Saturday, November 30, 2019

215x X twice,205 x 1 x 3 Press, pistol practice, floor pushups 3x 56 pr



SO CLOSE! More experiments with the warmup and technique, for the upper body held, but lost heel drive and more importantly think I really figured out what is wrong with my start

Felt VERY VERY good on warmups. Groove felt perfect up to 195 which was  easily the best rep with it I have ever done. Nice straight line and fast. Jumped right to 205 which I fast started and pushed forward. Didn't fight it at all as I wanted to say it for the 215

Felt confident and jumped right to 215 anyway. Pretty much the same as in the above video but not as good. Still fast started the start and it got wobbly. Way too much emphasis on the press and not the heels and that's where the wobble came from. Fixed one problem and created another. BUT this is the first time I did fix that push forward problem with 215.

then down to 205 for 3 singles


I have been trying to get some kind of momentum at the start and this is what is throwing my timing off and making me push the bar forward. And, the heavier it is the more anxious I am to get some speed and that just makes it worse.

On the first two sets with 205 I  unracked it, got back on my heels and -waited- just a bit before pressing. This really seemed to help except this above rep which just showed my fatigue.
But lesson learned.

Press
65. 85,105 x 3
155 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1 FAST!
205 x X
215 x X x 2
205 x 1 x 3

Pistol Practice
4 sets of 5/5 ( starting from the top down now, no concentric start)
 still one pinky self spot. Have to think on this more how to transition

Floor pushups
3 x 56  PR!!

wouldn't not have bet I could get two sets much less three. Don't know where that came from except my ability to just get in happy place and let the stretch reflex do the work is much improved.

BW 173.6
BF 12.8 ( post bath)

Thursday, November 28, 2019

135-180x 4 Press ( pr), 20 kg snatch, band rear delt



Felt really good going in and warmup and first main sets were excellent. Got distracted before the last set with silliness and it wasn't as good as it should have been but still a pr and still a solid groove
Very pleased with the workout

Press
65, 85 105 x 3
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
180 x 4 pr ( will get five next week)

20 kg snatch
5x5

did not feel like going to 24 after Monday's heavy swings

these were easy

Pistols
4 sets of 3-4

legs were still a bit sore too

BW 174.4 !!
BF 14.1

pre workout
174
12.8 ( bath)

Monday, November 25, 2019

60 and 68 kg One Arm Swings 10 x 5/5, wt pushups, laterals



This went GREAT! Best of all time, No grip problems with either the 60 or the 68 ( Onyx wraps aren't hurting ) great height on the 60 and decent on the 68 and transfers for all three sets with the 68 , a first

Plus body felt fine and wasn't scary. Transfered on the first set with 68 as the hike pass felt so strong

One arm swing
16 kg x 5/5
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 4/4
32 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 = 9240
68 kg x 4/4 x 3 sets = 3600
total =12,840
94 reps


Wt parallel bar pushup
bw  x 10
53 x 10
85 x 8 x 2 ! strong

Laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 173.5
BF 14.2 ( 12.2 at 1pm after bath)

Sunday Ruck

Not bad just not easy. Legs were tight tired and sore from the pistols, I guess
still all 12 laps and a decent time, Just not easy

48 lb ruck
12 laps
1:50 min
RPE 8.5

BW 173.2
BF 13.7
W 57.8

212.5 PR Press,pistol practice, floor pushups



What a wild day! Woke up feeling really good and expecting a great result with 210. Wore the adidas 1/2 inch heel shoe and it didn't go as planned. SO, I switched after missing 210 twice to the vibrams added 2.5 lbs for a pr and made it!!

I figured if I was going to miss again I might as well attempt a pr!
Very happy. Now I know for sure the flat shoe is better. No more experimenting( except perhaps a wrestling shoe instead of vibrams)

Press
65, 85, 105 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1 x 2
175 x 1 x 2
190 x 1
205 x 1 ( misloaded! thought I was putting on 200)
210 x X  x 2!!!
212.5 x 1PR!!
205 x 1 x 4 very strong except for this last set
I did 10 sets at 190 or above ( including misses)


Pistol practice
4 x 4/4 one finger spot

Pushups
56
56
50
getting better

BW 172.8
BF 11.9
W 58.8  ( post bath)

Friday, November 22, 2019

Fast and easy Thursday ruck

Couldn't believe how fast this ruck was! Perhaps the fastest and strongest overall I've had, no doubt for a thursday. I had to keep checking my watch and Ranger beads to make sure I hadn't messed up.
I took an extra serving of creatine by mistake the night before; I wonder if that had anything to do with it but in any event it was awesome

6 laps on 45 min with the last lap timed at 7:30 and that felt about the same pace as all of them! Never held that pace that long by any means!

48 lb Ruck
6 laps 45 min!
RPE 5!

BW 173
BF 14.2


Wednesday, November 20, 2019

135-180 press ladder, 24 kg snatch, pistols, laterals



Pretty solid day. Went back to the adidas power shoes with a 1/2 heel and they felt great. Flat'ish but not vibrams.
Will try them on saturday and I'll know

position and groove felt great though. sore as hell though and didn't sleep well last night

Press
65,85, 105 x 3
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
180 x 3


Kb snatch
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 3/3
24 kg x 5/5 x 5
these were hard just because i was tired and sore

Pistols
3 x 2/2 to shake it out

laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 172.8
BF 14.4

Monday, November 18, 2019

48 kg One Arm Swings 10 x 5/5, wt pushups, laterals



This was the best heavy swing day I've had in months. Definitely since I switched the schedule back to swings on Mondays. Even my grip was strong. I actually checked to make sure I had the 48 as my grip felt so solid.

The Onyx wrist bands are really helping that too. Just the right specific compressive tightness in just the right section of the wrist. Perfect, actually, just as I thought

And technique worked great: stay on the ball of the foot at start and at lockout focus on the knee lockout and quad tightness and glutes secondary. This make re acquiring the right foot pressure for the next rep much better

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 4/3
36 kg x 4/3
40 kg x 3/3
48 kg x 5/5 x 10
100 reps
10,600 llbs
RPE 7

Wt Pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3

strong!

laterals
3 x 8/8 with 20's

BW 172.4
BF 14.4

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Sunday Ruck

A wee bit too much wine last night but the ruck walked it off :)

Decent time pace and feel. All systems were go after some strong coffee and an aspirin

48 lb Ruck
12 laps
2:00 even
RPE 8

1 squat stretch

BW 172.4
BF 141.1


210 Press x 1 x 3 sets PR!, Pistol practice, Floor pushups



Got them all! three sets of 210 all in a row, too! Not the prettiest but they got done. AND I got the first attempt with 210 despite losing my balance with 195 ( backwards!) on the first attempt.
Wasn't seeming to get my hips under the bar on the take out.
Glutes and hips were not ideally locked in still which made the reps harder but that will take more practice

Plus trying to get my feet "torqued" on the set up didn't work either, as I rock into the lift. Oh well, good idea but no go

This is the first rep with 210


Press
65,85, 105 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1 x 2
175 x 1 x 2
195 x 1 ( missed first attempt on balance)
205 x 1 strong!
210 x 1  x 3
210 x X ( probably shouldn't have taken it. heart wasn't into it for that level of effort)

Pistol practice
4 sets of 5/5 with one finger assist. strongest yet

Floor pushups
2 x 56
1 x 40


BW 172.6
BF 12.1
W 58.6

Friday, November 15, 2019

Thursday ruck

Really good one. Just five laps but the weather was cool and crisp, my legs loose and my lungs open. Plus, I wasn't hungry lol

48 lb ruck
5 laps
50 min
RPE 7

BW 173.6
BF 14.4


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Flat Foot Press, 135-175 ladder first day, 24 kg snatches, pistols, laterals



This went great. As well or better than I hoped.  Felt very stable under the bell with only ONE rep shifting forward at all ( rep four in the 165 lb set) due to fatigue. Stiff and sore coming in but this is as strong as I've been position wise. I was thinking of getting Cons but will wait til after Saturday to decide. I think the flatter the better actually

DAMN! Forgot to use hip torque foot technique. Note to self, don't forget this!I think that will really lock in the hips
But this was solid, compare it to last weeks 175 x 5. Much more shifting forward last time and even a tougher last rep



 Also, the one inch lower foot puts the bar one inch higher on my neck for the start; which seems to help too.

Press
65, 85 105 x 3
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5
!



Kb snatch
16 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5 x 5
strong . wore Legacy oly shoe worked great

Pistols
3/3 x 3 sets

need to do this for another leg day. keep this the light day

Laterals
3 x 6/6 with 20s

delts fried already

BW 173.4
BF 14.1

Monday, November 11, 2019

44 kg One arm swings 10x7/7. press practice ( flat foot/wide stance) wt pushups laterals



 This was the best heavy swing day since we switched from saturday ams. I think the switch from Wednesday to Monday's made the difference. I never felt safe on Wednesday, always super tired and trying not to get hurt more than swing powerfully.

Hope this sticks but today was a good one

One Arm swing
16 kg x 5/5
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 7/7 x 10 sets
140 reps
13,580 lbs
RPE 7.5

Press practice
( barefoot, wider stance)
95 x 3
115 x 2
135 x 1
155 x 1
165 x 1
170 x 1


this felt really good! surprisingly good and it kept me back on the heels much easier. even when I hit the 170 sticking point I didn't feel pulled forward at all and was able to keep my line.

We'll see Wednesday and then Saturday.
I'll wear vibrams Wed but I think Converse might actually work great here. Something new to buy ,lol!

Wt pushups
bw x 8
53 x 10 x 3

laterals
3 x 8/8 with 15s

BW 173.4
BF 13.9

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Full ruck

another good one, full twelve laps in 1:55 min. No squat stretches and I think not stopping each lap to squat stretch is actually helping my overall endurance. Mainly it seems I hit stride more easily and faster and it's easier to maintain it. Good stuff plus my hips seem better for sure

As Louie would say "everything works but nothing works forever"

48 lb Ruck
12 laps
1:55
RPE 8

BW 172.4
BF 14.2

Also going to play with a lower heel and a wider stance in the press and see if that helps my forward shifting problem

tomorrow : 44 kg swings of 10 x 7/7

Oh, and Happy Birthday Marine Corps!


Saturday, November 09, 2019

210 x 1 + 2 misses, 205 x 1 x 3,Pistol practice, floor pushups PR 3x55!



Strange workout. Went in feeling very good. No body issues, good sleep and feeling good overall.Used the new warmup and it worked great! Definitely the way to go  and I even made 210 on the first attempt( AFTER losing my balance BACKWARD- which I've never done) in a really good position then shit the bed on the next two attempts! And it's all mental. Over focusing on keeping my elbows in at the sticking point let me forget to stay on my heels and my weight shifted forward, the bar stalled and, well, you can see the rest above :(

Then dropped down to 205 and made three strong reps! WTF?!?
Definitely feel like it's coming along I was just really sure I was going to get at least 3 singles with 210

But I've only done 210 once  before and I got 6 reps above 93% of that max so that good. AND 195 is basically a real warmup now which was the BIG goal ( 200 ) for so long. It's important to keep that fact in mind so I don't get greedy.

SO much of this is the timing of the start But I'll get there

Press
65, 85 105 x 3
135 x 2
155 x 1 x 2
175 x 1 x 2
195 x 1 x 2
205 x 1
210 x 1 ( tie PR)
210 x X x 2
205 x 1 x 2

Pistol practice ( onefinger spot)
2/2
3/3
4/4
5/5

Floor pushups
3 x 55! ALL TIME PR!

BW 172.2
BF 11.8
W 58.8

Friday, November 08, 2019

Thursday Ruck

Good one. Full six laps and all systems were go. Legs and lungs were good and seem to be over the excess soreness for 1) coming back to full workload and 2) switching workout schedule. Lets hope it continues

48 lb Ruck
6 laps
55 min
RPE7.5

BW 174!
BF 13.4


Wednesday, November 06, 2019

Standing press 135-175 wt ladder, 20 kg snatch, pistols, laterals



Was sore and semi beat  up and warmups felt stiff but not weak. and the worksets went easy much to my surprise. Even the last set with 175. Groove felt as solid as ever


Press
65,85, 105 x 3
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5 strongest yet. Really really help to focus on keeping my ( left) elbows in especially at the sticking point
So those are the two key cues : Heels, Elbow in

 Kb Snatch
16 kg x 5/5
20 kg x 5/5 x 5

Nice, wore the Reebok shoe with the bigger heel and it worked great. Just doesn't work for swings but presses, pistols and snatches it's excellent

and the Onyx wraps are perfect! Love em

Pistols
1 x 1,2,3 ladder
1 x 3/3
1 x 4/4

these felt great

Laterals
3 x 6/6 with 15's
shoulders already tired and so, just went easy

BW 173.2
BF 13.4

Monday, November 04, 2019

40 kg One arm swing 10x8/8, wt pushups, laterals



This went really well despite the hard snatching just two days ago. Change back to standard time was helpful too, I freakin hate daylight saving time! always have. when you get up at 3:30 in the morning everyday for years you can really tell the difference. Standard time IS the right time. DST is freakin late night, not early morning!

Was easier to get up mentally today too.

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 8/8 x 10 sets
160 reps
14,080 lbs
RPE 7.5

Wt pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3
strong! shoulders feel good

Laterals
3 x 10/10 with 15s

BW 171.6
BF 14.1

Sunday, November 03, 2019

Thursday and Sunday Ruck post

Forgot to record Thursday's ruck which did happen :)

48lb Ruck
5 laps
45 min
RPE 7

A really good one just started late so I had to cut it short a bit. Was feeling a bit under the weather and didn't want to push it anyway.

Sunday
48 lb Ruck
12 laps
1:55
RPE 7.5

was super strong til last 2 laps which were medium hard . Overall speed very good legs feel really good as well as hip
Not sure but it seems not doing so many squat stretches is helping. Still getting in my squat position just not so much during the ruck

BW 171.4
BF 14.7

 Nice crisp and cool out. Loving fall!

Saturday, November 02, 2019

205 press x 4 singles, 210 2 misses,20 kg snatch 25/25,laterals, schedule change



Should have been a good day but it wasn't. Lots of prep time and body felt good til later Friday when my biceps tendon started yelling a bit and I had to work it. Felt fine after sleeping but it almost always happens on a Friday when the week catches up  to me and out of the freakin' blue something demands attention.

So I wasn't quite confident about the shoulder this morning and it was freezing cold. I definitely have realized ( although not really accepted) that cold morning press days do not lend themselves to max attempts

I just may have to really lengthen the warmups or something because a good nights sleep, a stretchout and plenty of hot bath didn't make much different when i got to 210 so fast.

Now, all things considered my performance wasn't bad but I false started twice with  both 205 and 210 and that wasted energy or sure. Just rushing the start and pushing the bar forward out of the gate. I don't even try to save it and just let it drop. But it's a waste and messes with my head
Thank goodness for the powerrack and this monolift setup. It's a game changer

Press
65,85, 105 x 3
135 x 2 eh
155 x 1 decent
175 x 1 same
195 x 1 strong, actually
205 x X then immediately again x 1 hard but ok after false start here for first attemt
210 x X out in front, immediately try again x X
210 x X AACK better attempt just mental mistake really rushing the setup. the weight has my number today. Also switched to 35 lbs plates instead of "change" and I can swear it makes a difference even though is shouldn't
205 x 1 x 3 hard but doable, calming down and not rushin
200 x 1 very strong rep! fuck

8 attempts at 93% of max to 96%

I guess it's not too bad.:) plus I was 173 this AM nice and plump!

Snatch
16 kg x 4/4
20 kg x 6/6
          x 25/25
          x 15/15
92 reps

Laterals
3 x 7/7 with 20's

not that bad effort wise but hell I hate high rep ballistics! even with anatomical breathing. Just aint my thing. I can do it, if I have to but I really don't. time to change this
25 and 25 was my official RKC snatch test back in 2005 and it's not a bad way to do it. For my age the test weight is 20 kg so I'm right there. This 5 min 100 rep shit is too glycolytic!


Going to change the schedule again, doing intense snatches on Sat won't be good for heavy swing mondays.

SO
Saturdays
Heavy Press

Pistols
Floor Push-ups

Monday
Heavy Swings

Wt pushups
Laterals

Wednesday
Medium Press
Light snatch ( to be determined sets/reps)
Laterals


BW 173
BF 12.7
W 58.1




155 x 3 x 5, 160 x 3 x 5, 20 kg swings 5 x 8/8, floor pushups 40, 35

 Thought about going back to 5x5 for a hot second then my left shoulder  reminded me why I stopped doing them before. It doesn't seem to...