.
 Oh, and elbow re set perfectly, finally and it feels normal again
Just wish I knew what made it go out.

Barbell press
stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
85 x 3
95 x 5x5

not bad felt lighter than last week and it was but only 5 pounds and last week felt 20 lbs heavier compared to this

Belt squat
3 kg x 12, 13, 14 ,15

solid legs feel great. slowly amping the reps up again

Floor pushups
 4 sets of 20

elbow is completely normal
fucking weird. all I know is that I did NOT like that pain and I am not going back to that world. not for anything

sled pull
105 x 250ft x 3

fatigue kicking in, time to stop and eat.

db rear delts
 3 sets of 12 12 lb  dbs

ok now shifting back to normal - for a few weeks

datsit
neverquit

Fast Ruck

Since I'm off the Chicago to speak at the StrengthMatters Summit I decided to go a bit heavier on today's ruck as I'll miss Sunday.
But I will be rucking a back pack all over the place for the next three days, just a light one,

50 lb Ruck
6 laps
55 minutes
Lap pace : 8:10

wore my vibram toe socks under the salomon's  and they felt great.

Very short work morning tomorrow and off I go. Two year anniverary of my TKR tomorrow!

datsit
Neverquit

Speed Swings, 24 kg 10 min,walking lunges, floor pushups,side delts

Elbow slowly getting back into place today lots of stretching on the floor getting the wrist flexors opened up. Up go, front leaning rest, seated straddle with hands behind me. Just opening up the wrist and locking out the elbow with varying loads.

Also, lots of straight arm TRX ring work opening up the pecs and clavicals.lots of moving around in there. Just kept feeling better

SO an easy day before I take off for the SM Summit this weekend. Being able to travel and work easily is what I'm training for as much as anything so here we go. It's been a great run of very intense, progressive training for me with no travel. and it might be I have quite a bit coming up so we'll see how well this training left me conditioned, and how I will reconfigure my training at home to deal with jet lag and more frequent trips in the next six months

Speed swings
24 kg
15;15 x 10 reps/set
200 reps
10,600 lbs
5 tons

this almost felt like cheating, said Glenn and I have to agree.But that's a great sign. No double breathing at all and I really made sure to accelerate each and every rep as much as I could each set. It was over before I knew it.
Still great work but not that slog that 20 minutes is for sure

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps
still hard , took longer strides to vary it up a bit

Floor pushup
4 sets of 15

this was the test and it passed. no elbow pain on initial descent and the reps were easy. just making sure I didn't push it

DB side laterals
12 lbs x 12 x 3 sets

ok ruck up tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

Barbell Press 100lbs x 5x5,32 kg Belt squat,floor pushups, sled drag, hangs

For some reason my elbow went wonky again, again in the middle of the night. Perhaps it was the weighted pushups but it was bugging me all morning. Of course it was press day but I hoped that the bar would help re adjust it. much as it did last time.

The workout went ok but 1) the bar was heavy after doing just the single bell press last week and 2) the elbow was not happy and that was distracting.Especially on the pushups.

I got Tracy to release the long head of the triceps like she did last time and that has already made a huge difference. Getting into front leaning rest also helps set the elbow into external rotation.

It just made me realize again, just how much energy being in pain and tweaked really sucks from you. It becomes the entire focus of the day, figuring out how to un fuck it, then going through the inevitable pain to do so.

Importance #1 Pain free and easy ROM of all joint PLUS a little extra precedes loading big time. When that goes away put it at the top of the priority list ASAP!

Barbell Press
 stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 x 5

not easy at all but overhead position is better. This takes SO much total body exertion it's not funny. and 100 lbs seemed way heavier than expected

Belt squat
32 kg x 15 x 4 sets

strong and solid

Floor pushups
25
21
20
20
86 total reps

the shoulder was not clunky at all but the elbow was very distracting. BUT at the end, holding in the lean and rest posture the elbow adjusted correctly INTO external rotation and felt immediately better

Sled pull
105 lbs x 250 ft  x 4 laps
strong but the 100 degree heat didn't help

Bar hangs
3 grips x 30 seconds

these are crucial

day off tomorrow. lots of mobility work

datsit
neverquit

Fast Ruck

Surprisingly good ruck this morning. Fast, too, Tracy and I finished a full five minutes ahead of the two hour mark although I wasn't conscious of pace until the 10th lap when I looked and we were way ahead of schedule

I even used the Ranger Beads Morgan gave me a gift to make sure I didn't lose lap count again this week. Not their intended purpose but they worked great for the task.

Lightening up the workload helped me recover just a bit faster and good thing it did; I was feeling rode hard and put up wet.

Pack felt light and legs felt loose

Closer each day to "a back of iron and legs that never quit", the real goal

54 lb ruck
1 hr 55 min
13,350 steps
10 30 sec iso squats
6.21 miles ( according to iphone)
 last lap 8:10

still feeling good 2 hours post. back to barbell presses tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

32 kg One Arm Swings,First Fee Pistol!, parallel weighted pushups, db laterals

Well there ya go! One week short of two years of my TKR I made my first unassisted one leg squat! Not perfect by anymeans but all by my lonesome and a double to boot!



I've made much faster progress in this than I expected, of course I have been training for this, in retrospect, for the last two years. Have a long way to go but it is a solid start. Now to go back to some TRX or ring support and work on depth and static strength in the deeper position.

Now that I know I can DO it, I can go backwards a bit and rebuild. What an amazing present to myself and a great way to celebrate my two year anniversary of the knee replacement,

I did these after swings and did 5/5 kickstand squats right after. These are helping quite a bit in the progression as well

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 10/10 x 10 sets
200 reps
14,000 lbs work
7 tons

positively EASY. Fast accelerative and no problem at all. Backed off instead of 12's and was a good idea although 12's would have been easy too. Recovery catching back up

Pistols
( as above)

Weighted pushps
bw x 10
25 lbs x 10 x 4 sets

draped chains around neck worked great.need a weighted vest though

Db side raises
4 sets of 10 with 15s

getting better, actually

ok heavy ruck tomorrow!

datsit
neverquit

Fast Ruck

 6 laps in 55  minutes, 5 minutes shorter than last week. have no idea why 47 lbs ruck
Not too hot that probably helps.
stiff and sore though, ready for a day off, lots of stretching out and a light bell on Saturday

24 kg Speed Swings, 20 min, walking lunges, Horiz pushups. KB rows

This was a tough one. Going for 20 minutes after the beast day working is proving not to be the best plan. We can do it but it's not maximal for this performance at all. I was a bit sore when I started so while I got though it decently it was much more about mental toughness than training adaptation.

So the plan is to put a 10 min easy day the workout after the Beast peak, then come back the next week and do the 20 min set
It will look like this:

1) Sat 48 kg swings
2) Wed 10 min 24 kg
3) Sat 32 kg swing
4) Wed 20 min 24 kg
5) Sat 36 kg swing
6) Wed 12 min 24 kg
7) Sat 40 kg swing
8) Wed 18 min 24 kg
9) Sat 44 kg swing
10) Wed 16 min 24 kg

repeat

that should separate the two swings, heavy and volume by a little bit more and let me put more into the 20 min set. It also puts a lighter swing load right after a heavier one so should also give a little less intensity in the week before the beast work
so the swing progression looks like this

10 min
20 min
12 min
18 min
16 min

we'll see. As we get stronger it's harder to recover so little variations on the loading and the intensity make bigger difference.

BUT we got it done today. and it was a workman like effort Not a lot of fun but not torture either.
I started double breathing at 6 minutes but things loosened up after 12 min and the rest of the set was stronger than the first.

Negative splits even here

Speed swings
24 kg
15:15
10 reps min 20 sets
400 reps
21,200 lbs
ten tons!

walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

tough! now just tired quads on fire!

Horiz pushups p bars
4 sets of 15
60 reps

slower tempo reps and more pause at bottom

KB row
24 x 6/6
28kg x 6/6
32 kg x 6/6

solid one
short ruck tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

24 kg KB Press, 32 kg Belt squat, 35 Floor pushups ( pr), sled pull, db rear delt

This went way better than expected. While not perfect my overhead position felt the best it has in eons. and the bell felt light. When I felt this and thought, "well, it's only 24 kg" I realized my most usual training weight with the bar bell is about 100 lbs and the 24 kg is half of that so it's about even in terms of load!

My shoulders are definitely better and the credit has to go to the hangs, and perhaps, the military press. Not sure if I'm going to stay with the kb or the press but it's nice to have the choice now.

KB press
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 3/3 x 3
24 kg x 3/3
          x 4/4
          x 5/5 x 2

lockouts were better than expected as i wrote but the real key will be seeing how the shoulders feel when I wake up . I'm betting fine.Still have to hang again later :)

Belt squat
32 kg x 10
          x 12
          x 14
          x 16

easy and deep although quads ares stiff from all the work this weekend but no sore

Floor pushup
35 pr!
25
19
20

99 reps! wow if I had know I would have done 2 more for a total pr,lol I was shooting for 40 reps on the first set but my shoulder starting moving around after 30 so I decided against.



Sled pull
105 x 250 ft x 4 laps

stronger than last week.

db rear delt
15lbs x 12 x 3 sets

need these still. wish I had the energy for more sets. hard to believe I used to do 20 sets just for rear delts alone,lol

datsit/ one day rest than 20 min of speed swings
here we go!

neverquit

Heavy Ruck

Expected to feel much more beat up today but I was good to go. Slept well and woke up rested. Tracy and I got out right on time. Hot and humid and I ended up sweating off a record 3.4 pounds! Couldn't believe it. Didn't sweat that much in Bikrams :)

Ruck= 54 lbs
12  laps
2 hours
10 iso squat holds
didn't time any laps

we were slow today and I messed up the lap count but we walked for two hours steady. I'm pretty sure it was twelve laps but I'm not used to talking on Sundays,lol. Normal pace so I'm sure we're good.

Squats felt fantastic today and I got NO residual anything from yesterdays left leg work. It opened up right on cue. This is a freaking miracle for me. Nothing less

ok tomorrow some single kb press practice. really hope this works

datsit
neverquit

48 kg One Arm Swings 160 reps (PR), Pistol practice,Weighted pushups

One of my best days ever. All systems on go today. Hands held up no problem, wind was strong, hips and back felt great and shoulders didn't even say hi. Total surprise but I'll take it. As soon as I started my warmups with the 16 I knew it was going to be good. it felt like a 10 kg and each weight above felt lighter than it was. Always nice. Recovery between sets was great too. A ++ day!

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
24 kg x 5/5 ( big jump)
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 3/3
40 kg x 3/3
48 kg x 7/7 9 sets ( 126 reps)
          x 10/10 2 sets ( 40 reps)
166 total reps
17,596
8.8 tons :)

just that much closer to my 200 reps with this goal and then onto the 5 minute 100 rep test.

was going to do double bell cleans but that was enough hip work!

Pistol Practice
bodyweight with one finger hand spot ( flat foot)
2 sets of 5=3 followed by kickstand squats 5 each side
3 sets of 3 heel on mat SS KS squats 5 each side

this was great! best ever!! I will get this. vibrams plus a small heel block worked great better than the oly boot. but I still have to get the heel flat ideally , but one thing at a time!


Weighted parallel bar pushups
 bw x 10
25 lb chains x 10 x 3 sets

nice! need a better weight vest but I think this is going to work. need to go heavier on this day now . don't need high reps  3x a week anymore

datsit.  a bit tired :)
heavylong ruck tomorrow

neverquit

Ruck

Hard one today. Not much sleep last night, full client list straight through. Hot and humid.  normal life stuff on mind and straight to ruck.
got it done and felt better after

46 lb ruck
6 laps
60 minutes
med pace  8:15 laps

recovery good from yesterdays speed swings and lower back no problem

day off then onto the Beast.

datsit
neverquit

Speed Swings, 24 kg 340 reps,walking lunges, horiz pushups, kb rows

Surprisingly hard workout but not for the obvious reasons. Lower back ( left side) got a bit tight halfway through the set, I'm sure from too much pistol practice these last few days. No biggie and it didn't freak me at all I just made the work harder.

It was also interesting that the alternating of snatch vo2 with swing work does not make the swing day easier; if anything it makes it harder. We lose a week of more specific conditioning and I think speed swing works makes snatch vo2 workouts easier but not vice versa

Glenn concurred so I think it's back to just speed swing work on wednesdays. the overhead snatch work as nice but not essential. I also want to try to go back to kb presses again. That would be awesome.

Otherwise the work load was ok. Started double breathing at 11 minutes or so as my back tightened up.

The start was easy; weight felt like and speed good. The middle section was tough but then I just put my head down and when I looked up it was just a minute to go!  Doing this weekly will help find all these rhythms faster too.

Speed Swing
24 kg
34 sets of 10 / 30 seconds
340 reps
18,020 lbs ( 9 tons)
17 minutes

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

not bad  mostly unbroken

Horiz pushups
20
18
15
12

shoulders and upper back are tired. didn't push this at all

KB row
24 kg x 8/8 x 3 sets

actually this work out on this day. It needed to find a home. After all those sets and reps a few heavier sets if easier to do.

ok ruck it tomorrow!

datsit
neverquit

Military press, 95 lbs, Belt squat, floor pushups PR,sled pull, side laterals, BW pistol

this was the last thing I practiced today but it was way better than saturday. the heel helped plus NOT using a weight helped too as my left leg is just not strong enough to need weight, despite the need for a counterbalance.

Did a bunch of them with one arm on the rings and it was strong! just have to work it more. but today was much better than saturday. more lean and work the right leg straight!

Military press
stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5 ( stiff and sore)
85 x 5
95 x 5 x 5

took 3 sets at weight to loosen up. wasn't hard but body was feeling the weekend's work. ass end of the cycle

belt squats
44 kg x 10, 12, 14, 16

now these were very strong

Floor pushups
4 sets of 25 PR!!
100 reps!

total pr and reps per set pr!

I am very very happy with this. I've come a long way from two years ago not being able to do ONE!

next stop a set of 50 reps

Sled pull
105 x 300 ft x 3 laps

had to pull a different part of the street. ended up doing more than usual. legs are tired now!

Pistol practice
two and one arm with ring assist
12 kg pistol practice
BW pistol work ( as above.)

this is very encouraging. have to add it in at work now

ok day off  and needed

datsit
neverquit

Sunday ruck: Heavy Gravity.

Well it's not surprising. The day after heavy one arm swings the ruck is slower and harder than normal. Legs didn't feel tired but my upper back was. Pace was steady the whole ruck, slow but steady

lap 4 : 8:30
lap 12 8:10

Ruck weight 54 lbs
12 laps
10 iso squats
1 hr 55 min

good to have these slog days too. this is when you learn to push through. If it's always easy you don't learn much.

barbell presses tomorrow.

datsit
neverquit

44 kg One Arm Swing ( pr), Double highpull/cleans,floor pistol work, parallel bar pushups, rear delts

Took awhile to get in the swing of things this morning, pun intended. No particular reason, good sleep, food , rest etc, just lots of stuff in the head to work against. No problem though we got it done, with strong positions AND a pr total.

The great news is that even distracted, the 44 kg is attacked pretty  much alike all the other lighter weights. Power and speed of backswings continue to get better

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 3/3
36 kg x 3/3
44 kg x 7/7 x 4 sets
              8/8 x 1 ( brain fart)
              7/7 x 3 sets
               8/8 x 2 sets
146 reps ( 6 rep pr :) )
14, 162 lbs

trying to keep total sets to 10 and still increase totals
eventually it will be 10/10 x 10 sets at all weights.

Double bell high pull clean compounds
2 20's x 6
2 22s x 6
2 24s x 6
2 28's x 6 ( pr)


Pistol work
started off with support from rings, feet on floor 5 rep sets x 4. this worked great even better than off the box
Supersetted with
Kickstand squats 5 reps each leg  solid mobility and strength at same time .

then attempt at free pistol with weight for counter balance
first "attempt" with 16 kg too heavy. then this :


felt better than expected, long way to go but now I know I will get it. lots of little stuff to work on but that's the fun :)
also can play with greasing the groove with the trx support pistols at work

Parallel bar pushups
3 x 20 reps

solid

db rear delts
3 x 15 with 15 lbs

good one today but was tired,long ruck tomorrow too! time to eat and roll out

datsit
neverquit