Upper Body Day
Bench Press
Ramped up to:
85kg: 1x10
Kettlebell Rows
28kg: 1x5
40kg: 5x5
Ring Pull-Ups
BW: 3x5
Bodyweight: 96.1kg
I spent 10min stretching, including a 5min squat hold.
All of the exercises I did today were significantly worse than my lifetime bests, but it doesn’t matter because the session felt good and I’m moving well and I’m uninjured. It would bother me usually, but it really doesn’t right now.
? Day
Turkish Get-Ups
28kg: 1x1
40kg: 3x1
I wanted to do 5x1 with 40kg today, but my right wrist kept playing up. I actually had a couple of failed reps in there too, which has’t happened in a long time. Just due to the wrist.
I finished up with a strange ‘pump’ superset with my friend because we weren’t sure what to do: 20-30 reps on the EZ curl and side bend for 6 or so sets. It felt pretty good, though I’m not sure if it did any good lol.
I did 30min stretching including two 5min squat holds, which were a struggle.
I’m considering adding in an upper body gym day, and continuing S&S for my lower body. It would feel like I was cheating with my lower body to be honest, and that’s why I haven’t done it so far, but I think it would be the best option in terms of gains. My upper body responds really well to barbell work, while kettlebells are safer on my lower body and I feel like they make me more athletic than barbell work. Does that make sense? I’d feel guilty doing upper body only in the gym, but I think I’d see good progress from it.
Keep manhandling dem bells, brah.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
Keep manhandling dem bells, brah.[/quote]
Lol. Good to see you back around these parts brother.
[quote]furo wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
Keep manhandling dem bells, brah.[/quote]
Lol. Good to see you back around these parts brother.
[/quote]
Feels good to be back actually lol. Started a new log actually if you wanna check it out.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]furo wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
Keep manhandling dem bells, brah.[/quote]
Lol. Good to see you back around these parts brother.
[/quote]
Feels good to be back actually lol. Started a new log actually if you wanna check it out.[/quote]
Already on it, I wouldn’t miss your return! Welcome back 
Rest Day
I just did 30min stretching today, including an 8min squat hold which is a big PR. I’m visiting a friend over the next couple of days so will just be resting and stretching - then I’ll get back into training on Monday.
Simple and Sinister Day 67
One-Arm Swings
28kg: 5x10
Turkish Get-Ups
28kg: 3x1
20 minutes of stretching including an 8 minute squat hold. My knees played up a fair bit, maybe just because I haven’t been stretching so consistently.
I was exhausted today. The swings felt good but the get-ups felt heavy.
You’re going for the old school fitness model look, right?
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
You’re going for the old school fitness model look, right?[/quote]
I’m not really sure what I’m going for. My goals are all over the place, but I’ve started following an actual set routine which is good because even though my goals are completely inconsistent my training has been pretty stable.
A lot of the time I want to be huge: I want to be genuinely fearsome. A lot of the time I just want to move well and feel good. Sometimes I worry about health and sometimes I worry about aesthetics and sometimes I worry about weakness. Actually I’m pretty constantly worrying about all 3, just in differing proportions.
I’m not sure how well my current training fits my goals. I’m certain adding heavy barbell work would be a wise move, as would pushing down my kettlebell rest periods so I actually see some conditioning benefit. I could definitely do with sorting out my diet. I’m sort of bumbling along in auto-pilot at the moment.
Sorry for the essay! Tell me what to do. Give me your wisdom.
[quote]furo wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
You’re going for the old school fitness model look, right?[/quote]
I’m not really sure what I’m going for. My goals are all over the place, but I’ve started following an actual set routine which is good because even though my goals are completely inconsistent my training has been pretty stable.
A lot of the time I want to be huge: I want to be genuinely fearsome. A lot of the time I just want to move well and feel good. Sometimes I worry about health and sometimes I worry about aesthetics and sometimes I worry about weakness. Actually I’m pretty constantly worrying about all 3, just in differing proportions.
I’m not sure how well my current training fits my goals. I’m certain adding heavy barbell work would be a wise move, as would pushing down my kettlebell rest periods so I actually see some conditioning benefit. I could definitely do with sorting out my diet. I’m sort of bumbling along in auto-pilot at the moment.
Sorry for the essay! Tell me what to do. Give me your wisdom.
[/quote]
Should just go for Reg Park then lol.
[quote]furo wrote:
A lot of the time I want to be huge: I want to be genuinely fearsome. A lot of the time I just want to move well and feel good. Sometimes I worry about health and sometimes I worry about aesthetics and sometimes I worry about weakness. Actually I’m pretty constantly worrying about all 3, just in differing proportions.
[/quote]
Your mindset on goals is similar to my own. Somedays I just want to be the next hulk, while other days I want to be agile and nimble as Spider-man.
I think that doing some barbell work will only be good for you.
How are you doing with your third world squat holds? Do you feel tightness on any particular structures? Do you try keep “tight” while doing them?
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Wouldn’t say no to looking like Reg Park!
Yeah definitely on the same page there Bird. I’m relaxing into them - not staying completely tight like the bottom of a weighted squat, but tight enough to maintain correct posture. I let my back round though, just to let me sink deeper. Yeah I feel it deep in my hip joint itself, rather than in any muscles. How are you doing yours?
[b] Simple and Sinister Day 68
Turkish Get-Ups [/b]
28kg: 1x1
40kg: 5x1
Kettlebell Snatch
40kg: 1xF
Bodyweight: 96.5kg
This session had a lot of ups and downs. I felt shattered but forced myself to do it, and was really surprised by how good I felt. The first 4 and a half sets of get-ups felt really clean and precise. On my very last rep I was thinking about how well the session was going and promptly lost control of the kettlebell while straightening up to lunge. It actually made a dent in the floor, I hope it’s just superficial damage. Anyway, I tried again and got it - so that’s my first session with a full 5x1 with 40kg. Spurred on by that success I attempted a 40kg snatch and completely failed, it wasn’t even close lol.
Swing Day
One-Arm Swings
40kg: 5x5
I don’t know what happened here, I just didn’t feel confident with the weight and didn’t want to make another dent in the floor.
30min stretching including a 10min squat hold.
I’ve decided to split up my swings and get-ups onto separate days, so I can give each all of my attention. My plan is to get comfortable doing the full 5x1/5x10 with 40kg before doing both together again. I think a good timeline would be to spend September and October working on getting really comfortable with the weight, sets and reps and then to spend November and December doing the full thing to train work capacity. I think it is unwise to rush the conditioning side of things when I’m not confident with the weight.
[quote]furo wrote:
Yeah definitely on the same page there Bird. I’m relaxing into them - not staying completely tight like the bottom of a weighted squat, but tight enough to maintain correct posture. I let my back round though, just to let me sink deeper. Yeah I feel it deep in my hip joint itself, rather than in any muscles. How are you doing yours?[/quote]
Im doing them more for reps, in-between working sets. I might hang out the bottom for a few seconds and explore the areas where I feel tight by leaning towards one side etc etc. I still need to hold on to something in front of me. I feel tightness mainly in my left hamstring. My left ankle is a little tight as well, although that is to be expected a I have had surgery on that ankle to remove bone spurs and floating bones.
tweet
[quote]theBird wrote:
[quote]furo wrote:
Yeah definitely on the same page there Bird. I’m relaxing into them - not staying completely tight like the bottom of a weighted squat, but tight enough to maintain correct posture. I let my back round though, just to let me sink deeper. Yeah I feel it deep in my hip joint itself, rather than in any muscles. How are you doing yours?[/quote]
Im doing them more for reps, in-between working sets. I might hang out the bottom for a few seconds and explore the areas where I feel tight by leaning towards one side etc etc. I still need to hold on to something in front of me. I feel tightness mainly in my left hamstring. My left ankle is a little tight as well, although that is to be expected a I have had surgery on that ankle to remove bone spurs and floating bones.
tweet[/quote]
Yeah that’s exactly what I do - I hang out down there and move around side to side, holding it where it feels worst.
Swing Day
One-Arm Swing
40kg: 5x10
My grip felt dodgy, so I did the last 3 sets with wraps.
Kettlebell Rows
40kg: 3x5
These felt heavier than they should have.
30min stretching including an 8min squat hold.
Today was a little disappointing - I’ll probably take tomorrow off and see if that helps. Using the straps on the swings really helped the whole movement, I snapped a lot harder with my hips when I was confident I wouldn’t let go lol.
Rest Day
I spent 30 minutes stretching today, including a 10min squat hold. I’m looking forward to attacking Turkish get-ups tomorrow.
[b] Turkish Get-Up Day
Turkish Get-Up [/b]
40kg: 4x1
This felt fine, though I ran out of time so didn’t do the last set.
EDIT: I did the remaining set when I got home this evening, as well as a 5min squat hold. This time in the squat hold I tried to stay tighter than usual, and I think that made it more effective.
[b] Swing Day
One-Arm Swings [/b]
40kg: 5, 6, 7, 8, 5
Kettlebell Rows
40kg: 3x5
Bodyweight: 95.5kg
I felt really rough today - I had a bad headache and felt really light-headed - but I didn’t want to take a rest day having taken one so recently. I drank a Rockstar and a lucozade and that helped quite a bit. I did my swings as a ladder, and did my final set of 5 once I felt like my power was dropping off. It seems like a good way to do it.
I plan on training with Rattlehead this evening. He is doing legs, so I’m preparing to be completely humbled.