Training Log

OPT Training Day - New Years Eve

I've been having a great time using my KB in the mornings to do some stretching and mobility movements to help wake this body of mine up. It's been surprisingly helpful and has really helped to "wake" me up. Afterward I feel revived, energetic and even better than if I had just woken up from a 9 hour sleep.

It's amazing what a little exercise can do to help you feel so much better.

Training:

A. Build quickly to a tough but not 1RM in the Power Clean - take no more than 7 minutes; rest 60 sec ONLY after last set before B

B. 1-10 CTB chin up ladder for time; rest 60 sec before C

C. AMRAP DB Burpees in 2 minutes - 25/15#/h

Results:

a. 185, 205, 215, 225 & 235#
All were done within the 7 min time frame. As soon as I started to get up to 225 & 235 I found that my technique was starting to slip, my feet were not landing in the proper position and I was losing that quick explosive drive from the knee's to open hip. I must work on that explosion!

b. CTB chin-ups were easy for about the first 7 sets considering I was doing them static but after that it got tough. I think I may have kipped a bit in the later rounds but I was really trying to go for all static.

c. I only have a 30# DB so that's what I used for the burpee's, it worked well and I managed to get pretty much what I thought I was going to but they were harder than I thought it was going to be.

New Years Eve tonight. This marks then end of an interesting decade for me, who knows what will happen in the next 10?

OPT Training Day

Training:
3 sets:
12 SDLHP - 125#/80#
Row 90 sec @ 90% effort
rest 2 min
+
3 sets:
12 db thrusters - 35/20#/h
AMRAP Double Unders in 60 sec
rest 2 min
+
3 rounds as fast as you can:
20 box jumps unbroken - 20/14"
25 sit ups

Results:

1. My right elbow felt excellent on the SDHP and no soreness afterwards was noted. This is great because of my squeaky tendon. I don't have a rowing machine so I subbed running on the treadmill at 10mph @ an incline of 2 for 2 minutes.

2. Thrusters were surprisingly easy, for some reason I thought that they were going to be painful but they just sailed by. I just managed to balst right through them though the double unders afterward were a royal pain. I just couldn't seem to get the rythm going and ended up completing in the 50's each round.

3. Box jumps are getting better since coordination is improving, I've never done many of them so perhaps it's something I should spend more time focusing on. The situps could also have been faster since it was a "for time" event this is what is going to put you behind the next guy over.

Christmas Break

Well Christmas was delightful and very relaxing. It was filled with too much good food, great people and lots of fun. At a couple of points I managed to get away for a 10k run, do a bunch of ring work and play around with my fancy new kettlebell. It was a good break and it's even better to be back.

Now is the time to focus in on the conditioning portion of OPT's training cycle and along with the training my diet must change dramatically. I wouldn't say that it's terrible, it just needs to be cleaned up and turned into a performance diet for the next 3/4 of a month. Then it's the big DAWG challenge, I'm interested in how this turns out though I don't think i'll be making my goal of top 3, but i'll try!

I start school in Nelson B.C. on monday Jan 4th and will have alot of time to focus on training since my beautiful wife will be staying in Creston. During the week I'll pretty much be doing schooling for electrical (my last 2 years!) then spending my time in the evenings on homework and the rec centre. I only hope that I can maintain focus on those two things for the duration of my stay in Nelson.

OPT Training Day 22

I woke up this morning to pouring rain and thought, "shouldn't it be snowing?" Apparently not and all this rain is turning my lawn into a bog. So todays OPT WOD is going to be a muddy & wet one since 2 of the exercises I need to complete are outside.

Getting warmed up I took Indiana out for a nice run to the local health food store to pick up some yeast for Leslie. Though while I was there I had a great idea to pick up some ginseng and make some homemade energy chips out of dried apples and our new food dehydrator. I think I'll cut the apples, sprinkle the ginseng with cinnamon and nutmeg and see how they turn out. Perhaps I'll also try and Indian version with tumeric, ginseng & cumin.....that could be interesting.

OPT WOD:
part 1:
For reps:
1 min AMRAP Box Jumps - 24"/20"
1 min AMRAP wall balls - 20#/14# to 10 ft
1 min AMRAP Toes to Bar
1 min AMRAP Push Press - 75#/55#
1 min AMRAP Burpees

rest as needed

part 2:
For time:
Row 5K

Results:
Part 1:
Bj - 41
WB - 30
TTB - 25
PP - 25
Burp's - 17
Total: 138

Notes: 20 second rest between Bj's & WB otherwise a running clock was used. PP was at 85# due to no 5# olympic sized plates.

15 min run to globo gym
~20 minutes of stretching

5km Row - 18:13 New PR

268W/180# = 1.489

OPT Training Day 21

I'm feeling like I'm back at 100% without any pains or soreness throughout my body. My hamstring has stopped feeling strained and I have full ROM in my right elbow. Mentally this is pretty significant for me as I was feeling fairly depressed about my state of health, especially since I'm never injured. I used to laugh and scoff at a guy I knew who was always injured due to his program or lack thereof. His general condition was usually due to never stretching, irregular conditioning and his bravado that made him the ultimate athlete. Sometimes we all need to eat our own humble pie.

OPT WOD:
7 rounds for time:
7 unbroken hang squat clean
7 unbroken HSPU

Results:
11:25 as rx'd(unbroken)

HSC - No problems with grip and all reps felt relatively easy, went straight from HSPU to HSC with no rest.

HSPU - All were unbroken, especially since changing up the weights took a bit of time and gave me a good rest. I have no 5lb olympic sized plates so I have to wire on a set of 5lb dumbell weights, pain in the ass and the center of balance is all screwed up!

Afterwards I worked up to my 1RM of the HSC.

HSC @ 225# x 1 rep x 5 sets

Really focused on pulling myself under the bar and landing in a good stance.

Hoping to get to see Kelly Frankson in Vancouver over the holidays for some Snatch technique. It's tough when you don't have the amenities of a large city or the expertise of many individuals to get better at these lifts. Gotta make road trips I guess.

OPT Training Day 20

Felt much better today and very energetic plus the warm-up didn't feel like a workout itself. Todays WOD though requires muscle-ups and I don't have a ceiling high enough, my solution? I placed a 2" rigid pipe between two tree's on thick branches at about 12' high, tied them to the tree and created a couple of slings to hang my rings from. It works really damn well, its just unfortunate that its in about a foot of snow and in minus deg weather.

Warm-up:
400m run
35 push-ups
400m run
30 dips
400m run
30 pull-ups, mixed varities

OPT WOD
A. AMRAP Dead Lift - 315#/200# in 75 sec
rest 3 min
B. AMRAP Muscle Ups in 150 sec
rest 3 min
C. AMRAP Double Unders in 225 sec

Results:
a. 25 - Deadlifts felt solid and power out was maintained, did 20 the first set then found the grip strength had vacated.
b. 18 - I wish I had pushed through and jumped back on those rings more often!
c. 217 - constant but not rock solid. They're coming along though.
total: 260

Post WOD Strength Routine
Shoulder Press - 95#(14), 115#(10), 135(6)
Toes to Bar - 21, 15+6, 15+4+2
Lat Raises - 13# x 15 reps x 3 sets
Anchored feet and hand sit-ups x 35 - 75sec, 63 sec, 60 sec
HSPU Static - 9, 12, 8
Obliques - 80(15), 80(15), 80(15)