Weighted Pull-ups

Workout 28 September 2009:

Weighted pull-ups, seven sets of one rep

Results: 55-60-65-70-75*-80*-85*lbs
Previous best: 55-60-65-7o-75-80*-82.5*lbs (6 Aug 08)
*used supinated (chin-up) grip

It was very crowded at the gym today, so I did a workout that minimized the equipment I needed to use. Usually, I use a weight belt with plates for the weighted pull-ups, but the belt was missing, so I held dumbbells between my ankles instead. Despite the relatively lack of pull-ups I've done recently, I was happy with a small gain compared to my previous best. I did have to switch to the supinated grip one rep earlier, so I know my standard pronated grip needs a bit of work.

Double Unders

Workout 27 September 2009:

Time for 150 Double-unders

Results: 5'02
Previous best: none

I was actually going to do clean and jerk singles today, but I think the rowing yesterday tweaked by back a bit. Nothing major, but enough that I don't want to risk doing anything heavy today. Should be good as new by tomorrow.

As easy as it sounds, this workout sucks. I may have taken only five minutes, but the last four minutes were painful. Although I tripped up several times, I also did a number of sets of 20+ jumps in a row. I'm learning to relax a bit more and to breathe.

I also did a non-timed cool down of 250 singles including boxer jumps, side-to-side jumps, and one-legged jumps. Almost seemed simple compared to the previous 150.

If double-unders are (relatively) new to you, use this as a skills session and don't worry so much about the time.

Super Fran

Workout 26 September 2009:

For time:
Row 1000 meters
75 pound barbell Thruster, 21 reps
21 Pull-ups
Row 750 meters
75 pound barbell Thruster, 15 reps
15 Pull-ups
Row 500 meters
75 pound barbell Thruster, 9 reps
9 Pull-ups

Results: 24'10
Previous best: none

I had a stressful week at work and needed to bang out a workout that would absolutely kick my butt...and it did. I made it a little worse for myself by having eaten only about one hour before doing this. Bad move, since I was fighting nausea the rest of the workout after the first 1000m row. I could probably have gone just under sub-20 had I planned a little better. Regardless, this workout is a cure for all that ails you.

If you don't have access to a rowing machine, sub 800- 600- and 400 meter runs for the rows. As always, scale the thruster weight as needed.

Nate

Workout 20 September 2009:

"Nate"
Rounds in 20 minutes:
2 Muscle-ups
4 Handstand Push-ups
8 45lb Dumbbell swings

Results: 7+2,4
Previous best: 6 rounds (60lb dumbbell, 12 Dec 08)

This workout is traditionally done with a ~72lb kettlebell but I scaled back to keep my back safe. I probably could have used a 60lb dumbbell like last time, but it's not worth the risk. I probably could have hustled a bit more and got in the last eight swings to complete eight full rounds, but my strength was the overall limiting factor today. I had a hard time cranking out the HSPU from about round four onward. It's mostly because my upper body was shot from yesterday's workout. For the sake of completion, I did the final eight swings, but didn't count them toward my results since it was after 20 minutes.

Thrust - Clean - Pull

Workout 20 September 2009:

Rounds in 20 minutes of:
70lb Thruster, 5 reps
70lb Hang Powercleans, 7 reps
70lb Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 10 reps

Results: 8+5,7
Previous best: 8+5,7 (65lbs, 20 Jul 09)

This is one of my favorite workouts because it destroys just about every muscle in your body. I increased the weight five pounds since the last time I did the workout and was pleased to pull the same number of reps. I was hoping for a full nine rounds, but just couldn't get through the last round fast enough. Next time, 75lbs.

Push Press

Workout 13 September 2009:

Push Press, seven sets of one rep

Results: 140-140-145-145-150-150-155lbs
Previous best: no prior 1x7

Another strength day, this time working upper body. Each rep felt good and I probably could have gone up another 10lbs but decided, as usual, not to go all out to keep my back safe. In previous workouts, before my back injury, I'd gone as high as 155lbs for three reps of the push press, so the capacity is there to easily go higher. I just need to work back up to it, and feel safe doing it.

The key to a good push press is a short, fast, aggressive drive. Keep your weight on your heels during the dip-drive and make sure your chest doesn't fall forward. To practice this, put your heels and back against a wall and do the dip-drive. Your back should never leave contact with the wall. If it does, your chest is coming forward.

Jump and Sit

Workout 11 September 2009:

Total reps:
Double-unders for 2 minutes
Sit-ups for 2 minutes
Double-unders for 90 seconds
Sit-ups for 90 seconds
Double-unders for 1-minute
Sit-ups for 1-minute
Double-unders for 30 seconds
Sit-ups for 30 seconds

Results: 180 DUs, 107 sit-ups
Previous best: none

I didn't have much time for a workout today, so I chose something that would only take about 10 minutes. Ideally, this workout should be a continuous 10 minutes, but I took about 10 seconds to transition between each exercise and to write down my rep tally. The double-unders started a bit weak but the rep count improved with each attempt as I was able to string more in a row. I kept a similar pace on the sit-ups for all but the last round. By then, I was fighting a bit of nausea so I eased up.

Front Squat

Workout 9 September 2009:

Front Squat, seven sets of one rep

Results: 165-175-185-185-190-190-195lbs
Previous best: no prior 1x7

I haven't done front squats in awhile so since my back has been feeling pretty good recently, I decided to go reasonably heavy. My PR for a one-rep max on the front squat is 215lbs, so I was aiming to go up to about 85-90%. I probably could have added another five or ten pounds to the bar at the end, but no need to risk it yet.

One of the keys to protecting your lower back during a front squat is to make sure your elbows are high and your chest is up. At the bottom of the squat, imagine strings tied to the tips of your elbows that are attached to the ceiling. As you stand up from the squat, imagine those strings pulling your elbows (and thus, you) straight up. This cue should help you keep a tall chest and high elbows.

100 Pushups

Workout 5 September 2009:

100 Ring Push Ups
For time, 10 reps of each:
Archer push ups, 5 per arm
Jackknife push ups
Ring Flys
Tricep Push ups
Wide Grip Push ups
Pseudo-planche Push ups
Dive Bomber Push ups
Conventional Push ups
Single Leg Push ups, 5 per leg
Elevated Push ups

Results: 15'55, rings at 15.5in off the ground
Previous best: 14'25, rings at 15.5in (28 Apr 09)

My calves are a bit sore from yesterday's running, so I chose an upper-body workout for today to give my legs time to rest. Although my time on this workout was about 1.5min slower than last time, I'm not disappointed with my efforts. I focused on good form and increased depth on all the exercises and fatigued more quickly as a result. Like last time, I did scale the jackknife and ring fly push ups by doing them on my knees to prevent re-injury to my back. Despite the scaling, those two push-up varieties remained difficult since I was able to drop deeper than if I were in a normal stance.

I linked this workout to the original article at ringtraining.com. One of the great benefits of this ring workout is that difficult is easily scaled such than anyone can do all these exercises. The higher you raise the rings off the ground, the easier it becomes. Alternately, you can do some or all of the variations on your knees.

800 meters

Workout 4 September 2009:

Four rounds, each for time of:
800m run

Rest as desired between efforts

Results: 2'50 / 3'04 / 3'07 / 3'12
Previous best: 3'00 / 3'04 / 3'23 / 3'20 (23 Apr 09)

I'm happy with today's improvement compared to last time although I made a few changes. I ran outside today and used the Pose running technique in my Vibrams whereas last time I ran on an indoor track in running sneakers. The Pose technique is more efficient than typical heel-strike running and my times reflected that. I was able to run faster and was able to recover a bit more quickly than last time. I rested 4-6 minutes between attempts compared to 5-7 minutes in April. While I'm sure my Pose technique is far from excellent, I'm continuing to get more comfortable with it. As a warning to anyone thinking about trying it out, start slowly. Your feet and calf muscles need time to adapt.

Due to time constraints, I probably won't include many more Rippetoe Quotes of the Day.