"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."
Pretty decent one today. Eights are NOT tens, and thank g-d for that. Good sleep., body less sore than yesterday and legs felt decently strong. Not crazy strong. Still have to increase recovery ability as that has definitely decreased slightly of late. No bueno
It's weird to be trying NOT to get a glute pump too early,lol. THAT'S never been an issue before.High quality problem
44 kg One arm swing 16 kg x 5/5/ x 2 20 kg x 5/5 24 kg x 4/4 28 kg x 4/4 32 kg x 4/4 36 kg x 4/4 44 kg x 8/8 x 10 160 reps 15,520 lbs
Pistol practice first set concentric only alternating legs 4 reps each second set concentric first then 4 reps alternating third set top down same leg 4 reps each
decent
side raises/ bent laterals/ double hammer curls 3 x 8/8/9 15s
The first really hot one yesterday. 12:30 is in the direct heat and man I felt it. But my mind was good, surprisingly, and I was fine. I literally embraced the heat, didn't fight it, and it was so much easier. Actually starting to look forward to the heat rucks and getting back into real shape
We'll see as it progresses but for now, I'm happy with my mindset
Man did this go great! perfectly, in fact! Every rep of each of the eight sets went just bout perfectly. This is NO knee bending and bar paths all went back over face. Some of the fastest reps I've done. Just LOCK THE KNEES! LOCK THE KNEES! LOCK YOUR DAMN KNEES! ( with apologies to bikram lol)
It just worked. with the knees locked and remaining locked the entire lower body just was solid as hell and no power was leaked. Hence, every ounce of energy I put into the vertical push of the bar went into the bar and bar speed was excellent!
Here are the fourth and eighth set with 195 for doubles ( which is a huge pr)
Could not be happier. Finally felt in control of this press
24 kg swings 5 sets of 8/8
Floor pushups
3 sets of 50 really kept elbows IN tight to mimic and strengthen rack position at start
4 pm band reverse curls ( forgot to add these in so) red band 3 sets of 20, 15, 10
palms up curls band too
2 set of 10
feels good to do these again.. Arms look big but biceps are puny. I stopped training biceps after my tears from snatching and didn't want to load them too much as I was still snatching and cleaning but I keep my elbow locked on my swings so this should be fine
Plus I have an imbalance now and need stronger elbow flexors
Great freaking day! FINALLY!~! Realized a big thing, that in order to keep my knees locked at the start of the press and to keep them from unlocking as I press I have to focus on the knees and NOT the quads.
Literally just getting bone lock of the knee
I thought about that cue during warmups and man it worked great. The only reason I missed the 225 was that I didn't hold the lock as I pressed but all the reps I did with locked knees went well. Plus I have no isometric strength in that position so all things considered
Also key is pushing bar to face. On my first 225 attempt I was so focused on knee locked that I pushed up instead of back and the bar went out in front.
But I am pumped as I now feel I really know how to keep the base solid . this 220 lbs press was probably the fastest I've ever done it. I'll check but it was fast. Faster than the 215 right before it
Press 65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x1 175 x 1 FAST! 195 x 1 best ever 205 x 1 ( pushed UP a little too much)
but went ahead to 215 and while too far up instead of back too it was solid
this is the next fastest 220 I've done I think back in march 2020
then 225 x miss then this second 225 attempt. this is where the knees really loosened
then 205 x 1 x 4 setswt pushups bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 hold at lockout each rep. I really like pausing at the top now here, makes total sense Plus really keep elbows in to target triceps
one arm laterals 3 x 10/10 with 20 bent laterals 3 x10 with 20
Not bad considering the volume of yesterday. Legs felt great until the last three laps, then they just got tired. But finished strong. Mind is stronger of late so that's good. This workout is, really, the most important one I do all week. For my legs, my back, my lungs and especially my heart. I've got to re focus on that. This is the real key to my health and longevity. The press is just vanity.
Rucking and swings, the real foundation of my strength, health, longevity and overall long term health
45 lb ruck 12 laps 1:50 min 7.2 mph
10 squat stretches. Getting used to these again and they feel good and give me a short break each lap
This went well and could have been bad. Too much neck flexion last week put some strain on my C7-T 1/2 discs and my traps have been tight all week. Not terrible but certainly not 'right' either. I was worried whether I could swing the 40 kg at all without making it worse. Felt decent yesterday and pretty much fine this morning but you never know til you pick up the bell
Of course once I could swing it safely I still had to do 200 high powered reps and that's always hard. But it got done and power output stayed high for most of the ten sets and 20 reps
one arm swings 16 kg x 5/5 20kg x 5/5 24 kg x 4/4 28 kg x 4/4 32 kg x 4/4 40 kg x 10/10 x 10
Not super hot but definitely in the hot category and happy to say it was pretty decent. Mainly as I re set my mindset and accepted and embraced the heat, which is key. Actually to any suffering. The more you fight it the worse it gets.
Embrace the sweat, embrace the heat. Get in great shape for the heat season
Really solid one. All the techniques worked great. Also learned I have to focus more on leg( quad) tightness as much or more than glutes and keep tension in the arms after the unracking before I press the rest worked great
135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 2 x 2 ( really sore from monday) 185 x 4 sets ( above)
195 x 2 x 4 sets ( sets 2 and 4 below)
after I unrack get motionless, tighten the quads and arms and keep the head looking at X on ceiling but don't overarch Then, drive bar back into face and hips do their thing reflexively All good!
24 kg swings 5 x 8/8
upper t spine still wonky from Saturday better but not perfect
Despite having about 4.5 hours sleep ( stupid cat) this went well. MUCH better than expected. Made some mistakes in the beginning sets( losing tightness as I started the push). I hit 215 for two singles ( not great but close enough to lockout to please me) and 3 attempts at 220 , the second one I almost locked out ( and we lost to video error) and then 4 decent down sets with 205 very fast , especially when I realized I have to keep the glutes tight as I push to face
I must have been relaxing just as I initiated the press BUT pushing first to the chin/face definitely is a keeper
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 fast 175 x 1 fast 195 x 1 loose knees
205 x 1then 215 for two singles. not perfect but hadn't started focusing enough on keeping tight glutes AS I pushed to face set one, let my glutes relax and knees flexed. then my 220 three attempts. first just too loose in hips, second I actually MADE but the video got cut out and this was my third. The second attempt wasn't pretty but I got it locked out as much as the 215then 4 sets of 205 solid overall very happy with today's training. this approach seems very doable, and leaves me wiggle room for adjusting on the fly. Key Cues 1) come to complete stop after unracking 2) flex glutes and legs 3) drive bar to face and KEEP glutes tight
wt pushups on parallettes
bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 hold at lockout need to start doing this and pausing longer at the lockout.
Solid practice today, Felt like doing a bit more work to get ready for the swing power instructional dvd I'm going to film soon so I bumped the reps from 8 to 10 per side. No problem, hard as usual but a good thing, Next week however, with the 40kg doing this will suck of course
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 10 200 reps 14,000 lbs work
Pistol/lunge practice 3 rounds of this
just doing the pistol on the left side is working out very well. still need more left leg quad development
this went great. much better, but again, it is light. Mainly my focus was on not letting bar drift horizontally after the unrack and to keep my knees tight
turns out I also have to purposely drive the bar back at the start. used a relatively high bar rack. easy set up
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 1 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 5 sets
185 x 2 x 4 sets205 lb press x 1 x 2 sets
these went great! the fact I could do a strong 205 at the end and after monday's marathon session says a lot about my positions.
Solo again , at the last minute which did not help my mindset. Training alone is one thing; being stood up on heavy day is another.Took me awhile to pull my head out of my ass and even when I did nothing went right: my weight shifted( didn't feel it at all), elbows flared( even at 195) and generally I had no groove.
Went up in weight , back down, then back up again trying to find the groove. Even wrapped my thumbs at the very end, desperate to make the bar move faster, and it was better but I know it's not the way
so
Press 65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 -elbow flare
205 x 1 ugly more horiz weight shift205 again better but not right215 x 1 best rep of the whole day220 miss two times 210 miss ACK!!! Elbows flared here too205 x 1 decent195 x 1 wrapped thumbs205 x 1 wrapped thumbs 210 attempt. didn't make it but surprisingly given how much grinding I did 210 again
Decent one today. Did my ten sets of squat stretches each lap and , as before, it seemed to help my lap speed and my overall time was decent as well. My favorite weather, cool and overcast with a nice light breeze. perfect
Solo training today and I was tempted to skip these bells and wait a week until my partners got back in town. But then I had to ask myself why? Just not wanting to do it was not enough of an answer. It's always hard, with partner energy or just myself so I decided to do the right thing and do the damn session.
It went fine. Never as easy as with the boys but strong enough and the bell height, especially on the 60 kg was much better than it felt as I was doing it
One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2 20 kg x 4/4 24 kg x 4/4 32 kg x 3/3 36 kg x 3/3 40 kg x 4/4 44 kg x 4/4 48 kg x 3/3 60 kg x 5/5 x 7 68 kg x 5/5 x 3
This was the second set. I actually messed up the transfer on the first set and didn't swing through. No reason taking any chance but this went fine, as did the third set
Pistol/Lunges 4 sets of 5/5 ( left leg pistol and then lunge)
this worked great as it did last week
Band ( red) pullapart 4 sets of 30
I think I'm going to sub this in instead of light laterals. I really like them and miss them
Great day! technique held perfectly and timing was spot on. Couldn't be happier. Of course it's light but timing can go bad even on light days
the cue list gets shorter all the time
* Low bar rack setup
1) unrack- lock glutes
2) lack back
3) press straight up
the hardest part is laying back enough at the start BEFORE , but just right before I initiate the press. If I press too soon, OR don't layback enough, the bar goes forwards
Also, I don't have to push my hips forwards as much as just flex the glutes tight and the hips lock in. Almost no knee leaking today which can happen regardless of the weight
175 lbs x 2 third set- decided to not do two singles but a regular double. worked great
Fifth set185 lbs x 2 third setfifth setCouldn't be happier. I think that no matter how Monday max effort goes this is the setup and technique. I don't think I can do it any better given my shoulder limitations
Another good point; my shoulders were not sore at all after monday's work. usually I'd be sore as hell
This went very well. Not perfectly but I'm happy with the overall result. By the end of the workout all the little technical details were falling into place. for the first half of the workout I got the hip position right then at the down set time I got the layback involved and all worked perfectly
ready to put it all together. again lol
65 85 105 x 3 135 x 1 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 fast!
then 205 x 1 decent but no enough layback ( which I didn't remember until later)215 x 1 x 5 attempts( made 3 and 3 were 3/4 locked out) and one dump ( I didn't count)
then 5 downsets with 205, the last were the best after I realized I had to set the hips then layback then press! "the only thing harder than figuring it out is remembering to do it!"
the cues seem to be:
1) hips forward after unracking ( FORWARD NOT DOWN- HIPS NOT KNEES)
2) Layback then press
if I don't layback enough I have to drive the bar back. If I DO then I can press straight.Most of my misses behind today were because I was driving the bar to compensate for lack of layback,then when I started to layback the push backward took the bar out of the groove
wt pushups
bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 hold lockout, easy
one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 w20s bent laterals 3 x 10 with 20s
Solid one. Found out that one lap is precisely .6 mile instead of the .5 I thought so that means my 12 laps is 7.2 mile. Most excellent, Which means I'm doing even better than I thought. Legs felt good although it took more than a few laps for the lungs to open up
This went very well. Strong and solid all the way around. Body felt great, grip strong and power high. Love heavy low rep days!
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 6/6 x 10 sets
Pistol/Lunge combo right knee still tender in the very bottom on pistol ( need to release calf more) but I do these mainly for left leg development so I put the rear lunge in instead for right leg worked so well I might keep it like this
Decided to start over. Or, actually, go back. I used this 'low bar ' technique to press 225 with two plates the first time ever so it can work. After so much problem with the other technique I'm ready to try something different. It worked pretty well, with some bugs of course but still I think it will at least be a strong base position
Lowered the heels with the adidas 1/2 powerlifter shoe , took my stance out and, most importantly held the bar mid chest. the hard part is finding the right place and not letting it shift up too much as I unrack. I need to load the hips better to not leak through my knees. If my knees don't 'kick' and my hips do drive the it seems to work
If my knees flex it's over
warmups felt good up to 195
then up to 205
timing still not right and missed it the second time. didn't want bar to roll up so didn't get enough arm tension. then down to 200 for 3 sets which were solidthen to 185 for three more sets which moved great definitely has promise and and hopefully it will be more simple to just 'drive' from
I have to make sure to get my hips forward, in front of the bar and not just lean back. The old LOAD THE BOW!
24 kg swings
5 x 8/8
floor pushups
3 sets of 50 last set hard but good power all the way through
Well today just sucked. and for no good reason. Everything should have been at least solid but I missed 195 in the warmups which is NOT a good sign. then, all over the place
205 miss then make but slow and not easy. then 215 miss, then make, again not easy or good. then 220 miss three times. all kinds of mistakes. Nothing was on. Elbows flaring, not loading my hips, all over the place
Not really sure what to do now. This is the most frustrated I've been ever with this.
One thing the slowmo shows is the bar too high on my chest and that could explain a lot but, really? that delicate a groove? Still?
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 1 155 x 1 ok but not fast 175 x 1 same 195 x miss 195 x 1 205 x miss 205 x1
215 x miss
215 x 1220 x miss x 3 205 x 1 x 3 205 x miss 205 x 1 x 2
ack
floor pushups on pbar bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 strong
one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 20s bent laterals 3 x 8 20s
BW 176.4 ( lightest I've been on Monday for weeks but I can't blame that) BF 14.8
Surprisingly good today, not hip or leg tightness from yesterday and I felt pretty recovered. A far cry from what's been going on the last few weeks but who knows? Maybe I was fighting something off and turned a corner
Eitherway today was good. Got distracted talking to some regulars about rucking and kbs' and lost too much time and just got 11 laps but it's fine. On my feet for two hours is key, too
Also kept the squats back in and they feel great to do again. Legs are looser and per lap time is faster
Strong one today, especially considering how hard last weeks work was. We were going about every two minutes for the first five sets then shifted to 3 min for the last but far easier than last time
One thing that's for certain, having good training partners always makes the work easier. Also when the bells lighter you accelerate harder creating, at times, a lot more force. the 40 kg is in that sweet spot where it's just light and heavy enough to really let me kick my own ass for 200 reps.
Today even though heavier is always easier
Still plenty hard but not a puker like last time last months set
Hard to believe just 4 reps per set can make that big a difference; just under 7 seconds more work. But, HARD work
One arm swings 16 kg x 5/5 x 2 20 kg x 5/5 24 kg x 5/5 28 kg x 4/4 32 kg x 4/4 36 kg x 4/4 44 kg x 8/8 x 10 sets
160 reps
Pistols
set one, two down one up twice x 3 rounds 6 reps per leg
set two up and down for two reps each leg 3 times 6 reps per leg
set three 5 continuous reps each side
Left leg good right knee tight from patella no problem though
Very strange one. Again, no show training partners at the last minute. I was pretty much expecting this but still through things off enough. Plus I was sore as hell! All over but especially hammies , glutes and shoulders. Weird but the 200 40 kg swings always get my front delts more than any other weight or rep combo
Nothing tweaked just sore
Focus today was on unracking the bar with just the knees and pre locking in the arch from the hips and lower back, and then initiating the drive from the hips
All of which I did BUT I forgot ( of course til after, just a bit ago) to have enough upward tension against the bar to start it as high as possible. And push back towards the face a bit
Which explains why I was just THAT much out of position even though the start felt good. Ended up pushing the bar straight up which makes it go forward
But hey, I was happy I was making the weights at all
65 85 105 x 3 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1220 x 1 ( all of these are not locked out as the lack of start tension drove me back too muchthis was a second attempt after a forward push miss 212.5205 x 1 x 5 ( not including 2 misses!)
135 x 5 pauses x 3 sets ( no one to set weight on back for dips, this worked well tho)
one arm laterals 3 x 8/ with 20 Pullaparts 3 x 30 red band
Woke up a bit tight but no worse for wear but decided to put squat stretches back in the mix each lap and see how things went; as far as leg looseness or tightness, speed per lap and overall time
Surprisingly overall time was just about the same which means lap times went down and bit as did leg looseness
I figure I could use the extra squat time as well as I'm doing the least amount of direct leg work than I have in the last 7 years
Felt good at the time but now, 5 hours later I can feel some DOMS coming on already, lol. Tomorrow could be good
45 lb Ruck
12 laps 13,391 steps top speed 3.7 mph 12 lap time 1:50 door to door 1:54
Well I got my ass punished, that's for sure. First off both training partners out. Last one at last minute. Good. I get to walk my talk about being able to train alone
Then shit sleep as my sick cat got me up at least three times and did not really get much solid rest
Good. Embrace the suck
I did. and it sucked ,lol
I ended up going faster than I thought I would but I gave myself 2.5 min /sets for the first five then 3 min for the last five but usually our workout, when we're all here, is 1.5 hours . Today I was done in one hour
No wonder I wanted to puke
Definitely went hard on each rep of each set but by set five I was pumped ( not good) feeling the lactic acid and although my HR wasn't that high ( 125?!) , my respiration was and I was a hurting unit
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 40 kg x 10/10 x 10
set five then last set
Pistols top down full reps alternate sides 3 sets of 2/2 3 times
red band pullaparts
3 sets of 30 ( to chest, then each side angled)
actually did these because I was hurtin and the dbs seemed harder these were hard too
BW 175.4 ! wow where the hell did that come from? BF 13.3 W 57.7
Not bad actually. to be 13.3 with that little hydration is great. that would put me at 10.3 at a full 60%
I went into the house, still in training gear and just lay flat on my back for 20 min, I was cooked
Had two cancellations back to back which let me get out on the ruck way early. So nice instead of 12:30 to have some cool morning air. And a nice cool breeze :)
This worked great! Setting up with both the elbows AND the hips in the starting press position seems to be key. Just straightening out the knees on the unrack. Hips get and stay in front of the bar and I'm arched but not leaning back.
Felt great
175 5 sets of 2
185 x 5 sets of 2 I will start adding in some overload stand up( unracking) for 8-10 sec holds next wednesday. Start with 205 and then 225 ( plates!) after these ten sets. I think this will be good but we'll see
24 kg swings 5 sets of 8/8
10 sets of 10/10 with the 40 this saturday should be stimulating
Floor pushups
3 sets of 50
these go perfectly here!
BW 178 BF 13.3 !! W 57.8
1 pm BW 177.8 BF 10.8 !! ( wow! first time this low in forever!) W 60.1 LBM 158.6
Back on track and again and Monday feels fine. Tried switching it twice and now I know. this is the day. Overall very happy with today although definitely was 'off' compared to what I want. It's also my second heavy day in seven so not so bad from that perspective, either
Body felt good, plus I was heavy ( 177) and slept well. Plenty of mental prep and stretch time so no excuses there
Warmups went well too
Press 65 85 105 x 2 135 x 1 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 205 x 1
Definitely not loading my hips enough and leaking through the knees/ I got the chest up technique right but not the hips. I tried to initiate through the hips first BUT because I wasn't hip locked in my knees gave then onto 215This went pretty well actually. the best starting hip position and tighness yet. but unfortunately not on the next three at 220
Looking at the videos now I see I had the bar too high on my chest and that's what put the bar back over my heels so much. I struggled with lockout balance a lot today. then down to 205 for 4 singles ( second rep miss! ?) 205 x 1 third set
205 x 1 5th set( best of the bunch)
then wt pushups on parallettes bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3
one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 20s bent laterals 3 x 10 20
Not bad although I thought having such an easy day yesterday would have made today faster and easier but no go
I think I'm still flat from the adrenaline dump I got from my cat's near death experience two weeks ago, 24 hr nursing and sitting on death watch will do that I supose. Feeling stronger but I'm more sore than usual for no real reason except for that
45 lb Ruck
12 laps
13,653 steps
1:50 for the 12
basic 16 min miles steady as she goes which ain't bad if I think about it
This went well. I always think right before this workout that I should up the reps to 10 per arm to make it harder. And I'm always quickly reminded this is quite enough. With the lighter bell my force output is actually higher because it's moving both faster and higher and we always take less rest too. So it's harder that way
But the load was solid technique was on, legs and lungs were fine and it was nice not to have to push quite so hard
One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2 20 kg x 5/5 24 kg x 4/4 32 kg x 8/8 x 10
Pistol practice Same method as last week. worked great
Got to start an hour early today ( 11 am instead of high noon ) and it was great. Nice and cool and a bit overcast and it make the ruck much nicer. Legs felt good although not fresh yet
Nothing fast but steady pace the whole way and shins and calves were perfect
Well that didn't work well. Perhaps it was not enough rest even though I felt fine physically; good even. Big thick, not sore at all. But no go at all. Didn't help I worked right up to walking into the gym with no mental or physical prep time like usual.
But it shouldn't have made me this off
Good news, all my positions were correct, even on the misses
Bad news, I missed a lot
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 eh 195 x 1 meh 205 x miss forward. always a tell
205 x 1 make but ugly and not easydefinitely not feeling 215 so I took 210 and couldn't lock it out!then down to 205, again ugly195 x 1 meh again. position and technique is actually fine just beat tired and flat then 185 x 1 x 10 sets! finally started warming up ,lol at set five these were actually good 24 kg swings
5 sets of 8/8
one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 20s rear delts 3 x 10 20s
This worked out perfectly and man was I ready for a light day. I felt rode hard and put up wet today and all day yesterday too. Just tired. CNS drop off from the heavy bells and all the hyper alertness with petunia being on death watch all week.
So today's workload was perfect and after my normal four sets to warmup the movement got a little peppy and all the pieces fit together. Wednesday should be interesting
Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 8 sets
set four
set eightPretty identical technique from start to finish and exactly the form I was shooting for. Very happy with finally understanding what I should be doing
Well that was hard. The super heavy swings and the con and eccentric pistols took their toll and I had to work for every step today
That's fine, I haven't had a hard one like that in awhile and its good to remember they're all not fast and loose and that it's about the work, especially when you don't want to do it
Especially then
I just kept telling myself to shut up just keep going and not even think about cutting it short
I wasn't hurt, I wasn't in any jeopardy, it was just hard, and boring and my head wasn't in it but that's when you just do it and suffer
EMBRACE THE SUCK INDEED
Not too slow overall really, all things considered
This went better than expected. Since I haven't swung the 68 in two months and last months 60 kg workout was just 'getting back on the horse' after my rib injury I was very very pleased with my strength, technique and power today.
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 44 kg x 4/4 48 kg x 4/4 60 kg x 5/5 x 7 sets 68 kg x 5/5 x 3 sets
This felt as good as the ones three months ago looked. Can't complain
Pistol practice 3 sets of 1 bottoms up followed by one regular rep , switch sides and repeat 3 times 6 total reps per leg, per set
this felt very good doing it this way, the combo of concentric only, a full eccentric/concentric rep and the fatigue sparing effects of alternating legs. I think this is the combo for now
Db laterals/rear delts 3 x 10/10 with 15s
BW 176.0 BF 13.5 W 57.6
New schedule Decided to switch heavy press day to Wednesday. I've had tired legs the last four mondays from the heavy swings and rucking and no rest afterwards. Gettin' old I guess but I don't want to go into my most important lift tired anymore
The key is keeping Monday LIGHT ( no more than 175 lbs ) and putting rep pushup day on Wednesday not monday ( as I did the last time I tried this)
SO:
Monday Speed press 175 x 2 x 8 sets ( only!)
Wt pushups 3 x 8 laterals/ rear delts
Wednesday Heavy Press singles Speed swings Floor pushups
Saturday Heavy swings Pistols One arm laterals/rear delts ( heavy)
lets see how this works. It makes the most sense. It gives me a full days rest after Monday and time to eat up as well as rest up
This went very very well, despite being very sore from Monday's out of the groove work. It's pretty distinct on the days I grind out of the groove versus in it as I'm am much more muscularly sore from not having correct leverage. So it wasnt very fast or easy today BUT the techniques were right, and they held even at 185 for the second rep
Press
65 85 105 x 3 135 x 2 singles 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 5 sets
I knew it was going to be tough when 175 felt heavy. Not a good sign. The ruck feeling heavy and slow yesterday wasn't good too and with my cat tuna being very sick sleep has not been good.
But, all things considered it wasn't too bad, Anytime I can press 220 can I call it a bad workout? Nope
The technique held very well just a few gliches on some sets ( 215 and 225). I can't try to 'sneak' my hips forward at all on the unracking. If I do I shift weight a bit onto my heels, and even a little bit messes me up
Jumped from 215 miss to 220 and made it. thought it was a technical miss and it was
the next two misses at 225 were technically sound, if not perfect. But I could have made them if I had had a little more gas in the tank. But all signs are good then five singles with 205, still hadn't really groked the not letting the hips forward at all til the last set! Of course
Floor pushups
3 x 50
don't know where this came from but I'll take it
one arm laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20s
bent laterals
3 x 10 with 20s
BW 176.8 BF 14.7
12 noon BW 177.8 BF 11.5 W 59.3 ( bath)
EDIT : I JUST REALIZED THAT I WAS SO FOCUSED ON MY HIP AND LEG POSITION I FORGOT THE PUSH UP INTO THE BAR AND CONNECT THE CHEST UP WITH THE PELVIC UPWARD TILT. THE RIBS PULL THE PELVIS UP! DUH~!
Did not have one fast ruck but still came in 12 min ahead for the 12 laps. Legs were surpisingly slow and heavy day , it must have been the deeper pistols from yesterday and even the lungs took longer than usual to open up
But they did and I got a decent steady clip going with a good finish
45 lb ruck 12 laps 1:50 min Last lap 8:00 13,750 steps speed 3.2-3.4 mph
This was a good one. Set my focus on getting more height and hang time with this weight and it worked out very well. Best heavy session since I tweaked my rib 5 weeks ago. Weight didn't feel heavy and concentration and teshnik were good
We ended up going at a fast pace; by accident, a 2.5 min total trip for each of the three of us. Not bad at all, it wasn't easy but it didn't impede power, either
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 36 kg x 4/4 40 kg x 4/4 48 kg x 6/6 x 10 ( video is fifth set
Concentric only pistol practice
this was very solid and the best since my right knee was wonky a month ago, too. Perhaps some of the best reps I've done. I like this approach, especially the concentric only but I just realized I can't do it all the time as I need to keep developing my eccentric strength too
So, every other week this technique.Next week can be the same start but then regular reps
Wasn't quite ready for the 90 deg heat, especially after a nice 75 degree day the day before but after very little sleep the night before ( cat is sick) it was just the icing on the cake
Decided to do just two miles as sleep would help me more than another two laps
This went perfectly. Doing two singles instead of doubles was also perfect. One, I get twice as many start set ups, which is exactly the weak point, and two, the second rep mimics the first one much more than a traditional " double" .
I pretty much hit exactly the position I wanted on all the sets. SO MUCH EASIER than what I've been doing. Just unrack with my legs, STOP in the exact position I hit once I standup. The shove press initiating with my hips
JUST what I've been trying to do but by 1) adding in all the extra setup movements after I unracked I lost tightness and position and almost never got it back. When I did it was by accident
Two, dead stop pausing. Before when I missed either over my head or out in front, it was because after the unracking I tried to finish "setting up" and never stopped moving, i.e. getting locked in and static tight.
SO as soon as I hip drive kicked in something 'gave' and my base moved.
this was so solid
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 singles 155 x 2 singles 175 x 2 singles x 5 sets
This went freaking great; especially for the first time using this technique. I made some mistakes with 225 which kept me from making it on the first two attempts BUT the fact that I made it on the third ( even though didn't hold lockout) after all that heavy work tells me I'm right on target
AND, it's come full circle; back to the EASIEST possible way to do this, with the bare minimum of cues
Unrack the bar INTO the precisely correct press position,pause for a sec, then drive. The only thing I can't believe is that it took me SO long to come to this most logical of conclusions; and position
This is really using the power rack exactly why I moved into it: so I don't have to walk out and re adjust to find the perfect start position: just unrack the bar into that position. Makes so much sense, and it's much easier to get and stay tight
warmups went great. best ever up to and including 205
Press 65 85 105 x 3 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 205 x 1
215 x 1 buttah
220 x 1 probably best ever. Only mistake was not waiting long enough before the press. It let me rock back too much and cost me some hip driveMissed first 225 by deciding to tighten glutes on the unrack which put me on my heels and shifted me back. No need to see it Second miss at 225 I didn't keep hips forward enough
225 x 1 ( no hold at lockout but I was in the right positions and timing was there. This after two hard grinds to misses. Locking in after unrack and before press is CRUCIAL. Come to complete stop
The KEY CUES: 1) unrack with LEGS
2) PAUSE
3) Initiate with hip drive 205 x 1 x 5 singles! this is last repCouldn't be freakin happier and this was just the first time I even tried this! Bodes VERY well for the future.Can't wait to press on Wednesday!
Floor Pushups 3 sets of 50 strong and all on triceps
one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 with 20s Bent Laterals 3 x 10 with 20s
Really didn't expect it but the ruck today was seriously strong and fast. Steady state all the way through, kinda out of nowhere, especially considering yesterday was not a strong swing day.
But I will take it!
Went through the first six laps in 52 min and the second six in 48! crazy. No squat stretches but a few stops to check my times and to just shake out the legs
Had some good technique revelations too in my shoulder rotation: instead of focusing on counter shoulder BACK I focused on front shoulder forward and it really connected to my lower body and the opposite glute. Made the gait so much smoother. Most excellent
Lungs took a few laps to open then stayed open the entire time
Nothing felt hard at all til about ten and a half laps then it started slowing down a bit
Last lap was 7:40 seconds and that was a push. Thought I could bring it in under 7:30 but no joy
This went well today although nothing spectacular. It wasn't a great energy day and the bell felt a big heavier than I expected. Height on the swings wasn't bad, about my norm, but the power wasn't that great
The leg endurance however was actually pretty good. I wasn't dying at the end of the second arm part so that's good, and the last three sets did not have much of a drop in power either as usual
This was the last months 44 kg set
Yea and now I remember this above was on Feb 21, I had to skip the 44 last time because of my ribs. That's probably what's up
No worries though form was just a bit off from the Feb work
Real decent one. I expected hot and muggy and cool breeze and overcast showed up. Man I love rucking when it's like this, so much easier to push hard when the heat of your work keeps you warm. Big incentive to keep moving
So much the opposite when it's hot , every step saps you creating so much heat it's the main goal just to dissipate it. Not optimal for performance but vital for building spirit, toughness and real condition
I got off easy today. No foot, calf or shin issues at all
Tried to link up the hip lock and the torso lift lock. It worked well but I have to get the timing down better as well as decide whether it's torso/hip or hip torso or try to just stand up out of the unracking and just lock in
Now that certainly sounds better/ right but I'm not 1) I can do it and 2) it will work
Another piece of the puzzle
There has to be 'enough' back bend, but not too much, to put the bar in the right place and lock my body down enough to withstand the press launch speed without me losing the back brace.
In other words, the perfect bow
basically went fine
65 85 105 x 3
135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 4
185 x 2 x 4 sets Just a little sloppy on the setup I felt, a bit loose, as I searched for the linked tighness. Still the bar moved great
This went great although again, I didn't feel great going in. Nothing wrong just a bit unfocused. But it ended up great
The technique worked very very well and I didn't miss one rep all day. I think that's a pr. I had thought about going up to 225 if I made 220 but the 220 was a bit rough so I decided to repeat it and get a 100kg pr.
And I did!
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 probably the best ever 205 x 1 decent
then 215 x 1 pretty well. pretty matter of fact nowup to 220then the second set which I felt was betterI left it there as it felt great and went down to four strong sets at 205. this is the third set
the key is the hip lock. when I do that right the bar shifts into the right position over my feet and I don't even have to think about pushing back over my face! PLUS I can initiate with a hip thrust and just shove the bar making pretty much like my bench press groove
back full circle. The key is locking the hips up and in and keep my back stiff as the load hits the sticking point.
Being able to initiate with hip drive makes of so much faster and deliberate of a rep!
One thing on both 100 kg presses, as I was grinding to the finish all I felt were my triceps! Perfect, this means I was in the right groove
Perfect weather today for five laps before it started to rain so I cut it short by a lap. No longer interested in wet rucks after 8 years of toughening it out regardless. Getting old I guess ,lol
But all went well for the five
45 lb ruck 5 laps 5,358 steps top speed 3.5 mph total time 40 min
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