Full body

That reminds me: got to start practicing skipping soon!

Awful workout today. I simply didn't have any energy and I don't know why. I don't feel fatigued or overtrained, but I got out of breath very quickly today. I hate to make excuses, but perhaps the 45 minutes of snow shoveling early this morning took more out of me than I thought, although that seems a bit feeble considering I'm in much better shape now than I was last winter.

Cindy: 5 pull-ups (kipping), 10 push-ups, 15 squats
Score = 13 + 5 pull-ups and 5 push-ups

That's a terrible score and much lower than last time, which was poor enough. Nearly 2 months ago my score was 15 rounds plus 5 pull-ups and 2 push-ups. My results seem to be slipping backwards.

Bench press - small bench, 6 holes, starting from the top
95 x 6
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 3

Again, this is piss-poor. In December I managed 5 reps at 125lb and then went on to 1 rep at 140lb. I felt so weak at this point that I decided to call it quits. Improving on 3 reps at 125 felt impossible, so I'll rest tomorrow and go heavy on Thursday. 

Although I might give the Men's Health (U.K.) Bastard Challenge a try! This guy did 16 reps in 60 seconds and the video makes the move look similar to burpees, which I can do anyway. I'll have to get Cher to film me and upload it to the Facebook challenge page.

Full body

Today's lunch: two homemade beefburgers with fried eggs, sweet potato mash, and zucchini with green onion.

I was going to have a total leg day, but this morning I saw this clean and jerk routine for today's main site WOD and decided to give it a try.

Clean and Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
95, 100, 105, 110 (F the jerk), 110, 115 (F - couldn't hold overhead), 115

Nothing spectacular here, as I only just equaled my 1RM. However, it wasn't until I returned home and read the guidelines for the routine that I realise I didn't do it exactly as advised. (I was in a rush this morning when I planned today's workout.) Comment #3 explains how it should be done and is actually a bit less strict than I was aiming for. The site advises: "Rest 3-5:00 between sets, enough to recharge but not enough to get cool", but I  rested for no more than 2 minutes each time. Also, "If you happen to press out a lift just a bit at the top but you lock out your elbows and stand up…good lift today." By that standard, I think my first attempt at 115lb might be counted as successful, not an F. Oh, well; no biggie.

I didn't video this routine, but here's the official demo. I didn't do a squat clean like this guy; a power clean is acceptable. Interesting bouncing movement before the jerk in order to get a feel for the weight before pushing overhead. 

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Back squats:
145 x 8
185 x 3
195 x 3
200 x 3
205 x 3
210 x 2
210 x 1

I think this video shows that my weight is too far forward, which is affecting my balance. My shoulders and chest should be up more and my knees shouldn't be so far in front of my toes. 

Don't know what I was thinking in that first set at 210lb! As Cher often says, "Either shit or get off the pot!" (Charming.)

Full body

Annie Sakamoto and Samantha Briggs

Personal training with Paul

Yet another morning where I felt crappy through lack of sleep, but this time it was my own fault. I took Madi to a Firebirds game last night and I had bit of sinus pain so I took an antihistamine. As soon as I'd swallowed it I remembered that I shouldn't be taking them late in the day because they keep me awake - idiot! I didn't fall asleep until well past 1:00 a.m. Just as well that today was a strength workout without any fast metcons.

Sumo deadlifts
185 x 6
215 x 3
235 x 2
265 x 1
285 x 1
295 x 1
305 x 1
315 x 1
325 x 1

That went better than I expected. When I started I felt a bit stiff, but I loosened up quickly and I think my form improved as I progressed. I've done a trap-bar deadlift at 335lb, but this is the first time at 325lb for the sumo variety. It looked even more impressive because I had 3 x 45lb bumpers on each side of the bar (plus some smaller weights). 325lb is 2.32 times more than my body weight.

Video shot by my trainer, Paul

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Alternate sets:
Max reps neutral grip pull-ups, c2b: 10, 8, 7, 6, 7
Bench press @ 95: 5 x 10

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That's it: simple but heavy today.

Full body

At what point does one decide enough is enough?

Like Monday, today's workout followed a poor night's sleep. I revisited a metcon I did with Paul a few weeks ago. Back in December I got really bad cramp in my calf and hamstring late into the routine, so Paul paused the stopwatch to allow me time to recover. Of course, this meant that I was able to catch my breath, too. My time in December - not including the recovery break - was 44:23. Which makes today's time even more surprising.

For time:
1 Clean and Jerk - 110
1 Round of Cindy
2 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
3 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
4 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
5 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
6 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
7 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
8 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
9 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
10 Clean and Jerks
1 Round of Cindy
(Cindy= 5 Kipping Pull-ups, 10 Push-ups, 15 Air Squats)

Time: 33:54

I knocked 10:29 off my previous time! When I finished the last air squat I sat down on the bench I used to step up to the pull-up bar and stared at my watch because I couldn't believe the time.

When I did this with Paul, he checked the quality of my jerks, but there was no way to do that today other than to trust my own judgement. Nevertheless, I do think that my form was pretty good. In fact, following the third rep of the 8 clean and jerks, I dropped the bar onto the top of  my head (ouch). That could only happen if my arms were holding the bar straight overhead and not in front of me! I got plenty of power from my hips. My feet actually left the ground for both the clean and the jerk movements.

All of the sets of kipping pull-ups were unbroken because I was able to maintain a good, efficient swinging rhythm. The only time I failed a rep in any of the moves was on 1 push-up. I was fatigued - I think it was in the 7th or 8th round - and I couldn't keep my body straight, so on the 5th rep my stomach touched the ground before my chest. I didn't count that rep, rested a few seconds, then continued.

Regardless of the possibility of poor c & j form - although I'd like to think they were acceptable - I'm extremely pleased with that time. And no cramp!

Full body

Another shortened workout due to a busy schedule. I'm pretty sore from yesterday's deadlifts - shoulders, hamstrings and lower back - plus my right elbow is feeling a bit dodgy. I think that might be because I slept on my arm, rather than a training injury (unless it's a contagious condition.)

Front squats:
100 x 8
115 x 5
125 x 3
135 x 3
145 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
170 x 3

It was only after I reviewed my video of the final set that I realised I hadn't gone hamstring to calf. I got pretty low and broke parallel, but not as deep as last time.

January 5, 2012 (left); Today (right). Not quite a2g.

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Hang power snatches:
45 (5), 65 (3), 75 (3), 80 (3), 85 (3), 90 (F)

That's the first time I've hit 3 reps at 85lb. The failed 90lb rep got as far as my chest and then rapidly came back down. Although it all happened pretty quickly, I noticed my left arm got much higher than my right. I didn't feel any pain in my right elbow, so I don't think that was a factor.

Full body

Felt a bit bleh today because of a couple of nights' crappy sleep. No idea why, but I keep waking up early - 4:40am! - and can't get back to sleep. There's no undue stress that's causing restless sleep, so I don't know why there's a problem. Because of that, I really didn't feel like training today and I had to drag my sorry arse to the gym. In my semi-comatose state I wore my regular shoes to walk there in the pissing rain, rather than my waterproof boots. Big mistake; by the time I got to ABsolute Fitness, my socks were soaked and my feet were freezing.

Because of all the above, I wasn't expecting much from today's workout - plus I was in a hurry because of a busy day - so I'm very surprised at how well the first part went. I wanted to do some deadlifts, but not too heavy as that's what I've been concentrating on the past few weeks.

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Deadlifts for time (previous times in brackets):
145 x 10 - 14 seconds (20)
165 x 10 - 13 (21)
185 x 10 - 14 (31)
205 x 10 - 19 (59)
225 x 10 - 30 (2 minutes)
235 x 10 - 54 (didn't do this weight last time)

Holy shit, that's some improvement! I videoed every round, and the early ones look like they've been sped up on the computer. Even though I timed this on my watch while doing the routine, the scores above are timed from the videos. I added an extra, slightly heavier round just because the 225lb one was so fast. I reviewed the 235lb set and thought my form was starting to get dodgy, so I called it quits. I didn't notice the comments last time I did this routine about starting heavier - damn!

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

I usually start with power cleans, but my back was starting to feel a little tight (60 deadlifts will do that) so I went with hang power cleans instead. I don't know if that made any difference in conserving energy, but I think this is the first time I've done a bear complex and not failed on a single rep of any movement.

Short workout today, but I'm very pleased with the quick deadlifts.

Full body

Photo time! January 21, 2012. Can't really see much difference over the past 4 months.

Personal training with Paul

Elizabeth: 21-15-9
Squat cleans @ 95
Dips
Time = 14:25

I didn't fail on a single rep, which I was pleased about. I felt like I could tell when my body needed to rest and when it was good to go. However, at the back of my mind I wonder if I should have failed on at least 1 rep so I would know I'd pushed myself to the limit. Maybe I'm just being harsh on myself because I know these two moves so well I can accurately pick up the cues from my body.

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Alternate sets:

Bench press (6 holes, small bench, starting from the top): 95 x 5, 115 x 5, 120 x 4, 120 x 4, 120 x 3
Chin-ups: 11, 8, 8, 8, 7

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75 sit-ups for time: 3:25
I've done these quicker before, but even though I started pretty quickly I simply ran out of steam.

Full body

Early start today because of a busy schedule. I was planning on doing the power clean/Cindy routine today, but there was no way my legs would allow me to do 150 air squats. It was enough of a challenge to put on socks and shoes. It's been a while since I had really bad doms in my legs and it's all because I forgot to stretch after the squatting and lunging metcon on Tuesday. D'oh! Consequently, today's workout was a bit haphazard.

Power clean and jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 2
115 x 1
115 x 1

This is equal to my PR for the third time (I think). I probably should have done better, but it was impossible to get more power from my hips due to my aching legs. A little bit too much leaning back, but I think the weight stayed up above my shoulders for a decent amount of time. I couldn't get a decent angle for videoing this, so the only clip I have is my final set at 115lb. The slo-mo is just to show off the video technique, rather than my lifting!



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Bench press for time - 15 @ 125
Time = 4:37

Not a major milestone, but this my previous best was 6:12 at the same weight.

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Amrap 10 - Max reps, alternating sets (switching when I reach relative failure):
Wide-grip pull-ups: 11, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 1 = 42
Dips: 8, 5, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2 = 35

Legs

Partial back squats:
185 x 5
225 x 3
235 x 3
250 x 3
270 x 3
285 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3
310 x 2 (PR)

I thought I had the third rep at 310lb, but felt my legs give out on the way up. Still, this is still a PR; I only hit 2 reps at 305lb last time. The video - showing my last 2 sets - was shot by Cher, which explains why you can't even see my bloody legs in the first part.



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For time:
20 back squats @ 135
30 back squats @ 115
40 air squats
20 traveling lunges @ 50s (total)
30 traveling lunges @ 35s (total)
40 traveling lunges (total)
Time = 13:10

This is 1:01 quicker than when I did exactly the same routine in July last year. I could have gone heavier on the weighted sections, but I wanted to see how I compared by doing the same set up. It's an improvement, but I would have expected better after 6 months. It was the traveling lunges that killed me, perhaps because I haven't done them for a long time. I'm typing this an hour after I finished my workout, and my glutes are still burning. The back squats all broke parallel, while the air squats were all hamstring to calf.

Conditioning

Jenny LaBaw. Something is surely wrong if I look at a fit female body and think, "Nice lats."

Amrap 10:
Power squat clean and jerk @ 95 Power clean, front squat and push jerk @ 95(jeez!)
Score = 26

I did an amrap 10 hang squat clean and jerk with 85lb in April 2011 for a total of 24 reps. This is only a 2 rep improvement, but with 10lb extra and from the ground. I didn't video myself today - there wasn't anywhere I could set up my camera - but I'm pretty sure my form for the jerks was pretty good. As this was an amrap, I didn't keep the bar overhead for long, but my arms locked out and the bar was straight above my shoulders, not in front. Of course, I have no way of knowing what my form was like last year, but I'm guessing it wasn't as good as today.

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Half Angie:
50 x squats (hamstring to calf)
50 x push-ups
50 x pull-ups
50 x sit-ups
Time = 14:29

That's 3:01 better than a year ago. I would have been even quicker if I was using the pull-up bar in the squat rack, but that was already being used. I used the other pull-ups station, which meant limited kipping because the whole set-up wobbles from side to side and I was afraid of the whole thing toppling over. My pull-ups weren't strict, but certainly slower than they would have been in the squat rack.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Alternate sets:

Power cleans (touch and go):
95 x 3
115 x 3
125 x 3
130 x 2
130 x 3

Pull-ups (strict):
8, 8, 7, 7, 7

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Military press @ 70: 6, 7, 5, 5, 5

Inverted row: 11, 8, 9, 8, 8

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Amrap 8:
8 ground to overhead @ 35s (clean and press)
8 burpee box jumps (16" bench)

Score = 3 + 8 gto

More from Ricky Gervais

Full body

Good, challenging workout today.

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
265 x 1
275 x 1
285 x 1
295 x 1
305 x 1 (PR)
310 x 0

I'm pleased with the new PR, which increases my 1RM by 5lb. 305lb felt challenging but comfortable, so I attempted an extra 5lb. As the video shows, I simply couldn't get the weight to budge an inch. I recorded my lifts from 265lb onwards from a slight angle so I could check how close the bar was to my shins. The angle doesn't give me as clear a view of my back and posture, but I think my form looks pretty decent.

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Supersets - Cable rows @ 120, bodyweight dips
10/9, 9/8, 8/7, 7/6, 7/5

I've done cable rows with heavier weight before, but I wanted to ensure I kept good form and no momentum. The dips were all below parallel.

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75 sit-ups for time: 3:09

A good end to the week.

Upper body and core

 

The Return of the King!

This is the first day in a while where I haven't done any kind of Olympic lifting. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I go to the gym each morning with a list of different routines from which I pick 2 or 3, depending on how I feel that day. I did that today, but ignored the list and basically just made up a workout on the fly.

The first routine was Sunday's CrossFit main site WOD, death by pull-ups. I'm pretty good with pull-ups, but this felt tougher than I expected.

Death by Pull-ups
With a continuously running clock do one pull-up the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three pull-ups the third minute...continuing as long as you are able. Use as many sets each minute as needed.

Score = 9 minutes exactly

I completed my last rep just as the 59 seconds changed to 00. As this is a CrossFit routine, I assumed the pull-ups were the kipping variety. However, when I started this I wanted it to be more of a strength workout, rather than a conditioning one, so I did strict pull-ups. By the time I got to the round of 7 reps, the only way to get through the minute was by kipping. Or, rather, swing my legs wildly so I could get my chin over the bar. Looking at the posted results, I thought I might get into double figures - i.e. at least 10 minutes - but I simply had nothing left. Even though these were pull-ups, and not chin-ups, the reps were quite challenging because of doms in my biceps. I often get this the day after a hang power clean routine (strangely, not after power cleans, though.)

Piston bench presses - 5 per side
35s, 40s, 42s, 45s, 50s, 52s, 55s (3 per side)

It's been a while since I've done these and I hadn't planned on doing them today. I couldn't remember what weight I started with last time, so I started fairly light and just kept going until I couldn't complete 5 reps per side. In the end, I actually finished with a heavier weight than in September.

Superset: Push-ups and sit-ups, max reps; 1 min rest between sets
30/32, 16/17, 12/17, 12/17, 13/15

Full body: Heavy weight

He's back! Tonight's opponents, Leeds United, must be shitting their shorts!

Felt a bit meh today. It was one of those days when I wake up and feel like I don't have much energy. That would account for the crappy hang power cleans.

Hang power cleans @ 125
3, 4, 3, 3, 2 = 15

When I did these about a month ago, I did 4 reps in every set, giving a total of 20. That's a big drop today, simply because I couldn't get any power from my hips.

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Back squats:
135 x 10
185 x 4
190 x 3
195 x 3
200 x 3
205 x 3
210 x 1 (and a half!)
215 (F)

My form was much better than last week, when I struggled to get full hamstring to calf depth. Today I used 4 risers as a guide and, when reviewing today's video, I think that qualifies for a2g. The second rep at 210 was pretty close, but if I'm being very strict with myself I would have to say that was a no rep. Still, I thought it was worth trying for at least a single rep at 215, but I knew it would be a close thing, so I moved the risers closer to the rack. This is so if I failed I could drop the bar onto the safeties, which is exactly what happened.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Alternate sets:

Neutral pull-ups: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
30, 35, 40, 45, 45 (4)

Incline db bench press: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
40s, 45s, 50s, 55s, 60s (3 - hand off)

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5 rft:
5 squat cleans (power cleans)
10 burpees
Time = 13:20

Quad killer!

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For time - 50 sit-ups
Time = 1:53

Legs

Good a2g form.

I took a list of 3 routines to the gym this morning, with the intention of doing 2 of them depending on how I felt: bear complex, front squats and back squats. I started to warm doing the complex, but just wasn't feeling it today. Rather than go through the motions and meet with frustration and disappointment, I opted squatting routines instead. Good decision.

Front squats:
80 x 10
105 x 5
120 x 3
130 x 3
145 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
170 x 2 (new PR)

My previous best was 165lb for 1 rep, so this is a good improvement. On that day I attempted a second rep, but lost my balance and dropped the weights. This time I used bumper plates, just in case! The video shows my last 3 sets.



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This is the first time I've used the Manta Ray rest that my daughter and her fiance gave me for Christmas.

Back squats:
105 x 10
125 x 6
140 x 5
160 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3
200 x 3 (new PR)
205 x 1 (newer PR!)

Well, that's another decent improvement. About a month ago I squatted 195lb for 2 reps. I stopped at 1 rep for 205lb because of the blood rushing to my head, which made me feel like I was going to fall over!

I videoed the last 3 sets and checked them during my rest breaks. I didn't notice at the time, but watching them now on a bigger screen, it looks like sometimes I was a bit chintzy with the depth. It certainly looks like I could have gone a few inches lower on the third rep at 200lb. Some of the reps were to parallel, rather than hamstring to calf. Oh well; not perfect, but a decent attempt nonetheless. This is what I'm measuring my form against.

The point of the Manta Ray is to distribute the weight of the bar across your shoulders, rather than just resting in one small spot. I barely noticed it during the lighter weights, but I felt it starting to dig into my clavicle when the bar was getting heavy (the device is made out of hard plastic). However, when my chest and shoulders were up, it felt fine. In other words, the better my form, the less I felt the Manta Ray.

Cindy and Deadlifts

How I feel...

Not sure what happened today, but I ran out of energy pretty quickly.

Cindy - Amrap 20:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats
Score = 14 + 6 push-ups

That's almost a full round less than my PR, which was last time I did Cindy. The first round was completed in 34 seconds, my quickest ever. The first 5 were done in 5:44, which is pretty quick for me. I was sure I was on my way to a new PR of around 16, but by the end of the 8th round I completely ran out of gas. Things went downhill rapidly after that and I took plenty of lengthy breaks.

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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 4

When I did these with Paul I managed 5 reps at 255lb followed by another 4 reps with the same weight. However, today I didn't have the strength to hit all 5 reps. I rested for nearly 3 minutes and was getting in position for another attempt, but I could feel a slight soreness in my lower back as I started to lift, so I decided to call it quits. I didn't think it was worth the risk.

I slept for 7 hours last night, but perhaps it wasn't very soundly. When I got home I felt exhausted; not fatigued from exercise, but sleepy. My laptop is being repaired so I can't do any work (I'm typing this on Cher's computer). I had a snack, went upstairs and put on The Social Network DVD. In less than an hour I was alseep on the couch! I guess I was more tired than I realised.

Tomorrow's a rest day, so hopefully I can have a good workout on Thursday.

Full body: Heavyweight

Went heavy today, but the routines were pretty basic.

Complex: 1 x power clean + 2 front squats
Warm-up: 4 sets at 95
105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140 (PR), 145 (F)

That's the first time I've managed to clean 140lb, so I'm pretty pleased with that. The funny thing is, 135 and 140 felt easier than 120 and 125. I think that's because I was able to get more power from my hips with the heavier weights. It's almost like I felt I didn't need to bother with power with the lighter weights. When I was prepping for 140lb I didn't think I was going to succeed, but when that bar hit my chest I had the biggest grin on my face, which stayed there while I was doing the squats (it probably looked like a pain-wracked grimace.) I got too cocky and tried for 145lb, but couldn't get the bar up high enough. Still, I'm pleased with that 140.

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Push press with hold for as long as possible - 4 sets of 3 @ 95, resetting each time
Warm-up: 60, 70, 80

Unsurprisingly, the first rep in each set was the easiest and I was able to keep the bar overhead for several seconds. By the third rep of the last set I locked out, but the bar came straight down.

One thing I realised during this routine is that I need to strengthen my wrists. They get pretty painful bending back when I do front squats with the conventional grip, but I noticed that they were also bending during these push presses. When I became aware of this and made sure my palms were facing forward, not upward, the presses felt significantly more comfortable and I was able to hold overhead for longer.

I was going to finish with some weighted sit-ups, but my lower back started to feel a bit stiff.

The gym was very busy this morning. On a selfish level, it was a little annoying, but it was also good to see so many new faces working out.