Friday, April 26, 2013

Phase 3 Day 59

Strength

Squat
135 for a few sets; 225 for a few sets... meh

Hang Clean
185x2; 185x2; 185x2; 205x1

Conventional Deadlift
315x3; 365x2; 405x2; 455x2; 455x1; 315x5; 315x3

Suitcase Deadlift
135x3/3; 135x3/3; 185x1/1

Conditioning

400m Run
-First time in new shoes

Stadium Runs
-32 minutes
-every 5th climb or so was a semi sprint
-forgot HR monitor, but HR was higher than normal because I pushed it a bit

Notes
I tried squatting and setting my knees per convo with Gabe earlier in the day.  It felt better, but I have some residual anterior knee soreness right now.  I slightly widened my stance and it felt ok.  I'll revisit squats next week.

First time deadlifting in months.  I think since January where I was working on sumo pulls to get my glutes working.  I had no plan other than just getting a feel for pulling from the ground again. It felt great.  All reps were super clean and smooth.  455 isn't anything special, but in the context with where I'm at right now, I'm really pleased.  My body felt so fucking solid.  Last post I talked about "resetting" my core.  It was really apparent last night.

One thing I noticed was my lockout was solid as fuuuuck.  All those RDL's, swings and constant bracing/squeezing came to fruition.  I wasn't even thinking about it, but my hinge was like BOOM.  I haven't been going heavy on RDL's, but its been about patterning the movement.  Also, I do a lot of random kettlebell shit I never post.  I brace hard as hell during snatches, presses, etc.  I think it is noticable in my squat vids now because my alignment is much improved.

Deadlifts are officially back in my training week.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Phase 3 Day 58

Strength

Bench
275x1; 290x1; 305x2; 275x3; 275x3; 275x3; 275x3; 275x3; 135x28

DB Row
75x8; 75x8; 75x8

Overhead Barbell Shrugs
Barx8; 95x8; 95x8

Facepulls
3 sets at 20 reps

YTI's
2 sets at 5/5/5

Curls
95x8; 95x6

Conditioning

Stadium Runs
-24 mins
-179 peak HR
-157 avg HR
-428 calories

Notes
Solid day overall.  A little disappointed with the speed of 305x2 , but I kept it smooth and left a rep in the tank.  I'm basically just training bench by instinct right now.  My time is likely running out lol.

Stadium runs were inside the basketball arena since it was raining outside.  I've had enough with mid-40s conditioning in the rain. Anyways, the steps were really steep and relatively high.  It took me a while to get comfortable.  I pushed it the last 25% just to see where I was at performance wise (hence the 179 peak).  I'm pretty pleased with how far the aerobics/conditioning has come the past few months.  I've been diligent and its paid off.

Lately, I've been thinking about how "Phase 3" really means nothing at this point.  Originally, it meant that I was returning to some of the basic barbell lifts.   I've done that and made great progress.  When this all begin my hip was in excruciating pain.  I had terrible tissue quality, I stabilized everything completely wrong, and I generally just moved in a fucked up fashion.

I've learned so much in the past 7-8 months its unreal.  I can finally say that my core is "reset." My default is to fall into neutral positions.  I still have a long way to go, and I've created some issues along the way, but I'm generally happy with where I've come to. (With very good guidance and advice from friends).  But there is still much work to be done. See my last post about squats/knees.

I feel ready to take this all to the next level.  I want to truly fix my thoracic spine and get my shoulders working correctly.  I can't really do that while I'm in St. Louis.  I'm training with people that are my good friends and I want to ride this out.  I have one month left then I'm back in NH to study for the bar.  And honestly, at this point, I'm more into the conditioning than the lifting.

So I'm going to keep conditioning hard, keep improving my core strength, and enjoy my last month here in STL.  Then I'll go back home and train with more friends, but I think its the type of environment that will be much more conducive to my goals.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Phase 3 Day 57

Morning Walk
-2.89 Miles
-48 minutes
-Peak HR 115
-Avg. HR 105
-389 calories burned
-16:30 mins/mil

This is about as fast as I can go without looking like a power-walking twink.  Also, if I take too long of strides I start heel striking like a mofo.

Strength

Squat
315x3; 315x3; 315x3; 315x3; 315x3; 225x3; 225x3; 225x5  video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_u39NJ9oVw

Hang Clean
155x2; 185x2; 185x2; 185x2; 185x2

RDL
135x10; 135x10

Ab Wheel
5 (PR); 3; 2

Prowler Conditioning
-40 yard runs
-210lbs x 6 runs
-90lbs x 6 runs
-161 peak HR
-137 avg.
-281 calories

Notes
My legs are shot.  Conditioning Friday, all day Saturday, then 2 hour walk yesterday.   Add on today, and I think I overdid it.

Squat was painful on knees again.  The video was probably of my best set.  I think somewhere along the line I became obsessed with dropped between my knees, and as a result its placed alot of stress on my knee joints.  The video set didn't really hurt, but by then my knees were already screaming.  I may drop squats for a little bit.  I simply cannot do what I want to do with them if I'm training with other people.  I'd rather just drop them, let the guys squat, while I work on my goblets or something.  I worked on them a ton this weekend in my aptartment and made a lot of progress.

I was burned out by the time I got to conditioning.  210 lbs was significantly more difficult than the normal 90 I do for extended sessions.



Sunday, April 21, 2013

Phase 3 Day 56

Sunday Walk in the Park
-85 Minutes
-Avg. HR 101
-Peak HR 115
-559 cals burned
-4.89 miles
-3.4MPH
-17:21 mins/mile

Notes
Fantastic day for a brisk long walk.  I tried to keep my HR above 100 most of the time.  It was a little challenging because I had to keep reminding myself to keep the pace quick.  I wore my minimalist shoes that I've been training in.  Its really hard not to massively heel strike everything.  By the time I got home I did a wall test and my ankles had excellent mobility/ROM.

I cooled down with stretching, some soft tissue work, and KB arm-bars and KB turkish getups.  I felt loose, warm, and amazing.

I was going to do the sled tonight (I'm trying to do it everyday), but I think I'll just rest.  The walk was restorative and relaxing.  I'm just going to relax the rest of the day.  It is Sunday, after all.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Phase 3 Day 55

Conditioning  Session 1

1.  Tire Flips
-25 minutes
-Flip the tire, jump in, jump out, walk around, and then repeat
-Rounds in sets of 10 flips

2.  Stadium Runs
-20 minutes
-Landed on each step, quick pace up, slow pace down

Session stats:
-45 minutes total
-Avg. HR: 147
-Peak HR: 174
-760 calories burned

Conditioning Session 2

1a.  Prowler Run (90lbs)

1b.  Slow Walk

1c.  Waiter Walk (53lbs)

1d.  One Arm Farmers Walk (70lb)

1e. Slow Walk

Each component was 80 yards in length

Session Stats
-30 minutes total
-Avg. HR: 136
-Peak HR: 168
-~550ish cals burned

Notes
Two solid conditioning sessions today.  I'm really going to miss the student life.  I basically just went around to different outside locations and worked out all day lol.  As reflected by my average heart rate, I kept intensity moderate across the board.  These aren't crazy/frantic metcon style workouts. Its all about staying in a manageable aerobic zone.  Fun day.  Lots of work, lots of calories burned.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Phase 3 Day 54

Strength

Bench
275x3; 295x2; 315x1; 315x1; 275x3; 275x3; 225x6

Standing Overhead
135x5; 135x5; 135x5

Cable Row
150x10; 150x10; 150x15

Poundstone Curls
70 Reps (+5)

Conditioning

Prowler (90 lbs)

75 yard runs for 42 minutes.  Lost count of reps early on, but easily 30+ runs

Notes
Excellent day on both the strength and conditioning front.  Its been 6+ months since I had 3 plates on the bench.  First single was buttery smooth and fast.  Second single wasn't bad, but I got out of the groove a little bit.   315 is probably about 95% for me right now.  I was satisfied with some solid reps, so I dropped back down.  The next 2-3 sessions I want more rep work in the 285 range.   I still need considerable work with manageable weights if I want to PR in the next 3-4 weeks.  My best bench is 340.  So, I'll need to really be on my game for 345.

I was in a bad mood today for unrelated shit and yelled at my training partners about back work.  "We should be twice as much fucking back work as we do."  Connors response, "Well, you're the one that wants to bench twice a week."  Haha, fair enough.  Nonetheless, I need to get more back volume in.

Excellent conditioning session.  I mostly do each "run" at a brisk walk.  I stay on my toes and use big, powerful steps.  Each 75 yard trip takes approximately 40 seconds.  Early on in the session, recovery takes as little as 20-25 seconds.  As the session goes on, recovery gradually creeps up to 45 seconds.  That is basically where I ended today.

I judge recovery with a heartrate monitor.  When my heartrate drops to 130 BPM, I start my next run.  One 75 yard run usually bumps the HR from 130 to 145-150.  As the session goes on, HR will bump up to 155 during one 75 yard run.  Structuring sessions in this manner allows me to stretch the total time working without significantly impairing recovery.  If my heartrate isn't going above 155, the session is easily something that is recovered from with one night's sleep.

Phase 3 Day 53

STRENGTH

Squat (50/20)
315x1; 315x2; 315x1; 315x2; 315x3; 315x3; 315x1; 315x2; 315x3; 315x1; 315x2 (21 reps)

Power Clean
185x1; 205x1; 225x1; 225x1

RDL
225x5; 225x5

Ab Wheel
4(PR!); 4; 2

CONDITIONING

1a. Sled (90 lbs)
45 yards down; 45 yards back

1b.  Kettlebell Snatch (53lbs)
5 per side

Approximately 30 minutes total.  12-14 rounds.

Notes
Squats feel like shit.  I feel like I'm regressing.  I feel zero pain in my hip, which is awesome, but lately I've been feeling a lot of stress on my knees.  Started to really get frustrated with it again.   One of the big issues is that literally every set I'm making mini adjustments.  I keep searching for something that feels "right."  Just no groove right now.  I'm not dropping down naturally, and I think my knees are paying for that.

Conditioning sesh was about 2 hours post workout.  It was 45 degrees out and raining.  I used an umbrella to cover the KB in between sets haha.  I've mentioned this a number of times, mostly because its been a shitty spring, but wet pavement makes the prowler 2x as hard.  As such, I needed to significantly reduce the distance. I still got a solid session in. I just kept my heartrate in the appropriate ranges.