The Training Week That Was - 12/23 - 12/29

12/23
Front Squat 60x3x2 80x3 100x3 120x2 135x1 145x1 155x1 160x0 (jeez I think the knee sleeves help)
Snatch Pull from Deficit w/ Two Pauses  3x3 @ 90
Clean Pull from Deficit w/ Two Pauses 3x3 @ 120
Random upper body

12/24
Snatch Pull - up to 3x3 @ 110
Clean Pull - up to 3x3 @ 140
SSB Squat up to 130x5

12/25 - Happy Christmas/Festivus/Chanakah/Kwanzaa

12/26
Abs x150
Single Arm (R Arm Only) DB Jerk 40x5 60x5 75x5 85x5 90x5x3
Single Arm (R Arm Only) DB Push Press 60x5 75x5 85x0 75x5x3
R Arm Only Pulldown 4x12
R Arm Only DB Swiss Ball Bench 4x15
R Arm Only Row 4x15
Abs x150
7 mins accumulated squat time
Traction

12/27 (First Carb Nite)
Abs x100
Front Squat - 60x5x2 90x4 110x5 120x5x3
GH Raise - 50 reps BW
Reverse Hypers and Traction (back a little dodgy, not sure why)

12/28
Epsom Salt Bath

12/29 (weight is 213.8)
SSB Squat 70x5 90x4 110x5 130x5 140x5 145x5 150x5 (all PRs?)
-OK pretty sure that's three PRs. I've never trained sets of five on the SSB because they SUCK, so anything right now is probably a PR. It's 20kg over what I did just six days ago, so I'll take it.
GH Raise - 6-8 sets of 6 w/ 10kg plate plus one set with a 15kg plate, which is just too much right now.
Standing Abs 4x12 (totally sold on the Spud Ab Strap for standing abs, just ordered one for me and my partners from EliteFTS. It's a totally different lift with this vs. using a tricep rope. Very good for your squat and deadlift.)

The Training Week That Was - 12/16 - 12/22

12/16
Kneeling Jumps up to bar x3
Front Squat 60x3x2 80x2x2 100x2 120x2 130x1 140x1 150x0 150x1 130x1 135x1 140x3
-150x1 and 140x3 were recent PRs (I've done better, but in gear and about fifteen extra pounds) and also managed to spring a leak in my nose on the third rep @ 140. Might be finally starting to figure out this whole "front squatting with straps" thing, hopefully just in time to start back with normal front squatting.
GH Raise 5x5 w/ 10kg plate behind head
Cal Back Extension - 3x15
Chinese Arches - 3x w/ 35kg
Hypers and Traction

I was supposed to do some Zerchers and some other things, but since the front squat went so well I dialed back and just did my usual accessory work.

12/17
Foam rolled out IT bands/inner thigh/quads
Five minutes accumulated in bottom squat position (shoes on)
Five minutes accumulated in bottom squat position (no shoes)
Epsom Salt bath

12/18
Single Leg Box Jump 5x2
Back Squat 60x5 90x3 110x3 130x5 140x5x5
GH Raise (unweighted) 3x15
GH Sit-Up (unweighted) 3x20
Reverse Hypers 2x10
Foam Roller and some squat time
(The SSB squats and the squat accumulation time is really helping everything. Highly recommend the SSB work and 5-10 mins of squat time on your off days. I think the SSB has been very helpful with helping my posture become more upright in the hole and I highly recommend it)

12/19
Box Jumps 3x2 then Kneeling Double Jumps 3x3
-(a kneeling double jump is a kneeling jump + immediately jumping for max height like a vert test. It seems to help me with clean recovery.)
SSB Squat bar x5 70x5 90x4 110x4 120x5x3
Tried some behind the neck presses; hand still too swollen
DB Iso OH Press up to 60x8x3 (R hand) and 40x8x3 (L hand)
Iso Pulldown 4x10+10
T-Bar Row 4x12
Cal Back Extension 4x15
Weighted Plank 4x
Traction
Rolled out IT bands and Inner Thighs + a couple mins in the squat

12/20
Kneeling Jumps 2x3
Front Squat up to 115x3x3 (No carbs since Saturday, running out of gas)
GH Raise BWx8 10kgx6 15kgx5x3
Chinese Arches 25kgx1 40kgx1 50kgx3
Traction
(Blessed, blessed carbs for the first time since Saturday)

12/21 - Off

12/22 (Woke up late, legs DO NOT move quickly or bouncy first thing in the AM)
Tried some jumps but the body wasn't having it. Hand wasn't digging back squatting so I went to the safety squat bar.
SSB: barx5 70kgx5 90x5 110x3 130x3 140x2 145x2 150x1x2
Did some very light snatch pulling from deficit @ 60kg. Hand feels MUCH better than last time I pulled.
Got my hand worked on again at the chiro. It still hurts like hell to get this thing adjusted, but it's getting closer.

-Just got a new pair of knee sleeves from Rehband and Jackal's Gym. This is the first time I've ever worn them and I'm not used to wearing them. I THINK they fit correctly, but it's a new feeling. They feel a little large, but I also haven't tried to clean or snatch in them yet. I have to think the fit for the Olympic lifts are a bit different than just squatting. Any thoughts on the sleeves out there, let me know.

The Training Week That Was - 12/9 - 12/15

12/9
SSB Squats up to 130x3
Bunch of random lower body work.
(I'm not proud of this, but this was a total blow-off day. I was out way too late on Friday night for my company holiday party and did not plan properly. This also explains why I didn't train on 12/8.)

12/11
Long Warmup with a bunch of broomstick drills
Box Jump - worked up to 5x2 with some plates stacked on a box. No idea on height. I'll take a pic next time.
SSB Squat (I think a 30kg bar): bar x5 70x4x2 100x3 110x3 120x5x5
Front Squat Lunges - 4x5 @ 50kg
Depth Jump 3x10
Cal Back Extension + Hanging Leg Raise - Five sets each
Hypers and Traction

12/12 (legs sore as hell)
Ten minutes of time in a squat
Epsom Salt Bath
Foam Roller

12/13
Seated Box Jump to 5x2 w/ stacked boxes and plates (no seriously, I'm gonna take a picture of height)
Front Squat (w/ straps) 60x3x2 90x3 110x2 120x2 130x2 140x2 145x0/120x3x3
SSB Lunge 5x5 - 50kg
Back Extension 5x10 w/ 15kg plate behind head
GH Situp 5x10 w/ 10lbs behind head
Weighted Plank Holds (both sides and front plank) - Two sets w/ 15kg plate, One set w/ 25kg plate
Hypers and Traction

12/15
Kneeling Jumps 5x3
SSB Squat - triples up to 135x3
-Bolted after this to make my chiro appointment. A word of wisdom: getting your hand adjusted when you've got a bone bruise hurts like hell. The hand feels waaaayyyy better post-adjustment and doesn't have that "jammed-up" feeling in my thumb and index finger. Still sticking with goal of being able to snatch again on Christmas. Going to pound town on bone broth and pushing more activity with the hand.

Check this out from Mobility WOD on icing and rehabbing injuries. This makes a lot of sense, and had me diving for my old anatomy books and checking out things like venous return all over again.  This has a lot to do with why I went the contrast route right after the injury rather than straight ice. Now I'm basically heating the hell out of it and lightly compressing when I'm sedentary at work to keep things moving.

Note: I like a hot/cold shower right before bed on training days and epsom salt baths on non-training days. If I have a big backload and a lot of lower body volume, I'll get leg and foot cramps in the night. The contrast gets everything moving and seems to knock me out pretty nicely.

The Training Week That Was - 12/2 - 12/8

12/2
Snatch bar work (can't catch cleans or overhead squat yet)
Back Squat 60x5 90x4 120x5 (left hand/wrist not strong enough to keep bar on shoulders, so I junked this)
SSB Squat 70x5 100x5 125x3 135x3 145x3 155x3 (PR) / 110x4 120x4 130x4
DB Row 85x8 110x8x2 115x8 120x8
Lat Pulldown/Barbell Hip Thrust - four sets of each
Jerk bar work (can't put the bar in a front squat position but can do some limited technique work)
Cal Back Extension/GH Situp five sets of each
Reverse Hypers and Traction

12/4
Snatch Pulls - up to 130kg x 2x7 or 8 sets
Clean Pulls - up to 150kg x 2x5 or 6 sets; did some pull + hang pulls at 130kg
Back Squat - 110x5 130x5 135x5x4 (hand MUCH better than Sunday but still weak)
GH Raises - 35 reps at BW, pushed pad out to make these harder
Single Leg Glute Bridges and Reverse Hypers

12/6
10 mins lying on roller (to open up discs)
Snatch Pull 12x1 @ 110
Clean Pull 12x1 @ 140
Front Squat (w/ straps) up to 130x2 120x3x2
Posterior Chain Work

12/8
Off

So I'm admitting defeat on my hand. The healing process is clearly not being helped by my pulls and half-assed attempts at bar work and overhead squats. The best thing I can do right now is give it rest. Which means that pulling is out and a lot of upper body work is out. What can I do without putting any pressure on the hand? Well, I can front squat with crossed arms and I can squat with the Safety Squat Bar. I can do all my usual lower body work as long as it doesn't involve holding anything. I'm going to be a bit creative and try to get some upper back work done. For the next few weeks though, it's pretty much all legs and squats all the time. Not an entirely unsavory proposition, just not what I'd prefer to be working on with sevenish weeks to go until a meet. This probably means I need to step up my squats to four days a week to make up for the missing leg stimulation. Next week you'll see my basic idea for training around this injury while keeping my template about the same.

PS: I noticed that I've been getting a lot of hits from Russia and Germany lately, so "Спасибо за чтение" to my Russian friends and "Danke fürs Lesen" for the Germans out there. Drop me a suggestion or comment sometime!

The Training Week That Was - 11/25 - 12/1

11/25
Muscle Snatch - 50x2x3 60x2 70x1 75x1 80x0
Back Squat - 60x3x2 90x3 120x3 135x5 150x2 157x2 165x5 (PR)
Front PP - 50x3x3 70x3 82x3 90x5 95x2 100x4 100x1 (forgot to do my down sets here)
DB Row - 85x8 105x8x2 115x8x2
Lat Pulldown + 4 Way Neck - 5 sets each
GH Raise 5x5 up to 25lb plate
Arches - 35kg for two sets for max time
Traction and Hypers

11/27
Pendlay Snatch Drills
Snatch + Abv Knee Snatch - 40x1x3 60x1x3 70x1x2 80x1 87x1 95x0 90x1 95x1 100x0x2
-85x3x4
Pendlay Clean Drills
Clean Pull + Abv Knee CJ - 40x1x3 70x1x3 90x1x2 100x1 110x1 117x1 122x0 (jammed the shit out of my wrist; puked a bit outside and almost passed out. Real winner of a workout. Note to self: just let it go when you get that far out of position.)
SSB Squat (can't grip anything with the wrist) 70x5 100x5 120x5x2
Cal Back Extension - 5x10
I should have tractioned after the SSB (it messes my back up sometimes) but my hand is a mess. Tomorrow morning might be a very enlightening experience with this hand. I'm very hopeful that it isn't broken and it's just really really sprained. The one other time I did this I dropped 125kg right on the palm of my hand; thought I had a spiral fracture of my forearm. This one is much farther back on the hand, so I'm hopeful it's all soft tissue. Everything in my hand just feels stretched/sprained, all the way into my fingers. It isn't super swollen or discolored, so I'm hopeful.

This also gives me a chance to test out an idea. When I iced the crap out of things, I notice that things are stiff for multiple days and my mobility/flexibility goes to hell. So here's what I'm trying, we'll see what happens: just got home a little while ago and I covered my hand in liniment (All-Pro Science Complete Relief). I'm also working it over in a bowl of very hot water and some epsom salt, alternating with bowl of ice water. The swelling is coming in a bit in my palm of all places, so I'm hopeful it's more of a big assed bruise rather than anything serious. The heat is actually going to encourage swelling, so my guess is this thing is gonna blow up like crazy. Trying to keep it active as long as I can and more Complete Relief before bed. I won't be able to keep the ice/heat combo going at work, but I'll ice it up and see what happens.

11/28 - Hoping for Sprain, but Planning for a Break
Hand swelled up like the Hamburger Helper overnight:

I'm currently alternating the hot water/ice water and figuring out what I can and can't do in the gym. Bruising is coming in hot and saucy and I'm going for x-rays Thursday afternoon. It would appear I will be doing a shit load of Safety Squat Bar work, posterior chain work, abs and plyos. Hardly the worst thing in the world, but kind of a bummer for my upper body work as that's where I really need work, relatively speaking (I need work everywhere, but you know that). I'm hoping the wrist will allow me to do some upper body pulling work with straps in the not too distant future.

11/29
Little bit of bar work, nothing special
Kneeling Jump Plyos bunch of sets
Front Squat (used straps) up to 120x3 127x3 132x3 (PR) then 120x4x2 120x5x1 (smoked these)
GH Raise worked up to 4x6 w/ 10kg plate behind head
Cal Back Extensions 4x12 w/ 10lb plate
Planks/Neck/Rev Hypers - three sets each
Traction

X-Rays: NEGATIVE. No broken hand, just very f'd up. Alternating the hot water/epsom salt with ice water seems to be really helping. On Wednesday I couldn't hold a coffee mug, couldn't button a shirt, couldn't turn my steering wheel and turn a door handle. Today I did all of those things plus did some bar work in the gym. Function and pain-free grip strength is returning real fast but the swelling is staying stubborn, especially in my palm. Still targeting next Tuesday as a return to full lifting. This Sunday is my last week of sets of five in the back squat so I'm going to aim for another PR at 170. Not being able to Oly lift is a natural deload and my squat should be raring to go as long as I can hold the bar.

12/1
Lot of warmup stuff
Bar work (ish)
Snatch Pull to 130x2x2 110x2x4
Clean Pull to 150x2 130x2x4
Rev Hypers

Function coming back real fast. Pulling doesn't bother it, but hand is still so swollen that my grip is messed up. Straps are unusable; causing too much pressure in the area. Tried compression wrap post-workout and having another thrilling day of alternating ice and heat. So satisfying ;)

Steve Pulcinella's Flowchart of Domination

It's pretty simple. 

Zazen: Burn Out or Fade Away?

"...the ability to let that which does not matter truly slide" - Tyler Durden from Fight Club

The are few real "goals" to zazen; the doing is the goal. You sit, stare at a wall and get yourself some peace and quiet from a loud and ever-changing world. You also get some coveted alone time with the universe, which is fairly tough to come by these days. Not that I blame the universe; it has an infinite number of constituents and a secretary who still schedules appointments on a Palm Pilot.

One of the main ideas of zazen is the concept of "falling off of body and mind". Brad Warner refers to it as "thinking not thinking", and I like that description very much. You just kind of think nothing and, when thoughts DO come up, you just sort of let them fly off. What happens to a small, smoldering ember when you don't blow on it or give it any kindling? It dies out. The same goes for thoughts: without actively giving them energy and cultivating them, thoughts fall away. 

Thoughts can be quicksand. The more you struggle against them and try to get away, the further down you get pulled. One of the biggest lessons of zazen practice is being able to actively control which thoughts are cultivated and which thoughts are allowed to burn out and fade away. Learning how to not energize undesirable thoughts and how to cultivate desirable ones is easily one of the most tangible and applicable lessons of Zen. 

The Training Week That Was - 11/18 - 11/24

Low back traction has been an absolute godsend for my jammed up back. I'm fully symptom-free right now, only about ten days after I thought I'd have to stop training and get into rehab full-time. I'm going to start backing off and doing these every other workout and see how the back responds. One thing to remember is that the body adapts to EVERYTHING, including recovery means. Recovery means need to be cycled just like you cycle through training exercises/reps/sets/etc. If I tweak it again and I'm already doing traction four days a week then that's a tool that I've basically taken out of my toolbox.

I'm actually ditching the McCauley drills for a little while as they seem to be putting a bit of a loop into my pull. This isn't a question of the quality of the drills; it's a question of my ability to correctly execute them. So I'll go back to Glenn Pendlay's drills (snatch pt 1, pt 2 and pt 3; clean pt 1, pt 2 and pt 3). I'm also thinking about doing an unsanctioned Oly meet here in Denver in three weeks, which would be seven weeks out from Iceland. I think it'd feel good to get in front of people and feel that adrenaline pumping again instead of lifting in my little corner of the gym. It's on a Saturday, so I could train straight through it without disrupting my schedule. Something to contemplate.

11/18
Drills
B Squat 60x3x2 90x3 130x5 145x3 155x5 135x5 140x5 (heavy, but nice and sharp)
Front PP 50x3x2 70x5 80x3 90x3 95x5 97x5 85x5x2
(didn't check my notes, thought 95 was a PR; should've been 97 and then 100)
Chinese DB Row 90x8 110x8x3
Dips and Chins - 30 reps of each w/ Back Ext mixed in between sets
Hypers and Traction

11/20
2+1 Snatch 40x1x3 60x1x2 70x1x2 80x1 90x1 97x0x2 92x1 97x0x3 102x0x1 (82x1 87x1 92x1 95x1 100x0)
2+1 CJ 60x1x3 80x1x2 95x1 105x1 110x0 (these felt awful so I called it)
Clean Pull - 110x3 130x3x3 140x3
Back Squat 3x5 130kg (not easy but sharp. Bar rolling around on my back a bit says I've been slacking on upper back work)

11/22 (Happy Thanksgiving!!)
Box Snatch - 40x1x4 60x1x3 70x1x2 80x1 87x1 95x1 100x0x2 / 85x2 90x2 90x2
Box CJ - 60x2x2 80x1x2 95x1x2 105x1 112x1 117x1 122x1 / 100-105-110 2+1
Front Squat - 60x3x2 80x3 100x2 110x2 120x3 125x3 130x3
Cal Back and GH Raise - Four sets each
Hypers and Traction

11/24 (Trained at my friends' place Crossfit MHF; all weights in lbs)
Snatch up to 215x1 and four singles at 205
CJ up to 275x1, Clarked 285 real bad (misses here at 265 and 275 as well). Nice reminder that I need to train pulls a little more often, will start sneaking them in after main movements. Standing up with weights is noticeably faster, so the squatting is definitely helping.) It's becoming pretty clear that my squat (or lack thereof) is a big limiting factor in my lifts and it's very possible that I've been punching above my weight in terms of competitive lifts given my shitty squats.

Next week I'll start adding back Wednesday upper body training. I might jerk, Sotts press, overhead squat or muscle snatch as a first movement but I want to keep the pulling from the floor and bar on my back to a minimum and keep this as an upper body focused day. Nothing maximal here (even jerks), this is a day for supportive exercises, prehab and muscle/connective tissue building rather than quick lifts. My upper back is caving a bit on my back squats, which is probably because I've been neglecting upper back work the past few weeks.

I think I'm going to change up my squats for December, taking Sunday's back squat down to triples and Thursday's front squat down to doubles and start pushing a bit more in the front squat. I might take the push press down to triples as well, but probably not for a couple weeks. One way I get some extra volume in those sets of five squats and push press is to do back off sets on days in which I don't make a PR. Nothing super scientific; I take 10-15% off the bar and knock out 1-3 more sets of five. When I make a PR for a set of five, I'm usually SMOKED so potential returns from the back offs aren't worth it.

Couple nice videos here from Dave Tate to reinforce a couple of my above points; one on Recovery and one on Human Potential.

The Training Week That Was - 11/11 - 11/17

I've added a couple of Don McCauley's drills for the Oly lifts to my warmups. This and this are staples. This one is good, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I tweaked an ab muscle in performing it, so it's on the shelf for the time being.

11/11
Shoulder complex from NBS Fitness (my standard shoulder warmup)
Front Push Press - 40x5 60x5 75x4 85x4 90x4 95x3 100x1 105x1 110x0 80x10
(I'm no good at grinding out push presses at max weights; when I'm done, I'm done)
Chinese Row - 85x10 105x10x3
Lat Pulldown 4x10
Low Back Traction - strong band and medium band from Elitefts

11/13 (examples of today's snatch and CJ exercises here; I'm using the power jerk off and on)
Agile 8 Warmup/Shoulder Complex
Snatch - Two Pulls + Snatch: 40x1x3 60x1x2 70x1 80x1 90x1 95x0 95x1 100x1 105x0x2
Down Sets - 85x1 90x1 90x1
CJ - Two Pulls + CJ: 50x1x3 70x1x2 90x1 100x1x2 110x0 110x1 115x0 115x1
Down Sets - 95x1 100x1 105x1
Back Squat 3x5 120kg (nice and fast, just grooving after a week off)
Cal Hypers 4x10 40lbs
Rev Hypers - bunch
Low Back Traction

11/14 Off (being super careful with the back this week)

11/15
McCauley Drills - Snatch
Snatch - Box Just Above Knee: 40x2x3 60x2x2 70x2x1 80x2 90x1 97x1 102x0x3 100x0x1 100x1 102x0x2
Down Sets - 85x2 87x2 90x2
McCauley Drills - Clean
CJ - Box Just Above Knee: 50x2x2 70x2x2 90x2x1 100x1 110x1 120x0x2 120x1
Down Sets - 100x2+1 105x2+1 (only took two down sets; gassed)
Front Squat 60x3x2 80x3 100x3 115x3 120x3 125x3 (heavy, but nice and sharp)
GH Raise - 5-6x5, w/ 2x5 w/ 10kg plate behind head
Rev Hyper - 3x12
Band Traction

11/17
Snatch 40x2x3 60x2x2 70x1x2 80x1 90x1 95x1 (switched platforms) 95x0 100x0x3 (tried these eyes closed, then went back to other platform) 70x1 80x1 90x1 97x0
CJ 50x2x3 70x2x2 90x1 105x1 115x1 122x1 127xFJ 127xFJ
Hypers and Traction

I got jammed up by the high school kids in the gym and kinda f'd up my snatch work. Still good day with the CJ and good training with the snatch, if not accurate pulls. I probably should have just done some pulls and moved on to CJ, but that's all good.

The Training Week That Was - 11/4 - 11/10

Taking it down a bit this week. My back is seriously acting up, I believe due to some very poorly executed push presses. I've finally realized that my back can't take long sets from the back. It isn't the press, it's bringing the bar back down without wrecking my spine. Upper back is really tight and stuff, lower back is a mess. I think some therapy and removing some of the extra work will get everything back on track. I'm sticking to my usual schedule, but pushing Wednesday back to a true "upper body" day rather than mixing in muscle snatches, push presses or anything like that. Lots of pulling and abs, little bit of pressing assistance.

11/4
Muscle Snatch up to 70x2
B Squat 60x4 90x3 110x3 125x3 140x5 145x5 (heavy but not ball busters; building the squat back up)
Front PP 50x5 50x3 70x3 82x3 90x5 95x5 (PR)
-I was short on time so I went complex rather than upper body work.
Javorek Complex 50kgx3
-High Pull x6
-Muscle Snatch x6
-Back Squat to Push Press x6
-Good Morning x6
-Bent Row x6

11/5 - Chiropractor

11/6
Snatch doubles from High Hang
40x2x2 60x2x2 75x2 85x2 92x2 97x0x2 100x0
Down Sets (no foot movement) - 82x3 85x3 87x3
Clean, Jerk, Clean, Jerk
50x2x2 70x2x2 90x2 105x2 112x2
Down Sets (3+1) - 92x1 97x1 102x1
Back Squat 125x5 127x5 127x5 (fast, felt light and sharp)
Rev Hypers 4x15

11/8
Chins and Dips x50 each
Handstand Pushups 4x5
Chest Supported Row 3x12
Dips x25
Reverse Hypers - a ton
(Back is flared up so this is really turning into a legit deload week. Lots of therapy and prehab.)

11/10
Dips and Chins - 50 each
Reverse Hypers 3x15
Chiro

Back is still cranky, but pain-free. Starting back to regular training on Tuesday (11/13) and adding in some post-workout band traction to take down the compression. I haven't had to use it for a long time...which really means I've forgotten it/skipped it. Donnie Thompson made a couple excellent vids of band traction here. Elitefts has some info on traction for the shoulder in their rehab/prehab section here.

One quick word on traction: traction isn't a panacea or a cure-all. It's another tool to keep in the box. If you have some tight hips, shoulders, etc then it can be immensely helpful. But consider your training, competitive and injury history and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Personally, I can't do much single leg hip traction because it really tugs at my surgically repaired back. They aren't magic, but they provide some serious relief for some people with bulges, herniations or just jammed up joints. In 99% of cases (injury, training, etc), Movement is Medicine.

The Training Week That Was - 10/28 - 11/3 - Twelve Weeks to Iceland

10/28
Bar Work/Muscle Snatch/Muscle Clean
B Squat 60x3 90x3 110x2 130x5 145x2 155x5 160x5 (PR)
Front PP 50x4 70x3 85x5 92x5 85x5x3 (no juice left after the squats, probably bad jumps)
"Chinese" DB Rows 4x8 105lbs
Lat Pulldowns + GH Raise Four sets each
Batwing + Curls Three sets each
Barbell Rollouts and Rev Hypers Four of each

This was AM training, only on coffee/coconut oil/whey. Two scoops of isolate/leucine/creatine PWO, then ULC til nighttime, when I had some grilled chicken pho, bowl of Cocoa Krispies and two GF cinnamon rolls from Udi's.

10/30
Snatch - Doubles from High Hang: 40x1x2 60x1x2 75x1 85x1 90x1 95x1 97x1 (PR) 100x0x3 (made the first, missed the second all three times)
Down Sets - 82x3x3
CJ - Doubles from High Hang: 50x1x2 70x1x2 90x1 100x1 107x1 110x1 115x0 112x0 (made first CJ, missed second clean both times)
Down Sets - (3+1) 90x1 95x1 100x1
SSB Squat 110x5 115x5 120x5 (took this down a bit, legs are tired)
Cal Back Ext + Ab Wheel: Five sets of each
Forgot to do reverse hypers, left plates on the machine. Yep, I'm a dick.

10/31
Muscle Snatch from hang and high blocks to 55x3x3
Back Push Press up to 90x5x3 (didn't push these, just getting groove)
Chins 35 reps
Axle Pendlay Rows 4x8
Plate Pinches
Tate Press/Curls/Neck 3x15 each

11/1 (Just wasn't very snappy today)
Snatch from LOW Box 40x2x2 60x2x2 75x1x2 85x1 92x1 97x0x2 97x1 100x0x4
Down Sets 80x3x3
CJ from LOW Box 50x2x2 70x2x2 90x1x2 105x1 115x1 120x1 125xFJ 130x0x2
Down Sets 100x(2+1)x3
F Squat 50x3 70x3 90x3 110x2 117x3 122x3 (cut these short; my back is acting up just a wee bit)
Rev Hypers 5x10

11/3
Snatch  40x2x3 60x2x2 70x1x2 80x1x2 87x1 92x1 97x0x2 90x1 95x0
-Bar was moving forward off the floor and nothing felt right here.
CJ 50x2x3 70x2x2 90x1x2 105x1 115x1 122x0
-Again, didn't push these as there was nothing in the tank.
Sn Pull 100x3 110x2 120x2x2
Cl Pull 120x2x2 130x2 140x2
Rev Hyper 3x15

This whole week my body has felt "off". Sleep hasn't been great, work has been a bit stressful and food has been good but not great. Sleep in particular is something I need to get sorted out. I'm pulling back on the squats for the next week or two in an effort to get the competition lifts moving. No pushing any new PRs in the squats and cutting the target weights by about 10-15% and then working back up over the course of a couple weeks. The real idea here is to "dumb down" the squats and reduce the novelty of squatting (i.e. challenging PRs or changing exercises) so the body can devote more "juice" to the competition lifts.

The fifth or sixth week of a training cycle is usually about when things start to get a bit stale; the joints get a little stiff and some tendinitis usually starts kicking in around now. And right on schedule, my back is feeling dinged up and shoulders n elbows are getting stiff.

I stepped on the scale for the first time in six weeks and checked in at a robust 215lbs. My "yardstick" jeans fit better than when I weighed 205. This is about as high as I'd like to get weight-wise, so I'll look at cleaning up the backloads a bit more, adding in some complexes, or both. They're getting a bit snug through my quads, but the waist is feeling excellent right now. It's like there's some to this whole cyclic ketogenic, Carb Backloading stuff.

Twelve Weeks to Iceland!

Movember Eve

Twas the night before Movember, and in unit 608
My clippers are stirring, full of spite and hate
With bad intentions for my five o'clock shadow
While in the background were echoes of Rachel Maddow

OK that was really bad; you try rhyming "shadow". The point is this: Halloween is also Movember Eve. For those of you that don't know about Movember, it's a month of growing a moustache with donations to benefit testicular and prostate cancer research. My rugby club has done this for many years and, although I don't play any longer, I still participate in raising some coin for a cause I believe in and having some fun with my ex-teammates and friends. It seems to go over well in finance, especially with out of towners who don't know me as being mustachioed.

My Mo Space is right here; I'll be updating as we go through the month with some pics of myself as well as great staches in history. I'm currently displaying former Cubs' closer The Shooter Rod Beck and Iron Mike Ditka. So give early and give often; prostates and testicles all over the world need your support.

Seriously for a sec: a couple of my good friends went through treatments for testicular cancer and were incredibly lucky. It's a cause I feel very strongly about and it resonates with me. You don't have to donate to me, but have a look, have a read and support someone.

Da Coach

The Training Week That Was - 10/21 - 10/27

“Reality's all you've got. But here's the real secret, the real miracle: it's enough.” 

― Brad Warner, Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality


By popular request, I'll start slipping in some of my diet as I've been getting some hits on Twitter asking about Carb Backloading.

10/21
Back Squat 60x3x2 90x3 110x2 125x2 140x2 150x5 130x5 135x5
(150 felt shitty, didn't warm up enough; not enough reps)
Front Push Press 50x3x2 75x2x2 87x2 92x5 97x4+1
Iso DB Fat Gripz OH Press 3x8 60lbs
DB "Chinese" Row 100lbsx8 110x8 115x8x2
GH Raise/Lat Pulldowns
Cal Back Ext/Curls for the Girls/Four Way Neck

10/23
High Hang Snatch (Max Double) 50x2x2 60x2 70x1 80x1 82x1 90x1 95x1 100x0x2 (made one @ 100) 97x0x1 - Down Sets 80x3x3
High Hang CJ (Max Double - Clean, Jerk, Drop, Clean, Jerk) 60x1x2 80x1x2 95x1 105x1 110x0x2 95x1
Down Sets (Three Cleans + Jerk the last rep) 90x1 95x1 100x1
Safety Squat Bar Squat 3x5 @ 120
BB Rollouts + Cal Back Ext - 5 Sets each
Weighted Planks 2x10+10
DB Side Bend 2x10

10/24
Light High Hang Clean Work (my timing is off, going to the toes way too early)
Behind Neck Strict Press 50x5 55x5 52x5 52x5
Chins 4x5
Axle Pendlay Rows 4x10 + Four Way Neck x100

10/25 (low "box" is 25kg plates, bar at about mid-shin)
Lower Box Snatch 40xsome 60x2x2 70x2 82x1x2 90x1 95x0 95x1 100x1 105x0x2 102x0x2
Down Sets 85x2 87x2x2
Lower Box CJ 50xsome 70x2 90x2 100x1 110x1 117x1 122xFJ 122x1
Down Sets (2 Cleans + 1 Jerk) 100x1 105x1 110x1
Front Squat up to 115x3 120x3x2
Cal Back Ext 5x10
Hanging Leg Raises and Reverse Hypers

Nutrition:
Wake-Up @ 520am
Coconut Oil/Whey Isolate in a two shot Americano at 6:30
Another one at 9am
11am: Salad from Noodles and Co, Cioppino Stew, string cheese, 5g fish oil, 10g creatine
3pm: Coconut Oil/Whey/Coffee during training
6pm: PWO Shake: Two scoops of Muscle Feast Anabolic Recover w/ 5g creatine and leucine

Hourish Later:
Small bag of Surf Sweets Gummi Bears
One small spotted banana
30g Whey Isolate w/ Leucine and Creatine
Half a baked yam
Little bit of homemade chicken korma

Hourish After That
S'more/Chocolate Chip Cookie (gluten free, from my friend Claire at Simply Sweet Justice. Will post recipe when she posts it)
Small Bowl of Rice Krispies in Raw Milk (poor planning; ran out of cereal)
Shake w/ Leucine

10/26 - Off-Day Sample Nutrition
5:20 wakeup
One coconut oil/whey/coffee during the day, then mainline green tea the rest of the day
(I avoid coffee during off days after the first one to keep the caffeine down and diversify my sources. Plus green tea is wicked good for you and I'm fighting getting sick. If I'm blasting coffee and I miss a night or two of sleep, it fries it pretty quick. Plus our coffee at work is awful, so I prefer to make it at home in my Aeropress)
11:30am Cioppino + fish oil, string cheese and small salad
4:30pm Three eggs over easy in coconut oil and some leftover homemade barbacoa.
8:30pm More Cioppino and an epsom salt bath

10/27
Snatch 40x2x2 60x2x2 75x1x2 85x1x2 92x0x3 92x1 97x1 102x0x3
(bar kept getting too far out in front on 92. All wasted lifts.)
CJ 50x2x2 70x2x2 90x1x2 105x1 115x1 120x1 125x1 130x0x2
Clean Pulls 130x2x2 135x2 140x2 145x2 150x2

I'm being more mindful of my warmups. I'm guilty of coasting through them instead of really ripping them up, so I'm focusing on snapping them off. It definitely made me a little inconsistent as I got to limit weights, but I think it'll pay dividends in the future.

10/27 Nutrition
7am wake-up
Coffee, slug of coconut oil, creatine and whey
Coffee only pre/during training
Train 9-11:30am
Isolate/Creatine/Leucine PWO shake
90mins PWO(?): Chipotle Salad
330pm:  Garbanzo Greens Salad w/ all the veggies
7:00: Whey/Leucine shake, baked yam, another smore/choco chip cookie/adobo chicken w/ 5g fish oil
8:30: Whey/Leucine shake, bowl of Cocoa Krispies in raw milk, choco chip cookie
10:

My longest sets of squats are sets of five and everything else is in a very low rep range, so I'm not really blowing through glycogen. My biggest mistake on my first go round of CBL was definitely overdoing my carbs; my backloads are pretty tame compared to what you'll read some people putting down. I also keep things as gluten free as possible, which was biggest mistake #2. Wheat and I are not friendly, especially in concentrated doses. About the only pastries that I get after during a backload are turnovers, baklava or Udi's Gluten Free muffins. Tip on the Udi's: DO NOT buy the ones from the freezer. Get the ones sitting out in the bakery section.

I'm also staying off the scale. I'll start sweating making weight (94kg = 207lbs) when I'm closer to meet day. When I hit the scale consistently, I tend to get fixated on the number rather than paying attention to my lifts and the mirror. In lieu of the scale, I'm using a pair of jeans as my "Fatass Barometer". Yes, dudes evaluate the fit of their jeans. I have a pair of 34" waist jeans that fit perfectly when I'm on point. If those start getting tighter, I know I need to either scale down my backloads or do more work.

The Training Week That Was - 10/14-10/20

10/14
B Squat 135x2 145x5 150x5 155x5
Front Push Press 60x3 70x3 82x5 87x5 92x5
Iso DB Press w/ Fat Gripz 55x8 65x8 60x8
Chinese-style DB Row 95x8 100x8 110x8 115x8
Lat Pulldown/GH Raise superset
Back Raise/Neck/YWLT Raise/Curl (for the girls) superset

10/16
Snatch + Abv Knee Snatch 60x2x2 70x1x2 82x1 90x0 90x1 95x1 100x0x3 - 82x3x3
CL Pull + Abv Knee Clean 60x2x2 80x1x2 100x1 110x1 120x0x2
Pull+Abv Knee Pull+Abv Knee Clean 100x3
(This explains a lot about where my mind was: I actually cleaned for singles up to 115 before I realized I was supposed to be doing doubles, so I started over. Genius at Work)
Back Squat 110x5 120x5 125x5
Back Raise 5x10 - 40lbs
Ab Wheel 3x15
Rev Hyper 2x12

10/17
Behind Neck Strict Press 3x5x50
Chins - 25 reps
Lat Pulldown 4x10
KB Split Press 16x5 20x5 24x5
Fat Grip Batwings

10/18
Low Box Snatch 60x2x2 75x1x2 87x1 95x1 102x0x2 100x1 105x0x2 - 85x2 87x2 92x2
Low Box Clean 60x2x2 85x1x2 97x1 105x1 115x1 122x0x2 120x1 122x1 125x0x5 - 100x2 102x2 105x2
F Squat 112x3 117x3 120x3 125x3
Rev Hyper 2x20

10/19 (had to train four days straight because I have a charter exam for work all day Saturday)
Snatch up to 82x1 then 6x2 Snatch Pulls 90x2 100x2x2 110x2 115x2x2
Clean to 112x1 then 5x2 Clean Pulls 110x2 120x2 130x2x3
OH Squat (muscle snatch it up) 3x5@50 1x5@60


Trying to fix my clean pull as it has been going shitty for some time now. I still have fifteen weeks to go til Iceland, so plenty of time to fix it and get things in gear.

The Training Week That Was (and Beerfest) - 10/7-10/13

10/7

Back Squat - 125x2 135x5 145x5 152x5 (PR)

Front Push Press - 70x5 80x5 85x5

Iso OHP - 45x8 55x8 60x8 (w/ Fat Gripz)

DB Rows 3x8

Fat Grip Batwings 5x10

GH Raises/YWLT Raises

Cal Back/Neck/Curls/Planks

10/9

Snatch + Abv Knee Snatch to 92x1 97x0x3 (made snatch, missed the hang x3)

Snatch + (Abv Knee Snatch x2) 82x3x3

Clean Pull + Abv Knee Clean to 115x1 120x0x2

Clean Pull + Abv Knee Pull + Clean 100x3x3

Back Squat 120x5 125x5 130x5

Cal Back 4x8

Planks/Hanging Leg Raise/GH Raise

10/10

I had a broker dinner this night, so I snuck in a quick upper back day at the Glendale YMCA. They have kettlebells in pairs up to maybe 48kg(?), two platforms, two squat racks and bumper plates. The bars are godawful, but you can't always get what you want. Highly recommend if you're in the Glendale area and need a decent place to train; plus, the rugby pitches are there and always open, so you have someplace to sprint.   

10/11

Low Box Snatch - 80x2 87x1 95x1 102x1 107x0 105x1

Doubles - 85-90-92

Low Box Clean - 95x1 105x1 115x1 122x1 127x0x2 125x1 

Doubles - 100x2x3

Front Squat - 110x3 115x3 120x3

Cal Back - 4x8 50lbs

Chinese Arches/Ab Wheel

10/13

Snatch - 70x2x1 80x1 82x1 92x1 97x1 100x1 105x1 (PR) 110x0x2

Clean -  70x2x2 90x2 100x1 112x1 120x0x2 122x0 115x1 120x1 

Reverse Hypers 1x15


So 10/12 was Great American Beer Fest in Denver. I'm not a massive fan of enclosed spaces with large numbers of hammered people, and I'm not a huge fan of getting smashed up, so I've never been. One of my training partners is an engineer and did some work for a new brewery (Hogshead) that named a beer after him (Barge's Mild), so he came across some tickets. So Friday basically involved beer drinking and walking around from 5-11pm. I do think I found a good protocol for minimizing the effects of a night out: epsom salt bath right before bed with some food (I went with Cocoa Krispies and leucine/whey shake), contrast shower when you wake up (mine was at 6am; finish on cold) and then back to sleep for another hour or two.

Two thoughts on Saturday's max day:
1. It's an illustration of "sometimes your best lifts come when you feel like shit". This is solely based on personal experience that I can lift OK on not much sleep as long as I make fewer attempts. The body can absorb a TON of stress and fight/flight pretty damn well. It's a risk/reward to consider and, as Jim Laird is fond of saying, you have to pay to play. I might have changed plans if it weren't a max day, but the whole purpose of the max day is to put some pressure on yourself, achieve the highest possible training effect and seek new records.

2. Missed opportunity. I smoked the 100 and 105. A well rested and recovered Kyle would have taken 110 for a better ride. The first try was my only really credible attempted; I Clark'd the shit out of the second one. I'm seeing both sides and trying not to dwell too hard on this aspect, as it's really early in my meet prep.

Having said all that, I'm gonna say this: you gotta live your life. This doesn't mean this "Work Hard, Play Hard/YOLO" bullshit that people like to use as an excuse to make some terrible choices. Catch phrases from a top-40 rap song are not justification for your shitty vices. Do some stuff and have some new experiences.

Quick Beerfest writeup - Beerfest Favs were both from the same brewery: Heavy Seas had both a Bourbon and a Cabernet beer that were AWESOME. They were the kind of beers that you want to drink on your porch at sunset, possibly with a cigar if you're into that sort of thing. They were LEGIT. I'm no connoisseur of beers, but I know what I like and what tastes good. If I want something drinkable, I'll go for whatever they have as far as Colorado craft beer or a black and tan. On the beach, I want all the Longboards I can find.  

The Training Week That Was - 9/30-10/6

An entire week free of back pain is a win in my book. I did get a little tweak on Sunday from the push-pressing, but I've been pain free the rest of the week. You'll notice I haven't been doing jerks at all; the overhead work seems to have been what was causing the spasms. I'll give it another week to let things heal up a bit more and then add jerks back in when I change exercises after this upcoming week. My contingency plan is to rotate split jerks if they continue causing issues.

9/30

B Squat up to 140x5

Back Push Press up to 90x5 95x4 (back locked up)

Iso DB OH Press 3x8

Hip Thrust vs Bands

Pulldowns/Iso Neutral-Grip Pulldown/YWLT 

Core x100 

10/2 - Complex(ish) Day

(Snatch + Abv Knee Snatch): 82x1, 87x0, 85x0.5 (made snatch, missed abv knee)

-Down Sets (Snatch+Abv Knee Snatch+Abv Knee Snatch) 70x3

(Clean Pull + Abv Knee Clean): to 115x1 

-Down Sets (Cl Pull+Abv Knee Pull+Clean) 90x3

Clean Pull 3x2

B Squat 120x5x3 

Hypers 4x12/Planksx60/Rev Hyper 1x20

10/3 - Upper Body Assistance Work (no squats, no quick lifts)

Chest Supported Row 4x10

Iso DB Bench + DB Chest Sup Row 3x10+10

Fatty Pullups 5x8

Pulldowns 4x8

Sled Drag Row - 2 trips

Pull Apart/4 Way Neck/Axle Curl x50 of each

10/4 

Low Block* Snatch 70x2x1 80x1x2 85x1 90x1 92x0x2 92x1 95x1 97x1; Down Sets 80x2x3

Low Block* Clean  80x2x2 90x1x2 100x1 110x1 115x1 120x0x3; Down Sets 90x2 95x2x2

F Squat 110x3 115x3x2

Hypers 4x12

Rev Hyper 1x20

10/6

Snatch 80x1x2 87x1 92x0 92x1 97x0 97x1 99x0; Down Sets 80x2x2

Clean 80x2x2 95x1x2 107x1 115x1 120x1 125x0; Down Sets 100x2x2

Rev Hyper 1x20

(My low block here is a 10kg plate and a 25kg plate; bar started just below my patellar tuberosity. I think one more cycle with bar just a bit lower, then I'll move the box/hang work higher.) 

The Training Week That Was 9/23-9/29 and Carb Backloading v2.0

Training 9/23 - 9/29

-Nothing

-Absolutely nothing

-Zero

My back has been giving me fits since Estes Park. I've been trying to train though it with zero success. With that in mind, I've done something that I haven't done in probably a year: I did nothing. No training. No sled dragging or Prowler. No reverse hyper. No yoga. No bar work. No tempo work. Nothing. I saw the chiro twice this week and my back hasn't felt this good in ages. Proof will be in the pudding as I'm restarting training for my next meet tomorrow. 

On to vastly more interesting topics: Carb Backloading. I've tried a number of different diets with my training, from Carb Cycling to a modified version of the Warrior Diet to Intermittent Fasting. I have found my most success from Carb Backloading and its sister plan, Carb Nite. I used Carb Nite for ten weeks right after my last meet and moved from 214-202 and lopped an inch and a half off of my waist, which has stayed off. I must say that I would HIGHLY recommend people try a wide variety of nutrition programming (including ALL of the previous programs) and see what works for you.  

So the basics of carb backloading: skip breakfast, stay ultra low-carb and stick to protein/fats/veggies during the day, train hard and then pound high glycemic carbs til bedtime. That's the 50,000 ft view; the actual mechanics are much more detailed than I can (or should) go into in a blog post. I highly recommend you pick up the book and read it for yourself. There are literally about fifty pages of references for the protocols to scratch your nerd itch, and these protocols are backed by the science. 

I won't go into big picture details, as none of these ideas are mine and I want to protect Kiefer's intellectual property. I will, however, give you some details on what has been optimal for me specifically. This is my second go round and I learned quite a bit from my first run of CBL. 

1. Gluten free is the way to go: I've never had any noticeable issues with gluten in my life. Having said that, I experimented with going gluten free for a week of backloads and the results were fantastic. No bloating, no feelings of impending doom, no issues with sleep and no morning-after carb hangover. I stick to white rice for my first post-workout meal, typically a bowl from Tokyo Joe's, a stir-fry at home and/or a yam and sweet potato. I get a little dirtier for my second meal, which is usually a bowl (or three) of Cocoa Krispies (with raw milk), some Rice Krispie treats or a Fro-Yo. I'm also terribly partial to Udi's gluten free muffins. The cinnamon and chocolate are the shiznit. 

 

2. Paleo is the way to go: I'm no expert on the Paleo diet, but it's very tough to make an argument against the idea of eating whole foods from smart sources. Carb-Backloading, within the Paleo realm, is still incredibly easy. Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, bananas, mangoes and cherries all make excellent high-glycemic backloading foods. Personally, I've noticed that I don't get as good results when my backloads are high in fruit, so I stick to the potatoes with a mango or banana or the side rather than the other way around. Honey and agave aren't the best ideas either, as they're actually quite low on the glycemic response scale. 

3. Find your upper and lower ranges: The first week I pushed the backloads very hard to see my upper limits and the second week I pushed them low to see my body's response. For me personally, staying at the lower end and cleaner works best as far as refueling and feeling good. It's probably a function of my style of training (Olympic weightlifting) that I stay at the low end as it isn't terribly glycogen depleting. Carb backloading isn't a one-size fits all protocol; you need to dial up the particulars for your personal situation. 

4. Watch out for too much fat in the morning: My "breakfast" is typically coffee with a half scoop of whey isolate and some combination of coconut oil and heavy cream. When I go overboard on the fats in the morning...the phrase "gastrointestinal distress" some to mind. If/when you go too far, you'll know. 

I like to think of the whole backload process as an extended post-workout shake. Pretty much the entire fitness industry agrees that a post-workout shake is a good idea in most cases. The ideal shake is typically high-glycemic carbohydrate and a fast acting whey protein, rich in leucine. So imagine the backload process as multiple meals within the post-workout window rather than a single meal. 

So that's that. Visit Dangerously Hardcore. Read the book. Listen to the Biojacked Radio podcasts, either on Soundcloud or through the Dangerously Hardcore website. Be open minded. Ask questions. I've implemented both diets with success. Be moar healthy and moar awesome. 

So I Baked: Big Whoop, Wanna Fight About It?

This past weekend I did something I hadn't done in ages: I baked. After almost a year living in my current utilitarian hovel, I finally managed to use the oven. And since I had a ginormous zucchini from a friend's garden, I went looking for zucchini bread recipes. Preferably with chocolate.

What I found was a recipe for MOIST Chocolate Zucchini Bread from Denver, Colorado's own Juli Bauer of PaleOMG and Crossfit Broadway fame. I did make a couple minor tweaks to her recipe (sorry Jules):

-I went with almond butter instead of sunbutter (1:1 exchange), purely because I already had an unopened jar of Justin's Nut Butter. A well-prepared baker would've bought Justin's chocolate almond butter. Next time. 

-I also dropped two scoops of Muscle Feast Whey Isolate into the batter. Anything to squeeze in a little extra protein whenever possible. And yes, I realize the high temps from baking probably denatured the protein a bit.   

SIDE NOTE: (People always seem to mention protein denaturing when you cook with protein powders like it's the end of the world, but never when you cook with meat or eggs. The main point of cooking is to denature and break down foods (not just the Precious protein powders), which in turn makes them easier to digest and more bioavailable. Do some Googling on the Tron and you'll see that cooking our meats and plants has had a tremendous impact on our evolutionary path.)

And that's it. Follow Juli's excellent recipe and you should end up with a couple loaves of an awesome cake/bread-type thing that stays really MOIST. Mine didn't rise a whole lot (I probably shorted the baking powder), so keep that in mind. I took both loaves into the office on Monday morning and they were terminated with extreme prejudice by 10am by the entire trading desk. 

(I didn't frame my pics quite as awesome as she does, but you get the idea)

(Mini-Band from Elitefts.com; supersetting band pull-aparts and grating zucchini is great rotator cuff prehab)

A Quick Word on Recovery

A quick word on recovery, 

Your body is concerned with one thing: survival. It adapts to everything, from your shitty college diet (mine consisted of rugby, booze, Top Ramen and booze) to your stressful job. It adapts (hopefully) to training by making you faster/fitter/stronger. In short: your body adapts to anything that pushes it out of homeostasis.  

Once we realize that the body adapts to stress and wants only to survive, it stands to reason that we want to create a substantial (read OPTIMAL) training effect and not blunt this effect immediately post-training. Your body freaks out because you're stressed it and it wants to get back to homeostasis ASAP. You WANT your body to feel the full impact of that god-awful workout you just finished. 

-Avoid anti-inflammatory meds immediately post-workout. They're a placebo and they blunt the impact of the tough training session that you just finished. Move More (This applies to pretty much everything). Movement magically fixes all that stuff that comes on by not moving, like bad posture, love handles and annoying co-workers. Increasing work capacity also increases your recovery capacity. Louie Simmons has trained some gigantic, strong as hell lifters and they have fantastic work capacity. 

-Related to the above: it is OK to be stiff, sore and have that general not so fresh feeling on occasion. Life has a way of doing that, never mind training on top of it. Move More. Just for a walk. Dr Medvedyev considered nature walks and leisurely bike rides to be recovery methods, and he is/was an incredibly smart man. Soak up some sun and have actual interactions with the other animate and inanimate objects in your particular part of the world. Heck, walk around outside and stare at your phone (GUILTY). You can do recovery work while still being connected to Twitter/Facebook/Pinterest/Reddit!

-If you use contrast showers (big fan, cheap, no risk/good reward), wait 4-5 hours post-workout. Right before bed is ideal. Finish on hot; it always knocks me out.

-Put your biggest impact recovery methods (massages, epsom salt baths, etc) on your rest days from training. A little foam rolling is OK for some local soreness/issues. 

-Cycle recovery the same way you cycle training. Your body will get used to recovery the same way you get diminishing returns from using the exact same training methods.

-Training days are for training and recovery days are for recovering. 

The Training Week That Was - 9/15-9/21

Here's my first week post-comp. CNS is still shot, as is my lower back, so I'm just getting some useful training in while the body heals up. 

9/15

Snatch - up to 87x1x4

CJ - up to 110x1 (back is giving me fits this week)

9/16

Back Squat -145x5

Back Push Press - 95x5

Single Arm OH Press - 3x8 

Lat Pulldown 3x8

Neck/Hypers/Upper Back Superset

9/17 - Off

9/18

Snatch+Above Knee Snatch - 60x1x2 70x1x2 77x1 85x1 90x1 92x0x2

Down Sets (Pulls only): 3x2 90kg

Clean Pull+Above Knee CJ - 60x1x2 70x1x2 77x1 85x1 95x1 105x0 105x1 110x0x2

Down Sets - Shankle Complex - 90x1x2; Clean Pull - 3x2 110kg 

Back Squat - 3x5 110kg

Hypers

9/19

Pwr Snatch - 80x1x2 (Down Sets 3x3 - 65kg)

Hip Clean - 100x1 105x0 (Down Sets 3x2 80kg)

Back Push Press - up to 87x5 (Down Sets 3x5 82kg)

Chins/Rows/Abs

9/20 (my low blocks = 25kg and 10kg plates stacked on the platform))

OH Squat - empty bar 2x10

Low Block Snatch - 70x1x2 75x1x2 82x1 87x1 92x1 97x0x3 (Down Sets - 80x2 85x2 87x2)

Low Block CJ - 60x2x3 80x2x2 90x1x2 100x1 105x0 105x1 110x1 (back locked up)

(Down Sets 2 Cleans + 1 Jerk 90-95-100)

Front Squat - up to 255lbs 3x3

Glute Ham Raise//GH Situps 3x10 each

Reverse Hypers 2x15

9/21 - Off

I'll detail nutrition a little bit in my next post. I'm back on Carb-Backloading after ten weeks of Carb Nite.  More to come!

New Training Block

As long as no one objects, I'm going to start logging my training and some nutrition here weekly. If you're all (un)lucky, I might even post the gratuitous "Cell phone pic in the bathroom mirror" pic. 

Regarding training: I'm working off of a template that Glenn Pendlay outlines here. I've struggled in the past with finding a balance between strength work and Olympic work. Typically I've erred in the direction of the quick lifts and haven't done enough general strength work. The planning that Glenn outlined offers me a good template, which also allowing me some freedom to address my specific needs such as back strength and pressing. 

Below is my basic split idea; as always open to changes and interpretations:

Saturday - Max Day

Maximal Lifts in Snatch and CJ - chasing PRs

Sunday - Max Squat Day

Back Squat - up to a 5RM

Push Press - up to a 5RM

Pressing and Upper Back 

Hypers

Monday - Off (typically AM: Contrast Shower and PM: Epsom Salt bath)

Tuesday - Complex Work

Snatch Complex w/ 2-3 down sets

CJ Complex w/ 2-3 down sets

Back Squat 3x5 (non-maximal)

(Maybe a "complex" complex with 4-8 reps)

Wednesday - Lighter Olys and Strength

Snatch Exercise 

Clean Exercise

Push Press

Upper Back

Thursday - 

Snatch from Hang/Box - max single with down sets

CJ from Hang/Box - max single with down sets

Front Squat - 3x3 heavy

Low Body Extras

Friday - Off (AM: Contrast Shower and PM: Epsom Salt bath)

Estes Park Write Up

I closed out the Highland Games season at Estes Park last weekend with some of my training partners. We started and ended the day with a nip of good Scotch and in general had a great time. First time in over a year that we've been able to all compete together. We've splintered a bit as far as training and competing together, so it was really great to all get together and have a day of fun in the sun. Derek finished 3rd in the A class, while Reggie (1st), Beau (2nd), Justin (9th) and I (5th) were in the B-class. I'm waiting for some more pics to come back from the Estes folks, but below are some of the crew all kilted out. Personally, I threw pretty much in line with how recent practices has been, with one exception: the sheaf. I haven't thrown over 22ft all year with a 20lb bag (I MIGHT have hit 23 once in training), but for some reason I got a wild hair up my kilt and hit 26ft with two near misses at 27. I made a couple tweaks to my finish and that seems to have opened up some power. Gives me something to build on over the winter.

Derek (aka the Barge) is making a run at Pro-level and Reggie and Beau could both make the A-standard if they would train the throws a little bit. Beau is former pro lightweight strongman and Reggie is a really high level amateur strongman, so they have power in spades. Personally, I'm in this weird spot where I give up 50-60lbs to most other competitors, but I'm about ten pounds heavy for the lightweight class (sub-190lbs) as defined in Colorado. A lot of the other games' seem to be pushing the lightweight class to sub-200 and I'm hopeful the RMSA adopts the same standards. Regardless of weight class, I have plenty of technique that needs to be improved. Here are some pics. Goddamn we're a good looking group. 

 From left: Beau, Justin, Reggie, my ass

 From left: Beau, no idea, no idea, Reggie, Justin, myself

 The Entire B-Class from Estes Park

 Beau (with Fat Tire), Justin, Reggie, me (the look on my face says "I got hit in the head with a Braemar")

Justin, Beau, Reggie, me

B-Class Results by Event:

Overall:
1. Reggie - 664 avg
2. Beau - 631 avg
5. Kyle - 564 avg
9. Justin - 472 avg

Hvy Ht:
1. Reggie - 27.2ft
3. Beau - 24.6
8. Kyle - 19.9
10. Justin - 17.8

Lt Wt
3. Reggie - 47.3
4. Beau - 46.7
5. Kyle - 46.3 (I have to say this: I scratched my third throw @ 50'2", would've been a PR)
9. Justin - 38

Lt Hammer
1. Reggie - 97.3 (CRUSHED this)
2. Beau - 86.5
6. Kyle - 80.9
9. Justin - 54

Braemar
3. Reggie - 30.5
4. Beau - 28.8
6. Kyle - 26
9. Justin - 21.5

Caber
2. Beau - 11:55
3. Reggie - 1:05
6. Justin - 11:59 (scoring minutes this close is nuts, esp in a B-class; should've been a 12:00)
10. Kyle - 1:10 (My timing is atrocious with caber; always late. Glaring weakness, needs work)

Sheaf
1. Kyle - 26ft (BIG 2ft PR; I made 24 my first year at 230lbs. Now I'm 205.)
4. Beau - 21ft
5. Reggie - 20ft
6. Justin - 18ft

Wt for Ht
1. Reggie - 13 (SO CLOSE at 14. I think Reg just got tired)
4. Beau - 11
6. Kyle - 10 (PR is 12, which I threw at 230. Had height, left them in front of the bar.)
9. Justin - 10

We also got to see a couple world records as Dan McKim set a new North American record in the light hammer and Matt Vincent set a world record in the open stone. The pro guys are absolutely insane with the torque they generate as well as the distances they're throwing. Fun to watch and got to chat with Matt as well as Sean Betz, who has helped me out with some technique.

Great times with these guys all around. Thanks to the Estes Park Scottish Festival and the Rocky Mountain Scottish Athletes for all the help. Also thanks to Armbrust Pro Gym for supporting us...well, really for putting  up with us. Dylan creates an epic training environment for anyone who wants to improve themselves and we could not do the things we do without having a place like Armbrust to call home.

Personally, I also need to thank Steve Pulcinella for writing me a training program which I used for the bulk of the season. I added some legit length to my throws throughout the year and also added 10kg to my Olympic weightlifting total using Steve's programming. I would HIGHLY recommend Steve for anything regarding getting stronger and, if you're in the Philly area, he would be an unbelievable Highland Games coach and IronSport Gym is second to NONE. Follow him on twitter at @StevePulcinella and his log at EliteFTS.

Gym Zen - The Will to Truth

I don't remember the exact time that I started to stop lying to myself about sport, but I have a pretty good idea. I had just gotten back from a very successful dryland bobsled camp in Park City. I made all the qualifying times for the combine and actually scored relatively well (numbers translated to "World Cup brakeman", whatever that means). One of coaches had said I should stick with it and keep working because I had great potential. Surely my invite to winter camp in Lake Placid was just a phone call or email away.

I checked my email religiously. Nothing.

I checked voicemails like it was my job. I "star-69'd" three telemarketers in the hopes that one of them was the head coach of USA Bobsled, extending a heartfelt congratulations and asking when I could move into the OTC.  Nothing.

I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I realized that this wasn't a communication breakdown. I think it was somewhere around the time that summer combine dates were announced in the following spring. Yes, I have a very thick noggin from rugby.

I can, however, tell you when I finally stopped lying to myself about sport. It was about twenty minutes after I finished an awful Olympic meet (see "How to go 2/6 in an Olympic Meet") last December. I spent that summer/fall training as Ivan Abadjiev had trained his Bulgarian champions. I trained every day, twice on the weekends, and did the classic exercises daily. I also squatted daily. For some variety, I did a max jerk and some chins to give the legs a "day off". I also managed through a new job working in derivative trading. There was only work, training and sleep. My body felt great and set PRs for the first eight weeks, then went to hell in a hand basket right before the meet. My results speak volumes.

Where does this incredibly long-winded example get us to? Shobogenzo! Dogen believed that the Will to the Truth is a vital aspect of Zen Buddhist study. And it sounds great, right? So easy; just seek the truth and accept the truth as it is. Everyone seeks the truth, right? Everyone wants the truth and everyone wants to accept the truth, right?

Can I handle the truth?

Everyone thinks that they seek the truth and they will accept it, but do we really?

I think most people see "Seek the truth and accept it for what it is" as a call to identify all of your faults and all of the shitty things that you've been glossing over. This is FALSE. Well, it's sort of false. It's true that we should fully realize and accept the faults or things that we have been lying to ourselves about, because this is the first step in addressing them or at least the first step in reducing their power over you.

One of the biggest issues as it relates to acceptance of the truth is the need to compare ourselves to one another. We measure our success by creating an imaginary battle in our minds between ourselves and some we classify as a "measuring stick". Conversely, we find someone at the top of the sport (Klokov, the strong guy in the gym, etc) and logic dictates that, if we train as this person trains, we will have comparable results. We "know" that these methods aren't rational and untrue, but we haven't accepted it.   

I think that I'm starting to seek the truth. Well, I think I've always looked for the truth, so it might be more accurate to say that I'm starting to accept the truth. The main thing I'm starting to wrap my head around is as follows:

"I am no longer qualified to train myself as a competitive athlete"

This stings, as I have what you'd consider to be decent credentials and previous experiences. I've held CSCS and USAW certs, an undergrad in sports medicine, two years spent as an intern and as an assistant strength coach at a Division I university, a couple Top 3 finishes in lightweight strongman, an All-American year of collegiate rugby and some close calls with the US National rugby team plus the previous brush with bobsled glory. I troll EliteFTS and I consider Michael Keck, Jen Comas Keck and Jen Sinkler to be friends. Surely I'm qualified to train myself for athletic endeavors, right?

No, I am not. That is the truth. I am qualified to make adjustments specific to my body. I'm ok at coaching other people as far as technique and making suggestions, but not in writing any sort of full training program. In no way, shape or form am I qualified to be giving myself a full program. I also have too many biases to previous training experience and certain methodologies. Upon full realizing this, I made some decisions and reached out to some coaches to provide higher level guidance. This has lead to some PRs and a nice reduction in BF from 14%-sub 11% through some nutrition coaching from Michael Keck. Yes, I mentioned Mike twice (now three times), because he knows his shit.

So what can I say? Find some truths (positive AND negative) and fully realize them for what they are. In realizing and accepting the truths, they cease to have power over you and you can either address them or simply move on from them. As with most things (especially as it relates to the gym and sport) this is a very simple endeavor, but it is not easy. Fully realizing truths, whether they are positive or negative, will lead to making good choices. As the below scientific diagram shows, good choices = awesomeness.

Thanks to Steve Pulcinella for the above graphic as well as his help writing my training program and providing some coaching for Highland Games. Steve's lifting program as well as throw coaching has yielded mucho PRs. Some slow-motion throwing breakdowns here, but be warned: I practice in Rehbands and they do not leave much to the imagination.

Gym Zen: The Prequel

Shelby Starnes over at EliteFTS posted some quotes from an author, punk rock bassist and Zen Buddhist named Brad Warner. Brad has written a few books on Zen, his most notable are Hardcore Zen and Sit Down and Shut Up. I've always gravitated towards Buddhism but I don't know much about Zen, so I picked up Sit Down and managed to blow through it. Twice. I'm currently going through it with a highlighter in a vain attempt to retain all the good things in that book. It also inspired me to pick up the translation of Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye (Shobogenzo), in order to find a different perspective and start to reach my own conclusions.

I tend to relate things through training and competition, since that's one of the things that has been a constant in my life for the past 12-14 years (give or take a couple injury years). So, with any luck, this will be the first part of a series relating some aspects of Zen to training and competing in sport. My intention is to focus on each of Dogen's main themes of Buddhist study and (try to) draw some parallels and applications to them in the athletic world.

I do my best to write things in the "this is me" tense, rather than the "Here's what I do/did, why you should do it and why everything I do is awesome" tense. One of the bigger concepts I've found in Zen is that we all experience the world uniquely. This seems like a fairly obvious point but it's something that we forget in our day to day lives. My experiences (in training and competing, in relationships, in professional endeavors, etc) are unique from yours and I try to keep that in mind.
So, Dogen. Dogen basically summarized Buddhist study into four basic principles:

1. Establishing the Will to Truth: You have to regard the truth, in all its black and white glory, as your ultimate goal. You also have to be willing to accept what is true, regardless of how you feel about the matter.

2. Deep Belief in Cause and Effect: Dogen believed that the entire universe follows the rule of cause and effect without exception. This is the toughest one for me to wrap my head around, because we as humans live to create exceptions to any rule. "This isn't right, but...".

3. Life as Present Action: Love this from Sit Down, "At best, past and future are reference material for the eternal now. You can dream about the future, but no matter how well you construct that dream, your future will not be precisely as you envisioned it. The world where we live is existence at the present moment." Self-explanatory, no?

4. Zazen: Zazen is the form of meditation in Zen. Dogen thought that zazen was a vital part of experiencing the world as it truly is. Whether or not you care to dabble in meditating or not, the root idea is getting some quiet time to not think (read that again: NOT think) about anything at all. I think we all agree that a little more quiet time would hardly be a bad thing, right?

So there's the primer. Fire away with questions, comments and concerns and thanks very much for taking the time. Now your daily affirmation:

Gratitudes of the Day(s)

I owe for a couple days here.

1. Grateful that all my friends and peeps in the Midwest and South seem to be unscathed from all the crazy storms that have blown through the past few days. I was totally scared of tornadoes when I was a kid in Illinois and I'ver definitely carried over some of that into adulthood. I remember looking outside when I was really young and seeing a tree get yanked out of the ground by the wind. That definitely left an impression on me.

2. Grateful that the transmission in my truck seems to have been "fixed" by an oil change and topping off the transmission fluid. Fingers crossed on that one.

3. Very grateful to be taking my mom to the airport today for her trip to Australia. She is long overdue for an adventure and hopefully this gets her mojo working. She's giving a series of talks down there on parallels between Native Americans and the Aborigines. I'm hoping they video some of them and I'll get them posted on the YouTubes.

4. Grateful that Kaladi Bros opens in a little while. The water is out in my building and I need a little pre-gym caffeination. Highly recommend them to anyone in Denver looking for an unbelievable cup of coffee.

5. Grateful that the scale finally started moving in the right direction as I'm down to 209 this morning. Feels weird to say "I'm losing weight for throwing season." but that's the move. No desire to weigh 220-230 any more.

6. Very grateful to see some old teammates and friends at the CU/CSU rugby game today in Glendale. Go Rams!

Gratitudes of the Day

1. Right now I am grateful for the PERFECT french press of coffee that I made this morning. For whatever reason, I woke up at 1:30am wide awake a ready to tear the world a new one. The may be the best cup of coffee that I've ever made in this press. Seriously.

2. Grateful to be getting my mom's mutt for the next month while she's in Australia looking for jobs and hanging out with friends down there. She's doing some work for a Buddhist centre down there as well as Aboriginal Heritage, but she's also looking at places to live and interviewing for some jobs. She's very due for an adventure and I'm excited for her prospects of moving down there. This also compounds the possibility that I make a move to Singapore/Hong Kong/New Zealand/Australia in the near future, so 2012 has a new purpose: chew up everything that the US has to offer.

3. Grateful that my scale moved today, albeit in the WRONG direction. I'd been sitting at 211.6lbs for the past 5 days and this morning I awoke to find myself at 213.4. I think I got a little spoiled. Nice little reminder from the universe that things DO work in the opposite direction as well.

Gratitudes of the Day

1. Grateful there were some tickets left to my friend's improv show tomorrow night. I totally slacked on picking any up until this morning.

2. Grateful that the kids at Judi's House let me hang out with them and make candles last night. I volunteer there a few nights a month and it is easily one of my favorite ways to spend a night. I wonder if the kids realize that the volunteers get as much out of them as they (hopefully) get from us...

3. Not to be superficial, but I'm grateful that tomorrow's payday. Gotta pay some bills!

Gratitudes of the Day

1. Immensly grateful for this steaming hot cup of Novo Coffee that I'm currently slurping down as I type this. My sleep patterns got all screwed up over the weekend so I've been waking up between 3-4am the past few days instead of my usual 4:50. Easy to do on off days from the gym, but coming off of workout days makes that a bit more of a challenge. On the plus side, it allowed me to get these written down before I hit the office, so I'm grateful for that!

2. I'm grateful for a couple emails yesterday with Steve Pulcinella. Steve's one of the US's best ever Highland Games athletes and strongman competitors and I reached out to him looking for some training info for the upcoming Highland games season, as well as Olympic lifting. I've always prided myself on programming my own training, but I'm really getting hooked by the idea of being able to get programs written specifically for me by great coaches and then being able to rotate through them.

If you're frustrated by lack of progress in the gym, I encourage you to hire an online coach and have something written for you. Almost everyone out there who writes articles on any of the popular training websites (T-Nation, EliteFTS, etc) does online coaching (nutrition, training or both), and the pricing is very reasonable.

3. I'm very grateful to Shelby Starnes for introducing me to the books Sit Down and Shut Up and Hardcore Zen, both written by Brad Warner. I've always gravitated towards Buddhism but I've found it difficult to really digest many of the writings of Buddhism outside of the Dalai Lama. Brad's writing and breaking down of some of the Zen Buddhism concepts has made for excellent reading and I'm gravitating towards a lot of these ideas and teachings.

Gratitudes of the Day

1. Very grateful to get out with the Prowler this morning and do some pushes and some sledgehammer swings. We also built a makeshift Bulgarian Bag from an inner tube and 37lbs of sand. We hooked a couple carabiners for handle attachments as well so we have a makeshift hammer or weight for distance as well as a core and conditioning toy. I Like!

2. Grateful for the opportunity to sit down with my mom today and have an awesome conversation about the world and where we (collectively, not just she and I) are at. I always looked forward to flying home to see her when she lived in Utah because we would have these deep, meaningful conversations all the time. We'd talk about my dad, she'd tell stories about going to Alaska, I'd regale her with tales of finance (yawn); really special moments to me.

3. I'm grateful for a text a just received from my mom. Friends in Australia just called, said they have a flight for her covered and they want her to come out for a month starting next weekend. A MONTH!!! She's seriously considering a permanent job and moving to Australia and I could not be happier, because that means I have a place to stay in Australia!

Gratitudes of the Day(s)

I slacked last night and did not get my gratitudes done, so today I'm making up for it. This is the last week of this exercise, then we return to regularly scheduled programming.

1. Very grateful for the weather in Denver today. It was around 65 and not a cloud in the sky. Any time you can walk around in shorts and a tshirt in February, that's a damn fine day.

2. Grateful for the massage I got yesterday from my friend Lynda. I don't have anything specifially wrong, was just looking for an all around She is very VERY good with all manner of soft tissue work and massage. If you have some soft tissue hurting, it's a fairly safe bet Lynda can help out. LifeSport Chiropractic is my main clinic for adjustments, rehab and spinal health. I recommend them to any and all athletes as Dr. Lisa works with some of the best in the world. In the same office, I have to also say that Marcos Mejias is the best sports massage therapist that I know. His massages will leave you wincing for days but your body feels brand new.

3. Grateful to have been able to see my friend Rachel off to Africa last night. She's off to work in an HIV clinic for a few months and enter what Mark Twain referred to as "The Territory". I wish her all the best.

4. Grateful to get a sprint and a lift in today. Feels good to run outside in the spikes and I'm hoping that I can do it regularly once the weather officially turns for the better.

5. I am also grateful for the opportunity to get involved with my rugby club, the Denver Barbarians, again. Not in a playing capacity, although that might be an option for summer 7's as long as my shoulder would allow me to tackle. Wait, what am I saying; no one tackles in 7's. ;)  I'm helping out with some of the administrative work that needs to be done behind the scenes as we get into the Super League season. I am very out of the loop with the rugby crowd so this should be challenging and a good time.

6. Grateful for Epsom Salt right now, because my legs are starting to get REAL stiff.

Bonus: I am grateful that this happened.

Gratitudes of the Day

1. Grateful to be spending a chunk of Thursday night listening to this: http://www.npr.org/event/music/147154117/live-thursday-galactic-in-concert-with-the-soul-rebels?ps=mh_frhdl1. They put on an awesome show. Scoring tickets to see them and The Aggrolites on St Patricks Day here in Denver.

2. Grateful for some new reading material that is non-financial in nature. I picked up Let Us Now Praise Famous Men and The Pursuit of Power for some intellectual reading. For some personal and spiritual reading, I picked up Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death and Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye. I don't identify/gravitate/follow with any one religion in particular. I've been to sun dances and sweat lodge with many Native American friends, prayed with Tibetan friends and gone to Mass with Catholic friends. If I had to choose, I believe that my personality and beliefs are very Buddhist leaning. I admittedly don't know how the different aspexts of Buddhism (Zen, Tibetan, etc) are differentiated, but I'm reading a bit in a bid to nourish my spiritual side a bit more.

3. I'm grateful that my friend Rachel's Operation Africa Indie-a-GoGo was successfully funded and she'll be heading off to Africa next month to work in an HIV/AIDS clinic. Such a cool story and a fantastic cause for her to take up.