Tag: Handstand Hold

Toasted Triceps

Got to the gym a little early so did some handstands after Crossover Symmetry Activation.

Inverted

8x

  • 30s HS Hold (facing wall)
  • 30s Rest

Did a sort of cartwheel up to the wall.

Warm-up

  • 3 Sets
    • 15s L-hang (supinated)
    • 5 Wall Squats
    • Zombie Kicks
  • 10 Shoulder Press (45#)
  • 6/6 Bulgarian Split Squats
  • 10 Shoulder Press (75#)
  • 6/6 Bulgarian Split Squats

It was a plain bar hang but I figured I might as well get in some L-sit time while there.

Strength

E3M – 6 Sets

  • 10 Shoulder Press (95#)
  • 6/6 Bulgarian Split Squats (2×44# KBs)

I was starting to really wonder if those handstands were a good idea around set 3 here. The split squats actually felt pretty good today.

The Basics

8 Sets (Tabata)

  • 20s Air Squats
  • 10s Rest

I did 16 for the first 7 sets and then 18 to finish for a 130 total. So simple, but anything but easy.

Conditioning

  • Buy-in: 10 Curtis P’s (95#)
  • 5 Rounds
    • 7 Push Ups
    • 7 Deadlifts (185#)
    • 7 T2B

When I went to do my first set of push-ups it was like whoa! Triceps smoked already this week. I think I did a set of 3 Curtis P’s to start and then singles, taking just over 2 minutes. Unbroken on the other movements even though I was hanging by fingers at the end of some of the toes to bar sets. Killer grip combo there. Only used one bar, but added 45# plates outside of the collars to save some time. Finished in 6:44. I was feeling this a lot more than expected afterwards.

Will get in some ROMWOD tonight.

Sunday Extra

Still seemed a little sore this morning but didn’t feel it by the time I got to the gym and was moving around.

Warm-up

  • Crossover Symmetry Activation
  • 3:00 Jump Rope
  • 3 Sets
    • 5 ATYs (5#)
    • 10/10 Monster Walks (small red band)

Midline

8 Rounds

  • 20s Hollow Hold
  • 10s Rest
  • 20s HS Hold
  • 10s Rest

I expected this to get tough, but it was really no issue. My hands were up really close to the wall and felt like I was barely using the wall for any support.

Strength

Warmed up with 6 reps of each using 45# and then 95#.

5 Sets – Every 2:30

  • 6 Pendlay Rows (135#)
  • 6 Good Mornings (135#)

I was supposed to go with a supinated grip this week but once I got into my warm-up sets I completely forgot. Whoops!

Worked up the hang power cleans with:

  • 3×135#
  • 3×155#
  • 3×175#
  • 3×195#

Conditioning

6 Rounds – E3M

  • 3 Heavy Hang Power Clean (205#)
  • 100m Row Sprint
  • * Rest additional 4:00 b/t sets 3-4

Based off some OPEX stuff again. Wore my belt for these and loosened or threw it off while moving to the rower. In the second set I tried going too fast and didn’t get the bar high enough so had to bail. After that I took an extra second to reset between reps and do the hang closer to my knees instead of such a high hang. Didn’t have intervals set on the rowing monitor, but the rows were taking me about 16-17 seconds.

First day golfing with the guys tomorrow so had to restructure my week. Didn’t want to miss pressing strength so added in a PM session. Did a ROMWOD after lunch.

Warm-up

2 Sets

  • 5s of StrongFit Tricep & Bicep Openers (8#)
  • 9 Shoulder Press (45#, 75#)
  • 6/6 OH Weighted Reverse Lunges (45#, 75#)

Strength

E3M – 6 Sets

  • 9 Shoulder Press (95#)
  • 6/6 Overhead Reverse Lunges (95#)

Haven’t felt any discomfort in my wrists with this combo and it’s now been 3 or 4 weeks. Press reps will keep increasing for a few weeks, but should still be ok. Imagine all of this overhead time should help with jerk stability too.

Murph Prep

  • E30S – 10 Sets
    • 8 Air Squats (40# vest)
  • E30S – 10 Sets
    • 4 Push-ups  (40# vest)

Set the clock for continuous intervals, so no extra rest going from the squats to the push-ups. Had no idea how this would go, so was a bit conservative with the rep counts.

Hammies are Stretching

Knocked out a ROMWOD during the day. After watching the StrongFit video and trying his test yesterday, found out that my left arm doesn’t reach back nearly as far as my right. Guess which shoulder has issues? Been waiting for him to release his bicep openers which are supposed to help address this problem, so I decided to make an educated guess at the what they are (based on the test and the tricep openers). So at least it’s something to do and try to solve the issue until the official video comes out. I could definitely feel the tightness in positions so hope I’m in the ballpark. Went to the 5:30 class.

Warm-up

  • Crossover Symmetry Activation
  • 3 Sets
    • 10 PVC Pass-thrus
    • 20 Push-ups
    • 10 Band Pull-aparts (green)

Strength

E2M – 6 Sets

  • 8 RDL (185#)
  • 10 Weighted GHD Sit-ups (20#)

I’m getting to the ground earlier in my reps each week. I think it’s due to the combination of this being the 4th week of RDLs as well as doing ROMWOD each day. Excited to see how much I can improve those hamstrings because they have always been really tight.

Conditioning

12:00 AMRAP

  • 9 Toes to Rings
  • 6 Burpees OTB
  • 3 Power Snatches (115#)

Switched it up by using the rings today instead of the bar. It’s much different. My hips don’t die and I use the swing a lot more, compared to the bicycle type kip I use on the bar. So I was able to go unbroken the entire way. All snatches were touch-n-go as well. Finished 9 rounds exactly.

Gymnastics

Did a max handstand hold facing the wall, but my shoulder was not feeling very good so I came down at 1:45 and didn’t do the other 2 sets. I put in something else for fun…

4 Sets

  • 30s Overhead Hold (Bamboo bar with 2×26# & 2×18# KBs)

20 Singles

I think my hips are feeling those lateral step overs from yesterday a bit. Since yesterday was basically a recovery day and nothing crazy is planned for tomorrow, I could get in today for some work. Did Crossover Symmetry Activation to start and I now will use the yellow band to replace purple when I’m at the gym since one broke. That couple extra pounds of tension makes a bigger difference than you would think. I jumped on the rower for 10 minutes real easy and went 2,328 meters.

Strength

5 Sets

  • 5 GHRs (orange band)
  • 10 Pendlay Rows (95#)
  • 30s Handstand Hold

I tried my third set of glute ham raises without the band and not a good idea. I have to start pulling with my back too much. So back to the band to finish the last two sets. Glad we are putting focus into RDLs because my hammies are obviously weak. I started pulling my feet off the wall more than usual in the handstand holds. Might be time to give walking on my hands a try.

Weightlifting

Snatch

  • 5×45#
  • 5×75
  • 3×95
  • 3×115
  • 3×135
  • 10:00 EMOM
    • 1×155#
  • 10:00 EMOM
    • 1×165#

Every rep into a full squat and I spent some extra time in the hole and in recovery. Felt pretty good with no misses on the day. No extra rest time between the EMOMs, it was a running 20 minute clock.

I did Crossover Symmetry Recovery and will get in some ROMWOD tonight.

Minty

My outer pecs are sore, but I started feeling it yesterday morning so maybe it was from the front rack carry on Sunday. In for 9am again.

Warm-up

  • Crossover Symmetry Activation
  • 3 Sets
    • 10 Goblet Squats (44#)
    • 15 Hollow Rocks
    • 150m Row

I actually got on the Air Dyne for 2 of the sets and went about 30-35 seconds.

Strength & Gymnastics

E2M – 5 Sets

  • 9 RDL (165#)
  • 30s HS Hold

Did a little extra credit by adding the handstand holds.

5:00 EMOM

  • 8 Ring Rows (feet elevated)

Shoulder still doesn’t like strict pull-ups so I went with the ring rows. Not easy.

Conditioning

6 Rounds

  • 200m Run
  • 15 American Kettlebell Swings (53#)
  • 10 Ring Dips

I always start out running too fast and then slow down a ton. Swings were no issue going unbroken. Haven’t done ring dips in a long time, which were the limiter (along with the run) in this workout. Started 5-5 for 2 sets, then 5-3-2, then 2 sets of 4-3-3, and maybe 6-4 on the last set. Finished in 13:58.

Did Crossover Symmetry Recovery before leaving the gym and will hit some ROMWOD tonight.

mint-choc-chip-combat.jpg

In the evening I decided to hit a max set of unbroken push-ups since Kill Cliff is doing a fundraiser and donating 10¢ per rep to the Navy Seal Foundation.

I could feel the ring dips from this morning in my shoulders right away. Managed to knock out 55 reps before stopping, only 5 shy of my best.

I’m Broken

Holy Fuck! My lower body doesn’t work today and my left hip feels like it constantly needs to pop. I forgot what it feels like to take a week away from the weights. Didn’t even think yesterday was that bad. Boy, was I wrong! Needless to say I didn’t feel like leaving the house and having anyone see how I’m walking. :-O Out in the garage around 1:30 again.

Warm-up

  • 5:00 Air Dyne (1.53 miles)
  • Crossover Symmetry Activation
  • Shoulder Press
    • 5×45#
    • 5×75#

Strength

E3M – 5 Sets

  • 10 Shoulder Press (95#)
  • 10 Good Mornings (95#)

Will my upper body be wrecked tomorrow from the same 5×10 that I used for squats yesterday? I was going to do some EMOM split jerks next, but thought better of it. Didn’t feel like moving the car out of the garage and not a smart idea to use the blocks so close to the ride.

Gymnastics

16:00 EMOM (alt)

  • 35s Handstand Hold (facing wall)
  • 25s False Grip Hang (fat bar, holding Fat Gripz, feet on ground)

Conditioning

21-15-9

  • GHD Sit-up
  • Goblet Squat (30# MB)

Quick one, done in 3:37. The squats were at a controlled pace with how I’m feeling. Sit-ups were starting to slow down so that was the right amount for today. Finished up with Crossover Symmetry Plyo.

Up The Road

Rains are coming so headed out from the cabin, walking up the road which is a pretty good “climb” before it starts to switchback around. Was out for just over an hour and about 3.6 miles.

With the close of score validations for the Open last night, it’s time to look at how I finished up.

  1. 2016 – 19,127th out of 166,846* (top 11.5%)
  2. 2015 – 13,195th out of 141,884 (9.3%)
  3. 2014 – 13,737th out of 80,281 (17.1%)
  4. 2013 – 9,251st out of 46,227 (20%)
  5. 2012 – 16,389th out of 22,174 (73.9%)

*Each year I compare my place to the number of men who complete at least one workout, not everyone that signs up (178k+ this year). I don’t care about beating the guys who don’t show up to play. 🙂

A drop from 2015, but being limited in 16.1 and 16.3 by my shoulder affected those scores quite a bit.

Inverted

The ceilings in the cabin are pretty low so I had to adjust.

10:00 EMOM

  • 30s Pike Handstand Hold (knees or feet on bed)

Get Moving

Triceps and ass are sore from 16.5. Wasn’t very motivated today, but got bored. Finally hauled my ass out of the recliner and to the gym at about 6:30 for some movement.

Crossover Symmetry Activation

6 Rounds

  • 200m Sled Drag (115#)
  • 200m Farmer’s Carry (26# KBs)
  • 40s Handstand Hold (Facing Wall)
  • 5 Ring Swings

I set the clock so I’d work at least 40 minutes and then finish whatever round I was on. So it ended up being 6.

Crossover Symmetry Iron Scap

Double Down

Stupid time change. I was very confused for a few seconds this morning when I woke up after 9, before I remembered the hour shift. Messed up my entire morning before the gym.

Warm-up

  • Crossover Symmetry Activation
  • Bottom Squat Hold
  • Snatch
    • 5×45#
    • 3×95#
    • 3×115#

Conditioning

“Isabel”

  • 30 Snatch (135#)

Started with 5 doubles before switching to singles. Finished in 2:26 for an 11 second PR! At 1:00 I had exactly 15 reps done, compared to 17 when I did Grace. I really like this new strategy I mentioned in my last Grace post. Here’s more detail I just shared on Facebook…

For the last year, I’ve been thinking about a strategy for Grace/Isabel that I never really see. Just about everyone comes out of the gate hot, trying to get as many unbroken reps as they can. I think this is a mistake for the majority of us and with my recent attempts at both Isabel and Grace, I did a little testing. Let me explain…

My previous Grace was 2:17, done with 10 unbroken and 20 singles. I got the PR of 2:04 by doing 3×5, 1×2, and 13 singles. For Isabel I went from doing 2×2 and 26 singles to 5×2 and 20 singles. Ok, but what’s the difference?

Dropping the bar, getting (or waiting for) the bounce to settle, and grabbing it again takes the most time in workouts like these. In the first Grace, I dropped the bar and had to reset 20 times, but in the retest there were only 16 bar drops, resulting in a gain of 13 seconds. Isabel bar drops went from 27 to 24, for an 11 second improvement.

Heart rate isn’t all that important in a 2-4 minute workout, but I think it can help a little, at least from the point of how you perceive your level of fatigue. Smaller sets should keep HR down some. I think not starting with a huge set (to near failure) can help a lot with muscle endurance over those 30 reps though. The last 5 reps are going to suck no matter what, but they can feel just a bit easier.

Sure I could have gotten the same 16 bar drop Grace by doing 14 unbroken then 16 singles, but I would have been a lot more tired going into the singles, resulting in less motivation to pick up the bar with each rep. Starting off Isabel with 6 unbroken to make it 24 drops doesn’t sound very fun at this point in my fitness for the same reasons.

Would this work for you?

If either workout takes you more than 5:00, you should use a lighter weight. Check your ego.

If your time is 3:30 or longer, I’d recommend sticking to singles but speed up how long it takes you to pick up the bar. Anyone can get a time of 3:00-3:30 by doing all singles if you pick the bar up as soon as it stops bouncing. You can’t step away from the bar though, you have to be ready to go and pick it up every single time.

If your time is close to that 3:00 mark and maybe even all the way down to 1:40 (??), simply try to decrease the number of times you drop the bar, but keep your sets manageable. Switch to singles when you have to.

The tricky part is making sure you don’t pick something you can’t maintain. For example, I bet I would improve my Grace time if I did 15 sets of 2, getting me to 14 drops instead of 16. Probably wouldn’t be a very good strategy though, because I doubt I’d be able to maintain sets of 2 for the entire workout. I’d end up doing singles and then wouldn’t actually decrease bar drops.

Make sense? If you try it out or have any questions let me know.

On Your Hands

3 Sets

  • MAX Handstand Hold (facing wall)
  • ~2:00 Rest

I should have checked my PR before. Made it 2:36, just 4 seconds short of my best. Then 1:40 and 1:00. Not easy after Isabel.

Conditioning II

3 Rounds

  • 30 Wall Balls (20#, 10′)
  • 60 Double Unders
  • 1:1 Rest

Times were 1:36, 1:47, and 1:47. Unbroken wall balls each time with unbroken dubs in round 1, 2 misses in round 2, and 1 miss in round 3. Was fun to do some big sets of wall balls. If not for the shoulders being pretty wrecked from the earlier stuff, using 30# would have been a good challenge.

I tried the false grip bar muscle-up and it wasn’t great. I definitely was sliding off the bar on the swing and had to do kind of a chicken-wing attempt, which I never do. Going to start working on that false grip strength on the bar with some drills because I think it will eliminate the feeling I’m ripping off my entire palm with a full grip on the bar when linking them together.

Did Crossover Symmetry Iron Scap before leaving.

Recovering

Was feeling out of it last night and stayed up really late watching House of Cards, so wasn’t going to class. Hit the garage around 3. Simple work. Warmed up with Crossover Symmetry Activation.

8 Sets

  • 30s Handstand Hold
  • 30s Rest

Was starting to feel the burn in round 5, which is how many I’ve been doing. Those extra three were rough. I’m trying to get up 1-3″ away from the wall.

20:00 Air Dyne (AD2)

Kept the RPM at about 62-63 and went 6.15 miles.

Finished up with Crossover Symmetry Iron Scap.

During the Duke-UNC game I did 10 unbroken sets of 20 push-ups during TV timeouts and halftime. Switched up hand positions on a few sets.