"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."
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
This went ok. Actually it went very well in terms of the technique change I tried worked, and has great potential
But the workout itself was just ok I missed the double with 205 again and will back of that the next few weeks as I perfect this hip lock technique
But the really work sets went great. Just a bit flat again; this daylight savings time is taking just a wee bit off the edge I think as I would really like some more sleep even though I going to bed earlier than I was before the switch
No worries I'll adapt and probably had too great an expectation switching the starting position again and expecting no learning curve
Press
65 85 105 x 2 135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 3 sets
this went like a charm. Hips 'up and in' really loads the hips and not the legs and make it easy to get super stiffness in the bow
then 185 for 2 sets of 2
Even 195 for 2 went very well
First rep of 205 went ok but didn't re place the bar on my chest perfectly and at this weight and work level it made the difference. Missed the second rep again
Took it over and missed the single then made the last single. I wasn't feeling sore but just tired from Monday too
All in all a very good outing
24 kg swing
5 x 8/8
wt v pushups on parallettes bw x 10 53 x 10 x 3 very strong
Really solid day today although I was a mess leading up to it. Just anxious for no good reason and had to really pull my head out of my ass pronto
I knew if I just started training I would feel much better and I was right. Action of any kind is always an antidote to anxiety
Had the plan to go 215, 220 then 225 and if I hit it, do another rep. Didn't quite work out that way but learned a valuable technique lesson about the setup
Started off rough as I felt
65 85 105 easy
135 x 2 easy
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1 easy but lost my back position a bit much like I have on the last 225's and it begged the questio- why?
I thought it was falling back into confusing pushing the hips forward with letting the back bend too much at the start and at the sticking point I have no hip support. Just the lumbars and that's not enough
So I focused on pushing the hips forward and locking the lumbars and it worked great
205 - hips went down as much as forward. hence the need for a second drive
not bad but not great then 215 more solid220 REALLY good. hips have to load forward but NOT down ( telltale is knees will give a bit.Forward not downthen just 5's instead of two plates for 225. missed this but I was in the right place. Just not quite fast enough225 second attempt. much better but just couldn't maintain leg/hip tightness long enough
I know I lose something by taking such small jumps, but I also gain a better position I feel. Eventually the strength endurance to get all these will come on. It's more important to have the right technique/position down cold 205 x 4 singles ( video is of third, fourth set was much faster)All in all very pleased. Cues were "hips forward" then "get under it!"
By loading the bow but NOT letting the spine arch more than it is on the setup I "lock" the back, which is the bench and can load the hips
I know it's right when on unracking the weight feels LIGHT because it's on my hips. If I arch BACK too much it feels heavy as it's on my lumbars and not my hips
THIS IS A KEY POINT
Floor pushups 3 sets of 50
fast and solid all
One arm laterals 3 x 8/8 with 20s bent laterals 3 x 10 with 20
Really solid one today. Rib's almost 100% and knee is about the same. Energy and body felt good. Didn't really feel like I needed or wanted a back off day but that's probably the most important time to take one
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 8/8 x 10
total time = 26 min about 2 min rest/sets just me and nick today
wasn't hard but wasnt easy either
Pistol practice 4 set of 5/5 the lower I went the better the knee felt. kneecap moving almost normal
This went very well. I didn't make the 205 double but the single was good and it was as much about not getting the bar in the right place for the second rep, as well as fatigue.
Rib is very good and knee is basically back to normal
Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 3 sets
this went well, was originally planning on just 2 sets but wasn't warm or fluid enough
185 x 2 x 3 sets
195 x 2
this went pretty well. probably the best set so for 205 x 1 and 1/2 I think the bar was too high on second rep attempt
another attempt from side and rear angles I think I was just too tired to get enough of a loaded bow
Not bad if I say so myself though. Especially on only one day's rest
Well this went WAY better than I thought it would when I started! You just never ever know when it's going to be a good day
I felt fine today, rib was much better as was knee. Body weight was good, 177 ( pretty much ideal) and plenty of mental prep time.
But I was flat. Actually, not that into it. I just didn't have much confidence I would make it and to be honest; I was getting very very tired of missing this. Then when I missed 205 in the warmups( pushed it forward) I really didn't think it was in the cards.
I took 205 over and made it decently
then moved to 215 where it moved ok but not fast or easy. again not giving me much confidence as I called for 220 instead of two plates because I really didn't think I would make it220 went really well though, one of my best attempts with it So I put on two plates pretty nonchalantly and just shut my mind down and went for it. I was actually surprised at the sticking point when I realized I could actually get it! Not perfect lockout but a better hold than last time and without a doubt my best rep with 225 or two plates.
This is the first time I made it. That was with the bar at mid chest then I followed it with 4 singles with 205 which motored!
I think the first 205 miss was because I had my elbows TOO far up , and when combined with pushing back to my face over activated triceps. either way it went forward
Having the rack position RIGHT under the collarbone is 100% the right place. Elbows under the bar but not too much in front of it ( just don't let them drop- either ) and get that second hip drive going as soon as the bar even thinks of the sticking point!
Then finish with pressing and continued hip drive
Floor pushups 50 45 40
no rib problem at all but really controlled depth. felt good to do again
Pretty beat up from yesterdays heavy swing work. Nothing serious but a little rib tightness and overall hip/back fatigue as well as left elbow from overgripping a bit trying to protect left rib
So I went out very slowly and things were fine. Actually speeded up the last hour and didn't really hit fatigue til the last lap
No squat stretches but stopped a few times to check phone and let legs just loosen up
I could swing heavy! I wasn't quite sure I would be able to. Between the rib still a bit achy at times and my right knee still not 100 % ( it was definitely posterior tib and soleus along with popliteus) I had no idea how things would go
Finally learning how to let things rest while doing rehab instead of constantly testing it helped I think as everything was fine A bit of a dull rib during the middle sets but it never got worse and it was not sharp at all
Knee behaved well and I tried hard not to alter my usual technique to avoid pressure
thank you G-d, I was a bit worried
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 36 kg x 5/5 40 kg x 5/5 44 kg x 5/5 48 kg x 5/5 x 8 sets 60 kg x 5/5 x 2 sets
After spending 3.5 hours going nowhere on the freeway on tuesday with my right leg on the brake and the gas alternately the whole time my right knee said hello to me yesterday in the swings and then decided to start yelling a lot after my ruck
which by the way started with my left calf tightening up because it's been perfect for the last month on thursdays
fuck
at least my ribs feel somewhat better although not right for sure.
Guess I had a good run, but really two injuries from dumpster diving and driving? Man that does mean I'm old.
It's official
45 lb ruck
6 laps
48 min
3 miles
lots of stops to let left calf and shin loosen up. wore the topo's during the work day again but it wasn't enough I guess. Last two laps felt good, normal.
spend time on popliteus before ruck but on the right calf should have done both
both popliteus and vmo on right leg are the culprits
Rib felt much much better today. Barely felt anything at all all morning but I did start to feel some tightness warming up with even the bar. Nothing sharp at all but more than earlier. Did not get worse than goodness
The thing that bugged me most about missing two plates on Monday was not knowing why. Dumping the bar like that was so odd considering how great warmups felt.
But as soon as I unracked the empty bar today I realized exactly why I missed backwards: I had placed the bar TOO HIGH on my collarbone. Even above the collarbone! As soon as I pushed the bar back towards my face, which is correct to do, it had no support under it and just crashed.
Also, with the bar that high on my neck I lost back stiffness as I loaded the bow. I put the bar right under the clavicle and it felt great again plus I could get under the bar at the sticking point
Man, as soon as I feel I have ALL the details figured out I find another one!
Press
65 85 105 x 3
135 x 2 155 x 2 175 x 2 x 3
these felt perfect then 185
So much easier to feel the load of the bow in my hips
Fatigue setting in now but great position and leverage
finally 205 x 1
Cues:
WIDE
ELBOWS
HIPS LOAD/PAUSE
FACE/HIPS
24 kg swings 5 set of 8/8
these also felt 95% normal and did NOT feel the left ribs on the right hand swing and still nothing on the left
V parallettes pushups bw x 10 53 x 10 x 2 set No problems first pushups since the tweak
Not the 64th birthday present I wanted but the one I got. On the plus side, the 205 and 215 were probably the best I've ever done. Nice straight line and fast all the way to the lockout. Then 225 knocked me back twice and I kind got it right on the third attempt but didn't the bar high enough to grind to the finish.
Felt very confident on each attempt and did not get in my own way mentally. Plus, the bar did not feel heavy on unracking. so strange.
205 warmup
Straight to 215 easythe first missthe secondthen the third grinder
decided to try to get ANY pr out of this today so dropped down to 135 lbs and got a PR 16 reps( old pr 15) but I was BEAT. Especially in my quads! Really hard to stay standing lol. Didn't expect that! But a pr is a pr~
ring triceps extensions 3 x 12 ( didn't want to chance pushups yet, want to make sure I can swing heavy on Sat)
one arm laterals 3 x 8/8 with 20 lbs
bent laterals 3 x 10 with 20
just over a week after the rib accident and it's probably 85 % healed. Not bad for an old man
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