Fast and Fantastic - Who Doesn't Like That?

I snuck in a training session today. It was fast but fantastic.

Yesterday I did a two-drill circuit, and I did the same today with different drills:

Superset - 10 min.
Sumo DL - 36 kg (79 lbs.)
-70 reps
Dbl Cleans - 16 kgs (70 lbs total)
-58 reps

That's 9590 lbs. moved in 10 minutes. To top it off, it was easy!!

I tested the weight before I started my training to determine which bells to use. Then while training, I tested immediately after each set. I found that I am getting better at perceiving when to stop each set. It's a lot of fun figuring out my body's signals.

Density Day

Good thing I listened to my body yesterday cuz today I was on fire! I felt like the Energizer Bunny at the gym.

Bottoms-Up Presses - 10 min.
Left - 20 lbs - 34 reps
Right - 12 kg - 31 reps
-One week ago (April 12) I did 30 reps left and 29 reps right with the same weight in 12 minutes.
**Density PR**

Mini-Circuit - 12 min.
Suitcase Squat - 20 kg - 100 reps
Swings - 36 kg - 100 reps
-On April 17 I did this same mini-circuit and did 84 suitcase squats w/a 20 kg bell and 80 swings w/ a 32 kg bell in 15 minutes.
**Density and Volume PR**

I also weighed myself this morning (Yuck!) and had a PR. I haven't been this weight since high school. Woot Woot!

Words to Live By

Sense. Act. Grow. Repeat.

That's the title of the latest blogpost at The Movement. These words describe the trajectory of my journey. I am learning to perceive my body's feedback, act according to that feedback, learn from that action's results, and do that process again. With everything.

This process makes me better than I was yesterday.

I am learning to let go of my need to plan and control and to instead listen to what my body is telling me is the best thing for me. For example, last night when I updated my blog, I thought I would get up Monday morning and be rejuvinated and ready for a big training session. When I did get up today, I felt rested and intended to train.

Guess what? That never happened. I sensed from my body's signals that I needed more rest. I spent most of the day in stillness, calming and resting my mind and body. It is now 6 o'clock and I am coming out my quiet haze and rejoining life. Had I gone and trained, I would have been very frustrated and probably even hurt myself.

I PRd today on body signal perception. It feels amazing to do the right thing for me.

I'll Be Back

I've been in St. Paul assisting at the RKC since Thursday. First, I recertified; then I had the pleasure of accompanying some fine candidates on their journey to RKC. I met many great people from all over the world - from Brazil to New Albin, IA to everywhere in-between.

It brought back many memories of my RKC weekend and reminded me of the power of relationships, laughter, and an encouraging word. I feel fortunate to have connected (and reconnected) with many talented folks this weekend.

Tomorrow, I'll be back to focusing on my own training.

I did have a PR this weekend:
Standing PR - 10 hours (with a few breaks for lunch and the bathroom) on Friday.

Quality PRs

My movement quality was sooooo much better today. It was crazy. I tested after every set to ensure I was stopping at the right spot. I learned that I was doing too many reps per set in the past. Today, each set actually felt easier. I was better at predicting. Can that be a PR? :)

Military Press - 12 kg - 10 min.
41 reps Left
56 reps Right

Dbl KB Jerks - 12 kgs - 10 min.
85 reps

While I didn't set any volume PRs today, I am very pleased with my movement, testing, and predictions.

I am Amy. I am better today than I was yesterday. I am The Movement.

Tuesday Training

Today, I felt better after training than I did before. It was an extremely hectic day full of stressful moments. There isn't an end in sight for that in the near future. I was so frazzled when I got to the gym. That state quickly faded when I began my training.

Pullups - band-assisted - 10 min.
30 reps
-These were all good reps with as little excess motion as possible.
-It was definitely a movement quality PR.

Dbl KB Cleans - 16 kgs - 13 min.
129 reps = 9030 lbs.
-This is a volume PR since April 14, even though that day I used 20 kgs bells.
-Today the 16 kgs test better and felt amazing. I tested immediately after each set and found that I was doing the right number of reps, mostly. I stopped around 13 minutes, but I felt so good. It was an affirmation that I did the right amount. I was in "the zone."

Questions and Answers

I've been asking lots of questions today. The answers have made me better today.

BU Press - 12 min.
Left (20 lbs.) - 30 reps
Right (12 kg) - 29 reps
-A week ago I did 24 reps left and 20 reps right in the same amount of time. *PR*

Rows - 16 kg - 10 min.
90 reps = 3150 lbs.
-This is a baseline since I haven't done rows for a very long time. I asked my body if they were good today and I got the thumbs up.

Sumo DL - 155 lbs.
31 reps = 4805 lbs.
-This was my first time w/ 155 lbs. I didn't test the amount of weight, so I got the signals that this wasn't the right weight today. Lesson learned. Test the weight. I did, however, have a quality of movement PR. The work I did this weekend made a difference.

I've tested all of my food today. Tea over coffee. Beans over mixed veggies. Steak over chicken or pork. It's given me all sorts of data.

I'm better than when I woke up. It's been a good day.

Doubles Rock!

Today it was all doubles. Double kettelbells. Double PRs.

Double KB Jerks - 12 kgs - 10 min.
87 reps = 4611 lbs.
-On March 19, I did 80 reps in 10 minutes. *PR*

Double KB Cleans - 20 kgs
90 reps = 7920 lbs.
-On March 31 I did 79 reps = 6952 lbs. *PR*

Satisfied

My time to train was short today, so I chose the two drills that tested best. I am satisfied with my two PRs.

Sumo DL w/ DO grip - 145 lbs.
70 reps = 10,150 lbs.
-On Friday I did 68 reps of 140 lbs. for 9520 lbs. *PR*

Bottoms Up KB Press
Left - 20 lbs. - 26 reps
Right - 12 kg - 22 reps
-I dug out my 20 lb. bell for the left since the 12 kg is a bit too much. I don't like the thin handle, but I was able to press it rather easily.
-The BU press on the right felt MUCH easier than it did Friday. I did 16 reps Friday w/ a clean before each press. Today I just pressed away.
-I could have done more reps on both sides, but I ran out of time. I still PRed, though.

Good Day, Friday

Today was the best day of training I've had in over a week. Let me show you why.

Sumo DL - DO grip - 140 lbs.
68 reps = 9520 lbs.
-That is up 9 reps and 1260 lbs. since last Friday, April 2. *PR*
-I didn't rush. I went for fluid movement and easy reps. I delivered.

Hindu Pushups - 4 min. 30 seconds
43 reps
-That is up from 36 reps on Wednesday, April 5.

Bottoms Up Clean & Press - 12 kg
16 reps on the right
2 reps on the left, 25 BU cleans on the left
-I could have done more on the right, but I didn't want to stress my CNS. My left grip needs more work. That's why I did some BU cleans on the left. At least I have a baseline.

Finally!

Something weighted tested well. Could it be that my stress is lessening?

Double KB Clean & Press - two 12 kg bells
54 reps
-The press tested well, as did the clean. When I tested them together, it was obvious what to do. It felt good to use some weight and make some progress.

Hindu Pushups - 4 min. 30 secs
36 reps - PR since Monday

Inchworms
120 yards - PR since Saturday (20 yards farther)

Enough Already

All this stress has taken its toll on my body. None of my goal drills have been testing well the past week. Instead, body weight drills, animal moves, and pinch block curls have been winners. That's fine, to a point. However, I have goals I want to meet. That won't happen until I manage this stress.

What is my body teaching me through this? Well, it's telling me when to slow down. I've slept a lot the past 5 days. My body is telling me that it can work through the stress if I let it. My theory is that my body wants to focus on coordination and other fine motor skills to take the tension away from the places I typically carry it - neck, shoulders, low back. The animal drills force my brain to work in a new way, which diverts my thoughts from the source of my stress. I think my body is actually healing itself from the damage of stress faster by shutting down my normal training and opening up new movements for me.

Honestly, this makes me tear up because it is overwhelming how amazing our bodies and brains are. They really are efficient if we let them do what they need to do. Beautiful.

While I understand this change is what my body wants and needs, it is a bit frustrating. I'm impatient and I worry that I'll lose ground. I need to trust my body. Relax. Learn from myself. Be quiet and listen.

Here's my training from Monday:

Hindu Pushups - 4 min, 30 seconds
31 reps
-This sets a baseline for me since I haven't done these for a long time.

Lizards - 5 minutes
105 yards
-At Grip n Rip, I could even go 10 yards. My brain could not figure this movement out. Today, I was coordinated and quick. Movement PR.

Pinch Block Curls
46 reps Left, 53 reps Right
-I moved the plate down an inch, so I definitely had more volume than my last session. I'm not a physicist, so I'm not able to easily figure out how much more force moving the plate puts on the grip. Perhaps Ryan Pitts knows???

Everybody Wants Some

You wanted to attend Grip-n-Rip, but were unable to make it. Here's your chance to get all the information I learned for less than half the cost of attending. Lucky dogs!

Brad Nelson and Adam Glass have put together a DVD of the Grip-n-Rip workshop so you can get in on the fun. Click on this link to order your copy today:
http://www.grip-rip.com/?AFFID=31552

If you have any questions about the program, contact me.

BTW, you'll want to order soon. There are only 100 copies of the DVD available.

A Couple More

I got in some more training today and had a couple PRs.

Pinch Block Curls - 52 L, R
-On Wednesday I did 42 L, R. Today they were so easy. Easy is good.

Inchworms & Bear Crawls - 100 yards each
-Last time I did inchworms, I went 75 yards total. Today they were so much quicker. Distance and movement PR.

Small Victories

March was officially the month from hell. April isn't looking much better. *Sigh* If I didn't have my training, I'd be a basket case, for sure. Today I squeezed in a quick training session and hit a PR, of course! One small victory today. I'll take it.

Sumo DL, DO grip - 140 lbs. (on a barbell) - 8 minutes
59 reps = 8260 lbs.
-On March 22 I pulled 7965 lbs. in 8 minutes. On March 26, I had to bail on the DL after 6 minutes.
-It's a small PR, but it's still a PR. I'll get another good night's rest and train some tomorrow. I can't wait to see what tests well.