First of June, summer is officially here! However, May has been warm. It's been beautiful pretty much all the time, and Helsinki has blossomed nicely. Downtown has been crowded for couple of weeks. Today was been predicted by some sources to be the hottest day this spring / summer this far. Pauliina had a great idea of going to Kumpula outdoor swimming pool. This was the first time I went there. It turned out to be pretty cool stuff. To my surprise there was also a training place!
Metcon.
5 rounds of:
15 kettlebell swings @ 32kg
12 (6/6) kettlebell snatches @ 24kg
We sunbathed and hang around at the pool. At some point I went walking around to discover the training place. One friend gave a hint there might be some cool stuff to be played around with. It turned out there was pull-up stations, barbells, bumper weights and kettlebells of different loads.
At first I took a set of 10 strict pull-ups to get the mood on. It didn't take too long to find the kettlebells and come up with this workout. This was tough on the forearms if you think about it. Had to grip some sort of bell in both movements. Swings were unbroken, and the snatches were completed 6 per right hand, then 6 per left hand. Very good one!
Saturday. HC Triplet Goes Kehä. Three team events with Toni and Sipa.
Huh what a competition day with the boys!!! The volume ramped up to this year's HC Triplet. To see what HC Triplet is really about you can scroll to the right hand side of the blog and check the links to prior Triplets. This was the fifth time we arranged this with Toni. Last two times my bro has been part of it too. Shortly, the idea is to thrown down for 3 grueling events to torture our bodies and minds. This year's "games" were a success as well. First time we did this inside, location was Toni's crossfit affiliate called Crossfit Kehä. Usually we have been outdoors, mainly in Pirkkola sports park. This was also the first year we had barbells included in the game.
Event 1. Time, 38 minutes
One athlete rows 300m constantly
In the mean while, 2 athletes chew down a chipper of:
50 bar muscle-ups
100 burpee box jumps
50 handstand push-ups
100 pull-ups
50 squat cleans @ 80kg
50 thrusters @ 50kg
All of the three events were supposed to be different style and different stimulus. The first one was classic chipper style workout with one guy rowing at the sidelines all the time. Just row your 300 meters and tag next one in line for rowing. We rotated the rower evenly of course for the entire 38 minutes that this bad boy took us to complete.
This felt like it took an eternity. It was difficult to know exactly how much it would take time but it was no surprise it took energy, a lot of energy to get to the finish. Our plan was to go by feeling. We didn't divide the work load evenly, just agreed to go for a good bunch of reps, then tag the next one to work on his behalf.
Bar mu's kind of fell on my neck to complete mostly. Those felt pretty good today. I reckoned not to take too big bites as it was the first part of the workout. It was 3-5 reps per set all the way. Burpee box jumps were about 5 reps per dude at a time. That seemed to suit well for everybody.
Hspu's felt very good. Those also seemed to be good for Sipa and Toni too. So I only got to do one set for 10 reps and the second one for 5 reps. At this point I thought they would suck more but luckily not.
Pull-ups. Those could have potentially destroyed us but there was good mental strength and someone was hanging on the pull-up bar constantly. Toni ripped his hands right on the bar mu's so these were nasty to go after with a bloody blister in hand. Luckily he found a glove in his bag. It was probably not cool to do pull-ups with just fingers.
God damn that squat clean @ 80kg! Especially the first reps felt heavy. I was able to rack that barbell perfectly every time. It just felt heavy as hell in the bottom position. There was no doubt of standing it up though. But it really smoked legs and hip flexors with every lift. But those got better through time on everybody's behalf. I believe I got most of these done. Ideally it was planned so that we would do quick singles but it change on the fly and went by feeling.
In the beginning thrusters felt like they would definitely be the most disgusting element. Never have I done so light thrusters at 50 kilos! After 80kg barbell that really felt something we smashed rather easily. It was about sets of 5 reps all the way. Finally after 38 minutes it was over. Very good job guys! Great way to start the Triplet, awesome commitment from everybody!
Event 1
Event 2.
PART A. Time 17min
Interval work of kettlebells and shuttle runs
Each athele completes one round of work, tags the next one to work the same work load. Once every athlete has completed the first round, they move on to the next round
5th round: 20 double kettlebell front squats @ 16kg + 10x10m shuttle run
PART B. Result, 74 reps.
Right into part b, as many reps as possible in 8 minutes of:
Clean and jerks @ 70kg
This was nasty. If the first was more of a long, grueling chipper, this was interval work where legs were destined to get murdered in the process. Point was that Sipa started, he completed the 1st round of work, Toni and me rested in the mean while. Once Sipa threw himself over the finish line, I completed the same work load. And after I had done my part, Toni did his. After Toni, Sipa moved on to round 2, and this system continued through all 5 rounds.
The dark place definitely showed up on the shuttle runs. It was shuttle runs on purpose. That's a million times worse than 100m run itself. It really didn't matter which element of these five alternatives was going on. Okay they first swings were heavier, and front squats got our legs big time as well.
Sipa lost his calf in the process on one of the runs. He started limbing because of the cramp. Luckily we had magnesium spray and he was able to continue nicely. We had different weights for different movements. This time we agreed the loads were right were they needed to be.
It took us 17 minutes to complete the kettlebells and runs. Part B initiated right after the work had been completed. This frightened us a little prior to the workout. I thought why the heck did I program this heavy barbell right after intervals.
However, we got this! We won the barbell for sure. We kept the same order on this one. Sipa started, I was second, Toni came third. I felt strong already on the first rep. Took it on the front rack, and bounced it overhead with the same movement, not stopping at any point. Was able to keep this pace throughout the 8 minute time window. I felt like my partners also improved towards the end all the time, and it started to look like a feather in their hands towards the end! We got through 24 rounds + 2 reps. That makes it a total of 74 reps.
Event 2
Event 3.
15min amrap of:
Rope climbs
Grande Finale! We once saw Mikko Salo and Jonne Koski post a workout where they did 30min amrap of rope climbs. That really stuck to my head as we honored their work capacity with my bro. HC Triplet seemed like the perfect place to redeem that promise we made to each other to get after it some day.
The rope was long. A lot longer than I have used to climb in Klaukkala. Well, I have 7.6m rope but the distance to climb is probably 5 meters long. This was probably 7 meter all the way. At first we climbed to 5m (I went to mark it with a tape in the beginning) but at some point I decided to start going all the way to the roof. I still had something in my tank and strength left, and I didn't want that to be the case once HC Triplet Goes Kehä was finished!
It felt super good to climb. And I was very positively surprised how well my body was able to hold on with just short recoveries between climbs. Toni had some issues with his shoulder and had to withdraw at some stage and it was on me and Sipa to finish the 15 minutes. That made the recovery even shorter. Still, we somehow were able to move up and down the rope nicely. I have no idea of the amount of reps we completed. Sipa had an idea of about 20 reps per dude.
These competitions have always been tough as nails for us. Definitely heavy work both physically and mentally. These are written to be tough, and we succeeded in that goal. As we look at this afterwards I got to say some progress has taken place for Sipa, Toni and I. There's no way we could have done this volume in the last Triplet in 2014. Neither did we have the skills back then required in this comp. So it's very uplifting to stop for a while and think how much progress has been made in the past years.
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.
Last day at work. What a roller coaster of emotions. It's awesome to see all close colleagues have gathered around to show their love as we have spent so much time together in the past. It's been a humble experience and I absorb every bit of it with great gratitude. For the last time I went to train at the place where it all began 3 years ago, Haaga cave. This is where I have built up the base for all strength and skills work. Conditioning was made already somewhat during my floorball career earlier.
Overhead.
Push press 3x8 @ 67.5kg
This is part of the progress with the goal of building stronger shoulders. Now it's all about the 8's, and program said the weight is going to be 67.5kg. The last set was tough and I wasn't fully satisfied on having to arch my back way too much on the last 3 reps. Other than that I walked away with a good feeling of this strength portion.
Pulls.
Deadlift 5x5 @ 170kg
Last time when I did pulls from the floor it was 5x5 @ 160kg. Those deadlifts felt rather light so I decided to jump it up a notch. It's usually depending on how my palms look on pulling days whether it's going to be a good day or a day where I have to stay light. Back and posterior chain in general always take the loads well. Today it was 5 sets of 5 reps at 170 kilos. Felt good about it.
Conditioning.
10 rounds of:
10 handstand push-ups
14 kettlebell snatches, 20kg (7/7)
20 box jumps
This was not for time. It was originally but then a party of two came to hang around at the stations I was working on hspu's, and there's no other place where those could be performed. There was personal training session going on so I didn't have the heart to bother them. There were 3 rounds where I didn't do handstand push-ups and 3 rounds where I didn't do box jumps but snatches took place every single round. I went 7 on right hand, and then switched it to left hand for another 7 reps.
Accessory. There was plenty of time before sauna so I did some biceps and triceps. Something I do practically never. Not that those wouldn't be useful for me. It's just simply something that has not been in my tool box. Today I gave them a shot.
Spent the weekend in Klaukkala, in the countryside and as you probably already know the surroundings are perfect for crossfit. This time it was a metcon with running and kettlebell snatches.
Metcon.
5 rounds of:
400m run
5 right hand kettlebell snatch, 32kg
5 left hand kettlebell snatch, 32kg
Wear a 9kg weight vest
This was something I call fun. It's been time since playing around with the vest I got from my baby something like 2 years ago. Every now and then I go and get it from the cellar, put it on, and get to work. It gives classic movements a different edge for sure.
Running was for 400 meters, 200m back and forth basically. I brought my 2-pood bell with me. This was pretty much without a warm-up. Took couple of swings and snatches with it and got to work. Breathing was high as both running and kb action have their effect on the game.
Friday. Squat (up to 2x140kg). Metcon, 5rds of: 10 right hand kb snatch (20kg), 10 left hand kb snatch (20kg), 10 burpee, 10 t2b.
There was a bit of a rush today but I found a spot to get a training session done. In the evening we went to see some friends at a restaurant for some quality time. Session included squats and conditioning.
Strength.
Back squat
3x90, 107.5, 122.5, 132.5kg
2x140, 140kg
Even though the deadlifts felt and looked pretty good yesterday I can feel there was some work being done. My back was tight big time so squats were not something I was looking forward to. That stood in my calendar and I didn't have time to think this over so I stuck to the plan. Triples in the beginning and the doubles in the end. Those doubles were supposed to be triples too but today that 140kg barbell weighed more than normally. On the other hand, all these reps came up pretty nicely so I'll take this for now.
Metcon.
5 rounds of:
10 right hand kettlebell snatch, 20kg
10 left hand kettlebell snatch, 20kg
10 burpee
10 toes-to-bar
This was freestyling as there wasn't a strict plan how to work on my conditioning. Burpees were on the table, and snatches came to accompany them in the form of kettlebells. This session took place at my old gym where I used to do lots and lots of t2b's. That came to my mind and I threw it in the mix too.
Good wod for sure! Total of 20 kb snatches, 10 per hand in a row, then change hands. Everything was completed unbroken. It was mostly tough in general. There was no single piece that felt the worst or most challenging. Breathing was heavy all the time, and there is really no need to stop because the movements were either at bodyweight or then the kettlebell was only 20kg.
Saturday. Metcon, "Kettlebell Hell", 3x3min workouts of kb swing, burpees, kb snatch / kb c&j and goblet squats.
Workout outdoors, that's great. Love every minute of it. We are spending the day at Pauliina's parents. Just hanging around and chitchatting. The plan was to hit it early afternoon at their place and throw down together for a training session, all four of us. That's family quality time if you ask me!!!
"Kettlebell Hell"
1. In 3 minutes complete:
25 KB Swings, 32kg
15 Burpees
AMRAP of 1-arm KB Snatches (32kg) from the hang in the remaining time.
Result, 14 snatch
Rest 1 minute
2. In 3 minutes complete:
25 KB Swings, 32kg
15 Burpees
AMRAP of 1-arm KB Clean and Jerks (32kg) from the hang in the remaining time.
Result, 12 c&j
Rest 1 minute
3. In 3 minutes complete:
25 KB Swings, 32kg
15 Burpees
AMRAP of KB Goblet Squats (32kg) in the remaining time.
Result, 20 squats
I'm so proud of this gang as they did this idetical workout with me. Maybe a bit scaled version but still the idea was the same. It was awesome to witness these guys are ready for some serious work! Great attitude.
After I had done my share of the workout I checked how the original post stood at competitorstraining.com and the idea actually was to rest 5min and then repeat the whole thing. Well, I gotta redo this as rx'd some day.
I got all kb swings unbroken each round and paced myself through the burpees with quite a steady pace. Haven't done this heavy kb snatches a lot, maybe once or twice before. To my surprise they weren't that bad. Clean and jerks felt a little tougher. Goblet squats burned my legs. As if they weren't already smashed from squatting two days in a row.
This was a great workout to be done outdoors and I think I'm gonna do this again in the future. That time with the prescribed rest after workout and then redo the whole thing.
Take a look at the following link below, an interview of Rich Froning, four-time Crossfit Games Champion: Article of the Games champion.
Tuesday. Skills, bar muscle-ups. Strength, weighted ring dips with wall ball. Metcon, pair workout of running, kb snatches (24kg), and wall ball shots.
Alright, getting together with my main man Tony the Pony is always great! I see this dude pretty much every day of my life but still we don't have that many opportunities anymore to hit a workout together. So I cherish every time that happens. He's a great training partner to have. Always pushing you forward and talking you up so no wonder he's a liked person to be around. Today we drove to Pirkkola, a classic outdoors place if you've followed me before. The place is destined for some bar muscle-up training, and Toni brought his rings from home so we took advantage of those too. We pushed to the limits with a pair workout in the end.
Skills.
Bar muscle-ups (21 reps)
I'd really like to practice this skill frequently now as I've learned the right technique finally. Since I got my first bar muscle-up - probably last summer? - I haven't had missed attempts practically at all. I can get myself over the pull-up bar but my technique has demanded some requirements. There was a time I understood it but then I didn't practice it that much and I kind of regressed to that awkward style where I do the work mainly with the right side of my body instead of using the entire body evenly.
Recap
Recently there has happened a huge progress and I realized the technical improvements and was able to take them in to use. With the help of Pauliina actually. So I really wanted to try them out today and prove myself this is a movement pattern I can do. And I certainly proved it to myself. Took 22 reps in total, in sets of 3-6-7-6. Felt good all they way!
Dips.
Weighted ring dips 5-5-5-5-10 reps
With 9kg wall ball between legs
This was a cool twist. It's a rarity to play with weighted ring dips. It would definitely be a good ingredient to the soup. Probably would somewhat help with all work done with the rings, muscle-ups especially. We took couple of sets without any extra weight and then grabbed the wall ball between our legs and completed sets with that 9kg ball. I took mostly 5's but then in the end I took 10 reps. That maybe says I could have taken higher rep sets. For some reason those dips were heavy-ish though.
Metcon. Pair workout, time 20.21
5 rounds for time and reps of:
Athlete 1: Run 350m
Athlete 2: Complete 8/8 kettlebell snatch (24kg), followed by amrap of wall ball until athlete 1 finishes his run. Then change roles and finish the round
This was lots of fun. It was an individual work being done as a team. We worked towards a common target, getting the work done as quickly as possible. It took us 20+ minutes in total. Either Toni or me was running all the time. While the other one was running his 400m run (it might be shorter), the other completed 8 right hand kb snatches with 1.5 pood bell and then as many reps as possible of wall ball shots in the remaining time of the other one's running.
So I started and went for running for the loop and Toni did kb snatches and amrap of wall balls. As I returned, we changed so that he went running and I started the kb/wb work. Result was the number of wall balls you got each round. My result was 25-25-25-20-25 reps, a total of 120 reps.
My lower back hurt like hell during the snatches. This is sick but those heavy deadlifts have bugged me for a week now. I did them last Tuesday so it's about time to get rid of it. Running and snatches were the ugly part considering that back pain. Other than that I felt great during the wod. Running was not fast, didn't time it but I felt like I can't run that fast. On the wb's I got a steady pace. First round unbroken, and I took that as my target for the remaining rounds. On the second I guess I did 15-10, and something similar in the later rounds. Maybe 3rd and 4th were 15-5-5 and 10-5-5, and in the last round I got 15-5-5, tried to keep the recovery just short so that the tension in the shoulders could be released.
This was an excellent session. Working outdoors is always a pleasure and in good company it's always even better. Hoping to see some friends hit workouts with me outdoors while the weather is still great and summery!
