Better days, finally

I was so glad last week that I seemed to have gotten rid of those freakin' clingy viruses and could return to training that I probably overdid something (pistols, maybe, dunno) and managed to pull some groin muscle so that for days even driving my car was a challenge. More time off from training, eh. What can I say, I'm obviously not tough enough for being that stupid.

The good news is, however, after this forced off time, voila, I finally managed my first unassisted pullups, woo-hoo, 'twas about time!

Anyhoo, I've decided to proceed real cautiously this time and do all strength work in good old GTG fashion until the DK cert (in two weeks) is over: pullups, pistols, presses, windmills, everything. A set or two between two clients/classes. That adds up quickly.

As for ballistics, I'm getting back into VO2Max training:

Monday:
15:15 @16kg, 20 sets of 8
10min, 160 snatches
That was less than half of what I did last time but it felt unexpectedly tough.
Then, another 10min of swings:
40sec on, 20 sec off
27-28 swings @24kg
10 sets
This was the first time, I think, I worked with the 24 in a work-rest ratio of more than 1:1. Hard on the forearms, although I kept mixing one- and two-hand swings.

Tuesday:
15:15 @16kg, 30 sets of 7
15min, 210 snatches
Cut back a rep and went for more sets. That one rep makes quite a difference.

Yesterday:
15:15 @16kg, 40 sets of 8
20min, 320 snatches
This felt like I'm almost back to where I was. Cool.

And I saved the best for last: by courtesy of John Du Cane and Dragon Door (a big thank you!), I'm now a cartoon heroine! You can check out my new article, a case study of my CK-FMS "voodoo" work in the articles section of the Dragon Door website.

There's hope

Although I'm a bit scared to say that - the last few days were like a roller coaster, one day I felt better, the next weak again.
Thursday was my planned off day, on Friday I only did my pullups and even that was a burden. On Saturday I was only good for vegging out.

Things were getting better yesterday:
band pullups: 4, 4, 3, 2, 1
Then:
5/5 C&P @16kg
20 swings @32kg
10 rounds

Today:
band pullups +
MP @16kg (L/R) +
box pistols (R/L)
5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Then
VO2Max, 15:15 @16kg
50 sets of 8
25min, 400 snatches

So far so good...

Not that slight...

I made a premature statement last week presuming it was "nothing serious" - the next day I woke up with a full-blown cold so that I was reduced to a state of mere vegetation over the holidays. I'm still far from being okay but I did a little bit of this and a little bit of that yesterday and today, just to remember how it feels to be alive.

Yesterday:

swings
30sec on, 30sec off
10/10 @16kg
10/10 @20kg
10/10 @24kg
20 two-hand @16kg
20 two-hand @20kg
20 two-hand @24kg

4 times through, 24min, 480 swings

Today:

Band pullups: 4, 3, 3, 2, 1
Box pistols: 3*5/5
C&P @16kg 3*5/5

VO2Max, 15:15 @16kg
40 sets of 8
20min, 320 snatches

Interestingly, strength level has dropped significantly, while ballistic endurance is more or less unchanged. I would've expected the other way round.

No flu

A slight virus infection, perhaps. Still somewhat weak, a bit of a sore throat and a bit of a running nose but nothing serious, thank God. Elbow and wrist are pretty good already but, as tomorrow I'll be off to Austria for the Easter holidays anyway, I decided to take it easy this week and get rested before I start anew next Tuesday.

Monday:
VO2Max, 15:15, @16kg
30 sets of 8
15min, 240 snatches

Today:
5*10/10 snatches @16kg
5/5 C&P @16kg
5/5 TGU @16kg
5/5 C&FSQ @16kg

45sec on, 45sec off
one-hand swings
rep ladder 1-->5 (30 swings) @16kg
rep ladder 1-->5 (30 swings) @20kg
rep ladder 1-->5 (30 swings) @24kg
7 rounds
31,5min, 630 swings

Happy Easter, everyone!

Still rehab

I'm still not 100% so I restricted myself mostly to getups, windmills and OH squats (sets of 5/5 @16kg) this week. On Thursday I did 15 rounds of the swing-snatch-combo from Monday with a client - he was down with a bad cold last week so the usual Thursday VO2Max wouldn't have been the right thing to start with.
1min on, 1min off @16kg
3 snatches L - 3 DARC swings - 3 snatches R - 3 DARC swings - ...
6*3 snatches and 5*3 swings per round
15 rounds
30min, 270 snatches, 225 swings

I felt all weak yesterday and got up with a sore throat this morning. I hope it's not that freakin' Influenzavirus B that is reported to have arrived here now that A seems to be leaving, eh.

On the mend

At least in some regards.
I took the rest of last week off and got that elbow 'beamed'. Low-Level Laser Therapy - it's like exorcism, I tell you!
After the first time the pain stopped radiating into the upper arm but did so all the more into the forearm. Pressure on some spots in the palm sent lightnings into the elbow. After the second time it all left my elbow and moved into the ulna and the wrist. Then into the small and ring fingers. No sensitivity on pressure any more but on pulling, like carrying things. Then only on pronation. Now it is still lurking around in the wrist and ulna a bit but causes only some slight discomfort at one certain movement when the arm is in one certain position.

So Monday I tried a couple of things:

band pullups: 4, 4, 3, 2, 1

I did them, but they didn't feel all that good... Not painful, just sort of weak and unstable. But, thank God, seems like they didn't worsen things either.

3*5/5 MP @16kg
3*5/5 TGU @16kg

Presses were okay, the getups too. I was more concerned about the reps L with my right as the supporting hand, but that was no problem either.

1min on, 1min off, @16kg
3 snatches L - 3 DARC swings - 3 snatches R - 3 DARC swings - ...
6*3 snatches and 5*3 swings per round
20 rounds
40min, 360 snatches, 300 swings

I didn't want to jump right back into VO2Max training right away so I chose this combo with just 3 snatches at a time - the pace is a bit slower (like 7 in 15sec) - and swings mixed in and comfortable 1min rests.

(Res)training

band pullups: 4, 3, 3, 2, 1

VO2Max, 15:15 @16kg
30 sets of 8
15min, 240 snatches

That elbow issue is still lurking in the background: the pullups were no problem, but my snatches are a bit slower on that side, at the top. Not much, I still got all 8 reps in, but... dunno. I decided better not to push it and stopped at 'comfortable' 30 sets.

Something is bothering my right elbow...

I bumped it into a door handle pretty hard some time last week and the whole arm was numb for quite a while and then tender for a couple more hours but it seemed to be okay by the next day. Might be the pullups, too, too much too soon, no idea.
Anyway, even if I liked ladders and the many-sets-of-few-reps-approach and they worked, I switched to another program that is more frequent but with less volume at a time.

band pullups: 4, 3, 2, 2, 2
3*1 double C&P @2*16kg
3/3 bent press + windmill + OH squat @16kg
3/3 TGU @16kg
3/3 half kneeling presses @16kg
3/3 arm bar presses @16kg
3/3 MP @16kg
1/1 Sots press @12kg - this is a difficult move for someone who tends to pitch forward in the squat, lol
3/3 bent presses @16kg
3/3 TGU @16kg
3*5 ab wheel, 5sec out, 5sec hold, 5sec back

10/10 swings @24kg
10/10 cleans @24kg
5 rounds

2 VO2Max sessions in 3 hours

This is interesting.

I did 30 sets of 8 @16kg with a client I often train ballistics with at around 5 pm (this was postponed from Monday). Then I remembered I always do VO2Max together with my Thursday 7 pm. advanced group... Doing it again seemed less a nuisance than having to excuse myself, so again, 35 sets of 8.

I knew my hands could take it, my technique has gotten a lot smoother the last few weeks. What I didn't expect was that the first session would have no influence on the second at all. Even though I was teaching in the meantime, I was completely recovered, I had no fatigue from the first one, I didn't slow down and it didn't feel any harder than the first. (5 minutes later I was in my beginner group, teaching - the snatch, lol.)

VO2Max, 15:15 @16kg 
30+35 sets of 8
520 snatches

Tomorrow's a new day

5/5 C&P @16kg
3 „L-sit“ chins
5 rounds

A few bent presses @16kg, jerks @24kg and chins with one hand gripping a towel hung on the bar.

VO2Max, 15:15, @16kg
40 sets of 8
20min, 320 snatches

It’s not my day... I’m just dragging myself through it. I did a bit of something just to have something done as I had a day off yesterday already, and I didn’t want to postpone this VO2Max-session any further either – but even if these 40 sets felt easier (physically) than the 30 last time, all I wanted was to get it over with.