Friday 31.5: Back squat, front squat, interval cycling

Friday. Back squat 3-3-3-3-3, front squat 2-2-2. Interval cycling. Cashout 4x50 sit-ups.

I had another workout in my mind yesterday evening but decided to listen to my body that felt destroyed in the morning. My shoulders were strengthless so I decided to postpone a workout that would have been done with dumbbells and included a few strength movements. Instead, I took rather easy back squats and easy front squats. It's been 2 weeks since I've squatted so I wanted to get back on track. Not superheavy but still squatting. Then, some interval cycling to get some cardio work done.

Strength. Back and front squats.

• Back squat 3-3-3-3-3 (100, 110, 120, 120, 120kg)
• Front squat 2-2-2 (100, 100, 100kg)

Intentionally stayed at 120kg and didn't want to push further. I felt good squatting and it was a nice "variation" as I haven't been doing this one in two weeks. Definitely should have. The weights start to feel heavier when you don't squat in a while, that's for sure. I kept the back squats at 120kg and front squats at 100kg.

Cycling. Distance 3.200m

• 5 rounds of:
• 2min work
• 1min rest

Some cardio work and more burden for legs. This was an easier training day and mostly concentrated on my legs. Not extreme but a moderate work load. I felt good about getting back on track with squats even though the weights were not heavy. And some cycling in the end. I got my quads and hamstrings burn.

Cashout.

• 4 x 50 sit-ups

Short breaks between sets.

Thursday 30.5: Burpees and pull-ups

Thursday. Metcon of burpees and pull-ups, 100 each. Time 12.52.

I had back squats on my agenda for today but that running metcon had its effect on my legs and it felt a good decision to concentrate on heart beat instead of squats. How simple can it be: a lot of burpees and pull-ups, that's it!

Metcon. Time 12.52

• 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
• Burpees
• Pull-ups

Complete 1 burpee and 1 pull-up on the first round, 2 burpees and 2 pull-ups on the second round etc. Go up to 10 reps and back, a total of 100 reps each. Had no idea how to pace myself so I took of with a rather good pace as the first rounds felt so easy. Of course they felt because of the amount of reps per round. From about 7th round on I started to get a clue of the workout's nature…

Burpees

Those burpees smoked my breathing and pull-ups took my upper body strength effectively =) This was awesome workout to say the least. Two bodyweight movements and I was totally gassed after I got the last pull-up done. I was able to go through both of the movements unbroken each set. In the transition stage I took some breath in the most difficult rounds in the middle of the workout. For the first 6 rounds and last 5 rounds I went without stopping to catch a breath but in the middle it felt bad and was therefore forced to lean my elbows to my knees and chill out for a while. My goal was to complete the pull-ups unbroken and was able to reach that objective.

Pull-ups

Flushed my legs cycling in the end for a while.

Wednesday 29.5: HSPU, run metcon, handstand

Wednesday. Hspu. 6 x ME, 33 reps. Metcon. 4rds of: 400m, 50 squats. Time 11.31. Handstand walk.

Today I skipped morning training because I was supposed to meet a friend at a running track for a classical workout of running and air squats. Prior to that we went to the gym with Pauliina for some handstand push-up training.

Handstand push-ups.

• 6 sets of max effort hspu
• Result: 7, 4, 6, 5, 6, 5 reps. Total of 33 reps.

This was skills but still strength training. I took 6 sets of handstand push-ups. Each set until I can't do them any more. I felt a bit stiff on upper body and didn't see the best of results. However, I managed to complete 33 reps in total, good number for me. In the beginning went strict, in the end kipping. After those sets I did something I normally don't do. I took some training concentrating in my arms, movements outside crossfit, except push-ups, 45 of them.

Metcon. Time 11.31. Compare to 30.7.2012.

• 4 rounds of:
• 400m run
• 50 air squats

Main idea at the track was my friend to complete his first ever crossfit workout. I planned him to go for one of the first wods I ever did: 4 rounds of 400m run and 50 squats with own bodyweight. Killer combo for lower body. I wanted him to sweat like pig and get his breathing go fast. And we managed to reach that goal. While I was there, I decided to give it a shot myself as well. My back is a bit sore from yesterday's deadlift metcon but it was manageable. I decided beforehand that I wouldn't take this workout so seriously.

I believe my running wasn't the fastest possible today. This was probably only the third running metcon in months. It was nice to do that after a big break and I'd like to incorporate running into my training program on a weekly basis now as the spring is turning to summer in Finland. The weather today was just beautiful and warm, perfect!

I have no idea of the time after each round or run. Could have probably taken it faster with the runs but on the air squats my hamstrings were burning. That's another movement that has not been seen on Don's Crossfit in ages. I'll do this again this summer, it's a good and simple workout to reach some goals. And I'm gonna break that record of mine. Last summer I ran way more.

I'm very proud of Marko completing his first crossfit workout ever. The first mental barriers have been crushed on his upcoming journey to good health and fitness. Right after the workout he felt good about it even though in the middle of the workout he had to fight those unpleasant thoughts of giving up. That's a familiar feeling but once you get to know your body better, you know how much burden it can take. And you are always able to finish a workout.

Handstand. After this metcon I took some time to train for the handstand and handstand walk. Was afraid it's not gonna turn out good after those hspu's just 1 hour ago but luckily I was wrong =) I was able to find good stability and for some unknown reason I felt very comfortable and "at home" being inverted. I was able to focus on straight core and even when my body started moving, I was able to stabilize it and find form again. At points I was able to stay in the correct position for 5-10 seconds.

Here's some real work being done by Chris Spealler

Hmm, box jump in a pool..?

Tuesday 28.5: OHS, Deadlift / Box metcon

Tuesday. Overhead squats 3-3-3-3-3 (50kg). Metcon. 21-15-9, deadlift (100kg), box jumps. Time 3.45.

I feel the Hammer and muscle-ups in my body today =) Especially those pull-ups made my lats a bit tight today. Other than that I feel ok. Wanted to do some overhead squats and the metcon that was in the Regionals as Event 5. However, I scaled the weights clearly.

Strength. Overhead squats 5x3 (50kg each set). This felt good. No problems with the squats at all. I was thinking about the weights beforehand and decided on 50kg each set. As I was doing the sets I wondered whether to add kilos on the bar but stuck to the plan anyway. Maybe could have added stakes a bit. This was about 77% of max load.

Metcon. Time 3.45

• 21-15-9
• Deadlift, 100kg
• Box jumps

I saw this workout at this year's Regionals for the first time and got the inspiration right away to include it in my training soon. That day is today. I scaled the weights down. Originally this was supposed to be done 150kg rx'd. I would have been able to do that as well at some time frame but it would have been insane. I was thinking more between 100 and 120kg, and decided to make it lighter because I wanted to go fast from beginning to end.

I managed to do the deadlifts unbroken each round. I almost dropped the bar in the set of 15's but thought twice and pushed through. It was a strange feeling to start box jumping right after deadlifts. Somehow the body is still stretched from pulling the barbell and it simply feels weird to jump after that. Anyway, I went through the box jumps steadily, without any breaks, with slowing pace towards the end.

Clock stopped at 3.45. I liked this one. After workout my breathing was heavy and the biggest effect was on my legs, they were burning in the box jumps. I'm happy I did the lifts with 100kg instead of 120kg. This time it was perfect weight for me. I needed the feeling of rattling through a workout without breaks. The only breaks were the transition from box jumps to deadlifts. Had to take a breath or two before grabbing the barbell. That's were I could have been faster. On the other hand, I wanted to do those lifts unbroken so I guess that quick breath was needed.

Toni's workout. Time 6.27

• 21-15-9
• Deadlift, 100kg
• Burpees

Toni did similar type of workout. He changed the box jumps to burpees. On the first round Toni did the lifts in sets of 10, 6 and 5. On the second round he did 3x5 and finally the last of 9's in 6 and 3 reps. Time was 6.27.

Monday 27.5: Hero wod Hammer + muscle-ups, handstand

Monday. Hero workout Hammer. Time 19.13. Muscle-up training (10 reps), handstand walk.

Hero workout Hammer. Created in honor of U.S. Army First Sergeant Michael "Hammer" Bordelon.  He died on May 2005 from injuries sustained from a car bomb explosion near Mosul, in Iraq.

Toes-to-bar

Hammer. Time 19.13. Barbell 60kg. Compare to 2.1.2013

• 5 rounds of:
• 5 power cleans
• 10 front squats
• 5 push jerks
• 20 pull-ups
• 90sec rest

Hero workouts are sick ones. The feeling is intentionally created for athletes to identify themselves with the circumstances the soldiers are going through on a daily basis. No matter the workout, no matter how difficult it is, it's always easier than being in a war. The burden is huge and you'd like to quit sometimes but you don't have an option. You will struggle through, period.

This was no exception, one of the toughest workouts I remember doing. I did this same workout in January without the pull-ups. Still, it was extremely difficult. Since then, I've received more strength and have better technique in those movements required for this wod. That was my salvation 'cause I don't know what would have happened if I had similar problems as few months ago. Then, my jerks were not good and muscle endurance wasn't as good as today. I believe I managed Hammer well today and I'm proud of my performance.

On the first round I did it unbroken. Maybe on the pull-ups I might have dropped from the bar once after 15 reps. My heart was pumping fast. The combination of 20 barbell reps is challenging. On the rounds of 2-4, I did power cleans and front squats in a row and unbroken, then dropped the bar to catch a breath and loosen that tension in the grip, forearms were on fire at times. After a break I grabbed the bar and jerked it 5 times, every time unbroken and in a steady pace. That was from another planet compared to first Hammer. On the last round I did 4 cleans, dropped it and continued to front squats. After 10 front squats had to take another rest and then finish the jerks.

Pull-ups were not cool. On the first round it was almost unbroken. Second round was 10 and 10. Little by little it got tougher. Third round was about 10, 5 and 5. Then it started to go really challenging and had to be broken to smaller pieces. From the very beginning the pull-ups had an effect on my forearms and grip strength and thus influenced the barbell work as well.

I'm very happy for completing this workout rx'd. It surely was difficult and taxing but as each and every workout, it ends at some point. This ended at 19.13, including the breaks (6min).

Round times.

1. 01.40
2. 02.00
3. 02.32
4. 03.06
5. 03.55

Muscle-up

Muscle-ups and handstand. After work we decided to hop on our bicycles and take a short ride to a place where they have monkey bars, pull-up bar, dip station, training place for abs and back muscles as well. Pauliina did toes-to-bar, pull-up training and played with the monkey bars. I had a goal in my sight: muscle-ups and handstand training.

After I completed my first muscle-up at first try (see below), I wanted to get more of them. I did them in singles all the way to 10 reps, yeah baby! This was the second time doing this movement successfully. I can't thank my bro enough for giving those technical hints to complete my first one. Now it seems soooooo much easier. I managed to do all 10 reps without failures in between. It got "easier" after the first one and they weren't such struggles (at least all of them…) compared to the video below =)

After my shoulders were smashed I also took some handstand training but that wasn't so easy after all this training today. 25 cleans, 50 front squats, 25 jerks, 100 pull-ups in the morning, 10 muscle-ups in the evening so I think I can call this a training day. Let's save something for tomorrow.

Toni's workouts.

• Back squat 3-3-3-3-3 (90kg)
• Kettlebell work for 45min as Tabata training.

Sunday 26.5: Rest day

Sunday. Rest day.

Agenda: chilling and following the Games. Take a look at the beast in action, Jason Khalipa destroying the Event 4 at NorCal region, making a statement with a record breaking time.


Or another record, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet in Canada East region, Event 6. She's been dominating the Canada Regionals by winning 5 out of 7 Events and on those two remaining she was second… A serious candidate to win the Games in women's side.

Saturday 25.5: Clean and jerk, metcon

Saturday. Clean & jerk 3-3-3 (max 80kg). Metcon, 15min amrap of power cleans, burpees and toes-to-bar. Result: 168 reps.

Met with my bro at the Box to work out. Main workout was the 15min amrap metcon. I did some clean & jerk training to begin with and Sami did some ring muscle-ups in the end. Both of us felt a bit tired entering the door but still we got a good training session.

Strength. Clean & jerk 3-3-3 (70, 75, 80kg last jerk failed). Today I felt the week's training in my body. I woke up and I felt hammered inside out. Sipa had similar feelings. That might be the reason why the barbell felt heavier on the strength part. I did 3x3 c&j with 70-80kg. On the 80kg the jerk was very heavy and on the last set my third shoulder-to-overhead failed to lock out. I'm still satisfied with the results today, haven't done many multiple reps over 70kg, usually they've been singles. At least that's the image I have. I rested a while and concentrated on the metcon.

Metcon. Result. 5 rounds and 3 T2B, total of 168 reps

• 15min amrap of:
• 5 power cleans (70kg)
• 10 burpees
• 15 toes-to-bar

Bro did this same workout with some changes. He changed cleans to bench press (80kg) and toes-to-bar to knees-to-elbows. I was thinking about the weights for a while and decided on the 70kg. My intention was to do them a power cleans, not being able to squat. That's pretty heavy for a metcon. Burpees and T2B's are classic movements that I haven't done much so I wanted to get them involved. My result was 5 total rounds, 5 cleans, 10 burpees and 3 toes-to-bar. Total of 168 reps.

Hard to say which was the most challenging part. All the movements were tough in their own nature. Power cleans were heavy and thus got to my breathing. Burpees are burpees, got to love and hate them, makes you breathe like a lunatic. T2B's are difficult to push through when you're tired, the legs won't simply come up anymore and grip starts to lose.

I did cleans unbroken for 3-4 rounds, then at least two last sets went in 2 sets (3+2), had to drop the barbell in between. Burpees were "unbroken" but the pace slowed down. Couldn't nail the toes-to-bar perfectly. On the first round I did 15 in a row, then on the second one I guess it was 2-3 attempts and from then on 3+ sets until finish. They took the most of my time, same with Sipa. The combination was as cruel as I thought. Yesterday evening this workout felt good in my mind. In the morning I realized it's gonna be sick =) But hey, it felt good! And I'm glad those cleans rolled that well.

Sipa's muscle-up on rings

Friday 24.5: Row, du, pistols

Friday. 30sec on, 30sec off for 20min, rowing. Distance, 3.410m. Metcon, 6 rnft: 20 ub du, 10 pistols.

Friday's agenda was to keep it on cardio. Classic interval rowing to begin with and then other skills to add up: double unders and pistol squats as a metcon for quality. Haven't done many pure sit-ups this month so I took some of them as cashout training.

Rowing. Distance 3.410 meters.

• 30sec on, 30sec off for 20 minutes
• Rowing

Done this workout for a few times, sometimes rowing, sometimes cycling with stationary bike. It's a good way to get the heart pumping and blood running in your veins. The same thing happens every time, my butt gets numb after some time =) Got to stand up occasionally to loosen the tension back there. My pace on the rowing was constantly between 1.35 - 1.39 throughout the workout. Mostly I saw the numbers 1.38 on the digital screen.

Metcon. Double unders and pistol squats, skills training.

• 6 rounds not for time:
• 20 unbroken double unders
• 10 pistols, alternating legs

 Thought about whether to do it for time or for quality. Decided to leave the clock alone because I'm not the fastest person with pistols. I wanted to get a certain number of reps so I decided to do this one for quality and minimum rest.

I did all but the last set of double unders unbroken so I had to redo only the last set. The pistols, what a movement. Very rarely have I done those. On benchmark workout Mary, it's a compulsory movement. Other than that, it's been a random movement in my training. Today I got 60 of them. I'm very happy about the way I'm able to do those nowadays. That's definitely a movement where you can see the development of mobility in your body. I was very far away from completing a pistol squat a.k.a. one-legged squat a year ago when I started my crossfit training. It was just too difficult to go down and not  fall over. I've seen that improvement in so many movements this far and hopefully will see in the future as well.

Cashout. Some abs in the end.

• 3 x 50 sit-ups

Thursday 23.5: Muscle-ups!, handstand walk, metcon

Thursday. Muscle-ups, handstand walk, running metcon: run, pull-ups, box.

I met with my bro at Kauniainen for the purpose of training two skills: muscle-ups and handstand walk. He's able to do both of them so I wanted him to teach me some tricks. I've progressed a lot with handstand but can't say I haven't even practiced muscle-ups. It has felt so desperate as I've tried to do them with the rings. Well, today we started with this skills training and then handstand, finally I took a metcon, mainly focusing on running. And the most important thing from today: I got that FIRST MUSCLE-UP!!!

Muscle-ups. 3 reps in total! We did some muscle-up progression training in the beginning, learning the swing, kip and movement of legs, the pull of the upper body. After some time I tried the first muscle-up and I got it on first try =) Couldn't be happier about a workout! Sipa said on the video that I'm gonna do the first muscle-up so that really boosted me to give my best shot.

We did these in alternating shifts, trying to cheer the other one and copying the best practices. I took another set and completed two reps in a row without dropping from the pull-up bar. That was sick. I believe this skill moved further a lot. I've been thinking about this one a lot and despite being an optimistic guy, I had some thoughts about ever completing a muscle-up. On some occasions I've tried them with the rings but it's been so far away from a successful rep that I had my doubts. However, having my bro to assist eased the path greatly. I wouldn't have been able to do this without him. Thanks a lot bro!!!

Handstand walk. For 20 minutes we practiced static handstand walk, tried to find stability and correct form. I was astounded of my brother's skills on this one, compared to previous time I saw him try handstand. The progress was huge! He was able to stand still and also walk about 10 meters with one attempt. In the end we took about 10 meters distance that we handstand walked. It took several attempts from me to finish it but I nailed it anyway.

Bro did some "wood thrusters"

Metcon.

• 5 rounds of:
• 600m run
• 10 pull-ups
• 10 box jumps

After skills training I did a metcon. Main focus was on running, added with pull-ups and box jumps. The "box" was a rock that was higher than the Rogue 24' (61cm) box. I'd guess it was around 70cm. I didn't have the timer on but I tried to go as fast as possible. Haven't been running much in the winter time, just a few times so this was a good season opener for running metcons.

The pull-ups were easy, box jumps were higher than normally but manageable. Only 50 of both of them. This was clearly concentrating in running, and it felt as difficult as it should feel at this stage of the year. I'm sure it's gonna get easier and more comfortable quite soon if I get to adjust running in my programming.

The "box"

Toni's workouts. Bench and metcon.

Bench press, random sets between 80-100kg for "warming up" for the metcon. Result 11 rounds.

• 16 min amrap of
• 5 deadlifts, 70kg
• 10 push-ups
• 15 air squats

Wednesday 22.5: Clean and jerk, Elizabeth

Wednesday. Clean & jerk 3-3-3 (70kg). Elizabeth.

Alright, after few days off the barbell and doing those triple cleans on Monday really feels in my upper back today. It is sensitive but after warming up it didn't bother me at all. I took clean & jerks and then Elizabeth was for dessert. Had some problems during it so couldn't finish strong.

Strength. Clean & jerk 3-3-3 (70, 70, 70kg). Quick sets of clean & jerk with moderate weight. I had that tough metcon ahead of me so I decided to keep this lighter, not going to max weights nor high reps. I felt very good cleaning and jerking the barbell with this weight. Had decided on the weights beforehand.

Elizabeth. 

• 21-15-9
• Squat cleans, 60kg
• Ring dips

I began the benchmark workout with force. I felt strong and completed the set of 21's squat cleans with 11 reps at first attempt, then 5 and 5. As I walked to the rings something awkward happened. I felt enormous pain in my guts, the burn in my stomach was huge and it was difficult to overcome it. I  started to do the ring dips, did 7 of them I believe after which the same pain returned. Another set of ring dips and another pain wave. Feeling was disgusting.

I grabbed the barbell after the ring dips were done. Set of 15 squat cleans was ahead of me. I did them in sets of 5 reps and after each set I was wondering what the heck is wrong with my body. After the third set to finish the second round it was over for me. Simply felt too bad to continue.

I felt miserable for not being able to continue and finish the workout. Guilt was the first feeling that popped in my mind. How is it not possible to continue with mental strength. Then on the other hand, I felt like I'm gonna shit my pants if I don't quit. I took a break for 10 minutes, then slowly completed the rest of the reps with no hurry. That was simply a decision not to quit. I wanted to perform the rest of the repetitions, no matter the time. After the set of 15 squat cleans my time was around 5.20. No idea what it would have been had I completed the workout. On the first Elizabeth my time was 10.28. It would have definitely been quicker this time.

Tuesday 21.5: Step-ups, HSPU's

Tuesday. Metcon: 5 rounds of 10 step-ups (100kg) and 5 HSPU. For quality.

This day was scheduled for pure leg pain. After work I walked the stairs down to the gym and opened my training bag, only to see I was missing my training shorts. Doup! I was there with Pauliina so this caused some problems to schedule. I left her to workout and drove home to get my gear. No prob, I was quickly back at the Box. However, I had to skip my heavy back squat sets and thus completed only the metcon that I wanted to do after the squats; heavy step-ups and handstand push-ups.

Metcon. For quality

• 5 rounds of:
• 10 step-ups, 100kg (5 left, 5 right)
• 5 handstand push-ups

Couplet of step-ups and hspu's. I intentionally wanted the leg-work to be tough. I put 100kg on the barbell, took it on my back and started moving. That was exactly as heavy as I hoped it would be. I did 5 reps with left and 5 reps with right leg. Hope this compensated the missed back squats.

On the HSPU's I had one goal. Go unbroken on the strict handstand push-ups. For the first 3 sets I got them. On 4th one I got 4 reps and had to kip the 5th one. On the last set I kipped the last 3 ones. Combination of these two movement surprised me that it focused so much burden on the shoulders. Right after step-ups it was hard to start the inverted movement. The combo and amount of reps was perfect!

Toni's workouts.

• Back squat 3-3-3-3-3 (90, 100, 110, 115, 120kg).

Metcon. Time 8.50

• 20-16-12-8-4, kettlebell swing, 20kg
• 10-8-6-4-2, snatch, 40kg

Pony completed the triple back squats up to 120kg. He hasn't gone this far in a while so it was a job well done! On the metcon he alternated the two movements: kb swings and barbell snatches, with decreasing amount of reps on both of them. Total of 60 kb swings and 30 snatches.

Monday 20.5: Clean, metcon

Monday. Clean 3-3-3-3-3, metcon of cleans, box jumps and push-ups.

Back in Finland! It was an awesome trip to Barcelona, Spain with family; Pauliina and her parents. It was my father-in-law's 60 year birthday trip and we got the chance to celebrate it yesterday by watching FC Barcelona's last home game at Camp Nou stadium, one of the most legendary of them all. It was spectacular as after the game the trophy was given to the team for winning "La Liga". The atmosphere was indescribable.

Strength. Clean 3-3-3-3-3 (70, 80, 85, 87.5, 90kg). Two hours after landing in Helsinki, I was back at home Box doing my thing. I got some accumulated energy that needed to be focused on crossfit. I took clean triples. Thought it would be smart to take it easy after the flight but once I grabbed the barbell, it was pretty obvious it's not gonna happen. It felt good!!! And I wanted to go heavier.

I was able to power clean the set of 85 as such. On the 87.5kg I had to take the second and third as squat cleans. And obviously on the 90kg all three of them. I've been squat cleaning lately so this was an important clean day for me as I noticed I'm able to power clean heavy loads as well. And going for 3 reps at 90kg was sick. I dropped the barbell between reps but still, that's heavy for me.

Metcon. For quality

• 5 rounds of:
• 5 hang power clean
• 10 box jumps, 61cm
• 15 push-ups

I didn't put the clock running, still I did it with speed. I decided to perform the cleans as power cleans from hang position to make it tougher, 25 reps in total. 50 box jumps to add some cardio and 75 push-ups as I wrote earlier that I must keep on adding this one to my programming more frequently. That's not too easy movement for me when high-rep scheme comes into play. Muscular endurance on push-ups is in its infancy so I got to keep on improving on that one.

This was a good quick workout to get some blood running in my body. Haven't done proper metcons in a week because of the trip. I worked out on some days and focused on cardio and handstand skills but I really missed the barbell. I'm glad I have an understanding girlfriend who let's me train on a daily basis.

Toni's workouts. Strength: deadlift, clean, c&j.

• Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3-3 (120, 120, 120, 130, 130, 130kg)
• Clean 5-5-5-5-5 (all sets 60kg)
• Clean & jerk 5-5-5-5 (30sec rest between sets)
• 1k row, time 3.40

I heard Toni did strength training today. He's traveling in Oulu, in northern Finland for 2 weeks. He's found a new gym back there and has focused on strength training and some bodyweight metcons. At his home he's made some purchases. The barbell has arrived and soon I guess he'll get some plates as well.

Saturday 18.5.2013: metcon, handstand

Saturday. Metcon of squats and push-ups. Handstand training.

Saturday was scheduled for pool time. Sun was shining at time and sometimes it was raining. The only people at the pool were our gang. The others coming to the pool were wearing jackets and scarfs and simply took photos of the spectacular views. They seemed to laugh at us "sunbathing" in 15 celsius. But hey, this is summer for Finns! :)

Metcon.

• 10 rounds of:
• 20 squats
• 10 push-ups

Some bodyweight action took place at the pool. I was able to make my quads and hamstrings hurt. All reps unbroken, also with the push-ups. I'll try to keep them in schedule regularly from now on to improve on this movement, the push-ups I mean. It was awesome to workout outdoors at such a spot, nice to squat and look at the skyline of Barcelona from roof top!


Handstand training. It really has notched up a bit lately. I feel more stable and confident being inverted. Little by little.. Take a look here.

Friday 17.5.2013: Interval, hspu

Friday. Interval training, 30sec on, 30sec off for 20min, cycling. 30 handstand push-ups.

The gym at the hotel is pretty pathethic as they tend to be so no hard iron was in sight. Had to improvise and concentrate in metabolic condition for starters.

Metcon.
30 sec on, 30 sec off for 20 min
Stationary cycling

30 Handstand push-ups

Two sets. First interval cycling, then 30 handstand push-ups for quality but with as little rest as possible. It was a bit difficult to get upper body warmed up as properly as back home 'cause i didn't have access to any equipment nor barbells. Okay, that may be just an excuse because what more do you need than your body. Guess I'm just used to certain routines so it was a bit difficult to ready for those hspu's.

I took two sets of static handstand holds against a wall and then I was ready to go. It wasn't that easy this time. In the beginning I took 5's, then in the end it was more like triples. I thought I would carry it out in sets of 5-10 reps per attempt. And I will, next time!

Now it's time to go and celebrate Kari's - father in law - birthay, he's turning 60 today, congrats!!!

Thursday 16.5: Rest day

Thursday. Rest day.

We arrived here in Barcelona yesterday, enjoyed the evening at Hard Rock Cafe and today we've been strolling around the city. Luckily we also found an Irish sports pub that aired the ice hockey world championship games live, there were plenty of Finns as we were playing against Slovakia and won, nice atmosphere!

The schedule of the day was simply shopping + walking + eating. Tomorrow I'm planning to hit a wod in the morning.

Wednesday 15.5: Back squat, OHS, Finnish CF Final 2012: Karhureiret

Wednesday. Back squat 1-1-1-1-1 (max 135kg), OHS 1-1-1-1-1 (max PR 65kg). Karhureiret, time 15.51.

Main workout of the day was "Karhureiret", loose translation would be "bear's thighs", referring to the amount of leg work ahead of you. This was the final event at the crossfit finland finals in 2012. I've done it once before, today I repeated it with a little heavier load. Before the workout I took singles in back squat and overhead squats.

Going for 130kg

Strength.

• Back squat 1-1-1-1-1 (110, 120, 130, 135, 140f)
• Overhead squat 1-1-1-1-1 (50, 55, 60, 65f, PR 65kg)

Those back squats felt good and I was able to go deep enough with heavier loads as well. After 130kg the game changed and the barbell became heavy. The fourth set - 135 - was successful but the last one with 140kg (tied PR attempt) failed to come up all the way. Haven't gone over 130kg in a while as I remember so I received some confidence for future.

On the overhead squats I was determined to go for new max numbers. Previous record was 60kg so I started my sets from 50kg and added 5kg per lift. On the first attempt of 65kg I failed to come up from the hole even though I landed there nicely but on the second one I nailed it all the way! PR 65kg. I was ready to move on.


Karhureiret. Time 15.51. Compare to 26.1.2013

• 10 back squat, 100kg
• 50 kettlebell swings, american style
• 20 front squat, 80kg
• 40 box jumps, 61cm
• 30 overhead squats, 40kg
• 30 toes-to-bar

I remembered this workout sucks and I remembered correctly =) Three different types of squats with increasing amount of reps and decreasing load. There were kb swings, box jumps and T2B's between squats. Originally Karhureiret says the box jumps should be completed on a 50cm box but we only have 61 so that's a little extra. Then on the other hand the OHS should have been 60kg but considering my max load that would have been ridiculous to try it out with that weight. I put 40kg on the bar and started moving. In January I used only the bar (20kg) so today this workout was heavier.

I completed the back squats unbroken, kettlebells in 30 reps at first try, then 2x10reps with as little break as possible. I just needed to loosed the tension in my forearms for a few seconds. Front squats went better than last time. Now they were 7+7+6, previously I needed 4x5 sets. Box jumps, uhh. Don't remember that precisely, guess it was 15+10+ something. The overhead squats I got to do in sets of 10+7+7+6, better than I expected =) And lastly the toes-to-bars were about 10+10+5+5.

All in all, my breathing was going fast and it was an overall test to how good an all-around athlete I am at the moment. I was pleased on the way I managed to rattle through this workout. There's always something to improve on but in general this went good!

Now I'm off to Barcelona for holiday with Pauliina and her parents. Gonna enjoy the climate and the atmosphere. Of course I'm not forgetting crossfit, that's for sure but I don't believe I have access to barbells so it's gonna be more like bodyweight action, handstand push-ups etc. Like it was any easier… =) Gonna let you know anyway how I'm training.

Tuesday 14.5: Clean and jerk, snatch, death by snatch

Tuesday. Clean & Jerk (70-75kg), Snatch (max 50kg). Death by snatch. Result 34 reps.

My strength training was shorter than regularly. Took olympic lifting for starters with about 80% of max, stayed there for few sets. Then metcon was death by snatch with the same weight.

Strength. Olympic lifting.

• Clean & Jerk 3x3 (70, 75, 75kg)
• Snatch 3x3 (50, 50, 50kg)

Triples for both clean & jerks and snatch. I aimed to keep the weights same. On the c&j I decided to add 5kg to the pre-described 70kg after the first set. It felt quite heavy though. I believe I wasn't on top of my game at the olympic lifts today. However, I was able to complete the lifts with style, on both movements. I took the cleans as power cleans. It's been a while since doing power cleans because I have been training squat cleans. It was nice to see I can lift heavier weights as power versions too. It was the jerk part that was more difficult today. On the snatch, I believe I did pretty decent on the strength training.

Metcon. Result 7 rounds + 6 reps. Total of 34 reps.

• Death by snatch, 50kg
• 1 rep on the 1st minute
• 2 reps on the 2nd minute
• 3 reps on the 3rd minute and so on until you can't keep up with the rep scheme.

Originally I planned to do 60kg death by clean & jerk but the jerk didn't feel good so I switched it to death by snatch. The idea of the workout is to do 1 repetition on the first minute. On a running clock, complete 2 repetitions on the second minute. Continue for as long as you can not perform the amount of reps needed to continue to next round / minute.

My result today was full 7 rounds and on the 8th minute "death" walked in and I managed only 6 reps. That resulted in a total of 34 reps in the workout with 50kg. The first rounds are easy. No wonder as you think about it. However, on the 5th round I really felt the burden in my heart. I still did the 6th round unbroken. On the 7th round I did 4 reps at first try, dropped the bar and finished the last 3 reps. There wasn't many extra seconds left in the clock so I had to continue to next round. I did 2 reps, then 2, then singles. There was one failed rep in between as well.

As I wrote earlier, I felt I wasn't at my best. Still, I believe I got what I wanted from today's training. I was able to work on my olympic lift techniques, enabled strength training and improved on my metabolic condition. To improve on that metcon's result, I should have stayed focused and determined to complete the 7th round quicker. After dropping the bar after 4 reps, should have done the rest quicker. That way I would have got more rest before entering the round of 8's. Now it was difficult to grab the bar immediately and give my best shot. I simply wasn't able to bring the bar overhead and that's why there were failed rep as well.

Monday 13.5: Metcon

Monday. Metcon. 50 pull-ups, 50 box jumps, 10 thrusters, 50 knees-to-elbows, 50 push-ups, 10 squat cleans. Time 14.42

Workout of the day was some bodyweight movements spiced with  two strength movements with moderate weights. The programming was different in nature as there were a lot of repetitions per movement in a row. My heart was about to burst at points. We went to the gym in the afternoon with Pauliina. I had planned to do the workout in the morning but decided to sleep in a bit more for once.

Metcon. Time 14.42

• 50 pull-ups
• 50 box jumps, 61cm
• 10 thrusters, 60kg
• 50 knees-to-elbows
• 50 push-ups
• 10 squat cleans, 60kg

The amount of repetitions was challenging, 50 reps in a row needs some planning beforehand. I didn't want to gas out in the early stages of the workout so I figured how to carry through this workout. The pull-ups went in about 2 minutes, same as last time I did 50 reps for time as cashout. The box jumps weren't any easier. I check the clock after having done all of them, it was around 4.30. I did 20 reps unbroken, then a short break at the top of the box, then 10's after that, always resting on the top.

I had no desire to do any thrusters but that was on the workout so I had no possibility but to grab the barbell and start moving. I did them 6 first and 4 on the second try. My plan with the K2E's was to do tens all the way. I was able to do it to about 30 reps, then I had to break it. Don't know how it went, I guess 5's in the end. Those push-ups were disastrous. Definitely a goat for me! I thought going 5x10 would be okay for me but that proved to be far away from the truth. At this stage of the workout my hands were not in full power anymore so the first set of 10 reps was the only one I got unbroken, then I had to start dividing it to pieces. The last 20 reps I completed in sets of 4 reps.

My heart was pumping vigorously and I talked to myself that this is the last movement, just go and do it. I did 6 reps, dropped the bar and took it up again for the remaining 4 reps to finish at 14.42. It took some minutes to get stabilized. It was very tough on my body. Don't even know what was the most difficult part of it. Maybe the start was so rough with pull-ups and box jumps that my upper body felt the burden from then on and my heart was on test from the early steps on.

Cashout.

• 3 x 15 ab wheel

After a long rest period I did some abdominals, 3 sets of 15 ab wheel repetitions.

Sunday 12.5: Handstand training

Sunday. Handstand training.

It's Mother's Day and we spent it at the in-laws in Klaukkala. Perfect food, chilling out, washing cars in sunshine and enjoying the company. I also had to take advantage of the perfect circumstances for handstand walk training =)

Handstand. God damned it's awesome to practice this particular gymnastics skill back there. There's so much room and you don't have to watch out for any obstacles, devices or walls. Our Box is a bit tight so there's something in your way all the time. In Klaukkala, there's tens of meters of open grass field. Here you'll see couple of videos of my current skill level. I'd like to train handstand twice a week now as it's easy to just walk outdoors and start practicing. Let's see how well I stick to that plan. This skill definitely needs repetitions, a lot of them. And I have a long way to master this one but I'm determined to do so.

My bro was at same level just some time go, maybe in the end of last year but little by little he's been practicing and today he was able to handstand walk 13 meters in a row, c'mon! That creates hope for me too and I really felt I managed better today than before.

Perfect surroundings for training, sun & open field

Saturday 11.5: Squat clean ladder

Saturday. Squat clean ladder, time 8.54. Ice cream makers 4x10 reps.

The workout of this Saturday was a ladder of squat cleans with increasing load. The weather was beautiful so it would have been awesome to train outdoors but today we decided otherwise with Pauliina. Toni is at a wedding reception and is having a rest day. By the way, I added a slow motion video of my 92.5kg record clean from two days ago. Here's a link to that video.

Workout. Squat clean ladder. Time 8.54

• Squat cleans, one barbell, athlete changes plates individually
• 10 x 50kg
• 10 x 60kg
• 10 x 70kg
• 10 x 80kg

The rounds of 50's and 60's unbroken, the 70's went in 4+3+3 reps and the last round was a battle and had to be completed mostly in single lifts. The change of plates took some time from me as you can see from the video. It took something like 1 minute between rounds, should have been more efficient if I wanted to do this quicker. I'm so happy my cleans have evolved to a point where I'm proud of looking at them from a video and I'm able to keep my form throughout the workouts.



This was a good workout. I've done similar workout with thrusters (with 40, 50, 60 & 70kg) in February. Both had the element of metabolic conditioning being in a test. I liked the way my heart was beating fast.

Ice-cream makers.

• 4 x 10 reps

You'll find the video behind this link. I'll try to get used to the rings to some day be able to do a muscle up. This movement that somehow resembled ice-cream makers, put effort on the abdominals and grip strength. It's also a great way to familiarize with the rings.

Friday 10.5: Deadlift, team wod

Friday. Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3-1-1 (max PR 185kg). Team metcon, hspu, pull-ups, push-ups and sit-ups.

Today's agenda was to do a team workout together with Toni but during the day my team mate's feeling grew and he had the desire to reach the same clean numbers that I got up yesterday. So I also had some time to deadlift, haven't been doing that much lately with heavy loads. You'll find videos of our lifts from the links I attached, there's still some problems with attaching own videos to the post.

Strength. Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3-1-1 (120, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 185kg). I took some reps with 60 and 100kg before moving on to heavier loads. This time it was triples all the way up to 170kg. It was the first time I did more than singles with 160kg, at least I believe so. That 170 was rather heavy and on the 180kg (my current PR) I took only a single, would have been a struggle to get another rep. Once I was already at this level, I had to add 5kg and take a new PR, 185kg =) And my form stayed ok in this strength training, I'm glad about that!

1 second after the PR, 185kg =)

Team metcon. Together with Toni. One team member works at a time.

• 40 handstand push-ups
• 100 pull-ups
• 200 push-ups
• 200 sit-ups

This was the first time we did this type of workout together. Not the first time doing a wod with Pony but determining a certain number of reps per movement and completing them in alternating turns was new thing for both of us. Toni started with the hspu's, did as many as possible, then it was my turn. I was able to hit a PR of hspu's in the first round, 10 of them, first ones were strict and the rest kipping, could've probably squeezed 1-2 more but there were plenty of them in front of us and little time to rest. Once the other one was performing, the other one rested and then a switch.

The pull-ups weren't bad and I'm quite proud of this other crossfitter's pull-ups. He nailed his new max, 10 pull-ups in a row. And from then on, he also did 5+ sets till the end as I recall it. I got 25 on the first round, then 15 and the rest I don't remember.

The push-ups were a nightmare and it felt it took forever to finish them. Toni completed 30 reps on the first round and gassed himself. On the second round he got 10 and less from then on. I got 15 on the first round, then 10's for some time and 5's in the end.

The sit-ups were easy, too easy, should've done it some other way. Maybe toes-to-rings, knees-to-elbows or something like that. We did them in turns, 20 reps per dude, and then switch, only 100 reps each.

My upper body was jammed after this. There were a big number of hspu's, pull-ups and push-ups in total. I enjoyed the way we carried the workout through. Got to propose these type of workouts in the future to Toni as well. What did you think man?

Toni's workout. Clean singles, 70, 75, 80, 85, PR 90, PR 92.5kg. C'mon, he did as well! Great job mate, previous PR was 87.5, today two lifts after that to reach 92.5kg and Toni always does them as power cleans, he hasn't practiced squat cleans to feel natural with heavier weights.

Thursday 9.5: Olympic lifts

Thursday. Olympic lifts. Singles in clean & jerk (max 85kg), clean (max PR 92.5kg), snatch (max PR 62.5kg).

I had one clear goal for today: Personal Records! I put my PR shirt on and went to the Box with Pauliina. Because it's spring / summer time already and the weather was sunny, we took on our bikes and cycled instead of driving. It's anyway only 5-6 kilometers away so why not do it more often in the days off work. I had planned to do a benchmark wod as well - Elizabeth - but due to quite a number of repetitions in cleans and snatches, I felt I was done with training. In the end I did ring dips to make it up.

Strength. 85kg clean & jerk, 92.5kg clean, 62.5kg snatch.

• Clean & jerk, singles (70, 75, 80, 85, 87.5 (jerk failed))
• Clean, singles (87.5, PR 90, PR 92.5kg)
• Snatch, singles (50, 55, 60, PR 62.5kg)

Success!!! The only thing I wasn't able to nail was the jerk of 87.5kg. Clean felt easy the whole day. My warm-up was shorter because we cycled that +5km, then some pvc pipe lunges, squats and overhead squats before moving on to barbell warm-up. I did bear complex type of movements with empty bar and then some clean & jerks with 40 and 60kg before hitting the first single of 70kg. The jerks were easy up to 80kg but then 85kg was a tough one and 87.5kg didn't come all the way up. Could it have been that my motor wasn't still running on full throttle at that time, the shoulders were not as active as possible.

I was thinking about redoing it but since the clean felt superb I wanted to exploit that and try new numbers. So on clean & jerk I stayed with my current PR - 85kg. My previous clean max was 87.5kg so going for 90kg was a but scary, new digits were awaiting me. And it came up easily, what a feeling. Had no other choice but to keep on piling plates on the barbell and take it up. I got 92.5kg up as well and my smile was huge. Also tried 95kg and the bar lifted as high as it should be. I just couldn't bring it back enough, it stayed too much in front of me and therefore had to be dropped.






The final strength movement was the snatch. It didn't feel that light in the beginning but still was manageable and I got some great lifts. I've been doing sets with 50kg lately but in the Crossfit Games Open 13.1 I got that 60kg up to set a new PR in snatches. Today I was looking forward to get that weight up with better and evolved technique. Well, I don't know about the technique but I got it up =) And was able to go beyond to 62.5kg. I also tried 65kg but today was not the day for that.

All in all, it was a great day of olympic lifting!!! You'll find quite a number of videos in Youtube. For some reason there are problems in attaching own videos from youtube to these posts. Same problem occurred yesterday. They are in tube but cannot be added to the post. I added links to some of my lifts so it's easier for you guys to see them.

Ring dips. 8x10 reps.
Some toes-to-rings in the end. There's also a video of my ring dips behind the same route.

Wednesday 8.5: Squats, metcon

Wednesday. Back squats 5-5-5-5-2 (max 130kg). Metcon of rowing and box jumps.

I wanted to take advantage of yesterday's rest day and focus that on squat strength training. In addition to strength I also completed some rowing and box jumps to get my heart beating. Toni is having a second day off.

Strength. 5-5-5-5-2 (100, 110, 120, 125, 130kg). It felt better! I've written earlier that for some reason my squats have been a little difficult lately and maybe it's because of lack of rest days for my legs, go figure. Everything else rolls nicely but on squats it's difficult to reach those max weights that I know I'm able to hit on a good day. So I wanted to test squatting after a rest day and I really felt better.

The other thing I didn't want to compromise was the depth of the squat. I'm definite they were great today. Last Friday I did that squat / dumbbell snatch metcon, in which I performed the deepest squats ever. The feeling in my hamstrings for 2-3 days after that was painful, in a great way! And I need to have that feeling after squats.

I'll post a 130kg video afterwards, for some reason I'm not able to add it now.


Metcon. Time 14.22.

• 5 rounds of:
• 500m row
• 15 box jumps, 61cm

Needed to have a heartbeat metcon to follow the strength training. Combination of rowing and box jumps was the answer. I stayed on 145-1.50 / 500m pace from beginning to the end. I knew the rowing was not going to be the one bottleneck time wise. It's the box jumps or the transition between the two. For me, it was the transition. Rowing went well, quick sprints. It doesn't mean a whole lot if you gain or lose 5 seconds in the rowing part, it's more about whether you can nail the box jumps unbroken and how long a break you'll take between movements.

I was able to do them without that many breaks. Even though it feels like I wasn't taking any extra breaks between the two movements, there are still time to be cut off easily. I should just quickly jump on the rower when finishing the box jumps and vice versa. Tomorrow I'm going after olympic lifts and a probably a benchmark workout. Looking forward to it!

Individual Regional Event no. 4

Individual Regional Event no. 5

It's gonna be Finland against USA in the ice hockey world championship games, starting in just a few minutes!

Tuesday 7.5: Rest day

Tuesday. Rest day.

For time table reasons had to take a rest day. Okay, I could have added the training late in the evening but wasn't up to it after a long day. Suppose it's gonna make some good to my body to have a day off once in a while. Tomorrow I'm getting back to action.

The Crossfit Games announced the Individual Regional Events for the upcoming Friday. The Regionals are a three-day competition so there's more to come in the weekend. You can follow the Games at games.crossfit.com, at least I am! The schedule is here. There's only 3 top athletes from each region going to qualify for the Grande Finale, The Games 2013. I'm cheering for the finnish guys, Mikko Salo & Mikko Aronpää and expecting them to crush it.

Take a look at the standards of the first events below.

Individual Regional Event no. 1

Individual Regional Events 2 & 3

Monday 6.5: Thrusters

Monday. 30 x thrusters, 60kg. Time 2.54.

It was destined to be a quick workout. I was in a hurry because and had no time for longer workout. It was time for some thrusters! Tony followed the same workout.

Workout. Time 2.54.

• 30 thrusters, 60kg

The only thing I was thinking about beforehand was the weight I should put on the barbell. Was thinking about 70kg 'cause the other day I did a thruster workout which included 74 reps with 60kg. I knew I'm able to move the weight pretty well but because the nature of the workout was supposed to be similar as Grace or Isabel, I ended up having 60kg on the bar. Considering the goal, this weight was good and I managed it quite well. It would have been nice to do it with heavier weight as well even though the time span would have been definitely longer. Got to try it out some day!

My goal was 5 sets of 6 reps and I managed to stick to the game plan. The 3 first sets went on nicely but my heart started to beat harder. On the 4th had to really push it and 5th one was a mental one. It was a fast tempo workout and it was over in less than 3 minutes. My Grace took a bit less than 4 minutes so this was almost 1min faster. That's mind twisting because I thought thrusters would have been more time consuming.

Toni's workouts. Thrusters. Time 5.52.

• 30 thrusters, 60kg

I had the chance to watch him work out up to 21 reps, then I had to leave. His plan was to do sets of 5 reps for as long as possible. He stuck with it for 3 sets, 15 reps. Then he took a triple and another, reaching 21 reps. Then it was 2 or 3 reps till the finish. This was not enough for him so he also completed a 10min amrap.

Toni's metcon. Result 11 rounds.

• 10 min amrap
• 5 K2E
• 5 box, 61cm