Author: Nick Palomo

My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): July 3 – July 9

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If you want to see my workout week, check out my Beyond the Whiteboard profile.

Strength

Deadlift – Find 1 Rep Max

I was not confident going into this 1RM lift. I had to scale my weights during the cycle and couldn’t reach anything over 90% of my 1RM. Regardless, I was going to attempt something. Over 95% of my 1RM or a new 1RM was going to be my goal.

I warmed up to 365 lb. and started to add on 20 lb. each jump. I was able to lift 385 lb. and went up to 405 lb. This lift was about 98% of my current 1RM. My back was straight and my form look good. I decided to go up to 420 lb. to attempt a new 1RM. I gripped the barbell and pulled. The bar started coming up about two inches then I dropped it. I felt my core weaken and my back start to round slightly. I didn’t want to continue and risk losing form. I reached a goal, hitting 98% of my 1RM. If I did more deadlifts during the cycle, I probably could have hit a new PR.

WOD

Jackie

Row (1000 m)
50 thrusters
30 pull ups

The last time I did Jackie it was over two years ago. My previous time was 10:53 and my new goal was to finished under 10 minutes. Pull ups were going to be the hardest movement to get through. I can handle the thrusters but the pull ups were going to be rough. The row was not bad. I kept a pace of 1:40-1:50 per 500m, which took me about four minutes to finish. The I thought the thrusters were going to be easier but it was a grind. I did 15 reps and then stopped. I rested for a few second and picked up the bar. Towards the end of the thrusters I was doing about 5-10 reps.

The pull ups were my weakest movement. I was not able to string more than five reps together and towards the end was only doing two or three reps at a time. I’m not sure how long I took to do the thrusters and pull ups but I finished at 10:48. I didn’t know this was a PR until I entered it into BTWB. I was 48 seconds faster this time around. I thought I went over my previous time and this surprise made me feel better about the workout. Small victories.

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Miniature Mondays: Thyra, Flame of Sorrow (Finished)

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Thyra, Flame of Sorrow (Finished)

Thyra, is a Daughters of the Flame warcaster. Daughters, are the Protectorate’s assassins/ninjas. They are quick and stealthy which made me paint her a dark color. I tried a different technique on the face which came out better than expected but the eyes are off a bit. I didn’t like the highlights on the cloth, and will need to practice more two brush blending or layering. I also didn’t like the way the metals came out. I need to work on highlighting and washing.
Overall, I loved painting this model. It pushed me to do better and try new techniques. It didn’t come out the way I wanted it to, but I had a great time. I need to watch and read more tutorials and try it out on more minis. Thanks for reading and check out the minis below.
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Miniature Mondays: Devout, Protectorate Light Warjack (Finished)

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Devout, Protectorate Light Warjack (Finished)

After sitting in my miniature drawer for a year or two, I finally fished painting the Devout. This was a fun and stressful model. I bought this model used and it did come with problems. The shield arm had to be modified since the connection was fragile and broke when stripping the old paint. This connection broke during painting but I was able to pin it back. It doesn’t look great but it’s holding up.
I had a lot of fun painting this model since I was trying to implement some new techniques. It did not turn out the way I liked but it means I need more practice. Also, I’m using my DSLR to take pictures. This should yield higher quality finished photos. Thanks for reading and check out the pictures below.
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Miniature Mondays: Thyra, Flame of Sorrow

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Thyra, Flame of Sorrow

I’m almost done with the Devout and I have to prime my next model to paint. I assembled Thyra earlier in the year to test out a list but now I think it is time to paint her. Small bits of the model are missing and the pose is a little off but it will have to do. The smaller model and details may be a hurdle that I will have to overcome. It’s going to be a challenge but it’s only going to make me better as a painter.

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My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): June 26 – July 2

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If you want to see my workout week, check out my Beyond the Whiteboard profile

Strength

Deadlift – 3×3 at 95% (405 lb.)

My goal was to try and complete one set of deadlifts at 405 lb. but after a few weeks of deadlifts, I knew it was a lofty goal. I worked up to 365 lb. and added 10 lb. every set. 365 lb. felt a lot heavier than what I was used to and I didn’t want to make large weight jumps. At 375 lb. and 385 lb. I was able to complete one set, but I failed to get more than one rep at 395 lb. I decided to drop back to 385 lb. but I was only able to finish two reps in the set. I completed the last two sets at 375 lb.

I was frustrated during this strength session because I felt weak. 385 lb. and 395 lb. used to be manageable and I would be able to finish all three sets at this weight. I have to remind myself that I need to put in the work in order to maintain strength.

WOD

Partner WOD – 40 Minute Time Cap

Row (100 cals.)
100 wall balls (20 lb./10 ft.)
Rest 5 Minutes
15-12-9
Clusters (135 lb.)
Muscle Ups
Rest 5 Minutes
100 wall balls (20 lb./10 ft.)
Row (100 cals.)

This is a repeat workout that I did in 2015. I wasn’t writing about my workouts back then so I can’t recall how that workout went other than the result on BTWB. Previously, I modified the workout since I was not able to complete muscle ups then. We also reached the time cap at 40 minutes. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to Rx this workout. I haven’t been able to complete a muscle up since last year. I have been doing more strict pull up work and decided to try and complete a muscle up instead of scaling. Surprisingly, I made one rep and it felt like riding a bike. I did two more to get used the movement and I was ready for the wod.The first part of the workout was divided evenly, the row was two sets of 25 cals. and the wall balls were broken up into five sets of 10 reps. The row went well, both of us kept a good pace and finished quickly. The wall balls were harder but not by much. Breaking the reps down into sets of 10 really helped. I was able to get some rest while my partner did some work. The last 10 – 20 reps were difficult but we powered through and before we knew it, five minute break!

The cluster muscle up workout was the easiest part. Since I was comfortable with the weight, I did the extra rep on odd sets. My rep scheme was 5-3, 6, 5 for this part of the workout. I did single reps instead of touch and go, resting for a second or two before the next rep of clusters. After finishing the clusters I moved on the muscle ups doing single reps as well. The rep scheme followed the clusters while my partner scaled the muscle up portion. This section went by quick and then we were able to rest for another five minutes.

The last section of the workout was a lot harder than expected. I knew it was going to be harder than the first section but I didn’t think it was going to be as difficult. We powered through the 100 reps of wall balls using the same rep scheme. I almost gave up and broke up the sets into reps of five but my partner pushed me to keep going. After the last set of wall balls, we walked to the rower. We did lower the sets for this section, completing sets of 15 cals. instead of 25 cals. We did two sets of 15 cals. and two sets of 10 cals. We finished the row and the workout at 37:37.

The push was worth it. The last time I did this, I wasn’t able to finish the workout and this time, we crushed it. I haven’t been hitting my strength numbers recently but I’m satisfied with how my metcon times have been coming along. It was great feeling finishing that workout under time cap. Now I just need to push it and be faster next time it pops up on the whiteboard.

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My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): June 19 – June 25

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Strength

Deadlift – 5×5 at 85% (355 lb.)

I haven’t been hitting my deadlift numbers this cycle. I haven’t been doing them consistently for the last few weeks and it shows. My 85% from my lifetime 1RM is 355 lb. I was only able to lift 325 lb. for 5. I’m also more cautious about deadlifts because of injury. I am not where I want to be but I am not in a rush to get there. Proper form will lead to progress eventually.

WOD

For Time – 9 Minute Time Cap

30 pull up
400 m run
50 thrusters (45 lb.)

This was a short workout but it was one of my favorites from the week. Pull ups were going to be the hardest movement but we would have some rest time on the 400 m run. I was not sure how well I would do on the thrusters but I was pretty sure I could do them in two sets, three at the most. My goal was to finish under seven minutes.

The pull ups went okay. I set a pace of about 5-10 reps a set and finished in about three minutes. The strict pull ups I have been doing at home are starting to pay off. The pull ups felt easier and I didn’t struggle as much. I also felt more control on descents. I should start doing more gymnastics accessory work at home. I was able to finish the run in two minutes but I took about 30 seconds of rest before I started the thrusters. My first set of thrusters were 20 reps. My shoulders started to give out and I switched to doing 10 – 15 reps per set. After resting a good amount of time between sets, I finished the workout at 7:15.

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Miniature Mondays: Malekus, the Burning Truth (Finished)

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Malekus is Done

This model has been done for at least a month. Laziness combined with birthdays, family gatherings and general busyness, has stopped me from taking some finished pictures. I will try to be better going forward.

One of the things I need to work on is model prep. After painting, I started to see some mold lines and gaps that should have been filled. This was the first time working with Privateers new plastic which was great to work with. I need to focus on basic model prep and hopefully, future models will not have those glaring mold lines! Overall, I’m happy with the final mini. It’s one of my bests minis which is encouraging. I looked at a few of my early models and I am proud of how far I’ve come. The only way to get better is more practice.

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My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): May 22 – May 28

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Strength

Strict Press – 3 Rep Max (135 lb.)

I was not able to match my previous 3RM of 145 lb. I was able to lift 135 lb. without a problem but got stuck at 145 lb. We haven’t done strict press in awhile but we have been doing a lot of strict HSPU which I thought would transfer over. Hopefully, I’ll be able to regain my strength in this lift and get back to a new strict press pr!

WOD

AMRAP – 12 Minutes

150 double unders
-then-
AMRAP
15 push press (60 kg)10 front squats (60 kg)
5 power snatches (60 kg)

This was my favorite workout of the week. It’s not too long (20 minutes) and I like all the movements. My goal for this workout was to finish two rounds. Others in previous classes were finishing two to three rounds. The double unders went well and was able to finish 75 reps before breaking. My arms were tired and I couldn’t keep the rhythm. I wasn’t able to go for another 75 reps and had to break it up into a few sets. I finished the double unders around three minutes and started on the barbell portion of the workout.

We did this workout after the strict press 3RM and the 60 kg push press felt heavy. I was able to complete eight reps before dropping the bar. I completed four reps and had to drop the bar again. I had to take a few minutes to recover but I eventually finished the last three reps. The front squats were not a problem in the first round and was able to finish unbroken. I did the power snatches in singles. The second round was harder than the first. The push press was broken up into sets of four to five and I would take a minute in between. I was able to finish ten reps of the front squats by time.

Overall, this was a great workout. I was short of my goal but I did my best. This will be a fun workout to retest.

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My Week As Rx (Probably Scaled): May 15 – May 21

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Strength

Back Squat – Find 1 Rep Max

In the weeks leading up, I wasn’t able to lift my 90% or my 95%. I was not feeling confident, but I was going to attempt this lift. I warmed up to 275 lb. and started to follow the percentages on the white board. I went up to 315 lb. and did two reps before adding 365 lb. I put the bar on my back and got into a good position. I was able to control the weight but I was not able to stand it up. I got stuck on the bottom and promptly bailed. No use in trying to save that lift, I would re rack the bar and try again.

I thought about what I was doing wrong. My feet felt good, I had control of the decent but couldn’t make it out of the bottom. I took a few minutes and tried again. The bar felt the same, the decent felt the same and not making it out of the bottom, felt the same. It was at that point I decided to call it a day. I didn’t get to PR and it sucked. I haven’t missed a squat max since I started and it felt bad.

I realized that not lifting a new PR is a direct result of my training. I haven’t been putting in the work and it showed. I talked to my coach after class and he gave me some tips and what to work on. I’ll definitely hit a PR next cycle.

WOD

Partner WOD – 15 Minute AMRAP

4 deadlifts (135 lb.)
3 hang power clean (135 lb.)
2 push press (135 lb.)
1 front squat (135 lb.)

I partnered with my wife for this workout and we broke up the workout into alternating rounds. I was not worried about a particular movement. The weight was light enough for me to get through most of it unbroken even at later rounds. We tired to keep each round to under 45 seconds but we couldn’t keep up that pace in the later rounds. My grip started to give out around round 24. I lost the grip of the bar during a hang clean. I took a few seconds and finished the round. We finished 26 rounds of the workout.

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Miniature Mondays: Devout, Protectorate Light Warjack

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Devout, Protectorate Light Warjack

The other model I primed for NeoCon was the Devout. I didn’t finish Malekus during NeoCon so the Devout is on deck. After I finish Malekus, I’ll get started on the Devout. The left arm has broken off a few times but it should hold up.
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