3/10/14 Monday March 10, 2014 (BU PR 20kg, PR 28kg, heavy 1H SW ladder)

6:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 35 minutes

6:35am - 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

6:50am - 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

2X of the following superset:
BU PR 20kg, 1/1 (last week same)
PR 28kg, 5/5
Dead hang from front front porch (modified pull-up bar hang essentially)

3X of the following superset:
BU PR 20kg, 1/1 (last week same)
PR 28kg, 3/3
Dead hang from front front porch (modified pull-up bar hang essentially)

Total of 5 BU PR with the 20kg per arm, and 19 PR with the 28kg per arm

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

120 swings total 60 per arm

7:30am - Complete

Notes -  Interesting day. A few things to note.  As per my training notes yesterday I felt I had to figure out a way to incorporate some modified pull up bar hangs into my routine, particularly pressing days, because of the benefits of the spine decompression and stretching out my lats.  My lats have tightened up quite a bit from doing heavier pressing, renegade rows, pull-ups, push-ups..... that has been a lot to take on.  Getting them stronger and having more awareness of the lats has been tremendously beneficial but this can be overdone and I must find a way to release them.  I really think the dead hangs are going to do it.  I realized I can walk outside my basement door and hang from the porch leading up to the front door.  It is very grip intensive as it is basically a fingertip grip to do the hangs, nothing to hold on to really since this is the edge of the porch, but I can do it, and after trying it last night as part of my mobility work I realized this was going to be money and determined that doing 1 hang after each set of presses is going to be my "active rest" movement.  I did this with great benefit today, and I am very pleased.  Should have thought of this earlier but I have never been the most creative guy, most CPAs are not.... Anyway I did not have too much time today as I was flying to Spokane at 9am, and and also given that I finished up yesterday's interval session pretty late in the day, and I have been doing a lot of overhead work, I consciously told myself if I needed to back off the volume from last week's press effort, which was a big PR, that I should do it.  On the 3rd set today it became clear to me that I should not continue with 5/5 and thus I settled for an "easy" 3/3 and just tried to get great cleans and great reps.  I am very pleased I did this, it was absolutely the right call.  It is not about trying to set a PR every day out, it was way more important today to get in quality reps and save myself because I have been beat up a bit, and I need to get that sorted out before trying to go crazy busting PRs.  I actually was more interested today in making the 20kg BUPs feel tighter and better, which I achieved, and I also wanted better quality heavy swings because I felt like last week I just tried to survive them after the pressing PR.  The swings were WAY better today, I was really focused, keeping the bell very tight when loading it on the descent, controlled float at the top of each rep.  The 36kg felt better than it ever has and I decided before hand I was going to park it instead of doing hand switches because that didn't feel right last week. So I parked it between each set for each arm, picked it right back up and kept going and this was another good move.  I think I got a little bit smarter today, mentally stronger, and that leads to physical strength too.

3/9/14 Sunday March 9, 2014 (interval running / pull ups / push ups)

It was an interesting weekend.  Most of last week and through the weekend I was feeling tightness in my pecs, primarily L side, and the L bicep tendon.  Nothing too severe, but enough to notice and go "what brought this on, and what can I do to improve this?" Several years ago I had a couple of bad falls on ice and one in particular did a number of my L shoulder.  Kettlebell lifting has been incredible for it, really dramatically improved the stability of that shoulder, range of motion, nd overall strength is just through the roof.  it has been awesome.  With that said once a body part is injured once, at least in my experience, things come up from time to time (ie a tweak more easily re occurs).  So on Friday and Sat I did a decent amount of lacrosse ball release and that really helped, but I kept thinking to myself that "hangs" from a pull up bar or the equivalent would be really good to stretch out the lats which I suspected were a root cause of the bicep tendon tightness.  Hangs would also decompress my spine from all of the pressing I have been doing, and I think would also help the biceps tendon directly.

So I got down to the lake late Sunday evening and did 10-15 minutes of hangs.  I was absolutely shocked how immediately my body responded and very positively.  It is very, very clear to me that I HAVE to keep incorporating these very regularly, possibly even daily with mobility warm ups, similar to the benefits I have seen from more frequent SL DL practice with a KB.

I also decided to mix up the interval work.  I actually did the following:

2 minutes running,  body weight SL DLs 2/2, 2 minutes running, 2 pull ups, 2 push-ups
3... 3/3.... 3, 3 , 3
4... 4/4.... 4, 4, 4
5...5/5.... 5, 5, 5
4...4/4.... 4, 4, 4
3....3/3....3, 3, 3
2....2/2....2, 2, 2

Essentially I "laddered" everything.  I liked it.  Total running time was 46 minutes, with 23 SL DLs each side, 23 pull ups, 23 push ups. This is actually more work than I had been doing, which was not necessarily my intention as did my math wrong.  Next time I will probably drop the ladders of 2 and just  do 3, 4, 5, 4, 3.  Felt really good though and this was a great way to end the weekend after quite a bit of frustration with how my body was feeling up to this point.  The hangs were really a godsend.

3/7/14 Friday March 7, 2014 (heavy TGUs, SN 24kg 8/8 for 7 mins)

8:00am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 60 minutes (extra time today)

9:00am - 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
Crooked arm bar 12 kg, 3+3

9:15am - Training session - Focus on TGUs, SN the 24kg 8/8 for 7 minutes

TGU 24kg, 1+1
TGU 32kg, 1+1
TGU 28kg, 1+1
TGU 36kg, 1+1 (shaky rep on the L side)

SL DL 24kg, 5/5

SN 24kg 8/8 for 7 minutes - 112 total reps (last week 7/7, 98 total reps)

Didn't make 7 mins - needed 20 extra seconds to finish the last set

9:45am - Complete

Notes -  Interesting day.  It has been somewhat of a long week, being out of commission Monday evening, all of Tuesday with either food poisoning or some sort of stomach bug has thrown things off.  PRs in the press with the DB 28kgs on Monday, PRs in the squat DB 28kgs on Wed, you would not expect some sort of PR in the snatch today and that definitely was not the case.  I lost wind at about 5 minutes in.  I did not want to reduce power or have bad reps and I was determined to focus on that and not the clock.  So I took extra time to finish the last set but did so with good technique and maintaining power. I cannot have snatches that are bad reps, a poor lockout or loss of power really can cause me problems with the elbow, shoulder etc.  It's just critical that I do not chase reps with the snatch, I just will not do it anymore unless it is a "true" timed SFG test to re-establish baselines (which I will not be doing that frequently).  On a macro level, this was a good session and I got better - that's what matters.  I also did have a shaky rep with the 36kg on the L side, roll to elbow still causing issues, can't keep my feet planted and this time it was both feet.  Was able to steady the bell very well, good thing I have solid shoulder stabilization, and was not in jeopardy of missing the lift but was still pissed off.  I really need to work on this side and doing it with more reps of the 32kg makes more sense probably than doing 36kgs.  Just a little bit off on that side.  All in all, good week of training, now rest and recovery for the weekend.

3/6/14 Thursday March 6, 2014 (24kg SL DLs, SW variations)

6:30am - Original Strength and Primal Move - 30 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 12 kg, 1+1
Crooked arm bar with press, 12kg, 3+3

Kids woke up - 15 min interruption

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

The following  2x:

24kg SL DLs, 3/3

Break

9:30am -

2H SW 24kg, 10
1H SW 24kg, 10/10
H2H SW 24kg, 10/10

100 total SW reps

9:45am - Complete

Notes -  Good day.  Nothing big to say here, just got a few things done.  Need to keep working the lacrosse ball on my triceps, biceps, left trap and left pec near the clavicle.  Left side is still tender in the lockout position just a little bit, I think some soft tissue work and continuing to work on that lockout position will continue improving things.  All in all, things are fine, better than fine, just little stuff to keep an eye on and keep working on.

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.