The iron never seems to miss me when I’m gone.
Seemed like a good time to start up the back squat linear progression again. It’s been four months, and since the last one ended so strongly I decided to start this one 10 pounds heavier.
Back squat
145 x 5
145 x 5
145 x 5
145 x 5
145 x 5
Then, some bench press.
Bench press
200 x 3
180 x 4
160 x 5
That’s another new 3RM. Right now, my plan is to hit 205 x 3, then go find me a PR.
Posted in WODs
Tagged back squats, bench press, linear progression, reverse pyramid, squats
I’m tempted to consider my vacation workouts as a “light workout week”. Then I do something like this, and become slightly less tempted.
“Death by Kettlebell Snatch”
With a continuously running clock do one Kettlebell Snatch the first minute, two Kettlebell Snatches the second minute, three Kettlebell Snatches the third minute… continuing as long as you are able. Alternate hands each minute.
I got through 13 full full rounds, plus 8 reps on the 14th. That’s a big improvement over last time, but then last time I did this as the second half of a workout instead of as the whole thing. Also, my dumbbell today was only around 50lbs. Still, I feel pretty good about this, especially since it’s still my “light” week.
EDIT: Oh, and as my cash-out, I helped move an old school tube TV that Eric’s housemate was selling. Woo hoo, practical strength!
I consider any day of vacation in which I do more than lie around, read, and eat to be a victory. Thus, today is a victory.
First, I did an untimed and basically unmeasured run with Nina, Myles, and Ruby Rose (who was in a jogging stroller, naturally). Before and after, I worked through the following:
Four rounds, not for time, of:
Push-ups x 15
Sit-ups x 15
Squats x 15
Now, back to the lounging and reading and eating. Hallelujah!
Another vacation workout, this one starting out with some running with Nina. I ended up doing an untimed mile, taking it easy the first half and pushing it more on the second. Then I came back and took advantage of Eric’s climbing-wall pull-up station.
Five rounds for time of:
5 climbing-wall pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 squats
I figured that modding Cindy into a short metcon would be a good way to work in the new kind of pull-ups, which I knew would test my finger and grip strength. I finished in 4:06, and my hands are definitely feeling it.
I’m glad that I’ve been keeping up with my workouts so far this trip. Also, that time makes me want to do a full 20-minute Cindy at some point soon. Probably after I get home, though.
We’re traveling this week, but staying with my man Eric, who has some nice workout equipment at his place. Of course, today all I needed was a 40lb dumbbell and some floor space.
10, 9, 8… 2, 1 of:
Kettlebell swings
Burpees
This was not exactly pleasant, but I got it done in 7:34. I’m worried I might’ve miscounted towards the end, so I’m not sure if I didn’t do a couple of reps too many or two few. Not gonna lose any sleep over it, though.
Think I might be ready to bump these up.
Bench press
195 x 3
175 x 5
160 x 5
I actually got about 3.5 reps in on that first set, and hit 5 reps pretty easily on the others. I’m gonna give 200 a try next week.
Finished up with a metcon drawn from the depths of my workout notebook:
30/15, 20/10, 10/5 of:
Box jumps
Hanging leg raises
Finished up in 4:01, about a minute faster than when I did it a year or so back.
It’s a gloriously sunny Sunday, and that means a nice 1-mile run with Nina, and then some time with the 25lb bag of road salt.
The Sandbag Clean and Press x 50
Clean your Sandbag from the ground to shoulder level and press it overhead 50 times as fast as possible.
This was the first sandbag workout that really made me want a 50lb bag. I finished it in 2:45, which makes me confident that I could do 50 reps as Rx’d in under the 10-minute cutoff they recommend.
A trip to Home Depot may be in order when I get back from traveling.
Ow.
Not sure if it was bumping the weights on these, or yesterday’s workout, or what. But my legs hurt.
(Power) Snatch
110 x 1
110 x 1
110 x 1
110 x 1
110 x 1
Clean & Jerk
155 x 1
155 x 1
155 x 1
155 x 1
155 x 1
This was not easy going. I put “power” in parentheses up there because at least three of my snatch reps were power snatches with an overhead squat tacked on. The C&Js went about the same.
But then, I was using a weight only 5lbs south of my max on the snatch, and 15 under my max for the C&J. So maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on myself.
Been a long time since I’ve done a 21-15-9 workout, and never this one.
21-15-9 of:
Front squats
Push-ups
This one surprised me. I figured I’d feel it in my legs, and I certainly did (especially after I knocked out that first set of 21 in one go). But I didn’t anticipate how much my shoulders, chest and arms would get hit: keeping the bar racked for front squats gave them no relief between the sets of push-ups. I had to break those sets up into much smaller chunks than I anticipated, and those were the muscles that were really hurting me afterward.
In any case, I used 95 lbs. for the front squats, and finished up in 4:01. I did an untimed 400m run as a cash-out, more to loosen up than anything else. I was getting a stitch in my side by the end, so I suppose this metcon must’ve done its job.
Yeah, these are the loads I should be working with.
Bench press
195 x 3
175 x 4
155 x 6
I had to work to get the allotted reps on those first two sets, which does indicate that this is where I need to be on the bench press right now. Set 3# will get bumped to 160, though.
Finished up with a 1k row, which took me 4:32. A slightly below-average showing, there, as I discovered by actually plugging my times for the last couple of years into a spreadsheet.
Of course, the other discovery I made was that I actually set a PR for the 1k row back in July, which I characterized then as “not a great time”. Not sure what I was thinking.
EDIT: I believe this is a 3RM for me. I’m noting it here so that I can find it more easily when I search this blog.
