October 27, 2025 – Week 9, Day 1

Dynamic Warm Up

Axle Push Presses
40x8
70x5
100x3
130x2
160x2
190x2
220x5
220x5
220x5
220x5
220x5

Breathing Pause 12” Log Incline Bench Presses (2 second eccentrics)
90x3
120x3
150x3
180x6
180x6
180x6
180x6
180x6
180x6

Alternating + Together Dumbbell Floor Presses
80’sx6(1/1/1)
80’sx6(1/1/1)
80’sx6(1/1/1)

Half Kneeling Neutral Grip Bottoms Up Kettlebell Presses/Assisted Spanish Squats (3-0-3-0 tempo)/ Spanish Squats (3-0-3-0 tempo)
20x15/15 – bwx10 – bwx10
20x15/15 – bwx10 – bwx10
20x15/15 – bwx10 – bwx10

Single Arm Dumbbell Rows/Band Single Leg Seated Leg Extensions (first 12 with 0-1-0-2 tempo)
112x4/4
140x10/10 -- mb+10x12+12/12+12
140x10/10 -- mb+10x12+12/12+12
140x10/10 -- mb+10x12+12/12+12

Stretching

Comments: Weight back up a little to just over 260lbs. This seems to be where I’m floating around week to week for the past 6 months so seems to be consistent. Had felt pretty darn worn out last week with fighting cold/allergy stuff and finally feeling good Sunday but feeling like I needed to spend all that day getting affairs in order with recovery and prepping for work and training week. I was worried about what training on Monday would be. But it does seem that Ms. Funk seems to be calling it just right with training and recovery week to week. So some concerns alleviated from that but others added haha. Only this week to go with dealing with the work in office and then back to what I’d been doing. Foam rolling to start things off. Lower legs needed a good bit. Not so much elsewhere but slight more right quad vs left. Neck rehab stuff followed and that was good. Needed that as shoulders still feeling a little bit tense from last week still and my lower back and hips had felt tense. I ditched some of the movement prep as I felt that my knees were going to be feeling what was coming and not really feeling like what I was doing was actually preparing things. Stretching was needed and it was dark out by this point already. I mean it is going to be worse come next week with the time shift. Ugh. But now time to lift. Axle again. This has been my big concern coming into the session. My worry had been that this would be axle clean and press again and heavier than the week before. There is mental baggage still needing to be worked out here. The last time I did 240lbs for sets of reps and then the next week singles with 256lbs I was to do 3 singles with 260-270lbs and I couldn’t get a lift. That had been frustrating as weights were moving great the previous two weeks. And then axle feeling rough at Worlds. I know that the prep for that had not been ideal with me getting frustrated with my own training and hiring on help four weeks out essentially. So with that on top of worries biceps not recovered enough from Saturday dumbbell work had me on edge. So thankfully that wasn’t the case. Back to out of the rack pressing. But it was back to doing a good bit of volume. Plan was 220lbs for 5x5. No pauses or tempo added so it should be well enough. My knees were feeling stiff warming up and I kind of expected that I’d be doing a more shallow and sharp dip for lower body drive. 30lbs jumps and then time to go. I was apparently still nervous and anxious about missing reps here as I had mistakes. First set I seemed to be a little stiff and got bit more limber and better as I went. But that laxity had me misgroove my fifth rep badly and it became a fight to lock that one out. Not ideal to calm the nerves. period to come back.. Second set I had a bit more power on the first two reps compared to first set but I got off balance on the catch with the third rep and stumbled forward. Now I credit this to all the upper back work this offseason and those ssb front squats that this didn’t rock my world and I was able to resettle and go about my business with pressing. Lockout for the last rep was a little tough. Third set was the ideal set in that it was fast and smooth reps and I didn’t feel taxed. After the first two sets, it felt good to have a set go as it should. Fourth set was about the same but slight stumble forward on the drive up for the first rep but recovered. Last set on last rep rack position got a little loose and drifted forward a little bit so that lockout was a bit tougher than I’d like. But I got through these with no misses despite my issues here. I had also been worried my triceps would be still feeling beat from last week. Setup for pause log incline presses didn’t take as long since I didn’t need to setup the rack until when doing the clean and pressing. Weight dropped down but more sets and reps. Options being 175lbs to 180lbs for 6x6. A lot of pressing volume on the main things this time around. Making up for not cleaning the weight for axle I guess. Shoulders still feeling a bit beat and worn and I could tell eccentrics were sapping my shoulders with the reps and sets today. But no issues and I was able to get through these with the double rest periods and not have any squirrely lockout reps. I did try to be solid with my lockouts on these and not just soft elbow things and move to the next rep. This had been a good bit of pressing and still had more to go in the garage. So first up being the alternating floor presses with dumbbells. Increasing the weights on these finally. But I wasn’t feeling as optimistic with increased weight on these with the previous pressing. 80’s and doing just 6 reps for the 3 sets. I was advised to not be moving so quickly from one to the other with the alternating and to do the one rep first and then the second so that weights are at lockout until finish with the pressing amr and then the double press. Using the plateloaded handles here. They work here since the ROM isn’t shortened despite larger diameter plates with this variation. Again, right shoulder feeling a little wonky but eventually got with the program. The last bits of the workout being the supersets. Another change to the first one. So continuing the bottoms up kettlebell nonsense from last week. Sets of 15 reps with same weight. I didn’t bother doing warm ups here as the weight is light and I’m going to be doing a lot of reps and it is a decent amount of time under tension keeping the balance. These are tougher for the left side oddly enough (considering my better side for circus dumbbell). I only lost balance once and this time on the right side and It didn’t take me forever to get it back in position like last week. Another change to the Spanish squats. First being reps instead of time. The second being switching the order so starting with assisted and then unassisted. And finally, adding tempo. So 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. 20 reps which would be 2 minutes of work each set. I had to double check that with Ms. Funk to make sure I wasn’t getting this wrong. I’d do it but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing this for no reason. But it was accurate. As I’ve mentioned, it seems to take a fair bit of effort to get my knees to not be cranky with me to do these and today was no exception. But when they are good and ready, these do feel glorious. The assisted version that is. The tempo definitely helped with having these feel better with the time under tension. The unassisted are still just looking like awkward standing squats with band traction as I lean forward a good bit. At this point, I’m just treating them as different exercises. Definitely feeling the effort here in my legs. The legs need it. Final pairing of the evening one arm dumbbell rows and the banded leg extensions. Back to 3 sets for each and same weights/resistance but more reps. So sets of 10 for the rows and 12+12 reps for the leg extensions. I was advised to pause slightly in the bottom of the movement so that I wasn’t just using momentum to get through that bottom range with the stretch. The added reps were noted on the rows. Leg extensions just ok. Knees are crackling. But got through another session but man was it late. Late dinner, stretching and clean up before bed. Thankfully I had prepped some stuff Sunday so that getting work ready was a little smoother.