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Always Be Smashing

12/18 06:00

Agile 8-1 + 6x10 pushups
47min treadmill run/walk 3.3m

Rough start this morning, not getting enough sleep.

Volleyball wont start up again till January... but no evenings off, more basketball coaching.
 
12/19 06:00

5min samurai getups
EYFS +

12/19 14:00

Static stretching sequence x1

12/19 21:30

GSQT 3x5 48,52,28 with curl
Halo 3x5 24
Bridge 3x6
Shoulder dislocates 3x6
KB1HS 8x5 48
Circuit L3 x5
- KB C&P 32,32,28
- Pullups 10#,10#,BW
ZSQT 3x5 180#
Grip circuit x3

Was feeling a little energetic in the evening, so I ignored the dice and went heavy & high volume. Swings felt sharp. But grip was already pretty worn out by the time I started the grip work.

Both sessions today took too long. I was dragging a bit in the morning due to lack of sleep, so it took me 1.5 hours - need to do a better job of keeping myself on the clock in the morning. For the evening session, I just need rest between those C&P ladders - the 32 goes up well enough, but it's not quite easy. Another 1.5 hour session. I can't afford 3 hours in the gym a day... something is going to have to give.
 
Where is the Hulk?

Back at last.

Have been offline and out of the gym for the last week+ due to my family moving to a new house. So most of my time has gone towards packing up boxes and subsequently unpacking them, and trying to get the new house in working order. This morning "organize the gym" finally made it to the top of my to-do list, so I'm back in operating condition. Unfortunately, for the moment the gym is only in partial working order:

  • I don't have a pullup bar. That situation should be rectified by this weekend.
  • My treadmill still hasn't made it over. Going to have to find an alternative cardio solution for a while... might even be forced to venture into the outdoors...
  • The floor is hardwood... which is going to get slippery when I get sweaty...
But, things were in order enough to get back to work this evening.

12/30 20:30

GSQT 3x5 48,48,28 with curl
Halo 3x5 24
Bridge 3x6
Shoulder dislocates 3x6
KB1HS 10x5 48
Circuit x3
- KB C&B L3 32,28,28
- Horizontal pullups x2,3,5
-- Bent legs so I could get chest to bar
Crushing / extensors work x3
 
Last day of 2019, time for a review.

The thing I'm most happy about this year is that I didn't spent any significant portion of the year in pain. Sure, a few niggles here or there, particularly after competitions, but nothing that required me to stop or significantly change training for a while - I was able to just do what I wanted to do. So, at a bare minimum, I accomplished my goal of being less of an idiot.

TSC-wise, certainly a good year. Very pleased with my progress on the DL. On pullups, saw improvement, just not as much as I wanted. Snatch training, have certainly made some progress, but as far as feeling like I'm ready to sign up for the competition division... I haven't done an all-out test of my snatches with the 32, but I know I can do 30 comfortably in 5 minutes, that's easy training pace. So I reckon I could double that with a reasonable amount of discomfort. 60 will still put me way at the bottom of the board... but that's a good board to be on, top or bottom. I think about it this way - which would I be more proud of, breaking 130 snatches with the 24, or breaking 70 snatches with the 32? For me, the latter. So, probably time to just jump in and try it.

Wasn't a great year for running performance. Unfortunately, I really wasted my summer doing base building that really didn't build much of a base. Part of that was just due to time constraints - a lot of travel for business, long vacations with family, coaching commitments. But I blame it more on just not having a good plan/direction. The mix of running & calisthenics I was doing was too hard for real cardio training, but too easy to build any real strength endurance. But on the other hand, I think I've learned how to really accumulate "easy" miles, and started making some real progress in a direction that I want to go. My 10k runs stacked up like this:
  • May: 60 minutes, sore for a week
  • August: Failed to finish due to stupidity
  • September: 65 minutes, sore for a couple days
  • November: 64 minutes, not sore
Speed wise, it looks lousy. But I think getting to "not sore" is a big victory - if I can start increasing speed without increasing soreness, that's will be real progress.

OCRs... well, the short one was really encouraging (it may be that my "stupid" base building over the summer actually lent itself well to a short OCR). The Spartan was really not encouraging. It was definitely a tougher course than the one I did last year, but a real eye opener is terms of where I need to dedicate some effort in order to improve.

So, goals for 2020:

  • Grip strengthening: an area where I really need to improve for OCR. I don't know if there's a reasonable way I can establish a measurement of grip to improve on, but the one thing I can easily measure if how often I work it. Aside from doing a lot of KB work, goal is to do 100 acts of random grip strengthening between now and the Spartan in August. That's averaging just 3 days a week, ought to be easy to achieve. Then the Spartan will tell me if it worked.
  • TSC
    • 500# DL. I'm pretty close now, and I think the grip work will help get me there as well.
    • 15 pullups. But I'm planning to attack this primarily through pressing (see below), as opposed to chasing training reps.
    • Man up and get into the competition division
  • Pressing: my press seems to be relatively weak. If pullups are a good augmentation to pressing, I figure pressing ought to similarly be a good augmentation to pullups. So, a couple of sub-goals in the pressing space:
    • 3x with the 40. Should put me in striking distance of pressing the 48 in 2021.
    • 50 continuous pushups. I think my best ever was 35, but it's been a long time since I tested. I figure I need some strength endurance to improve my OCR performance.
  • Running: 60min 10k without soreness.

Happy new year to all my StrongFirst brothers and sisters. It does my heart good to know that there's other regular people out there who obsess about performing better, not just looking good. Go get after it.
 
01/02 06:00

5min samurai getups
EYFS +

Blazed through it today, maybe because of feeling fresh from not much training over the last week.

01/02 21:30

GSQT 3x5 48,48,28 with curl
- curl is bothering my elbow/forearm, maybe go to a front raise for a while to let it heal
Halo 3x5 24
Bridge 3x6
Shoulder dislocates 3x6
KB snatch 12x6 32
Circuit L3 x3
- KB C&P 32,32,28
- Pullups 10#,10#,BW
ZSQT 3x5 180#
Grip circuit x3

Got some CoC grippers and extension bands for xmas, incorporating those into the grip work now.

RAGS: 1
 
01/03 06:00

Cold pushup test: x20
Agile 8-1

Oof - 50 pushups is a bit further away than I thought. I recall that the 35 max I remember was from a pre-StrongFirst time when I was doing pushups "as fast as possible" - very little time spent at the bottom, not locking out at the top. I'm keeping them strict now, and obviously it's a bit tougher - plus I haven't trained them for volume much recently. Oh well, any progress will be good progress.

Going to try out the "Heads and Tails" GTG plan from Plans for Building Powerful Pushups | StrongFirst for a few weeks, see where it takes me. Since I'll still be doing KB pressing a couple days a week, plan is to train pushups as many days as I can with the exception of KB training days, and a post-KB day will always be low volume.

No other training on Friday, aside from getting in just a few pushup sets. I'm going a bit stir-crazy without my treadmill... best times for me to train are early morning or late evening, and it's just too dark/cold out there for me to run outside at the moment. I know, I'm kind of a delicate flower...

Pushups: 3x10

01/04 11:45

01:02:44 outdoor run / walk 4.84m
- HR: average 128, max 142

Good run, but easy to slip into a too-fast pace when my mind wanders - or when the run is almost done and home is just around the corner.

01/04 20:30

Agile 8-1
Static stretching sequence x1
Grip circuit x3

Pushups: 8x10
RAGS: 2
 
01/06 06:00

5min samurai getups
EYFS +

Made it through in good time again. Seems that it might be because I don't have a TV in my new gym setup, so I'm more focused on getting it done.

01/06 13:00

Static stretching sequence x1

01/06 21:00

GSQT 3x5 48,52,16 with front raise
Halo 3x5 24
Bridge 3x6
Shoulder dislocates 3x6
KB snatch 8x3 40
Circuit L3 x4
- KB C&P 28
- Pullups BW
ZSQT 3x5 185#
Grip circuit x3

Grip work felt strong tonight, upped the loaded bar hangs to 52.

It's funny how hard it is to trust the dice when nothing comes up "heavy". Just accept the easier days, and hopefully there will.be a lot of juice in the tank when heavy finally does come up.

Today was my first day back at work after a couple weeks of mostly doing projects around the house. I really noticed how all the sitting made my hips feel lousy. Gotta find more ways to get movement in.

EDIT: Forgot to log my Zerchers
 
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01/07 06:00

Agile 8
- Threw in the lunge stretch for fun, working towards lizard pose
32min spin bike

My wife got a Peloton bike as a Xmas bonus from her work (how's that for a work perk!), I tried it out today since I am without a treadmill. 30 minutes was all my backside could handle, I'm still sore now! I was surprised by the RPE relative to HR... it felt tougher than running at the same HR, probably because I just don't bike much. Which probaby tells me I should do it more... Dan John theorized that for fat loss you should do things you suck at. But next time, remember to use bike shorts.

01/07 13:00

Static stretching sequence x1

Was supposed to go to karate practice in the evening, but my heart just wasn't in it, so I took the night off.

Pushups: 6x10
RAGS : 4
 
I'd rather stand in a cold shower with all my clothes on ripping up 20 dollar bills than ride a trainer...
(Although I rode a spin bike yesterday)

That being said I have used a Peleton and without a doubt they are in a class of their own. A very nice machine!
 
01/08 06:00

Agile 8
TGU 5x1 x side 40
Grip circuit x3

Been a while since I did a TGU, felt like it.

01/08 13:30

Static stretching sequence x1

Volleyball in the evening. Everybody was pretty rusty.

Pushups: 8x10
RAGS: 5
 
01/09 06:00

5min samurai getups
EYFS +

01/09 13:00

Static stretching sequence x1

01/09 21:30

GSQT 3x5 48,52,16 with front raise
Halo 3x5 24
Bridge 3x6
Shoulder dislocates 3x6
KB1HS 10x5 48
Circuit L3 x3
- KB C&P 32,32,28
- Pullups 10#,10#,BW
ZSQT 3x5 185#
Grip circuit x3

Rough evening. Light aches in lower back, shoulder and pec. From volleyball? TGUs? Either way... sort of down session that makes you question everything you're do doing. Gotta muscle through, buttercup.

In any case, need to reassess my current plan... this was a 90 minute session, not acceptable for family or for sleep.

RAGS: 6
 
01/10 11:30

33min outdoor run 2.7m?
- HR: ave 128, max 141

I do not trust the distance there, even though that's what the Polar GPS says. Need to check it with another measurement.

01/10 21:00

Agile 8
Squat jumps 15x5
KB snatch 8x8 28
Static stretching sequence x1
Grip circuit x3

Can't do burpees on a wood floor, too slick. So, squat jumps was the order of the day. Will be a while before I can get the floor situation rectified.

Backing off to partial range of motion on the fingertip pushups in the grip circuit. With the GTG pushup and pressing I'm doing, those are proving a little painful on the shoulders and elbows.

Pushups: 6x10
RAGS: 7
 
Not much training over the weekend other than GTG pushups, due to various house projects and family commitments. On Saturday, it got to be 7 PM when I realized I had only gotten in 3 sets - had to use a bigger grease hose for the evening.

1/11: Pushups 10x10
1/12: Pushups 6x10

RAGS: 7

Spent a little time working out a revised training plan, still working on it. Goals haven't changed, but need to deal with a couple of realities:
- Lack of a treadmill at home means I can't do my LSS at the times I want
- Need to find a way to limit training sessions to an hour - can't hide out in the basement for 90+ minutes, too much life to do
- Need to leave a little mental energy in the tank for calorie control, have been eating like a horse lately - a horse that primarily subsist on pizza, burgers and beer

The 2nd and 3rd items really means I need to dial back what I'm doing, which is always mentally tough for me.
 
01/13 06:00

5min samurai getups
Trifecta
EYFS

Back to a by-the-book EYFS, peeled out all my extras.

01/13 12:30

32min treadmill run/walk 2.3m

01/13 21:30

GSQT 2x5 48,52
Shoulder dislocates 3x8
KB snatch 12x7 32
Circuit L3 x3
- KB C&P 32,32,28
- Pullups 10#,10#,BW
ZSQT 3x5 190#
Grip circuit x3

This is the plan for the next few weeks:
- Accumulate GTG volume on pushups and cossack squats
- Mobility every morning - CC trifecta + some Flexible Steel, some foam rolling. Less than 1 hour
- 30min LSS around lunchtime
- Reduce max volume for C&P, trade for more weight, push pace to keep strength sessions to 1 hour

Static stretching is going to suffer - tough to break away from work for 30 minutes of LSS and another 15 minutes of stretching. Maybe I can establish a short before bed routine.

LSS is also going to suffer, since it's not front loaded - somedays work will be busy and it just won't happen. But it will be better than the almost nothing I'm getting at the moment.

Hitting the 1 hour pace this evening was tough, but did it.
 
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