February 14, 2016 – Week 4, Day 4

Dynamic Warm-ups

Paused Front Squats (2 second pauses)
No Pauses
45x10
95x5
95x5
125x3
125x3
150x1
150x1
Added Pauses
175x1
175x1
200x5
200x5

6” Trap Bar Block Pulls
170x5
260x3
350x1
405x1
455x3
455x3

Deadlifts
150x1
200x1
250x1
300x1
350x5

Truck Pull Sims
LBsx75 seconds
LBsx75 seconds
LBsx75 seconds

Neutral Grip Pull-ups
bwx3
bwx3
bwx3

Ab Wheel
bwx7
bwx7
bwx7

35 Minutes of Stretching

Comments: Another cold one. Went for a walk yesterday and had frost in my beard by the time I got back. Much the same today. Had two space heaters running at the gym. Pause front squats needed more sets than usual to get ready, even with the light weight. Knees were especially achy (more so my left) so I figured it was best to make sure I was warm for the sets. Weight moved easy but I think I was holding my breath a little too much on some reps. Trap bar blocks after that. No straps as the weight is light and I don’t grip and rip here. First set was pretty darn good but the second set was a bit tougher as I gripped the handles in an odd way so the bar was off balanced and dipping forward. Couldn’t stop once I started kind of deals. Pulls from the floor followed. I started out really light to make sure my body was ready. Felt tougher than I would have liked but I am using a stiff bar with no knurling and setting my grip so it is a truly dead lift. Hamstrings are tight. I wasn’t going to be able to do the uphill pulls for about another two hours so I figured I’d try a substitute using bands and harness. Essentially walking in place in low stance like I was doing a truck pull. If only I could get something so I could work my arms this would be great for endurance. Stayed at Max Fitness to do pull-ups and abs. Floating without the weights on. Very explosive and hard to control my body with how light I feel. Ab wheel felt super easy home to stretch a lot and get out of the cold. Halfway through this cycle; only 5 weeks left. Scheduled a massage for tomorrow night to make sure I’m ready for these next four weeks.