July 26, 2012
A. Clean 1RM - 255lb
B. 5 sets: 3 FS 225lb, 7 PU, 20 sec AD all out, 7min rest
C. Snatch balance, up to 185lb
July 25, 2012
A. Snatch 1RM - 215lb
B. HBBS 3 x 5 - last 3 sets at 315lb
C. Strict pull-up, AMRAP 30X0, different grip per set - 5-7 per set, 5 sets
Things are starting to pick up....
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
July 23, 2012
A. Power clean - heavy single
B. Front squat - 3-5 x 5
C. Push press - 3 x 5
Rest 2 hours
A. Snatch tech work
B. VAR Pull-up 3-5 x 5, red band
C. 10sec airdyne @ 100%, 2:30 rest, 3 sets of 5 with 5 min rest
Power cleans went up to 235, which was caught with knees right at about 90 degrees. Finished with 3x2 drop sets at 205, focusing on fast elbows and high hip finish. Front squats went up to 120kg for sets of 3. Having an issue with oxygen loss on the heavier weights...need to fiddle with positioning to figure that out. Otherwise drive felt good, though maybe a touch heavy. Push presses went up to 165lb...actually haven't done these in a while so it was good to get familiar again. Snatches stayed light, and VAR pull-up was mostly to mess around with the movement...just got the idea today to attach a band to the floor with a kb and then use that to add variable resistance, emphasizing retraction at the top. Will do more with this later.
July 22, 2012
A. Snatch - heavy single
B. HBBS - 3x5
C. Snatch pull - 100kg - 3 x 3
Full snatches from the floor - definitely need more exposure to the movement more than anything else...pulling from the ground still doesn't feel as confident as it used to (all pulling in general, not just o-lifting). Snatches went up to 85kg...90 went overhead but couldn't lock it out. Followed with drop sets of 2 x 2 at 75kg. Squats felt good, though they topped out at 125kg....way under where I'd like them to go, but trying to patient about keep form clean. Snatch pulls felt good, however. Overall I'd like to see faster progress, but then again I suppose that'll always be the case.
A. Power clean - heavy single
B. Front squat - 3-5 x 5
C. Push press - 3 x 5
Rest 2 hours
A. Snatch tech work
B. VAR Pull-up 3-5 x 5, red band
C. 10sec airdyne @ 100%, 2:30 rest, 3 sets of 5 with 5 min rest
Power cleans went up to 235, which was caught with knees right at about 90 degrees. Finished with 3x2 drop sets at 205, focusing on fast elbows and high hip finish. Front squats went up to 120kg for sets of 3. Having an issue with oxygen loss on the heavier weights...need to fiddle with positioning to figure that out. Otherwise drive felt good, though maybe a touch heavy. Push presses went up to 165lb...actually haven't done these in a while so it was good to get familiar again. Snatches stayed light, and VAR pull-up was mostly to mess around with the movement...just got the idea today to attach a band to the floor with a kb and then use that to add variable resistance, emphasizing retraction at the top. Will do more with this later.
July 22, 2012
A. Snatch - heavy single
B. HBBS - 3x5
C. Snatch pull - 100kg - 3 x 3
Full snatches from the floor - definitely need more exposure to the movement more than anything else...pulling from the ground still doesn't feel as confident as it used to (all pulling in general, not just o-lifting). Snatches went up to 85kg...90 went overhead but couldn't lock it out. Followed with drop sets of 2 x 2 at 75kg. Squats felt good, though they topped out at 125kg....way under where I'd like them to go, but trying to patient about keep form clean. Snatch pulls felt good, however. Overall I'd like to see faster progress, but then again I suppose that'll always be the case.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
July 15, 2012
A. Snatch Heavy Singles
B. Snatch High pull
C. Clean Deadlift Heavy Triple
Worked up to 90kg on the snatches off the ground. First felt shaky, second single felt better, then rep 3-5 all felt really good. Took it up to 95 for a pretty good snatch, though lost steam by my attempt at 98kg. Followed with high pulls at 60kg, working on extension from hips through ankles and high elbows, taking the bar up to the chest and keeping it close throughout. Snatches overall felt good, if (still) a little foreign. Still no squat work so all strength work is still off the ground - deadlift triples from a clean position - worked up to 140kg, focusing on good clean position (shoulderblades set down and back, spine in extension, chest up) rather than good deadlift position.
Got into my rye loaf last night - a fairly light rye: 20% dark rye and 80% white bread flour, with 80% hyrdation. Otherwise same recipe as the Levain. Very nice "meaty" flavor to the crumb as compared to a white Levain, and I think the 80% keeps it baking airy. Tough to handle; not as tough as the olive oil, but overall very sticky. Shaping and tightening were very tricky, and hopefully with a tighter skin it'll form into a larger loaf next time. Will try this a couple more times before going back to the olive oil. As well, baking with 250g total flour in the recipe rather than 500...more opportunities to bake and less stale bread to eat....
July 14, 2012
A. Hang Clean Heavy Single (just below kneecap)
B. Clean pull 3x3
C. Single Leg RDL
Cleaned off the tire/lifting blocks we have set up....and put a hole in one of them as soon as I got above 100kg. Oh well. It was still usable, although pretty messy and spraying wood chips everywhere. Got up to 110kg, and was actually surprised how hard 115kg was, especially given that I cleaned 122kg from above the knee a week before - I guess the distance of a kneecap can make a big difference. Likewise plain deadlifts are much more challenging that they used to be...just more fuel for the fire, in any case. Did clean pulls at 115kg, and single leg RDLs at 135lb. About 4-5 each leg, and every rep was incredibly difficult. Not taxing to the muscles, more to the brain in terms of keeping everything locked and level. Will be doing more of these later. Warm up today consisted of LOTS of handstand practice, about 30-45 minutes of it. Always nice to have the time to work on stupid human tricks...
A. Snatch Heavy Singles
B. Snatch High pull
C. Clean Deadlift Heavy Triple
Worked up to 90kg on the snatches off the ground. First felt shaky, second single felt better, then rep 3-5 all felt really good. Took it up to 95 for a pretty good snatch, though lost steam by my attempt at 98kg. Followed with high pulls at 60kg, working on extension from hips through ankles and high elbows, taking the bar up to the chest and keeping it close throughout. Snatches overall felt good, if (still) a little foreign. Still no squat work so all strength work is still off the ground - deadlift triples from a clean position - worked up to 140kg, focusing on good clean position (shoulderblades set down and back, spine in extension, chest up) rather than good deadlift position.
Got into my rye loaf last night - a fairly light rye: 20% dark rye and 80% white bread flour, with 80% hyrdation. Otherwise same recipe as the Levain. Very nice "meaty" flavor to the crumb as compared to a white Levain, and I think the 80% keeps it baking airy. Tough to handle; not as tough as the olive oil, but overall very sticky. Shaping and tightening were very tricky, and hopefully with a tighter skin it'll form into a larger loaf next time. Will try this a couple more times before going back to the olive oil. As well, baking with 250g total flour in the recipe rather than 500...more opportunities to bake and less stale bread to eat....
I Kimchi, So Can You!
July 14, 2012
A. Hang Clean Heavy Single (just below kneecap)
B. Clean pull 3x3
C. Single Leg RDL
Cleaned off the tire/lifting blocks we have set up....and put a hole in one of them as soon as I got above 100kg. Oh well. It was still usable, although pretty messy and spraying wood chips everywhere. Got up to 110kg, and was actually surprised how hard 115kg was, especially given that I cleaned 122kg from above the knee a week before - I guess the distance of a kneecap can make a big difference. Likewise plain deadlifts are much more challenging that they used to be...just more fuel for the fire, in any case. Did clean pulls at 115kg, and single leg RDLs at 135lb. About 4-5 each leg, and every rep was incredibly difficult. Not taxing to the muscles, more to the brain in terms of keeping everything locked and level. Will be doing more of these later. Warm up today consisted of LOTS of handstand practice, about 30-45 minutes of it. Always nice to have the time to work on stupid human tricks...
Thursday, July 12, 2012
July 11, 2012
AM:
A. Block snatch - heavy single
B. Snatch pull - 3 x 3
C1. Seated good mornings, 4130 tempo - 8 x 3
C2. Toes to bar - 10 x 3
PM:
A. Press 12X1 tempo, 3-5 x 6, 3 min rest
B. DL 60% 1RM 11X1 tempo, 3 x 12, 45 sec rest
Post AM - 10g creatine
First time doing a double in a long time, done mostly for convenience. First time really going at snatches in a while as well - got up to 195lb (88kg), which has been as heavy as I've done in a long while. Snatches overall felt good - lots of speed in the middle and 2nd-3rd pull transitions were very smooth. A bit of adjustment needed for the block snatches - bar was set just below the kneecap - made it very easy to start out pull with a low chest...conscious cueing here corrected easily, and similarly I found it very easy to cut the 2nd pull short, something solved with a little patience and a little more heel drive. Seated good mornings was a new movement but definitely something I need more of, these were loaded at 95lb mostly to familarize. Snatch pulls were at 205lb.
Evening work went pretty well - presses went up to 145lb with good drive throughout. It's been quite a while since I've done speed DLs, but I think in the next few months the increased work on absolute strength should help in the long run. Set the bar at 235lb and started pulling. Speed increased by set 4 and power on the pulls stayed on throughout, although fatigue (felt neurological) set in by set 7. Pretty surprising how noticeable that CNS "fatigue" can be without any sort of cellular/lactic slowdown.
I think I've fallen into a food routine/rut....hoping to come away from this whole experience with a good amount of extra money in my pocket, which mostly means that I need to figure out how to budget my food. At this point its looking like I'll just be making one GIANT roast (pork shoulder last week, a ham this week) at the beginning of each week, a big ol' loaf of bread, and just trying to subsist mostly on those two each week. Total cost should be about $30 a week, which should work out for me. Will supplement every other day with a boatload of leafy greeens. Not the most nutritious meal plan, but one that I should be able to survive on. The interesting part of it at least is to see how much variety I can derive out a severely limited pantry.......
July 12, 2012
A1. Ring L-sit pull-up - AMRAP (-1) X 5, 2 min rest
A2. HSPU, 3" deficit - AMRAP (-1) x 5, 2 min rest
Rest 30 min (10g Creatine)
MAP work:
10min AMRAP:
10 thrusters - 95lb
Farmers carry, 45lb/hand - 40m
40 DU
Rest walk 5 min
10min AMRAP:
10 Push up
20 Step ups (above kneecap)
1 min airdyne > 70rpm
Rest walk 5 min
10 min AMRAP:
Spider walk 40m
20 Russian swing 1.5pd
40m Sled pull through (+50lb)
Legs woke up pretty tired today...lots of lower leg work yesterday, and as well the day before played around with some moderate weight low bar squats - hamstrings and adductors were definitely woken up from just a few short sets. Started out with upper body strength work today - focus in the ring pull-ups was on scapular retraction through the entire rep...pulling them in at the beginning and keeping that position through the entire eccentric motion, hopefully over time getting the small guys in the back working better will bring around some good changes in the larger picture. HSPU work was mostly for balance, and a little "game speed" practice.
MAP work stayed at 90% throughout - in first interval there was a bit of a lactate build up - thrusters suffered from grip burnout in farmer's carry and delt burn during double unders. Wasn't able to maintain constant movement, but was pretty close...really just a matter of needing more exposure to the movements. In the future I might keep the loading but break up the sets a bit to allow more local recovery during the aerobic intervals. Other two intervals went well...2nd interval was anterior chain-based, 3rd was posterior chain-based. Spider walks felt good on hip mobility, and the sled pulls were quite the finisher on the hamstrings. Overall just some constant movement through lots of planes of motion.
General plan at this point will be to do lots of strength and structural balance in the gym, and use my time logged on the bike for majority of aerobic work and some lactate stuff as well (pushing hills, sprints, etc). Wouldn't mind getting in some lactate sprints on the airdyne, but honestly I doubt I really need any at this point. Alactic work would probably be helpful, however. Tomorrow will be planning on cleaning off the blocks, unilateral work, and probably upside-down (handstand) work.
Post workout nutrition was lots of mexican food. Favorite source of PWO carbs right now is horchatat, hands down.
Gym space is ALMOST completely done. Just one last permit to put up our squat/pull-up rig, but otherwise we're open for business. Now all we need are clients.........
AM:
A. Block snatch - heavy single
B. Snatch pull - 3 x 3
C1. Seated good mornings, 4130 tempo - 8 x 3
C2. Toes to bar - 10 x 3
PM:
A. Press 12X1 tempo, 3-5 x 6, 3 min rest
B. DL 60% 1RM 11X1 tempo, 3 x 12, 45 sec rest
Post AM - 10g creatine
First time doing a double in a long time, done mostly for convenience. First time really going at snatches in a while as well - got up to 195lb (88kg), which has been as heavy as I've done in a long while. Snatches overall felt good - lots of speed in the middle and 2nd-3rd pull transitions were very smooth. A bit of adjustment needed for the block snatches - bar was set just below the kneecap - made it very easy to start out pull with a low chest...conscious cueing here corrected easily, and similarly I found it very easy to cut the 2nd pull short, something solved with a little patience and a little more heel drive. Seated good mornings was a new movement but definitely something I need more of, these were loaded at 95lb mostly to familarize. Snatch pulls were at 205lb.
Evening work went pretty well - presses went up to 145lb with good drive throughout. It's been quite a while since I've done speed DLs, but I think in the next few months the increased work on absolute strength should help in the long run. Set the bar at 235lb and started pulling. Speed increased by set 4 and power on the pulls stayed on throughout, although fatigue (felt neurological) set in by set 7. Pretty surprising how noticeable that CNS "fatigue" can be without any sort of cellular/lactic slowdown.
I think I've fallen into a food routine/rut....hoping to come away from this whole experience with a good amount of extra money in my pocket, which mostly means that I need to figure out how to budget my food. At this point its looking like I'll just be making one GIANT roast (pork shoulder last week, a ham this week) at the beginning of each week, a big ol' loaf of bread, and just trying to subsist mostly on those two each week. Total cost should be about $30 a week, which should work out for me. Will supplement every other day with a boatload of leafy greeens. Not the most nutritious meal plan, but one that I should be able to survive on. The interesting part of it at least is to see how much variety I can derive out a severely limited pantry.......
July 12, 2012
A1. Ring L-sit pull-up - AMRAP (-1) X 5, 2 min rest
A2. HSPU, 3" deficit - AMRAP (-1) x 5, 2 min rest
Rest 30 min (10g Creatine)
MAP work:
10min AMRAP:
10 thrusters - 95lb
Farmers carry, 45lb/hand - 40m
40 DU
Rest walk 5 min
10min AMRAP:
10 Push up
20 Step ups (above kneecap)
1 min airdyne > 70rpm
Rest walk 5 min
10 min AMRAP:
Spider walk 40m
20 Russian swing 1.5pd
40m Sled pull through (+50lb)
Legs woke up pretty tired today...lots of lower leg work yesterday, and as well the day before played around with some moderate weight low bar squats - hamstrings and adductors were definitely woken up from just a few short sets. Started out with upper body strength work today - focus in the ring pull-ups was on scapular retraction through the entire rep...pulling them in at the beginning and keeping that position through the entire eccentric motion, hopefully over time getting the small guys in the back working better will bring around some good changes in the larger picture. HSPU work was mostly for balance, and a little "game speed" practice.
MAP work stayed at 90% throughout - in first interval there was a bit of a lactate build up - thrusters suffered from grip burnout in farmer's carry and delt burn during double unders. Wasn't able to maintain constant movement, but was pretty close...really just a matter of needing more exposure to the movements. In the future I might keep the loading but break up the sets a bit to allow more local recovery during the aerobic intervals. Other two intervals went well...2nd interval was anterior chain-based, 3rd was posterior chain-based. Spider walks felt good on hip mobility, and the sled pulls were quite the finisher on the hamstrings. Overall just some constant movement through lots of planes of motion.
General plan at this point will be to do lots of strength and structural balance in the gym, and use my time logged on the bike for majority of aerobic work and some lactate stuff as well (pushing hills, sprints, etc). Wouldn't mind getting in some lactate sprints on the airdyne, but honestly I doubt I really need any at this point. Alactic work would probably be helpful, however. Tomorrow will be planning on cleaning off the blocks, unilateral work, and probably upside-down (handstand) work.
Post workout nutrition was lots of mexican food. Favorite source of PWO carbs right now is horchatat, hands down.
Gym space is ALMOST completely done. Just one last permit to put up our squat/pull-up rig, but otherwise we're open for business. Now all we need are clients.........
Who needs rowers when you can have 3 Airdynes instead?
Sunday, July 8, 2012
July 7th, 2012
Did some testing on a friend that came into town, and then followed that up with:
Sumo DL - heavy single - 335lb
RDL - 205lb - 6x4, 4131 tempo
Trap 3 - 12lb, 3010 tempo, 8x3/hand
Pendlay row - 135lb, 8x3
First workout in the new space, so there were some limitations on possible exercises. Post. chain work is still something I could continually use more of, and overall its still curious that my pulling ability is still nowhere close to where it used to be, even though squatting is more or less back in place. Currently have a pretty confident BS with at least 90% of all time 1RM, whereas DL is probably 80% at best, on a good day. Not sure if this is maybe just an indication of where my "natural" tendencies lie as I'm still basically coming back from the long layoff in OZ, or if for some reason lower body hinging mechanics have suffered tremendously and are returning independently of squatting mechanics. Based on hang clean 1RM a couple days ago this could alternatively just be more proof that I'm more "grooved" into the Speed end of the SS continuum, rather than Absolute, slow strength. In any case its clear that its something that will need to be addressed (albeit slowly) in the next few months. Mats have arrived at the new space, and hopefully within the next few days the rig can go up, mats can go down, and we can have a (basically) functioning gym space.
As well, started out first tester of olive loaf - 15% evoo, 1.4% black pepper. Feels very loose, and pretty difficult to handle. Oil stays pretty well distributed within the loaf (no seepage), but it seems that the fat's keeping the dough pretty "short," and its not developing the same tension as normal. Had a difficult time shaping the dough tightly, maybe drop the hydration next time (this one is at 76% hyrdation). First proof was about 4 hours (was slightly overproofed), and during shaping because dough was extremely loose much of the aeration was lost. May need to figure out a different shaping method in future. Second proof is estimated at 5 hours or so. Hoping to get my hands on some nice fish later on this week....
Had a friend from back east come in and visit the gym - volunteered to help with assessment practices and do a CP tester for us. Overall assessment went well - lots of balance, although some interesting notes:
- Body composition overall very even, and pretty low.
- Showed some imbalances during movement screen - ruptured right Achilles several years ago, and right heels is actually MORE flexible now...was opposite of what I expected but apparently was simply how ROM returned in that heel during PT. Pretty interesting given that a tight Achilles was the initial cause for the rupture, along with the fact that the left heel hasn't been injured but (I would assume) remains as tight as the right was.
- going along with the more flexible right heel saw imbalances in hip flexion/extension (though abduction/adduction were pretty much equal)....moving forward would be interested to see if there are shoulder imbalances during overhead movements, along with squat mechanics changes during OHS positions...wonder if the usual suspects are all present there, and if there are possible flags down the road that could come up because of it.
- Air squat mechanics were good, though during lunge movements the right knee showed more forward travel (flexible heel again), although perhaps posterior chain/quad activation might have been affected during rehab? Hard to say without further observation.
- Spine was locked in two places, just above and below t-spine/l-spine "joint"....has ramifications for high rep pulling off the floor, small changes moving forward, but nothing huge.
- Overall very strong individual, but strength-speed numbers (and most likely speed-strength and speed) were a little lower than expected...more on this later.
- Assessment was followed with CP test, 1RM PC in 10min, along with 90% AMRAP 8 afterwards. AMRAP total was 21 reps. PC came out to a lower number than expected relative to BS and DL, which jives with what we saw during that AMRAP of someone who was very strong but didn't move very fast....is an indication towards his natural makeup ("essence," or whatever). Makes some strong indications as far as a possible direction for training both for balance and success in CF as competition. Overall good structure, just some work capacity items to train at, should such a situation come about....
Did some testing on a friend that came into town, and then followed that up with:
Sumo DL - heavy single - 335lb
RDL - 205lb - 6x4, 4131 tempo
Trap 3 - 12lb, 3010 tempo, 8x3/hand
Pendlay row - 135lb, 8x3
First workout in the new space, so there were some limitations on possible exercises. Post. chain work is still something I could continually use more of, and overall its still curious that my pulling ability is still nowhere close to where it used to be, even though squatting is more or less back in place. Currently have a pretty confident BS with at least 90% of all time 1RM, whereas DL is probably 80% at best, on a good day. Not sure if this is maybe just an indication of where my "natural" tendencies lie as I'm still basically coming back from the long layoff in OZ, or if for some reason lower body hinging mechanics have suffered tremendously and are returning independently of squatting mechanics. Based on hang clean 1RM a couple days ago this could alternatively just be more proof that I'm more "grooved" into the Speed end of the SS continuum, rather than Absolute, slow strength. In any case its clear that its something that will need to be addressed (albeit slowly) in the next few months. Mats have arrived at the new space, and hopefully within the next few days the rig can go up, mats can go down, and we can have a (basically) functioning gym space.
As well, started out first tester of olive loaf - 15% evoo, 1.4% black pepper. Feels very loose, and pretty difficult to handle. Oil stays pretty well distributed within the loaf (no seepage), but it seems that the fat's keeping the dough pretty "short," and its not developing the same tension as normal. Had a difficult time shaping the dough tightly, maybe drop the hydration next time (this one is at 76% hyrdation). First proof was about 4 hours (was slightly overproofed), and during shaping because dough was extremely loose much of the aeration was lost. May need to figure out a different shaping method in future. Second proof is estimated at 5 hours or so. Hoping to get my hands on some nice fish later on this week....
Had a friend from back east come in and visit the gym - volunteered to help with assessment practices and do a CP tester for us. Overall assessment went well - lots of balance, although some interesting notes:
- Body composition overall very even, and pretty low.
- Showed some imbalances during movement screen - ruptured right Achilles several years ago, and right heels is actually MORE flexible now...was opposite of what I expected but apparently was simply how ROM returned in that heel during PT. Pretty interesting given that a tight Achilles was the initial cause for the rupture, along with the fact that the left heel hasn't been injured but (I would assume) remains as tight as the right was.
- going along with the more flexible right heel saw imbalances in hip flexion/extension (though abduction/adduction were pretty much equal)....moving forward would be interested to see if there are shoulder imbalances during overhead movements, along with squat mechanics changes during OHS positions...wonder if the usual suspects are all present there, and if there are possible flags down the road that could come up because of it.
- Air squat mechanics were good, though during lunge movements the right knee showed more forward travel (flexible heel again), although perhaps posterior chain/quad activation might have been affected during rehab? Hard to say without further observation.
- Spine was locked in two places, just above and below t-spine/l-spine "joint"....has ramifications for high rep pulling off the floor, small changes moving forward, but nothing huge.
- Overall very strong individual, but strength-speed numbers (and most likely speed-strength and speed) were a little lower than expected...more on this later.
- Assessment was followed with CP test, 1RM PC in 10min, along with 90% AMRAP 8 afterwards. AMRAP total was 21 reps. PC came out to a lower number than expected relative to BS and DL, which jives with what we saw during that AMRAP of someone who was very strong but didn't move very fast....is an indication towards his natural makeup ("essence," or whatever). Makes some strong indications as far as a possible direction for training both for balance and success in CF as competition. Overall good structure, just some work capacity items to train at, should such a situation come about....
Almost....
Friday, July 6, 2012
July 4th, 2012
90-120 minute hike, unloaded. No music, no cell phone, completely unplugged.
Went up Mt. Tabor again, this time wandering around the trails and trying to stay off the beaten path. This was actually really nice, exploring all the shady parts of the mountain; a little awkward when I stumbled upon a couple that were getting...amorous. I managed to stay quiet, however, and keep moving. Lots of time spent moving through the forest, listening to birds and leaves and such...very relaxing. These Z1 efforts didn't make much sense to me until I started really doing them - the mental and physical recovery aspect is huge: there's the physiological aspect of the slow, constant movement that acts as low-stress aerobic capacity work and also does a lot to help blood and fluid move through the body as it recovers and repairs, but more importantly the mental effect in simply being "away." A fixed amount of time in which your brain isn't given anything specific to focus on - no tv, no cell phones, no electronic media. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to keep your mind blank for two hours, rather just that you're letting your mind go wherever it wants...no pressure to focus or process anything in particular. It seems like it'll only become more and more important as all the facebooks, twitters, etc, get further and further ingrained in our lives....
Found my way to the top of the mountain again and made a beeline back down. Lots of thinking about past, current, future, etc....don't know if I actually came up with anything new, but still felt like I made some mental progress. Mostly just thought about this project over the next few months along with that even bigger one at the end of the year...
What I'm wearing: New Balance Minimums. All the CF'ers know these shoes, and I love 'em. Pretty much just wear them like slippers.
What I'm reading: Sadly, just finished APC Sugar Shack. Also came to the realization that all the "models" in the book actually just work at the restaurant. Sheeeeesh. Appledore Cookbook is next (published in 1878!), and will be followed by either Supertraining or Exercise Physiology (though I can't remember the last time I opened a textbook, and I'm not sure if I'm really ready to do it again.
July 5th, 2012
Humped it over to CF Portland. Didn't make it there till 2pm (their next class was at 3:30pm), so I had to keep it short:
Pre WO: 1 short black (coffee) + 10mg Beta-Alanine
Hang Clean from blocks (knee) 1RM: 122kg
Back Squat 3x3 (20X1): 130kg
122 was the most I've received since February of this year, and it felt pretty good. 118 was by far much cleaner (122 was a little foward), but didn't have too much of a struggle on the recovery so I don't think it was too bad - just that balance between urgency to pull the bar and urgency to get under...I was more concerned with getting under than getting high by the 122. In any case 3kg under my all time best clean and I didn't feel too crushed coming out of the hole, so that 142kg FS 1RM I made a month ago might have been for real after all. Really truly, I think doing the Neera cleanse has helped a lot, as my hip mobility (and comfort in the bottom of the front squat) has improved tremendously since getting back from OZ, especially since my physical activity during that time had pretty much no chance of any positive effect. In any case, hopefully I'll be able to hit some nice numbers (still waiting on 300) in the next few months before it all come crashing down...
Squats felt good. Not as heavy as they could or should be, but the focus was more on speed and intent out of the hole rather than the actual load lifted. Definitely made the reps more challenging when I was really "going" for them, so I'll be interested to see if I can yield a good training effect simply through "intent" of reps rather than the absolute load lifted.
Today did also really remind me of the fact that I tend towards the "speed" end of the Speed-Strength continuum. Not sure exactly how far towards speed (to be honest most likely only as far as speed-strength), but in any case I'm pretty sure that absolute strength is where I need to be looking if I want to make gains. Not where I want to live, but I should probably try to spend some time there in any case.
Gym is ours today, so hopefully much more lifting soon.
What I'm riding: 1970s era Peugeot road bike. Pretty little frame in great shape. Drive train is a little rusty, but otherwise she's giving my legs all the work they can handle. I figure I'll be able to get all of my aerobic capacity work (probably Map 7-3) through the bike and only have to worry about strength and some alactic work in the gym. Also gives me an excuse to not feel like I have to live in ketosis either (eat your white rice!)
90-120 minute hike, unloaded. No music, no cell phone, completely unplugged.
Went up Mt. Tabor again, this time wandering around the trails and trying to stay off the beaten path. This was actually really nice, exploring all the shady parts of the mountain; a little awkward when I stumbled upon a couple that were getting...amorous. I managed to stay quiet, however, and keep moving. Lots of time spent moving through the forest, listening to birds and leaves and such...very relaxing. These Z1 efforts didn't make much sense to me until I started really doing them - the mental and physical recovery aspect is huge: there's the physiological aspect of the slow, constant movement that acts as low-stress aerobic capacity work and also does a lot to help blood and fluid move through the body as it recovers and repairs, but more importantly the mental effect in simply being "away." A fixed amount of time in which your brain isn't given anything specific to focus on - no tv, no cell phones, no electronic media. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to keep your mind blank for two hours, rather just that you're letting your mind go wherever it wants...no pressure to focus or process anything in particular. It seems like it'll only become more and more important as all the facebooks, twitters, etc, get further and further ingrained in our lives....
Found my way to the top of the mountain again and made a beeline back down. Lots of thinking about past, current, future, etc....don't know if I actually came up with anything new, but still felt like I made some mental progress. Mostly just thought about this project over the next few months along with that even bigger one at the end of the year...
What I'm wearing: New Balance Minimums. All the CF'ers know these shoes, and I love 'em. Pretty much just wear them like slippers.
What I'm reading: Sadly, just finished APC Sugar Shack. Also came to the realization that all the "models" in the book actually just work at the restaurant. Sheeeeesh. Appledore Cookbook is next (published in 1878!), and will be followed by either Supertraining or Exercise Physiology (though I can't remember the last time I opened a textbook, and I'm not sure if I'm really ready to do it again.
Wander for time
July 5th, 2012
Humped it over to CF Portland. Didn't make it there till 2pm (their next class was at 3:30pm), so I had to keep it short:
Pre WO: 1 short black (coffee) + 10mg Beta-Alanine
Hang Clean from blocks (knee) 1RM: 122kg
Back Squat 3x3 (20X1): 130kg
122 was the most I've received since February of this year, and it felt pretty good. 118 was by far much cleaner (122 was a little foward), but didn't have too much of a struggle on the recovery so I don't think it was too bad - just that balance between urgency to pull the bar and urgency to get under...I was more concerned with getting under than getting high by the 122. In any case 3kg under my all time best clean and I didn't feel too crushed coming out of the hole, so that 142kg FS 1RM I made a month ago might have been for real after all. Really truly, I think doing the Neera cleanse has helped a lot, as my hip mobility (and comfort in the bottom of the front squat) has improved tremendously since getting back from OZ, especially since my physical activity during that time had pretty much no chance of any positive effect. In any case, hopefully I'll be able to hit some nice numbers (still waiting on 300) in the next few months before it all come crashing down...
Squats felt good. Not as heavy as they could or should be, but the focus was more on speed and intent out of the hole rather than the actual load lifted. Definitely made the reps more challenging when I was really "going" for them, so I'll be interested to see if I can yield a good training effect simply through "intent" of reps rather than the absolute load lifted.
Today did also really remind me of the fact that I tend towards the "speed" end of the Speed-Strength continuum. Not sure exactly how far towards speed (to be honest most likely only as far as speed-strength), but in any case I'm pretty sure that absolute strength is where I need to be looking if I want to make gains. Not where I want to live, but I should probably try to spend some time there in any case.
Gym is ours today, so hopefully much more lifting soon.
What I'm riding: 1970s era Peugeot road bike. Pretty little frame in great shape. Drive train is a little rusty, but otherwise she's giving my legs all the work they can handle. I figure I'll be able to get all of my aerobic capacity work (probably Map 7-3) through the bike and only have to worry about strength and some alactic work in the gym. Also gives me an excuse to not feel like I have to live in ketosis either (eat your white rice!)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Ressurection
Resurrection
It's been quite a while since this blog's been active, but it seems like the whole year's been about letting go(s) and revivals. In any case, with the transition from predominantly restaurant to gym work came a realization that I wouldn't spend the majority of my waking hours in some sort of work capacity, and that I needed outlets to at least *feel* like I was productive. Thus, returns this blog as a brain dump for anything that everything that pops up into my head, but predominantly relevant to the three words that make up the banner....
July 1, 2012
Initially set out planning on doing interval sprints - 1 min all out with 5-6 minutes of rest, shooting for 7 sets unless there's a severe power drop. Took a quick look on a map and realized that where I'm living now happens to be about 4 blocks from a mountain (Mt. Tabor, to be specific), and couldn't resist taking the chance to explore.
Ditched the interval plan bad basically stuck to a Fartlek run - didn't really have any sense of where I was on the mountain, but was just trying to go to the top. Whenever the path split I chose the one that went uphill....jogged the flats, sprinted the hills, and walked around a bit exploring the vegetation. I eventually found the top of the mountain and was treated to some spectacular views of Portland and the surrounding countryside. As well, the final stretch before the top happened to be a steep uphill with a sharp uptick about halfway up (a la Games 2009). Ran up it, but my legs definitely weren't happy about it; couldn't imagine trying that with a sandbag as well, though I'll definitely be coming back to that little hill. Total run time was about an hour, final elevation was around 636 feet. Overall a Z1 effort with a few Z3/4 elements strewn in.
Still getting acquainted with the vegetation here in the Northwest...tremendous amounts of wild carrots, wild chamomile (pineapple weed), fennel, chickweed, mustards all over the mountain....funny that some of the things I really wish I could find more easily in VA are prolific here. Was kind of surprised that I barely saw any wood sorrel here (just one tiny patch on my way down), but I suspect that because the entire mountain is heavily shaded mostly by pine trees there isn't enough sun (I think oxalis does like at least some sun). As well, the pine likely makes the soil too acidic for the wood sorrel to grow - other areas where I've seen sorrel, and HUGE sorrel at that, have been fairly rich and open. The many varieties of pine here definitely are part of the natural "presence" of the northwest, in a similar vein as the gum trees (eucalyptus) in Australia. I'd been told there are over a 100 varieties of gum in OZ, I wonder if its a similar situation here in OR? To consume nature here is to be surrounded in pine?
Baked off first bread in the new apartment - basic levain. Water here seems different - starter's been a lot spongier since I've been up here, and dough was a bit looser than I expected (even though it was hydrated at 75%, rather than 80% as I was used to doing in VA). Perhaps mineral content of the water is to blame? As well this is probably the worst home oven I've ever tried baking in; the loaf looked like a damn jersey cow with the amount of black spots it had all over it. Oh well, that's going to be as good as I get for the next few months. As well roasted off a pork shoulder for the week and started a kimchi - as near as I can figure I need to keep weekly food expenses to around $50, which isn't going to be terribly easy given how much I usually eat. Found a Mexican grocery pretty close to the apartment which should help; its mostly going to be fighting the urge to eat out that's going to make a difference.
As well took another shot at Kouign Ammans - almost there! Found a Pierre Herme recipe which was actually a lot simpler than the Dave Leibowitz one I started with. Also switched to European and did something much closer to a true laminated dough, no syrupy mess this time (likely from the sugar drawing water from the wetter, American-style butter). Got a bit lazy on the laminations because I was more interested in seeing if the sugar would hold, so layers weren't the best (specifically on the edges; will trim them next time). I also got a bit impatient on the proofing and probably put them in the oven about 30 minutes too soon...in any case, they looked much closer this time! Had the right caramel crust on the outside, though the inner layers needed improvement...tasted like the leaked butter carried out a fair amount of sugar as well, but in any case there was plenty of progress. Hopefully I'll have these buggers worked out by the time I leave Portland.
What I'm wearing: Adidas Adizeros for the run - Pretty old pair of shoes, back when a sole less than 1" meant you were "barefoot." Felt kind of heavy, but gave the kind of traction I needed for the mountain.
What I'm reading: Just finished La Patisserie de Pierre Herme, starting on Au Pied du Cochon Sugar Shack by Martin Picard. Really excited to read this one, and enjoying it even more after seeing the full page spread of the (female) pastry chef in a bath tub full of maple syrup. Those damn French-Canadians...I gotta get up to Montreal someday.
July 2, 2012
Legs feeling pretty worn today, not a great sign considering my plan was to get some CP work done. Went to CF Portland in the afternoon (these guys have been really nice to us about allowing us to work out in their space). Worked up to a 1RM Hang snatch off the blocks - 90kg. Not fantastic, but fair to say that its an all time PR for that lift. Looking forward to getting all these gears in order again. Followed up with 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1 Back squats, working up to 145kg on legs that felt pretty beat up. Hopefully once I get used to all the biking volume I won't feel it so much during the workouts. In any case finished up with 3x3 Push press (80kg) and called it a day.
What I'm wearing: Adidas Ironworks 2 - the old school silver and red weightlifting shoes. As far as I'm concerned these were the best ones they ever released and I'm continually happy that I have them and don't have to use any of the newer ones (why do they all look like plastic toys?)
What I'm reading: http://zenhabits.net/barbell/ Great article
It's been quite a while since this blog's been active, but it seems like the whole year's been about letting go(s) and revivals. In any case, with the transition from predominantly restaurant to gym work came a realization that I wouldn't spend the majority of my waking hours in some sort of work capacity, and that I needed outlets to at least *feel* like I was productive. Thus, returns this blog as a brain dump for anything that everything that pops up into my head, but predominantly relevant to the three words that make up the banner....
July 1, 2012
Initially set out planning on doing interval sprints - 1 min all out with 5-6 minutes of rest, shooting for 7 sets unless there's a severe power drop. Took a quick look on a map and realized that where I'm living now happens to be about 4 blocks from a mountain (Mt. Tabor, to be specific), and couldn't resist taking the chance to explore.
Ditched the interval plan bad basically stuck to a Fartlek run - didn't really have any sense of where I was on the mountain, but was just trying to go to the top. Whenever the path split I chose the one that went uphill....jogged the flats, sprinted the hills, and walked around a bit exploring the vegetation. I eventually found the top of the mountain and was treated to some spectacular views of Portland and the surrounding countryside. As well, the final stretch before the top happened to be a steep uphill with a sharp uptick about halfway up (a la Games 2009). Ran up it, but my legs definitely weren't happy about it; couldn't imagine trying that with a sandbag as well, though I'll definitely be coming back to that little hill. Total run time was about an hour, final elevation was around 636 feet. Overall a Z1 effort with a few Z3/4 elements strewn in.
Still getting acquainted with the vegetation here in the Northwest...tremendous amounts of wild carrots, wild chamomile (pineapple weed), fennel, chickweed, mustards all over the mountain....funny that some of the things I really wish I could find more easily in VA are prolific here. Was kind of surprised that I barely saw any wood sorrel here (just one tiny patch on my way down), but I suspect that because the entire mountain is heavily shaded mostly by pine trees there isn't enough sun (I think oxalis does like at least some sun). As well, the pine likely makes the soil too acidic for the wood sorrel to grow - other areas where I've seen sorrel, and HUGE sorrel at that, have been fairly rich and open. The many varieties of pine here definitely are part of the natural "presence" of the northwest, in a similar vein as the gum trees (eucalyptus) in Australia. I'd been told there are over a 100 varieties of gum in OZ, I wonder if its a similar situation here in OR? To consume nature here is to be surrounded in pine?
Baked off first bread in the new apartment - basic levain. Water here seems different - starter's been a lot spongier since I've been up here, and dough was a bit looser than I expected (even though it was hydrated at 75%, rather than 80% as I was used to doing in VA). Perhaps mineral content of the water is to blame? As well this is probably the worst home oven I've ever tried baking in; the loaf looked like a damn jersey cow with the amount of black spots it had all over it. Oh well, that's going to be as good as I get for the next few months. As well roasted off a pork shoulder for the week and started a kimchi - as near as I can figure I need to keep weekly food expenses to around $50, which isn't going to be terribly easy given how much I usually eat. Found a Mexican grocery pretty close to the apartment which should help; its mostly going to be fighting the urge to eat out that's going to make a difference.
As well took another shot at Kouign Ammans - almost there! Found a Pierre Herme recipe which was actually a lot simpler than the Dave Leibowitz one I started with. Also switched to European and did something much closer to a true laminated dough, no syrupy mess this time (likely from the sugar drawing water from the wetter, American-style butter). Got a bit lazy on the laminations because I was more interested in seeing if the sugar would hold, so layers weren't the best (specifically on the edges; will trim them next time). I also got a bit impatient on the proofing and probably put them in the oven about 30 minutes too soon...in any case, they looked much closer this time! Had the right caramel crust on the outside, though the inner layers needed improvement...tasted like the leaked butter carried out a fair amount of sugar as well, but in any case there was plenty of progress. Hopefully I'll have these buggers worked out by the time I leave Portland.
What I'm wearing: Adidas Adizeros for the run - Pretty old pair of shoes, back when a sole less than 1" meant you were "barefoot." Felt kind of heavy, but gave the kind of traction I needed for the mountain.
What I'm reading: Just finished La Patisserie de Pierre Herme, starting on Au Pied du Cochon Sugar Shack by Martin Picard. Really excited to read this one, and enjoying it even more after seeing the full page spread of the (female) pastry chef in a bath tub full of maple syrup. Those damn French-Canadians...I gotta get up to Montreal someday.
July 2, 2012
Legs feeling pretty worn today, not a great sign considering my plan was to get some CP work done. Went to CF Portland in the afternoon (these guys have been really nice to us about allowing us to work out in their space). Worked up to a 1RM Hang snatch off the blocks - 90kg. Not fantastic, but fair to say that its an all time PR for that lift. Looking forward to getting all these gears in order again. Followed up with 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1 Back squats, working up to 145kg on legs that felt pretty beat up. Hopefully once I get used to all the biking volume I won't feel it so much during the workouts. In any case finished up with 3x3 Push press (80kg) and called it a day.
What I'm wearing: Adidas Ironworks 2 - the old school silver and red weightlifting shoes. As far as I'm concerned these were the best ones they ever released and I'm continually happy that I have them and don't have to use any of the newer ones (why do they all look like plastic toys?)
What I'm reading: http://zenhabits.net/barbell/ Great article
This looks delicious to me (from A Life Worth Eating)
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