Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Back to Basics

A good nights sleep; weight: 176 3/4 lb, BF%: 15.5. My elbows and shoulders feel great this morning! This is great news considering the ROP press ladders yesterday. I added the shotput extensor work and its really paying off with my elbows. This, Z-Health and a lot of TGU work has really stabilized my left shoulder allowing me to press pain free.

Early morning:

10lb Shotput x 3 x 3 wrist extensions
10lb Shotput x 3 x 8 reverse wrist extensions

BW x 1 x 20 Push ups: Focusing on rowing to the ground for controlled negatives
BW x 1 x 10 PowerWheel On the kness Roll-out, 5 sec hold, roll-back
BW x 2 x 10 Clapping Push ups

Mid afternoon:

The Alternative Minimum Tax Circuit:

24kg x 1 x 20 Two-hand swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Left
24kg x 1 x 20 Two-hand swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Right
5 sets in 13:45 for 200 swings and 5 TGUs each side

The TGU's are the active rest between the swings. The last time I did this was with just the 24kg. I upped the TGUs to the 32kg and the swings definitely were harder this time.

(24kg + 32kg) x 3 x 80yds Farmer walks
(24kg + 32kg) x 1 x 80yds Double rack walks

I forgot how brutal farmer and rack walks can be at the end of a training session.


Before bed:
Z-Health R-Phase

6 comments:

Aaron Friday said...

Nice workout. High reps and high-intensity singles intertwined, with a bunch of grueling walking at the end. Very balanced.

Colin said...

I like what you've doing with the shot. Ever throw that sucker about? I think it's an action I could do with doing.

Franklin said...

Aaron,

Thanks man, simple but nasty. I was very surprised at how much the walks taxed me.

Colin,

The shot is strictly for extensor work. It has really helped keep my tennis elbow condition a small annoyance instead of a debilitating injury. Its painful to do but well worth it .. another big thanks to James "Smitty" Smith at DieselCrew for suggesting it.

Mike T Nelson said...

Glad everything is going so well! Nice!

Do your elbows feel better after KB presses?

Rock on
Mike N

Franklin said...

Mike,

Hey, thanks for checking in! Regular military presses feel good even on the controlled negative which used to cause soreness.

However multiple reps of BUPs (bottoms-up presses) with the 16kg will cause some pain and soreness. I get similar pain when working my grip with the COC#1 for singles or even medium rep sets (5-10) with the COC trainer.

Both R-Phase and NWU2 elbow circles provide relief. I'm not out of the woods completely yet but significant improvement over the last three months has allowed me to add back snatches and now presses to my training .. I'm a pretty happy camper!

Mike T Nelson said...

AWESOME!

You have probably already tried this, but here it goes

Z Health--do most of the drills with an open palm, fingers spread, wrist in extension. Good ones are elbow circles and shoulder fig 8s/circles. Change the rep speed to a slower speed than what you have been doing, try 5-10 seconds PER rep. Also be sure to work Z Health open and closed chain knee circles as there is a neurological connection between the knees and the elbows. Lateral ankle tilts sometime help too.

Long eccentric KB presses---use a moderate KB and do a long, 5 second eccentric motion (so very slow). Use your other hand to get it in position at the top if you need to at the end. Try about 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps each day. Watch your grip and make sure you don't grip the KB too tight and even open your hand at the top. You probably have tendonOSIS which responds to modification of the collagen in the elbow (via eccentric load).

Don't do anything that is painful in the mean time. You want to get out of pain, not create more.

Swings in my experience and any high tension grip motion may aggravate it; so give them a break for a few weeks. Once you are pain free, slowly add them back in. Within a bit you will SURPASS your old numbers.

If it is not better in about a week , drop me a note. You should notice a change for the better in a few days. It if gets worse, stop of course.

Let us know how it goes as the above has worked well for myself and others, but I am always interested in more data on it. Keep rocking!
Mike N