Squat cleans, Pushups, Short Metcon

Squat cleans 5 X 5
Load: 130, 140, 150, 150, 150

Pushups 5 X 50
* Performed as supersets, with 3 minutes rest following the pushups.

This is the first time I could perform the squat clean with a decent amount of weight. In the past, I was always afraid of dropping the weight on the floor (or on myself). But starting out with #130, which I know I can do easily, made it seem mentally easier. Maybe now I can start progressing upwards in weight.

Metcon

3 rounds for time:

50 DUs
20 KB swings #45
40 OH walking lunges #45 plate

12:54

OH walking lunges. They'll get you every time.

Squats, Pushups, Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength

Squats 5 X 5*
Load: 218# (76% 1RM)

5 X 30 Pushups*
Performed as supersets

3 minutes rest between sets

Metcon

AMRAP in 10 minutes

6 Squat Cleans (120#)
12 Pullups
24 Double Unders

5 Rounds + 4 reps

Workout comments: I was not feeling up to working out after coming in this morning. But felt good during the squat portion (although later I would realize I was actually 10 pounds off what I was supposed to be lifting) and my pushups felt great, going unbroken in the first, third and last round. The metcon went OK. Of course I flew through the first round in 80 seconds and later rounds would take much longer. All in all a good workout.

Deadlift, Pushups, Moderate Metcon

Early afternoon

Strength

Deadlift 5 X 5
Load: 280 (80% of 1RM)

Diamond Pushups 5 X 10
Performed as supersets along with DL

*Diamond pushups are pushups done with hands close together, forefingers and thumbs touching, essentially forming a diamond. They work your triceps mainly, which is a limiting factor in the progress of many people's bench press, according to Lou Simmons. I'll try this a few times a week and see if I see any improvement.

Metcon

3 Rounds for time:

5 Squat Cleans (135#)
10 Pullups
30 Incline Situps

9:07

Workout comments: I'm going to start throwing pullups into every metcon I can, provided there is a pullup bar around, in addition to working strict or weighted pullups each week. No sorenes yesterday morning, which is a good sign. Nothing significant about my ankle, especially with the run yesterday.

Chris R. mentioned yesterday that a friend of his was all set for surgery due to a calf problem he developed after running regularly. Doctors could not find the problem and were (eager) to operate. This guy tried new shoes on a whim and found himself cured and running >20 miles per week less than 2 weeks later. I guess it's worth a shot, since I haven't replaced my running shoes in a while. I was on the kick of letting the soles wear down as much as possible to help my foot strike, but I guess injury trumps that.

Anything is worth a shot at this point.

Pullups, Bench Press, Short Metcon

Early afternoon

WU: 2 rounds
10 barbell back squats, 10 pushups, 10 situps, calf stretch

Workout:
Pullups 4 X 10 (2:00 between sets)
Mix of strict and kipping pullups

5:00 rest

Bench Press 5 X 5 (2:00 between sets)
Loads: 195, 195, 195, 195 (failed 5th rep), 175

5:00 rest

AMRAP
10 Squat cleans (95#)
20 Situps

3 rounds + 9 reps

Workout comments: Not a whole lot of sleep last night and a missed breakfast. Obviously I didn't have a ton of energy for this workout. I did notice that the fitness center picked up a brand new C2 rower. I am fairly certain that I can remember all my PRs for certain benchmark workouts and I'm very nervous to hop and a prove that I've dropped off significantly from college. In a perfect world, I would love to say I'll spend tons of time trying to get back to where I was, but training on an indoor rower is hell. That's also why I never understood the financial thought process of RowZone. It seems like people will pay for anything these days, including a back injury. I'll be lucky if I spend 2 sessions on the rower per week.

Bench Press, Fran, Squat Cleans

Late Afternoon

WU: Shoulder dislocates, quad stretch, Bosu ball ankle stability, calve stretch, 10 squats, 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 back extensions.

Workout: Bench Press: 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3

Loads: 195#, 215#, 220# (only 2 reps), 195#, 215#, 220#

Fran: 6:59
2:49, 2:53, 1:17

Squat Cleans: 3 X 5 (137#)

Workout comments: New PR on Fran by almost 2 minutes. This can most defintely be attributed to the thrusters. I completed all the thrusters as straight sets. The pullups had to be strict, because I was doing them on the bar from the Smith machine which is too low to swing my legs, not to mention that it's not locked in place and I've already suffered one spill while doing pullups.

The bench presses were also done using the Smith machine. I'm confused by my performance on the bench presses. The other day I could finish 5 X 5 reps of 195# and today I can't even perform more than 3 reps of 220# on the 6th set. Chest is defintely the area I need to work on the most over the next few months.

Squat cleans were peformed strictly, catching the bar at the absolute bottom of the squat. My calves/ankles are still very inflexible, which makes keeping a straight back at the bottom of the squat a near impossibility, but holding weight seems to help strectch them out a bit. I'll keep working on that over the next few months as well.