Sunday 28-31.8: Olympic lifts, Conditioning, Bodyweight

Sunday 28.6 - Wednesday 31.8: Olympic lifts, Conditioning, Bodyweight.

Last weekend we needed to prepare our home for the upcoming move. We finally moved this week's Tuesday. So there's been quite a lot of other stuff called life. Luckily those days have counted when I've had the chance to hit the gym. Unfortunately my gym card for Optimal Performance Center is over now, ended this Wednesday. I've bought some iron from Rogue and waiting to receive those this week.

Sunday.

• Every minute x 15 minutes: Clean & jerk
• 5min: 5 reps @ 60kg
• 5min: 3 reps @ 70kg
• 5min: 1 rep @ 80kg
• All sets touch'n'go

No pause at any point, just cycle the barbell. These felt great. There's something cool to move the barbell up and down without breaks.

C&J's emom

• Wod. Time 5.33
• 3 rounds of:
• 10 power clean @ 80kg
• 10 high box jumps

This combo was tough, no doubt. Both elements took my breath away. Power cleans were not light. Especially for so many reps. I did those in quick singles. I'm very happy how well I got this metcon done even though it felt awful quite soon.

Monday.

• Oly, jerk from rack 5x3 @ 80kg

Also touch'n'go style, push jerks. I did these every 2:00 but the recovery was enough. Not light for sure, not the heaviest possible but I needed to concentrate well to get these done. A little shaky on some reps in my opinion but still something I was able to manhandle.

Clean / Box metcon

• Wod. Result, 232 reps (7 rounds + 8 pull-ups)
• 12min amrap of:
• 12 pull-ups
• 20 wall ball shots

Huh, this hurt. Unbroken on the pull-ups for maybe 4-5 rounds. I tried to keep the transitions rather short so that's why I needed to break them in the last rounds. Wall balls were ub for probably 2 rounds, then it was 12-8 for the rest of the way.

Wednesday.

• Every minute on the minute x 15 minutes: 1 snatch @ 60kg

It's been a while since doing snatches so it was 'bout time. Decided to do one rep every minute. That seems to be enough recovery to smash another within the time cap. There are things to be worked on so I didn't go heavier.

Snatch emom

• Gymnastics, 30 bar muscle-ups

This was not a timed workout. Just completed them for quality. It was 6-5-4-4-3-3-3-2. My lats are sore from that 12min amrap of pull-ups and wall balls. Great to be able to do these as well without issues still, even though my volume has been lighter lately.

• Every minute on the minute x 20 minutes:
• Odd min, 15 ghd sit-ups
• Even min, 10 dumbbell snatches @ 25kg, alternating

This was the last day in OPC and I didn't have to hurry as the rest of the family was on the move. I decided to do another workout of core and snatches. It took 25-30 seconds to finish every set on both movements so there was consistency on the board.

Saturday 30.7: C&J, Row, Db snatch, Pistols + Run, Pull-ups

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!

Tuesday 5.7: Ring dips, Ring push-ups + Pair wod

Tuesday. AM. Death by ring dips. Result, 87 reps. Ring push-ups, emom x 20. Total of 160 reps. PM. Pair wod 20min amrap, other one does lunges 30mx30kg. In the meanwhile the other one does 10 burpees + amrap of db snatches @ 25kg

Rings.

• Death by ring dips. Result, 87 reps (12 rounds + 9 reps on the 13th round)
• Every minute on the minute x 20min: ring push-ups
• 2 sets of: 10-10-9-9-8-8-7-7-6-6

Started the day after breakfast with a stroll with the family. Then right onto playing with the rings. Death by ring dips was interesting. Got very tough at around 10 reps. I believe they were unbroken until that set. On the 11th round I needed to break it. Couldn't finish the 13th round anymore, 9 reps completed there.

Ring push-ups emom wod wasn't that much of a conditioning piece. Just needed to burn my chest, triceps and shoulders a bit more. Worked perfectly. Took 10 reps for the first 2 minutes, then dropped one rep for the next 2 rounds and so on. After the round of 6's, I started it all over again. That means it was a 20min emom workout.

Pair wod.

• 20min amrap
• The other one completes back rack lunges constantly for 30 meters @ 30kg
• In the meanwhile the other one does 10 burpees + an amrap of dumbbell snatches @ 25kg

It was super cool to get my friend Antti throw down with me in the evening. Women went for a walk with the babies and we got ourselves some bro-sesh. It was pretty much the first touch for Antti with crossfit. Sure he knows what it's all about but it was freaking cool to get him to try it out. And he beast modes through the workout all the way!

The idea was that one of us was doing lunges for the entire 20 minutes. Every time the other was doing lunges, the other one did 10 burpees and as many snatches as possible in the remaining time that the other guy was still doing the lunges. The movements hurt legs, butt and lungs. Very good combo and nice to get a training partner. Plus Kari was cheering us up and giving check point times in the middle of the workout. Great training day!

Monday 30.5: C&J, Wall ball, Snatch

Monday. Emom x 10min: 2 c&j @ 80kg. Metcon, 4rds of: 25 wb, 10 db snatch @ 25kg

Starting the week with clean and jerk action, in the form of heavier emom. Then a metcon that shot my shoulders. In the evening we went to Kaivopuisto. What a beautiful day it was! It was quality time to say the least strolling around the coast in south of Helsinki.

Oly.

• Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
• 2 clean and jerk @ 80kg

This was freaking great! I'm very proud of myself being able to complete this stuff. The big thing was to do these c&j's without resetting the barbell in front rack position. I'm not sure have I been able to do this kind of clean and jerks before at this weight. This got me sky high emotionally.

I was looking to go for 5 minutes but instead smashed it right into double the time. I've been trying to work on those fast transitions from front rack to overhead. It's nice to see 80kg is moving with the same bar path as 60-70kg bars.

Recap of clean and jerks

Metcon.

• 4 rounds of:
• 25 unbroken wall ball shots
• 10 dumbbell snatches @ 25kg, alternating

The purpose of this one was to do the wall balls unbroken. After those I moved right into snatches. Changed the hand after each rep. Tried to keep the transitions as short as possible from snatches to wall balls, with the thought in my head that I can't drop the ball once I lift it up. This definitely hurt my shoulders nicely.

Thursday 19.5: Row, Ghd, Box, Snatch, Burpee

Thursday. Metcon, 3rds of: 30 cal row, 30 ghd, 30 box jump overs. Time, 14.10. Metcon, 8min amrap of db snatch (25kg) and burpees.

The playoffs started today in the Ice Hockey World Championships. Had to rush home after work to check Finland win Denmark. Got to say there seemed not to be a lot of feeling and will to win but on either team's mentality. Still, Finland won and moved on to compete against Germany or the comp host Russia. I found a chance to hit the gym after the game.

Metcon. Time, 14.10

• 3 rounds of:
• 30 cal row
• 30 ghd sit-ups
• 30 box jump overs

This was all about hip flexors. Every movement put pressure on those areas and it took a while after the metcon to recover. No idea of the row pace, I just looked at the calories and kept pulling. Ghd's were unbroken on the first round. On the second round I broke it to 18-12, and 12-10-8 on the last round. Core stayed good on these, it was all about the hip flexors. On the box overs I paced myself but never stopped moving.

Metcon. Result, 116 reps

• 8min amrap
• 2-2, 4-4, 6-6… of:
• Dumbbell snatches @ 25kg
• Burpees

My plan was to hit another metcon today so after recovering for a while I came up with this one. One training partner hit something with db snatches and burpees and it sounded good so I modified it to this one. This was a perfect conditioning piece. Got my breathing high and the overall fatigue hit me little by little.

Saturday 30.4: Rope, Snatch, Wb, Run, Pull-ups

Saturday. AM. Intervals, every 3:00 for 5 sets, perform 3 rope climbs + 10 db snatch @ 25kg. Metcon, 5rds of: 15 wb, 400m run. PM. Gymnastics, 50 strict pull-ups

It was an awesome weekend to celebrate the First of May in Klaukkala. As you can get a clue from the pictures and videos there is plenty of space to workout and especially in the spring and summer time there's nothing that can beat working outdoors in my opinion.

Intervals.

• Every 3:00 for 5 sets
• 3 rope climbs + 10 snatch @ 25kg dumbbell

This was quite a combo of movements. This is the only place where I can get my hands on a rope for climbing purposes so it's quite rare to attack them. It's a pity since rope climbs are a killer movement and it would definitely improve my overall fitness if I had them more often. I took couple of climbs and then right away more snatches. Holy moses the heart beat and numbness in my upper body.

Metcon.

• 5 rounds of:
• 15 wall ball shots
• 400m run (approximately)

This second metcon took place right after the first one. I had left my wall ball at this place previous time so it was time to dig it up from the warehouse. The weather was simply perfect for outdoors training, there's no doubt about it. Felt like taking my shirt off as it was so hot in the sun. First time this warm in the spring.

Wall balls were unbroken and the focus was on minimizing the transitions from wall balls to run and vice versa. I'm very happy on the outcome actually. It didn't take much to get legs going.

Gymnastics.

• 50 strict pull-ups

In the evening I went outdoors to the terrace to clean up my equipment and decided to take advantage of the situation and completed 50 strict pull-ups. Not for time, just for quality. Felt great to get those in the books too.

Friday 22.4: Snatch, Squat, Pistols, Row, Intervals

Friday. Emom x 10min: snatch (up to 60kg). Every 90sec: front squat triple (up to 120kg). Metcon, 60 pistols, 60 db snatch (22.5kg), 1.000m row. Time, 11.38. Intervals, every 3:00 x 8 sets: 10m front rack lunges (50kg), 8 bar-facing burpees.

This Friday I spent a good 2+ hours at the gym and didn't have to rush anywhere. It was great after the busy days we've had a lot lately. Olympic lifting, strength and couple of conditioning pieces.

Oly.

• Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
• 2x50kg
• 2x50kg
• 2x50kg
• 2x50kg
• 2x50kg
• 2x55kg
• 1x55kg
• 1x55kg
• 1x60kg
• 1x60kg

Body felt a bit stiff in the hips and shoulders but still these lifts were still okay, after couple of lifts. Had one miss in the 60kg's but corrected that one on the next attempt.

Strength.

• Every 90 seconds, perform front squat triples (60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120kg)

It's been ages since front squatting. I've been having that barbell on my back in the past weeks more often but today I simply wanted to have the fronts now. These felt heavy, even though I climbed up just to 120 kilos.

Metcon. Time, 11.38

• 60 pistol squats
• 60 dumbbell snatches @ 22.5kg (alternating hands every 5 reps)
• 1.000m row

This was fun! Maybe that is not the right word to describe the feelings but it was one heck of a time to do such a good bunch of reps of one movement without throwing anything else in between. I did the pistols in sets of 10 reps. Towards the end my hammies and quads were shot and felt almost numb.

Db snatches needed to be 5 reps with right hand, then 5 snatches with left hand. You can see the entire wod except the rowing in the video below

Intervals.

• Every 3:00, for 8 sets:
• 10m front rack lunges @ 50kg
• 8 bar-facing burpees

This far there had been a good amount of work so I needed to recover for a while and get my protein shakes inside this body. After some time it felt pretty good to hit it again and the green matt was free so I decided to go for one more piece in the workout session with interval work. Lunges and burpees. Not sure but I'd guess it took something like 45 seconds per set?

Sunday 21.2: Run, Db snatch

Sunday. Wod, 5rds of: 400m run, 20 db snatch (25kg).

The workout took my breath away. It was time to continue working outdoors with dumbbells. It had snowed A LOT during the night. We had just shoveled huge piles of snow away from the terrace and front yard and the same process was waiting there in the morning. But first it was time to get gassed in the form of crossfit. The streets were also naturally full of snow so my ankles were full of snow.

Metcon.

• 5 rounds of:
• 400m run
• 20 dumbbell snatch @ 25kg

The pace was probably steady each round, that was my gut feeling. Snatches were 10 in a row with right hand, then changed to 10 reps with left hand. Dumbbell snatches seem to take my breath away every time. Running felt like that was the most disgusting part of the wod.

Last lap of running is about to begin

Wednesday 10.2: Wod, Snatches, Wod

Wednesday. 10min amrap: 20 squat, 10 db snatch @ 25kg, 10 t2b. Result, 226 reps. Every 2:00, perform 10 tng power snatch @ 40kg. Wod, 5rds of: 30 du, 10 s2o @ 40kg.

It was a nice session indeed, 3-piece action where I had two metcons - in the beginning and in the end - and some barbell cycling in the middle. Had a running clock that took me 37 minutes to finish these wods.

Metcon. Result, 226 reps (5 rounds + 6 snatches)

• 10min amrap of:
• 20 air squats
• 10 dumbbell snatches, 25kg, alternating
• 10 toes-to-bar

It was possible to jump into this without much of a warm-up. I've done this type of solutions lately every now and then. But the first metcons must then be mostly bodyweight stuff. It also works as a warm-up workout. This burned my legs definitely, especially on the snatches.

Barbell cycling.

• Every 2:00, perform:
• 10 touch'n'go power snatches @ 40kg

This was absolutely beneficial for me. I have rarely done longer sets of snatches so this came in handy for sure! I felt comfortable with the movement itself. That was a positive feeling after having a good break of snatch work.

It felt consistent with the bar path and I was able to bring the bar up to the hips before the last pull. That satisfied me big time.

Metcon.

• 5 rounds of:
• 30 double unders
• 10 shoulder-to-overhead @ 40kg

On this one I didn't follow the clock that much. As such the workout is rather light and short. After those earlier pieces and after not having worked my shoulders that much lately this burned shoulders pretty well. Even with just 40kg on the bar. Du's went pretty well too. I foam rolled my shins prior to jumping around, that seems to be the key to success on these.

Wednesday 27.1: Pistols, Pull-ups, Snatch

Wednesday. Metcon, 15min amrap: 10 pistols, 10 pull-ups, 10 db snatch @ 30kg. Result, 214 reps.

This was a one-metcon day and it was definitely enough for me. Wrist is still nagging so I still need to select what elements can be done. It was a positive thing that dumbbell snatches were okay!

Metcon.

• 15min as many repetitions as possible of:
• 10 pistol squats
• 10 pull-ups
• 10 dumbbell snatches @ 30kg, alternating after each rep

Pistol squats are always a good choice. Last time when there were pistols in my metcon couple of days ago those rolled pretty nicely. That encouraged me to throw them into today's wod as well. Pistols were alright, heavy but went unbroken with them in sets of 10 reps per round.

This was third day in a row of pull-ups. Okay, the volume hasn't been huge in the previous days. This is a movement that you can never do too much and these don't bother my wrist at all so why not do them a bit more now. These were unbroken too.

But those dumbbell snatches. Don't know why I picked up a 30k db… Okay 10 reps at lighter weight would have forced me to do more pistols and pull-ups. That would have changed the nature of the workout. On the other hand I'm very happy with being able to move this heavy 1-arm db snatch. In the first rounds I did these unbroken, and at some point started to do them in 6 reps, then a pause, and finish the last 4 reps.

I believe those snatches wore me out big time. The effect didn't focus in one place at all but it was a general fatigue that those brought. They gassed me pretty well and it wasn't a very tempting idea to start pistol squatting right away. Transitions in this wod started to get longer towards the end. Very good metcon.

Monday 23.11: Clean and jerk, Squat, Snatch, Burpee

Monday. Clean and jerk 1+3 (up to 93kg). Front squat 4x4 (up to 118kg). Metcon, 6min amrap of: 10 db snatch (30kg), 10 burpee. Result, 86 reps.

This was a great session. It was mind blowing to do heavy clean and jerk complex, then front squats to accompany that barbell work. In the end I was in a rush but had time to get in a good intense workout in the form of short amrap.

Oly.

• Clean and jerk 1+3
• Sets at 60, 70, 80, 85, 90, 93kg

Pressing and jerking is something I'd like to do on a daily basis if there wasn't anything else to be taken into consideration. But for a long time I've had issues with my elbows. Lately those have been very good, and it's been pain-free zone. Luckily so!

This was almost a dream come true to being able to put heavy object over my head. After warm-up I started working these sets at 60kg. Okay that was light weight, same with the 70kg. It felt surprisingly easy also at 80kg, and I went touch'n'go on that set too.

Next set at 85kg I stopped on the front rack position after each rep. Damned it felt great all the time. Technically they were pretty much the same up to 90kg, at least the first rep. From then on there were some shakiness but not too serious. I'm happy I was able to press the bar directly upwards, instead of pushing it in front. The last rep at 93kg was a save. That one I almost lost in front but was able to stabilize it in couple of seconds of static hold.

Recap

Strength.

• Front squat 4x4 (110, 113, 115, 118kg)

Front squats work well after cleans. Cleans today were light, those were quite routine type of pulls. But they prepared legs for these squats. I took them four by four, climbing after each set, reaching a total of 118kg. Form stayed there pretty well, and I got to say I'll take these squats with pleasure.

Metcon. Result, 86 reps (4 rounds + 6 snatch)

• 6min amrap of:
• 10 dumbbell snatch, 30kg, alternating after each rep
• 10 burpee

As I wrote, there was not that much time and something quick needed to be done. There were db snatches and double unders in my notes but I'd like to warm-up for those du's, and there simply was no time for that. This was something close to perfection considering the conditioning piece. This kind of shorter metcons are worth evaluating whether there should be more of these.

No plan whatsoever, just go. I tapped the timer on, and started moving. Alternating the snatches after each rep. Damn it was one heavy dumbbell. It started to burn my legs big time. I tried to keep the dumbbell or my body moving constantly. Very good workout, I suggest this one for you guys!

Tuesday 17.11: Press, 32min emom, Row

Tuesday. Emom x 10min: 3 push press behind the neck (70-80kg). Emom x 32min: 1st 10 hspu, 2nd 15 kb swing (28kg), 3rd 15 push-up, 4th 10 db snatch (25kg). Cashout, 2k row.

Getting back in the groove. Hands are getting better and I can't use them as excuses anymore. No but for real, it made good to get some rest from gripping the barbell. Still had to use gloves to protect the palms but it didn't bother at all. Strength and long emom were on the agenda.

Strength.

• Every minute on the minute x 10 minutes
• 3 push press behind the neck
• 1-2min: 70kg
• 3-4min: 73kg
• 5-6min: 75kg
• 7-8min: 78kg
• 9-10min: 80kg

Had two options. Either jerking from front rack or pressing from back rack position. I took couple of reps from front rack but my collar bone was a little sensitive still so it turned out to be back rack action, and push presses to be precise.

Doing these weights as push jerks from front would have felt heavier. Haven't done much work from behind the neck. That's why I wasn't sure how to play with the weights. These were something I finished very well. Could have gone heavier. My grip width was similar as in snatch. That means a lot wider than regular presses / jerks. It's stable and solid when going wider with the grip.

Metcon.

• Every minute on the minute x 32 minutes
• 1st min: 10 handstand push-ups
• 2nd min: 15 kettlebell swing, 28kg
• 3rd min: 15 push-ups
• 4th min: 10 dumbbell snatch, 25kg (5 right / 5 left hand)

Plan was to go for a long metcon. And actually the entire workout was written beforehand. I just realized before starting it that it's gonna put shoulders burn. That was my prediction. Yes, it started to get there but also my legs were almost cramping in the end. Kind of strangely it was because of handstand push-ups =)

I got them unbroken for all but the last round. 8th round was 7-2-1 reps. Those were the most challenging as a single movement. But mostly it was the overall worn out feeling that usually comes in these longer emoms. They look easier on paper but at some point it starts to get under your skin. It's kind of funny that you're really really happy it's finally over even though you would be able to still continue if some pointed a gun in your head.

Kb swings naturally unbroken, push-ups too. Snatches were 5 for right hand, then 5 for left hand. Until mid way or a bit pas that moment I thought about changing the dumbbell to 30kg version but towards the end I pushed that though aside.

Cashout.

• 2k row

This was easy pace rowing, +2:00 pace which means to say it was definitely for recovery purposes. My quads felt tight after the long emom so this felt like a good way to flush legs.

Monday 31.8: Snatch, Squat, Push-ups

Monday. Snatch 5x3 @ 50kg. Back squat (up to 5x130kg). Metcon, 5rnft of: 14 db snatch (25kg), 20 push-ups.

Got a chance to go to the gym in the evening. I wanna fix my snatch so I'm anticipating more of that work in the future. Today it was technique stuff, and then squats for strength. In the end I broke a good sweat with db snatches and old school push-ups.

Oly.

• Snatch 5x3 @ 50kg

At the end of these snatches I was a very happy man. Something happened in my brains and I really feel like these were one of the best snatches I have ever been able to do. The thing was I pulled the bar with patience and was able to bring it up to my hips before popping it up with hip extension and pulling with traps. Felt very good!

Snatch

Strength.

• Back squat 3x100, 4x115, 4x130, 4x130, 4x130, 5x130kg

Huh, somehow the barbell felt very heavy on the 130kg sets. Before that it was like air. Usually I climb up with just small jumps so 15kg is pretty big one for me (115kg -> 130kg). I did those 115kg reps tng style but then 130's were singles, rest on top before knocking another rep. Challenging sets mentally but I overcame those. Told myself this is baby weight considering the loads just couple of weeks ago so that gave me mental strength to push on.

Metcon.

• 5 rounds not for time of:
• 14 dumbbell snatch, 25kg, alternating
• 20 push-ups

I was pretty much done after the squats but wanted to get something in my system anyway. I didn't bother about the timer but I looked from the clock on the wall that I did these pretty much emom style. Odd minutes were snatches and even minutes were push-ups. On the last minute I didn't hold on to that pace anymore. Good workout to finish the session!

Thursday 4.6: Clean and jerk, Snatch, Burpee box, T2b

Thursday. Clean and jerk 3 sets of 1+3 @ 80kg. Jerk dips 5x3 (max 110kg). Emom x 15min, 1st min: 12 db snatch (25kg), 2nd min: 10 burpee box, 3rd min: 12 t2b.

This was a good day! My personal training wasn't at its best with the barbell, felt heavy with loads that should not feel like so. But the big news was I got a friend at the gym with me. We've tried to match timetables together so that Jouni would have the chance to hit it with me at the gym. Then Jasper also came there a little later. That was freaking awesome!

Strength.

• Clean and jerk, 3 sets of 1+3 @ 80kg

This is great exercise for building up consistency on clean and jerk. One clean, then 3 split jerks. I took the first two sets with squat clean, then the last one with a power clean. My body was still a bit tired as I wrote yesterday so having a semi-heavy barbell on my hands didn't feel like it's flying up.

I took the first set as touch'n'go at the front rack position, never resting the bar there between jerks. Below you'll see the second and third set. And as you see, they are far from perfect. Foot work wasn't there. Too short lunges which means the jerk is not balanced that well. This weight should feel much lighter than it was today.

Accessory.

• Jerk dips 5x3 (90, 100, 110, 110, 110kg

This was kinda accessory work for the jerk. Took the bar from rack, placed it on the front rack position, and took a triple dip. Getting used to heavier weights than my max load for jerk. Having that weight on my front shoulders more frequently should make it easier to jerk weights over 90kg up in the air. Plus I get to work on my hip work at the same time.

Metcon.

• Every minute on the minute x 15min:
• 1st min, 12 dumbbell snatch, 25kg (6/6 reps)
• 2nd min, 10 burpee box jump
• 3rd min, 12 toes-to-bar

This was a great one! At first I thought how is it going to feel but I reckoned it's probably going to get real pretty soon. And it did. First round okay, then it got heavier. All these three elements were nasty in their own way.

Snatches got to the breathing, and also grip strength was on test at some point of the workout. I put the weight at 25kg per dumbbell, and took the reps from hang position. Six reps with right hand, then six reps with left hand. It probably took something like 25 seconds.

Burpee box jumps can be nothing but a delight. Those obviously put the heart rate up in the sky in a blink of an eye. All these movements had to be unbroken of course. Otherwise the point of the workout would have been missed quite badly. Doing these burpee boxes took something like 32-33 seconds per minute. At first I thought about 12 reps but those 2 extra reps would have took about 40 seconds and made the recovery tougher for the next movement which was t2b.

Got these also done ub but in the last two rounds they got tough. I was not going to break them down though, that was a mental decision. Jasper was talking me up during the wod and that helped tremendously.

Tuesday 10.3: Snatch, Squat, 7min amrap

Tuesday. Snatch (up to 60kg). Emom x 10min: 2 back squat @ 125kg. Metcon, 7min amrap of: 7 db snatch right hand (25kg), 7 db snatch left hand (25kg), 7 burpee. Result, 126 reps (6rds).

Back to snatches. A good number of repetitions for this highly skilled movement, then emom squats with rather heavy weights for me. Third part of the session included a short and intense workout consisting of dumbbell snatches and burpees, what a combo!

Snatch.

• Squat snatch
• 3 x 5 reps @ 40kg
• 3 x 4 reps @ 45kg
• 3 x 3 reps @ 50kg
• 3 x 2 reps @ 55kg
• 3 x 1 rep @ 60kg

Originally I planned this as emom work for 15 minutes. I had the pleasure of having Toni as my training partner as he was pursuing heavy squats. At times I was spotting him so basically I did each set unbroken and each weight as emom for 3 minutes. That means with a running clock I performed 5 reps @ 40kg for a total of 3 minutes. Then had a pause, then hit another 3min emom at 45kg and so on.

At 40kg and 45kg the bar wasn't perfectly in control. Well, okay, let's be honest, it wasn't at anytime =) I still have a long journey of snatches and oly work to be done. 50kg snatches were the best succeeded lifts after the lighter ones. I was hurrying these reps touch'n'go without stopping between reps. Toni suggested me to slow down and reset at high hang, and that really felt like it made a difference on how my form was able to hold on.

And the snatches were no doubt full snatches, that pleases me tremendously. Not being shallow on depth but hitting it to the bottom means big gains in the long run. The last set of snatches didn't go well. First rep was a miss, the second one was a power snatch, and the last was a miss again. Real shitty, even though the previous 12 sets were manageable.

'
Squat.

• Every minute on the minute, for 10 minutes
• 2 back squat @ 125kg

At this point Toni had to leave after his squats were done. The guy was doing it big time and almost hitting PR numbers, good grind. My version of the squats was every minute on the minute stuff. This was the heaviest I've done as emom doubles. And those started to get heavy for sure. Still, there was no doubt I was gonna hit all of them without misses.

Lately I've done more and more squats in emom style and I like it, really good way to keep the motor running during squats. No big waiting between sets. Okay the weights gotta be a bit lighter but these improve the muscle endurance for sure as the recovery gets shorter. Plus, this is a good time saver when in a hurry, and I don't usually have hours to be spent at the gym (even though I'd like to haha). I'm really happy on begin able to complete these lifts at 125kg.

Metcon. Result, 126 reps (6 rounds)

• 7min amrap of:
• 7 dumbbell snatch, right hand (25kg)
• 7 dumbbell snatch, left hand (25kg)
• 7 burpee

Okay, my lady was about to hit her last 7min amrap of the day so I came up with this idea. I had couple of other 7min amraps in storage but this jumped up: snatches and burpees. Quite a combination to get the heart rate up, and to get a good muscle burn.

I went to select the dumbbell's weight and ended up pulling a 25kg db. That was pretty good actually, these were unbroken each round but they hurt a lot towards the end. Or actually already on the 3rd round it was bad ass stuff. Snatches always make the heart pump lots of blood to the body and heart rate skyrocket just like that. This was no different to normal. I was exhausted after the metcon.

And burpees didn't help at all. Those started to burn my arms too. Not because there were so many burpees (vice versa) but the combo of snatches and burpees had a cost. Those burpees were genius part of this workout. Not too many of them so that I could keep on bouncing back and forth but still they added a bit to this misery. Round times were close to 1:15 for all but the first and last round which were a little less than a minute. In the beginning it was all fresh but that feeling slipped away on the second round. And on the last round I noticed there's only a minute left on the clock so I had to cut the transitions to minimum and just keep on moving. That worked, and the clock had only one second left after 6 rounds.

Thursday 8.1: Snatch, Ohs, Pull-ups, Box

Thursday. Hang squat snatch doubles, 8 sets (50-52.5kg). Ohs pause singles x 5. Emom x 6: 12 unbroken pull-ups. Conditioning, 4rds of: 10 box, 16 db snatch (22.5kg)

I'm getting to like these snatches. I notice I'm waiting for them with eagerness. Got inspiration to work for pause ohs from Chad Vaughn, this work was great. Some pull-up work and a little conditioning part. I noticed my heart was beating too fast compared to how it should work so I took the conditioning part a little easier. It was a good session.

I really want one of these, awesome equipment!

Snatch.

• 8 sets of hang squat snatches (4 sets @ 50kg, 4 sets @ 52.5kg)

Alright, total of 8 doubles, I took these with just short recovery, it was something like every 90 seconds perform one set of snatches. This time the starting point for the barbell was mid-thigh. I've done them from high hang but today I decided to work on pulling the bar from a little lower starting position.

For the first 4 sets I worked with 50kg and then added just small plates to reach 52.5kg for the final 4 doubles. First 2 sets were a bit off but still manageable. Then it started to snap on its place little by little. I went to the very bottom on every rep to improve mobility in extreme positions. Just like mr. Vaughn teaches. Whatever this guy tells, it seems to be legit. He was also the biggest inspiration for me to finally move on to work that depth on the squats. Don't just go parallel, go beyond. And after Smolov I've been able to do that also with overhead squats because improved mobility.

OHS.

• 5x1 reps, with a 5 second pause in the bottom position (60, 65, 70, 70, 70kg)

My front squat bottom position is comfortable and I want it to be alike with overhead squats / snatches so this was perfect tool to develop that. The most difficult part of these reps was how to get that bar back on back rack position after the rep was done =) It took me couple of seconds to go deep and find the ultimate position, then hang around for 5 seconds there. That really flexes my shoulders so once I got up it was a bit intimidating to drop it on my back as shoulders were tired.

For legs this was easy. Had I been able to drop the bar after each single, I would have gone heavier for sure. This movement was a king one. Definitely have to go for more pause squats in all versions of squatting, back / front and overhead. I'll do couple of more front squat sessions, then I'm back to squatting for both back and front squats without a specific program in mind.

Gymnastics.

• Every minute on the minute
• 12 unbroken pull-ups

This is something that should be part of daily fitness: pull-ups. Haven't done my share lately. In November I got my shit together and completed tons of reps but in December it was much less. Got to add reps for sure. Today I did these emom style, 12 reps which took about 15 seconds, then rest for the remaining minute. It showed me there's work to be done as the last 2 sets were tough. They shouldn't be.

Conditioning.

• 4 rounds of:
• 10 box jumps, 61cm
• 8/8 dumbbell 1-arm snatch, 22.5kg

My heart rate was a bit too fast compared to being totally off the cold so I had to take this a little easier. It took me about 90 seconds to finish one round so it definitely wasn't max effort. Both movements tend to push the heartbeat through the roof so I got some rest between stations. All reps unbroken for sure but I took my time between elements. It was great to have some good old sweat running fast!

Wednesday 3.11: Snatch, Row, Hspu

Wednesday. Hang squat snatch technique. Emom x 8min: 1 hang squat snatch (50kg). Metcon, 4rds of: 500m row, 10 hspu, 20 db snatch (20kg).

Today I went to the gym early in the morning, and then to work until evening. Because there was plenty of quality time at the gym I had planned to do olympic lifts. My current focus is on snatch style working, to get the movement patterns more natural and to acquire better technique. I worked on this skill for at least an hour. Then hit a metcon of rowing, hspu's and db snatch. It took me 2 hours to work through things. Good session.

Snatch.

• Burgener warm-up
• Hang squat snatch, light weight
• Every minute on the minute x 8: one hang squat snatch per min (50kg)

I'm loving it on the new warm-up routines. For some reason I've ignored this for over 2 years even though this stuff is legendary. It just hit me lately. There was a dark era of snatches. I couldn't see the future very bright some time ago. But those Smolov squats improved my hip area mobility (and somehow also shoulder mobility simultaneously) and enabled me to overhead squat like never before. This led to me trying snatch and snatch balance type of elements. And I've seen it very appealing so I'll try to fix some technical issues here and improve mobility further so that I could do deep ohs in a similar way as in squat clean.

I took a few sets between 30-50kg hang squat snatches, aiming to hit it rock bottom on the squat. That's not easy and I definitely didn't find it just like that. I know there's a possibility of getting there but somehow I break it on the way down. That's probably a mobility issue so I unconsciously push against gravity. On the other hand I know I can get there. Sometimes the bar goes too much forward and then it's difficult to go deep.

After working a lot with lighter weights I put the timer on and completed an 8min emom of hang squat snatches, 1 rep at a time with 50kg. I want to and need to get natural with this movement. Building up the base.

Metcon.

• 4 rounds of:
• 500m row
• 10 handstand push-up
• 20 dumbbell snatch, 20kg

At some point during those snatches I realized I have zero pain in my right wrist. It's been bothering for I don't know, maybe a month? First I couldn't do pretty much anything with it but then little by little it's gotten better and better. This was my time to shine on the handstand push-ups! No pain at all, this was huge!

Rowing for half a kilometer, then 10 hspu's. First I thought this would be a good couplet but those dumbbells caught my attention and one had to be picked up, 20 reps, dividing it equally to both hands. On the first round I went alternating, then the remaining rounds were 5-5-5-5, changing hand after each 5 reps.

Recap

Pace on the rower was sub 1.50. On the first round it was close to 1.45 but then on the latter rounds at about 1.49-1.50. Hspu's went unbroken every round. And I'm telling you, they were light! Those felt like I could continue forever =) I'm sure a new record of unbroken reps would have been in the books had I tried it. Well, now it's just talk but the point is those felt awesome. Very happy on being able to do them.

Monday 22.9: Amrap of 20min, barbell technique

Monday. Metcon, 20min amrap of: 5 hspu, 10 (5/5) db snatch 25kg, 15 t2b, 200m run. Result, 7rds + 1 snatch. Mobility. Technique, clean and overhead squat.

I'm very happy on the way I was able to recover from weekend. It was strenuous on my body but little by little it got better and started feeling stronger. Today I felt great to get back to work, barbells were mostly left alone. The metcon was a long amrap of bodyweight and dumbbells. Great one. Mobility was in turn next and finally some cleans with light weight and overhead squats with pvc pipe.

Metcon. Result, 7 rounds + 1 db snatch

• 20min amrap of:
• 5 handstand push-ups
• 10 (5 right / 5 left) dumbbell snatch, 25kg
• 15 toes-to-bar
• 200m run (on a treadmill)

Goal for today: get the lungs to work, breath heavy and keep going, leave heavy barbells alone, suck it up and move, no excuses. Result, succeeded. The movements suited perfectly together, and the rep-scheme was almost too. The only thing I would change now afterwards is the number of t2b's. Just a little less per round would have made me go unbroken all the way, and that would have resulted in even heavier breathing.

Handstand push-ups were light, I knocked them quickly touch'n'go style all the time, could have had something like 6-7 reps and it would have still been okay. I felt strong on these. Snatches weren't that nice. The dumbbell was 25kg, which is pretty much the heaviest I've used as db snatch. Single lifts at this weight feel great. It's a different game though, when you have 10 of them in a row. First 5 reps with right hand, then switch to left hand and repeat 5 reps. These started to feel hard toward the end but I stayed consistent with them.

Toughest movement of these was t2b. In the beginning it was a walk in the park. Second round, as easy. Third round, I started to anticipate the upcoming. Fourth round, this was a grind. On the fifth round I broke it to 10-5. This short break between hopping back on the pull-up bar gave some rest and got my breathing down. From this point on I believe my breathing was well in control because there was this compulsory break before being able to continue t2b's. It was simply too big of a burn in my hip flexors and core to continue.

I forced myself to jump on the treadmill right after finishing toes-to-bar. On some rounds I took a zip of water, and then went on. Pace on the run was 16km/h. That suited well. On one round later in the workout I felt tired and put on 12 km/h. That felt too slow so I took it back up to 16, and kept it there. Round times were pretty consistent throughout the workout. It was the t2b's that slowed me a little because I had to drop down from the pull-up bar from 5th round on. Everything except those 3 last rounds were unbroken with all movements and I strongly feel my pace remained the same. It felt a little worse by the round - as it should - but mental game was in the house today.

Mobility and technique.

• Mobility drills
• Power clean
• Overhead squat

The workout got me so it took some time to just chill out and recover. I focused on mobility by using resistance band. Opened up my hip flexors as they got tight during the metcon. They were under a lot of pressure, basically every movement except hspu's put lots of heat on hip flexors. After some more stretching I felt my legs were back in the game and it was time to work on my clean technique. Just light weight, working on getting the bar as high on my thighs as possible. I tried not to rush it from the ground and carefully hit the contact point high on my quads. Lastly, it was time for classic overhead squat mobility drills, this time with pvc pipe. Agenda was keeping a good posture, chest up, armpits forward and knees out.

Sunday 22.12: 15min amrap, push press amrap + recovery run, c2b's

Sunday. AM: Metcon, 15min amrap of: 8hspu, 8/8 db snatch (22.5kg), 32du. Result 5rds + 10 snatch. Strength, 3rds of: 2min amrap of push press (60kg), 2min rest. Evening: 30min recovery run, C2B training.

Good training day! My shoulders are crushed. Had a lot of work being done with those pieces of my body. And lots of metabolic conditioning was also in play in both metcons. In the morning I went to the gym with Pauliina for 2 metcons and in the evening I wanted to flush legs so I went for a little run and found a pull-up bar to work on my chest-to-bars.

Pauliina worked on her handstand skills today as well as snatch technique. It was awesome to witness her doing both of these. Her body control is very good and it will definitely yield on results as we keep on working these skills. And her mobility is something I'm jealous of. Doing squat snatches is no prob. And the width of her hands on the bar, that's narrow. There's a goal for me, got to ask for some tips on mobility from her =)

Metcon. Result 5 rounds + 10 db snatch

• 15min amrap of:
• 8 handstand push-ups
• 8 right-handed dumbbell snatches, 22.5kg
• 8 left-handed dumbbell snatches, 22.5kg
• 32 double unders

My brother asked me afterwards "what's with the rep scheme in this metcon, why so many reps each movement?" I answered: constant variety. Do you need more justification to write a workout that includes high rep movements. Had I done it in for example 5 hspu, 10 db snatch, 20 du, it would have definitely been easier and went unbroken all the way. Decided to mix it up a little by increasing the reps per round this time.

The combination of movements was cruel on my shoulders. Handstand push-ups are always tough. Add some snatch and du pressure on the shoulders and I was done. Continue for 15 minutes and I felt like my gas tank was empty.

I went unbroken on the hspu's for the first round, then it was pretty much 5+3 for the rest of the rounds. On the snatches I did 16 reps - 8 right hand snatches, then 8 left hand snatches. Double the amount to 32 and you have the number of double unders per round. I messed up with them on the first round as my shins ached like hell. After first round it was way easier and better on the double unders.

Strength. Push press, 57 reps

• 3 rounds of:
• 2min amrap, push press, 60kg
• 2min rest

I remember Mikko Salo saying in one clip this was the workout he used to go after quite often to build shoulder strength. I've done it once before, something like a year ago, with 50kg. It was a lot of work to say the least. That 2min rest was warmly welcomed between rounds.

My shoulders were useless after the 15min metcon so it was intimidating to start throwing the 60kg barbell up in the air. It felt good for about 5 reps =) Then it felt like my entire body was shivering. It was a shaky ride but I got it through. And the reps per round were 21+18+18, total of 57 reps.

Chalk it up baby!

On the first round I did 10 in a row, then a rest, continued with 5+3+3 if I remember right. You'll get them from the video. The second round was tougher and the pressure on my shoulders was increasing by every rep. The recovery between racking the bar and taking it back felt like nothing and it definitely was a good workout for the shoulders. Lots of reps with a barbell that you should be able to move fast and for a long period of time. That's why I liked the nature of this one.

Running in the woods

The reason for doing the 15min amrap before this push press amrap was that I knew hspu's would have been a nightmare if there were around 60 push presses completed before them. Then, it would have been very difficult to go for 8 handstand push-ups in a row and I would have been forced to modify the reps somehow. Better this way, I got both workouts and it was as tough as it was supposed to be!

Running & C2B's.

After couple of hours chilling and eating I wanted to flush my legs and go for a run. It's been ages since I've been running / jogging. I found a pull-up bar "accidentally" haha. I decided to practice on my chest-to-bar pull-up skills and pulled as high as possible. I felt like some of the reps were abs-to-bar. It was spectacular to notice I'm able to do consecutive c2b's. It's very difficult at my regular gym because the wall is very close and I need more kip than in regular pull-ups. At this pull-up bar located outdoors. There was plenty of space and I used to hang around at this place more in the summer time.

Pull-up bar / Monkey bars