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!

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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).

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

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)

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

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

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

Front Squats and Snatch Balances

Front Squats: 5x5 (5 reps per set for 5 sets)
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 5

Snatch Balances: 3x5 (3 reps per set for 5 sets)
95 x 3
95 x 3
115 x 3
135 x 3
135 - Dropped the bar coming down on the first rep

Pullups: 3x max reps
25
15
14

500m row (Completely spent at this point, but we each went for a max effort 500m row):
Adam Oldenburg: 1:33.6 (PR)
Phil Giovanni: 1:40.3
Dave Eagle: 1:42.7
Dave Glefke: 1:46.3

1:00 front, left side and right side planks (we do these everyday)

Power Clean & Jerk and Tabata Intervals

Power Clean & Jerk:
Goal was 10x1 (10 single-rep sets at maximum effort):
135 x 3 - warmup
155 x 2 - warmup
185x1
185x1
185x1
195x1 - Failed
185x1
185x1
185x1
185x1
185x1 - Failed
Stopped at 9 sets after failing at 185 on the 9th one

Tabata Pull-Ups and 20" Box Jumps
63 pullups
84 box jumps
147 total

Deadlift and Press

Deadlifts
Work up to a 1 rep maximum (in lbs):
135 (5)
185 (5)
225 (3)
275 (1)
295 (1)
315 (1)
335 (1)

Press
115 (3)
135 (3)
135 (3)
145 (2)
135 (3)

AMRAP in 10:00 of:
5 deadhang pullups
10 pushups
15 double unders
*Completed: 5 rounds + 5 pullups + 9 pushups