Sunday Ruck

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

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

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

BW 176.6
BF 14.7

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

 

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

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

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 4/4
44kg  x 4/4
48 kg x 4/4
60 x 5/5 x 8 sets
These were solid but hard. Bodyparts felt ok grip was decent but not optimal
68 kg x 5/5 x 2

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

Glad I did

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

Laterals rear delts

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

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

W 57.5

                                                                                                                                                                        

Hot Ruck

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

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

45lb ruck

6 laps

:50 min

3.4 ave speed

BW 176.
BF 14.3

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

 

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

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

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

this was the fourth set before figuring out the pinch cue

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

10 sets of 2 with 175

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

24 kg swings

5 x 8/8

Floor pushups

2 x 50, 40

really cooked by now but in a good way

BW 176.8

BF 14.4

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

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

Press

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

Knees were a bit soft on this actually

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

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

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

205 x 1 x 5 sets  ( this is last rep)

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

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

BW 176.6
BF 14.0

Sunday Ruck. First hot day of the summer

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

Time to get in heat shape again

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

45 lb ruck

12 laps

1:55 min

7.2 miles

8 squat stretches

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

BW 177
BF 14.5

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

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

BUT

It's low reps and I  can deal with that

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

I think I'm actually going to think about it

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

that might actually work ,lol

Very StrongEndurance type training

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

One Arm swings

16 kg  x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 4/4
48 kg x 5/5 x 10 

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

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

Red band pullaparts

4 x 30 front and angled

behind head pullapart
3 x 10

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

New Podcast interview up

 

Strong Ruck

 

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

45 lb ruck

6 laps

3..6 miles

55 min

strong pace

BW 178
BF 14.5

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

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

In a good way but in a way nonetheless

Press

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

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

LOCK
FACE
LOCK

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

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

24 kg swing

5 sets of 8/8
no problem

floor pushups
2 sets of 50
done. everythings toasty

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

BW 177.8
BF 14.0

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

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

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

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

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

225 first attempt let knees soften just bit too much

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

205 x 1 x 5 sets these all went great

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

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

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

BW 177.4
BF 14.2

Cool breeze ruck

 

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

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

45 lb ruck

12 laps

1:50

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

7.2 miles

Actually forgot to weigh for the first time in forever

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

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

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

44 kg One arm swing
16 kg x 5/5/ x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 8/8 x 10
160 reps
15,520 lbs

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

decent

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

BW 176.6
BF 13.5 ( bath)
W 57.8

Hot Ruck

 

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

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

Body was fine, calves and back and pace

45 lb ruck

6 laps

3.2 miles

55 min

BW 178

BF 13.5

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

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

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

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

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

24 kg swings 5 sets of 8/8

Floor pushups

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

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

palms up curls band too

2 set of 10

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

Plus I have an imbalance now and need stronger elbow flexors

BW 178!
BF 13.7

215, 220 x 1 press, 225 miss, wt pushups. laterals rear delts

 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 sets

wt 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

db  hammer curls
2 x 10
band reverse curl
3 x 10

really need to put reverse curls in the mix

BW 176.8
BF 14.5

45 lb Ruck

 

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

BW 176.8
BF 15.

40 kg One Arm swings 10 sets of 10/10, pistol practice, laterals

 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

200 reps
17,600 lbs work

pistol practice
3 sets of 4/4   

Laterals  3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 176.2
BF 13.5    

W 57.6      

Hot ruck

 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

Macht Nicht. 

45 lb ruck

6 laps

3.6 miles

50 min for the laps 55 min overall

steady state and solid

BW 177
BF 14.2

185 lb press x 2 x 4 sets, 195 lb press x 2 x 4 sets, 24 kg swings floor pushups

 

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 

floor pushups

2 x 50
1 x 40

those heavier sets took something

BW 177.2
BF 14.2

215 lb press x 2 singles,220 x 1, 205 x 1 x 4, wt pushups, laterals

 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 1

then 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 215

then 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.

one arm laterals
3 x 10/10 with 20

bent laterals

3 x 10 with 20s

BW 177.4
BF 14.4

12 noon ( bath)
BW 178.00
BF 11.2
W 59.3

Sunday Ruck

 

Another good one. A solid two hours with a steady pace. Legs and lungs felt great. 

45 lb ruck

12 laps

7.2 miles

1:55 min

10 squat stretches

BW 177.4
BF 14.3

32 kg one arm swing de load week, pistol lunges, laterals

 

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

Laterals/ rear delts
3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 176.2
BF 13.5

Thursday ruck

 

45 lbs

6 laps

55 min

RPE 7

legs lungs and heat tolerance good. solid one 

BW 176.4
BF 14.3

175/185 lb press 5 sets of 2, 205 lb press x 1 x 2 sets, 24 kg swing,floor pushups

 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 sets

205 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.

24 kg swings
5 x 8/8

floor pushups
2 sets of 50

done. just beat

BW 176.2
BF 14.5

215 lb press, 220 miss(es) and a shit ton of sets.

 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 shift

205 again better but not right

215  x 1 best rep of the whole day

220 miss two times

210 miss ACK!!! Elbows flared here too

205 x 1  decent

195 x 1 wrapped thumbs

205 x 1 wrapped thumbs

210 attempt. didn't make it but surprisingly given how much grinding I did

210 again

db laterals/ rear delts 3 x 10/10 15s

BW 176.8

BF 11.3

W 59.3

45 lb ruck cool breezes

 

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

Legs and lungs were solid

45 lb ruck

12 laps

13,575 steps

1:55 min

10 squat stretches

BW 176.2
BF 15.

60 and 68 kg One arm swings, pistols, pullaparts

 

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

BW 176.4
BF 12.3
W 58.6

Thursday Ruck

  

Just five laps. Not hot not cool,  but strong.All systems go, getting ready mentally for the heat. Seems to be good 

45lb ruck

5 laps

3 miles

45 min

BW 177.6
BF 13.7

175/185 lb press technique work, 24 kg swings, floor pushups

 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 set

185 lbs x 2 third set

fifth set

Couldn'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

24 kg swings

5 set of 8/8  strong!

Floor pushups

3 sets of 50 last set really hard

BW 177
BF 14.0

The Kono Press

 

215 lb press x 4 singles, 205 x 1 x 5, wt pushups, laterals

 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

BW 176.6
BF 13.9

Sunday ruck

 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

45 lb ruck

12 laps

2 hours

10 squat stretches

13,145 steps

BW 177
BF 13.2

48 kg One Arm Swings, pistol lunge combination, laterals

 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

Laterals/Rear delts
3 x 8/8 with 15s

BW 176.0
BF 13.2 ( bath)
W 57.9
LBM 152.75

Thursday ruck

 Nice cool one today out of the blue. Loved it. Probably one of the last cool days of the season. Heat tolerance season coming on. Good :)

45 lb ruck

6 laps

55 min

No leg or lung or shin issues

BW 176.4
BF 14.1

The Low bar press is back . 195-210 press practice , 24 kg swings floor pushups

 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 solid

then 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

BW 176
BF 13.5

215 x 1 220 x misses, wt pushups, one arm laterals

 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 1

220 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

Noon
BW 176.8
BF 11.9
W 59.8

Solid ruck

 

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

45 lb ruck

11 laps in 1:50

12,465 steps

8 squat stretches

top speed 3.6 mph

last three laps non stop and quick

BW 176
BF 16.1 !!
W 55.6 dehydrated!

44 kg One Arm swings 10 x 8/8 pistol practice laterals

 

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

laterals

3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 176
BF 13.5 ( bath)

Thursday Ruck

 First hot one of the season but it didn't turn out that badly, surprisingly

45 lb ruck

six laps

3 miles

55 min

Overall strong and steady

BW 177.6
BF 13.7
W 57.6

175/185 lb press 5 sets of 2 each weight, 24 kg speed swings, floor pushups

 This went great. All the things I learned from Monday  got put into play  and worked great.

The basics:

1) wide stance set up

2) push up on bar on unracking and visualized bar high off pins

3) Hold in mid foot balance

4) Initiate press from hips

5) drive to face, elbows in

Couldn't be happier unless I can do it with 214, 220 and 225 :)

24 kg swings

5 sets of 8/8

glutes and hams finally not sore, this went well

Floor pushups

3 sets of 50 unbroken

last set hard last 10

BW 177.6
BF 14.2

BW177.8
BF 10.9 !!!
W 59.9
LBM 158.2

205-220 lb presses, laterals, rear delts

 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 1

220 x 1 ( all of these are not locked out as the lack of start tension drove me back too much

this was a second attempt after a forward push miss
212.5

205 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

BW 177.
BF 13.6

12 noon 

BW 177.6
BF 11.3
W 59.5

Solid ruck with squat stretches

  

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

BW 176.4
BF 14.4

Punisher workout 40 kg One arm swings 10 x 10/10, pistols, pullaparts

 

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

Early Ruck

 

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 :)

45 lb ruck

6 laps

6571 steps

55 min

RPE 7

Really good flow today too

BW 176.6
BF 14.3

175/185 lb press 5 sets of 2 each, 24 kg swings, floor pushups

 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 

205,215 and 220 miss, wt pushups, one arm laterals

 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 215

This 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

BW 177
BF 13.7
W 57.51

12 noon
BW 177.8 !
BF 11.7
W 59.4
LBM 157

Steady ruckings

 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

BW 178~! ( wow highest on a sunday in forever)

BF 14.3

32 kg One Arm swings de load 10 x 8/8 , pistol practice, side and bent laterals

 

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

side and rear laterals
3 x 8/8 with 15s

BW 177.2
BF 12.3
W 58.7

Solid ruck

 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

45 lb ruck
6 laps
48 min

BW 177.2
BF 14.5

195-210-185 presses,24 kg swings, laterals, rear delts

 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 easy

definitely not feeling 215 so I took 210 and couldn't lock it out!

then down to 205, again ugly

195 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

BW 177.6
BF 14.7
W 56.9

Press speed day, 175 x 2 x 8 sets, wt pushups, laterals, bent laterals

 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 eight

Pretty identical technique from start to finish and exactly the form I was shooting for. Very happy with finally understanding what I should be doing

Now, to get really really really good with it

Pushups on v parallettes
bw  x 8
53 x 8 x 3

laterals 3 x 8/8
rear delts 3 x 10 15s

BW 176.8
BF 14.7

12 noon
BW 177
BF 11.7
W 59.2

Slow and sloggy ruck

 

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

45 lb ruck

12 laps

13,449  steps

Speed 2.4 - 3.8 mph

total time for 12 laps 1:50

1:55 door to door

BW 175.8
BF 15.1

60 and 68 kg One Arm Swings 7 x 5/5, 3 x 5/5, pistols practice, laterals/rear delts

 

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

175 /185 lb press x 2 x 5 sets each, 24 kg speed swings

 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

then 185 for the same 2 x 5

 24 kg speed swings
5 x 8/8

didn't need pushups, too sore already

BW 176.6
BF 14.3

1 pm
BW 176.4
BF 11.3
W 59.4

205-220lb presses( 225 miss) 205 x 1 x 5, floor pushups, one arm laterals, rear delts

 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~!

The CUES

1) Stand up TO the chest up/ pelvis up

2) Lock in and freeze

3) hip drive into the press

Slowish but steady ruck

 

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

BW 176.6
BF 15.5

48 kg One Arm Swing 10 x 6/6, pistol practice, laterals

 

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

Laterals,rear delts

3 x10/10 with 15s

BW 175.8
BF 13.
W 58.

Thursday ruck

 

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

Either way got the ruck on and on my feet

45 lb ruck

4 laps

2 miles

5086 steps

BW 177.4
BF  13.2 ?
W 57.9