Tuesday, November 21 | Press, press, press, press, & press
Luke and I went for a brisk 5-mile walk around the neighborhood, with some running thrown in for good measure. Luke really loves the colder temperatures!
I made French baguettes last night and made French toast this morning. OMFG, so good!
Luke joined me for most of today’s workout. He’s good about letting me know when he’s ready to go inside. How? He goes to the front door and barks. Ha! I then have to “remind” him that I can let him inside through the garage. Good dog!
Strength
Every 3 minutes
5 presses, working up to heaviest set
Complete 10 Abmat sit-ups each round
I began @ 75# and added 5# each round, with the last successful set @ 120# — a 10# PR! I was quite exhausted, you know, after having completed 50 presses (and 100 sit-ups), and only managed to press 125# two times. And that’s okay, because I hadn’t programmed anything other than 5RM.
Conditioning
AFAP
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 power cleans, 120#
5 bent over rows
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 handstand pushups
In other words, PCs and HSPUs increased by one rep but BORs were always 5 reps each round. Thus, 15 PCs, 15 HSPUs, and 25 BORs.
‘Twas tough. All rounds in unbroken reps, as it should be.
Time = 3:57
Tabata double unders
Score = total reps
I set a goal to complete 200 reps. I surpassed goal, with 3 rounds of unbroken reps and total of 237 double unders. That’s an average of about 29 reps a round.
Wednesday, November 22 | Workin’ on my weaknesses
I took Luke for a short walk this morning, and he was none-too-happy. I worked out and then met Tara and her daughter for a longer walk. Luke was then much happier!
Strength
Overhead squat
10-8-6-4-2-1-1-1
Yup, I’m working on OHS at least one day a week. I recorded all sets/reps and reviewed before completing next set/reps. I wanted to ensure depth of squat, which is always more challenging with overhead than with back or front squats.
Both grip and stance were wide, and that’s okay.
Ten @ 65, 8 @ 70, 6 @ 75, 4 @ 80, 2 @ 85, and singles @ 90, 95, & 100#, 5# heavier than last week. I did complete last rep twice, as depth of first rep was questionable. Depth of next rep left nothing to question. Yay!
Conditioning
10-10-8-8-6-6-4-4-2-2 hang power snatches, 65#
30-second plank hold after each round
What a shoulder workout! Thirty seconds of plank hold was both a welcome rest and a miserable experience.
Time = 9:04
I made a pumpkin pie and even made crust from scratch. I also made a loaf of bread as well as a bread twist. What have I become?
Thursday, November 23 | Heavy then Fast
After a short walk around the neighborhood with Jeff and Luke, I got in a quick workout before delving into cooking my first every Thanksgiving dinner. Can you believe it? Other than the lima beans and cranberry sauce, I prepared everything else: turkey, stuffing (including bread from scratch), mashed sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and gravy. Oh, and pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream! OMFG, so good.
Anyhow, back to the workout.
Complete 23 reps of the following lifts @ 75% of 1RM
Complete 23 twisting burpees at the end of each set
A: Bench press, 135#
B. Back squat, 175#
C. Deadlift, 275#
‘Twas meant to feel heavy and, well, it did. I began BP and BS with 5 and deadlift with 8 (if memory serves). Deadlifts were from floor to floor, i.e., no dropped reps.
This was quite exhausting, as I was already out of breath before beginning burpees. I also ensured that burpees were unbroken. Yup, no resting.
A: 4:15
B: 4:50
C: 3:50
The times make sense, as there was more range of motion with BS than with BP and DL. DL uses the largest muscles, and is one of my strongest lifts, so it also makes sense that I’d be able to complete DL the fastest.
Friday, November 24 | Skills & Strength
I took Luke for a short walk, made hearty breakfast, graded speeches, and then Jeff and I took Luke for a longer walk. I worked out as Jeff was ran errands.
Every other minute until failure
Hang pull + hang power clean & then push presses
Record time each round
Round | Weight | Reps | Time
1 | 65 | 10 | 42
2 | 70 | 10 | 41
3 | 75 | 10 | 42
4 | 80 | 10 | 45
5 | 85 | 8 | 35
6 | 90 | 6 | 27
7 | 95 | 4 | 10
8 | 100 | 2 | 8
9 | 105 | 2 | 8
10 | 110 | 2 | 8
11 | 115 | 2 | 9
12 | 120 | 2 | 9
13 | 125 | 2 | 9
14 | 130 | 2 | 9
15 | 135 | 2 | 9
16 | 140 | 2 | 10
17 | 145 | 2 | 11
18 | 150 | 2 | failed push press
In other words, the first round consisted of 10 reps of hang pull, hang power clean, hang pull, & hang power clean followed by 10 push presses.
Uhm, my goal was 135#, so I was delighted with results. I’m feeling strong! The focus on technique is paying off.
Accumulated time = 5:32 (not counting last hang pulls & hang power cleans
Conditioning
10 RFT
50m shuttle sprint (25m up & back) + 5 KB swings, 53#
50m shuttle sprint + 5 triceps pushups on KB
50m shuttle sprint + 5 Abmat sit-ups
I worked consistently, focusing on smooth transitions. For example, after tricep pushups I moved KB and position Abmat and after sit-ups I moved Abmat and positioned KB. I wanted to ensure that I didn’t rest after shuttle sprints.
Oh, Jeff moved my car just before I began today’s workout. I asked him to allow Luke to get into the car so that he wouldn’t get too excited and try to follow him. Jeff did so, and Luke remained in the backseat, with both driver’s side doors open wide. Ha!
Time = 16:43
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