120711

"If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

Who said that, Gandhi? Wait, no, Obi-Wan Kenobi. That's right... In any case, that's how I feel! Five weeks ago I had back surgery. More precisely I had a "Lumbar 5 / Sacral 1 Micro-Discectomy". I was experiencing a LOT of pain in my lower back and down the back of my left leg due to my spinal nerve bundle being trapped and strangled by a ruptured S1 disc. I also had a cracked L5 vertebrae. Well, it's all fixed now. I feel great. My back feels ten years younger than the rest of my body. I am so incredibly glad I went ahead with the surgery. It was easily one of my better decisions.

I haven't updated this blog in quite a while. Namely because I didn't really have anything of interest to write about. Since my surgery I have, obviously, been off work. My main goal was to simply relax and heal. I believe that has gone just as planned. I read a lot, watched a lot of TV, got bored and remodeled our downstairs bathroom, and surprised my wife with a trip to Las Vegas for our anniversary. The ac unit / furnace in the upstairs portion of our house died, so I had the pleasure of getting a new one installed. By the way, if there anything on Earth more ridiculously over-priced than ac units? Besides Gillette Mach 3 razor blades? Good Lord... If you have never had to replace a unit in your house consider yourself lucky. I could have purchased a decent car for what these things cost. And I'm pretty sure the downstairs unit in my house is going to have to be replaced next year. What a rip off.

In any case, Wednesday July 11, 2012 deserved a blog update because I got back into the gym. Yes, after a nearly two month layover, due to my injury and subsequent surgery, I was finally able to workout again. This was a big deal to me as I still have every intention of getting in fantastic shape over the next year. My back injury slowed me down some, but I'm not giving up. Due to the nature of my injury and surgery I have had to re-define the term "working out" for myself. I may never be able to perform compound / Olympic lifts again. I certainly won't ever be able to pull heavy weight from the ground again. Without being able to do these things (which, might I add are the most effective muscle building movements ever contrived) most Crossfit workouts are now outside the realm of possibility for me. I am relegated to isolation movements, at least for the foreseeable future (read: the next several years). Don't get me wrong, these movements, which are the movements most modern people associate with working out, are still effective. Various bench press angles, curls of all types, dumbbell work, and machines aimed at legs, chest, back, biceps, etc. are now what my workouts consist of. While these movements and machines work, to an extent, they are much slower to work, are much less effective, provide virtually no conditioning, and are certainly much less exciting compared to what I was doing. Luckily our Crossfit gym is housed in our local YMCA. This grants me access to the traditional gym located at the YMCA as well as access to the Crossfit gym upstairs. I felt good, the doctor said it was ok, and the timing felt right to ease back into working out, so I did. I am keeping the original weekly schedule of 3 on, 1 off, 2 on, 1 off beginning with Monday. Therefore our rest days will continue to be Thursdays and Sundays. Due to the more traditional nature of what I am now forced to do we will be following the listed schedule.

Monday- Chest and Triceps
Tuesday- Back and Traps
Wednesday- Legs (Quads and Calves)
Thursday- Rest
Friday- Shoulders and Biceps
Saturday- Deadlift and Hamstrings
Sunday- Rest

Wow. What a different mindset from what we were doing. But, when life gives you lemons and whatnot. Now, I know what you are thinking...up there in that list is a dirty word. Right beside Saturday is "deadlifts". I know, I'm thinking it too. I will not be doing these at this time. I will substitute as necessary. As time progresses I'm sure I will try them with VERY LITTLE weight, keeping perfect form, and see how I feel. We will continue this schedule for at least 12 weeks and see where we are. I will probably switch the programming up at that time. I will be posting new starting numbers and photos for myself tomorrow as I am basically having to begin this process again. New benchmarks, new movements, same goals. As for my first workout yesterday? It was not much to speak of. Basically just got in the gym, rode the bike for a little while, and did some chest and back exercises to see how I felt. I felt good. That was all the testing I needed to know that it was time to get back after it. Thanks to everyone who checked up on me and sent prayers up on my behalf for a quick recovery from surgery. Obviously it worked. I'll post my first workout Friday. As always, I encourage you to follow along and post your numbers to the comments section. We can motivate each other!

120611

I am 4 days out of surgery and I feel great. Great for someone who had spinal surgery 4 days ago, that is. The pain in my leg, as well as the pain from the injury to my back is gone. It's like it was never there. Seriously, this surgery was that effective. Now, I still have soreness from the surgery itself, but it's bearable. As a matter of fact I stopped taking my pain medication Saturday afternoon. I found I really didn't need it. I started taking 800 mg of ibuprofen 3 times daily after that to manage what was left of my pain. I have since dropped it to 1 dose of ibuprofen as needed. Hopefully in the next couple days I can forget about that as well. I am starting to get a little stir crazy. As you are aware, I cant drive for another 9 days. And, honestly, I can understand why. I would be unsafe to others on the roadway as I can't turn from side go side to see out of the vehicle. Looking behind me is completely out of the question. I could drive if, say, the zombie apocalypse happened tonight. Other than that, I am pretty unsafe behind the wheel. I am pretty much confined to my house for another couple of weeks. I have been surfing the interwebs, reading Clive Cussler books, playing PS3, and generally procrastinating on what I should be doing, studying for the LSAT. I have decided to take it in August, just to see what happens, but I was always much better at procrastinating than studying. As a matter of fact, if we all die eventually, aren't we all just procrastinating until then? Yeah, thats what I thought.

I have been eating like crap. Since I can't really stand long enough to cook a meal I have just been eating whatever was around the house. This includes pizza, chips, sandwiches, etc. Pair this with the fact that I can't work out for another couple months and I am sure I will have to start my year of getting fit all over again. I'm ok with that as I wasn't very far into it. We went to eat with several members of our crossfit family tonight. It's hard to hear them talking about the gym. I want to get back in there badly.

So, 4 days post surgery wrap up. If you are considering this surgery, then you are like me and are beyond any other help. Either you have exhausted your other options, or you have an injury that is sufficient enough that other options really aren't options for you. I fell into the later category. So, if your doctor is suggesting a Microdiscectomy, I say do it! I certainly don't regret mine. I can already tell this has taken several years off the age of my back. It really feels great. Once I get fully healed up I feel certain that I will be back in the swing of things in no time. I'll update again in a few days.

120608

So, I had an L5/S1 Microdiscectomy yesterday morning. The surgery itself went smoothly. The only unexpected thing they ran into, according to the surgeon, was a hole in the disc they were repairing. Apparently it was so badly herniated that it was actually ruptured. This increases the possibility that i could herniate the same disc again if I'm not careful in the future. I was in surgery just under 2 hours. Woke up lying on my side in the fetal position in the recovery room. When I went under I was on my back. They must have forced me into the sideways position and operated on me that way. Probably makes it easier to perform the surgery with the spine elongated in that way. In any case, I woke up slightly when I was in the recovery room. They made me roll over into another bed once I was in my actual assigned room in the hospital tower. This was a little painful, but I immediately fell back asleep.

I woke up some time later with my family in the room with me. My back felt tight and a little sore, but it was nothing that was unbearable. I noticed that the pain in my left leg was gone! That was really the whole reason I had the surgery, so I was extremely excited that it seemed to be successful! I was told by the nurses that Discectomy patients are generally required to spend the night at the hospital before being allowed to go home. I informed them that I was not really interested in playing sleep over at DCH and asked what I had to do in order to be discharged that day. They said I had to do three things: (1) take a second round of intravenous antibiotics, (2) be able to stand up and walk a little ways, and (3) urinate. I told them to hook up the IV, bring me a bunch of cups of water, and lower the bed rails. Over the next few hours I completed all three tasks given to me. The surgeon came by to see me and gave me the blessing to go home if I wanted to. I didn't give him the opportunity to change his mind. I left the hospital shortly thereafter and came home.

I spent much of yesterday sleeping due to the medication I was given. My wife and my parents were nice enough to rearrange the living room furniture so I could relax, see the tv, and still feel like I am part of the group. The last thing I want is to feel isolated for the next several weeks. The doctor told me that I should get up and walk a few times daily to make sure I stayed stretched out and try to strengthen my core. I have been doing this. It blows my mind that my spine was operated on yesterday and today I'm walking down the street. I have a large back brace (that resembles a corset, really) that I am supposed to wear for the next two weeks, until I have my post-op meeting with the surgeon. I am on pain medication, anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxers. The concoction makes for an interesting feeling. I dare say that I am a little stoned at times. All in all I'm feeling pretty good for having endured spinal surgery yesterday. My incision is burning a little and my back is fairly tight. I can't sit down for more than a few minutes (per the doctor), so lying down or standing up are my only options. Right now the hardest thing for me to deal with is the fact that I can't drive for the next 2 weeks. Apparently if I were to react quickly while driving I could mess up whatever they did in my back. So, for the first time since I was 15 years old, I have to rely on other people to drag me around town. That sucks. Hopefully when I visit the doc in a couple weeks he will clear me to drive. So far I'm definitely happy that I had the surgery. I feel better already. An unexpected gift from the surgery is a large swollen upper lip. Apparently they busted my lip while inserting the breathing tube after I was under. It's very swollen and is making speaking, drinking, and eating difficult. It looks and feels like someone punched me in the mouth while I was unconscious. Since Sarabeth is working at the hospital this summer I have tasked her with finding out who busted my lip and whether it was on purpose. Once I heal up I'll exact my revenge. I'm joking of course (or am I serious?) I'll update again in a couple of days to let everyone know how I'm progressing.

120604

I've been away for a while. When I found out that I was having spinal surgery I got a little depressed. The doctor said I couldn't work out exactly the way I wanted anymore and that kinda bummed me out. I actually felt sorry for myself for about 2 minutes. However, I'm realigned and squared away again. Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement via messages, emails, phone calls, etc.
I went to the beach last week. The in-laws took Sarabeth and I down to Orange Beach. It was a nice little vacation. I definitely had time to re-evaluate my situation while I was there. I was very jealous of Sara. We took a set of bumper weights, her bar, a kettle bell, and a 20# medicine ball for her to use while we were there. She woke up every morning and performed a solid workout in the parking lot of the condo complex. Of course, everyone else staying there thought she was crazy. At one point she was using the side of my truck as a wall for handstand pushups. She was also using the tailgate for box jumps. That was one heck of a high box. Easily 36 inches, at least. She is so dedicated. In any case, all I could do was sit and watch. I wanted to participate so badly. I finally had to stop watching. I spent most of my time during daylight hours on the beach reading Clive Cussler novels. I love his books. I managed to keep the pain in my left leg at bay thanks to anti-inflammatories, Lortab, and a few Bud Lights. My doctor also prescribed me a dose pack of steroids to keep the swelling down. Sara told me it would work well, but would be temporary. She was right. It worked very well, and had my pain all but stamped out. However, I finished the pack Friday. It's Monday and my pain is already seeping back in. Luckily I only have to endure it for a few more days.
I am scheduled for my presurgical testing today at 1230. Hopefully everything will check out alright and they will give the green light for surgery Thursday. People keep asking me if I am anxious about the surgery. My answer is an overwhelming "No". I am ready to have the procedure and get on with my life. I am ready to get back to a pain-free state and see what I am able to do in the gym. Unfortunately, the weeks since I hurt myself have probably set me back to my beginning state, as I feel I have gained a few pounds of chunkiness and lost some strength. I feel certain that I will get it back, and that this is just a set back I must deal with.
My major goal right now is to be able to walk without pain by June 25. June 26 is our wedding anniversary. I have booked a surprise trip for Sara and I for the 25th through the 28th. It had to be a quick trip due to her work schedule, as she has an internship at DCH all summer. She knows we are going somewhere...she just doesn't know where. I'm going to try to keep it a secret until the day we leave. I think it will be more fun that way. In any case, that is only 2.5 weeks after my surgery. I don't want my back to limit us on our trip, so I am so focused on being able to walk a decent amount by that time that I don't have time to be anxious about the procedure. Sarabeth is much more nervous about it that I am. I would do it today if I could.
I will update again before the surgery. Afterwards I am going to try to give a play by play rundown of everything that is going on with my body in the hopes that it will benefit someone else down the line. Thanks for reading!

120525

Well, it has been a very interesting couple of days. As you may recall I injured my back doing behind the neck Snatch grip Push Press this past Saturday. I had an MRI Tuesday evening. Based on this image I was referred to Dr. Rick McKenzie, a local neurosurgeon at DCH. I met with him yesterday afternoon. He showed me the images of my back. I have an ENORMOUS herniation in the L5/S1 disc. My L5 is also cracked. It is not simply pressing on my nerve bundle, it actually has them trapped and violently pinned on my spinal column. Based on the severity of the herniation, the possibility of permanent nerve damage, and my desire to return to an active lifestyle we decided that surgery was the best option. He will be performing what is known as an L5/S1 Discectomy on me. This surgery is scheduled for June 7. I am unable to work before my surgery due to the fact that I have lost nearly all strength in my left leg and the fact that I must stay under the influence of fairly heavy medication in order to remain in a seated position for any length of time. Since my job requires me to drive around, handle firearms, and make split second decisions that carry the weight of life and death I can not work with a system full of narcotics. After the surgery I will be unable to return to my full police duties for approximately 8 weeks. He stated I might be able to perform some type of light duty job within a month or so post surgery, but that remains to be seen. This means that all in all I'm basically out of work for the next 10 weeks. The worst news of all is as follows: several of the Crossfit movements, including heavy squats, deadlifts, snatches, cleans, etc. are no longer possible for me. I will never again be able to do Crossfit as it is intended. I will have to do a sort of modified version of everything. This means no more competitions for me. I'm very bummed out about this. I obviously can't work out at all for the next 10 to 12 weeks. I'm hoping that after that I will be able to at least do more traditional movements, or Olympic movements with lower weight. This will not produce the muscle gains I desire, but it is what it is. Just when I got motivated to make a drastic change in my health, appearance, strength, and life in general this happens. Sometimes life simply isn't fair. Of course, I never expected it to be. In any case, I will continue to update this blog throughout this process. Maybe someone in my position, that has to have this surgery sometime in the future, will benefit from it. Once I am fully healed I intend to complete what I set out to do, even if I have to take a slightly different approach. Thank you all for reading my entries, and I ask that you not give up on me. This is just an obstacle in my path that I have to deal with. It is not the end of my fitness journey.

120523

Well, I haven't been updating for a few days. Sorry. This is because there has been nothing new to tell. I haven't worked out since my back injury saturday. I have been to the chiropractor twice and had an mri last night. I suppose I will see the results of the mri tomorrow. My back feels much better. Despite what some people believe the chiropractor is the only thing that has provided me any relief for my back pain since I originally injured it 3 years ago. I have also been using a TENS unit at home and will have an inversion table arriving within the week. However, the shooting pain that my back injury is causing down the hamstring in my left leg is almost unbearable. It is not too painful when I'm standing or lying down. However, when seated, and the pain is impossible to ignore. This makes driving a vehicle for any distance an exercise in agony. For this reason I took a few days off work, as riding around in a patrol vehicle has been completely out of the question. I'm going to try to go back to work Thursday with the aid of some OTC anti-inflammatories. If you are following the blog, by all means keep up with your workouts and let me know how you are doing. Thursday is our normal rest day, so I'm going to try to ease back into the gym Friday. I will let everyone know how the mri and Friday works out.

120519

Saturday was a frustrating day. Let me lay out the workouts, then I will explain.

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
- Take 12 minutes to establish your 1RM Snatch
1a) 4x3 behind the neck Snatch grip Push Press @ heaviest possible, rest 60 secs
2a) 4x3 Snatch Pulls @ heaviest possible, rest 60 secs

CONDITIONING
- For time:
Run 800 meters
9 Back Squats @275/185# (women)
18 Dumbbell Push Jerk @60/40#
Run 800 meters
7 Back Squat @275/185
14 DB Push Jerk @60/40
Run 800 meters
5 Back Squat @275/185
10 DB Push Jerk @60/40

*****MY RESULTS*****

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
- The day started off well with me hitting a 10# Personal Record (PR) on Snatch. I pulled 145# and stuck it on my second attempt! I was super pumped. Only 19 days ago my I struggled to Snatch 135# and got it on my 6th attempt. This is a testament that my programming is working. I can actually feel myself getting stronger. It was an awesome feeling. One that I want to replicate over and over.
1a &1b- This is where my day went downhill. I did the first set of the Snatch grip Push Press and the Snatch Pulls with no problem. However, when I started my second set of Push Press (@140#) I threw my back out. I had just dipped to perform the first press of the set when I actually felt one of my bad discs in my lower back slip. It was excruciating. I ditched the bar and immediately sat down. I was obviously done for the day. I can't tell whether the disc slipped further out, back in, or if just compressed somewhat. I stopped my workouts for the day right there. Sarabeth finished them as I watched jealously. I'm heading to the chiropractor Monday morning to see what he says. I have also gotten in touch with the folks at the Spine Care Center here in Tuscaloosa to make an appointment with them. This has promoted me to explore options about my bad back. I am so incredibly frustrated that the will to get in shape is in me, but my lower lumbar is holding me back. I'm too young go suffer constantly from this problem. I will update with my back situation as things advance.

120518

I felt strong today. Although I didn't rest all that much on my rest day (I worked a 12-hour shift, then slept for about 6 hours) the absence of lifting weights makes me feel great the next day. In any case, here was the workout.

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
- Take 10 minutes to establish a heavy power Clean and Jerk.
Notes: This should be a true power clean and push Jerk. No split is allowed. No squat clean is allowed. It should end up being as heavy as possible while still remaining under control with good technique.

-7 minutes of 3 Power Clean and Jerk every minute on the minute @ 85% of the above weight

STRENGTH
1A) 4x5 1& 1/4 Front Squats @ heavier than last werk
2A) 4x8,6,4,2 strict Handstand Pushups + Max Effort kipping Handstand Pushups

CONDITIONING
-10 minutes AMRAP of:
100' overhead kettle bell carry @ 70#/53#
5 Muscle Ups
25 Verticle Kettle Bell Swings

*****MY RESULTS*****

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
-I found my controlled max on the Power Cleans and Push Jerk to be 185#. I was excited about this because my previous Clean and Jerk max was 185#. If I can now Power that weight I bet I can break 200# with my C&J.
-I did the 7 minute EMOM with 160#. This was a little more than 85% of 185#. I completed the workout, but it was pretty tough. I never missed any pulls during the workout. I enjoyed that.

STRENGTH
-I started the Front Squats with 155#. Each set I went up 5#, from 155 to 160 to 165 to 170. 170# was tough. I really had to get psyched for the last couple reps at that weight. I handled the strict HSPU without much trouble. However, I just don't get the body movement for tge kipping HSPU I didn't do many of those, just a couple each round. My wife, on the other hand, did 120 of them, total. Here is a picture of her "resting" between massive sets of HSPU.

CONDITIONING
-I used 53# Kettle Bells for the overhead carry. I did this because I didn't want a torn rotator cuff. I used a 70# for the swings. Also, I can't do Muscle Ups yet, so I did a chest to bar pull up, then a ring dip for each rep. I completed 2 full rounds of the workout and was worn out afterwards.

POST YOUR RESULTS!

120516

I have a new appreciation for Thursday and Sunday. Not that they weren't already fine examples of days of the week. Thursday has always been one of my favorites. This probably originated my freshman year of college when we had mixers at my fraternity house on Thursday nights in the fall. Any time a bunch of sorority girls come to your house to party is a good night. Later Thursday became the home of thirsty Thursdays at the Birmingham Barons games. Cheap wings and beer are good things. Sunday is, in the Christian faith, the Lord's day. A day to go to church, eat well, and lay around the house with your family. Sundays are so lazy. It is also a good thing.

Fast forward to May of 2012. Thursdays and Sundays are now rest days on our Outlaw programming. I need these days. By the time they come around my body is so beat that I can't hardly function. After today's workouts I need my rest day even more than usual.

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
-7x1 3 Count Snatch.
Notes: This is designed to work on your form. It should not be heavy unless your snatch form is perfect. Mine isn't. I doubt yours is either. Start light and work your way up. See Crossfit.com for a video on how to complete these. Its basically a full snatch from the ground, then a full snatch from below your knees, then a hang snatch from your thighs. All this without dropping the bar. This counts as one rep.

STRENGTH
1a) 3 x Max Effort Bench Press @ 95%
2a) 3 x 8 Good Mornings @ heavy

CONDITIONING
- 4 rounds for time of:
30 Front Squat @ 115#/95#
15 Toes to Bar
15 Lateral Box Jumps
Notes: Front squats come off the floor, not a rack. Lateral Box Jumps are simply sideways box jumps, onto the top of the box. Full extension at the top and off the other side.

***** MY RESULTS *****

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
- This was the first time I had done these 3 position snatches. I went light as I am still working on my snatch form. I used the following weights: 65, 85, 95, 105, 105, 105, 105

STRENGTH
1a) I used 185# on the bench. Did sets of 3, 2, and 4. Each of these were to failure.
2a) I used 135# for the Good Mornings. These are meant to simulate and strengthen deadlifts. I was afraid to go heavier with my bad back. These were sufficiently stressing. Ill probably go a little heavier next time.

CONDITIONING
- Yikes. This workout was horrible. Front squats are one of my worst movements. Its just so hard to breathe during them. I started the workout at the prescribed weight, but dropped to 95# after the first round. This was tough enough. It took me 30:32 to complete this workout. My first goal was to keep it under 40 minutes. Once I got moving I felt like 8 minutes a round was more than sufficient, so I tried to finish in under 32 mins. I accomplished this goal. Sarabeth did the same weight as me (95#) and finished in less than 15 minutes. She is ridiculous. I'm average. See you Friday!

120515

I read an article once by Dave Barry called "Dave Barry's 16 Things". Apparently it was a list of the some of the most important things he had learned in 50+ years of life. Among these lessons were the following: Never lick a steak knife; Never, under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative in the same night; and You will never find anyone who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time. Dave had a pretty good list. He had some hard-learned lessons in his list.

The reason I brought this up is because I learned a hard lesson last night that would certainly make my list of 16 things. Never apply Rock Sauce to one of your hamstrings without first putting on underwear. Not familiar with Rock Sauce? Let me give you a little history lesson in modern day liniments.

Liniments, also known as balms, have been around for ages. They are medicated topical ointments or creams that are applied to the skin in order to sooth minor aches and pains. They are used for minor sports injuries, arthritis, overtrained muscles, etc. Your father or grandfather probably used Bengay in his time. It was the first of it's kind as a modern liniment containing menthol and methyl salicylate. These are the ingredients that produced that cooling sensation that Bengay was famous for.

Because Bengay wasn't strong enough for some people along came Icy Hot. It had basically the same stuff in it that Bengay had. Just more of it. Shaq now sells Icy Hot, apparently.

Well, once again, a few years passed and Icy Hot just wasn't icy or hot enough for some people. Enter a product called Biofreeze. Biofreeze was suped up Icy Hot. You still see it quite a bit in doctors offices and chiropractic clinics. It can be difficult to come by without a doctors order. That's how serious Biofreeze is. You can't just waltz down to your local CVS and pick it up. Use it more than a few times a day in one spot and you can develop a chemical burn.

Was I just talking about how serious Biofreeze is? Ok. So some lunatic decided Biofreeze was for sissies. This lunatic created a product called Rock Sauce. Rock Sauce contains more menthol and methyl salicylate than any of the previously mentioned products. "So, what?" you may be asking. So, it also contains capsicum. Capsicum is a fancy word for chili pepper extract. You know the O C Spray that police carry? That "C" stands for capsicum. It's hot. Really hot. The Rock Sauce bottle has a skull on the front of it. That means death.

So, I said all that to say this- my left hamstring was really sore last night. Sarabeth won a bottle of Rock Sauce at a Crossfit competition in Nashville a few months ago. We hadn't tried the Rock Sauce yet. There sat the bottle, the skull on the front staring me down. I was about to enter the shower, and was dressed (or undressed) to do so. I rubbed Rock Sauce all over my left hamstring. As soon as I did this I stood up. A very sensitive organ of mine (I belong to the protruding organ gender) made contact with my Rock Sauce- covered hamstring. Oh my gosh. I thought my area was going to melt. It was like being pepper-sprayed in the groin. Actually, that's exactly what it was. I ran downstairs seeking help from Sarabeth. She laughed at my misfortune. I suffered through a shower and got in bed. The pain eventually subsided enough for me to fall asleep.

When I got out of the shower after working out today I decided to try the Rock Sauce on the same area again. I pit my underwear on as a protective shield first this time. Lesson learned.

ON TO THE WORKOUTS!

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
-5x2 Clean and Jerk @ 80%, rest 60 to 80 secs

STRENGTH
-Take 15 minutes to establish a 3 Rep Max Back Squat

CONDITIONING
-Tabata:
Pull Ups
Notes: Tabatas are always 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds rest, alternating, until all 8 rounds are finished. This particular Tabata should alternate between strict and kipping pull ups, beginning with strict.

*Rest 5 Minutes*

-Then 3 rounds for total reps of:
90 secs Max Effort 15' rope climbs
90 secs rest
90 secs Max Effort Burpees
90 secs rest

*****MY RESULTS*****

BARBELL GYMNASTICS
- I used 140# for the Clean and Jerks, which was calculated from my 1RM of 185#. I didn't have much problem with these. I am still learning the movement and am getting better. I was excited that I hook gripped all of these pulls.

STRENGTH
-I ended up doing 225# for the 3RM. This was pretty tough on the last rep.

CONDITIONING
-Tabatas are always tough. I can not do any strict pull ups. I have to give myself a very slight Kip to get moving. Hopefully I will get to where I can do them. I scored a 50 on this workout with the following sets of pull ups: 3,16,1,9,1,9,1,10
-I scored a 60 on the next workout with rope climbs of 3,3,2 and burpees of 16,16,19

POST YOUR RESULTS!