Monday 11.11: Rowing, pull-ups, t2b

Metcon. Every 2min: 250m row and alternately 10 pull-ups / t2b / k2e, for a total of 9 sets (18min).

Bodyweight stuff, rowing combined with action at the pull-up bar. My upper body is crashed from the weekend's pull-ups and push-ups (150 reps both) and legs are freaking sensitive after squatting almost 8.000kg yesterday. So it was time to sit on the rower and start working my ass off!

Metcon. In 18min, 2.250m rowing with 30 pull-ups, 30 t2b and 30 k2e.

• Every 2 minutes for a total of 9 sets.
• First 3 sets: 250m row, then 10 pull-ups (750m row, 30 pull-ups in 6min)
• Next 3 sets: 250m row, then 10 toes-to-bar  (750m row, 30 t2b in 6min)
• Last 3 sets: 250m row, then 10 knees-to-elbows (750m row, 30 k2e in 6min)

Difficult to put it in writing but I hope you follow me =) Idea was to start a new set every 2 minutes. Each set started with rowing 250 meters. After rowing that distance you have to do 10 reps of one bodyweight movement for 10 reps. For first 3 sets (6min) the movement was pull-ups, then the next 3 sets (6-12min) it was t2b and the last 3 min (12-18min) it was k2e. A total of 2.250m rowing and 30 reps each bodyweight movement.

I kept a balanced pace of 1.40-1.43 with the rowing machine. Then walked easily at the pull-up bar and did my reps, unbroken all the way. Then walked back to see my timer which said there's about 30+ seconds to wait for the next 2min set to start. I kept the rowing pace the same and did the movements unbroken so the time frame remained the same for the entire 18 minutes. It was just the heavy breathing that got a little faster towards the end. Abs started to feel it as rowing plus those t2b's and k2e's are all putting stress on the core. So this workout included a breath catching moment after pull-up bar action had been done. A little different than regularly.

I was able to keep the pace on the rower on a smooth pace and there was just a little variation between sets. This was a good and simple workout even though it looks complex on paper. It was a good metcon in its pure nature. The main purpose was to get blood flowing, heart pumping and lungs providing air. I succeeded in that goal.

Sunday 10.11: squat emom, 15min amrap

Sunday. Strength, back squat emom, 3 reps (100-110kg), for 9min. Metcon, 15mi  amrap of: 8 back squat (60kg), 20 du, 5 hspu. Result, 9 rds + 8 squats.

Time to squat! This time it was emom training, good way to increase strength and conditioning simultaneously. Then I did a metcon I stole from Pony, this one was their affiliate's workout of the day.






Strength. Back squat, every minute on the minute.

• 3 reps per min, for 9 minutes
• 3x100, 3x105, 3x110kg

Very solid performance. Guess I should add the stakes on the squat emoms, these weights moved pretty nicely down and back up, each minute. I did 3minutes with 100kg, then 3min @ 105kg and finally 3min @ 110kg. Suppose there's no other way but to add a few kilos on the barbell. It got my heart pumping just like an emom is supposed to, loved it! The load was nice but as I look at the reps on video, it looks like there could have been more stuff hanging on the bar.

Recap of the squats

Metcon. Result 9 rds + 8 squats

• 8 back squat, 60kg
• 20 double unders
• 5 handstand push-ups

I can't see myself programming a workout with 60kg on back squats. In anyway possible. However, Toni messaged me their workout of the day in the morning and as I wasn't sure about the metcon I had planned to do, I decided to think about it. For a while I thought about adding more weight on the squats (80kg) but then I saw myself doing this wod and realized the nature behind this workout is a traditional crossfit ideology. The movements were not tough, not heavy and you're supposed to keep on moving no matter how it feels. As you see on the round times I was able to maintain an exceptionally solid pace throughout the 15 minutes. All movements were done unbroken. There was a 10 meter distance between my barbell and "hspu station". There is only one place at the gym where you can do hspu's against a wall. The devices and mirrors are on the way otherwise.

There was a good number of reps, 80 squats @ 60kg, 180 du's and 45 handstand push-ups. The most important thing was that I was able to keep going without breaks. Very good!

Saturday 9.11: Pull-ups and push-ups

Saturday. Metcon, 15 rounds of: 10 pull-ups and 10 push-ups.

We are getting a new bed today at home, the delivery company is bringing it 3-4 weeks after purchase. So there was a small time cap to do a morning workout together with my lady at the gym. There was still a slight smell in the hallways that I talked about yesterday but this time the gym was odor-free =) It was difficult to get my body ready for the metcon but once I got it, the workout rolled on smoothly.

Metcon.

• 15 rounds of:
• 10 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups

I was looking to do 10 rounds of the couplet. However, it felt good so I decided to upgrade it to 15 rounds on the fly. Total of 150 reps both moves. I did both of them unbroken each round, that pleased me a lot. Okay, there wasn't that many reps per round but considering the total amount could have brought some issues. And I felt like I could have continued unbroken further. I was tempted to do couple of extra rounds but we had to run back home.

Both movements were a steady performance, no misses, no no-reps, no nothing negative. It went very well actually! Haven't done push-ups in a long time, a good basic movement and worth doing continuously. I suppose my triceps have also become stronger because of huge loads of handstand push-ups. I left the gym with a smile on my face, this was a good training day.

Recap of the workout

Friday 8.11: Hang clean emom + bodyweight metcon

Friday. Hang squat clean, emom, 4 reps @ 70kg, for 8min. Couple of hours later, metcon, 6 rounds of: 4 strict hspu, 8 pistols, 10 k2e.

Today was theoretically reserved for digging out 1 rep max on my clean. Yesterday I had enough of looking for those strength singles. I'm a crossfitter and I want to test my fitness in more ways than just going for single heavy reps. I'm an addict for fast heart beat and being beaten after workouts. That's what I'm looking for when I enter my training sessions. It feels like this has been a rest week.

So I changed my plans and did a hang squat clean emom training. I was also planning on doing a bodyweight metcon but the maintenance guys at my work place's gym opened up some sewer and the stink was incredible. The smell of pure shit was too much to handle so we had to run away from it with Pauliina =) Just couldn't stand the penetrating odor in our noses. So couple of hours later I did a metcon at our balcony to finish the training day.

Strength. Clean emom.

• Hang squat clean
• Every minute on the minute, 4 reps @ 70kg, for 8 minutes

Loved it! This is how a strength training works for me. This type of workouts are the way I have been able to increase my strength level remarkably. And it's much more inspiring to do it this way, so that heart beat becomes a factor as well, not just strength.

This weight was superb for me. For half way I manhandled it nicely. The last minutes started to feel heavy. Had to chalk the bar after 4 minutes to get a better grip as it felt like I'm loosing the grip. Last 2 minutes I had to break the set in half. Less than this weight would have been too light and then again, heavier would have brought a wall against me. This was perfect weight and time frame.

I still want to emphasize this type of strength training. I fell for this on first sight. I saw it first time when Rob Orlando posted on his site strongmanwod.com and the results of this training method is definitely working, at least for me. Go and take a visit on his page some day, there are some inspiring workouts.

Metcon. For completion

• 6 rounds of:
• 4 strict handstand push-ups
• 8 pistol squats
• 10 knees-to-elbows

Somehow it's different to do a workout at home compared to my regular gym. Doing hspu's on a concrete floor is probably not ideal so the pace was moderate, I didn't want to hit my head on the floor multiple times =) I have a pull-up bar at home as well. The hight of the bar is quite low but it's possible to do k2e's and t2b's. If I do pull-ups, I feel like my head is banging at the door frame. I managed to do a good metcon with the above mentioned movements. This was not a timed one, but for completion.

Rich Froning is giving tips on shoulder tips and core strength

Thursday 7.11: Bench singles, pair wod with Pony

Thursday. Bench, 1RM (PR 102.5kg). Pair wod with Toni, 4 rounds of: 500m row / max effort double unders. Result 388 du's.

I was thinking about going for running intervals, 8 x 400m with 90sec rest between sprints. Luckily Pony said he would have a chance to come and do a workout with me. That doesn't happen too often so I definitely took it and did bench strength and a pair workout with him.

Strength. Bench press (5x60, 3x70, 2x80, 1x90, 1x95, 1x100, PR 1x102.5kg). Our goal was to find our 1 rep max load at bench. Part of this week's plan to find out the strength maxes. Want to know where I stand at 34 years. Today it was time to do bench. I got that new record in my pocket, 102.5kg, check!

We took some light weight warm-ups, doing multiple reps to get chest and shoulder muscles prepared for the upcoming challenge. I felt solid all the way to the 102.5kg rep. No problems to get the weights up. I do bench quite rarely, maybe once or twice a month so it's nice to see the results still climb up on a steady pace.

The last attempt of 105kg was far away from being completed. I guess my stomach was already full at that stage. I'm happy to the results. I was looking to get improvement on the numbers here. Toni's PR is also the same number currently.

Pair wod. Result 388 double unders, Toni 318 double unders.

• 4 round battle of:
• Partner 1: 500m row
• Partner 2: max effort double unders while partner 1 rows

This was nice and tough! The point was that the other one rows 500 meters and during that time the other one completes max effort of double unders. He has to stop when the first guy finishes 500 meters on the rower. Toni challenged me to take this as a battle so it was a little fun competition at the same time. After the row, we changed turns. Total of 4 rounds, that means 2.000m row and a lot of double unders.

You can see both of our results down there. I was very solid on the pacing. My rowing was within 0.8 seconds on those 4 sets, and there was a maximum of 8 rep difference on the double unders. It felt tough already on the first round because it was almost all in type of action from the beginning.

I have to keep practicing on double under technique more. I feel like there's something I could do to improve so it wouldn't be so taxing on my body. Maybe if I wouldn't jump that high, just kept the rope moving faster and keeping my entire torso straight all the time. Got to take some video to analyze more. Haven't seen my doubles in a video in ages.

Anyway, this was a good and heavy breather. We took the transitions easily with Toni so this wasn't all action without any pauses. They were definitely needed. It was awesome to workout with this guy after a long break!

Don's result

• 1st round: 1.41.8 and 100 du
• 2nd round: 1.41.5 and 91 du
• 3rd round: 1.42.1 and 100 du
• 4th round: 1.42.3 and 97 du

Pony's result

• 1st round: 88 du / 1.39.7
• 2nd round: 100 du / 1.43.5
• 3rd round: 80 du / 1.45.0
• 4th round: 50 du / 1.42.0

Wednesday 6.11: Oly lift singles

Wednesday. Strength, singles in power snatch (max 60kg), overhead squat (max 70kg), clean & jerk (max 95kg). Cashout, 30 hspu.

I went to work for evening so I had plenty of time to go train to Liikuntamylly, a venue I've been a couple of times. It's a rarity to get to train here since it's always reserved for sports clubs in the evening time. So the only time to come here is in the morning times. To describe the place in one word: perfect! There's a weightlifting spot as well so it's made for olympic lifting. Today's strength training concerned oly lifts: snatch, clean & jerk and overhead squat. Some handstand push-ups to seal the deal.

Strength.

• Power snatch (max 60kg, failed on 65kg)
• Overhead squat (max 70kg, failed on 75kg)
• Clean & jerk (max 95kg, failed on 100kg)

Doup! I was confident in reaching new numbers today. However, I felt a bit too tired entering the training place, maybe I simply didn't have the eye of a tiger today. I'm dissappointed in the results. Well, I got pretty much shared PR's in every movement so I guess it wasn't all bad =) Still, I was looking to reach 65kg snatch, 75kg ohs and 100kg c&j. This leaves me hungry for new PR's in the future.

My warm-up routines were different, just warmed up my legs and joints, then started throwing the barbell around. Some good mornings, clean pulls, power cleans, front squats, push press, back squat, press behind the neck, snatch and overhead squat. There's the empty bar work I did today. Then it was time to move on to snatches. When handling bigger weights on the snatch, I tend to do them as power reps because my squat snatch technique ain't perfect yet. It's awkward that my power snatch can handle heavier barbells than squat snatch. Keep on working that weakness.

Today I did a few sets at 40-50, from then on I did singles @ 55 and 60kg. The latter one came up easily in my opinion so I was confident to smash my old PR of 62.5kg. I recall that being some sort of awkward looking snatch / press combination. Definitely not a beautiful power snatch. This time the 60kg was nice and I jumped to 65kg. Tried it 3 times and just couldn't get it overhead. Some mental business I guess. Take a look at the video and be the judge.

On overhead squats my 1 rep max is currently 70kg and I reached that today as well. That's something I'm okay with. Haven't done that much of the movement so reaching this weight was cool. It's difficult to bring that heavy barbells down nicely at my home gym so it's difficult to go heavy on the movement regularly. I tried 75kg twice. The first attempt was pathetic but the second one wasn't that far away. I went down nicely but just before I reached bottom, I leaned forward and the bar dropped. It was time to move on to clean & jerk.

Uuh, I should be strong at this one, considering my overall strength level. It was light in the beginning but started to feel heavy @ 90kg. I took 95kg (current PR) before trying 100kg. The 95kg was a solid performance and felt very good in all possible ways. Adding only 5kg on the bar created problems on my clean. Couldn't get the bar on my shoulders. Tried twice. The first one was a decent one, just didn't drop under the bar as quickly as needed. The latter was not classy so it was time to wrap it up.

Barbell work was done for today. Snatch 60kg, ohs 70kg, and c&j 95kg. For cashout I did 3 sets of 10 handstand push-ups. At this poins my shoulders were smashed. It's not usual for me to do 3 different strength moves on max loads. Maybe my sharpest edge had already been lost at the attempt of 100kg clean.

It was awesome to go to this place today - Liikuntamylly - as it's been probably half a year since last time. There's a weightlifting platform and you can drop heavy weights once the rep is completed, no need to spend energy on bringing it down nicely. Let's see if I'll have the possibility to drop down once in a while.

Stay tuned for more training on these movements, gonna get stronger and more efficient on them!!!

Rich, Dan and Josh having some fun

Tuesday 5.11: row intervals

Tuesday. Row intervals, 8 x 600m, 2:00 rest between sets.

This week is dedicated to find out some max loads of my strength levels. On the days off I'll do a metcon or interval type of training. Today was reserved for rowing intervals. I was thinking about doing also handstand push-ups but the place was crowded, I was lucky to even get the rower at my disposal. We went to nearby gym with Pauliina and it seems to be fully booked in the evenings. After warming up the rower freed up so I attacked it immediately and started my strokes.

Total of 4.800m rowing at full speed

Intervals.

• 8 x 600m rowing
• 2:00 rest between sets

Uuh… Goal was to go at full speed in each of the sprints. My times were between 2:02 and 2:08 as I recall. Don't know what the average pace was per 500m. It says in the picture above that it was 1:46/500m, that was the last interval and time for 600m was 2:07. I think it was around 1:40 in the beginning and then little by little it got a bit slower. It was pretty solid anyway. It was only the feeling in my guts, legs and lungs that got worse by the round =)

It was fun up to 2 rounds. After 3 rounds Pauliina asked me what's the situation, how many laps to go. I realized there's 5 more to go. Huh, that wasn't a nice feeling. After 5 rounds I was done. Luckily that 1:1 work:rest ratio got me enough time to recover and get juice back in my tank. The last 2-3 rounds were mentally challenging. I pulled with all I had and simply tried to reach the same time I got in the previous round.

Done

Each round the first 100m went on in a blink of an eye. After 200m it started to feel a bit bad. On the 300m milestone I told myself it's already halfway there, keep on rocking. At 400m some nausea raised it's head. The last 200m were a battle. These were the main feelings on most of the rounds. Very good interval training. Exhausting, my legs were burning, heart had to pump a lot of blood and metabolic conditioning was on a test. Completing 8 sets is a lot to me, there was a total of 4.8km. I'm very proud of rowing that much, especially as I know I left my heart at the battle field.

Monday 4.11: Back squat, shoulder press maxes

Monday. 1 rep max: back squat (140kg) and shoulder press (PR 75kg).

Today is my birthday and for that reason I'm going to test some 1 rep max single attempts on certain strength movements this week. Last Saturday I did it on deadlifts (got PR of 200kg), today it was time for back squat and shoulder press. No metcons for today.

Strength. Singles

• Back squat (100, 110, 120, 130, 140, failed on 145kg)
• Shoulder press (40, 50, 60, 70, PR 72.5kg, PR 75kg)

My legs have become tremendously stronger lately. I used to do various kinds of strength workouts, some sort of ladders, emoms and eccentric squats. Only once did I do sets of 3's and 5's. And the loads those times were great for me. On the 3's I got 135kg and on the 5's 130kg. So I had some huge expectations entering this day. It turned out to be a little short of my goal on the back squats as I didn't get 145kg up. However, there's also a positive side. Doing a squat of 140kg felt good and as you see on the video, it wasn't that tough. I've done tougher lifts.

For some reason it got mental at that point I guess because the 5kg leap is small but it felt heavier. I should have got that PR lift up, no doubt about it. My legs have become so much stronger lately and I know I'm capable of doing heavier lifts. That 140kg lift is a good signal of my possibilities. I'm gonna keep on squatting more towards the end of this year and my goal of squatting 150kg is still valid. I'm gonna make that lift some day!

Recap of the training day

Okay, having a birthday and missing a big lift got me a bit down. However, there was another strength element left in my schedule: shoulder press. When was the last time I did presses as strength training, no idea, it's been ages. Had no idea how this one would turn out but at least my shoulders have done a lot of work in the past half a year.

I did 40 & 50kg sets for warm-up, then completed a couple singles. My previous PR was 70kg, done back in April. It was a lot of work, that I do remember =) Now it was time to update these figures and walk away with a PR in my pocket! Got that old record up rather easily. Wasn't light but it felt like something more is waiting for me. Upgraded it to 72.5kg, played it safe and wanted to take at least something heavier up than 70kg. Got it and decided to add stakes. 75kg was next stop. I tried it once, got half a rep, racked it, took a moment to think about it. Decided to put all in, went after the barbell, took a deep breath and pushed it with everything I had in my tank. Finally it went overhead and a new record saw the daylight, 75kg shoulder press! That's huge for me. Unfortunately my camera wasn't rolling anymore on the last rep so the last one you'll see on the vid is 72.5kg.

Shoulder press, 72.5kg

When I look at this day in a bigger picture, it was great. Adding 5kg on the shoulder press 1-rep max load and completing a beautiful 140kg back squat, these numbers are good for me. As I wrote earlier, I'm gonna add more weight on the squat, no doubt about it. Today's 140kg was the best I've done. This was the third time I got it up. This was clearly the best and purest one. I'll have to be happy about my birthday training day =D

Sunday 3.11: Squat snatch, ohs metcon

Sunday. Technique, squat snatch (40-55kg). Metcon for quality, 21-15-9, overhead squats (40kg), ring dips, k2e.

Sunday was reserved for learning better technique on the squat snatch. I promised myself to keep concentrating on this movement after I got my weightlifting shoes. The movement is so much more stabile once I got to wear those magical shoes. The metcon's idea was to concentrate on hitting it through with style, trying to go as much unbroken as possible, no matter the time.

Technique. Squat snatch, several sets @ different weights, starting easily with 20-30kg reps, adding it little by little up to 50-55kg. Wasn't able to do squat snatch at 55kg, it turned out to be a power snatch after all. Anyway, I did all reps from hang except those 50+ attempts. That's because the 10kg plates are so small that it's easier to do from hang position.

My mobility has taken huge leaps compared to times before summer. This movement was a tough move for a very long time as well as overhead squat. It's getting better all the time. Lots of stuff to do still, both mobility and technique wise. I'm very happy I'm able to do these anyway, they seemed too challenging at some point earlier this year. Just have to believe and see the successful future.

Metcon. For quality.

• 21-15-9
• Overhead squats, 40kg
• Ring dips
• Knees-to-elbows

This one was not a timed metcon. Sunday training was a little easier on my lungs and heart. They had their share on the metcon but it intentionally wasn't a 100% rage. My main focus was to do these 3 movement of which 2 (ohs and ring dips) are movements that I haven't been training for in a while. I wanted to do the overhead squats unbroken and I reached that goal! From the video I realized the squat depth was a bit shallow, got to focus on them next time. I thought it was good but it could have been a little deeper.

Recap

Ring dips are always tough. Doesn't seem to get easy at all =) On the first round I did 15+6, on the second round it was 10+5 and unbroken on the last one. K2e's were unbroken all the way. The best achievement in this metcon was to nail the ohs unbroken. This was a good way to finish this training week.

Saturday 2.11: Deadlift, metcon of jerk and pull-ups

Saturday. Strength, deadlifts (PR 200kg!). Metcon, 500m row, then 5 rounds of: 5 push jerks (60kg), 15 pull-ups. Time 9.11.

My goal today was to do deadlift doubles as I've intentionally neglected them lately because I've added squats remarkably in my training in October. It turned out to be a PR day! Then after getting myself together again, I did a grueling metcon of push jerks and pull-ups. Great training day with Pauliina!!!

200kg, boom!

Strength. Deadlifts, 5x100, 2x130, 2x150, 2x170, 1x190, 1x200f, PR 1x200kg.

I had a picture in my mind that I would do doubles at something like 150-160kg for a couple of sets. Once I started adding weights on the bar, I realized it doesn't weigh at all, it was like a feather being lifted from the floor. Okay, slightly exaggerated… Anyway, it felt extremely good to do deadlifts after a while. I recall August or September being a month where I lifted somewhere around 30.000+ kilos and my results bounced up in a short time. In October I decreased the amount greatly because I wanted to focus on my squats. And doing both at the same time creates too much pressure on lower back and I don't want that. Want to focus strongly on the things I'm developing.

I did doubles up to 170kg. At this point I made my decision to forget this method and loaded it to 190kg, took a single rep and decided instantly to hit 200kg. My first attempt was very very close but my hands started to slip in the end, just before I was about to straighten my torso. I had gloves on because I forgot my tape at home. Those gloves are not ideal for deadlifts but I need something to cover my hands because otherwise my calluses will get ripped off and my hands are all bloody. Been there, done that. That's the reason why I'm always wearing tape on my hands.

After the first attempt of 200k I thought how will my hands have it for another attempt. Then I remembered I have chalk in my training bag. Threw the gloves away, and chalked the bar and my hands so that it wouldn't be depending on my grip anymore. That turned out to be a perfect decision. The grip was from another world! There was no doubt in my mind and I smashed the old PR of 190kg. I had my moment once I had straightened my body, wanted to savor that moment for a second or two.

Pretty much the first time I grabbed a barbell in my life was in the summer of 2012. Then we started lifting weights with Toni. The progress has been great to say the least. I still remember those PR's I did with 120-135kg deadlifts. They were huge benchmarks for me. Now, I reached something beyond my wildest dreams. 200kg is a weight I didn't know would be reachable in my life time. This gives confidence to everything I do at the gym or outdoors. And the means to do it: crossfit. I don't want to let my body get used to anything, constant variety. Everything's achievable. Just believe it!

Recap of deads

Metcon. Time 9.11

• 500m row, then
• 5 rounds of:
• 5 push jerks, 60kg
• 15 pull-ups

Uuh, one tough metcon. Starting off with rowing for 500 meters, then 5 rounds of a couplet: jerks and pull-ups. This is a modification of the "2007" workout that we saw in this year's Crossfit Games 2013. Those monsters did 1.000m row, then 5rds of: 7 jerks and 25 pull-ups. A little too much for my upper body strength. These loads were perfect for me.

I got the workout done unbroken. That was a huge thing for me. Both movements made my forearms, biceps and triceps burn and go numb. It took probably 10min to feel normal on my arms. Round after round I needed a bit more time to get muscles recovered and be ready for the next set ahead of me.

My baby <3

Don't know which movement was easier / tougher, they both had their twists in the game. Grip power was an issue. For the entire 9 minutes I had to do work to keep a hold on the barbell or the pull-up bar. Tough metcon to say the least. Breathing was manageable. Heart rate was up, of course, but the tougher thing was the strength issue and grip strength. My forearms were tingling from round 2 on. Go try it and have fun!

Friday 1.11: Cleans, metcon of row, clean and jerk

Friday. Cleans for strength / technique. Metcon of row 1.000-800-600-400-200m, clean & jerk 2-4-6-8-10 (60kg). Time 18.04

Time to work on metabolic conditioning. I did some technical practice for cleans prior to the metcon. My elbows felt better so I had the chance to work on this movement. I was a bit afraid how they would react to cleans and clean&jerk but they managed well. No pain. The idea was to not be organized, just put some plates on the barbell and complete some beautiful squat cleans.

Technique. Squat clean. I believe I did a good job. My form stayed good when going under the bar. My intention was to bring the bar higher on my thighs, trying to keep hands straight for as long as possible. I've traditionally bent my arms quite early and thus the bar has bounced on approximately my mid-thighs. So I tried to keep arms more straight and this way bring the bar higher before the "pop".

Kept the bar rather light, @ 60-80kg. My position in the bottom position was good in my opinion. At some reps I stayed there for 1-2 seconds just to feel it. Sit there relaxed before coming up normally. All in all this was a good technique training. Didn't go heavy at all. Wanted to stay stylish with the barbell this time. And there was a lot of work ahead of me in the metcon.

Metcon. Time 18.04

• Row, 1.000-800-600-400-200m
• Clean & jerk, 2-4-6-8-10 (60kg)

Combination of rowing and clean & jerk, total of 3.000m row and 30 reps c&j @60kg. Rowing went on by descending ladder and c&j by ascending ladder. It's a nasty combo, now I can tell. It's not a pleasant thought of grabbing the barbell after rowing you ass off. Well okay, I didn't row that fast because I realized it's gonna make the bar work much more challenging.

Actually I took the rowing on very decent pace, the first kilometer was around 1.45+, from then on I stayed at maybe 1.50-1.55, the last 200, was probably at 2.00. However, on the clean & jerk I nailed the reps unbroken on the rounds of 2, 4, 6 and 8. On the last round I did 6 reps, brought the bar down, took some breath, released the tension in my forearms and finished the last 4 reps.

After the workout I knew it was a good decision not to rush on the rowing. It would have backfired in a big way. And the seconds won by rowing faster would not have been compensated by a quicker total time. That's because it would have turned in to longer rest periods between movements. This one resulted in a long metcon, about 18 min and a good number of reps + meters. I'm happy I did it!

Thursday 31.10: Back squat emom

Thursday. Back squat emom training, 2 reps per minute (100-130kg).

Squat day. Another day to do work on those legs. My strategy is to strengthen my lower body remarkably. Hopefully my pants will fit in the future as well =) Today I had to rush because we were about to go for a long dinner with a bunch of colleagues so I had 45min to do my training. That was a time slot craving for squats.

Strength.
Every minute on the minute, 2 reps back squat @ ascending ladder

• 2x100kg
• 2x105kg
• 2x110kg
• 2x115kg
• 2x120kg
• 2x125kg
• 2x130kg

Starting at @ 100kg, I did 2 reps on the first 2 minutes, then add 5kg after each 2min, continued this scheme up to 130kg. So there were 2x2 reps for each weight, for a total of 14minutes of work and a total of 28 reps. Got to say those last reps on the 125 / 130kg started to feel heavy. Heavy enough but still without a doubt of coming up. At those weights the time started to become an issue. It wasn't easy to start squatting heavy without just a short recovery. I still remained in the tim frame as I had planned. My original plan was to hit 130kg so I didn't add any more weights.

Plus, I had to run after the squats were done. It was time to enjoy a delicious cuisine on one of the classiest restaurants in Helsinki. We hit it to one of celebrity chef Tom Björck's restaurants - Gaijin - and I must say the food was incredible! We took a 7 course menu, Asian food, made from the best ingredients. Hard to describe the fireworks of flavors in my mouth. Simply beautiful.

Delicious dessert. Don't ask me what it was, no idea, but it was spectacular!

Take a look at Jason Khalipa's endurance training for the last year or so.

Wednesday 30.10: Amrap of hspu, box, t2b

Wednesday. Metcon, 15min amrap of: 5 hspu, 7 box, 9 t2b. Result, 11 rounds.

It was clear to me that I'm in a rush today. Had to go to a barber shop right after work so my gym session was short in time. Had planned a 15min amrap beforehand and closed the movements during the day. It was a good metcon.

Toni's workout: 3 x 5min amrap of: 5 thrusters, 10 squats, 5 t2b, 1min rest between amraps

Metcon. Result 11 rounds

• 15min amrap of:
• 5 handstand push-ups
• 7 box jumps, 61cm
• 9 toes-to-bar

Some foam rolling and active stretching, then handstand hold, couple of reps each movement. Then it was time to hear 3-2-1-go. There was a LOT of people at the gym so I had to wait to complete my movements on 3 different occasions. Other than that, I was able to keep a steady pace throughout the workout. It felt good to be able to move my body almost constantly. At least that was the feeling.

I did the handstand push-ups unbroken each round and there was no doubt of completing every rep. I believe I could have continued the hspu's unbroken for some time, couple of rounds. In this metcon there were 55 total reps.

Box jumps naturally unbroken, there weren't that many in a row. Altogether 77 reps in the metcon. It basically got my breathing higher and made the feeling a bit more miserable, just like it should and just like I wanted =)

Toes-to-bar movement was the only one I wasn't able to complete unbroken. I did them in a row for a couple of rounds, maybe 6-7 rounds? Then a couple of 6+3 rounds and on the last one I was rushing to get each rep done to reach 11 full rounds, found it faster to make 5 reps, then 4 quick singles. Got them done in 14.58!

This was a good metcon in a sense that I was able to move my body all the time. If you don't count those last couple of rounds on the t2b's I got the moves unbroken. This is exactly what a metcon is all about. Some breath catching was taking place on the t2b's occasionally.

Dusty Hyland's skill work, huh

Tuesday 29.10: Squat snatch, double unders

Tuesday. Technique: squat snatch 8x2. Skills, double unders.

Today's session concentrated in technique and skills. I had something more in mind too but my elbows are still sore when I load enough weight on the barbell. Had some plans to do clean & jerk technique training as well. Those elbows hindered me from completing the metcon I wanted so today's session was modified on a fly to something different. Took double unders after snatches.

Flight simulation

Technique. Squat snatch 8 x 2, emom. The weight is not tough and that's the way it should be when looking to improve technique. 40kg is totally manageable by all means. I did the sets as hang squat snatches. 2 reps per minute, for 8 minutes. There was plenty of time to recover for each set.

I got the bar in a decent position at the bottom squat. The bar path left plenty to improve on. It didn't come vertically as close to my body as it should but it ran away too far. I should be leaning back more when I do the critical pull so that the barbell would have space to come straight up.

Skills. Double unders. Thought about doing a workout Toni threw at me, called "flight simulator", focusing only on double unders. That's a lot of skills work there. I started doing the workout and managed it well until the set of 35 reps. At that point my headache that had started it's early crawl couple of hours earlier, took over me and I had to stop jumping in the middle of the set of 40's. Huge ache took place, felt like my brains are staying in place… Had to skip the training, drive home and take pills.

That would have been quite a nice workout to improve on these skills. I did the sets in a row so that I barely wrote it down in my notes that I had completed another set. Got to about a total of 200 reps. There would be a total of 500 reps if you consider it done with zero mistakes. That's a lot! =) Got to try it as full version some day.

Monday 28.10: Eccentric squats, row intervals

Monday. Eccentric squats 3 x 8 (100-110kg). Row intervals for 4.030m.

Another day to strengthen my lower body. Now I've had a good chance to work on my legs, in the last month or so. And the results can be seen. The weights I've been able to move lately have made me smile at the gym. Today it was time for eccentric squats, thanks for olympic lifter Kendrick J. Farris for the tip.

Strength. Eccentric squats 3x8 (100, 105, 110kg). Third time doing eccentric squats and I really feel for this type of strength work. It's taxing on lower body but the gains are obvious. I feel my legs are already stronger =) I've done a lot of squatting this month as I promised to myself and wrote it down here earlier. I've stuck to the plan to keep on strengthening my legs because I genuinely believe legs are the motor for pretty much all strength movements.

The first time I did eccentric squats, the weights were @ 80-100kg on 4 sets. Second time the barbell was loaded with 100kg for all 4 sets. For today my decision was to add some weight and complete 3 full sets. The 100kg went nicely from memory. On the next set more work and more breathing was needed to get the reps done. My legs were burning on the last reps. For the last set I upped the weights to 110kg. That was heavy for this type of squatting. Did mental huffing and puffing, grabbed the bar on my back and started going down and up. Slowly down, then up as quickly as possible. Got that 110kg done nicely, awesome!!!

Take a look at mister Farris completing regular back squats 10 x 240kg… 

Rowing. Distance 4.030 meters.

• The following sequence for 25minutes:
• 60sec row, 60sec rest
• 45sec row, 45sec rest
• 30sec row, 30sec rest
• 15sec row, 15sec rest

Don't know where I saw this interval style but it worked. For a total of 25 minutes, different length of intervals followed by each other. Starting with 1min, then 1min rest. Decreasing the work / rest with 15sec each set. After the last set - set of 15sec work/rest - start all over again. So there was a total of 5 rounds of this sequence.

Obviously the 60 and 45 second sprints were the toughest ones. I went all in from the very beginning. Didn't want to save anything in my tank, just go full throttle from point zero. At start my pace was around 1.35/500m, in the end it was more like 1.45/500m. I tried to keep it around 1.40 at max. The shorter ones were faster, the 60-45sec intervals were tougher to maintain the quick pace.

Good interval work. Total of 4k rowed is something. That's clearly more than a metcon would produce. Well, in interval training there should be longer distance anyway. I like to try out various pacing styles with rowing. Simply sitting there and rowing for distance (2-5k) seems to be a bit boring so I like to pace it in interval style. And it's much more fun to go all in all the way =)

Enjoy the recap of the 2013 Games!