Saturday 1.6: Gymnastics session

Saturday. Gymnastics. 1: 5 sets of 10 strict hspu, 10 strict pull-ups. 2: 5 sets of 10 strict ring dips, 1min dead hang on pull-up bar.

Oh boy, the wake-up was rough. My left hip flexor is indeed smashed. Home doctor evaluation says it's inflamed so got to let it be for now. Now working out with lower body whatsoever. It's difficult to walk, it's pretty much limbing style that I roll now. That doesn't keep from working out though. Don't want to use that as an excuse. But I'm not trying to be stupid. I defined the workouts so that they bring burden to my upper body only. Strict reps of hspu's, pull-ups and ring dips. Don't wanna use kip to engage lower body.

Gymnastics.

• 5 sets of:
• 10 strict handstand push-ups
• 10 strict pull-ups

I was thinking about making it emom training to get my heart beat up. That's what I would have really wanted. Metcon after metcon to get my lungs back to shape.With strict reps it's way more challenging and once those muscles start to get numb there's not much to do. Kipping helps in those situation but I had decided not to kip.

Recap

So I took strict hspu's to start with. First round went unbroken. That's by the way more than I've ever done as strict hspu's, c'mon! My "official" PR is 18 reps, used kip motion then. The following 4 sets of handstand push-ups were completed in 3 sets: 6+2+2 each round. I'm very happy how I got these through. There was a possibility that I would have to cut them to more pieces but fortunately I got them done pretty well.

Strict pull-ups are also a rarity. It would be smart to do 'em every now and then but it usually turns to kipping pull-ups because I incorporate them into metcons and there the idea is to complete the reps as quick as possible. Then strict reps wouldn't be the smartest thing to improve metabolic conditioning. Last reps were tough in each set, no doubt. First set was actually quite smooth but then from 2nd round on I had to battle those last 2-3 reps.

Gymnastics.

• 10 strict ring dips
• 1 min dead hang on pull-up bar

Ring dips were a bit too easy this time. I was in my thoughts I guess because I realized this only after the workout was done =) I had no issues in any of the sets. Ring dips is something I've considered a weakness of mine. The problems usually occur in high-rep ring dip workouts. But a 10-rep set shouldn't bring any issues. I should have put bigger numbers per round.

But the pull-up bar hang was nasty! I thought it would be cool to just hang around there and enjoy the moment. It was disgusting. Phew. On the first round I was there for about 50 seconds before dropping and finishing the 60 seconds with another 10 sec hang. On the following rounds I completed the 60 sec hang in 3 sets. About 30 + 15 + 15 second sets. My forearms were tingling and they started to go numb. Also my grip strength simply wasn't there. I felt my fingers sliding down the bar little by little.

This was a good substitute day to what I had originally planned. A different one. I missed the metcon and strength but these practiced movements were something that are always useful. I had thought of hard core bar action and kettlebell / run metcon outdoors but I'll save those for another moment.

Mr. Muhammed rocked that rope climb / sprint workout last weekend!

Friday 30.5: C&J emom, cleans and du's

Friday. Strength, emom x 10: 5 clean and jerk, 60kg. Metcon, 5 rds of: 5 clean (60kg), 30 du.

It hurts a lot in my lower body, as anticipated =) My hip flexors are on fire, it feels like the left one is almost inflamed. Hopefully not. I've tried to mobilize these hips and used lacrosse ball and foam roll to get back in the game. It helped as I went to the gym after work and worked a little to get joints warm again. Then it was game time. Clean and jerks as emom training, finishing the session with power cleans and double unders.

Strength.

• Clean and jerk
• Every minute on the minute, for 10 minutes
• 5 clean & jerks, 60kg

I had planned to do 'em for 6 minutes, totaling 30 reps. I started to feel the heat at about 3 minutes. After 5 minutes it didn't feel good anymore (no one thought of that anyway) but I wasn't done with them. I figured doing 2 extra sets so I talked to myself complete 3 more sets. It's not bad, just suck it up. I followed the game plan and after 7 sets repeated the same uptalk in my head. "Just 3 more sets, you can do it". So climbed up to total of 10 sets, reaching 50 reps total.

The big picture is that on a regular day these wouldn't be amazing numbers but today it felt like a huge victory. My body's a bit of a wreck and I thought can I do clean and jerks at all today because my lower body is kinda smashed. But it went great and I went touch'n'go all the way each set and jerked the bar right away up in the sky as it landed in front rack position. No pauses there.

It was pretty awesome actually to do clean & jerks after a while. It's a spectacular movement, entire body has to be tuned up and ready for action. I'm very happy that 60kg is a weight I can manhandle whenever I need to. Fresh or tired, the bar moves.

Metcon. Not for time

• 5 rounds of:
• 5 power clean, 60kg
• 30 double unders

Can't get enough of cleaning the bar. Took the first set as hang power cleans just to try it out. The rest of the pack I took from ground. Cleans went nicely, had no issues there. I tried my new Nano's for the first time in double unders and I got to say there were pretty smooth. The touch in the ground was good in both box jumps yesterday and double unders today. The sole is quite flat which makes it suitable for squat purposes. Juuso has identical shoes - different color though - and he's been talking only good things about these on front squats and back squats.

Double unders were near perfect. On one set I messed it up at 28 reps… Other sets unbroken. And it felt great! My form was great. Upright torso, effortless completion of jumping around and making that rope do some work.

Thursday 29.5: Pause squats, Pistol metcon, Burpees and Rowing

Thursday. Strength, pause back squat 4x5 (across, 100kg). Metcon, 10min amrap of: 10 pistols, 10 deads (100kg), 10 ring dips. Result, 5 rounds. Metcon, 10min emom. Odd min 15cal row, even min 12 burpees.

Huh, its's tough after a break. Squats were the name of the game. Pause squats to be exact. Added more posterior chain movements in the workout following squats. Finally I did the rowing / burpee workout together with Juuso, changing stations after every minute, alternating with partner.

Strength. Pause squats

• Pause back squats 4x5 (100kg)

My upper back is smacked from yesterday's cleans. There were only 30+ hang power cleans with 60kg but because of a break on cleans my traps are killing me. They are very sore and it felt nasty to lower the barbell on my back. I did air squats and lunges but it's a different game to have real weight on and carry that up and down compared to bodyweight.

80kg pause squats for warm-up

I couldn't make up my mind on what kind of squats I would do. I was thinking about normal squat triples and 5's, pause squats and front squats too. Ended up doing pause squat 5's with couple of seconds pause in the bottom position. Warm-up included 60kg and 80kg sets. On the latter one I bounced a little from the bottom in the last reps. But this is not the case in real pause squats. The whole point is to go down, sit in the hole and come directly up. That's how I completed the working sets.

My hip flexors were burning after 2 sets. The sets were definitely heavy-ish but there was no doubt of completing them as planned. All sets were across (100kg). My lower body took some hit on this strength portion and I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow as well.

Metcon. Result, 5 rounds sharp

• 10min amrap of:
• 10 pistols, alternating
• 10 deadlift, 100kg
• 10 ring dips

10 min amrap and result was exactly 5 rounds. There was simply no seconds left for any more pistols. There were 2 movements that I got to get better at. Pistols are something that I need to get better at eventually. I can knock them pretty well but I'm looking to get more balanced. My left leg works much better than my right one. I seem to have no issues with left one whereas right one is more shaky.

Deadlifts went unbroken each round. Wasn't nice to hold on to the bar but it was tolerable. It felt good to do deadlifts even though it got heavy towards the end. Ring dips is a weakness of mine and needs to be focused. On the first round I went unbroken, then 2 rounds of 7+3, one set of 6+4 and the last was something like 4 reps and then 3x2 to finish the workout.

The working time itself was not that time-consuming but the transitions took me some time to catch my breath. After not having breathed that heavily it feels a bit on the heavy side. It probably takes a week or two to get back on track. Hopefully sooner!

Metcon. Bodyweight

• Every minute on the minute, for 10min
• Odd min, 15 calories row
• Even min, 12 burpees

In the end I talked Juuso into this one. Alternating the 2 elements every minute. Starting with rowing for 15 calories, took me maybe 40 seconds, I'm not sure, I didn't have a timer right next to me. Rowing was the easier part of this workout. It was a total of 5 rounds both movements 75 calories. Not sure how far that is in distance, I only checked that my pace on the last set was 1.38 /500m.

Burpees took me close to 35 seconds every round. That was a solid effort but it felt horrible. Already the first set didn't feel great. I sucked it up and focused on the next rep. Always the next rep. This was a good quick metcon. Could have continued for longer. Not today, definitely not today after the work done prior to this one. But on another day focusing solely on these 2 elements it could have been double the time. I saw something like this on competitorstraining.com where they did it for half an hour. That's beasty.

Couple of more photos from our California trip =) Playing around.

By the way we got engaged with Pauliina while in Los Angeles. We found a perfect and beautiful place called Palos Verdes, known for it's awesome scenery. Had to pop the question in the sunset, she answered yes and so we're getting married in the summer of 2015, boom! She's awesome! Love you so much baby!

Will you marry me?

Wednesday 28.5: Comeback workout in Helsinki!

Wednesday. Strength, push press 5's. Emom, 5 hang power clean, 60kg, for 6min. Metcon, 5min amrap of: 10 pull-ups, 10 box. Result, 6rds + 3 pull-ups.

How awesome was it to land back home in Finland full of energy to hit the gym. After breakfast I had no other choice but to leave my baby to sleep and jump in the car, head to the gym and start working out. I've missed barbells so much it's difficult to describe. I was like a little kid when I saw those pieces of metal. After 2 weeks rest of barbell work I didn't max out today. More like getting a feeling back to working with weights. Presses, hang cleans and finally a metcon to burst my lungs.

Back in biz!

Strength.

• Push press 5-5-5-5 (60, 70, 75, 80kg)

I was very happy on the way I was able to move the bar. I was afraid all my strength had disappeared during our holiday but that was luckily not the case. I took shoulder press 5's with 40kg and 50kg before making it to 60kg for push press action. Second set was also very manageable at 70kg, no problems at all. At 75kg it got heavy but I managed it as planned. I was thinking about hitting the last set with same weights but then added five more kilos to reach 80kg.

First rep was the toughest on that one. Second and third went way better. Fourth was challenging and fifth simply didn't come up. Desperately tried it twice. Had to re-rack it and finish the last 5th rep. That was a bummer but then again, I'm very happy on how I was able to carry this strength portion through.

Press recap

Barbell.

• Every minute on the minute, for 6 minutes
• 5 hang power cleans, 60kg

I wasn't ready with barbell work. I took couple of sets hang power cleans just for fun. Then I decided to turn it into an emom workout with 60kg. Why not take 5 reps every minute for couple of minutes to get a good feeling on the movement. Had no problems with these cleans. That was encouraging. Okay, the weight isn't heavy at all but still it's cool that the weight felt good. I tried couple of hook grip reps during the sets. That's something I don't usually do.

Hang power clean emom workout

Metcon. Result 123 reps (6 rounds + 3 pull-ups)

• 5 min amrap of:
• 10 pull-ups
• 10 box jumps, 61cm

Pull-ups are such a basic movement that should never be left undone. I have considered pull-ups a strength of mine. Today they didn't feel like it after ignoring them for about 2 weeks. I did some reps in California - pull-ups and L pull-ups - but nothing serious. Maybe something between 50-100 reps total, most of them strict.

Metcon

I went unbroken on both movements though. My heart rate was high and lungs were doing lots of work. It feels like these past 2 weeks had their effect or then it's the long traveling but it anyway it was like a lot of burden was thrown at my lung capacity. I was still able to move pretty smoothly and with consistent pace for the entire workout.

Box jumps went nicely. They were the first jumps with new Nano's. They worked exactly as they were supposed to. Nothing to complain. The day as a whole was just great. I had a lot of energy to workout and I really needed this one. I did some lighter workouts in Cali but nothing really serious stuff. Now it's about time to get real again and feed this body with what it deserves. Hard work is ahead of me, stay tuned!

Pistoling on top of L.A.! 

Handstanding in Manhattan Beach

Monday 26.5: getting back home

Monday. Travelling home.

It's Monday and time to get back home. It's been remarkably awesome 2 weeks with Pauliina checking out what California and the western side of the states have to offer. We spent one week in L.A, then drove to Vegas for couple of nights, flew to Frisco for couple more nights before hopping on SUV again to drive back to Los Angeles, with a 1-night stopover in Santa Barbara. The places we were able to see were great and we both keep on loving travelling to the west.

The road from Frisco to Santa Barbara via the coast line was something incredible. To describe it is beyond words for me. Below you'll see couple of pictures. In addition to the awesome scenes we happened to see whales while having lunch in a seafront cafe plus there was one beach where sea elephants were relaxing, hundreds of them. Those guys are hilarious!

Training-wise I probably worked every other day on average which is not much. This has been a huge deload fortnight and hopefully it's made good to my body. I've trained a lot with minimum rest so it was kind of difficult not to hit crossfit that often. On the othet hand I knew this beforehand and there was loads of things to see and do so we've been busy all the time with Pauliina. We're back home Wednesday (finnish time), let's see how jet lag affects when we land. I'm hoping to get in touch with barbells soon.

Saturda 24.5: Cj's, t2b, lunges

Saturday. Metcon, 5rds of: 5 kb c&j's, 10t2b's, 20 lunges. Skills, pull-ups and kb swings.

After having walked enourmous distances yesterday we decided to take it easy this morning and sleep a little longer, then head to the gym together. Got to say this hotel has put a lot of effort in the gym. I jumped on crosstrainer for a while and then did some foam rolling to start with. That is something we have both been missing. We've taken it for granted this far but surely won't in the future. It's a great tool for mobility. My metcon consisted of clean and jerks, t2b's and bodyweight lunges. After getting myself together again I worked on some different styles of pull-ups and also some kb action.

Metcon.
5 rounds of:
5 double kettlebell, clean and jerk, 50lbs
10 toes-to-bar
20 lunges.

This was a good one. I was able to maintain a good speed througout the workout and completed everything unbroken. Clean and jerks are great, no magter if you do them with a barbell or dumbbells. Well I prefer a barbell but db's are a great substitute! Hars to say which element was the toughest. Maybe t2b was the lost challenging on my grip. The bar was a littoe more slippery to what I'm used to and without chalk or tape I had to do more work to stay on that bar. Lunges were the easiest part. I was a little surprised how easily those went by each round.

Skills.
Pull-ups
L-pull-ups

There are several pull-up bars at the gym with various grip opportunities so I was playing around a little. Not massive amounts, couple of tens, all strict. Also did some L-pull-ups. It's been long time since doing them last time.

Cashout.
100 kettlebell swings, 1-arm, 30lbs
Alternating each rep, unbroken
Mobility

Friday 23.5: two metcons in San Francisco

Friday. Skills, Pull-ups, battling ropes. Metcon, 5rds of: 15 double kb swings, 10 burpees. Metcon, 5rds of: 10 kb snatches, 15 push-ups, 20 squats.

We arrived in San Francisco yesterday, right around the Union Square / Market street area. It was a rest day from training but not from exploring the states. We walked around the city, got to know this area well and then headed to Chinatown later on. It's way colder than it was in the south. And windy. Anyway, today it was time to do a workout at the hotel's great fitness area and then head north of San Fran to Fisherman's wharf and Alcatraz penitentiary, a.k.a. The Rock. That was a place with lots of history! Once home to Al Capone upon other tough criminals.

Metcon.
5 rounds of:
15 double kettlebell swings, 2x30lbs
10 burpees

This is the only place where I have seen ropes. Not to be climbed but to battle them. I tried them for some time but couldn't find it very natural. The ropes hit each other every now and then, causing me to lose my rhythm. There was also a pull-up bar so I was hanging there instantly after entering the gym. My metcon consisted of kb swings, 2 bells, one each hand. Accompanied with classic burpees. Great one. Grip strength was a bit challenging on the swings.

Metcon.
5 rounds of:
10 dumbbell snatches, 50lbs
15 push-ups
20 air squats

This was something I dominated. Snatches weren't that bad. This was the heaviest weight I found but it turned out to be good for this workout. Push-ups and squats have been easy to write in to workouts. You can do them anywhere.

We are staying in the States for couple more days and I'll try to get some training involved before returning home.

Tuesday 20.5: Thrusters, Pull-ups,T2b, Burpees

Tuesday. Metcon, 5rds of: 10 db thrusters, 10 pull-ups. Metcon, 5rds of: 10 t2b, 10 burpees.

After spending a week in the great Los Angeles area it was time to hit the road. We arrived in Las Vegas yesterday in the afternoon and It certainly was something special. Everything is huge in here, I mean everything. We basically unpacked our stuff, changed clothes and went to explore what our casino - Planet Hollywood - has to offer. Some eating, gambling and loitering around the Strip.

Today I got a change to do a workout. Or two... They were quick ones. The gym at the casino is of a bit different caliber than our last hotel's fitness room, which we didn't use even once. But it's still a traditional in a sense there is no barbells at all. Just a smith station which I definitely ain't gonna use. But a pleasant surprise were dumbbells and pull-up bar. Hard to useaan extremely wide grip on the pull-up bar because It was not a traditional one. There were handles very far away from each other.

Metcon.

• 5 rounds of:
• 10 dumbbell thrusters, 45lbs
• 10 pull-ups

It was awesome to find dumbbells to workout with. Great substitute for barbells. I did some db presses for warm-up, then pretty soon started my metcon. This was the first time I had my new Nano's on. They worked well. Nothing bad to say. Light shoes. I'll wait until I work on double unders and box jumps before making my final decision. This far they are good!

The workout itself turned out to be tough. Short action time, haven't worked with weights in a while but still felt natural with them. Pull-ups were more challenging. Not bad but still having my hands about one meter from each other felt tougher than normally.

Metcon.

• 5 rounds of:
• 10 toes-to-bar
• 10 burpees

After resting for about 3min I took on another quick one. Simple one. These 5 rounders have worked very well at our holiday. Pretty quick ones and easy to create. I always have to come up with the workout on the spot. You never know what the circumstances are. This second one was also good for getting heart rate up quickly. It was the first time in a week I saw a pull-up bar do It was only natural to work with that one.

Sunday 18.5: Run, hspu's, pistols, du's

Sunday. Metcon, 5rds of: 200m run, 5 strict hspu, 10 pistols, 20 du. Workout, 5rds of: 5 strict hspu, 30 squats.

More bodyweight stuff was thrown at me on Sunday. I realized pistols, running and du's would make a perfect workout. After checking the place out I noticed a beautiful solid wall calling me to do hspu's. It turned out to be a 2-workout session.

Metcon.
5 rounds of:
200m run
5 strict handstand push-ups
10 pistol squats
20 double unders

The pool area here in our L.A. apartment seems to be the perfect outdoor gym. I have practically no gear at all, the only thing I have is a jump rope. Th only thing I'm missing is barbell and pull-up bar. Those and rings and I wouldn'g ask for more.

Today my metcon consisted of running added with some bodyweight stuff. I completed 5 hspu's, strict because mostly I've done them with the help of kipping movement. Felt good on the hspu's. Unbroken each round. Pistols were tougher. I've normally worn mh weightlifging shoes, they are good for stabilizing the form. Naturally I don't have them with me so it was a bit more shaky than traditionally. Double unders were mostly unbroken. I got my metabolic condition work done with this metcon. Definitely a fast heart rate on this one.

After resting for 3-5min I took another workout. Wasn't tired of handstand push-ups and I have missed them so it was obvious that they would be part the next metcon too.

Metcon.
5 rounds of:
5 strict handstand push-ups
30 air squats

I didn't time either of the workouts. Actually I haven't timed most of them even though I've done them with a regular speed. This latter workout was tougher on my legs tjan shoulders. My upper body has taken these workouts this week pretty well. I feel fresh. Legs on the other hand were burning a lot in this one. Had to cut the squats to pieces from secnd round on. Just a short break and thdn continued to pump it up and down. Good one!

Saturday 17.5: work by the pool

Saturday. Two workouts and skills.

Today I had plenty of time to work on my fitness. After finally finding those Reebok Nano 3.0's and some other crossfit stuff at local sports shops we hung around by the pool where I completed some work.

Metcon.

5 rounds of:
15m lunges
10 burpees
15m lunges
10 box

This was a good one. My legs were smashed on the lunges. Burpees and box felt like rest compared to lunges. It was a bit strange they felt that much in my legs but anyway the burn was rough. Maybe it was the combination of the movements or the fact that it's been a while since hard training. Anyway, burpees felt great, box jumps too. I jumped on a rail, maybe a little higher than regular 61cm box. This box may have been couple of centimeters higher.

Skills.
Handstand
30 mu

After this metcon I handstand walked for couple of sets before jumping in to the pool to cool down. While in the pool I decided to give "muscle-ups" a try. At the deep end of the pool I completed kind of strict muscle-ups. It reflects the movement but is naturally much easier.

Metcon.
5rds of:
20 push-ups
20 dips

This was not for time. I was concentrating in gettikg it done unbroken each round. Totalling 100 reps each movement. Those dips had to be modified as I did them in the same place e as box jumps.

Goog training day!