Monday, July 7, 2008

A month off and then an unexpected DL PR

I have been extremely busy and therefore lax updating my blog. As a result, this post contains the last three training days. In all, my right knee is doing much better and I feel good about my approach to training.

Monday, July 7, 2008


Z-Health: R-Phase & NWU2

BW x 5 x 2/2 Partial Pistol to Parallel
COC Trainer x 3 x 5l/8r
BW x 2 x 10 Front squat

Back in Dec of last year I trained Naked Warrior pistols and was able to perform barefoot BW rock bottom singles with both legs. My form must have been lacking as I suffered some lower back pain and stopped doing them. Today I have resurrected them and am starting back with GTG partials.


32kg x 1 x 10/10 Slingshots
32kg x 1 x 5/5 Figure 8 to a hold
32kg x 2 x 3/3 Viking Push Press
24kg x 1 x 8/8 Viking Push Press
32kg x 1 x 2/2 Jerk
32kg x 1 x (1/1, 2/2, 3/3, 3/3, 2l/4r) TGU

The two sets of TGU triples each side with the 2 pood was a PR. On the last, I could only do 2 with my left and then set another PR with 4 on my right.


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Morning:

Z-Health: R-Phase & NWU2

Extensor work super set:
A1: 10lb Shotput x 1 x 3 wrist extensions
A2: 10lb Shotput x 1 x 9 reverse wrist extensions
4 sets

BW x 1 x 10 PowerWheel on knees roll-out, 5 sec hold, roll-back
BW x 1 x 15 Clapping push ups

Weight: 176 lbs, BF%: 15.2

Wednesday, July 8, 2008

Morning:

Z-Health: R-Phase & NWU2

Conventional Dead-lift (lbs):
200 x 10 x 1
215 x 6 x 1
225 x 4 x 1
240 x 2 x 1
265 x 1 x 1 (PR)
275 x 1 x 1 (PR)

After almost a month off from pulling due to my right knee injury I have unexpectedly returned stronger than ever. Somehow magically I became a conventional puller .. weird. All of a sudden it feels much more natural than the Sumo .. anyone with a theory for why this happened is greatly encouraged to comment. According to Rif, this is probably a good thing as he believes one actually becomes "stronger" pulling conventional vs sumo .. sounds good to me!

The 265 and 275 pulls were not planned. The two 240 singles felt "light" so I decided to hit while the iron was hot. They both weren't too bad so after 275, I went for 285 and got it off the ground a few inches before my grip failed .. no problem as this was my first day back pulling.

Afternoon:

Key for below: l = left, b = both, r = right

Swing/TGU Superset: Variations of the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) Circuit:

32kg x 1 x 5l/5b/5r/5b swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Left
24kg x 1 x 5l/5b/5r/5b swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Right
x 3 sets
24kg x 1 x 5l/5b/5r/5b swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Left
24kg x 1 x 5l/5b/5r/5b swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Right
1 min rest
24kg x 1 x 20 Two-hand swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Left
1 min rest
24kg x 1 x 20 Two-hand swings
32kg x 1 x TGU Right

The last time I did the AMT circuit, I used the 24kg for only two-hand swings and 32kg for the TGUs. This time I used Tracy's roundabout method for ease the grip for heavy one-hand swings by mixing it with two-hand swings and alternated the 32kg with the 24kg for the 1st 6 sets and then finished off with the 24kg. There was no resting the 1st 15:20 and it was brutal.

Evening:

16kg x 2 x 5/5 Cross-Lateral SLDL (Single Leg Dead-Lift)
24kg x 2 x 3/3 Cross-Lateral SLDL
16kg x 1 x 10/10 SLDL
24kg x 2 x 5/5 SLDL
24kg x 1 x 6l/8r Viking Push Press

The cross-lateral SLDSs are a killer for me with the 24kg. The normal SLDL is no problem even with 32kg, whereas I can only do singles with that weight for the much more difficult cross-lateral SLDLs. I started doing these as recommended from the top-notch Cook and Jones "Secrets of the Backside". These really get my glutes firing.

10 comments:

Colin said...

It's all those swings and snatches Franklin. I went to 140ks x 4 without any deadlifting for over 3 months. Congratulations again.

I'm always interested to go on RKCs blogs the veritible smorgasbord of exercises they throw into sessions. Yours is no different. It always looks like good fun...with a little sweat I'm sure ;)

Franklin said...

Colin,

Maybe I should take another few months off to get to 140kgs also!
I wish it was so easy.

And I'm still perplexed why all of a sudden I can only pull conventional.

Aaron Friday said...

Man, you sure like to exercise a lot!

Congrats on that deadlift PR. It's a significant improvement, right? No surprise about being stronger after a layoff. That lift really treads on the nerves.

Howie B said...

Congrats on your PR and newfound strength! How did those 32kg Jerks feel? And yes, I agree with Aaron, you like to exercise a LOT!! =)

Sean Schniederjan RKC said...

Congrats on the lazy man's PR Franklin! lol

I'm reading the Purposeful Primitive right now and I can't wrap my mind around how much some of these guys DL. Like Aaron says, it torches the CNS, at least for me.

I've always felt more comfortable with conventional DLing, a by-product of all the one arm kb ballistics probably.

Martin Schap said...

You are an animal!

Franklin said...

Aaron,

Today, I had my piano tuned. I've known the guy for years and he's a big fellow about 6'2" 220lbs with a beer roll. He hadn't seen me in three years (and 30 lbs heavier) and commented on my new body recomposition. I then explained the benefits of KBs, gave him a quick demo and now he wants me to train him.

All good so far.

Then he sees my Olympic bar which at the time had on 255. I tell him about dead-lifting and asks if he can try it. Before I could stop him he lifts it with an overhand grip cleanly and puts it down.

So I then proceed to tell him that I worked 4 months on getting to that amount. Then jokingly, I asked him if he would train my deads!

He took to KB swinging like a monkey and loved the pump .. this guy is goin be a blast to train!

Franklin said...

Howie,

Thanks for the praise, its really appreciated. As for jerking the 32kg, it should have been written as LCCJs .. I always clean before each jerk.

Even before my knee injury, I would stay under 3 reps per arm with that weight. I'm doing it hard style so with that amount its challenging.

Franklin said...

Sean,

I too have been reading Purposeful Primitive and those guys are so freak'n big and strong.

I love the book except for the glaring omission regarding the amazing uniqueness of combining strength and cardio training with the practice of Kettlebells ballistics.

Franklin said...

Martin,

Thanks so much. I'm starting to feel that 300 is not out of the question within the next two or three months. It really is a very difficult and unnatural lift for me and its pleasing when I make small gains with it.