Friday 10.10: Clean and jerk complex, 12min amrap

Friday. Strength, C&J complex: 1 power clean + 5 jerk (max 85kg). Metcon, 12min amrap of: 10 one-arm kb ohs, 15 ring dips/push-ups, 200m run. Result, 5rds + 12 dips.

It was awesome to get that bar overhead. Sometimes it feels like it's my mission to get it pressed / jerked up in the air. It feels great and there is something brutal in the movement. I feel strong having weight with straight hands in an overhead position. My plan entering the gym was vague and soon I found myself doing some sort of c&j complex with ascending ladder of weights. Afterwards the metcon was a present for doing a good strength training. Pauliina and couple of other training buddies were there too. Good training day for sure!

Strength. C&J complex

• 1 power clean + 5 split jerk (50, 60, 70, 80, 85kg)

My plan Joni was doing cleans so it felt right to do some barbell work in turns with same weights. He was focusing on power cleans and then squat cleans with heavier weights. We started with light weights naturally. I took some power clean sets with 50kg before taking it overhead. The first set of 50kg c&j was wobbly and I couldn't find out why that happened. Cleaning the bar to front rack position was light today, I really feel like my technique is getting there. Starting position is way better than before and my lats are tighter together.

Anyway, it turned out the first set at 50kg was just too light and I had that much speed on the bar so it was somehow shaky. Next set at 60kg was way better, and it stayed good all the way. My focus on these sets was to focus on the bar path, jerking it right upwards in a perfect vertical line. That was the goal, hard to say how it looked like as I didn't have the possibility to catch it on video. But at least it wasn't in front of me because I would have noticed that and it would have not been that stabile. That's why I was very satisfied to this session.

The weights were good for me too. I don't know if I have ever had that much kilos for a set of 5 reps overhead. There's no other possibility but to be happy for this.

There's been a million hits on this blog, never thought this day would come

Metcon. Result, 5 rounds + 12 ring dips / push-ups

• 5 right hand kettlebell overhead squat (10kg)
• 5 left hand kettlebell overhead squat (10kg)
• 15 ring dips / push-ups
• 200m run (treadmill, 16km/h)

The metcon was not supposed to be hardcore but I fought through it with attitude anyway. This was a triplet of kb ohs, dips and running. My original plan was to do ring dips all the way but there were a lot of people at the gym Friday night and one guy came to play with the rings during my running. So I completed first 3 rounds as ring dips and then the last 3 sets were regular push-ups.

Overhead squats with kb in one-arm are challenging to me because of mobility issues, in both shoulders and hips. It would be awesome to being able to knock them just like that, and preferably with double kb's too. I have to keep it light weight because at times the kb might fall a bit forward. Anyway, I got the reps unbroken, first right and then left hand. Went just below parallel, not a deep deep squat but just over 90 degrees.

Ring dips went unbroken on the first round, then it got tougher. Second set 10-5, and third one was something like 5-4-3-3. Push-ups were much lighter but I cut them too on the last sets, after getting the first set unbroken. I'm surprised I've taken running into my programming on a regular basis. It wouldn't be a surprise but doing it on a treadmill is awkward. Lately Pauliina talked me into trying it and since it has felt good on a metcon.

Monday 17.6: Back squats, clean and jerk, metcon

Monday. Back squats 3-3-3 (max 130kg). Clean & jerk EMOM workout. Assistance metcon of kb ohs, push-ups and glute ham raises.

God damned that yesterday's kettlebell work feels in my body. In my entire body! A good solid and quick workout, 12 minutes of work and I can really feel it in my hamstrings, glutes, lower and upper back, a.k.a the entire posterior chain. I stubbornly wanted to squat as that was my original plan. Continued by clean & jerks and some assistance work in the end.

Strength. Back squats 3-3-3 (100, 120, 130kg). Today the weights were a bit different than normally. Usually after 100kg the next step is 110 and maybe even 115 before hitting 120kg. Today my strategy was different. Jump right into 120kg and then 130kg. I managed to get those up and it felt way better than before. Got to remember this when squatting for the next time. Note to self: don't wear yourself down with too many sets before the "targeted" weights.

Metcon. Clean & jerks, 60kg. Total of 40 reps.

• Every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 8 minutes
• 5 clean & jerks, 60kg

Trying to improve on a few things. To mention a couple: high-rep c&j, grip strength, mental game, breathing, metabolic conditioning and technique after quite a number of reps. My jerks were more like push presses today. However, that was intentional, this time. I wanted to give more stress on my shoulders and make it harder for them.

Metcon. For completion

• 5/5 kettlebell overhead squats, 16kg
• 15 push-ups
• 10 glute ham raises (modified)

Some assistance work. There was a point for all these movements. Overhead squats to get familiar with the movement and increase mobility as well as confidence carrying weights overhead. Push-ups are my goat, have to improve on them. Glute ham raises to strengthen my hamstrings as a new movement to shock my legs. This was not a timed workout, only for completion.

Those glutes were tough. I used that Bosu ball as alternative (check the video below from about 02:40 to understand the movement). I can already feel my hamstrings taking the hit from squats and this new movement.

Check out some alternatives for glute ham raises if you're missing the equipment like I do

How about Blair Morrison's workout, looks awesome, hopefully I can try it some day. Read the blog post from here.

Thursday 21.3: Overhead squat, bench, metcon

Thursday. Overhead squat 5x5 (max 50kg), KB overhead squat 4x5 each hand (16kg). Bench press various sets (max 85kg). Metcon of box, T2B & hr push-up.

I had plenty of time after work to work out before floorball training. I took my time and did quite a number of reps overhead squatting, both with a barbell and one-handed kettlebell OHS. Then few sets of bench press and a bodyweight metcon. Finishing the training with cycling. Then shower, and off to floorball training.

Strength. Overhead squats, KB OHS and bench press.

• Overhead squat 5-5-4-3-5 (40, 40, 50, 50, 50kg)
• Kettlebell overhead squat 4x5 each hand, 16kg
• Bench press 6x60, 6x70, 6x80, 2x85, 10x65, 10x65kg

The goal was to do 5 sets of overhead squats. I blew the third and fourth sets by completing only 4 and 3 reps in those sets, a.k.a failed sets. I got myself together and managed to complete another full set of 5 reps. I'm not sure but I believe I did one additional set (6th) of 50kg, in which I completed 3 reps. My wrists took some hit in this movement. It's tough to hold that bar in a full lockout position with hands in snatch grip hold. I'm holding my hands in the very far ends of the bar. That's the only way to lower myself deep enough to go parallel. The first rep was always the most difficult. Once I got there the first time, it was only going down and up for a total of 5 reps.

This movement is actually awesome for my upper body and back muscles mobility as well. I feel that tension in my back while doing overhead squats. I strongly believe this will enhance my mobility and elasticity. I continued OHS my doing them one-handed with a 16kg kettlebell. I did 5 reps right-handed, then 5 reps left-handed. It's not as easy as I thought. Trying to hold that bell right up brings the challenges. It tends to lean forward the lower you squat. This was my first try on the movement and I'm definitely in the opinion that this is a good movement as well for better mobility. After overhead squats I tried my first ever turkish get-ups as well.

Last strength movement was bench press. I had no specific plans or objectives. This was created more like in the spur of the moment. I took sets of 6 reps for 60, 70 and 80kg. Then I was aiming for 3 reps at 85, Pauliina assisted the third one a bit so I don't count that. Didn't have my head with me in that last heavy set. Then I took 2 sets of 10 reps with 65kg. Pauliina suggested to have it 70kg, which would have been better because this was a bit too light. I hoped the last reps would have been extremely rough.

Metcon. Not for time, with minimum rest though.

• 21-15-9
• Box jumps, 61cm
• Toes-to-bar
• Hand-release push-ups

My metcon today was done with bodyweight movements. Boxes, toes-to-bar and push-ups by releasing hands in the bottom position. I went unbroken through box jumps and push-ups and the first round of T2Bs. For some reason I faced some problems with toes-to-bars in the round of 15's. My legs didn't come up in the way they normally come and as they did in the first round. I didn't time this workout but completed it with minimum rest anyway.

Cycling and stretching.  10 min cycling to flush my legs. Then stretching and hip openers in the end. After crossfit I drove to my team's training.