The bad news: I haven't updated my blog in awhile
The good news: I've still been working out, eating right, and sleeping a lot. Still sticking with Pat's programming, M-W-F with weights, meat/veggies 90%+ of the time, whey/gatorade/creatine/glutamine shake post-workout, and a good 8-10hrs of sleep every night. I feel really lean, and strong at the gym, which is great!

I feel like I have a great balance in life right now of exercise, nutrition, rest, work, wife/kids, friends, and getting out and doing the occassional fun thing (eg a day of wake boarding or a concert).

I'm with Pat, I really like Dan John's stuff. And at 31, I feel like it's all about having that good balance.

Crossfit AMRAP Workout

Went to my friend Matt's gym (Crossfit AMRAP, Crystal Lake) to get in a fun Saturday workout. I've been following Pat's programming, and haven't done a metcon in a LONG time!

Half Cindy: AMRAP in 10:00 of:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 squats

I did 8 full rounds, plus 5 pullups and 5 pushups. It was fun!

Then I did some snatch, some clean & jerk, laces to bar, handstand pushups, and "windshield wipers" (ab exercise on the pullup bar). It's too bad Matt's gym is so far away (45/50 minutes), as I'd love to go there more often.

Upper Body Workout

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 2
215 x 1

Pullups
x3 @ bodyweight
4x: x3 w/ 35lb dumbbell

Close grip bench press/bentover barbell rows
140lbs/135lbs
8-6-4

Dips
x5 @ bodyweight
x3 w/70lb dumbbell
4x: x3 w/100lb dumbbell

2:00 plank

Upper Body Workout

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 3
210 x 2
210 x 1

Weight Pullups
x3 @ bodyweight
x3 w/25lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell
x3 w/40lb dumbbell

Close Grip Bench/Bentover barbell rows
145lbs/135lbs
8-6-4

Weighted Dips
x3 @ bodyweight
x3 w/70lb dumbbell
x3 w/100lb dumbbell
x3 w/100lb dumbbell

2:00 plank

Lower Body Workout

Back Squat
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1 - This felt VERY heavy. I barely stood it up. I just don't have strong legs - but I'll keep at it!
135 x 11 - burnout set

Front Squat/Romanian Deadlift Superset
90lbs/135lbs
12-9-6

Laces to Bar/Back Extension Superset
3 sets of 10 of each

Upper Body Workout

Followed Pat's advice on switching up the reps, weights, and some of the exercises today. Today's workout felt GREAT! I felt really strong.

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1 - Did not feel heavy, flowed nicely
195 x 1
205 x 4 - Goal was at least three, got four, tried for a fifth but couldn't push it out

Weighted Pullups
x3 at bodyweight
x3 w/ 25lb dumbell
x3 w/35lb
x3 w/35lb
x3 w/45lb

Superset Close Grip Bench Press & Bentover Barbell Rows
135lbs/135lbs
8-6-4

Weighted Dips
x3 at bodyweight
x3 w/45lb dumbell
x3 w/70lb dumbell
x3 w/90lb dumbell

2:00 plank

Upper Body Workout

Pushed with all my strength to get 225lbs up today. Got it unassisted. I went for 230, but knew I didn't have the strength to get it. Will try again next week.

Bench Press
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1
225 x 1
230 - Failed
135 x 16 (burnout set)

Chins
3 @ bodyweight
1 w/ 45lb dumbell
1 w/ 55lb dumbell
1 w/ 60lb dumbell
1 w/65lb dumbell
1 w/ 70lb dumbell
11 @ bodyweight (burnout set)

Close Grip Bench/1 arm dumbell rows
115lbs/50lbs
12-9-6

As many pushups as possible in 3:00: 57

30 minutes of volleyball

Lower Body

Legs were still tight from last week - struggled with the weight today, could not go very heavy.

Back Squat
45 x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
195 x 1
195 x 1
195 x 1
195 x 1
135 x 8 - burnout set

Front Squat/Romanian Deadlift Superset
95lbs FS/135lbs RDL
12,9,6

Laces to bar
3 x 10

Hyperextensions
3 x 10

Upper Body Workout

Bench Press
45 x 1
135 x 3
185 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1
225 x 1
135 x 19 (burnout set)

Pullups
3 @ bodyweight
1 x 40lbs
1 x 50
1 x 60
1 x 65
1 x 65

Close Grip Bench/1 Arm DB row Superset
115lbs/50lbs
12-9-6

As many pushups as possible in 3:00: 55

Some "Before" Pictures

This is me today, July 2, 2010. 155lbs, just finishing up my first week of "Pat's Programming". My goal is to build muscle while hopefully losing some fat. The combination of 9+ hours of sleep per night, meat and vegetables, and Pat's Programming should hopefully get me where I want to be. I have 8 weeks before our third baby (Jessica) gets here, so my "after" pictures I plan to take in that 8th week right before our new baby is born.

Upper Body

Bench Press - Work up to a single rep max
45lbs x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
225 x 1 (my PR is 235lbs, so not too far off. I plan to get to 250lbs in the next 6 weeks)
Burnout set: 135lbs x 18

Weighted chins - Work up to a single rep max
x1 at bodyweight
x1 at bodyweight
25lbs x 1
50lbs x 1
60lbs x 1
70lbs - Couldn't quite get my chin over the bar

Superset
Close grip bench press (115lbs) & One arm dumbell rows (50lbs)
12-9-6, 30 second rest in between

As many pushups as possible in 3:00: 58 pushups total

Post-workout shake:
48g whey protein
3 scoops orange gatorade
10g creatine
25g glutamine

7.2g EPA/DHA fish oil
1500mg Vitamin C

Lower Body Workout

Back Squat
45lbs x 10
135 x 3
185 x 1
205 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1
225 - Failed
(Forgot to do a burn-out set)

Wow, I've been away for TOO LONG! 205lbs felt heavy! Moved up to 215 and got it. Dumped 225lbs, couldn't stand it up (my PR is 260lbs). I'm confident that within a month I'll be back up to where I was before.

For my front squat/Romanian Deadlift superset, I was supposed to do 135lbs/145lbs, and do 12-9-6 reps. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do 135lbs on the front squat for 12 reps, not on my first day back anyways. So I used 115lbs for the front squats, and 135lbs for the RDLs. Even with that, my supersets looked like this:

9/9
6/6
4/4

My quads literally locked up after the front squats. Killer!! Loved it though, so great being back training legs again. I can 100% see how this programming will help me build some serious muscle.

After this, I walked SLOWLY (so my legs would stop cramping up) to the pull-up bar, and did three sets of 10 of laces to bar.

Immediately post-workout I had a shake with:
40g whey protein
25g glutamine
7g creatine
3 tablespoons of orange gatorade powder

Last night I slept a full 10 hours, and had another perfect day of just meats and veggies. I can't wait for Friday's workout!

Pat's Programming

Started Pat's programming today. I spent the better part of the past two months not exercising, but eating right (meats and veggies) and getting 8-10hrs of sleep a night. I leaned down to 154lbs, and felt great - leaner than when I was lifting 5-6x per week. Pat was right - I was doing too much then, too much cortisol being released, and I was "fat" even though I was exercising every day.

My new programming that Pat put together for me follows a basic M-W-F schedule. Focus is still on getting plenty of sleep, and eating meats & veggies 90+% of the time. My goal now is to just put on muscle, and this should do the trick. Here is the schedule, followed by what I did this morning:


Workouts start at 6:30am (they’ll only take 45 minutes total)

Monday
Bench Press – work up to a single rep max, then do a burnout set at the end.
Chins/weighted chins
Superset:
Close grip bench/bent over barbell rows
Little METCON/Competition like wall sit dumbell curls, max clapping push-ups, 21-15-9 kipping pull-ups, push-ups. These are very short (less then3min), but competitive
Abs – planks, knees to elbows, Ab Ripper X, etc.

Tuesday
Off, completely off, get extra sleep

Wednesday
Back Squat-and do the burn out. Remember the burn out sets will get you breathing hard, and give you that METCON dose you want
Front Squats
Romanian Deadlifts - RDLs
2 Supersets=Done fast, another METCON dose
Back Extensions
Knees to elbow

Thursday
Off, completely off, get extra sleep

Friday
Repeat Monday, alternating between trying to hit a 1RM, doing heavy sets of 5, etc.

This is what this morning looked like (first time back in months, so I know these numbers will increase rather quickly over the next four weeks):

Bench Press
135lbs x 8
185 x 5
205 x 1
135 x 15 (burnout set)

Deadhang chins
x8
25lbs weighted x 5
25lbs weighted x 4
x6 (no weight)

Superset close grip bench press (135lbs) and dumbell rows (55lbs):
x8, x8/8
x4, x8/8
x5, x8/8

6 minutes of 1 minute planks (15 second rest in between).

PWO: 40g whey protein mixed with 20g L-Glutamine. Will look into picking up some gatorade powder and creatine this week to experiment with Pat's whey/gatorade/creatine PWO (post workout) drink.

Friday Fun Day

Was joined this morning at the CDW gym by my good friend Brian Maastricht today! We did a great mix of weights, abs, and having fun playing a sport. We did:



3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Incline Bench Press: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Flat dumbbell press: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Cable Crossovers: 4 sets of 10 reps
3 minutes of planks - 1m front, 1m left, 1m right
Dips: 4 sets of 15-20 reps

We then played 3 on 3 volleyball for 30 minutes. I never realized what a great workout volleyball is, and it was a ton of fun!!

Where ya been, Dave??

As mentioned in my last post, on Saturday, April 24 I fractured my finger helping my buddy Matt setup his Crossfit Gym (http://www.crossfitamrap.com/ - tell your friends, it is a SWEET gym!). I spent most of the four weeks after that NOT working out. During this non-workout time, I experimented with Pat's idea on losing weight WITHOUT working out.

I ate clean, and I ate light. Typically 1-2 small meals per day, less than 1500 calories per day. And I lost weight, and have kept it off! I quickly dropped to 155 (from a starting weight of 165lbs), and have remained there the entire time. Pat was right - you don't have to exercise to lose weight. In fact, exercising can potentially INHIBIT weight loss - either by making you think you can eat more because "I've earned it", or by making you even more hungry post-workout.

Of course you need to consider what Pat says, too, in that if you ARE exercising, you may be more inclined to WANT to eat healthy. I know that's typically how I am - though have been able to stick to a clean diet with or without exercise.

About two weeks ago I started hitting the workouts really hard again. Back at the CDW gym in the mornings, doing a solid mix of weights, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), lots of sprinting, TONS of planks/ab work, pullups, pushups, other bodyweight stuff.

In the evenings I have been doing INSANITY, which is a DVD workout series by BeachBody (same folks who made P90X). Let me tell you, these workouts are TOUGH! 40 minutes of non-stop bodyweight/cardio/plyometric work. Sweating after the 5 minute warmup, and sweating all the way until the end.

So I'm back, and back with a vengeance. I'm at a nice, lean, 155lbs, doing two workouts per day, and continuing to eat light and clean. And I feel great!! This "being healthy" stuff really isn't that tough - I wish it didn't seem so complicated for so many people. Do exercise that makes you feel good, eat real foods (read: meat and vegetables) in moderation, and you can be healthy!

I'm Back

First day back in the gym after hurting myself (baseline fracture of my left pointer finger - power tool accident).

What's interesting is Pat's post from a few days ago, asking if exercising helps you to lose weight. I didn't exercise for 10 days, but ate SUPER clean, and also pretty light - probably around 1400-1500 calories per day over the past 10 days, and only meats and vegetables. Two small meals per day. And I lost SIX pounds over those 10 non-workout days! I feel great, too. Lean. Good feeling.

So this morning I did:

Max pushups in 3:00 (77)
Back Squat: 135 x 5 x 10 (5 sets of 10 reps)
Helen in a boat:
3 rounds of: 500m row, 21 53lb kb swings, 12 pushups - Stopped half-way through, finger was hurting.
7 sprints up and down the basketball court

Vanity workout and basketball

Did a good old-fashioned 'arm' workout today. Curls, close grip bench press, tricep press downs, spider curls.

Followed that up with 30 minutes of full court, 2 on 2 basketball. Awesome cardio, lots of fun.

Tomorrow the plan is O-lifting...Snatch followed by Clean & Jerks.

Misc. workout

VERY sore from yesterdays squats, run, and Bulgarian Sandbag "Around the Worlds". Took it a little easier today:

Push Press:
135 x 5 x 5

Pushups: As many as possible in 3 minutes. 79 total.

Knees to elbows: 3 x 10

Basketball for 25 minutes

Incline Press, Bulgarian Sandbag, CF Metcon

Incline Press
135 x 10
155 x 8
175 x 4
185 x 3
185 x 3

42lb Bulgarian Sandbag "whirlybirds/around the worlds" - 15 sets of 10 swings

At the local high school track:
4 rounds of:
50 squats
400m run

Did not time it, just went at it hard.

OH Squat, Push Jerk, Bulgarian Sandbag & Basketball

Overhead Squats
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5

Push Jerk
155 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 1

Bulgarian Sandbag exercises

15 minutes of 2 on 2 full court basketball

Friday Solo Day

As many pushups as possible in 3 min: 89 (full range of motion). Goal was 100+

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
135 x 1
185 x 1 - slight press
185 x 1
185 x 1

Dumbbell Presses - 4 sets at 80lbs
Cable Crossovers - 4 sets

2 mile run - Nice, easy pace. First time going out for a run in 6 months. Felt great getting outside.

Laces to bar - 3 x 10

Tonight I am going to build a Bulgarian sandbag (to go along with my slosh pipe).

Snatch and Slosh Pipe

Snatch
75 x 3
75 x 3
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
145 x 1
155 x 1 - Tied PR
160 - Failed 5 times

Still chasing that ever-elusive bodyweight snatch of 160lbs. SO close today. Garth got it (PR for him). I hope to get it soon.

Slosh Pipe: Zercher carry for distance - I carried it the farthest of the 7 of us guys. Biceps were on fire! Love that slosh pipe.

Power Cleans, Bench Press, Slosh Pipe

Power Cleans
135 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3
205 - Failed

Bench Press
175 x 5
175 x 5
205 x 5

Fun with the slosh pipe: Zercher carries, curls, overhead press, overhead squats, lunges.

I love my Slosh Pipe

I just went for a 10 minute jog, then spent 20 minutes outside with my SLOSH PIPE. That thing is A.W.E.S.O.M.E.!!

I did:

Five laps around my house doing the Zercher carry (my backyard is a 45 degree angled hill, making it much tougher)
One lap around my house holding it overhead
Bicep curls: 3 sets of 10
Overhead press: 3 sets of 10
Lunges: 3 sets of 10
OH squats: 8 sets of 5

Best $19.45 I've ever spent!!

Friday Fun Day

Andy "Nard Dog" Heikes and I just did a little "Best Of" workout today:

Squat Clean

135 x 5

135 x 5

Press

135 x 5

135 x 4

Push Press

135 x 5

135 x 7

155 x 5

Overhead Squat

135 x 5

135 x 5

135 x 5

135 x 5

Pullup Pyramid:

4x: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total, all deadhang of course)

Laces to Bar:

3x10

Also, last night, I built a 10ft - 3" - 28lb SLOSH PIPE ala Dan John. It is awesome! Adam Oldenburg and I did the Zercher carry, overhead carry, overhead presses, OH squats, walking lunges, and trunk twists. At a cost of only $19.45 to build, this thing will be a ton of fun to add to our workout routine!

Back Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift

We had a fun "Powerlifting Meet" this morning between Adam, Andy and I

Back Squat
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
255 - Failed
245 x 1

Bench Press
135 x 8
185 x 3
225 x 1
235 - Failed

Deadlift
135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 1

Totals:
Dave: 805lbs @ 160lbs bodyweight
Andy: 875lbs @ 230lbs bodyweight
Adam: 705lbs @ 200lbs bodyweight

Laces to bar: 3x10

Split Snatch, Heaving Snatch Balance, Tabata Intervals

Split Snatch - First time attempting this movement
75 x 3
95 x 2
115 x 1
115 - slight press
115 x 1
135 - EPIC (as Tom Mohr would say) fail. Felt really heavy
115 x 3
135 x 1 - Tried 135 again. Just a slight press, didn't feel nearly as heavy as two sets earlier. Like Pat said, just need to do these a couple of times to get the feel for them. I really liked these, and will do them again Thursday

Heaving Snatch Balance
75 x 3
115 x 3
135 x 3
160 x 3 (bodyweight)

I can OHS squat 160lbs 9 times. I was able to do Heaving Snatch Balances with 160lbs three times no problem. But I still can't snatch it! Tom, if you're reading this, how about you come to CDW@play full time and coach me?

Tabata Pushups & Situps
Pushups - 80
Situps - 73

Andy did:
68 pushups
91 situps

Deadlift & Bench Press

Deadlift
275 x 3 (81% of my 1RM)
295 x 3 (87% of my 1RM)
315 x 3 (92% of my 1RM)
315 x 3 (92% of my 1RM)
315 x 3 (92% of my 1RM)
315 x 2 (92% of my 1RM)
315 x 2 (92% of my 1RM)

Bench Press
135 x 8
185 x 5
195 x 5
205 x 3
205 x 3

2 on 2 full court basketball with TOM MOHR!! So much fun!

Ab Ripper X

Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Team Metcon

Snatch
135 x 1
145 x 1
155 - Failed 3 times
160 - Failed 3 times

I can feel what I'm doing wrong on the snatch...the bar is swinging away from my body, and I'm still lacking that "punch" in the third pull. I can OH squat 160lbs 9 times, but can't snatch it once! I'll keep at it.

Clean & Jerk
160 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1

Team Metcon:
Teams of two, where only 1 person can be working at once, complete:
100 wall balls
100 burpees
1000m row
100 box jumps (24")
1 mile run

Joel and I lost to Andy and Adam by about 2 minutes.

Overhead Squat, Push Press

Overhead Squat
95 x 3
135 x 3
175 x 1
205 x 1
215 x 1 - NEW PR!!
225 - Failed. Was able to successfully jerk it overhead, rode it down below parallel, made it about halfway up but couldn't complete the rep. Still, big progress for me - I hit a new PR at 215lbs (98kg). My big goal today was to beat Garth's OH squat PR of 93kg, which I did. I'm confident I can get that 225lb (102kg) OH squat.

Push Press
135 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5

Laces to Bar: 3 x 10
Ab Ripper X

Snatch, Bench Press

Snatch
135 x 1
145 x 1
155 - Failed 3x
155 x 1 - Tied PR
160 - Failed 2x

Garth came in today to give me pointers on what he learned from 2 days with Sage Burgener this past weekend. Definitely lots of great advice on jumping off the ground, keeping the bar close, keeping my butt down, etc. Was able to tie my PR this morning. Close on hitting a new PR of 160lbs on the snatch (bodyweight). With his pointers, I'm confident that I'm within 2 weeks of hitting that bodyweight snatch!

Bench Press
160 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3

Bar muscle ups x 5

30 minutes of 3 on 3 full court basketball

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
145 x 1
155 - Failed 3x
155 x 1 - Tied my PR!
160 - Failed 3x

SOOOO close to that bodyweight (160lb) snatch! I can OH squat 160lbs 9 times, but I can't snatch it. Frustrating, but I'll of course keep at it. I'm still not punching the bar aggressively enough in that third pull. Garth said he'd try to come in tomorrow and give me some pointers, so I'll plan to try again tomorrow.

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1 - slight press on top

Played 25 minutes of 2 on 2 full court basketball. Awesome cardio. Will do Ab Ripper X and 6 minutes of planks tonight.

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
140 x 1
145 x 1
150 - Failed
150 x 1
155 - Failed 8 times (this would have tied my PR)

My first movement on the snatch is still my butt coming straight up - that was one of the things I was working on today. The other was that "punch" to lock my arms out at the top. My goal was to get 160lbs (bodyweight), which would have been a PR. I was only going to get there, though, by making 5lb jumps and only allowing myself to move up if I got the previous weight. Couldn't get the 155 today, so never had a chance to try 160. I'll keep at it!!

Clean & Jerk
155 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
185 - squat cleaned it, failed on the jerk
185 x 1

Laces to bar: 3x10

Pull-up bar muscle ups: 5
By getting in a good swing, I was able to do 5 muscle ups on the pullup bar. Just having fun.

Back Squat and Bench Press

Back Squat
135 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 3
235 x 1

Bench Press
135 x 5
205 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3

2 on 2 full court basketball, 20 minutes
Ab Ripper X

Front Squat, Incline Press, Pullups

Front Squat
175 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 2

Incline Press
135 x 5
185 x 1
205 x 1 - Tied PR
215 - Failed
210 - Failed

Pullup Pyramid:
4x: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total)

Two-on-Two full court basketball, 20 minutes

Snatch, Press, Power Cleans, Abs

Snatch:
135lbs, 10 singles (got it 8 times, missed it twice)

Press (strict overhead):
135 x 4
135 x 4
135 x 2
125 x 5

Power Clean:
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1

Laces to Bar: 3 x 10
Ab Ripper X

Post-workout nutrition:
35g whey protein
25g L-Glutamine
10g Glycine

Power Clean, Bench Press, Incline Press

Power Clean
185 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1
205 - Failed
185 x 1
185 x 1

Bench Press
135 x 5
225 x 1
235 x 1 - Tied PR
240- Failed

Incline Press
175 x 3
195 x 1
215 - Failed (too big of a jump)
205 x 1

Knees to elbows: 3 sets of 10

Sprints: 7x

Overhead Squat, Bench Press, Front Squat

Overhead Squat
3 x 95
3 x 135
9 x 160 - Bodyweight, BIG PR for me! (previous PR 6 bodyweight OHS)
5 x 160
5 x 160

One of my three goals for 2010 is 15 Overhead Squats at my bodyweight. Previous to today, my PR was 6 reps. Today I got 9!! Really exciting to continue to see progress in my lifts. I love this stuff!

Bench Press
135 x 5
205 x 3
215 x 3
225 x 2

Front Squat
165 x 3
165 x 3
185 x 3
165 x 3
165 x 3

Laces to Bar: 3x10

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch - Spent time with just 135lbs today, paying close attention to the "feel" of each one
Did 135lbs 12 times this morning. Got it 8 times, missed it 4 times.

Clean & Jerk:
135 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
175 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1

Pullup Pyramid:
2x: 1x2x3x4

Sprints:
7x: Down the basketball court and back

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
140 - Failed
140 - Failed
140 x 1
145 x 1
150 - Failed
150 x 1
155 x 1 - Tied PR!
160 - Failed four times

Things to remember on the snatch:

(1) Approach the bar calm and relaxed. As Gattone says, "Like a ninja". Need to harness that energy into the explosiveness of the movement.
(2) PUNCH that bar when I've pulled myself under for the 3rd pull. Felt great tying my PR today at 155lbs. Really wanted 160lbs...will keep working towards that!

Clean & Jerk
160 x 1
160 x 1
160 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1 Pressed it out on top
185 x 1

Laces to bar: 3 sets of 10 reps

Bench Press and "5-4-3-2-1" Metcon

Bench Press
185 x 3
195 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 2
225 x 1

"5-4-3-2-1" Metcon
5:00 rowing - 83 calories total
4:00 24" box jumps - 57 total
3:00 75lb snatch - 14 total
2:00 20lb wall balls - 15 total
1:00 handstand pushups - 10 total
Total Reps: 179

Felt really good doing a good-old-fashioned CF metcon today. This is the one that Garth/Tom/Pete/Matt/Stacy/Brit all did at the CF Sectionals in MO last weekend.

Back Squat, Deadlift, Push Press

Back Squat
135 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 3
225 x 3

Continuing to go up in weight on the back squats. Last week with Tom I did 215 x 3. With Tom's encouragement to go heavier (and Pat's line of "It is like running...you can run an 8 min mile all day long, but you will never run a 5 min mile without going faster), I decided to up the weight and just go for it. And 225lb felt great! I know that for next time I can do 225, and even add weight, to continue challenging myself.

Deadlift
225 x 3
295 x 2
295 x 2
305 x 2

Again Tom's encouragement on this one. Last time I did deadlifts at 295, Tom said "Tell me you at least used 300lbs". That motivated me today to bump it to 305 x 2.

Push Press
135 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 4
165 x 5

Laces to bar: 3 sets of 10 reps

20 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill (6% incline, 3.8mph pace)

Clean & Jerk, Snatch, Incline Bench Press, Pullups, Sprints

Clean & Jerk
135 x 2
185 x 1 - pressed out on top
195 x 1 - pressed out on top
195 x 1 - slight press out on top
195 x 1 - slight press out on top
195 x 1 - NO press

Snatch
95 x 2 - hanging power snatch to warm up
135 x 1
135 x 1 - stepped forward
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1 - stepped forward

Got all six snatches at 135lbs without a miss. Good, slightly challenging weight for me (87% of my 1RM).

Incline Bench Press
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 4
185 x 3

Pullup Pyramid:
4x: 1x2x3x4 (4o pullups total)

7 minutes of sprinting

Back Squat and Push Press

Back Squat
135 x 5
185 x 3
205 x 3
210 x 3
215 x 3

I've been doing back squats at 185 or 195lbs for three, so I was really happy with this progress of doing my sets at 205, 210, and 215. It was the encouragement of Tom Mohr this morning (my first time training with Tom in almost 2 months!) that had me increase the weights. Thanks, Tom!

Push Press
155 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 5

Lighter volume today, in that I just did two exercises. I feel like I tweaked a little something in my shoulder, and didn't want to push it too hard. Back at it on Monday!

Snatch, Push Jerk, Bench Press

Snatch:
125 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1

Took Pat's advice from yesterday and stuck with a weight that is a challenge, but not a huge struggle to hit. 135lbs is 87% of my 1RM, and I hit it for 8 straight singles this morning! Often I'll both hit and miss 135, so it felt like a big accomplishment this morning to hit 8 in a row without a single miss. As Pat told me to do, I focused more on the feel of each movement. Some felt really smooth and strong, some felt like more of a challenge. Interesting doing these all at the same weight, so I had a consistent baseline of weight to compare each rep to.

Push Jerk
155 x 1
175 x 1
195 x 1
205 x 1 - PR

Okay: So my 1RM squat clean is 210lbs. I was able to push jerk 205lbs this morning without a press on the top. But my 1RM on the full clean and jerk is 198lbs. There is no reason that I shouldn't be able to hit 205lbs for the full clean and jerk (combining my squat clean and push jerk abilities). That will be my goal this coming Monday morning; to add 7lbs to my 1RM on the clean & jerk.

Bench Press
135 x 5
185 x 5
195 x 5
200 x 4
200 x 3

6 minutes of planks (2x: 1m front, 1m left side, 1m right side)

I am still being religious about my supplements/rest/nutrition that Tony Bruno prescribed for me during my BioSignature evaluation back on 2/4. After two weeks I feel like I am making a lot of strength gains. I can't tell yet if I've lost umbilical fat (my primary goal of going to Tony Bruno) but so far I feel great. My plan is to continue with the clean nutrition, the supplements, the rest and the workouts, be patient, and hope that after 6 weeks of following this I'll see a difference when I look at myself in the mirror.

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
125 x 1
135 x 1
140 - Failed
140 x 1
145 x 1
150 - Failed
150 - Failed
150 - Failed
150 x 1
155 - Failed
155 - Failed

Took Pat and Tom's advice and just made 5lb jumps. This was good advice from them, I liked these smaller jumps, and not 'allowing' myself to go up until I hit the lower weight. Got 150lbs today (155 is my PR). Will snatch again tomorrow and see if I can get 155, and maybe even 160. Still not "punching" that bar aggressively enough - getting under it just fine, just not standing up with it.

Clean & Jerk
165 x 1
165 x 1
185 x 1 - Slight press at the top
185 x 1 - No press

Pullups: 10-10-8-6

Assorted ab exercises

Back Squat and Press

Back Squat
135 x 5
185 x 2
205 x 1
225 x 1
245 x 1 - New PR! (old PR 242lbs)
255 x 1 - New PR!

Press
135 x 1
155 x 1
165 x 1 (Tied PR)
170 - Failed

Snatch Technique @ 75lbs

24lb kettlebell windmills:
5 left, 5 right
10 left, 10 right

25 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 1
145 x 1
160lbs - Failed 12 times

My PR on the snatch is 155lbs (set last week). I REALLY wanted to hit 160lbs today, which is my bodyweight. I was close a number of times today, once even holding the bar steady overhead in a full squat snatch, but didn't stand it up. I could feel what I was doing wrong...I just wasn't aggressive enough in that third pull, and wasn't completing the second pull. I was so close to getting 160 today. I probably should have stopped after a few attempts and not gone for it 12 times, but I REALLY wanted it! I'm confident I will hit 160lbs next week.

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
185 x 1 - no press
185 x 1 - no press
205 - pressed it out
210 - got the squat clean, couldn't jerk it

Pullup Pyramid
4x: 1x2x3x4

Played catch for 15 minutes with the 20lb Dynamex ball

Incline Press, Kettlebells, Front Squats

Light day today:

Incline Press
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5
175 x 5
175 x 4

Windmill, 24lb kettlebell
4x: 5 left, 5 right

Kettlebell snatch, 53lb kettlebell
2x: 10 left, 10 right

Front Squats
135 x 5 x 5

Ab Ripper X

Post-workout:
36g whey protein
10g Glycine
15g L-Glutamine
1.5g Vitamin C
2/3 sweet potato
5g EPA/DHA fish oil

Overhead Squats, Deadlift, Press

Overhead Squats
135 x 5
160 x 5 (bodyweight)
160 x 5 (bodyweight)
160 x 5 (bodyweight)

Deadlift
275 x 3
295 x 3
295 x 3

Press
115 x 2
135 x 2
140 x 2
145 x 2
150 x 2
155 x 2 (PR - previous PR was 154lbs)
165 x 1 (PR) - 5lbs over current bodyweight

Felt really strong this morning. I was able to do three sets of five reps at bodyweight on Overhead Squats. Deadlifts I've never been very strong at - my PR is 341lbs, so two out of three of my three sets were at 86% of my 1RM.

After all of those OH squats and Deadlift, I felt really strong on the press and kept adding weight. I PR'd by 1lb at 155lbs when I got 2 at that weight (previously only got 1 at 154lbs). Even though I had already done 6 sets, I went for a 7th one and added 11lbs to my previous PR, and got it! Felt great.

Immediately post-workout:
36g whey protein
10g Glycine
15g L-Glutamine
1.5g Vitamin C
2/3 sweet potato

90 minutes post-workout:
4 eggs
5g EPA/DHA fish oil (18g will be total for the day)

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
Missed 3 at 135lbs
Got 3 in a row at 135lbs

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
185 x 1 x 4 - No press on any of them

Pullup Pyramid:
4x: 1x2x3x4

Planks
2x: 1m front, 1m left, 1m right

Post-workout:
36g whey protein
15g L-Glutamine
5g Glycine
1.5g Vitamin C
3.8g EPA/DHA fish oil

Overhead Squats, Front Squats, Clean Pulls

Overhead Squats
135 x 3
160 x 6 (Six bodyweight overhead squats, a new PR!)
160 x 5 (Bodyweight)

Front Squats
135 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3

Clean Pulls
135 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5
185 x 5

Post workout meal (while still sweating): 50g whey protein, 7g L-Glutamine, 5g Glycine, 2.5g fish oil, 1 Digest Force 2.0, 1.5g Vitamin C.

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch
135 x 3 x F (Failed three times at 135lbs)
135 x 1 x 4 (Got four singles in a row at 135lbs)
145 x 1 - Tied PR
155 x 3 x F (Failed three times at 155lbs)
155 x 1 - NEW PR! (70kg)

On 1/21 I set a PR at 145lbs on the snatch. Today, with Garth's cues, I got 155lbs, a new PR by 10lbs! Very exciting. My 175lb snatch goal for 2010 is definitely within reach. I'm loving this OLY lifting!

Clean & Jerk
155 x 1
185 x 1 x 4 (Four singles at 185lbs). All four had a slight press on the top.

Power Clean, Bench Press

Same workout as December 29:

Power Clean: Work up to a 1 rep maximum
185 x 1
195 x 2 x F - Failed at 195lbs twice
185 x 1
185 x 1
195 x 1 (last time I only got 190lbs. 5lb improvement)
205 - F
205 - F

Bench Press: Work up to 1 rep maximum
205 x 1
225 x 1 - PR
235 x 1 - PR (last time I only got 215lbs. 20lb improvement)
245 - Failed

Powerclean to bench press ratio: .83

Ab Ripper X

Back Squat, Deadlift, Push Press

Back Squat
185 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3

Getting stronger on the back squat. Started a few weeks ago doing 185 x 3 x 5. Last Friday I did 195 x 3 x 5. Today I did 205 x 3 x 5, and still think I can go higher. Next week for back squat I'll do 215 x 3 x 5.

Deadlift
295 x 2
305 x 2
305 x 2

Push Press
155 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
170 x 5
170 x 4

30 minutes of 6% incline walking on the treadmill, 4mph speed.

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk
135 x 2
155 x 1
185 x 1 - slight press
195 x 1 - slight press
210 - Got the clean, failed on the jerk. PR for me on the squat clean, that part felt great.

Snatch
135 x 1 x 4 x F - Failed four times in a row!
135 x 1 x 5: Got aggressive and got five in a row at 135lbs unbroken

Four rounds of pullup pyramid: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total)

Planks, 2x: 1m front, 1m left, 1m right

Snatch Balance, Back Squat, Press

Snatch Balance
115 x 2
115 x 3
135 x 3
135 x 3
135 x 3

Back Squat
185 x 3
195 x 3
195 x 3
195 x 3
195 x 3

Press
95 x 5
105 x 5
110 x 5
110 x 5
125 x 3

3 sets of 10 reps of laces to bar

Great workout today. Felt really strong on everything. Phil gave me a great cue that I forgot from Gattone's about foot position on the snatch balances. I was starting them with my feet too wide, and thus not doing the foot transition. When I changed my foot position to a jumping stance to start, the 135lbs felt a lot lighter. I'll go heavier next time for sure.

Last time on back squats I did 5 sets of 3 at 185lbs. Today I did it at 195lbs, and it didn't feel too heavy. Next time I'll bump it to 205lbs for my 5 sets of 3.

Today is Day 3 of my "Beef and Water Experiment". Feeling great so far, 2 perfect days of just 2lbs of grass fed ground beef, water, and nothing else. Energy level is as high as ever. Went to bed at 7:30 last night, getting a solid 9 hrs of sleep.

Thursday Garth, Zach and I go to get tested using Poliquin's Biosignature method. Will be interesting to see what advice they give to each of us.

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk
135 x 2
185 x 1 - slight press
185 x 1 - no press*
185 x 1 - no press*
185 x 1 - no press*
185 x 1 - press

Snatch
135 x 1 x 5*

*Big breakthrough day today for me. Today was the first time I got three straight clean & jerks at 185lbs without a press at the top. I also snatched 135lbs for a single five times straight without a single miss. And both the c&j and snatch didn't feel as heavy as it has in the past. I think I'm learning the movements better (ie becoming more efficient at them), getting more confidence, building strength, and teaching my body to fire more fibers during the lift. I love this OLY lifting!!

Four rounds of pullup pyramid: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total in about 5 minutes)

30 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill (3.8mph, 6% incline)

Today is Day 2 of my 30 day "Beef and Water Experiment". Yesterday was no problem at all!

Wednesday Fun Day

Bench Press:
185 x 3
195 x 3
205 x 3
215 x 2
215 x 2

Team Competition: Metabolic Circuit
400m run
80 deadlifts - 185lbs
80 box jumps - 24"
80 push press - 105lbs
400m run

James/Adam: 16:00
Dave/Joel: 18:30

Today is Day 1 of my 30 Day Meat and Water Experiment. My plan is to eat only 2lbs of grassfed beef per day for the next 30 days.

Here is my 30 day plan:

• 2lbs of 80/20 grass fed ground beef everyday and nothing else
• No coffee (Avoiding caffeine to get cortisol and insulin as low as possible)
• 4 strength-training workouts per week: Short (45 min) and Heavy
• 1 metcon per week (10 minutes or less)
• 7.5hrs+ of sleep per night
• Minimize stress as much as possible
• 5g EPA/DHA fish oil per day
• 30 minutes of 6% incline walking on the treadmill at 3.8mph, 2-3x per week

Push Press, Front Squat, Deadlift

Push Press
155 x 5
160 x 5
165 x 5
170 x 5
175 x 4

Front Squat
135 x 3
165 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3
175 x 3

Deadlift
225 x 5
255 x 5
275 x 5

Joel, Adam, Phil and I played catch (about 15ft apart from each other) with the 20lb Dynamex ball. If anyone dropped the ball, we all did 5 pushups (ended up doing about 30 pushups). Primal Blueprint Rule #6: PLAY.

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch:
125 x 2
135 x 1
135 x 2
135 x 1
135 - Failed (rushed the 3rd pull, lost it forward)
135 x 1

Clean & Jerk:
155 x 1
185 x 1 - slight press
185 x 1 - blatant press
185 x 1 - no press at all
185 x 1 - slight press (same as 1st one)

Pullup Pyramid:
4x: 1x2x3x4 (40 pullups total)

3 sets of 10 reps of laces to bar (like knees to elbows, but instead brought front of foot, aka 'laces', to the bar).

Overhead Squats, Front Squats, Clean Pulls

Overhead Squat
135 x 3
165 x 3
165 x 3
165 x 2 (dropped the bar forward coming up, wasn't tight enough)

Front Squat
165 x 3 x 5 (Five sets of three reps at 165lbs)

Clean Pulls
185 x 3 x 5 (Five sets of three reps at 185lbs)

Knees to Elbows with TOMMY MOHR!
3x: 10 K2E

Played "catch" with the 20lb Dynamex Wall Ball with Joel Santos (standing about 15ft apart, played catch with the ball). Lots of fun, good core exercise. Next Wednesday if 6 guys show up we'll play a fun game of Hoover Ball on Wednesday Fun Day.

Snatch, Clean & Jerk, Pullups

Snatch
125 x 1
135 - Failed (lost it forward)
135 - Failed (lost it forward)
135 x 1
145 - Failed (bar didn't travel high enough to get under)
145 - Failed (bar didn't travel high enough to get under)
145 x 1 - PR! Remembered Coach Zach's cue to be AGGRESSIVE and got it in a full squat

Clean & Jerk
135 x 1
155 x 1
185 x 1 (pressed it out on top, just not aggressive enough in the jerk)
185 - Failed (My elbow touched my knee. This was a first for me; I was clearly fatigued and didn't get my elbows through fast and high enough)
135 x 3

Pullups:
4 pyramids of 1x2x3x4: Pat's advice of four pyramids worked! Did 40 pullups in the same amount of time that I was doing 30-32 before.

30" Box Jump Pyramid: 1x2x3x4x5x6x7x8x9x10

Wednesday Fun Day

Push Jerk
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3

Kettlebell Swings
3x: 20 swings, crossfit style 53lb kb

Kettlebell Snatch
2x: 10L, 10R 53lb kb

Snatch Practice
3 x 3 @ 75lbs

Continued to practice Pat's advice of doing power snatches, catching the weight, then riding it down into a full OH squat

Ab Ripper X

Front Squat, Push Press, Ring Dips

A lot of volume today.

Front Squat
135 x 3
155 x 3
185 x 3
185 x 3
185 x 3

Push Press
135 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 4

Ring Dip Pyramids:
Took Pat's advice here and did 4 sets of 1x2x3x4 pyramids.
40 ring dips total. Great advice, as I got in many more reps than had I just gone for four sets of max reps on ring dips. I'll be doing this from now on with pull-ups, too.

Knees to Elbows: 3 sets of 10 reps

Snatch work: 3x5 @ 75lbs: 5 sets of 3 reps using 75lbs. Again, took Pat's advice here and worked on completing that 2nd pull, then riding it down into an OHS. Pat was right, I'm rushing into that 3rd pull, which is why I'm losing them forward. Great advice, and a drill I can continue to use.

Clean & Jerk, Snatch, Pullups & Tabata Pushups/Situps

Clean & Jerk
185 x 1 - Pressed it out
185 x 1 - Pressed it out
185 x 1 - No press, much more aggressive on the jerk
135 x 3

Snatch
115 x 2
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 - Failed
135 - Failed

Deadhang Pullups
13
9
7

Tabata Pushups & Situps
Dave Eagle: 85 pushups + 77 situps = 162 (159 on 12/29)
Adam Oldenburg: 66 pushups + 74 situps = 140 (103 on 12/29)
Andy Heikes: 56 pushups + 86 situps = 142 total (first time)
Joel Santos: 20 pushups + 59 situps = 79 total (first time)

Snatch Balance, Back Squat, Snatch Pull

Snatch Balance
125 x 3
135 x 2
135 x 2
135 x 3

Back Squat
185 x 3 x 5 (five sets of three reps at 185lbs)

Snatch Pulls & Full Snatches
75lbs - Focused on the double knee bend and aggressive shrug

Knees to elbows: 3 sets of 10

Last night Pat, Phil, Brian, Kiko, Garth and I spent 2 full hours training with Mike Gattone at WCS Gattone Sports Performance in Buffalo Grove. To get an idea of how fortunate we were to train there, here is a short bio/history on Mike Gattone:

• President/Assistant Coach of Windy City Weightlifting Club
• President of WCS/Gattone Sports Performance
• Manager of Coaching of the US Olympic Committee
• Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Chicago Bulls
• Competition Manager for the 2009 Pan American Weightlifting Championships
• Three National Weightlifting Championships
• 2 Junior National Weightlifting Championships
• 1992 Olympic Trials Manager
• Personal Coach for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Weightlifting GOLD medalist, Tara Nott
• Board of Directors for USA Weightlifting
• Current member of USAW Coaches Committee
• Assistant Women's Coach for the 2008 Junior World Weightlifting Championship USA Team
• Senior International Level Coach with USA Weightlifting
• Coached Dave, Pat, Brian, Kiko, Phil & Garth for 2hrs on January 15, 2010

Obviously the last bullet is to drive home the fact that this INCREDIBLE coach with an INCREDIBLE resume and history in US Weightlifting coached US! On the side, Pat was receiving coaching from Roger Nielsen: An incredible resume as well, including Head Coach of the Men's Olympic Weightlifting Team for Barcelona in 1992 and Beijing in 2008.

The fact that we have this caliber of coaches in BUFFALO GROVE, IL is just incredible.

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk:
185 x 1
185 x 1
185 x 1
195 - Failed
195 - Failed

Lack the leg strength to get out of the hole on the cleans at 195. I'm able to shoot my elbows through and get under the bar, but I can't stand up out of the hole with 195.

Snatch:
135 x 1
135 - Failed: Pat talks about liking the OLY lifts for many reasons: strength, power, speed, accuracy, agility, coordination, balance and FOCUS (what Pat calls "Real Mental Toughness"). I wasn't focused, and I dropped it. Simple as that. So I got focused and went for it again:
135 x 1
135 x 1
135 x 1

Got all three after getting my head focused. Plus Tom and Garth were watching me, so I couldn't mess it up!

Dead hang pullups:
14
9
6

Ab Ripper X

Wednesday Fun Day

Incline Press
185 x 3
185 x 3
185 x 2
185 x 3

Team Competition: One person working while the other two are resting, complete, as a team:
100 pullups
100 pushups
100 situps
100 squats

Team 1 -- 14:48
Adam
Andy
Dave G

Team 2 -- 15:01
Dave E
Phil
Joel

We then did the old 7 minute ab routine.

Front Squat, Deadlift, Push Press

Front Squats:
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3

Deadlift:
235 x 3
255 x 3
275 x 3
295 x 3
305 x 2

Push Press:
135 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
165 x 4
155 x 5

Took the guys through "Ab Ripper X" (P90X ab routine)

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Today we welcome our 8th and newest member to the crew, Joel Santos! Welcome, Joel.

Snatch:
Got 135 for four and 140 for four in the last two weeks, so moved onto 145lbs today. Failed on all four. Will take it back down and keep drilling technique. Looking forward to learning more at Gattone's place on Thursday night.

Clean & Jerk:
185 x 1 (press at the top)
185 x 1 (very slight press with left arm)
185 x 1 -- No press, aggressively got under it

Tabata deadlifts and burpees:

Dave Eagle: 185lbs, 101 total reps
Adam: 135lbs, about the same # of reps as Eagle
Dave G: 135lbs, 99 reps
Andy: 135lbs, 80 reps
Joel: 75lbs, 82 reps

Tomorrow's workout: Front Squat, Clean Deadlift, Snatch Push Press

Snatch and Clean & Jerk

Snatch:
135 - Failed - wasn't aggressive enough and dropped it in the hole
135
135
135

Clean & Jerk:
185 - pressed it at the top
185 - couldn't complete the clean, realized how drained I was from the last three days of training
155 x 3 x 1 (155 three times in a row, just practicing technique and explosiveness)

Dead Hang Pullups: 3x max reps
14
10
8

Knees to elbows, three sets of 10 reps

Wednesday Fun Day

Max height box jumps: Worked up to 40"-42" (didn't have a tape measure)
Kettlebell swing/burpee instruction

Team Competition - Everyone runs together; then only one person can be performing the exercise at a time.

Team 1: Dave Eagle/Phil/Adam
120m run
60 53lb kettlebell swings
120m run
60 pullups
120m run
60 30" box jumps
120m run
60 burpees

Team 2: Dave Glefke/Brian/Andy Heikes/Cory
120m run
60 burpees
120m run
60 30" box jumps
120m run
60 pullups
120m run
60 53lb kettlebell swings

Team 1 beat Team 2 by 8 seconds. Workout was about 12 minutes.

Snatch Grip Deadlift, Back Squat, Push Press

Seven people this morning, so we split it up with four people doing back squats, three people doing snatch grip deadlifts, then switched. We all did push presses at the same time (two bars).

Snatch Grip Deadlift
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 3
225 x 3
225 x 3

Back Squat
185 x 3 x 5 (Five sets of three reps at 185lbs)

Push Press
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
160 x 5
160 x 4

5 minutes of double under practice, followed by 6 minutes of planks

Clean & Jerk and Snatch

Clean & Jerk -- Work up to a heavy single, then 85% x 1 x 3
155
185
205 - Failed. Got the full squat clean (PR) but dropped it in the jerk. Wasn't aggressive enough.
175
175
175

Snatch -- Goal was to continue with Pat's advice to get four unbroken, going up 5lbs each week. Was successful at 135 x 4 at Garth's house on 1/1, so went for 140 today - was successful at this today. 140 (63kg) is a PR with perfect form. Caught all in a full squat. At the OLY meet on 12/12 I got 65kg, but that was a power snatch and I had a press in it. Today were all full squat snatches with no press.

140 x 1 x 4

Pullups: 3x max reps
20, 14, 12

2x: 1min front, 1min left, 1min right side planks

30 Muscle Ups for Time

30 muscle ups for time
6:21

First time trying this workout; I haven't been doing muscle ups in the last 4 weeks or so. I'll continue to work at this to get my time sub-5:00. Last 3-4 definitely were the hardest (and slowest).

Made "Paleo Chili" for lunch next week:

3lbs grass fed ground beef
8 tablespoons of bacon grease
2 yellow peppers
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
3 jalepeno peppers
1 tablespoon of oregano and basil

Made four servings. Each serving has:
1120 calories
81g fat
81g protein
12g carbs

Snatch and Heaving Snatch Balances

Garth's garage, 8:30am New Year's Day - Bar was COLD in his garage!

I followed Pat's advice and had a goal of four snatches at the same weight without a miss. Garth has 135lbs in his garage gym, so that's what we used.

135x1
135x1
135x1
135 - Failed. Wasn't aggressive at all - can definitely tell the difference when I approach the bar aggressively and pretend there is 200lbs on there (a la Coach Zach's cues, thanks Zach) vs when I just walk up to the bar and try to snatch it. Need to remember to be AGGRESSIVE every time, no matter what the weight.

Started over on the snatches:

135x1
135x1
135x1
135x1

Great advice from Pat going for four without a miss. Next week I can bump it to 140 and go for four unbroken. If I can do that successfully, I can move to 145, then 150, and so on.

Heaving Snatch Balances
135x5
135x5
135x5

We then spent 10 minutes or so on muscle ups, where Garth got his FIRST MUSCLE UP! Really cool to be there to see it, it was like watching your baby walk for the first time.

Our post-workout meal was Omelet Muffins, one of my favorite easy-to-make post-workout meals. All you do is combine 5 eggs, 3 slices of cooked bacon chopped up, and 1/4 cup of cheese (optional). I greased some muffin tins with a tablespoon of butter, and cooked in the oven at 365 degrees for 20 minutes. With these quantities, you get:

58g fat

48g protein

6g carbs

A perfect high fat, moderate protein, SUPER low carb post-workout meal.