Monday 21 January 2013

A Week of Highs and Lows

Hi Guys & Girls,

The training continues...

Sunday 13th January:
Conditioning Day

Today I decided to hit up my new barbell complex again but with a few changes.

3 Bent over rows
3 Hang Cleans (receive as necessary)
3 Push press
3 Back squats
3 Pull ups
3 Bar facing Burpees (full, no press up)
x 6 minutes, as many sets as possible

Rest 3 Minutes
x 3 Rounds

1st Round  - Olympic bar + 2x25lbs (about 43kg total)  Completed 5 sets

2nd Round  - Olympic bar + 2x35lbs (about 52kg total)  Completed 4 sets

3rd Round  - Olympic bar + 2x35lbs (about 52kg total)  Completed 5 sets

After about 5 minutes rest
Row (Level 10) 500m as quickly as possible
completed in 1.44 (.9)

This was a tough session.  During the 2nd Round of the barbell complex I felt I could have possibly achieved a 5th set but I couldn't quite push myself to get there.  It was frustrating but it made me determined to get 5 sets in the 3rd round.  When I finished the barbell complex I felt...well, fucked.

During the intensity of the session, trying to push myself to fill each 6 minute rounds with as much work as possible felt very similar to a Jiu-Jitsu fight.  I have mentioned before that I believe barbell complexes are a particularly good training modality for BJJ conditioning and this session strengthened that belief.  Complex bar movements like these work you from head to toe while challenging your cardiovascular system and grip at the same time.

There were times when I just wanted to give in and quit but I am glad that I pushed through...I just don't look forward to the next time I have to attempt this!

If you want to get incredibly fit and strong, and especially if you train in grappling then I recommend using barbell complexes as part of your conditioning programme, try the one above if you want.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Monday 14th January:

BJJ class at the Canmore Fight Club x 90 mins 

It was great to get back on the mat and roll with some other Jiu-Jitsu fighters.
I hope I can make this a regular part of my training while I am out here in Canada,
although due to the scheduling of the bus service it does end up being a 4 hour round trip for a 90 minute lesson.  However, if you want something enough, you have to be willing to pay the price.

Unfortunately I also aggravated a rib injury which I got from snowboarding a few months ago.  I will have to be mindful of this and maybe adapt my Jiu-Jitsu game to avoid positions which will further hurt it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tuesday 15th January:
Strength

1) Hang Power Snatch 3 x 3 (40kg)

2) Front Squats 5 x 3-5  74kg x 5 / 76kg x 4 / 79kg (175lb) x 4 / x 3 / x 3

3a) Around-the-world Pull ups  4 x 8-12  x10 / x10 / x8+2 / x6+2
3b) Straddle L  4 x max time  (bars-low, straight legs)

4a) Inverted bodyweight Rows 3 x 15 (pause at top, slow down)
4b) Rear shoulder exercises L / Y / W (on cable) 3 x 15 reps each
4c) Symmetrical Deadbugs 3 x 30 sec per side

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Wednesday 16th January:
Strength

1) Power OH BB Press  85lb (40kg) x5 / x4 / x3 / x2 / x1

2) Handstand press 5 x 3-5  (achieved x5 / x4 / x4 / x4 / x4)

3a) Back lever 4 x 12 sec (Flat tuck - bar)  PROGRESS THIS EXERCISE NEXT TIME
3b) Front lever 4 x 12 sec (Straddle - bar)  PROGRESS THIS EXERCISE NEXT TIME

4a) BB Stiff legged Deadlifts 3 x 10-12  (60kg - 80kg)
4b) Saxon side bends 3 x 10-12 per side  1DB (15lb-20lb)

5a) Nordic curls 3 x 8
5b) Hanging leg raises 3 x 10  (Just to 90 degrees due to rib injury)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Thursday 17th & Friday 18th January:
Rest Days - each with 1 hour snowboarding

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Saturday 19th January:
Conditioning

I was feeling extremely lethargic when I got home from work today, I hadn't really slept sufficiently for a few nights and had also been snowboarding for a couple of hours in the afternoon.  Never-the-less I decided to attempt a challenging session which I had put together.

The aim was to do:

5 Power Clean & Jerks (50kg)
10 Pull ups (kipping allowed)
10 Burpees (full with press up)
- starting a new round every 2 minutes for a total of 10 rounds (20 minutes)

I quickly realised that I had very little left in my tank.
After just 1 round I had to adapt the session to only do 5 Pull ups on each round
and I called time on the session half way through, after only 5 rounds (10 minutes).

My hamstrings were still tight and achy after Wednesday's session and it was clear that my body was run down and needed more rest before pushing through a session like this.

I hate feeling like this, but it is better to listen to your body and rest when necessary rather than run it into the ground.  I decided to get some nutritious food in me, get a good nights sleep and see how I felt the next day.


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sunday 20th January:
Strength

After a decent rest I was feeling ready to get back in the gym so this is what happened...

1) Muscle ups 3-5 x 1-5  (achieved x5 / x5 / x5 / x4)

2) Weighted Pull ups (neutral grip) 3-5 x 1-5  Bodyweight + 20kg x 5 / +25kg x 5 / +30kg x 5 / +70lbs (about 34kg) x 4 / +80lbs (about 36kg) x 3

3a) Handstand to lower 4 x 4
3b) 2 DB Lateral Step ups  4 x 12-15 per side  (achieved 2x45lb / 20kg x 12ps / x12ps / x14ps / x15ps

4a) Ab Wheel rollouts 3 x 8-10  (kneeling x 10 / standing - partial x 10 / x10)
4b) Overhead Squats 3 x 8-10  (43kg x 10 / x10 / 45kg x 10)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Monday 21st January:

BJJ Training (Canmore Fight Club) x 90 min session

Another great night of training, it was brilliant to be on the mat, practising techniques that have been floating around in my head all week.  I also managed to avoid aggravating my rib injury again, which is a massive bonus.


So there you go, another week of training, highs and lows.  Had a couple of sessions where I was firing on all cylinders, I felt strong and made some good progress and then experienced a dip due to lack of adequate rest and recovery.  Lessons learnt.  Hope it helps some of you guys.

More posts coming soon guys,

Train hard, live happy
Bradbury

No comments:

Post a Comment