155-190 x 3 full pyramid, 24 kg swings, floor pushups

 Perfect day. Every rep of ( virtually) every set was spot on- the second rep of the PR 190 x 3 set didn't touch my neck and was  a bit forward- but otherwise everything worked like a charm! Couldn't be happier with my progress

Literally just have to get stronger now. It's no longer about finding the technique, now, it's about locking in and being able to stay locked in at 215 220 and 225

Setting up in front of the bar SLOWLY was KEY, as was lifting my  elbows up too. The elbow angle will match and promote the torso angle so if they're up right, the bar will go back in it's slot.

Also a high on the neck rack position helps too. I discovered this by  accident but it's also important

Press
135 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3 ( strong!)
190 x 3 PR a little wonky, didn't breathe at all
180 x 3
170 x 3
160 x 3

24 kg swings
5 x 8/8

floor pushups
2 x 53

strong!

BW 175.0 !!
BF 13.5

210 x 1 x 4 , 215 x 1 x 4, 225, 235,245 setups, wt pushups, side, rear delts

 This should have gone better. Slept like a baby last night, best sleep in weeks or more. Body felt good but felt rushed and out of sync during the workout

Facetiming Nicks workout now and it's not going to work on Mondays. Feels too much like I'm still at work and it really  affected my  concentration. Things went ok but I definitely was not in my body enough

That said the techniques work I just have to do them better

Mainly, keep my glutes tighter as I start the press and spend more time setting up in front of the bar before I unrack

I did all these things pretty well, they just have to be better

Press
65 85 105 x 3
135 x 1
155 x 1 ( rushed this and felt left pec/front delt twinge a bit. Just not focused)
175 x 1
195 x 1 decent
205 x 1

210 x 1 x 4 sets Just 'ok' not great. glutes getting tight but not staying tight

215 x Miss- fell backward. I'm sure glutes got loose then 215 x 1 x 4

not bad but certainly not easy or that clean. BUT it's RIGHT

Also on the setup take more care to get my elbows up a bit more. Helps me set my thoracic arch

Setups
225 x 5 sec
245 x 5 sec PR
255 x 5 secs PR

these actually felt great AND specifically addressing my weakpoint: locking in and holding the hip forward position with the glutes

Wt parallel dips
bw x 10
53 x 10 x 3

laterals 3 x 10 20

rear delts
3 x 8 20s

BW 174.4
BF 13.1

48 kg One arm swings 11 x 5/5, goblet squat, pullaparts

 This went well, especially  considering I missed it last month with that tweaky elbow. Lots of little distractions  and feeling overall "crampy" from the heat and probably a bit dehydrated so I skipped the last set.

Definitely not a day to push it.Smart move

One arms
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 3/3
48 kg x 5/5 x 11

grip was solid, hips too.Everything was good just a bit distracted by Nick on facetime and glenn a bit back tweaked. Not great focus on  my part

Switched out belts to goblets. wanted to get more biceps work actually, and since I'm doing supported squat stretches on Sundays now I don't need quite so much  quad volume on this day

Depth is definitely better now
20 kg x 5
24 kg x 5
28 kg x 5
32 kg x 5

Pullaparts
3x 30

BW 173.8
BF 13.9

Thursday Ruck

 

Stupid Hot. Dead air. Got an early start ( 11 am) but still in the 90's and that dead air

Legs and lungs felt ok 

Just five laps - time constraint but strong

45 lbs

5 laps

50 min

BW 174.2
BF 13.4

155 -185-155 x 3 ladder,24 kg swings, floor pushups

 This went perfectly. Every  rep of every set was exactly how ! wanted it to be: hips in front of bar, tight glutes then drive the head to initiate the press/launch and keep the glutes to lockout!

They all went great. No worry about spotting the x and staying on the x. drive my head which further drives my hips and I'm UNDER the bar the whole way.

Went back to my adidas 1/2 heels which felt great from the get. Lower heel equals more glutes and less leg which also made it easier to keep my knees locked!

It basically comes down  to this

SET THE  HIPS

DRIVE THE HEAD

Standing Incline

135 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
175 x 3
180 x 3
185 x 3
180 x 3
175 x 3
165 x 3
155 x 3

BTW I LOVE this full pyramid approach. A very  nice combination of intensity and volume

Could not be happier with everything. The simplicity, the setup, the stability and timing. I know this is the best this can get. And now, with the head drive being the way to 'pull the trigger' all the parts are in place

24 kg swings 5 x 8/8

floor pushups
2 x 45

BW 173.4
BF13.1

205 x 1 x 4, 210 x 1 x 4 , 225/235 setups x 5 seconds. wt pushups db laterals, rear delts

 This went great! Key points got discovered and utilized

Setting up with hips in front of bar is everything. If I use my legs to stand up the knees lock and weight shifts back. Hips are no longer in front of bar and bar goes forward when pressing

Take bar off rack ( after setting up with  hips in front) with GLUTES (  we have come full circle haven't we?,lol)

Hips stay  in front of bar in support position

Initiate drive with head thrown back-alleviates the need for spotting the X specifically!

Take bar off with glutes, drive the head.

Setups were good and strong too. First time ever. Actually felt like I could press the bar from that position  which I've never felt before. Must be right

195 x 1
205 x 1 x 4
210 x 1 x 4
225 x 5 sec setup
235 x 5 sec setup

Wt pushups ( paralletes totally parallel not V angled
BW x 10
53 x 10 x 3

laterals
3 x 10 20lb
rear delts 
3 x10 20 lbs

BW 17.8
BF 12.9

Sunday Full Ruck

 

Hard one but it all got done.Nothing fast but very steady all the way through. 3 MPH pace pretty much straight through including 8 breaks for support squat stretches.

Two full stops for dog owner talks without taking the ruck off, which, in it's own way (standing there with the ruck on) makes the whole thing that much harder. Finding the rhythm again takes time and doesn't always show it's face

45 lb ruck

12 laps

8 squat stretches

13,260 steps

2 hours exactly

Hip particularly tired. I think ruck was just a bit too low

BW 174.8
BF 13.7

44 kg One Arm swings 16 x 5/5, 44 kg belt squats, pullaparts

 Changed the start of the workout from 8 am, which it's been for 22 years, to 7 am and while it was good, better actually, it was different

But it was a solid workout. It was also the last workout with my best friend of 22 years Nick as he's moving out of state tomorrow.He's been there forever it seems and it will be a bit weird without him. But Glenn and I will carry on and he's just a phone call away

But it was a weird vibe this morning

It was  strong last session for us, a good sign

One arm swings

44 kg x 5/5 x 16 sets

160 reps

15,520 lbs

fast pace too, under 1;30 per set for all of them

44 kg goblet squats
3 x 10

these are coming along

pullaparts

3 x 30

BW 173.8
BF 12.5 ( with bath )
W 58.3

Thursday Ruck

 

Solid full 6 lap ruck today. Pretty hot ( high 80s) but with a decent breeze so it wasn't bad at all. My fitness is coming back too and that always helps

All bodyparts ok , including feet. Gotta keep an eye on it. Especially the big toe. I was keeping it in extension throughout the entire gait cycle and it seems that wasn't right. It started to ache again ( the tendon of the extensor hallucis to I concentrated on flexing it as it went into extension and man that made an immediate difference. Took all tension out of it.

That continued for the full ruck so maybe I solved that probem

45 lb ruck

6 laps

53 minute( a little under 18 min miles

BW 175.0

BF 12.8

135 x3-180-3 full press pyramid, 24 kg swings,floor pushups

 This went great! Really focused on setting up with the hips in FRONT of the bar and LEAVING THEM THERE during the unracking. Worked spectacularly well

Placed the bar higher on the chest too, right under the collarbone and the elbow set up took care of itself

Then, instead of just spotting the X I initiated the press by driving my head back and it worked great! Side benefit: as soon as I threw my head back my hips re pressed forward again. Win.Win

135 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 3
170 x 3 
175 x 3
180 x 3
175 x 3
170 x 3
165 x 3
160 x 3
155 x 3 x 2

very very happy with this entire thing. Now to see if it works when it's heavy

24 kg swings 5 x 8/8

floor pushups 2 x 40

BW 175.6!!!
BF 12.7

205 x 1 x 8 press,wt pushups, side laterals, rear delts

 This went pretty  well. Not perfect but I all the weights moved well and it is 205, For 8 sets. that's ok. Saw some flaws in my setup which I can fix and which will make a difference but all in all this was good

Have to unrack the bar better. Not let my hips drift back as I unrack and try to get them back in front so much.Can't rotate my torso forward either as I unrack. Basically get into the arch position I want to press from and unrack it there. THEN push the hips even more forward. Also I think a slightly high bar position under the collarbone will help too

Also elbows up just a bit more right before my press. If the elbows are down the bar goes forward a bit.

HIPS

Elbows UP

Stay on the X

Wt pushups
BW x 10
53 x 10 x 3 hold lockouts

strong but going back to completely parallel bars not V angle. I think that's what's messing with left biceps tendon AND not training my elbows to stay in enough

this is the form I want to get back to

Laterals/rear delts
3 x 10/1  with  20s
Strong for a change

BW 174.6
BF 12.5

Hot dead air ruck

 

Oh man this was a slog.

Started off well, slept well, not hungover, hydrated but man it got hot fast and humid and zero breeze. that's what kills me the worst, dead air

Plus Walker was out playing and I never got my rhythm at all. Way too many stop and talk and watching him play. Have to fix that, it's messing up my rucks and these are crucial.

45 lb ruck

11 laps ( not sure lots of cross field walking, stop and start etc)

2 hours on my feet

7 supported squat stretches

had to drink water on the ruck, haven't done that in years!

BW 173.6
BF 13.5

40 kg One Arm Swings 10 x 5/5, 40 kg belt squats, pullapart

 

this went well considering. Form was good, legs and lungs were good , hand was good to 18  sets then a small blood blister. Time to trim the callus it seems

One arm Swings
40 kg x 5/5 x 20 sets
200 reps
17,600 lbs

40 kg Belt squats
3 x 10  best depth yet

Pullaparts
3 x 30

BW 172.6
BF 12.7

Hot Ruck

 

Seems like summer's officially here. Mid 80's on Thursday and today's gonna be 97+. Yesterday's ruck was solid though, in my legs, lungs, heat tolerance and mind. All good.

Solid usual pace, about 18 min miles. Three miles in 55 min or so. No problems and no real need to go faster.

45 lb ruck

6 laps

55 min

an hour door to door

BW 174.6

BF 12.9

200 x 1 x 4, 190 x 1 x 6, 24 kg swings, floor pushups

 This went great. The initial idea was to push the hips forward at the same time arching back trying to maximize the bow tension. Didn't work. Didn't allow my hips to go forward enough

So I focused on just pushing the hips forward til I felt maximum stretch and my shoulders went naturally back to counter balance the hips

Bingo!

Then HAVE to keep the eye of the X. Which I've had to 'relearn' for the one thousandth time but hey, as long as it takes

1) Unrack

2) Push the hips forward

3) Stay on the X

4) Hips again at sticking point while staying on the X

SO

Unrack
Hips
X
Hips
X

200 x 1 x 4

24 kg swings  5 x 8/8  strong!

Floor pushups  1 x 50
                1 x 40

BW 174.0
BF 12.8

205 x 1 x 8 sets, wt pushups, side raises, rear delts

 Long story short, the close stance ( I even tried heels together) technique is NOT going to work. All easy til it's heavy and it got heavy at 200 lbs. 

Back to the future

LOAD THE BOW

That's been the most reliable technique of all yet. It certainly has it's issues but I have to go back and master this technique; my Standing Bench Press

After working up and down and changing shoes and then back again I came back to this

A little loose on the end range of the bow and that's what I have to fix. and, making sure I push my hips forward and not lay back too much but this seems to be it, for better or worse

Wt pushups
BW x 10
53 lb x 10 x 3 slow reps with pause at lockout each rep

side raises/rear delts

3 x10/10 with 15s

BW 173.6
BF 12. 2 !!

60 and 68 kg One Arm swings, 48 kg belt squats, pullaparts

 Needless to say I was just a bit nervous to try the this workout, even though the elbow has been feeling perfectly normal for the last 3 or so days, You just never know

But, not only did things go alright, I was decently strong and grip, on either hand, was never an issue. Strange but I'll take it.

Super cautious as I warmed up but each set was better than last. Alternated starting hands, as normal and transfered all sets

One arm swings

16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 4/4
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 4//4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 3/3
40 kg x 3/3
44 kg x 3/3
48 kg x 3/3
60 kg x 5/5 x 7
68 kg x 5/5 x 2 ( discretion and all that)

Belt squat
36 kg x 10
40 kg x 10
48 kg x 10 !

Made sure to set the feet into torque position and shift the hip back first before going down

Band pullaparts
3 x 30

BW 172.8
BF 12.5 ( bath)
W 58.2

Thursday Ruck full laps

 

Finally, back to my full 3 miles on thursday. Hot one but nice cool breeze which makes it much more tolerable

All systems go, including my  right elbow and my mind so it was good to be back in the groove

45 lb ruck

6 laps

55 min

18 min mile ave

steady state no squats

BW 174.4
BF 12.7

Jeff Roark Style Press 135-200 and back again

 Perhaps the only technique I haven't tried is this close stance off the pins style press I saw Jeff Roark do. he  did 12 sets of 2 with 225 in this  style weighing around 180. I had nothing to lose so I gave it a try. Didn't even think I could do the setup  but after messing about with it a lot it seems to be pretty good for me

I started off the hooks and that worked well until I  missed the hooks on the descent a few times. So I went back to just off the pins with the bar pressed against the back rack. Couldn't get my feet under the bar comfortably so I went back to the hooks. 

I'll figure out the descent another day- this felt great

Still have to place my feet closer ( not as close as Jeff with heels touching) but the whole technique felt solid

Roark Press
65 85 105 x 2
135 x 1
155 x 1
175 x 1 x 3
195 x 1
200 x 1 
200 x  miss
175 x 1 x 2 ( playing with pins, hooks feet)
185 x 1 strong
200 x 1 hard but decent
175 x 1 fast!

20 kg swing x 8/8 ( testingr the elbow)

24 kg swing x 8/8 ( feeling a little on top of foream
24 kg swing x 5/5 x 3 better

side laterals/Rear delts  3 x 10/10 with 15

BW 175
BF 13.5