Friday 11.9: Squats

Friday. Back squat (up to 138kg).

We went to the gym right after work with my baby. She worked on her rowing intervals and I was having a date with the barbell. Heavy back squats were on the agenda. Toni was working up to the evening, and our plan (that we had booked already a month ago) was to go and hit hero workout Murph right after when he is free. However, my throat has been sore for about 2 days so it wasn't worth the risk. I can pump some strength work but a bad ass metabolic conditioning is off the limits at this condition.

Strength.

• Back squat
• 4x90kg
• 4x108kg
• 4x123kg
• 3x138kg
• 4x138kg
• 4x138kg

Otherwise my body felt fine. No problem whatsoever. It was great to get some heavier squats under my belt. These were pre-determined weights, and it looked like a lot of stuff to be lifted at the end. Not that many sets but the last 3 sets were obviously going to be heavy. Okay at the end of Smolov's most intensive weeks there was a 10x3 at 138kg so I had good confidence on hitting each set. On the other hand I have never done 4 reps at this weight so there was something to be nervous also.

Recap

First 3 sets were pretty much warm-up sets. I did them in a quick cycle without having to stop and breath or recover the legs. On the 138kg's strategy was definitely different. I took them with a good pause on top before hitting another rep. It was great to knock all the sets as prescribed! Definitely heavy but they look easier on video than they felt in live situation.

Sunday 16.8: Back squat

Sunday. Back squat 10x3 (138kg).

Yesterday was pretty much a rest day. We spent the weekend in Klaukkala with the in-laws. Great quality time with the family. There was some yard work to be done, real life crossfit, and some games that we played, but other than that it was all eating and chilling. Recovery at its best. Sunday evening I went to the gym for the final day of Smolov squat program.

Smolov.

• Back squat 10x3 (138kg)

I did mental prep for days leading up to this day. This is very close to my one rep max of back squat. How happy am I for this stuff to be over! Really, it was brutal, and every session was heavy in its own way. Sunday triples were the heaviest of each day but they were also the shortest sets.

It's been 4-time squatting for weeks now. It has also forced me to think a bit more of the metcons in a sense that I needed to step back on the volume of metcons during this Smolov thing. I've been missing some bad ass metcons, and I think I have good ones in reserve for the upcoming weeks.

There are some takeaways from Smolov. I was mentally strong. Big thing. These sets were not easy. Another thing is that strength crawled in to this body somehow because my legs took this burden well. My legs felt fresh throughout the game and had no issues whatsoever with lower body. Lower back felt the burden in the long run but legs were fine.

Squats 10x3

I was somewhat surprised of not hitting ass to grass in every rep as that was the key gain last year when I did Smolov. That is something that needs to be thought thoroughly. Still, it feels like mobility took a big leap forward this time too. Didn't feel tight or pain in the hips at any time. Very loose actually, felt very good about that. Maybe it was my back that wasn't mobile enough. In front squats it feels way easier to go all the way down because it's easier to keep the back straight all the time.

Friday 14.8: Back squats

Friday. Back squat 7x5 (130kg).

We only had one hour to do our workouts. And for the past weeks Friday's have been 7x5 squats with ascending weights. It takes some time to hit heavier sets so this was all I had time for. Warm-up takes close to half an hour before the first set is on my back, and warm-up is something I don't feel good skipping. It is number one prevention of injuries so warm-up is crucial.

Smolov.

• Back squat 7x5 (130kg)

Damn it was great to move this load for multiple sets! It was a scary thought to do 7 sets of 5 reps @ 130 kilos. I prepped myself for the entire day and reminded every now and then that I can do this stuff. I've done sets at 130-140kg so this is not gonna be an issue. Easy money. Some uptalk to get my head around this session.

Warm-up was lengthy, and when I got to the barbell finally I took sets at 60, 90, 110, and 120kg's. After these my body was ready for the real deal at 130kg. On every set I took my time between reps, not rushing it through because I really didn't wanna see any misses. First sets were okay, heavy from the very first but manageable. In the latter sets it felt like I had to give my legs even more recovery between reps.

I'm very happy on being able to smash this session through. Next squat session is gonna be brutal. The week ends in triples, and heavier than ever. They are downright scary at this point. Got to get a good mental boost before entering the gym =)

Squats 7x5 at 130kg

Wednesday 12.8: Back squat, Pull-ups, Dips

Wednesday. Back squat 5x7 (125kg). Gymnastics, 5rnft: 15 pull-ups, 10 ring dips.

More squats, 5x7 in the program. I had a great training partner with me at the gym - Jasper. He smashed some overhead strength this time. He's written us a great long chipper which we'll hit some day. Today we didn't have enough time. Need to match the schedules in the upcoming days / weeks. After strength I did some skills based gymnastics work.

Smolov.

• Back squat 5x7 (125kg)

These long sets are painful. Actually my legs took these sets well but for some reason my palms are all white after every set. It's like the blood is not circulating well in to my arms. I showed my hands at the end of one set in the recap video. That means to say my hands are tingling. Why that happens is the width of my hands in the squat. Nowadays I keep them at the same width as in cleans. That creates a better and more stabile platform for the barbell to stay in the back rack position.

There is a possibility my mobility in upper body is not the best so that brings some issues. If it was perfect, blood would flow vividly, and it wouldn't bother my arms at all. Anyway, my point is the longer the sets, the more painful it gets. That's why these 7's are tough.

I'm happy on the way I was able to perform on ever set. There was no doubt of hitting the sets. Except in the morning as I realized this session is all about grinding hard. However, on the warm-up barbell felt light. I went up to 130 kilos for singles before starting the first set. Each set took an eternity, and some grunting was heard but I was determined to complete the sets.

Squats

Gymnastics.

• 5 rounds not for time of:
• 15 unbroken pull-ups
• 10 ring dips

Not an actual metcon this time. Timer was not on so it was "for quality". Only thing I had in mind was to do lots of pull-ups. It turned out to be 15 pull-ups, and I really wanted to do them unbroken. That's why I wrote in my notes already beforehand that they should be completed ub. I took my time to recover between sets properly. Rest periods were quite identical between each set.

On the ring dips I didn't have that clear plan. Just needed to hit some volume. Not huge but a good number still. Ten reps. First round was unbroken. I'm not sure if the second one was too. But third and fourth round were 5-3-2. My upper body was destroyed. Before last round I chatted with a fellow partner for some time which gave me more rest so I knocked the last set unbroken for 10 reps. This was good skills based workout in the end.

Monday 10.8: Squats, Ohs, T2b

Monday. Back squat 4x9 (118kg). Metcon, 8min amrap of: 8 ohs (40kg), 8 t2b. Result, 112 reps.

Two heavy Smolov weeks are in the books and the third one just kicked off. That naturally means more squats. After squatting my butt off I went for overhead squats and toes-to-bar as a couplet. The gym was crowded. It really looks like everybody wants to hit it on the first day of the week. And maybe it can be seen that the holiday's are pretty much behind us and people are ready to grind.

Smolov.

• Back squat 4x9 (118kg)

Two weeks have gone by with this squat fiesta. The barbell has obeyed me this far. Every day has been heavy but still I've been able to move it around. When I first did these 4x9's the weight was 103, and last week it was 113kg. So today it was 15kg more than the first time. It's cool to see how it still comes up properly.

There's no chance of doing these reps touch'n'go style. Haven't even tried that. Maybe 2-3 reps but that would eat the energy of my legs so better do them as singles, reset at the top and then squat again. My fingers were tingling at the end of the sets. Maybe the blood isn't flowing as well after a long set because they are tightly around the bar.

Squats

Metcon. Result, 112 reps (7 rounds)

• 8min amrap of:
• 8 overhead squat, 40kg
• 8 toes-to-bar

Legs are taking this squat mafia thing well but my elbows have been painful for about two weeks now. It doesn't seem to go away easily. It's a bit of a dull thing as I'd like to do presses and jerks a lot alongside Smolov. At first I was about to skip the entire metcon because of this but then decided to stop bitching, and do the work.

This was in my notes reserved for a rainy day. It worked perfectly for today's agenda. It was a quick and intense work. Went unbroken on both movements. The time was consumed in the transitions. Couldn't jump right into the next station. Okay, I could have but I wanted to go unbroken all the way. In the beginning this was emom style but then pace slowed down a little and ended up reaching a total of 7 rounds. I was happy over this. Had no idea how far I would go but this was good.

Side dish in the evening. #Donskitchen

Sunday 9.8: Squat, Row, Ghd

Sunday. AM: recovery at the swimming stadium. PM: Back squat 10x3 (133kg). Metcon, 8min amrap of: 300m row, 12 ghd. Result, 4rds + 300m row. Cool down, 3k row.

In the morning we went to the Helsinki swimming stadium to relax, sunbathe and some recovery swim lapses. In the evening I went to work at the gym. It wasn't going to be an easy day. Lots of squat sets, heavy ones. Afterwards a very intense workout, and some easy rowing to flush my legs, and get them ready for the upcoming week.

Smolov.

• Back squat 10x3 (133kg)

Honestly, this was a bit frightening day. I was nervous about the squats for the entire weekend as it was obvious it's going to be heavy. I did my mental game and went to the gym with a strong mind anyway. These squats were destined to come up as planned.

Ten sets of squats is always a bit more mental than doing 4 long sets. It feels like those sets are never ending. I took proper recovery between sets so these took me quite precisely 37 minutes. One set about every four minutes.

These were quite heavy from the very beginning but I managed to push them through in a similar way each set. Towards the end the sounds from my mouth got a little louder which means to say they were heavier. I'm happy this squat session is over =)

Squats

Metcon. Result, 4 rounds + 300m row

• 8min amrap of:
• 300m row
• 12 ghd sit-ups

I created this workout only after the squats. It was magnificent! This was a short metcon on purpose so I would be able to give my everything on the rower. No pacing, just do the strokes and get to the ghd's as fast as possible. For once, I was able to put the elements of the workout close together so there wouldn't be extra walking around the gym. This saved time for sure. Short transitions.

Rowing pace was 1.35 - 1.38 each round. That was enough to make my legs hurt. Breathing was naturally also heavy all the time. Ghd's were unbroken, and easier of the two elements. But it also got tough in the end. Not because of my core but because my legs were getting tired and those are needed in the ghd's too. Felt like hip flexors were on fire. This really made my gasp for air after the metcon was over.

Coold down.

• 3.000m row

Because the metcon was so intense, I figured it's beneficial to flush legs after the torture. There was no plan whatsoever, just kept pulling with easy pace. It was 2:00 pace all the time. No need to speed up. This was just a recovery row. At some point I decided to row for 2k but it felt so good that I kept going for an extra kilometer. Good training session!

Friday 7.8: Squats, Partner workout

Friday. Back squat 7x5 (125kg). Partner workout, 3rds of: 20 dead (100kg), 60 push-up, 40 db snatch (25kg), 20 burpee box, 20 hspu, 40m lunges (2x25kg db's). Time, 31.30.

It was a blast to have my main man Toni take a surprise visit to my gym. He was supposed to go to his own but I talked him over, and then went to his place to spend the Friday evening. It was back squats again - no surprise there - and then a long ass workout with a partner.

Smolov.

• Back squat 7x5 (125kg)

Huh, every day there is a bigger load on my back and it always feels how much more can this body take. But every time up to this point I have walked away victoriously. It sure feels good to complete these sets without problems. There's a lot of mental game in the play as well.

It took me about half an hour to finish the sets so it was about a set every 4 minutes. Recovery was abundant, and my legs got enough rest between sets. All sets were pretty much similar in my head. Quite heavy from the first to last set but still something I was able to manage well.

Squats and start of the wod

Partner workout. Time, 31.30

• As a team, complete the following for 3 rounds for time of:
• 20 deadlift, 100kg
• 60 push-up
• 40 dumbbell snatch, 25kg
• 20 burpee box jump
• 20 handstand push-up
• 40m walking lunges, 2x25kg

At first we just brainstormed over the elements we want to have as part of the workout. Pushing, pulling, jumping, lunging, that's pretty much it. Worked well. It turned out to be something like a chipper, consisting anyway of 3 rounds. We had planned on doing certain sets, and we followed the plan for the first round, then improvised on the second and third round to make the movements as fast as possible. That means the sets were a bit shorter so either of us was constantly moving body or weight.

Deadlifts were the easiest part. Easy weight, and just couple of reps. Toni had just done heavy deads for strength and I had Smolov so we decided to keep the weight light. On the push-ups I did 15's at first, and then 10's towards the end.

Db snatches we agreed to do 10 reps in a row, then change. I did 5 on the right hand, then switched to left hand, and completed the reps from hang position at 25 kilos. Both snatches and burpee box jumps brought the heart rate up.

I had thought about doing these strict and did so in the beginning. That would have killed the pace on this workout and so I changed to kipping versions. Toni also had some issues on the hspu's so I completed majority of the reps. Burned shoulders very well.

Lunges with 2x25kg dumbbells was probably the most unpleasant element in this workout. There was no doubt we would go unbroken on those 10 meter walks up and down the green matt. But it felt disgusting at the end of rounds two and three. Good workout for a partner wod for sure. And it was great to throw down with Toni.

Wednesday 5.8: Squat, Row, Hspu

Wednesday. Back squat 5x7 (120kg). Metcon, 4rds of: 500m row, 10 hspu. Time, 10.55.

More work on the legs. Make them carry the load on back. This has been great this far. It's getting heavier by the day. After squats it was rowing and hspu's. Short and intense. Legs can take the burden on the legs, they are not sore but they feel a bit tired after squats.

Smolov.

• Back squat 5x7 (120kg)

Huh, this getting rather uncomfortable. Still, I feel like a man after pushing through these sets. I still got what it takes to push these loads for longer sets. Last week this same sequence was at 110kg so this was a different thing obviously. This time I didn't try to rush through the first reps tng but instead did them in "singles" all the way.

This turned out to be a good strategy and I was able to pace these through without problems. Surely, some of the reps were challenging but there was never a doubt in my mind about completing the sets. Felt happy about this session.

Squats

Metcon. Time, 10.55

• 4 rounds of:
• 500m row
• 10 handstand push-ups

It took some time before it was wise to jump on the concept2 after squats. Rower and hspu station are at the other sides of the gym so there was some walking between these two but other than that I went directly on the wall for hspu's. Went unbroken on them, felt great. Breathing was quite high during the metcon because of the rowing.

Pace was sub 1:50 for 500m. My forearms were tingling when holding on the rower's handle. Don't know why. That was a bit weird. Well, it didn't matter on this one. This combination of movements is great. I believe it's good to have rowing to increase heart rate, handstand push-ups to burn shoulders and improve those skills. There was also an option of increasing the amount of hspu's per round or making it a descending ladder by starting at a big set of hspu's but today's point in the metcon was to keep moving constantly. Times were not changing dramatically between rounds so I felt good about this one.

Monday 3.8: Back squat, Ghd's

Monday. Squat 4x9 (113kg). Accessory, 100 ghd's.

It is surprising how good my legs feel after one week of Smolov squat program. They are not sore at all, not a bit. Okay, I had a thought that legs wouldn't get too painful but they are probably gonna get tired in the course of these upcoming weeks. That's also the reason why there are going to be days when metcons are not accompanying the strength part. I'll try to do some accessory work after squats.

Smolov.

• Back squat 4x9 (113kg)

Long sets are quite brutal in their own nature. These are all tough but the length of the sets really makes a difference. Short sets (3's and 5's) are heavier for every single rep, and these longer ones (7's and 9's) are brutal as they start to get heavy in the middle of the set. So it's more mental than anything else. Just hold on and do the work.

Today's sets were alright, I'm waiting eagerly (not) to next Monday's 4x9 (118kg). It's gonna be tough. From here on the sets are going to be heavy. Got to do mental prep-work prior to the training session.

9x113kg

Core.

• 4x25 ghd sit-ups
• 0:30 rest between sets

Elbows are a bit sore still, for about a week now. That means to say pressing is off limits. We didn't have that much time anyway today so it was couple of minutes time slot, and we had to go. Toni talked about ghd's at work earlier today, and suggested I'd do 100 reps. That thought popped in to my mind so I went after it. It was basically 60 seconds of work, and 30 seconds of rest, for 4 rounds. In the first round I did 27 reps, the remaining rounds were 25 reps. Unbroken for first 3 rounds. On the last one my core was smashed, and I had to pause for a second on top for maybe 3 times.

Sunday 2.8: Back squats

Sunday. Back squat 10x3 (123kg).

It was a long day at the wedding yesterday, and we got to bed only at 3 am. So naturally we slept late and I went to the gym in the evening after sleeping a whole lot, also napping. Today's agenda was purely squatting. End of Smolov's first week.

Smolov.

• Back squat 10x3 (123kg)

That means to say it was 10 sets of triples. It says the weight should be 122.5kg so I rounded it up a bit.  The weight was something I was still able to manhandle. They felt a bit heavier than they looked like. I wasn't going to make this a long session so my plan was to hit one set every 3:00. That gave enough time to recover from each set. This first week was okay on Smolov, now it's getting much tougher from here on.

Sunday squats

Friday 31.7: Squats, Hspu, Du's

Friday. Smolov 7x5 (115kg). Metcon, 20-16-12-8-4 hspu, 100-80-60-40-20 du's. Time, 15.25.

Otherwise I was feeling good for a good training session but a little nagging pain in both elbows. Nothing bit but it derives from yesterday's from clean and jerks. Today was another Smolov session, then a tough combination for shoulders in the form of hspu's and du's. It was great to hook up with Jasper for this session.

Jazz doing push-ups, t2b's and jump rope metcon

Smolov.

• Back squat 7x5 reps (115kg)

I did some mental work prior to opening the gym door and I saw myself doing light squats. At the end of the day these went as I had imagined them to go. The weight wasn't that bad. It's gonna get heavier, this is the lightest week, getting heavier by the week.

I believe my last set was the best. Don't have that one on the video unfortunately. There was another guy squatting next to me with a beautiful technique and I got inspired by him to put my best effort. The thing was to stay properly on my heels to reach an upright torso. My flutes were squeezed on every single rep and the package was tight. Felt very good to finish strong.

Smolov

Metcon. Time, 15.25

• 20-16-12-8-4 handstand push-ups
• 100-80-60-40-20 double unders

Last time I played around with double unders, they felt very natural and we were working as one nit with the jump rope. Today they sucked big time. It was like I was in the verge of learning how to do double unders for the first time. Don't know the reason for that but they definitely took majority of the time on this one.

Breathing was good all the time. It was the du's that failed, and the shoulder burn was real. This combo is putting a lot of stress on shoulders so no wonder they were getting fatigued. Hspu's were pretty okay all the way. I knew this is heavy on shoulders because they have no rest at all in this workout. These were mostly completed in 3 sets (13-4-3, 8-4-4, 6-3-3, 5-3, 4).

Wednesday 29.7: Squats, "2007"

Wednesday. Back squat 5x7 (110kg). Metcon, 1.000m row, then 5rds of: 7 jerk (60kg), 15 pull-ups. Time, 13.51.

Another squat day for this week. My hamstring are pretty tight from Monday's session. Not only because of squats but mostly due to Diane. Lots of quick deadlifts and probably with rather straight legs so that created a good tension in the hammies. Feels good =) Anyway, more squats, then jerks and pull-ups for metcon.

First round includes rowing

Smolov.

• Back squat 5x7 (110kg)

This time the reps came down, sets and weights went up. This weight was very manageable. Definitely felt nasty but I had a good feeling on smashing these sets. My plan was to hit couple of touch'n'go reps, then pause, get more breath, inhale and continue the set. It turned out to be 4 reps in a row, then singles to finish it. Got a good burn on my legs every set.

Another thing I want to focus on these sets is to hit the bottom of my deepest squat in every rep. I still remember how good this Smolov program made to my mobility when I went through it about a year ago. It really opened up my hips. Being under a shitload of weight every other day and letting the body drop naturally to its lowest point really forced the hips to open up. That's what I'm looking as one of the biggest benefits of this program.

Metcon. Time, 13.51. Compare to 14.10.2014

• 1.000m row, then
• 5 rounds of:
• 7 push jerk, 60kg
• 15 pull-ups

Okay, I had a lot of mixed feelings. I've done this one once before and remember it was quite a burner on upper body. Actually I remember that being one bad misery of a workout hehe. I approached this workout with calmness. Because this was gonna hurt I probably took a notch down in vain. Should have attacked it with anger.

My time this time was slower than last time. Okay, my pull-ups are not on the same level as they were previously. Those were the biggest difference for sure. Last time I didn't have the rowing element there. that obviously took couple of minutes.

I went unbroken on the jerks. Those were not the thing. Last 2 reps on the latest sets burned my legs but shoulders stayed fine all the way. On pull-ups I was way too conservative. I had a plan. Usually I go by feeling, on about 98% of the workouts. Today I decided to play it 5-5-5 with short breaks. I followed this one from the very first set (I think), and jumped quite fast back on the pull-up bar. That was the whole idea. There's no point in resting too much and do 5's.

I guess the time was anyway consumed in the transitions and in the latest rounds on the pull-up bar breaks. I felt good after the workout but disappointed when I realized what I had hit last time. My muscles were sore post-wod but breathing was rather well under control. This is a great workout, and I'm sure gonna repeat it some day just to get my revenge. That time I'm gonna give it my all. Plus, I'm gonna have better pull-ups then!

Monday 27.7: Squats, Diane

Monday. Back squat 4x9 (103kg). Diane, time 6.40 (PR).

I started the week with squats, and a benchmark workout Diane. Both went pretty well. This was the beginning of Smolov squats. I'll do them for couple of weeks and concentrate on getting my legs stronger. Diane felt like a perfect ending to this session as I've thought about completing this workout for quite some time.

Smolov.

• Back squat 4x9 (103kg)

This first session was a total of 4 sets of 9 repetitions. Mentally this was easier because about 100k is not that bad. On the other hand, these long sets are bad ass. I tried to knock a few off tng style, then catch a breath, and finish the reps. Good start to getting legs stronger.

Squats

Diane. Time, 6.40 (PR). Compare to 20.2.2014

• 21-15-9 of:
• Deadlit, 103kg
• Handstand push-ups

The first ever Diane I did was back in 2013, and the time was 17.47. There's been good progression on these skills, and I'm happy to report a new record on this wod at 6.40. This one is definitely all about the hspu's for me.

Diane

At some point during the workout it was a bit frustrating as I thought there's not gonna be a new record. After I went home and checked the previous time, it was a great moment to realize I had remembered the previous PR time incorrectly. This time I was happy about it because it meant that I got through this faster than ever before. Even with breaking the deads into pieces. Okay, the breaks were not long so it was mostly because I was able to move faster on the hspu's.

Monday 10.11: Squats, Pull-ups, Box, Run

Monday. Strength, back squat 7x4 (max 120kg). Metcon, 4rds of: 20 pull-ups, 20 box, 400m run. Time, 14.45.

Squat day. This is some sort of continuation to Smolov, I'll try to follow it, without stressing about it too much. But I need to squat anyway and there seems to be a good guide on how to stick to heavy weights. On metcon main ingredient was pull-ups. As I've told before, I'll increase the amount of them, especially now as I have some issues with my wrist and all kinds of press movements are forbidden. Pulling seems to be okay.

Strength.

• Back squat 7x4 (100, 105, 120, 120, 120, 120, 120kg)

These weights were pre-determined. Last 5 of the 7 sets were 80% of my 1RM. First set 66% and second 70%. Felt light all the way. It was a great feeling of pushing through these sets without any issues. 120kg is no biggie anymore. Warm-up weights. The result of squatting a lot. I also wanna squat frequently to increase mobility in my hips. It's not long ago since it was a problem but through working on mobility it has improved a lot. And squatting 4 times a week definitely helped it way more.

Push jerk descending 10-1, and pull-ups ascending 2-20.

Here's James Hobart going for this "Jake the Snake"

Metcon. Time, 14.45

• 4 rounds of:
• 20 pull-ups
• 20 box jump, 61cm
• 400m run (and crosstrainer)

I live for intense workouts. I've had to think about the movements what I'm able to do now. This wrist is setting some boundaries what I can do and what are out of limits. I'd like to clean, and press stuff in the air, do hspu's and muscle-ups, ring dips, burpees and snatches. Even squats bring some pain as the hand is flexed so I need to be careful.

Pull-ups are great, there's no pain at all. Today's focus was on rocking high-number reps per round. Started with pull-ups, then box jumps, 20 reps both. The third element was running. I got to the treadmill on the first round and ran 15km/h pace. On the second round it felt like one person jumped on the treadmill on purpose so I hopped on crosstrainer as a substitute, and stuck with it for the 3 remaining rounds. Went up to 400m on that too, it took a bit more time which can be seen on the round times as well. Rower was occupied too so this was the best there was available :)

I'm super happy on the pull-ups. Got 3 rounds unbroken, boom! I knew one round is for sure, and hoped for another round ub too. Well, it was supposed to be because there weren't other movements to burden upper body that much. Felt great to get 80 reps in the books this way.

This metcon was good in nature. Box jumps got to my breathing in a good way. It would have been perfect with the pure running element but this was definitely a good one! By the way, did you watch the Crossfit Invitationals last night, I had a blast checking it out. Below is a recap of the action!

Wednesday 15.10: Squats

Wednesday. Strength, Smolov, back squat 10x3 (137.5kg).

At times it felt like this day would never come. The end of Smolov's squat program. I knew this wouldn't be a walk tin the park. I filled in my one rep max at 145kg - even though I wasn't sure if I would have got that up before the program - and the excel showed me what to do on each training day. I had taken my PR long time ago and it felt like I wasn't quite on that same pace in the late summer. Today it was time to take another hard core set of 10x3 at heavy weights. Now I'll pass these squats for a while and test my one rep max in a couple of days.

Getting work done

Strength.

• Smolov, back squat
• Sets at 10x3
• 1st-8th sets 3x137.5kg, 9th set 2x137.5kg, 10th set 4x135kg

I looked at the excel and it said the load should be 137.5kg. For 10 sets of triples. I was about to lose my mind at this scenario. Then again, the only option was to dig deep in the back of my head and talk myself up to be a strongman. You can do this shit. Don't think about it too much, do what you can do best, don't over think it, just do the work. I kept telling myself I can do these heavy sets. I left the door a little bit open to nail them as 135kg sets if 137.5kg would be too much.

Took warm-up properly and couple of sets with barbell at 70, 105, 125kg before jumping to 137.5kg. First set was a fair game, I got it without problems even though I felt it heavy on my back rack. It was a good boost on confidence level as it felt a ton on my back but once I went down and started pushing back up, it felt fine. I understood my legs and entire body is ready for today. Second set felt the same. On third it started feeling heavier.

For fourth set I asked a pal to spot me just in case. It was better to have a friend to secure the lifts and somehow it makes it easier to finish strong on the reps. All sets between 4th and 8th were similar, weighed enormously but from somewhere I was able to gather extra strength to get the required reps down. On 8th set my spotter laid his hands on my ribcage to guide me back up on the right tracks. That was much needed help and simultaneously it might have gone under my skin.

On 9th set I probably didn't get mentally strong enough and the possibility of not making it through got to my head. And that's pretty much a definite thing it happens once you let it slip in your head. So I took a double of which the second one needed some guidance from my spotter too. At that moment I decided to go down with 2.5kg to 135kg sharp. That's a small drop but mentally it was huge. The last set was a piece of cake. That probably indicates this squat business is largely a psychological issue too.

As it was such an easy piece it came to my mind right after racking it that I should finish strong and make up the one rep that was lost on the 9th set. I waited for half a minute and completed the last one like it weighed 120kg. This made me smile and it was an awesome finish to the training session. Had no time for a metcon today but tomorrow's another day of crossfit.

This Smolov squat program definitely was hard but it was also worth walking through it. Positive side effects. My mobility in hip lower body has improved tremendously. It's beyond words how good my hips feel currently. Being constantly under this kind of pressure and tension has brought miracles to my hips. Squat form has also taken steps. I feel like my reps look the same, no matter the weights. There's been so much repetitions, about 130-140 heavy reps per week that it has to make good. Naturally my strength must have gone up as well. At this point I can say these set weights have definitely gone up. Gotta test that one rep max too soon.

Toni jerked 110kg today for a 10kg PR, huge man, congrats!

On the negative side I'll say in the beginning I was a bit hesitant to do tough metcons because I thought it would make harm to this program. Later in the program I started doing regular workouts too. Not maybe at same level but at some point this has hindered my traditional crossfit training methods. I've tried to let my legs rest a bit more. Some of these squat days have taken a lot of time at the gym so I haven't had time to go after metcons.

All in all, it was a good call to finally try it out as I had been thinking about it for months. What happens from this point on, I don't know. Time will tell =)

Monday 13.10: Squats, 8min amrap

Monday. Strength, Smolov, squat 7x5 (130kg). Metcon, 8min amrap of: 5 hang power clean (50kg), 10 box. Result, 140 reps.

I was waiting anxiously for this day. Another heavy day of squatting. These heavy strength days for legs are getting me nervous because I know it ain't gonna be easy. I listened to my body closely and was making it sure I was ready for 35 reps of bad ass squats. Jouni joined me at the gym and he seems to be pumped up and ready to talk me up so that definitely eased the mental game. He was my spotter of the day. He worked on some deadlifts and then we hit a 8min amrap together.

Evening stroll with Pauliina ended up in Eltsu =) Just checking it out though

Strength.

• Smolov, back squat 7x5 (130kg)

Lots and lots of mental preparation to make sure these weights would come up as planned. I looked back on all the sets and weights I have moved in the past weeks of this Smolov squat program. Last week 130kg triples were very tough so that made me a bit insecure of hitting 5's today. Then again, I was able to move 7x5 at 125kg a week ago and 5x7 at 125kg just last Saturday. That boosted my confidence and I decided to build it up with doubles and singles up to the load of the day: 130kg.

Last single I took up was 120kg and it didn't feel heavy. Still, I wasn't sure how 130kg would feel. It weighs a lot in back rack but then as I went down it felt okay and it got me pumped up for the first set. For some unknown reason I was more confident of hitting these 5's than the 3's last week with the same weight… I got mentally strong before every lift plus Jouni was my back up man so there was no other option but to man up and do the work.

None of the lifts were light. But the real work was done during the last 2 reps of each set. At times it felt like the bar stopped the upward motion but I guess it was moving all the time. The most important thing was that I got them done, and they looked pretty similar to each other and to the previous squat sessions as well. Didn't have to compromise technique at all. Here's one of the sets, either second or third. Last 2 reps of them. As you can hear, they were not light =) I wanna take this opportunity to thank Jouni for encouraging me on the lifts and spotting all sets. Thanks man and great job on your lifts too!

Squat 5x130kg

Metcon. Result, 140 reps

• 8min amrap of:
• 5 hang power clean, 50kg
• 10 box

Okay, legs were smashed potatoes after the strength portion but recovering for a while and thinking about the metcon brought the strength and stamina back to the body. We decided to hit it together with Jouni, at least for the same time scheme. He did burpees, lunges and dumbbell presses instead during those 8 minutes.

I didn't wanna have the barbell too heavy, this was light instead and brought me no troubles at any time. Afterwards thinking, it could have easily been heavier while still being "light". After first round I realized one set of cleans and box would be quickly over so there would be a lot of rounds during this short amount of time. My pace was consistent which pleases me a lot, it hovered around 50+ seconds all the time. First 2 rounds were sub 50 sec though. I just clicked the "round" button on my cell phone and continued moving around. It was great to have Jouni working beside me all the time.

Saturday 11.10: Smolov squats

Saturday. Smolov, back squat 5x7 (125kg).

Today we were in no hurry at all so we slept till midday, it felt heavenly to get some rest for this body. I slept something like 11+ hours =) regular weekday sleep is around 7 hours so this was a real pampering. We decided to hit it downtown for a date night wit Pauliina and eventually I had time to sneak in some Smolov in the afternoon. Got time only for squatting.

Strength.

• Smolov, back squat 5x7 (125kg)

I thought to myself how the heck am I going to nail these squats. It would be 125kg on the barbell and it stood 7's for a total of 5 sets in my notes. Then I comforted my mind by thinking I was able to complete similar sets last week with 120kg. Those were tough for sure back then but I tired convince me of being able to go for these as there was only a 5kg difference.

I climbed up to the set weight by doing some empty barbell squats and then random reps at 60, 90, and 115kg weights. Pause squats and regular reps too. I figured having 1-5 reps with these lighter loads would get me ready for the upcoming challenge.

I realized the cruelty of this day on the very first set. First reps brought me back to reality as I noticed how heavy the weights were. Last 2 reps on each set were as challenging as they were about a week ago when I did similar reps / sets last time.

I still don't know how I managed to pull these off as my legs were jello after 2 sets. Those were tough! It was a mental game all the way. The first set was so heavy I was thinking how hopeless it felt. On the second set the 5th reps was a real battle (you'll see it in the video) and I thought about racking the bar. My legs barely go the 5th rep up but after inhaling and exhaling a bit I decided to give it a shot and nailed the last 2 reps too.

After that I decided to do some crosstrainer for recovery between sets. Just slow pace, keeping the legs moving and active so they wouldn't get all jammed up. I wanna believe that helped a little. After 3 full sets I convinced my head we are always past the midway so just man up and do your thing. I went and did. And felt superb after having done all 5 sets!

Thursday 9.10: Squats, Burpee and T2b

Thursday. Strength, Smolov back squat 4x9 (117.5kg). Metcon, 10 to 1, down by 1's of: burpees and t2b. Time 6.30

Time to get back in action with the squats. That extra day of squat rest made miracles to my legs, they felt great, like I hadn't squatted in ages. They were fresh as... hmm I don't know but they were ready for action! After squats they were hammered and I was about to hit just a short workout. It ended up being burpees and t2b's and it was intense.

I found Toni at the gym in the morning

Strength.

• Smolov, back squat 4x9 (117.5kg)

By the program yesterday was supposed to be this day. My right knee hurt a little yesterday so I didn't wanna take any chances that time. Today however, everything felt fine and I needed to get these in my system. The barbell felt great on my back rack and after a good long warm-up I walked toward the bar and started doing pause squats and speed squats with light weight, just to get my hips opened even better.

This is one of the last sessions of this Smolov stuff before I get a pause of heavy squatting. Today's agenda was 9's for 4 sets, weight 2.5 kilos shy of 120kg. Not light for me. First reps were okay each set but the last 2 reps were a battle of minds. The video below is the first set. I'd say it was alright for about 3-4 reps, then the next 2-3 reps were more challenging and the last 2-3 required my last piece of strength each time. It was roar-time, couldn't keep my mouth shut.

Squat 9x117.5kg

Metcon. Time 6.30

• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of:
• Burpee
• Toes-to-bar

After having done the strength part my lower body was smashed and I had to think about for a while what would be my next move. Didn't have a feeling to grab a barbell, and burpees are always a pleasure so it went towards burpees and t2b's. The only negative thing in this workout was that my hip flexors were burning already before the workout and it only emphasized during it. Both moves put pressure down there.

Starting from 10 reps each, coming down by 1's down to 1 rep, totaling 55 burpees and toes-to-bar. It was quite fast workout. I did all burpees unbroken and with a steady pace from the beginning to the end. I thought burpees would be the tougher movement. Actually, I even thought about adding the number of t2b's in some way to get more of them. Luckily I didn't. They started to get to my hip flexors and core a lot and I had to break them after 3 rounds. From the round of 7's I did them mostly in 2 sets till the end. The recovery was just dropping down and getting back up, I didn't stay to catch a breath, just needed to release the tension for a while.

Below you'll see most of the round times on the metcon. Got it a little faster each round as it was supposed to be of course. It was a good rally!

Word by Ben Smith

Monday 6.10: Squats, Clean, Hspu, Du's

Monday. Smolov squats 10x3 (130kg). Metcon of hang power clean, hspu and du's. Time 9.20.

Third day in four days of squatting, and the weights didn't go down this time either. Instead, heavier barbell was found on my back in the late afternoon. Luckily I had couple of training partners there at the gym to talk me up for the sets. I was looking for the metcon that was waiting as a reward after squats.

Strength.

• Smolov, back squat 10x3 (3x132.5kg, 7x130kg)

My right knee was a bit sore from yesterday's squats so I wasn't that much into hitting another tough squat session. Program said it's 10 sets of triples with 132.5kg, recover as needed between sets. I took the first set and it felt heavy already there, huh huh. On the second set it didn't get any easier. I said to Teppo, one of our work place's strongest guys, if not the strongest, that it's gonna be a long day of squatting…  On the third one I needed him to spot me and the third rep on that set leaned a little too much forward and I needed to take a short balancing step forward on my left leg.

At that moment I realized it's too heavy to complete 7 more sets. Maybe it was a psychological matter but I dropped only 2.5kg down to 130kg and the bar felt lighter instantly. Teppo spotted the rest of my sets - thanks for that - which helped mentally a lot. I was a bit cautious on that right knee from the beginning till the end which may have had its effect on these squats.

Recovery times were quite long, much longer than normally but I didn't want to take any missed lifts. I decided to hit the triples all the way no matter what, and stayed with 130kg for the remaining sets (7 sets @ 130kg). It felt good, or at least as good as it can in a situation like this, to nail the squats almost as written.

Metcon. Time 9.20. Compare to 31.8.2012

• 4 handstand push-ups
• 12 hang power clean, 60kg
• 8 handstand push-ups
• 8 hang power clean, 60kg
• 12 handstand push-ups
• 4 hang power clean, 60kg
• 50 double unders
• 12 handstand push-ups
• 4 hang power clean, 60kg
• 8 handstand push-ups
• 8 hang power clean, 60kg
• 4 handstand push-ups
• 12 hang power clean, 60kg

This was the gem of the training session. For some reason this popped into my head a while ago. I did this one over two years ago, that time I competed against my big bro. I had just started crossfit couple of months ago and didn't really know how to do hspu's. Rx'd reps were a distant dream then and full range of motion was somewhere months away. My clean PR was made that same day for 65kg. Take a look at the video if you wanna have some laughs =)

This workout is somehow genius, it was as brilliant as I remembered it to be. The number of hspu's and cleans varied between 4, 8 and 12 reps. It was a 2-part metcon, with 50 double unders between the parts. On the first round hspu's went up and cleans came down. On the second round it was vice versa.

The times between now and then are not even remotely comparable. There was 20kg difference in the weights too. I was happy that time how I performed and I was happy on today's version too. I took the cleans as hang power versions because I didn't wanna burn my legs that much. Don't remember how the sets went but those 12-rep sets were broken, maybe 8-reps were also mostly but to 2 attempts, some were probably unbroken. Double unders in between were easy, no problems.

This was a fun workout and I'm missing this kind of workouts already. It's been fun to squat but I'm missing old school crossfit workouts. I've taken it easier on them during this Smolov thing because I've tried to save my legs. It will be over soon so it's time to put the creativity-pants back on and start crossfitting for real!

Sunday 5.10: Squats

Sunday. Smolov, back squats 7x5 (125kg).

The wedding ceremony and party afterwards was awesome, and it went rather late in the night before we headed to bed. It was time to clean the place up today in the morning and it took some time after 80 people had been partying all night long. We started the engine at early afternoon and drove about 3 hours home. We didn't sleep last night a lot so we obviously tired as we got home. We ate and then I had to take a nap, it felt like I'm about to fall asleep just like that. It felt like it would be awesome to sleep until net morning but there were squats written in my agenda for today so I took a short nap instead and headed to the gym.

Strength.

• Smolov, back squat 7x5 (125kg)

It wasn't the easiest day to come at the gym to work hard. However, I payed a lot of attention to warm-up, I did some crosstrainer to get muscles warm, then lots of mobility drills, hip openers and foam rolling to really activate entire lower body. That did well to my body and I was ready to hit it! These weights are serious stuff for me now. The first 2 weeks of Smolov was easy but then it's been tough every day. I've been able to nail all sets as prescribed, and I'm actually very proud of it.

Today was not exception. Completing 7 sets of 5's with 125kg was a bit frightening =) I thought about it for the entire weekend a little but I decided to manhandle the weights no matter what. And I got them done as planned, c'mon! It's interesting that my legs are feeling okay after each squat session. They're actually feeling much more fresh compared to sessions before Smolov. I guess they are now used to squatting a lot and don't get jammed that bad.

Another thing I'm proud of is the depth of my squat. I believe that really strengthens my legs even more compared to going just below parallel. Going all the way down must have lots of benefits strength-wise, plus I'm anticipating it to better my squat clean as well. Once I'm getting comfortable being under this much weight in the very bottom, I hope I have more guts to get under the bar faster in the clean as well.

Recap of squats

Completing 7 sets takes a lot of time and energy so I packed up my gear and went home to eat more and recover. It's gonna be another squat session tomorrow. Here's a couple of pictures from yesterday.

Wedding car was a Mustang from the 60's

My beautiful fiancé

C'mon, I won the garter as the groom tossed it to the crowd =)