Getting back to the gym after taking couple of days rest due to a light flu. Felt great to move the barbell. Loads were light because I didn't wanna press my lungs that much.
Saturday.
Back squat 6x5 @ 120kg
I was a bit nervous how the squats would play out as my body wasn't in 100% condition. It turned out these were awesome. I was positively surprised of how nicely the barbell went up and down with this weight. Normally that wouldn't be worth that much of a celebration but this time it definitely was!
Monday.
Emom x 12 minutes:
4min: 10 thrusters @ 40kg
4min: 6 thrusters @ 50kg
4min: 3 thrusters @ 60kg
Emom x 10 minutes:
Odd, 12 pull-ups
Even, 10 dips
Time to do some lung work. Figured why not combine a bar with it. Thrusters it was. Good session of weights and bodyweight. The latter part was conducted unbroken on the pull-ups and dips were with the rings for 3 rounds, and the last 2 rounds with bar dips or whatever they are called :)
Used to do tons of these when I played floorball. Great for body coordination and awareness
Wednesday. With a running clock for 30 minutes. 0-10min: 10min amrap of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 kb swing (24kg), 20 squat. 10-20min: build up to a heavy snatch single. 20-30min: 10min amrap of 5 power clean (70kg), 10 dips, 15 box.
Today was a tight schedule day. There wasn't much time to hang around so I wrote this workout in a bit different way, taking these circumstances into account. I've been trying to squeeze some time off of my sessions lately and succeeded in it pretty nicely too.
Workout.
0:00 - 10:00, 10min amrap of:
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 kettlebell swings @ 24kg
20 air squats
Result, 280 reps (5 rounds + 15 kb swings)
10:00 - 20:00
Build up to a heavy single
Snatch
Result: 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 63, 65kg
20:00 - 30:00, 10min amrap of:
5 power cleans @ 70kg
10 dips
15 box jumps
Result, 95 reps (5 rounds + 5 cleans)
Practically without any warm-up I started working for this wod. Just opened some hips for 2-3 minutes before tapping the timer on. I would never do that in a workout with heavy weights or if top of the notch mobility was needed (like I even had it =D). However, the idea was that the first piece is mostly bodyweight stuff which is easy to begin with.
It was something that reminded benchmark workout Cindy. Upgraded it with kettlebell swings, 1.5pood bell. 10 minute amrap of these four elements. It took something like 1.30min on the first round, then 1:40 - 1:55 on the following rounds. Unbroken on each movement. Got 20 air squats shy of 6 full rounds.
It was awkward to move to the weightlifting platform right after metcon. Even though I have done crossfit for 3 years, this type of arrangement was not familiar to me. It was nice to see that even though I didn't do warm-up specifically, going for squat snatches after this metcon my hips and shoulders were well prepared, open and ready for action. Didn't feel tight at all, from anywhere in my body.
I didn't pay that much attention to the clock, just climbed up little by little doing singles from the very beginning. First lift felt somehow off but then I got them rolling well. Maybe the first lift felt funny after having my heart rate up still. Had one miss on the heaviest load at 65kg. I shook my hands and took another shot at it, and got it up. This was a good result for me.
As funny as it was to go after snatch singles after metcon, it was as funny to start another metcon right after the last snatch. I just changed my shoes back to Nano's, changed the plates to 70kg and started pulling. Went unbroken on each element in this one too. This was physically more demanding than the first metcon. Cleans made me breath heavy, dips burned my shoulders, chest and triceps. And box jumps are always a good one to burn legs and lungs. This was a good 30min workout!
Today was a very early training session in the morning. I was surprised how fresh I felt at that time. Okay, body feels a bit hammered but I wasn't tired at all and that was a great signal of having enough time to recover and sleep on holidays. Upper body strength to start with, and then a notch longer workout with easier heart rate.
Strength.
Bench press 6x5 @ 80kg
The effect of all the presses and jerks yesterday were obvious today. I felt it in my shoulders for sure. That's why bench presses were heavier than they usually are. I stayed at relatively light weight in all sets, across 80kg in all sets. No prob in these sets though.
Gymnastics.
Weighted dips 7x3 @ 20kg
Last set as many reps as possible. Result, 7 reps
This has been non-existing for a long time. I figured it suits well with the bench. There was a set of bodyweight dips for a number of reps, then triples at 10kg and 15kg before doing the first working set. Ended up doing 7 sets at this fixed load.
One set of dips
On the last rep I allowed myself to enjoy the moment and do as many reps as possible to finish the dips. My shoulders were shot at this point but still I was able to do 7 reps. Felt good about it.
Metcon. Time, 25.50
4 rounds of:
1.000m row
20 push-ups
10 right hand kettlebell overhead lunges, 16kg
10 left hand kettlebell overhead lunges, 16kg
This workout's purpose was to go steadily with a bit lower heart rate. Rowing was at 1:55 throughout the wod. Push-ups were unbroken. Kettlebell lunges with holding the single kb overhead is something new I wanted to try out. One training pal threw in the idea of overhead lunges so I modified it to this version.
Short recap of metcon
Had no idea what weight might work for its purpose. I grabbed the first kettlebell and started walking with it. It was 16kg all the way. I also tried 2x16kg but that felt a bit difficult considering my shoulder mobility. Got to try them out later on too. I guess those might make a positive impact.
In the end I realized the weight of the kettlebell was too light. These didn't burn as much I had anticipated. Shoulders were strong in this one. Nice little metcon to finish the session.
Thursday. Back squat triples / doubles / singles (up to 145kg). Metcon, long chipper. Time, 15.30.
Huh, today was as sentimental day as it could possible be. I'm about to change my employer after working for this current company for 10 years. I've grown up to a man within that building's walls around me. It has not been just a job, it's been something close to a second home. From the beginning of next year I'm about to build similar confidence and society with another company. Today was my farewell party and it was a really touching event to say the least. I appreciate those guys tremendously. They've affected me in more ways I could ever imagine.
Jasper after the chipper
Strength.
Back squat
Triples (60, 70, 80, 90, 100kg)
Doubles (110, 120, 130kg)
Singles (135, 140, 145kg, fail at 150kg)
After work I hooked up with Jasper and we agreed to get some strength in our lower bodies and then get a good sweat together. This session was supposed to be identical to the one I just did earlier this week with front squats. That was every 90 seconds for a set of front squats, with climbing weights and descending reps, up to a heavy single.
There were not more than one rack available so we shared it with Jazz. that's the reason why I didn't take a look at the clock at all. Point was to go for a set once the bar was available. This was a good workout and the tempo was good. We did the sets alternating. Triples were light, more like warm-up sets. Doubles were easy too. It was great to see that also 2x130kg was ways.
It was kind of funny to witness that singles were under very good control all the way up to 145kg. That last successful one was a bit tight in the end but there was no doubt in my mind it would come up. And I felt strong on that lift. Some doubt still crawled in my mind about hitting the 150kg lift, and that must have affected the last attempt. It went down smoothly, small bounce there and coming back up. Just didn't have enough to bring it all the way up so I had to let it go. Still happy on the 145kg. It's been a while since going this heavy on back squats.
Got this sandbag from Toni and couple of colleagues today =)
Chipper. Time, 15.30
15 pull-ups
20 kettlebell swings, 20kg
30 medball slams, 9kg
30 air squats
15 toes-to-bar's
600m row
30 push-ups
20 lunges
25 ghd sit-ups
15 dips
20 box jumps
10 handstand push-ups
20 overhead squats, 20kg
30 burpees
This is something Jasper had written down some months ago. He's had some issues with his hips so we haven't been able to go after this one. Today he was well rested and body felt fresh so it was time to see what this is all about.
The ideology behind this is a chipper. Every movement exists there only once so you just chip it away. All the movements and reps were designed so that you don't have to stop and lean your elbows on your knees but just keep moving.
I was able to obey that plan pretty well. Only two elements had to be broken down. Those were dips and push-ups, a.k.a the pressing movements. Push-ups were 20-5-5, and dips were 8-3-2-2. They got spicy. However, my breaks were not that long as I wanted to keep moving all the time. There was not a single movement that would have been too much to handle. It was more like the continuing agony of having heart rate up and muscles working.
Okay, the last element of 30 burpees was disgusting. At that point of the wod it was just awful. My strategy was just do them one by one, without thinking too much about it. I went up and down without stops. I'm proud of this one.
Friday. Clean triples (up to 100kg). Pair wod, 3rds of: 50 pull-ups, 50 dips, 150 du's. Time, 17.40.
This Friday was more like a freestyle session. It says olympic lifts for Friday's nowadays so it was going to be either cleans or snatches. Jerks are out of limits due to painful elbows. Overhead seems to be the worst for that case. But today they were fine, and it's been a while since doing cleans. At least it feels like it. I've focused more on snatches lately. Jasper had matching schedules so it was great to throw down with this mister at the end of the session for a pair workout!
100kg
Oly.
Clean triples (60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 100kg)
My lower back felt like it's done a lot of work in the past days so after warm-up I thought of hitting some clean singles at around 90 kilos. Built it up with triples at light weight, and they actually felt very good so I kind of stayed in that mode. At the end I realized there was 100kg's on the barbell for a triple. Not touch'n'go. Dropped it after every repetition, then took another one, didn't rush with the reps.
Felt pretty smooth in each set. Tried to focus on engaging my lats fully, keeping my shoulders back so the barbell would hit a notch higher on my hips. Weights felt good all the way.
Pair wod. Time, 17.40
In a team of two, perform
3 rounds of:
50 pull-up
50 dip
150 double under
This was a lot of fun. Getting the chance to do a workout with a friend rocks. We thought about doing a chipper or then a classic couple-of-rounds type of workout. This was something in between. The volume grew in good numbers. Three elements, 50 reps at bodyweight and 150 double unders per round. "You go - I go" style. Repeat for a total of 3 rounds.
Jasper started with the pull-ups. Once he did his max set, we high fives and changed roles. Alternating for as long as needed to get those 50 pull-ups in the books. And only after we had completed 50 reps of pull-ups we were allowed to move on to the dips. We didn't plan about how to divide the reps between us but we had our thoughts that I might be stronger on the pull-ups and Jasper would demolish the dips.
There was also a point for this reasoning. He did pull-ups strict so it was only natural that I would do more of them. And why did he control the dips? Because he is a pure savage on those. Very proud of how well he smashed them. Strong dude. On the double unders we agreed beforehand that we'd split them into sets of 25 reps, and take turns after each set so these were exactly 75/75 for both per round.
This got tougher by the round, no surprise there, but I'm pretty sure we had consistency in the round times. We didn't tap the timer so I can't guarantee but we didn't keep extra pauses at any stage. Okay, the sets weren't as big towards the end so there must have been some difference. Lats were so numb at some point that pull-ups weren't moving quicker, and on the dips my upper body in general was smashed. Anyway, good breather but mostly muscles hurt so much we weren't able to move faster.
Monday. Back squat 8x2 (max 135kg). Every 2:30 sled pull / sled push, for 30min, 20m @ 160kg. Metcon, 5rds of: 10 dips, 15 ghd.
Spent 2:30 hours at the gym which was great as it was a bummer I didn't have time to squat yesterday. That knocked at the back of my head for the day so it was good to get that out of the system right away on Monday afternoon. Quite a few doubles, then finished my lower body by pushing and pulling a heavy sled for half an hour. Took some action with thrusters and bar mu's, then a metcon, and finished the session with handstand + mobility.
This was eights doubles with rather short recovery between sets. I got a tip couple of sessions ago from one of the coaches. He emphasized the importance of having elbows right under the barbell. Don't let them fall back but keep them along the same vertical line with the barbell. Check. Feels more solid, it's a tight pack when elbows are pointing down instead of back.
Focus today was on elbows, deep squats, tight core, and squeezing butt cheeks. I feel like I accomplished the goals well. There's nothing I felt like was missing big time today. Pretty solid squats. Happy man. The heaviest sets really were heavy, 135kg is no joke for me. Okay I've lifted 150kg for a single once in my life but the entity must be in good shape to lift 140+ kilos. I'd say I can take 140kg any day as a heavy lift but heavier lifts than that are very demanding.
Squats
Sled.
Every 2:30 minutes, for 30 minutes
First 15 minutes: 20m sled pull @ 160kg
Last 15 minutes: 20m sled push @ 160kg
This was brutal stuff. Every two and a half minutes I pulled the sled for 15 minutes, then a short break as I let some other dude warm-up with the sled. Then another 15 min session by pushing the sled. I had 160kg on the sled for the entire time. That excludes the weight of the sled, no idea how much that weighs.
This was the first time I pulled a sled like this. The point was that I walked backwards, holding a rope that went around the handles of the sled, leaned back, kept my eyes straight (which means they were pointed to the ceiling), lats tightly together like in a deadlift / pull-up or pretty much any pulling movement. Then just slowly walked backwards for 20 meters. This started to become really heavy and the time domain was just perfect. Had to shake my legs after each set.
I was done after the 6x20m pulls but decided to continue to a similar set of pushes. Another 15 minutes of pain and agony. But it worked perfectly. My legs were about to go numb so I'm looking for those gains in the long run!
Metcon.
5 rounds of:
10 dips
15 ghd sit-ups
Took me some time to get my head back in the game after sled work. Didn't have a timer running but that didn't change the name of the game. This was a metcon. The movements won't put my breathing to a real test though. Dips were the tougher one even though there were only 10 reps per round. Rings were occupied by someone for ring rows so I did stationary dips instead. Went unbroken each round. Last 2 rounds were a good battle.
Ghd's are in my wheelhouse. Core is strong enough to allow me to move constantly on this movement. Maybe I should program a high rep ghd in some workout in a chipper style like they had in the Regionals. I had probably 40 reps per round some time ago with this one and those felt good too.
Accessory.
Thrusters
Bar muscle-ups
Handstand hold against the wall
Some action to accompany the actual training session. Thrusters didn't feel too good on my shoulders, and bar muscle-ups ripped one torn piece of my hand open again so the bloody palm was too much to handle. Some handstand training nose facing the wall in the end.
Holiday! Beautiful weather, I get to sleep more than normally, take some nap, do multiple workouts a day and plan our trip to California which takes place in May with Pauliina. Pretty awesome if you ask me! I went to Liikuntamylly for snatch and overhead squat purposes in the morning. Happened to nail a new PR in ohs. Then I took on Nancy, a great benchmark workout with running and ohs as a couplet. In the afternoon I went to pick up Pauliina from work which turned out to be a good chance to get in another training session.
Summer is coming!
Strength.
Snatch 5-5-5 (40, 50, 55kg)
Overhead squats (50, 60, 65, 70, 75, PR 80kg)
Liikuntamylly and Eltsu are the two places where I usually go when I have the possibility. These places are made for olympic lifting. I tend to go heavy on these occasions because of the possibility to drop the bar. It's okay to look for PR's at such venues. I believe I have never gone over 60kg in ohs at my "home gym".
70kg
Didn't take any skills practice prior to strength, jumped right on to snatches. Took good mobility session before I touched the bar though. Then some classic warm-up rituals with a barbell plus snatch balance drills. My intention was to do all squat snatches but I found it a little too difficult today, especially on the 55kg snatches I couldn't find the path down properly. That's why they were power snatches instead. Because I wasn't able to find the correct path all the way down, I stayed at 55kg and didn't go heavier on this one.
80kg
Changed some plates and started doing overhead squats. Didn't have any plan, it's been too long since I've done ohs. So I just played with it for a while, added weight on the bar and took more reps. My wrists are a little sensitive for high-rep overhead squats. It's pretty much the only movement where I get some wrist pain if I hold the bar for a long time. At 60kg this came in to play and the weight itself didn't feel that heavy so I started to take doubles and singles from then on.
My previous 1 rep max was 75kg, which we had taken together with Toni the last time we were here together. It was a little shaky at the time when I held the bar overhead. Today it felt much smoother and steady all the way down and up. We took a shot at 80kg with Toni but I remember it was a desperate seek for both of us. It was wobbling back and forth when I had the bar overhead and there was no chance in trying to lower by butt to the ground. This time the press behind the neck was stronger and I got a solid balance right away. There was nothing more to be done but complete the rep.
Recap of strength
One thing that bugs me is that there's a slight doubt in my mind of the squats's depth being shallow. I'll take this for now but this is something to consider in overhead squats in the future. This movement pattern is not that familiar to me compared to back and front squats. I'm used to squat with mirrors in front of me so it's a bit difficult to perceive how deep I'm going without the familiarity of the mirrors (or training partner).
The barbell should be 42.5kg. This place don't have those fractional plates or light weight plates of 1.25kg so I went with 40kg sharp. Not a big difference but still it should have been 2.5kg heavier. On the other hand I ran a little more than 400m. There's a 200m track which I ran twice. I couldn't place the barbell right next to the track so I had to take a side step to my "bar station". On my fourth round one guy was just about to take my barbell 'cause he thought it wasn't in use. That would have been a bummer if I had lost my bar in the middle of a workout =) Luckily I was able to finish this one as planned.
We did Nancy together with Toni in the end of last year, during the winter holidays. Great combination of movements, running and overhead squats, high-rep overhead squats. I remember there was some hassle last time because we only had one barbell but it was a great one anyway. I topped my time with +3min, from 18min to 14.52. Last time it wasn't so precise, today I took it by the second. What I'm most happy about is the round time variation, or actually the absence of them. First round was 2.51, and the last one was 2.58, the rounds in between were 2.53 - 3.01 - 3.06.
I'm very pleased on that one! I was afraid running would get way slower towards the end. I've never been a fast runner and especially in a metcon I feel like I'm wearing down in the run parts. Okay, I was decent runner back in the days considering I was a floorball goalie =) But I wouldn't count that as one of my strengths. The round times hint that the performance was steady all the way.
I got the overhead squats unbroken each round, that's another thing to celebrate. It got tough on the third round but I stuck to the bar and never let go before 15 reps were done. By the way, completing ohs with oly lifting shoes and sneakers are two different things. I'd like to do my squats with oly shoes but naturally it's challenging to run with those flat shoe soles. This workout was awesome and it was pleasing to see the time got better with minutes.
Dip dropsets. Total of 60 reps
In 60sec, amrap weighted dips @ 20kg
60sec rest
In 60sec, amrap weighted dips @ 15kg
60sec rest
In 60sec, amrap weighted dips @ 10kg
60sec rest
In 60sec, amrap weighted dips @ bodyweight
I was open-minded for this second session, and an article came across from "Fit As Fu*k" where Ditte and Sarah were writing about the importance of dips. I realized it's been a while since last time so it seemed to fit in well to this afternoon. This workout was a drop set style, 60 second amrap of dips with dropping weights, one minute break between sets. I liked this much more than traditional style sets of triples or 5's. Managed to nail 15 reps on the first set so I decided to stick to that rep scheme. It got tougher by the round because the rest wasn't enough to get fully recovered.
This is a weakness of mine so I'm happy on the way I was able to perform. Did 15 reps in each set and the feeling was I really had to do work to get them done. Good workout tip by the ladies, appreciate it!
Workout. For quality
5 rounds of:
10 pull-ups
50 double unders
Before the dips I did some pull-ups, strict chest-to-bar versions and couple of belly-to-bar to work on my bar muscle-ups. Also tried to get band-assisted muscle-ups without a swing but that turned out to be too difficult as I've used to do bar mu's with a good kip. This training session was easy in nature, goal was to get body moving, definitely not 100% effort, just get the blood flowing, work on some skills and weaknesses. It was also great to see Joni go after hero workout Small. If you still remember that one: 3 rounds of 1.000m rowing, 50 burpees, 50 box, and 800m running. I did it about a week ago because he talked me into it, now it was his time to suffer =) Good job Joni!
Wednesday. Eccentric squats 4 x 8 (all sets @ 100kg). One legged reverse hypers 3 x 10, both legs. Some deadlifts and dips, mobility.
I was looking for today's squats with extreme eagerness. I've had some left hip issues and thus I haven't dared to do heavy front / back squats in ten days. I have compensated it with doing deadlifts and improved my posterior chain through deads. Today I was full engaged at work and had no possibilities to eat twice during the day. My lunch was not perfect either so my juice was not in place once we went to gym with Pauliina. Had to make some quick decisions after negotiating with my body so I focused only on leg work. Skipped a metcon totally. Squats and reverse hypers.
Strength. Eccentric back squats 4 x 8 (all sets at 100kg). Did this type of squats for the second time in my life. Lower yourself slowly, bounce back and move yourself up normally, a.k.a as quick as possible. Did 4 sets of 8 reps @ 100kg, each set at same weight. I got new olympic shoes, the first in my life, yesterday and I fell in love immediately. Thanks Toni for ordering them for me!
The stabilization in squat is from another world when wearing these Adidas shoes. I found a good stance yesterday in front squats and today in back squats. I'm looking to have great assistance from the oly shoes in certain movements: all possible squats (overhead, front and back) and squat snatch / clean.
Four sets was perfect considering I did 8 slow mo reps @ 100kg. Had decided on the weights beforehand and liked the barbell's feeling all the way. There's a big depth on the squat as you see on the video.
After the squats I did some deadlifts and regular dips, then moved on to do reverse hypers, for 3 sets of 10 reps. It was not a pure reverse hyper machine but something like that. Main focus was on hamstrings and glutes. It was a single-legged station so I did 3 sets both legs. Definitely felt the pressure on the hammies.
By the way, heard Toni did a new PR in clean & jerk, 92.5kg saw the daylight, not bad mister! =)
Friday. Metcon. 20 front squats @ 80kg, then 6 rounds of: 3 hspu, 10 pistols, 15 cal row. Cashout 60 rack dips.
Felt the burden in my upper body today because of clean & jerks from the previous days. Okay, my entire body felt a bit fatigue. I took a metcon with front squat as the strength part and then some skills oriented movements combined with short distance rowing.
Loving my heart out <3
Metcon. Not for time
20 front squats, 80kg, then
6 rounds of:
3 strict handstand push-ups
10 (5/5) pistol squats
15 calories row
Pretty decent. My conscience played its trick on me as I didn't do any front squats in July, none! That's very awkward considering it used to be my favorite movement some months ago. Better keep on doing front squats in the future as well. The metcon started with 20 reps @ 80kg. Not a heavy load but unable to go unbroken. I did 12 reps and then finished with 8 more. Followed by 6 rounds of 3 different stations: hspu, pistol squats and rowing.
I was thinking about how many hspu's would be reasonable to include in this one. Thought about higher rep scheme but I wanted to go through without extra breaks so I stayed at 3 reps per round. Got them all unbroken, strict reps. Pistol squats were "the thing" in the workout. My legs had taken their toll in the previous days' workouts so they were not freshly awaiting for one-legged squats.
I was still able to push through quite nicely even though the first reps felt a bit difficult. It got easier after the first round as my joints figured out the movement and got familiar with the range of motion. In the end it was naturally much harder again.
Rowing was surprisingly quick part of the whole metcon. It was somewhere around 0:50min per 15 calories. That's how I'd planned it but somehow it felt like a rest period, thought it would be more challenging. Maybe should have rowed double the time to make it agonizing. Now I got only 1.300m row if I recall correctly. This was still a good crossfit workout!
Cashout.
60 rack dips
After the workout I had planned for some dips. Weighed between ring dips and rack dips, finally went after rack dips and smiled afterwards on the decision. It felt extremely natural and good, enjoyed it a lot. Completed 2 sets of 20 reps, then 2 sets of 10 reps. Excellent movement!
Wednesday. Back squats, emom, 4 reps @ 100kg, for 10min. Metcon, 10min amrap of 10 burpees, 25 double unders.
It was time to squat. I'm changing the way I think about traditional strength training. Doing 5x5 or 5x3 type of training was what brought me to a certain point and there's nothing bad in that structure. But I need some change and some action in the strength training as well. I've adopted a lot of emom (every minute on the minute) type of training. Today it was time to try it out with back squats. Then a metcon that was on the main site in late June, a lot of heavy breathing.
Back squats.
4 reps @ 100kg for 10 minutes
This adopts to back squats very well too. I've done it once over a month ago with 3 reps x 100kg. Today I added the fourth one and wanted to know what it feels like. You've got one minute to finish those four reps. It takes only 15-20 seconds and there's plenty of time to recover. We did this together with Toni so that Toni started, took 3 reps, and I started 30 seconds after he had taken his first set up. This way either of us was squatting pretty much all the time. The rhythm was perfect, when you're doing work, the other one checks your form, depth and talks you up to nail those reps. Then switch turns. We both liked this style. Plus, there's a lot more weight being brought up compared to for example 5x5 with 120kg. That would lead up to 3k, now I got 4k.
The weight was good today, had no problems with it whatsoever. Might go up a little next time I'll do this.
Metcon. Result 294 reps.
10 min amrap of:
10 burpees
25 double unders
Huh, heavy breathing was ahead of me. When you have a couplet of burpees and double unders, there's no doubt you're gonna be totally fatigued in the end. This was as nasty as it sounds. At the end of the workout I was drained and my heart rate was as high as it possible could be. I got 8 full rounds + 10 burpees + 4 double unders. That equals to 90 burpees and 204 du's. Total of 294 reps.
I got those burpees rolling pretty well from the beginning to the end, with pace slowing towards the end, little by little. Double unders were near perfect as I tripped on only one set. 7 rounds of them went unbroken. Had to take a little break after burpees before entering du's because I definitely wanted to do them unbroken. It's mentally so much easier when you don't have to start over with the double unders. On the only set I stumbled, I got 17 reps and then had to finish it to 25 reps.
Don't know how I could have been faster with this one. The only part is the transitions. Don't think too much, go down on the burpees and once you're finished, start circling the jump rope. Lots more cardio work so I wouldn't have to stop to catch a breath. Lots of crossfit =)
Toni's workouts.
Back squats, emom, 3 reps @ 100kg, for 10min.
Metcon, time 10.54
Rack dips, 10 to 1, down by 1's
Between dip sets, 20 air squats
Toni did the same workouts. That's been this week's main goal that we get some more drive from each other by doing exactly the same workouts. We did the squats simultaneously. Toni had forgotten his shoes home (who does that? :)) so it was impossible to do double unders. It hurts like hell when you stumble and don't have shoes on. Been there, done that… So he had to be creative and do a metcon of dips and squats. 20 squats between every set of dips. He started with 10 dips, then 9, down by 1 rep until there's only 1 left.
Last day enjoying the beaches of Spain. It's been hot every day to say the least and a lot of relaxation has taken place. After breakfast I was set for the last workout here before returning home, workout took place at the same spot as always. Including push-ups, knees-to-elbows and dips.
Metcon.
10 rounds of:
10 push-ups
10 k2e, then:
100 dips
Each workout I've done here has been for completion with minimum rest. Haven't put the clock running. Basically 'cause there's nowhere to lay my phone. Only sand everywhere :) Still, I've rattled through the workouts with solid pace and imagining I'm in a rush.
Today's set included a couplet of push-ups and k2e's. After finishing 10 rounds of 10 reps each basically without rest periods, I moved on to complete 100 dips. All push-ups went unbroken, k2e's were done in full sets up to 50 reps. From then on, in 7+3 the remaining sets. On the dips I went 20, 15, 15 and then 10's to finish it. Small breaks to get some rest for my triceps. Take into consideration that push-ups and dips were not as challenging as regular ones because I had to use the bars you see in the pictures below. Still, with the rep-scheme they got more difficult towards the end.
It's been a fun week here with Pauliina and her parents. Also had the possibility to meet Marko here, that was awesome! Now it's about time to head to the airport and come back home. I have a lot of time to plan the workouts for the upcoming week. Looking forward to it already!!!
Monday. Back squats 5-5-5-3-1 (max 130kg). Workout, pistols and dips.
I was thinking about thrusters and pull-ups for today (not Fran!) but my right shoulder was a bit too sore from yesterday's muscle-up training. So I switched some days in this week's calendar and decided to squat instead. Back squats and then workout of 2 movements that I consider a skill as well: pistols and dips.
Ring dips
Strength. Back squats 5-5-5-3-1 (100, 115, 122.5, 125, 130kg). Did some 5's to start with. After 122.5kg I took a triple with 125kg and wanted to push 130kg up once. I was thinking to take another single with 130 or heavier but decided to skip it today. I had some pistols ahead of me so I knew my legs would hurt anyway. I felt good squatting today even though the digits were not huge. I felt comfortable with the weight in my back.
Back squat 3 x 125kg
Workout. For quality.
5 rounds of:
10 pistols, alternating legs
10 ring dips / rack dips, then
3 rounds of:
10 biceps
10 rack dips
Main idea was to do 10 pistols and 10 ring dips for 5 rounds. There was one dude that needed the rings as well so at some point I switched to rack dips instead of rings. After those pre-determined 5 rounds I decided to take 3 additional rounds with some ancillary movements (biceps) and yet rack dips. Thus, I was able to work on my weakness, the arms, biceps and triceps. Quite a number of dips today, a bit over 80 dips (I did some extras when doing rack dips 'cause they are easier than rings). Also, those 60 pistols made my quads hurt already at the gym.
Thursday. Bar complex for 12min EMOM. Metcon of burpees and dips, 21-15-9.
After a rest day I was ready to pump it up with heavy barbells. The program included barbell movements 12min, few reps each minute. It turned out exactly as difficult as I planned, lucky me! =) I finished the session in the morning with burning triceps. For some reason I didn't see it coming that doing burpees and dips would crash my arms but they certainly did.
2 more rounds to go
Complex. 70kg bar.
EMOM for 12min
1 power clean
1 squat clean
2 front squats
2 push jerks
This was challenging and rewarding. I went on with 70 kilos on the barbell from the very beginning and stayed with it till the end. On the last 2 rounds I failed to get that latter push jerk up. That was a bit frustrating but all in all, this was a high-rep heavy workout and gave me that satisfaction I was looking for. I grabbed the bar from ground on the cleans, first a power clean, followed by squat clean. Then 2 front squats and finally 2 push jerks, total of 6 reps per minute, for 12 minutes.
It took about 20-25 seconds per minute to finish those movements and then I had half a minute to catch my breath. It made my heart beat like a good mtecon at points. However, the biggest burden still focused on my shoulder in the push jerks. The bar was simply too heavy on the last jerks on the last and second last set.
Metcon.
21-15-9
Burpees
Dips
Without clock running I also did 2 movements I've neglected lately. Even though I try to schedule burpees in my programming, it tends to fade away in the background. That's why I wanted to have some reps, accompanied with dips, also a movement that I'm not that fond of and haven't been doing them that much.
It surprised me how much this burnt upper arms, triceps especially. At times it felt difficult to push myself up from the floor on the burpees as dips took all my energy. The combination of these movements was a killer, despite the number of them, 45 each. Some cycling, hip openers and stretching in the end.
Sprints.
Run 10 x 100m (40m slight uphill)
Walk back recovery
In the evening it was time for running. Spring is coming and I'm getting the feeling that it's time to run. In the winter time it's not so cool to run outdoors when it's minus 20 degrees. Well, yes that's just an excuse but still it doesn't seem to be "my thing". As it's getting warmer, it's nice to do sports outdoors.
I measured 100 meters of which 60 meters was flat ground and the last 40 meters were a slight uphill. That was intentional, I found a good spot to do my sprints. My legs were jammed after 5 sets, probably because I haven't been running much in the past months. I'm happy we moved to a new home that is located next to the forest and the circumstances for outdoor running and sports are nearly perfect. The rest between rounds was about the time I walked back to starting line.
Handstand walk. To finish the training day I practiced handstand / handstand walk for about 15min. There's still lot to practice but now I'm confident because I have these spots near my home where it's easy to train. As long as I could hold my both legs over my head and further, it would be easier to find stability. Too often my legs tend to stay too far away from the correct position and that causes my legs to fall back. I'd like to master this skill by the end of the summer, let's see what happens! =)
In the morning I concentrated in upper body strength training and after work we went outdoors with Pony. Main objective was to run and create a metcon with a high heart rate and make muscles hurt. Then we also took advantage of Pirkkola's outdoor pull-up bars to practice pull-up techniques.
Personal Record, c'mon! It's been a while since bench pressing for max load, must have been in February since seriously trying to go at 90kg or more. My goal was to do sets of 5 as long as possible. I haven't done 5's with 85kg prior to this day. Managed to push them through for 2 sets and on the third one 3 reps. The last set was very tough, first rep not so bad but the following 2 reps needed extra effort. My training partners talked me into trying for record numbers. Didn't need much of persuasion =) I was ready to try it instantly. I took 90kg and it came up easily! That was weird considering how much effort needed to be done for 85kg. Okay, there were multiple reps with that weight so guess that's only natural. There were no other options left but to put 95kg on the barbell and take it up. Thanks Hannu and Visa for spotting the weights!
As I was already focused on upper body strength, why not take weighted dips to maximize the effort. Sets of 5 reps, starting with bodyweight, then using 8kg dumbbell between legs, then 12.5kg db. After this I put on a belt where I was able to mount plates, first 17.5kg, then 25 and finally 30kg. Managed to keep sets unbroken constantly. In the end I did quite a lot of triceps to strengthen that part as well. I want to make the handstand push-ups perfect some day and triceps are the key to success!
Weighted dips, 30kg
Metcon. Run and squats, wearing a weighted vest.
10 rounds of:
100m sprint
20 squats
Wear a 9kg vest
This was much more wearing than it may sound on paper. We wanted to do 4 rounds of 400m run and 50 squats between rounds but the track was not yet open. It was full of snow still, it's only April. Even though the streets are snow-free, there are still some white in the forest. It didn't take long before Pony modified the workout to 10 rounds of short sprints and 20 air squats between rounds. We did it together at the same time. To put some more difficult level in to this one, I had a 9kg vest throughout the workout. My quads and hamstrings were devastated after this one, already in the middle of it. We managed to keep a steady pace all the time. If there was a clock running, I believe the lap times would not have dropped significantly.
Pull-ups. Several sets of pull-ups.
On the first set of regular pull-ups I was still wearing the weight vest, and took 10 reps for warming up. Then I took a few sets of regular ones, followed by chest-to-bars. I've had difficulties at home Box 'cause the rack is located so close to wall. I feel like I have to do a bigger kip and I need that spaceat least now in the training phase. Here in Pirkkola that's possible. I did some sets of C2B's, max set was 8 in a row. As a cashout I did max effort of regular pull-ups, that was 20 reps after all training, I'm pleased.
Friday. EMOM for 12 minutes, 4 snatches, 50kg. Ring skills. Cashout. cycling and sit-ups.
Those Wednesday's hang squat cleans still hurt my upper back, it was a veery good workout! I did today's workout in a similar way. In addition there were ring skills included and some cycling to finish it. Toni is on a leave so he didn't wake up 7.00 in the morning to workout. Instead, he headed to a local gym in the afternoon.
Workout.
Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes
4 snatches, 50kg
I'm very pleased for being able to lift 4x50kg snatches every minute for 12 minutes. That totals for 48 snatches. The CF Open 13.1 was an eye-opener for me. I still remember the feeling of having 60kg on the barbell, 7.5kg over my max load. It was a huge mental barrier to overcome but I nailed it 6 times in the competition. After that single workout I've been able to do sets with the same weight that was my max load prior to the Games. That feeling is simply awesome!
Today's workout was a mixture of strength training and metcon, as are all EMOM-workouts. It takes about 20 seconds to finish those reps and you have 40sec to recover. That means you are able to recover but heart still beats clearly faster than normally.
I was able to do all sets unbroken without losing grip of the barbell. Naturally towards the end it came heavier but still manageable.
Ring skills 2rnft.
2 rounds not for time
30sec invert hold
10 ice cream makers
30sec L-sit hold
10 toes-to-rings
After the snatch workout I played with the rings to get more natural with them and to improve skill level and ring grip strength. It didn't take long before forearms started to fire up. This was not a timed workout. I took my time while transfering between movements. Was able to do those hold movements unbroken as well. There were not many reps in this one but still I felt the burden in my forearms. Maybe those snatches had something to do with it.
Cashout.
5min cycling
100 sit-ups
5min cycling
To finish the training day I stepped up to the stationary bike and started moving. 5 min on, then 100 sit-ups in a row and another set of cycling.
Toni's new crossfit shoes
Toni's workouts. Strength elements, not looking for maxes.
Saturday. Back squats 3-3-3-3-3-1-1-1 (max 132.5kg). 30 hang squat cleans, time 2.58.
I wanted to do 5x3 back squats but once I was finished I still had something in reserve so I took some random squat singles. After a short rest my program said I should do first metcon in a few days. I'm feeling rather good today so I was able to make breathing go little heavier. The answer for this was hang squat cleans, 30 of them for time. Managed to do 2 sets of 10 reps after which my forearms were on fire and had to break the sets smaller. I'll put the video in Youtube, hopefully tomorrow. I finished the training with C2B's abd dips.
Strength. Back squats 5x3 (120kg), 1-1-1 (125, 130, 132.5kg) Metcon. Time 2.58.
30 hang squat cleans, 60kg
Monday. Barbell complex: power clean, hang squat clean, front squat, 2xsplit jerk with increasing load.
Different type of approach for today's workout: barbell complex. Now I believe my upper body has had it and needs some activation in the evening at floorball training. After playing with the bar I did double unders, sit-ups and dips to finish the training. Toni is traveling this week as well so I was at the gym together with Pauliina.
Split jerk
Complex.
Power clean
(Hang) squat clean
Front squat
Split jerk x 2, both legs
Start from 40kg, increase load with 5kg till failure. Then start all over again.
A barbell complex is when you will do all the reps of one exercise before moving onto the next exercise and yo don't put the bar down until all the reps are complete. That counts as one set. You'll take a brief rest and repeat for the recommended number of sets.
Haven't done many complexes in my life time so I wanted to give it a shot. I enjoy the difficulty of holding on to the bar without letting it drop before completing the whole set of movements. I simply love the feeling of completing a long set of hang cleans and your forearms start to get numb.
I began my workout at 40kg, which is little less than 50% of my max in clean & jerk. I climbed up 5kg after each set. In the beginning I just changed the weights and did another set. After semi-heavy weights I took longer breaks. It would have been smart to set a timeframe in which the set must be completed. Let's say every minute you have to complete one set. The downside would have been that all the rest time would have been used for changing plates.
Example of one set, 50kg
For the first round I finished 75kg as planned but on the 80kg I managed to do only 1 split jerk. I had to modify the hang squat clean a bit on 75 and 80kg. I did those squat cleans from the ground to finish the sets. After ending in a failure after 80kg I cleaned 85kg just to remind my body where my current max is at the moment. I'm satisfied I have been able to clean that 85 for several times now. Maybe soon I'll add the stakes and put new records on the table.
On the second round I finished the first sets from 40kg to 60kg quite rapidly without resting in between sets, just changing the weights and heading off. At this point my elbows and forearms had had enough and it started to feel heavy. I finished the set of 70kg perfectly and then called it quits. I enjoyed this workout 100% and will do more complexes in the future as well. They are simply bad ass =) The number of reps was great. On the first round I finished 9 sets of 5 reps and on the second round I completed 7 sets of 5 reps.
I made 7 x 25 DU's unbroken and on the eight set only the last 2 reps were left when my shoulders decided to stop moving the jump rope, doup! Well, I had to redo the last set to make it 8 unbroken attempts. Those sit-ups were made on a huge gym ball as I tried to get the feeling of some sort of GHD sit-ups.
Agenda for today was to go for one hard core benchmark workout that would beaten me for sure, no doubt about it. However, yesterday my throat got sore and I'm not feeling 100% because of a in-crawling flu. I didn't want to risk anything by doing a metcon so I concentrated in strength training today. Haven't done bench in a while so it was about time!
It was also time to PR this one. It was back in Sweden in November. I have done it only occasionally since then. Because of this my goal today was far away from going after personal record. I wanted to do 5x5 with heavy weights. During the strength training I wanted to add the stakes. I started with 70, then 75kg. I decided to stick with 80kg for the rest of the sets. Because it felt so awesome, I wanted to go for another set to finish 6x5. I still felt an urge to go further. I put 85kg on the bar in an attempt of a single rep, which turned out ridiculously easy. My previous max was 87.5kg. Today I skipped it and went straight for 90kg, new PR attempt. Take a look below.
Bench, 90kg
I felt stable and confident and I felt it's coming up way too easy considering it's a PR attempt. I was positively surprised I was able to do this after 30 heavy reps already. Well, I added weights and tried 95kg twice. You find the videos in my Youtube channel. The first one might have come up without help, the other one had no chance. Pauliina suggested to drop 2.5kg and go for 92.5kg and I did. Take a look below, new PR. I'm extremely satisfied for today's effort. New maxes were created and I haven't even been practicing bench for a while.
Bench, 92.5kg
Cashout. Dips and triceps, total of 60 each. For quality, not for time.
5 rounds of
12 dips
12 triceps
My cashout today was a nice addition to bench press. More effort for chest, shoulders and triceps. 60 dips, 60 triceps in 5 rounds. No need to rush, concentrate in quality and unbrokenness. I also had the possibility to train kipping dips in the last two rounds as it started to feel heavy.
Dips
In the evening we'll celebrate our one year anniversary with Pauliina by eating at legendary Hard Rock Cafe and enjoying stand up show =)
Tuesday. Row 30sec on, 30sec off for 20min. Weighted push-ups.
Today's focus was in interval rowing. I wanted to leave the barbell for others and concentrate in metabolic conditioning. Toni did strength training with deadlifts. Yesterday was anniversary for me and Pauliina, it's been one year since we met for the first time. Love you baby! I guess she knows me well 'cause she bought me a 9kg weighted vest as a present =) I did my cash out today with that on. See picture below.
Weighted pull-ups
Row. Total of 3.400m.
30 sec on
30 sec off
Row for 20 minutes
I've done this workout two times earlier but only for 10min. Toni did this for 30min 25th January. My pace in the morning was fast. During the entire workout my pace for 500m was between 1.35-1.37. I consider this one a success! It takes nerves to row around 1.40 for a longer distance constantly. For example those 2k tests are pretty horrific.
For interval training my strategy was to go as fast as I can for those 30 seconds, then chill out for the following half a minute. After 5min my ass started to go numb so I had to stand up after each interval =) By the way, I have never rowed over 3km in a workout. This workout was nice and got to test that 30 minutes as well.
3.4km in interval rowing
Cashout. 50 weighted push-ups. With a 9kg weighted vest. I believe that vest is going to give me some grey hair in the future. I'm gonna use it instead of using my own bodyweight: running, burpees, pull-ups, push-ups, squats, box jumps, dips, you name it.
Toni's workouts.
Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 (120kg)
Dips 10x3
Weighted dips, 15kg, 5-4-4 reps
Toni's main agenda for deadlifts was to concentrate in form, in keeping his back straight, and not to go further with the weights. Then he did dips and for the first time in his athletic history: weighted dips with 15kg.
Toni's focus was purely on metabolic conditioning today as he did interval rowing for half an hour.
Toni's workout.
30 sec on
30 sec off
for 30 minutes
In addition some dips (2x10) and ab wheel (4x10). He loved the rowing part. Tell us more about it!!! I've only done it twice, but only for 10 minutes. Also once I did similar workout with stationary bike.
