225 x 4 misses ( a pr! lol) , wt pushups , laterals and rear delts

 I'm actually surprised I came this close and got four attempts in. I was just beat today. Yesterdays ruck was slow and sloggy and it just felt like my cns was toast. Just not able to generate much oomph, but given that the attempts weren't all that bad and I could have made one with just a little adjustment

Just felt disconnected today and although the indexing I used was right my reaction times were slow and small leaks cost me the weight

warmups felt meh but that's not unusual

135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 1 ( moved fast but shoulders have not loosened yet)
195 x 1 decent
205 x 1 ( fell back as I started to press- rushing)

215 was decent, bar DIDN'T drop which help me a lot. IF I had used this technique with 225 I would have made it

225 x miss #1

Second miss was shit. I deleted it. I stopped there as I was just feeling tired
Down to 205 and that was hard and slow.soft knees, losing balance back etc

But then I did this set ( above) and stopped indexing so slowly and it moved great. SO I thought, put two plates back on and try again. Which I did and rushed it so I missed but then I did this rep which was decent

Did one more 205 downset and called it a day. I made it but it was slow and hard.

wt pushups
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3

laterals 3 x 10 20

rear laterals 3 x 10 20

BW 173.6
BF 14.4

Slow ruck

 

Hard ass effort today. For no specific reason but gassing nonetheless. Slept ok, not great but nothing that would lead me to believe everything would be so tired today. So be it, it got done

45 lb ruck

11 laps ( I think, lost track)

12,380 steps ( so maybe 12? )

2:05 for all the laps

Lots of rest stops and even resting pack on bench while resting. Nothing specific "dead" just tired

BW 173.4
BF 14.1

44 kg One arm swings, 16 x 5/5, 40 kg goblet squat x 5 ( pr), pullaparts

 This went great although it's still cold as shit in the garage. 37 this morning. Prep went well though and I was warm after my super hot bath and wearing all XOSKIN underlayers. Warmed up fast

LumboPelvic rhythm  technique is working very well and feels very natural and correct. Bell height seems much better as is power and acceleration

one arms

16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 5/5 x 16 sets
15,520 lbs work

40 kg goblet squat
24 x 5
32 x 5
40 x 5 PR

These went well. warmed up with the touch and go style and then switched to these for the heavy set felt decent

red band pullaparts
3 x 30 three angles

BW 173.8
BF 12.7 ( bath)

Four lap ruck

 The new normal. for now

Four laps with 45 lbs in 40 min start to finish. Not bad but so rushed it's not much fun.

45 lbs

4 laps

ave speed 3.5 mph

BW 174
BF 13.7

175 lb press 12 sets of 2 dead stop, 24 kg swings, floor pushups

 Man these went perfectly! Purposely went extra light to work on those few details( bar placement under X, upward bar pressure after lift off and bar path at drive) and they all few right into place!

For the first time forever I felt IN BALANCE holding the bar before pressing. Not falling backward not feeling rushed, etc.

Really let me 'coil the spring' before pressing. AND when I applied enough upward force with my elbows up I  didn't have to think much about knee lock. They  just stayed really tight.

175 x 2 x 12 sets

If I can do this same setup with 225 it will go every single time

"IF"

24 kg swings

5 x 8/8 using lumbo pelvic rhythm technique

Floor pushup
2 x 47
1 x 40

BW 175.00 PERFECT
BF 13.5

225 lb( two plate) x 1, 210 x 1 x 4, side laterals, rear delts

 Set it up and knocked it down! Two plates again, almost a year to the week that I did it last time ( March 8 . I did 225 lb( but not two plates) eight months ago ( June 21 2021)  SO this is a very  good sign

It didn't hurt that my bodyweight was up : 174.8 ( the highest it's been since we got Walker) but still not near the 177.4 I was in March last year and June as well.
So this is a bodyweight PR for as well, lol

Left biceps tendon was wonky all weekend til I finally really worked it out this morning but I had concerns with it going in, as well as everything else

Cat woke me up four times, fight with the kid, not the best mental state but sometimes that's when things go well. Almost a resignation to what's going to happen and not stress so much trying to MAKE it happen

Either way it went well.

Added the upward pressure on the bar that I wanted to this time and it really worked well. Also have to keep the eye on the X the whole time. Let it off for a second and the bar drifts forward

Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 1 fast
195 x 1 out in front. lost X
205 x 1 fast

215 x 1 this went really good

225 on first attempt!

210 x 1 x 4 sets ( missed 4th out in front, lost X) sets 2 and 4

wt pushups
BW x 10
53 x 1 x 3

Side raises
3 x 10  20

Bent laterals
3 x 10 20

BW 174.8!
BF 13.4

Sunday Ruck

 

Tough one today, slow and sloggy. Tracy brought Walker out for his first foray  on the ruck path on the leash, and while it was great to  do and see, it definitely messed up my rhythm and gait. No biggie but it made a sloggy ruck even sloggier

Mostly just overall fatigue from Saturday's high volume swings which were great but really fatiguing.

Ended up just doing eleven laps in two hours ( way too much stopping, meeting other dogs etc)

45 lb ruck

11 laps

1:55

lots of rest stops

12,000 something steps

ave speed 3.1 mph

BW 174.4!!
BF 13.9 !

40 kg One arm swings 20 x 5/5, goblet squat to 44 kg x 3, red band pullaparts

 This went great. Utilized my old lumbar pelvic rhythm technique and it worked so well. Lean to initiate, then hips back then the 'baboom" of old! So much more efficient and I think much better on my grip as well

What I've been doing is breaking at the knee first and then pushing back and down into an athletic hinge technique and locking the knees out most instead of a hip extension focus.That made me more up and down and, I think, was much tougher on the grip.

This "swings" better, for lack of a better phrase.

Finally back to 20 sets here too which has been many moons ago ( too lazy to look it up now but it's been awhile)

No problem either and we were going fast, about 90 sec/sets the whole time. With no problem. The last four sets were tough to remain focused but we did

here's sets 7 and 19

Going back to 5/5 is much better too. Much better power output, height and bell speed. It was a worthy experiment but this style definitely  wins

Goblet squat
24 kg x 4
32 kg x 3
40 kg x 2
44 kg x 3

these felt great and the depth is ok too. Triples seem to be the sweet spot in this lift if I'm going to try to get as deep as I can and pause, too

Red band pullaparts
3 x 30

BW 173.8
BF 11.4
W 59.4

faster than expected ruck

 

Four laps again this week but decently fast for a change. Felt solid from the start and did the four laps in 35 minutes not bad

45 lb ruck

6049 steps

4 laps

2.3 miles

35 min

ave speed 3.6 mph

BW 173.6
BF 14.1

175 x 3 x 4sets, 185 x 2 x 4 sets, 195 x 1,24 kg swings, floor pushups

 I'm never sore on Wednesday til I get under the bar and try to warmup.Then I'm sore,lol. Mainly front delts ( which is not surprising given the new grip) but man it would be nice to go into a press workout, any  press workout, not sore and or tired

Of course I could choose to make that happen anytime so it's my fault but I have a feeling it would be nice

But it wasn't today  and still things moved well. After I warmed up. :)

Pretty much got everything right in terms of the cues, and indexing the cues EXCEPT keeping enough upward arm pressure into the bar before I start the press. Which explains a lot of the non accelerating reps until the last set of 185 x 2 and the last 195 where I did use that technique and the difference is obvious

THE CUES
1) SPOT X

2) Elbows UP

3) Unrack and HARD LOCK KNEES

4) Re SPOT THE X

5) PUSH UP ON THE BAR

6) DRIVE

Press

175 x 3 dead stop singles x 4 sets

185 x 2 dead stop singles x 4 sets

195 x 1

24 kg speed swings 5 x 8/8

floor pushups

2 x 45

BW 174.6
BF 14.0

205, 215 x 1 225 x 2 attempts, 210 x 1 x 5 , wt pushups,laterals,rear delts

 This went really well despite basically being exhausted. Seriously poor interupted sleep again last night and the CNS loads of sat and sunday AND the stress of client emergencies I was flat as a board. 

And it still almost went! AND with the first time using this low bar, wrapped thumb technique. Just need to iron out the timing better and it will go everytime,just like 215 does. Even if it's not perfect

That is the goal

Warmups went well

press
65 85 105 x 3

135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 1 felt heavy!
195 x 1 better
205 x 1 ( forward, elbows weren't in front of bar enough at press time;luckily saw this on video
Then went onto 215 which flew so fast it caught be off guard and I was too loose. But lockout was decent

then onto first attempt 225 which was decent but soft knee! again? really? then this second attempt which if I had not collapsed a but at mid point would have gone

then back down to 210 ( because I'm tired of just doing 205 :)  ) it was ok but not perfect.  getting tired here too. the last two I had the sequence down much better

These are CRUCIAL TIMING CUES

1) ELBOWS IN FRONT at lift off

2) after liftoff HARD LOCK of KNEES. 
3)  SPOT THE "X"  . Missile  lock on the X

Wt pushups
BW x 10
53 lbs x 10 x 3

Db side raises 3 x 10 w 20s
DB bent laterals 3 x 10 with 20's

BW 173.6
BF 13.7

Full ruck

 

Not as strong as last weeks but then again I missed Thursdays ruck and that didn't help. Also up too many times last night with weirdness and client stuff.

But overall went out slow and finished fast and was overall strong

45 lb ruck

12 laps

13,280 steps

1:53 min for the  12

Already starting to not be freezing. Not looking forward to heat again but it's comin' so time to get in heat shape again

BW 172.4
BF 13.7

60 and 68 kg one arm swings, 40 kg goblet squats, pullapart

 Really good one. Beyond expectations.

Switching back to 5/5 was definitely the right thing to do. Much easier, and strong, both physically and psychologically. Changed the groove a little too, going back to lumbar pelvic rhythm style ( lean forward to initiate hinge then knee flexion. Worked really well. Have to remember remember that sitting back and trying to hinge never works for me.

I also think using that classic hinge style last time made the grip much harder too. Grip was strong today

Did 7 sets with the 60 and it was hard. strong but hard on every  level and I could feel my CNS too get seriously revved

I was ready  to go to the 68 as for some reason it refreshes me when I switch  eve though it's much heavier. But after two sets I contemplated not doing a third but just re focused and went for it. Botched the transfer but the reps were ok

Then onto goblets with

24 kg for 5

32 kg for 5 then 

40 kg x 3

then pullaparts
3 x 30 three angles

BW 173.4
BF 11.7 bath
W 58.9

Had to miss thursday ruck so we'll see how tomorrow goes. Definitely  looking forwards to it

Wrapped thumbs workout 175,185, 190 and 195, 24 kg swings, floor pushups

 And just like that, out of the blue, out of my weird ass subconcious, might have come the most important piece of the puzzle: FROM FALSE GRIP TO WRAPPED THUMB.

And, just like that, it seems like the start position, bar path and lockout issue got solved all at once

Of course I've thought this before, many  times before. TOO many  times before and today is light day and not two plates but man this feels so right. So COMPLETE.

I started with false grip but immediately  it didn't feel good; my sternum was sore from monday and even though I was focused on driving the bar back, even with 65 and 75 lbs the groove didn't feel "right"

SO I wrapped the thumb and immediately  the bar went just where I wanted it to go and easily.

I went up to 135 lbs and tried it with a  wrapped thumb and then a false grip and I IMMEDIATELY went back to the wrapped thumb

Wrapping the thumb involves the biceps as a shoulder flexor and false grip overloads the heel pad sensors in the hand activating triceps.

I am failing at driving the bar back at the start ( shoulders ) and lockout ( shoulders and tris) and false grip of course is driving it forwards!

BUT wrapped thumb always in the past really irritated my biceps tendon so we'll see

But man it immediately felt great and MUCH easier to lock both my knees AND the upper body right before I pressed. No balance issues holding the weight either AND it somehow took the pressure off my sternum

Perhaps the only combo I haven't tried yet : low bar rack AND wrapped thumb

The start timing was spot on too. With the wrapped thumb I have much more upwards pressure on the bar keeping my torso much tighter and more stable and the bar high off the pins. I wasn't getting enough arm tension in the rack position; almost all the weight was held on my torso and legs, I think I need tension and pressure pushing UP as well as DOWN. It felt so solid today this way

I start the press with arms and shoulder and then, lo and behold, my hips AUTOMATICALLY seemed to kick in at the sticking point

Is this a Dream? if so please don't wake me up!

135 x 1 
155 x 1
175 x 2 x 1
175 x 3 dead stop singles x 1
185 x 2 dead stops x 3 sets

 190 x 2 x 2 sets

195 x 1 x 1 set

Just freaking outstanding. this most certainly is the best press workout I've ever had,all things considered

24 kg swings 5 x 8/8

floor pushups  2 x 45

BW 173.3
BF 13.1

225 attempt, 205 x 1 x 6 downsets, wt pushups ,laterals, bent laterals

 Weird workout but very good as well.came very  close to making two plates even though I probably should not have taken it after a very shaky( technique wise) 215. But I'm done fucking around and need to confront two plates head on. At least for the next 4-6 weeks so I can claim it after I turn 65.

Just still not sure EXACTLY what the right starting position is. the low bar rack today  felt good and no  coracobrachialis overactivation like last time. But locking in the start seems to be the issue. can't be falling back at all or it goes off

Also spotting the X can't be over emphasized

135 155 175 195 x 1 strong
205 x 1( think I lost the X)

 then 215 x 1

fell back as I started and the bar went forward a bit. Not bad but not optimal at all

then decided to just put two plates on an go for it. totally missed first rep- pushed it out in front but this second attempt was almost there!

Just a wee bit more starting speed and it will go

then 205 x 1 x 6 down sets. not bad but not locked in technique wise either

wt pushups
BW x 10
53 x 10 x 3
deeper than ever easily, without trying

Laterals

3 x 10 20s

bent laterals

3 x 10 20s

BW 173.0
BF 13.3

Thursday and Sunday Ruck

 

Forgot to blog about Thursday's ruck. Nothing spectacular but the new normal: i.e, with a 45 lb ruck but only four laps because of of time constraints and dog sitting duty. But it's ok . four is better than none

Decent pace and took about 40 min or so.

Sunday

45 lbs

12 laps

1:52 min! 

7:42 last lap ( 20 sec better than last week)

Felt really good the whole time, surprisingly since my schedule was thrown off a bit from an impromptu dinner party I had to go to. Drank a bit too much wine and not enough water, but still slept well and  came awake pretty fast in the 37 deg temp this am

BW 173.6
BF 13.7

48 kg One Arm Swings 12 x 10, 32 kg goblet squat, pullaparts

 Pretty decent power output today but left wrist and grip was a bit wonky and I felt I was focused on not losing my grip the last 3-4 reps on my left arm than on producing power. Right hand and arm was solid

Goblet squat

24 kg x  5

32 kg x 5 x  3 sets

tried the non pause, no elbow to knee on the second set and wasnt as deep. went back to the classic drill technique for last set and better depth. both have their uses though . actually like the non stop version too

red band pullaparts 3 x 30

BW 173.6
Bf 12.0

W 58.7

185-205 -185 lb press work, 24 kg swings, floor pushups.

 Wanted to stress test my new visual ( incline press) so had to put some weight  on the bar. As usual DOMS hit hard right about when the workout started so going heavy again will cost me tomorrow I think.

Triceps and coracobracialis already sore from the new technique details. strange but interesting.triceps have not been working as hard in the old technique as I thought they were and would explain why I've felt they've been getting weaker and not stronger from all the press work.

So started off with Mondays incline bench technique but with high bar

135, 155, 175, then 185 x 2 x 2

then 195 x 1

then 205 x 1

then I decided to go low bar again that I did pretty last year at this time that resulted in a 225 lb two plate press! worked great. Forced my hips in front of the bar

it was a  slow rep so I decided to go back to a high rack to test it and immediately put me back too far. 
so , low bar it was

two sets of that, then 195 lb downset then 185 x 2 x 4 sets

seems like the best balance between all the styles but i've said that before eh?

24 kg swings 5 x 8/8

floor pushups

2 x 40 pecs delts and tri's tired

BW 173.4
BF 13.1