Friday, February 28, 2014

Spider, Zercher

Played a short concert this morning, ran a bunch of errands, no walking because it's too cold.

Spider Lift - first time I got more than 1 rep, did singles at 75, 95, 115, 135

ZSQ: Calculate 70% 1RM to be around 175 lbs, so working some triples at that weight, trying to keep bar closer to belly, trying not to sit too far down between reps.

175 x 3, 3

Enough for today.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Light Kettlebell Bent Press

Cossack sequence

16: windmill, lf, 3 - left hip still sore although it's only uncomfortable with doing right side windmills.  Noticeably improved since yesterday, which was better than the day before.  All good

16: bent press, lf, 1

20: bent press, lf, 1, 3, 1

24: bent press, lf, 1 - bent press form is improving because I'm figuring out things about the rack position that I need - have to keep big chest, open/extended t-spine, shoulder back and packed.  Right side rack is worse if I don't think about it but right side form is, overall, better once I get that in place.

After doing both left and right sides, I noticed I had really rubbed on the arthritic part of my left shoulder - not sure if I did that pressing left or supporting while pressing right, but it's good to know and important to keep aware of.

Swings, all 2-handed:  24 kg x 20, rest, 32 kg x 10

My wife had a 75 bar set up so I cleaned it and did 5 front squats - felt nice to stretch out the wrists

Onward and Upward

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Recovery/Variety Day - 50 swings

Back sore from yesterday

2 x 16 - snatch, did 3, didn't like how it felt so stopped

24: swing: 5L+5R, rest, 10T, rest, 2T+2L+2R+2L+2R, rest, 4T+4L+4T+4R+4T

16: bent press, lf, 2 - haven't done these in a while, left hip hurts while doing right side

Enough for today - will take a walk now



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Zerchers again - 225 x 2 on ~20-sec rest

Was away Friday night and Saturday, lots of driving and played a concert at 9 AM Saturday.

Sunday, lots of banging at the ice on the driveway with a pickaxe because the weather had warmed but was predicated to get cold again.

Monday, the pickaxe work and all the driving caught up with me - stiff, tired, so no exercise other than stretching and early to bed.

Today, Tuesday, feeling pretty good.

warmup 2 x 12 kg: swing x 10, rest, snatch x 8 - hadn't done any doubles work in a long time, and didn't like how the lockout felt on the double snatches so decided to stop after 8.  Lockouts were legal but still not right for me, need better t-spine extension and shoulder mobility on these.

ZSQ: 155 x 1, 195 x 1, 215 x 1 - focused on keeping bar close and pushing bar up but _didn't_ focus on staying tight and felt it in lower back.  215 x 1 again, stayed tight, felt good - better afterwards than after the previous rep.  225 x 2 singles on short rest

Video of 215 x 1 and 225 x 2 singles:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0KcADdHWSI

I got them skinny man Zercher blues - The "blues" are that, at the bottom, my belly isn't up against the bar. The only other thing I can think of is letting the bar roll back on my thighs, which sounds painful and also makes me have a lower start. Not quite sure what to do about this particular form issue.


Friday, February 21, 2014

Zercher Squat - new 3RM

Some stretching but no walking - still yucky outside.

ZSQ: 155 x 3, 175 x 3. 195 x 1, 215 x 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RjnxfwYOh8

Onward and Upward

On the road w/ a 24 kg kettlebell

I took the 24 kg kettlebell I'd been keeping by the back door of the house with me as my son and I went on a two-day college visit "tour" in the car.

Wed, 8 AM - 20 two-handed swings in the house, a single clean+press+windmill each side as I put the bell into the car

Wed PM - got to carry the bell to the hotel room, did a single c&p each side before going to dinner.

Thursday AM - 20 two-handed swings

Thursday noon - 6 x alternating c&p in the parking lot (12 total) before a rest stop, 1 x windmill each side before getting back into the car.

A lot of driving and much of it in miserable conditions, including a full-blown blizzard on the Mass Pike.

Good to be home.  If I lift later today, as I'm hoping to, I'll post another blog entry.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

24 kg - press, swing

Have a 24 kg bell near the back door, decided to try a GTG approach w/ it, did a set of 20 x 2-handed swings everytime I return to that floor of the house.  They were pretty good, started to slow down around rep 17 or so, goal is to get to 20.

Will also do other things w/ it, e.g., have been doing some presses w/ it but not noting them here, will try to keep better records.

Later in the day, bell at back door:

24: C&P, alternating singles, total 3 each side

Overall, getting back into the swing of exercise again - feel pretty good today.




Monday, February 17, 2014

Press, b/u Press, ZSQ

Walk, stretch a bit

Still returning to post-Jamboree, post snow storm normal

20: b/u press, left failed twice, got right, went back and got left - helps prime grip

24: C&P, lf, alternating singles like yesterday, 5 each side for 10 total

ZSQ: 155 x 3, 175 x 3, 195 x 3 - focused on wedging under the weight, which helped.  I also think - noticed this shoveling snow - that, although my left ankle is stiff, my left leg is stronger, and I don't think I'm pushing off the ground equally.  Will make an effort to push through right side more next ZSQ session.  This is somewhat tricky business before I don't have 100% feeling in my right leg as a result of my back injury, but I think my proprioception is correct in this case.  We shall see...

Onward and upward

Sunday, February 16, 2014

24 kg press

Tired from all the snow so no lifting the last few days, also shoulders, especially right shoulder, a bit sore, so try to stretch and relax.

Played in church this morning, back is a little tired, just a bit of lifting today:

24 kg: mil press, lf, 3

115 lb. (what my wife had on the bar) suitcase DL, single each side

24 kg: C&P, lf, alternating sides w/o putting bell down, 5 each side or 10 total

Onward and Upward

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Snow - shovel, snowblower, 24 press/windmill/fsq complex/chain, ZSQ doubles @ 205

Snow shoveling - lower back/hip still sore, deep squat (heels on ground) seems the ticket to stretch out whatever's gotten tight on me.  Did some McKenzie stretches (Cobra) and found that my abs were tight - go figure!

24 kg: complex/chain: clean, fsq, clean, press, clean, jerk, windmill, long pause at lockout, slow lowering.  Repeat on right side.

long break

24 kg: clean, fsq w/ long pause at bottom, stand up, press, windmill from top.  Repeat on R

ZSQ: 205 x 2 dead stop, x 2 dead stop

Onward and Upward

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Zercher PR - 245 lb.

Back got sore just sitting at my desk today - too much time not doing enough exercise.

A few 2-hand 24 kg swings to warm up.

ZSQ: singles at 155, 175, 195, 215, 225 = PR, 245 fail, 245 success.

16 kg: windmill, 3L/R - been missing these.

Onward and upward

Monday, February 10, 2014

Swings and Getups

Finished our big charity event, Ridgewood Jamboree, Saturday night - exhausted yesterday, Sunday, slept until 10 AM and took 3 naps during the day.

Today, Monday, back on the training horse, at least a little.

a bit of stretching.

24 kg swings:  10T, 10 in 2T/2L/2T/2R/2T format, 10T, all on the :60

10 kg getups - about 4 each side, most to elbow, some to hand

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Bent Press yet again, 24 kg swings

Yesterday - show we're playing opened, also snow storm so shoveling, no other lifting

Today, short on time, show again tonight so need to take it easy

20: bent press x L/R

24: bent press x L/R

28: bent press x fail L/R - such an interesting movement pattern for me. I can strict press 28 kg but not bent press it.  Still so much to learn about this.

24: bent press x 2L/2R

24: swing: 2T+2L+2T+2R x 3 no breaks

Onward and Upward!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Another brief lifting session - another ZSQ PR: 215

Still very little time, but managed to walk both Sunday and Monday.

16: windmill x L/R, bent press x L/R

24: bent press x L/R, tried 28 but didn't want to go

First bent presses w/ 16 kg felt great, spne cracked, felt fantastic

20 kg swings in the usual format: 2T, 2L, 2T, 2R, about 20 total in one set

ZSQ: singles at 155, 175, 195, 215 = PR, was a little slow but I'm sure I have more in me.

NB: The ZSQ hits my quads and my DL start much better than the barbell FSQ.