Quick session in at AP

The staff at Athletes' Performance rock!! Everyone I have met is really nice and humble. Adam the athletic trainer who is rehabbing me has been great. Nothing but positive things to say about this place.

I showed up an hour early before my PT session, left real early cause I didn't want to rush through traffic. The PTs at AP said I was more than welcome to train if I wanted to, while I wait. I was stoked to train in a world class facility. I really wanted to try out some of the new equipment, but I was overwhelmed and pressed for time. I decided to do a workout I was going to have to miss this week, because I'm Flying to Providence Rhode Island for the 3 Day Perform Better Summit!!! So gogo 45 minute work out!

Foam Roll

Get Mills 20 kg 1/5 28kg 1/5 32kg 1/5 x 2

A1. Pull ups real wide grip for more lat activation 40lb vest 5/5/4/4

A2. SL RDL BW 6/6 40lb DBs x 5 60DBs x 5 70 DBs x 5 80 DBs x 5

No time for cardio PT started early. I'm going to start coming in more early to train there and mess around with the equipment. Light years beyond the YMCA.

I also had some Graston on my back and chest today. Through foam rolling and trianing you learn where your tight spots are and which areas need more work that others. Its very interesting to see those spots visualized by the gratson.

They look like Islands of Pain. The one on the 12th rib on the right side, on the erector spinae muscle, has been bothering me for a week straight. My chest had less scar tissue on it then a couple weeks ago. Seems like this stuff is working. Ill be doing Arm Bars and all sorts of chest all night to take advantage of the gained length. Posture is definitely better.

Memorial Day workout

Yesterday:

Bent Press 16kg 3 ,3, 3
SL RDL 24 kg Contra 3 ,3,3

Snatch 16kg 6 sets of 15 each arm. 1 minute rest between.


The gym was closed today, so I just did a make shift work out with some patterns I wanted to work on.

Foam Roll
Joint Mobility

a1. Windmills Bottoms up 16kg 3,3,3,3,3 (Last two sets were with a 24kg in the bottom hand

a2. Goblet Squat 16kg 2 sets of 5 24kg 3 sets of 5

B1. Pistol 16kg 2,2,2 - right side needs some work. I really have to focus with this lift.

B2. 1 Arm Push up 2,2,2

KB Chain Double 24kg
Clean
Squat
Press

x 5 reps. 6 rounds in 8 minutes

Two weeks ago when I did this I got my 5th round with 15 seconds left in the 8 minute period. Today I finished my 5th round with 2 minutes left. Waited till 35 seconds were left to finish up my last set. Good improvement since last time. This is why I am such an advocate for tracking workouts because it gives reference points to check progress.

Sleddin

Foam Roll
Stretch
Prep
Clams
Glute activation

A1. Trap Bar DL Bar x 5 135 x 5 225 x5 315x 5 365 x 5 385 x 5,5

A2. Chops Standing Cook Band Level 4 PnF Grip 8,8,8

B1. RDL Bar x 5 135 x 5 225 x 5 315 x 3 - Have a tight knott in my Right Lat that was bothering with me with the lift. Just wanted to get a medium set of 3 in and call it for RDLs

B2. Lifts Tall Kneeling Cook lvl 4 Stick Grip 8,8,8

Conditioning

Preacher Curl Bench Sled Pushes

125 pounds 4x18 yard walks (continious)
Recover
175 pound 4x18
Recover
175 pound 4x18

15 Minutes of Light Aridyne Cardio Keeping HR between 130-150


I have been wanting to try these ever since I saw them on youtube. I train at the YMCA and the equipment is pretty basic. Needless to say they don't have a sled or prowler. The gym was empty enough for me to try it, I managed to get video of my last push. I need to keep my angles more consistent.

Here is my video:




Just so people don't think I Carlos Mencia'd it , here is the video I saw:

Late Night Snack

The crux of my cooking is mixing together a bunch of shit and throwing spices on it. As long as it meets my macro nutrient requirements simple is fine. I didn't measure these out, just went by how hunger I was.

Most of the time I don't measure
Bowl of Spinach
Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar
Almonds( maybe 1/2 cup)
Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt
Chopped Raw Garlic
Olive Oil
Shredded Flax Seed
Squeezed Lemmon Juice
Shatta Pepper

Basically just fat with some trace carbs from spinach. Very spicy for a metabolic effect.

To my surprised it tasted awesome. Shatta is where its at, if you're a fan of spicy stuff. You can get them at middle eastern markets.

PR in DB Press

Tuesdays Conditioning:

20/10 1 Arm Swings 10 sets 2 rounds. 16kg

I love using the lighter bells for these off day conditioning sessions. It keeps the load low but still allows for volume. I also can tweak my form with the 16kg than I can the heavier bells. Just enough weight where I can go all out and get some resistance back, but not enough to drain. I really focus on the appropriate tense and relaxation phases of the swing.

For Today:

I felt good for the first half of the work out, than I started to wear out. So I cut the volume a little today. Rest day tomorrow. My quads were sore from all the lunge matrix's for Rehab yesterday.

Foam Roller
Stretch
Movement Prep

Rehab:
Clams 2 x 10
Side Leg Lifts 2 x 10
Glute Bridge Marching 2 x 5/5
Load n Lifts 2 x 8

A1. Get Mills Barbell Bar x 1/5 45 x 1/5 55 x 1/5, 1/5

B1. OHP 55x5 65x3 75x3,3

B2. SL RDL Barbells Bar x 5 95 x 5 135 x5 145 x 5 - These are getting better. I notice significant improvement when I stick with one weight for several weeks to work out the form kinks.

B3. ARP Cook level 3 band 1/2 Kneeling 20 circles 2 sets each side - I've started doing circles with these rather than extending my Arms out. It challenges the core much more. I do 10 clock wise and 10 counter close wise. Ill post up a video soon

C1. DB Bench 60x5 80x3 90 1 Arm 5 Alternating 6 Double 5 - New PR, felt easy to.

C2. Leg Curl- Single Leg 7/7 6/6, much better hip extension this week

C3. Suitcase Carry 60DB 2 sets of 40 yard walks per arm

No conditioning, trying to listen to my CNS. I might do some esd tomorrow and or some light jiu jitsu in the evening.

Here's are videos of my SL RDL from today. Its interesting comparing both sides. I notice when on my right leg my left hip will have some external rotation. Something to work on for next time. It might be the same cause with the Left Leg but I didn't have the good angle to see it. The weight feels real light, however this is more about program pattern. My PR is 185 for 3 on each leg. I want to best that in a couple weeks. I also want my form to be cleaner when I get up that high in weight again.

Front Squat video

Just a quick video I took of me, front squatting on my last set. Pretty happy with the form, there is a little hesitation in the hips, on the last two reps. This is why I have been trying to get in the habit of filming myself. It allows me to see deficiencies in my form. This is especially useful if you don't have any training partners around to inform you. This is also helpful if you train at a commercial gym and are in the minority when it comes to constantly critiquing form.

I also want a little more extension in the T spine if I can. My elbows did not drop so I did not lose position. Just something to be mindful of for next week.

Go Go Single Leg Squats

Feeling great today. I had a little more carbs then yesterday. I'm trying out a refill day. I average about 100 grams of carbs a day, up to 150 in heavy training days. Most of them are consumed right before, during and right after training. I've got this system down. Now its time to make small tweaks. I had probably 200grams of carbs yesterday to see if It would help with glycogen stores. I also want to see how i perform through out the week from it. More on this as it unfolds.

Today I incorporated some Close Chain power movements. I am trying to slow incorporate power again, based on how the left ankle responds. Today I did some load n Lifts. Athletes' Performance gave this to me as home work, for my rehab. Its essentially a Squat to explosive calf raise, against a wall.

Foam Roll
Stretch
Movement prep

Load n Lift 2 x 10

Get mills with Barbell 45 x 1 Get up/5 Wind Mills at top 65x 1/3 75 x 1/4

A1. Front Squat Bar x 5 135 x 5 155 x 5 175 x 5 185 x 5

A2. T Spine Bench Extension - 5x5 second holds done before every FS set.

A3. Goblet Squat with 25 pound DB 1x15 second hold done before first 3 FS Sets

A4. Pavel Loaded Hip Stretch - 1 x 10 second hold done 1 minute before last 4 FS Sets. Video of this to come

B1. Pull up BW x 3 25 x 3 45 x 3 55 x 3, 3 45 x 3

B2. BodySaw 10 , 10 , Push Up style 6 - way harder

C1. Single Leg Squats to parallel - 5/5, 5/5, 5/5 with 10 pound DBs

C2. SL Row 55x6 70 x 6 , 6

C3. Stir the Pot 10 circles (5 clock wise 5 counter close wise), 12, 14

Conditioning pushed to tomorrow.

Snatchin

Foam Roll
Calf stretch, pec stretch, lat stretch

A1. KB Wind Mills 16kg 5/5 24kg 5/5 28kg 5/5

A2. KB Goblet Squat 16kg x 5 24kg x 5 28kg x 5

I wanted to work on high tension but keep volume low, I've got a big training day tomorrow. I've been watching Pavels Naked Warrior and was inspired to do 1 Arm Push ups

B1. KB Bottoms up Cleans and Pause 24kg 3/3 , 3/3 , 3/3 and Extra 3 on Left

B2. 1 Arm Push UP 2/2 , 2/2 , 2/2 - This requires so much core tension to do right. Great exercise if done properly

I also wanted to get some Double Work in today

Double KB Swings 2 24kgs
20 seconds on 40 seconds rest x 4 rounds

KB Snatch 24kg 15 minutes
5/5 at the top of every minute. Remainder of time in minute is rest.

Snatches felt a little rusty, especially on Left side. But thats to be expected since I haven't done it in two months. HR got up in the upper 180s.

Solid day 3

I'm going to start easing back into explosive movements now. AP gave me some exercises for glute activation and triple extension

Foam Roll
Static stretch
Prep

A1. Load n Lift 2x8

A2. OH RAPID MB throws against wall 2x10

B1. Trap Bar DL Bar x5 135 x5 225 x 5 315 x 3 335 x 5 355 x5/5

B2. Chop Tall Kneeling Cook band level 3 PNF 8/8/8

C1. RDL 135 x5 225 x 5 315 x 3 335 x 3/3

C2. Lift Tall Kneeling Cook band level 3 PNF 8/8/8

D1. Incline DB Press 50 x 6 SA 65x3 Alt. 60 8/8 Double 8/8 - Havne't done this in a couple weeks, felt heavy

D2. Ring Row Bw x 10 25LB 8/8 BW x 8

I want to hit snatches tomorrow, so I left some in the tank and skipped conditioning. I was bouncing between exercises with little rest anyway which got my HR up for most of the time.

Why I love Graston

I had some gratson work done on my chest thursday. Adam, my athletic trainer noticed how tight my pecs were so we decided to "scrape" them out. Results

It felt great, lots of old scar tissue build up. This is what doing powerlifting for 5 years will get you. I haven't trained like a powerlifter for 5 years to. I'm real diligent with stretching and foam rolling and I still have a lot of scar tissue built up. This leads to rounded shoulder posture. Last couple days i have been stretching to take advantage of the length. I'm hoping for a couple more treatments.

If you have chronic tightness or scar tissue from an injury check out Graston. Athletic trainers, Physical Therapists and Chiropractors are the ones who I have seen that can do it.

I also had this done on the left calf of my injured ankle. It freed up some of the tissue and gave me a little more range of motion.

Just finished Day 2, feeling great

Due to my transportation conundrum I missed Day 2 for last week. So I was excited to get in there for this week.

Foam Roller
Stretch - Lateral Hamstring, ASLR, Hip Flxr with reach, short adductor stretch, calf stretch, Bretzel with PnF push and pull
Movement Prep

Gets Mills( Get ups with windmills at the top) Barbell 45x1/5 65x1/3 x 2 sets

A1. OHP 55 x 6 65 x 5/5/5

A2. SL RDL with Barbell version - bar x 5 95 x 5 135 x5/5

A3. Anti Rotational Press Gray level 3 1/2 kneeling 8/8 - I'm doing small circles with these now, arms extended and they prove to challenge corstability more than just extending and bending arms.

B1. DB Bench 60 x 6 85 Single 6 Alternating 6 Double 6 - felt easy going up to 90s next week

B2. Leg Curl on Swiss ball - 2 Legs 12 Single legs 2 sets of 8 each leg - this are getting better

B3. Suitcase Carry 55 2x40 yard walk per side 2 sets

ESD
Airdyne Miles

M1 1:53 HR 179 Recovery 3 min

M2 1:47 HR 185 Recovery 3 min

M3 1:45 HR 188 Recovery 3 Min

M4 1:44 HR 189

Airdynes felt good considering I haven't used it in over a week.

Snatches and Horiz rows tomorrow, if body is feeling up to it.

Front Squats again!

My legs were sore from yesterday's kettle bell adventure. I still wanted to try some front squats with the bar to see how my ankle responded.

Foam Roll - PAINFUL
Stretch - lateral hamstring, ASLR, Hip Flxr, Calf, Short Adductor, Bretzel with PNF PUSH/PUll
Movement Prep

Get Mills with BarBell - 45 x 1/5 each side 55 x1/5 each side 2 sets - I haven't done these in a while but they felt great.

A1. Bench T spine Mobility 4x20 seconds

A2. Goblet Squat with 25lb DB 4x20 second holds

A3. Front Squat with BarBell Bar x 5 95 x 5 135x5x2

*** I got a call from my ride to the gym and I needed to cut my workout real short and leave in 20 minutes. I got some good patterning in from the light front squats so I decided get done what I couldn't get done at home. Weight Vertical Pulls

B1. Pull up Bw x 5 25 x5 45 x3/3/3/3 - Just wanted to get some light sets in

B2. BodySaw on Valslide 10/8/8/8

Workout got cut short but I feel good about what I did. Ill do some stretching and anke rehab tonight. Conditioning tomorrow.

My Ankle Rehab Program

This is for people looking to rehab an ankle who sustained similar injuries, as myself. This is going to be divided into two parts. One is the rehab I have been doing on my own and the second is the rehab homework I have been getting from Athletes Performance since I started going last week. I hope people will find it useful

The specific results from my MRI were as follows:

Findings. A small joint effusion is present. Sinus Tarsi is within normal limits. Fluid surrounds the flexor hallucis longus, which may represent communication with join fluid. However mild fluid also surrounds the flexor digitirum as well as the posterior tibiallis suggestiing mild tensosynovitis. No evidence of tendinous injury at this location. Peroneal tendons are intact as are Extensor Group. Achilles tendon and Achilles insertion are within normal limits. There is no retrocalcaneal bursitis. Superficially and deep fibers of the deltoids are within normal limits. There is a complete tear of the posterior tibiofibular ligament. Adjacent bony edema is seen within the distal tibia. This could represent a small avulsion injury versus contusion. No large fracture planes are identified. No displaced fracture fragments are noted. There is also poor definition of anterior tibiofibular ligament as well suggestion rupture. Posterior talofibular ligament is intact. Anterior talofibular ligament also demonstrates a striated appearance suggesting partial tear. There is also a mild laxity in the calcanofibular ligament, which partial tear cannot be excluded. There are no osteochondral defects within the mortise joint. The sprint ligament is intact. The remainder of the exam is unremarkable.

Impression:

1. Tears of the Anterior and Posterior Tibiofibular ligaments with possible Avulsion injury at the distal Tibia version contusion

2. Suspected Partial Tearing of the Anterior Talofibular Ligament and Calcaneofibular Ligament as Above

3. Small Join effusion

4. Tenosynovitis within the flexor group

5. Normal Appearance of the Achilles Tendon

This was a pretty bad sprain and I blew out several small ligaments around the back of the ankle. The injury happened on April 7th and I'm not at 100% yet. I've managed to do everything in training except for some selective ankle intensive movements like sprinting, lateral lunges, plyos, oly lifts and SL squats.

My Rehab has been a mixture of soft tissue work, stretching and joint mobility. This is what I found worked for me, results may vary.

Soft Tissue

Plantar Facial release - I use either a baseball or a metal foam roller I made. Placing all my weight on it with one food and using chair for balance. This really helps release the adhesion and knots in the bottom of the foot. It really makes my feet feel more lose and "alive".

I would also Foam roll the calf as well. My calf's are tight and need it anyways but I found this to help my stretching and ankle mobility drills.

I would also take a real smooth rock and gently massage the areas where the ligaments attach and are sore. This was used to target the specific areas where pain was present and help break up the scar tissue. Go light on this and as it hurts less ease into adding more pressure.


Flexibility

Calf Stretch - People have different ways of doing this. Ill post up a picture of what I have set up with the foam roller. this way I really can feel it in the calves. Keeping the knee straight of the leg being stretched will focus more on the Gastroc Muscle, while putting a bend in the knee will target the soleus and Achilles region. I do both.

This video can give you some ideas. Just make sure that you have good posture and alingment when strethcing calves.




Joint Mobility

The drills below are from Steve Maxwell, who has an excellent joint mobilization series. I noticed a big different in my feet after a couple days of doing this . Better control in the ankles and more range of motion. I try to do these every day now and it takes about 5-10 minutes and well worth it.



That is the first part.

After that Its time for circles and figure 8s.



After I have done my mobility I want to put my strength behind it. So this is when I use my traditional resisted band work for the ankles.



The following are two exercises I have as homework for AP.
Toe Pick ups



Arch Makers



I do these every day and collectively it takes about 15 minutes. The physical therapist was impressed with the mobility I had just 4 weeks out from the injury. I tried to use this experience as a catalyst for paying more attention to the function of my feet. This injury motivated me to learn more about the feet and go seek professional help so I can have better foot health.

MAKE SURE YOU DO BOTH FEET FOR THESE EXERCISES


P.S.

This is dedicated to my friend Andy. He is always trying to follow in my footsteps and he out did himself by spraining his ankle last week in soccer. This probably would of been prevented if he didn't skip the single leg training I put in his program.

Kettlebells will deliver on sunday

I haven't trained in about 3 days. This whole week has been hectic. With the death of my 96 saturn SL 2, transportation ha been scattered and stress has been high. I could feel the tension built up from all week. Today was for body maintenance.

Foam Roll
Stretch - Bretzel with PNF push/pull patterning, hip flxr stretch, ankle mobility, down dog
Warm up - joint mobility from neck to toes

Get Mills - 16kg 1/5 both sides 24kg 1/4 both sides x 2 sets

Goblet squats 16kg with prying 5 sets

Double Chain 2 24kgs

Clean to Squat
Squat to Press(Thruster)
Repeat for 5 reps = 1 set.

My goal was to get 5 sets in 8 minutes. I finished with 15 seconds to spare. These felt great, no problems with ankle.

1 Arm swings 32kg -
10/10 = 1 set

I got 5 sets in 10 minutes. Maintaining strict form and making sure the power capacity in each swing did not drop

My goal was 8, but this is the heaviest 1 arm swings I have gone up to for that many reps. Considering I haven't been as in practice with KBs lately I am happy with this. Ill go for more sets in the same amount of time, next.

Later today Ill post up what I have been doing for Ankle Rehab.

Flat day 3

The start of this week has been hectic. My car blew up and the head is gone. It will cost more to fix than what the car is worth, so for the last tow days I've been researching for my next vehicle. Last couple days my diet has been off because of above circumstances and relying on others for transportation. Been in the car for multiple hours a day can reek havoc on posture.

I had some time today to get in my lifts that I wanted to do yesterday. It was apparent going through my warm up and seeing how my body felt that my body was not bringing the A game today. Chalk up another reason for having a steady consistent warm up. It gives you a standard to see how well you move before having to put load on your body. Lifting today was just a struggle. I decided to go real light and just get some reps in. Shoulder was feeling sore today, I think I slept on it wrong or didn't warm up enough before shooting hoops for 30 minutes, yesterday.

Foam Roll
Stretch - One in particular was the Bretzel put with a PnF push/pull strategy for opening up the T spine. I got this from Gray Cook and Brett Jones secrets of the shoulder DVD.
Prep

A1. Trap Bar DL Bar x 5 135 x 5 225 2 sets of 6

A2. Chop - Tall Kneeling Cook band level 3 PnF grip 8/8

B1. RDL Bar x 5 135 x5 225 2 sets of 7

B2. Lift - Tall Kneeling Cook band level 3 Pnf Grip 8/8

With a sore shoulder and flat performance I decided to call it. Ill get some conditioning in tomorrow. Maybe kb snatches if my shoulder loosens up.

Tomorrow Ill be heading to Athletes' Performance for some elite level ankle rehab! Ill take pic and post more about that tomorrow.

Ying and Yang upper body tabatta circuit

Light foam Roll
Easy Joint Mobility 5 minutes

20/10 off x 8 sets
MB Slam Ball 4kg Ball
Viking Push Press Right 16kg
Viking Push Press Left 16k
Mb Slam Ball
Repeat again = 1 round Rest to 65% HR took about 2 minutes)

3 rounds

This was hard! HR only got up to 176 but it might as well of been 190. I wanted to work more reps with the Push press, however I wanted a balance circuit. So both power moves one is Vertical Pull motion the other is a Vertical Press (Ying/Yang) .

Light day

I took yesterday off, except for foam roll and stretching. Feeling good today. The focus for today was getting good tissue quality and some pattern grooving.

Foam rolled/tissue work (75 minutes. I was really thorough today with this, really working on breaking up adhesion, freeing up fascia and trying to get more proprioceptive sensors online.)

Stretches - Armbars, Hip Flxr, Calf,

Get up position drills 15 minutes

Get ups 16kg 1/1 24kg 1/1 x 3 - I have ignored these since my ankle injury, with no pain no I need to start incorporating these again. If you're a serious athlete and these aren't in you program, than you are fucking up. Seriously one of the best bang for buck exercises out there

A1. Windmills 16kg 5/5 Bottoms up 3x3/3 - These were easy. However it was really windy outside with added more of a stability challenge and initiated rhythmic stabilization .

A2. Body Saw's with Valslides 8/8/8 - first time trying these. Pretty intense. I need to do them more often. Perhaps on linear core day.


KB Rows (split stance) 24kg 8/8 32kg 6/6 x 2

Doubles work
24kg 5 swings 10 yard farmers walk 5 swings 10 yards farmer walk back = 1 round

Recover to 65% HR between rounds for 5 total rounds.


I need to include more double work, Ill add a complex in tomorrow before Physical Therapy.

Three small staples in my diet

1. Chia Seeds

I have heard about Chia seeds for a couple years now, however I never got around to buying some to try for my own. I randomly passed them in the isle at the grocery store the other day and decided to give them a try.

The nutrition facts were pretty astounding I thought.
Serving size 1 Table Spoon
Protien 3grams
Carbs 5 grams - 5 grams of soluble fiber
Fats 4.5 Grams - 2.7 grams are omega 3s the remaining are omega 6s

Chia seeds are also great because they can absorb 10 times their size in water. I've started to make a gel with them, where I add 1 part seeds and 6 parts water, I mix in a little cinnamon and stevia and let it sit in the fridge. Its a great way to get hydrated and have extra protein and fat in the diet.

2. Dulse Seaweed Flakes

Seaweed is a great source of Iodine. This is something that has been lacking in my diet for a long time. The only grains in my diet are oatmeal and quinoa. No bread which is a good source of Iodine.I don't use much salt in my food and the only salt I use is sea salt, so no iodized salt as a source.

I started using these Dulse flakes about 2 months ago and within the first few days of using them I was able to sleep and recover better. My energy is more stable through the day as well. I knew I was missing Iodine, but did not think it would make that much of a difference. I just put some of these flakes on with almost every meal and it taste good. Small and easy to incorporate.

Another plus is that research has shown that Iodine can help rid of the body of radioactive particles. The way I understand it and I could be off base with this, Iodine compounds and radioactive compounds are close on the periodic table, as such the body treats them the same. It will store and replace them interchangeable. With the recent events in Japan I think all of us globally are going to have a little more exposure to radioactive compounds, so a little more iodine wouldn't hurt.


3.

Nutritional Yeast

I started using this about 2 years ago and it is a nice easy way to get some extra B vitamins and proteins in the diet. Its nice flake texture compliments food really well. I put it on most of my meals just to get some extra nutrients.

2-3 Tablespoon nets 8gs of protein and 5 grams of carb, 4 of which are fiber

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/1323565/2

It is also good to sprinkle on pasta as a cheese alternative. The texture and taste can kind of resemble shredded parmasian.

Try these out, You maybe be lacking some minerals or nutrients and these could help supplement them. Small little changes like that can make a big difference.

Day 2 Feeling good

Yesterdays training felt great.

Foam Roll
Stretching - Lat hamstring, ASLR, Calf, hip flxr/quad, short adductor, IR hip, Down Dog, Rings: t spine twist, T chest stretch, Lat stretch
Prep

A1. OHP 55 6 60x8/8 70x5 - Getting my vertical pushing strength back

A2. SL RDL( All Barbell work today) 45 x 5 95x6 135x5/5 - Need to work on these

A3. ARP Cook 3 Band 1/2 Kneeling 8/8/8

B1. DB Bench 60x6 85 Single 5 Alternating 5 Doubles 6 - these felt easy

B2. Leg Curl on Stability ball x 12 Single Leg x7/7 and 6/6

B3. Suitcase Cary 55 45 yard walk per side for 3 rounds

Conditioing later today.

Sing Leg Contral Lateral Rows

I haven't put up a video in a while.

I wanted to get my next set which is less wobbly. However as soon as I finished recording an influx of people came and there was to much traffic to get good footage.




Some key points with this exercise
Keep the Neck Packed
Keep both shoulders in the socket and packed to activate lats
Keep a braced core
Sink back the hips like in the RDL
The Glute of the back leg should be contracted to maintain stability
Keep the hips and toes in alignment and not externally rotated.

Its interesting watching yourself on film. You can really pick apart the mechanics of movements. I didn't think I had my toes quasi rotated, but it gives me something to work on now. I should pair the Lateral Hamstring Stretch with this and be more attentive.

I usually do these contral laterally. That is holding the dumbbell in the opposite side hand of the standing leg. It puts more of a core stability challenge and strengthening the core x pattern. You can also hold the weight in the standing leg hand (Ipsilateral) this presents less of a challenge. Holding a dumbbell in each hand is another option.

Day 1 Back to pull ups

Foam Roll
Stretch
Prep

A1. Pull ups Bw 4 25 5 45 4/5/4 - These felt harder than I thought today. I haven't done weighted pull ups in over a month so not to surprised. I am also going thumb less and neck to bar grip to achieve full tactical pull ups

A2. Hip Thrust BW x 8 135 x 8/8/8

A3. Stir the Pot 10 stirs 10 12 - slower stirs are better for this

B1. Single Leg Row 55 x 6 70 6/6/6

B2. Straight Leg Glute Bridge 4x10 second holds 2x10

B3. Ring Fall outs 8/10/10 I'm starting to go lower with these. Keeping ass tight and core braced is crucual

Airdyne Miles
M1 1:54 HR 183 Recover 2:15
M2 1:38 HR 186 Recover 2:50
M3 1:43 HR 190 Recover 3:00
M4 1:39 HR 192 Recover 3:10
M5 1:40 HR 191

For some reason last two weeks it has taken a lot longer for my HR to go down. Not sure why, I'm hoping as I stay steady with cardio again it will start to improve. Just curious why it took longer than a couple weeks ago. Maybe accumulative life stresses.

I'm sticking with the pull ups for a while.

Cardio circuit tomorrow.

Picking up weight again

Great Training Day!

Foam Roll
Stretch
Move Prep - lateral lunges and computer spider mans went well.

A1. Trap Bar DL Bar x 5 135 x 7 225 x 5 315 x 8/8

A2. Chops Tall Kneeling Level 3 Cook Band using PnF Grip 3x8 - good power on these

B1. RDL Bar x 5 135 x 5 225 x 5 315 7/7

B2. Lifts Tall Kneeling Leve 3 Cook Band using PnF Grip 3x8

C1. Incline DB Press 60 Single 8 Alt. 8 Double 8

C2. Ring Rows BW 10/10/8 - these felt great. I think switching to SL rows and made my rowing better. It goes to show correct amounts of variation can really be beneficial. I still haven't figured out how to Load these well enough , yet.


No real ankle pain on the Trap and RDL lifts. I wanted to keep the volume low as I ease back into it. Plus 315 is a good baseline from me. I've had hard sets of 8 with the weight and extremely easy sets of 8. It gives me some gauge of where I am at. However I think I am going to keep reps to 6 and Under from now on. Both lifts are postural, CNS and strength intensive. Just like the Front Squat these exercises don't lend themselves well to higher repetitions.


Circuit tomorrow!

Easy sunday

I've started doing Ankle Mobility drills. I am trying to get full range of motion back in both ankles, in all planes.

figure 8s , circles, resisted eversion, inversion, dorsiflexion, plantar flexion
Static stretching of ankles

Foam Roll - Did this for an hour, just wanted to be real meticulous since I had the time
Calf and hip stretches

Get up 16kg 1/1 - The inconsistent surface outside makes it tougher for get ups

Wind Mills 16 5/5 24kg 6/6 x2

Goblet Squat Prys 16kg x 20 seconds 24kg x 25 seconds x 4 sets - These are feeling better.

Double 24kg Swings
5x8 reps. Waiting for recovery between reps

Bottoms up Cleans 24kg x 5/5 5/5

The rest of the day just more ankle mobility can soft tissue work