Monday
Run 400 m
–then–
AMRAP:
10 pull ups
20 push ups
30 ab-mat sit ups
40 air squats
We did a quick 8 minute warm up to get the blood moving. We were going to need it since, the rest of the workouts looked rough. I didn’t focus on trying to get more rounds instead just making sure I was performed quality reps.
Deadlift – 2×2 at 100% 1RM (395 lb.)
Last weeks deadlifts took a toll on my body. I wasn’t able to lift my 80% on Wednesday but I took a few days off and let my body recover. I haven’t established my 1RM yet but the heaviest weight I lifted up until now was 385 lb. I decided I wanted to at least lift 395 lb. if not more. I warmed up to 335 lb. and started my sets at 365 lb. and finished with 395 lb. It was difficult but I was able to power through it. Afterwards I was confident in my deadlift, I knew I was going to break 400 lb. on Friday.
WOD
Time Cap: 25 minutes
30 pull ups
–then–
Run 400 m
21 Thrusters (75 lb.)
21 Burpees
Run 400 m
15 Thrusters (75 lb.)
15 Burpees
9 Thrusters (75 lb.)
9 Burpees
Run 400 m
Tuesday
Wednesday
Warm Up
Alternating EMOM:
Kettle bell goblet squats (54 lb.) – 3 minutes
Butterfly sit ups – 3 minutes
Row (calorie) – 3 minutes
At first I wasn’t sure about the weight for the kettle bell swings and squats. American kettle bell swings are a bit tricky and I didn’t want to burn all my energy in the first three minutes of the workout. I decided to stick with the 54 lb. kettle bell and power my way through it. I paced myself through the workout and luckily I didn’t “gas out”. I was able to complete 50 reps which is not bad considering I haven’t done American swings in a while.
Since their was no rest I was trying to keep a steady pace through the goblet squats. After the first minute however, my legs were on fire. I was only able to get about 10 reps in the first minute. I decided to at least get at least 10 reps a minute and I barely made it. At the end of the goblet squat section I finished with 32 reps. The butterfly sit ups were my “rest” round. I was able to keep a good pace and didn’t start to cramp up until two minutes into the round. I was able to finish with 52 reps.
By the time I reached the row I was already exhausted. I was able to recover during the sit ups but it wasn’t enough. During the row my pace suffered and my pulls were fairly weak. I was taking a long break in between pulls and was not pulling as hard as I should have. I picked up the pace in the last minute and finished with 37 calories. Total rep count for the workout was 171 reps.
Friday
My last lift was at 415 lb. and it was a struggle. It was the longest deadlift and I almost gave up. Thankfully I was able to power through it without compromising my form. The other gym members were also there to cheer me on which helped. Surprisingly, the weight wasn’t too hard to hold. At the top of the lift, I held the bar for a few seconds just to “feel the weight”. My new goal for the next deadlift cycle will be 425 lb. to 445 lb. It will be about a 6% increase which I would be happy with.
WOD
Every 1:30 for 12 minutes
3 cleans + 1 split jerk (125lb. – 145 lb.)
The weight we were supposed to use for this workout was 60% of our 1RM, but after all those deadlifts I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to pull that much weight. I decided to scale down a bit to 125 lb. which is slightly below my 60%. After the first three rounds, I started to add more weight. I was able to complete the complex under 30 seconds which gave me confidence to add more weight. After three more rounds I added another 10 lb. and finished the last two rounds at 145 lb.
The next strength cycle will be centered around the Olympic lifts. It’s going to be an exciting next few weeks.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!