172 x 2 x 3, 185 x 2 x 3, 205 x 1 x 3, 195 x 1 x 2

 This was a win. The big focus was on getting, and keeping, my hips in front of the bar from start to finish and it worked pretty well

Set up with the hips in front and then simultaneously push the hips forward and the bar up ( back to false grip again) to start the press.

Also as before press up into the bar on the unracking and lock in before starting

 touch and go reps too

155 x 2
175 x 2 x  3

then 185 x 2 x 3 

then a big jump to 205 first set was slow. last set was best, really got my hips in front

then down to 195 for 2 singles

 very pleased with this, especially considering Monday

wt pushups
BW x 10
53 x 10 x 3

20 kg swings
4 x 8/8

BW 175.4
BF 14.9

Push up, Push down. Push forward, Push up

 

225 x X 2, 215 x X x 2 ,205 x X x 2, pushdowns laterals, rear delts

 Well this sucked all the way around. Except for the warmups; they went well up to 205, then everything fell apart. I can't remember missing 205 for all the downsets but I did today

Slept like shit, was basically up since 12:30 with some brief REM sleep time. Didn't feel it affected me though so really can't blame it on that.

I did what I set out to do and it just didn't work. That was : elbows up high as possible during the setup, push up during the liftoff then look for the X as early as possible

I think that's what messed me up. I hinged back from the lower back instead of my hips counterbalancing me as I pressed. So the center of mass of the bar was behind my heels instead of over them. Lost balance on first attempt

Plus bar was too high on neck exacerbating that issue too

205 x 1 warmup

Made the bar position on second attempt but not enough acceleration and it stalled

225 x miss twice

then two worse misses with 215 twice!

then to add insult to injury three misses with 205!

Just horrible. the ONE thing I failed to do that I said made the biggest different was 

 PUSH UP

PUSH DOWN  I did not push down!

Overemphasis on too high  elbows and spotting the X too early messed it up

Not sure but I may go heavy again on Wednesday

BW 175.4

BF 14.5

4.5 Mile Ruck 45 lbs

 Solid one although not fast. Most laps were around 8:25- 8:35. Not particularly tired but it was cold and I was slow to warmup.

Legs, lungs and back were feeling good tho

45 lbs

9 laps

1:30 min total

4.5 miles

last mile in 16:25

BW 175.4 !

BF 14.5

44 kg One Arm Swings 16 x 5/5, 44 kg belt squats 3 x 10, pullaparts

 Really solid day. Cold start for some reason but by set 4 all was well and hit standard height from then on, and maintained it throughout.

Had to remember to set the grip deep after the first set and my grip was weak as hell. Then I realized I was just hooking it too casually. Deep set fixed things right up

One arm swings

16kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/4
28 x 4/4
32 x 4/4
36 x 4/4
40 x 4/4
44 x 5/5 x 15

then really good squats 3 x 10 with 44

feeling thick

miniband pullaparts 3 x 30

BW 174.6 !

BF 13.3 bath
W 57.7

Thursday Ruck

decent one. Cool and crisp and overcast.

Legs pretty fresh from no ruck just walk on sunday

3 mile

45 lbs

most laps 8:30 or under

Last two laps right around 8:00

felt pretty strong

BW 174.6
BF 15.3! 

175 x 3 deadstops x 5 sets, 185 x 2 deadstops x 4 sets, 205 x 1, 24 kg swings, wt pushups

 This went great AND I found something VITAL in looking back over the videos already. I had success on trying to hold the bar above the pins and finding the X after I started to press BUT I saw that my best reps ALL started with the elbows HIGH UP. IN FRONT OF THE BAR.

The reps that went forward or slowed came from a dropped elbow position, every one

Good news is that the elbows up reps were usually the first ones, the second and or third reps the elbows dropped( wasn't trying to keep them up consciously) and those were the slow ones

Gonna change that immediately!!

Cues
 1) ELBOWS UP IN FRONT OF THE BAR ON SETUP ( Bill Starr angle)

2) PUSH UP AND HOLD BAR ABOVE PIN ( FOCUS RIGHT ARM)

3) LOOK FOR THE X AS I PRESS

first rep elbows not high enough, second rep good, third rep too low

first rep elbows too vertical, second better, third so so

first rep elbows PERFECT, second rep ok third rep good

first reps pretty close to perfect, second so so and too straight  an upward path

first rep ok second rep better

both reps PERFECT!

Elbow position really good but definitely should be higher, especially at this weight and higher

 then 24 kg swings 4 x 8/8

wt pushups on paralletes

horiz bar with wrapped thumb

3 x 10 with 53

225 lb press miss twice, 215 x 1 , 205 x 1 x 4, pushdowns laterals rear delts

 Was hoping for four in a row but just didn't come together. On video inspection two main problems : not REALLY pushing the bar up enough to have the bar high off the pins and failing to re spot the X at the sticking point. Either one of these was correct then either attempt might have finished

If I don't really push up I can't really push down and the soft knee start is back.  that always stalls at 3/4 which it did

I also seem to need to push much harder on the setup with the right arm; the elbow is too low and the bar dips to that side. Have to remember to focus on that.
Second attempt was somewhat better but failing to  spot the X let me shift back on my heels and it was over

then I took and missed 215 forward and then realized ( glenn did) that I wasn't looking at the X . took it over and made it

this wasn't that bad but still not exerting enough upward/downward pressure at the start

then 4 singles with 205 which were 'ok' but again wasn't getting tight enough. I will fix that

band pushdowns 3 x 10 blue and black bands

laterals and rear delts 3 x 8

can't wait for wednesday already

BW 175.0
BF 14.4

not bad sleep but definitely not feeling on my game. lots going on with the doggos

Five Mile Fast walk

 

Started off with the ruck today but it immediately starting raining so I took it off, put on my raincoat and went back out

Then it stopped raining

But I figured it was time to do an unweighted fast walk anyway and I'm glad I did

It was glorious

Overcast skies, cool crisp air and slight drizzle and not cold. Perfect walking weather

Started out with 7:40 half miles and they just kept getting faster each lap as I warmed up

Laps 7 and 8 were 7:10 or so and the last mile was 14:02. I did ten laps today in 1:20 or so. really strong and great leg speed.

10 laps

5 miles

1:23

BW 174.8
BF 14.0

40 kg one arm swing 20 x 5/5, 40 kg belt squat 3 x 10, pullaparts

 This was a strong one.A really good nights sleep didn't hurt one bit. Wish I had more bodymaintenance in but I got what I got. No real tweaks but left biceps tendon/levator scap keep activating. Getting it sorted but slowly

One arm swings

40 kg  20 sets of 5/5

Bell height and power were outstanding. This groove is really setting in

Pace was pretty  fast even as we worked to slow it down, Pretty warm today also while welcome, a big shift from lately. Getting back in heat shape might take a minute this  summer

40 kg belt squats 3 x 10

learned my lesson from last month. just tens , felt solid

Mini band pullapart 3 x 30 3 angles

BW 175.6
NF 12.7 B
W 58.3

Thursday Ruck

Hard one today, but just from fatigue from puppy life. Plus it decided to warmup fast which wasn't expected

Either  way, it got done. Not fast pace but that's fine just needed to get the the miles

45 lb ruck

6 laps

59 min

lots of little rest pauses

BW 175.4
BF   13.9

175 x 3 dead stops x 4 sets, 185 x 2 deadstops x 4 sets, 24 kg swings 5 x 8/8, band pushdowns

 This went strongly despite being pretty  sore and pretty CNS fried. The techniques held, the cues worked and the bar moved correctly. Even in this fatigued state

The  Cues

1) elbows up high

2) push  up/ push  down

3) push to X

The only set I lost balance on was one I thought " lock knees" instead of push down and ended up back on my heels.

175 x 3 x 4

then 185 x 2 x 4

[

Pretty surprise to see, from these angles, just how far off the pins the bar is starting from now. SO much  better than before. The "push up" cue is crucial. It really coils the shoulder arm spring.

 24 kg swings 5 x 5/5,6/6,7/7, 8/8 Man I always hate swinging as a second exercise. it's just such a rude change of direction from presses

band pushdowns purple medium, black mini 3 x 10 stepped up the resistance

BW 174.8
BF 14.1

225 lb press ( 13th time/two plates),215,210,205 x 1 x 3, wt pushups, laterals, rear delts

 Wow, if I can make this on a day like this I should be able to make it every week! Decent sleep but just not enough of it and I was dragging from the get. But I stayed focused on the desired goal of today: lock the knees because starting to press: and it worked!

The cues came to me too

( elbows up)

Push  up

Push down

Push to X

thinking pushing up proved last week to maximally activate the entire pressing muscles after unracking. then it came to me in the warmups:

Just push down after you push up to unrack

AND IT WORKED! My  legs strayed tight! That allowed me to finish the 225 where normally they would give and I'd miss

Thinking lock the knees, tighten the quad etc just never got me the feel I wanted but this did right away

 

 

warmups as last week

dead stop triples with

105

135

155

then doubles with

175

then a single with 195 and 205

 

 

wt pushups

bw x 10
53 x 10 slow and hold lockout x 3

db laterals
rear delts x  8/8

BW 175.0
BF 14.4

 

45 lb four mile ruck

 Finally got back on track with my rucks despite the new doggo and the spring forward time change bullshit

Didn't want to but got it done

Only 8 laps( four miles) as that's all the time I had to get back onto the dog shift but it was perfect

Everything felt good and it was much warmer (mid 50s) and still cool and crisp but no rain

45 lb ruck

4 laps

1:20 min

about 10 min per mile

BW 175
BF 15.2

60 kg One arm swings 10 x 5/5, 60 kg belt squat 3 x 8, pullaparts 3 x 30

  Well this was a nice surprise. With the new puppy Ronin, the nights have been, well, erratic as far as sleep. That was last night. As well as some deep pelvic floor tightness from doing twenty million deep squat puppy pickups in the last two days and left lat tightness that I'm sure are from that too

Then, even  though I should be able to sleep to 5 am the cat and the pup  decided to fight right by my head and I just decided to get up and get started.

Of course this right before the heaviest weight of the cycle

But it went well. Even the first set

16 kg x 5/5 x 1
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/3
28 kg x 4/3
32 kg x 4/3
36 kg x 4/3
40 kg x 4/3
44 kg x 4/3
48 kg x 4/3
60 kg x 5/5 x 10 sets

 The bell height and speed was unexpected but much appreciated and, as I suspected, all my body tweaks felt better once I started

Still took enormous concentration to stay focused as Ronin was in his crate in the house by himself as we trained and I could hear him crying and barking for a bit  But he settled down and I did as well

60 kg belt squats

these felt great. a  mile high in depth world but it works that specific ROM so there's that

Pullaparts as usual 3 x 30 with varied angles 

BW 175.0
BF 13.6 Bath
BF 57.4

175 x 3 x 4sets dead stop, 185 x 2 x 4 sets deadstop, 205 x 1, 24 kg swings, band pushdowns

 This went just about perfectly. Goal today was to keep up the good elbows up arm tension on the bar after unracking but also lock the knees harder and longer before starting any rep

worked great

105 x 3 dead stop

135 x 3 DS

155 x 3 DS

175 x 3  x 4 sets then 195 x 2 ds

went really well:
elbows up

unrack and push up hard on the bar ( especially right arm)

lock the knees and hold WITHOUT falling back to heels

push the bar back to the  X

then 185 x 2 x 4

this 205 x 1 downset was solid too. the technique, timing and line were all right. just a little tired at this point

24 kg swings  4 x 8/8

band pushdowns 3 x 12

BW 175.6
BF 14.3

225 close miss, 215, 210, 205 x 1 x 3, wt dips, laterals, rear delts

 A really decent day. I accomplished what I set out to do, pushup harder on the bar before I pressed, keep my elbows up and push the bar back to the X. Also not letting the right side dip from uneven pressure

But I didn't get or keep my knees locked enough on the 225 or 215 which is why the lockouts weren't there

BUT it's a great start and mentally I was solid. The most solid ever. I took the 205-225 jump again with no fear or anxiety

"He who dares, wins" I told myself  again. And, right before I took the weight: DARE to Win

It helped a ton, great focal point.

I can see now I finally have to get stronger to go forward. No longer am I trying to figure out the technique. Now, I have to make it stronger. Stronger shoulders and arms, and stronger legs.

Clear as day

As excited about my future pressing now as I have been in eight years!

135 x 3 dead stop
155 x 3 dead stop
175 x 3 deadstop ( I REALLY think this new warmup helps a ton but I think I only need 2 at 175)

195 x 1

205 x 1 warmup very very strong and fast

225 x almost!

215 x 7/8 too same problem

210 good 

then three very good singles with 205

the weight bar pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3 held lockouts

laterals and rear delt 3 x 10 20's

BW 175.4
BF 14.3

48 kg One Arm swings, 12 x 5/5, 48 belt squat 3 x 8, pullaparts

 Another strong one!  Came up with the perfect cues for this too, finally

BEND THE KNEE

LOCK THE KNEE

So simple but that's the point. If I don't bend the knee enough I tend to rush the backswing and it's harder to hold the standing plank

This worked great. Height on the swings were all uniform, more or less standard chest  height. It took a few sets to warmup but then all was good

Strongly locking the knees out and HOLDING THEM LOCKED is the key to max float and height

then 48 for 3 x 8 very strong

then 3 x 30 pullaparts

BW 175.4
BF 13.5 bath
W 57.4

ready to ruck tomorrow .Missed the last two thursdays. one to accountant and one to rain

225( two plates) x 1, 205 x 1 x 5 66th Birthday Press

 "HE WHO DARES, WINS"

This is what I told myself all morning as I prepared for my 66th Birthday  Press challenge. Trying to focus on the technique too much just put me into pre start mode which I really  didn't want so I just kept saying that to myself.

Even as I got on the platform for the lift that's the last thing I said.

It was a weird chain of events. Was going to not make the big jump from 205 to 225 as I thought given all the technique changes I was making it was a bit too much but when I got to it I thought "he who dares.." and just put two plates on the  bar

AND made it on the first attempt! AFTER missing my first attempt with 205 out in front! that messed me up a bit but then smoked the next one and then 
THIS

It wasn't perfect. Knee lock wasn't spot on and while the lockout was the best in forever the  right arm could be better but I made it!!!!

The cues though

1) Elbows up

2) push up to unrack and lock knees

3) drive bar back and to the X

Key thing, as I thought, was to keep upward pressure on the bar after I unrack and try to have the highest start position as possible

and this I did

I did change the warmup tho and I know that helped

135 x 3 dead stop singles
155 x 2 dead  stop singles
175 x 1
195 x 1

then 205 for  MISS out in front ?! ACK. did NOT stand straight up on unracking but shifted back. Always ba

But took it over and crushed it

THEN decided to just jump to two plates which I did and made! crazy!

then 205 x 1 x 4 then missed number but took it over and crushed it

then 24 kg swing 5 x 5,6,7,8,8

then pushdowns and out!

PUMPED! especially because I know which technique to use as much as anything!

BW 175.4
BF 14.9