9/8/15 Tuesday September 8, 2015 (16kg TGU, SLDL)

6:35am - belly breathing, OS resets  - 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

7:30am- Training session - 16kg TGU, SLDLs

2x:
16kg TGU, 1/1
16kg SLDL, 5/5

7:40am - Complete

Notes - Writing this finally Wed night.  Was feeling pretty good Tuesday.  Moving well.  Wanted to go pretty light given that I had done a lot of training the day before, and in the afternoon, so a little less recovery time than I usually have. By the end of the day I was tight in my R side rhomboid on the back, which is not unusual for me particularly with snatching (old injury area, lots of strain from baseball).  Minor thing and I did a lot of lacrosse ball work last night and mobility and things really responded well, plus a good night's sleep helped. 

9/7/15 Monday September 7, 2015 (32kg 2H HSP, 20kg SN 8/8, x 8)

11:45am - belly breathing, OS resets, lacrosse ball work, hip, hamstring and groin stretches  - 60 minutes (lots of extra soft tissue work)

12:45pm - 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

Cossack stretches
Glute squeezes
Fire Hydrants

1:05pm- Training session - 32kg 2H Hike Swing Park (HSP) 3, 20kg SN 8/8,  x 8

16kg TGU, 1/1, x 3
16kg BUP, 1/1, x 3

8x:
32kg 2H HSP, 3
20kg SN, 8/8

24 32kg HSP
128 20kg SN (64 per arm)

1:45pm - Complete

2:30-4:00pm - 90 minute walk down to and around Greenlake

Notes - Crazy late night/morning for the holiday, out with friends, I had to sleep in real late to try and make up for it.  Pretty shocked that I felt ok for training, I took my time doing mobility work and getting warmed up. I have discovered some pretty great hip opening work through putting my double lacrosse ball "peanut" on the ground and moving my hip and quad over the balls, applying a pretty significant amount of pressure.  This is seemingly really releasing that area and also providing a little relief to the low back.  Starting a new cycle today, this went extremely well.  The swings with the 32kg and the snatches with the 20kg felt great.  Really good technique on the snatches, I am feeling good about snatching these days and its really a movement I enjoy tremendously.  Finished up a beautiful afternoon with an extra long walk down to and around Greenlake in absolutely perfect Seattle weather.  My back is feeling great, best it has in some time.  I think swings really help the low back and the brisk walking also is a great reset for the hips, pelvis, etc.  

9/5/15 Saturday September 5, 2015 (weighted pull-ups, push-ups, DB 32kg carries)

Writing this on Saturday night.  Got training done in the afternoon with the kids.  Had a huge day - took several hours in the morning cleaning up the outside of the house, had a picnic at the lake and kicked a soccer ball with the kids, did training, took them bowling, then out to dinner, then bed. Sheesh.

Hanging from rings

2 pull-ups (rings)
3 pull-ups
5 pull-ups

Weighted pull-ups, with an 8kg KB, 3

Weighted pull-ups with a 12kg KB, 2, x 5 (last reps on the last two sets were damn tough to get my chin over the rings)

13 reps total for weighted pull-ups, up from 10 last week

10 push-ups, normal width on legs
10 push-ups, legs and feet together
10 push-ups, lizard

Break for an hour

DB 32kg farmer carries, 3 sets, about 90 seconds or more for each set (up from DB 28 kgs last week)

This was pretty tough in some ways.  Very little rest on the pull-ups because we were at a busy station at Greenlake and I just didn't want to deal with a bunch of people that were around, so I hogged the equipment and went pretty much fast as hell, which is tough with this type of work.  Ideally I could take a walk between sets, take the belt off, etc. etc. but it is what it is.  I will say this, the body weight pull-ups to warm up were such a piece of cake I was almost laughing.  Doing a few weeks of weighted pull-ups has made my starting position for bodyweight so much easier - its like I am shooting up out of a canon.  So that's pretty dam cool.  Also to close today the DB 32kg farmers were excellent, felt like I had a really strong grip on the bells and this was really solid.  As I write this, I really feel the fatigue kicking in.  The last couple of reps on some of the weighted sets were way harder than I would like, and I probably had to dip into an energy reserve a bit to eke those out.  There's no reason at this point in my mind to increase reps or weight any further.  I need to spend a bit of time here with the 12kg and really getting this nailed down.

9/4/15 Friday September 4, 2015 (training with Kevin)

6:20am - Training with Kevin

Good session.  Did some mobility work, and we focused on a couple of new movements to target the abductors in particular which is part of the issue I have been having with the insertion to the L hamstring / low back and oblique tightness / discomfort.  We did "cossack" stretches and those were solid.  I will be incorporating those into either off-days or after training as a cool-down.

Did some TGUs, tightened up part of the movement in terms of not moving me feet too far inward with the bell overhead to to come up out of the getup into the kneeling position.  That and really pushing into the ground with the lead leg, to make pressure off the obliques and not make it a side-bend movement.  These tweaks were all positive and I think will help.  Kevin did mention he doesn't believe really heavy get-ups are every going to be a great movement for me, with some of the thoracic mobility limitations I have, etc. and he's probably right.  However I can keep working on these as mobility check-ins, a good test to see where I am on a particular day, etc. etc. with lighter bells.  I tend to agree with him.  Sometimes you just have to acknowledge that there are certain things you are better at that others. I can keep shoring up this weakness though.

We did some 48kg deadlifts to pattern that movement.  Then we did a lot of 2H SW with the 24kg, 28kg, and 32kg, in a ladder format up and down, intermixed with sets of push-ups.  I was really sweating by the end.  We also did a quick form check on the DB FSQ with 24kg bells, and got a good cue from Kevin in the bottom of the squat to make sure I am just a little bit more back on the heel, really pushing through the ground, pausing in that bottom position and coming up strong.  Good cues, those will help, but the FSQ is looking strong.  Also did a set of snatches with the 20kg bell, to show Kevin the snatch.  Need to keep working on total lockout on the L side, not a surprise, but in general things looking very good, just need to keep snatching and just getting reps in.

Next training cycle will be more ballistic in nature, 48kg deadlifts, lot of swings, keeping some squats, snatching with the 20kg.  Bodyweight work with push-ups, and on the weekends, keeping a focus on building up the weighted pull-ups.  Looking forward to it.

7:30am - End

9/3/15 Thursday September 3, 2015 (24kg 2H SW, TGUs)

6:35am - belly breathing, OS resets  - 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 2H SW, TGUs

24kg 2H SW, 10, x 5

24kg TGUs, 1/1, x 2

7:30am - Complete

Notes - Good day.  Feeling good.  Flew to Spokane and back for the day after this morning training, little tight in the L hip etc. which is not a surprise as sitting for prolonged periods just sucks.  But all in all, not bad, moving forward positively I believe. 

9/2/15 Wednesday September 2, 2015 (TT complex DB 24kgs)

7:30am - belly breathing, OS resets, lacrosse ball work, glute and ham work  - 35 minutes

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 16kg, 1+1, x 2

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

8:20am- Training session - Total tension complex with DB 24kgs

16kg TGU, 1

2x:
48kg DL, 10
SL glute raise, 5/5

8x:
DB 24kgs CL, 2, PR 1, FSQ 3

Total of 16 DB CLs, 8 DB PR, 24 DB FSQs

DB 24kg SW, 5, x 2

8:45am - Complete

Notes - Very cool day.  Getting back to doing a complex with DB 24kg bells - fucking sweet.  Yes.  I am really seeing improved technique on all my lifts, it's been a big focus getting away from trying to go heavy all the time and working through these injuries / body stuff the last several months.  My cleans were better, presses better, good squats.  This was not hard, which is a good sign.  I ended with some double bell swings because for some reason I just wanted to try them, it's been literally 3 months I think or more since I did double bell swings with any size bell, let along 24s.  These felt awesome.  Short rep sets, really focusing on power, hip extension, floating the bell, etc.  Excited to get some recovery time in here over the next 48 hrs and then train with Kevin Friday morning. 

9/1/15 Tuesday September 1, 2015 (24kg 2H SW)

7:00am - belly breathing, OS resets  - 15 minutes

7:15am - 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

7:30am- Training session - 24kg 2H SW

24kg 2H SW, 10, x 5

24kg TGUs, 1/1

7:40am - Complete

Notes - Well this came a little out of the blue.  Was feeling pretty damn tight yesterday and the low back / oblique / hip on the left side was acting up, I think from the deep tissue massage on Sunday afternoon but you just never know.  Woke up feeling good this morning, quick OS reset work, and then did some swings and a couple of getups.  Pretty nice to see the improvement.