March 29, 2013 – Rep Deadlift Day & March 30, 2013 – Event Training

March 29, 2013 – Rep Deadlift Day

Dynamic Warm-ups

Deadlifts
135x5
225x5
275x3
315x3
365x1
410x1
Added Straps
460x12

15" Rack Pulls w/MMB’s quad (+280lbs)
Added Straps
135x3
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
315x3
315x3
315x3
315x3

Glute Ham Raises
bw+25x12
bw+25x11
bw+25x8
bw+25x8

Pulldown Abs
140x12
140x12
140x12

Reverse Hyperextensions
90x20
90x20
90x20

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Was meaning to do this workout Thursday night to give me rest before event training. Forgot that the one gym was closed Thursday and I practically fell asleep when I got home from work so Friday had to be the day haha. Quads still sore mind you but not going to be making this too unbearable. Changing the pulling style, I'm setting my grip so that my form with and without straps is the same. No straps I can do grip and rip but obviously can't with straps. I know my grip is strong but I don't want to mess with alternated grip right now. Rep set felt good, felt pretty light. I was aiming for 10 but that was way too easy to end on so I did two more with some deep breathes between. I feel I could have done two more if I had to and maybe hitch a third rep. I don't want to get ugly; leaving reps in the tank. Moved from deadlifts to rack pulls. Been a while since I've done banded rack pulls and they sucked just as much as I thought they would. Quite painful for my upper back. Planned weight had been 275lbs but I felt that I was strong man and need 3 plates. Quite tough but got the reps and sets in for it. I think my hamstrings were in a state of shock by the time I got the glute hams. Didn't feel them until I sat down between sets haha. Ugly reps and couldn't do 4x12 like I had hoped but I can keep working at it. Abs were good too and I upped the weight on the reverse hypers. 90lbs doesn't feel any different than 50lbs to tell the truth.



March 30, 2013 – Event Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

Yoke (drops at 50')
250x100'
430x100'
610x50'
680xpick
750xpick
750x157'4"

Atlas Stone Loads to 60"
250x3
290x3
415x1

Atlas Stone Carry and Loads to 52"
250x30'
290x30' (2 roll-ups and 1 load)

Comments: I didn't want to wake up early today but I had to if I wanted to get in breakfast in me before doing events. Drove out with my younger sister to IronMill as I wanted to do yoke and stones and she wants to do a contest. I didn't have her do much strongman stuff, just finding good working maxes for her workout program. Back was quite dead from rack pulling. Yoke just felt awful on my back so I was leery of how it would go. Even as I got ready for the work set, the thing still felt stupid heavy. Just awful doing this on yoke haha. Took a bit of down time to cool off from yoke and get ready for stones. Only have light stones and then one heavy stone. Using the platform, my choices were 49" or 60". I went with 60". Felt slow and stiff on the light stones so I wasn't really keen on going for the heaviest one but I did. A little slow but got it up pretty good. Just did it for a single. I didn't want to do that little of volume on stones so I decided to practice stone carries with the lighter stones for the Pro/Am. Haven't tried this in like two years when I first did it at a contest. Surprisingly easy. Lou told me to do some roll-ups on my second go since the load was so easy for me. Still really easy. Going to have to try it on heavier stones but felt good.

March 27, 2013 – Overhead Event Day

Dynamic Warm-ups

Bigg Dogg Strongg Dumbbell Clean and Presses
20x5 R
20x5 L
50x5 R
50x5 L
80x5 R
80x5 R
110x5 R
110x5 L
132x5 R
132x5 L
152x5 R
152x5 L

One Arm Overhead Axle Supports
72x3 R
72x3 L
122x3 R
122x3 L
172x3 R
172x3 L
192x3 R
192x3 L
212x1 R
212x1 L
222x1 R
222x1 L
232x1 R
232x1 L

Band Triceps Pressdowns/Face Pulls (no rest)
MBx25/MBx25
MBx25/MBx25
MBx25/MBx25
MBx25/MBx25

Comments: Kind of an experiment day. Two overhead pressing day; one for general strength while the other is event specific and treated like an event day. Goal of this day is to get my dumbbell press up to snuff. Using a 5/3/1 protocol for now so I can get some rep work in and work up in weight. Basing the percents off of my actual max from last year before Nats. Forgot my collars so I was worried about the top set weights being a mess. Not bad on the dumbbell work besides and issue with my right hand. Dumbbell keeps trying to roll out of my hand and it feels like my thumb is going to tear off. Disrupted my last set and I had to rechalk my hand. Going to try some different positions for that side next time and see if that lessens the torque. Already decided to just use the left arm at the Pro-Am but I want to keep balanced. Tried out some overhead supports with the axle with one hand. I put a squat pad on it as well to make the bar diameter similar to the circus bell. Incredibly awkward with just the axle but I'm a fast learner. Hoping this well help with the balance issue. Surprisingly exhausting even with low reps. Had goal in mind for a single and hit that. Finished up with some high rep band stuff to get blood into the upper back and triceps.

March 25, 2013 – Speed Squat Day

Legs really sore now. Did foam rolling after stretching at home, did some more when I woke up this morning and will probably do it again tonight. Stairs and sitting down have been my nemesis all day haha.

Dynamic Warm-ups

Squats
45x10
95x5
135x5
185x3
225x3
265x1
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3
305x3

Reverse Band Squats w/AB's (-125lbs)
355x2
410x2

Front Squats
95x3
145x3
195x3
245x5
255x5
265x5
275x5
290x5

Barbell Hip Thrusts
335x12
335x12
335x12
335x12

Band Leg Curls
Smalls+Minisx12
Smalls+Minisx12
Smalls+Minisx12

Kettlebell Swings
44x20
44x20
44x20

25 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Lifted at the new crossfit place. Small little area for just the biggins to lift. Lots of deep squatting today. I had put down for 10x2 but I was stupid and did 8x3. Close enough I guess haha. I felt immediate soreness in my quads about halfway through those sets so I knew I was in for a long night. Taking the squats as deep as I can. Reverse bands weren't meant to be hard, just more fast lifting with more weight. First set was easy, second felt like I actually had stuff on my back. Legs were twitching by this point but still had more punishment. Plan on paper was 5x5 on front squats with 245lbs. That was too easy (I rarely feel awesome on these) so I kept adding 10lbs each set. Last set of five would tie my best set of five (haven't tried for more than 3 reps for a while) so I just put on the cookies on top of it just to make me happy. Still solid, felt good for more. Next time. Took a bit of time to set up the hip thrusts. Haven't done them in a long while and I never really did them for higher reps. Pain was immediate on the hips but I got used to it. Hamstrings really hate these after a while. Fatigue gets to them haha. Did some leg curls with bands (legs and hips were just dead) and then did some kettlebell swings before calling it a night.

March 24, 2013 – Heavy Press Day

Been taking a break from lifting as I did something to my back deadlifting on Wednesday. Doing soft tissue work on it as well as resting. Only exercise I did was go for a walk yesterday to help get some blood flowing into my legs and back. Spent the days since then just devouring information on The Cube Method (both powerlifting and strongman version) and I think I have my new workout stuff decided.

Dynamic Warm-ups

Swiss Bar Strict Presses
45x10
75x5
105x3
135x3
160x3
185x1
205x1
220x1
235x1
250x1
265x0

Close Grip Axle Floor Presses
160x3
210x3
250x8
270x8
290x8
300x8

Incline Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows
110’sx12
110’sx12
110’sx12
110’sx12

Dumbbell Overhead Extensions (seated)
110x12
110x10
110x10

IYT’s
5’sx12
5’sx12
5’sx12

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Started out rough. Really, I knew that the strict pressing would suck so I picked the variation that I knew would hurt my pride less. Still pissed me off but it gives me a start. Went on to floor pressing. No stress on the back with these. Plan was just a good set of eight and I accomplished that and then some so that was a success. Lots of rows for the back muscles. Last minute threw in more triceps work. First set felt good but then I saw on the video that it wasn't as deep as I thought it was. Rectified this for the over sets. Lots of work put in today. Hopefully this is the way to go for me.

March 18, 2013 – Bench Press Training

Some things. If I do conan's wheel with the current split I'm running, it will have to be the week before deloads as it just beats the hell out of my shoulders and forearms. Saps my pressing strength a bit. The other thing is that I'm doing the Pro/Am on May 11, 2013. Got the leave approved at work and booked the hotel. This will be the only show I'm training towards right now.

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
175x3
215x3
245x1
275x1
305x1
330x2
345x2
360x2
290x9

Wide Grip Barbell Bench Presses (paused)
275x6
275x6

Close Grip Barbell Dead Presses
330x1
330x1
330x1

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx3
bw+45x3
bw+90x3
bw+135x5
bw+135x5
bw+135x5

Dumbbell Front Raises
50’sx3
50’sx3
50’sx3

IYT’s
5’sx12
5’sx12
5’sx12

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Shoulders felt tight and sore. I forgot how much conan's wheel beats up the front of the body. A tough workout just became even tougher. Just about all the weights felt heavy. I elected to have a spotter for the top double. I was ready to go and then his hands came out and it threw me off. Almost lost it but got the two ugly reps. Haven't used a spotter in a while. Got to remember to use side spots next time. Just about every exercise I felt soreness in my shoulders and triceps. Still managed to get all my reps for everything. Good bit of stretching to end the day.

March 17, 2013 – Event Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

Yoke (drops at 40')
250xpick
430x80'
610x40'
700xpick
790xpick
880x40'
930x40'
1070xpick

Conan's Wheel
+90xpick
+270xpick
+450xpick
+630xpick
+630x27'
+630x60'
+700x55'/+630x30'/+540x30'/+450x30'/+360x60'/+270x80'

Comments: First time actually training at Ironmill. The main goal of this workout was to see if I could handle conan's wheel stuff. I was the first one there besides Lou, Amanda and Ranger. A few quys from the Bucktown show were out to train. We warmed up carrying all of the conan's wheel parts outside as well as most of the plates. For yoke, I was going for a solid heavy run (hopefully with PR weight) and if still feeling spry, doing a heavy pick. Only the 40' to work with inside but that's fine. Warm-ups felt good. Switched to picks after the first two sets to save it for the heavy stuff. After the pick with 790lbs, I elected to use less than planned for my heavy run and went with 880lbs. Felt heavy but no doubts I was finishing with no drops. I was going to call it there but seeing others new to the sport going at it, I felt compelled to try some more weight. Ended up doing 20lbs over my best no drop yoke run after that. Quite pleased with that considering I haven't gone over 750lbs since early November at Nats. Finished up with a pick of 1070lbs with a 5-count hold. Not too bad once I got it up. Good boost of confidence in my yoke programming. I didn't enjoy conan's wheel. Haven't done it in about 2 years. Just did picks to warm-up (as most contests won't let me do much warming up on the apparatus with weight). Just felt off the whole time. Just posting the weights put on the thing rather than include whatever the arm weighs. Keeps me honest. I got less than half a revolution on my first go. Felt light headed, had to shake the cobwebs out. Super mad at that, it's hard to fight through something like that. Went again and just made it a full lap. Added more weight and tried to get another full lap. Got close but not quite. Better than just plain blacking out three steps into it haha. I had a stupid plan of doing a drop set right after the top weight and it was stupid. I just kept going until I fatigued and keep removing weights until I was back to just 270lbs on it. Over 285' total. Forearms and legs were sore so I figured it was as good of a time as any to pack it in. Good session but still very uncertain about the damn wheel.

March 15, 2013 – Overhead Training

Going to have to make some decisions soon. Still uncertain about April contest as I haven't had a chance to practice on Conan's Wheel. I've been feeling light-head on overhead and with how usually pass out doing the event, I've decided that if I can't get the practice in, I'll pass on the show. Hopefully I can get in a session either this weekend or the next. Also concerned that the Pro-Am in May still doesn't have the entry form up yet. Less that 8 weeks to prep (that includes training, work and travel plans).

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Jerks
90x5
90x5
120x3
150x3
180x1
210x1
240x2
255x2
270x2
285x2
235x10 (had to break after 8)

12" Log Jerks with Chains (+50lbs)
215x3
215x3
215x3
215x3

Bigg Dogg Strongg Dumbbell Clean and Presses
137x1 R
137x1 L
147x1 R
147x1 L
157x1 R
157x1 L
167x1 R
167x1 L
167x1 R
167x1 L
167x0,0,1 R
167x1 L
167x1 R
167x1 L

Dumbbell Overhead Extensions (standing)
130x6
130x6
130x6

Incline Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows
115’sx6
115’sx6
115’sx6
115’sx6
115’sx6

Band Triceps Pressdowns
MBx25
MBx25
MBx25
MBx25

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Didn't feel that great working out today. Left shoulder was just super tight and stiff all day, hips still sore from trap pulls and abs and knees really achy. A perfect storm of suck for my style of overhead. I was having a hard time keeping the log high in the rack position and sore hips made the power stance awkward. I got the reps for log work on the heavy stuff. Did split jerk style for the top set. Just gassed going for ten reps for jerks. Got eight and then a short rest to get the last two. Chains sucked big time today. First rep was awful as the one side of chain hit a snag and shook me around a bit. It was originally going to be 2 sets of 6 but I knew that was impossible on that first set and elected to do 4 triples instead. And that was still super tough with the chains if I didn't stay perfectly tight in both my core and shoulders. I was seriously thinking about ending the workout after that first set. Shoulder issue carried over to circus dumbbell. Third set for my right I lost tightness and had the stupid thing hit my ear. Really smarted. Eventually got through the sets and did the assistance stuff. A much needed change of pace from jumping under weights haha. Stretched and ate steak and watched Archer and The Life of Brian to finish up the day.

March 12, 2013 – Bench Press Training & March 13, 2013 – Lower Body Training

March 12, 2013 – Bench Press Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
175x3
215x3
245x1
275x1
305x2
325x2
340x2
355x2
290x8

Wide Grip Barbell Bench Presses (paused)
270x6
270x6

Close Grip Barbell Dead Presses (short rests)
320x1
320x1
320x1

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx3
bw+45x3
bw+90x3
bw+125x6
bw+125x6
bw+125x6
bw+125x6

Dumbbell Front Raises
45’sx4
45’sx4
45’sx4

IYT’s
5’sx12
5’sx12
5’sx12

26 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: This was the first time that I've actually been concerned with the planned weights. The jump was much greater than it has been so I wasn't sure if I would be ready. Despite being somewhat tough, I got the weights on bench with no issue. Still not using wrist wraps for the lifting. Good to be hitting some PR's now. Wide grips felt better, even with the added weight. Last rep is becoming something of a grinder on them. Had to use the crappy squat rack setup for the dead presses again. Still okay. Swaying on dips was to a minimum but still tough doing all of the sets. Set three was actually the easiest of them. Just jumped right in with the weights on front raises. Tensed up everything before attempting to move the dumbbells at that seemed to help a lot. Finished up with upper back and stretching.



March 13, 2013 – Lower Body Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

Deadlifts
135x5
225x5
275x3
315x3
365x3
405x1
455x1
495x1
545x1
590x2
485x3
485x3
485x3
485x3
485x3

Deadlifts w/MMB’s dbl (+80lbs)
405x1
455x1
495x1
545x1

16" Trap Bar Block Pulls
500x1
550x1
600x1
650x1
700x1
700x1

Glute Ham Raises
bw+35x10
bw+35x10
bw+35x10
bw+35x10

Spread Eagle Sit-ups
bw+45x8
bw+45x8
bw+45x8

Reverse Hyperextensions
50x20
50x20
50x20

28 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Getting tough. First time this whole cycle that I'm approaching PR weights. Hit 545lbs double overhand. Still having issues with the alternated grip in getting my hands sets and pulling fast. I got the double but it was tough. Speed work was alright but that too was marred by some alternated grip shenanigans. Last workout using the band pulls so I went for broke. Still pretty good with some in the tank. After that, I wasn't too sure what I was doing. I guess I wanted to test where I'm at for side handle car deadlifts. I did singles and shut it down after two tough ones with 700lbs. I need to think what I want to be doing after my main pulls; most likely just squatting. Worked through the assistance stuff as fast as I could. Just exhausting haha. Went home to stretch.

March 10, 2013 – Event Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

Uphill Yoke (10 second runs)
355x75'0"
445x72'4"
535x64'5"
625x59'8"
725x56'0"

Atlas Stone Loads to 52"
240x3
335x1
385x1
420x1
452x3

Comments: Slept in to catch up on sleep, didn't help that I lost an hour for daylights savings. Upper body was sore from yesterday but I felt well enough to do some events. Got a lucky break getting access to stones later in the day so I did the speed runs on yoke. I tried filming these but ladders do not make good camera men. Quite pleased to work with over 700lbs for a "speed" run. Got in a good bit of conditioning putting all of the plates away in a hurry haha. Had to drive over to Jenkins' for stones. Got rear-ended on the way. Figures. Got set and ready for stones despite that. Plan was to see how I was feeling and see if I can hit a decent stone. Really my goal was to load the 420lbs and give my 452lbs a try. Did the first three stones with no tacky. Tacked up and went after the 420lbs stone. Much easier lap this time but it stuck to my shorts which made for a fantastic grinder to get it on the platform. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try the 452lbs one after that but I talked (yelled at) myself to get me ready for a run. Lapped it easier than the 420lbs stone and got it on the platform with little trouble. I was happy and thought about stopping but then a little voice said do another. Never tried to do more than a single with this stone. I walked back, shouted, and did it again. Abs were sore from straining. I was content and ready to start unwrapping the tape when that little voice said "nobody has done three with it". Definitely a near max effort to get it on the platform but I got it. Super pleased with that. I may get back to loading my 505lbs stone again this year.

March 09, 2013 – Overhead Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Jerks
90x5
90x5
120x3
150x3
180x1
200x1
220x2
235x2
250x2
265x2
280x2
235x9

12" Log Jerks with Chains (+50lbs)
205x6
205x6

Bigg Dogg Strongg Dumbbell Clean and Presses
132x1 R
132x1 L
142x1 R
142x1 L
152x1 R
152x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L
162x1 R
162x1 L

Dumbbell Overhead Extensions (standing)
130x6
130x6
130x6

Incline Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows
110’sx8
110’sx8
110’sx8
110’sx8
110’sx8

Band Triceps Pressdowns
MBx25
MBx25
MBx25
MBx25

31 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Past week has been stressful. Not going to go into it in public. Did my overhead workout at the Y. Training was slightly different from what I had been doing. Log felt off, I was having troubles just getting it off the rack. Still doing the log work without a hard belt but really not sure why my upper torso felt so weak. Log came down weird on 250lbs and I was about to black out so I reracked it before going again. Even my leg drive felt weird; it was like I was using mostly hips and glutes. Of course I was concerned with the almost passing out issue but I managed to get up to the top weight. Not as easy as I would have liked but not an issue. The rep set was a different animal. I felt all wobbly and I banging the rack going for the last rep which threw me off so I had to rerack it as well before getting it easy. Quite exhausting. During my recovery from that set, it got me thinking about what needed to be worked on. Leg drive felt strong, lockout felt strong but my stability felt off and having such long arms and torso, balance is key. Now the original plan had been to go into my dumbbell workout but I was rethinking it. I was already quite tired from log reps and going into a bunch of reps with dumbbell would be asking for trouble. I decided to change things up to having so more log work to get in the stability issue and then do heavy singles for the dumbbell. Odds are high that the dumbbell is going to be well over my max at the Pro/Am so it would be wiser for me to get my technique down and work on getting heavier and heavier weights for singles rather than rep work. I went with log jerks against chains for reps to hit the stability issue. Not sure what happened on the first set but I started to pass out after the second rep and reracked the weight. Left arm started spasming and I waited until it stopped and made sure I was okay before crushing the four remaining reps. I came back and got the next set of six easy. Circus dumbbell went well. Just doing singles work (like I'm doing for dead press) and getting my technique down. Works so much better with my collars on it haha. Plan is to drop top sets and add a little bit each time and hopefully work up to around the contest weight. Moved on to assistance work stuff. Going up 10lbs on triceps is no joke haha. First set felt like the thing was going to crush my head but the next two sets were easy. Lots of upper back work and light bands to flush out the triceps. Relaxed by stretching.

March 06, 2013 – Lower Body Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

Deadlifts
155x5
205x5
245x3
295x3
335x3
385x1
425x1
475x1
515x1
570x2
475x3
475x3
475x3
475x3
475x3

Deadlifts w/MMB’s dbl (+80lbs)
425x1
475x1
520x1

18" Box Squats
255x3
305x3
345x5
395x5
445x5

Glute Ham Raises
bw+35x8
bw+35x8
bw+35x8
bw+35x8

Spread Eagle Sit-ups
bw+45x8
bw+45x8
bw+45x8

Reverse Hyperextensions
50x20
50x20
50x20

30 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Had to make a change of plans and lifted at Max Fitness. Haven't trained there in a while, almost a year now I think. Felt good to come back and I'll most likely be doing my lower body workout there from now on. I was on the clock as I got there so late that I really had to try and rush through my workout. Hit what I needed to hit on deadlifts. Didn't look too pretty but I still felt I could have done at least 2 more reps if I had a gun to my head so getting back to where I was. No platform for the bands made it a little tricky but I got it. Messed up my grip on my two heavier band pulls. One was a timing error and the other was just plain grabbing it to far off center. Still got them but not as fast as I would have liked. Used the thick squat bar for box squats. I did a lot less warm-ups then I did last time as I was working fast and I knew from last time it wouldn't take as many. The short rests and the fatigue from the heavy pulling made this quite challenging. Barely got the reps haha. I think that I'll do just the prescribed reps for the 5's and 3's week and if I'm feeling saucy, try for some additional reps on the 5/3/1 week. I tried setting up elevated trap bar pulls to simulate a car deadlift but not enough time. I do feel that they would be harder than what my car deadlift setup is so I may just be focusing purely on deadlifting normally. Glute hams were super tough on my glute ham machine. Hammies are hating me now. Abs felt good with the nearly doubled weight. Did super light reverse hypers to finish up the day. Super late when I got home to stretch.

March 04, 2013 – Bench Press Training

Dynamic Warm-ups

Close Grip Barbell Bench Presses
45x10
95x5
135x3
185x3
225x3
270x2
285x2
300x2
320x2
335x2
290x7

Wide Grip Barbell Bench Presses (paused)
265x6
265x6

Close Grip Barbell Dead Presses (short rests)
315x1
315x1
315x1

Parallel Bar Dips
bwx3
bw+70x3
bw+120x6
bw+120x6
bw+120x6
bw+120x6

Dumbbell Front Raises
25'sx4
45’sx4
45’sx4
45’sx4

IYT’s
5’sx12
5’sx12
5’sx12

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Still fighting off this cold so workout was a tad rough. Felt slow and heavy but film suggests otherwise. Still going strong with the planned weights. Wide grips actually felt somewhat tough this time. First set is always harder than the second. Dead pressing was easy. Dips were pretty tough, weight was swaying back and forth. Tried a warm-up set for front raises but it didn't really help much so I may just continue jumping right in to the work weight. Finished up with the usual.

March 01, 2013 – Overhead Training (Deload)

Dynamic Warm-ups

12" Log Jerks
90x5
120x3
150x1
180x1
200x3
200x3
200x3

12" Log Clean and Jerks
171x6
171x6

Dumbbell Overhead Extensions (standing)
70x10
70x10

Incline Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows
70’sx10
70’sx10
70’sx10

Band Triceps Pressdowns
MBx25
MBx25
MBx25
MBx25

29 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: With it being just a deload workout, I went to the Y rather than Jenkins as I thought I could get through the workout quicker. I was wrong. The open tiered squat rack was in use for some kid doing leg and jumps training so I had to use bumper plates to elevate the closed power rack. Lower back was a tad achy but everything was explosive and easy. The clean reps sucked as I am still quite stuffed up with a head cold so really hard to breathe. Achy lower back didn't help either. Flew right through the rest of the workout easily and finished up with stretching. Hopefully two days of nothing and decent sleep will be enough to kick this cold out of my system.