11/5/14 Wednesday November 5, 2014 (DB 24kg circuit)

6:45am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 30 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 12 kg, 2+2
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses with rotation, 1/1

7:30am - Training session - DB 24kg circuit

24kg TGU to knee, 2/2
24kg GSq, 5
24kg 2H SW, 10

DB 24kg CL 2, set down
DB 24kg PR 2, set down
DB 24kg SQ 2

DB 24kg CL 3, set down
DB 24kg PR 3, set down
DB 24kg SQ 3

DB 24kg CL 5, set down
DB 24kg PR 5, set down
DB 24kg SQ 5

10 total reps of each movement

DB 24kg SW, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 (5 sets, 30 total reps)

7:50am - Complete

Notes - Good day, very good really.  I don't feel like I am doing much work at all these days, this is all pretty easy stuff actually.  I guess that is a good thing because I suppose in the past DB 24kgs would have felt much more challenging.  While I am certainly looking forward to getting back and working more with the heavier kettlebells, all of this time with the 24kg (single and doubles) I think has been very productive.

11/4/14 Tuesday November 4, 2014 (mobility, KB warm up, TGU, SLDL)

7:00am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 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 12 kg, 2+2
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

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

16kg TGU, 2/2
16kg SLDL, 5/5

7:45am - Complete

Notes - Tired this morning, body is trying to adjust to the time change over the weekend.  Felt pretty good all around though.  Want to be getting to bed earlier and getting up earlier, I need to man up and start setting a better habit on this.  Some mobility work today, kept it simple, double 24kgs tomorrow.  Looking forward to moving some weight.

11/3/14 Monday November 3, 2014 (S&S)

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

8:15am - 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 12 kg, 2+2
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses with rotations, 1/1

8:30am - Training session - S&S, 28kg 1H SW, 24kg TGUs

24kg GSq, 10
24kg 2H SW, 20

28kg 1H SW, 10/10, on the minute for 5 minutes
100 reps

1 minute rest

24kg TGU, 1/1, x 5, 10 minute goal
10 reps, finished at 9:50

8:50am - Complete

Notes - Feeling good today, slept in, well rested the last couple of days which is a good recharge.  The swings were easier today, good hip snap, better wind too not as taxing.  Getups were solid, overhead position felt good.  I am encouraged.

11/1/14 Saturday November 1, 2014 (walking, pull-ups, planks)

My body is in a much different place a week later - which is a good thing.  The body work and chiro this week are definitely helping re-set some things.  Woke up this morning feeling good despite the hard snatch training session that I had just completed the previous afternoon.  Good sign.  I did notice the L shoulder as a bit tight as I got down to the lake around 5pm.  I did quite a bit of hanging from the rings to stretch the lats and shoulders, really helped tremendously.  Man I would love to have a pair of rings to hang from at home.  Would really be useful.

Based on Kevin's instructions, I am dropping pistols and push-ups in favor of walking, and keeping pull-ups.  So this is what I did:

Walking
5 pull-ups
Plank (hold for about 60-90 seconds)

Walking
4 pull-ups
Plank

Walking
4 pull-ups
Plank

Walking
3 pull-ups
Plank

Walking
2 pull-ups
Plank

I ended up walking over an hour, which was great.  When I was dealing with nagging health / body issues back in June, I used long walks around Greenlake to keep up my conditioning and help me get things back together, and those walks were really tremendous.  I continued to use them in July and August with nice weather, but in September and October I didn't get much walking in at all due to working, start of school for the kids, coaching soccer, and poor weather.  I was thinking about it and realized that simply adding in more walking is the best thing I can probably do right now.  So this was perfect.  The first set of 5 pull-ups definitely reminded me that I had just snatched 24 hrs earlier, but I banged those out ok, and things got progressively easier from there.  Came home, did some foam roll and a few mobility exercises on the shoulders, things are feeling good.

10/31/14 Friday October 31, 2014 (24kg SN)

3:10pm - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 45 minutes (some work on the lacrosse ball, roam roll)

3:55pm - 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, 2+2
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses and rotations, 1/1

4:10pm - Training session - 24kg SN

2x:
24kg TGU, 1/1
24kg SLDL, 3/3
24kg H2H SW, 5/5 (10 switches)

24kg SN, 10/10 10/10, rest, 10/10/10, rest 10, rest (5:20 elapsed time), 10/10, rest, 10, rest, 10

120 reps - took me about 9 minutes

4:45pm - Complete

Notes - Interesting.  I flew over to Spokane yesterday morning, very late night with my coworkers - good times but you pay for it the next day.  Had to get up early to meet with some our recruits starting bang at 8:30am which was painful, then back on a flight to Seattle - quick trip over and back.  I actually felt pretty good but when I started snatching and got to 70 reps, I was like - oh boy.  I knew I could either push it or be smart.  It's all about being smart - period - unless you are a rare circumstance ("on the platform" in a competition, or at the SFG when I actually have to try and pass this damn snatch test).  So I took my time on the final 40 reps and made sure I had quality reps.  Did my best today to keep the hips as the key ingredient, wait for the bell on the descent, try to throw it back between the legs and not down, etc.  These were good reps.  When I finished, the pump on my forearms was unbelievable.  It didn't alleviate for probably 10 minutes - crazy.  That 10/10 combo is a good one for me to work to get ready for the SFG test.  My strategy I think will be to go 10/10, very quick rest, 10/10 10/10, rest, 10/10 10/10 for 100 reps.  That is 2 rests and I think I can manage that.  Another tactic may be to go 10/10 10/10 rest 10/10 10/10 rest 10/10.  Not sure what to do but will keep thinking about it.  Either way I have a good feeling I can get to 80 reps in strong fashion but the last 10 are probably going to be just purely gutting it out.  finished the day by going to my chiropractor for the first time in months, just going to get back in a maintenance routine there as it helps my training to see him periodically.  Also picked up some fish oil and probiotics - I have not been using these supplements the last couple of months since I ran out, and I think they really help me.  Getting back in that groove too.

10/30/14 Thursday October 30, 2014 (mobility, KB warm up, TGU)

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, 2+2
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses, then rotations, 1/1

7:45am - Training session - 16kg TGU

16kg TGU, 2/2

7:50am - Complete

Notes - Adding some more to the arm bars by doing presses and then doing some rotations, trying to get the feeling of dropping my shoulder down and move the scapula to keep it loose.  Kevin did this drill with me a long time ago and then by body work guy also showed me this technique with some light KBs after he worked on my yesterday, reminding me that this was a good way to move the shoulder and scapula to keep it mobilized.  I will definitely keep doing these.  Otherwise today, quick session before getting the kids off and hopping on a plane to Spokane.

10/29/14 Wednesday October 29, 2014 (24kg chain)

7:00am - FMS drills (belly breathing, soft tissue work, t-spine, 1/2 kneeling) - 20 minutes

7:20am - 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, 2+2
Arm bar 16kg with 3 presses, 1/1

16kg TGU, 2/2

7:35am - Training session - 24kg chain

20 minutes
24kg CL, PR, SQ, 1/1, rest, repeat

Got in 20 rounds - 20 reps of each movement on each side

8:00am - Complete

Notes - So a few things today.  First, body felt a little bit better this morning.  I worked the soft tissue pretty good last night, really focused on trying to get into some hot spots in my R lat, armpit, shoulder, tricep, pec.  I definitely loosened some things up.  The training work this morning was really enjoyable.  I am telling you, there is almost nothing more enjoyable, in its simplicity, than picking up one bell and walking it outside and doing a training session like this.  No frills, just do the work.  I had a very even pace this entire time, essentially it was probably something like 30 seconds of work, 30 seconds off, and then go again.  20 sets in 20 minutes.  In terms of noticing things, my left quad where it connects to the kneecap is tender.  This is a bit frustrating.  A few weeks ago I displaced tension on an overhead press to this knee instead of my glutes where it should have focused, and it may have caused a very mild hyperextension or something.  I am going to keep watching it.  Most likely doing pistols with this is stupid, I totally agree with Kevin's suggestion to drop pistols from the training arsenal for awhile.  I am not sprinting either so I think this small niggle will get some rest and be fine.  On the overhead press I did notice some very minor discomfort in the R elbow; this is something I have been watching and I totally know this is not an elbow thing but rather is coming from the tight lat which has my shoulder a little out of alignment I believe.  Working the various mobility drills including the overhead stretches with a dowel will help.  Bottom line this was a good session, I just have some things to be very aware of, and just be smart heading into the SFG.  To that end, this morning I say my body work specialist and he did some amazing work on me.  Over an hour and he worked out tight spots in my lats, hips, obliques, quads, neck, shoulders.  Particularly what was lit up was a hot spot in m R armpit, connected to my pec, and my lat.  This was the key trigger point.  Getting up from the table after this session, my gait had completely changed, reverted back to where it was a month or so ago before some of this tension started setting it.  I could breath deeper, and literally I looked taller.  He does great work.  This is exactly what I needed to complement the KB work and I need to stay on top of the soft tissue work like this better than I have for the last several months.  At times when I am feeling particularly good I forget that the reasons why are consistent mobility work, soft tissue preventative work, etc.  It never seems to fail that if I get out of the habit of  this additional work, eventually I tighten up and training is impacted.  In any event a couple of steps forward today, which is great.