Saturday September 29th, 2012

Went off the reservation a little bit today and deviated from my programming. I was supposed to do some running stuff but the weather is terrible today and I'm just not feeling it. Instead I did a tester type workout that is one of the main OPT work capacity benchmarks.

15:00 of
     - 15 KB Swings @ 2 Pood
     - 15 Burpees

I got 8 rounds + 23 reps. I really wanted to hit 9 rounds and I know I have it in me. Need to push a bit harder on the burpees next time. I did them at a consistent pace, just too slow. The swings were fine and I did all 9 sets of them unbroken. They definitely got hard though. Tomorrow will be all about active recovery after a very tough week of training.

Friday September 28th, 2012

Four words to summarize today's workout...Fuck. You. Kevin. O'Malley !!!


A. Romanian Deadlift Cluster 2.2.2 @ 30x0, Rest 3:00

     - Didn't know how many sets I was supposed to do. I guessed 3. Worked with 225# on each set. These were unfamiliar to me so I backed off just a bit on the weight. I can go heavier next time.


B1. Overhead Squat @ 20x1, 2 tough reps x 10 sets, rest 1:00

     - Did my first 2 sets at 185#. Realized pretty quick that these were not supposed to be a 100% effort. The Muscle-Ups combined with the short rest were pretty taxing on my shoulders. I did the remaining sets at 165#.

B2. Muscle-Ups 2 reps x 10 sets, rest 1:00

     - These were tougher than usual due to the fatigue from the OHS's

C1. Thrusters x 18 reps @ 105# x 3 sets, Rest 1:30

     - Have I mentioned that I HATE thrusters??! Actually, I feel like I did pretty well with these. Reps were smooth and unbroken and all sets were under :36.

C2. Pull-Up Cluster, 12.10.8

     - These were tough. Did butterfly pull-ups for most of this. Technique was OK, not great.


I fully expect to be popping Advil before my workout tomorrow AM!

Wednesday September 26th, 2012

Pretty mediocre day overall. Still feel like I'm not fully recovered from Saturday's shit show if that's possible!

A. Jerk Clusters 1.1 x 7 sets

     - I worked with 225# for most of my sets. This is usually a weight that I'm pretty consistent with. However; I had a couple missed reps (mostly because I went too low and bumped the jerk boxes on the dip) and a couple reps that I had to press out. Had some nice reps where I felt like I was real quick getting under the bar but overall, I felt like I was inconsistent.

B1. Squat Snatch Clusters @ 140# 1.1.1.1 x 5 sets, rest 1:00

     - Again, was very inconsistent here and started to get real frustrated. I missed a couple reps and I made a couple with very bad technique!

B2. HSPU Clusters 1.1.1.1.1.1 x 5 sets, rest 1:00

     - More frustration, more missed reps. Shoulders started to feel a little fried at this point.

C1. Hang Power Clean @ 135#, 10 reps x 5 sets, rest :45

     - These were very easy. Had no problem going fast and unbroken.

C2. Ring Dips, 12 reps x 5 sets, 12 reps x 5 sets

     - These were also no problem.

Tuesday September 25th, 2012

Finally starting to lose some of the DOMS I've been feeling since Saturday. Today's workout wasn't about all out effort but more just sustaining a consistent effort.

10 sets of...
500M Row @ 80%, Rest 1:30 between sets
1. 1:37.1
2. 1:37.4
3. 143.8
4. 1:42.7
5. 1:42.6
6. 1:44.2
7. 1:43.8
8. 1:43.4
9. 1:42.9
10. 1:41.7

First couple sets were at a decent pace but I quickly realized that it wouldn't be sustainable. 1:30 rest may sound like a lot but it definitely didn't feel like it.

Monday September 24th, 2012

Today turned out to be one of those "punch the clock" training days. I woke up this morning tired and extremely sore from Saturday's punishment and this was following a rest day on Sunday. I considered whether I should take an extra rest day or somehow rearrange my training schedule this week. Instead I decided to play the cards I was dealt and try to foam roll my way back to life!

A. Squat Clean: Work up to a 1 Rep Max
     - It had been a while since I maxed out on Squat Cleans. The last time I'm pretty sure that I got 225# no problem but I couldn't stand up with 230#.
     - I got 235# which was a struggle and I got under 240 but couldn't get out of the hole. My legs just felt dead. I had really wanted to get 245 today but I'm not going to beat myself up over this. I will get at least 240 next time I try this.

B1. Front Squat @ 20x1, 1 rep @ 85% x 10 sets, rest 1:00
     - Again, my legs just were not there today. First set I failed at 225 which is usually an easy 1 rep for me. Had to drop to 215 then bumped up to 220 and then back down to 205 for the very last set. These should have been easy but they were not.

B2. Weighted, pronated pull-up cluster, 1.1 x 10 sets, rest 1:00
     - All sets with 70# kettlebell. These weren't too bad.

C1. Walking barbell lunge @ 11x0 x 12 reps per leg x 3 sets, rest 1:30
     - All set @ 85#. All I could manage today.

C2. Chest to Bar pull-up cluster, 7.7.7 x 3 sets, rest 1:30
     - No misses but had to take at least 10-15 seconds between sets of 7 in order to go unbroken.

Row sprints tomorrow!! Can't wait! May need to pick up some Ben-gay on the way home tonight!

Saturday September 22nd, 2012

Today's little workout was....

     30:00 of rowing
     Every 2:00 perform 10 Thrusters @ 115#

Where do I begin? There is only one word that I can think of to describe this one....horribleness!

I started having thoughts of tapping out on this one at about 10:00 in. I don't think I have ever done over 100 Thrusters in a workout before and certainly not with more than 95#! Today I did 150 with lots of rowing in between. Let's just say that 115 felt like 155 by the time I was done. I am feeling the lactic acid buildup in my quads already. Can't imagine what tomorrow is going to feel like.

This was a good man-test for me. I really suck at Thrusters and there is probably no other movement that is more mentally challenging for me. I wish I could say I killed this workout but the fact is, it was all I could do to just get through it. After 30:00 I had managed to row 3,600 Meters between 15 rounds of Thrusters. My strategy was to row at my lazy 50% effort of 2:05. By the later rounds I was pulling at about a 2:25 pace and taking several seconds of rest before I even started the row. Like I said, this was not my finest hour but I got through it and I live to fight another day!!

Friday September 21st, 2012

A. Overhead Squat @ 20x1, 2-3 reps x 3 sets, rest 3:00
     - 185 x 3, 190 x 3, 195 x 3
     - Really happy with these numbers since I struggled to get 3 reps at 185 last week. I think the difference was really focusing on maintaining core stability and going down slow and controlled.

B1. Snatch Cluster @ 135#, 1.1.1 x 10 sets, rest 1:00
     - No misses. These felt pretty easy even on reps where my form was a little off.
B2. Supinated Grip Pull-Up Cluster, Weighted 1.1 x 10 sets, Rest 1:00
     - Worked with 70# on all sets. Felt tough but doable.

C1. Front Rack Barbell Walking Lunge @ 155# x 5 each leg x 3 sets, Rest 1:30
     - These felt tough today
C2. Chest to Bar Pull-Up Cluster, 6.6.6 x 3 sets, Rest 1:30
     - No misses but these were definitely challenging. Had to take a few extra seconds between sets to get these dialed in. Last set was pretty much all singles (but did not come off the bar). CTB's are still pretty tough for me.

Wednesday September 19th, 2012

Put in some good work today and glad tomorrow is a scheduled Rest Day.

A. Split Jerk Cluster Off Blocks, 1.1.1 x 10 sets @ 70%, rest :45
     - Worked with 185# across all 10 sets. Had no trouble at this weight

B1. Hi-Bar Back Squat 20x1, 3 reps @ 75% x 10 sets, Rest 1:00
     - All sets @ 225#. Felt pretty good.

B2. HSPU Cluster (Kipping), 1.1.1.1 x 10 sets
     - Did pretty well with these. Didn't miss any reps and did a much better job touching feet to wall at lockout. Always worried about the back when doing kipping HSPU's but held up just fine.

C. For time of...

30 Back Extensions

40 Anchored Sit Ups

30 Push Ups

35 Back Extensions

45 Anchored Sit Ups

35 Push Ups

25 Back Extensions

35 Anchored Sit Ups

25 Push Ups

     - Time was 8:19. Either I royally suck at Push-Ups or I was just smoked from all the shoulder stuff I did prior. Either way the Push-Ups were miserable by the end. Did great on the Back Exts. and Sit-Ups. Back Extensions used to be a really bad movement for me. Again, Im seeing the payoff with all the Posterior Chain strength work I've been doing.

Tuesday September 18th, 2012

A. Row total of 1,600M
     - 4 sets of Row 200M @ 90%, Row 200M @ 50%
     - 90% splits were at about 1:40 pace, 50% @ 2:05
     - Total time was about 5:56 (I think!)

* Rest 3:00

B.  Row 2,000M Total

Row 1,000M @ 90%
     - Time = 3:19. Feel pretty good about this. Rowed at a consistent 1:40 pace throughout. Did not feel crushed at the end so definitely not an all out effort

 Rest 5:00
Row 1,000M @ 90%
     - Time = 3:26 Had trouble keeping consistent pace. First 500M split at about 1:40 then fell off from there to about 1:45-1:46 pace.

C. GHD Sit-Ups: 5 sets of 12, rest 1:00 between sets

D. Double Under Practice: AMRAP unbroken sets of 30 in 10:00
     - 14 sets. Not great. My achilles have been super tight lately. Kind of weird since I've been doing hardly any running. All I can think of is the ankle flexion caused by deep squatting.

Monday September 17th, 2012

A. Front Squat 20x1 w/ 40# chains, 2-3 reps x 3 sets
     - 165 x 3, 175 x 3, 185 x 3, 185 x 2 (all weights not including chains)
     - Put 10# more on the bar than last time. Feel pretty good about how these went.

B. For time of the following...
     10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
     Power Clean @ 165#
     Pull-Ups
     - Couldn't decide to game this. Do I try to string reps together or drop every clean? I decided to drop every rep knowing that the pull-ups would tax my grip and just that the cumulative effect of 55 reps at that weight would add up quick! I think I made the right decision because this was tough. Pull-Ups were fast and easy but the cleans started to beat me down. I'm pretty sure I did an extra round of 3 but I decided to do it again just because I wasn't 100% sure. Finished in 9:29.

C1. Single Leg Back Extensions 20x1, 12-15 reps x 3 sets
     - These were interesting. Not as bad as I thought but they were challenging.

C2. Single Arm DB Row @ 30x1, 8-10 reps x 3 sets
     - All sets with 60#

Saturday September 15th, 2012

For time...
     Row 1,000M
     30 Burpees
     Row 750M
     30 Burpees
     Row 500M
     30 Burpees
     Row 250M
     30 Burpees


My f$%#& clock stopped in the middle of the workout!!!! By my best estimate this took me about 17 minutes give or take. I felt like I got through this one at a decent pace. Burpees were fairly slow but I was able to maintain an even pace without stopping.

Friday September 14, 2012

Another challenging Friday workout and a great way to end the week!

A. Overhead Squat @ 20x1, 3-4 reps x 3 sets, rest 2 minutes.

     - 165 x 4, 175 x 4, 185 x 2(f on 3rd rep) 185 x 3

     - Have not overhead squatted heavy in quite a while so there was definitely some feeling out of the weight. I thought I would have less trouble with 185 than I did. Problem is keeping shoulders packed and keeping the weight "in the slot" directly over the middle of my feet. With practice, I'm capable of a lot more. Strength does not seem to be the limiting factor.

B1. Squat Snatch @ 125 lbs, 1.1.1.1.1 x 4 sets, rest 45 seconds.

     - No misses but a few sloppy reps where I stepped forward or received the bar awkwardly.
B2. Pronated AMRAP Strict Pull Ups @ 20x0, x 4 sets, rest 45 seconds.

     - Shit, these got very tough very quick especially with short recovery time. Sets were 12,10, 7,7
C1. Thrusters @ 85 lbs x 21 reps x 3 sets, rest 1:30

     - 1:30 really was just the right amount of rest for me to hit each set at a good intensity and pace. Got through each set without pausing but these were challenging even at the lighter weight.
C2. Chin Over Bar Pull Ups x 12 reps x 3 sets, rest 1:30

     - Did butterfly pull-ups on all 3 sets and I definitely had these dialed in pretty well.

Wednesday September 12th, 2012

A. Split Jerk Cluster off Boxes @ 75% of best, 8 sets of 2 reps, rest 2 minutes.

     - Worked with 195#
B1. Pronated Grip Deadlift @ 30x0 x 2 reps x 10 sets @ 60% of best, rest 1 minute.
     - 255#
B2. Close Grip Bench Press with chains @ 20x1, 10 sets of 2 moderate reps with chains @ 40 lbs, rest 1 minute.
     - 145# + chains
C1. GHD raises x 10-12 reps x 3 sets, rest 1:30
C2. Kipping Ring Dips x 15 reps x 3 sets, rest 1:30

Monday September 10th, 2012

Starting to realize that Mondays and Fridays are the days that I really need to bring my "A" Game when I walk into Vagabond. Today was no different.

A. Hi-Bar BS w/ 40# chains, 2-3 reps @ 20x1 x 3 sets
     - These went OK and I feel like I'm continuing to make progress on my squatting.
     - Worked with 195, 205, 210 (not including chains)

B. Perform the following for time...
     - 7.6.5.4.3.2.1 Squat Clean @ 185#
     - 8.8.8.8.8.8.8 CTB Pull-Ups
     - Yes, this one sucked as bad as I thought it would. I can't say that I killed it, but I can say that I got through it a hell of a lot better than I would have a couple months ago. Pleased to say that my form did not go to shit as I got into the later rounds.
     - Took me 9:42 to get through it. Dropped every single rep of the Sq. Cleans. First round took just over :50.

C1. BB Walking Lunge @ moderate weight, 15 reps ea. leg x 3 sets, rest 1:30
C2. Muscle-Up Cluster 2.2.2.2 x 3 sets, rest 1:30
     - I was pretty tore up from part 'B' from above so this one was a challenge to get through. Did the lunges at only 75# but that was the right weight considering the number of reps each round. Didn't do so hot on the muscle-ups. I missed my last rep in the first round and I could tell I was starting to get sloppy. Felt a little twinge of pain in right shoulder. I got through the later rounds by giving myself more time between the clusters of 2.

Sunday September 9th, 2012

A. 3 Rounds of "The Great Destroyer", 3:00 rest between rounds

B. 3 Rounds of the following with 3:00 rest between rounds
     - 10 30" Box Jumps
     - 10 TTB
     - 30 Double Unders

Saturday September 8th, 2012

A. Close Grip Bench Press w/ Chains @ 55%. 10 sets of 2 reps, 1:00 rest
     - Worked with 135# (plus 40# of chains) straight through Sets felt pretty easy.

B. AMRAP 8:00 of...
     - 250M Row
     - 15 KBS @ 70#

Managed just under 5 rounds. About 100-150M shy

Friday September 7th, 2012

Friday beatdown!! Put in a lot of work today and moved a lot of weight. By the end I was feeling pretty well crushed but in a good way.

A. Front Squat: Work to heavy single
     - 245#, 260# (10# PR!!!), 265# (f)
     - So psyched to beat my old PR of 250. The last time I did a 1RM I barely got 250 and needed 2 attempts to get it. 260 went up fairly easy today and I know I can get 265 next time. I remember putting down 275 as a Front Squat goal. Getting damn close!

B1. Front Squat @ 80% x 2 reps x 10 sets, rest 1:00
     - Worked with 205 straight across

B2. Weighted Pronated Pull-Up Cluster 1.1.1 x 10 sets, rest 1:00
     - First 5 sets @ 53# KB, Last 5 @ 58# (1KB + 5# plate)

C1. Barbell Step-Ups @ 11x0, 8-10 each leg x 3 sets, rest 1:30
     - These were brutal today. Did 8 reps each round with 95,105,115
C2. DB Bent Row X 30x0, 6-8 reps x 3 sets, rest 1:30
     - 8 reps each round, 55,60, 60

D. Barbell Front Rack Walking Lunge @ 11x0, 4 ea. leg x 3 sets, rest 2:00
     - 155,165,165. Not that heavy but these felt plenty tough today.

Wednesday September 5th, 2012

A. Good Mornings: Work to heavy single
     - 135, 165, 185, 205, 205, 205

B1. Hang Clean Cluster (off blocks) 1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 x 3 sets, rest 1:00
     - 165, 175, 185
     - These felt good and had no trouble with this weight

B2. Kipping HSPU Cluster 1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 x 3 sets, rest 1:00
     - First time doing HSPU's since last year. Been afraid to do these since the last time I did them I threw my back out of adjustment. These actually felt pretty good and the only rep I missed was the last one of the last set. Need to work on keeping feet on wall at lockout

C1. GHD Raise, Strict 10-12 Reps x 3 sets, Rest 1:30
     - No problem with these. 12 reps each set

C2. AMRAP Strict Press @ 75#
     - 20 reps, 18, 17. Still a weakness.

Tuesday September 4th, 2012

Airdyne: 15 minutes of :30 @ 90%, :30 @ 50%
     - 90% intervals at between 21-23 Mph, 50% @ 11-15 Mph

GHD Sit-ups, 5 sets of 10 quick reps
     - Haven't done these much lately. They kind of aggravated my lower back. Could be some form issues I need to correct.

Airdyne: 15 minutes of :30 @ 90%, :30 @ 50%
     - 90% intervals at between 21-23 Mph, 50% @ 11-15 Mph

Monday September 3rd, 2012

This workout was a BALLBUSTER! Each set was very intense and I felt like 1:00-1:30 rest went by incredibly fast.

A. Box Squat,  2 reps x 10 sets @ 65%, rest 1 minute between sets.

     - First 3 sets @ 205#, remaining 7 sets @ 225#

B1. Squat Snatch Cluster @ 115 lbs, 1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 x 3 sets, rest 1 minute. 

     - Got through all 3 sets with no misses. These got very tough in later rounds. 

B2. Muscle Up Cluster, 1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 x 3 sets, rest 1 minute.

     - No misses 

C1. Barbell Forward Lunges in place @ 11x0, 10 each leg, 9 each leg, 8 each leg, rest 1 minute. 

     - First set 115#, only 5 reps per leg. Last 2 sets dropped way down to 85#. 

C2. Chin Over Bar Pull Up Cluster, 10.10.10 x 3 sets, rest 1 minute.

     - All sets unbroken but I must have taken about :20-:30 seconds between my last 3 sets

     of 10.

Sunday September 2nd, 2012

This was a scheduled rest day but I wanted to get some work in because I had the time and I was bored! Ended up actually going to the gym twice and probably overdoing things a bit.

Session 1:
     - 3 sets (not for time) of...
     -10 Overhead Squats @ 135#
     - 50 Double Unders
     - Still a struggle to maintain external rotation in my right shoulder after about 10 reps at this weight. This tells me I really need to work more pre-hab type work on shoulders.
     - Power Snatch @ 115: 5 sets of 3

Session 2:
     - 5 Sets of..
     - AMRAP 3:00, Rest 1:00 between rounds
     - 3 Thrusters @ 95#
     - 6 Box Jumps
     - 9 KB Swings

     - I hit this one at about 80% and got 3 rounds per set with about :30 left on the clock. In other words, I gave myself about 1:20-1:30 of recovery time between rounds. Glad I didn't push any harder on this one.

Saturday September 1st, 2012

Close Grip Bench Press @ 20x1, 2-3 reps x 5 sets
     - 195, 205, 215, 220 (x2), 220 (x2)
     - Bench Press is coming along. Getting stronger and more confident each week.

10 Rounds of...
     - 10 KB Swings @ 53#
     - 10 Burpees

     - Time=10:12. I felt like I moved OK through this one. No problem with the swings and actually used these for recovery.