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Less is More

Up 5:00, train 7:05
Creatine day 13

THSS:
Interval 1:00
24k 10s x 10r

TGU:
Interval 2:00
16k 5s x 1r

Question:
The Nail said:
2 consecutive days of full-session 32k work! Can I do 3?
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Answer:
Not this week :). My joints felt fine, I was merely out of gas. I picked up the 16k to do my usual goblet squats and it felt like it was glued to the floor. My facial expression must of been priceless, ha ha ha.

However, I am satisfied. I got in a great off-day session.

Also, this week marked the first time I performed a full session with the 32k. I was able to repeat the feat two days later for two consecutive days. :) Thursday, Saturday, Sunday! Incredible training-vacation! Tomorrow I head back to el job-o.
 
Today: Planned day off.
Will stretch this evening.

I noticed my BCAA's and chocolate pre-training seem extra effective when done after a 24 hour fast...at least when the 24hr mark is around 10:00 AM and I'm relaxed on vacation. The past couple training sessions I did at the end of the fast were spectacular.

Today I changed my fasting protocol. I usually go from lunch to lunch. I'm going to try from breakfast to breakfast to see if the effect holds when I train around 6:30 AM on a work day.
 
Upset stomach, upper back stuck together...just...felt very odd today overall :confused:
So, unplanned day off to re-calibrate. :cool:
 
The Nail said:
upper back stuck together
Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean there. I've found that I can "unglue" mine with the rumble roller or massage balls. Check range of motion (for example, in the Thoracic Three movements), do some SMR/mobility, and check again. It's pretty amazing sometimes how the tissues can regain their glide and motion.

As for the rest... I suppose a day off is in order. Love the emojis :)
 
Anna C said:
Thoracic Three movements), do some SMR/mobility
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I googled, and could not find any information on thoracic movements. Are these a series of mobility moves/stretches I could look into? I found enough to understand that the thoracic vertebrae move in 3 directions, but beyond that I came up empty. I found a variation of the bridge pose that claims to improve thoracic mobility.
tNation Link

All I could find for SMR was related to Small Modular Reactors/nuclear power. Nuking myself seems counter productive to Strength, so guessing I'm missing the boat here too.
 
Hmmm, that's a (way more) advanced version of what I came up with for my "Extended relaxation warm up".

Just looking at the video makes my upper back feel more relaxed. Will definitely hit that when I get home, maybe get in some training today after all.
 
@Anna C, that t-spine mobility drill is awesome! Thank you!

At first while I was running the drills I was like 'meh' this doesn't seem like much of anything at all. But then I stood up...and it was as if someone had used a magic wand to remove the stickiness. On the second round, my mid and lower back even popped (released) in a few places.

Like the downward dog, this is here to stay in the rotation.

Thank you so much for sharing. Do you mind if I send your unlisted video link to a friend who is also doing S&S?
 
Awesome! Glad it helped. Sure, share away, someday I'll try to make a good one. Karen Smith made one but it's on the StrongFirst Instructor's FB page. I think I'm doing what she's doing, that's where it came from.

Did you notice the "rib pull" in the middle one? That makes a huge difference. I added that one in from David Whitley's "Taming the Bent Press."

Also try to notice where you feel the restrictions as you do it, attack those spots with the massage ball or whatever, then do it again. Magic!
 
Anna C said:
Did you notice the "rib pull" in the middle one?
Click to expand...
I did notice it! I thought huh, that's a weird thing...then I did it and thought "ahhh! I get it!"

Mostly the restrictions were on the left side, inside the middle trap. I need to get a massage ball, I don't have anything like that. Feels like there's a ball of scar tissues in there that I'd like to smash with a hammer.
 
The Nail said:
I need to get a massage ball, I don't have anything like that. Feels like there's a ball of scar tissues in there that I'd like to smash with a hammer.
Click to expand...

Get creative... the handle of a hammer might actually work. Anything that you can lie on or press up against, any kind of ball, or fist-sized rock... maybe even a small can or jar... bar of soap in a bag... or a small kettlebell, that works too.

Find a tender spot and if it's just a little tender, rub it fairly aggressively for the "ungluing" effect. If it's very tender, just put gentle pressure on it for 30 sec so as it might be a trigger point and you don't want to aggravate it further. (Disclaimer: I'm no professional at this, it's just what works for me. )
 
Anna C said:
Get creative...
Click to expand...
That's a good idea. In Becoming a Supple Leopard Kelly Starrett writes somewhere that lack of mobility "equipment" is a bad excuse to not so mobility work.

Anna C said:
Find a tender spot and if it's just a little tender, rub it fairly aggressively for the "ungluing" effect. If it's very tender, just put gentle pressure on it for 30 sec so as it might be a trigger point and you don't want to aggravate it further. (Disclaimer: I'm no professional at this, it's just what works for me.
Click to expand...

Seems like proper guidelines to me. With gentle spots you can cycle 10 second of contract & relax of gentle (maybe gentle+) pressure for about 2 minutes for good results.
 
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Woke up yesterday morning and realized my 'upset stomach' was caused by a sinus infection.
Yay!
So no training since Monday :eek:

Should be able to get some light stuff in by tomorrow :cool:
 
@Anna C,

The 90/90 and QL Straddle are smoother after the t-spine drills.

The upper/mid back move better, so I can focus on the hips/low back more. It's odd. I don't feel the t-spine moves, but the results are the real deal. There is some cool voodoo there!

Thanks.
 
Up 5:30, train 8:00
Creatine day 18

Warm up:
Relaxation
'Mobility 1'
Brettzels + downward dog
S&S warm up
(Going to start documenting warm ups in detail, as their value increases the stronger I become)

OHS:
Interval 1:45
32k 10s x 10r

TGU:
Interval 4:30
32k 5s x 1r

OHS
Pros: Bell was moving with speed and power - swinging neck high while maintaining hard plank. "Head back, staying tall, and bending knees a bit" is paying dividends. Grip on the bell flawless.
Cons: Twisting in the bottom. Easily corrected in flight, but should not do it.

TGU
Pros: Wrist positioning (where in hand the bell rests) flawless. Controlling the straight leg much better by digging heel into the ground.
Cons: Twisting the wrist inward on the way down, so the bell rests harder on the inside forearm bone. Mostly corrected, but need to be more aware.

I've never felt stronger, smoother, or more powerful than today. Incredibly grateful that I could have a strong session after being under the weather all week!
 
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