Wednesday, November 23, 2011

5x5 Deload Week Fun

Final muscle up count yesterday.

I just finished the 5x5 strength program (blog post to come soon) last week and now I am suppose to take a week off from heavy lifting so I can start Wendler's 5/3/1 next Monday.  The timing worked out perfectly since it's Thanksgiving week and my lifts started to stall.  Because I took such a long time off from all Olympic lifts and muscle-ups (hand injury), I decided to use this week to work Oly lift technique, specifically exploding with the hips... and apparently max strict muscle-ups while I'm at the gym!

This is what happens during a strength cycle deload week when I have not done my favorite movements in a longgggggggggggg time:
  • Burgener warm-up high.  Burgener warm-up everyday, multiple times a day.  Need to fix hip power issues.
  • Oly lift disappointment when pre-injury 1RM is hard to hit again, possibly a mental issue.  New flaws everywhere.  It's like I forgot how to snatch. :(
  • Strong desire to front squat, and especially, overhead squat.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, I still can't quite go heavy on overhead squats.  Minor left hand issues still.
  • Max strict muscle-up mind games with myself.  It started with cashing out with 5 muscle-ups post WOD, to doing 1 more muscle-up than yesterday, to 12min AMRAP muscle-ups while the next class does the WOD, to reaching 30 muscle-ups before someone in class finishes the WOD.  Today, I actually want to time myself.  Hehehe.  I'm on a muscle-up high, too.
Note: The purpose of a deload week is to allow one's mind and body to rest and recover.  Some people think I'm not taking any break, when I should be, but haha, I am so excited!!!

Media:

Since I started my blog, people have asked me to post a strict muscle-up video.  I figured this would be a good time to post one.  This is around rep 44 out of 50, filmed yesterday.  Initially my goal was to do 1 more muscle-up than I did on Monday, 22 muscle-ups.  However, that goal turned into, can I complete 30 muscle-ups before someone in the next class finishes the WOD.   Then I realized I was only 12 muscle-ups away from doing double (42) the amount I did on Monday... and then you know, only 8 more to hit the pretty 50.  For you detail-oriented, this was post-WOD and in the span of about an hour.  In between muscle-ups, I was doing the full Burgener warm-up a bunch of times and working on power cleans.

2. Muscle-up fun!

Chalk, especially the extra large piece, helped me chug away at this.  I know, I have a chalk problem.

3. Chalking for muscle-ups from the Jes Bucket.  Conveniently in the same location where I did yesterday's WOD.  My hand prints from clapping push-ups.

4. So maybe that's too much chalk...

5. So excited.
6. Marking my territory.


7. All day, every day.

It's probably a good thing the gym is closed on Thursday on Friday!  Gotta be recovered enough for 5/3/1!

Strength Programs: Tim Swords'Burgener 10x3 | Hatch5/3/1 | 5x5 | 20-rep Back Squat
Related Posts: Muscle ups at the Park