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Strong mobility

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Tuesday 20th March
Morning mobility routine.

Strength session
BB Press: 45kg x 3, 4, 50kg x 2, 55kg x 0 (miss), 45kg x 3, 50kg x 2
A bit disappointed with the miss at 55kg. The clean was not that clean either. I probably overestimated my 1TRM after the lay off and need to reevaluate. More lifts at 50kg and none at 55kg for the time.

Deadlift: 120kg x 3, 4, 130kg x 3, 140kg x 2, 150kg x 1, 120kg x 4
Switched to alternate grip at 130kg, as I felt it would not go up properly with a double overhand. Better wedging today. 150kg was slow at the start, but went up properly.

KB floor press: 28kg x (3+3) for 2 sets (assistance exercise)

Mobility work
Windmill @20kg, 3+3
Bent arm bar @20kg (3+3) supersetted with Switch splits (20), for 3 sets
Not forcing the splits. It was high for the first set, and went down nicely for the last one, although not fully on the floor yet.

Later, swing session
1H swing, EMOM: 28kg x 10, 10, 10, 10, 32kg x 10, 10, 28kg x 10, 10, 32kg x 10, 10, 28kg x 10, 10, 10, 10, 32kg x 10, 10, 28kg x (5+5)
Calluses bother me in my left hand, and restrict my power. I need to do some manucure.
 
Wednesday 21st March
Morning mobility routine.

Almost a rest day.
Hanging leg raise: 2 sets of 5.
Still practicing and learning before really put them into training plan.
The bar I have at home is less practical than the one at the gym. It is too low, I can not start with fully extended legs. On the other hand, the lower part is not the hardest, so starting with legs at 45° is still not bad for training.

Snatch fun. A rep each arm with the collection, trying to make each snatch at each weight look the same:
- 4kg (ha ha. This is my son's kettlebell. He wanted a 4kg for his 4th birthday, because he had a 2kg when he was 2).
- 8kg. The pink kettlebell.
- 16kg. It feels very light, but I still remember that the first time I snatched it, it scared me.
- 24kg. Now we are getting serious.
- 28kg. Still can do it.
- 32kg. Sticked to high pull (3 each arm). I was missing power, so did not try the snatch yet.
I will work for a few more weeks with the 28kg and up the reps, before trying the 32kg.
 
Thursday 22nd March
Morning mobility routine.

Strength session
Deadlift: 110kg x 5 (DOH), 120kg x 5 (DOH), 130kg x 4 (1 DOH, 3 alt), 140kg x 1, 120kg x 4 (DOH), 130 g x 3, 140kg x 1
My grip strength is slowly coming back. Today, the wedging was again better, and my back feels good despite the volume and intensity. Tehcnique really is that important.

BB Press: 45 kg x 3, 4, 5, 50kg x 2, 55kg x 0 (miss again), 45kg x 5
I again missed the 55kg. I don't think that I lost strength since the last time I pressed 55kg, as 50kg for a double was quite easy. But I lost technique. I am still putting the bar a little in front when clearing the head, not pushing enough with my hips to make space and ensure a vertical bar path. I can get away with 45kg, and even 50kg, but not 55kg. I have a lot of work to do to improve my technique here.

Swing session
Two reasons to do it at the gym. First is a lack of time, so I put everything together as much as I can today.
Second is that I saw (again) a personal trainer have a trainee do horrible squatty non powerful swings with a light kettlebell.
I don't want to come and correct personal trainers, as it is very rude and unprofessional to do so, but I think I can at least perform nice swings there, so that trainees can accidentally see what they can look like.
When the skinny guy swings a 28 or 32kg with one hand easily with power, they notice. As I am wearing my StrongFirst T-shirt, they may end up here. And most importantly, I don't have to make their trainers look bad for this (I am not saying that what you do is wrong, just that what we do is right).
1H swing, EMOM: (28kg x 10, 10, 32kg x 10, 10) x 3

Running
Not motivated, I really do not enjoy running. :(
But it was planned, so I went. 10,6 km in 59 min, average heart rate at 166, focusing on running technique, not speed, and with a sprint at the end to evaluate my max HR (193).
Running technique is improving, I am happy with that. I am also getting used to the shoes.
I am not going to break my record, but I can reasonably aim for 1h50. With limited specific training, and a new running technique (minimalist shoes), that would not be a bad result.
 
Friday 23rd March
Morning mobility routine.

Strength session
Deadlift: 110kg x 5 (DOH), 120 kg x 3 (DOH), 4 (just 1 DOH), 5, 130kg x 2, 4, 120kg x 3
Grip a bit tired today, so to avoid having it as a limitation, I preferred to switch to alternate grip early. Wedging was good, my back felt and still feels good.

BB press: 45kg x 3, 4, 5, 50kg x 2, 2, 45kg x 3, 50kg x 2, 45kg x 4
Cleans were clean. I am focusing on my hips, to push them enough to clear the way for the bar to go straigth up, without hyper-extending the back. Still not perfect, but much better than yesterday. All lifts at 50kg felt relatively easy.

Hanging leg raise: 5, 5, 5
Getting better. This time, I forced myself to look straight in front, and not at the bar, as I had the tendency to do. It helps to really fold in two, and to avoid the leaning back that defeats the purpose of the leg raise. Good ah moment again.

Mobility and press assistance
Tall knee press: 3+3@20kg (probably can go to 24kg)
Windmill: 3+3@20kg
Z-press, increasing leg spread each set: 2+2@20kg for 3 sets. A bit heavy in this position, I could not do a 3rd one. I should stay humble and build a bit more at 16kg.

We will be travelling for two weeks, so I won't be able to finish my barbell cycle. I will take a pair of 24kg with me and do some double bells work (clean, press, squat, swings), and snatches, leading to the half-marathon, and work on mobility/flexibility.
 
Saturday: rest

Sunday 25th March
Morning mobility routine.
Lot of video filming and editing.
During the day, tension practice, like I did last week.
One leg press, right and left for singles with a 24kg, GTG. Not all super clean (I had to slightly touch the floor with the toes of the airborne leg quite often), but it kept improving. Great way to check full body tension and kettlebell path!
2 more weeks of this, and then I'll change the exercise.
 
Monday 26th March
Morning mobility routine.

As we are going to travel for the next two weeks, I had to suspend my barbell training.

Strength session
I started with a sort-of-test session with the pair of 24kg kettlebells.
Nothing too strenuous. I alternated singles and doubles of presses and front squats, with plenty of rest between. Four ladders, two rungs.
(PR@(2x24kg) x 1, FS@(2x24kg) x 1, PR@(2x24kg) x 2, FS@(2x24kg) x 2) x 4
I certainly could have done higher reps, but as I have not practiced double KB presses for a long time, I preferred to keep it safe and technical, so very low-rep.

I am also (re)watching the Strong! DVD and (re)reading the book. Lot of good stuff here.

Swing session
1H-swing, EMOM: 28kg x 10, 10, 10, 10, 32kg x 10, 10, 10, 10, 28kg x 10, 10, 10, 10, 32kg x 10, 10, 28kg x 10, 10, 32kg x (5+5)
It went very smoothly. I did not reintroduce the 40kg yet, because my left hand is not ready for it yet, and I don't want to end up with torn calluses because of my ego.
 
Tuesday 27th March
Morning mobility routine. I added leg swings to it.

Swing session
Double swings, EMOM: (2 x 24kg) x 10 x 10
First 4 sets were relatively easy. By the 7th set, I regretted not having a pair of 20. Last 2 sets were ok, still powerful enough, but I was very happy to get to the 10 min mark! Breathing very heavily after that...
I did not expect such light bells to be that tiring...

Running: 11,03 km in 1h00(43sec)
I do not listen to music or anything when I run. I treat it the same way as I treat strength training or swings and snatches: be there, in the moment, think of your form, all the time.
It is a bit more challenging for running, as it is a lot longer (and monotonous), but it has something meditative. The mind always starts to think too much, and we regularly have to get it back to being in the moment.

Tomorrow, we travel. My pair of 24 is ready in front of the door. :)
 
Wednesday, Thursday: travel.
I wanted to do my strength session on Thursday, but decided to favor aperitive and dinner instead. :)

Friday 30th March
Morning mobility routine + leg swings.

Late morning.
Strength session
Heavy day - Double presses and front squat alternated. Plenty of rest between sets (it's strength, not metcon). Whole session took about 25 min.
( PR@(2x24kg) x 3, FS@(2x24kg) x 3 ) x 5
Squats are easy.
Presses were good (not easy like the squat, though), except the very last one, which started to slightly break in form. Still within standard, but it was time to finish the session. :)

Afternoon
Swing session
Double swings, EMOM: (2 x 24kg) x 10 x 10
It was easy, until it wasn’t. I now understand why Geoff Neupert’s One can be a standalone program, even though it is only double swings!
 
Saturday 31st March
Tension practice. A few singles of presses on 1 leg, @24kg. Getting better. One more week, before changing the spice.

Sunday 1st April
Early evening, strength session, light day.
( Press@(2x24kg) x 1, FS@(2x24kg) x 1 ) x 5
The double press was feeling way easier. Just a little practice, with a focus on quality over quantity, seems to have been beneficial.
 
Monday 2nd April
Morning mobility routine.

Mobility
Windmill@24kg, 3+3, 3+3
Still learning. I only have my 24s at the moment. I paid a lot of attention not to break form. Very slow, and not forcing depth. It went well. Spending time at a lower weight paid off.

Lunch: easter Monday with enlarged family. Good French food and wine. Hips.

Swing session
No more EMOM. I used HR to time the rest period and ensure power output till the last set. Entire session took 20 min instead of the usual 10 min with EMOM.
Double swings: (2 x 24kg) x 10 x 10
 
Tuesday 3rd April
Morning mobility routine.

Last run before half-marathon
4,59km in 28 min.
Not the longest or the fastest, just a relatively easy run, leading to the event.

Strength session, medium
Not ideal just 2 hours after running, but sometimes, conditions are not perfect.
(Press+FS@(2x24kg) x 1, Pressx(2x24kg) x 2, FS@(2x24kg) x 2, Press@(2x24kg) x 3, FS@(2x24kg) x 3) x 2
Two ladders of three. For the squat single, there was no rest after the press single, to save time. All the others were with rest. Again, it is strength, not metcon.
 
Wednesday and Thursday. Travel, diner with friends, kettlebells secured in the back of the trunk: no training, just shorten mobility routine.
14hours in the car on Thursday...

Friday 6th April
Short night. Morning mobility routine.
Strength session, heavy.
( Press@(2x24kg) x 4, Front Squat@(2x24kg) x 4 ) x 5
It took about 30 min to complete. Happy to have completed all sets with 4 reps.
It was supposed to be a program for only 2 weeks, but I will follow it until I get to 5 sets of 5 on the heavy day, and then decide if I go to double 28s or go back to barbell press.

I will also resume my deadlift program on Monday.

Weight check: 70,2kg. Ups. I can say goodbye to breaking my record at the half-marathon! Maybe next year...
 
Saturday 7th April
Morning mobility routine, leg swings (a bit tight today)

Tension practice
One leg KB press @24kg for 5 singles each arm, with plenty of rest (5 to 10 min). Much better. Previously, I often had to slightly touch the floor with the airborne leg once to ensure balance. This time, I did it only once in 10 singles (5L, 5R). Happy with this.
Next week, I switch to overload for the next 4 weeks.

I should have done swings to be consistent with my current program, but the half-marathon is tomorrow, so I passed.
I am drinking wine instead.
 
Sunday 8th April
Morning mobility routine, leg swings.

I walked to the place where the half-marathon was happening. A good 30 minutes walk for warmup.
Meeting people, then a few other mobility prep work, cossack squats, prying squats, leg swings...

Then, the race.
I did not break a record, but finished in 1h 47min 10s, which is acceptable, considering that I did no more than 4 weeks of specific preparation, did not run in years before that, and did no more than one run per week, never exceeding one hour, and spent thousands of km in the car in the past two weeks.

Something tells me that training alla StrongFirst is pretty good to be prepared for everything.

The after-race:
Jean-François Lopez on Instagram: “After the run, some rest. Half-marathon done in 1h47m10s. Not my best ever, but it was with only 4 weeks of specific training, no more than…”
 
Monday 9th April
Morning mobility routine. Slow on the knees and ankles. Still hurting a bit, walking makes me feel an old man.
No leg swings.
I walked a bit in the morning.
By the afternoon, I could squat with no pain, so I decided to do my training as planned.

Strength session (medium)
(Press+FS@(2x24kg) x 1, Press+Front squat@(2x24kg) x 2, Press@(2x24kg) x 3, FS@(2x24kg) x 3, Press@(2x24kg) x 4, FS@(2x24kg) x 4) x 2
Not easy at the fourth rung, but not super hard either. Despite a long running session yesterday, I can still do some strength work.
In fine, my double kettlebell program has not derailed because of the half-marathon. Today was harder than it should have been, but feasible. Next session should be back to normal. Happy. :)
 
Tuesday 10th April
Morning mobility routine, leg swings (still a bit stiff).

Strength session
Deadlift: 120kg x 3, 110kg x 4, 120kg x 3
Back to deadlift. As I had to interrompt my previous cycle, I just star it over. All double overhand, not hard, feeling solid.
No barbell presses, I will finish the double kettlebell presses cycle before I resumed them.

Bench press; 60kg x 5, 5
Assistance lift and technical work. Keeping it light.

Hanging leg raise: 5, 5, 5
5th rep was not very good on all sets. I will back off to sets of 3 to keep quality.

Swing session
Double swings: (2 x 24kg) x 10 x 10
Recovery alla S&S, to keep all swings powerful, so no EMOM. It took approximately 18min.
Even if I have now access to other bells, after travelling, I will keep for some times the double swings with the 24s.
 
Wednesday 11th April
Morning mobility routine, leg swings (still a bit stiff, but not so much).

Lot of work today.

I could make some time for snatches (it is only 5 min, after all). I managed to be ready for an easy 20kg snatch test in February, but the goal is still to be able to perform the normal 24kg snatch test anytime. So back to work. I start the program again with a 28kg, and will work up to 8+8 reps/min, before transitioning to 32kg snatches. It will take a few month, but there is no hurry.
Snatches, EMOM@28kg: 3+3, 3+3, 0, 3+3, 3+3
First reps were a bit hard, but the groove came back for the rest.
 
Thursday 12th April

Mobility routine. Forgot the leg swings.
Strength session A
( Press@(2x24kg) x 5, Front Squat@(2x24kg) x 5 ) x 5
5 sets of 5 of presses and front squats with plenty of rest (all session was 35 minutes).
I wondered how many sets of 5 I would do before downgrading to sets of 4, but all passed. The last rep of the last set of presses was a grind, though, but still within standard (this is the main point).
It took me only three weeks to go there, I am quite happy. I will deload a bit next week and keep at it for at least three more weeks.

Strength session B
Deadlift: 120 x 4, 130 x 3, 4, 140 x 2, 120 x 3
Only the slightly thicker barbell was available, and my grip was already a bit tired, so only 2 reps double overhand, and for the rest, I switched to alternate to be on the safe side.
Then all lifts were relatively easy, even the double@double BW. Deadlift is not a lift that is lost fast.

One of the external trainers asked me if I was "StrongFirst" (the good point of wearing the SF polo), and then asked about the SFL. The word is spreading. :)
 
Friday 13th April
Morning mobility routine, with leg swings.

Strength session
Deadlift: 120kg x 3 (DOH), 4 (DOH), 5 (3 DOH), 130kg x 4, 120kg x 3, 5
All lifts felt very solid. Despite using the "wrong" barbell, my grip was stronger than yesterday. I could have kept the Double overhand grip a little more but do not want to overdo it. My focus was on wedging and feeling my back flat. It is going to be the single focus for the entire cycle. Let's do fewer things, better.

Tomorrow: TSC!
 
Saturday 14th April
Tactical strength challenge!

I went to Nitra to support my colleague Michal, SFG, FMS, Flexible steel L2, who was hosting the event.
This is StrongFirst. We are a community.
 
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