Return of the King

Thursday August 20th: evening

Bike (outdoors) 9.5 km

Hill Sprints
10x100m

Skipping
3x100 reps
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Good.

Sunday August 23rd: 531 Cycle 2 Week 2 Deadlift

Bird dogs
2x10 per side warm up for deadlift

Deadlift
50kg - 1x5
60kg - 1x5
75kg - 1x5
85kg - 1x3
100kg - 1x3
111g - 1x10 ... pb for reps by a mile
60kg - 5x10 ... big but boring
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Hanging Leg Raise
1x10
2x9
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Glute Ham Raise (toes wedged under frame)
1x10
2x9
---

The 111kg deadlift for 10 reps gives me a projected max of 148kg. Very happy with this. I thought I'd manage maybe 6 or so. This is the first time I've started using mixed grip on my 531. Think I'll stick with it as can lift a lot more (obviously). Last month I used just double overhand to build up grip.

On my first set of hanging leg raises the fellow beside me commented "good exercise, but swing less". I finished off that set and the next two super strict. Ouch.

Very happy with this session considering I'm just back from a stag weekend.

Tuesday August 25th:

Walking 8-10km ... not sure exactly

Thursday August 27th:

Franley ~5:30 mins

• 21 burpees
• 21 air squats
• 15 burpees
• 15 air squats
• 9 burpees
• 9 air squats

Back in Ireland the past few days. Did this out in the back garden with my Father, dog and a couple of horses looking over the hedge. The time keeping was a bit off. When I'd finished and was gasping for air I remembered to check it. It was then at 6 mins, so I'd guesstimate the real time was about 5:30.

Way harder than expected. My quads totally locked up afterwards & could barely bend my leg! Stars were seen. I like it.

Those burpees included a jump with the hands overhead.

Sunday August 30th: 531 Cycle 2 Week 2 Squat

Bird dogs
3x10 per side ... 2 sets warm up, last set cool down
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Squat
BW - 1x5
20kg - 1x5
42kg - 1x5
52kg - 1x5
62kg - 1x3
73kg - 1x3
83kg - 1x3
94kg - 1x10 ... pb for reps
50kg - 5x10 ... big but boring
---
Front Squat (from Hang Clean)
20kg - 1x8
40kg - 1x8
60kg - 1x4 ... dropped it before 5th
20kg - 1x8
60kg - 2x3 ... couldn't get more than 3 on either set
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Bent Over Barbell Row
60kg - 3x8
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Ab Pull Down
28.75kg - 1x8
38.75kg - 1x8
48.75kg - 3x10

Incline Preacher Curl ... new piece of equipment strategically placed in front of mirror
25kg - 2x8 ... ouch, this should have been easier
---
Alternating Medicine Ball Crunch (3kg)
3x30
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Very pleased with the squats. That gives me a projected max of 125kg --> 15kg above my previous max of 110kgx2. I doubt I'd lift 125kg right now. Probably just squash myself on the floor.

However 94kgx10 is a lot of reps at a heavy-ish weight for moi. Big but boring feels good afterwards. My front squats are pretty weak. Quads lacking?

I like week 2 of 531. 3 reps allows you to save energy and build up to something big, more so than week 1 with 5 reps where you are half wrecked by the time you get to the top set.

Must have spent >60 mins in the squat rack working in with another fellow. He is setting himself up for an epic fail squatting 140kg with his hands straight out with a Jesus Christ crucifix grip on the spinning plates.

Lats, chest, bi's & tri's sore from yesterday.

Good.

Monday August 31st

Walk ~6km
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Hill Sprints 10x100m timed as follows:

1. 16.0 secs
2. 17.0 secs
3. 17.5 secs
4. not timed
5. not timed
6. not timed
7. not timed
8. not timed
9. 17.0 secs
10. 16.3 secs

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Skipping
3x100
---
Franley 4:40 mins

• 21 burpees
• 21 air squats
• 15 burpees
• 15 air squats
• 9 burpees
• 9 air squats

---

Good. Very tired coming into this session following yesterdays squats. Just wanted to get through it. It went well.

Franley was alot easier than last Thursday, 'cos I was warmed up from the sprints & skipping. I reckon 4 minutes will be attainable once I get the hang of it. The 4:40 included a good few stops to catch my breath.

Altogether the sprints took 23:59 (which includes the sprints and walking back down the hill). Good to see there wasn't a massive drop off in time in the last sets.

Saturday September 5th: 531 Cycle 2 Week 3 Deadlift

Bird-dogs
2x10 per side ... warm up for deadlift
---
Deadlift
50kg - 1x5
62kg - 1x5
73kg - 1x3
93kg - 1x5
105kg - 1x3
118kg - 1x6 ... top set, was aiming for 8. Prescribed reps were just 1 so no big deal
65kg - 5x10 ... big but boring. Restarted 3rd set a second time after a few reps 'cos a fellow stapled himself on the incline bench and needed help
---
Hanging Leg Raise
2x10
1x9
---
Glute Ham Raise (toes hooked under frame)
2x10
1x9
---
Leg Swings
3x10 per leg
---
Some fellow asked me if the Glute Ham Raise was an ab exercise. I explained it was for glutes, hamstrings & calves. Think he lost interest when he discovered it was for the lower body.

Sunday September 6th: 531 Cycle 2 Week 3 Bench Press

Bench Press
33kg - 1x5
42kg - 1x5
50kg - 1x3
63kg - 1x5
71kg - 1x3
79kg - 1x3 ... top set, was aiming for 5. Prescribed reps = 1
45kg - 5x10 ... big but boring = a lot easier than last weeks 5x10@40kg

Calf Raise
BW - 5x10 ... active recovery during big but boring
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Pull Ups
BW - 2x10
BW - 1x9
---
Face Pulls
10.0kg - 1x10
12.5kg - 1x10
15.0kg - 1x10
17.5kg - 1x10
20.0kg - 1x10
22.5kg - 1x10
---
One Arm Row
20kg per arm - 3x8
---

I'm due a decent bench session. Next cycle I'm going to make sure I have a day off before benching. Bit disappointed with today. Looking forward to when big but boring gets up to 5x10@60kg. By then my max will be defo up a fair bit.

Pull Ups were tough today as my grip/forearms were wrecked from deadlifting yesterday.

Surprisingly I don't feel too fried overall on the posterior chain. Maybe those leg swings yesterday helped to get blood flowing for recovery.

Saturday September 12th: 531 Cycle 2 Week 4 Military Press & Deadlift deload

Bird-dogs
2x10 per side ... warm up for deadlift
---
Deadlift
50kg 1x5
60kg 1x5
75kg 1x5
50kg 1x5
60kg 1x5
75kg 1x5
---
Military Press
23kg 1x5
28kg 1x5
35kg 1x5
23kg 1x5
28kg 1x5
35kg 1x5
---
Crossfit Cindy
5 rounds in 4:27
*~ 5 min break to regain senses*
4 rounds in 4:34

I did a round of Cindy as follows (which I think is correct):

• 5 kipping pull ups
• 10 press ups
• 15 bodyweight squats

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Crosstrainer ~3.5km (18 minutes, ~170 cals)
---
Mini-Franley in 3:20

• 15 burpees
• 15 bodyweight squats
• 12 burpees
• 12 bodyweight squats
• 9 burpees
• 9 bodyweight squats

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Today being deload allowed me time to mess around with Crossfit. The good news is that my right elbow has recovered 100%. I think the pain was due to a strain from banging in to a door at work. Very happy that it is not going to hinder my workouts going forwards and especially the crossfit invitational next Saturday.

Sunday September 13th:

Bike 13km (outdoors)

Monday September 14th:

Bike (outdoors) 9.5 km
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Hill Sprints
10x100m
---

It was pitch dark by 8pm, just as I finished the hill sprints. Cycling home through the marshes & trees was hairy. Couldn't see a thing. Gonna have some DOMS in my left thumb from ringing the bell constantly!

Was planning to practice my double unders but too dark so will leave them until tomorrow.

Managed the 10x100 hill sprints back to back though so pleased with that.

Saturday September 19th: Crossfit Ireland Invitational (Dublin)

Brilliant event.

Workout One: (Cut Off time of 12 Minutes)
7 Rounds for time:

• 7 Overhead Squats, 45Kg
• 7 Pull Ups
• 7 Wall Ball Shots

Overhead squats are something I don't train. Warming up with a pvc pipe was fine. Next up 20kg barbell felt "ok". 45kg for 1 in the warm up was a pb, lol.

Decided I wouldn't get through the workout if I didn't scale down. I took 5kg off the bar and went for it with 40kg. This was a mistake. Should have taken it down to maybe 30kg on the bar.

The first round of overhead squats killed me. Pull ups were fine but by that stage I was wrecked from the overhead squats.

8kg wall balls were tricky. The movement itself wasn't too bad but the target was illusive. I must have done double or triple the required reps. The majority didn't count as I kept missing the target.

I guess I was too distracted before the event thinking about work out 2 and failed to give the 45kg overhead squat the respect it deserved.


Workout Two: As Many Times as Possible in Three (3) Minutes:

• 75Kg Clean & Jerks

This was it. All or nothing. Previously my 1 rep max was 70 or 72.5kg from back in June. I've never cleaned (read muscle up) anything heavier than that.

So, I guess cleaning (read muscle up again) 75kg 5 or 6 times at the invitational was good. Not a chance of getting it overhead though.

I'm going to work on Crossfit "Grace" (30 reps of 60kg clean & jerk for time) in the coming weeks and see how I get on with that. I need to focus on technique here.


Workout Three: (Cut off time of 25 minutes)
5 Rounds for time:

• Run 400m
• 15 Clapping Push Ups
• 15 Double Unders
• 15 Overhead Lunges, 10Kg

This was my best one. Everything was fine except for the double unders. I lost a lot of time on these. I managed them, but 1 by 1 as opposed to the fluid 15 in a row.

I was a bit ahead of a couple of guys coming in to these each time, but they would fly past me here and I'd have to make up the ground again on the other stuff. I guess walking around the back of the building when out of sight of the camera's didn't help either.

I ended up getting through 4 full rounds and up to 9 double unders done in the last round, so almost finished it in 25 mins.


Overall -->a great event. Big thanks to the folks at Crossfit Ireland (Colm, William, Tom) for organising everything. It was also good to put names to boards.ie faces:

gabgab, Dead_Ed, Colm, token, Scramble, Bobby, Transform, Hanley, Malteaser

I'm definetly going to be including some kind of Olympic lifts in my training going forwards. Most importantly I'm going to focus on these:

• stringing together double unders
• figuring out how to snatch the bar up into an overhead squat
• getting used to overhead squats
• clean & jerk technique

Special thanks goes to Bobby and Stephen who got me through workouts 1 and 3 respectively. Hanley tried to coach me through workout 2 but there was just too much on the bar.

Shoulders are riddled with DOMS from the overhead squats now. I'm going to go away and work on these things and come back for the next event with more prep. I'd recommend this a great fun day for anyone in pushing their limits. I learned a lot and the sense of community at Crossfit is something which will push you onwards & upwards.

Videos to follow...