Deadlift PR 560 & recovery week

Today I hit a new mark, evidence of the last 7 weeks of training. 560 conventional PR, a first!

Earlier in the week I took time off to rest up. Sine the beginning of the semester I had yet to have a day off without any responsibility, carrying on average 12 hour days wore me out. I needed to recover so I spent this past week doing some yoga and tai chi. It paid off with a PR today! As per usual, when school starts I have to refocus and ground myself. I certainly am training, for everyday life with a good blend of strength, power, speed, flexibility, mobility, and restoration. My diet has been good minus a couple mishaps with a smile.

Back at it Monday, a blend of everything in the short time I have but glad to be relatively healthy, say 95%

Saturday

Life is a constant evaluation. With my main goal of studying and practicing the art of movement I have to keep a keen eye and open mind on what is the best practice for my body (internally and externally) with my current life obligation
Heavy and intense lifting is a natural stressor to the CNS, even with good nutrition and good sleep. And at this time sleep is challenging with my commitments to work and school. Therefore I have for sometime been emphasizing bodyweight.
With my shoulder better I am back to doing pullups, etc

Military press barbell
155/2x5 L external rotator still relatively weak.

Pullup (chest to bar)
6 reps x 5

Handstand 5x5

LSit parallettes 10 second hold to handstand. 3 sets

Crow mountain climber to planche 2 sets

1000 m row

A PR and more

Another day of training and practice. We broke the rack bolts on Wednesday shad to adjust workout, no bands so just straight weight

Wide stance Sumo DL
365,405,455,485 PR
extra wide today almost toes touching plates. Focused on pushing the feet apart and felt deeply connected to bar. Enough so I hit a PR. No belt, just raw.

Followed up with high bar hip width Squat.
Worked up to 365 single.

With school and just a bit deficient due to taxiation of schedule I control my volume. Still getting stronger though

Kneeling jump squats 3x3
Crow mountain climber to planche 3 sets of 5 reps
/side and on last rep holding in planche 5 second :) sooooo darn close
Handstand kick up: figured out arm/shoulder position. Started with shoulder over wrist and this made a world a difference.

Finished off with 30 minute yoga more gentle hatha

Yoga, The Sweet Practice

Ah, the practice of yoga. In no other practice do I experience what I do in my yoga practice. There is something about the yoga room that grounds me to the present and my body. I feel that its a place where I have no distractions, a committed time set aside and common ground. I get to turn off my mind and focus on my breath and body putting myself into each moment, each asana, each breath. It is a form of meditation that brings me home to my heart and soul.

I know this sounds a bit new ageish, maybe a bit abnormal but not all experiences can words surmise. We all have unique experiences in life and many shared or common aspects but the experience as a whole is unique. Often we can relate and comprehend which helps but there is nothing like practice and the experience.

It is wonderful to find a practice in life that rewards on many levels, this I encourage all to do for ones health and well-being.

Namaste

Tai Chi, Yoga & max effort Bench

Tuesday
Tai Chi practice & Yoga self guided

Simple day of mobility and specific flexibility work! Good for the body and soul. Nice to breathe and relax the body.

A vital aspect of my practice

Today (Wednesday)
Max effort bench Press single board
245,265,275,285,295,305 fail

All singles. Great range of motion practice with a pause. Tough weight and still weak in the rotator

Accessory work
Pullups
Bw/5x2
12kg/5x2
16kg/3x2

All off the foot no belt

Banded military press
12kg with band/3x3
16kg with band/3x3

Gymnastics
Straight leg raise 5x3
L Sit to handstand practice 8 reps total
Handstand kick up 10 reps

45 minutes start to finish with a mobility warm up

Max Effort Day, lower body

I love being strong and lifting Big weights is a great feedback loop. I do not have the time necessary to devote to
Competition style training and nor do I desire this. In fact, I prefer to help see others achieve their goals and be a coach. Still, I do follow a plan to make sure I am properly loading with overdoing and leading to increase risks.

Max effort Zercher squat
205,225,245,275,295,315 all singles

Only the third time I have ever done this and first since July 2010 so feel pretty darn happy with this number. It was enough considering I have not been using this in any program. Low volume high intensity.

Box jump
41 inch, 5 singles static start position out of hole

Sled pull
Shoulder, between legs, ankles. 3 different positions, 60 yards total for each.

All the time available this day but pleased.

Strict press/PU and gymnastics

Feels good to be doing overhead press and pullups again. Still feel the weakness in my rotator from being a dumb ass and trying a muscle up while fatigued but I am getting stronger and wiser ;)

Military press
Worked up to 185 for a single. Felt weak but able to
Push through safely and efficiently.

Superset with ring pullups
5x5 strict dead hang

Front lever 3 rounds
Handstand kick up 3 rounds of 6 reps
Stuck my best handstand so far.

Lsit hold skin the cat to handstand hold to planche. 2 rounds and I was done.

1000 m row

The sweet practice

Ah yes, and I stepped into the yoga classroom today and how sweet it was! 90 blissful, peaceful moments with my breathe and body. A graceful and challenging flow I felt at ease and grounded. Inspirational, prespirational, and simpler yoga. Great to practice with my sister as well, she was in her element,

Dynamic Effort squat/DL and yoga

This was a good one. Bands are no joke and the concept of accommodating leverage (resistance) is something when utilized appropriately and within a given program is a game changer.

Dynamic effort Squat
Bands Mini and next size up:
135 bar weight with bands 8 singles
185 bar weight with bands 1 (too slow for a dynamic so went down)

This was a great learning experience. We certainly had more band weight than I intended but we adjusted bar weight and took the percentages of weight to bar and reversed today. Greg set it up and did a beyond excellent job. I felt strong, fast, tight and explosive. Pushing the knees out made the move 100% better. WOW! This was awesome

Lightened Method DL
Big bands hanging fRom top rack.
Bar weight: singles from 495, 545, 595, 635

This are incredible. Bands help off the floor but below knees you feel all the weight.

Hanging Straight leg raise (aka toes to bar)
8,6,4

Handstand kick up practice

Crow mountain climbers 3 sets of 3 reps

Split Day
Yoga deep hatha style

Yoga and gymnastics practice

I love the human body. It's beauty from the inside to the outside is remarkable. The ability to explore the body is one of life's great gifts for a personality like mine. When I made the commitment to learning the art and science of yoga my approach to life and physical practice changed forever. I feel like I am embarking on another level, another change once again with the implementation of gymnastics. I get giddy like a kid when I have the time to practice and I find myself carving out a little time daily with the intensity of my school, work and life schedule t practice.

I am on week 7 and the progress is showing. First, I am learning how to train, how to practice the moves, how to integrate and see how one move helps another and vice versa. The bigger picture is much clearer.

Today I combined the 2 into my own flow and practice and WOW!

Crow mountain climbers 3/side x 3 sets
Pistol 3/side x 3

Crow to handstand 3-5 reps x 3 sets (not a full handstand yet but a progression)
Candlestick 3 sets of 5 (aka deck squat)

Handstand kick up 3 sets of 5
L-sit off yoga blocks (toughest yet due to lack of ground clearance, makes me get feet up) 10 secs x 3

Various yoga poses mixed in, down dog, cobra, up dog, pigeon, single leg forward fold, forward fold standing & sitting,
Wide leg forward fold, kneeling lunge with quad stretch, runners lunge

Max effort, bench/upper body & yin yoga

Started the day doing so e yin yoga and teaching yin yoga. Nice to spend time in deep stretches, nothing forced working on Opening through connective tissue, joints and bones. A practice of patience and a reward of deep relaxation.

Max Effort Bench
Let me say I am not a bench pressed and it is far from my favorite. But with Greg lifting I have been actively engaged and sharing the wisdom I have learned with him and teaching various aspects of the bench thin ally, philosophically and training wise.

3 board bench press
235/2x1
255/2x1
275/1x1
295/1x1
315/1x1


KB military press (single bell)
32/3 x 5

This was great, first time in 2 months due to a weakened rotator from a stupid thing. So felt great! Love these

Supersetted with pullups
16kg/3 x 5

Same rotator has held me back....not making same mistake again ;)

Ring L-Sit 20 sec x 3

Handstand freestyle practice

Parallettes L-sit to headstand (head off floor) to planche
5 reps total

Done!

Tai Chi

Todays practice, Tai Chi. A great one hour practice. A majority of the time is joint mobility practice. From there we practice the forms, adding and building on the prior weeks. At the end we practice sticky hand drills, etc. the style is wuDang Zhao Bao and the teacher is the 12th generation successor.

Since this class is taught through school there are some limitations to progression, however, the movement practice is beautiful and calming. Really helps teach relaxed movement and fluidity.

Max effort monday

Max effort day:
Front squat:
235, 255, 275, 295, 315 fail
All singles with pause in the hole.
315 fail due to position, got out of hole fine just near top lost position and was not worth saving

Box jump static
3 sets of 3 @ 39.5

Handstand face the wall. 30 sec x 4
L-Sit parallettes 15sec x 4

Both advanced positions (progression)

1000 m row

Good solid workout and Greg set another PR, 370 front squat!, start of week 3

This was an ideal training day.

First part of day filled with yoga and sun salutations. Great way to wake up and move the body. 30 good minutes and a savasana to top it off

Second part of the day had the pleasure of training with Greg Larsen, my fiancé and Greg's wife. Plus we had Chris Eagen, Kevin McMahon (former olympian), devin Lopez, DJ Downs and a couple others so made up a strong training room

Today was dynamic effort squat day! Love squatting and dead lifting so this was a fun one.

Box squat 12 inch box with bands used for accommodating leverage
205 + bands for 8 sets of 2

This was tough. Getting appropriate band tension is not easy. We are learning to use the rack but the tension felt good and movement strong. I like these, teach you to drive throughout full range of motion.

Deadlift bar starting 2 inches of floor with double mini bands.
295 plus bands for 7 singles.

This really keeps me in my groove and forces me to pull through fast and strong bottom to top.

Kneeling jump into rock bottom squat
5 sets of 3

Fun, fast and ninja like :)

Sled pulls
6 plates, 200 feet x 3
9 plates x 1

Gymnastic
Toes to bar static 5x2
L sit rings: 20 sec x 2
Handstand 5 x 2
Candlestick (deck squat) 5x2

L to handstand practice on parallettes 3 sets of 3

Food! And school

The Sweet Practice

A long day comes to a beautiful end with the Sweet Practice. Yes, the practice of deep peaceful Breathing blended with the dance of the body. Yoga, always rewarding brings so much more than just stretching to live. I always find a creative space when practicing yoga. My mind is free and clear of all things it feels needless at that time leaving space for a deeper level of awareness/consciousness.

Tonights practice carried the aspect of yin and restoration, filled with forward folds, gentle twists, and gentle hip/sacrum openers. A sweet melody filled the background, with candles providing the light. And of course, every yoga session is topped off by my favorite asana, savasana. Clear mind, relaxed body, peaceful nature.

Great day for a workout. Had some free time and took advantage. Met up with Greg Larsen to teach him portions of his new program and lift.

First time bench pressing in at least 6 months. So a bit rusty but since I am well trained the neurology is set in place and I quickly dusted off

Max effort day (westside inspired)
2 board bench press
Worked up to 285, did 275, 265, 255 for doubles 
Felt really good. I had a great groove and strong out of the pause. 
Did not want to push to hard and fast so stopped here and loading felt great

Followed up with ring dips, pullups and..
Sled work. Various upper body moves, pressing, flys and reverse flys, seated and standing row. 

Finished with
toes to bar dead hang

Hand stands free style

L-sit to handstand on parallettes to planche. This is a work in progress but indeed is progressing quite well. At approximately 60 degrees on handstand part. Arms are still bent but able to start pressing up. This will improve/increase once I get proper position 

The Practice is fluid

Yes it is indeed fluid. The practice as a whole is always changing but there is another element of the practice that is also fluid. As enter the last year of TCM medical school I am embarking on a challenging semester including 26 units o class hours with internship. In addition I have my existing business which is another 20 + hours a week.

Over the past three weeks I have had little work and no school during this time I had ample time and energy to dedicate to my physical practices. During the school semester this is very difficult and leads too me adjusting goals to meet demands.

Therefore daily I make time to do some form of my practices, yoga, strength, gymnastics, running. The numbers are less important in terms of reps, sets, weight, time, distance and are much more dedicated to focused movements that contribute to my overall health and well-being.

Today practice
Gymnastics including
Pistol
Pushup
Hanging L Sit static
Front lever static
Handstand kick up free style
Planche modified static hold

Yoga modified sun salutation flow
Tai Ji

The key is honing skill and as skill increases it is easier to hone with less time which is why I am keeping things relatively 'simple'

Fun Day

Today was great, felt like a kid on the playground. Sara and I took to advantage of a beautiful Winter day and went outside and hit the track. Simple movement day.

Run a lap, do 25 pushups, 5 strict toes to bar
4 rounds

Total of 1 mile, 100 pushups and 20 T2B

Finish with Handstand Practice and at home yin yoga.

With school starting tomorrow and a 26 unit semester plus, at least one seminar to attend, etc. I am just happy to have the ability to move the body. I imagine things will become a little more sporadic but I will keep up to my best abilities with my practices.

Deadlifts and Oly's

Still in a deloading phase but always room for practice. I love Saturdays because of the great group that comes together for the Deadlifts. I enjoy coaching when needed and helping the crew of Crossfit Los Gatos. It started with myself and Chris Eagen, then Devin Lopez, and now DJ Downs, of course my fiance Sara Gurka, Michelle Viviano, Coral Lloyd, and now Greg and Jen Larsen. We are continually adding great people dedicated to their human potential.

Sumo Deadlift
Note: took a wider stance to focus more on hips and overall felt stronger even deloading
Worked up to heavy singles finishing at 425

Rack Pulls (2 inches below knee)
worked up to heavy singles up to 515
Enough today at this weight. This was the max I had considering my focus was to deload. Always nice to have 500+ be a deload week. I can tell just by feel how much stronger I am. Next week, time for a change.


Hang Power Clean and Jerk
155: 5 triples

Last week this sucked so today just put myself into a corner and trusted my intuition and felt great. Much easier and I can tell things are coming together. Sometimes all we need is to practice what we know instinctive and intuitively. Too much coaching, too many tips at this point is just too much. I just need to trust what I am doing at a lighter weight and practice. This is a new journey so I have time :-)

Yoga

Deloading and Gymnastics Practice

For the past number of weeks I have been putting some BIG loads on the bar, multiple weeks of 400+ lb squats, 500 to over 650+ lbs Deadlifts, Heavy snatches, cleans, jerks, etc. my body has kindly suggested I back off a bit so I am taking the cue and no bar work till Saturday DL. In the meantime there still is my gymnastics practice so today was all about that.

Strict Toes 2 Bar 5 reps x3
with
Handstand Holds (face the wall) 20 second holds x3

Pull-ups 5, 6, 7 ladder (dead hang pause, tactical with chest to bar)
L-Sit Parallettes 15 second hold x3

Front Lever static holds x 3
planche static holds x 3

L-Sit to handstand (elbows bent) for 3 rounds holding handstand (not perpendicular yet)

All these I am attempting to increase difficulty so times may reflect this. And sometimes, my body is just pooped by the time I reach a certain exercise. Progress is coming and it is evident.

1 mile Run

Stretch as always. Directed Yoga stretches to address areas of need!

Clinic hours starting January 9th

Beginning Monday January 9th I will be the school clinic Mondays 4-7 pm. The first 3 sessions are complimentary. Each session includes acupuncture, massage, stretching (if applicable) and a nice rest :) my main focus is orthopedics & sports injury/performance. To make an appointment please contact the clinic directly at http://www.fivebranches.edu/health-centers/1183 408-260-8868

Olys and gymnastics! 1 step forward

Yep another day of practice. It may sound/seem redundant but it is my key, consistent practice. Now, as you look at my numbers, etc it may not make sense, no worries. The idea is a wave based Periodized model written in pencil, flexible and adaptable. First it is important to understand my goal. As a whole in my life my "goal" is to take one step forward each day. As Lao Tzu says a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so in my journey, each day I want to take a step forward. I apply this approach to all things in my life and this is the case in training. I want to develop a consistent, sustainable approach that allows me to get better each training session and to explore new frontiers in human potential. That being said here is today's breakdown Warm up with joint mobility, dynamic movements. Hang power clean: work up to singles @ 155lbs 8 total This was pure ugliness. I was off in an attempt to make an adjustment. I hit a few that felt easy and the others were just off. Jerks (split) work up to singles: 205 finishing weight No spring, no power and again just ugly. Not my day on the olys but awareness is key and instead of beating myself up I transitioned to my favorite part of my practice, gymnastics Gymnastics L-sit (parallettes): 3 holds @ 15 sec each Handstand face wall: 3 static holds Front Lever: 2 sets legs straight up to ceiling, 1 straddle. All held for time. Planche on parallettes: 3 sets practice static holds. Hip to head parallel to floor, knees bent L-sit to handstand (not full handstand yet, arms bent and legs still at angle. 3 reps, 3 sets holding 'hamdstand' Done!

Workout of the Day

Another one in the books. Had a strong workout today, felt good, fresh and healthy. A great opportunity to workout with Greg Larsen, a phenomenal athlete and student of the game. Squats (Strength Day): worked up to heavy singles 315 335 365 385 405 deep in the hole squats. Felt great had more in the tank but this was a good place to stop. Had to film Sara's workout so my snatch workout became a simplified practice. Hang Power Snatch: worked up to a few singles 135 for 3 singles This is still such a raw movement for me. Definitely not neurologically programmed. I should spend more time practicing this and the clean jerk just to hammer in the motor pattern. Not big volumes but more quality practice. This is exactly what today was and I feel like I took a step forward. Greg offered a good tip with my knee position and this made the move much easier and more proficient. Military (Strict) Press: worked up to 3 singles 155 for 3 singles This is the first time in over 6 weeks. The reason is due to a strain I suffered being a dumb arse trying a muscle up (bad move on my part and I paid the price with a strained rotator cuff). So felt good to come back and do some light work and loading. Super set with Strict chest to bar tactical style dead hang pullups: 5 x 5 just added this back into the fray as well due to shoulder so again, positive! Box Jump: 38 inch Static squat hold (above parallel) 3 sets of 3 Super set with Banded Kettlebell Swings 24kg (blue band) 3 sets of 8 reps Finish off with gymnastic work 1 set of L-Sit Rings: 40 second hold (best ever) Handstand face the wall: hold for time and positional awareness 1 set of Bar Hang L-Sit: 35 second hold 1 Round of free standing handstand practice (able to stick 1 and hold for a number of seconds) Additionally: Sara kicked butt in her workout! Greg hit a Squat PR of 415 today! not bad on our first day squatting together!

Today's movement practice, Yoga! My favorite and most important practice! Call it getting in touch with my breathe, freeing my mind/ego and flowing with grace! Focus back ends. Warm up with sun salutation A, etc. Cobra, locust, bridge, bow, and wheel. Finished off with shoulder stand (very important to invert in general), plow, happy baby, twist, supra baddha and my favorite, savasana. A good challenging practice addressing many of the areas with greatest restriction/tightness. An invaluable asset in my practice! Good to be aware and be able to address these awareness with conscious choice action!