Sunday. Skills, emom x 6min: ring mu's. Deads 5x10 @ 130kg (no tng allowed). Accessory, oh double kb lunges @ 2x16kg, 4 x 18m.
For too long has it been break since pulling from the ground. First I had my payback on the rings as last time I did those at CF Kehä, I got none which was mind blowing. Those long straps got to me somehow. Today it was important to get some done. THen longer sets of pulling and finally some accessory play.
Skills.
Every minute on the minute x 6 minutes
1-3 reps per minute
Yeah, it was a great feeling to get myself over the rings again. Took a triple in the beginning, then doubles and singles on the remaining minutes. My left hand almost tore up so I left it at just couple of minutes. This was a good one to restore confidence.
Pulls.
Deadlift 5x10 reps @ 130kg
No bounce allowed at the floor, no adjust of the grip
Different type of pulls. Usually I go touch'n'go all the way and the barbell is a lot lighter once I have got one rep completed. The following reps are relatively easier for me. Usually the only restricting element is how much my fingers and palms are ready to take the hit. Not so much the back and hamstrings. Kind of funny but that's how it is.
So this time I worked on the starting position and got to say it burned the entire posterior chain much more than normally. Really liked that one. I can nail 3x190kg or 5x180kg touch'n'go and those are not that bad but doing 10x130kg with a dead stop on the floor feels more in my back and hammies. Hands took these well too as the bar was only at 130kg.
Accessory.
Double kettlebell overhead walking lunges
4 x 18m sets, rest as needed between sets
This was a bit shorter session so there wasn't time to attack a metcon with rage. I went after this right after the deadlifts. These were the heaviest kettlebells I found at the same weight. Last time I did 2x16kg upstairs but it was for 10 meters. Now it was about double so I figured the weight might work alright. First one was easy, the following were heavier. Shoulders on the second one, shoulders and legs on the last two sets.
Saturday. AM. Oly complex @ 80kg. Wod, 3rds of: 500m row, 20 db snatch @ 30kg. Time, 10.53. Gymnastics, 50 pistols. PM. Metcon, 5k run and 90 pull-ups. Time, 32.47
Sunday morning's main focus was on moving barbell and improving c&j ability. Then a conditioning piece that left a little bit of my soul at the gym. Finally worked on some skills before heading back home. In the evening I went for a jog that turned out to a metcon.
Oly.
Every 2:00, for 12 minutes
Complex of power cleans + push jerks
3+1
3+1
2+2
2+2
1+3
1+3
Barbell @ 80kg at all times
Felt a bit stiff in the morning so I was a notch hesitant with that 80kg barbell. It was a load that was pre-determined so I decided to not listen the voices in my head and just build up to that. First set felt probably the heaviest but it was doable so I decided to just attack it. And told myself I just did a 80kg Grace with Toni, maybe last week.
These went nicely in my opinion. I got some of them on video. You'll see them on the recap. I reset the barbell on each jerk before completing the next one.
Recap of C&J and snatches
Metcon. Time, 10.53
3 rounds of:
500m row
20 dumbbell snatches @ 30kg, alternating
This turned out to be gnarly huh… Rowing was sub 1:50 at first, then on the last two rounds I went at pretty accurately that 1:50 pace for 500m. It took me about 41 strokes each round to get the distance covered.
Those snatches though. Those ain't light anymore. I've moved around 25kg dumbbell quite a lot outdoors as I own two of those dumbbells. Okay, 30kg db is not a stranger either. But 20 reps in a row (alternating between hands after every rep) brought such overall nasty feeling that it really felt miserable at times =)
Gymnastics.
50 pistol squats
This was rather quick accessory gymnastics work to work on some skills. One-legged squats in sets of 10 reps, alternating the performing leg after each rep.
Metcon. Time, 32.47 (total of 5.000m run & 90 pull-ups)
Run
30 pull-ups
Run
30 pull-ups
Run
30 pull-ups
Run
We spent the day in Helsinki, walking around as the weather has been awesome the past weeks as I have enjoyed my paternity leave. It's been the time of my life spending it with my loved ones. Next week I'll be heading back to work so let's see how the routines turn out to. We'll be moving later in the fall (plus one temporary move in the process as well), and I've been planning a home gym in the new house. So that's probably where most of my training will take place, starting from late fall.
Anyway, this workout was created during the first kilometer. Plan was to just go for a jog for about 5k but during the first leg of the run it came up to my mind that I'll head to one familiar pull-up station. They have monkey bars there. Complete 30 pull-ups and run to another pull-up station within 500-1.000m distance, and complete another set of 30 pull-ups. Run a loop and return to the first station, complete 30 pull-ups and then head back home.
I'm very happy on the pull-ups. I did some strict ones today in the morning but those sucked so I got my revenge. First set of pull-ups went unbroken, all 30 of them. I was pumped up and could have linked more together if needed even though it started to feel awful. Thought that might have destroyed my lats but I got 20 unbroken reps at the second station too. Finished it with quick recoveries, then 5-5 to reach a total of 30 reps. Same thing at the last time I jumped on the pull-up bar.
I'm very pleased on that performance. Running taxed my legs so that my quads were cramping big time as I finished. It was difficult to stand. Every time I came back from a squat, quads cramped immediately. Maybe it was lack of fluids in my body. There is a possibility I had not drank enough during the day. It was one heck of a training day!
Friday. Snatch / Ohs e2mom complex @ 60kg for 16min. Front squat 6x2 @ 110kg. Intervals, every 3:00, for 15min: 1 rope + 4x10m light sled push. Hang power clean triples, build up (up to 95kg). Accessory, 50 hspu.
This time I took my time at the gym. It turned out to be an effective session and I moved around between different portions. Started with snatch complex, then front squats for strength, intervals, more olympic lifts, and gymnastics work.
Oly.
Snatch + Overhead squat complex @ 60kg
Every 2:00 minutes, perform
1+3
1+3
2+2
2+2
3+1
3+1
4+0
4+0
This one was stolen from one athlete who's been working at Toni's Box the past week. It sounded like a great complex for improving snatch. Started with one snatch and more overhead squats, then changed so that the number of snatches increased and ohs decreased. The barbell remained at 60kg at all times.
There were some reps I wasn't satisfied with. It's not a good rep in my books if you have to catch it by stepping forward. You should be able to catch it where you land. My warm-up was also short and hips weren't feeling mobile so I stayed above parallel. Other than that the barbell felt good all the way and there were no misses at all. It's cool to see good things are happening at 60kg.
Strength.
Every 2:00, front squats 6x2 @ 110kg
Feels like an eternity since squatting. Last time it was back squats, this time front squats. Felt stiff and slow from the very first set. However, on the video it looks pretty good. Okay, it's still not the most explosive out of the hole but elbows seem to point straight ahead and form stays good.
Sprints, one rope up and down, then a sled that only had 4x10kg bumpers on. Went down and back for 4 legs of the matt. Felt miserable on the legs. I got 5 of these sets completed, one round every 3 minutes.
Oly.
Hang power cleans, build up to a heavy triple (40, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95kg)
We were pretty much ready and everything had been performed what we had thought of. I threw in the idea of Toni joining me to pull some barbell from hang position. We basically didn't have any plans. I took a triple, and he followed. Round by round we added a bit weight until we reached something that could be described as a personal record for both of us. Toni was doing these as hang squat cleans.
I don't remember taking 3 reps of hang power cleans ever @ 95kg. It was remarkable for me! Gainz. Toni also reckoned that weight to be his record for a triple @ 95kg. Great work mister!
Gymnastics.
50 handstand push-ups
In the end I did quick gymnastics piece to burn shoulders and improve skills. Goal was to do sets of 10 reps with short rest periods. Those recovery times were on point. I got to 40 with 10-rep sets, then 2x5 to finish it. I was satisfied to these at this point of the session.
Toni did benchmark workout Cindy of which you can see the last reps here
Got a chance to hit a workout with a bunch of guys at Crossfit Kehä. Toni had pulled some strings and there ended up to be 5 studs working towards the same goal. Improving overall fitness with the boys.
Metcon. Result, 7 rounds + 100m run
30min amrap of:
10 burpees
15 box jumps
20 wall ball shots
Long workout with heavy breathing from quite early on. First round went by without that much blood and tears. Maybe on the second or third round I started to count a little that wait a minute, this is gonna take something like 7 rounds before the 30 minutes are full.
It felt like it's gonna be a long workout as it felt bad already before 10 minutes were full. I'm very happy on being able to maintain my pace throughout the workout, even with that gnarly feeling. I went unbroken on all bodyweight movements. Maybe the transitions from burpees to box jumps, and box jumps to wall balls grew a little towards the end but run was probably pretty much the same and I dropped directly to burpees when I came back in from the run.
Some forecasts said it's the hottest day this summer so it wasn't a surprise it was a bit sticky running outside. It wasn't easy to breath compared to a crispy autumn air. It was kinda intimidating to throw down with a bunch of dudes for the same workout as I have used to do metcons by myself, and against only myself. Especially as I knew there was one masters-aged guy who has been dominating the scene in competitions. However, it was a blast to hit the workout with them!
Monday. Pair workout, 20min amrap of DT @ 60kg, You go, I go style. Result, 16 rounds + 3 clean.
Toni asked me to hit a morning's bro session with him on Monday. I'm still on holiday this week so it suited well for my plans. After the session I headed back to Klaukkala where we stayed for couple of days with the family. It was another long day of doing work at the house. They are moving so we got rid of a lot of stuff at the house. We started right after I came back from the training session and I got home after 10pm. Okay we had lunch and coffee during the day but other than that it was action all the way. It wasn't difficult to get sleep for the night =)
Metcon. Result, 16 rounds + 3 clean
Pair workout
20min amrap of:
DT, You go, I go (12 deadlift, 9 hang power clean, 6 push jerk)
Barbell @ 60kg
Tough. Very tough. Body felt tired in the morning. The sandbag run had destroyed my legs nicely so luckily this was more focusing on upper body, grip strength and lungs. It was great to have a training partner to share the suffer. This was lighter than the regular DT but we added some stakes by making it a 20min amrap. I started, completed one full round, then Toni did one round. We alternated after every round.
We held on to one minute per round for about 8 minutes. Then we started slowing down. I call this a great session with my main man Toni.
Sunday. AM: Yard work for hours. PM: Sandbag run uphill
It was definitely a taxing day. After breakfast we went to the front yard as there were a lot to be done with the yard. I was shoveling dirt and mud all day with Kari. It took us hours to complete. I was sweating like a pig as the weather was hot. Lately it's been the hottest days of this summer in Finland. In the evening I was pretty much done and ready to go to bed and sleep for 12 hours but that hill which can be seen from the front yard had been tempting me for the entire day.
Metcon. Took about 7 minutes in total
Run up the hills of Tornikeskus with a sandbag
As I had been warming up already for the entire day doing various physical activities I just picked up a sandbag and went running with it. Destination was on top of the hill. I ran from home, thought about taking a break below the hill and then head up. When I reached my destination I decided to just keep going up the hill.
I'm extremely happy I was able to keep my legs churning all the way to the top. Never had to stop to breath or give my legs some rest. When I climbed up, it felt like I'd like to drop the bag, and take a short recovery. That thought stayed there for the latter half of the uphill run. However, I was able to push that thought aside and keep going. Kari joined me on this journey and came up as well. Thumbs up for this fella!
Saturday. Pair wod, 15min amrap of sandbag run, s2o and pistols. Result, 7 rounds.
It was one and done on that day. My pal Antti who also lives in Klaukkala joined me for a metcon so it turned out to be a pair workout. Sandbag, barbell and bodyweight.
Metcon. Result, 7 full rounds
15min amrap of:
One athlete runs with a sandbag for 200m
In the meanwhile the other does 15 s2o @ 30kg, and amrap of pistols
This was a great workout for sure! Thanks Antti for throwing down with me. The point was that I started with the run portion. Took the sandbag on my back and went down and back the park. During that time Antti did push presses for 10 reps and the rest of my run time he went for pistol squats. Once I came back from the run I did 15 s2o's and pistols for as many reps as possible during his sandbag sprint.
The sandbag started to feel nasty on back and put a lot of pressure on breathing. Barbell was light but that's why there were quite a bunch of reps per round. Got those unbroken and then finished each round with pistol squats. It was awesome when my training partner suggested we'd do these. It's not self-evident that people can smash them, and Antti had perfect mobility and leg strength to work it up and down just like that. I got 10 reps per round.
Friday. Squat clean 4x5 @ 80kg. Accessory, 5rds of: 5 bar mu, 10m walking lunges, back rack @ 60kg.
It's been couple of days of hectic life as we have been arranging our upcoming renovation and moving from home to to another place. At the same time the in-laws are moving as well so we've been doing this thing together. I have still found time to workout. It's just been difficult to find time to write them down. It has also been the most important time of the year for crossfitters as the Crossfit Games took place and came to an end on Sunday!
Antti working on some box jumps
Barbell cycling.
Squat clean 4x5 @ 80kg
Touch'n'go
Huh, this was quite heavy in the morning. Body felt a little stiff even though Thursday was a rest day. Figured that doing these tng would benefit me in the long run. The weight was perfect for this morning. I worked with the rings for muscle-ups for couple of tries but those sucked. Couldn't get one. That was a freak show. The straps are meters long that go all the way to the ceiling. I have always worked with short straps that go about one meter over the rings to the ceiling.
It felt great to do the swing at Kehä, especially the back swing as the rings were high enough and there was no risk of feet hitting the ground. Then on the other hand I didn't have the skills to do the transition with these longer straps. It felt awkward all the way.
Accessory.
5 rounds of:
5 bar muscle-ups
10m lunges, back rack @ 60kg
I wanted to regain my confidence on the muscle-ups and went to smash them on the pull-up bar =) Couple of unbroken reps, then right onto lunges with a 60kg barbell on my back. After lunges I took my rest before completing another set. Those lunges felt good too. Haven't done lunges with 60kg or more that many time.
Wednesday. Double Grace with Toni @ 80kg. Time, 8.30. Pair wod, 300m run, 30 power snatch @ 60kg, 300m run, 30 c&j @ 60kg, 300m run, 30 deads @ 60kg, 300m run, 40m front rack lunges. Time, 16.20.
What a day! We moved some barbell around with a purpose in the morning with Toni. Double Heavy Grace was in the program to start the day, and then another metcon with quite a bunch of barbell action, with running between movements. Then we spent the day with Pauliina and our little girl in the city of Helsinki.
Double Heavy Grace. Time, 8.30
60 clean and jerk @ 80kg
You go, I go, with Toni
This sounded like a good idea yesterday evening. Today as I woke up it sounded monstrous. And it kind of was to be honest. As we built up to this weight it started to feel like it's doable. The first lifts felt heavy as shit but time corrected this and it started to feel more comfortable. Or at least manageable.
It's pretty mind blowing that we were actually able to smash 80kg barbell like this for so many reps. And without having to slow down tremendously. We are freaking pumped to hit double Grace at 80kg. Great job Toni! This weight seemed to be perfect for a pair work.
Doubel Grace
Wod. Time, 16.20
300m run
30 power snatch @ 60kg
300m run
30 clean and jerk @ 60kg
300m run
30 deadlift @ 60kg
300m run
40 front rack lunges @ 60kg
Divide the barbell movements as you wish, run together as a team
After the first piece shoulders were shot but after warming up a little bit for this one they were in full action again. It was an awkward feeling that the barbell felt light'ish on the first snatches (as it was 20kg less than just before) but the movement was different so it needed some work to get used to it.
Metcon's parts
Great workout to say the least. Only thing I would have changed was the deadlifts. They were too easy and light so the breathing that was through the roof came down a notch. Had there been front squats it would have been a different ball game. Let's make the order like this: snatch --> front squat --> c&j --> lunges = horrible.
Tuesday. Back squat 6x3 @ 120kg. Wod, 3rds of: sled pull standing @ 80-110kg, ohs @ 50-70kg. Accessory, sled pull standing @ 80kg. Emom x 20min: odd min 15 cal row, even min 15 ghd / 20 push-ups.
On Tuesday I had nowhere to rush. The ladies of my life were seeing a friend in the evening which opened up a time slot for me to hit it big time.
Strength.
Back squat 6x3 @ 120kg
Percentage work at 80%. Simple triples at 120kg. On the video you'll see the first and 5th set. Built up to a 130kg single prior to these working sets.
Recap of training session
Wod.
15m sled pull, standing @ 110kg
10 overhead squats @ 50kg
15m sled pull, standing @ 110kg
10 overhead squats @ 60kg
15m sled pull, standing @ 80kg
5 overhead squats @ 70kg
Different type of conditioning, and I loved it. Felt great to overhead squat. Got unbroken all the way to the last damned rep which I dropped on the way down @ 70kg. Had to repeat it of course. I did this on the platform so the barbell had to be taken from floor every time. Sled was heavy at 110kg. I have never done it with that load. Tried it. Worked for 2 rounds, and dropped to 80kg for the last round.
Accessory.
5 x 15m sled pull, standing @ 80kg
Then kept working with that same weight for couple of more sets. Rest as needed between sets. Tough one. Forearms and grip were gone =)
Wod.
Every minute on the minute x 20 minutes
Odd minutes, 15 cal row
Even minutes, 15 ghd sit-ups / 20 push-ups
For the first 10 minutes it was rowing and ghd sit-ups. That is total of 75 calories and 75 ghd sit-ups. After 10 minutes it turned directly to another 10 minutes of 15 calories of rowing and 20 push-ups. Unbroken on everything. The first 10 minutes was a killer for hip flexors.
Monday. Clean and jerk 6x3 @ 70, 75, 80kg. Skills, handstand. Wod, 4rds of: 2 rope climbs, 25 du.
Olraight, another training day with Toni @ CF Kehä. We met in the morning. Even though we had a bit different approach to the session I believe we both got what we wanted. Toni worked on his handstand practice and then did a 30min emom alternating between rowing 15 cals and 30 double unders, together with Antti. I wanted to play with the barbell but jumped in on the handstand walks.
Oly.
Clean and jerk 6x3 @ 70, 70, 75, 75, 80, 80kg
These were supposed to be touch'n'go triples all the way. I'm okay with finishing each set overhead but it wasn't cool that I needed to pause on the front rack on the last reps of the 80kg sets. I was looking to bounce it right off my chest and over my head. Sets between 70-75 kilos moved up nicely.
Skills.
Handstand
It's been an eternity since practicing handstand walks. Considering that they went pretty nicely. The biggest weakness there is to learn how to breath properly when being inverted. On the other hand I'm happy I can save the form even when it feels like it's about to fall down.
Workout.
4 rounds of:
2 rope climbs
25 double unders
The last two times I have climbed a rope my left shin has been bruised, bled and been torn and worn. The first of those times kept it out of order for a month. Needed to get some medicine to get that inflammation away from there. So I purchased a shin protector from Rogue which was a lifesaver in action. I'm telling you I will never ever climb a rope without that anymore.
I started this workout as emom wod. Odd minutes were 2 rope climbs and even minutes were 25 double unders. After 2 rounds my shoulders felt like they needed a little more rest so I stopped watching the timer and just worked by feeling. First climb was okay all the time but that second one required some focus and strength. Double unders went nicely today.
It was another day as a kid in a candy shop as Toni invited me to train with him at Crossfit Kehä. It's the best crossfit Box I have visited this far. Okay, Crossfit Trykkeri was freaking cool in Copenhagen, Denmark. That's where Annie Thorisdottir seems to throw down every now and then too. Anyway, the point was we hit a great bro-sesh with Toni.
Oly.
Snatch triples @ 40, 45, 50, 55, 60kg
Snatch singles @ 65, f70, f70, 70, 70kg
Emom x 10min: 1 snatch @ 60kg
Couple of snatch balance singles @ 70kg during the process
We had agreed that I'd go for snatch and Toni for overhead squats but that was as far as the plan had went down. I asked him to write me a story to follow. He told me to for for touch'n'go triples and build heavy. Then some singles an see how it feels like.
Don't know why but the snatches felt super good all the way. Hips and shoulders were not tight and there were no restrictions at all. I got all the way up to 60kg for a triple which is definitely the heaviest I have done for a tng set. It gave me a ton of confidence.
From there one I went for singles, 65kg went up nicely. Next stop at 70kg. Didn't have enough courage though, it turned out to be a pathetic snatch pull. Wasn't quite sure what to do as usually it's difficult for me to get a successful lift after a failed one. That's definitely a mental thing. On the other hand we were at Crossfit Kehä and it was not the time to be a wuzzy.
Took another attempt, was able to go under but the barbell stayed in front. It was an important lift as I understood I have what it takes to get it up. Toni said why don't you take that weight as a snatch balance and dominate the weight. That way you would be stronger than the barbell.
I did exactly that, took snatch balance singles for 3 lifts just to make sure who is dominating the bar. Then went back to a regular snatch and took it up either 2 or 3 times, don't remember but the last one was very good. On the first one I had to step front which is not cool. But I ended it with style. Somehow I remember there were 3 successful lifts at this weight.
Toni was doing his overhead squats so I continued taking singles at 60kg. One lift every minute for 10 minutes. Those were the best 60kg snatches I have done in my life at this weight. No doubt, felt super! Could have continued all day. Toni hasn't gone over 80kg on ohs, and today took a triple @ 90kg. Previous personal record was 97.5kg so little by little he realized there was a chance to smash that one. And he certainly did, first 100kg, easy one, and finally 105kg. That was freaking awesome, congratulations buddy! He also jerked 110kg behind the jerk in the end, shared pr lift.
60kg
Metcon. Result, 171 reps (7 rounds + 3 snatch)
12min amrap of:
6 power snatches @ 50kg
8 pull-ups
10 box jumps
This was created little by little, last pieces written today. It turned out to be quite a piece to handle. We pondered between a 5-rounder and 12-minutes. This required more work, the shorter would have been even more intense. Different natures. This one at least sucked in a great way. Heavy breathing from the first round on.
Had I not done snatches prior to this one, maybe the weight could have felt heavier. Now it felt much lighter. There was a long break between my last snatch and the start of this metcon but body was still ready to hit it.
We agreed on the strategy to do snatches in singles to save forearms. I guess we both could have done bigger sets but then forearms would have destroyed earlier and probably there would have been more elbows leaning to knees. That's because those snatches really sky rocketed breathing. I felt like my technique was on point on these snatches.
There was no other choice on the pull-ups and boxes but to go unbroken. No strategy needed. I believe my pacing on this workout worked nicely and I got the best out of me. It felt bad quite early on but I pushed through still. And Toni was breathing down my neck. On the first round you can see from the video he had that classic boy-like eagerness and was almost running between stations =)
