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.

Full body: Heavy weight

Hang power cleans @ 125
(Warm up: 2 x 5 @ 95)
4, 3, 3, 3, 3 = 16

My first attempt at reaching a total of 20 reps with 125lb. Still some work to be done here.

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Dumbbell incline bench press
5 x max @ 50s
(Warm up: 8 @ 35s; 5 x 42s)
7, 6, 5, 4, 4

Dropped a rep in the second set, so that's 1 rep fewer than last time.

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Back squats to parallel
135 x 10
Max @ 185: 8, 6, 6, 6

Felt a bit rusty doing heavy squats to parallel. I feel like I should have managed a few more reps, but I'm not too worried about it. I'm sure my score will improve as I get back into heavy squats. I had trouble keeping my chest up and that affected my balance.

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Hang power snatches with 2 second hold: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
45, 65, 75, 85 (2), 85 (1)

Maybe it's Mondays, but I seem to start the week with an average workout - or worse - then do pretty well the rest of the week as a reaction to Monday's session.

Full body: Heavy weight

Robin Van Persie - 28 goals in 27 games

Personal training with Paul

I was following Chelsea v Arsenal at home with the score at 1-1 when I had to leave for the gym. I was tempted to fake an illness so I could see what happened. I had a great personal training session, but I still wish I could have seen the outcome, especially with the final score. The gym needs to get a big screen TV that shows the English Premier League!

Trap bar deadlifts (for time)
220 x 10 - 16 seconds
240 x 10 - 16 seconds
260 x 10 - 54 seconds
270 x 10 - 1:43 seconds
270 x 10 - 1:40 seconds

Big drop from 240 to 260 pounds!

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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, 100 (F for rack jerk), 100 (F for rack jerk), 100

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Drop sets - alternate sets:
Pull-ups - 25/BW:
5-3
4-4
4-3
4-2
4-4

Dips - 20/BW:
4-3
4-3
4-3
4-2
4-3

Full body: Heavy weight

Push-ups are going to be a bitch.

Power clean and press:
95 (3), 105 (1, F, 1, 1), 110 (1, F, 1), 115 (1)

No idea why, but I missed out a set. I'd meant to do a total of 5. Still, I hit the same final weight. With the failed reps I got the bar overhead, but it came straight down again. The successful reps stayed up for a couple of seconds.

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C2B chin-ups 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
20, 22, 25, 27 (4), 27 (3)

This is an exact match for the number of reps I did last time.

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Trap bar deadlift (reset each time)
135 x 10
175 x 5
210 x 3
225 x 3
240 x 3
245 x 3
250 x 3
255 x 3
260 x 3
265 x 3
275 x 2 (couldn't move the third rep)

This is a scaled version of one of Paul's routines. When I'm copying his leg workouts I aim for about 80% of the weight he used, and this is normally a pretty consistent scaling method. That would have meant I'd have matched Paul's (scaled) last set at 255lb, but I felt I could still lift more so I kept going. On the third rep at 275lb I simply couldn't move the weights off the ground. Still, very pleased with the final weight. I know why this is called a trap bar, now - I really felt the heavier weights in my upper back.

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Cable row 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
130, 140, 150, 160, 170 (2)

New PR by 5lb! Not bad, considering this time it's at the end of my workout.

Really pleased with today's efforts. Good way to end the week.

Biceps

Hammer curl: 4 x 12 @ 20s
Cable curl: 3 x 12 @ 30
Preacher curl: 1 x 12 @ 22; 1 x 12 @ 25
Barbell curl: 3 x max @ 55: 8, 8, 6
Seated dumbbell curl: 3 x max @ 22s: 8, 8, 6

Don't know what's wrong with my appetite yesterday and today, but I'm constantly hungry. So hungry that my stomach hurts! I'm going to make us bankrupt with all the food I'm eating.

Legs: Heavy weight

After yesterday's disappointment and frustration, today was significantly better. Today was all heavy leg routines and, although not spectacular, my hip held out without any significant pain. I haven't had a purely leg day - especially a heavy one - for a couple of months, so in context it was certainly a good session.

Partial back squats (Smith machine) 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
215, 235, 255, 280, 300, 305, 310, 315
Update: the bar weighed less than I thought, so I was squatting less than originally shown. It should read:
200, 220, 240, 265, 285, 290, 295, 300

Jason was using the white squat rack, so I couldn't do my usual partial back squats. This is the first time I've used a Smith machine and it definitely made it easier to go heavy because of the extra stability. I had the safeties set on the 6th rung and I'm not sure if that is the same height as having them at 7 holes on the cage. I was certainly well above parallel, but that doesn't really tell me anything. Put it this way - I got up to 315lb on the Smith machine, whereas my PR doing regular partials is only 295.

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Box front squats 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (small bench, wooden step)
Warm up @ 95
115, 125, 135, 145 (4), 145 (5), 150 (1)

Checking back on my blog, this actually went better than I thought today. I'd planned on doing only 5 sets, but because I got 5 reps in the last one I decided to try an extra set (the first 5 sets matched my PR in July, which was at the start of a personal training session). I only managed 1 rep at 150lb, but I think that's a new PR for box front squats. The first two sets used the proper grip, but I switched to crossed arms from 135lb onwards. If it hadn't been for the weight crushing my thumbs (!) I think I could have got at least 1 more rep at 150lb. Still, no complaints here.

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Dumbbell Bulgarian split squats 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
Warm up: 5 @ 40s
52.5s, 55s, 60s, 65s, 65s

Of the 3 routines I'd planned for today, this was the one I was most concerned about because of my hip. However, it feels like it actually might have helped because of the stretching movement. It's been a long time since I did Bulgarian splits with dumbbells - I've been using a barbell more recently - but this matches my PR with dumbbells, albeit from more then 6 months ago. That doesn't bother me, though, because (a) in March I did these at the beginning of my workout, not when my legs were fatigued, and (b) as mentioned before, this is my first heavy leg day in months.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with today, especially as it looks like I haven't lost any strength in my legs from lack of heavy squatting. Quick movements are still a problem - so no timed air squats or burpees yet - but slow, controlled squatting is ok.

Upper body: Heavy weight

Felt a bit meh this morning, lacking in energy and quite a bit below par.

Power cleans:
95 x 5
105 x 3
115 x 2
120 x 2
125 x 1
125 x 2
130 x 1

I wasn't sure about doing these today because my lower back was a bit sore from Saturday's workout. However, after some stretching and warming up I felt good enough to give it a go. I kept the reps low to try and get a decent weight. I'd hoped to lift more than 130lb, though. I've never done a low rep routine like this before, but I did get to 125lb for 10 reps in a more taxing workout a few weeks ago.

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Push press:
75 x 2
95 x 2
100 x 2
105 x 2
110 x 1/F
110 x 1/F

110lb? Pretty crap, considering I got 115lb in a power clean and press workout at the beginning of the month.

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Bench press: Max @ 120 (7 holes, large bench)
Warm up: 95 x 7
4, 4, 4, 3, 3

Fucking hell, that's pretty awful.

I have some serious catching up to do to get anywhere near Paul.

46 (again)

Personal training with Paul; my second "birthday" workout of the week.

For time:
46 Sumo deadlifts @ 205
Every 10 reps do 10 otb jumps (lateral)
Time = 8:25

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For time (broken any way):
46 bench press @ 95
46 pull-ups (no kip)
Time = 10:39

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For time:
46 power clean and press @ 95
Every 10 reps do 20 sit-ups
Time = 13:28

I did better at these routines than I expected because I actually felt a bit tired this morning; not sure why. I also had a few aches. The only time I really pissed at is for the last exercise. The last 6 clean and presses were pretty much non-stop, although I did drop the weights each time. If I'd kept up that rhythm for the previous 40 reps I would have been much quicker. I was mentally lazy for those reps, but kicked it up a notch to finish.

At the suggestion of English blogger and potty-mouthed Paleo recipe guru, Finn Christo of Modern Paleo Warfare (many's the time I've had to "blitz that fucker"), I'll be taking monthly pictures as an "incentive". Here's the first one. Cher was pissing herself laughing while she took this shot, commenting my left arm looks bigger than my right. I'll be displaying all the photos here. Hopefully, I'll start to look less self-conscious.

Arms and Active Recovery

Camille

Alternate sets:

Straight bar curls:
50 (10), 55 (10), 60 (6), 65 (5)

Dumbbell skull crushers:
22s (11), 25s (7), 27s (5), 30s (4)

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Barbell preacher curls - 3 x max @ 50: 12, 10, 10

Tricep push-downs - 3 x max @ 40: 10, 9, 7

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Lateral raises: 22s (8), 20s (12)
Dumbbell lying rear lat raises - max @ 15s: 12, 12

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Dumbbell flies @ 22s: 12, 12
Underhand close-grip pull-downs @ 75: 12, 12

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100 sit-ups

I finished off with some band-assisted pistol squats, although I didn't record the number of alternating reps.

Conditioning (aka Happy 46th Birthday to Me)

46 reps for time of:
Power cleans @ 95lb (thank goodness for bumper plates!)
Otb jumps @ 20" (total)
Chin-ups
Ball slams @ 20lb
Deadlifts @ 95lb (see power cleans)

Time = 22:42

Surprisingly, the chin-ups were the toughest part of this routine. Pleased I finished in just under 23 minutes, which has a nice symmetry to it.

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Cycling for 10 minutes

This was a haphazard mixture of stamina - at 10 resistance - and interval sprints at between 5 and 7 resistance. No rhyme or reason to the settings other than how I felt.

Full body: Heavy weight

A shorter workout today because I have a busy morning.

Back squats (to just above parallel)
115 (8), 135 (8), 165 (5), 185 (3), 205 (3), 215 (3)

My hip only seems to hurt when I squat to parallel or lower, so I made sure to stay just above that today. There were a couple of reps when I did drop to parallel and, sure enough, there was a slight twinge in my left hip. I was pleased to be able to go lower than rack squats today, but I need to be careful not to push my luck.

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Push presses (with 2 second hold) 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
75, 85, 95, 100 (2), 100 (3), 105 (2)

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5 rft:
5 dips (no kipping)
10 clapping push-ups
Time = 9:30

Bollocks. Last time I did this routine I finished in 9:01. My push-ups were pretty crappy today and that cost me time.

Full body: Moderate weight

Spaghetti squash muffins - bloody delicious!

I decided to test my hip by doing some box front squats. There was a little discomfort at the beginning, but this seemed to ease as I warmed up.

Box front squats 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
75, 95, 105, 115 (7), 115 (6)

The reason I did fewer reps in the last 2 sets was more to do with my (cross over) grip hurting than my legs giving out. There's certainly cause for optimism that I could manage even 115lb front squats. My PR is 150lb, but that was doing sets of only 2 reps. I'll keep trying lighter weights for now if I feel up to it, then progress back up to heavy weights.

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For time: 40 x two-arm dumbbell ground to overhead @ 45s
Time = 8:09

I did this in 7:29 back in July, but with 40lb dumbbells.

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Amrap 15:
9 x deadlifts @ 155
12 x hand release push-ups
15 x box jumps @ 24"
Score = 5 rounds + 12 push-ups

This is one of the CrossFit Open routines from this Spring, which I've done before in April as RXed. Back then I completed 4 rounds and 12 push-ups, so this is exactly 1 full round more, which is a decent improvement in 6 months. Also, last time I did this at the start of my workout, not the end. 

I thought the deadlifts would be tougher because my back was a bit sore from spending a few hours on my feet in the kitchen yesterday preparing meals for the week - all Paleo. Spaghetti squash muffins, beef stew, fried chicken seasoned in almond flour and herbs, chicken curry, roasted vegetables, and turkey sausages (Madi loves bangers and mash - you can tell she was born in England!)

Upper body

Personal training with Paul

Power cleans for time:
95 x 10 (20 seconds)
105 x 10 (30)
115 x 10 (1:17)
120 x 10 (2:19)
125 x 10 (2:14!)

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Military press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
65, 75, 80, 80 (4), 80 (4)

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Amrap 15:
Wide grip pull-ups
Every break do 10 sit-ups
Score = 60 pull-ups
11 breaks (110 sit-ups)

On Friday I decided to try using my Bowflex again, just to see how it felt. This wasn't a workout, just a few reps. There are some exercises I used to find challenging - such as bench presses - which I can now do with every bow on the machine. Cher said she could hear me laughing in the basement.

Full body: Heavy weight

Early morning start today because I went with Madi on a school day trip to the KW Symphony.

Bench press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 (small bench, safeties @ 6 holes)
95, 115, 125, 135 (3), 135 (2)

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Cable row 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
130, 140, 150, 160, 165

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Trap bar deadlifts 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
150, 170, 200, 220, 240 (3)

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Push press - max @ 75
18, 18, 14

I weighed myself this morning before breakfast - I'm up to a massive 143 lb!

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.

Conditioning: Murph

It's been a while since I did a pure conditioning workout, so it's about time I threw one in. And this one was a killer. I've been wanting to do the Murph routine all summer, but for one reason or another I never got round to it. It looks like the weather is going to start getting worse after today - rain projected for the next few days - so I wanted to have what might be last my run of the year. The squatting part of Murph would have been impossible due to my hip, so I subbed box jumps instead.

For time:
1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 box jumps @ 20"
1 mile run
Time = 1 hr 11 min

I broke up the moves between the 2 runs into 10 rounds of 10 pull-ups, 20 push-ups and 30 box jumps.

For the mile I ran from the outer gym door and back again, using the longest loop of the 1 and a half mile course. According to this on RunningMap.com, that's almost exactly a mile. The first run was deliberately quite slow to conserve energy. I glanced at my watch when I got back to the gym the first time and I'd taken about 8:40.

The second run hurt like hell. I'd just got out of the parking lot when both my calves started to cramp up (300 box jumps will do that to ya). I walked for a few yards, then started jogging again. By the time my calves felt better, my quads started to get cramp, too. I walked that off for a little bit and jogged again. The rest of the second mile was a series of jogs and walks, which must have cost me several minutes. I got to the top of Elgin Eby and Forest and decided to run the rest of the way, no matter how much it hurt.

Not my longest ever training session, but close. Glad I did it, though. 

I spent about 4 hours yesterday preparing meals for the rest of the week. Chicken stew, turkey sausages, pork meatballs with ginger and orange, tuna fish cakes, roasted fall veggies. Yum!

Full body: Heavy weight

Man, did I overeat yesterday! We had our family Thanksgiving dinner at the Black Forest Inn (Conestogo) all-you-can-eat buffet. I'm not a big fan of buffets because the food tends to be overcooked or dried out under the hot lights, but the quality of this meal was top notch. For most of the evening I stuck to my Paleo-style diet. I had a slice each of turkey breast and prime rib, a little stuffing, some carrot bake (it tasted like pureed sweet potato, so it probably had butter and/or cream to make it so rich), roasted peppers and zucchini. Then I went back for another serving of everything except the beef. No apple pie on the dessert table - probably for the best! - so I had small serving of carrot cake, some grapes and strawberries. 

I always feel compelled to go back for more at a buffet, as do many people, so I went and grabbed a few slices of melon and a small oatmeal raisin cookie to finish off. So that's it, all washed down with a Diet Pepsi and some decaf coffee. Other than the carrot cake and cookie, everything was pretty much a healthy option. The problem was eating more than I needed to! Sure, it's Thanksgiving so I'm not beating myself up about overindulging for the first time in months, but I felt fit to burst when I'd finished. Still, it all tasted sooo good!

Katie Hogan

On to today's workout: I was eager to try some heavy deadlifts using the new bumper plates because I figured I could drop the weights from the upright position, rather than trying to lower it and keeping good form. I thought that would help me to conserve some energy that I could use to lift an extra round or two with more weight. Oops! Got that wrong...

Deadlift - 1 rep max:
135 (10)
165 (6)
185 (5)
205 (3)
215 (1)
225 (1)
235 (1)
245 (1)
255 (1)
265 (1)
275 (1)
280 (F)

I was doing fine up to about the 235lb set, dropping the bar after the lift (or after all the lifts in the early, multiple rounds). Then I found that the bar was slipping from my grip. There's something on the rubber bumper plates that leaves a greasy feeling on my hands - perhaps because they're new - so I started to use the wrist straps. Of course - and this is going to seem bloody obvious now - you can't drop something that's tied to your hands! I started to loosen my grip of the 235lb bar then went "Oh, shit!" and quickly tightened my fingers around it when I realised I'd probably dislocate my shoulders or wrists! From that point on I just did my regular style of deadlifts and lowered the bar slowly from the standing position. In the end I finished 5lb less than my PR. I just couldn't budge the weights at 280lb. On the plus side, I got some admiring looks for lifting the huge-looking 45lb weights, even though I've lifted narrower but heavier weight plates before!

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Drop set pull-ups (30lb db - bodyweight)
6-4, 5-4, 3-3, 3-2

It wasn't until I started typing this that I realised I should have done 5 sets, not 4. Oh, well...

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10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for time:
Power clean and press @ 75
Dips
Time = 15:18

I used a 10lb bumper with a 5lb metal plate on each side of a 45lb bar, which I'd moved closer to the dip station. I could have used a standard 10lb plate instead of a rubber one, but I figured the latter would mean I didn't have to bend so far to grab the weight. That worked fine until the first time I threw down the bar and the thin, rubber 10lb plates buckled. I worked up a good sweat doing this routine and other gym users seemed to clear a respectful space around me because I was throwing the bar down from the top of the push press!

Sometimes when my workout doesn't go as well as planned I get frustrated or feel disappointed. However, even though I wasn't as successful as I could have been today - not hitting my deadlift 1-rep max and forgetting to do a set in the second routine - I still felt good about today's session. I had fun and felt relaxed, so perhaps I'm just in a holiday mood. Happy Thanksgiving!

Full body: Heavy weight

No, you're illiterate, you moron.

An earlier session today and I felt a bit groggy at the start. I was awake at my usual time - around 6:00am - but I normally have an extra hour to ease myself into the day! Still, the chance to play with the new gym equipment made up for that.

Power clean and press: 3, 3, 3, 3, 2
95, 105, 110 (2), 115 (0), 115 (1), 115 (0)

On the "0" sets I could do the cleans, but couldn't lock out the bar overhead. At least I could throw the weights down without causing any damage! My PR for push presses is either 110 - locking out, but without the hold - or 105 with the hold.

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Amrap 15:
10 ball slams (20lb)
10 kipping pull-ups
10 clapping push-ups
Score = 5 rounds + 3 clapping push-ups

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Trap bar deadlifts 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
150, 170, 190, 210, 230

Interesting new way of doing deadlifts. The neutral grip is wider than I use for standard deadlifts, but I actually felt it was easier to keep good form with this set up (head and chest up, "gorilla" back). I might try using this the next time I go for a 1 rep max deadlift. However, from what I've read online, the trap version uses more squatting muscles than a standard deadlift, so I should probably treat it as a different move all together.

As a side note, I've found all the deadlifts I've been doing in recent months have definitely helped with my long term back pain. I don't recall having any significant pain for a long time. I'm sure the deadlifts have been helping to strengthen my lower back.

Whatever-I-bloody-feel-like day

Today was a bit of a mish-mash day, just because I did stuff I felt like doing without any concern about overall programming. I just wanted to have some fun.

Box jumps for height:
5 @ 22 (9 risers + step)
5 @ 24 (10)
5 @ 26 (11)
5 @ 28 (12)
5 @ 30 (13)
4 @ 32 (14)

I only managed 4 jumps at 32", which pissed me off! It was only my mind that stopped me from completing all 5 reps; after all, if I can do 4, that proves I can make the jump. Eric - helpful as ever - said: "You'll be fine, as long as you don't fall". Thanks. :-)

On the positive side, my previous highest box jumps were at 30", so at least the overall height improved.

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Grace: 30 power clean and press @ 100
Time = 5:49

When I did Grace in July, I finished in 8:04. In August, I knocked 1:04 off that PR and had a time of exactly 7:00. Today my improvement was even better, taking a further 1:11 off my PR. Ok, today I did Grace near the start of my workout whereas previously it was near the end, but I'm still pleased with being 2:15 quicker in less than 3 months. Further proof that my mind can play tricks on me: while I was doing this I was convinced I was slower than last time.

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Alternate sets:
Straight bar curls: 55 (9), 60 (6), 65 (5)
Gironda dips: 6, 5, 4

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Superset:
Tricep push-downs: 9, 7, 4, 4
Diamond push-ups: 5, 4, 3, 2

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Barbell preacher curls:
45 (10), 55 (7), 60 (4), 60 (4)

Full body: Heavy weight

Short and simple today because I had a client meeting after the gym. Pissy day at work yesterday so I wanted to work off some stress by lifting heavy, even though it was only for 3 routines.

Hang power clean 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
(Warm up: 5 @ 85)
105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130 (1)

Went back to my old hang power clean style, increasing the weight with each set, just for a change this week.

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Dumbbell incline bench press: 5 x max @ 50s
(Warm up: 5 @ 35s and 5 @ 42s)
8, 7, 5, 4, 5

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Partial back squats 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 (safeties @ 11)
215, 235, 255, 280, 300 (F), 295

When I tried 300lb - the heaviest I've attempted - I could squat down to the safeties but couldn't get back up. I rested about 30 seconds, lightened the weight by 5lb, and then matched 3 reps at my PR of 295lb.

Light/Bodyweight/Conditioning

Yesterday's lunch: 2 homemade veal and beef burgers topped with eggs fried in olive oil (seasoned with black pepper), plus baked sweet potato with onion and sage. I'm getting into this proper cooking deal!

I give up. Seriously. My knee - which yesterday felt like someone was hammering a nail into it - is 100% fine today, so I thought I'd do some squats to parallel for the first time in ages. I did a few warm up reps with just the bar, then added plates to take the weight up to 135lb. With the first rep I felt a slight twinge in my hip flexor and the second rep was pretty painful. It's nowhere near as bad as it was, but it hurt enough for me to stop my routine, which was going to be 5 x max reps @ 135. I decided to stay away from leg work today and did a push press routine instead.

Push presses (with 2 second hold) 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
75, 85, 95, 100, 105 (1)

I got the bar overhead again in the last set, but even though I locked out I couldn't hold the bar up for long, so didn't count the second rep.

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Alternate sets:
Inverted row (parallettes) - 5 x max: 13, 12, 11, 11, 10
Dips - 5 x max: 11, 10, 9, 8, 8

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21-15-9 rft:
OTB jumps @ 20" (per side, so double the number)
True push-ups
Chin-ups (mild kipping allowed)
Time = 15:54

Full body: Heavy/moderate weight

Exactly how I feel.

Good news - my hip flexor feels like it's completely healed! Bad news - I've fucked up my left knee. (What is it about my left side? Wrist, hip flexor, and now knee.) It started to hurt a little bit on the outside of my knee when I started running yesterday and got gradually worse. My hip flexor felt so good this morning that I was going to do some squat cleans; more on that below.

Anyway, I didn't plan a long session today, just because I ran a brisk 5k yesterday on what would have been a rest day.

Sumo deadlifts:
10 @ 135 (warm up)
5 x max @ 185: 8, 8, 7, 6, 6

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Dumbbell flat bench press - max reps at:
40s (15)
45s (9)
50s (3 and a half!)
52s (3)
55s (3)
40s (10)

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3 rft:
5 power cleans @ 95
10 pull-ups (no kipping)
15 hand release push-ups
Time = 7:15

Not a long metcon, but it proved I was right to take it easy today. I got out of breath pretty quickly during this routine, especially with the pull-ups. I felt tired about halfway through the first set, but not in a fatigue or overtraining kind of way. I think it was mental as much as anything because of the aforementioned loss of a rest day.

I had planned on doing hang squat cleans for the first movement. I tried a rep in order to test my hip, which felt fine. However, my left knee hurt quite a bit and started to buckle when I was at the bottom of the squat and I nearly fell over sideways. And this was with only 95lb, well within my capability. After a bit of swearing while massaging my knee I decided to do power cleans instead, which didn't cause me any problems.

Feels like bloody ages since I did any full rom squats.

5k: Run for the Cure

Team Terri 2011

Today I ran in my fourth annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Run for the Cure event.  Although this wasn't a race, I tried to complete the 5k as quickly as I could. I crossed the finish line in 26:43, which is slower than my time for the New Hamburg Classic in May 2011 (25:51). I was hoping for a sub-25 minute run. My first run in this event - back in 2008 - finished in 30:09.

Madi showing off her fabulous breast cancer jewel-encrusted
ribbon tattoo, generously donated by June and Larry Zehr
of Stitch Graphix.

The running conditions today were pretty good: clear, no rain but a little chilly, which encouraged me to run fast just to keep warm. This is the first year where I started near the front of the pack, so the first 1k was pretty bunched up until some people either sped up or slowed down, which created some gaps to run through. I would have run quicker at the beginning if I hadn't been stuck in a crowd of people. I usually start the run somewhere near the back of the runners, where there's plenty of space.

The last 1k was pretty painful, as most of it was downhill. I found that harder than the flat and uphill sections of the course because I had to keep more upright, which felt awkward. It was during this part that my quads started to burn and my left knee began to hurt. The pain is starting to subside now, about 90 minutes after the run.

Still, I finished first out of Team Terri (named after Terri Schnarr, a friend's sister who died from breast cancer a couple of years ago) narrowly beating a friend whose training consists of a lot more running than mine.

The important thing is that a lot of very generous people sponsored me $430.00 for the run. That's pretty humbling.

Me with my friend, Ray. Each year we run in memory of his sister, Terri.

Upper body

Personal training with Paul

C2B chin-ups 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
20, 22, 25, 27 (4), 27 (3)

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Bench press 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
95, 115, 125, 135 (3), 135 (2)

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Amrap 12
Neutral pull-ups
8 inverted rows when I drop from bar
Score = 39 reps (9 breaks; 63 reps)

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Amrap 12
5 military press @ 70
10 push press @ 70
15 push ups
Score = 4 rounds @ 11:57