Sunday. Metcon, 10min amrap: 10 pull-ups, 30 lunges. Result, 8rds. Emom x 10min: odd min 8 hspu, even min 6 front squat @ 60kg.
Sunday evening action. It has been quite a task to find a good spot to go and hit a training session. They have also been quite short so I'll jump quite soon to work without that much warm-up. That's why the first part was pure bodyweight stuff, and finally some barbell work too.
Metcon. Result, 320 reps
10min amrap of:
10 pull-ups
30 walking lunges
Went unbroken on the pull-ups each round. Lunges were bodyweight only, 15 meters down and 15 meters back the grass matt. It was a good starter. I can tell I've been carrying a little baby around all the time. Didn't realize it before this session but when I jumped on the pull-up bar my forearms felt a bit funny. Like they were a little inflamed or something =)
Even though the little girl weighs like 3+ kilos it's a static hold which brings some burden on the arms. Doesn't matter though, I'd carry this little gal wherever she wants to. Anyway, this workout got to my forearms nicely, and the lunges burned my legs and butt.
Metcon.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
Odd minutes, 6 front squats @ 60kg
Even minutes, 8 handstand push-ups
My body has felt more tired lately. Maybe it's because of not working out properly or the lack of sleep and recovery. I feel it only when I put the timer on and start working. I can still push through the dark waters but I feel it taxing my body a notch more. Went unbroken on both elements.
Monday. Emom x 10min: 3 c&j @ 70kg. Benchmark wod Air Force. Time, 7.51 (PR)
Rough day huh. That Air Force is one nasty maddafakka. I took clean and jerks in emom style with a little heavier weight than normally in barbell conditioning workouts. Then a blast from the past in the form of that benchmark workout. That sealed the day perfectly.
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
3 clean and jerks @ 70kg
It was great to smash that barbell up and down. Focus was to keep the barbell moving touch'n'go on the ground and on the front rack. No pausing at any stage. Went for triples at 70kg which is basically 10kg more than normally when keeping a bar moving constantly. These felt pretty good even though I haven't done c&j's in a while.
It's been about 1.5 years since I've done this benchmark workout. It's been in my mind in the past weeks and months but it's a nasty one so maybe that's the reason I've been putting it in the background. Those punishment burpees are cruel.
My mental game was clearly better than before and I'm extremely happy on this matter. Especially on thrusters and sdhp's. Jerks were okay but it would have been cool to smash then faster. Overhead squats looked ugly and felt miserable. That was not a surprise though.
What I'm super happy about is the way I finished the workout. Grabbed the bar after ohs's to get couple of reps done before the hopefully last burpees. I was definitely not going to complete a single burpee anymore so I fought through the 15 front squats even though my legs were very weak at that point and my mind wanted to put the bar down and go to bed.
It took me a good time to recover from this but I'm super happy for completing this! This was a 2min personal record on this benchmark wod.
I took a day off on Wednesday because of issues with timetables. Thursday was a real blast. We directed to Lahti with a bunch of colleagues for workshop purposes, and then relaxed at the Vierumäki sports resort. That is one heck of a mecca for a sports dude. You can practically do anything there, either solo or then in a team.
We had the pleasure of getting familiar with curling to kick the sports piece off. I've played this sport once before in my life couple of years ago when I still played floorball. That time we had a training camp in Kisakallio, similar sports center near Lohja. This was as fun as it could possibly be. We enjoyed this one a lot, hilarious stuff.
Then I got my chance to hit crossfit session and I definitely utilized that. Got some friends accompany me and they were down for a real metabolic conditioning session. I'm very proud of these two studs for giving their best effort in the form of rowing, kettlebell swings and burpees. Looked nasty but they made it through their first cf wod with winning mental attitude!
Oly.
A - Clean complex: Clean + Hang clean + 3 Front squat (60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 95, 95, 95, 95kg)
B - Clean singles (100, 105, 110kg)
There was really no plan whatsoever. That's because I had no idea if there will be a good time slot for a training session or not. So I just grabbed the barbell and started moving it around as we got to the gym. Took some front squats at the end of clean + hang clean combo. Thought about doing that for light weights to get legs warmed up properly but during time I realized I was going heavier and heavier with the same format.
These felt pretty good and I'm happy on being able to do the front squats easily right after the second clean on each set. After taking couple of sets on the complex I added some weight for couple singles. Wanted to have bigger weights. I'm pleased that I can clean 110kg any day as my one rep max is set currently at 118kg.
Clean complex @ 90kg
Metcon.
7min amrap
2-2, 4-4, 6-6… of:
Front squats @ 60kg
Burpees
As I put the guys sweat their butts off in a pair workout there was no doubt I would go for burpees myself too. This was a short-ish metcon where the idea is to keep grinding. I went unbroken on the burpees for every round and for front squats up to the round of 10. The 12's were 8-4 and 14's were 8-6. These really shot my legs big time. They were cramping in the evening. Loved this wod!
After recovering in the sauna and eating a fabulous dinner it was time to get some bowling done. It's been years since I've had my fingers on a bowling ball but it came back quite quickly. Best result for one round was 172 points for me so I'll take it!
Monday. Cleans (up to 110kg). Front squats (up to 130kg). Pair wod, 100 box, 150 burpees (emom 3 hang power clean @ 60kg).
Uuh, what a training day! As I have written earlier, Toni is about to open his own Box in April with his pal in Varisto, Vantaa. It's called Crossfit Kehä. He invited me to go and test the gym today so it was a no brainer. I was all in right away!
Oly.
Cleans
3x60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 100, 105kg
1x110kg
We started with cleans, then continued with squats and finished with a partner workout. Those usually rock big time. Today was no exception in this sense. Cleans felt great all the way! Maybe it was the atmosphere of this affiliate or something but it was just freaking great. These guys have made a good job with the layout. There's plenty of space for metcons, awesome pull-up / squat rig, and the equipment is right on point. I give 10/10 points for this Box.
On the cleans I built up by feeling. Started with triples without thinking about it that much. I kept adding stuff on the bar up to 105kg for a triple. Felt smooth on those too. Unfortunately didn't get that on tape but 100kg triple is there. On the 110kg I wasn't fully satisfied on that rep as I had to re-bounce on the bottom but it was alright anyway.
Strength.
Front squat
5x60kg
3x90, 100, 110, 120kg
2x125kg
1x130kg
It was a natural choice to continue with front squats after squat cleans as legs are already warmed up. Sets at 60kg and 90kg felt awkwardly stiff on my knees for no reason but then as I kept going heavier they felt better and better. And in the end I'm very happy on getting a rather easy 130kg single up.
Pair wod. Time, 12-13min
As a team of two:
100 box jumps
150 burpees
On top of every minute: both complete 3 hang power cleans @ 60kg
This was brutal in its own way. Those cleans started to wear me down at some level. Yes, this definitely was a good metabolic conditioning piece and I'm proud that we were able to have either of us moving constantly. No resting on knees at times. That was no option. It was good to have a partner to push you mentally further. It was a big thing.
We completed both box jumps and burpees in sets of 5 reps pretty much all the time. Some minor deviations from this plan but quite accurately we stuck to the plan. Got to say that every time you put something on top of every minute - this time it was cleans, usually it's burpees - it gives the workout a twisted turn. It doesn't help to rest as the clock doesn't ease the pain. The reps are coming there on top of every minute anyway =)
Monday. Unbroken sets of clean and jerks 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 @ 60kg. Front squats 7x3 @ 110kg. Wod, 6min amrap of 10m shuttle run and db snatches @ 30kg.
It was great to get some barbell cycling completed in the form of clean and jerks. Then squats after a small break on them. The last piece was stolen from competitorstraining.com, that is Ben Bergeron's site.
Barbell cycling.
Unbroken sets 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of:
Clean and jerks @ 60kg
Rest as needed between sets
This was fun. Having the skills to cycle a barbell are advantageous in this sport. Longer sets are a bit more gnarly but definitely useful. The point was to go unbroken on each set, and maintain good form no matter how many reps needed to be completed.
I believe I succeeded in this regard pretty well. Some reps were a bit off but the majority of them were okay. The more tired I got the bar tended to stay lower on the thighs. It landed nicely on the front rack each time. I walked around the gym for a while between sets. This was not a timed workout, and I didn't have the clock running at all on this one. The last four sets I took with basically just minimized rest periods.
Strength.
Every 3:00, for 21min
Front squat triples @ 110kg
It was great to get some squats done finally! Okay, the weight wasn't huge but after a break this was just on the spot. Got to put more effort on going below parallel in the near future. Hopefully my back allows it. At least today it was alright. Focus on these was to keep the torso as upright as possible and finish the triples with only one inhale on top of each rep.
Metcon. Result, 14 shuttle runs
6min amrap
2-2, 4-4, 6-6… of:
10m shuttle run
Dumbbell snatches @ 30kg
This was something different as there isn't much possibilities to run at the gym. We don't have straight access outdoors so it's out of question to go run in the streets. Luckily this workout caught my attention in Bergeron's site so I had to take it right away. I ran back and forth a 10 meter distance at the grass matt.
First round was once back and forth, then doubling it on the next round and so forth. Same with the dumbbell snatches. Starting with 2 reps (1 each hand), then 4 reps, alternating hands after each rep. Snatches were the tougher part of this workout. I went unbroken on the snatches, no pauses at any point of the wod. Plus I grabbed the dumbbell right after finishing every shuttle run. So there was simply no rest period at any stage of the workout. After the wod, I realized I could have ran faster in the beginning. This was an efficient wod. Definitely worth running inside for shuttle runs.
Saturday. AM. Nasty Girls. Time, 13.16 (PR). Cashout, 3rds of: 1min row, 1min bike. PM. 5rds of: 12 lunges (2x25kg db's), 10 front squat (2x25kg db's). Accessory, 4x15 bent over row (2x25kg db's).
We spent the weekend in the countryside so I didn't have possibility to write about Saturday's training sessions. It was a two-a-day. In the morning we hit it with Pauliina. There was a benchmark workout called Nasty Girls. In the evening we went outside with Kari for another session. Awesome Saturday!
Nasty Girls. Time, 13.16 (PR)
3 rounds of:
50 air squats
7 ring muscle-ups
10 hang power cleans @ 60kg
This was the second time I've done this benchmark workout. These muscle-up wods are always a bit horrifying in advance. Those are not my strength and they tore my palms big time each and every time. There probably hasn't been even one session without rips. Okay that may be exaggeration but it's close anyway.
But the fact is that today's muscle-ups rocked my world. I was proud of myself in the middle of the workout. On the first round my plan was to go 4-3 reps which was a bit optimistic. However, as I started to do them my focus was on keeping a hollow body, tightly together, with a good back swing and lots of patience on the front swing before pulling myself up and over the rings. These must have been one of the best (if not even the best) muscle-ups I have performed. It's a pity I don't have video material as I'd really like to analyze that.
So first round was 4-3 even though it felt like I had something in me to go even unbroken. That would have been a pr so that would have probably been the most stupid thing to do in a workout like this =) Once mu's are gone, it's difficult to get them back. Second round was 3-2-2 and the last one maybe a double or two and then singles. Still the technique was good on these ones all the way.
Air squats were unbroken on the first round, and then I kept a short pause after 30 reps on latter rounds. Cleans were unbroken each round, those were the easiest part of this workout.
Cashout.
3 rounds of:
1min row
1min bike
This might be quite an awesome workout to continue for 20-40 minutes. At least something similar. Don't have a SkiErg which would make it even better. This time there was no time to work more on this couplet.
Legs.
5 rounds of:
12 walking lunges @ 2x25 dumbbells
10 front squats @ 2x25kg dumbbells
I had bought 25kg dumbbells from Germany and this was the first time I got my hands on them. Those little babies were great! And the weather was perfect too so the combination was simply just too good not to hit another session. This focused purely on those db's.
My legs were on fire. Doing this on snow made it interesting as I slipped every now and then as the snow started to pack and turn firm. That made it slippery as ice. This was not a timed wod.
Accessory.
4 x 15 bent over row @ 2x25kg dumbbells
Just needed to get something else done with these guys. Bent over rows don't appear very often in my training but it's still a good movement. Today I decided to give it a shot as Pauliina suggested it =) Had to take them for 15 reps as the weight was not heavy for that purpose. I did these with two dumbbells at the same time
Friday. Emom x 10: hang clean + clean (up to 100kg). Emom x 10: front squat @ 120kg. Metcon, 12min amrap of: 7 front squat (60kg), 15 pull-ups, 15 ghd. Result, 192 reps.
Thursday was a rest day. I'm pretty pleased that I've kept my head with the weekly rest days. Okay those probably wouldn't happen without my better half's guiding. I love to train and it gives me big mental satisfaction. Still, this rest day thing is a new thing for me. Hopefully it results in good things in the long run.
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 10min
Hang clean + full clean (80, 85, 85, 90, 90, 90, 90, 95, 100, 100kg)
The idea was to drop after each rep and build up to rather heavy set. Back has felt a little tight in the past days / weeks which prevented me going heavier but still these were pretty good loads, especially for hang cleans. Took pretty short warm-up before jumping on to this. Maybe that affected my posterior chain not being totally ready for this.
Haven't done 3-digit cleans lately so this was a good emom. For some reason cleans are something I really love. I'll take this session with pleasure.
Strength.
Every minute on the minute x 10min
1 front squat @ 120kg
Front squats seem to accompany squat cleans very well afterwards. Legs are already prepped up so it's just up to putting the plates on and moving up and down. The bar felt a bit towards heavy today. I'd think after a rest day legs would be pumped up and ready to go. Yes, on the cleans they felt fresh but maybe it was the back that made it tougher because legs were good all the way now as I think about it.
Metcon. Result, 192 reps (5 rounds + 7 squat)
12min amrap of:
7 front squat @ 60kg
15 pull-ups
15 ghd sit-ups
It was obvious for me the toughest part of this would be pull-ups. And they were the most unpleasant part of this one. Front squats burned legs for sure but it was definitely the easiest part of this one. Took the barbell from ground each round. Back felt fine on these ones.
Pull-ups were unbroken for the first 3 rounds and then I had to cut them. First at 10-5 and the fifth round was 9-3-3. Last reps really felt in my lats. Ghd's were surprisingly tough. Usually I go tng all the time but this time I had to stop for a second or two on top of one of the sets. Okay only one set but that is a clear sign for me that this was much more challenging than normally. The combination of elements probably made the deal.
Tuesday. Complex emom x 10min: 1 hang squat clean + squat clean + front squat. Intervals, every 3:00, for 21min: 250m row + 7 hang power clean (60kg).
Awesomeness continues! First day having a barbell on front rack position in ages. And it didn't hurt at all, loved every second of it! Went for bar complex and afterwards interval work through rowing and power cleans.
Complex.
Every minute on the minute x 10min
1 hang squat clean + squat clean + front squat
1-2min: 80kg, 3-10min: 85kg
You can't imagine how much I've been waiting for this day. Feels like it's been months since I had a bar on front rack previous time. Somehow I believe I live for cleans. Okay, maybe I should stop bitching about a nagging pain. That's probably not the most severe thing of all. It still affected my mental game quite a lot.
This was a lot of fun for sure. Weights stayed conservative for a reason. Didn't wanna go all out on the very first day. After all, I had no idea how my hand would react to this session. It feels good so I'm confident it's gonna be just fine. First 2 minutes were at 80kg, the rest of the sets (8 min) were at 85kg
Complex
Intervals.
Every 3:00, for 21min (7 sets)
250m row
7 hang power clean @ 60kg
Purpose was to go full throttle on each interval. It took me 50 seconds to finish the rowing. Pace was 1:37 in all but 2 sets. One set in the middle was 1:38, and the last one was 1:36. From there I walked to the bar, picked it up and performed 7 hang power cleans. Then walked back to see what the timer said, and it was at 75 seconds. That means to say it was around 70 seconds to finish each set. There was some distance between stations. I'm happy on being able to hold the pace static through all 7 sets.
Great combination of movements. Wanted to take everything out of the cleans, now as I'm able to do them again. I didn't hold back at all on the rowing, that was the main point on this one. My legs were burning as I walked to the bar, especially in the latter half of the workout. It took some 20+ strokes on the Concept2 to finish 250 meters.
Monday. Emom x 10min. Odd, 3 power clean. Even, 3 hang squat clean. Front squat 3x5. Metcon, 5rds of: 7 back squat (70kg), 12 burpee. Time, 6.00. Accessory, 3rds of: 10 reverse lunges, 10 reverse hypers.
Efficient but a rather lengthy session. Oly lifts, squats, metcon and some accessories. Everything I'd like to squeeze in one session of crossfit. Still, it got fit in one hour.
Reverse hypers
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
Odd min, 3 power clean
Even min, 3 hang squat clean
Sets at 80, 85, 85, 90, 90kg
Started quite soon after entering the gym. Original goal was to go at 90kg all the way but I took the first as "warm-ups". I really didn't take that much preparation before these lifts. These went pretty well. I'm happy that those 90kg power cleans were unbroken without dropping the bar between reps. That was kind of a mystery how it would turn out to be.
Strength.
Front squat 3x5 (110, 115, 120kg)
This felt heavier right after the cleans. Especially now as I try to do the pieces with less rest time in between. I actually wasn't able to get the last rep on the set of 120kg done. That was a bummer but I decided to forget it and move on.
Metcon. Time 6.00
5 rounds of:
7 back squats @ 70kg
12 burpees
Huh, this was a quick and intense one. Burpees are the real deal in here. Okay, also squats are challenging as the entire body is pumped up from the burpees. The last 2 reps on squats burned my hamstrings nicely but the thing was absolutely the burpees. I'm happy on the way I was able to keep moving.
Accessory.
3 rounds of:
10 reverse lunges (60, 70, 80kg)
10 reverse hypers (0, 20, 30kg)
The purpose was just to get more strength stuff done. Lunges are perfect for that. I have never gone this heavy on these. Mostly something like 50-60 kilos. Right after every round of lunges I went to do reverse hypers which is a killer movement for hamstrings and butt cheeks, the entire posterior chain to be correct. Started with that empty machine and added some weight on the following sets. This is rather new stuff for me.
Monday. Every 90sec: 3 hang squat clean (up to 95kg). Every 90sec: 3 front squats (up to 125kg). Wod, 8rds of: 10 thrusters (40kg), 12 ghd.
Went for another efficient session. I was done for three pieces of action in one hour, including warm-ups. This is nice variation to long sessions at the gym. Oly lifts, squats and conditioning, good combination.
Oly.
Every 90 seconds, perform 3 hang squat clean (60, 70, 80, 85, 90, 95, 95, 90kg)
It was time to add up from single emoms I've been doing lately. This was an unbroken set of a triple clean at hang position. Felt good on the timing, and my legs felt strong. Had no problems with them at all. I was a little skeptical on the pull so that prevented me on putting more weight on the barbell. However, as I look at the video below I realize there was plenty of room still.
90kg
Strength.
Every 90 seconds, perform 3 front squats (100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125kg, 2reps @ 130kg)
Started working towards these pretty soon after the cleans. Some reps at empty bar, then 60kg and 90kg. At that point clock was at 16 minutes as I began the first set at 100kg. Went touch'n'go up to 110kg, then took a short pause on top of the reps.
I'm very happy on these actually. 125kg felt awesome for a double, the third was a grind. On the 130kg the first was somehow light but the second was a good battle and there was no chance for a third rep.
First piece done at 11 minutes, squats at 25 minutes and finally the metcon at 42min
Metcon.
8 rounds of:
10 thrusters @ 40kg
12 ghd sit-ups
This was an intense one and solid pace on each round. Went unbroken on both of the movements. Right after thrusters I walked to the ghd and completed the needed reps. Then walked back to the platform, took a breath and started working.
I believe the clock was somewhere at 31 minutes as I started working on the first round. Didn't take any round times but it felt like the pace was similar for each round. On the last 2 rounds I felt my shoulders burn in a nice way. Other than that this was mostly a good conditioning piece.
Monday. Clean emom x 20min (up to 105kg). Front squat 10x2 @ 110kg. Metcon, 5rds of: 6 front squat (70kg), 12 burpee, 250m row.
This was a difficult day as Finland was playing ice hockey against Sweden in the U20 Championship tournament at the same time as I was supposed to go for a workout session. Luckily they had a television at the gym so I could sneak to get a peek every now and then between pieces. Good bunch of work got done today.
Oly.
Every minute on the minute: cleans
1-3min: 3 x 80kg
4-6min: 2 x 85kg
7-9min: 1 x 90kg
10-12min: 1 x 95kg
13-15min: 1 x 100kg
16-20min: 1 x 105kg
It's been freezing the past couple of days in Finland. It was -15 degrees in the morning. It's like you freeze up in seconds when walking outside. It was also cold at the gym and I never got properly warmed up until the metcon was in turn. Usually couple of squat cleans make some magic but today I felt okay on the cleans but stiff in the front squats.
This was emom work, going up 5kg after every 3 minutes. Triples and doubles in the beginning, then singles from 90kg's on. In the end it was supposed to end at 18 minutes but I completed some extra reps at 105kg. Felt pretty good on the cleans. But I still felt like my legs were not fully opened up at any point. The squats felt heavier than normally.
Cleans and squats
Strength.
Front squat 10x2 @ 110kg
That's the reason I had to keep the squats also lighter than I thought. These looked a lot smoother than they felt. No doubt of hitting the weights but my hips simply didn't cooperate on these. They felt cold all the way.
Metcon.
5 rounds of:
6 front squats @ 70kg
12 burpees
250m row
Plan was to get those legs and hips loosen up by all means necessary =) Finally they started to feel better on the metcon. By going for lots of semi-heavy metcon weights on the front squats sealed the deal. The combination of this triplet was good. I was able to maintain a steady pace. That pleased me a lot. Strategy was to walk from the rower and start squatting right away.
Front squats were the nastiest portion of this wod. Loved to throw down for burpees. Feels like it's been some time since doing lots of burpees. That is one heck of a movement. Thrusters and burpees are something you can throw in any workout and it's gonna be great.
Another early morning workout. This time the night sleep was lengthy, and I felt much better when waking up. We have been focusing on getting more sleep on a daily basis and it's paying off. I feel much more energetic during the day. This has been a good trend lately. It still requires more warm-up in the very morning workouts to get mentally and physically fully prepared.
Overhead.
Push press 4x6 @ 70kg
Part of the progression. I have now gone with this "program" for 4 full weeks. Twice a week. Started at 4x10, 3x10, 2x10, 1x10. Then same amount of sets but weight increased and reps decreased to 8's. Now it's time to go for 6's. Today's load was 70kg.
Damned the bar felt heavy even with an all-around warm-up prior to touching the bar. At 40-50kg the bar felt much heavier =) Once I had pushed 60kg for couple of reps I decided I wouldn't go for a heavier single before the first working set but started the first one when climbing up. Felt okay. A bit shaky but still rather solid. My shoulders and triceps took these well but for some reason it didn't feel as smooth in the front rack when I dropped the bar from overhead as normally.
Metcon. Result, 4 rounds + 150m row
10min amrap of:
300m row
20 double unders
15 wall ball shots, 9kg
Going for bodyweight elements purely equals to heavy breathing. There's usually not much room for recovery and leaning elbows on knees. Or at least there shouldn't be. It's a different thing if there's barbells included or high level skills such as muscle-ups. This was rowing, double unders and wall balls.
My plan was to get a steady pace throughout the workout. Rowing was faster than if it was a longer distance. I kept the damper setting somewhere between 8-10, depending on the round. I've been neglecting double unders as those have not rolled as I want to. That's not the correct way to attack weaknesses for sure =) They usually hurt in my shins for some reason. Box jumps don't but jump rope does. Sick. I reasoned foam rolling my shins would make a difference, and that definitely did! Felt great jumping around.
Wall balls were good, made my legs burn a bit. Nice combination mixing it with rowing. That really brought fatigue in to my legs. This workout definitely felt in my legs and breathing. Good one.
Accessory.
Reverse hypers 3x10 @ 20, 30, 40kg
Barbell row 3x10 @ 60, 70, 80kg
At first I thought about getting back home to recover but then this hit me from somewhere. Took couple of sets of both reverse hypers and rows with a barbell. I'm not sure if I did the rows correctly. This was how I felt like it needs to be done. I've done them with dumbbells for couple of times. That's more natural for me. This was probably the first time I did this with a barbell. Reverse hypers feel like a great accessory element. Especially after squats. Today I piled some weight on the system and tried how it feels. Awesome for posterior chain development.
Squats.
Back squats
5x120, 125, 130kg
3x132.5, 135kg, 2x137.5kg
1x140, 142.5, f 145kg
Front squat
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes of:
5 front squats @ 90kg touch'n'go
Afternoon session was all about squatting. First back squats and then front squats to murder my legs totally. Had to flush it with cycling for 10 minutes on a stationary bike. That felt like the best cycling piece ever. I did lots of mobility, stretching and then that cool down. Without those I probably wouldn't walk anymore. My legs are gone already now in the evening. I'm anticipating they are sore as hell tomorrow.
My plan was to do back squats. Built it up little by little. Even though I wasn't able to build up close to my max load, I'm still happy due to Sunday's and Monday's volume of lunges and workouts in general. Especially those lunges made my legs sore big time. Plan was to do 5-5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1. Last set of the triples was so damn heavy that I racked the barbell after 2 reps. And the last single had to be assisted up by my spotter.
I wasn't planning on doing front squats initially. However, I took some weight off the bar and left it at 90 kilos. Then took 5 reps for fun, walked around and took another. At that moment I decided to make it something like strength conditioning. Didn't have a clock running as this was created in the spur of the moment while I was doing it. I basically walked around to shake my legs and then returned to the bar. These were touch'n'go style squats which made it more difficult.
Christmas training. We left home the day before Christmas to spend it together with the family. We visited my pops earlier and then drove to Klaukkala to cool down with Pauliina's parents for the past couple of days. Didn't concentrate in writing the blog this time, hopefully you guys survived =)
Thursday.
Rest day
My upper body was jammed from all the training in the week so it was perfect to have a day off at Christmas Eve. It was a "busy" day anyway with all the traditions taking place. It was a spectacular day as the entire rest of the week spending it in the best company.
Friday.
Metcon,
5 rounds of:
3 rope climbs
450m run
It was going to be lots of outdoor activities while being in Klaukkala. I had pretty much every fitness equipment with me in the trunk of the car. Agenda was totally open. I just went by feeling. Friday was a good shoulder burn in the rope climbs. It was awesome to go for them after a long break. Felt great. Kari ran with me on the run. Had to save some gas for the rope climbs.
Saturday.
Every minute on the minute x 10min: 10 thrusters (40kg)
Metcon, 4 rounds of:
16 overhead walking lunges, 40kg
400m run
This was a two-part training session. It was nice to have Kari and Pauliina train with me outdoors at the yard. There were a lot of lunges completed with the trio. My first piece was thrusters at 40kg. Ten reps per set. Didn't have a timer running at all. It was something like one set per 60 or max 90 seconds. It also got to my shoulders finally, and they got nasty.
Right after that I took a metcon with the same barbell, lunging with it overhead. Went 8 steps down, and 8 steps back. Kept the bar overhead all the time. It was strange to turn around having a bar overhead. With this weight it was okay but having more weight might have felt exotic. Running and lunging made my legs burn and breathing go heavy.
Sunday.
Metcon, 5 rounds of:
20 walking lunges, 45kg barbell in back rack
20 kettlebell snatches, 16kg (10/10 per hand)
Wear a 9kg vest
On Sunday I got a chance to go two-a-day. We got snow on the ground on Saturday. It was pretty freaking awesome to train outdoors in this kind of weather. It was sunny, bright and the air was crispy. Great to breath heavily. My butt and quads were sore from training but I guess today made it's last effect on my lower body to break down. In a good way. I like it when it hurts.
I went to 45kg, put the barbell in my back, and lunged for 20 steps / meters. This was a bit longer distance than I'd normally lunge. It was a bit torturing on my butt and legs. The idea was of course to go unbroken, and I did. Kettlebell was light as that was probably the only thing I didn't have with me on this trip. Kari had this one so I wanted to borrow that one for the workout.
It suited well for this metcon. One-hand snatches, 10 with right hand, then 10 reps with left hand. Total of 5 rounds. This really hurt in my legs and made my breathing go heavy. I liked it a lot. There was a mental side of the wod too with the longer distance of the lunges.
Evening session.
Push press 1x8 (73kg). Did 10 reps
Front squat doubles, 7x2 across @ 120kg
Power clean, 5x3 @ 80kg
In the evening we drove home and I went to the gym because there was some work to be done. Purely a barbell session. I had my overhead progress going on and it was time for that final set of 8's today. One set of 8 reps @ 73kg. And there was the permission of going more than 8 reps if possible. Warm-up was 10x40, 5x50, 3x60, 2x70, 1x80kg. That 80kg press was probably the easiest I've done in the past couple of weeks. Then dropped down the only working set. Got 10 reps on that one which pleased me tremendously.
Even though my lower body and especially quads were killing me I wanted to get real squats done. My back prevented to squat in the past week so I missed them a lot. Did some doubles in front squat. Not super heavy. Felt heavier than they looked. Quite solid sets. In the end couple of sets of light power clean triples. Just to get a good touch on the movement.
Tuesday. AM. Push press 2x8 (70kg). Metcon, 5rds of: 15 cal row, 11 front squats (2x15kg db's), 7 hspu. Time, 10.30. Gymnastics, 100 pull-ups. Accessory, upper body strength.
PM. Metcon, 50-35-20 of: t2b and push jerk (40kg). Time, 15.05. Accessory, lower body strength.
Drove Pauliina to work in the morning and headed right away to the gym for a 2h session. Felt a bit scared how my back would handle it. I wrote the programming considering that issue. Only some light front squats were in play today and those didn't feel too good. Everything else went smoothly. In the afternoon I hit another session at the same place. High rep metcon was in main role. Then lower body strength.
Overhead.
Push press 2x8 @ 70kg
Part of the progression for bigger shoulders. Or actually I don't really care whether they get bigger or not but the functionality of them is the main goal. Getting stronger on upper body in order to master olympic lifts better in the future. This was a total of 2 sets at a pre-determined weight at 70 kilos.
Built up to 80kg for warm-up as it has been some sort of tradition this far. Soon I'm supposed to hit sets at around that weight so maybe I'll have to change my approach in the near future. I was still able to go touch'n'go on both of these sets. Felt really good on hitting the sets well.
Presses and pull-ups
Metcon. Time, 10.30
5 rounds of:
15 cal row
11 squats, holding 2x15kg dumbbells in front rack
7 handstand push-ups
This was going to be a great workout. Those squats kinda ruined the purpose of the workout. I should have known better that it puts too much pressure on lower back. But the combination of the elements is great. Let's say my body would have felt fresh, then I could have done this for a 20min amrap with maybe something like 24-16-8 reps of the same movements. Rowing felt like a short distance, that is something to be added somewhat. Squats hurt my back so it hindered me from going at full throttle. Hspu's were good all the way.
Gymnastics.
100 pull-ups
Need to keep the volume on pull-ups high because this is a movement that goes downhill if it's not worked on continuously. This was not for time. The sets were 20-10-20-15-15-10-10 reps. I thought about just working on finding a smooth rhythm and keeping my feet together. It got heavier somewhere after 70 reps. Lats took these well. It was only my hands / palms that felt the burden. There is something funny in these hands as it's sometimes the thing not letting me do more reps or go heavier =)
Accessory.
Bent over row, 4x10, both right and left hand
Now as I'm on vacation and there's not rush out of the gym it's good to utilize the time and do some accessory strength movements. Bent over rows are something I rarely do but I guess these are okay movements anyway. I went 10 reps on right hand, then 10 reps on left hand, and kept a break after those. Repeat for a total of 4 rounds.
Metcon. Time, 15.05
50-35-20 of:
Toes-to-bar
Push jerk, 40kg
Once I got home, it was meal and nap time. These really make a difference for recovery. Body felt fine in the afternoon, better than in the morning. Main thing on this session was the metcon with which I began the session. It was a high rep workout. Total of 105 reps of both jerks and core work. It makes the nature of the wod different when you throw a good bunch of reps in a row.
50-35-20
First set of t2b's were 10-10-5-5 and then triples to the end. Jerks were 5x10 on the first round. Then number of reps for t2b is not huge in this workout but doing them this way really made it feel in my core. Same with the jerks. Load is light, just 40kg but doing them for a long time without real rest is a nice test of muscle endurance.
Second round of t2b's were 5-5-5-5, and then triples till the end. Jerks were 15-10-10. Was able to do bigger sets on jerks all the way. Last round of t2b's were 5-5-5-3-2 reps. Jerks were 13-7. Damned that bar felt heavy on the last reps. Shoulder felt the burn. This was a fun workout.
Accessory.
Lower body strength (quads, hamstrings, glutes)
I took my time to work on leg strength afterwards. Lots of sets on different stations of the gym. More like traditional meathead type of action. I needed this anyway because I wasn't able to squat which was the original plan.
Monday. Push press 4x8 @ 65kg. Front squat emom (up to 135kg). Emom x 10min: 10 reverse lunges (50kg).
This overhead strength thing is getting interesting. I'm looking forward on these sessions where I have the possibility to put the barbell over my head for a good number of reps. Today the game changed a bit. Then squats even though my hamstrings are sensitive from yesterday's good mornings. It wasn't a surprise as I haven't done those basically at all. Seems like a good activating movement! Finally more smashing of lower body with weighed lunges.
Overhead trength.
Push press 4x8 @ 65kg
Two weeks of 10's are in the books. Now it's time to cut the reps and go heavier. It's gonna be 8's for the next two weeks with increasing weights. It's not easy to determine the loads but luckily me and my shoulder strength mentor had exactly the same view on this issue. It was 65kg for today, then building up in the future. I took one set on video, the 3rd one.
Presses and squats
Strength.
Every 0:60, perform 3 reps (60, 70, 80, 90, 100kg)
Every 1:30, perform 2 reps (105, 110, 115, 120kg)
Every 1:30, perform 1 rep (125, 130, 135kg, fail at PR attempt of 140kg)
Loved it. No doubt about it. I was supposed to do sets every 90 seconds but I realized after two sets that I had done them every 60 seconds so I went with that execution up to the triples at 100kg. Then changed it to doubles every 90sec, and finally after the last double at 120kg it was singles every 90 seconds.
I'm very pleased to this portion. Never in my mind had I these weights in my mind for today. My posterior chain is quite jammed but legs felt okay anyway. Didn't know I'd be so well prepared for heavy squats. Don't even remember when I took 135kg up for the last time. Today that was solid effort and form was not compromised.
That gave me confidence to add 5 more kilos for an attempt at new personal record. Before that I loaded up to 160kg, took it up in my front rack and stood it up, stayed for couple of seconds before re-racking the bar. Tried to fool the system this way to think the bar wouldn't be that heavy. The descent was good, and some way back up looked like it should but then strength vanished and I couldn't stand it up. I'm happy that my core didn't bail me. It was just lack of leg strength.
Accessory.
Every minute on the minute x 10min
10 reverse lunges @ 50kg
Great way to finish lower body. Go after weighed lunges. Had the bar on my back and completed a set of 10 reverse lunges per minute. That took something like 20-30 seconds every round. This also broke a good sweat after couple of minutes. Liked the fact that it burned my legs and put blood running wildly in my body.
Wednesday. Push press 2x10 @ 65kg. Emom x 5min: 5 c&j @ 60kg. Front squat 5-4-3-2-1 (up to 130kg).
Went to improve my fitness later in the evening. Somehow I felt like my upper body was very fresh and mobile, especially from shoulders. No tightness whatsoever. That felt super good. Today was purely barbell cycling in different forms. Had no time for metcon. There was "Rahoi" marked in my notes. Maybe I'll hit that some day.
Press.
Push press 2x10 reps @ 65kg
This is part of the progression I'm doing right now. Idea is to do purely push presses twice a week to increase shoulder strength. Those are not my strong points so I'm looking to improve on those. Going to do longer sets than normally. Currently these are 10's, next I'm going to 8's and so on. Today it was 2x10 reps, and increasing the weight to 65 kilos. I was still able to go touch'n'go on these sets. There's a difference in moving 60kg or 65kg bar but there's still room to add, I believe.
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 5 minutes
5 clean and jerk @ 60kg
My throat wasn't perfect and nose was running during the weekend and since then I've taken heavy breathing carefully. Today I finally wanted to get a piece of a good action so I programmed emom clean and jerks for today.
This was a little fun portion for sure. Not that heavy though, the bar was at 60kg so it is supposed to move well. For today it was exactly what I needed.
Squat.
Front squat 5-4-3-2-1 (100, 110, 120, 125, 130kg)
Some squats to finish the session. Total of 5 sets, decreasing the number of reps and simultaneously increasing the load. Starting at 100kg, and going up to 130kg. First two sets were tng, then I took a short breath on top before next rep. After three sets I realized I should already be on my way back home so there wasn't much time to recover anymore.
Sunday. Build up to heavy clean. A - triple (Result, 110kg PR). B - single (Result, 117kg PR). Front squat singles (up to 125kg). Metcon, 12min amrap of: 8 squat clean (70kg), 10 t2b, 12 box. Result, 150 reps.
Got to say it's great to be back!!! It's been so damn busy I haven't had a chance to throw down at all. On Friday we had pre-christmas party and it was a hullabaloo from morning till night. On Saturday we had a gathering with family in Eastern Finland as we went to see my sister's new house. Finally today I got to put on some gym clothes and got to work!
Oly.
Build up to heavy cleans
A - Triples (60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 105, PR 110kg)
B - Singles (115, PR 117kg)
At first my joints felt very tight from all the laziness and driving in the car, and it was a mystery how this session would turn out to. However, my legs didn't feel tired at all on the warm-up cleans, and the cleans also felt very natural and light.
Plan was to go heavy for a triple and single. Especially to build up to a 3 rep max. I was hoping to pull 105kg which is the heaviest I've pulled, ever. Once I tried 107.5kg and my right wrist popped, and hurt like hell for about 2 months. With that on mind it was a huge success today to being able to get all the way to 110kg. This is actually huge because I have lifted that number for singles only, and just for a couple of times. So going for 3 reps was sick!
Original plan was to go for a max of the day after triples. Didn't know I was going this heavy in the triples so there was room for only couple of singles at max. Singles at these weights are intimidating. The only thing preventing me to go heavier is my head. Both 115kg and 117kg were high enough for sure, and most likely I'd be able to clean more if I only had the balls to drop under the barbell. Fails on cleans are always just clean pulls. Not for a single time have I racked a bar, and not being able to stand it up. These +110kg lifts are mentally very important to build up confidence for heavy lifts.
Squat.
Front squat singles (90, 110, 120, 125, fail 130kg)
After all the cleans my hip flexors were gone, and front squats didn't go as planned. For some time there was 7x3 front squats in my notes but that was not gonna happen. Bar was heavy already at 120kg so it was no surprise 130kg didn't come up.
Metcon. Result, 150 reps (5 rounds sharp)
12min amrap of:
8 squat clean, 70kg
10 toes-to-bar
12 box jump
Freaking awesome metcon! It's been hours since the metcon now as I'm writing this, and my lungs are still feeling it. Or throat. Anyway, the number of squat cleans in a row made the difference. Legs were burning, and lungs were gasping for air. Not for a second did I think about linking the reps together. Singles all the way.
First 10 minutes
Toes-to-bar's and box jumps unbroken. T2b's were surprisingly nasty after all the squat clean. Box jumps didn't feel any easier in the process. But the thing in this metcon was definitely the cleans. In the beginning they were 8 singles in a row. Then at some point it was 4-2-2. That seemed like the quickest way to get over each round. Awesome wod.
