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I am not smarter than Brett Jones: My SFG 2 training journal.

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Week 9, Day 1

Tuesday, March 3, 2020


Movement prep: Row for 5:00, nods, rocking, and band pull-aparts.

Superset: 3 rounds: a) TGU @ 24 kg 1+1 b) Bottom-up press @ 12 kg 1+1

1 KB Press: 3 ladders of 1+1 to 5+5 with 24 kg.

Notes: Everything felt nice and easy. Next week I will add a fourth ladder.

The original training program can be found here: Brett Jones’s SFG 2 Prep Guide

Blake Nelson
 
Week 9, Day 3
Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Movement Prep: Row 5:00, nods, Brettzels, shoulder rolls, t-spine rotations

2 Supersets: a) TGU @ 24 kg 2+2 b) Single-leg deadlift @ 24 kg 5+5

5 Sets of one-hand kettlebell swings @ 32 kg 15+15,
- 5 minutes rest between sets
- Walk + Fast and Loose until time for the next round.

Notes: I added a fifth set this week. The swings felt strong, but my grip was challenged and I had to chalk up by the last two sets. I will repeat the same session next week.

The original training program can be found here: Brett Jones’s SFG 2 Prep Guide

Blake Nelson
 
Week 9, Day 4

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Rest and recovery day. I’ve already taken a nice long walk in the sun and I’ll get a couple more in before the end of the day. In between, I’ll do a little stretching and soft tissue work. I’m feeling great!

Blake Nelson
 
Week 9, Day 5

Friday, March 6, 2020

Movement Prep: nods, dislocates, t-spine rotations and rocking

3 supersets: a) TGU @ 24 kg 1+1 b) Bottoms-up press @ 12 kg 1+1

Press:
  • Warm-up: 16 kg 3+3, 20 kg 2+2, 24 kg 1+1, 28 kg 1+1
  • Work sets: 32 kg 1+1, 3+3, 1+1, 2+2
Windmill: 24 kg 3+3, 28 kg 2+2
Bent Press: 24 kg 3+3, 28 kg 2+2, 32 kg 1+1

Notes: The presses felt perfectly challenging today. I hit a sticking point on both my double and triple on my left side, but I was able to stay in the groove by focusing on tight glutes and then finish the lift. The negative portion of all of the presses felt smooth. Next week I will press the 32 kg for 2, 3, 2.

The original training program can be found here: Brett Jones’s SFG 2 Prep Guide

Blake Nelson
 
Week 9, Day 6

Saturday, March 6, 2020

Movement prep: Foam roll IT band and adductors, prying goblet squats, hip flexor stretch, nods.

TGU 16kg 1+1
Windmill 16 kg 1+1

Snatch 24 kg 6+6 EMOM for 14:00

3 rounds double kb circuit with 24 kg
  • TGU 1+1
  • Swing x10
  • Press x4
  • Squat x4
  • Clean x4
Finish with a Snow Leopard and some dislocates.

Notes: I felt pretty good but tired today. It was a long week and the presses took something out of me yesterday. The snatches were challenging. I got a blood blister on my left hand from a couple of reps with a bad grip. Next week I will repeat the same sets and reps. The circuit felt strong. Next week I will add reps to the presses, squats, and cleans.

The original training program can be found here: Brett Jones’s SFG 2 Prep Guide

Blake Nelson
 
Week 9, Day 7

Sunday, March 7, 2020

Movement prep: Foam roll IT band and adductors, prying goblet squats, hip flexor stretch, nods.

Double kettlebell circuit @ 24 kg, sets of 5 except TGUs 1+1, double snatches at 20 kg.
1 round: Press, TGU, Push-press, Squat, Jerk, Swing, Press, Snatch, Push-press

Active rest 10 minutes

1 round: Squat, TGU, Swing, Squat, Press, Squat, Swing, Push-press, Snatch, Jerk
15-30 seconds rest between movements. 2-3 minutes rest between circuits.

Notes: This was my first time actually training on Sunday morning. I took extra precautions to protect the blister on my left hand, tape and a gardening glove. The circuits felt good. Next week I will repeat but add a second round of each circuit.

The original training program can be found here: Brett Jones’s SFG 2 Prep Guide

Blake Nelson
 
Week 10, Day 1

Monday, March 9, 2020

Rest and recovery day. I’ll get about 10 miles of lightly loaded walking in, plus an extra stretching/rolling session. I’m tired from the daylight savings shift, but otherwise feeling good! Many of my students are starting their TSC prep program today and I feel a little jealous. I want to deadlift and do pull-ups! I will stay focussed and keep the goal the goal.

Blake Nelson
 
Week 10, Day 2

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Movement prep: Nods, rocking

Superset: 3 rounds: a) TGU @ 24 kg 1+1 b) Bottom-up press @ 12 kg 1+1

1 KB Press: 3 ladders of 1+1 to 3+3 with 24 kg.

Notes: I’m still adjusting to daylight savings so I chose to “wave down” today by only doing my ladders up to 3 on each side. It was quick and easy, I’ll keep tomorrow easy too. Next week I plan to progress again.

The original training program can be found here: Brett Jones’s SFG 2 Prep Guide

Blake Nelson
 
Week 10, Day 3

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Movement prep: Nods, dislocates

Simple and Sinister 24 kg

Notes: I got better sleep last night, but I’m sticking to the plan of an easy day. Everything felt fine today and my blister is healing nicely. On a side note, something has come up that might keep me from the certification this summer. Whether or not I attend the cert, I will keep training for it until I reach the press standard.

Blake Nelson
 
Week 10, Day 4

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Rest and recovery day. The weather is really warming up in Boulder (not that the winter was ever very cold) and I am enjoying it today! I’m excited for heavy presses tomorrow.

Blake Nelson
 
Week 10, Day 5

Friday, March 13, 2020

Movement Prep: Nods and dislocates

3 supersets: a) TGU @ 24 kg 1+1 b) Bottoms-up press @ 12 kg 1+1

Press:
  • Warm-up: 16 kg 5+5, 20 kg 3+3, 24 kg 2+2, 28 kg 1+1
  • Work sets: 32 kg 1+1, 36 kg 1+1, 40 kg 1+1
  • Windmill: 24 kg 3+3
  • Bent Press: 24 kg 3+3, 28 kg 2+2, 32 kg 1+1
Notes: Well I did it! I pressed the bell I needed to press for the cert. Of course, it wasn’t judged by an SFG 2 and it wasn’t in the context of a tough weekend, but I still feel pretty good about it. The idea of not attending the certification really put a damper on my enthusiasm for training, and I’m ready for a change of pace. I’ll take the weekend to think about what exactly I want to do next, but it will be a barbell focussed for sure.

Blake Nelson
 
Week 1, Day 1

Monday, March 16, 2020

Movement prep: Neck nods, dislocates, prying goblet squats, arm-bars

Warm-up: 2HS 3x10 28 kg

Squat: 45/5, 135/5, 175/5, 195/5x3 (pounds / reps x sets)
Bench Press: 45/5x2, 95/5 115/5, 130/3, 140/5x3
Deadlift: 135/5, 225/5, 245/3, 260/5
Chin-ups: bodyweight/8, 5, 3

Notes: After deciding not to participate in the certification this summer (a decision that feels even more responsible now that gym closures have had a huge impact on my financial situation) I felt the need to switch things up and go back to the barbell.
I have not done any significant barbell training in over a year, with the exception of deadlifting for the TSC. It seems productive to start over again, to go back to a simple linear program a la Starting Strength for a while. I will not be GOMADing or microloading my squat. In other words, I will not try to force linear progress for as long as possible. Once I have regained a baseline of barbell strength I will transition to a more sensible long-term program like 5/3/1. My goal for the rest of this summer (assuming I can maintain access to a bar and squat rack) is to get as strong as I can in the back squat, bench press, military press and deadlift and to put on some muscle mass.

Blake Nelson
 
Tim Randolph said:
Way to go! You will only be stronger for the cert.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the support Tim, but I have decided not to participate in the Cert this summer. I will save it for next spring or summer. I had to make some choices regarding business finances. I am really glad I held on to the money, gyms in Colorado are closed for at least a month and I am glad to have the extra cash on hand!
 
Week 1, Day 2

Tuesday, March 17, 2020
I took a nice long walk to the gym to pick up a couple of kettlebells to keep for home training with my wife. We carried them home in our backpacks.

2.5 miles @ 24 kg and 16 kg respectively.

Blake Nelson
 
Week 1, Day 3

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Movement prep: Neck nods, prying goblet squats and arm-bars

Warm-up: snatch > windmill 16 kg 2x10+10

Squat: 45/5x2, 135/5, 185/3 205/5x3 (pounds / reps x sets)
Military Press: 45/5x3, 65/5, 75/3, 85/2, 90/5x3
Deadlift: 135/5, 225/3, 245/3, 260/2, 270/5

Notes: After Monday I was feeling pleasantly sore and fatigued. It is not something I usually enjoy, but the change of pace is nice. The squats actually felt easier today than they did Monday, deadlifts, too. It is cool to feel my body respond to a type of training I have neglected for a while. Friday I will add 5# to my squat, 10# to my deadlift and 5# to my bench. Monday I will add 5# to my military press.

Blake Nelson
 
Friday, March 20, 2020

Movement prep: neck nods and dislocates

Warm-up: Row 5:00, snatch > windmill 2x10+10

Back Squat: 45/5x2, 135/5, 185/3 210/5x3 (pounds / reps x sets)
Bench Press: 45/5x2, 95/5, 115/5, 135/3, 145/5x3
Deadlift: 135/5, 225/3, 275/5
Chin-ups: bodyweight x8, 5, 5

Notes: Everything feels easier as the week goes on. The weight feels as light as it should (275 is around 70% of a reasonable, estimated max, the other lifts are around a similar percentage) and my body is less sore each day. Despite the stress of Covid, I am sleeping quite well. I think this program should continue for a while before I need to tweak it. This is fun!

Blake Nelson
 
Week 1, Day 5

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Sunshine and easy cardio! I went for a walk to the (closed) gym to pick up some of my equipment. It is a 2.5-mile walk each way, pretty flat with the exception of a short steep hill. It goes up on the way to the gym, and down on the way home. My route brings me through the campus at CU, which is normally full of energy from the students.

I brought home my ab-wheel, a Thai-style heavy jump rope and a pair of 20-pound ruck plates. The ab-wheel will be used in a GTG fashion throughout my workday. The rope will give me a nice full body warm-up tool (the heavy plastic rope adds quite a bit of upper body stimulus), and the ruck plates will add a little spice to my daily walks!

Blake Nelson
 
Week 2, Day 1

Monday, March 23, 2020

Warm-up: 2.5-mile walk, 5:00 easy row.

Movement prep: nods and dislocates

Back Squat: 45/5x2, 135/5, 185/3, 215/5x3 (pounds / reps x sets)
Military Press: 45/5x2, 55/5, 65/5, 75/5, 85/5, 95/5x3
Pendlay Row: 95/5x3
Deadlift: 135/5, 225/3, 285/5
Double rack carry: 90-seconds 24 kg each.

Notes:
Squats felt great again, I’ll keep adding 5# at a time. The presses also feel good, like they are just starting to be work. I’d like to keep the volume up on these, so I’m including a couple of extra warm-up sets. I’ll probably be able to keep adding 5# at a time for at least another week. The deadlift is moving fast, too. I might slow the advancement down after this week, but I’ll see how my back feels. The big change here is that I very rarely have trained deadlifts for multiple reps. One of my mentors only ever trained them for singles, sometimes with short rest. The endurance required of a set of five is very different from extended sets of kettlebell ballistics.

Blake Nelson
 
Blake Nelson said:
The endurance required of a set of five is very different from extended sets of kettlebell ballistics.
Click to expand...

Heck yeah it is... sets of 5 have been killing me in my last couple sessions.

Makes me wonder what kind of WTHE, if any, might be lurking behind developing deadlift rep endurance...
 
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