Went with Dan John’s 5/3/2 setup today and was very pleased how all sets and reps moved. Squats felt great and probably had 5 reps easy with 345 which is encouraging at this point. The no more than 10 rep rule Pavel and Dan John prescribe in most of their Barbell programs is something I will follow along with moving forward. Hopefully the frequent squatting will help me better my technique and start moving big boy weights down the line. Fun day!
Double KB Snatch: 40’s - 1x15
—Drop to Rack Position—
Double KB Rack Position Walk 40’s x 50 yards
—Drop to Rack Position—
Double KB Snatch: 40’s - 1x15
—Drop to Rack Position—
Double KB Rack Position Walk 40’s x 50 yards
Ab Wheel: 2x5
Forgot today was President’s Day which meant the gym was super crowded and had to get a bit creative and switch up my planning today. Wanted to hit 5x2 on everything but that wasn’t going to happen due to time and what was available. Figured I would hit Squats with 5x2 and everything else be 2x5. Anyhoo…
Squats moved well. I’m sure I could make 315 my 2x5 weight at this point but still trying to get a feel for this type of setup. Overhead moved without any issues. Of course the dip belt was nowhere to be found so just stuck with bodyweight pull ups. Got creative with the Snatches and Carries since I was running out of time so just combined the two and got them done as quick as possible with a bit of time left to do a couple of sets on the Ab Wheel. Overall this was another solid session!
On Saturday and Sunday, instead of conditioning, I did the same setup with kettlebells, pull up bar, and bodyweight work to go along with a little bit of mobility work.
Saturday’s work (Sunday’s work)
Goblet Squats: 35 - 3x5 (1x10)
KB Clean & Jerk: 35 - 3x5 (Push Ups - 1x10)
Pull Ups: 2x5 (1 Arm KB Row - 1x10)
KB Snatch: 55 - 2x10 (35 - 1x10)
Planks: 30 secs (Sit Ups x a ton with my 4 year old!!)
Hip flexor stretches and prying goblet squats at the end of both days
Hips were a bit tight on Squats today but the weights moved easy enough. The 2nd set of 280 felt a lot better than the first. Bench Press moved very fast and may bump the weight the next time I go 2x5. Haven’t done a conventional deadlift in a couple of weeks so felt a bit off on the first set but, like the squats, better on the 2nd set. Went with Farmers Walks with 45 pound plates in each hand for time. Sort of took this for granted because the 2nd set was tough! First set I got through without any issues but had to rest the plates for a few seconds halfway through the 2nd set and barely made it the rest of the time. Solid session today!
Felt good today. Decided on Squats I would go with 2x5 instead of 3x3 with 315 since I figured that’s pretty much where I need to be with that weight/set/rep scheme. Overhead Presses felt very crisp. May play around next time and see if 185 can be my new 2x5. Pull Ups and Swings were fine and not much to write about. The Overhead Walks with the Kettlebells were interesting. Can tell this will really help with stability in the overhead press. I feel pretty stable with weight over my head but I guess you can never have too much stability. So far I like these workouts. Mainly because I like leaving the gym knowing I have “money left in the bank” as Pavel would call it!
Had to hit the gym early this morning since I couldn’t make it yesterday. Hips were super tight during Squats this morning. Weights moved slow but managed okay. Press and Deadlift moved very well. Good workout today!
Had every intention on doing Front Squats and Bench Press today. The only bar I could get a hold of for the rack has super sharp knurling (great for deadlifts) and didn’t want to go back to work looking like I lost a fight with a cheese grater on my neck. Finished out my sets of squats and noticed every bench was taken due to national bench press Monday!
As far as the workout itself, everything moved very well. Squats felt a lot better today than they did on Saturday and Oh Press is still in a decent groove. Overall very happy with this day and may do Front Squats and Bench Press tomorrow.
The 5 doubles at 285 on Front Squat is a volume PR. I’ve done a double and a few singles with that weight in the past. It’s nice to hit that particular weight since I haven’t front squatted consistently in a while. Took Bench Press and RDL’s on the light side since I will have the Oh Press / Deadlift Challenge with my forum buddies @ActivitiesGuy@furo@MaazerSmiit this week. Feel pretty good as far as the Strict Press portion of the challenge with 175 for reps but that 475 Deadlift for reps can go either way!
365 moved very well and figured today is the day for 405. Take a few minutes rest and give it a go. When I was ready I tightened the strap on my Lifting Shoes and it BROKE!!! Trying not to let it get me down, I told myself it’s just a stupid strap. Get my mind back right, unrack the weight, and it hits the next hooks above where I had the bar placed (gun rack style pins are stupid). Adjust myself after unracking, go down, pop out of the hole pretty quick, but once again couldn’t lock it out! It’s close but still not there. Shouldn’t have even tried after the few incidents before but sometimes I’m a bit hardheaded!
So now onto the 75%BW Oh Press / 2xBW Deadlift Challenge with @furo@MaazerSmiit and @ActivitiesGuy
Did this today because my wife has a doctor’s appt and there’s a slim chance we may be having a baby later this afternoon!!
Oh Press: 175x8
Deadlift: 475x5
Wanted 10 reps on the Press portion but my shoulders and upper back were feeling the burn on that tough 8th rep. The bar got a bit out in front of me on the 5th rep of Deadlifts, considered a 6th but didn’t think that would be the wisest choice. Pretty happy with these numbers especially after a failed Squat attempt but that kind of stuff doesn’t really shake me a whole lot. 175x8 on Press and 475x5 on the Deadlift ties previous rep PR’s from a while back. Fun Challenge!!!
Fantastic work man! Looks like you’re in joint first place with @MaazerSmiit at this point (both got 13 total reps, ahead of me with just 7). All comes down to @ActivitiesGuy now!
Also extremely exciting news about jblues junior! Keep us updated
When I saw in @MaazerSmiit log that he got 13 I knew that was going to be tough to beat. I knew I could gain ground on the Oh Press portion but 9 rep Deadlifts at 2xBW is crazy!!!
Not going to lie, I was also thinking, BEAT FURO!! Mainly because you’ve already beat me twice in our BW-Bench Press Challenge and Number of Pull Ups in 10 or 15 minutes (can’t remember the time). And at least “MURICA” has at worst a share of the title at this point!!
The 405 Squat is certainly the goal for 2017. My hope is that the 405 Squat gets here before my 2nd child but that’s looking a little less likely at this point. The way my 2 misses this year with 405 have been, I seriously think I could Squat 400. With that said, who wants to load, 3-45’s, 1-35, 1-5, 1-2.5 each side? Haha! With that said, I haven’t been as “aggressive” with my approach to the 405 Squat (High Bar, Olympic Style) as I was with getting a 550 Deadlift and 225 Strict Overhead Press. Once I get settled in a bit later in the year, I’m sure my approach and mindset towards this will change!
365 on Squats moved very well. I believe this weight is a weight I can knock out for a solid single each day regardless of feel. Worked back down and did Paused work with 275 and these moved very well. Wanted to bench press today but all benches were occupied and wasn’t in the mood for Oh Press after yesterday. Went with 2 Rounds of a circuit to round out my day and took the kettlebells for a quick stroll.
Med Ball Slams: 20 - 1x10
Backward Throws: 20 - 1x10
1 Mile Run - 9:30
2-55# KB Farmers Walks x 100m
Push Ups x 10
2-55# KB Farmers Walks x 100m
Push Ups x 10
2-55# KB Farmers Walks x 100m
Push Ups x 10
2-55# KB Farmers Walks x 50m (drop)
Push Ups x 20 (Penalty for not making 100m)
2-55# KB Farmers Walks x 50m
Push Ups x 20 (more punishment)
Finally made it back to the track. Decided to run a mile since I’m not confident in my sprinting ability. Took it nice and easy since I haven’t ran in a long time. Felt great and felt like I could have run for days at that pace even though it was like a turtle running in peanut butter! Goal with the Farmers Walks was to make it 400m total around the track but stopping every 100m for 10 push ups. Got to the final straightaway at the track and had to drop the bells. Hit the deck for 20 push ups since I wimped out. Walked the final 50m and figured I needed to hit the deck again and give myself 20 push ups. Nice to get outside to throw, run and walk!
Haven’t done the get up in forever so I figured I would practice these a bit after my stretching and Goblet Squats. 35 was pretty easy but mainly wanted to remember the technique and progression. Might make it a goal to do these with my 80 but will need lots of practice!
Turkish Get Up: 40# KB - 5x1 (each)
4a) KB Swing: 80 - 2x15
4b) Hanging Leg Raise: 2x5
Squats moved well again today. 365 moved smooth but didn’t see a need to try go past this weight so I settled for some heavier down sets at 315. I tweaked my elbow a bit doing yard work over the weekend so I stayed on the lighter side for Oh Press. Originally I wanted to try 185 for 2x5 but left elbow wasn’t feeling great on the warm up sets. I was pleased with my Get Up technique today as well. Weight still isn’t anything heavy but still getting a feel for all of the positions again. With that said, if you want some strange looks, do Turkish Get Ups in a commercial gym! Finished up with a couple of quick sets of Swings and Hanging Leg Raises. Solid session today!
Decided on a single set of Pause Squats for the day. 315 moved without any issues. On the warm up sets of Bench Press, my elbow started to flare up again. Had planned on 3x3 at a decent weight but figured I would keep things lighter and just use 2x5. Same idea with Pull Ups at 10 reps but elbow didn’t bother me at all during this set. Pretty happy with my Get Ups today. 50 moved without any issues other than the first set I was a bit wobbly. For KB Swings it was essentially “speed” work. Just cranking out 10 reps as explosive and fast as possible. Did sort of a flip flopped version of “Simple” from “Simple and Sinister” with kettlebells today.
