Tuesday. Complex, build up to a heavy complex of: 1 power clean + 3 tng push jerk (up to 90kg). Wod, 20min amrap of: 5 power snatch @ 60kg, 25 ghd, 500m row.
Focus on Tuesday was moving the barbell up from front rack. It feels like an eternity since going overhead. Don't know if that's the truth but that's the first feeling. Second focus was putting 60kg snatches on a metcon. Not a joke for me.
This was success. I did these rather fast without that much recovery between sets. Every set was touch'n'go from front rack to overhead. I'm very proud of these lifts. Lately since getting our firstborn, my training volume has gone down quite naturally but it has felt great every time when hitting the gym. It's spectacular to spend time with this little kiddo so the change has been something I can definitely live with =) Got the last set on video.
Wod. Result, 4 rounds
20min amrap of:
5 power snatch @ 60kg
25 ghd sit-ups
500m row
Snatches were heavy for me, 60kg ain't that easy. Took them singles all the way. No misses however, which is good news. Ghd's were unbroken and rowing was around 1:50 pace all the way. At one point I had to wait for 30-60 seconds to hop on the ghd's as one guy stepped in in the middle of the metcon. I wrote this as 20min amrap but decided to finish the 4th round. Timer stopped at 20.34, and considering that extra stop on the ghd's, let's say it was 4 rounds sharp.
Wednesday. Double Grace with Toni @ 80kg. Time, 8.30. Pair wod, 300m run, 30 power snatch @ 60kg, 300m run, 30 c&j @ 60kg, 300m run, 30 deads @ 60kg, 300m run, 40m front rack lunges. Time, 16.20.
What a day! We moved some barbell around with a purpose in the morning with Toni. Double Heavy Grace was in the program to start the day, and then another metcon with quite a bunch of barbell action, with running between movements. Then we spent the day with Pauliina and our little girl in the city of Helsinki.
Double Heavy Grace. Time, 8.30
60 clean and jerk @ 80kg
You go, I go, with Toni
This sounded like a good idea yesterday evening. Today as I woke up it sounded monstrous. And it kind of was to be honest. As we built up to this weight it started to feel like it's doable. The first lifts felt heavy as shit but time corrected this and it started to feel more comfortable. Or at least manageable.
It's pretty mind blowing that we were actually able to smash 80kg barbell like this for so many reps. And without having to slow down tremendously. We are freaking pumped to hit double Grace at 80kg. Great job Toni! This weight seemed to be perfect for a pair work.
Doubel Grace
Wod. Time, 16.20
300m run
30 power snatch @ 60kg
300m run
30 clean and jerk @ 60kg
300m run
30 deadlift @ 60kg
300m run
40 front rack lunges @ 60kg
Divide the barbell movements as you wish, run together as a team
After the first piece shoulders were shot but after warming up a little bit for this one they were in full action again. It was an awkward feeling that the barbell felt light'ish on the first snatches (as it was 20kg less than just before) but the movement was different so it needed some work to get used to it.
Metcon's parts
Great workout to say the least. Only thing I would have changed was the deadlifts. They were too easy and light so the breathing that was through the roof came down a notch. Had there been front squats it would have been a different ball game. Let's make the order like this: snatch --> front squat --> c&j --> lunges = horrible.
Thursday. Emom x 10: Snatch complex (up to 55kg). Metcon, 8rds of: 12 s2o @ 50kg, 40m walking lunges, 500m row. Time, 38min.
On Thursday agenda was snatch work in the beginning and then a long metcon for conditioning purposes. That one was easier on the lungs but burned my legs big time.
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
Power snatch + Hang snatch + Snatch balance
1-5min: 50kg
6-10min: 55kg
Metcon. Time, 38 minutes
8 rounds of:
12 shoulder-to-overhead @ 50kg
40m walking lunges
500m row
After sparring with couple of friends I ended up doing a longer conditioning piece. This was kind of gnarly. Mostly due to the lunges. Those bastards shot my legs. Basically each movement put pressure in the lower body, and it felt after the 38 minutes were done. S2o's were unbroken, so were the lunges. Okay, it's 20 meters one way, and then back down. Rowing was easy pace, at 1:55.
Tuesday. Back squats 1x5 @ 140kg. Metcon, 21-15-9 of: power snatch @ 40kg, row for cal. Time, 6.16. Emom x 10min. Odd min, 10 push jerk @ 40kg. Even min, 10 burpees.
It was about time to get my feet at the gym for heavy barbell. This was a rough mental battle as 140kg squats were waiting for me. That's heavy for me. Then intense metcon, and some accessory emom stuff. Very good training day!
Squat set
Strength.
Back squat 1x5 @ 140kg
This was the crown for the squat sessions I've put up lately. It's been 7x5, 5x5, 3x5, and 1x5 sets with ascending weights. Got to say truthfully that I was nervous of this weight, and wasn't sure if I have what it takes to move this weight correctly. Then I told myself up shut up earlier today, and decided to hit this. I'm glad that I made the decision at noon because this definitely needed my entire focus.
Warm-ups included 5x60, 5x90, 3x110, 1x120, 1x130kg lifts. Those were light so my confidence and self talk were good when approaching the barbell. The view on the camera is a bit questionable but you probably get the point anyway. This must be some sort of personal record. I usually count only the one rep maxes but it is a fact that I have never lifted 5x140kg on back squats.
5x140kg
Metcon.
21-15-9 of:
Power snatch @ 40kg
Row for calories
Nasty. Snatches were 15-6 on the first round, 10-5 on the second round and 6-3 on the last one. God damn my forearms were shot after this metcon! Holding either a barbell or the Concept2's handle all the time hurt forearms big time.
Rowing was also pulled with a purpose. I checked the last set's pace after the workout and it showed 1:36 on the screen. Very happy on that too. It was a decision to keep myself moving. The only thing that bothered me was the distance between the platform and the rower. I wasted a lot of time there, and had to people as the place was maybe more crowded than ever.
Accessory.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
Odd min, 10 push jerks @ 40kg
Even min, 10 burpees
Some more work needed to be done, and because my forearms were shot I had to change my plans of deadlifts / burpees to jerks and burpees. I probably wouldn't have had the grip strength to hold on to the barbell. Jerks and burpees were a funny combo, my shoulders said. Towards the end strength started to fade away but the pace remained consistent. Good shoulder burn!
Friday. Metcon, 21-15-9 of: power snatch @ 40kg, box jumps, pull-ups. Cashout lunges @ 60kg. Time, 9.40. Gymnastics, every 3:00, perform 20 t2b.
Great session at Crossfit Kehä. Both of the owners threw down with me. We created this one with Toni on our way to the gym. It was supposed to be pretty much about lungs. And it was. Intense workout with bodyweight stuff and some barbell action.
Metcon. Time, 9.40
21-15-9 of:
Power snatches @ 40kg
Box jumps
Pull-ups
Right into lunges @ 60kg
Doing a workout as a competition is something I'm not used to as I've been training by myself the past three years. The first year we did most of our workouts together with Toni. So today's composition was a bit nerve racking prior to the 3-2-1-go command =) And once the barbells started to cling and clang on the floor it felt like I need to keep my arms on the bar, and at least not drop the bar first.
On the other hand, you should play your own game and not get confused by stuff that happens next to you. But then again, in competition you need to know where you are at and know if you got to step up your game. On this one we finished the first snatches with Toni about the same time (I went 12-5-4). Second round was 3x5 and last one 5-4 reps.
Box jumps were my active recovery piece on this wod. Of course they kept my breathing high and legs burning but somehow I'm able to go through them without having to break them down. Maybe they are rather efficient. They were unbroken each round.
On the pull-ups I had my mind on the game. Decided to break them down in order not to shoot my forearms on the snatch / pull-up combo. First round was 10-7-4, second was 11-4 and last one unbroken.
The grande finale on this workout was lunges with a barbell on back rack position. We didn't measure the distance but I'd guess it's somewhere about 10 meters back and forth, that is a total of 20 meters. Had to change the plates on the bar after the 21-15-9 so that took some time but I tried to get my hands on the barbell right after that and start moving.
This went pretty smoothly even though I haven't done 60kg lunges like ever. It stayed there nicely and legs took the burden well. Yes, my legs hurt after it was all done and felt greatly relieved as I was able to drop the bar away. Awesome workout to say the least. My lungs hurt hours after this one!
Gymnastics.
Every 3:00:
20 toes-to-bar
Toni had written this one in his head for accessory kind of work for core. It was a good one and these were surprisingly challenging. Went unbroken for 2 rounds but then the last one was a big battle. Had to break it after 10 reps. Grip, hip flexors and core were the issue. It was odd that both of ours lungs started hurting on the first round like we were still doing the metcon =)
Monday. Power snatch 5's (up to 58kg). Intervals, every 5:00: 20 cal row + 10 barbell reps. Cashout, 3x15 thrusters @ 40kg.
Evening session at the gym. Yesterday was a good snatch session so I kept going with that. Today was supposed to be a rest day due to schedules but luckily there was a time slot worth taking advantage of. Couple of intervals with rower and barbell, then finally some accessory work via thrusters.
Oly.
Power snatch 5's (40, 50, 55, 57, 58, 50kg)
Damn, 5 power snatches at 58kg is definitely the heaviest I have ever done. Yeah, I know that sounds ridiculous as it's most guys' warm-up weight =) For me it's the real deal. These were touch'n'go reps all the way. More than I dared to hope for.
Intervals.
Every 5:00, for 20:00
20 cal row + 10 power snatch @ 40kg
20 cal row + 10 clean and jerk @ 40kg
20 cal row + 10 thruster @ 40kg
20 cal row + 10 squat clean thruster @ 40kg
This was a great combination. The weights were questionable on some parts. As my legs were burning from the rowing I felt like my technique was a bit off on the snatches and clean and jerks. Rowing pace was 1:36 on both of those times I looked on the screen.
So going pretty much full throttle on the rowing made the barbell movements exotic. On the snatches the weight was alright. Then on the c&j's it was a bit too light. On the other hand I felt like the last cleans were bouncing a bit off my thighs and I didn't have enough patience to pull it up to hips anymore. Shoulders felt good on those so the weight could have been maybe 50kg.
On the thrusters the weight felt surprisingly light. Thrusters are never light so this was kinda funny. Same with the last movement, squat clean thrusters. Don't get me wrong, I was wasted after each of these intervals because I rowed as fast I could and walked right to the barbell and didn't take any breaks. These just made me think if I could have had more weight on the bar.
Cashout.
3x15 thrusters @ 40kg
Clock was quite late so instead of the intended 5x5 front squats I decided to finish the session with couple of thrusters. 15 reps, then short break between and repeat for a total of 3 sets. Shoulders got fired up good time. Legs were fine all the way.
Wednesday. 10min amrap: 20 squat, 10 db snatch @ 25kg, 10 t2b. Result, 226 reps. Every 2:00, perform 10 tng power snatch @ 40kg. Wod, 5rds of: 30 du, 10 s2o @ 40kg.
It was a nice session indeed, 3-piece action where I had two metcons - in the beginning and in the end - and some barbell cycling in the middle. Had a running clock that took me 37 minutes to finish these wods.
Metcon. Result, 226 reps (5 rounds + 6 snatches)
10min amrap of:
20 air squats
10 dumbbell snatches, 25kg, alternating
10 toes-to-bar
It was possible to jump into this without much of a warm-up. I've done this type of solutions lately every now and then. But the first metcons must then be mostly bodyweight stuff. It also works as a warm-up workout. This burned my legs definitely, especially on the snatches.
Barbell cycling.
Every 2:00, perform:
10 touch'n'go power snatches @ 40kg
This was absolutely beneficial for me. I have rarely done longer sets of snatches so this came in handy for sure! I felt comfortable with the movement itself. That was a positive feeling after having a good break of snatch work.
It felt consistent with the bar path and I was able to bring the bar up to the hips before the last pull. That satisfied me big time.
Metcon.
5 rounds of:
30 double unders
10 shoulder-to-overhead @ 40kg
On this one I didn't follow the clock that much. As such the workout is rather light and short. After those earlier pieces and after not having worked my shoulders that much lately this burned shoulders pretty well. Even with just 40kg on the bar. Du's went pretty well too. I foam rolled my shins prior to jumping around, that seems to be the key to success on these.
Tuesday. 7min emom of power snatches (up to 55kg). 7min emom of power cleans (up to 90kg).
This was a regular work day and then right after the work we headed downtown Helsinki for a dinner with a bunch of colleagues. So I had to squeeze in a short session with barbell emoms before leaving. Looks like the Christmas is coming to Helsinki!
Snatch.
7 min, every minute on the minute
1st min: 7 reps @ 40kg
2nd min: 6 reps @ 45kg
3rd min: 5 reps @ 50kg
4th min: 4 reps @ 52.5kg
5th min: 3 reps @ 52.5kg
6th min: 2 reps @ 55kg
7th min: 1 rep @ 55kg
Definitely not the most sound version of my snatches. Wasn't able to bring the barbell high enough up my thighs before the last pull. Still, pretty happy that body felt okay today and seems like my body is now feeling normal.
Clean.
7 min, every minute on the minute
1st min: 7 reps @ 60kg
2nd min: 6 reps @ 65kg
3rd min: 5 reps @ 70kg
4th min: 4 reps @ 75kg
5th min: 3 reps @ 80kg
6th min: 2 reps @ 85kg
7th min: 1 rep @ 90kg
Cleans felt much better, and the bar obeyed my commands pretty well.
Friday. Thruster ladder, 8min amrap of ascending weights. Result, 43 reps. Metcon, 5rds of: 3 bar mu, 5 power snatch (40kg), 7 hspu, 10 pistols.
Weekend is coming and I'm loving it! Today was a good session at the gym. When I was warming up I accidentally heard from one of the coaches that floorball team Tapanilan Erä is coming to train to the gym. I knew there are some old pals that I used to play with in a different team. It was great to see those guys and throw some small talk while we threw down. Great times! These are the guys I miss from playing floorball seriously. The people around us.
Rosendahl!
Barbell conditioning. Result, 43 reps (3x80kg)
8min amrap of:
10 thruster, 40kg
10 thruster, 50kg
10 thruster, 60kg
10 thruster, 70kg
10 thruster, 80kg
10 thruster, 90kg…
Winter War qualifications are now taking place which means they are trying to find out who are the toughest crossfit athletes in Finland. The contest is in February but qualification is taking place now in December. This was event 1 maybe three years ago. This year it was similar with the difference that the weights started at 50kg. Otherwise the same ideology exists. I figured I'd get a better workout by starting at 40kg to get some heavy breathing.
Tapanilan Erä
Went unbroken on the first two sets, both at 40kg and 50kg. Those were pretty self-evident beforehand as I thought about this. It's been time since doing 60kg thrusters so it was a mystery how those would feel like. My warm-up wasn't perfect and I felt my elbows being very tight. After doing 40kg thrusters for couple of sets in the warm-up and stretching a little more, they started to cooperate.
However, I had to power clean the barbell on the front rack before starting the first repetition. Ideally I would squat clean the bar but it makes it more challenging to get a full grip and having an ideal grip to press the barbell up and overhead. 60kg was 6-4 reps.
At 70kg the barbell was clearly heavier but I got through the set with 4-3-3 reps. Last weight was at 80kg, and I had to go for singles for each rep completed. Legs were good all the way, those felt strong all the time. Shoulders are my weaker part compared to legs and core and it was not surprise that upper body bailed on me on the thrusters finally. It was difficult to know how much to rest between attempts. Didn't wanna burn my shoulders out totally but then again it's not cool to have too long of a break.
Thruster ladder
Metcon.
5 rounds of:
3 bar muscle-ups
5 power snatch, 40kg
7 handstand push-ups
10 pistol squats
This was inspired by Bobby Noyce's workout that I saw in Youtube yesterday. This was a little modification compared to that. He also had overhead squats after snatches, and muscle-ups were completed at the rings. Those bar muscle-ups felt in my core after doing 100 ghd's yesterday. Maybe there's a correlation between those. Bar mu's were as perfect as are in my case. I was proud of those for sure.
Last thruster done
Snatches were light but in the course of action it was probably a good weight as after those it was time to throw myself upside down against the wall for hspu's. My butt is still a bit sore but it definitely didn't bother at all. It was awesome to do pistols, it's such a freaking good movement. Everything went unbroken and that was the goal for sure. Didn't have a timer rolling. That didn't change the nature of the workout a bit. This was my best effort for today.
Sunday. Intervals, 3 rds of: muscle-ups and push jerks. Emom x 10min: 3 power snatch @ 50kg. Fran, 21-15-9 of: thruster (43kg), pull-ups. Not for time.
What a great session. Loved this work being put in today. Okay, I felt somewhat tired in the morning from upper body but it woke up finally. It was great to get some muscle-ups done after hands being ripped for a while. Today it didn't bother any more. Then snatches and Fran with easier pace.
Intervals.
3 rounds of muscle-ups and push jerks @ 60kg
1st round: 3 mu's + 6 jerks
2nd round: 2 mu's + 6 jerks
3rd round: 3 mu's + 10 jerks
2min rest between sets
Awesome to combine these two movements. I've been a bit hesitant to mix muscle-ups with other elements because those aren't too strong in my case. I once did mu's and rowing intervals as a couple and I remember being entirely worn out after couple of sets. Getting tired doesn't matter at all, that's the entire purpose. But the thing is I still don't know how my body reacts to this kind of intervals including muscle-ups, and once they are gone, they really are gone. I can't recover that fast from those. So it's always like I have to play it safe with ring mu's.
Today I thought about doing a triple on the rings, then hitting 6 jerks with a barbell. This was the case on the first set. On the second one I missed the third rep but decided it's more advantageous to move on rather than try for another single on the rings. On the jerks I got the same amount of reps completed.
On the last round I got that much needed triple done and it felt good. That left me with a good feeling, and I decided not to be grumpy about the missed muscle-up on the second set. Still, the bar was not that heavy after all so I did a total of 10 jerks on the last set. Didn't wanna get ripped hands again so this was enough for this portion of the workout.
Sunday recap
Oly.
Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
3 power snatch @ 50kg
I've done more squat snatches, singles and doubles lately. I took couple of singles up to 60kg prior to this one to get used to heavier snatches. These triples felt heavy in the beginning. Probably because I haven't used to do power snatches. Those got better through every round. At some point I thought about adding weight on the bar. Then again, I stayed at 50kg and tried to focus on bringing the bar up as high as possible before the last pull. Working on positions.
For the third piece of conditioning I only had notes for thrusters and pull-ups. Got to say my shoulders were burned at this point. Never at any point was I shooting for a record breaking effort on this benchmark workout. Instead, I took my time with the transitions and the only goal was to go unbroken, and get a good heavy breathing going on. Goal achieved.
Shoulders were shot already after the first set of thrusters. That kind of set the tone of the workout. Usually the second round - round of 15's - is the nastiest, and takes the most out of a human being physically and mentally. This time I was saved of the long burn which is classic stuff after Fran. Those breaks between movements made the difference. But Fran is always Fran. Nasty lady to say the least. I just realized it's been exactly a year from doing Fran for the last time =)
Thursday. Power snatch 3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1 (max 60kg). Metcon, 12min amrap of: 30 du, 10 ghd, 10 burpee. Result, 330 reps.
Day between squats. This was more like a go by feeling kinda day. Haven't done snatches that much lately so it was about time. On the metcon the main ingredient was double unders. I feel like they have gone a step back, and at the same time I'm looking enviously Pauliina completing them with great form so it got me some inspiration to hit them.
Snatch.
Power snatch 3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1 (triples at 50kg, doubles at 55kg, singles at 60kg)
I determined the weights beforehand. Triple snatches at 50 kilos, doubles at 55kg and finally singles at 60kg. It's been ages since doing power snatches in some other way than in metcons. This was not a timed portion, not emom, just completed a set, walked a bit, and continued further.
There's a lot to be done in my technique. I can hit light weight up to the hips but when something is on the barbell, I tend not to have the required patience. On the first pull everything is okay but then after knees I don't bring the bar high enough. Pretty classic stuff.
Triples and doubles were alright. I did them touch'n'go style and was confident on the weights. Okay, they are light weight after all but I haven't snatched in a while and this has never been a strength of mine. Singles at 60kg felt heavy. By heavy I mean it's not easy to get it overhead because the bar doesn't hit correct spots and the explosiveness lacks in the movement. But these weights don't bring any stress to the body because 60kg is not a lot of weight, no matter how you measure it. So it always kind of feels like a light day when doing snatches.
Metcon. Result, 330 reps
12min amrap of:
30 double unders
10 ghd sit-ups
10 burpees
This was a little fun conditioning part at the end of the session. Didn't wanna touch barbell as tomorrow's another good grind of squats. Just keeping the body moving on the days off. As I wrote, double unders are something that needs to get back in good shape. Today they felt good. Even though I had couple of misses, I felt my form was better and it felt much more natural.
Ghd's were the easiest part of this one but they kept my heart beat high. Burpees are always great. I enjoyed them a lot. They were kinda miserable but I liked them a lot. It's a good movement. There's not really a reason to stop. You can always complete one more burpee. Just hit it. Good mental movement. Managed to complete 6 full rounds plus 30 du's on top of that. Had the du's went better, there was time to complete the 7th round.
Friday. Back squat 3x5 (across, 130kg). "Benny", 3x5min amrap with 3min rest between sets: 2-2, 4-4, 6-6… of power snatch (40kg), box.
Friday pulls were supposed to be on the program. It's quite often to combine squats and deadlifts towards the end of the week. Squats were on the table but my core or somewhere under the left ribs are feeling some sort of pressure when pulling heavy or sneezing / coughing. So I left deads alone and concentrated on a workout I named Benny after my beloved furry friend Benny who went to dogs' heaven exactly 2 years ago on this date.
Strength.
Back squat 5-5-5 (130kg)
Yes, it felt good. Decided to do couple of 5's and it was meant to do 4x10 reps on deadlifts afterwards. I built up to this weight by doing sets at 5x60, 3x90, 3x110, 2x120kg. Those weights felt very confident, and they should be. I took my time warming up before touching the barbell.
Had to do these reps with a good pause on the top position. That's what I usually do when having a heavier barbell on my back or front rack. It was all good for each set. The last rep was kind of a fluke though. I lost control on the way down a bit but was able to save that in the bottom.
Squats
Benny. Result, 66 reps each round (round of 10's + 6 snatch)
3x5min amrap
3 min rest between sets
2-2, 4-4, 6-6… of:
Power snatch, 40kg
Box jump
This turned out to be a good mental battle. I had to place the box a little further down the hall but not too far anyway. Ideally it would have been placed a bit closer. Don't know if that would have changed anything at the end of the day. First reps were easy because volume was low. Six snatches are something I can push through unbroken but it got my breathing heavier, and adding box jumps to this combo made legs on fire.
At round of 8's I broke it in to 4-4, and the next round was 5-5. On the round of 12's I got 6 snatches done before hitting the time cap. On the last amrap I messed up with the rep scheme so I'm not quite sure how much work was completed in the 5 minutes. After round of 8's I started to think whether I skipped the 6's so I did it or re-did it. In the end I stopped after 10 reps had been done on both snatches and box jumps. Boxes were unbroken each time.
That means to say it was 6 reps shy of what I got on the two first amraps, or then 6 more reps, go figure. But one thing I know and that is this was painful in the end. And my dog was a bad ass, and I miss him.
Other.
Deadlifts
Kettlebell swings, 28kg
Handstand push-ups
Mobility
I took some deadlifts after squats but merely up to 130kg before I felt the pressure on the left side of my torso under the ribcage. That doesn't feel right so I have avoided things that bring second thoughts. In the end I took some 15 rep sets of kb swings at a 28kg bell and 10 hspu's between swings. Plus lots of mobility and foam roll stuff plus some rowing to flush the legs.
Today Finland played ice hockey in the world championships so we had to rush home after work to see the full game. Luckily we won in the penalty shots finally! After the game I drove to the gym late in the evening and got a good piece of work done. Still a bit lighter work but the workout in the end was a real deal.
Gymnastics.
Every minute on the minute x 6min
8 handstand push-ups
These workout sessions are still focusing more on upper body. Hspu's are always a good choice. And what is a better way to do it than emom workouts. Those demand a lot from muscle endurance. This was a short one but I got a good doze of hspu's done in rather short time, total to 48 reps. Didn't do much warm-up, just basically threw myself upside down and started ripping hspu's. Last sets were more demanding naturally, and I had to break them a little.
Hspu's
OHS.
Overhead squats 3x10 reps (40, 50, 50kg)
I figured my legs can already take some hit and overhead squats are a lighter way to test them out. It wasn't yet time to front / back squat but ohs was fine. Sets were longer and lighter. Just wanted to get a feel on the barbell again.
I'm wondering if it's ankle mobility or what but my form is leaning quite a lot forward and I'd like to see myself more on my heels. This transfers directly to squat snatch and the issue there is that if I miss a lift it's because the bar stays too much in front. got to work on my ankles. I'll start sitting on them in the evenings. Hopefully that will help.
Overhead.
Snatch grip push press 5x5 (50, 60, 70, 75, 80kg)
This was great. Another movement that will strengthen the overhead position and will most probably transfer directly to full snatch. Having confidence holding a heavy weight overhead makes it easier to sit in the bottom position with the same load overhead.
I took 5's and basically built up to a heavy 5-rep set. I had not planned on doing these but this was the part that felt very good. There is a rumor we're gonna have blocks at the gym once the handyman finds time to build them. I'm definitely going to take advantage of them on heavy singles and doubles for overhead strength. It's good to have the chance to drop the weights on the blocks. Okay, this builds confidence too when you have to drop them in your back but it's more safe to drop them on the blocks.
California Strength's training
Randy. Time, 6.08
75 power snatch, 35kg
Yeah, sounds easy. Light weight for couple of reps, no biggie. Hmm, let me think again… It wasn't that easy for sure! I feel like an amateur doing this in 10's and 5's, especially after seeing Jason Khalipa rip this through unbroken haha =) The big boys are on a bit different level. Regionals athletes are probably gonna crush this in about 3 minutes which is only half of my time.
First two sets were 10's, and the rest of them were 5's. I could not imagine how this should be done because I haven't done 35kg snatches that much, and especially not for this many reps. There is one Open workout where you mix 35kg power snatches and doubles unders. That was the reference point how I could think of this beforehand.
I decided to go by feeling anyway. I figured there's no point in gassing out in the beginning and then suffer for the rest of the workout. Snatch is obviously one of my weaknesses and it was exposed in this workout. Efficiency is not the best but I got the work done decently. This was a very good metcon, no doubt!
Sunday. Strength, overhead squat 3x10 (up to 70kg). Metcon, 1.000-750-500m row, 12-10-8 power snatch (50kg), 30-20-10 burpees. Time, 19.24.
After a relaxing weekend in Klaukkala with Pauliina's parents it was time to hit the gym again on Sunday evening. Overhead squats are doe sort of goat for me so these long sets are created intentionally to get more comfortable with a good load over my head in the squat. Rowing metcons are always tough. Add burpees to it and you have a good conditioning portion.
OHS.
Overhead squat 3x10 reps (60, 65, 8x70kg)
I took similar session about a week ago with overhead squats. Three high rep sets with ascending weight. That time sets were 40, 50, 60kg. This time I started with the heaviest load because I knew that is not my max. Completing sets of 10 reps have not been every day stuff for me so no matter how much the bar weighs it's gonna be a bit of a grind. I have probably not done 10x50kg earlier =) If there has been lots of reps, then it has probably been 40-45kg.
My plan is to do this for a progression to build up to heavier weights. I'll do this same combo for couple of times just to improve on my overhead squat. This is not a movement that would challenge my leg strength. It's more like the stability and strength in my shoulders that keep the bar steady. I got the first and second sets done as planned. They were tough but I got them. On the last set I had to let go of the bar after 8 reps. That was actually more than I hoped for. I was shooting for 10 reps but that was quite optimistic. Super happy with these anyway!
What I need to focus more on in the future is the full range of motion. There were definitely some questionable repetitions and I don't wanna see those. My mobility is on okay level. Not good but not bad either. With heavier weights it feels difficult to go rock bottom. That was the reason I asked my training partner to correct me on the depth on the last set. Thanks for the tips mister.
Recap
Metcon. Time, 19.24
1.000m row
12 power snatch, 50kg
30 burpee
750m row
10 power snatch, 50kg
20 burpee
500m row
8 power snatch, 50kg
10 burpee
This was a great conditioning workout. Damned it got me breathing heavy. Rowing was the first element I threw in the mix. That sucks every time. And when it does, you know it's gonna be a good wod. Snatch at 50kg is quite heavy for me. That is definitely one of my biggest weaknesses. No matter if it's power or squat snatch, they are not easy for me. That means I gotta practice them. That's why there were ohs and power snatches today. And burpees, our love / hate relationship continues =)
My rowing pace was 1.49 / 500m on average on the first thousand meters. For the two remaining rounds of 750 and 500 meters it was 1.51. It was intentionally moderate pace. By no means ca you say that fast. And it was a good decision. Had I rowed my ass off, it would have backfired big time on the snatches.
Total of 30 snatches. Kind of like Isabel with lots of twists. I wasn't looking for unbroken sets at all. Doing this many reps at 50kg would have been a killer. First set was 5-4-3 reps, second one 5-3-2, and the last 5-3 reps. I got them done with as good technique as I have right now so I'm stoked about that. These didn't let my breathing come down at all.
Hitting burpees in a workout is always a mental challenge and especially when you have big sets of them. First set was the nastiest of course with 30 reps in a row. What can I say about these. Suck it up and go. Hit chest to deck, and come back up. As easy as that. Very good workout!
Friday. AM: Back squat triples (up to 125kg). Metcon, 5-4-3-2-1 of: bar mu's and front squat (90kg). Time, 4.20. Metcon, 5min amrap of: 3 power snatch (50kg), 6 hspu, 9 box. Result, 84 reps.
Had to wake up too early in the morning to get my daily doze of crossfit done. Well, okay I woke up at 8.00 and hit the gym at 9.00 but on a holiday it's too early =) My body wasn't fully prepared for strength work at that time as I've used to train in the afternoon normally. Got couple of metcons done during the day, and worked on my skills on muscle-ups. Right after morning session I drove to Klaukkala to play handyman with Kari. We built a fence to fill an empty space on the wall. Felt awesome to finish it as I don't have a huge confidence in building stuff. So that was my "third" session of the day I suppose.
Strength.
Back squat triples (110, 120, 125, 125kg)
It was great to get some squats done after a while but my body sure wasn't at its best this early. Somehow I felt stiff all the way even though there was proper warm-up included before touching the barbell. It may have also somehow affected me that I was squatting outside the safety rack. Haven't done that with heavier weights so I can admit I was hesitant to put more weight on the barbell. My original plan was to hit 130+ loads.
Recap of squats
Metcon. Time, 4.20
5-4-3-2-1 of:
Bar muscle-ups
Front squat, 90kg, from rack
Even though back squat strength didn't go exactly as planned both metcons were okay. Mixing bar mucsle-ups and heavy front squats has been knocking in the back of my head since I saw something like this being done by Chris Spealler as it was "workout of the day" at crossfit.com some months ago. I just haven't had the possibility to do it anywhere before today. This new place has two places where I can do bar mu's and I'm definitely using those more in the future!
My hands are ripped in 3 different parts so I had to tape 'em up a lot, and used natural grips too in order to prevent more tears. This was also the reason I bitched out and took the barbell from rack instead of cleaning it from the floor. Good decision this time.
Starting the project
Went unbroken on both movements. I may have been a little too conservative on this one. Because I haven't done much muscle-ups in metcons it is still difficult to know how my body takes them. I could have kept shorter breaks before jumping on the pull-up bar or front racking the 90kg bar.
What I'm really proud of, is how my muscle-ups looked like. It was very balanced and strong hips were in play too. Very happy about this one! My breathing was well under control throughout the workout which means to say pace could have been a bit faster.
I believe I posted the first part of this earlier. Here's second and third too.
Metcon. Result, 84 reps (4 rounds + 3 box)
5min amrap of:
3 power snatch, 50kg
6 handstand push-ups
9 box
This was is stolen from Toni. He smashed it yesterday and once knowing what he got, it was easy to set a target and keep moving. For warming up I took couple of t'n'g reps at 40-45-50 kilos, and then it was time to hit it.
Done!
This was unbroken all the way. Very good combination of elements and burned the body in a wholehearted way. Not targeting anything specifically but just simply wore a man out. I believe there was potential hit finish that 5th round. Now I got stuck at 3 box jumps on the 5th round.
Snatch, hspu, box
Skills.
Ring muscle-ups
This was the first time I laid my hands on the rings at this place. Those rings are metallic so they haven't been tempting this far. Owner told they already have wooden ones but they just haven't had time to hang them yet. They are also working on building up blocks during the summer. Wall balls should be coming, as well as battle ropes and possibly a climbing rope. That's dope!
Anyway I jumped on the rings and took my first attempt. I was very surprised to fly over the rings. Took couple more singles and they were all as easy as they can be. I was amazed. What the heck has happened. Is the work really paying off? There was a small issue with these rings. The lock was so close to the rings and it was not adjustable that it scratched my triceps a lot. Hurt like hell. I still took the easiest triple in the end. Felt like I could have continued forever.
Metcon. Result, 360 reps (5 rounds + 20 cal row)
20min amrap of:
5 bench press, bodyweight (80kg)
10 pistol squats
20 calory row
30 double unders
Main workout of the evening was this long amrap. Bench press, whaaat? Time for the compulsory bench every quarter of the year. These were bodyweight presses at 80 kilos. This is not one of my strengths. I've benched a little over 100kg but after 90kg it starts to get heavy. In this one I did first 3-4 rounds unbroken, and then cut it to 3-2 reps.
Pistol squats were alternating leg after each repetition. Doing these in Nanos is always a bit more challenging but they went actually very well today. Got a good rhythm in every set and was able to do them unbroken without any breaks in between.
Rowing was mentally tough at times. It was only 20 calories which equalled 260 meters quite precisely each round. I changed the damper setting between 8 and 10, didn't see big differences. Maybe those calories came quicker with 10.
There were lots of space which is important in order to get a good confidence on double unders. I had one trip in one set at 26 reps. Other than that, all sets were good. It also felt like my body was pretty tight. Good long workout indeed!
Today was a dream come true type of day. Early Christmas or whatever you wanna call it. I ordered a climbing rope from Rogue Wednesday night and it arrived at noon today by UPS at my work place. I was having lunch while the delivery guy called and made my day. I had chills during the lunch before I was able to pick it up. And it was freaking awesome. All 7.6 meters of it! Today there's no chance I can try it out anywhere as couple of hundred of my colleagues are gathering in Helsinki for a party so let's see if the weekend brings another chance to try out this new tool.
Strength.
Back squat 3-3-3-3-3 (across 130kg)
Today was strongly focusing on legs and breathing. Total of 5 sets of triples at the same weight @ 130kg. Prior weights were 90-110-120kg for triples. These felt good all the way. First two sets were easier than the last three ones. And the last rep was obviously the toughest on each one of these. Had to be mentally in the right place to get these up stylishly.
Metcon. Time, 11.53
3 rounds of:
12 snatch, 45kg
20 box
400m run
We were supposed to do a partner workout with Toni but my training partner left the gym 15 minutes after he entered it because his thoughts were not there, he was already in the party that was gonna take place in couple of hours =) Haha, so he had to go and seek for a pre-party. Thus, something had to be written down for metabolic purposes. It turned out to be snatches, box and running.
Great workout. Snatch is definitely not in my wheelhouse and is never a wrong move to add it in to a metcon. Box jumps and running seemed like a good combination to get heart rate up so this really had its grip on me. It took me seconds shy of 12 minutes to finish it. Snatches slowed down a little each round but other than that I believe it was kind of similar in all rounds.
Monday. Power snatch, emom x 7min. Power clean, emom x 7min. Thruster, emom x 7min. Metcon, 4rds of: 12 jerk (50kg), 12 box, 12 clean (50kg), 12 c2b. Time, 14.46
I was waiting eagerly for this training day. It was an easy weekend and I was ready to pump it up. This emom style training with the barbell was a brilliant idea and programming by Ben Bergeron at competitorstraining.com. Three different barbell emoms, then a tough 4-rounder of clean and jerk, box, and pull-ups. Great one!
Snatch.
Every minute on the minute x 7, power snatch, climbing
Min 1: 7 reps (40kg)
Min 2: 6 reps (45kg)
Min 3: 5 reps (47.5kg)
Min 4: 4 reps (50kg)
Min 5: 3 reps (52.5kg)
Min 6: 2 reps (55kg)
Min 7: 1 rep (60kg)
This was the one that got me a bit off guard beforehand. That's because power snatches are not in my wheelhouse. When the wall hits me in weights it's gone. But those light snatches felt very good. And by light I mean reps up to 55kg. They weren't feather light but the bar was movable. The wall hit me at 60kg. I took a failed rep once, then slapped myself on the face and took it up. On the first rep I simply didn't have enough guts to pull it and to get under the bar. But the gains on this workout was how easily the other reps came up. Very pleased on this one!
Clean.
Every minute on the minute x 7, power clean, climbing
Min 1: 7 reps (60kg)
Min 2: 6 reps (65kg)
Min 3: 5 reps (70kg)
Min 4: 4 reps (75kg)
Min 5: 3 reps (80kg)
Min 6: 2 reps (85kg)
Min 7: 1 rep (90kg, plus one additional single at 95kg for a record lift)
Damned, these power cleans were solid. Each set felt great and these could have been heavier. It was freaking awesome to get these weights on my front rack with such ease. I thought the first minutes could make my heart beat rise but that wasn't the case. It was calm (but sweaty) all the time =) Hook grip kept on fine and none of the reps put too much burden on my grip. I tore my palm yesterday with the ring muscle-ups big time so I had to tape up a lot before touching the bar today.
I could have counted the weights more optimistically and load it up heavier. Yesterday the bar was heavy as hell so I kept it safe. On the other hand, I don't know what would have happened with let's say double at 90kg. 2xsingles okay, but touch'n'go double would probably have been tough. Anyway, this was an awesome emom. I've taken 90kg for a power clean but 95kg is something I probably have never power cleaned. So after the actual emom was over after 7 minutes, I decided to take one extra for 95kg. Feeling was that 100kg could have been made too.
Thruster.
Every minute on the minute x 7, thruster, climbing
Min 1: 7 reps (40kg)
Min 2: 6 reps (50kg)
Min 3: 5 reps (55kg)
Min 4: 4 reps (60kg)
Min 5: 3 reps (65kg)
Min 6: 2 reps (70kg)
Min 7: 1 rep (80kg)
Thrusters felt bad in my elbows for some unknown reason. It brought some pressure in the bottom position as the elbows are in extreme flexion. My left elbow is more flexible than the right one, I've realized it lately. It can be clearly shown in back squats and also slightly in cleans. Thrusters traditionally put the breathing on a test but not on this one. It stayed under control well all the way even though the weights climbed up every round.
It was mostly 5kg jumps except in the beginning and then the last one. Double at 70kg was very much tolerable stuff, no biggie, so I decided to jump 10kg to get 80kg in the books. I've once taken 805kg thruster from a rack. This is a movement I don't usually do with heavy weights. Thruster emoms are super fun stuff.
Metcon. Time, 14.46
4 rounds of:
12 jerk, 50kg
12 box
12 clean, 50kg
12 chest-to-bar pull-ups
This was no surprise that it's gonna hurt. Some workouts look easy on paper but they are deceptive. This one I knew it's not gonna be fun. That means it's a great workout. This was originally 60kg as rx'd on competitorstraining's site but I wanted to keep the intensity better, and as I know my body and its limits, I dropped it to 50kg so I could keep the bar and man moving faster.
That resulted in getting the jerks unbroken, same with the boxes. Last reps of jerks were tough on all sets but the first one. Box were easy, not that many reps and legs were not the ones getting the biggest damage so it was basically just knocking them through.
The real work was everything else. Weight on the cleans was light but I was not attempting to go through in one set. I dropped the bar after 7 reps on the first set, and then finished the remaining 5 reps to get all 12 reps done. Then continued with the same logic on all 4 sets.
Uuh, those c2b's… Not cool at all. It was frightening to jump on the pull-up bar with this torn palm but the tapes worked well and it was no issue. Can't have that as an excuse =) I broke the sets already on the first round. These were tough. Pumping chest to the pull-up bar made it of course harder than normally, and started to burn my grip strength.
This took me more time than I wanted. Or it was more like I didn't like the fact the round times grew longer in the rounds 2-3. Last round was faster as it usually tends to do because there's no need to save any energy. This was one good butt kicker for sure!
Friday. AM: Back squat emom singles up to 142.5kg. Deadlift 10-10-8-6 (max 177.5kg). Metcon, 7min amrap of: 7 ring dip, 12 t2b. Result, 7rds. PM: Metcon, 5rds of: 500m row, 6 power snatch (42.5kg), 9 hspu. Time, 17.37
This Friday I went to work for the evening shift so I had plenty of time in the morning to work on my posterior chain. Squats were followed by some Friday deads. I was quite done after them but there was still one short metcon to finish the session. After work I went back to the gym with the intention of rowing. It changed to a metcon consisting of rowing, snatches and hspu's, a good one.
It's work time!
Strength. Result, 142.5kg
Every minute on the minute
Back squat singles
Start at 60, add 10kg until you reach 100kg, then add 2.5kg per minute
I watched the Crossfit Open live announcement for 15.1 in the morning and the battle between Froning and Fraser. What a dog fight! it's gonna be hard on your grip for sure if you're participating in the Open. Three pulling movements is horrific. And once your grip is gone, it's sick to grab a barbell for 1 rep max on the clean and jerk. Anyway, as I drove to the gym, I started feeling super dizzy and for a while I thought if I had to skip the entire session. It took half an hour to get my shit together but once I got, it was all good from there on. It was time to squat and pull for strength.
I really like the idea of emom workouts for strength too. You gotta keep on moving because the time is ticking away. Today I did emom singles except in the beginning I took multiple reps on the lighter weights (<100kg). After 100kg I added only 2.5kg per minute whereas the first jumps were 10kg per round. Those were for warm-up.
The barbell felt heavier than normally. Maybe that dizziness had its effect but the barbell started feeling towards heavy at around 120kg. On video those look like okay lifts but the feeling inside was a bit different. At some point I thought I'd be happy to complete 130kg. Somehow I was able to battle through the rep of 142.5kg, and then failed the 145kg.
Pulling.
Deadlift 10-10-8-6 (105, 125, 157.5, 177.5kg)
I'll try to have one pulling day every week. This movement has been non-existing for a long time but in the last month or so I've been able to incorporate it back in the schedule. And it's been great. Today was another session to build up to heavy sets. Starting at low weights building up with rather big jumps. The last set was 85% of 1RM (210kg).
I took the first 3 sets up to 157.5kg touch'n'go style. And those felt great. I've found a way how to have a neutral head and this I've been able to engage my hammies much more compared to my technique before this change. By having neutral spine / neck line it's somehow easier for me to drop my butt on the way down.
Today was probably the first time ever I was pulling without having any tape on my hands. I've tried to get used to having no tape whatsoever in my hands except for the thumb tape of course. My hands have traditionally been very sensitive to barbell work, especially the pull-up bar, that's the worst. If I don't wear any tape, my palms / calluses with get ripped off every single time. I've scissored those calluses on a regular basis and that has really helped. Anyway, it hurt like hell today with no tape in my fingers when I was pulling the last set. It was simply too much, I couldn't have taken it tng anymore. I'm still happy on the deads today!
Metcon. Result, 133 reps (7 rounds)
7min amrap of:
7 ring dip
12 toes-to-bar
This was a quick workout in the end, hoping to get my heart beat up. Okay, in the beginning it did but then as I had to start breaking it up, heart rate settled down too. Ring dips were unbroken in the beginning but then I had to cut them, mostly in 2 parts. T2b's were similar, ub in the beginning but soon they got to 2 sets, and in the beginning even 3 parts. It was great to have both elements in the metcon but there was no chance I could have gone unbroken with these movements.
Recap of the training day
Metcon. 17.37
5 rounds of:
500m row
6 power snatch, 42.5kg
9 handstand push-up
In the evening I took another session with rowing on my mind. I add snatches and hspu's in the mix too. I wasn't outraging on this one but took a solid and stable pace from the beginning till the end. Rowing was somewhere between 1:45 - 1:50 all the time, snatches and handstand push-ups were unbroken for the entire workout. I took my time in the transitions, no panic, catch a breath and do the work. Really good combination of movements.
My warm-up was quite hasty so those snatches were a bit heavy in the beginning. Soon I got a hold of them. Hspu's were the easiest part of this metcon. Luckily those have gotten together pretty strong eventually. I'm very confident on this element nowadays.
Great to be back in the game! If there was enough time, I would have hit back squats too but today it was mostly snatch work. It was success all the way, and my body felt good in this session. Emom snatch balances and ohs / box jump metcon worked perfectly together.
Snatch work.
Every minute on the minute, for 8min:
1 power snatch + 3 snatch balance @ 50kg
At first this was supposed to be taken from rack and focus purely on the snatch balances. However, there were some guys doing their share of squatting so that left me with no choice but to take the barbell from the floor. No prob there, it was actually a good call as it was a great chance to practice the quick turnover and keeping the barbell close to torso.
The main focus was still on the snatch balance and quick drop under the bar. Don't know what has happened but it felt very natural and smooth all the way. And the weight felt light too. My armpits were facing forward, the support was strong and steady on shoulders, plus my hips were as mobile as they genuinely can be. It it freaking awesome to see that all this crossfit stuff really makes me better as a human being. I'm feeling much more flexible, strong and agile than before crossfit. And the past year has been mind blowing in this sense.
So I hit the very bottom position of snatch on these snatch balances. I'm gonna keep on putting effort in the full range of motion because that's pretty much the key to good mobility. And keep grinding more overhead squats, snatch balances, squat snatches to get better in these extreme positions.
Metcon. Result, 7 rounds
8min amrap of:
6 overhead squat, 40kg
12 box jump
Needed to get something quick in my system. This was the perfect solution! Tough on lower body, no doubt. There's always the question whether to put on nanos or weightlifting shoes =) I get better support from weightlifting shoes but then again you can't perform any kind of jumps with those. And I'd like to put nanos on every time in a metcon anyway. Today's big question was the combo of overhead squats and box jumps. Obviously nanos but the issue is that ohs is quite a challenge mobility-wise for me due to some tightness in ankles. It's very good to practice those so of course it was nanos.
I'm very happy I can also do overhead squats without my weightlifting shoes. It's not ideal but I can hit it below parallel for sure. This workout was short and thus more intense of course. Both elements brought a lot of burden for quads and hamstrings, and breathing of course. In the last round I asked my training partner to check out the timer but he accidentally reset the timer on the same second as time ran out. So I'm not exactly sure how many rounds I got in this one. Fact is that the first round was 60 seconds so my best guess is my result was 7 rounds. I just got the 12th jump as time cap was full. And I had solid round times so it must have been 7 rounds, totaling 42 overhead squats and 84 boxes.
