Tuesday 30.4: Bodyweight movements, skills

Tuesday. Bodyweight stuff, skills.

I left the barbell alone this time and concentrated in skills with purely bodyweight. Wall bars seem to be an excellent tool to strengthen arms, shoulders and core. From the inspiration I got from Pauliina we both tried to do some exercises by utilizing them. It was a good one hour training session.

Bodyweight movements.

• Rings
• Muscle-up training
• Wall bars
• Planche holds

First I played with the rings and desperately attempted to complete a muscle-up. Have to say that it looked pathetic =) Got to get my bro to work out with me this movement because this is totally a technique stuff. I know I have enough strength to complete it but I'm missing the technique to carry out a good rep.

Then we practiced body balance and upper body control / strength with the wall bars. Finally I did several sets of different kinds of planche holds. Never tried them before. The purpose of this day was to get familiar with some gymnastics movements.

Planche, leaning on my knees

In the end I did some triceps for strength training. This day was almost entirely concentrated in bodyweight strength and body control as well as balance. Let's call it a good skills training day.

Planche, leaning on hip bones

Monday 29.4: Front squats, metcon

Monday. Front squats 5-5-4 (max 115kg). Metcon, hang squat cleans, burpees, pull-ups.

I wanted to start the week by squatting, adding a metcon to make my heart beat as well. It was time for front squats, and deviating from the regular rhythm, I decided to do only 3 sets of 5 reps. My metcon included some breath taking elements: hang squat cleans, burpees and pull-ups. I forgot my phone slash timer at home so had to do this without the clock running. Still, I tried to keep on moving. Toni accompanied me and did also squats, back squats this time and then the same workout I did yesterday.

Strength. Front squats 5-5-4 (100, 110, 115kg). For starters I did some sets with 60 and 80kg, then moving on to the actual weights. I did 3 sets and purpose was to do them unbroken with increasing load. These were the best I could do today. 110kg was tough on the last reps so I was maybe a bit too ambitious to aim for 5 x 115kg. That fourth rep was a battle on the last set so it was kind of desperate try but I wanted to nail that last rep. Unfortunately had to drop it, forget it and move on.

Metcon.

• 5 rounds not for time with minimum rest
• 5 hang squat cleans, 60kg (last round, double the reps)
• 10 burpees
• 10 pull-ups (last round, double the reps)

I liked this one a lot. All three movements were perfect for my purposes. What did I want to improve? Speed in dropping under the barbell, squat depth, grip strength, breath control, pulling strength, mental strength in the last round. I forgot my phone at home and I always use wodbox timer in my metcons. So I completed this one without clock running. I still tried to keep my body moving.

Those squat cleans were not heavy but the purpose was to do then as hang cleans to improve on the grip strength and go as deep as possible in the squat. In my opinion I succeeded well with this movement, at least someone told me at the Box they looked nice all the way =) How about those burpees? You got to love them and hate them. It's so traditional crossfit movement that you must do them continuously, somehow I forget to do them. This was a good reminder to keep them on the schedule in the future as well.

The last movement was pull-ups. I believe I've developed in them very much during my crossfit career. When I started this sport one year ago, I managed to do 10 pull-ups in a row. Today, the number is 33 and doing 10 reps should not be an issue anymore. I'm happy to witness completing those 10 reps per round is not difficult at all. Maybe should have added the number to 15.

On the last round mental game stepped in. The goal was to double the number of hang squat cleans and pull-ups. Wasn't easy! The 9th rep on the cleans was a good one by a short margin, had to take a step forward to not miss the rep. The 10th was naturally as difficult as the previous one but I made it! With the pull-ups I got 15 reps in a row, then had to stop at the bottom dead hang position and finish the last 5 reps. It was tough.

Cashout. Some abs, same as yesterday.

• 2 rounds of
• 50 sit-ups
• 10 ab wheel

After work we went outdoors with Pauliina and Benny for an evening stroll.

Head-to-head battle with my dog - Benny

Toni's workouts. Back squats 4-4-4-3-3 (100, 102.5, 105, 107.5, 110kg)

• Metcon. Result 23+22+21. Total of 66 reps.
• 3 rounds of
• 2min amrap, push press, 50kg
• 2min rest

Nicely stayed on the same pace through all 3 rounds. It was mostly 3-7 reps continuously. Naturally the first set of each round was always the longest streak, around 7 reps, maybe 10 reps in the first round?

Sunday 28.4: Shoulder press, push press metcon

Sunday. Shoulder press 3-3-3-3-2-1-1 (max 70kg PR). Push press metcon. Total of 94 reps.

The day after Seven. I felt good and was ready and anxious to train again. I recovered well from that tough and demanding workout and didn't have anything hindering from working hard. I drove to the Box and I was the only soul there during my training session. I guess people liked to to outdoors as it was a beautiful day in Helsinki.

Shoulder press. 3-3-3-3-2-1-1 (50, 55, 60, 62.5, 65, PR 67.5kg, PR 70kg). I woke up in the morning and thought I'd like to do some old school strength training, shoulder press! It's been a while since I've been isolating strength training to focus purely on shoulders. Had I thought about this day on Friday, I'd say it would have been impossible because of all the shoulder work done during Seven but the feeling this morning was perfect.

I took a different approach to warm-up: Jumping Jacks, boxing and some barbell work. Little by little I added some more weights on the barbell and quickly I was at 50kg doing shoulder press. I took videos of today's every lift, including warm-ups, you'll find them from my Youtube channel. I was confident of hitting a new record today. Actually, I wrote in my training notes already in advance =) I went on in triples up to 62.5kg, which I haven't been able before. I believe I've taken that weight up only in singles. And the next weight - 65kg - was a double, definitely haven't been able to do that earlier.

The next weight was a new record, 67.5kg, it came up and I was anxious to try new digits, 70kg (that's 5kg improvement). My first try there was extremely close but it got stuck just inches away from full extension. That was frustrating! Had to take a break, get myself together and force it up. Another PR was created, 70kg!!!

Shoulder press, 70kg, PR

Shoulder press, 70kg, PR, different angle

Metcon. Push press, 35+30+29 reps. Total of 94 reps.

• 3 rounds of
• 2min amrap of push press, 50kg
• 2 min rest

After resting for about 3 minutes I wanted to give the final shot to my shoulders and completed a push press metcon, 3x2min amrap of 50kg push press, 2min rest between rounds. You'll find each round also from Youtube. I was wondering what weight would be perfect for me. I copy pasted this workout from one interview with Mikko Salo and I recall him saying he usually hits about 30-40 reps per round so 50kg turned out to be pretty similar, I'm happy with the decision on the weights. And my result didn't drop dramatically so this definitely was a good workout. My shoulders were numb in the end. Take a look at the first round here.

Cashout. Some quick abs in the end.

• 2 rounds of
• 50 sit-ups
• 10 ab wheel

Source: google

Saturday 27.4: Seven

Saturday. Seven. 40min time cap. Result 6 rds + 2 hspu. Toni 4 rds + 7 k2e.

Horrible workout, period. Schedule stood Seven. I wasn't at my best in the morning, Tony was saying the same thing but we stuck to the plan and went for this one. And I'm super happy we did that! This was all we needed to do for today's workout, it's a hero workout and that says it all, it's gonna be brutal.

Stage is set

Seven. 6rds + 2 hspu. Toni 4rds + 7 k2e. 40min time cap.

• 7 rounds of:
• 7 hspu
• 7 thrusters, 60kg
• 7 K2E
• 7 deadlift, 110kg
• 7 burpees
• 7 kettlebell swings (american), 32kg (2 pood)
• 7 pull-ups
• 40min time cap

This is a hero wod dedicated to 7 CIA officers who were killed by a suicide bomber 2009. The point of hero workouts is to remind us we are happy to be alive and breathing and simultaneously to reach those limits a human can achieve through training. I believe at points I was on my limits of consciousness, felt very weak at points and had to pour cold water on my head. I still enjoyed the feeling of this one tremendously, I'm proud we did it with Pony. We defined a 40min time cap before the workout. I'm disappointed I didn't make it through, even though not missing much of it.

thruster warm-up

Let's look at the different movements. Handstand push-ups first. 1st round unbroken, on the second round the movement became much more difficult. On the 3rd I had problems, it was something like doubles or singles. But, from then on the last rounds I was able to push through 4-5 reps unbroken on first attempt. That brought me a lot of confidence towards the movement. I felt very tired but was still able to force those reps successfully. This movement was a bottleneck time-wise.

After muscle consuming movement like that it wasn't the most appealing thing to move on to 60kg thrusters =) First round unbroken, then in 2 sets. Don't remember how it went in the beginning but the last rounds it was 4+3 reps, probably pretty much like that all the way. Knees-to-elbows was rest period for me, didn't feel like I was doing anything, there were only 7 reps of them so it was quickly over. Deadlift went unbroken all the way, the weight was very manageable.

Seven, first round from both of us

All the rest movements went unbroken as well, burpees, kettlebell swings and pull-ups, they weren't that bad. It was very awkward that even though the movement itself - for example kb swing - was not demanding on my strength or breathing but the second I stopped doing it and dropped the weight, I wasn't able to grab the pull-up bar immediately. I had to lean on my knees for a while and get a hold on myself. I talked to Toni after the workout and my bro as well and they both said the same thing. It was kind of a stress that was relieved after completing the reps. I don't know but that was weird.

What are those lumps on Pony's legs? =)

With all that said, I'd say there were too much rest periods between movements. I was able to do the movements unbroken except for handstand push-ups and thrusters but I had to stop and catch my breath once in a while. That means to say I have to keep on improving on those hspu's and metabolic conditioning. Lot of metcons are ahead of me, benchmark workouts and some hero workouts.

Toni did the same workout with same weights. The only thing he scaled was the hspu. He put a foam roll under him, that's about 15cm I guess. Toni managed to do 4 full rounds and 7 k2e on the fifth round. This was the first time he's ever done thrusters with 60kg.

Afterwards we went to Vermo's horse racetrack with Toni and couple of friends to enjoy this different type of sport, we had a blast and managed to get some euros in our pockets as well for betting the right "athletes". It was a spectacular event and sun was mostly shining, couldn't have wished for more from this Saturday!

Friday 26.4: Back squats + technique

Friday. AM: Back squats 7x4 (max 120kg). OHS technique training. PM: technique training.

Purely back squats as strength training. No metcons today, tomorrow's gonna be a difficult day, we are going to hit it hard with Toni. After strength training I took some sets of overhead squats to work on the technique and form. Toni was on a date with Cindy. After work we went back to the gym with Pauliina. I took it light, a little sweat on and then working on technique.

Strength. Back squats 7x4 (100, 110, 120, 120, 120, 120, 120kg). It's been over a week since previous back squats. They've been demanding lately, can't argue about that. The sets today were 4 reps each time and loads were pretty stable around 120kg. Depth of my squats have developed to good direction and even though I didn't have the possibility to videoshoot the attempts, Toni was there to judge some of the sets.

OHS. Didn't take any metcon or cashout but 3x8 sets of overhead squats with a cold bar to find comfortability in the bottom position and to find a form to squat deep and feel like home. It felt very good. The main problem still exists: my upper back mobility is not good enough. I have to widen my grip to get down. I like to snatch with my hands about 10cm from the far end of the barbell. In overhead squat I have to push my hands at the far ends of the barbell, otherwise my back will get too tight and doesn't allow me to go deep enough. I'd love to keep my grip a bit narrower so I'll have to do some mobility work over there. Anyway, while holding my hands as far as possible, I found a stable and solid form and ohs felt natural.

PM: Technique. In the evening I did some skills and technique training. Those split jerks are something worth training. I don't quite get it yet, better study the form more. I did those jerks from front rack position as well as from behind the neck. I wanted to try out that OHS again, and yes, it felt as good as in the morning =) Then some sit-ups with small rest between 50 rep sets. In the end I had good time to do some mobility and stretching.

• Cycling
• Double unders
• Split jerk
• Overhead squat
• Headstand
• 3x50 sit-ups
• Cycling
• Stretching

Toni's workouts. Cindy. Total of 405 reps.

• 20min amrap of:
• 5 pull-ups
• 10 push-ups
• 15 squats

Thursday 25.4: Clean and jerks, metcon

Thursday. 7 x (power clean + hang squat clean + 2 jerks). Metcon. 3-6-9-12, hang squat clean (60kg), T2B.

Thursday's focus was purely on clean & jerks and metabolic conditioning. First I did different types of c&j strength training and finished with a metcon that reminded CF Open 13.4, consisting of two movements: clean & jerk and toes-to-bar. Toni enjoyed a day off.

Strength. 7 x (2-position clean + 2 jerks). Sets of 60, 65, 70, 70, 72.5, 72.5, 75kg.

• 1 power clean from ground + 1 hang squat clean + 2 jerks

Conducted this in a bit different style this time. 4 reps per set, that is first grabbing the barbell from ground and performing a power clean, then a hang squat clean and finishing it with 2 jerks. I did split jerks for practice purposes up to 65kg, then switched it back to regular push jerks that I'm more comfortable with. I have to keep on doing those split jerks with lighter weights to get used to the movement. I like to mix it up with the cleans and do all kinds of versions; from ground, from hang, as power and squat cleans, keep it varying.

I had no problems with power cleans in any of the sets. The weights were light for that purpose. However, the hang squat clean was as heavy as I wanted it to be. This was the first time I got over 70kg up as hang squat clean. I took that set up twice, then added 2.5kg and took the set up also twice. The last attempt was at 75kg. Managed to power clean the bar easily but the hang squat clean didn't come up so I took 2 power cleans from ground and finally jerked it to the ceiling.

The reasoning for this type of strength training is to have different types of cleans and jerks in program. It also strengthens grip strength as you have to hold on to the barbell for a longer period of time. One more feature is that the second clean - performed as hang clean - is more difficult as you've already put effort in the first clean.

Metcon.

• 3-6-9-12
• Hang squat clean, 60kg
• Toes-to-bar

Resting practically not at all after this, I continued pretty quickly to the metcon at hand. Four rounds with increasing amount of reps, adding 3 reps per round. In CF Open the c&j was not defined as hang squat versions, any kind of clean & jerk was allowed. At the time I thought this workout looks nice and decided to modify it a bit. I didn't define a time cap but upgraded the difficulty of the first movement.

Toes-to-bar was the rest period of this workout, no doubt about it, unbroken each round, not bad. There were a total of 30 reps both movements so it was kind of doing hang squat Grace and adding 30 T2B's in the middle of it =) I did c&j unbroken in rounds of 3's and 6's, then on the next round had to break it.

My heart was bouncing like a madman at the end of the workout. Adding those hang and squat elements to the first movement had its own spice in the entity. It was tough and I liked it!

Hero workout that's already on my calendar

Wednesday 24.4: Rest day

Wednesday. Rest day

Body is sore from yesterday's two-a-day and Grace from Monday. We enjoyed this day with Pauliina in Helsinki: restaurant and a gig, nice!

Toni's workouts.
Clean & jerk 7x3 (60kg)
Bench press 3x3 (80kg)

Tuesday 23.4: Bench, weighted dips + sprint metcon, pull-ups

Tuesday. AM: Bench press 5-5-5-5-3-1-1 (max 95kg PR), weighted dips 7x5 (max 30kg). Triceps. PM: 10 rounds of 100m sprint + 20 squats. Pull-up clinic.

In the morning I concentrated in upper body strength training and after work we went outdoors with Pony. Main objective was to run and create a metcon with a high heart rate and make muscles hurt. Then we also took advantage of Pirkkola's outdoor pull-up bars to practice pull-up techniques.

Strength. Bench, dips and triceps.

• Bench press 5-5-5-5-3-1-1 (70, 80, 85, 85, 85, 90, PR 95kg)
• Weighted dips 7x5 (bw, 8, 12.5, 17.5, 25, 30, 20kg)
• Triceps 4 x (12+12) as ancillary movement.

Personal Record, c'mon! It's been a while since bench pressing for max load, must have been in February since seriously trying to go at 90kg or more. My goal was to do sets of 5 as long as possible. I haven't done 5's with 85kg prior to this day. Managed to push them through for 2 sets and on the third one 3 reps. The last set was very tough, first rep not so bad but the following 2 reps needed extra effort. My training partners talked me into trying for record numbers. Didn't need much of persuasion =) I was ready to try it instantly. I took 90kg and it came up easily! That was weird considering how much effort needed to be done for 85kg. Okay, there were multiple reps with that weight so guess that's only natural. There were no other options left but to put 95kg on the barbell and take it up. Thanks Hannu and Visa for spotting the weights!

As I was already focused on upper body strength, why not take weighted dips to maximize the effort. Sets of 5 reps, starting with bodyweight, then using 8kg dumbbell between legs, then 12.5kg db. After this I put on a belt where I was able to mount plates, first 17.5kg, then 25 and finally 30kg. Managed to keep sets unbroken constantly. In the end I did quite a lot of triceps to strengthen that part as well. I want to make the handstand push-ups perfect some day and triceps are the key to success!

Weighted dips, 30kg

Metcon. Run and squats, wearing a weighted vest.

• 10 rounds of:
• 100m sprint
• 20 squats
• Wear a 9kg vest

This was much more wearing than it may sound on paper. We wanted to do 4 rounds of 400m run and 50 squats between rounds but the track was not yet open. It was full of snow still, it's only April. Even though the streets are snow-free, there are still some white in the forest. It didn't take long before Pony modified the workout to 10 rounds of short sprints and 20 air squats between rounds. We did it together at the same time. To put some more difficult level in to this one, I had a 9kg vest throughout the workout. My quads and hamstrings were devastated after this one, already in the middle of it. We managed to keep a steady pace all the time. If there was a clock running, I believe the lap times would not have dropped significantly.

Pull-ups. Several sets of pull-ups.

On the first set of regular pull-ups I was still wearing the weight vest, and took 10 reps for warming up. Then I took a few sets of regular ones, followed by chest-to-bars. I've had difficulties at home Box 'cause the rack is located so close to wall. I feel like I have to do a bigger kip and I need that spaceat least now in the training phase. Here in Pirkkola that's possible. I did some sets of C2B's, max set was 8 in a row. As a cashout I did max effort of regular pull-ups, that was 20 reps after all training, I'm pleased.

Chest-to-bar (C2B) pull-ups

Toni's workout.

• 10 rounds of:
• 100m sprint
• 20 squats

Monday 22.4: Grace, headstand, handstand

Monday. Grace. Time 3.48. Handstand hold, headstand & handstand training.

There are a couple of benchmark workouts that make me nervous. Some of these make my stomach go upside down and just before the zero-hour for a second I try to find an excuse why not to do them. That's only because they are cruel and make your body scream for pain. Then I get a grip and talk myself up to crash the workout. The feeling after these workouts is something that can't be described in words. It's freaking awesome, the reason I love crossfit and today was no exception!!!

Grace. Time 3.48

• 30 clean & jerk, 60kg

It's unfortunate they forbid videoshooting your own training sessions at our Box so I don't have video material to offer from my newest Grace. Sometimes it's possible to take pictures or videos if there are no other people working out but today there were plenty of them. This was the first time I did it with the original weights, rx'd weight is 60kg. For the first time I did it back in September 2012, then together with Toni we completed a double Grace in October 2012, and the last time was in December 2012, all were done with 50kg on the barbell. That weight is history, the only possibility is to do it with 60kg nowadays.

My strategy was to do sets of 6 reps for as long as possible. I recall doing the previous Grace in sets of 6 reps. Today the sets were 6-6-5-4-4-2-1-1-1. The breaks between sets were rather short in my opinion, at least they felt like it =) The first 6 reps were done in about 20+ seconds and 12 reps were in records after 60 seconds. I tried to keep the breaks somewhere around 10-15 seconds in the beginning. From 17 reps on the burden was going up rapidly. It was a tough mental play from then on. I forced some reps up even though my body wanted to take a rest. From 21 I got to 24, then a double and finally 3 singles in the end with no rest between them, only dropping and lifting again. Finally the clock stopped at 3.48.

Tension in forearms was tingling and definitely the most difficult part was the jerk. I believe my clean is at a pretty ok level and I didn't have problems in getting the bar at my chest. Some of the jerks were more like push press or even a shoulder press. For some reason you might sometimes forget to utilize the legs and hip drive and that was exactly what happened at some reps. That's why they felt heavier than they should have felt in the end. Luckily I had no failed reps during the workout, managed to push the bar all the way up to full extension with each attempt. I was extremely satisfied after the workout as I felt I gave my everything to Grace. My goal with both Grace and Fran was to go under 4 minutes and I reached those objectives with both of these benchmark girls.

Inverted. Headstand and handstand practice

• 3 x ME static handstand hold against wall
• Headstand training
• Handstand training

My bro has strong handstand skills and he's been talking me into testing max effort of static handstand hold against wall. I took three attempts, first attempt was 1 minute, then I had to drop off the wall, the following attempts were half a minute each. It probably wasn't the easiest one after doing 30 clean & jerks =)

Then I did some headstand and handstand training. Once again, headstand rolled well. I had no problems in finding a stable form and holding a straight body from head to toes. I also tried another type of approach. Previously I've held my hands close to my head, actually they are located just beside my head, touching the back of my head. The stability comes from head, forearms and elbows touching the ground. The other option is to create a triangle from both palms and a head. Both versions worked for me. In the end I did some free handstand training. To finish the training I did mobility for lower body.

Toni's workouts.

• Back squats 5x5, 100kg
• For 10 min, 30sec on, 30sec off. Distance 1.751m

Pony's goal was 5 sets of 5 reps and he managed to complete them as planned, all sets with 100kg. From the other side of the gym I heard some growling so I guess he really had to focus on the last reps =) That rowing metcon starts to become a classic among us, it definitely is a good workout. You can do it for 10, 20 or 30 minutes, all are good versions.

Sunday 21.4: Mobility

Sunday. Mobility day.

This was scheduled to be a rest day. We were celebrating our housewarming party with family members so we basically just rested and took it light the whole day. In the evening Pauliina felt the desire to work out so I accompanied her to do one hour mobility workouts. Just opening my joints, stretching, trying to avoid muscle soreness and preparing for the upcoming week.

Have you seen Dan Bailey doing his first Jackie already?

Saturday 20.4: Front squats, metcons

Saturday. Front squat (max 125kg), 5rds of barbell work, cashing out with du's and k2e's.

What a beautiful day in Helsinki! Spring is coming, sun is shining and it was a perfect day to work hard! Training session in the morning and recovery stroll outdoors afterwards with Pauliina. Toni tagged along at the Box for another long metcon.

Strength. Front squat 5x3 (100, 110, 120, 125 failed, 115kg). On 125 managed only 1 rep. Felt good front squatting today. I'm trying to let it go beyond parallel and with front squats it's way easier than back squats. I'm happy with how I performed up to 120kg. On 125kg I got only 1 rep, should have forced that second rep up as well. Here are some videos of 110-120kg sets.

Front squat, 110kg

Front squat, 120kg

Metcon. 40kg on the barbell, 1 bar.

• 5 rounds of:
• 4 shoulder press
• 8 sumo deadlift high-pull
• 12 front squats
• 40kg on the barbell

Didn't put the clock running but fought through like it was. I did a few sets before I really started it because Toni was in the middle of his 20min amrap and we were doing the barbell work at the same spot. From that I knew it's not gonna be a stroll in the park. Even though the bar wasn't heavy, the amount of reps makes it nasty.

Shoulder press means no leg assistance is allowed, purely press it up. Haven't been doing many sumo deadlift high-pulls at all, probably only when doing Fight Gone Bad. That weight sounds ridiculously light for front squats but it surely wasn't! Had to take short breaks between rounds to catch my breath. This was a workout that really put my respiration to test, the toughest I've had in a while. It felt awful and good at the same time, just like a proper crossfit workout should feel =) I completed all movements unbroken.

Cashout.

• 5 rounds of:
• 30 double unders
• 10 knees-to-elbows

Total of 150 DU and 50 K2E. First round of double unders was difficult for me for some reason. I stumbled with the jump rope maybe three times before completing it. At some point it felt like my calves were about to cramp. Luckily it went by. Then the rest of the rounds were unbroken except one where I got 27 reps before making a stupid mistake. Knees-to-elbows unbroken. This one also took some effort on the heart because of the double under jumping.

All in all, this was a training session where my heart was pumping rapidly. I got a good strength training to start off and then these two metcons were perfect for me today. In the afternoon we took a recovery walk together with Pauliina in a vernal Helsinki.

Pauliina's headstand on a dancing pole =)

Toni's workouts. Result. 8 rounds + 2 reps. Total of 322 reps.

• 20min amrap of:
• 5 snatches, 30kg
• 10 knees-to-elbows on rings
• 25 double unders

Friday 19.4: Snatch EMOM, ring skills

Friday. EMOM for 12 minutes, 4 snatches, 50kg. Ring skills. Cashout. cycling and sit-ups.

Those Wednesday's hang squat cleans still hurt my upper back, it was a veery good workout! I did today's workout in a similar way. In addition there were ring skills included and some cycling to finish it. Toni is on a leave so he didn't wake up 7.00 in the morning to workout. Instead, he headed to a local gym in the afternoon.

Workout.

• Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes
• 4 snatches, 50kg

I'm very pleased for being able to lift 4x50kg snatches every minute for 12 minutes. That totals for 48 snatches. The CF Open 13.1 was an eye-opener for me. I still remember the feeling of having 60kg on the barbell, 7.5kg over my max load. It was a huge mental barrier to overcome but I nailed it 6 times in the competition. After that single workout I've been able to do sets with the same weight that was my max load prior to the Games. That feeling is simply awesome!

Today's workout was a mixture of strength training and metcon, as are all EMOM-workouts. It takes about 20 seconds to finish those reps and you have 40sec to recover. That means you are able to recover but heart still beats clearly faster than normally.

I was able to do all sets unbroken without losing grip of the barbell. Naturally towards the end it came heavier but still manageable.

Ring skills 2rnft.

• 2 rounds not for time
• 30sec invert hold
• 10 ice cream makers
• 30sec L-sit hold
• 10 toes-to-rings

After the snatch workout I played with the rings to get more natural with them and to improve skill level and ring grip strength. It didn't take long before forearms started to fire up. This was not a timed workout. I took my time while transfering between movements. Was able to do those hold movements unbroken as well. There were not many reps in this one but still I felt the burden in my forearms. Maybe those snatches had something to do with it.

Cashout.

• 5min cycling
• 100 sit-ups
• 5min cycling

To finish the training day I stepped up to the stationary bike and started moving. 5 min on, then 100 sit-ups in a row and another set of cycling.

Toni's new crossfit shoes

Toni's workouts. Strength elements, not looking for maxes.

• Hang clean 5x5, 60kg
• Couple sets of deadlift, 100kg
• Bench press 5-5-5-5-2 (70, 70, 80, 90, 100kg)
• Dips 5x5

Thursday 18.4: Interval training

Thursday. For 30min, 2min cycling, 2min rowing.

Rest day turned in to interval training. I was supposed to take it easy but I'm a weak man to say no to training. Pauliina asked me to come workout with her so I had no other choice but to grab my training gear and head to the gym!

Workout. For 7 full rounds and 1/2 round on top of that for total of 30min.

• For 30 min
• 2min cycling (800m)
• 2min rowing (550m)

The goal was to keep a steady pace in both cycling and rowing. I'm happy with the pace I was able to keep. It was somewhere around 1.45-1.48 when rowing, the distance was 540-570m each round. After 7 rounds I did one extra round with 1min cycling and 1min rowing to make it 30 minutes. Then the pace when rowing was about 1.39.

That totals for 4150m rowing and somewhere around 6.000m cycling. I tried to keep the transition short and didn't count those seconds to the 2min work periods so the total time of the workout was more than 30min, the efficient work time was exactly 30min.

Wednesday 17.4: Clean EMOM + HSPU

Wednesday. Morning: EMOM for 12min, 4 x hang squat cleans, 60-70kg. DB Grace (2x15kg), time 1.36. Evening: handstand push-ups and headstand.

Plan was to do one workout in the morning, focusing on heavy hang cleans. In the evening Pauliina got an idea to go and workout together so I joined and concentrated in handstand push-ups and headstand. Toni did another long metcon in the morning.

Workout.

• Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes
• 4 hang squat cleans, 60-70kg

Complete 4 reps in the beginning of each minute, rest the remaining time of the minute and repeat for a total of 12 rounds. I started with 70kg and my goal was to do the whole set with same weights. Managed to do so for 6 total rounds. On the 7th minute I got 2 reps, tried the third twice but couldn't get it up. From then on I took 10kg off the barbell and finished it with 60kg. The difference was huge. It wasn't that bad to clean 60kg.

Can't deny that I love cleans. I have added the training of them and especially taken from hang position as well as squat cleans. I believe these two elements have increased my upper back strength and technique has definitely improved as well. This was a cool workout. Even though it's purely one strength movement, it makes heart bounce after a few rounds. You still have time to recover before the start of next round. I recommend this one!

Db Grace. Time 1.36

• 30 clean & jerk, 2x15kg dumbbells

After couple of minutes I decided to do a mini-Grace. I took 15kg dumbbells and completed 30 reps of clean & jerk with them. The weight wasn't heavy and intentionally so. Didn't want to go all in, more like a cashout type of training. It would be cool to do this with heavy weights because doing Grace with dumbbells has probably totally different character compared to regular Grace, which is done with 60kg barbell.

HSPU + headstand.

• 4 x 7 hspu
• 3 x handstand hold
• 3 plank hold

In the evening we walked to the nearby gym in order to give Pauliina the possibility to train. I utilized the chance to do inverted training. After cycling and rowing I took some handstand holds against a wall, then continued to do 4 sets of handstand push-ups. On the first round I did 7 strict reps, that was the highest number ever with strict hspu. My max is 8 reps unbroken but those have mainly been kipping. I was very pleased to complete 7 strict hspu.

Handstand push-ups

I did 7 reps each round but the number of strict and kipping varied. First round 7 strict, second round 3 strict, third round 4 strict, last round all kipping. You find the videos on Youtube. Then I did 3 sets of headstand practice, searching for stable inverted hold. I believe I managed quite well. Then to finish it all, we did 3 plank hold sessions with Pauliina.

Headstand

Toni's workouts. 18.06

• 5 rounds of:
• 500m row
• 10 box, 61cm
• 10 front squats, 30kg

Not sure if it was like this, the number of boxes and squats may have been something else. I believe Toni's time was 18.06, correct me if I'm wrong Pony!

Tuesday 16.4: Back squats

Tuesday. 5-5-5-3-2 (max 130kg). L-sit hold.

I've done some benchmark workouts the previous days so it was time to skip metcons for today and concentrate in strength training. Toni is having a metcon-full week and it was time to go for another long workout.

Strength. 5-5-5-3-2 (100, 110, 120, 125, 130kg). My goal was to do sets of 5 reps and hopefully push it through 130kg. Well, that was not even close! I made it with 120kg, then at 125 I took 3 reps and a double at 130kg. I got the third one as well but that was assisted by Toni. My warm-up was good and legs felt good but I suppose all those tough workouts had their share in my strength training. Last time I squatted it was after a rest day and I hit a bit heavier weights that time.

Cashout. Tried for how long it's possible to L-sit. 2 attempts, 36 seconds at first try.

• 2 x ME L-sit hold. 36sec, 22sec

Back extensions

Toni's workout. Ring hold for starters, 3-round metcon and 3x15 (50kg) bench press for cashout.

• 3 rounds of
• 30 lunges
• 50 squats
• 25 back extensions
• Metcon's time 18.41

Monday 15.4: Fran

Monday. Fran. Time 3.58. Cashout. 200 sit-ups.

Phew, third lady in a row, and this was the roughest, by a long mile! Fran is the most classical benchmark workout and it was actually one of the first workouts I ever did about a year ago. I was anxious and scared about this wod already yesterday. I've had butterflies in my stomach and it was difficult to get myself together for completing this one =)

Thrusters

Fran. Time 3.58.

• 21-15-9
• Thrusters, 42.5kg
• Pull-ups

After warm-up I was walking around the Box and doing this and that before I decided to get a grip and select my phone's wodbox application. No more wondering, just tap the start button to here 3-2-1-GO! I went unbroken the first round (round of 21's) of thrusters, same with the pull-ups. On the second round I did 10 thrusters, lowered the bar, grabbed it again and nailed the rest of the 5 reps. I might have been able to push it through but the added value was nowhere in sight as I thought pull-ups would have been very difficult after that. Better this way.

In pull-ups I did 7 in a row, then maybe sets of about 3-4 reps. Hard to say afterwards how many reps I was able to complete in a row from this point on. However, I am proud of myself for how quickly I forced myself to grab the pull-up bar after having to drop down from it.

Last set of thrusters (round of 9's) went unbroken. At this point my forearms were screaming and it wasn't the most exciting thought of going back to pull-up bar. I did some mental game and told myself it's only 9 more reps, that's nothing, just do it man! I jumped back there, pulled myself over the bar in a few sets. Final time 3.58.

Done

I had to walk the pain off for some minutes around the gym. It helped to my legs but the long burn in forearms is something you simply won't find a shortcut. You just have to suck it up and deal with the pain. The pain is something extraordinary and usually only comes through Fran. The combination of thrusters and pull-ups is somehow kinky and brings that tingle in the forearms. I also saw some bright spots in my field of vision after the workout. Nice.

Compare to my previous Fran, back in August 2012. There's also a video included from the entire workout. There's also Toni's first Fran available. I'm extremely happy to my result this time and was able to cut 1.33 from my previous time. And the quality of movement standards is way better than it was in the beginning of my crossfit training. At that time, I wasn't that aware of how deep front squats should be and how the presses should be locked overhead. Same with the pull-ups, I didn't know how to kip in the beginning and that's the reason why I wasn't able to extend my elbows to full extension. Still, I'm proud how I did my first Fran's but today's quality was far beyond those times =)

Cashout. Sit-ups with short rest between sets.

• 4 x 50 sit-ups

Together with Toni we did some abs to finish the training. I did 4 sets of 50 sit-ups, Toni did 3 sets.

Toni's workouts. Metcon, time 18.16. Cashout. 3 x 150 sit-ups

• 10 rounds of:
• 15 deadlifts, 60kg
• 15 push-ups

This workout was on the main site a couple of days ago. Here you'll see how the main site's athletes dominated the workout. The deadlift was high-rep light-weight version but the amount of push-ups was sick. Toni, reveal what type of workout was at hand today!

Toni's skills training for starters, HSPU

Sunday 14.4: Christine

Sunday. Christine. Time 10.28.

I wanted to have a metcon that would make me difficult to breath. I found the way through benchmark workout Christine. A girl not that familiar to me beforehand. You can find all crossfit benchmarks at wodboard.com. She included rowing, bodyweight deadlift and box jumps. Pauliina drove with me to the gym.

Christine. Time 10.28.

• 3 rounds of:
• 500m row
• 12 deadlift, bodyweight, 80kg
• 21 box jumps, 61cm

It looked easy on paper but reality was something different =) It was surprising to me how roughly this took on my legs. I may have started too fast, the first set of rowing was 1.41 min. The rest of the rowing  were about 1.47-1.48 per 500m. Deadlifts were light, only bodyweight, so naturally they went unbroken. Box jumps were the toughest part of this workout. Those deadlifts started to bring some pain in my thighs on the last reps. Moving on to box jumps wasn't the most pleasant thought in my head at that point. And there were 21 of them each round.

I didn't see what the round times were. I would have liked to see them in order to see how well I managed to keep my pace or did I go slower towards the end. I believe my speed was rather solid but some slowdown must have occurred because I wasn't able to do box jumps in a row on the second and third round.

Cashout. DU's and cycling.

• 5 x 20 unbroken double unders
• 5 min stationary cycling to flush legs

Man behind mobilitywod.com, Carl Paoli

Saturday 13.4: Lynne

Saturday. Lynne. 25 bench press, 105 pull-ups.

Time for a benchmark workout, Lynne. Consisting of bench press and pull-ups. We drove to the home Box with Pauliina and had the possibility to workout just the two of us, nobody else at the spot. Toni is on a cruise currently in Tallinn, Estonia, so he's not going to train during the weekend.

Lynne. 25 bench press, 105 pull-ups.

• 5 rounds of
• ME bench press, bodyweight, 80kg
• ME pull-ups

Results. Total of 25 bench press and 105 pull-ups

• 1st round, 8+33 (PR)
• 2nd round, 5+20
• 3rd round, 5+17
• 4th round, 4+17
• 5th round, 3+18

This workout is not for time. You may rest between movements and rounds. The kilos for the bench press are determined by the athlete's bodyweight. I weigh 80kg at the moment so I equaled that with the barbell (176lbs). The idea is to do max effort each round, starting from bench and continuing to pull-ups. That is max set of repetitions unbroken. Once you have to put the barbell away or you drop from the pull-up bar, you may not continue anymore.

1st round of Lynne, bench press

Yesterday's thrusters made my triceps hurt and they were sore already in the morning. Bench felt heavy from early on and I didn't manage to push that many reps this time. Well, I have never lifted 80kg more than 5 times so I guess this was still ok. On the first round I got 8 reps, then 5, 5, 4 and 3 reps. I might have tried for 1-2 additional reps at least in the beginning if there was a spotter behind me.

The combination of bench and pull-ups was tougher than I thought. After two rounds my upper body was in flames. It is a difficult set-up to continue for another 3 rounds in that condition but I managed it pretty well in my opinion =) Set a PR on the first pull-up round. The last 4 rounds were pretty stable and consistent, only varying with 3 reps (17-20 reps each round).

1st round of Lynne, pull-ups

It felt difficult to grab the pull-up rack but once I got the first pull-up, I tried to ignore the pain and simply keep the rhythm stable and keep on moving. There were a number of pull-ups today, probably going to feel this training session tomorrow in my upper body!

Friday 12.4: Thrusters + Lunges

Friday. AM: 1min on, 1min off for 20 minutes: thrusters, 60kg. PM: Weighted lunges and sit-ups.

This has been a good week of training. I've had the possibility to sleep more than before. On two morning's I haven't gone to the Box as on Monday we trained after work and Wednesday was a rest day. I believe that has a positive impact on my training. Usually the amount of sleep is minimal. It also helps that floorball season is over so there's not that much rush all the time.

Morning workout.  Result 74 reps.

• 1min on, 1min off for 20 minutes
• Thrusters, 60kg
• Results: 10+8+8+8+7+7+7+6+7+6 reps

A lot of thrusters for breakfast. That's it, I was done after the workout as my shoulders were killing me. This was exactly what I wanted and what I remembered from last time I completed similar workout 12th December. Then, I completed it with 50kg, today I had 60kg on the barbell. The difference between the two days was also that last time I took the bar from rack, today I picked it from floor. I felt the difference between the weights. It felt bad last time, but so it did today as well, even more.

I figured beforehand that maybe 6-7 reps would be okay but once I started working, I took 10 reps for starters, then continued with 8 reps for some rounds. From mid-workout on, it really created pressure on my shuolders and they started to go numb. Then I only tried to hang on to that 7-rep scheme till the end.

For 7 rounds I did those reps unbroken and on the last 3 rounds I had to drop the bar after 4-5 reps and then pick it up again to finish the round. I didn't utilize the entire 60 seconds any round, don't know what would have happened if I pushed it to the max each round, till the last second. Guess the burden would have built up too large to handle for 20 minutes.

I do enjoy this cruel workout. It puts strength and cardio both in to test and it takes a while to recover from the burn in forearms and shoulders. My legs weren't burning that much, they held on well.

Evening workout.

• 4 rounds of:
• 10 weighted lunges, 60-70kg bar
• 50 sit-ups

I went to nearby gym with Pauliina in the evening 'cause she wanted to work out. I took it light this time. For starters I did some rowing, squats and lunges with a barbell. I didn't time this workout at all. Afterwards I took 5x5 squats with a few seconds halt in the bottom position, the deepest I've ever been at. My goal was to practice that form with light weight (60kg) and find balance + depth.

Take a look at some handstand training

Thursday 11.4: Back squat, metcon + metcon

Thursday. AM Back squat 3-3-3-3-3-1 (max 132.5kg). Metcon, 4min amrap of ring pull-ups and toes-to-rings. Result 58 reps. PM run and kettlebell action.

Thursday's goal was to do strength and short metcon in the morning, then continue with longer workout in the evening to increase metabolic conditioning. Yesterday's rest day probably was a good thing, my joints felt good in the morning and I was ready to squat. There were rings in play with the metcon. I have two kettlebells that suited perfectly for the evening's workout!

Strength. 3-3-3-3-3-1 (100, 110, 120, 125, 130, 132.5kg). Was it the rest day or proper warm-up that got me going, go figure, but at least it felt good and I was well prepared to squat deep! For the last three squatting days I haven't got the best out of me. Today it felt very much different. On those previous days it has been tough to nail 120kg, I recall the barbell weighing like hell. Today there was no problem carrying that weight. I managed to lift 3x130kg and then a single rep for 132.5kg.

Metcon. Result 58 reps

• 4min amrap
• 1 ring pull-up
• 1 toes-to-rings (T2R)

I would have done this with a pull-up bar but it's located a bit too close to the wall in my opinion. It wouldn't bother me normally but I thought there might be some significant kipping included so I carried it out with Rogue rings, which was probably the better decision. 4 minutes is a short time so it's all about going as fast as possible. I thought it would have been easier, at least it looks easy on paper =) I took 20 reps in a row for starters, then a short break. All of a sudden I realized it's not that light anymore! Doup, it started to become a struggle pretty soon after that and wasn't able to make many pull-ups in a row from then on. My forearms definitely felt the burden after the workout.

Metcon. Time 10.30.

• 2 rounds of
• 150m run
• 20 kb clean & jerk, 20kg
• 150m run
• 20 kb swings, 32kg
• 150m run
• 20 kb snatches, 20kg

Wanted to do double training and decided to go outside with my kettlebells. My warm-up was about 300m farmer's walk with the kettlebells, the other one 20kg and the other one 32kg. It was actually a good preparation for the workout. In addition I jogged and made some hip openers before I heard the 3-2-1-go! I kept a steady pace from beginning to end, in the middle of the workout my time was about 5 minutes. I did all the reps unbroken both rounds so the only thing that slowed me down was the pace I ran.

Felt good about this training session, haven't ben doing serious job with the bells for a long time. I'd like to work with them. The logistics is always a bit of a challenge with them. Got to keep on carrying them with me in a car and working outdoors with 'em.

Toni's workouts. First clean & jerks, then double unders.

• For 12 min, every 2 minutes
• 5 clean & jerk, 60kg
• Cashout. 10 x 20 double unders

Wednesday 10.4: Rest day

Wednesday. Rest day

I'm taking it easier today. Gonna lay down at the sofa, watching tv and relaxing. I've added the amount of metcons in my programming lately and continue with that path in the future. I believe I have gained a strength level in one year that was beyond my dreams and now I'm gonna focus on keeping myself moving with strong cardio work.

My plan is to keep benchmark workouts on the agenda constantly as they tend to be nasty training sessions and a perfect way to see at what level I am as a crossfitter. It's gonna be a tough and hard way but there are no shortcuts. No, I'm not forgetting pure strength training, definitely have to concentrate in that as well. Luckily we have spring and summer coming up, which creates some more possibilities to train outdoors as well. This brings us the possibility to constant variety, the agenda behind crossfit!

What kind of thoughts do you have Toni, would you share your thoughts about near future training?

Mikko Salo does 13.5, VERY inspirational!



Tuesday 9.4: 1/2 Mary, cycling

Tuesday. 5 rounds of Mary. Time 10.52. For recovery, 3 x 5min cycling to flush legs.

Knees-to-elbows

Metcon. 10.52

• 5 rounds of:
• 5 hspu
• 10 pistol squats (5/5)
• 15 pull-ups

Mary is awesome! My body was not at its most fresh condition so I decided to do 5 rounds of Mary instead of 20min amrap, which is the rx'd version. I did this workout 21st February and managed to rattle through 7 rounds + 3 hspu, a total of 213 reps. Today I did 5 rounds (150reps) in less than 11 minutes and managed the workout way better.

My handstand push-ups were perfect, unbroken each round, I mean EACH round, c'mon! I'm so proud of myself with this movement in the morning. Pistol squats went also as planned, practically unbroken. The first 3 rounds of pull-ups went unbroken, on the 4th and 5th round had to break them in pieces as my wings were burning.

This workout is cruel, awesome and yet on the discomfort zone. All good elements and for sure it's worth repeating once in a while. After resting for 5 minutes I took 3x5 minutes cycling to flush legs.

Toni's workouts. Back squats 4x100, 4x105, 4x110, 1x115kg. Then, a metcon, result 9 rounds.

• 20min amrap
• 5 thrusters, 42.5kg
• 10 box jumps
• 5 knees-to-elbows

First 3 rounds were around 2 minutes, rounds of 4-7 were a bit over 2.30min, getting slower little by little. The wild thing was that on the 8th round Toni speeded up 30 seconds compared to 7th round. And, the last round took only 1.39, which was the second fastest round in the entire workout. That's mental folks!

Thrusters