Legs

This morning I decided to skip breakfast, and just shower before heading to the gym so I could train earlier (7:30am). I figured that would save me some time, as I could eat my usual oatmeal afterward while checking my email. However - and this seems bloody obvious now - I ran out of fuel halfway through today's session, and I got fatigued too quickly.

Back squats
95 x 10
115 x 10
125 x 10
135 x 10
145 x 10
155 x 9

I had originally planned on mirroring Paul's routine from last week, scaling his weights by roughly 70%. That would have meant three sets using 95lb, 135lb and 155lb. However, after the first set I remembered that I had done a five set routine with Paul, with 10 reps per set. I decided to switch to that instead. Last month I got to 7 reps at 155lb, so there was a slight improvement today. All reps were a2g. During the heavier sets, I took a brief pause at the top - a couple of breaths - then squatted down again.

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Bulgarian split squats (small bench) 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
95, 115, 130

It's been a long time since I've done BB split squats and it's time I added more variety back into my leg days. At 130lb I was wobbling all over the place and I really struggled to keep my balance, especially when I had my right foot back on the bench. I was so unstable that it actually felt unsafe, so I decided to quit after three sets. I rested a while, then attempted a few reps with 60lb dumbbells instead, but I still didn't feel stable. I think this was due to the aforementioned fatigue. Of course, the 69 barbell squats I did earlier might have contributed to this.

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30 traveling lunges @ 55s

The workout started well, but I'm very disappointed with the poor performance during the split squats. My morning schedule is still inconsistent since the house move, but I don't want that to interfere with my training progress. Maybe I need to reevaluate how I train. I remember reading that Angie Pye simply does the main site WOD each day, and that's all. Perhaps I should do something similar, and train for less time each day, but with more intensity.

Pulling

Power snatches
65 x 3
75 x 3
80 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
95 x 0, 0

I think I should have spent more time warming up this morning. I arrived at the gym and jumped straight into my workout. My failure with snatches today was more a matter of mental preparation, I think; I didn't have much focus and my mind wasn't very relaxed. This improved as my session progressed, though.

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Wide cable rows
120 x 5
130 x 5
140 x 5
145 x 4
145 x 4

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5 rft:
8 x power cleans @ 115lb
8 x kipping pull-ups
Time = 13:13

Pushing

Alternate sets

Military press @ 75lb - 6, 4, 4, 3, 3
Dumbbell bench press @ 50s - 7, 7, 5, 6, 6

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Clapping push-ups - 8, 7, 6, 7, 7
Incline dumbbell flies @ 25s - 12, 9, 9, 11, 9

This was the first time I did clapping push-ups where my feet left the ground, too. 

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A quick metcon to finish.

RFT: 9-7-5-3
Dips
Push press @ 95lb (starting with a clean at the beginning of each round and after a break)
Time = 6:03

I probably could have gone 10lb heavier with the push presses, although there weren't any unbroken sets. The first 9 reps were broken down into 5 and 4.

Upper body

Personal training with Paul

Clean and press - 10 minutes to find 1RM
Final weight = 125lb (?)

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Rack bench press (7 holes, small bench)
95 x 5 then 20 push ups
115 x 5 then 20 push ups
125 x 5 then 20 push ups
135 x 5 then 20 push ups

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Cable row
100 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups
110 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups
110 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups
110 x 10 then 10 neutral grip pull ups

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Working on strict sit ups, 10 rep sets

Conditioning and Bodyweight

Grace: 30 power cleans and push presses @ 105lb
Time = 8:15

The last time I did Grace - with the same weight - was in late November 2011. Back then, my form was bloody awful, with the bar going in front of me instead of straight overhead. Although I didn't video myself this time - the gym was a bit busy near where I was training, and I feel a bit intrusive if I video people working out near me - but I think my form was damn near perfect today. I could see from the mirror that the bar was overhead each time and that my arms locked out. On top of that, my time this morning was quicker by over 30 seconds, so I'm very pleased with that.

I rested for six or seven minutes because I planned on doing Fran as well, but my left shoulder felt a bit dodgy when I started doing thrusters. It feels fine now, but at the time the Grace push presses had obviously taken their toll.

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RFT:

50 pull-ups (kipping allowed)
Time = 6:14

Rest exactly one minute.

50 dips
Time = 8:01

Legs

Nothing really clicked today. The mind was willing, but the energy just wasn't there.

Front squats
135 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
170 x 1
170 x 2

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Deadlifts
175 x 6
195 x 4
225 x 1
255 x 1
275 x 1
295 x 1
310 x 0
310 x 0

With my first attempt at 310lb I nearly completed the lift, but lost my grip when I was almost standing upright. My second attempt barely left the ground, even after a three minute rest.

I felt tired today, and I'm not sure why. Not exercise fatigue - i.e. overtraining - just sleepy. I sometimes get frustrated, not because of inconsistency, but not knowing why my training ability is inconsistent.

Pulling

Complex: 3 power cleans + 3 hang cleans
85, 95, 105, 115, 125 (2 hang cleans)

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Cable rows
120 x 5
130 x 5
140 x 5
150 x 5
160 x 5

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Death by neutral grip pull ups
Score = 9 rounds + 6 reps

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Barbell preacher curls @ 50lb
6, 5, 5, 5, 4

Pushing

Thanksgiving today, and I felt like a lazy bastard and didn't want to go all the way to the gym, so I used my son-in-law's weights in my basement. A bit limited in what I can do, but I didn't want to do too much, anyway.

Alternate sets

Decline bench press
95x 11, 100 x 10, 8, 9, 105 x 8

Dumbbell shoulder press @ 25s
12, 10, 9, 8, 8

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Supersets

Dumbbell flies
20s x 12, 25s x 7, 7, 6, 8

Dumbbell bench press
20s x 12, 25s x 6, 6, 6, 5

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Complex: 1 power clean + 5 front squats
115, 125, 135, 140 (4 squats), 140 (3)

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Alternate drop sets

Weighted pull-ups - 25 x 9, 5, 4, 4
Pull-ups - bw x 3, 4, 3, 3

Military press - 65 x 9, 7, 7, 5
Push press - 65 x 7, 8, 6, 6

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Death by burpees
11 rounds + 9 reps

Conditioning

Okay, let's try again...

5-4-3-2-1
Clean and press @ 110lb
C2B kipping pull-ups x 2
Box jumps @ 24" x 2
Over the bar burpees x 2 (each side = 1 rep)

Time = 14:16

That's one second slower than last time! However, back then my wrists were still causing problems so I'd used two 50lb dumbbells; this time, I went for a 110lb barbell. That box jump crap was still at the back of my mind during the warm-up, but I seemed to be okay during the actual routine. Yeah, it's a little slower - one second! - but the barbell felt tougher than the dumbbells.

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2 round for time:
20 pull-ups (strict!)
50 push-ups

Time = 11:12

Maybe the strict pull-ups do make a difference. Meh! :-) Still, only 13 seconds slower than my target...

Legs

Best use of the Union flag ever!

I should preface this with a note that I cycled for a total of 40 minutes this morning - to and from McD's - about two hours before today's leg session.

Back squats (a2g)
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
180 x 5
190 x 5 (PR)

Pretty pleased with that. Last time I only managed 3 reps at 190lb. I did a couple of warm-up sets, which felt harder than I expected. I thought I'd put a 25lb bumper on each side, but I'd absentmindedly used 45lb plates! Muppet. Still, that means I did two warm-up sets using the same weight as my first work set.

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50 x deadlifts @ 185lb
15-11-8-8-8 reps = 5:16

I had a pounding pain at the base of my skull during this routine, and it definitely slowed me down. I think it was probably stress and lack of sleep.

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100 x traveling lunges
Time = 3:06

Full body

I'm sorry... what?

Felt pretty wiped out from an active weekend, so I wasn't trying to set an world records today.

Bear complex x 3
1 power clean, 1 front squat, 1 push press, 1 back squat, 1 rack press
65, 75, 80, 85 (2), 85 (2)

With both sets at 85lb I failed with the third rack press. So close!

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Power snatches
65 x 3
75 x 3
80 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
95 x 1

That's one less rep at 95lb than last time, but I think my form was better today. It felt like there were fewer press outs than I often resort to.

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Amrap 12
5 military presses @ 70
10 push presses @ 70
15 push ups
Score = 4 rounds + 5 military presses

I did this a long time ago, improving by only 5 military presses today. Usually, I would be pissed off or frustrated by this but, like I said, I'm bloody exhausted from Saturday's workout and the 5k yesterday. I think I'm going to need a rest day tomorrow.

5k: Run for the Cure

Today I ran the CIBC Breast Cancer Run for the Cure for the fifth consecutive year. I wasn't expecting to run too quickly today because my legs were pretty damn sore following yesterday's personal training session. We got to the run site pretty early, so I had plenty of time to warm up and stretch. That helped tremendously, so I decided to do my best and try for a decent finish time.

I let the main crowd of runners get going for about 10 minutes, so I wouldn't be stuck in the crowd. The first part of the run is the most challenging as it involves a winding, step hill. For some reason I started out pretty quickly - too quickly - and I was already out of breath by the time I got to the top of the hill. I had to slow right down much sooner than I intended, and I thought I'd blown my chance of having at least one decent 5k this year. When I'd got my breath back, I sped up a bit and set a pace that I thought I could maintain consistently. It actually felt so comfortable I wondered if I was running too slowly. Because of the heavy overnight rain, I opted for the road course as it was less likely to b slippery.

I got to the halfway/turn around point and felt like I was in control. (By the way, I didn't check my watch until I crossed the finish line.) I was surprised when I saw the 4k marker because I thought I had much more than only 1k remaining. At that point, I really opened up. For the last section of the run, I went as fast as I could. My strides were really long and my arms were pumping like a friggin' lunatic. God knows what I must have looked like. That hill that felt so tough on the way up proved a different type of challenge going back down. I almost felt like I was going to end up somersaulting down the road as I pounded the asphalt.

I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch, finally checking it to see how I did: 25:47. That's nearly a minute faster than last year, and much quicker than I expected at the start of the day. My memory being as poor as it is, I can't recall what my best time was from previous years, but I'm really pleased with how I ran today, especially after the punishment my legs took yesterday morning. Of course, I'm not looking forward to trying to get out of bed tomorrow...

Full body

I come from a culture that abhors firearms,
but fucking hell...

R-band bench press (blue)
75 x 8, 85 x 8, 95 x 8, 105 x 5

Romanian trap bar deadlift
150 x 8, 170 x 8, 190 x 8, 6

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Glute ham raise
10 (eventually!), 6, 6, 5

Wide pull ups
8, 9, 8, 7

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Amrap 12
Hang power clean and push press @ 75lb
Every time the bar is racked, do 10 burpees
Score = 42 clean and press

Whacked myself in the mouth during the push presses, and now my gums are bleeding. Stupid sports injury #168...

Conditioning

Picture of me - with one-year-old Madi - taken in July 2005. Man boobs!
Compare this to a couple of days ago...

Short of time today - again - so I made up a quick routine that I could do in Stonecroft's gym.

In 20 minutes:
Buy-in - Row 1km

Amrap in remaining time:
10 x sit ups
10 x burpees
10 x air squats (a2g)

Score = 7 rounds + 10 sit ups and 9 burpees

Legs

Lindsay Valenzuela. Dayum, strong girls are hot!

Haven't done this in a while.

Complex - 1 squat clean, 2 front squats (a2g)
95, 105, 115, 125, 130, 135, 140 (F), 140

The last time I did this routine was nearly 11 months ago, when I got up to 130lb but failed at 135lb. Even though I didn't video this, I could tell my form wasn't great for the squat cleans at the heavier weights; my elbows were too low. However, that's difficult to correct midway through the motion, so when I got to the top of the squat clean, I shrugged to correct the position of the bar, which allowed me to improve my grip, then did the front squats with better form. The failed attempt at 140lb was due to my lack of concentration more than anything else, which meant I couldn't power the bar up to my chest and I dropped the bar on the way up. I rested 2 minutes, collected my thoughts, then tried again. Not great, but at least that's a 10lb PR compared to last year.

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Trap bar deadlifts, touch and go
170 x 10
220 x 8
250 x 6
270 x 6
290 x 3

My grip failed during the attempt at a fourth rep at 290lb. Other than that, I was doing okay.

Pulling

Not much time today, so had to keep it short.

Strict pull-ups - 9, 7, 7, 6, 5

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Wide cable rows
100 x 5
110 x 5
120 x 5
130 x 5
140 x 5

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Isabel
30 power snatches @ 85lb
Time = 7:40

September 25, 2012

Pushing

Push press - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
85, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120 (2)

This felt surprisingly comfortable up to 115lb as I got plenty of power and strength into the press. It got tougher from 115lb to the end, though.

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Bench press - 6 holes, small bench. Max reps @ 120lb.
6, 6, 5, 4, 4

As usual, I lifted the bar to and from the safeties. All of these reps were kind of touch and go; the bar didn't bounce, but as soon as I heard a "clink", I started punching back up.  

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For time:
50 dips
50 push ups, feet elevated on Swiss ball
Time = 15:35

The push-ups were much harder than expected, and I never got more than 5 consecutive reps.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Alternate sets

Back squats - 115 x 10, 125 x 10, 135 x 10, 145 x 10, 155x 7
Military press - 65 x 10, 10, 8, 7, 7

===

Wide grip pull-ups - 10, 8, 7, 6
Incline dumbbell bench press - 10, 10, 10, 9

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3 rft:
10 knees to elbows
15 sit-ups
Time = 5:59

Legs

Even though I didn't set the world on fire today, it still hurt like hell.

Superset - front squats/back squats, breaking parallel
115 - 3 & 3
135 - 3 & 3
145 - 3 & 3
155 - 3 & 3
165 - 1 (regular grip)
165 - 2 (crossover grip)

Just couldn't get my act together today. I started off going a2g, but couldn't maintain the depth when the weight started increasing. By 155lb, I was still breaking well below parallel, though. During the first front squat at 165lb, using the proper grip, I felt like I was losing hold of the bar, so I racked it. After resting for a minute, I tried again with a crossover grip, but my balance was off and I started to fall forward coming back up from the third rep. I had to drop the bar on the safeties. I didn't video this, so I can't assess where it started to go wrong.

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Deadlifts (deficit)
140 x 10
185 x 5
210 x 5
230 x 5
255 x 4
270 x 2

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Superset
Leg extension - 3 x 12 @ 95
Traveling lunges - 3 x 6 per leg @ 35s, 40s, 40s

Pulling

It's a bloody girl!

Today I felt a bit blah due to lack of sleep. As a consequence, I wasn't expecting too much from this morning's session, but I think I did surprisingly well.

Power cleans, t&g
95 x 3
115 x 3
125 x 3
130 x 3
135 x 2
135 x 3
140 x 2
145 x 1 (PR)

I had planned on only adding weight if I'd completed 3 reps in the previous set, which probably would have meant stopping after 140lb. However, I just felt like going for my max at 145lb, and I'm glad I did. My elbows were up nice and high, but on some of the heavier reps my legs were a bit wobbly before I straightened up. Not very elegant, but I got the weight up to my chest cleanly.

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Cable rows:
120 x 5
130 x 5
140 x 5
150 x 5
160 x 5

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21-15-9 rft
Power snatches @ 75lb
Neutral grip pull-ups (strict)
Time = 14:55

Did better than I expected today, so I'm pretty pleased overall.

Pushing

Not a bad start to the week.

Military press - 5, 5, 3, 3, 2
65, 75, 80, 85, 90 (1)

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Dumbbell bench press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
42s, 47s, 50s, 55s, 60s (3)

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21-15-9 rft
Push press @ 85lb (from the floor)
Dips
Time = 10:45

I did this a few weeks ago with Paul. Today's time is a significant PR by 1:20. The key was the timing and length of my rest breaks. The dips were the toughest, but my push presses were nice and controlled. The first round broke down into 10, 6, 5; the second was 6, 5, 4; and the third was 4, 3, 2. Limiting myself to only three sets per round meant only three cleans to get the bar up.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

Today's session felt a lot tougher than it should have. Because my training has lacked focus this week, I walked to the gym just so I had a chance to relax my mind and not feel rushed, which can sometimes happen when I cycle. Rather than use my bike as a mode of transport, I often try to ride as quickly as possible, which, of course, can be counterproductive. 

Sumo deadlifts from deficit
185 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 5
265 x 3
265 x 2

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20-15-10-5 rft
Dumbbell thrusters @ 35s
Pull-ups
Between each round and at the end, do 20 box jumps @ 20"
Time = 21:07

Man, I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I was breathing so hard during this routine and was one of those rare occasions when I seriously wanted to quit. Perhaps yesterday's impromptu conditioning workout took more out of me than I thought. Still, I was disappointed in myself because I felt like I lacked mental discipline and strength today.

Conditioning

My workouts this week have been a bit half-assed, so I wanted to throw in a quick conditioning routine in the Stonecroft gym on what would usually be a rest day. Well, it was supposed to be quick...

4 rft:
40 strokes on the rowing machine @ 10 resistance
40 hand-release push ups
40 skips
40 sit ups
Time = 28:14

I don't know if this is particularly slow, but I expected my time to be quicker.

Upper body

I am soooo tired this morning. Who would have thought that moving a few streets away would screw my daily routine? I woke up early today, showered, then cycled to McDonald's for coffee and oatmeal. After I was suitably caffeinated, I cycled to the gym and did a short workout.

Bench press - small bench, 6 holes
105 x 2
115 x 2
125 x 2
135 x 2
140 x 2
145 x 1

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Power clean and press
85lb x 3
95lb x 3
105lb x 1
115lb x 0
115lb x 1

After the bench presses - which were okay, but nothing special - I felt like I had no energy left. I've got to sort myself out quickly and get my training back on track.

Legs

After yesterday's 25lb dumbbell workout, I was eager to do some heavy lifting today. That being said, my daily schedule is all over the place this week while I adjust to living further outside town, and I felt a bit groggy when I got to the gym after getting up earlier than usual.

Front squats (a2g with pause) 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
95, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175 (1)

I think 175lb equals my heaviest a2g front squat, so while it isn't an advance, there was some cause for celebration. All of the sets except the last one used a conventional grip. I could feel my wrists stretching a bit at 165lb, so I switched to a crossover grip for 175lb. That's a significant improvement in wrist flexibility from a few months ago. It certainly feels like both wrists are back to 100%.

What certainly helped with both grip techniques was getting my head way back with my chin up high. That made it easier to keep my elbows up.

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Deadlifts:
175 x 6
195 x 4
225 x 1
255 x 1
275 x 1
295 x 1
310 x 1
325 x 0
325 x 0

My 1RM is 320lb, so I had two attempts at beating that, but failed both times.

On balance, not a bad day.

Upper body and Conditioning

Not a fellow resident

Time ran away from me this morning, as I'm still getting used to living a bit further away from the downtown core, thus taking longer to get around town. Consequently, I couldn't make it to ABsolute Fitness and had to settle for a workout in the Stonecroft gym. I don't think I'll be doing that too often.

Supersets

Seated shoulder press @ 25s - 14, 10, 10, 7, 8
Upright dumbbell rows @ 25s - 14, 11, 10, 8, 8

===

Push presses @ 25s - 20, 18, 14, 14, 14
Push ups - 12, 8, 7, 6, 7

I thought the heaviest dumbbells in the gym were 50lb, which would have given me a significant challenge, but I was mistaken: they only go up to 25lb! My shoulders started to burn during the routines above, but - as is apparent from the high rep numbers - it took a long time to get there!

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2km on Concept 2 rowing machine @ 8 resistance
Time = 11:02

There were a couple of much older people in the gym while I was training, and they kept giving me funny looks while I was rowing. I don't think they've ever seen someone sweating and grunting in there before! When I stepped off the machine, I nearly keeled over when both my hamstrings started to cramp up. That wouldn't have impressed the neighbours.

Upper Body

This is how my forearms felt at the end of today.

Personal training with Paul

I asked Paul to take it easy on me today because I would be doing plenty of heavy lifting during our house move. Of course, he ignored my request. @#$*!!

Bench press
95 x 10
115 x8
125 x 5
135 x 2
135 x 2

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Pull-ups
10
25 x 7
30 x 5
35 x 4
35x 4

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Supersets
Incline dumbbell bench press - 35s x 10, 10, 10, 10
Incline dumbbell flies - 25 x 10, 10, 5, 5

===

Neutral pull-ups - 10, 6, 5, 4
Cable rows - 80 x 10, 9, 10, 10

All of the above was simply a warm up for five hours of lifting heavy boxes and furniture. Bloody hell. It actually wasn't too bad, other than the fact our schedule over the whole weekend meant I ate plenty of crap I wouldn't usually.

Legs

Back squats a2g - Smith rack
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
170 x 5
180 x 5
190 x 0

Both the free weight racks were being used this morning, so I went with the Smith rack again. This time, I took into account that the bar weighs 30lb. I've done 3 reps at 190lb before, so I was disappointed that I couldn't even manage one today. In fact, I've felt pretty tired all week. More about that below.

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21-15-9 rft
Deadlifts @ 185
Weighted lunges @ 35s (per leg)
Time = 13:29

I probably could have used heavier weights for each of these movements, but I wanted to do a routine that enabled me to move as quickly as possible, rather than simply heavy. 

Earlier this week, I thought that Saturday's back-to-back metcons had taken more out of me than I expected, but that's probably a stretch. Then I realised that although my gym sessions haven't been anything too unusual, I've been spending two or three hours every day moving boxes and furniture to the new house. Try deadlifting a heavy sofa, then carrying it up and down stairs!

Pulling

How I felt this morning.

My arms felt a bit knackered today, plus the gym was pretty humid. On top of that, I felt really old this morning, as it was Madi's first day in Grade 3. GRADE-BLOODY-THREE!? Jesus - where did the years go?

Power snatches (from the ground)
65 x 3
75 x 3
80 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
95 x 2

Bit of a press out on the last two sets.

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Chin ups (weighted)
35 x 3
40 x 3
47 x 3
52 x 3
55 x 3
60 x 2

Same as last time.

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Supersets
Wide pull downs @ 80lb - 10, 10, 10
Chest supported rows @ 100lb - 10, 8, 6

Pushing

Lucas Podolski tucks one away for the Gunners against Liverpool

Push press
85 x 3
95 x 3
100 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 3

Exactly the same number of reps as last time. Bearing in mind the punishment my shoulders endured on Saturday, I'm not too bothered.

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Bench press - Smith rack, safeties on third hook; small bench
110 115 x 3
120 125 x 3
130 135 x 3
135 140 x 2
135 140 x 1

These weights are based on the assumption that the bar weighs 35lb 30lb, but I'm not sure if that's the case. I would have used my usual set up, but both the squat rack and the cage were being used. Of course, I could have opted for dumbbell bench presses, but I wanted to try something a bit different.

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Dumbbell incline shoulder press
32s x 10, 37s x 5, 5, 5, 4

Conditioning

Personal training with Paul

This video sums up today's workout.

A DVD extra from the hilarious thriller, "In Bruges",
with Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason and Ralph Fiennes. NSFW!

21-15-9 rft
Squat cleans @ 75lb
Dips
Time = 12:46

Rest 1 minute

30 power snatches @ 75lb
Time = 8:59

Rest 1 minute

21-15-9
Thrusters @ 75lb
Kipping pull-ups
Time = 18:01

I thought my heart was going to burst through my chest during the pull-ups in the last routine. When I'd completed the whole workout, my head was spinning, I thought my breakfast was returning, and I collapsed in a puddle of sweat. I know I've worked my ass off when another gym member asks me if I'm okay!

Conditioning

Lucas Parker: The Man. The Beard.

I had no idea what I was going to do today, even when I got to the gym. I didn't even think I'd have time, as this morning I'll be attending the funeral of a friend and neighbour who died suddenly at the weekend. However, I woke up quite early, showered, then cycled to the gym. I warmed up, then made this up on the fly.

5 rft:
10 power snatches @ 75lb
15 push presses @ 75lb
25 sit-ups
40 single skips
Time = 26:52

Legs

Superset - front/back squats
115 - 3 & 3
135 - 3 & 3
145 - 3 & 3
155 - 3 & 3
165 - 2 & 3

I did my warm up front squats - up to 95lb - with the proper grip, but I could feel a bit of straining in my left wrist and I didn't want to risk it, especially as it's so close to complete repair. All of the front squats above were with a crossover grip. From 155lb onward I struggled to keep my elbows up, so that affected my balance and the fluidity of my movement, especially upwards.

Also, my concentration was a bit wayward today, probably because my mind was on our new Stonecroft house, of which we took possession yesterday. Not my best performance by any means; just one of those days.

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Deadlifts
185 x 10
215 x 8
225 x 6
235 x 5
245 x 5

Pulling

Some trainers would be all over Christy Phillips' elbows. Tsk!

Complex: 3 power cleans + 3 hang cleans
85, 95, 105, 115, 125 (2 hang cleans)

As you can see in the video, I dropped the bar straight after I completed the second hang clean at 125lb. This wasn't because my grip failed; I simply knew I didn't have a third rep in me, so I thought "Sod it!" and let the bar go. Both wrists held out okay - my right is almost 100% better, but my left felt a bit sore during the heavier sets of the next exercise.

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Dumbbell rows 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 per arm
70s, 75s, 80s, 85s, 90s (4)

My grip gave out on me - with both hands - rather than failing because of my shoulders and arms.

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Wide grip pull-ups; max reps, strict
10, 7, 6, 5, 5

Pushing

Shana Alverson

Military press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
65, 70, 75, 80 (4), 80 (3)

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Bench press (large bench, 7 holes - small bench was being used) - max reps
95 x 13
115 x 7, 5, 4, 5
95 x 8

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12-10-8-6-4-2 reps for time
Push-press @ 85lb (from rack)
Push ups
Time = 9:35

I had planned on doing the push presses starting with a clean from the ground, but I wanted to protect my left wrist a bit more so I could do cleans during tomorrow's pulling day.

Full body

Mean trainer wants me to do box jumps. Don't wanna!

Personal training with Paul

Fuck my brain! I don't know what happened during the warm-up for the first routine today, but there was something in my mind that stopped me from doing box jumps at a height I know I can kill. I'd get ready to jump, but my thighs would start shaking and my feet would refuse to leave the ground. In the end, I had to remove some risers and do the jumps pretty low.

The weird thing is, I wasn't looking forward to my last PT session, but did quite well; this time, I was up for it and couldn't kick it into gear. WTF?!

5-4-3-2-1
Dumbbell clean and press @ 50s
C2B kipping pull-ups x 2
Box jumps @ 24" x 2
Over the dumbbell burpees x 2 (each side = 1 rep)
Time = 14:15

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3 rft:
10 knees to elbows
10 dips
20 sit-ups
Time = 11:25

Upper Body

The first routine is yesterday's main site WOD. I've been focusing on hang cleans recently, but I went with power cleans today - as per the WOD - just to see how I'd cope.

Power cleans 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps
95-115-125-130-135-140-150 (F)

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks! I think I was doing pretty well with my form and technique, but I got too cocky with the last attempt, jumping from 140lb to 150lb. I'm pretty sure I could have cleaned 145lb, which would have been a 5lb PR anyway, so I didn't need to increase by 10lb. It was just a little bit too heavy for me to get my elbows up quickly enough. The video shows my last three reps.

By the way, I've been wearing a knee brace since yesterday, when it started to hurt while I was out walking. The brace certainly helps, as I didn't feel a thing throughout today's workout, including the next part.

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5 rft:
5 x deadlifts @ 225lb
10 toes to bar
Time = 11:07

This video is of the first and fifth rounds.

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Alternate sets:
Preacher curls @ 65lb - 7, 5, 6
Push-downs - 40lb x 10, 45lb x 7, 8

Legs

Jenny Lebaw

Fifties

50 traveling lunges @ 52s (25 per leg)
Time = 4:08

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50 back squats @ 125lb, a2g
Time = 7:34

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50 trap bar deadlifts @ 185lb
Time = 5:24

Short, but not very sweet, today; lots of reps with fairly light weights. I was also going to do 50 single leg extensions (25 per leg) but ran out of time. In retrospect, I probably should have sandwiched the lunges between the back squats and trap bar deadlifts so that I did a hamstring and glute dominant routine between two quad dominant ones.

As the times show, the back squats were the toughest, and were the routine that required the most rest breaks. I nearly toppled over at the end because I was so dizzy.

Pulling

The Unicorn

Hang cleans
95 x 6
105 x 5
115 x 5
120 x 4
125 x 3

I attempted a fourth rep at 125lb, but couldn't move the bar. This was because of lack of strength, rather than any problem with my wrist.

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Wide cable rows
70 x 10
90 x 10
100 x 10
110 x 10
115 x 8

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Weighted chin-ups; max reps @ 35lb
5, 5, 4, 4, 4

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12-10-8-6-4-2 rft
Hang power snatches @ 70lb
Dumbbell swings @ 55lb
Time = 10:47

At the end of the 6-rep round, I dropped the bar on my head instead of in front of me. Ouch!  

142lb of bulked up manliness

Pushing

Greatly underrated director. RIP Tony Scott.

I felt really sluggish from the moment I woke up this morning, even though I thought I got a decent night's sleep. While walking to the gym I really wasn't in the mood for training, but this was a PT session so there was no way I could slack off! Even during my warm up and stretches I felt meh. However - as is often the case - once I got going, I felt more energized as the adrenaline kicked in. Also, the dynamic of having someone watching over you as you train causes the ego to take over, so minimum effort and failure aren't viable options. It's an hour after I finished training, and I feel more awake now than two hours ago.

Bench press
95 x 8
115 x 5
125 x 5
135 x 4(a)
135 x 3

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Dumbbell seated shoulder press
30 x 10, 35s x 5, 37s x 5, 5, 5

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21-15-9 rft
Push press @ 85lb (from the floor)
Dips
Time = 12:25

Couldn't find my old time to compare.

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Dumbbell skull crushers
22s x 8
20s x 6
20s x 6

Pretty light on the skull crushers, but the last time I did them I hadn't punished my arms as much beforehand.

Upper body

Alternate sets

Bench press:
95 x 10
105 x 10
115 x 8
125 x 4
130 x 3

Cable row:
100 x 10
110 x 10
115 x 10
120 x 10
125 x 8

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Hang power snatch 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
65, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95

This is the main site WOD from a couple of months ago. I videoed all the sets - shown below - and some of them are repeated in slow motion to show how my form changes as the weight increases. 

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Supersets: Military press/push press, max reps @75lb
4/7, 4/6, 2/4, 2/4

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Amrap 5 - single skips
Score = 289

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Barbell curls
55 x 10, 60 x 6, 4, 3

Upper body and snatch technique practice

Christmas

I felt exhausted this morning because I woke up at 3:00am and couldn't get back to sleep. Consequently, I didn't have much energy and my concentration was practically non-existent. Bollocks.

Military presses
65 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 3, 3, 3

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The photo on Tuesday's blog post was taken from a Facebook Olympic lifting group, hookgrip. They have some amazing sequential photos that demonstrate accomplished athletes in various stages of a lift. The ones of Zhang Wanqiong snatching 90kg shows that the bar travels in a perfectly straight vertical line from the floor to above her head, with her body leaning back slightly as the bar passes her hips. That means her arms remain straight and she doesn't push the bar above her. I tried my best to practice this technique at very light weights - broom handle, empty 45lb bar, then a 10lb bumper on each end - and I think I did ok by getting plenty of speed and power, until I tried to increase the weight. I simply couldn't maintain decent technique and started to press out. I then did a short routine, using light snatches that enabled me to continue to focus on decent form.

5 rft:
5 x hang power snatches @ 70lb
10 x dips
Time = 10:11

No spectacular results today, but I definitely feel I benefited from the snatch practice.

Legs

Front squats to parallel (crossover grip)
135 x 3
155 x 3
160 x 3
165 x 3
170 x 2

Felt a bit meh this morning, which might account for failing the third rep at 170lb. My PR for three reps is 175lb, but my leg just didn't have enough strength this morning. When I failed, I dropped the barbell onto the safeties. Of course, it wasn't the best preparation to cycle to the gym really hard; just over five minutes from door to door. 

I tried the proper front squat grip and while there wasn't any pain in my wrist, I did feel some stress and stretching (probably due to the hang cleans yesterday). I decided to use a crossover grip instead, just to be cautious.

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Sumo deadlifts
225 x 3
255 x 3
275 x 3
285 x 3
295 x 3
310 x 1

Rubbed a lot of skin off my right shin, and left some DNA on the barbell. I think I managed to clean it all off.

Pulling

18 year old Zhang Wanqiong (-53kg, China) snatching 90kg at the 2012 Junior Worlds.

Because my wrist felt pretty good after yesterday's pushing routine, I decided to test it with some cleans, which I haven't done for several weeks. I spent some time ensuring my wrist and shoulders were warmed up and flexible before starting the routine. Also, I didn't go quite as heavy as usual, but did considerably better than I expected.

Hang cleans
95 x 6
105 x 5
115 x 5
120 x 4
125 x 3

On all the reps I caught the bar cleanly on my clavicle. I didn't use just two fingers to keep it in place, but I was able to hold it there with my whole grip and bend my wrist back without any discomfort. Consequently, my elbows were well up and my forearms were parallel to the ground. With the last two sets, I could feel my grip starting to strain a bit, but other than that I felt good. Again, not my heaviest cleans, but I'm very happy with the results given the context.

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Rita Benavidez

Dumbbell snatches for time; 5 per arm, alternating
40lb = 25 seconds
45lb = 28
50lb = 30
55lb = 51
60lb = 2:03

The last time I did this I went too light, but this time it felt more of a challenge. The first time I took a break during a set was at 55lb, after the third rep for my right (second) arm. I really slowed down in the final set, failing with the third rep on my right side. After that, I took what I thought were short rests after each rep, but I was still surprised at the slow time for the 60lb set.

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Underhand lateral pull-downs @ 100lb
12, 10, 9, 8

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Horizontal leg raises (on the dip rack)
14, 13, 11

Pushing

For some reason - and it seems so bloody obvious now, I don't know why I didn't think of it before - I haven't been doing any exercises to improve the condition of my wrist. On Friday, I did a search for "tendonitis" and found some simple stretches for the ligaments in my wrist and thumb. I've been doing them throughout the day ever since, and the improvement has been remarkable. I'm not completely pain free, but because I did plenty of wrist stretching before and during today's workout, I had virtually no discomfort.

Military press - 5, 5, 3, 3, 2
65, 75, 80, 80, 85

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Dumbbell bench press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
42s, 47, 50s, 55s, 60s (3)

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Push press
85 x 3
95 x 3
100 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 3

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Dips, relative max reps
10, 8, 6, 5, 5

Pulling

Christy Phillips

I did some leg work on Thursday and was going to do some upper body training yesterday, but my shoulders still felt a bit dodgy, so I rested instead. I felt much better this morning, albeit a bit sluggish, so I tried some pulling movements, but nothing too taxing.

Hang power snatches
65 x 3
75 x3
80 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
95 x 0

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Dumbbell high pulls 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
25s, 30s, 35, 37s, 40s

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Death by pull-ups
Score = 9 + 8 reps

That's a big improvement on last time - 7 + 6 reps - so I'm well pleased with that to end this morning's session.

Legs

Canada scores in the 92nd minute to beat France in the bronze medal game, London 2012

Today was my first time back in the gym since Saturday. This morning's routine depended on what healed first: my hip flexor and Achilles tendon; my shoulders; or my wrist. In the end, it was my legs. The shoulders aren't too bad now, but I'm still fucked off with the masseur on Friday for screwing them up. Do I sound pissed? That's because I'm pissed.

Back squats a2g
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
180 x 5
190 x 3 (PR)

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Deadlifts
165 x 6
185 x 4
235 x 1
260 x 1
285 x 1
305 x 1
315 x 1
325 x 0
325 x 0

Ouch

North Korea's Yun Chol Om lifting three times his bodyweight. Son of a bitch.

I was supposed to have a pushing workout this morning, but my right wrist has been quite painful since yesterday afternoon. No idea why it should flare up, because I didn't do anything to make things worse. Anyway, that would have made any heavy overhead movements difficult.

Both my shoulders are still hurting after my massage on Friday evening, so that ruled out any extensive vertical pulling motion.

My left hip flexor started hurting after Saturday's workout, specifically the sit-ups. Even a gentle bike ride this morning caused some pain.

So: no pushing, no pulling, no squatting. That pretty much put the kibosh on any type of exercise for today. It's unusual for me to have injuries in three different areas of my body, but there was no way I could safely work through any of these without causing further damage. I was tempted to try, but that would have been pretty stupid. I felt so restless this morning as this meant an unplanned change to my usual Monday routine. I hope I'm capable of at least something on Tuesday.

Upper body

You're welcome.

Personal training with Paul

Supersets

Incline bench press - 40s x 10, 45s x 9, 8, 6
Incline bench press - 25s x 10, 6, 6, 6

Neutral grip pull-ups - 10, 8, 6, 7
Wide pull-downs @ 80lb - 10, 7, 6, 6

Military press @ 25s - 10, 10, 9
Push press @ 25s - 10, 10 ,10

Cable row @ 100lb - 10, 10, 10
Chest supported row @ 100 - 10, 7, 6

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30-25-20 rft
Sit-ups, bicycle crunches (per side), leg raises
Time = 9:39

Upper body

Most of today's workout was made up on the spot, depending on what I felt like.

Bench press - small bench, 6 holes
105 x 2
115 x 2
125 x 2
135 x 2
140 x 2
145 x 1

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Military press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
25s, 27s, 30s, 32s, 35s (4)

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Supersets, max reps @ 25s
Incline flies - 10, 11, 9, 9, 9
Incline bench presses - 10, 9, 6, 7, 7

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Barbell curls
45 (17), 55 (10), 60 (7), 60 (6), 60 (6)

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Decline sit-ups x 30 (not timed)

Legs

British divers Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield.
Their strength and conditioning coach, Richard Husseiny, used to be my sports masseur.

Front squats (a2g with pause) 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
95, 105, 120, 130, 140, 150, 155, 160, 170

I used a crossover grip today because of my injured wrist. Other than that, I still tried to keep good form and technique: my head was back, with my chest and elbows up, which helped with my balance with the heavier weights. I've sometimes had problems with my heel coming up, too, but today I found that if I turned my toes in a little bit, it was easier to keep my weight back.

It's been a long time since I did this routine - November 2011 - and back then I got one rep at 160lb. After I managed two with that weight today I was going to add jut 5lb, but I went a little heavier as it was my last set.

Here are my last two sets.

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3 rft:
20 deadlifts @ 155lb
20 trap bar deadlifts @ 185lb
Time = 11:52

I had planned on doing dumbbell hang squat cleans with the deadlifts, but while I was warming up I could feel a slight pain in my left shoulder when I swung the weight up. It wasn't too bad - and doesn't hurt now - but I think this might be because of the 150 pull-ups I did yesterday.