Friday 4.4: Overhead, 2 metcons

Friday. Bar complex, 2 push press + 2 split jerk (max 90kg). Metcon, 7-6-5-4-3-2-1 hspu, thruster (42.5kg), t2b. Metcon, 4min amrap of: 1 pull-up, 1 t2b.

Main focus on overhead strength today. Went to work on our presses together with Juuso after work. he did classic push presses, I wanted to include a twist on the sets so I ended up doing a bar complex workout for starters. Then took a metcon and after probably 2min break I took another quick one.

Flashback Friday from way beyond, doing presses with Tony the Pony, probable from 2012, there's a sort of transformation taking place, on both of our bodies =)

Strength.

• Bar complex
• 2 push press + 2 split jerk (60, 70, 80, 85kg)
• 1 push press + 3 split jerk (90kg)

All those sets felt very natural and comfortable, even though it was heavy towards the end. I took only couple of heavy sets. Naturally 60kg + 70kg sets were light in nature. My goal was to build up to max set, instead of taking several heavy sets with the same weight across. Felt like that was a good plan for today.

Usually I don't do that much presses anymore even though it's a killer move. I like it a lot. It's more like jerks nowadays because you can hit heavier weights and develop the strength base that way. Anyway, I was able to climb up to 85kg for 2 push presses + 2 split jerks. On the next set I had 90kg on the bar. After I pushed it up for the first time, I realized it was the first time in my life with that weight as a push press. I've taken clearly heavier barbells up but always with a jerk. So pressing it was kinda cool.

It came up nicely with one continuous movement, without any probs. Still, it was heavy and I understood a double with that weight would be extremely tight or even too much at this point. So I took 3 split jerks after the first press. The second and third rep on this set came up okay but the fourth and last was as tight as it gets. I was able to lockout my elbows in the split jerk position but my elbows started to become loose. It was close to a missed rep but I was able to lockout again and then stand up. I'm very satisfied on the kilos that came up today.

Complex @ 85kg

Metcon.

• 7-6-5-4-3-2-1
• Handstand push-ups
• Thruster, 42.5kg
• Toes-to-bar

Guess those overhead movements burned my elbows because the hspu's were tough from the very beginning. Or was it the hspu + thruster combination that made it nasty. Don't know but those handstand push-ups were too much for me to handle. Thrusters weren't that bad, considered t2b's almost like rest. It took me something like 7 minutes to finish this. Wasn't able to get the hspu's unbroken, other movements yes.

Metcon. Result 62 reps

• 4min amrap of:
• 1 pull-up
• 1 toes-to-bar

My shoulders were burning but my breathing wasn't that heavy at any point of the workout so I took a short break and then completed a 4min amrap of a couplet: pull-ups and t2b's. I remember this was a qualification event for Finland's national championship last year. The workout is simple and short. The optimal way to complete this is to do kipping pull-up followed by a t2b, and just continue to find a good rhythm between the two movements so that once you come down after pull-up you can complete t2b within the same swing.

I had issues finding a rhythm during the entire workout. I usually don't do kipping pull-ups, it's more like butterfly version. Plus the stall bars are within near proximity of the pull-up bar so I'm feeling a bit intimidated my doing a good big kip there. Today my pull-ups were more like strict reps. Because of non-efficient body control on these two movements I lost lots of energy in vain and had to do most of the reps in sets of 2 reps (pull-up + t2b).