Haven’t completely gone away. Just wrapping up a week in Italy tomorrow with limited Wi-Fi and even more limited options to train. Didn’t plan to do much anyway. We’re on the Amalfi coast so the steps take care if that. PI’ve just been pounding out 100 push ups and 100 band pull aparts to start the day.
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Finally back, and I’m actually going to do a real workout today. Got in a couple hotel workouts in Rome, just basic dumbbell and calisthenics. We went to the Amalfi Coast for a week and stayed in a villa with several other couples on the cliffs (so many steps), my wife and I then split off and visited Rome for 3 days (stayed near the Vatican), and one last night in Naples before catching an early plane yesterday and flying back. I ate a ton of awesome pizza, seafood, and bread and cheese. Oh yeah, lots of cappuccinos and everything lemon while in Amalfi.
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9/14/2023
7 am, back at in the garage.
After an extra cup of coffee and a pep-talk to get me going:
Strength, 5 rounds alternating:
6 reps OHP; 122.5 lbs
6 reps TB DL; 310 lbs
(go every 2 min. Odd weights because that was all the plates I have in my garage.)
WOD. 6 min AMRAP:
3 KB swings, 36 kg bell
3 burpees
6 KB swings, 36 kg bell
6 burpees
9 KB swings, 36 kg bell
9 burpees
(3 rounds + 3 reps)
Notes: Felt great to do an actual workout today. This was essentially what was scheduled for Crossfit today at my gym, but with BP and DL instead of OHP and TBDL. I definitely have impingement in my left shoulder and horizontal pressing really aggravates it. Even at the hotel gym, doing DB BP with only 50 lb DBs really bothered it. Easy to work around, though, and OH pressing doesn’t bother it at all. I can also do push ups and dips, so I still have my pressing covered.
Did an extensive warmup to get myself ready, and also did a yoga flow to finish it up. I’ve been wide awake since about 2 am after being in airplanes for about 15 hours yesterday (Naples to Heathrow, 4 hour layover, then Heathrow to San Jose). I’m exhausted but oddly alert. A crash is coming soon, but for now gotta get to work and catch up.
It always feels odd to come back from abroad, although this was only my second trip overseas to Europe. I miss the cappuccinos, pizza, and gelato already.
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9/15/2023
7 am, Crossfit gym
Strength: 20 RM back squat.
Me: 215 lbs x 20 reps
(best in the gym)
WOD, for time:
1000m run
80 ft suitcase lunges, 70 lb DB
60 calories Airdyne
40 GHD sit ups
20 goblet squats, 70 lb DB
Rest 5 min
800m run
60 air squats
40 GHD sit ups
20 calories Airdyne
(time = about 28 minutes)
Notes: Despite being jet lagged and my diet wacky, I felt really good today in the gym. I’m wide awake at 2 am despite being exhausted, but was in bed by 8 pm last night. My plan was to take it easy but once I started warming up I just went for it. Fun to be back at it.
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9/16/2023
8 am, Crossfit
8 rounds, 3 min each for max row calories:
5 burpee pull ups
5 push jerks, 115 lbs
max row calories in remaining time
(Total calories = 165)
Notes: Finally slept somewhat normally last night and felt good. My joints and everything feel pretty good after the break from barbell work. Will add some mobility work later, but I’m purposely not adding more strength work until next week as I ease back into training.
This vacation break also reminded the benefits of a “deload” or similar break from training. I got in a ton of activity on vacation from walking, hiking, swimming, and scaled down calisthenics and feel stronger and healthier because of it. Also got in a lot of good quality food in, I’m sure, a caloric excess which also helped reset and recharge me.
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9/17/2023
Recovery-style LSS workout:
5.2 mile run, with 20 push ups done after each mile
Notes: Pace was about 9:30 min/mile, never pushing it at all. Needed this type of workout. Will do mobility work but no additional training today. Tomorrow I’ll take off, and then start ramping things up again on Tuesday. I’m quite sore from the GHD sit ups and 20 rep back squat both from Friday’s workout.
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That sounded nasty. Nice work
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Thanks for the comment @simo74 . Yes, it was a tough WOD but especially because it was immediately after a 20 RM back squat set. Much of what I have learned recently, and I think you’re also along these lines, is that we can accomplish quite a bit even under non-ideal (fatigued, hungry, tired) conditions. That said, today I was dragging pretty hard on my long run so eventually it catches up and we need to recharge. Plenty of tacos tonight and a day off tomorrow will do that job nicely.
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This is very true and something I think is largely an untapped resource for many trainees. People so worried about over training or optimal recovery for performance they miss out.
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Quite an ironic thing to be so worried about optimal gains, that you miss out on training hard enough to stimulate the gains you wanted!
Wonder how much difference optimal training makes compared to less optimal hard grind, maybe 5%?
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Not even. 2% max
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It’s also pretty silly, as most people don’t optimize other aspects of their life. They eat fast food, drink beer, watch too much TV, but suddenly become obsessed about “optimal” workout conditions such as creatine timing, corstisol levels, over-training, etc… Just get out there and work hard!
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That’s true, so much low hanging fruit, but easier to look in the minutiae than look in the mirror and own up to being the cause of your own failure, guilty of that myself at times!
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9/19/2023
7 am, Crossfit gym
Weightlifting complex. 5 rounds, go every 3 min:
1x[1 high hang squat clean + 1 split jerk + 1 hang squat clean + 1 split jerk + 1 squat clean + 1 split jerk]; worked up to 125 lbs
WOD, for time:
10 - 8 - 6 - 4 - 2 reps
Deadlifts
Hang power cleans
Shoulder to overhead
115 lbs
Time = 5:14
Notes: Nice and quick, but a gasser. I could have moved up the weight a bit, perhaps, as the finished pretty quick. I’ll get in some bonus work (back to that) throughout the day.
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That’s a nice sequence. I’m gonna have to remember to steal it sometime!
Great work.
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9/19/2023
Trying to get back to getting in some extra work throughout the day:
Lunchtime:
3 - 6 - 9 - 12 - 15 - 12 - 9 - 6 - 3
V-ups
Russian twists
Hollow hold, in sec
100 push ups
After work, 3 rounds:
1x[7 top half curls + 7 bottom half curls + 7 curls + 7 OHP]; 25 lb DBs for curls and 100 lb barbell for OHP
Notes: I gotta say that that ab set up is the best one I have every done. This one was exactly as prescribed as a WOD, but I’ve found I can easily swap new moves in it to keep it fresh and effective. An absolute burner that’s over fast.
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It wasn’t too bad. The Rx was 155 lbs, and I was gonna do 135 lbs but scaled it to 115 at the last minute. I finished pretty fast, which tells me a scaled too much and 135 would have been the better choice. The power cleans are still a work in progress, and apparently always will be. I tend to bang up my clavicles pretty good on these types of workouts.
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9/20/2023
7 am Crossfit
Strength, 4 rounds go every 2 min:
5R/5L back rack reverse lunges.
135, 145, 155, 165 lbs
WOD, for time
21 calories airdyne
50 ft farmer’s walking lunges
15 calories airdyne
50 ft front rack walking lunges
9 calories airdyne
50 ft 1 arm front rack + 1 arm overhead walking lunges
Rest 2:30
21 calories rower
50 ft farmer’s walking lunges
15 calories rower
50 ft front rack walking lunges
9 calories rower
50 ft 1 arm front rack + 1 arm overhead walking lunges
(50 lb DBs for walking lunges)
Time = 13:35
Notes: Lunges are growing on me a bit. I really used to despise them, but now I only dislike them. The WOD wasn’t too bad, but was another gasser. Finished with the best time, but really was pushed by a new person at the gym. Had to pick it up the second time through. I’ll get in some bonus work at some point today, plus evening mobility work.
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cross fit is melting your brain. 
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I wish I could use that as the excuse, but my brain had problems long before crossfit came along.
Bonus work:
Lunchtime:
3 - 6 - 9 - 12 - 15 - 12 - 9 - 6 - 3
Tuck ups
Flutter kicks
Hollow hold
After work:
10 - 8 - 6 - 4 - 2
Dead hang ring pull ups
supersetted with offset Farmer’s carries (one-handed, uneven, overhead, etc… whatever my clever mind could thing of)
Notes: So it’s back in session at my University, so the gym is packed with to start the germ. There’s a back yoga studio mostly empty, so I’ve taken to going in there for a quick ab routine before lunch. Really, guys, give this method a try. By about the end of the 9’s on the way up it starts to burn, then it burns the rest of the way. Try not to rest too long between exercises. It’s over fast, is very modular for different movements (pick a full one, an oblique one, and a hold), and burns. I hate doing abs, but these are my favorite. It’s like a mini WOD.
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