Good session

Rack Pulled from just above the knee today:
225x15
315x5
405x10
405x10
315x20

Did a few more anyhows for video:


finished up with 8 rounds of:
5 double snatch w/ 28kg kbs
5 one arm C+Push Press w/ 40kg kb
5 burpees
Every 2 minutes for 16 minutes (each round took about 1:00-1:15)

Anyhow: a new version

Robert Budd showed me a new anyhow variation, and I loved it.

Bent Press into an anyhow, then One arm overhead squat, with one bell in the rack, see-saw press to other side, another one arm overhead squat, and that's it.

I played around with variations of that for the better part of an hour
-multiple getups without letting go of the bells,
-anyhows into overhead walks
-multiple overhead squats
-sotts press into anyhow

Started out using two 28kg kbs, cycled up to using a 40 and a 32---that was brutal.
Minor grip work and then:
Went outside and hit the tire with the sledgehammer for 200 reps as fast as possible

I'll try to get a video soon of anyhow variations, for now check this one.

Grip it.

Just grip today-

Sledge Levering (all directions)
Torch Lifts w/ sledge (I played with the sledge a lot today)
32kg Bottoms up cleans

closed HG 200 for 3/3 x 2 sets

Felt good to dedicate a day to grip.

Then I hit the beach and some swimming ensued.

Simple

Still nothing overhead or straining, but I got in a good session anyway.

Suitcase DL
205x5x5 (grip is still the limiting factor)

Alternating swings
40kg x 25, alternating every 5 x 4 sets

Battling ropes about 10 minutes total

Farmers walk and plank variations.

Took about 30 minutes, not a ball-buster but I feel like I got some good lifts in.

Brutal Cardio

Gymboss timer to :15/:15

Snatches right arm
Rest
Snatches left arm
Rest
Burpees
Rest

Repeat.

Set it for 50 rounds. Totally wiped.

Ouch

Short session today because I tweaked my neck--a little time off won't kill me.

Zercher Deadlift
225x2x3

OH Press
40kgx 3x 5 (this is where the neck started to feel off)

Weighted pullup
24kgx5x4 (was going to do 5 sets, then my neck told me I wasn't)

Alternated farmers walks and Power Wheel walking on hands for 5 minutes
Power Wheel

Probably one of the better finishes to a workout I've done for trunk strength and grip endurance.

Cardio

Walked for 45 minutes on the treadmill at an incline of 3%. Awesome Workout! Got a great burn in my calves! And I was in the "Fat Burning Zone" for 25 minutes!
This is what we live to hear every day. I'm going to make up the "Carb Burning Zone" and make a fortune.

All joking aside, I just played around at the park. Brought a 32 and a 20 and went to town. A few tgu's snatches, and well just fun.



I could talk about how awesome it this is for eccentric ballistic loading of the grip and posterior chain but who cares? It's good for you.
Go do it.

Easy Day

Like I've said before, you can't force your training to be 110% all the time. I haven't been feeling super strong lately so I took an easy day.

OH Press 40x3x5
OH Push Press 48x3x2
Pullup 5 reps in between each set of presses.

DBL KB Front Squat 2x28kg kbs 3 sets of 10 reps (first time doing kb front squats with this weight, more of a midline stabilization and shoulder strength than an ab exercise, but still great for the legs)

I was going to just end it there but I felt like snatching:
32kg kb RKC snatch test style
21L/26R

Not bad, grip is still the only limiting factor, ugh.
Overall though, good training considering how I felt at first.

Do what you can, with what you have.

I haven't gotten much training done lately, my left knee has flared up and I can't squat with any serious weight or do pistols. Then last week, I tweaked my neck (probably stress, there is definitely a connection between mental anguish and physical pain). So today I took it easy.

Suitcase Deadlift: (grip was the limiting factor--time to work on that support grip again)
185x3repsx5 sets

Zercher Deadlift
185x5repsx3 sets

5 rounds:
10 Swings (48kg)
10 Burpees

short, sweet, good bang for your buck with the lifts I was doing, and my neck feels a lot better.
The moral of this story is to listen to what your body is telling you, and train accordingly.

Goals

You need to have goals. Bottom line. If you don't have at least a goal in mind when you're training, you are doomed to failure or, even worse, mediocrity. With every rep of every squat you have to know that you're bringing yourself 1 step closer to your goal. Don't waste your time doing things that won't get you there. Pick 3 things, or even just one thing that you want to accomplish in the next 3 months...6 months...year... and then go and make it happen! Too many of us just go through the motions and waste our time, don't let that person be you.

Some of my goals:
Devote more time to zercher lifting (and other odd lifts)
Flip the tire at least once a week for conditioning
Improve my nail bending (more sledgehammer levering)
Spar more in boxing and jiu-jitsu

On a more quantifiable note:
Beast Tamer Challenge (August 08)
One-arm Pullup
Deadlift 600lbs (before 2009?)


There's a lot there but I still want them all. Get stronger!

Rest

I am on a rest week this week. I have been going hard for about 13 weeks which some might say is too much. And from a professional standpoint I would have to agree with that. However, during those 12 weeks I made consistent progress even last week (which was supposed to be a rest week) when I hit a few PR's. You have to listen to your body and though for most people, 6-8 weeks is long enough to at least take a back-off week from heavy weights. You need to rest. You're going to get stuck in a rut trying to grind through for 52 straight weeks and you won't make progress.
If you feel like you've stalled in your training, think back to the last time you took some time off, and how good you felt when you finally got to hit the training hard again. Take a week off, set up a new program that is going to help you achieve your goals.
Hit it hard.

Weak, yet strong

Back Squat
225x10
285x10
315x6 (felt my hip on the 6th rep so went back down to 285)
Suddenly decided to front squat instead
Front Squat
285x5x2
225x5
Front squatting I felt much stronger, I don't know why.

Fat Bar Pullup: No weight 15x4 sets

48kg C+P 5L/5R x 5 sets

48kg tabata swing (just so I didn't feel like a total bum.)

Overall I felt pretty strong toward the end, but I am really not happy with my squatting lately--although my form has been more glute-centric which is a positive)

Part 2

Pistol 48kgx1x4
Fat Bar Pullup 50lbx5x4
Finished with some "Brutal Minimalist Fitness"

10 rounds:
48kg swings x 10
Burpees x 10

took about 6 minutes
Don't usually measure heart rate but it felt high and I clocked in at 218BPM.

"The English won't let us train with weapons, so we train with stones."

Today was a recovery day on paper, but erik persuaded me to go to the beach and lift heavy boulders for about 2 hours.

Rocks, slabs of concrete, bigger rocks...

Clean and Press
Shoulder Squat
Zercher Carry

Squat and Throw for distance
Pinch grip carries (one and two arm)

Talk about a total body workout.. Scarred up hands and arms, but it's impossible not to feel manly after a session like that.

All of your best strength gains will come along with things that are physically painful.

Beastly

A few presses with the beast today and a video:


Then finished with 15 minutes of :30/:30 alternating 30 seconds of tire flips with 30 seconds of 16lb sledgehammer swings. Good day.
Train harder!

BEAST

Robert brought in a 48kg... So I played with it.

First touch on a beast, I was definitely excited.
Cleaned it up with the right- and pressed it. So awesome. There was some hip action and some abdominal momentum to be had, but no knee bend. So it counts. Did plenty of swings, a few snatches on each side--grip is the limiting factor in doing more snatches.
Eventually did an overhead squat on each arm and felt pretty awesome.

Then rolled BJJ-again with someone about twice my size-but I am definitely getting technically more capable.

I felt so great today--I had an opportunity to excel and go beyond what I have ever gone and it felt so awesome. You need to give yourself the chance to get stronger. I can tell you right now that I won't be using my 32kg as much anymore. For your next training session, try pushing yourself beyond what you know you can't do, and give yourself a chance to do what you've never done before.

I got a little carried away with the beast so I'll probably be "Sore As Hell" tomorrow.

On the Clock

Lazy today, but still found time to squat and got a little more motivated afterward. A little sore from "atlas stones"

Back Squat
275x10x3
225x20

50lb fat bar weighted Pullup
2 per minute for 16 minutes

6 rounds
5 pullup
10 plyo lunge
10 plyo pushup
10 kb swing

afterward did some armbars and rehab work.