grip. and dog park. 11:18 AM

working the hands and sprints here.

hands. 3:49 PM

hands.

sunday, rest day. most of my sundays are spent catching up with reading books and articles. i understand rest is integral physically and mentally, allowing me to recover after an active and demanding week from both work and lifting. i understand rest allows my body to repair and strengthen itself. i understand it helps be recharge my batteries, giving me a good work/life balance. i understand it can help prevent over-training.
while sunday is a rest day, i become antsy and restless.
grip training is something i do often, as it is so easy to incorporate into my training. immediate benefits from various lifts; whether it's gripping a sandbag, swinging & lifting kettlebells (purposeful thick handles), thick bar or towel pull-ups. i'm very conscious of the importance of strong hands. seriously, how often do we use our hands?

MOVEMENT
barbell wrist curls
barbell wrist extensions
hand-to-hand stone pinches

WORK
barbell 2 x 10 reps
stone pinches 2 x 15 reps

barbell work for lower arm strength, build the forearms a little.
stone pinching to work fingers, especially thumb strength.

soundtrack: elvis costello "alison"

functional. 7:42 PM

functional.

today was a fun day. practiced some towel pull-ups at work, working the hand strength.
that afternoon, a co-worker requested some assistance changing out a flat tire on her vehicle. i asked another co-worker Fish to provide some help. he was gone for about 15 minutes when he returned, drenched in sweat. he admitted he was only able to loosen one wheel lug, asked if i would give it a go. i learned awhile back that the secret to changing a flat tire - you have to use brute force. four wheel lugs for me to attack. i was able to removed three wheel lugs. the fourth one, i'm uncertain if it was bent or possibly overtightened - i ended up snapping the wheel stud off with the lug still on.
oops.
my body was a little exhausted, generated a lot of tension. it was a very good feeling, being able to apply real world, functional strength.

variety day. initial plan was to do a sandbag complex followed by some sled training. however, i was drawn to my newly made sandbag, my military top load heavyweight cotton canvas duffle bag loaded with 100# of sand. yes, it is glorious.

MOVEMENT
1) sandbag power clean @ 100#- 10 sets x 3 reps

2) kettlebell rack walks @ 2x35# - 3 rounds x 100 steps immediately followed by 10 rack squats

3) kettlebell farmer walks @ 2x35# - 3 rounds x 100 steps immediately followed by bent over rows

resting 30 seconds between sets/rounds.
Worked this sandbag movement repeatedly, really wanting to develop full body strength and a vice grip. ripping the sandbag off the floor also developing power and starting strength. and i wanted a lower body finisher. farmer walks do nicely.

soundtrack: echo & the bunnymen "the cutter"

add. 7:37 PM

add.

medium day today, moderate presses, pulls & swings.
added pull-ups to this movement. strict, head above the bar, with no swing or kip. more challenging by wrapping a towel around the bar.
minimal rest between sets.

MOVEMENT
1a) kettlebell clean & presses @ 53# - 5 ladders x 5 rungs
1b) mixed grip thick bar pull-ups - 5 ladders x 3 rungs

2) kettlebell one-handed swings @ 35# - descending ladder
50l/50r
40l/40r
30l/30r
20l/20r
10l/10r

300 swinging reps altogether. one of my goals is to minimize hand switches.
the thick bar pull-ups & one-handed swings really taxed my grip endurance.

soundtrack: matt and kim "good ol' fashioned nightmare"