Friday, November 17 | Form, consistency…
Luke and I walked E on 5th Ave., N on Michigan, W on Haywood, South on State, N on Hanover, E on Indiana, S on Michigan, and W on 5th Ave. Yup, a counterclockwise route.
Every 30 seconds for 30 minutes (60 rounds) for accumulated work time
Burpee, deadlift (185#), DB (30#) alternating arm hang power cleans, strict toes to bar
I thought this was going to be easier than it turned out to be.
As a former coach I would often emphasize to athletes that they first focus on form. Once the form is correct it’s important to execute good form with consistency. Finally, perform the movement with intensity, e.g., faster, heavier, etc. That’s what I did today.
The time for the first round (and quite a few additional rounds) was 18 seconds, and I even had a round that took me 19 seconds. The last round was my fastest, clocking in at just 10 seconds.
Round 14 took me 17 seconds, as did rounds 15 though 22. Rounds 23 through 31 took me 16 seconds to complete, rounds 32 through 34 15 seconds, rounds 35 through 45 14 seconds, rounds 46 through 52 13 seconds, rounds 53 through 55 12 seconds, and rounds 46 through 49 11 seconds.
I worked on faster transitions, often jumping over the bar to quickly begin HPC. I also concerned myself less with proper hand placement on the barbell for deadlifts. As the weight wasn’t the heavy, it didn’t matter much if hands were or were not evenly spaced.
By round 50 I seriously wanted to quit, as even though there was slightly more rest time between rounds I was getting winded by performing the activities faster. Duh.
Time = 15:14
That was a good workout!
Saturday, November 18 | ACDF Anniversary
I had ACDF surgery a year ago today! It seems like a lifetime ago. And to think, this time last year I knew that for the next 3 months that I’d only be able to walk as the only type of exercise I was allowed to complete. I can’t believe how patient I was. Ha!
Luke and I went for an awesome walk this morning. He was full of energy, and I’d estimate that we ran 1.5 miles or so of our 5-mile hike on the Mountains to Sea Trail in Pisgah National Forest. We didn’t see another soul! Yay!
I really didn’t feel like working out today, and had to talk myself into doing so. It wasn’t that I was tired or sore, I just didn’t feel like working out. This is quite unusual for me.
Uhm, I’m glad that I did indeed work out.
Strength
Clean
Every other minute
1 rep, beginning @ 65# and adding 10# until PR of 165; then add 5# until failure
3 attempts at any weight allowed, but 2 minutes rest required
I’ve been experimenting with programming, and have been quite successful.
The weight didn’t even begin to feel heavy until at about 125#. I failed @ 165#, and had to talk myself into not quitting. I rested the required 2 minutes—and failed again. I was exasperated! I nonetheless rested 2 minutes and tried again, this time successfully.
I put 5 more pounds on the barbell, and the clean at 170# felt easier than the previous rep. Huh? I even said to myself, albeit out loud, “What the fuck?” Okay, a PR. I put 5 more pounds on the barbell, and the clean at 175# was successful. I was shocked! I put 5 more pounds on the barbell and completed a clean @ 180# on my very first attempt. That’s an all-time PR! I unsuccessfully attempted 185# three times. And that’s okay!
I’ll turn 54 in less than a month and I’m hitting PRs. In my humble opinion, a few things account for this:
- I’ve demonstrated patience whilst recovering from surgery.
- I work out for as long as I’d like, and am not the least bit concerned with time; thus, I take as much or as little time as I need to warm up, I rest as needed, and I complete as many activities as I’d like to program.
- I’m truly focusing my programming on me, as I don’t have to be concerned with how others may like or dislike strength cycle, metcon, etc.
- I record all lifts, and review each and every lift before attempting next lift.
- As I work out alone, I don’t feel the least bit competitive. No one is watching me and attempting to beat my score or lift a heavier weight, etc. (Few things piss my off more than being watched by other athletes as I work out.) This isn’t to say that I’m not competitive with myself.
- Luke.
Skill
11 hang power clean & jerks @ 65# and AFAP
Strict, negative HSPU
End with no longer able to complete HSPU (1 attempt per height allowed)
I completed 8 rounds, and times for HPC&J were 27, 25, 24, 23, 23, 23, 23, 22, & 22 seconds. HSPUs were 1, 2.5, 4, 2.5, 7, & 9.5″, and I failed at 11″. As kipping HSPU height is 11.5″, I’m happy!
Conditioning
6-min AMRAP
Wall ball shots, 20″ & 10′
It’s a running joke that Luke often positions himself in front of wall ball station, and today was no exception. Ha! He’s an intuitive dog, for just before I was to begin the conditioning he asked to go inside to keep an eye on the bad kitties.
My goal was 100 reps and I managed to hit that damned target 104 times. I also nearly died.
Monday, November 20 | Sumo, yo!
‘Twas a very cold start to the day, with the temperature a mere 32º. I got to wear my new Cole Hann orange puffy, AKA, “Kenny,” coat!
I made dinner rolls from scratch last night, the first time I’ve ever attempted to do so. I couldn’t stop thinking about the wonderful deliciousness that I would be enjoying once I arrived home. I smothered rolls in Paleo nutbutter and raspberry jam. OMFG!
Luke joined me for today’s workout, insisting that the garage door remain open. What Luke wants, Luke gets. Because he’s a good boy.
Strength
Sumo Deadlift
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, & 1
Then establish 1RM; 3 attempts at any weight
Complete 10 53# Russian KB swings after each round, including failed attempts
I haven’t included SDL in strength cycle in quite a long time, so I set a moderate goal of a single @ 95% of DL 1RM of 360, i.e., 342. I rounded up to 345.
As I’ve stated numerous time, lifting is as much psychological as it is physical.
10 @ 185
9 @ 205
8 @ 225
7 @ 245
6 @ 265
5 @ 275
4 @ 300
3 @ 310
2 @ 315
1 @ 320
Then
1 @ 330
Fail @ 340
1 @ 340*
Fail @ 345
1 @ 345
3 failed attempts @ 350
* I passively approached the bar, thinking that the previous failed attempt at 340 was going to result in another failed attempt at this weight. I positioned my feet and hands, and then, well, putzed around. I thought, “With this approach you’re certainly not going to be able to lift the bar. Reset and start over. And that’s what I did, aggressively approaching the bar, positioning feet and hands, taking a deep breath, and successfully deadlifting the weight. Grip it and rip it. Yay!
I forgot to do a round of 10 KB swings after very last round of failed attempt @ 350, thus 170 KB swings total.
Conditioning
11-min AMRAP
3 burpees
6 lateral bar hops, with 6th including 180º turn
3 burpees
6 no-rebound 24″ box jumps
Combining lateral bar hops with box jumps can wreak havoc on Achilles, so I made sure to program no-rebound box jumps.
My goal was to complete a round a minute. I picked up the pace the last 3 minutes and managed to complete exactly 12 rounds; 72 burpees, LBHs, and box jumps.
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