Jim vs. L-Sit, Weighted Pull-Ups, and Snatches

Today was supposed to be a testing day. I confess my heart wasn’t in it, but I still did pretty well.

L-sit, max time
0:22

Not much to say about that one.

Weighted pull-up, max load
75 x 1
85 x 0
80 x 1

That’s a new PR, which I’m especially impressed with as I’m carrying 10-20 lbs more than I should be; I weighed in at 202 today.

Snatch, max load
125 x 1 (power)
115 x 1 (power)
95 x 1

This one I just couldn’t get to come together at a higher weight. 125 is my max for the power snatch, though, so today wasn’t a complete loss.

Jim vs. Bench Press, Weighted Pull-ups, Weighted Hip Thrusts

Today’s felt disjointed, and my workout was no different.

Bench press
190 x 4
170 x 5
150 x 6

Weighted pull-ups
BW + 50 (245) x 3
BW + 25 (220) x 6
BW (195) x 11

Weighted Hip Thrusts
95 x 10
95 x 10
95 x 10

Part of feeling disjointed is that I did these in a cycle, rather than one at a time. Another was that something was off about the WHTs: I couldn’t seem to do anything with 115 as originally planned, and trying to get a full range of motion had the barbell bumping into the bench and me sliding off the bench, and… yeah. Just awkward. Even for an exercise called “weighted hip thrusts”.

But, my bench press numbers were nice. So there’s that.

Jim vs. Weighted Pull-ups, Power Snatches & Box Jumps

Haven’t done weighted pull-ups in a while, so I decided to give them a go with my new off-kilter pyramid format.

BW + 25 (220) x 1
BW + 35 (230) x 1
BW + 45 (240) x 1
BW + 40 (235) x 1
BW + 30 (225) x 1

This was easier than I’d expected, so I made sure to get my chin well above the bar each time, and go chest-to-bar when I could. The metcon, thankfully, was not so easy.

Five rounds for time of:
5 power snatches at 65% of max (80lbs)
10 box jumps

This one left my legs and back aching. I finished in 6:06, about 20 seconds slower than last time, and it was a grueling haul. Not sure why it was so much rougher — could five pounds on the power snatch make that much of a difference? — but it was.

Jim vs. Bench Press, Weighted Pull-ups

So maybe I’m thinking about the Thousand Pound Club. Sue me.

Bench press
185 x 5
165 x 6
150 x 7

This was pretty much exactly what I managed to do in March; I think my mistake in May was bumping the starting weight up too much. I don’t plan on making that mistake next week, though I’m definitely bumping the weight some.

Weighted Pull-ups
+50 (238) x 3
+ 25 (213) x 5

Good effort, here. Worked well in combination with the bench, I think.

Jim vs. Shoulder Press, Weighted Pull-ups

Not much to say about this one. Solid Monday strength work.

Shoulder press
95 x 5
95 x 5
95 x 5
95 x 5
95 x 5

Weighted pull-ups
+60 (250) x 2
+35 (225) x 4

Well, I’ll say this: the shoulder presses are becoming noticeably tougher, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to figure out that I should list both added weight and total weight for weighted pull-ups.

Jim vs. Shoulder Press, Weighted Pull-ups

The allergies haven’t messed with how I feel doing strength work, so I’m gonna stick with that.

Shoulder press
140 x 3
125 x 4
110 x 5

That’s a new 3RM, that is. And it warms the cockles of my heart when I think of how long I had to work to push my PR above 135.

Weighted pull-ups
BW + 50 x 4
BW + 25 x 6
BW x 12

Not a bad showing, there. even if the rep numbers were a bit all over the place.

Jim vs. Deadlifts, Weighted Chin-Ups

I decided to experiment with a “reverse pyramid” method, recommended to me by a friend and championed by the folks at Leangains.com. It’s good to shake things up, even if my less-than-stellar experience last year with the 5-3-1 stuff sent me back to 5x5s and 5x3s.

Deadlifts
325 x 3
295 x 4
260 x 5

It was weird starting with the heaviest load, and I’m worried a bit about making sure I’m warmed up completely. But the subsequent sets felt much smoother by comparison. So, in keeping with the recommended application of the pyramid, I went on and did some weighted chin-ups.

BW + 45 x 4
BW + 22.5 x 5
BW x 10

Again, the reversal felt odd, and applying the 100%/90%/80% loads meant I was back to my bodyweight by the third set. But it went well, and I just took their advice and did 10 instead of six for the last one. I’ll give this another go next week, with either higher weights or more reps.

Jim vs. Weighted Pull-ups, Rowing, Running

My legs still hurt from squats.

Weighted Pull-ups
+25 x 5
+35 x 5
+40 x 5

Near as I can tell, this is the first time I’ve done five-rep sets of weighted pull-ups, and it’s a different and interesting beast. I was sort of guessing about what loads to use the first two sets, but it helped me pick a weight for the third that I’d hoped would push me to the limit of my strength (while still letting me get in five reps). I was right, and it was damned close.

Then I went upstairs for some rowing and running:

500m row – 1:58
400m run – 1:38
500m row – 2:15

Doing the running on the treadmill went against my better judgement, and was probably a mistake. I hate those things, and the experience was miserable even for running. Next time I run, I’ll take the time to go to Barton and use the track.

Jim vs. Weighted Pull-ups, 40m Dashes

This week got off to an ambiguous start.

Weighted Pull-ups
25 x 3
35 x 3
45 x 2
55 x 2
65 x 1
70 x 1
75 x 1 (?)

That question mark is because I was using pull-up handles rather than a bar (the only open rack at Teagle was the one with handles), so I’m not sure I got my chin high enough.

Then I did twelve 40m dashes, resting 20 seconds between each one. I didn’t have a good way to time the individual runs, so I just timed the whole thing and got 5:43. Not really helpful without knowing if I really rested 20 seconds each time.

Like I said: ambiguous.

Jim vs. Back Squats, Weighted Pull-ups

Four days since I hit the gym, but they weren’t all rest days: got in a seven-mile hike on Saturday, which sadly revealed just how little I’ve been hiking this summer. But today I was back in a mercifully cool Teagle to get my back squat on.

180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5
180 x 5

The linear progression keeps getting tougher, but the odd thing is that the first sets always feel tougher than the last. Maybe it’s just my muscles getting into the motion, or maybe it’s that until now almost all my barbell work involved increasing the load each set. Maybe my brain’s so used to the weight going up that keeping things steady feels like a relief.

I also got me a new 3RM on the weighted pull-up:

25 x 3
35 x 3
45 x 3
50 x 3
55 x 1

Always feels good to set a new max, and that one I really had to work for. Not sure why I decided to go back and try 55, but the results there were unsurprising. Still, I’ll take the win.