So it is Wednesday - feeling good but some what tired.  It didn't help that I was up at 3am to clear my driveway this morning.  Today's training was all about mobility and recovery - very easy.  Need to stay on top since so many sick people around.

Some high lights:
1. 5RM strict Press 120lbs.  I tried 125 - only got 3.

2. AMRAP 3: squat cl thruster @115 I did 28 reps.  Under pressure easily 30.

3. AMRAP 6: sprint cindy
- I did 8 plus 5 pull ups.  I struggled with the push ups from round 5 on and couldn't get 10 straight.

4. CG Deads: last round was at 325 for 3 reps

So now to deal with the pressure of the holidays - travel-family on both sides and food.  Need to stay on focus for the Arena Attack comp on December 28.

I will say that Monday in the gym was very cold.  Today will be worse- yikes.  So training went well though I think I wasn't fully warmed up on the squat cleans.  For my double I ended up at 175.  My 5RM shoulder to over head was 160.  I am not getting my hips under fast enough.  My 50 burpee time:
1st 25 I was at 1:02.  Total time for 50 was 2:23.

In the afternoon - strict pull ups- lats felt tight.  1st round was 19 unbroken with a 1 second pause at the bottom.  My 50 box jumps were all unbroken.  My 50 T2B were broken:
- 15
-13
-12
-10
-10

My HSPUs continue to suck.

Looking for a few competitions in the coming year to get me ready for the Open.  I have one 2 person team masters in early Feb.  Still looking at a few more - but will discuss this with Brandon before making some final choices.

So here it is December 15- the last 2 weeks have been a complete blur.  Training has gone pretty well but I totally went blank on my training log.  So a recap of my training:

1.  The cold has impacted training  - since I don't heat my gym the past 5 days have been really tough.  I have to spend more time warming up and it gets hard to feel good with my oly lifts.

2. Rowing is going great - earlier this week I did 3 x 250m after some AMRAP work and held 1:33 for the last 250.  I feel that the rowing will pay huge benefits come Open time since many of the WODs are longer.

3. My oly form is slowly coming along.  Though I tend to still lose it when the weight gets too heavy.

4. My AMRAP workouts feel much better.  I am able to do more work faster and recovery more quickly.

5. What needs work:
- Running since it is snowy and cold that suffers some
- HSPUs are coming but far to slow for me
- MUs again still hit or miss
- DUs which I try almost every day yet they still suck.

So I need to get over to Brandon's gym over vacation and work on my weaknesses.

So another week completed - Thanksgiving week did present a few issues.  Mostly due to how much pie and other non-usual items that I consumed.  I was able to complete all the training- even turkey day.  My max lifts are about the same but my amrap and intensity work is improving.

The Monday clean complex = I was able to get to 175lbs.  Better than expected - but I still should be doing more weight.  The 4rm back squat - was 230lbs.  I think I did too much at the lighter weights.  The strict press was 112lbs for 4.

Tuesday again was a slight struggle with the HSPU work.  Hoping the weekend of Dec 14 to get some extra help.  The intensity work went well - though the 6min recover seemed extra long.

Wednesday:
Snatch - only 125
C and J- 180(really struggled on the jerk)
Back Squat-250

Thursday I did some AD work and rowing for about 45 minutes.

Friday was more about prep work for Saturday.

Saturday:  so today was Jackie x 2, yikes.  I did an easy warm up.  Then worked on some easy snatch movements and thrusters.  My first Jackie was 7:51 - I was about 3: 29 on the 1000m row.  The thrusters - did 25 straight.  Then broke in rounds of 8 to 10.  The pull ups - opened with 10 - then rounds of 5.  

The 2nd Jackie - went 3:45 on the row.  The thrusters early rounds of 10 - then went to rounds of 6.  The pull ups - 5 and then down to 3.  Final time was 8:19.

Then the 10RM front squat.  I ended up 165lbs.  Tried 175 - no way.  My legs were cooked.

So I see progress yet most of all much better focus.  So looking forward to the 2014 Open.

Weekly Update:

So this past week training pretty well.  I have been trying to increase my food intake along with regular intake of creatine.  I do notice that with the cold weather it does seem to impact some of my workouts.  Since my gym isn't heated - I have to wear extra clothing and slowly take layers off as I warm up.

Tuesday: The morning 5K row went well.  I did vary the rpm rate every 2min along with some 10 stroke pick ups every minutes as well.  I was set to run 4 x 400 after my evening session but ended up doing them at lunch time.  Those were a struggle and it showed me that I need to run a little more.  Getting a treadmill soon - easier than dealing with snow.  The evening session of:
- 20 hang P. cl. @135, 30 CTB pull ups went well- but 40 front rack lunges - no way.  I had to cut the weight down to 105lb to make it.  That was a wake up call.

Wednesday: Was mobility - some easy AD work and then back squats of 7 x 5.  I started my 1st set at 185.  Increase to 195/205/210/215/.  Failed at 220 - very tired legs.

Thursday: Was rough since I had my last day of parent-teacher conf.  I had to stay in my office from 2-8pm.  After that I was fried and called it a day.  I was able to fit in some rowing- 2000 easy and than 8 x 20 tabata.

Friday: Today's training went alright - though my HSPUs were a struggle.  I need to check in with Brandon on these when I am his gym for the 12 in 12 workout.

Saturday:  Ran 10min steady and then onto the rowing machine for 2000m.  I went 7:11 and then followed with another 10min run.  I lost it on the row with the last 750.  I started out too fast for sure.

Sunday:  I did some catch up work:
- OHS skill work
- Ring Dips
- Easy rowing
- Some 20sec surges on the AD

Ready for next week.

So here it is November 18 and I have fallen behind on my blog inserts.  Training has been going very well - but by the time I am finished in the evening - get my kids settled in, spend some time with my wife - yikes I forget the blog.   So the last 2 weeks of highlights:
1.  Last Saturday I attend the Don M weightlifting clinic held at Brandon's gym.  It was very informative to say the least.  Lots of info for me to work with since I have spent so many years using the wrong technique that i have to re-learn the new movement pattern.

2. My met con ability is improving as well.  The workouts have me focusing on more intensity - rather than the longer grinds that I used to do often.

3. My over all strength seems slow to develop.  It is coming - but I am some what impatient as usual.

4. A new 1RM Thruster of 170lbs after a 10min intensity set.

5. I am doing doubles 3-4x each week which I really love since I am used to high volume.

6. My goats still are:
- Muscle Ups
- Double Unders
- HSPU's are hit or miss but I can't complete large numbers of them

7. I did Brandon's lunch time workout on Saturday.  4x:
- 5 CTB
- 10 STOH @135
- 10 cals Row
- 5 Hang Sq. Cl. @135
Time was 9:57.  Felt pretty good though I dropped the weight from 155 to 135.

So Monday Training:
AM: Some small work and then 14min rowing - 30sec hard/30sec easy

PM: Back squat work for a 10RM - did 230.  Then followed with squat clean cluster work- hold 3sec in the hole.  Did 135, 145, 155, and 165.  Followed with 5x: 5 thrusters @125 and 7 CTB.  I was able to do all rounds of thrusters unbroken.  Then followed with a 10min rest.  Then establish a 1RM thruster.  I was able to get 170 - excited about that.  Just missed 175.

Finally got the go ahead to get an Iphone - now doing videos of my training will be so much easier.

Wednesday October 30:

So still dragging from my cold.  So I have decided to train easy with no intensity what so ever.  I did this for Thursday as well.  I really needed to shake the lung congestion.  So come Friday I was feeling much better.

So Friday I did some heavy power clean work - again a major area of frustration.  I only reached 180.  I then went to 165 and worked some singles.  I followed with his lactate tester: 30 thrusters at 95lbs followed by a 500m row.  I opened with 15 unbroken thrusters.  Then chunked it out in rounds of 3 or so.  Once rowing I held a 1:46.7 split.  I felt pretty good considering the week of little training.

On Saturday I did some weighted pull up and dip work.  For dips - all I have are rings so that was a challenge.  I used 60lbs for rounds of 2.  I then completed:
- 50 clean and jerks @85
- 50 thrusters @45
- 50 pull ups
- 50 box jumps - 20in box.

I was a little over 12 minutes.  I was able to do 30 unbroken box jumps and then the last 20.

So I finished the week feeling pretty good and ready for the next week.

Thursday October 24

Today was only pre-event training.  I did some mid day and again in the evening. I hate tapering - the decrease in training kills me.  I am also getting sick - bad timing.

Friday October 25

Some very light training as I leave at 5am for CFNE.  I also spent 2 1/2hours watching an evening football game and froze my ass off.  Needless to say it didn't help my cold.

Saturday October 26: Competition Day at CFNE

I left at 5am and arrived around 7am.  My first event was Triple Take:
3 x 3min AMRAPs with a 30second rest in between.

1st: 10 thrusters at 65lbs- jumping pull ups
2nd: 10 power cleans - target burpees
3rd: push jerks - box jumps 20inch

Ended up winning all 3.  It was very intense but I stayed steady.

Next was the agility course - which I really screwed up getting over the hurdles.  That slowed me down big time.  Bonus points were collected with max CTB in 30secs and than max c+j @135 in 30sec.  Did 12 pull ups - with 2 no rep.  I did 4 clean and jerks.

Last was 1minute max reps at 115lb bench - got 33 reps.  Then a 30sec rest and then max hang squat cleans @115.  I ended up with 17 or 18 reps.  We had to pause on top - slowed me down awful.

Over all I am very excited with my results.  I had a head cold and still did very well.  Exciting as I look forward to the 2014 Open.

Sunday October 27: Complete day off as I was very tired and sick.

Monday October 28
I did some light training - due to my very congested lungs.  Coughing like crazy - so rest.

Tuesday October 29

Mid day I did a 5rm strict press.  I managed 5 @ 115.  Then did max reps at 85% - 100.  I ended up with 10 reps.  Felt very sluggish.

Late afternoon - completed 4 sets of max unbroken deadlifts at 225 with a 30sec rest in between each set.  Ended up with 20, 17, 16, 14 reps.

Followed that with some pull ups and push ups.

Feeling a little better today.

Tuesday October 22

AM:
1. Did some HSPU holds
2.  Ez high hang snatch work
3. 10 x 200m row on 20sec- goal was to hold into the 30s.  I held around 1:38 - but did have to stop the session at 8 rounds - legs were tired.

PM:
1. Warm up with 7min on the AD
2. Heavy power clean - build to a heavy single.  Only got to 175 - dam pissed lately on my heavy cleans and snatch.  Much lower than usual in terms of weight.  Not sure why.
3. Clean Grip TnG dead lifts - build to 305
4. Bench Press work for Saturday - 4 sets of 5 reps at 115 - 135
5. 10min AD - alternating 30sec- stopped at 8min - again tired legs.

Wednesday October 23

Recovery Day
1. AD for 8min
2.  Row 1000m easy
3. Mobility work
4. Did some skill work for Saturday with 65lbs

Felt sluggish today.  Will complete some pre-event work on Thursday.

Monday October 21:
AM:
1. Core work
2. DU practice
3. HSPU Holds
4. 14min erg work
- 45sec @85%
- 15sec @15sec

PM:
1.  Warmed up with 6min AD
2.  Front Squats: 2.2.2. x 4/20sec rest - 3min
- I started at 205. By the time I reached the last set it was a struggle.  I dropped to 195 and was able to get through the last cluster.

2. 3x:
- 10 Thrusters @95
- 10 pull ups
This went very well.  I was just under 3min.  The pull ups were unbroken for each round.  The thrusters:  1st unbroken/2nd 6 and then 4/3rd 4-4-3

After the rest:
- 30 cals AD
- 20 Box jumps
- 10 Burpees

I was trashed for this.  It was a fight the entire way.

Getting very excited for Saturday.

Friday October 18:  
1.  Snatch work - heavy single and then a 3 rep TnG.  This was awful today.  I only got up to 125 for a single.  I was standing too high - no re-dip.  I need to really get the snatch lift fixed.  For the TnG - got 115 alright.  I was really pissed but I let it go.  Can't wait for Nov 16 oly clinic.

2. 2 Rounds:
- 20 hang cleans @115
- 40 T2B
- 60 Wall Balls(I used a 24lb ball to 10ft)
The wall balls were broken into 10 reps the 1st round.  2nd round was rep counts of 6-8.  Over all I was happy - but tired especially after Wednesday rowing.

Saturday October 19:
1. Weighted dips and pull ups.
For dips I did 40lbs on the rings for rounds of 5.
Pull ups: 25lbs for rounds of 5.

2. 10min AD:  worked hard - got 155cals
- 10min rest
Then: 30 power cleans at 135 and 60 burpees.  Time was about 7:30.  Burpees were unbroken and steady.  The power cleans - opened with 8 and then did rounds of 4 to 5.

Sunday October 20:  Rest Day - did some mobility and easy rowing

Thursday October 17

So back on Tuesday I was really feeling the legs.  I started with my usual warm up and then proceeded to a clean and jerk x 2.  I struggled a fair amount.  I felt alright early on but as I got up to 160- my push jerks really felt flat.  I was able to knock out 165 but it was ugly.  I then did an AMRAP 10 or snatches at 75lbs and 25DUs.  Felt good early on but my tired legs kicked in especially on my crappy DUs which I have to go 1 single - 1 double.  By the last 3 minutes I was doing 3-5 snatches at one time.  I finished with some single arm rows and mobility.

Wednesday was an active recovery day.  Did an easy 1000m on the erg and 7 minutes on the AD.  Then did some dead hang pull ups and T2B.  Also a few ring dips and some more mobility to prep for Thursday.


Thursday Workout:
1. Strict Press 3-3-3-3-3
I did 120lbs for 4 sets.  My 4th set was tough to complete so for the fifth I dropped to 115.

2. Heavy triple push press
I built up to 160 and 165 for 3.

I did video tape the last 2 sets of strict and my 160 and 165 heavy triple for Brandon.

Friday and Saturday are pretty hefty training days before I start to deload for next weekend's masters event at CFNE.  I am getting very excited for this event.

So Friday October 11 was rest and some slight warm up for Saturday.  I did 3 rounds of 250m row and some jump rope work.  Then an easy 600 run.  That was it for the day.

Saturday was B4B event.  I started with Grace at 145lbs.  It went alright - my time was 4:10(which is a PR for me).  My 135lb Grace is 2:55.  I then had 20 minutes to recover and then did Helen meets Grace.  I ended up doing it alone since my partner was sick.  Helen went alright - my runs felt heavy(haven't done much running).  I did all 3 rounds of KBs unbroken.  The pull ups: unbroken 1st round, broke at 8 for the 2nd round, and the 3rd round broke at 4.  I really felt that last round.  Time wise I was around 11 minutes or so.  I then start Grace at 135lbs.  I completed rounds of 4 to 5.  Kept a stead pace all the way through.  Finish time was 15:20 I think(give or take a few seconds).  I felt good the rest of the day.  Sunday I did some easy AD work and some mobility and then shut it down.

Monday October 14 I started with:

1.  Front Squats 5 x 3 build.  I maybe took to big of a jump going into my last set.  I jumped from 185 to 205.  I was able to just get in 3 reps with the 3rd some what of a challenge.

2.  Squat Clean Cluster:  2.2.2. x 4 on 20sec/3min.  My legs felt heavy but my clean warm up felt good.  I started at 145 and did that for the first 2 rounds.  Then the 3rd moved to 155 and the last round 165.  I felt much better with my form, though I still need more hip ext.

3.  Later in the day back squats rounds of 2 reps.  I worked up slowly to 185 and sat in the hole.  I then moved to:

21-15-9 of:
- squat cleans @95
- lateral bar burpees

My last round of sq cleans I could only get 3 before needing to put the bar down.  I the lateral bar burpees went alright.  The last 3 to 4 of each round became a struggle for me - getting over the bar.

So a good day of training.  We shall see how I feel Tuesday.

Only 11 days until CFNE Master's event.

So here it is Thursday October 10 and I am slightly behind again with my blog post.  So some back tracking so I can get up to date.

Friday October 4:
C and J x 2 on every minute for 12minutes.  Started at 155 and finished the last 4min at 172.  Felt really good throughout the entire duration.  Due to time I ended up doing some HSPU work and 100KBs.

On Saturday I did 25min on the rowing machine alt 30sec at 90% and 30sec at 60%.  Then did some snatch skill work and some KB work.

Sunday was some easy AD time and mobility.

Monday October 7:
1.  Strict Press 3 x 3: finished at 120 the last set.  I did video tape and posted on my vimeo site for Brandon to look at.
2.  Front Squat 3 x 3:  Felt sluggish but was able my last set at 215.

3. Later in the day amrap 6 of:
10 Thrusters
10 TTBs

3min rest

10 Power Cleans
10 Burpees

I did great on these and only after realized that I was suppose to complete 7 of each rather than 10 reps of each.

2min DU's: legs were tired.  I did 77 if I remember correctly.

Tuesday October 8:
Mid morning I did 24min on the erg alt 30sec hard and 30sec easy.

Mid afternoon:
1. CG Deadlift 3-3-3-3:  worked up to 325lbs
2. L-Sit work

3.  5X:
250 row
200m run
15cals AD
- This was alright though my 2nd run I just about fell on my ass.

Wednesday October 9:
1.  Easy rowing and AD time.  Also some KB work.

Today - Thursday my legs are feeling a little tired.  Time to rest for Saturday which will be:

- Grace
- Then Helen meets Grace- all on my own

Today was a double workout.  The first workout was snatch work.  After warming up I completed 15 reps of snatch lifts ranging from 75-85% of my 1RM.  I started with 5 reps at 105lbs.  The rest were completed at 115lbs.  I did video tape the lifts - dam awful form.  As Brandon put it - all muscle snatches.  I then completed a 5RM hang snatch.  First at 100lbs and 2nd round at 105lbs.  Again not enough legs and hips, leaning too far forward, and not enough hip extension.

The 2nd workout was some snatch high pulls - a first time for this.  I also completed some KB swings to assist in the warm up.  I followed with 1600m on the rowing machine.  Then completed:
4 rounds of:
- 15 burpees
- 25 cals on the AD
- 5min rest
1st: 1:55
2nd: 1:48
3rd: 1:45
4th: 1:55

I really died on the last one.  My legs felt really heavy after the first round.  But over all happy since my 2nd and 3rd were faster than my first round.  Another pretty good day.

Monday's training consisted of the following:

1. Back Squat - find a heavy 10rep for the day.  Well I read the workout wrong and did 190lbs for 20reps unbroken.  It felt really good and strong all the way through.

2. Complex: Clean Deadlift - Hang Sq Cl - Sq Cl.  I was able to work up to 175.  I failed at 180.

3.  Then 3 different 3min AMRAPS to prep for the CFNE Master's event on October 26.  This will be my very first event in the 55-59 age group.  I used 95lb weight for all the movements.  In the competition I will use 65lbs.  Looking very forward to that.

Today over all went very well.  I am back to feeling good- gaining some weight as well.

Tuesday:
1.  Snatch Grip Deadlift Wave - totally new movement for me.  I started at 155 and ended up at 180 for my last round.

2. Complex: Hang Power Clean x 2 - Push Press x 3:  worked up to 165lbs.  I struggled on the 3rd rep of presses - had my head back too far.  Need to work on presses lots more.

3. 3x:
- 450m row
- 35 sit ups
- 25 KBS
This went alright - held around 1:46 per 450.  Sit ups were unbroken and the KBs were split 15 and then 10 per round.

Wednesday:
I worked on form drills for the clean and snatch.  Also did some mobility, easy 10min on the AD, and some KB work.

Looking forward to Thursday and Friday.

Yikes what a crazy stretch of time that past week or so has been.   Between some stress at home and then getting sick - I am finally able to get back to full training.  The past 10 days -it became difficult to follow Brandon's training that he had  set up for me.  I did train all but 2 days but I jumped around and it was mostly strength with very little AMRAP work.  Today went well with a double sessions spending some time with the WODs from the master's event at CFNE on October 26.  Looking forward to my first competition in my new age group 55-59.

So next week back to 100% of Brandon's program.  Before I know it the Open will be here and that is my ticket back to Games in 2014.

The past few days have been stressful with some personal issues impacting my training.  Sunday I ended up doing 5 x 3 front squats building weight each set.  My final set was at 200lbs for 3.  Felt pretty good with that.  I followed up with 25min on the erg - tired legs for sure.

Monday I started out with:
10min EMOM snatch TnG.  I ended up using 105lbs.  That felt smooth for the first time in a while.  I then worked on some jump roping - DUs, HSPUs and dips(This session was completed at school).  Once home I did:
TnG Squat Cleans - worked up to 165.  For the Push Jerk 10RM - I did 135lbs.  That was a challenge but I did it.  I finished with:
3 rounds:
- 500m row
- 25 KBS @53lbs
- 10 Power Cleans @135
Finish Time was 12:47

Monday night and Tuesday was loaded with little sleep and lots of stress - so I took the day to deal with some issues.

Wednesday - limited training today.  Mixed bag that really wasn't part of Brandon's program.  Back on task Thursday for sure.

Today is Saturday and I am some what behind in keeping up with my blog.  The week was very busy with extra school meetings, my wife's school meetings and my youngest and his football games.  So I will post what the rest of the week was like.

Wednesday: Rest Day which I am still adjusting to regularly scheduled into my training.  I did work on some 50% of my 1RM for the hang clean and hang snatch.  I followed up with some rowing as well - about 2500meters.

Thursday: An extra long day at school plus severe rain prevented me from doing my AMRAP work since my box jumps are completed on a large tire outside.  So I did complete my squat clean cluster work: I started at 145, 155 and ended the last 2 rounds at 165.  The sleeves are working out great.  For my push press 2RM I ended up at 145. I found that as the weight gets heavier I tend to lose the push jerk.  Need to work on that for sure.   I ended up doing some interval work on the AD instead.

Friday:  More heavy rain so I did the front squat work along with some back squats.  Kept the back squats at 175 and worked on form and depth.  For my front squats I did them from a below parallel box again.  My 5th set of 3 was completed at 215.  I finished with 20min on the erg - alternating some hard and moderate pieces.

Saturday:  Didn't workout until 5pm due to games.  Started with the snatch work on EMOM.  Started with 75lbs.  I only increased by 5lbs so I could work at this for a while.  I ended up getting to 125 some what easy.  I got 130  - but it was very ugly.  I then did the 3 RM TnG for the snatch.  I ended up getting 120 for 3.  Again my ability to go heavy is hampered due to my form.  I then did the following:

- 50 WallBalls with a 24lb ball
- 30 Hang Cleans @135
- 50 Wallballs
- 30 Shoulder to overhead @95
My time was 12:45.  The wallballs with the 24lb ball continue to be a challenge.

I spent some time watching some of the Games events from the 55-59 age group.  Some very impressive athletes for sure.  I want to gain some muscle mass - ideally get up to 185.  That will take some work since I want it to be lean mass.  I am currently about 175 - highest ever for me.

Alright looking forward to my next 2 weeks of training.

So today after a warm up I started with a strict press of 5 x 5 build.  These have always been a struggle.  My last set was 110lbs with my first at 95.  I do notice lots of arch in my back when trying to complete a strict press.  Then it was on to a complex of 2 power cleans and 1 push jerk.  My warm up was cut short due to a fire drill at school. So I built quickly to 160lbs for 2 power cleans and 1 push jerk.  I rushed it and could tell on the push jerk.

Later in the day I did my bent over DB rows and then followed with some more clean and jerk work at 115lbs and 125lbs to focus on form.  Then I moved to completing:

4 rounds of:
- 300m row
- 15 burpees
Finish time was 8:52

Today's workout:
I started with 750m rowing to warm up.  Then followed with some rolling out and mobility.  I then was suppose to do a 2 rep heavy front squat but my knee was bothering me still.  So I did box squats for a 2 rep max instead.  The knee was fine - no pain what so ever these.  I built up to 2 reps at 230lbs.  Then moved to 5 x 3 heavy hang cleans from blocks.  I stacked bumper plates up so that the bar would be just above my knees.  I did 1 set at 135, 1 set at 145, and 3 sets at 155.  Those went pretty well.  Really trying to focus on more hip ext. so my clean technique improves.  I then did the following:

50 Cals on the AD - time was 3:17
25 Thrusters: 10 @95, 10@115, 5 @135.  The knee was acting up some - time was 3:10
50 Cals on the AD - time was 3:12

Then finished with some easy rowing to call it a day.

Time to play catch up with my workout results.  So On Friday I had to mix things up due to my schedule and a football game in the evening.  I started with:

50 C and Jerks @95lbs
800m Run
100 Wallballs - used a 24lb ball.

The C and J went fine.  Did them in rounds of 10 the 1st 20.  Then moved to rounds of 5 to finish up.  The 800 run went alright as well.  The wallballs were tough.  The additional 4lbs of weight really challenged me.  I did rounds of 5 to 7 at most.  My total time was 18:42.

Later that afternoon I did snatch work - did snatch both max and 2 rep touch and go.  Got 125lbs and 115 for the 2 rep.  I need to start doing some form work with the snatch and clean at least 4x each week.  I finished up with some easy rowing and strict pull ups.

On Saturday I started with 750m row, pull ups and some ring dips.  Then I did 4 rounds of 3 across power clean grip deadlifts - these were very different.  I used 295lbs which really pressed me to hold on the last rep of 3 across.  I then followed up with 22min on the AD rotating through 30 seconds at 90% and 30 seconds at 60%.  I found the 60% effort much tougher then the 90%.  Usually on the easy segments we just really dial it down.  But at 60% I had to keep moving instead of just really backing off.  A huge challenge for sure.

Today I did some easy rowing along with some 50% RM clean work.

Looking forward to next week.  Though my left knee is some what acting up.  Some swelling in the back.  Getting my knee sleeves on Monday which should help.

Today I started with push press from the power rack: 1.1.1 on 10sec rest for 3x thru and 2:30 rest after each 3.  1st round I did 140, 2nd 150 and the 3rd 155.  I did tape them on coach's eye and sent them to Brandon.  Then I went to 4 x 3 OHS.  I haven't done those in a while so my shoulders were really tight.  1st set was at 75lbs, 2nd and 3rd at 80lbs and the 4th set at 85lbs.  I held the bottom position for at least 1 second which did bother the knee some.  I did order up sleeves today so that will help all of my squats.  I finished with MAP work:

AMRAP 10:
- 10 pull ups
- 20 cals on the AD
- 30 DU's
I really struggled with the DUs.  I ended up completing 3 rounds plus 10 pull ups, 20 cals on the AD and 5 Dus of the 4th round.

Then a 5minute rest then completing another
AMRAP 10:
- 250 row
- 12 box jumps 24inch box
- 6 T2B

I completed 4 rounds on that one.

Still feeling sore from earlier in the week even with my volume being lower than usual.

Today was a rest day.  I was very sore - most likely from Monday's cluster squats, squat cleans and thrusters.  For me I always feel more sore 2 days post workout.  Today I did end up rowing about 1500 easy.  Broke that up with the rolling out and band work.  I also did my DB rows and some close grip benching as well.  Looking forward to Thursday's training for the day.  I will also be ordering up some knee sleeves which should offer some extra support for my left knee.

So today was my first full day of teaching with kids - It really impacted my training.  I ended up doing my EMOM 12 of DU's and CTB Pull Ups at 2pm.  Then followed with the rest later.  Though I ran out of time and didn't get a chance to complete my DBs rows and TGU(I will do those Wednesday).  For the DUs and CTB Pull Ups - the first 3 minutes I did 20 DUs and just fit in the 6 pull ups.  But after that I was only getting about 15 DUs.  The last 4 minutes I did 60 singles and 6 CTB Pull ups - I know not ideal but I have lots of work to do with my DUs.  Then later I did the 1 RM Clean and Jerk.  I was frustrated.  I feel like my hang clean is coming along in terms of getting my hips involved.  But my clean off the floor - I miss my thigh still completely.  So I did hang cleans with a push jerk.  I only got to 175lb.  Dam ugly for sure.  I went with 140lbs on the 8 EMOM for 2 reps of C and J.  That went well and yes I did all hang cleans.  So lots of work to do.  I need to get down more with Brandon to work on the cleans.  It is starting to fuck with my head now.

Today started the 1st day of Brandon's training following the 2 weeks of testing.  I started with box squats(the knee is slowly getting better) and I set the box just below parallel.  This was a cluster of 2-2-2 with 20second rest after each set of 2.  Then 3 minutes after each cluster.  I did 4 clusters total at:
155lbs, 170, 185 and 200.  Then I did 4 x 3 squat cleans(not touch and go) at 70-80% of my max.  I did build each set - 145, 150, 155, 160.  Wrapping my knee allowed for more depth and stability with my left knee.  Then the last part of the workout was:
- 20 Thrusters @95
- 10 Lateral Bar Burpees
- 15 Thrusters @115
- 10 Lateral Bar Burpees
- 10 Thrusters @135
- 10 Lateral Bar Burpees

The thrusters were very tough.  The round @95 really kicked me - did 10, 6 and then 4.  The 135 round did mostly rounds of 2.  I could barely jump over the bar for the 10 laterals.  So day 1 is in the books.  Time to rest for Tuesday.

Time to catch up on a few blog post.  Now that school is back in session I have to really structure my time.  Thursday was a teacher day for me - that required me to be at school from 7:30am to 8pm.  As far as training - I was able to do some 5 x 5 weighted pull ups and dips.  That was it.  I felt tired so the rest was worth it.  It will take me a week or so to get used to teaching all day.  But it does allow me a few small chunks of time that I can fit in some training.

On Friday I drove down to work with Brandon.  The drive was about 1hr and 35min - though I did get lost.  Once there we talked for a while.  I really loved his ideas and direction that he has planned out for me.  We started with some easy snatch technique work.  Lots of changes to make there.  Then I moved on to the last test which was:
800 Run
100 Wall Balls
400 Run
50 C and J @115lbs
200 Run
25 Burpee-Box Jumps

That was a long grind for sure.  I did struggle some on the wall balls and felt heavy on the running.  I could have been better at decreasing the rest between reps. Something to work on for sure.

For Saturday I warmed up slowly.  Then did a 20 rep unbroken deadlift set.  These were touch and go reps for 20.  I did 285lbs today(up from 275).  Then did some 5 x 5 work on close grip bench with 170 and pull ups.  I finished with 8 x 20sec on 10sec rest on the AD6.  That sucked for sure.

Looking forward to my new training block to arrive.

I had to change up my testing for the next few days due to school all day and then a parent open house in the evening.  I end up staying at school since I have only 1 hour between the 2 events.  Plus my drive home is 30minutes.  So today instead of a rest day I completed my 2000m row.  My time was 7:08.2.  I am happy with that since my rowing volume has been down.  My damper was set at 3 1/2 and my average stroke rate about 25-27.  I was happy with today's results.

I will rest Thursday and get back to completing the last few days of testing on Friday.  Just 2 more tests to complete.  Then it is onto structured training.  I am very excited.

Today I completed the following:
1RM Deadlift - did 405lbs - Traditional.  My sumo is actually 440lbs.  Then 1RM strict press - this is always been a weakness of mine - got 115lbs.

Then I completed:
30 snatches @95lbs - 700m Row - 30 snatches @95lbs:  8:21.  Felt much better on the 2nd round of snatches then the 1st.  Needed to warm up more I think.

Over all happy with my results.  My legs were tired from the front squats that I did yesterday.  I also did a few sets of close grip benching - those numbers were down as well.  Looking forward to a solid strength focus once I finish my testing on Sunday.

May look at competing in mid September at CFNE - 2 day event.  Would do scaled over RX considering there will not be a masters division.

So today included testing for my 1RM front squat.  I was way off what I thought would be my max.  In mid July I did 210lbs for 2 reps.  Today I barely got 230lbs.  WTF!!!  The knee did bother me once I hit parallel which is very frustrating.  So I did use a knee wrap which helped.  What ever I did 3 weeks ago at the team competition is holding me back.  Then I followed with:
10-8-6-4-2 of front squats and CTB pull ups.  I did 180lb from the rack for the front squats.  I could only do sets of 3 before I would need to rack the bar - rest and then go again.  The CTB pull ups went well.  I can still feel the lat some - but great progress is being made with that injury.

Over all I ended the day upset.  I hate feeling like I have fallen off and things are a struggle.  But this is why I hired Brandon to coach me.  I am hoping to work with him 1 on 1 this coming Friday.

Today was 10 minutes on the AD 6 - something totally new to me.  I spent some time warming up with rowing and some mobility.  Worked through some pull ups and ring dips as well.  Then a few minutes on the AD 6 to finish my warm up.  Once I started I felt great up until 3 and 1/2 minutes - then my ass was kicked.  That was brutal to say the least.  I expected 180 calories and only got 167.  My legs - especially quads were all cramped and I was so close to puking up.  A love - hate relationship with the AD for sure.  I do plan on changing out seats - the current seat is so bad.  Will install a race saddle instead.

One week down and one week to go with the testers.  Looking forward to regular training with more volume.  I am learning lots about where I need lots of work.  Looking on driving down next Friday to work with Brandon.

Friday's test was the following:

20min AMRAP of
- 20 Thursters @135
- 20 Pull Ups
- 20 Burpees

I completed 2 full rounds plus 12 thrusters of the 3rd round.  The challenge was the thrusters especially since I haven't done much for squats in the past 3 weeks.  I did complete the pull ups - I rolled out and warmed really well to get my left lat ready.  Woke up pain free in the lat area - so that is great news.  My frustration was not able to do more than 1 or 2 thrusters in a row.  Lots to work on for sure.

Today 10 minutes max calories on the AD - first time for this challenge.

Wednesday was a recovery day.  This will take some tie getting used to since I am a big volume person.  Bad habit from my ironman days.  Today's testing consisted of the following:

A.  Power clean - build to 1 RM

-rest 2 minutes-

B.  8 minute amrap @ 90% of A

-rest 5-10 minutes-

C.1  strict HSPU - 1 x amrap, rest 2 minutes

C.2  kipping HSPU - 1 x amrap,

So the max power clean was ugly. I was down 10lbs from earlier this summer. Then the 8 minute amrap weight was 162lbs. I did have 4 or 5 failed reps. My technique needs lots of work after seeing myself on video. But this is why I have hired Brandon to help me out. I ended up with 43 reps.

The HSPU's well dam they sucked. I am now able to get a few. Strict nothing. Kipping 3 yet 12 no reps(feet coming away from the wall). I have improved some since at the Maine Crossift Champs I got 10 HSPU's and last fall - nothing. But I still have a long ways to go.

I did get my AD 6 yesterday. I assembled it and tried it out for a few rounds of 20calories. Dam that really brings you to your knees. Looking forward to some fun times with that.

So Tuesday's testing was all lactate work and very painful.  The test consisted of:
250m row-15 KB Swings-25 Burpees-15 KB Swings-250m Row.  Follow each round with a 12 minute recovery.  Run through the test set 3x.

My first set felt great - held 1:37 for 250 rowing. Then I went unbroken for the Kbs.  But on the burpees I felt like I kept losing my breathe especially on the ground.  The last row of the set didn't go so well.  My time for the 1st was 4:40.  The 12 minute recovery went quicker than expected.  My 2nd and 3rd test sets were 5min flat and the 3rd 5:08.  All KB swings the 2nd time through each set had to be broken at 8.

My right knee did limit my ability to get more catch at the start of my stroke.  Hoping to find out today the results of the MRI that I had on Tuesday.  Also today is a rest day.  So I will spend some extra time on mobility and rolling out.  Something to look forward to  - my new AD6 arrives later today.  Looking forward to that.

So today started day 1 of my 2 week testing block.  My left knee is slightly better(getting an MRI on Tuesday to rule out and possible surgical procedure) yet still restricts me from getting into a full squat.  Brandon started me with the following today:
1. 1 RM box squat- touch and go.  I set the height to be just below parallel.  I got 255lbs(no belt and barefoot).  I did struggle a bit about half way up.  Also coming off the box was slow.  I haven't completed any back or box squats in about 14 days.  So while I was hoping to be closer to my early summer max of 295lb, it is a start.

2. Max reps ring dips: I stayed steady while locking out and going very deep.  I didn't kip them and was more strict with the form.  I was able to complete 24 reps.  I felt good on these - as usually for me and ring dips.

3. 50 Burpees for time: my time was 2:12.  I was around 55 seconds for the 1st 25 reps.  Had a great pace going but lost my timing at around 38.  At that point I slowed down as I completed the final 12 reps.

Over all I am happy since I know things will only improve.  I am not used to structure that is set by someone else - but I will get used to that fast.  Also lower volume right now takes getting used to - yes I am used to training often - doubles and excessive at times since I am too focused at times with reaching my goals.

I am hoping to get my nutrition squared away as well.  I would like to lean out some yet pack on a few more pounds of muscle.  When I started with Crossfit I was coming off my ultra and ironman days - I weighed about 153lbs.  Now I weigh 175 and would like to peak out around 180 ideally for next summer.

Thanks Brandon!

After some research and talking with a few coaches I have decided to work with Brandon Peterson.   I am excited to get started working with someone who will access my strengths and weaknesses and develop a program that will meet my personal needs and get back to Crossfit Games.

I am battling two minor injuries at this time.  First is a grade 2 lat tear on my left side.  This was a result of some heavy sumo deadlifting and not using active shoulders.  The 2 person team competition at 321 last weekend delayed the healing process.  I am getting deep tissue work on the area 2-3x each week at this point.  The 2nd issue is my left knee which during the event became very stiff and some what swollen.  At this time they think it is an issue with the popliteus muscle.  I will be getting an MRI early next week to make sure there isn't anything more going on with that knee.

At this point I would say I am on the down side of my training.  The spring and early summer had me setting many new PRs in all major lifts.  Not bad for just turning 55yrs old.  But the past few weeks things have fallen off some.  I feel it is due to poor program planing and not enough food.  My weight is up to 175(11lbs high than I was at the 2012 Games)but I feel I need to eat more to meet my energy demands.

My training will start on Monday the 19th with Brandon calls a 2 weeks testing period.  I welcome the challenge very much so and have my wife's full support as well.  I can't ask for anything more at this point.