Upper body, because my lower body is so fubar it isn't funny.

My ass hurts. Nuff said.

All relative max alternating sets today.

Hang power snatches @ 65lb - 8, 7, 7, 8

Dumbbell military presses @ 30s - 8, 7, 7, 6

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Underhand pull-downs - 90 x 10, 100 x 10, 9, 8

Dips - 9, 8, 7, 7

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Barbell curls @ 65lb - 8, 7, 7, 6

Push-downs @ 45lb - 8, 7, 8, 6

Pulling

My pecs are hurting like hell this morning. It made the inverted rows bloody painful when the bar hit my upper chest.

Hang cleans
95 x 6
105 x 3
115 x 3
120 x 3
125 x 3
130 x 3

Even before I watched the video, I knew my form was starting to go during the 130lb set because the position of my feet was all over the place.

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Alternate sets, relative max reps
Inverted rows - 12, 10, 8, 8
Neutral alternating pull-ups (total) - 10, 6, 6, 7 (only managed the left side)

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Supersets, max reps
Underhand pull-downs - 8, 7, 7
Wide-grip pull-ups - 4, 3, 2

By the time I started the pull-ups my shoulders and biceps were toast. There was nothing left, which is why I only got two pull-ups in the third set.

I had planned on finishing with some barbell curls, but really - what was the point of even trying!

Arms and Active Recovery

MMA fighter, Gina Carano

Alternate sets:

Straight bar curls:
50 (10), 55 (9), 60 (6), 65 (4)

Dumbbell skull crushers:
22s (10), 27s (6), 30s (4), 30s (4)

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Barbell preacher curls - 3 x max @ 50:
10, 8, 7

Tricep push-downs - 3 x max @ 40:
12, 9, 8

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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: 70 (12), 75 (12)

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100 x bicycle crunches per side

After yesterday's Murph I needed to take it easy today. In between a lot of these exercises - during rest breaks - I did plenty of stretching. I think today is the first time I've done active recovery properly. Previously, I've tried to move the weights quickly or kept increasing the weight so it became a strength routine, which is missing the point of the activity. I did slow, controlled movements and could feel the benefit as soon as I'd finished. I benefited from an excellent night's sleep, so I felt fully rested and recuperated. That - on top of a good day's nutrition yesterday and today's gym session - have left me feeling great.

Arms and Active Recovery

Big deal - I can do 40lb.

I wanted to take it easy today, so I did a mish-mash of different things, none of them too taxing.

Alternate sets:

Straight bar curls: 45 (10), 50 (8), 55 (7), 60 (5)
Dumbbell skull crushers:  22s (8), 25s (7), 27s (6), 30s (3)

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Dumbbell preacher curls: 3 x 8 @ 25s
Tricep push-downs: 3 x 12 @ 40 (only 10 on last set)

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

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Lateral raises: 15s (12), 20s (9)
Underhand pull-downs: 70 (12), 80 (10)

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Decline sit-ups: 3 x 15

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Overhead squats:
5 @ 25 (empty small bar)
5 @ 35
4 @ 40

I squatted to just above parallel and couldn't get any lower. With the first set I could feel stiffness in my lower back; in the second and third sets, it started to feel quite painful when I tried to go down low. I don't know if this is because overhead squats put more stress on the lower back than other types of squat, or if my form was wrong, thus causing me pain.

I wanted to try some other movements, such as handstand holds and skipping, but there wasn't enough free space in the gym this morning. The ideal place would be the yoga room, but there was an aerobics class at the time. I particularly need the room for handstands in case I fall over!

Nothing too stressful today, which is good because I didn't get enough sleep due to being kicked and elbowed all night long by a 7-year-old. Still, I started the day feeling a bit sore and stiff, but left the gym feeling refreshed, so the light weight exercise definitely helped today. Back to heavy weights tomorrow.