2/9/15 Monday February 9, 2015 (S&S 24kg)

7:30am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 minutes

8:00am - Kettlebell warm up

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

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

8:15am -Training session - S&S 24kg

24kg TGU, 1/1 to the knee

24kg GSq, 5

24kg 2H SW, 10

24kg 1H SW, 10/10, x 5, 100 swings in 5 minutes

24kg TGU, 1/1, x 5, 10 TGUs in 10 minutes

DB 24kgs farmer carry, 1 minute

8:45am - Complete

Notes - Got this done, it was easy, hadn't done an S&S session in some time.  Did wake up feeling tired.  Worked all day yesterday and am a bit worn down from a lot of intense commitments at work.  This back off week is coming at the right time.  Writing this in the afternoon, I am definitely tight after this session.  I notice that happens sometimes with 1H SW, given the asymmetrical nature, sometimes I tighten up on the R side which has happened.  I also have not been doing any 1H SW for 6 weeks, nor have I done more than 1-2 reps of TGUs in any one session.  So could also be the body just reacting to that movement too. Need to get some good rest tonight, get stretched out etc. 

2/7/15 Saturday February 7, 2015 (pull-ups, push-ups, walk)

Got this work done late Saturday afternoon / evening.  After a seriously heavy week of lifting, I thought about waiting a day and doing it on Sunday, but just decided to bang it out as I felt pretty good and knew it was going to be pretty hard on the lats either day:)

Hanging from bar
Hip mobility

6 pull-ups
5 push-ups (3 regular, 2 lizard for all)
Short walk

6 pull-ups
5 push-ups
Pistol squat - 1/1
Short walk

5 pull-ups
5 push-ups
Short walk

4 pull-ups
5 push-ups
Pistol squat - 1/1
Short walk

3 pull-ups
5 push-ups

Longer walk - 30 minutes

Total pull-ups - 24, up 1 from last week.  25 push-ups, same as last week.  Was very pleased with this as the two sets of 6 went pretty well.  Challenging, for sure, but I cleaned and squatted yesterday at a fairly intense intensity (for me) and the lats were pushed.  Just messing with a couple of pistol squats to see how they feel, not all that great.  The flexed leg usually cramps up, and my lower back feels fatigued - not pain, just definitely noticing all of the heavy squatting has the muscles fatigued and not yet recovered on the weekends.  It's fine, not a big deal.  It's good to know I still have very good mobility in this movement despite all of the squatting and my glutes and quads putting on some size.  I can really get down into the hole in the squat, ass to grass, in a very safe way and it's important to me to be able to maintain this.  This is easily one of the most significant mobility improvements I have been able to make using kettlebells the last several years, and its awesome to be able to move like that.

2/6/15 Friday February 6, 2015 (24kgs complex for time DB CL, DB FSQ - PR)

6:45am - in Spokane, Original Strength (rolling, cross lateral, rocking, neck nods, crawling)

7:15am - 30 minute walk

Back in Seattle

4:35pm - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 15 minutes

4:50pm - Kettlebell warm up

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

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

5:05pm - Training session - DB CL, DB FSQ 24kgs complex, 20 minutes

24kg TGU, 1/1 to the knee

24kg 2H SW, 10

DB CL, DB FSQ, 24kgs complex, 6 DB CL, 6 DB FSQ as many sets as possible, 20 minutes

12 sets

Totals 72 DB CL, 72 DB FSQ (up from 5/5 x 13, 65/65 total last week - PR)

24kg 2H SW, 10, x 2

5:35pm - Complete

Notes - And so ends the 6 week cycle, and talk about leaving it on a high note - another PR.  Just some awesome stuff, this has been an incredibly productive run of training for me.  My technique in some major lifts is better, my grip strength is better, I have put on some real size, forearms, arms, glutes, quads, and I think conditioning even benefited giving the timed nature of this cycle with the AMRAP for 20 minutes (did not let form suffer just for reps though).  Next week is going to be some Simple and Sinister with the 24kg bell, a recovery week, looking forward to it and then working with Kevin to design the next training block.

2/5/15 Thursday February 5, 2015 (24kg TGUs, SL DLs)

6:30am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 minutes

7:00:am - Kettlebell warm up

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

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:15am - Training session - 24kg TGU, 24kg SLDLs

2x;

24kg TGU to the knee, 1/1
24kg SLDL, 3/3

7:30am - Complete

Notes - Excellent, got this in, felt good, then off to Spokane for work.

2/4/15 Wednesday February 4, 2015 (DB SW, FSQ 24kgs Complex for time - PR))

7:20am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 45 minutes (some extra soft tissue work)

8:05am - Kettlebell warm up

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

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1+1
Arm bar 16kg, 1+1
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1
Hold 16kg behind back with 2H, sink bell to floor, neck stretch, open up thoracic spine, 2 mins

8:20am - Training session - DB SW, DB FSQ 24kgs complex, 20 minutes

24kg TGU, 1/1 to the knee

24kg GSq, 5

24kg 2H SW, 10

DB SW, DB FSQ, 24kgs complex, 6 DB SW, 6 DB FSQ as many sets as possible, 20 minutes

11 sets

Totals 66 DB SW, 66 DB FSQ (PR) (last week, 5/5 x 12, 60/60)

24kg 2H SW, 10, x 2

8:50am - Complete

Notes - Another PR.  First time for 6 rep sets, I was ready for this.  Got a decent night of sleep, woke up feeling a bit tight on the R side, not surprised, this usually is the case from heavy pressing days (Monday), I just need to stay focused on mobility work.  Took some extra time to do some soft tissue work on the foam roller and with the lacrosse ball, and did some extra work on the thoracic area, and really felt ready to go for the main training session.  The reps today were very strong, consistent, I was definitely gassed at the end and had to take a walk to get my breathing back.  Really proud of this effort, great capstone for this combo working on the lead up to this training session in week 6.  Final session of the 6 week cycle on Friday, DB CL into DB FSQ, looking forward to it.  I have to travel to Spokane tomorrow for work, coming back late Friday afternoon and then I will hit this session.  Key will be to try and get some decent recovery in between now and then.

2/3/15 Tuesday February 3, 2015 (16kg TGUs, SL DLs)

7:00am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 minutes

7:30am - Kettlebell warm up

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

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

Break

8:45am - Training session - 16kg TGU, 16kg SLDLs

16kg TGU to the knee, 2/2
16kg SLDL, 5/5

8:55am - Complete

Notes - Good here, pleased.  Woke up feeling pretty good, tight in the R pec / trap / armpit a bit, not surprised, been working on this the last couple of days and pressing heavy does get this a bit tight.  Arm bars really opened things up a lot, felt great, and the light TGUs were good, overhead position was solid. Some more soft tissue work tonight, get prepared for double swings and squatting Wed morning.  6 rep sets, going to be interesting.

2/2/15 Monday February 2, 2015 (DB CL, DB PR 24kgs complex)

6:30am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 25 minutes

6:55am - Kettlebell warm up

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

16kg Roll to press (TGU start) - shoulder cam shafts, each arm

Arm bar 12 kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg, 1/1
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:10am -Training session - DB CL, DB PR 24kgs complex, 20 minutes

24kg TGU, 1/1 to the knee

24kg GSq, 5

24kg 2H SW, 10

16kg BUP, 1/1

12kg tempo presses, 5/5

24kg 2H SW, 10

DB CL, DB PR 24kgs complex, 6 DB CL, 6 DB PR, as many sets as possible, 20 minutes

5 sets (this was a PR), then it got tough

1 set with 6 CL, 5 PR
1 set with 6 CL, 4 PR
2 sets with 6 CL, 3 PR
1 set with 1 CL, 3 PR

Totals 49 DB CL, 48 DB PR (was 50/50 last week with sets of 5, 52/52 using 4 reps sets 2 weeks ago)

2H SW 24kg, 20, x 2

7:45am - Complete

Notes - Well, very interesting.  I was not totally sure how to evaluate today's training, so stepped through my logs to try and get some perspective.  In terms of density, this is right of right where I have been - not a PR in terms of # of reps in 20 minutes, but in the range.  Without question this was the single hardest training session I have experienced in this cycle.  I thought it would be.  5 sets of  6 reps is a PR, so I have to be happy with that.  I never do 6 rep sets, not even sure I have ever even attempted them, with the DB 24kgs, and further, going for time.  I hit the first 5 sets pretty solid, but started hitting a wall as you can see from the descending reps.  I did keep the cleans up so that was pretty good.  I felt like technique was pretty good, I think where I get leakage on is in the abdomen, this is going to be something to work on with Kevin.  I will also say, lats felt tired on some of the last reps, and I realized that I really wasn't fully recovered from the training session down at the lake yesterday, so that is a little disappointing on my part.  Should have tried to get that done on Saturday or gone even lighter before this session, but oh well, you live, you learn.  I am definitely a lot stronger than when I began this cycle.  On those cleans, really tossing those bells around like nothing, but keeping them under control too.  I could really feel my grip strength on several reps at the end of each set help me push through, crushing that bell.  It's a great feeling.  Will be cool to see where we go from here.  Oh, also, in terms of body composition, I have put on some really good size, while staying lean.  I was working in Spokane last week at a client that I have not seen in about 18 months.  I was wearing a polo shirt and he pulled me into his office and asked me what the hell I had been doing for training, I thought he was going to ask if I was on steroids, lol.  Pretty cool stuff but beyond all of that superficial stuff, it is great to really spend time honing a craft, loving the work, tracking progress, and trying to get better every day.