Just back from a tiring previous few days, squeezed in
3 sets of 8 reps press each arm with 24kg
played with swings and snatches

24kg swings
1min intervals for 10
each interval: 20 swings rest until next

200 total and a pair of very tired hands

Goals

Ah ha...Well:

primary goals:
180kg deadlift (5kg off)

secondary goals:
15 chin ups
140kg squat
80kg push press

tertiary goals:
incorporate conditioning

it would be really useful to go to a track and measure some 100 or 200m times and try to improve on them... this shall happen soon - hey there's another goal:
go to a track and get times

Hill sprints rule all

Medium incline, long sprint ~20 seconds
Rest just over 3 mins
x5

24kg bell press
5/5 x 7

Warmed up by working up to 70k power clean
also worked up to deadlift 170 x1 (crisp) held for 10 seconds
pulled 180kg about an inch off the floor
some towel chin ups

Swapped presses this evening for Guinness which should increase my strength.

After the neural warmup did 3 ketups per arm with the 24k, it's really woken me up

Z-Health

Started on the z-health 'neural warmup level 1' yesterday and did my second session today. I'm aiming to do this every day. Hopefully it will turn out well :)

Off for a short evening bike ride now as i've been indoors basically all day.

5mins of getups with 24k, swapping hands each rep, RKC program minimum style. i realise this is too heavy, but then again this isn't an ideal world.

24kg kb 1 arm press
5/5 x 6

later, post exam, had a little walk/run in the woods

My hands felt v.weak today...

deadlift
120kg x5
140kg x2
150kg x 2
160kg x 2

chin ups
8 then 8 leg raises
6 then 5 leg raises
5

military press 24kg bell
5/5 x 5

24kg bell
warmup 30 swings + halos + pumps
all out
20 reps ~20sec rest x8 160total
really working on keeping the lats and core tight and the hip snap snappy

Today
cycled to gym
practiced clean technique with 40kg

press
50kgx3 which was a poor effort, then couldn't be assed

deadlift
140x3 5xverticle jumps
150x2 5xVJs
160x2 5xVJs
160x2 5xVJs
i actually really enjoy deadlifting

towel chins
5xclose grip
5x wide grip
3/2 x over-under

cycled home

24kg kb

swings 25 reps 25 sec rest 5 sets
push press 5/5 x 5

Front squats
50kg x 5
60kg x 4
70kg x 3
80kg x 2
90kg x 1
80kg x 2 - 3 sets

towel chin ups
standard x 5
over under 3/3
close grip 3

deadlift (blind)
120kg x 5

24kg KB
swings - 20reps 20sec break x 5
press - 5/5 reps x 3

KB arrived!

It is here. In all my wisdom I just tried a one arm snatch and practically broke my forearm. The KB is so different to training with the dumbell, and I haven't even started yet. Certainly there is plenty of technique to be learned, but bring on 200 snatches with the 24...

Deadlift
60x5
110x5
140x5
160x3
(eyes closed) 150x3 these were harder than i thought

Towel chins
over-under 4/3
standard 6
close grip 4
standard 4

Went biking - found the best trail i've been on on the South Downs.

Kettlebells

24kg or '1.5-pood' is arriving in the post sometime (should have been today grrr). I have never had exerience with kettlebells so this will be a new adventure...

How to win

1. Evaluate what your primary goal is.
2. Create sub-goals which will assist your final goal.
3. Go.


Remember also: squatting big weights and getting strong by squatting are not the same thing.

Steve Ilg... and little things

I bloody love Steve Ilg. All of his philosophy is spot on. I originally heard of him on Dan Johns forum and subsequently bought his most recent book (Total Body Transformation) for an absolute bargain on amazon. Buy this book.

Yoga is a central point to Ilgs fitness philosophy, now im not exactly a massive yoga follower (I get a little practice in here and there) but there is so much more to it than just 'practicing' yoga. Testing out this path leads to so many improvements: Little things like meditation, keeping your posture in check, nasal breathing and yoga itself. Although perhaps the most important thing is maintaining a balance...

So what, who cares about balance? I can squat and bench a gazillion kilos...

Whats the point in squatting a shit load of weight if you can't run more than 200m without dying?
Whats the point in having such a good bench is you can't do a single pullup, or do 30 pressups?
Why have the ability to sprint really fast without being able to repeat your efforts? Or have the ability to put the brakes on when necessary?

There are generally 9 components of fitness:
Strength
Power
Agility
Balance
Flexibility
Local muscular endurance
Cardiovascular endurance
Strength endurance
Co-ordination

As an athlete, don't neglect the above 9. Of course there are priorities.

For example if you're going through a strength cycle, as pretty much everyone has to do at one stage or another. DONT JUST SQUAT AND DEADLIFT AND PRESS or whatever. You have to maintain your essentials too. Maintaining a movement like running requires "proficiency of that movement can be maintained with around 1 exposure per week". Thats it. Just don't forget these little things that all add up to make YOU.

The body is one piece remember.

(ps a good read on running faster http://www.higher-faster-sports.com/speedtraining.html)

max effort hill sprints today
10 sprints, some involving sharp bends some straight, all involving leaping over a big log at the top.
roughly 20-30secs rest between each

picked up a big log

Felt good after today

1500m row warmup

deadlift
150kg x 2 / 5 box jumps
160kg x 1 / 5 box jumps
150kg x 2 / 5 bj
150kg x 2 / 5bj
150kg x 2 / 10bj

5 pullups
5 chins
3/3 one and a half hand pullups with towel
5 close grip towel pullups
5 standard grip towel pullups
3/3 one and a half hand pullups with towel

fried my fingers big time

yesterday:
dumbell 1-arm side press
24kg 2/2 x 2
22kg 5/5 x 2

chin up - focusing on tension
5reps x 3

1 set of pikes

2 planks @ 1min20sec each


swam twice in the freezing brighton sea.. i think that's why i'm so tired today