9/16/13 Monday September 16, 2013 (24 kg complex)

6:45am - Original Strength, Primal Move drills - 50 minutes (some extra time just due to being very, very tired when waking up)

7:35am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm 16 kg
12kg armbars - 1 L, 1 R

7:50am - Training session - Single bell 24 kg complex

Warm up -
GSq 20 kg, 5
DB DL 32 kgs, 5, 5/5 alt hands

2X the following, done in circuits.
24 kg TGU, 1+1
24 kg 2H SW, 15 reps
24 kg FSq, 5+5 reps
24 kg 1H SW, 10+10 reps
24 kg C&P, 5+5 reps
24 kg 1H SW, 10+10 reps
20 kg SN, 5+5

The circuits took about 29 minutes to complete including the rests between each movement / round.

8:30am - Complete

Notes -  I felt very tired when waking up and it took me a long time to get going.  I had a big weekend with travel to Spokane on Friday for work, late night Friday with co workers, a service project on Saturday where I worked hard manual labor for several hours in 90 degree heat, back to Seattle to watch the kids Saturday evening and most of the day Sunday, and then I mowed the yard and cleaned up around the house.  So yea I did not do a great job of thinking ahead and getting enough recovery:)  With that said once warmed up, the main training today just felt great.  Lots of really good reps, concentrated and focused effort.  Same volume as last week but up a bell size from the 20 kg, and really didn't notice it much at all.  I think I can jump again to the 28 kg next Monday and see how that feels.  I have not decided though as another week really nailing the 24 kg may be a better idea.  I will see how this training week goes and decide on Monday next.

Also in terms of other reasons for feeling tired - today was my 13th wedding anniversary.  I have not written much about this directly in the blog but my wife Jill and I have been separated now for over 6 months, almost 7 months, after she surprised me last October on her birthday trip that she thought our marriage was over.  It has been a long, very hard road since that day trying to understand this situation.  I have made peace with it and am trying to move forward each day in a positive way, just one day at a time.  With that said, it was very emotional for me at times this weekend and it hit me again hard this morning when moving around, and after my training session.  I wrote a note to her saying that I chose to appreciate our good times together and that we can still have a friendship and positive relationship into the future because of the goodness of the relationship we did have in the past.  I was proud of myself for finding the words to express that even on this hard day and the difficult circumstances that I find myself in.  

9/13/13 Friday September 13, 2013 (16 kg SN 5/5 15 min)

6:05am - Original Strength, Primal Move drills - 30 minutes

6:35am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm 16 kg
12 kg arm bar, 1 L , 1 R

6:50am - Training session - Snatch sets of 5/5 on the minute for 15 minutes with the 16 kg

Warm up -
TGU 16kg, 1+1
CL and rack hold marching 16 kg, 10x each leg L/R
G Sq 16 kg, 5
DB DL 32 kg, 5, alt L / R 5
1H SW 16 kg, 10/10

2H SW 32 kg 2, 3, 5 - 2X

SN the 16 kg 5/5 on the minute for 15 minutes

Total reps in 15 minutes - 75 per arm, 150 total

7:20am - Complete

Notes -  Very solid session with high volume snatching on the menu for the first time in two weeks, first time really of any significance since the injury.  Felt great, no issues whatsoever here.  Used a bit of chalk for the first time and I think it helped a bit.  For whatever reason my R hand just sweats more than the left.  Either that, or it is because I always start sets with my L arm and do switches to the R.  The reason for this some time ago was to strengthen the L.  I may need to start mixing this up now again.  It is odd because reps feel cleaner on the L and not always as clean on my dominant R arm.

9/12/13 Thursday September 12, 2013 (TGU / SL DL / IC)

6:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 30 minutes

6:30am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

6:45am - Training session - Focus on TGUs / SL DL / IC

Warm up -

2X of the following circuit:
24kg, 2+2
SL DL 5+5 (no bells just body weight)
IC movement #1 (about 15 each arm)

7:15am - Complete

Notes -  This was good again.  I enjoy this but 2X a week is unnecessary and I would rather have a Swing Day.  So now that the R wrist and forearm are feeling good, going to work in a Swing Day on Thursday.

9/11/13 Wednesday September 11, 2013 (DB 20 kgs complex)

6:30am - Original Strength, Primal Move drills - 40 minutes (some extra work here due to my R psoas being very tight, and both hips/glutes - from SL DLs the previous day)

7:10am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm 16 kg
12kg armbars - 1 L, 1 R

7:25am - Training session -DB Sq 20 kgs complex

Warm up -
TGU 20kg, 2X 1+1
GSq 20 kg, 5
DB DL 32 kgs, 5, 5 alt L, R

DB 20 kgs Complex - 20 minutes timed

Got 10X of the following:
DB CL, 3
DB PR, 3
DB Sq, 3

I was very consistent with my pace - 1 minute of work, 1 minute of rest, all the way to the last set where I took an extra 15-20 seconds of rest.

7:55am - Complete

Notes -  This was hard but not too hard as evidenced by my consistency with the work/rest ratio throughout the entire 20 minute timed set.  Good solid technique, though I was trying to really find that press from the lats and didn't really seem to have that dialed in as well as I would have liked.  Still, overall, lots of progress made from last week's training accident. This is very encouraging.  I went back and read my notes on this workout the last couple of times I have done it (with 24 kgs) and it has kicked my ass every time.  This was about right.  I did notice a lot of tightness in my R psoas nearly the entire training session, completely I believe relating to the SL DLs I did the day before.  That is not actually a bad thing, as I can tell that those muscles got worked by the SL DL in a unique way.  I do not think it is a technique flaw but rather just highlighting an imbalance and I actually really need to keep focused on the SL DLs because they may help get that asymmetry out of my R side.

9/10/13 Tuesday September 10, 2013 (TGU/ DB SLDL/ IC)

6:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 30 minutes

6:30am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 8kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1

6:45am - Training session - Focus on TGUs

Warm up -

2X of the following circuit:
24kg, 2+2
DB SL DL 12 kgs, 5+5 (using sprinkler boxes to touch down the bells)
IC movement #1 (about 15 each arm)

7:15am - Complete

Notes -  On Kevin's advice I am spicing up the variety days to try and get in some SL DLs as well as IC practice.  This was great.  My shoulders feel really good after doing ICs.  No discomfort on R wrist or forearm.

9/9/13 Monday September 9, 2013 (20 kg complex)

6:10am - Original Strength, Primal Move drills - 30 minutes

6:40am - Kettlebell warm up ("Standard")

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)
1/2K pullover - 12 kg, 5X each leg

1/2K halos - 12kg, 4X each side / each leg (total 16X)

1/2K pullover - 16 kg, 5X each leg
Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm 16 kg
12kg armbars - 1 L, 1 R

6:55am - Training session - Single bell 20 kg complex

Warm up -
GSq 20 kg, 5
DB DL 32 kgs, 5, 5/5 alt hands

2X the following, done in circuits.
20 kg TGU, 1+1
20 kg 2H SW, 15 reps
20 kg FSq, 5+5 reps
20 kg 1H SW, 10+10 reps
20 kg C&P, 5+5 reps
20 kg 1H SW, 10+10 reps
16 kg SN, 10+10

The circuits took about 29 minutes to complete including the rests between each movement / round.

7:30am - Complete

Notes -  Well this was just great to be able to get back to work today.  I had done a 4 mile jog around the lake yesterday, did some stretching and foam rolling last night, and woke up feeling pretty good, R wrist and forearm just getting a little incrementally better each day from last week's Monday training accident.  On the advice of Kevin I dialed in here with a 20kg bell, and looking back, this was perfect.  In terms of strength this was easy, very easy workout.  I mean I worked up a sufficient sweat for sure but that was simply due to keeping the rest periods short.  The focus here was on methodical technique, and I really was dialing it in, for certain on everything with the R hand.  My first 1H SW the right wrist kind of said "whoa, we are doing this again?" but I almost expected that a bit.  I was just a bit gun shy on the first reps of anything ballistic but I just focused on really exploding with the hips and making these movements what they should be, initiated and driven by the hips and not the arms.  That definitely helped.  It was very cool in particular to be able to snatch without an issue, and the reps felt really strong, focusing on opening up that R hand on the lockout to ensure I was not overgripping the bell.  Really pleased.  Going to go with DB 20 kg bells for the armor building workout on Wed, and just really make this all about technique right now.  Assuming that and a Friday snatching day with the 16 kg goes well (and after today I think it will), I can step up a bell size for everything next week as I try to make my way back to the 28kg again for this complex.

9/8/13 Sunday September 8, 2013 (4 mile jog around the lake)

After a super late night out with Fridays, I woke up saying "time to get the toxins out of my system with a run."  I have been feeling the urge to get out and run on the weekends lately and I am not denying myself. The KB training and particularly I think squatting and swinging has significantly improved by leg strength and glutes, and I feel a different, improved and stronger stride when running.  I feel like more of my feet are hitting the ground every stride, like I have a wider base.  It is great.  I ran 4 miles at a reasonable clip, using nose breathing, and then did some stretching and enjoyed being in the sun for several hours.  It was a great day.