A Change in Training...

     So it's been almost a week since I've posted anything so you'd think that I'd have a lot to say today.  Well...you would be wrong.  

     I did, however, start Coach Jen's mobility class last week.  I'm generally pretty good about mobilizing and stretching after workouts but it will be great to focus on it and learn a bunch of new things over the next 6 weeks or so.   Let's face it- I'm not getting any younger and if I intend on beating the crap out of my body for the foreseeable future (and I do) then I'm going to need to keep up with the stretching.  After all, I'm planning on being old and awesome, like this guy or these people.  Here's an actual photo from class:

I'm on the right.

 

     In other news my training has changed a bit and we've started the 8 week ramp up to the OPTathalon 2.0.  My training on Monday looked like this:

     

single leg take-offs w/jogging between: 5/leg x 3; rest 2-3 minutes

+
A. snatch complex (light weight) x 4; rest 1 minute (1 power snatch + 1 overhead squat + 1 hang squat snatch + 1 snatch)

B. hang squat clean cluster (power position): 1.1.1 x 5; rest 2-3 minutes
C. press/push press/push jerk: 1.2.3 x 3; rest 2-3 minutes
+
on the minute - 8 minutes
2 muscle-up

     The single leg take offs felt pretty good.  I focused on exploding off of each leg and timing the jumps so that I alternated legs.  Of course I looked like I was leaping around the gym like a dork, but I think people are pretty used to that by now.

     A. 40kg, 45kg, 50kg x 2.  I kept the weight relatively light for the snatch complex.  I haven't done any snatching in awhile so these were a bit rusty but, overall, they were no problem.  On the last two sets I dropped the bar in between the hang squat snatch and the snatch to reestablish the hook grip.

     B. 60kg x 1.1.1 x 5.  These cleans were just from the power position so I kept the weight very manageable and concentrated on exploding out of the power position (the third pull of the clean) and dropping under the bar as fast as I could.  This is a bit of a different mental game than lowering the bar to the hang or the floor and then bringing it up until the explosive third pull.  On the very last rep of the last set I could feel that I pulled too early with my arms so I made that rep up because I'm a head case and I didn't want to end on a bad rep.  

     C. 50kg, 55kg, 60kg.  The overhead work was obviously limited by my shoulder press.  I think that 60kg is my last known shoulder press PR and that felt really light today.  So I have that going for me.  Unfortunately the push presses and jerks didn't feel as powerful as I would have liked.  My right shoulder has been a bit funny lately and I don't think that helped.

     The muscle-ups went well.  Again my right shoulder was sore but I was able to complete these with no problem.

     Today brought this....thing....

10 sets:
airdyne @ 80% - 30 seconds
airdyne @ 50% - 30 seconds
+
10 sets:
4 pillar suicide; rest 30 seconds
+
10 sets:
C2 row @ 80% - 30 seconds
C2 row - easy, no arms - 30 seconds

     This is the first true bit of MAP work that I've done in a long, long time and I'm pleased to say that I felt pretty good.  Considering.  I kept the airdyne RPMs at 72-76 for all 10 sets and focused on breathing through the pain.  The lactic acid build up in my legs built up quickly and made these super challenging.  I heard someone say once that if they had 24 hours to live they would spend it all on the airdyne because it would feel like an eternity.  I couldn't agree more.

     The 4 pillar suicides were the hardest part of this workout though.  Each run was 38 seconds long and miserable.  Justin told me I might get a "runner's high" during these.  He lied.

     The rows actually felt fantastic.  I decided beforehand that a 1:50 500m/split was about 80% for me so I tried to keep all of the sets there.  I was pretty much able to do it and a few times even had to slow myself down a bit to keep it at that pace.  I would say that it was definitely close to an 80% effort.  I focused on pulling hard and breathing and even did one extra interval because I didn't set the rower up correctly when I started and the clock stopped running after my first row.  

     Overall I managed to be very consistent throughout tonight and I recovered quickly when I was done.  I'm pretty excited to learn more about my engine and learn to fine tune my work efforts.  

     I think it's time to class this place up a bit so here's one of my favorite Beethoven works (I guess you don't walk out of a college and grad school music education without a favorite Beethoven piece or two...)  This is the 2nd movement of Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique" performed by ex-CSO conductor Daniel Barenboim (I wanted to put the one up of Glenn Gould playing but there were always ads beforehand and that annoys the crap out of me).