5/11/15 Monday May 11, 2015 (Simple and Sinister Ladder)

7:00am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 60 minutes, mixed with Pain Free exercises

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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

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

8:15am- Training session - Simple and Sinister Ladder

2H SW 24kg, 10

2H Swings(no time pressure)

3x:
24kg x 10, x 2
28kg x 10, x 2
32kg x 10, x 2

180 2H SW

TGU(no time pressure)
24kg x 1/1
28kg x 1/1
32kg x 1/1
32kg x 1/1

8:45am - Complete

Notes -  Writing this on Monday night.  Had a deep tissue massage yesterday afternoon, focused on the obliques, to try and start working on this nagging discomfort that cropped up again a week ago, and has not really dissipated.  The massage was good, it definitely helped, and I continue to be encouraged that there is nothing seriously wrong.  With that said, I adjusted the training template today, thought 2H SW would be better than 1H SW (less rotation and focus on the obliques).  However after completing training, I felt some discomfort and really had it all day today.  The issue seems to be in part obliques, but is mainly I really think it is more in the outer part of the hip and wraps around to the top of my L glute.  Sitting is awful.  I am getting more treatment tomorrow and am going to significantly adjust my training plan to really back off and de load, and focus on movement and getting this rehabilitated.  I looked over my training logs and I have been going hard for a long time, and probably with the benefit of hindsight, have not properly deloaded, and there also probably has been a little something there ever since I first wrote about this back on April 3 after doing Windmills for the first time.  The movement of pushing into m L hip in a Windmill motion is exactly where I feel the issue.  Tough pill to swallow, but I am going to try and look on the bright side here, I believe my body is telling me something, and it's most important that I get back to feeling good and moving well.  There is no point in adding load to dysfunction - I need to ferret out the problem and do things that will improve this so I can get back to solid loading and moving forward in a positive direction.  I have various mobility exercises and some things from the Pain Free book that have helped a lot in the past, and I will continue drawing on those to work through this.

5/9/15 Saturday May 9, 2015 (pull-ups, push-ups)

Writing this on Saturday evening.

My daughter had Girl Scouts all day and so this was a day just with my son, which is highly unuusal and I enjoyed it a lot.  Went to Greenlake with him in the early morning, and we played soccer in the son for awhile and then and banged out pull-ups and push-ups.

Hanging from bar

8 pull-ups
5 push-ups (5 regular)

7 pull-ups
5 push-ups (5 regular)

6 pull-ups
5 push-ups (5 regular)

5 pull-ups
5 push-ups (5 regular)

4 pull-ups
5 push-ups (5 regular)

Total pull-ups - 30,  was able to bump up by 1 rep and start out 8/7 this week on the first two sets, 25 push-ups, same as last week, I did them all regular (no Lizard style) to limit stress on the R elbow. I have been doing this for weeks even though the elbow has been feeling really good for several weeks now, after finally getting some things sorted out through some chiro adjustments etc. that really had benefited my R shoulder a lot, and taken stress off the elbow.  This is the first time with a top set of 8 and first time with 30 reps, which was cool.

With that said sometime after this I started really tightening up on the L oblique area, which has been an issue the last week or so.  There has been a couple of days where it really bothered me and this was definitely one of them.  I think kicking the soccer ball around which we did for quite some time was actually not great at all for this oblique thing, and the more I thought about it, possibly the obliques were pretty involved in the pull-ups and push-ups given that I am doing pull-ups hollow style, and keeping my feet straight (which uses the obliques to do so), and on push-ups, tensing up the glutes and other muscles including obliques.  It's been difficult to pinpoint exactly where the issue is but after some stretching and mobilizing this evening, I believe it starts on the front and wraps around to the back.  Issue may be deep in the oblique on the front side.  I have a deep tissue massage tomorrow and will have my guy take a look and work these areas.  It's probably going to hurt like a bitch but hopefully it can help to loosen things up and calm the area down a bit, and relieve some trigger points.  We'll see.

5/8/15 Friday May 8, 2015 (DB 28kgs FSQ, 28kg SN)

6:45am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 minutes

7:15am - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 12kg, 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:30am- Training session - DB 28kgs FSQ, 28kg 2N, 20 mins

hanging from balcony

2x:
24kg TGU with high bridges, 1/1
24kg GSq, 5 (including prying)

24kg 2H SW, 10
24kg snatch with hold, 2/2

DB 28kgs FSQ, 4, 28kg SN, 6/6 -20 minutes

5 full ladder sets completed
1 ladder FSQ, SN 2/2

24 DB FSQ, 64 snatches (32/32)

24kg farmer carry, switch hands
DB 28kgs farmer carry, 1 minute, switch hands

hanging from balcony

8:10am - Complete

Notes - Outstanding training session and a happy and grateful end to this week.  Had two huge days in LA interviewing for a promotion at work, and today ended with a phone call telling me that I had done extremely well in the interview.  I am very happy about it.  Was up late last night with friends, which was fun, though I was definitely concerned about the impact on training.  Plus m hips have been tight, obliques a little tweaked.  Though I have been working on them.  Got up and did mobility work, after a lack of sleep, but actually felt pretty good.  I was excited to train as I really like this combination of FSQ and SN, and moving up to using 28kgs this week, my attention to detail needed to be on point.  Felt really good about technique today, very good squats in particular, which was awesome.  Lots of power in the snatches and feeling solid with my technique, doing a much better job the last month or so of really getting into the hips and loading the bell in the back-swing, and when doing that well the bell just pops up into lockout, even at heavier weights.   Solid work today.  Grateful to be able to solidly work through a training session in this manner, with these size bells.

5/7/15 Thursday May 7, 2015 (KB warmup)

6:55am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 minutes

7:25am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

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

7:35am - Complete

Notes -   Felt ok this morning.  Did a few hip mobility drills from Pain Free last night and again this morning as part of the warmup. The "gravity drop" where you stand on some stairs to stretch out the calves and hamstrings was pretty key, that right side was incredibly tight and that seemed to loosen some things up.  Going to keep up on this.  As I write this mid day, I have been working at a computer and sitting is definitely not great for this oblique / low back tenderness on the L side.  Tight hips etc. for sure.  

5/6/15 Wednesday May 6, 2015 (DB 24kgs Long Cycle 20 mins)

9:00am - Original Strength resets - 30 minutes
10:00am - walking in downtown LA for an hour or so

Fly back to Seattle from LA

7:30pm - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 45 minutes

8:15pm - Kettlebell warm up

1/2K halos - 12kg, 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

8:30pm- Training session - DB 24kgs Long Cycle 20 mins


16kg TGU with high bridges x 2/2, x 2

hanging from balcony

DB 24kgs DL, 5
20kg Windmill x 3/3
20kg BU PR x 1/1
DB 24kgs Long Cycle, 2 (practice movement)

DB 24kgs DL, 5
20kg Windmill x 3/3
20kg BU PR x 1/1

hanging from balcony

Main training - DB 24kgs Long Cycle, 2, 3, 5 -20 minutes

5 ladder sets of 2, 3, 5 - 50 total reps (clean between every jerk)
1 set of 2 - 2 total reps

52 total reps in 20 minutes (DB CL/JK) (down from 55 last week)

24kg farmer carry, 1 minute, 1/1

hanging from balcony

9:10pm - Complete

Notes - Was in LA yesterday afternoon and today, flew back late afternoon and thus training was at a very unusual time for me, 7:30pm at night, finished just after 9pm.  I don't like doing that but the alternative was tomorrow morning, and then again Friday for heaving snatching and DB FSQ.  I opted to get two nights of sleep recovery before that Friday workout.  Today was just about getting the work in.  My L oblique and low back above my L glute are tender again, same thing that cropped up several weeks ago when learning the windmill and jerk.  My hamstrings and hips are tight, and I think that is the real issue here.  In fact I think it's the R side being tight that is causing the tenderness on the L side.  I plan to work hard on some Pain Free exercises for the hips and get this sorted out.  Not a huge deal, and no need to freak out (you are going to have some niggles here and there, it's just life) but certainly vigilance and attention to detail is important here.  I tried to use some DB DL to get the glutes to fire (they feel "sleepy" in particular the L glute).  Sitting all day on airplanes is just brutal and I absolutely hate it. Training after flying on airplanes is a challenge.  I was actually feeling pretty good but the end result of the training session certainly wasn't overwhelming, slightly less work than last week.  I was disappointed for about 2 seconds and then I was like "come on man get some perspective" and moved on mentally and otherwise.  Sometimes you just need to be grateful for the opportunity to train, period, and look at the big picture and the process.  I was really dialed into each rep today, focusing on strong cleans, smooth, crisp, resting in the overhead position in the jerk, pacing myself and keeping the bells tight to my body on everything.  I was very focused on the drop from overhead on absorbing the bells with my quads and glutes, and NOT the low back.  No lean back.  I felt good about the technique.  It really matters.  You cannot be sloppy with the Long Cycle, man it will punish you.

5/5/15 Tuesday May 5, 2015 (24kg TGUs, SLDLs)

6:35am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 minutes

7:05am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2
Crooked Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

7:20am- Training session - 24kg TGU, 24kg GSq

24kg TGU with hip bridges x 2, 1/1
24kg SLDLs, 3/3
24kg TGU with hip bridges x 2, 1/1
24kg SLDLs, 3/3

7:30am - Complete

Notes - Writing this in the evening.  Feeling good and solid today.  Flew to LA for work.   Took a couple of walks around downtown LA in the afternoon and evening near the hotel I am staying at.  Not particularly impressed to be honest.  I should have taken an Uber out to Santa Monica or something:)

5/4/15 Monday May 4, 2015 (Simple and Sinister Ladder)

6:20am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 40 minutes

7:00am - 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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

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

7:15am- Training session - Simple and Sinister Ladder

2H SW 24kg, 10

1Hand Swings(no time pressure)
24kg x 10/10
28kg x 10/10
32kg x 10/10
32kg x 10/10 (up from 28kg)
24kg x 10/10

TGU(no time pressure)
24kg x 1/1
28kg x 1/1
32kg x 1/1
32kg x 1/1 (up from 28kg)
24kg x 1/1

7:45am - Complete

Notes -  This went well.  Bumped up the ladders as planned to get multiple reps with the 32kg.  That weight is not "easy" but I continue to work with it and I eventually want to make this weight feel "easy."  I think I am there with the 28kg on many lifts, and with the 24kg, I feel at times like I can really dominant and own that weight.