Blog Archives
Week 15/4/13 – 21/4/13
Tuesday 16/4
Training at Base in Tuggeranong.
Snatch Pull + 3 hang snatches. Good, form is getting much better, just have to work on being more consistent. Light weight (40kg).
Jerk – Behind Neck. 4×5. Good. Jerks were feeling great, fast, solid, even and balanced. Tried my max (currently 50kg – 70kg total). Broke it by 5kg on a second attempt. Then went back to 70kg and did it comfortably.
Front Squats. 4×5. Did these at a fairly light weight, 50kg. Felt good.
Stayed for the wod after which was a 12 minute amrap of 100 Double under’s, and 12 OHS’ @ 60kg.
Have never done a double under before i tried them, after a while i got my timing right and managed some, although i could only do 1 at a time. I scaled the OHS’ down to 40kg since my current max is 50kg. Mostly did single skips (200 per round). Lost count of these cause i broke them up with attempts at DU’s in between. Still this was a fun WoD.
Thursday 18/4
Deadlifts; 3@105kg, 3@120kg, 3@130kg. Got 2 reps out at 130kg. Good. New PR. 130kg lifts were pretty bad form but i got them up anyway.
Single Leg Standing Dumbbell Deadlifts; 4×10. 14kg x2, 18kg x2. Good. These are basically a single leg RDL, using dumbbells.
Weighted Barbell Squat Jumps; 3×6. 30kg, 35kg, 40kg. Good. Did better with these than i thought i would.
single Leg Hamstring Curls; 3×4. @38kg, 40kg, 42.5kg. Good. 2 reps less on last set for left leg. Otherwise all full sets. Liking these.
Bent Over Rows; 3×5. 60kg x2, 65kg x1. Fairly average form on the last 2 sets. Beginning to have trouble bending over enough with these at this weight.
Sunday 21/4
Squats; 3@90kg, 3@105kg, 3@115kg. Had a very poor day with these. Did 2 reps at 95kg and was gassed.. Racked it up to 105kg, shouldered it then pulled out before a single rep… Felt very unstable and weak. Felt tight in the hips and hunched over, couldn’t open my chest and get a proper curvature of my spine. Went back to 90kg and pushed out a couple of reps and left it at that.
Thinking about this later in the day i might not have been in the correct mindset. Since i am having good success with my deadlifting over the last couple of weeks i may have been expecting my squats to increase at the same rate, but not applying as much mental effort.
Fran; 21,15,9 Thrusters, Pull Ups.
This is my first attempt at the crossfit workout named Fran !
Did it at 32.5kg (total). Looking about online for the “normal” fran weight for men it seems to be 95lbs (about 43kg) or 55% body weight. 32.5kg is closer to 55% of my body weight than 43kg is !
My time for this was 6:45. Don’t know if this is a good first attempt time or what ?!
I didn’t rush this too much, paused a couple of times to have a sip of water and catch my breath. Although my breathing was good throughout the WoD.
Thrusters were good, but i couldn’t really chain my pullups for many more than 5 reps at a time, even though i was kipping. I could benefit from more pullup practice.
Still, was fun. And now have a bench mark to, hopefully, improve upon.
Week 1/4/13 – 7/4/13
Tuesday 2/4
Back Squats; 4×6 @85kg. Did all 4 sets of 6 at 75kg’s. Good. Up 5kg from last week. Paused briefly at about the 4th rep of most sets.
Single Leg Hamstring Curls; 3×8-10. @26kg. Good. Will go heavier next week.
5 Cone Drill; 3 sets. Tried this, but was awkward. Think i was doing it wrong. Ill check it out for next time.
Barbell Lunges; 3×8-10. Moderate weight. 1st set @20kg, 2 sets @30kg. Good. Have to keep tension in my glutes.
Bent Over Rows; 3×8-10. @50kg. Good, got 10 reps on all sets. Ill keep it at 50kg for now and work on form. Have to focus on a nice tight squeeze at the top and releasing slow.
Thursday 4/4
Deadlifts; 5@105kg, 3@115kg, 1@130kg. Couldn’t quite do the 130kg lift. Other weights fairly good. Have to work on keeping my lats on and shoulders down, currently lifting these with a rounded back.
Complex: 1) Dumbbell Push Press: 3×15 @15kg. Good, easy.
2) Pushup Burpees: 3×15. Good. Had a sore chest for a couple of days after.
Weighted Pull Ups; 3×10 @2.5kg. Good. Did these as strict as possible, used minimal knee assistance.
Dumbbell External Rotations; 3×10 @10kg. 10kg was too heavy for left shoulder, dropped back to 6kg’s. Will try 8kg next time.
Saturday 6/4
Olympic lifting at crossfit base in tuggeranong.
Snatch @ 40kg’s 5×3. Good. Snatch was much better this week. Opened hips well, shrugged well, caught the bar a little higher and rode it down. Good. Happy.
Cleans @ 50kg, 70kg 5×3. Cleans were from mid thigh (after a 2 position hold). Struggled a couple of reps @70kg as i was pulling back on the bar a little, instead of straight up high and tall. Although this is about 90-95% of my previous clean and jerk 1rm (75kg).
Push Jerk @50kg 3,2,2,1. Good. Have to push under the bar more. Also have to land with my feet in a similar position to the jumping pos, not wider.
Back Squat @50kg 3,2,2,1. Took it easy on these since i’m working hard on back squat with my regular programming.
Snatch Grip RDL @50kg 3,2,2,1. Same as above.
Sunday 7/4
Hang Snatch; 3×8-10 @40kg. Was a bit inconsistent, pull was ok, but catch was awkward.
Snatch Balance Wave; 5,7,9,12. Started with bar only, then 40kg. Good. Left shoulder got tight after a while.
Death March; 3×8 @12.5kg dumbbells. Good, easy. Have to make sure to keep front leg as straight as possible and not do a lunge. Bend at torso, don’t keep torso upright.
Cardio;
Row 12 mins, rest 2 mins,
Ride 2 mins, rest 2 mins,
Row 12 mins, Rest 2 mins.
Should have done another ride for 2 minutes and row for 12 minutes, but was gassed and had been in the gym for almost 1.5hrs already.
Week 18/2/13 – 24/2/13
Monday 18/2
Strict Press; 3×5 @30,32,35,32,35kg. Good. 32kg is getting more comfortable. Only got 2 reps on each of the 35kg sets.
Complex 1;
1) Dumbbell Snatch; 3×10 @20kg. Good.
2) Bent Over Rows; 3×8 @30,30,40kg. Good.
Complex 2;
1) Face Pulls; 4×12 @15kg. Good. Keep elbows up, shoulders back.
2) Cuban Press; 4×8 @10kg. Good. Was tough to do.
Tempo Sit Ups; 2×15. Tempo – 3,0×1. Good, easy.
Cable External Rotations; 3×8-10 @5kg. Good, got 10 reps on all.
Tuesday 21/2
Aerobics Session;
3 sets –
8 Power cleans @40kg, 45kg, 45kg.
Run 400m after each power clean set. @90% effort.
Good. Cleans got harder in the 3rd set. Started to lose form.
3 sets –
8 Front Squats @45kg, 50kg, 55kg.
Run 400m after each set of squats. @90% effort.
Good, squats were supposed to be heavier. Found the squats more mentally challenging that physically at this point.
3 sets –
20 Burpee broad jumps.
Good, breathing was only slightly out of control at the end of each set of 20, but soon recovered.
Saturday 23/2
Trained with the guys and girls at Base in Tuggeranong.
1) Snatch Pull + Hang Power Snatch + 2x OHS. 6×2. Light weight here, only to correct technique. 40kg bar. Good.
Things to work on – keep out over the bar for longer to load up and utilise ham strings. Keep lats engaged throughout the entire pull. Keep bar in closer to chest. Pull the bar all the way up and over my head. Keep eyes up. Keep weight on heels and outside of feet.
2) Clean Pull + Hang Power Clean. 6×2. Moderate weight on this one – 60kg bar.
Things to work on. Similar things during the pull to snatch (keep bar close, load hammies etc). Use fast elbows to get under the bar faster. Push chest under the bar fast also.
3) Push Jerk. 6,5,4,3,3. 50kg bar. Good.
Things to work on. Keep elbows still (don’t let elbows drop) during the dip & drive. Keep core locked and stable. Land with hips slightly back.
Sunday 24/2
1 Arm Dumbbell Press; 3×10 @20kg. Started on 17.5kg since shoulders were feeling stiff. 1×10 @17.5. Both other sets @20kg were for 5 reps only (each side).
Diamond Hold Push Ups; 4×10. Good, fairy easy.
Snatch Cluster; 5,5,3,3,1. (x2). @20kg. Good. Fairly neat snatching. Worked on keeping tight through pull (lats) Also tried to keep bar close and pushing under bar as fast as possible.
Complex;
15 Pullups
15 Squats
9 Pullups
9 Squats
12 Pullups
12 Squats
(x2).
Squats were air squats – easy. Pull Ups were challenging, something maybe i need to work on and get better at.
Week 4/2/13 – 10/2/13
Tuesday 5/2
‘ytw’ shoulder warm up.
Strict Press; 5×5(x3). @25,25,30,25,30 Kg’s. Good. Got 2 full sets @30kg. Rest of the sets @30kg were partial in the second round. All of the last round was at 25kg. Felt better and stronger than last week. Gaining confidence with my shoulder pressing again.
Complex 1;
1) Dumbbell Snatch; 3×10 @12.5kg. Good.
2) Wide Grip Upright Rows; 3×8-12 @20kg. Good. Tried to do them as strict as i could, still used some hips though.
Complex 2;
1) Dumbbell Front Raises; 3×10 @7.5kg. Tempo – 1,3×0 Good. Tried hard to keep it at tempo. Tough though.
2) Seated Side Lateral Raises; 3×10 @ same weight as #1. Couldn’t do them at 7.5, stepped it back to 6kg.
Tempo Sit Ups; 2×12 – 3,0×1. Easy.
Cable External Rotations; 4×10 @7.5kg. Good.
Thursday 7/2
Standing 1 Arm Dumbbell Press; 3×10 @12.5kg. Good. 12.5kg is a good weight for these. They are a challenge for the last couple of reps of the sets, but not too much that i sacrifice form.
Hand Release Push Ups; 4×15. Good. Fairly easy.
Clean and Jerk Clusters; 5×5 (x3). Started on 40kg (last weeks best). Got 3 sets of first round at 40kg with reasonable form, then 2 sets of the second round at 40kg. Much better than last week. Couldn’t get the 3rd round, was gassed.. Still a much better improvement over last week. Tough workout, but had a lot more confidence with these this week.
Wide Grip Pull Ups; 4×12. Tough. Had to rest during each set briefly. Did as many as i could as strict, then kipped the rest.
Sunday 10/2
Had to work saturday, so shifted my aerobics session to sunday and did it at my gym.
1) Back Squats; 8×2 @70kg. Fast (speed squats). Good, easy really.
Here’s a video i made.
2) WoD;
Glenn made this one up, its based on the 12 days of christmas he told me.
1 x power Clean @40kg,
2 x Push Press’ @15kg,
3 x Deadlifts @40kg,
4 x Bicep Curls @15kg,
5 x High Pulls @40kg,
6 x Bent Over Rows @40kg,
7 x Front Squats @40kg,
8 x Thrusters @40kg,
9 x Burpees,
10 x Kettle Bell Swings @16kg (biggest my gym has)
11 x medicine ball squats – used a 20kg plate as this gym’s biggest ball is 6kg.
All up it took about 5 minutes to complete this, as you can see though i didn’t rush it, I have a video for this one as well.
Week 14/1/13 – 20/1/13
Monday 14/1
Snatch; 32.5kg x1 rep.
Power Snatch; 15kg, 25kg. Didn’t quite get the target 35kg. But did manage 32.5kg. Need to get elbows high and outside and shrug more.
Front Squat heavy single; 75kg. Good. New PB. Very happy.
Tuesday 15/1
Jerk Max for the day; @80% x1 (x3). Did 40kg, 45kg, 50kg. Good. Took my time and focused. Still could have lunged longer & a bit wider. Happy with 50kg (70kg total) though. Felt much lighter than previously. Previous max 55kg.
Clean Pulls off weight plates; 50kg x3 (x3). Good. Worked on full hip extension & focused on being fast, explosive upward motion.
3 sets no rest;
5 box jumps
15 pull ups.
Good enough. The pull ups were hard. Did the last 2 sets in lots of 5.
Saturday 19/1
Lynn;
Body weight bench press, as many as possible.
Body weight pull ups, as many as possible.
x5 rounds…
Did bench press @ about 50kg.
Didn’t take exact notes as to exactly how many reps, but they were something like as follows.
1 – 25, 15
2 – 18, 10
3 – 15, 6
4 – 14, 6
5 – 12, 7
Good workout. Enjoyed it a lot. Haven’t done a lot of pull ups in the past. They are something i would like to do more of in the future.
Second activity was; 21, 15, 9.
Bulgarian bag smash. Over head squats.
Tough to do. I really dislike the bulgarian bag.
Saw later on the video that i had bad form on the overhead squats. My arms aren’t coming back nearly far enough. They don’t even come back next to my ears.
I think for me to improve on OHS’ and also Snatch i will have to work hard on shoulder, and upper back flexibility. Particularly having my arms behind my head/back.
Week 17/9/12 – 23/9/12
Monday 17/9
Powercleans; 5,5,3,3,2,2,1. 30kg for 5. 35kg for 5. 40kg for 3. 40kg for 3. 45kg for 2. 45kg for 2. 45kg for last 1. Tried 50kg for the last ‘1’ rep a couple of times but couldn’t get it up. 45kg lifts were a lot tidier than last week. Happy enough with that for now.
Rear neck shoulder press; 5×5 (x2). @20kg for all but the last 2 sets – dropped to 15kg to keep the reps up to 5 reps.
Complex;
1) Upright Rows; 8-10 x4. Empty bar to start, increase weight each set. Started empty, then 2.5kg, 5kg, 7.5kg.
2) Barbell Cuban Press; 10-12 x4. Used the same weight for these as for the exercise above. Good, a tough complex for shoulders.
Finished the day with a 750M row. Did this in roughly about 2:15 minutes.
Tuesday 18/9
Romanian Deadlifts; 5×5(x2). Started @30kg, increased load by 10kg each set to a max of 70kg. Then back to 60kg for last 2 sets. Also used a small aerobics step for last 2 sets to increase range. 1st time i have done rdl’s. Good. Hamstrings were sore and tight for 4 days after..
Complex;
1) Bent Over Rows; 10-12×3. 20kg for 2 sets, 30kg for 1 set. Good, focused on good contraction of back.
2) Sumo Deadlifts; 10-12×3. @50kg. Good. Was tough after doing the rdl’s.
Lat pull downs; 10-15×3 Went heavier on this one this week than in the past. 45kg x2, 37.5kg x1. Less reps @45kg ~ 6-8 etc.. Focused on contracting back and lifting chest. Wide grip.
Friday 21/9
Dumbbell Push Press; 5×4(x3). @17.5kg, 20kg, 17.5kg. Good, 17.5kg was more of a strict press than push press.
Pull ups; Variety of Wide, supinated, narrow grips for 5 sets. Good, found it hard to get chest all the way up with a wide grip.
Hanging Leg Raises; 10×3. Good. Lifted legs to slightly above horizontal. Easy enough to do.
This is the end of week 4 of this cycle.
Shannon's training 