Sunday. For 6 rounds of: 10 back squat @ 60kg, 15 t2b. For 4 rounds of: 8 box step-ups @ 2x25kg db
On Sunday I once again spent the day outdoors at home doing different kinds of yard work, cutting bushes, shoveling stuff and cleaning up. It took me all day to finish my goals. Still, I needed to get the barbell on my back for some squats. I was hoping to hit a bit heavier weights but left knee is still feeling it so I went light on these.
Workout.
6 rounds of:
10 back squat @ 60kg
15 toes-to-bar's
I just needed to move. No stress over the clock. Just did the work, focused on good movement patterns. Back squats were light. I have been neglecting heavy squats due to this knee issue lately so I'm missing good ol' squats to take place.
T2b's for 15 reps per set was definitely doable. Hands / Palms got a bit sore for some unknown reason but I still knocked these unbroken. This was a good activation. Not hard core metcon nor strength session. Just work being put in.
Accessory.
4 sets of:
8 single leg box step-ups @ 2x25kg dumbbells in front rack position
Some accessory work to strengthen lower body. It's kind of uncomfortable to have those dumbbells in front rack position so that definitely had its effect on those step-ups. I had the box at 50cm height so not the regular 60cm. I did these so that I alternated each after every rep. That means 4 per each leg.
Saturday. Intervals, every 4:00 for 32min: 30 cal row, 6 hpc @ 2x25kg db, 6 press @ 2x25kg db
I spent the morning with our twins as Pauliina was organizing baby shower type of action to one of her friends. We were supposed to hit the track and field with these little dudes but weather threw a curveball as it started to rain. Luckily we got a friend meet with dads and kids. After we got the twins for a nap, it was my time to shine at the gym.
Here's one extra round after the workout
Intervals.
Every 4:00, for 32min (8 intervals)
30 cal row
6 hang power clean @ 2x25kg dumbbells
6 push press @ 2x25kg dumbbells
Damn my legs and arms are still a bit shaky. This got to the core of humanity. Focus was to do strong strokes, recover on the way back and then hit another strong stroke. That 30 calories was about 400 meters, at least as I checked it on the first interval. I wanted that row to hurt instead of pacing it through. Making the dumbbell work suck a little more.
On paper the number of reps on the dumbbells was small but I knew it's gonna hurt. And it did. After rowing it was repulsive to grab the dumbbells. So after I brought them down I needed to catch my breath for a while after every sprint. And there was enough rest time to recover for the next interval. If not, it would have become an amrap or something alike. This combination turned out to be perfect for me.
Friday. Wod, 10 to 1 reps of: push press @ 60kg and rope pulls. Accessory: curls, strict press and push-ups.
I bought a 4.5m rope from strengthshop.de which arrived today. Mainly for the kids to play with. Goal is to hang it on the pull-up bar so they can swing back and forth with that one. Emma likes to do all kinds of hanging, swinging and climbing type of stuff, and has had her hands on a rope multiple times in different places. I once had a 7.6m long rope from Rogue but I maintained that poorly outdoors and it got wet for too long time. Result was that it started to grow mold and I had to cast it away. Plus, I also don't have high enough place to have an actual rope climb station so this short one will do for now. I wanted to try it out also so it was essential piece of my workout.
Wod.
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of:
Push press @ 60kg
Rope pulls
Oh man, the grip burn was unreal on this one. This sucked big time. In the long run it would be cool to being able to do legless L-sit climbs. That's pretty much the only way to do some sort of rope climbs on a pull-up bar. This time I tied the rope over my Yoke's horizontal bar and started each rope pull from the floor, and ended sitting back on the floor after pulling myself to a full standing position. I can't describe properly the nasty feeling on my forearms. It just felt like those went numb and it was like the barbell might fall from my hands had I grabbed it too early.
Accessory.
4 rounds of:
20 bicep curls @ empty barbell
20 strict press @ empty barbell
This was copied straight from Noah Olsen. He told it's a great upper body pump to finish a training session. It definitely was so, especially on my shoulders. I did one round of each, then recovered a bit before going for the next round. Those last presses were challenging each round. Funny feeling with such a light barbell.
Accessory.
150 push-ups
Some grunt work to finish the session. I did 25 reps on the first set, then mostly 15 reps per set to finish those 150 reps. Nothing beautiful, just pumping up and down to get more volume in.
Thursday. Wod, 10 rounds of: 20 cal row, 12 burpees. Time, 21min.
Woke up in the morning with the twins. Normal stuff but for some reason this time I was like being hit by a truck. Energy levels were at 0% and it was destined to become a rest day. Yesterday after training with Toni at Crossfit Kehä my in-laws came by because we were about to do some yard work with Kari, father-in-law. I threw shovel and axe throughout the day and was exhausted after getting to bed in the evening. It was pretty much work from morning to evening, either at the gym or at back yard. However, I got a chance for a nap and utilized that oppportunity. After I woke up, I was like a new man, and ready to anything. Took care of the little ones for couple of hours and in the evening stepped outdoors for a workout.
Wod. Time, 21 minutes
10 rounds of:
20 cal row
12 burpees
Seemed like a good idea to focus on conditioning today. I wrote this as a 20min amrap of those movements with the same rep scheme. But as the workout proceeded I figured to finish all 10 rounds to get some more action in the books.
It was very steady pace from first to last round. Kind of odd but the round times were mostly between 2:03 - 2:07. One round was 2:01 and one 2:11. My screen on the rower was set at the calories so I'm not sure at what my pace was during the workout but at some point I checked that it showed 1:50 pace per 500m.
On the burpees I just paced myself and kept moving. It was a simple workout. Right after rowing, walked to the gym matt and started moving. And after the last burpee, walked to the rower and began pulling the handle. That's why the round times were so close to each other. No need for extra breaks or rest periods.
Another awesome experience. I took Emma with me and headed to Crossfit Kehä with Toni. This time he also had his little fella with him. Onni is 3 years old whereas Emma is 4 years so they are rather close to each other and were able to train and play together. That allowed also the dads have some bro time together.
Barbell work.
For 10 minutes total work, as a team
30 squat clean @ 60kg
24 squat clean @ 70kg
18 squat clean @ 80kg
Rest of time amrap @ 90kg
Result, 11 reps @ 90kg
Toni came up with these two first pieces from some competition, or qualification to a competition. Anyway, a lot of squat cleans to start the session with. It's a bummer I've had issues with my left knee. Or actually not the knee but the back side of that knee. When I squat it feels like there is some sort of pressure that doesn't feel great in there. Not painful but something not good anyway. The closest I can come up with is there's some sort of little inflammation there. It feels kind of tight when I go deep. That's the reason I haven't squatted in ages. Lunges are okay but squats haven't been a good idea.
Today I did more mobility in the beginning compared to a regular session at home. We were in no rush so I utilized that possibility. Squatting didn't feel great but it felt like it's not a problem today. After that 10 minute time cap the program said the next 10 minutes were dedicated to find 1RM in squat clean. I only took 95kg, 100kg and 105kg cleans, then called it a day on this one. My lifts usually look the same regardless how tired I am or how light / heavy the barbell is. This time I felt like I had to compensate the left knee's action with right side of the body so I didn't wanna go further with that one.
The actual barbell cycling went very well. We did all those reps as singles, at each weight. I was able to grab the barbell withing seconds after Toni dropped the barbell so I gotta be proud of the work put in.
Pair workout. Result, 13.35
As a team, complete 60-50-40-30 reps of:
Push jerk @ 50kg
Toes-to-bar's
This was interesting. We completed those push jerks pretty much in sets of 10 reps throughout the workout. We were able to maintain that pace. On the t2b's we started with the same plan. At some point we had to start breaking them up. Core was on fire and shoulders also got burned in the process. It was funny that first 4-5 reps on the jerks were rather easy but on the last 5+ reps the feeling escalated rapidly. Combined the hang on the bar plus pushing the bar put a lot of burden on shoulders.
Gymnastics.
Handstand practice
Since we were already in a perfect place to train, I decided to give it a shot and practice my handstand skills. I'm pretty satisfied on how it went. It is so rare that I throw myself upside down (if you don't count hspu's in) that it's very promising that I can stay in this position for some time, and also move forward even though it happens on a very slow pace. Confidence has boosted on this one.
Tuesday. Wod, 50-35-20 reps of: pull-ups, push-ups on parallettes and jumping lunges.
Today's main focus was purely on one thing. Breaking the current record of unbroken pull-ups. It stood at 41 reps from some years ago. I wasn't in a war zone mentality but managed to pull out a personal record anyway.
So I took some warm-up and mobility the same way I do every day before jumping on the pull-up bar. Nowadays the actual warm-up basically happens during the workout. For example today I didn't do a single pull-up prior to the workout itself. Well anyway, I jumped up and started moving. It took me sub one minute to complete those reps. It went pretty smoothly all the way up to 39 reps. Then I had to complete the remaining amount of reps as singles with a little pause in the bottom. My left hand's grip started to fail me and it was hard to hold on to the bar.
I'm very happy over this accomplishment. It was like hitting a wall once I came down. I mean it was tough to get those 7 more reps to finish the first round. Following with 50 push-ups on parallettes, and my upper body was blown. Finished the round with 50 jumping lunges, which by the way seems to be a bit underrated movement. That bit my quads a lot.
After the first set of push-ups I thought I ain't gonna do another pull-up / push-up. But lunges took the focus from upper body to lower body and somehow that recovery from upstairs gave me more energy to hit more pull/push movements. Did the set of 35 pull-ups as 20 - 10 - 5. And the last set was 20 unbroken pull-ups.
Went to see my pops and stepmom for the day on Sunday. Järvenpää is the city I grew up and the town I call my home town. Spent 20 years there before moving to Helsinki / Espoo areas. Järvenpää has evolved a lot since those days and it's very pleasant town to spend summer days. Definitely recommendable to each and every one. Scenery is beautiful.
Originally there were text on the white board which said pull-ups / wall balls and burpees. I stepped outside and got fixated on the kettlebells. Started simulating in my head different versions of how I'd like to move those bells. Thought also about having two of those 2-poods in my hands simultaneously.
Wod.
7 rounds of:
20 kettlebell swings @ 32kg
14 kettlebell presses @ 32kg
20 reverse lunges @ 32kg kettlebell
This turned out to be ugly. I also tried snatches. Movement pattern was good and smooth but there comes a little too much friction in my palms which were kind of sore. Or the calluses were on the verge of tearing up so I didn't wanna risk that. So I went with swings, presses and lunges. I didn't time this one but the main principle was to do everything unbroken and rest between movements if needed. And it was needed.
In the beginning I figured going for maybe 5 rounds but somewhere in the middle it turned to 7 total rounds. I also realized it's not gonna be smooth sailing 'til the end. It was probably the grip burn on the swings and rather heavy "not that stable" presses. Lunges started to bring overall burden but those were tolerable.
We spent most of the day at a beach. Rather exhausting day in total and it looked like it's difficult to get a training session in the books but I managed to squeeze in a quicky in the evening. We were supposed to go play some badminton after this but my playmate couldn't make it. This session was all about cleans.
Workout.
10 power clean @ 60kg
10 power clean @ 70kg
10 power clean @ 80kg
30 power clean @ 90kg
As it might look like, it would have been natural to hit 10 reps at each weight, finishing at 100kg. In my "warm-up" I went to 100kg before starting the workout. Just singles and maybe doubles, climbing up. Then came down to 60kg and started chipping the bar away. I took 60kg and 70kg barbells touch'n'go style unbroken. On the 80kg I did them 4-3-3 reps. At 90kg it was
Like you'd let a kid in to a candy store. This time I brought my oldest daughter with me as she is very sporty and likes to play around at Kehä as well as at our home gym. And basically where ever she can find the possibility to do so. Made her a path of boxes, plates and such. She also played with the rings, ropes, kettlebells and dumbbells. In the meanwhile, I got a chance to hit it with Toni.
Barbell work.
Every 30 seconds for 5min, perform 1 clean and jerk @ 70kg
Every 30 seconds for 4min, perform 1 clean and jerk @ 75kg
Every 30 seconds for 3min, perform 1 clean and jerk @ 80kg
This was completed as a solo piece. One lift every 30 seconds. We kept the weight the same for 5 minutes, then added some load and continued the same way for 4min, and finally the heaviest load for 3 minutes. I felt very stiff in the Morning and couldn't mobilize optimally so I had to stay conservative on the lifts to maintain good form. But lifting was rather smooth on those weights.
Pair wod.
20 rounds as a team, alternating:
1 rope climb
3 power clean @ 80kg
7 handstand push-ups
This was interval work. I started the workout, went through the first round of rope, cleans and hspu's, then it was Toni's turn to do his part. It took between 40 - 45 seconds on my part to complete one round. I checked the time in the beginning, in the middle and the last round, and it remained the same every time. To be precise it seemed to be something like 42 seconds mostly. Rounds were awkwardly similar to each other.
It was awesome to get my hands on a rope. It's been ages. I once had a 7.6m long version from Rogue but I kept it outdoors and it didn't like that treatment. Finally I had to ditch it. Anyway, I don't have a proper place to hang it so I have accepted the fact that I can't climb high at home. I recently bought a shorter one for the kids to play with, and am waiting for that one currently to arrive in the mail.
None of these movements were easiest / toughest but it was the overall burden that started to mount during those intervals. I was able to maintain the pace throughout the workout though.
Accessory.
Emom x 12min
Odd, ghd sit-ups
Even, skierg
This was the aftermath of the workout. The second piece was some sweaty business so we charged up for a while and then hit this gem. I went something like 20 ghd sit-ups per round, and didn't check the calories / meters on the skierg. Just hit it.
It's been a great week this far. We have been spending a lot of time on the road each day. Either at our own town or then somewhere in the rather near surroundings. With the kids constantly anyway. Good variety considering we spent 3-4 months at home due to korona virus and I was still working so there were not a lot of options but to stay home. Now it's a totally different ball game. Today we went to Korkeasaari Zoo. Here are couple of pictures from our trips lately.
We went for a full day travel to a beautiful city of Porvoo this Tuesday. The weather was promised to be great and the scenery in this old town is awesome.It's a tradition to go there once a year in the summer time. This time we had the in-laws with us. I was worn out from the trip after we got the twins to bed in the evening but somehow found a little bit of energy to go to my own gym outdoors.
Workout.
1min on, 1min off, for 12 minutes / 6 sets
Handstand push-ups
Result, 24 + 20 + 16+ 16+ 17 + 16 = Total of 109 reps
I thought I'd bench a little but that plan went to trash bin as my 4-year old wanted to do something on her own on that bench. No biggie, daddy figures something else out. Hspu's came to my head the first thing. This plan formed in the seconds to come. One minute of work, and one minute of rest. Same movement. I have never this workout on handstand push-ups.
First set was obviously the easiest. I didn't push myself to the extreme limit. That would not have been the smartest decision considering the reps to come and the short recoveries between sets. That recovery felt quite short, especially towards the end. But it was a good ratio for sure.
Number of reps dropped obviously and settled around 16 reps on the last 4 of them. Definitely not an easy one but I'm happy I was able to maintain some decent level of handstand push-ups through the course of the workout. And I'm very happy that I did go to the gym after a rough day. It usually pays off
Sunday. Front rack reverse lunges 7x3 up to 90kg. Complete 20 pull-ups between sets.
It was about time to hit some lower body. Back is feeling great again which delights me tremendously. No problems whatsoever. It was very dissapointing to have lower body pain for - I don't know - two months. Didn't track the time frame, that's just the first what comes to mind. Anyway, there were positive side effects. I focused a lot on upper body pulling and pushing through that time frame so my pull-ups and especially handstand push-ups developed to next level and now the confidence is good on those elements.
Sunday's focus was on front rack lunges, stepping back and then back up. There were a total of 7 sets, and the last one reaching 90kg. This was probably the third time doing these for strength so I'm still learning what the loads should be. For today's action these seemed quite good.
There was a twist on these lunges as I wrote some pull-ups between sets. One 20 rep set after every set of lunges. I took all those sets unbroken. Wasn't gonna do anything else. On the last set I did some math and realized I'm at 120 reps after 6 sets. So there should be 30 reps on the last.one to get a total of 150 pull-ups No othet choice but to jump on the pull-up bar and try to hang on. It was tough but I managed to complete those.
It was rather busy day. First day on a summer leave. We went to a mall in the Morning, then came home for a nap. Or daddy took a nap. That's a rarity but I'm happy the family allowed that to happen. After snack time we headed to Klaukkala's track and field to see a friend couple who also have to kids about the same age as ours. Third one on the way so it will be a blast to see all 6 kids play around sometime in the future. We did our tricks on the field, then headed to kids playground. In the evening it was daddy's own quality time in the form of a quick workout.
Wod.
3 rounds of:
500m row
20 push jerk @ 60kg
15 burpees
I rowed somewhere around 1.50 - 1.55 all those rounds. First round was probably rather close to 1.50 / 500m pace. That was the easiest piece of this little bastard. Push jerks were inspired by a workout my friend Toni threw at me today. It was probably from Bergeron. Anyway, it was something like 20 push jerks, couple of Cindy rounds and then running. Very valid workout and worth doing but today was not the case for that for a couple of reasons. But those 20 push jerks turned up to this workout. I went 14+6 on those reps.
To finish the round it was a 15 burpee finisher. Not cool bro. But to be honest, it was a good combination of movements. Surprisingly, my legs got smashed on those jerks. I would think shoulders would fail first but it was burning quads that felt super nasty on those. And breathing was heavy of course in this kind of workout
Friday. AM. Intervals, every 4:00 for 5 sets: 6 hang power clean, 6 push jerk, 12 reverse lunges, 12 burpees. Barbell @ 60kg. PM. Badminton
This was quite an active day. After breakfast we went for a 1 hour walk with the family. This was my last day at work before summer leave so I still had to tie some loose knots. Lunch wod consisted of intervals. After work we went to Klaukkala's track and field training area with all the kids. And in the evening we went to play badminton with Tuomas, my boss.
Wod.
Intervals, every 4:00, for 5 sets of:
6 hang power clean @ 60kg
6 push jerk @ 60kg
12 reverse lunges @ 60kg
12 burpees
I went outdoors for a quick workout, and had no idea what to do. I hurt my index finger and middle finger on my left hand the last time we played badminton, that is on Wednesday. As I reached for the ball or feather or whatever the thing is called what you're hitting, I lost my balance, slipped and fell to my left on those two fingers. So they basically sprained but nothing serious. On Thursday as I woke it was difficult to stretch those fingers and I saw some swelling there but on Friday the situation was clearly better.
So I tested how it feels to grab a barbell and witnessed no problems there. First thought was to do some rowing / ring dip style workout but barbell felt good in my hands so why not hit it. Each of those intervals took me some 1:30 - 1:35 every time I looked at the clock. The story is always the same. This time was no different. Cleans and jerks went by nicely. Lunges was the first time where I started to feel the burn in my body. Surely that barbell cycling made me breath heavier but lunges made my lower body burn. Going for those burpees at the end sealed the deal perfectly. I think this was written perfectly for today.
Badminton.
For 1 hour
The little pain in my left hand was no biggie as I'm a rightie, and hold the racket with my right arm. So it was the 5th time this July in 10 days. We have really found the rhytm on this one and the games are more and more classy. Lots of quality game, and we are both rather equal skill-wise. It's also great that my playmate doesn't lose his conditioning so the level stays good throughout the 1 hour session.
This Wednesday I had no bigger plans over the upcoming training sessions. Sure I thought about giving crossfit a shot but all of a sudden I realized it's time to go. What to do. Figured out how my body felt and listed some movements that would be alright for this body. Iäve been having a good streak with training sessions lately. Lots of sessions and good workouts to suit my current life situation. In the evening my boss texted he'd be up for a badminton play so that made it two sessions for this Wednesday.
Wod.
Every minute on the minute x 21 minutes
1st min: 12 toes-to-bar's
2nd min: 12 handstand push-ups
3rd min: 12 burpees
The movements were clear, the number of repetitions was not cristal clear to be honest when I hopped on the pull-up bar. After first round I thought should there be 15 t2b's or is this 12 reps enough. These emom workouts are always the same. In the beginning it's only natural that the load is fewer even though the body could smash some more. But if you're about to maintain the amount of reps throughout the workout, there's no point in writing massive amount of reps in the beginning. Time will do its trick and those 12 t2b's were definitely a right call this time for me.
I was able to go unbroken throughout the workout, and that was really the goal. Somehow hspu's may have been the "easiest" of these three elements. T2b's would have been hard to maintain the same for more rounds. I believe hspu's would have been okay for some rounds, maybe. Burpees just started to feel uncomfortable, even though it took exactly the same time each round to finish the set.
Badminton.
This was ex tempore kind of session. We have had great plays with my boss Tuomas this summer. Very equal games and we are at same level skill-wise which makes it much more motivating. Plus it can be counted as a training session for conditioning for sure as we both have the skills to make the other one run around the court. My play mate told his heart beat has been hovering somewhere around 180 so that may give some insight to the intensity for that 1 hour session.
