3/5/14 Wednesday March 5, 2014 (DB 28kg total tension complex)

7:20am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 50 minutes (some extra work on foam roll and lacrosse ball for lats, traps)

8:10am - 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
Crooked arm bar 12kg, 3+3 with press

8:25am - Training session - Focus on the Total Tension Complex with the DB 28kgs, squat emphasis

24kg TGU, 2/2

24kg G Sq, 10

24kg 2H SW, 5, 10, 15, 20 (50 reps)

"Total tension complex" from Pavel, emphasis on squats, using a ladder format as follows:

28 kgs DB CL, DB PR, DB SQ, singles of the CL and PR and went sets of 1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1 for the squats.  (last week top ladder 5) (PR for squats)

After each set, Renegade Row with off hand on a box, 1/1 with the 24kg (forgot to do these last week)

Total of 11 DB CL, DB PR, and 36 reps of the DB SQ with the 28kgs (9 and 25 last week)

9:15 - Complete

Notes -  What the hell.  I am not even sure what to say other than I learned something important today.  As my training notes from yesterday explain, on Monday night I came down with a nasty case of food poisoning, around 9pm.  From then until after training this morning, the only thing I put in my body was water, some gatorade, a cup of coffee, and last night for dinner, some corn chips and a bowl of vegetable soup.  So in about 36 hrs I had next to no nourishment, no appetite.  However I slept last night for nearly 10 hrs, forced myself to go down to bed at 9pm, totally exhausted.  Decided to sleep in until 7am and really get rested.  So what would happen with training?  A PR in double squats with the 28kgs, by a mile, I was able to add a 6th rung, which gave me an additional 5th rung in the ladder scheme to get to 36 reps with the 28kgs.  Today I really respected the weights.  I was totally dialed in on my technique, from the start of the clean, into the rack, tension for the presses, back to the rack, and then tension and good reps for the squats.  Same with the rows, really concentrating on locking down the lats, glutes, quads etc. to create a really stable base.  This is one of my favorite training sessions ever and one I will not forget given the circumstances.  Bottom line I think if I really want to take my training to another level, I must do a better job at recovery and that starts with sleeping more.  I am simply not getting the job done in that area and it was perfectly obvious to me today what I might be capable of if I improved in that area.  Given my lifestyle and commitments that is not going to be easy to improve but certainly I know the only person who can do something about it is me.

3/4/14 Tuesday March 4, 2014 (OS, PM, KB warm up)

9:45am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 15 minutes

10:00am - 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)

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

10:15am - Complete

Notes -  I am writing this now on Tuesday night.  So Monday night was one of the worst nights of my life - food poisoning.  Something I ate at dinner I think, some pastrami - tainted meat.  I suppose it could have been a stomach bug but I had no signs of something like that coming on.  I ate dinner and then immediately felt sick, stomach really bloated, and I knew something was probably wrong.  I was literally up all night getting sick.  It was awful.  Somehow I got the kids to school in the morning and then was contemplating just not doing anything at all, including going to work, but I had a couple of very important meetings at 11am and 3pm and I did not want to miss those.  After dropping the kids off at school I felt a little better moving around, so I did some mobility work, a few KB warm ups, and called it a day.  I had no idea if I was going to feel better and be able to train normally on Wed.  You will have to read the Wed blog to find out....

3/3/14 Monday March 3, 2014 (BU PR 20kg, PR 28kg, heavy 1H SW ladder)

7:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 65 minutes (ridiculous amount of extra time on the foam roller, lacrosse ball, lots of trigger point release work, long OS resets etc)

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
Crooked arm bar 12kg, 3+3 with press

8:20am - Training session - Focus on superset BU PR 20kg / PR 28kg, finish with heavy 1H SW ladder

TGU 20kg, 1+1 including marching in place, about 30 seconds per arm

5X of the following superset:
BU PR 20kg, 1/1 (last week 16kg 2/2)
PR 28kg, 5/5 (PR) (last week 4/4)

Total of 5 BU PR with the 20kg per arm, and 25 PR with the 28kg per arm (PR)

1H SW ladders, 3x as follows:
28kg, 10/10
36kg, 5/5
32kg, 5/5

120 swings total 60 per arm

9:05am - Complete

Notes -  I have an extremely long warm-up again due to trying to get loose from the interval running / pull ups and push ups from yesterday evening.  Definitely took a long time to warm up, but felt good when starting the main training.  I decided to bump up the BUP to a 20kg from a 16kg last week, but drop the double and do singles, and focus on the main event which was trying to go 5 sets of 5/5 on the one-arm PR with the 28kg.  I did it, I nailed all reps, very strong, this is a real solid PR for me.  I am very pleased with the technique improvements and overall strength on the one-arm PR, though I do feel I need to get a little tighter in the core area and try to stand up just a bit straighter on some reps, a little stricter press.  With that said the bell was shooting up most reps and I was staying pretty tight.  Great stuff.  I wanted to also up the heavy swings from 3 sets last week to 4 sets, but after starting I decided not to overdo it having gone up quite a bit on pressing, no need to try and do it all at once.  And these heavy swings are a challenge at the end of this session.  With that said, the 28kg feels like a 24kg, that is awesome, and the 32kg is very crisp and powerful.  The 36kg is still feeling very heavy and I need more time with it, but the reps are good, focused on really trying to hinge back to help with the power output, not worrying about how high the bell was floating but just trying to keep it solid and controlled.

3/2/14 Sunday March 2, 2014 (interval running / pull ups / push ups)

Got going late Sunday afternoon in the absolute pouring rain.  Just terrible weather.  That is 3 or 4 weeks in a row of terrible weather for this weekend training.  Oh well, rain or shine - get shit done.  Ended up doing 4 intervals of the following:

Run 5 minutes, body weight SL DLs 5/5, run 5 minutes, 5 pull-ups on rings followed by 10 push-ups on an elevated bench.  40 minutes of running, 20/20 SL DLs, 20 pull ups and 40 push ups.

Only felt ok today to be honest.  The weather was quite awful.  I wanted to feel the glutes kick in more on the running and they just never seemed to oddly enough.  Legs did feel fine, put just didn't seem to have a lot of pep in the step.  Last couple of nights of sleep were frustratingly cut short by the kids waking up oddly early, probably just a change in sleep cycles as daylight savings time is around the corner.  I have a feeling tomorrow's training could be a challenge unless I can get some decent recovery for sleep tonight.  28kg press ladders and some heavy 1-arm swings, got a big morning in front of me and I want to be ready for it.

2/28/14 Friday February 28, 2014 (heavy TGUs, SN 24kg 7/7 for 7 mins)

7:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 45 minutes (little extra time today)

7:45am - 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
Crooked arm bar 12 kg, 3+3

8:00am - Training session - Focus on TGUs, SN the 24kg 7/7 for 7 minutes

TGU 24kg, 1+1
TGU 32kg, 1+1
TGU 28kg, 1+1
TGU 36kg, 1+1

SL DL 24kg, 5/5

SN 24kg 7/7 for 7 minutes - 98 total reps

8:30am - Complete

Notes -  I thought this was a good session.  Decent sleep last night, needed a bit of recovery with mob time for warming up but once I got going it was good.  TGUs were strong, still need a little better quality on the roll to elbow with the bell in the L hand, but in the R hand, very good.  Just have to keep working at it.  Overhead lockout with the R hand is very good, L, still needing work, I am still working through some tenderness in the lockout position, probably need a little soft tissue work but still feels good overall.  Snatching - probably the most power I have been able to generate, was finishing a lot of the sets with nearly 30 seconds left, so snatching very powerfully and quickly.  It was wearing me out though, needed extra rest on the last set to finish just in time before the timer went off.  Felt really good about the snatches, good end of the first week of training in the next cycle.  Going to be 8/8 for 7 minutes next Friday, I am ready for that.

2/27/14 Thursday February 27, 2014 (24kg TGUs to knee, SL DLs)

6:45am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 15 minutes

7:00am - 15 minute break (kids woke up)

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)

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

7:30am - Training session - Focus on partial 24kg TGUs, 24kg SL DLs

TGU 24kg roll to elbow, up to knee, back down, 2/2

24kg SL DLs, 3/3 (contra lateral)

7:45am - Complete

Notes -  A rest day, variety day, good stuff, body feels good after significant work yesterday with the DB 28kg complex.  Ready for snatching tomorrow.

2/26/14 Wednesday February 26, 2014 (Complex DB 28kg CL, PR, SQ ladder)

7:20am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 50 minutes (some extra work on foam roll and lacrosse ball for lats, traps)

8:10am - 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
Crooked arm bar 12kg, 3+3 with press

8:25am - Training session - Focus on the Total Tension Complex with the DB 28kgs, squat emphasis

24kg TGU, 2/2
24kg G Sq, 10
24kg 2H SW, 5, 10, 15, 20 (50 reps)

"Total tension complex" from Pavel, emphasis on squats, using a ladder format as follows:

28 kgs DB CL, DB PR, DB SQ, singles of the CL and PR and went sets of 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 for the squats.  (PR for squats)

Total of 9 DB CL, DB PR, and 25 reps of the DB SQ with the 28kgs

8:55am - Complete

Notes -  Well that was no fucking joke today.  Thought about it and realized easily that was a PR for squats today.  I literally did a few reps with the 28kgs the other day with Kevin training, and that was the first time I had ever squatted with 2 28kgs.  I have on the odd time in the past year did a single with DB 32kgs just messing around to see if I could do it (and it was hard).  And so today I get out there and get through 9 sets of the complex with a weight I really have not even tried out before in anything close to that volume.  And I am writing this tonight and after training this morning and didn't even think about that until now.  That is great and I am really pleased to know that I could handle that practice session.  The first clean was only ok, quickly remembered the adage "it's easy until it gets heavy" and knew I needed to put more hip snap into the rest of my cleans, which I did.  Got pretty tight on the presses, ended up for most of the last sets not resetting my feet and pressing from a wide stance position, which I have not done in quite some time (stance you would use for DB C&P so you don't reset your feet between reps).  It was not as comfortable as the narrower stance I have been incorporating for single bell work but that is mostly I think because I have not trained it in awhile.  Certainly getting the bells into lockout was not difficult at all, solid presses.  Definitely when I hit the set of 5 for the squats it felt like time to go back down the ladder.  Going for top set of 6 next week.  Also need to keep working on my L trap, lockout position is still tender, just some stuff working through there, lots of mob work and the chiro work on my neck extension continues.  Just a lot of moving parts right now, but this is all good stuff, just need to keep vigilant with recovery work and sleep.  Also have not blogged this but recently had a physical exam and some other blood work done for insurance purposes, all good results.  Weight is at 195 lbs.  Surprised me a bit in one way as I was probably at about 182 or so when I started training with Kevin last March/April (it's nearly been a year).  With that said I have put a lot of meat on the traps, neck, biceps (?? - cleans and snatches:)), and definitely in the glutes and quads.  My pants are getting tight in the ass and the quads, yet, my waist is arguably smaller, I am at a very comfortable 33" and could do a 32".  I have leaned out yet gained at least 10 pounds and have gotten noticeably stronger because the training program is just ON POINT.  Great job Kevin.  This is fun stuff and just taking the process slow and steady is really the way to go.  I think I read "Consistency trumps intensity" or something like that and that is 100% true.