"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."
Finally a good press day! Tried to think as little as possible; I just concentrated on two things
Locking the knees
Eyes on the X
During the warmups I felt my head moving back as I initiated so I went with that and that actually seemed to be a good trigger
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 nice and fast. good line too
205 x 1215 x 1 a little wobbly ( let my elbows flare) but overall strongSince I've been getting nervous when 215 goes on the bar ( ridiculous) because it's the heaviest I've been going decided to just go to 220. the best rep of the dayNot quite confident for 225 so I split the difference 222.5 Decent, just shy of lockout. Rushed the start a bit and got a little "bouncy" and it cost me but still , it moved pretty well, I was under it good and it was close at the endthen five singles at 205, last four are shown
Couldn't be happier especially after the last two weeks
Wt pushups
bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3
one arm laterals 3 x 10 20 lbs
rear delts 3 x 10 20 lbs
BW 176 BF 12.2 !!1 wow havent been this low at 4 am in forever! W 58.2 !! really did hydrate a lot yesterday. thirsty for the first time in forever
Well off by a week. I had my knee replaced Aug 21 2013 which was last saturday. I guess it's a good thing the knee is working so well I actually forgot about the anniversary! What a freaking miracle and I thank G-d everyday for it. Nothing has changed my life more for the better. What a gift to be pain free, to be able to walk normally and for as long as I want. Just to be able to move humanly again after so many decades of limping and gimping and suffering
This went great. All systems go; sacrum and low back good. sciatica all gone,left arch of foot normal and even sleep has been solid for the last 3 days
Today was strong and legs and lungs were solid
40 kg one arms 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 5/5 x 15
all reps and sets really strong Pistol practice 3 x 3/3 twicelaterals rear delts 3 x 10/10 15s
Yes a walk, not a ruck. Had a great night last night. no sciatica or hip/low back feeling vulnerable and wanted to keep it that way. So I did my normal six laps sans ruck and man is it different! So easy. Surprisingly, as last time I walked instead of rucked I wasn't that much fast. Wasn't trying to go faster but I thought I would
did the six laps in 50 min and it was strong and I felt light
I did however, as I did last time, feel a much different 'use' of my lower back, no doubt because of increased hip rotation without the 45 lbs compressing it
It was pretty fun too, to walk so light and feel so fast!
This went very well. Was more than a bit nervous but putting my hip into it but I figured going back to really locking the knees and my closer stance could do the trick. The presses worked fine but I did get a little glute tightness post workout that had me worried. Until I unlocked things with a completely different corrective strategy. releasing deep hip rotators and activating hip flexors ( marching in place, some banded knee raises, isometric adduction holds, and toe touch stretches with adduction activation and abs as well.
I think that one weird day with my hips all the way out in front, essentially unsupported really pushed me over the edge.too much external rotation and glute tightness pushed the sacrum forward
So, to bring it back A to P do the opposite ( as described above) .seems to be working, and I don't think it was my regular press that tweaked it again today but an unweighted demo of what I did last wed as I felt my glutes start to get tight and feel weird right after that
But NOT from the prior presses. We'll see
Press technique: close stance, spot the X, lock knees ( including big toe down)pause, hip drive and shove bar overhead
195 x 1 x 5
These went great! really really nice line
205 x 1 x 5 sets ( 4 shown)
These felt a little more 'off', mainly from balance at start( separating big toe plant from knee lock, have to do them simultaneously
All in all very satisfied and encouraged about the future of my press
Well that completely sucked. Went from the best press workout I've ever had and knowing I had figured out the technique to not being able to do it ( nor much of anything) and just a few short days! I was so scared or re fucking up my sacrum that my body just wouldn't let my hip get forward enough to press well
I pulled my feet back in close but no go. My hips just shifted back to unload them and I had no leverage
Thankfully nothing hurt, or even hinted at hurting my I just didn't want to go there and my body wouldn't let me
Have no idea what to do now
I know it was the wider stance and locking in the forward hip position that tweaked things but that's where my true leverage is. But it looks like I won't be able to do it
I tried the same set up technique with the close stance but it wasnt the same
Plus, for some damn reason the top of the left foot, the metatarsals near the navicular seemed BRUISED! WTF?
Had NO inkling anything was wrong after the swings and the ruck
Just go hurt sleeping again. The definition of old age.
Fuck
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1
this felt decent enough then 205 x 1 almost but missed backwards which was the theme of the day215 x MISS, bad one then another one I couldn't even just past my nose. just deleted the video couldn't even look at it. Nothing to learn from it, I wasn't in the right position and I know it
then 205 for 3 down sets I made them but meh. pumping knees instead of hips I see now
then went flat footed with 185 and missed that twice so I called it a day
ACK
wt pushups
bw x1)
53 x 10 x 3
One arm laterals 3 x 10/10 20 lbs Bent laterals 3 x 10 w 20
BW 176 BF 11.2 W 59.5 ( bath at noon)
Who knows what's next but it will involve my narrow stance and locked knees and go from there
This went great. All remnant of my sacral issue is gone and I slept very well. Woke rested and not that sore either from the heavy bell work. Legs were definitely tired and a bit heavy but not big deal
It was cook, overcast with an actual cool breeze as well which made it, well, just perfect
Time was fast : 12 laps with 8 squat stretches in 1:50. Door to door in 1:54
New bell in the collection; a GreatLakes Girya 64 kg bell. Makes for a very nice transition from the 60 to the 68, which I've done, obviously, but it's a big jump
But when I got the bell I realized it was not what I expected with a 9.5 " wide and 5 1/4" thick handle!
I was sure I would hit the side of the handle on the inside of my knee,as I did with the Rogue 44 kg, although I didn't think the thickness would be an issue
I was wrong on both counts
The grip was a bitch and I only did 4 reps per side, no transfer on the first set as I hadn't taken it seriously enough and it was slipping. Cinched up better on the right arm and made 5 reps. But it was a beast
But the edges of the handle didn't bother me at all! 72.5MM window makes the center of gravity even lower and this bell, all considered swings as heavy as my Rogue 68. But it's a great bell nonetheless and by the 6th set with it I was getting the hang of it
I will add this in 5sets with 60 kg 3 sets with 64 kg 2 sets with 68 kg
as the last part of the micro cycle
today was 4 sets with 60 x 5/5
Second set of 4/5 with 649th set 64 kgPistol practice 3 sets of 5/5 I like the double front squats but I could feel my hip flexors missed these
side raises, rear delts
3 x 10/10 15s
BW 174.8 !! lowest I've been in eons BF 13.5 !
not great sleep of late and had a sacral sublux scare on top of it thursday. not fun but all good again. haven't had sciatica in 20 years. That was enough of a reminder
Really strong one today. No particular reason why although it was fairly cool ( 82) for this time of year and my heat tolerance is going well. But overall the legs and the lungs felt great. My mind was strong too and I almost felt like I didn't sweat enough! Not hot enough to take a cold shower afterwards; which I have for the past 3 weeks or so
But a good one
45 lb ruck
6 laps
56 min!
top speed 3.5 mph
BW 176.8
BF 13.0
W 58 body comp numbers have been really good of late. No noticeable changes either, maybe just getting in better shape
I thought about the Ed Coan squat setup and how long he takes to wedge under the bar before he unracks it and took extra time and care to lock in my feet and hips before I unracked the bar. Also unlike the other technique I have to unrack it with my hips and lock them in, not so much my knees
The goal is to set up with my hips in front of the bar and keep them there. Lock in to the starting position I want to press from before I take the bar out, not after.
This felt so good
Press 65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 175, 195 x 1
200 set 1 this is the set I locked my knees not my hips and it shifted me backwards just a bitset 2 was GOLDAs was threeset four was great too but there was a slight hitch there somewhere but can't see it but it slowed a bitSet five could have been the best of the bunch: FASTset six was fast but with a little wiggle but hey, I'll take it
set seven was blazing too!set eight good but just a little forward. lost some starting hip tightness I believeset nine was solid tooIt may not be perfect but it feels great. Now to memorize it and re do it on heavy day!
24 kg swings
5 x 8/8 felt strong and fast
Green band triceps extensions 3 x 20 love this exercise and the pump. hits just the meat of the long head and no elbow or shoulder issues
BW 176.8 BF 13.3 ?!! W 57.8 No bath this is great the lowest it's been in the am in a long time
Can't say I'm happy but being able to make 5 singles with 215 has to be a good thing but it did not work out as I hoped it would, i.e 5 identical perfect reps with ease. LOTS of grinding, too much
The good news is that I'm strong. The bad news is that my newest 'new' technique did not go as planned. Lots can go wrong with the squeeze the sponge technique and it did.
Some elbows went behind me causing elbow flare, some I leaned back too far and bar went out in front
ACK!!!!
205 x 1 warmup
215 x 1 set 1( I actually missed the FIRST set 1, out in front. bad signset 2 of 5 leaned back as I 'squeezed' and knees got loose and elbows flared
set 3 basically the same issue but not as dramatic. thought I figured out a stable 'trigger' . guess I was wrong
set 4 basically just winged it here. not too bad but not right either
set 5 almost. decent line just ran out of gas
sets 1 and 2 with 205 down sets. why I can't do this with 215 at the start baffles me. just so much easier wt pushups
bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3
strong
One arm laterals 3 x 8/8 20's bent laterals 3 x 8 25s ( by mistake. lol)
Thought at first I was going to get off easy today as I slept well and woke up with almost no soreness anywhere. That's highly unusual. But when I got going I could tell my legs and glutes were just fatigued and felt heavy. I didn't try to push the pace but it was slow going.
Weather wasn't too bad at all but humid, and I worked up a good sweat pretty fast. Definitely feel like I am getting in decent heat shape for a change
Wow. this went great. Best I've done in quite awhile. Swing technique was spot on, grip was solid and swing height was easily the best perhaps ever. Probably ever
this was last months 48 kg effort
Did 5/5 on all the warmups just to get a little more volume and not sure if it helped but it certainly didn't hurt
48 kg one arms 10 sets of 5/5
Double 20 kg front squats
3 sets of 5
these felt solid also, 24's will be no problem. Might have to bring the other 28 kg bell back from Cal ave
15 lb side raises/ rear delts
3 x 10/10
BW 175.8 ! wow so low! BF 12.3 W 58.3 ( post bath)
Good one. Nice and hot and my heat tolerance is coming along very well. Not minding the heat anywhere near as much and am learning to embrace the heat quickly of the session. The sooner I sweat the better; thinking of it as a walking sauna :)
This went great. About as solid as I've even done them and held technique pretty much perfectly except for the second set. but I learned something valuable from that one mistake too ( I don't need to drive the hips first after the lat flex, just pause and push.) Crucial piece of the puzzle
Press
65 , 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 1 195 x 1 fast! up to now the technique was solid!
Spot X lock knees flex lats and glutes Come to dead stop ( still have to decide optimum time, but it's longer than today by a fraction) Drive
205 set 1-5
200 lb press x 1 2 down setsexcept for set two couldn't be happier Just noticed didn't push bar back enough on set 4. drive to face!
24 kg swings 5 x 8/8 strong
green band extensions
3 x 20 liking these high reps really hitting the long head and shoulders feel fine
Back to shitty sleep ( cat) and two nights in a row put me on the ragged edge but got through it ok First with this new technique at this weight and it went very well, not perfect, but learned a ton about the technique at weight
Mainly DON'T RUSH lol. Started off with a 'drop and pop' rather than 'coil the spring'
I should know this by now
Good news is that each set got better as I found the feel. Also, good news is that I didn't miss any reps. some were just better than others
normal warmups to 195 which was rushed but fast moving
205 which was sloppy and loose in the knees which pushed the bar forward a bit. but still fast but dropped head a bit too at start and lost the "X"then 215 hadn't figured out I was dropping and popping too much yet. led to elbow flare too215 for second set much better. lost balance a bit but much tighter coil and stayed on "X"3rd set first really solid all around4th set ok but reversal still too fast5th set best all over. Got on X, lock knees, coil the spring and hold, then launchthe 2 down sets with 205 were spot on have to make sure when I coil I don't tilt forward or backward. Just lock in, stay focused on the X and tighten the lats and glutes
Wt pushups
BW x 10 53 x 10 x 3 slow with pause at lockout
one arm laterls 3 x 8/8 20s bent laterals 3 x 8 with 20
BW 175.8 BF 13.7
really happy with today. learn a ton about the timing and rhythm of this technique. great promise here. One more week at 215 though. Already can't wait for wed!
Very solid ruck, all systems go and even had a nice cool breeze for one side of the park. Got distracted by talking to a neighbor in the park who just lost his wife in a car accident. Crazy how fast like can change. How terrible for him, married 42 years and she's gone in an instant!
I felt stronger somehow after that, grateful I could walk at all. Nothing seemed hard after that
45 lb ruck
12 laps in 1:55 min
13,413 steps
3.4 mph ave speed
5 squat stretches. Lost time talking had to make it up
What a difference sleep makes. Slept completely through the night as my cat finally decided to chill. Unbelievable. Great sleep is beyond amazing
One, I can think. Two I feel so much more recovered. Of course I knew this but feeling it is another level after weeks of really fucked up interrupted sleep
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 44 kg x 4/4 x 12 sets
really felt strong, grooved and powerful. Nice. Still loving the low reps and the focus on strength and power
Double 18 kg front squat 3 x 5
Next week double 20's then onto 24s These felt easy and strong. Happy with the depth and back position
Definitely in decent heat shape condition despite only getting hot once a week now. we've had some really cool moderate weather for a summer, 75's and such. very nice
But today was 80's and low breeze. Decent pace but not pushed
Foot and knee ok fibula head back in place ( right knee weirdness- not dangerous though - just not tracking right for some reason
The workout started as planned, using the latest technical cues of X KNEES GLUTES ARCH HIP DRIVE
Worked ok went up pretty well
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 1 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 ok but not super fast, already feeling more loose than I want in knees 200 x 1 slow, knees gave a bit and bar out in front, PLUS I was getting a little 'drop and pop' which was the whole point of this session TO AVOID THAT~!
Then I got the crazy idea to 'feed the mistake' -since I wanted to use my old lat flex ( squeeze the sponge technique with my kb press AND actually, my barbell bench press style ) see if I could do it on purpose instead of by mistake
Dropped down to 175 and if FLEW! then this 195
then 200 the samethen SEVEN singles with 205 and it worked like a freaking charm every single set. I set up with the X, then knee lock then SQUEEZE THE SPONGE AND LAUNCH and it did! I found that as soon as I flexed the lats the glutes fired too! Bonus. sets 1-7
Can't wait to try this with 215 on Monday! this really feels comfortable, natural and man did it give me some speed all the way to the top!
This went very very well. Not perfect but much better than last week. Cues went well and timing was pretty solid except for the fifth set Even better on a night of poor sleep ( cat )
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 fast and nice line! 205 x MISS! WHAT? push it right forward! ack! didnt help my head 205 x 1
215 set 1 pretty good timing just a little loose in the hips set 2 very solid effort. no knee bend and good secondary hip drive not to much elbow flareset 3 probably the best rep of all. Spot the X, lock knees then glutes,drive hips THEN bar then hipsset 4 good but looser in glute resulting in looser knees and sticking point. Trying to keep upper body quiet at start is key too. no drop and pop; lock in and just start the drive from the hips then push bar this fell apart a bit. lower body locked in well but lost tightness on the drive and elbows flared, that's why the lockout was so weak Just tired now and fell back to drop and pop and elbows flared no lockout set 2 of 2 205 lb down sets. really good. Really got my upper body static and the elbows stayed in perfectly. really good sets wt pushups 2 x 10 with paused lockouts 53 lb
one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 20 bent laterals 3 x 10 20s
Pretty solid one. Yesterdays workout was in the legs and glutes, in a good way and I forgot,( again) to take creatine yesterday so had some with my morning coffee and think it worked really well. Didn't now if there was enough time between taking it and the ruck to have some helping effect but it sure seemed like it did
Felt pretty strong THROUGH the tenth lap which is usually where I start to feel the fatigue; in my legs as well as overall but was strong today and the last two laps falloff wasn't much at all
also really focused on 'walking left' as my right ball of foot calluss has been telling me I'm too heavy o my right foot step and it helped
didn't really 'feel' the right foot at the end as I have been
This went very well. Strong from the beginning and all the way through the 15th set. Form felt solid, body felt solid and fluid and recovery was good too
Also hands held up good too
Sets 5 and 15. Felt like power output was good as was bell height even on the last set
2 kb front squats
16 kg x 5 18 kg x 5 x 2
Think these will help with left leg mass better for some reason as well as strengthening the rack position. IF they don't over load the abs too much and compromise my back. Depth looks good
Pretty decent one. Hot too but I was again mentally good for it, embraced the heat and sweat and it was fine. Definitely getting into heat shap again. 4-6 more weeks of summer and I should peak out
The main thing is the mental game, as it is with most things. Starting to enjoy 'cooking' just a bit
So close but not like last wednesday. It was solid but not perfect.Left wrist was bothering me again and that distracted my setup just enough . I switched to my old powerlifting wrist wraps and that seemed to help. More hoop tension and coverage
But that wasn't why it didn't go as well. I rushed the setup and did not develop nor keep enough lower body tension
I wasn't ROOTED. Knees were locked but then I just pushed my hips forward without tightening glute so I leaked a bit through the knees on some
Did spot the X though and that definitely helped. I DID make 7 reps with 215 and the weren't that slow either!
Gotta
UNRACK AND SPOT THE X
LOCK KNEES THEN GLUTES THEN PAUSE!!! DEAD STOP PAUSE!
DRIVE BAR TO LOCKOUT AND KEEP KNEES LOCKED
Watching the videos I don't like how I push my hips forward to get some stretch reflex as the bar drops and my chest does as well. take away from my hip tightness
135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 ok 205 x 1 ok but not lightening fast 215 x 1 set one two and three
set four and six
set seven
205 x 1 downsets sets one and three
Gotta get and stay rooted. that is the key. getting better but not there yet. repeat 215 next week if not also on wednesday. maybe 210
wt pushups
bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 Slow and strict with pause on each lockout
Took the long way today. By that I mean a lot of stops for squat stretches and tweeting. Plus I forgot my creatine yesterday and knew by the tenth lap it would get a bit tough and it did. Yesterday's heavy swings hit my whole body like a hammer this morning; no injuries just stiff and sore, especially in the traps and mid back.
Legs proved to have been worked too as they showed not too long into the ruck
But all was good, just took my time, held a steady pace and enjoyed the cool breeze and temps
This was a pretty solid day.. Left wrist is still a bit wonky and affected my grip a bit but other than that technique felt good and all parts are still attached!
One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2 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 44 kg x 4/4 48 kg x 4/4 60 kg x 5/5 x 8 68 kg x 5/5 x 2
the second time I've only done 2 sets with the 68 and I think I'm ready next month to go back to 3 sets with it. That is fucking heavy AND wide! Don't want to alter my stance but the 68 always grazes my right calf on each rep lol First set with the 60 kg was a bit off balance wise but then things settled down. this thing demands my complete attention and focus on every rep of every set. NO room for errors
pistols support 3 sets of 5/5
man my legs were torched from the swings,lol! Not bad pistol work but legs were tired to start
laterals/ rear delts
3 x 10/10 with 15s
could really feel the traps and upper back from the swings on this too. that thing get the entire body working
BW 176.0 BF 14.0 ( bath) W 57.3
lol, keep making weight by saturday somehow without trying. Perfect
Wow! Did not expect things to go this well today. Easily the best group of press reps I've done with heavy weight. Five almost exact singles with the best bar speed I've had for this weight ever.
Could only be happier when I do it with 215 and up!
Especially after so much heavy volume just two days ago.
Really focused on just two things: locking my knees hard at the start and keeping my eye on the "X" on the ceiling above. that seemed to make a big difference
Otherwise just like last time; unrack, lock the knees push the hips forward and drive up.
195 x 1
205 x 1 set 1set 2set 3set 4set 5man the bar speed and line were damn near perfect
24 kg swings 5 set of 8/8
Banded triceps extensions 4 set of 15
BW 177.4 BF 14.4
Slept like a champ for the first time in a week and what a difference that made!
This was interesting. Switched back to adidas flatter shoe thinking it would help with hip drive and to not bend my knee at the start. Worked 'ok' but nothing dramatic.Switched back to Innov8 on sets 5 and 6 and they felt better balance
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 205 x 1 this felt solid. using Lock, hips forward, glutes, drive technique
215 x 1 x 6 sets 1 was solid
set 2 rushed set up, knees bent and lockout wasn't there.
But set three was good but not what I wanted to so I put back on the heel
Switched back to inov8 for set 4 and wobbled all over. made the rep but ugly. Was separating the hip foward and lock in too much. decided to lock, load the bow and go! hench LOCK AND LOAD!
set 5
set six even better. getting tired nowdown to 210 for three singles and they flew! Green band tri ext 3 x 15 one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 20s bent laterals 3 x 8 20s
BW 177. BF 13.7
Will repeat this workout next Monday and nail each set! Wednesday will be 200 or 205 for singles as well
Tough one. Pushed the pace the whole time although legs were pretty tired from yesterdays heavy swings. Nothing hurt or tweaked just 'used', so it felt like a slog even though the pace was decent. Hot and humid never helps but it's part of the training so I pushed through. First hour was strong, second hour was a slog
Gait technique feels good; back to the 'chi' running forward lean more than I have been and it definitely helps keep speed up.
Good day today. All systems go and felt strong throughout. No body issues to speak of. Bell handle was a but slippery for some reason for the first 3 sets but overchalked the handle and that helped. Weird. Nick said I was rocking back and forth on my foot more than usual and I think I was not keeping my big toe planted as usual as I was hinging more than usual
One I re planted the big toe the balance came back
One arm swings 16 kg x 5/5 x 2 20 kg x 5/5 24 kg x 5/5 28 kg x 5/5 32 kg x 5/5 40 kg x 5/5 48 kg x 5/5
did fives for all warmups as opposed to my usual 4s or 3s as I wanted more work. Also, next time no skipping the 44 kg
Decided to put the new plan into action and went with 205 as the start weight. Monday it will be 215 and if it goes like today I'll be at 220 the next week.
This really proved productive as even though the first four sets were good the details didn't emerge until the last two sets, as well as all the cues
sets 5 and 6
This is turning out to incorporate ALL the different techniques/ ideas I have had over the years, especially the last 2
1) Lock the knees
2) Hip forward ( load the bow)
3) Squeeze the glutes ( but only after moving hips forward)
4) Drive
5) Re drive hips to lockout
This seems to work better in this sequence. If I squeeze the glutes and then , or at the same time, shift the hips forward then don't load as well. Hips forward then squeeze seems to lock them in place and still leave me room to move as I drive into the press
sets 2 and 4 were ok but I wasn't squeezing glutes
this is very good especially only one day after heavy max press
wt v pushups bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3
One arm laterals, bent laterals 3 x 8,9,10 on each with 20s
This should have been better despite having to train alone. Good sleep and enough,light workload and plenty of prep time mentally. Went into the gym very calm actually, focusing on not thinking, just moving through it and doing it when I had to not before
It worked well for the most part but it turns out from the videos I was moving too much in the knees and not enough in the hips
And because it was just a little bit from the knees there wasn't enough force put on the bar to get through the sticking point and I stalled
I stalled at a decent place but there was no going further. Have to learn to load that hip better, load the bow better. I felt it from the warmups, they were strong but not fast and when I lead from the knees the bar goes forward. Again, because it wasn't too much leaking it didn't go too forward, but just enough to slow things down and again, that won't go with 225.
195 and 205
215 ok just not enough hipthe first attempt with 225 which turned out to be my best attempt. with just a little more hip this would have gone. the overall technique and positions were finethe second one I leaned back at the sticking point and the third was not too bad, actually. pretty tired now but a good fight set 2 of 4 downset with 205, couldnt have done another set. triceps very tired but symmetrically
I think I'm going to go back to triple progression now, with singles. work up to 5 x 1 with 215, then the same with 220 then go back to 225. I think I need more heavier volume. 215 is 95% of 225
Can't hurt to give it a try
V pushups bw x 10, 15, 17 20 no way to load weight on back
Way late getting this posted. this was a good one. very fast. Much better than expected after Sat heavy swings. Legs and glutes were tired but not cooked. legs just seemed to turn over easily. Not cool but not too hot nor humid
This went great. I'm loving fives! Power out put and locking in at the top are the focus not just trying to do as much power as I can WHILE surviving the 16 or 20 reps, These feels like the perfect thing to be doing now. Height on these, as it was with the 40 is much better it seems
Last month's 44 kg for sets of 8/8
Ended up with 12 set which seemed perfect as the hands just started to feel a bit crispy after 12. I'll stay here as long as it seems right. The extra power output definitely takes more out of me
One arm swings 44 kg 12 sets of 5/5
Pistol practice 3 sets of 5/5
these felt great, and I tried to go deeper after seeing how high last week's reps were
Ok this was a tough hot one. Not as easy as last weeks but still strong mentally. It was a bit hotter ( 83) with no breeze and direct laser beam sun on me. Legs and lungs felt good but with no breeze I can really smell the nastiness of the park's denizens ( dogs, homeless, garbage cans) and that makes it all that much more fun
Man this was the best workout ever! The timing was spot on,literally could not be better. THIS IS IT. Now to just be able to do exactly this with 225 on the bar. No shit, Just do this
1) Lock in and pause after unracking. Locked knees. LOCKED. Come to a dead stop pause before
2) Hip drive then press almost at the same time
3) Redrive hips at sticking point. Do not press to lockout, hip drive under it
This is just what it should feel like and move like
175 x 2 x 5 sets FAST and STRAIGHT! Elbows were in as well
185 x 2 x 4 sets equally as fast elbows still in place190 x 2 x 1 just to check if it held under a bit heavier load. It did perfectly could be happier with this. This is as good as I can do this lift
I thought the wrist thing was going to work ( as usual) . It didn't and went back to reflex position but not letting it bend all the way back. But it was making me overfocus and other things went wrong
Knee flex on 195 and pushed it right away. Haven't missed that in ages so it didn't bode well
Repeat was fine but definitely not feeling 'connected' yet 205 x 1 Hip drive and bar speed ok but elbows flared and slowed it down at top
215 x 1 Not quite sure what went wrong here. Knees were pretty locked elbows flared but not too early. Second hip drive was ok ( perhaps loose) but the whole thing was leakingFirst 225 miss. the good news is that all these attempts were decent, the groove was basically correct, I could fight at the sticking point BUT I was fighting with my arms and NOT my hips for second locked leg hip drive. I didn't figure it out until the 3rd 205 down set. Made all the difference ( would have too)
Why does it always seem to take me to the end of the workout to figure out the groove of the day? ARGHHH! Way too much knee flex here.
205 x 1 x 5 down sets
wt v pushups on paralletes bw x 10 53 x 10 85 x 10 x 2 strong.
one arm laterals 3 x 10/10 20s bent laterals 3 x 10 20s
Shit sleep last night ( again the freakin' cat) but the legs were strong and loose as Thursday and speed was decent. Spent too much time fuckin around on my phone so it slowed the total time down but it was good all things considered
Cool and crisp though unseasonably so and that's always such a gift. overcast too. even better
45lb ruck 12 laps 5 squat stretches 2:10 total 13,284 steps
Today was the first workout of the new protocol. Five sets of five reps on all weights as I cycle them each week. This worked better than I expected with power output ( bell height) dramatically higher. Not thinking about saving your energy for what you know will be a death march for the last 5-6 reps of the second arm made a big difference
today's set
last months
Like I said, dramatically better Plus MUCH less mental stress
Fifteen sets was no problem but I could tell hands were starting to start to heat up. I will increase this volume very slowly to 20.Eventually but it could take months
No hurry
One Arm swings 16 kg x 5/5 x 2 20 kg x 5/5 24 kg x 5/5 28 kg x 5/5 32 kg x 5/5 40 kg x 5/5 x 15 sets
150 reps 13,200 lbs Nice!
Also, and could be an important point, I found myself going back to the "baboom" technique of the athletic hinge today almost by accident but it felt right so I went with it hinge first then squat down. I've been breaking at the knee then hinging back of late but this just happened today.We'll see if it's an anomaly
Pistol Practice 3 x 5/5 Shifted my weight ( head over foot) to get my COM over my base and it felt good. But it's different and my depth was way off. Couldn't even feel it but the video doesn't. Will concentrate on it next week. Also, will start on right leg to get the Rec Fem pre activated before the left leg pistols as it needs ore work
Man today was excellent. the best thursday ruck I've had in over a year, no doubt. From start to finish I was strong, fast and did not feel the heat even though it was high 80s. It just didn't bother me and my legs were loose and kept moving.
Perhaps the heat tolerance is coming. That would be very very good.Plus my mind was strong which has been very rare of late.
Did all 6 laps ( 3.6 miles ) in 50 minutes or so and it was solid. A little under 14 min miles! That would be great if this is the start of a strong heat summer season
Another potentially HUGE piece of the puzzle today, the wrist angle! My wrist has been bugging a bit of late from a variety of things but the Onyz wrist wrap seems to be hurting more than helping so I went without today.
Realized that I've been letting the wrist bend back more than before and while it wasn't necessarily hurting I was leaking in that position and potentially helping to push the bar forward at the sticking point, as I push over the top a bit
SO I adopted the kb wrist position of "no wrists" and really loaded the bar LOW on the heel of my hand during the set up and man it help keep my elbows in by itself!
Plus it irradiated tension all through my body on the setup. Excellent and felt natural , 'right' and strong all at the same time
Let me pause longer too and get tighter which I think might be important too. The longer I pause the tighter I get (as long as I don't shift weight back to heels) today worked great.
Hopefully this is the last big piece of the puzzle
set 5I can even see in this thumbnail my elbows are in a much better under the bar position!
Press 65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 11 sets
24 kg swings
5 x 8/8
band triceps extenions Green band 4 sets of 15 I think this will work. I like that it's peak contraction at full extension
Well this went well today even though, as usual, I fix one thing and forget to focus on the other. This means I kept my knees locked pretty well today but did not keep my elbows from flaring enough. But I made the lifts despite this, even though it made me work way harder than necessary
It's a big leap though as after a very rough 215 I still made 225 with the 10 lb jump,even though the lockout wasn't great.
I thought offsetting my right hand grip just a tad would fix that but it fixed the soft right elbow lock but didn't keep my elbows in. Can't pinch them in at the start as it always causes me to drop the elbows or flex the T spine so I guess it has to be elbow in at MID PRESS
Good news is that I'm strong and technique issues are minimal
I almost made BOTH the 225 misses as well
205 and a rough 215
then onto the 225 makethen the two strong misses at 225
and then a strong 3rd downset with 205 had some soft knees and a miss on the second attempt going too far back trying to correct the elbow flare
wt pushups horiz parallel bar BW x 10 53 x 10 85 x 8 x 2 this was good
One arm laterals 3 x 10/10 with 20 bent lateral 3 x 10 with 20
Solid one. Not too hot early yesterday and that was nice. Legs and back and lungs all behaved as well. Not a fast pace but not slow either. Took it up a notch the last 1.2 miles ( two laps) and brought it in under 16 minutes.
Decent especially these days, getting used to sweating again
Glenn needed to use the 48 kg today so I decided to join him. Dropping down to the 32 kg just didn't sound interesting at all. And since we've decided to stick with 5s across the board it shouldn't have been a problem, and wasn't. In fact it was a great day
Height was better today than ever I thought and power output was excellent. Weight felt light and all parts felt strong. Lungs, of course, no problem
16 kg x 5/5 x 2 20 kg x 4/4 24 kg x 4/4 28 kg x 4/4 32 kg x 4/4 36 kg x 4/4 40 kg x 4/4 48 kg x 5/5 x 10
Left leg pistol and left leg lunge combo 3 sets of 5,6,7 each leg
I realized the other day I have to shift my center of mass over to the working leg just as I do when I walk/ruck. head of foot and all that. it actually worked fantastic! made a big difference
This went perfectly, all but literally ONE rep were exactly the same( second rep 9th set I believe) but everything else was locked in and timing was spot on
Felt so good
The image
After unracking, the body is literally a CONCRET statue. Concrete doesn't move and and for some reason this really worked well. Locked knees and concrete stillness
Also took my right hand out about 1/4" and that helped the overhead lockout as much as I had hoped it might. That shoulder is so much tighter than my left and this seemed to make a difference
Plus, by doing this I don't think my left elbow flared as much but it's light and we'll know more on Monday when its heavy
But I do know every time I tried to pinch or squeeze my elbows in the bar and my torso dropped a bit and can't have that
CONCRETE
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 1 x 10 sets
24 kg swings 5 x 8/9
Ring leaning triecep extension
Give these a tri (pun intended) instead of rep pushdown. Really loathing the idea of them now and that'a cue :)
This worked out WAY better than expected lol. Pretty beat up by the last week(s) and did not have very big expectations about today, But because I was so tired I really relaxed about getting the numbers and just did my best
It all went well. After I made 225 I decided to take my win and go down and not take a chance on a miss. I wanted to end on a win and I did
Standing Press 65 85 105 x 2 135 x 1 155 x 1 175 x 1 195 x 1 FAST
205 x 1 215 x 1
This went "ok" as trying to 'pinch' my elbows tight before the press made them drop down a bit and made it much harder than it should have been I realized the problem this time AT the Time and corrected for the next lift 225 Thought about taking it over but I thought if I make the correction I'll make 225 but if I waste it on 215 I might not have the juice to do two plates
SO I took the risk and it paid off. this felt great. still need a better lockout and more especially on the right arm but I'LL TAKE IT!! 225 x 1
205 x 1 x 5 sets These went perfectly I just have to make sure to keep my LEFT elbow in as I start and DON'T drop anything trying to get tight. this 205 is technically perfect for me. Elbows don't move down at all before I press
Wt horiz parallette pushups BW x 10 53 x 10 X 3 done slowly with elbows in.locked knees and pauses at the top of each rep. This is actually turning into an ideal assistance exercise for my press
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