Arms and Active recovery

Erin Stern. I want those arms!

Alternate sets

Straight bar curls: 55 (10), 60 (8), 65 (5), 65 (5)
Dumbbell skull crushers: 25s (10), 27s (7), 30s (5), 30s (5)

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Barbell preacher curls - 3 x max @ 60: 9, 8, 8
Tricep push-downs - 3 x max @ 45: 7, 9, 5

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Dumbbell flies - 2 x 12 @ 22s
Dumbbell lying rear lat raises - 2 x 12 @ 15s

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Lateral raises - 2 x 12 @ 15s
Underhand pull-downs - 2 x 12 @ 75

Grace / Body weight

I really wish I'd started videoing my workouts before because the ones I've been recording recently are showing up flaws in my form that I wasn't aware of. For example, I did Grace today - 30 clean and presses for time - using 105lb for the first time. My time was pretty slow today and I'm surprised that adding only 5lb would be so challenging compared to last time. However, what's apparent from the video below is that my form on a lot of reps was crappy. Too many times I didn't lock out my arms overhead (I know the bar doesn't need to stay up as this is a metcon, but they do need to be straight), plus I'm leaning back a lot so that the bar is pretty much in front of me rather than just behind my head. Still, I'm not being too hard on myself because at least now I'm aware I'm doing something wrong and can correct it.

Grace: 30 clean and jerks for time @ 105



Compare this to my effort: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydeCu7W1VRc

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10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps for time:
Kipping pull-ups followed by hand release push-ups

Time = 9:01

Legs and Posterior chain: Heavy weight

Back squats - hamstring to calf:
100 x 10
125 x 10
135 x 10
145 x 10
155 x 10
165 x 5
165 x 3

I was disappointed not to complete a full set at 165lb, but my failure was due to feeling dizzy rather than inability to squat the weight. I rested nearly 2 minutes after the first set at 165lb to ensure I was as ready as possible. When the dizziness returned during the second 165lb set, I felt like I was going to drop the bar so I had to rack it. Still, 165 is pretty respectable.

I did this routine in my socks - not my usual running shoes - and I think it helped my posture and balance. I was able to keep my weight in my heels most of the time.

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Deadlifts:
135 x 10
165 x 6
185 x 5
205 x 3
215 x 1
225 x 1
235 x 1
245 x 1
255 x 1
275 x 1
285 x 1 (previous PR)
290 x 1 (new PR)
295 x 1 (newer PR!)

Holy crap! This felt great and nauseating at the same time! As you can see at the end of the video, I nearly passed out after the final lift. I was so lightheaded, which I've never felt before while doing deadlifts. As with the squats, I didn't wear shoes and that made a phenomenal difference. It felt much easier to keep my chest up and my hips down at the start of the lift, although my form did waver a bit towards the end. Also, I used a mixed grip - one palm facing towards me, the other away from me - and didn't have to resort to using wrist straps, which is a first with such heavy weights. I felt like I had the strength to go for 300lb, but my back was rounding enough that I knew it wasn't worth the risk of injury. Still, hitting such a significant PR - an increase of 10lb - feels fantastic!

Loyalty and Integrity

ABsolute Fitness & Personal Training in New Hamburg is one of my favourite places. For more than four years it's been the venue of innumerable mini triumphs and failures, especially over the past 16 months while I've been training there five times a week.

I'm fortunate to have a fantastic personal trainer, Paul French, who has been programming my training since September 2007. I've gone from 17% body fat to 12%; from struggling to complete a push-up properly, to being annoyed with myself because I could only deadlift 340lb with imperfect form. Sure, I'm the one who's doing all the hard work, but Paul's the reason I can do it (plus he checks up on my blog to offer advice - in his own time). He makes me believe I can improve every single day when I train and that I can push through the pain. When that voice in my head tells me to quit, I know I can push harder. A good - no, a great personal trainer builds mental as well as physical strength.

So when I heard one of the gym's clients had fired her trainer, I was curious. Then I heard how and why she did it, and I got pissed. With a capital "f".

Said client recently placed second in a fitness competition, due in no small part to the dedication, imagination and expertise of her trainer. Prior to this, the client had never entered a fitness contest, let alone made it to the podium, so to go from nothing to a silver medal is a major accomplishment. And how does she reward the person who made it possible? Fire him. Not to his face. Not in person. But to a coworker. By phone.

That's cowardly behaviour, and it's reprehensible as it demonstrates disloyalty and a lack of integrity. She claims that her trainer can't take her to the next level. Well, good luck getting there at a big box gym. (All credit to her former trainer, who has handled the situation with good grace. After all, when you tread in dog shit, there's no point jumping up and down on it to punish it.)

Speaking of big gyms, recently I've been dismayed at local people I know who are joining a new establishment that will be opening soon in Waterloo. They're pumping their dollars into big out-of-town chain businesses, rather than supporting independents that are closer to home. Sure, at ABsolute Fitness I don't get towel service, a smoothie bar, nor a cappuccino. What I do get is stronger, fitter and healthier, which is exactly what I expect from a gym. Hanging from the ceiling by a big, pink elastic band is a gimmick that will get boring very quickly. Give me tried and tested fitness techniques that actually work any day.

Most importantly, spending money outside your community adds to the stress on our local companies as they struggle in the current economic climate. Supporting local enterprises means the community as a whole will thrive. Besides, we all love small, unique and independent businesses - the book stores, the restaurants, the gift shops and, of course, the gyms. Who loves Rogers, Wal-Mart or KFC?

Full body: Heavy weight and Conditioning

Personal training with Paul



Clean and Jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 2
110 x 2
115 x 0
115 x 0 (couldn't quite hold the bar up long enough)
115 x 0
115 x 0

I felt close to completing the movement successfully at 115lb, but I couldn't lock out my arms for more than a split second. The video above shows my second and third attempts. My shoulders still feel fatigued from Thursday' upper body workout, which didn't help. The next routine punished them even more.

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Cindy on Steroids: Amrap 20
5 wide grip pull-ups
10 clapping push-ups
15 jump squats

Score = 9 rounds + 5 pull-ups

Bloody hell, this got my heart pumping! It was good to do a seriously punishing conditioning routine again because I've been concentrating on lifting heavy the past few weeks. This is the first time I've done Cindy on Steroids; I usually do the plain vanilla Cindy. It felt great to be able to do jump squats again, this being the first time in months due to my dodgy left hip.

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Each for time: 15 sit-ups, 30 bicycle crunches per side
1:05, 1:25

Upper body: Heavy weight

Josh Everett

I did much better today than I anticipated because I felt pretty tired (sleepy, not fatigued).

Hang power cleans @ 125
(Warm up: 2 x 5 @ 95; 4 @ 105)
4, 4, 4, 4, 3

Last time I did these I managed 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, so this is a significant improvement. Today I had much more power from my hips, and I took my time to prepare myself between individual reps (no more than a couple of seconds each time.) I'm sure that helped as I felt more relaxed mentally. I was convinced I was going to get the fourth rep in the final round, but was only able to get the bar up halfway, hence the loudly hissed "Shit!" when I failed.

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Split jerk: 65 (5), 75 (3), 95 (3), 95 (3), 95 (3), 95 (2)

Nice and consistent, plus better than last time.

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Hang power snatches: 45 (5), 70 (3), 85 (3), 90 (2)

Again, an improvement; I failed at 90lb last time, so this is a PR.

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Weighted sit-ups - max reps @ 8lb: 10, 10, 9, 10

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Relative max push-ups: 32, 20, 13, 13

Overall, it feels like a good week's training. I didn't overdo it so even though I've made significant progress I don't feel like I've over-trained. Plus, I've learned some valuable lessons from my videos.

Legs: Heavy weight

Nice, simple and heavy today. I videoed myself so I could check on my form again.



Front squats (a2g with pause) 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 150, 155, 160 (1)

I was pretty pleased I was able to use the proper grip until I got to 160lb, when I switched to a crossover grip. My pauses weren't totally consistent when I got to the heavier weights, but at least I managed to squat all the way down.

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Back squat - 1 rep max to parallel
135 (8), 165 (5), 185 (1), 205 (1), 215 (1), 220 (1), 225 (1), 230 (1-ish!)

My squats to parallel weren't too bad, until the last couple of sets where it looks like I'm a little above parallel. Also, I think I'm leaning too far forward, which affected my balance and form.

Upper body: Heavy weight

Haven't done much horizontal pulling recently, so I threw in 2 routines today.

Dumbbell row - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 per arm
70, 75, 80, 85, 85 (4)

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Push press with 2 second hold - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (from rack)
75, 85, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115 (1)

I think this is a PR for my push presses. I felt like I got a lot of power from my hips today, which helped a lot. I certainly felt in control of the movement. I videoed the first 2 sets, but when I checked my camera during my second rest break, I realised you can only see me from the shoulders down! Pretty useless, but I couldn't find a way to set up the camera at a better angle, so I didn't bother to record any more sets.


The bar could be on elastic attached to the ceiling for all this video shows!

I'm not sure if it made any difference to this routine, but I wore flatter soled shoes today, not my usual running pair. That may or may not have affected my stability.

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C2B chin-ups - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
20, 22, 25, 27 (4), 27 (4)

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Cable row - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
130, 140, 150, 160, 170 (4)

Never hit 4 reps at 170lb before - only 2 last time - so I'm pretty pleased with this.

Full body: Heavy weight

Trap bar deadlifts:
170 x 10
220 x 5
260 x 3
280 x 1
290 x 1
300 x 1
310 x 1
320 x 1
325 x 1
330 (F)

That's a new PR by 5lb. However, looking at the last few lifts in my video, I'm surprised at how poor my form was. I didn't realise I was bending my back so much. Just goes to show how much I miss by only seeing myself head-on in the mirror.

Update: I've had a few comments - from Paul on Facebook and Chris via email, all of them reasonable - that my form, as shown in this video, is pretty bloody awful. I was so preoccupied with hitting a new PR that I let my form suffer, at the risk of injuring myself. I recall having a similar issue with conventional deadlifts and I ended up scaling back the weight I was lifting in order to improve my form. That's definitely what I need to do here, too, so for the next few months I won't be aiming for a new PR, or even trying to match the weight I've managed so far with trap bar deadlifts.

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Bear complex: 1 power clean, 1 front squat, 1 push jerk, 1 back squat, 1 rack jerk
75, 85, 95 (F), 95, 100 (F), 100, 105 (F), 105

Equaled my PR from a couple of weeks ago. Here are the last couple of successful attempts (I edited out the failed first set at 105lb). My upper body form looks ok - and I definitely locked out the rack jerk at 105lb, even though it isn't that clear in the video - but my feet are all over the place. I need to work on my control.



I was going to do a lengthy abs routine to finish off, but my lower back started to feel a bit stiff so I decided to play it safe.

Full body: Heavy weight

Me with my shirt off. Oh, wait...

Personal training with Paul

Bench press:
95 x 6
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 5
135 x 2
140 x 1 (PR!)

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Bench press for time - 15 @ 125
Time = 6:12

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Deadlifts:
135 x 10 (touch and go)
185 x 5 (t&g)
205 x 5 (reset after each rep)
225 x 5
245 x 5
255 x 5
255 x 4

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Alternating sets:

Neutral pull-ups:
5 @ 25
5 @ 30
5 @ 35
4 @ 40

Sit-ups:
9 @ bodyweight
10 @ b/w
5 @ 5lb
8 @ 3lb

Struggling to do weighted sit-ups? Well, that's pretty bloody embarrassing! I don't think I've failed that badly on any new exercise since attempting skipping rope about 4 year ago! And the day started so well with a new bench press PR...

Today I took my second monthly progress photo. Still can't figure out why my left arm - which is supposedly my weakest - is so much bigger than my right arm!

Chris Spealler

Conditioning/Arms

Talayna Fortunato

A little bit of everything to finish the week.

5 rft:
10 kipping pull-ups
10 box jumps @ 24"
10 hand release push-ups
10 ball slams @ 20lb
10 sit-ups
Time = 17:43

I'm sure I would have been a lot quicker on the pull-ups if I'd used the squat cage bar instead of the pull-up rack. When I swung my legs for momentum, the whole rack felt like it was going to tip to one side so I didn't use as much movement. On the other bar I can really go for it.

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Straight bar curls - max @ 55: 10, 9, 7

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Skull crushers - max @ 25s: 10, 9, 7

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Alternate sets:

Incline curls - max @ 22s: 10, 9, 7
Tricep push-downs - max @ 80: 9, 8, 7

I used a different set up for the push-downs today, which is why I could do them with 80lb rather than my usual 45lb.

Legs/Posterior chain: Heavy weight

Today was simple but heavy. I had planned on doing conditioning today, but my quads are still burning from Monday's workout, so there was no way I was going to manage quick box jumps.

Where I gripped the bar

Snatch grip deadlift:
95 x 3
110 x 3
150 x 3
180 x 3
205 x 3
210 x 3
215 x 3
220 x 3
225 x 3
230 x 3
235 x 2

As usual, for lower body workouts I aim for 80% of Paul's weights, which is currently 275lb for this routine (making 80% = 220lb). I got to 220lb and felt I had more in me, so I kept going. I finished at 235lb for 2 reps  - I just couldn't budge the bar for a third - which is equal to over 85% of Paul's PR. Very pleased with that, especially as this is the first time I've done this type of deadlift. I gripped the bar with my palms over the shiny/non-knurled part and used straps from 220lb onwards. Throughout the routine I was able to pretty much touch and go, rather than having to reset each time.

Partial back squats:
200 x 3
210 x 3
220 x 3
235 x 3
250 x 3
260 x 3
275 x 1
285 x 1
300 x 1
305 (F)

This started off as aiming to get as heavy as I could for 3 reps each time. When I got to 275lb, I could only manage 1 rep, so from that point on I kept going with single reps. 300 felt challenging but comfortable, so I went for 305. I felt in control squatting down, but when the bar hit the safeties there was no way I was getting back up.

Upper body: Heavy/moderate weight

Hope Solo

This turned out to be an expensive training session:

Bench press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (large bench, 7 holes):
95, 115, 125, 135 (3), 135 (2)

Exactly the same reps as last time.

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Wide-grip pull-ups - max reps:
11, 8, 7, 7, 5

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Push presses with 2 second hold - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
Each round starts with a power clean
75, 85, 95, 100, 105 (2), 105 (F)

My arms and shoulders were already feeling tired with the 2 reps at 105lb, but I rested almost 2 minutes so I could try again. Big mistake. I cleaned the bar and got it overhead, but couldn't lock out. My arms completely gave up and I had to drop the bar from what must have been chest height. I was using the 10lb bumper plates so I wouldn't have to crouch too low to start the cleans (the rest of the weights were metal), so when I dropped the bar the thin plates buckled. It wasn't until I removed the left bumper that I noticed I had cracked it. I'd been warned not to throw down the new plates, but there was nothing I could do about this today. I simply had no arm or grip strength left so I had to let go. Balls.

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Push-ups - 4 x relative max
29, 24, 15, 12

Legs

I felt nice and rested after 2 days without any exercise, which is just what my body needed.

Christian Thibaudeau demonstrating the strap grip for front squats

Box front squat: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 - small bench, wooden step
95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 150 (3)

Last time I did this I only managed 1 rep at 150lb. I had planned on using a new grip technique I found on YouTube. It uses straps to help hold the bar up and removes stress on the wrists, which is a problem for me when I do a conventional front squat grip. I did ok with a few practice squats using an empty 45lb bar, but when I tried it at 95lb I couldn't maintain a decent grip on the straps. This was because I wasn't able to wrap them properly around both hands. Straps like these Gillingham straps would have been more effective, so I might look into buying some. From 115lb onwards I used a cross-grip, which isn't ideal but it's still the only way I can handle heavier weights.

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Back squats: 10 reps at each weight, hamstring to calf
105, 135, 145, 150, 155 (7)

Bugger! I was aiming to replicate Paul's reps, but scaled to roughly 80% of his weight. I was doing fine until the last round and I couldn't manage the full 10 reps. However, this wasn't due to a lack of strength; I felt dizzy coming up from the seventh squat, so I stood for a few seconds trying to get myself together, but I thought I was going to topple over from the dizziness. I think I pissed off some other gym members with all my grunting!

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I had planned on doing a lunge routine - both dumbbell and air lunges - but when I tried a few to warm up I could feel a twinge of pain in my left hip, so I decided not to risk it. I didn't feel a thing during either the front or back squats routines, though. In the end, I just went with a quick hang squat clean routine.

20 x hang squat cleans @ 95; full rom
Time = 4:25

The results in the previous few Mondays have been disappointing, but they were all upper body. I think I overdid the upper body exercises because of my dodgy hip, so today's almost totally leg day was a good idea. I did pretty well, so I'm pleased with the outcome.

Full body: Heavy/moderate weight

Personal training with Paul.

Today was a triumph of willpower as I felt pretty crappy from the moment I woke up. It feels like I've overtrained again and I didn't have any energy. Even warming up with an empty bar was a struggle. The weird thing is, I felt a hell of a lot better at the end of the session than I did when I started.

Split jerk:
65 (5), 75 (3), 95 (2), 95 (2), 95 (1), 95 (3)

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Amrap 15:
10 x deadlifts @ 155
10 x box jumps @ 26"

Score = 8 rounds

I thought I was going to lose my breakfast during this routine. This is where the fatigue really kicked in.

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Superset - 4 sets:
Max rep dips - 10, 8, 8, 7
Leg elevated abs move - 12 per side

Arms

Erin LaVoie, world-champion lumberjack

Still felt a bit tired today, so I took it easy. A short run from Grandview to the gym, after taking Madi to school, which helped me warm up.

Alternate sets

Straight bar curls - max @ 50: 14, 14, 11, 9
Dumbbell skull crushers - max @ 22s: 13, 13, 10, 7

Barbell preacher curls - max @ 50: 10, 8, 9
French presses - max @ 25: 10, 7, 7

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Tricep push-downs - max @ 45: 7, 5, 5

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For the past couple of months, until recently, I've been doing just upper body work because of my hip problem. My hip is 95% better now, but I think all those upper body routines are coming back to haunt me because my arms and shoulder are completely knackered, while my legs feel fine. I've done some heavy leg routines this week but they don't seem to have had any adverse effects on me, whilst the arm and shoulder routines have - for the most part - been less than adequate.

Full body: Heavy/moderate weight

Power clean and press:
65 (5), 95 (3), 105 (3), 105 (3), 110 (2), 115 (F), 115 (F)

That's a step backwards with my clean and presses; I should have got at least 1 rep at 115lb. Either I've overtrained my upper body and it needs more recovery time, my recovery nutrition isn't right, or I need to do more warming up before I start lifting. It may well be the latter because it only seems to be the first routine each morning where I'm not doing as well as I should.

Update: It's now 6:50pm and I'm feeling a bit drained, so perhaps this morning's clean and press performance is simply an indication that I need to have a break. I was planning on taking tomorrow as a rest day anyway, then an arm day on Thursday. That should leave me refreshed for Friday. 

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Fran: 21-15-9
Thrusters @ 95
Kipping pull-ups
Time = 15:13

That's a 22 second improvement on last time, in August, which was 19 seconds quicker than the time before that back in May. Those thrusters felt tougher than I expected and I failed on one rep late in the first round. Kipping pull-ups went really quickly. I'm making steady improvement with Fran, but still a lot of work to do before I match hardcore CrossFit athletes! Clearly, my light weight is an advantage for the kipping pull-ups, but a disadvantage for 95lb thrusters.

Here's how my Girl's scores have improved.

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For time:
20 deadlifts @ 135
20 sumo deadlifts @ 135

Time = 2:32

This is what Fran is supposed to look like.

Full body: Heavy weight

How I felt today

The Monday Morning Curse strikes again!

Rack bench press 5, 5, 4, 4, 3 (small bench, 6 holes)
115, 125, 130, 135 (2), 135 (2)

Last time I did this I got 4 reps in the fourth set at 135lb, and 2 reps at 140lb in the final round, so that's quite a significant drop. Not a good start. However...

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Partial back squats 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (safeties @ 11)
Warm up: 3 @ 185
215, 235, 255, 280, 300 (2)

A new PR - that's the first time I hit any reps at 300lb with this routine, so very pleased with that, especially as it was 2 reps and not just 1. I attempted a third, but after I'd squatted down I couldn't get back up and left the bar on the safeties. At the start of the final round I'd only set up the bar for 295lb then thought, what the hell - go for it!

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Amrap 12:
Neutral pull-ups
8 push-ups when I drop from the bar
Score = 57 pull-ups; 12 breaks; 88 push-ups

The first routine today - bench presses - were pretty crappy. This seems to be a recurring theme on Monday mornings and it's frustrating not knowing the cause. Is it because I don't get my nutrition right at the weekend (I don't eat crappily, just at irregular times)? I don't think it's because I have a rest day on Sundays as I also have one on Fridays and seem to do ok the next day. Then again, it seems to be only when I do upper body work on Monday mornings, as the rack squats PR shows.

Post work-out snack: spicy turkey meatballs with sweet potato rosti and a little mango sauce

Full body: Heavy weight

Personal training with Paul

Trap bar deadlifts:
170 x 10
220 x 5
260 x 3
280 x 1
290 x 1
300 x 1
310 x 1
320 x 1
330 x 0
330 x 0

Pretty pleased with my final successful weight. After 320lb I felt like I was capable of getting more, but I simply couldn't budge the weight off the ground. Still, 320lb is very respectable. That's roughly 2 and 1/4 times my body weight, and 80% of Paul's 1 rep max.

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Complex (1 squat clean and 2 front squats)
95, 105, 115, 125, 130, 135 (F)

The most important thing here for me was that I was able to do 130lb front squats without any hip pain. 80% of Paul's weight with the deadlifts, but only 60% for the complex. Got to work on improving my upper body strength.

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5 round, max reps:
Bench press @ 95: 15, 10, 9, 7, 7
Pull-ups (strict): 8, 7, 6, 6, 6

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1 minute each; 30 seconds rest in between:
Twist: 40
Heel touch: 36
Bicycle crunches: 60
Sit-ups: 17

Arms and Active Recovery

Alternate sets:

Straight bar curls: 50 (10), 55 (10), 60 (7), 65 (6)
Dumbbell skull crushers: 22s (13), 25s (8), 27s (6), 30s (5)

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Barbell preacher curls - 3 x max @ 50: 12, 10, 10
Tricep push-downs - 3 x max @ 45: 9, 7, 5

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Dumbbell flies: 2 x 12 @ 22s
Dumbbell lying rear lat raises: 2 x 12 @ 15s

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Lateral raises: 2 x 12 @ 15s
Underhand pull-downs: 2 x 12 @ 75

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Swiss ball plank for 1 minute, followed by cramp in both sets of quads. Ouch!

Full body: Heavy weight

Annie Sakamoto

I've been advised to "listen to your body" when planning a daily workout. Well, after yesterday's conditioning punishment, today my body was saying "Stay home." This morning I planned two alternative workouts: one was for arms and active recovery, the other a heavy weight routine. I only made my final decision when I stepped out of the locker room. My triceps were so sore from all the dips and push-ups yesterday that there seemed little point in doing any arm-specific routines. I wasn't feeling fatigued at all, just suffering from doms everywhere! In the end, I'm glad I went with the heavy option.

Deadlift - 1 rep max
135 (1)
165 (6)
185 (5)
205 (3)
215 (1)
225 (1)
225 (1)
235 (1)
245 (1)
255 (1)
265 (1)
275 (1)
280 (1)
285 (1)
290 (F)

That's a new PR. I'm hoping to hit 300 by Christmas.

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Bear complex: 1 Power Clean + 1 Front Squat + 1 Push Jerk + 1 Back Squat + 1 Rack Jerk = 1 rep
75, 85, 95 (F), 95, 100, 105

When I did this for the first time on Saturday I felt like I had a little bit more in me, so I went for it today. Only a 5lb improvement, but still. The first time I did 95 today I failed on the rack jerk; I locked out, but the bar didn't stay up. The second time I made sure I had much more momentum. It's almost like I need to mentally reset myself with every movement in every set. I almost failed the rack jerk at 105lb. My right arm felt like it was going to drop back down just as it was about to lock out, and it took sheer will power to get it up there and hold it. I'm sure it wasn't pretty to look at, but it worked.

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Wide cable rows
5, 5, 5, 5, 5
Warm up: 5 @ 90
110, 120, 130, 135, 140 (4)

It's been several months since I did these and I only decided to do them at the last minute today while waiting for Cher. A very slight improvement - 1 rep more at 140lb.

Good session today. Perhaps I'll treat myself to that arm day tomorrow!

Conditioning

Cindy: as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air squats
Score = 15 rounds plus 5 pull-ups and 2 push-ups

That's a new PR, which was previously exactly 15 rounds. I was worried my hip might be a problem with the squats, but I didn't feel a thing. Every squat was a2g. All the pull-ups were unbroken up to and including the 7th set (the whole of the first 2 rounds were completely unbroken). I got a good rhythm going with the kipping, plus I wore gloves today, to avoid ripping open my calluses from Saturday. The last 5 pull-ups were all singles. I was exhausted from the previous round, but I could see I was running out of time and I wanted to get at least 1 rep so I could PR. In the end I did better than I expected.

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I rested 5 minutes before the next routine.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 dips
8 push-ups after each set
Time = 17:56

Today's time was a lot slower than before, which was 13:11. However, my shoulders were toast by this point. The first round of dips were unbroken, but after that they were pretty much singles. Also, none of the push-ups were unbroken, which isn't surprising considering I did 80 of them during Cindy.