Workout No. 209
Monday, 22nd February 2016

Squat 3x5 @ 205lbs / 92.5kg

Box Squat 3x10 @ 165lbs / 75.0kg

Bench Press 1x4 @ 140lbs / 62.5kg
Bench press 4x5 @ 135lbs / 60.0kg

Floor Press 3x10 @ 105lbs / 47.5kg

Pull-ups 1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1/1
Chin-ups 1/1/1/1/1

Trained 5 days last week and today will be the 4th consecutive training day since I took a rest day. Probably due for a day off already. Will probably take it tomorrow, train on Wednesday, rest on Thursday and train again on Friday depending on how I feel. Lower back is feeling slightly tight, especially on the right side. Concerned but am not feeling any pain.

Reduced the volume on the squats to avoid over taxing my back. Also, already did some fairly heavy front squats yesterday. Instead of the prescribed 6 sets of 3 to 5 reps for today, I repped out 3x5 squats @ 205lbs / 92.5kg. The first set was not so bad, but the back tightness was a mental block for me so my body subconsciously squatted shallower (still hit depth though, but barely barely) and rushed in the descent a little to try and get out of the hole easier. Reps didn't look as pretty as usual and heels left the ground slightly too once or twice. 2nd set was slightly better. Went with low bar squats for the final set, which I have not been doing for an entire month as I was giving high bar a go. First rep was dodgy but once I got into the groove, bar speed was faster than high bar and the reps were feeling good.

10lbs increase in box squat weights from last week to 3x10 @ 165lbs / 75.0kg. Getting more comfortable with this movement. Weight still feels light.

Not feeling the strongest with today being my 4th consecutive training day so I was slightly concerned about my bench presses, plus I did some close grip bench presses yesterday. Was aiming for 5x5 @ 140lbs / 62.5kg but was not confident I would manage it. Got under the bar for the first set and failed to lock out on the 5th rep. Needed my spotter to bail me out. Deloaded to 135lbs / 60.0kg and repped out the remaining 4x5 bench presses.

Floor presses were up next. Always a foreign feeling and uncomfortable movement for me. Same weights as last week but kept the rest to a bare minimum.

Finished off the session with some good ol' pull ups. 5 seconds rest between each rep and kept going till I touched 15 reps. Slight hop to help me overcome the bottom position on the later reps. Rested a bit before completing another 5 chin-up singles.

Rest day tomorrow!

Workout No. 210
Thursday, 25th February 2016

Bench Press 6x5 @ 135lbs / 60.0kg

Incline Bench Press 3x10 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg

Squat 3x5 @ 210lbs / 95.0kg

Front Squat 3x8 @ 175lbs / 80.0kg

Pull-ups 4x4

The right side of my hip / lower back was still feeling slightly tight when I attempted any good morning type stretch over the past few days but felt like normal otherwise. Decided to head in today to train and be conservative with the weights, especially if I felt anything dubious.

Started off with bench presses and used a safe and conservative weight of 135lbs / 60.0kg. A comfortable 6x5. Played around with some grip width and set up variations. Definitely need to move onwards and upwards with my benching weight. Suspect that I am adopting too much caution when it comes to bench.

Next up was incline bench press and was happy that I managed 3x10 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg as I only managed 5 reps at this weight previously and my previous working set was 3x8 @ 85lbs / 37.5kg. Good progress. Still messed up the set up though. Set the J-cups too low and was lazy to readjust them so struggled a little bit with re-racking.

Warmed up for squats and progressively increased the weights. Last warm up set at 185lbs / 85.0kg felt really good and there wasn't the slightest bit of discomfort in my back. Decided to up the weight to 210lbs / 95.0kg and completed 3 sets of 5 reps in the low bar position. Found that if i didn't slow down the descent too much, the ascent out of the hole was much smoother and my bar speed for the 3rd set was much faster than my first 2 sets. Programmed rep scheme was 6x5 today but kept the volume lower to allow my hip / lower back more time to get back to normal.

Completed 3x8 front squats @ 175lbs / 80.0kg but they felt significantly harder than last Sunday when I attempted the same rep scheme and weight. Was not as fresh today though after the back squats which I did not do on Sunday.

Finished off the workout with some pull-ups. 2 or 3 strict per set and the remaining ones with a slight jump to help me overcome the bottom position.

Will reassess how I feel tomorrow morning to decide if I will train tomorrow night.

Workout No. 211
Friday, 26th February 2016

Overhead Press 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg

Only had half an hour to train today as I finished work late and had other commitments. Decided that some work put in is better than no work so I headed in and did 5x5 overhead presses @ 100lbs / 45.0kg. Didn't go heavier as I needed to manage my recovery time and was more than happy to just get some good quality volume in.

Workout No. 212
Saturday, 27th February 2016

CROSSFIT #32
"16.1 - Scaled (Modified)"
AMRAP
25ft Overhead Walking Lunge @ 45lbs
8 Burpees
25ft Overhead Walking Lunge @ 45lbs
8 Jumping Pull-ups

Time: 20:00

Did a modified version of the scaled 16.1, with the 45lbs overhead instead of in the front rack position and strict pull-ups (slight hop during the later sets) instead of full on jumping pull-ups.

Finished over 5 rounds in 20 minutes. Lunges were easy and light. Suffered a bit during burpees. As usual, pull-ups were my main crux. Could've gone faster if I had just done jumping pull-ups but I kept the pull-ups as strict as possible throughout, only resolving to slight hops towards the end when my pulling power was depleted.

This post has been edited by justintga: Feb 29 2016, 10:15 AM

Workout No. 213
Monday, 29th February 2016

Squat 5x6 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg

Pause Squat 4x8 @ 160lbs / 72.5kg

Bench Press 5x5 @ 130lbs / 60.0kg

Incline Bench Press 2x8 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg

New month (actually one day to go to be exact), new training phase, new programme. Lower percentages, higher reps seems to be the name of the game. Arrived late at the gym so I strictly only had an hour to train today.

Started with low bar squats at 185lbs / 85.0kg for 5 sets of 6 reps. The weight surprisingly did not feel very light considering that I was squatting 210lbs / 95.0kg for 5 reps last week. Kept rest times low as I was trying to finish within the hour and the weight was relatively lighter, so I rested less than 2 minutes between sets instead of the usual 3 minutes. Shorter rest times meant that my heart rate remained slightly elevated throughout. No belt throughout as I am training in the 70% range today.

Pause squats were a bitch. I changed to high bar for the pause squats and paused in the hole for 2 counts for each set with 160lbs / 72.5kg on my back. Anything past the 5th rep of each set was a mental challenge. Sometimes I struggled to keep tight and when exploding up, my hips shot up first and my torso collapsed forward slightly on the ascent on the later sets and reps. Definitely needs some work. Was drenched in sweat by the time I finished the 4th set.

Lowered the bench press weight by 5lbs but the shortened resting times made me suffer slightly. Still don't feel super tight with my current set up. Might need my coach to re-look into it. Rushed the sets and as a consequence, missed the last rep of the last set and had to do the roll of shame. Tweaked my left wrist slightly too. So stupid of me. Hope it doesn't affect my training tomorrow.

Only did 2 sets of incline bench for 8 reps @ 95lbs / 42.5kg to avoid further aggravating my wrist before heading off.

Workout No. 214
Tuesday, 1st March 2016

Deadlift 5x6 @ 225lbs / 102.5kg

Deficit Deadlift 4x8 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg

Overhead Press 5x5 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg

Elevated Push-ups 3x12

Lower back feels nice and fresh again. Very pleased. Still some discomfort in my left wrist though from tweaking it yesterday.

Started off with deadlifts today, with two plates on the bar @ 225lbs / 102.5kg for 5 sets of 6 reps. Kept rest times short as per yesterday as the weight used was relatively light. No issues with my wrist during deadlifts.

Moved on to deficit deadlifts at a slightly lower weight of 185lbs / 85.0kg for 4 sets of 8 reps. Struggled to keep my upper back 100% tight during the last few reps due to fatigue. Form still looked decent in the review videos albeit not perfect. Drenched in sweat by the time I finished the 4th set.

Light overhead presses for 5x5 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg. Wrist was pain free once again as vertical pressure from the bar does not cause any pain but glad that the weight was light today as stabilising a heavier weight would stress my wrist slightly more.

Last movement today was elevated push-ups with my feet on a bench. A solid 12 reps for each set. Wrists were okay as well. The pain usually comes when the wrist undergoes rotation. Hopefully it heals up nicely before my next training session which will most likely be on Thursday.

This post has been edited by justintga: Mar 2 2016, 12:18 PM

Workout No. 215
Thursday, 3rd March 2016

Front Squat 5x6 @ 160lbs / 72.5kg

Hip Thrust 4x8 @ 125lbs / 57.5kg

Pause Bench Press 5x6 @ 125lbs / 57.5kg

Dips 1x5

CROSSFIT #33
FOR TIME
100 Double Unders
21 Squat @ 135lbs / 60.0kg
21 Pull-ups
15 Squat @ 135lbs / 60.0kg
15 Pull-ups
9 Squat @ 135lbs / 60.0kg
9 Pull-ups
300 Double Unders

Time: 16:00

Front squat day, my favourite. Rep scheme was 5x6 at approximately 72.5% of my 1RM so I went with 160lbs / 72.5kg. Reps felt fast and light and good. Quite happy with my form.

Hip thrusts prescribed for the first time today. Started with 115lbs / 52.5kg but found that slightly too light. Tried out 125lbs / 57.5kg and found it decently challenging for 8 reps so I went with this weight and repped out 4 sets.

2 count pause bench press on the menu next, at the same weight as the hip thrusts for convenience for 5 sets of 6 reps. Had to skip the 2 count pause for the last rep of the last 2 sets as I did not have a spotter and was not 100% confident of pressing the weight. Went for a touch and go for each of these two reps.

A 3 x max rep bodyweight push was programmed as the final movement for today but I saw the WOD on the board and it looked interesting. Legs were still feeling decently fresh so I picked a light squat weight of 135lbs / 60.0kg and decided to do the WOD. Double unders were substituted with single unders and pull-ups were substituted with ring rows.

Broke squats into sets of 7-7-7 (21 reps), 5-5-5 (15 reps) and 5-4 (9 reps) with minimal rest between sets. Ring rows killed me though. Had to drop down to sets of 2 or 3 reps towards the end to finish. Poor pulling power.

Did everything up to this point in Olympic lifting shoes but took them off for the final 300 single unders. Finished the WOD in exactly 16 minutes.

Tried out a set of 5 dips before my shower. Quite pleased that I managed 5 in a row.

Workout No. 216
Friday, 4th March 2016

Snatch Grip Deadlift 5x6 @ 155lbs / 70.0kg

Bent Over Row 4x8 @ 115lbs / 52.5kg

Seated Overhead Press 5x6 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg

Chin-ups (Green Band Assisted) 5/5/5/5/5/5

4th day of training this week, slight fatigue setting in but still feeling fresher than I would normally training 4 times in a week. Adapting quite well to the increased training volume nowadays. Wrist is still not 100%.

Started with snatch grip deadlift for 5 sets of 6 reps @ 155lbs / 70.0kg. Wore a belt just for that extra security for the last 3 sets. Weight felt decently light and I suspect I can manage a fair bit more. Was supposed to keep my chest up but once in a while, my butt would rise first before my chest. Needed to consciously cue myself to maintain proper form.

Upped my bent over row weights again and rowed 115lbs / 52.5kg for 4x8 with a 1 second pause and squeeze at the top of each rep. The weight was still nice and manageable. Gonna move up in weight further next time.

Seated overhead presses next for a comfortable 5x6 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg. Took a while to set up as I have never tried this movement before. Had to get the bench real close to the bar to be able to unrack it comfortably.

Finished off the session with 6 sets of 5 green band assisted chin-ups with about 2 minutes rest between each set. 2 days off before resuming squat day on Monday!

Workout No. 217
Monday, 7th March 2016

Squat 5x6 @ 195lbs / 87.5kg

Pause Squat 4x8 @ 160lbs / 72.5kg

Bench Press 5x5 @ 125lbs / 57.5kg

Incline Bench Press 3x5 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg

Feeling super fresh today after 2 days off. Upped the squat weight to about 75% of my 1RM for the programmed 5x6 reps. Sets still felt decently comfortable. Went beltless as the weights were still manageable.

Pause squats at the same weight as last week. Form looked significantly better this week as I focused on keeping everything tight and my chest up. Intense suffering though for the last few reps of the last 2 sets. Had to really grind and tell myself to push through.

Adjusted my bench weight to 75% of my 1RM (went too high last week) and repped out 5 sets of 5 reps. Felt decently light and didn't need too much rest between sets.

Left wrist was still not 100% so I took it easy on the incline bench press as it was an accessory movement. 3x5 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg did not feel that easy though especially considering that I managed 10 reps at this weight before.

Workout No. 218
Tuesday, 8th March 2016

Deadlift 5x6 @ 250lbs / 112.5kg

Deficit Deadlift 3x8 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg

Overhead Press 5x5 @ 95lbs / 42.5kg

Dips 5/4/3

Slightest bit of DOMS in my legs today, similar to last week. Drove for over 5 hours to Ipoh and back for work during the day which didn't help one bit and my legs were already feeling like crap before even starting my training session.

Loaded up the barbell for deadlifts progressively until the 75% working weight of 250lbs / 112.5kg for 5 sets of 6 reps. Upper back was not strictly 100% tight once I started pulling but only by the slightest bit. Reps still felt decently fast and I wasn't grinding through the reps. Took quite long between sets to recover though, resting for over 4 minutes between each set. Used a belt just for that extra sense of security.

Deficit deadlifts next with the same weight as last week but with a slightly greater deficit this time. First set of 8 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg was decent but upon reviewing the video, was not too happy with my upper back so I reminded myself to lift my chest up even harder and keep my hips up high. Next 2 sets looked better but my legs were burning by the time I finished. So gonna be sore tomorrow.

Relatively light overhead presses at a comfortable weight of 95lbs / 42.5kg for the standard 5x5 with minimal rest to make the sets more difficult before ending the workout with some dips. Definitely not 100% full range of motion but did 5/4/3 reps in the best way I could manage. Still some discomfort in my wrist when having to stabilise the load.

Rest day tomorrow before one more day of training on Thursday. Wont' be able to train on Friday or over the weekend as I will not be in KL.

This post has been edited by justintga: Mar 9 2016, 10:48 AM

Workout No. 219
Thursday, 10th March 2016

Front Squat 5x6 @ 175lbs / 80.0kg

Overhead Press 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg

Deficit Push-ups 13/13/13

Super rushed workout today as I had limited time. Started with front squats for 5x6 @ 175lbs / 80.0kg. Should have gone slightly lighter and used about 165lbs according to my programme but was sharing a rack so I just went with this weight. Didn't feel too bad or difficult at all.

Was supposed to proceed with pause bench presses but the benches were taken so I proceeded to do overhead presses intead for 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg. Not too bad either.

Finished off with some bodyweight pushes in the form of deficit push-ups for 3 sets of 13 reps.

Workout No. 220
Monday, 14th March 2016

Squat 5x6 @ 205lbs / 92.5kg

Pause Squat 3x8 @ 160lbs / 72.5kg

Bench Press 5x5 @ 135lbs / 60.0kg

Incline Bench Press 3x8 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg

Had a really rewarding but tiring and physical weekend building a house for an Orang Asli family so I was worried about how I would fare at the gym today. Aggravated my wrist slightly more too as I had to use it quite a fair bit over the past 3 days. Got near to no proper recovery since my last gym session. 3rd week of this programme so the weights for the main movements are getting heavier and should be at about 77.5%.

Started warming up for squats and loading my bar towards my working weight of 5x6 @ 205lbs / 92.5kg. Went a bit faster and lower than usual on the descent in the 1st set (didn’t notice until I reviewed the video), so I slowed down the 2nd set and things started to look better. Completed the full 5x6 but rest periods were generally slightly longer than 3 minutes.

Pause squats starting to feel much, much better and more solid. Reps looked really good throughout the 3x8 @ 160lbs / 72.5kg.

Was experimenting with my bench set-up slightly with the coach while working progressively through the 5x5 @ 135lbs / 60.0kg. Wrist was not feeling too comfortable.

Quite disappointed with my incline bench last week so I had no idea what to expect today. Quite happy in the end as I managed 3x8 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg.

All in all, a much better session today than I expected considering the weekend I had.

This post has been edited by justintga: Mar 15 2016, 09:01 AM

Workout No. 221
Tuesday, 15th March 2016

Deadlift 5x6 @ 265lbs / 120.0kg

Deficit Deadlift 4x8 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg

Overhead Press 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg

Deficit Push-ups 10/10/10

Haven't pulled this deadlift weight in a while so I was quite excited to deadlift today. Took my time to warm-up to the working weight of 265lbs / 120.0kg for 5x6. Started with a double overhand grip and surprisingly managed to pull 6 solid reps in the first 3 sets with this grip. Grip was starting to fail on the 5th and 6th reps of the 3rd set though so I decided to use a mixed grip for the 4th set. Reviewed the video and my form was way off. Using a mixed grip for the first time in 3 months totally altered my set-up. I changed my set-up in January as advised by my coach and my reps have been looking much better since. Until today of course. My upper back was not tight at all and my form was looking sloppy. Refocused myself and gave the mixed grip another go. Much better in the 5th set but not as good as the first three, perhaps partially due to fatigue. Will see how this goes next week.

Rested a bit before starting deficit deadlifts for 4x8 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg. Kept my back as tight and neutral as possible and kept my hips high. Form was decent but not 100% consistent. Gave the hook grip a try. Not too uncomfortable.

Upped the overhead press weight slightly to 100lbs / 45.0kg and repped out the standard 5x5. Left wrist was still not feeling too comfortable.

3 sets of 10 deficit push-ups to end the session. So exhausted.

Workout No. 222
Thursday, 17th March 2016

Front Squat 5x6 @ 180lbs / 82.5kg

Hip Thrust 4x8 @ 135lbs / 60.0kg

Overhead Press 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg

CROSSFIT #34
5 rounds of
15 30" Box Jumps
12 Push Press @ 90lbs / 42.5kg
9 Toes to Bar
And in the remaining time,
AMRAP
Push-ups

Time: 20:00

Front squat day again, my favourite. Hamstrings felt a little tight while stretching. Working weight and rep scheme today was front squats for 5x6 @ 180lbs / 82.5kg. Target weight was about 77.5%. Tried to minimise my rest between sets and kept it to under 3 minutes. Form looked very steady in the review videos. 185lbs / 85.0kg next week!

Hip thrusts @ 135lbs / 60.0kg for 4x8. Didn't feel too comfortable and honestly I don't think this does very much for me but I'll just trust the process.

Slightly heavier overhead presses for 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg. Will try 105lbs / 47.5kg next week for the last part of this cycle.

Decided to do the WOD today as I won't be able to train tomorrow due to work commitments. 5 rounds of 15 30" box jumps, 12 push presses @ 90lbs / 42.5kg and 9 toes to bar (substituted with hanging knee raises). Time cap was 20 minutes and we were to fill the time remaining after completing the 5 rounds with AMRAP push-ups.

Box jumps were done unbroken, push presses in 6-3-3 (primarily because of my left wrist and not a strength limitation) and hanging knee raises unbroken. Managed 37 push-ups in the end.

Workout No. 223
Saturday, 19th March 2016

CROSSFIT #35
150 Wall Ball @ 20lbs
100 Thrusters @ 45lbs
100 Thrusters @ 65lbs
100 Thrusters @ 95lbs
150 Hand Release Push-ups
150 24" Box Jumps
1.5km Burden Run 25lbs

Time: 44:30

Final Saturday morning WOD today as the coaches have other commitments and will no longer be able to do Saturday mornings anymore Full house today for the last session!

WOD as above but shared between 4 people per team. Other teams strategised a set number or reps per person (some equally distributed, some weighted towards stronger individuals). Our team decided to go with a "3 reps left in the tank" strategy, meaning that we would stop and tag the next person when we felt that we had 3 reps left in the tank so that our recovery time would not be so long and the weights would near to never stop moving. Barely any time was wasted resting and we rested while the other 3 people in the team were repping out the movements.

Our strategy worked and we finished first! Worst part of the workout was the 100 thrusters @ 95lbs for sure. Wall balls were the easiest. Push-ups were surprisingly hard for us as we had exhausted our pressing power during the 300 thrusters. We were breaking the push-ups into sets of under 10 reps towards the end.

This post has been edited by justintga: Mar 21 2016, 09:03 AM

Workout No. 224
Monday, 21st March 2016

Squat 5x6 @ 210lbs / 95.0kg

Pause Squat 3x8 @ 160lbs / 72.5kg

Bench Press 5/3/3 @ 140lbs / 62.5kg

Had a fever, flu and cough and was feeling downright horrible today. Still showed up to put in some work at the gym!

Final part of this training cycle with the rep scheme for the main lifts being 5x6 @ 80% of 1RM. Warmed up and progressively loaded up the bar for my squats. Working weight was 95.0kg today. Last rep of some of the sets was sometimes a slight grinder but generally I felt okay. Had trouble bracing my core occasionally as I was struggling not to cough. Seemed to descend faster than usual today from the review videos, perhaps because I was feeling weak and sick and thus was intimidated by the weights and in turn compensated by going down faster and getting more "bounce" out of the hole. Was quite exhausted by the end of the 5x6.

Was not looking forward to pause squats at all. The weight was not heavy (160lbs / 72.5kg) but the mental toughness needed to rep out the 8 reps was immense. My body did not want to stay tight after 5 reps and was screaming at me to stop but I pressed on, braced myself and ground out the reps. Completed the 3x8 with good form.

My flu was getting to me by this point and after the first set of 5 bench press reps @ 140lbs / 62.5kg, I had almost nothing left in the tank and only managed 3 reps for the next 2 sets. Didn't have a spotter so I didn't take any risks and re-racked after 3 reps. Programmed rep scheme was 5x5 followed by incline benches for 3x8, which I skipped as well.

Need to rest up and hopefully I'll be in a fit enough state for my deadlift session tomorrow.

This post has been edited by justintga: Mar 22 2016, 12:17 PM

Workout No. 225
Tuesday, 22nd March 2016

Deadlift 5x6 @ 275lbs / 125.0kg

Deficit Deadlift 4x8 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg

Overhead Press 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg

Deficit Push-ups 12/12/12

Felt slightly better today compared to yesterday although I am still very much under the weather. Intimidating deadlift volume programmed for today. About 6.5 tons. No idea how my body would respond. Warmed up to my working set and started pulling the 275lbs / 125.0kg deadlifts with a mixed grip from the start. Tried a double overhand last week for the first few sets and it really killed my grip early on and I was suffering even on the lighter deficit deadlifts. First set actually felt quite good and I didn't have to grind out any reps. The coach reminded me not to lower the weights so loudly as they've recently received some complaints from the building management so from the 2nd set onwards, I had to control the eccentric portion of the lift a little bit more. Increased time under tension but also more fatigue and longer recovery time. All good up till the 3rd set but my upper back was starting to round a little on the 4th set onwards and I was struggling to keep it super tight.

Deficit deadlifts looked better formwise but my heart rate was quite elevated after each set. Completed the 4x8 and was floored by the end.

Took an extended rest before attempting overhead presses. 5x5 @ 100lbs / 45.0kg with only 2 minutes rest between sets as this weight is not very heavy for me. Just wanted to keep some weight off my left wrist for a bit to let it heal up.

Ended with 3 sets of deficit push-ups for 12 reps each. Glad I made it through the toughest part of this month’s cycle. Either one or two more “easier” sessions (front squat on Thursday and / or snatch grip deadlift on Friday) before starting a new cycle of Hepburn! Lower reps, higher weight.

Workout No. 226
Thursday, 24th March 2016

Front Squat 5x6 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg

Hip Thrust 4x8 @ 135lbs / 60.0kg

Pause Bench Press 3x5 @ 120lbs / 55.0kg

CROSSFIT #36
FOR TIME
600m Run
50 Toes to Bar
40 Wall Ball @ 20lbs
50 Kettlebell Swings @ 32.0kg
20 Handstand Push-ups

Time: 14:10

Final session for this cycle before moving on to April's programme. Warmed up to my working weight of 185lbs / 85.0kg and repped out the first set of 6 reps. Re-racked the bar with a confused look on my face. The bar speed was very fast and the reps felt much easier than expected. Double checked the actual weights on the bar. All good. Not sure why the weight felt so light today. Completed the remaining 4 sets of 6 without much difficulty, cutting short my rest time slightly because the reps felt easy.

Hip thrusts as usual after front squats, and as usual they felt awkward and uncomfortable. 4 sets of 8 @ 135lbs / 60.0kg.

Started off pause bench presses next but only completed 3x5 @ 120lbs / 55.0kg before it was time for the WOD so I stopped and set-up for the WOD.

Very straightforward WOD, and I expected it to be easy. 600m run, 60 toes to bar (replaced by hanging knee raises), 40 wall balls, 50 kettlebell swings and 20 handstand push-ups (scaled to push-ups) to end. Finished comfortably in about 14 minutes. Hanging knee raises were done as follows: 10-10-5-5-5-5-5-5, wall balls 20-10-10, kettlebell swings 10-10-10-10-10 and push-ups 5-5-3-3-2-2. Easiest WOD in a while.

Workout No. 227
Monday, 28th March 2016

Squat 8x2 @ 225lbs / 102.5kg

Box Squat 3x6 @ 185lbs / 85.0kg

Bench Press 8x2 @ 145lbs / 65.0kg

Close Grip Bench Press 3x6 @ 115lbs / 52.5kg

Pull-ups 30x1

Was looking forward to today very much as we would be starting a new cycle with lower reps, higher percentages compared to the higher reps and lower percentages over the last 2 months.

Finally putting 2 plates on the bar for my squats. First set of 2 reps felt easy and fast, as did the next 2 sets. Stumbled slightly on the 4th set where I lost balance and stepped forward. 5th to 8th sets had reps which felt easy while some others were a slight grind. Not sure why each set did not feel consistently hard (or slightly harder towards the end due to fatigue). Sometimes the 2nd rep of each set was faster and smoother than the 1st. Need to work on my squatting to improve on my consistency. Some reps should not have been as hard as they were.

Box squats next onto a 20" box. 3x6 felt relatively easy @ 185lbs / 85.0kg. No grinding and managed to stand up easily after each rep but nonetheless my heart rate was still elevated after each set and I could feel some slight fatigue. Happy that my back felt tight throughout. Repped out the box squats in the high bar position.

My coach taught me a new way to set-up my bench and for the first time ever, I felt a significant contribution from my leg drive in my press. My back also felt tighter overall and I did not have the issue of my upper back losing tightness at the bottom position of each rep. What a difference a set-up and some tips from a pro can make. Lotsa practice ahead of me but I'm glad I discovered this tiny little secret.

Close grip bench presses were very fast and easy with this set-up. Completed 3x6 @ 115lbs / 52.5kg and the reps were flying off my chest.

Ended the workout with 30 pull-up singles with either 15 or 30 seconds between each rep. Felt much easier than usual. Probably the shortest time I've ever taken to complete 30 pull-ups so there has definitely been improvement there.

This post has been edited by justintga: Mar 29 2016, 05:10 PM

Workout No. 228
Tuesday, 29th March 2016

Deadlift 8x2 @ 285lbs / 130.0kg

Good Morning 3x6 @ 85lbs / 37.5kg

Overhead Press 8x2 @ 105lbs / 47.5kg

Push Press 3x6 @ 105lbs / 47.5kg

Arrived late so I had to rush through the workout slightly today. Warmed up and stupidly tried out a sumo deadlift without any guidance for my first working set @ 285lbs / 130.0kg. Managed to break the floor and complete the reps but the bar was going everywhere. Used a mixed grip and during the pull, the bar first swayed to the right before starting to rotate anticlockwise towards the top of the rep. Coach found it very amusing. Reverted to conventional for the next 7 sets, trying to tweak my set-up slightly between sets and review the video of each set before attempting the next one. My back still feels tight but it does not look strictly 100% flat in the videos at this weight. Would hardly call it rounded but still, not perfectly flat so I was not too happy about that. Will see how it goes the next time I deadlift.

Forgot what a reasonable weight to use for good mornings was so I carelessly loaded up the bar with 95lbs / 42.5kg. Tried the first 2 reps. Nope. Too heavy. Deloaded to 85lbs / 37.5kg which was difficult, but better.

Left wrist still feels tweaked so my pressing is not 100%. Put 110lbs / 50.0kg on the bar for my first overhead press set. Completed the 2 reps but it was overly difficult and I was grinding through. Probably too heavy for this cycle so I dropped 5 lbs and repped out the remaining 7 sets of 2 @ 105lbs / 47.5kg. Didn't feel as easy as it should have.

Final lift was the push press at the same weight as the overhead press. 3x6 @ 105lbs / 47.5kg. Was slightly worried about my dodgy wrist but I completed the sets decently comfortably albeit with my left wrist feeling slightly unstable. Also need to learn how to "catch" push presses. My wrist is not getting any worse, but it is not healing up completely, probably because I am being stubborn and am training through this minor injury.

This post has been edited by justintga: Mar 30 2016, 08:54 AM