8-Bit Barbell

Run 400 m
9 Thrusters (75 lb.)
9 Burpees
Run 400 m

–then–

30 pull ups

As always, the run and the burpees were going to be the hardest part of the workout. I wasn’t worried about the pull ups or the thrusters. The first round of thrusters and burpees were not too bad. I broke the thrusters into two sets and was consistent on the burpees. The second and the third rounds were a different story. The run became difficult and was moving at a slow pace. My main goal for the run was to catch my breath and maintain a steady pace. The thrusters were not too difficult. I was able to do them unbroken. The burpees were becoming harder as time moved on. I was taking long breaks in between sets and wasn’t moving as fast as before. I did not finish the workout, finishing the last 400 m run at 26:48.

4 Rounds:

4 toes to bar

3 kipping pull ups

2 chest to bar pull ups

1 muscle up

The complex is supposed to be done without letting go of the bar. I’m not strong enough to do muscle ups yet but the other movements were not difficult.

Back Squat – 5×3 at 75% (275 lb.)

After warming up I started my five sets at 255 lb. and then moved up to 275 lb. I haven’t done back squats in a few weeks and I wanted to be more conservative with the weight.

Alternating EMOM: 10 Minutes

45 double unders

12 handstand push ups

The first four minutes were not too bad. I was able to complete all the reps but fatigue set in quickly. I wasn’t able to complete all the handstand push ups during the sixth minute and the double unders didn’t get easier. I kept messing up and only completed around 30 reps for the rest of the workout. My triceps and shoulders started to fatigue around minute seven. I wasn’t able to complete all twelve reps and stopped around six.

Row (45 seconds)

Plank hold

Easy warm up. Plank holds were a bit difficult by the end of the warm up, but managed to finish all rounds.

Deadlift – 6×3 at 80% (335 lb.)

I was trying to take it easy since our max out day was Friday. 335 lb. felt great and I’ve been getting used to the weight. I take less time set up and complete lifts and was power through it. I’m excited for our max out day on Friday.

AMRep 12 minutes

American kettle bell swing (54 lb.) – 3 minutes
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

24 – 16 – 8

Banded good mornings

Hollow rocks

Reverse alternating lunges

I took my time with this workout since it was max out day! Making sure I was able to warm up my hamstrings and lower back. I didn’t rush the workout and focused on making quality reps.

Deadlift – Find your 1 rep max.

I took my time warming up for this lift and made a goal of at least 405 lb. for my PR. Up until now my heaviest lift was 395 lb. I made sure my form was consistent and put in enough warm up reps before I started going heavy. The lift started becoming difficult around 395 lb. I would struggle to get the bar off the ground but once it was a few inches off, I knew I would be able to complete the lift.

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!