Full body

The first routine was a bit different today. Usually when I do front squats I switch from a conventional grip to a crossover one when the weight gets heavy and uncomfortable. It's usually my wrists that give out on me, causing me to change my grip. This morning I wanted to work on improving my form and technique, so if the weight got too heavy for me and felt uncomfortable I would just quit and not use a crossover grip. I expected to end the workout with a lower weight than my max with the incorrect grip - which I did, by 15lb - but I actually did much better than I expected.

Front squats:
100 x 5
115 x 3
125 x 3
130 x 3
135 x 3
145 x 3
155 x 2
155 x 3
160 x 2

Throughout this workout I balanced the bar on my clavicle. It was uncomfortable at first, but about halfway through it felt fine. The first 2 sets I used 2 fingers to keep the bar in place. The third set - 125lb - I used all 4 fingers, but my wrists were bent back and that was quite painful. After that I went back to just 2 fingers, which felt okay. I felt that allowed me to keep my elbows up as much as possible, which meant the bar didn't roll forward, I could keep my head and chest up, plus I did a much better job of keeping my heels down. I've noticed in my videos that when I do front or back squats my heels come up too much - at least an inch, when the weight gets heavy - which affects my balance and I start to fall forward. As the sets got heavier, I noticed that pointing my elbows in slightly helped me to maintain a decent overall posture.

The video shows the set at 125lb, using all 4 fingers to keep the bar in place, and the last 2 sets, where I'm using only 2 fingers of each hand. Although not perfect, I think my balance is better in the 2 heavy sets than the lighter one. I probably could have gone an inch or 2 deeper on some of the reps, but I'm not too concerned about that today. The point of this routine was to work on my grip, and I'm pretty pleased with the results.

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At the last minute I decided to do today's CrossFit main site WOD.

Weighted pull-ups: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps (chin over the bar)
27, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 (F - got the bar at eye-level)

Full body

Pretty good start to the week with a short(ish) and simple workout.

Deadlifts:
135 x 10 (touch and go)
185 x 5 (t&g)
205 x 5 (t&g)
225 x 5 (reset after each rep)
245 x 5
265 x 5
275 x 3

I've been doing a lot of deadlift routines where I'm going for a 1 rep max, so for a bit of a change I wanted to go fairly heavy weight but more reps. I first did this with Paul in November 2011 and got up to 5 reps at 255lb (followed by another 4 rep set at the same weight). When I tried again in January 2012, I struggled to get 4 reps at 255lb, but I was having a bad day. Today I felt like I had a lot of energy and confidence, which accounts for the improved score.

The video shows my last set. My back is clearly starting to bow on each rep, which is probably because my hips are too high at the start of the lift. Had they been lower, I would have been lifting more with my legs.

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My shoulder has greatly improved, but isn't back to 100% yet. Only horizontal movements seem to be causing me any pain. I felt fine doing the following alternate pushing and pulling sets, and even made some improvements on previous attempts at the same workout.

Alternate sets (last week's scores in brackets):
Military press @ 70lb: 8, 7, 6, 5, 5 (4, 5, 4, 4, 3)
Pull-ups (strict): 11, 9, 8, 7, 6 (10, 9, 7, 6, 6)

Last week I was pissed because I couldn't get anywhere near my previous scores with the same routine. Today, I was even better than the first time (can't find that blog post) and the presses had nice, smooth movements.

Full body

Miranda Oldroyd

Personal training with Paul

I was pretty anxious before today's workout because I wasn't sure how my left shoulder would hold up. It's not weight that's causing problems, but more the movement into certain positions. I was concerned that my injury might be quite serious and mean that I wouldn't be able to train properly for a while. In the end, my worries were pretty much unfounded and I got through the session without any problems.

Speed back squats:
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
170 x 2
165 x 5

This is the first time I've done speed squats and it took me a while to warm up to get a good flowing movement. It all happened pretty quickly so I'm not really sure what happened, but when I failed during the third rep at 170lb I lost my balance, my right ankle twisted, and I dropped the bar behind me. My ankle still hurts a bit today, but I think it's just bruised rather than anything more serious. It's certainly not as bad as when I hurt my the same ankle in the summer of 2010 while playing soccer; that time, it was swollen and was agony to walk. The injuries are mounting up!

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Complex: 1 power clean + 3 front squats + 1 power clean (starting within 10 seconds)
95, 115, 120, 125, 125, 130

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3 rft (5 minute cap):
20 sit-ups
30 x bicycle crunches
Time = 4:52 (phew!)

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The complex is what proved to me that my shoulder injury isn't as bad as I feared, although I still have to be careful not to exacerbate it. The most painful part of my time at the gym was back in the changing room when I reached for my jacket from the coat rack!

Full body. Yay! And Ouch.

This was both a very good day, and a pretty bad one.

Power clean and jerk:
95 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 2
115 x 2
120 x 0
120 x 1 (PR)
125 x 0

Given my struggles with overhead routines the past few weeks, I was surprised by how well I did with this workout. My PR for c&j was 115lb for 1 rep, and the second rep at that weight was pretty close today. I attempted 120lb, but couldn't lockout with my right arm, as you can see in the video below. However, I felt that I was quite close enough to warrant a second attempt. I was pretty shocked that I was successful, hence the cheesy reaction afterward! The 125lb attempt wasn't even close, but I'm still very pleased with 120lb, given the context.

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I rested about 4 minutes, then started a routine I did with Paul a few weeks back: 30 dips and 50 push-ups for time. My shoulders felt fine and well-rested after the c&js, and I started well with the dips. Pushing up to complete the 10th rep, I felt something go in my left shoulder and I had a searing pain. I jumped down from the dip rack as my shoulder was in agony. The pain gradually subsided, so I did some stretches on the pull-up station, which seemed to help. Everything felt ok after that, so I did another recent routine, but with pull-ups.

5 rft:
3 weighted pull-ups @ 25lb
5 strict pull-ups
7 kipping pull-ups
Time = 10:43

That's a pretty big improvement on last time - 12:27 - and I didn't feel any discomfort in my shoulder.

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Death by burpees:
Score = 12 rounds + 9 burpees

As always with "Death by..." routines, this started easily and got tough by about 8 burpees. I saw this on a CrossFit website recently, so decided to try it.

Again, there seemed to be no problem with my shoulder. However, by the time I was cooled off in the changing room, I could feel the pain returning. It isn't constant, but is pretty bad when I move it a certain way, such as reaching to open a door. I hope this clears up by the weekend.

Arms: Bowflex!

As if.

I had some time to kill this afternoon, so I thought I'd try a short Bowflex arm routine. It didn't take long before I remembered why I stopped using the damn thing.

Straight bar curls: 70s (10), 85s (10), 95s (10), 105s (10), 105s (10)

Yes, those weights are per arm! The last two sets - 105lb on each side - used all the bows/resistance available on my Bowflex. Clearly, a Bowflex "pound" isn't the same as a real pound.

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Tricep push-downs: 30s (10), 40s (10), 45s (10), 50s (7), 50s (6)

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Preacher curls: 80s (10), 90s (10), 90s (10), 95s (10)

Full body

For some reason I can't seem to focus on... um... what?

I feel weird today; that's the only way to describe it. I'm finding it impossible to focus, and my head is all over the place. No idea why, because I had a decent night's sleep so I should be fully regenerated. On top of that, my lower back felt weak this morning; not painful, just weak. I've never felt that before.

Squat cleans:
95 x 5
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 3
130 x 3
135 x 1 (attempted a second rep, but couldn't even get the bar to my chest)
135 x 1 (ditto)

This is 5lb worse than the previous 2 times I did this routine. Even from the lighter rounds this felt like it was going to be a struggle. Perhaps that negative thought affected how I preformed throughout the routine. Sometimes I can talk myself into a positive outcome, but not today. Again, it was that foggy-headed feeling.

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Partial back squats:
185 x 8
225 x 3
245 x 3
275 x 3
290 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 0
305 x 0

I set a PR of 310lb a few weeks ago, so this was disappointing. On both 305lb attempts I felt in control squatting down, but simply couldn't get back up. This is where the lower back weakness came in; I couldn't keep my upper body upright, which caused me to lean forward. Also, for some reason I used the bumper plates, not the metal ones as usual. It probably doesn't make any difference - 45lb is 45lb - but is an indication of my lack of focus.

Oh, well. Tomorrow is a new day.

Update: Yawn! Perhaps I didn't sleep as well as I thought. By mid-afternoon I started to feel really sleepy. I blame Cher for watching TV in bed; the noise from her stoopid shows probably affected the quality of my sleep.

Upper Body

Photo day #5. Shame about the crazy-ass eyes.

Today's workout is the first part of my program to get back by upper body strength! I've spent too much time concentrating on my legs and posterior chain at the expense of pushing exercises. I'm going to try to do 2 days of pushing workouts per week, some of them heavy weight/low reps and some light or moderate weight/ high reps. It was clear from today's numbers that I've lost some of my upper body strength.

Alternate sets:

Dumbbell bench press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5:
40s, 42, 45s, 47s (4), 47s (3)

Dips - relative max: 10, 7, 5, 5, 5

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Military press @ 70: 4, 5, 4, 4, 3

Pull-ups (strict): 10, 9, 7, 6, 6

Last time I did military presses with 70lb, my reps were 6, 7, 5, 5, 5

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Overhead hold @ 85 x 4 sets (split jerks)

When I've done these before I used 95lb. I could feel that was going to be a struggle today, so I went lighter in the knowledge I could get the bar overhead and keep it there. In that regard, I was successful. 

Of course, I'm disappointed that I've lost some of the upper body gains I'd made. However, at least I know what the problem was - poor programming - and how to improve (thanks, Paul!)

Full body

Seriously, dude?

Personal training with Paul.

I was about to type that this is my first day back at the gym after a short break, but I only missed 1 day due to illness! Physically, I feel almost 100% back to normal, but my head felt a bit groggy at the start of today's session. However, that cleared up pretty quickly and I was able to stay focused.

Sumo deadlifts:
225 x 3
255 x 3
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 3

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Alternate sets:
Push press: 85 x 3, 95 x 3, 105 x 3, 110 x 0, 110 x 0
Chin-ups (weighted): 25 x 3, 35x 3, 40 x 3, 45 x 3, 50 x 3

Okay, now I'm really getting frustrated at my lack of progress with push presses. At 110lb I was able to just about lockout overhead, but then the bar came straight down again. This is going to require some serious work to start improvement. It's compounded by my consistently increased strength with leg and posterior chain exercises. Some tips here that I might try.

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Amrap 5:
5 x dumbbell hang clean and push press @ 35s
5 x pull-ups (strict)
Score = 5 rounds exactly

Bloody hell. Only 5 minutes, but it killed my forearms.

Hips and legs

I've been feeling a bit groggy the past couple of days, I think because of a stomach bug. I felt totally wiped out after the 300 workout on Monday and had stomach cramps for most of the afternoon. Yesterday I felt a bit better, but very drained and without any energy. The cramps came back again early evening. My nutrition hasn't been great, either; not because I've been eating crap, just not enough food as my appetite wasn't the same. That left me feeling a bit weak this morning - which might explain the disappointing performance with my first routine - and my head was a bit foggy. It took me a while to get focused.

Power cleans:
95 x 5
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 3
130 x 3
135 x 3
140 x 0 (failed on 3 attempts)

I haven't done power cleans on their own for some time, although I've done squat cleans a lot. That being the case, I'm a little disappointed I wasn't able to complete even a single clean at 140lb, as I've done them before when doing squat cleans. As I mentioned above, I was lacking any power this morning, which is probably the cause. 

Power and strength are two different phenomena, and I didn't seem to be lacking any of the latter, as this shows.

Front squats:
100 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 3
135 x 3
145 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
170 x 3
175 x 1
175 x 2

After my first attempt at 175lb I felt like I could do better than just 1 rep, so I rested about 2 1/2 minutes, then tried again. 2 is better than 1, but it ain't 3! Still, that's a front squat PR for me, and I think the depth of my squats was decent. I used the correct grip up to and including 115lb, then switched to a cross over grip. I think I managed to keep my elbows up most of the time.

300 Workout (a.ka. This is Madness)

Perhaps I should have done the workout in a loincloth and cape.

The 300 Workout:
25 x pull-ups
50 x deadlifts @ 135lb
50 x push-ups
50 x box jumps @ 24"
50 x floorwipers (each side) @ 135lb
50 x single-arm clean and press @ 35lb dumbbell (25 per arm)
25 x pull-ups

Time = 39:08

I was feeling a bit crappy today. I had an upset stomach yesterday and didn't sleep too well last night. Combined, that left me feeling a bit weak. Usually when I don't feel 100% I stay away from timed workouts and just do some heavy lifting. However, I'd been putting off revisiting the 300 workout for some time and didn't want to miss out again. The last time I did this was nearly a year ago, and back then I completed it much quicker. Also, I did the floorwipers the same way as today - i.e. 50 per side - so I can't use the excuse that I did twice as many as I needed to today. Unlike before, I completed all the dumbbell c&j's on my left before doing them on the right.

Today's routine really wiped me out. When I was sitting in the locker room afterward, I was totally zoned out, staring at the floor. For a brief moment, my vision made it feel like I was disappearing down a tunnel (no, not a near-death experience - it wasn't that bad!)

Usually I get frustrated and mad with myself when a routine against the clock is slower than a previous time, but today I'm not being too hard on myself because it was just a matter of grinding out the workout. My breaks were pretty long, especially during the floorwipers and the c&j's. I'm not pleased by any means, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Front squats for time (previous times from September 2011 in brackets):
95 x 10: 19 seconds (18 seconds)
115 x 10: 25 sec (24 sec)
125 x 10: 40 sec (didn't do this weight before; did 115 twice)
135 x 10: 1:33 min (2:34 min)
145 x 10: 1:48 min (4:56 min)

I'm really pleased with these improved times, of course, but I really do need to work on improving my grip for front squats. I only used the correct grip in the 95lb set - bar resting on my clavicle, held in place by a couple of fingers - and the rest were all cross-over grip. For the most part I was able to keep my elbows up, which helped my balance, but there's room for improvement with my technique. Still, the greatly improved times for the heavier weights shows my front squats have got much better in the past few months.

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5 rft:
5 x deadlifts @ 225
10 x burpees
Score = 8:51 (10:02)

This is another routine from the same day in September 2011, and another significant improvement (1:11). I went a fast as I could with the deadlifts (and with the burpees, of course) and I think I might have sacrificed good form in doing so. I don't usually get doms from heavy deadlifts - i.e. going for a 1 rep max - but I'm sure I will after these.

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100 bicycle crunches
Time = 2:46

Would have been a damn sight quicker if I hadn't got cramp in my - ahem - nether regions. I also got cramp in my left middle toe while warming up for the deadlifts, and in my right calf and toes in the dressing room afterwards. Perhaps an indication that I had too much coffee this morning, just like I did when I had bad cramp a few weeks ago.

Overall, very pleased with today's scores. Some significant improvements in only 5 months.

It was so cold walking back after my workout that my protein shake froze. Stoopid country.

Legs

Back squats to parallel (4 risers):
165 x 5
185 x 3
195 x 3
200 x 3
205 x 3
210 x 2

Equal to my PR from a couple of weeks ago, so no change there.

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While I was doing the back squats I felt pretty stiff. I'd spent a while warming up, as usual, but that didn't seem to help. I was going to do regular front squats, but didn't think I'd do well with hamstring-to-calf depth, so I decided to try some partial front squats for the first time. I set the safeties at 10 holes, which is 1 lower than when I do partial back squats.

Partial front squats (10 holes):

95 x 6
115 x 3
135 x 3
150 x 3
165 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 3
205 x 3
210 x 1

I felt like I could have gone on and at least hit 3 reps at 210, but my shoulder blade muscles (rhomboids?) were starting to hurt. I'm guessing this was due to me trying to keep a heavy weight balanced in front of me. My elbows were quite high up, but I was using a cross-over grip.

Mixed results this week because I've so much on my mind. Nothing stressful, just lots to think about as Cher is over in London helping my mother, I'm looking after Madi on my own, and I have lots of work right now. Thinking about all of that, or having it in the back of my mind, has affected my focus in the gym.

Full body

Gym was busy today, so my planned workout went out the window. The first 2 routines were made up on the fly, based on what was available at the time.

Alternate sets:

Cable rows:
120 x 5
130 x 5
140 x 5
150 x 5
160 x 4 (actually did 5, but form was crap on the last one)

Dips - max reps: 11, 9, 9, 8, 8

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Alternate sets:

Dumbbell piston press - max reps @ 35s (per side):
12, 12, 11, 10, 10

Chin-ups - max reps:
10, 8, 7, 6, 5

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"Rahoi" - Amrap 12:
12 x box jumps @ 24"
6 x thrusters @ 75
6 x burpees

Score = 4 rounds exactly

As RXed this would be 95lb thrusters and bar-facing burpees. However, the gym was a bit crowded so I didn't really have room for that type of burpee, only regular ones. Also, 95lb thrusters would be more of  strength workout for me and I wanted this to be just conditioning, hence the lighter weight. Even then my arms were knackered from the earlier routines and I found these lighter thrusters tough. On more than one occasion during the third set I seemed to chicken out while doing box jumps. No idea why.

Full body

Mixed results today, but ended on a very high note.

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

This started off well, but got tough very quickly. I'd spent a decent amount of time warming up - a couple of rounds of slow Cindy - as I was still feeling a little sore after Saturday's workout. By the first rep of the third set the bar was pretty much coming down as soon as I locked out overhead.

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I hadn't planned on doing heavy deadlifts today, but decided to at the last minute. Glad I did.

Deadlifts:
135 x 10
165 x 6
185 x 5
205 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 1
265 x 1
275 x 1
285 x 1
295 x 1
305 x 1
310 x 1
315 (F)
315 x 1

Don't know why I decided to have a second attempt at 315 after failing the first time, as I usually quit after I fail. Anyway, this is the first time I've done conventional deadlifts with 3 x 45lb plates on each side of the bar. Considering how I felt in earlier, lighter rounds, I didn't think I was going to set a PR today. From 275lb onwards my head was spinning from the blood rush, which doesn't usually start that soon! Good end to the day. 

I'll have a rest day tomorrow because of my workload, then back to the gym on Wednesday.

Full body

At the time of writing, I'm third in the Men's Health Bastard Challenge.
I think my form is better than #2, though.

Personal training with Paul

Squat cleans (for time):
95 x 5 (15 seconds)
115 x 5 (25 seconds)
125 x 5 (57 seconds)
130 x 5 (1:19)
135 x 5 (2:15)

I had an aborted start to the 130lb round, not because I wasn't physically ready but because I lost my mental focus and subsequently didn't manage to get enough hip power. Concentrate!

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5 rft:
3 weighted pull-ups (25lb)
5 strict pull-ups
7 kipping pull-ups
Time = 12:27

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For time:
30 dips
50 push-ups
Time = 7:47

Full body

A bit of fun and some heavy lifts to end the week. I started today's workout with The Bastard Challenge, from Men's Health U.K. At the time this was recorded the record was 16 reps in 60 seconds. I'm not sure if my form meets the magazine's standards as I started to "worm" in some of my push-ups. I thought the person videoing me was going to start the camera before my first rep, not wait for me to move first. Plus, I don't think she realised she was supposed to be keeping track of time, too! Oh well, here it is:

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Squat Cleans:
95 x 5
105 x 5
115 x 5
125 x 3
130 x 3
135 x 2
140 x 1 (did a second clean, but failed the second squat)
140 x 1 (ditto)

I wanted to keep strict form with these, rather than my usual clean and then squat. I think I did quite well. The video shows my two sets at 140lb. I managed 1 rep, completed the second clean, but failed to come back up during the front squat. What is it about me that makes people think they can come over and start a conversation with me while it's fucking obvious that I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING! Jesus.

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Hang power snatches:
45 (5), 75 (3), 85 (3), 95 (F), 90 (2)

85lb felt easy and I got cocky and went up to 95lb. I failed straight away, so I rested a couple of minutes and used 90lb instead.