Rich's Final Countdown to the WNBF Pro U.S. Cup

[rich55]

FACING THE BEST NATTY LIGHTWEIGHTS IN THE WORLD:

Well, we are fully settled in and relaxed as we begin to crash her in Worcester, Massachusetts about 40 minutes west of Boston. We woke up at 4:30am after a late night of cooking, packing and prepping the kiddos for mommy and daddy to be away. Our early flight and connection through D.C. landed us pretty early in a rainy, fall day in Boston. We drove around a little in the rain to see the city, but there was nothing doing in the cold mess. We opted to eat and drive to our hotel in Worcester to relax. Ate, napped, shopped and ate.

THE WNBF PRO MEN'S LINEUP:
Abraham Tchabe
Ahmed Rashed
Andrew Scott
Andy Kalinowski
Anthony Spencer
Brian Whitacre
Davide Donati
Dutch Bulseco
Eric Alstrip
Francisco Montealegre
Gerardo DiGennaro
Gerry Ruck
Hashim Evans
Ivor Brown
John Heart
Jon Arnold
Levi Burge
Luigi Del Piano
Mark Oakes
Matt Viemeister
Matteo Cresti
Mauro Copellini
Mitch Robinson
Patrick Harris
Rich Lauro
Richard Godzecki
Robin Johnson
Sean Young
Shevon Cunningham
Tishay Johnson
Tony Ruffin
Ulysses Fowler
Vic Cuzzupe

There are tons of big names and 16 men set to hit the pro lightweight class in what looks to be the most competitive class I've ever seen. Lots of pro champions, so I'll be saying some big prayers to carry me through to this class of giants.

HOW DO I FEEL?
Incredible. I've done more with my training, lifting, CrossFit and physique this prep that I could have imagined. It's been the most perfect blend and for that I've learned a totally different style of training than what I see anybody else doing right now. In the last 6-7 weeks, I've lost very little weight (1 lb, maybe 2 lbs), but I look completely different. I couldn't have done anything better for this elite world class stage. It's been an incredibly tough journey of 29 weeks filled with adversity and hurdles and I thank God for carrying me through. I'm bringing a lot of improvements since the Pro U.S. Cup three weeks ago and I'm going to need it.

Weigh-in's, drug testing and meetings tomorrow! Prejudging starts at 9am on Saturday. Let's do this!

[rich55]

5 DAYS TILL THE WNBF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

I'm a slower starter right now, particularly after a Sunday low carb day. I ate plenty to start the day knowing this one was going to roll for about 2 hours. I'm going to pull the carbs down a hair on Tuesday and then gradually ramp them up Wednesday-Saturday AM.

Flat Bench
45 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 6
205 x 5
225 x 4
235 x 3
245 x 3
255 x 2
185 x lots of reps both fast & slow

Incline DB Presses
4 sets up to 90's x 5 and then back to 75's for reps

Incline DB Flys
4 sets up to 70's focusing on feel

Show in 5 days...Oly work and prep continues regardless. I want bigger numbers in 7 weeks!

Hang Power Cleans
Hip power technique work.
100 x 3
120 x 3
130 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 3

Snatch High Pull
120 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 3

Push Jerk
100 x 3
120 x 3
130 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 3

Passed on good mornings for some dip & core work.

Weighted Dips
BW x 10
45 x 10
70 x 8
90 x 7
BW drop set

Ab Mat Sit-ups
4 x 20

BEAST MODE CONDITIONING
3 Rounds for Time:
100 single under jump rope
30 burpees over bar jumping laterally
Time = 10:32. Paced this out to save my legs.

Totally spent of glycogen for sure. Weight was 162 in am & 166 in pm. Down just a pound or so in over 16 days, but MUCH harder than the US Cup. Rear delts were popping great today at triceps tie in. Fullness is at my best. Back and more conditioning tomorrow.

[rich55]

GIVING IT EVERYTHING I HAVE - 7 DAYS OUT:

It seems that I have sufficient energy (or overflowing per necessary demand) about every other day in the gym. Go figure. Regardless, I push on with everything I have. Friday's workout was nice & slow focusing on just lifting weights. Saturday started the same way and finished quite the opposite.

CHEST & ROWS - 8 DAYS OUT:

Incline Bench
These felt great today. Felt fatigued by 225 set time, but that's a good thing.
45 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 5
200 x 4
210 x 3
220 x 3
225 x 2
185 x 7

Board Press 21's
7 normal bench presses to chest, 7 to 2-board, 7 to 3-board. Signed up a new couple at gym after set 2. Comes with the job.
135 x 21
165 x 21
185 x 19

Incline DB Flys
55 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 8 ---> weight didn't feel heavy, but chest started to feel strangely tight. Drop set time!
drop set to 60's, 50's, then 40's, burn, burn, burn!

Pushups on KB's
Really focused on eccentric and static stretch at the bottom.
4 sets of 10-20 reps working up 38 lbs of added chain.

T-Bar Rows
Why not some more rows? There are going to be some thick backs on the World's stage!
90 x 10
135 x 8
180 x 6
195 x 5
205 x 4, drop sets to 180 & 135

My goal was to hit the rower, but had to meet with another new woman and then teach class at Beyond Limits. After class I was spent and starved. Prioritized getting home on time to the family and then posed for a tough nasty 20 minutes straight at midnight after the girls were all in bed.

OLY DAY - WEEK 1, DAY 3 or 7 DAYS OUT!:

Light legs at a week out? No thank you. I have a strength training program that just began for after the competition. I am training 110% for the competition, but I'm also training for afterwards.

Back Squats
Learned that I need to not only drive my torso up more, but really my eyes and head at this leanness. Helped huge at an easy 350. Weighing 163 and change this am first thing.
45 x 6
135 x 5
205 x 3
245 x 3
275 x 3
315 x 3
315 x 3
335 x 2
335 x 2
350 x 1 ---> above normal programming here due to no squats next week
360 x 1

Snatch
Full squat here.
45 x 3
85 x 3
110 x 3
120 x 3
130 x 3
130 x 3
140 x 2
140 x 2

Overhead Squats
Good stability work. Easy.
100 x 3
120 x 3
120 x 3
140 x 3
140 x 3

Romanian Deadlifts
3-4 second eccentric all hamstring stretch.
135 x 6
225 x 5
275 x 4
315 x 4
315 x 4
325 x 4
335 x 4

Took a meal break, chilled, stretched, rolled, 90 minutes later, warmed up with a minute on the rower, still warm....

CONDITIONING WEEK 1, DAY 3:
5 rounds for time:
15 Pull-Ups (kipped)
20 Kettlebell Swings 53 lbs
25 Wall Balls 20 lbs to 10'
Time=16:08. All P/U's and KB Swings unbroken. Went 25, then 15 & 10 on wall balls. Had 10-20 breaks before starting, mid-way and after the wall ball. Need to get stronger on the toss/press. Squat is now money in the bank.

About a minute break, then:

Walking Lunge for 30 steps

DB Lateral Lateral Raises

Walking Lunges back for 30 steps.

Totally sucking wind after this after the conditioning. Kept the lunges real light and focused on feeling everything working real well. Worked up to 40's on laterals, then 2 drop sets at the end to burn out the shoulders even more. Earned my REFEED DAY 110%, then raked leaves, cleaned up landscaping and took the kiddos trick or treating. Giving it everything I have!

[rich55]

YESTERDAY'S ARMS & MID-WEEK OLY DAY:

After a superhuman day on Tuesday, it would be par for the course to have a very human day following. God will always humble me, so that I look up and realize that I can't do it on my own. Overall just one of those days, but it ended in church refueled and refreshed. Perfect timing for 10 days out.

Ring Skill Work- 3 sets practicing kipping to my hip on rings to fatigue. Not feeling any ability to turnover despite ridiculous body weight strength. :-(
Ring Dips- 5 sets max reps, 23, 16, then 9 or so on last sets pausing in the hole
Barbell Curls
Cable Pushdowns
Terrible Hammer Curls
DB Skullcrushers
Midline Hammer Curls
Overhead Rope Extensions
DB Zottman Curls
Farmer Shrugs
Bent-Over DB Laterals

As heavy as possible on everything ^^^ watching the biceps tendonitis I felt a few months back. Too much time on the rings and too much on the barbell curls with too little joint cushioning will do that. Felt good finishing with 163 lbs in each hand for shrugs and a drop set with 123 for 22 reps.

------------------------------

OLYMPIC LIFTING WEEK 1, DAY 2:

Did some muscle cleans, front squats and full cleans repeatedly to warm up. This workout felt absolutely awesome! I am going to dig this training into Worlds and beyond. Big gains are coming!

5 MINUTE SPRING CONDITIONING:
5 minute AMRAP:
4 Power Cleans 135 lbs
48 Single Unders
10 Pull-ups Kipping
Fell short of 5 rounds by 3 pull-ups! We had one guy so far at Beyond Limits at 5 plus. Maintaining that sub minute minute pace per round was tough.

Clean from Floor
Full squat clean. Light work that felt awesome after two months off from a wrist strain on full cleans. Hand takes some time to warm-up but it was good to go today. Glued the bar to my shoulder on the way into a squat quite nicely.
135 x 3
150 x 3
160 x 3
160 x 3

Push Press
Doing dynamic work first really helped pop the bar up. Worked toeing up on these as I've learned in seminars. It helped a lot.
110 x 3
130 x 3
140 x 3
150 x 2
150 x 2

Front Squat
Look forward to improving these after the Worlds!
135 x 4
175 x 3
205 x 3
205 x 3
230 x 3

Good Mornings
Long time no do. Kept it light. 95 x 8, 135 x 8, 175 x 8

I did all the strength work in less than 45 minutes and had to haul home for trick or treat, which turned out to be postponed. Bummer. Ran 2 miles in light ran around 15 minutes and low carbed it today after yesterday's refeed.

My plan is with all of the Oly work is to do some isolation work again as I wrap the week up. It's keeping me big and hardening up.

[rich55]

2 WEEKS OUT FROM THE WNBF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Saturday's workout and refeed followed by a low day definitely did the trick in hardening me up. I started the week a little sharper than the U.S. Cup. After another 2 days of work, I feel like I'm at my all time best on all fronts and still improving. I'm due for a small refeed tomorrow after this work:

MONDAY - CHEST, BACK & BURPEES:
Started the week off with some bodybuilding work. We official started prep for the CrossFit Open at Beyond Limits, so this week will be pretty Olympic focused. I started my bodybuilding prep week one with Sheiko 37 and am finishing with Open prep haha.

Benchpress
45 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 6
215 x 5
225 x 4
235 x 3
245 x 3
250 x 3
255 x 2
265 x 1 ------> got it pretty well, but stopped there
225 x 6 ---> kinda tight in chest so I called it

Incline DB Press
60 x 10
80 x 8
90 x 4
90 x 5
90 x 5
75 x 13 or so

Wide-Grip Pull-ups
BW x 8
25 x 6
44 x 4
70 x 3
90 x 2.5 ----> yes a half
90 x 2

Incline DB Flys
55 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 7
75 x 6
55 x 14

1-Arm DB Rows
100 x 8
120 x 8
142 x 6
130 x 10

Plate Loaded Rows
90 x 10
135 x 8
150 x 6
170 x 5

Cable Low Rows
105 x 10
135 x 10
160 x 10
175 x 9

100 Burpees
For time = 5:30 just off my PR, but felt like sprinting to 50 in 2:05. Gassed my triceps.

Posing Prep
Did 10 minutes of non-stop posing after midnight with 30 second holds. I will beef up as the week goes on. I made it more than 37 minutes onstage, so my plan worked well.

-----------------------------

11 DAYS OUT - OLY STRENGTH 1, CONDITIONING & SOME DEADS:
I can't believe I did all this today and did it pretty well. With days like today, I couldn't really expect much more out of my prep and what I'm bringing to the World Championship stage.

Hang Power Snatch
Speed work from above the knee.
45 x 3
65 x 3
85 x 3
100 x 3
110 x 3
120 x 2
120 x 2

Light Back Squats
45 x 6
135 x 5
205 x 4
245 x 3
285 x 3
285 x 3
315 x 3

Split Jerk from Rack
So looking forward to gaining some strength back on this one.
45 x 3
95 x 3
120 x 3
140 x 3
150 x 3
150 x 3
160 x 2
160 x 2

Took a break, ate, trained a client, processed payroll, did some coaching, slammed some more Purple WrAAth, Purple PsyKO & White Flood then went back at it.

Thruster/Run Conditioning
For time:
21 Barbell Thrusters 125 (broke into 13+8)
800 m run
15 Barbell Thrusters 125 (broke into 9+6)
400 m run
9 Barbell Thrusters 125 (unbroken)
200 m row
Time = 10:30ish. Can't remember exactly, but it was a minute faster than our top time so far which was flying.

Sumo Deadlifts
135 x 6
225 x 5
315 x 4
405 x 3 -----> came up very well despite all of that ^^^^ work
455 x 2 ----> got it pretty well and probably had another small pull in me

Glute Ham Raises
BW x 15
10 lbs x 12
25 x 8

Glute Ham Situps
3 x 12

BEAST MODE ON!!!

[rich55]

Congratulations!! Great job!

Thanks Laurie!! Much appreciated!

-------------------------------

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED: ENDURANCE FOR THE BODYBUILDER

During training today I realized that it is unlikely that any other competitor is doing what I'm doing right now. I did some snatch, pull & endurance work today which lined up well for a 550 g refeed.

Snatch
I'll work some more volume next week on heavier snatches. I was pretty wrecked today, but the mechanics felt good until I reached about 95%.
45 x 3
75 x 3
95 x 3
125 x 2
140 x 2
150 x 1 ----> felt easy
160 x miss x miss -----> felt off

Bent-Over Barbell Rows
Back felt tight when I reached my heavier sets and even when I dropped back down. Played it safe.
160 x 10
195 x 8
225 x 5
245 x 4
135 x stopped

Face Pulls
Some quick upper back and rear delt work. 3 sets of 12-15 reps

Clovis Hero WOD
Scaled the run down to a 5K. I had not ran that distance since 2005. It felt solid and I was able to pick up the pace on each subsequent mile. I found my stride on burpee pull-ups midway through the first giant set.
75 burpee pull-ups (25, then sets of 10)
5K run (~Just under 25 minutes)
75 burpee pull-ups (25, then sets of 10)
Time = 42:18

Tomorrow is a rest day and lower carb.

[bull.dogz]

Congratulations!! Great job!

[rich55]

WNBF World Championships Coming Up in 2 Weeks: Gotta Train Insane!

This week has been solid with training. I pushed hard, pulled back, went hard again, worked on some parts and ready to tear up a marathon conditioning session and snatches tomorrow! Overall, I'm super thrilled with my training. It's really just super balanced and that should show onstage at the Worlds against some monsters. Here is what else I did this week:

TUESDAY - BACK DAY:

Wide Grip Pull-ups
Felt a little weak on these as last week's peak week lined up for lighter back work. Felt good and will crush next week!
BW x 10
25 x 8
45 x 5
55 x 4
55 x 3
25 x 11
BW x 17 or so

1-Arm DB Rows
Same story here. Just getting back into the swing.
80 x 8
100 x 8
120 x 8
130 x 8
100 x 15/arm

Farmer Shrugs
123/hand x 10
143 x 10
153 x 8
123 x 15

Decided to just head into some conditioning work at this point and go hard particularly with some rowing. I will get some additional back involvement and direct work in later in the week. DOMS from legs was in full swing.

Conditioning: AMRAP 10
6 Handstand Pushups
9 Box Jumps 24"
12 Calories on Rower

7 rds + 16 reps. Very surprised at this performance as I only found one other person from Competitor WOD who tied this effort. My box jumps and rowing can improve haha!!

WEDNESDAY - ARMS & SKILL WORK:

Warmed up with a mile run in the cold to prep for this coming Saturday's 3.1 mile run. Just going to list these out cuz it's arms. Biceps were strong and pumped up so hard it kinda hurt haha. Dips BW x 30 and 21 with 19 lb chain, turning all gymnasty at a low body weight. It may be muscle-up time!

Barbell Curls
Triceps Pushdowns
Alternating Hammer Curls
Barbell Skullcrushers
Midline Hammer Curls
Overhead Rope Extensions
Parallel Bar Dips
EZ Reverse Bar Curls

Jump Rope Work:
3 rds AMRAP: 2 minutes singles, 1 minute rest = 205, 220, 205. Better than previous 180ish efforts! I'm going to dry doubles next week!

THURSDAY - LEG DAY NUMERO 2:

I programmed a nasty chipper conditioning workout from Competitor WOD for Beyond Limits and had that on the agenda. I decided to have my first day of heavier front squats since my wrist tweak 2 months back and to do some pulling before some lung burn.

Front Squats
45 x 10
135 x 6
175 x 6
205 x 3
225 x 3
240 x 3

Deadlifts
135 x 6
225 x 5
315 x 4
405 x 3 ---> felt rough. Hips tight & movement not trained in 2 weeks.
435 x 2 -----> sucked it up to prep for a better week next week

BRUTAL CHIPPER FOR CONDITIONING
30 Thrusters 115
30 Pull-ups
30 Power Cleans 115
30 Burpees
30 Jerks 115
30 Box Jumps

Finished with 14:20ish time. A few of our studs and studettes finished in the 14-minute range, so I'm happy with that effort!

FRIDAY - ROW, CHEST & SHOULDERS:

2K Row for time
7:21. Big PR! I have more in me from the 500m-1500m range. I pushed hard on the front and back, while pacing out the middle 1000.

Incline Bench
Felt weird after not having done in some time.
45 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 5
195 x 4
205 x 3
215 x 2
225 x 1
235 x miss. Stalled half way up. No biggie. Felt solid.
185 x 6
135 x 21

Flat DB Flys
50 x 10
60 x 10
65 x 10
70 x 7 ----> chest started feeling real tight. Called it for a bigger day next week.

Push Press
45 x 8
95 x 5
135 x 5
145 x 4
135 x 6

Arnold DB Presses
I did these during some hotel room pump and they felt great. I'll be working them back in with some dynamic presses these last few weeks. Slow & controlled.
40 x 10
50 x 10
50 x 10
60 x 6
60 x 6
----> right into some DB Laterals Standing with 30's and right into some DB Laterals with 25's.

Tomorrow I'm doing snatches to 1RM, muscle-up work, 150 burpee pull-ups and a 5K run. Yes, you read that right. The road no other bodybuilding competitor will travel this season.

[rich55]

Here are some pix from the U.S. Cup last weekend. We are still gathering photos, but really just getting ready for the WNBF Worlds!

[rich55]

2013 WNBF PRO U.S. CUP RECAP

Hey fellas! Sorry for the tardy response. A 4-day vacation away from the kiddos and business will put you in the hole haha. I'm just now climbing out. Yes, I finished in 2ND PLACE! After seeing these fellas backstage at the U.S. Cup it was clear that it was going to be a battle! Everyone was big, in great shape with no gaping holes. We all had things that stood out individually, but everyone looked HUGE! My goal was top 5. Anxious energy always leads me to simply to focus on my game plan with my wife, hang out with everyone back stage and have fun. You have to keep it light backstage for sure!

My wife and I applied the dream tan as the pro ladies got started. At that time, I start snacking on sweet stuff to keep my filled out and give me some energy. Then I do some light pump up and keep snacking. Chill. Check the mirror. Is that me?!? I'm ready. Another light pump and just wait to see how the timing of things are going on stage. Another snack. We then headed to the pump up directly backstage for a few more rounds of pumping up. After 37 minutes onstage where I remained in the center the judges scored it as such:

Pro Men Light
1st Diamond Harding 8 points $1000
2nd Rich Lauro 11 points $300
3rd Casey Rice 18 points $200
4th Ivor Brown 19 points
5th Matt Viemeister 23 points
6th Tony Ruffin 24 points
7th Wilfred Vidro 41 points
8th Christopher Applegate 42 points
9th Anthony Delgado 43 points
10th Frederick Fleuimond 44 points

I'll post up some pix tomorrow. You can check them out on FB. Now, it's time for the Worlds!! The 2013 WNBF World Championships looks to feature probably the deepest lightweight class I've seen in years. 4-time champ Brian Whitacre, the one to watch Levi Burge and UK's 2-time champ Damian Lees to name a few. Yeah buddy! I have to bring my best.

My week thus far:

MONDAY - CHEST & LEGS

Benchpress
Felt great, then faded fast.
45 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 6
225 x 3
235 x 3
240 x 3
245 x 3
250 x 2

Back Squats
Felt solid. Legs are a little out of shape from resting them much of last week.
45 x 10
135 x 8
225 x 6
275 x 4
295 x 4
305 x 4
315 x 4
320 x 4

Incline DB Press
60 x 10
80 x 8
95 x 4
95 x 4
85 x max reps
75 x lots of reps

Paused Front Squats
Worked on 3-4 second eccentric with pause to stretch out my hand and wrist.
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 5

Incline DB Flys
50 x 10
65 x 10
75 x 8

Glute Ham Raises
BW x 10
25 x 8
30 x 7

Strength & Skill Conditioning:
5 rounds for time:
10 ring dips
10 jerks 155 (2 rds at 155, scaled down to 135 after to increase speed)
Time = 12 and some change.

[bull.dogz]

Woot! Woot! Can't wait to see it!! Good luck!

[rich55]

2 DAYS OUT: PREPPING FOR THE STAGE!

The lineup for the WNBF Pro US Cup in 2 days is a stacked one and I'm excited. That motivates you to do your homework and the little things. We flew into beautiful fall Connecticut this morning and was just blown away with the changing of leaves throughout CT combined with a legendary Yale University campus. This beats my NYC or Texas shows.

WED: Light back, bis, core & calves
THU: Off, walk 1.5-2 miles, pose for 25 minutes
FRI: Light walk through on posing, light upper body pump with lots of carbs

I haven't taken any pre-stage photos photos in some time as I haven't cared to. I improve each day and right now a meal or good night's rest changes the way I look. I just want to get up there and let the stage do the talking. I may do a few teasers tomorrow evening. We will take plenty of the show. I'm on point for my best ever. Time to make it happen!!

[rich55]

SHOULDERS, TRAPS & ROW - 4 DAYS OUT!

Pretty slow start to the workout similar to yesterday to really ease myself into one of my last training sessions and take the edge off. Overall a solid workout and more than I've done in the past at this point. The WNBF World Championships lie just around the corner on Sunday, so I need to be able to come back strong next week. Plus, who wants to lift little weights? Not this guy. A little light is bad enough.

Push Jerk
Haven't done much jerking since a wrist tweak several weeks back, but determine cleans and front squats will be the tough progression back to par. I've been doing more strict standing shoulder presses the past few weeks.
45 x 8
95 x 6
125 x 5
155 x 4
165 x 3
170 x 3
175 x 3 ---> had some more, but stopped there
135 x 10 -----> good enough

Standing DB Lateral Raises
First few sets were tight after the jerks, but felt better as I went along. Kept it easy focusing on long pull for a deeper tug down the delt head.
30 x 10
30 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 10

Farmer Shrugs
123 x 10
143 x 10
143 x 10

Rack High Pulls
75 x 10
95 x 9
95 x 8

3K Row
Endurance better than the last 2 or 3K row. Pace was steady in the 1:50-2:00/500 m range. 1500-2000 m is the dead zone.
Time = 11:38

PEAKING!
Carbs have been low, but manageable and higher than previous low days of contest preps past. Weighed in lighter and leaner this morning at 163 lbs and 27.75" waist. Oh yeah! More carbs tomorrow! Yeah!!

[rich55]

CHEST, TRIS & PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON IT!

Mental Game & Preparation:
At this point in the game, I'm putting the finishing touches on 25 weeks of focused, hard work! I lighten up a little each day, but really just be safe and be aware of recovery from what I'm doing. 2 months out I started tanning once per week, then a month out twice per week and 3 times per week the past 2 weeks. Coat 1 of 3 of Pro Tan Sunless Tanning lotion applied last night and posing practice is 20 minutes non-stop at this point. Routine if still in visualization process, but the chorus should allow a fair amount of cool free posing and only a little choreographing. Preparation is key. Organization helps me to prepare for the competition and traveling out two days in advance. God makes everything else happen.

Plan for the Week:
MON - Chest, tris, sprint conditioning, easy run
TUE - Shoulders, traps, core, distance row, pose
WED - Back & bis, more food
THU - Travel to CT. Rest day, pose, more food.
FRI - Upper body pump, light pose, walk, eat up.

Mile Warm-up
Nice and easy run. Rolled right into bench less than a minute after the run. Heart rate & breathing fine.

Benchpress
Despite holding steady at 168 PM weight the last few weeks, this has gradually weakened the past few weeks as I've hardened up and leaned out. Better than it's ever been this lean.
45 x 10
135 x 8
185 x 6
205 x 5
225 x 4
240 x 3
250 x 2
225 x 5 ---> felt to move on to some DB's

Incline DB Press
60 x 10
80 x 9
95 x 4 ---> feels light but elbow extension is just not there
95 x 4
75 x 12 -----> pulsing quickly at bottom on first batch, then increasing range of motion with slow speed at end

High Cable Crossovers & Parallel Bar Dips
Opted for a cable fly motion to take it easy and throw in some slow dips for triceps and chest stretch. Increased tempo warmed me up for a little metabolic conditioning work to follow.
22.5 x 15, BW x 10
22.5 x 12, BW x 10
22.5 x 12, BW x 10
22.5 x 10, 19 lb chain x 7

Met Con: CrossFit Games Open 11.1 WOD
Scaled from 30 double unders to 60 single unders. I'll work on double and muscle ups heading into the Worlds. I'm ready for it.
AMRAP 10: 60 single unders & 15 power snatches @ 75 lbs
5 rds + 39 SU's
Rolled through 3 unbroken sets of 15 on power snatches and then started to break them up. Carb depletion in effect. That combined with less leverage. Good news is that jumping rope feels better than ever.

Barbell Skullcrushers
Tris were tired, but pushed through with plenty of rest btw sets.
45 x 10
65 x 10
85 x 10
95 x 8, drop to 65 x 15

Cable Pushdowns
Picked a moderate weight and did 4 x 10 with 4 second negatives.

OH Rope Extensions
Little rest, so ended up doing 3 drop sets.

[rich55]

"LIGHT" LEGS & BACK AT A WEEK OUT



The only thing light was the leg volume on a relative basis. I pushed, but held back despite what it looks like. God was with me today. I've never been this strong this light. I weighed in at 164 and change this am before my refeed.

Deadlifts
1st pull on each set was just ripping off the floor.
135 x 6
225 x 5
315 x 4
405 x 3
455 x 3
470 x 1 ---> could have pulled another rep and considered doing 480.
405 x 9 -----> greater benefit for the upcoming bb show next weekend

Underhand BB Rows
Always do these overhand, but was trying to hit my low lat tie-in's harder. It worked. Slower tempo with increased muscular focus.
95 x 10
135 x 8
155 x 8
175 x 8
190 x 6
205 x 6 ---> good, but have to keep the lower back safe

Bent-Over DB Laterals
Yes another prone movement haha. Oh well.
30's x 10
35's x 10
40's x 10
40's x 8

Leg Extensions
2-second squeeze at top. Quad muscles a blazing!
115 x 15
170 x 15
225 x 15
250 x 13

Smith Shrugs in Front
Extra slow & controlled.
185 x 10
275 x 8
275 x 8
185 x 17 behind back

Seated Calf Raises
4 sets of 15-10 reps

Conditioning: Front Squats/Burpees/Abs

3 rds for time:
30 front squats at 95 lbs
30 burpees
30 abmat sit-ups
Finished at over 18 minutes. Front squats were broke into 3 mini-sets on 1st to rounds and 2 on the last round. Burpees went from 30 to 20 & 10 to 15 & 15. Slow on sit-ups. I'll be doing a lot more core work after my shows for Oly & CF purposes. Meanwhile, it's better than it's ever been and sufficient for BB.

OVERALL PEAK WEEK THOUGHTS:
God is good! I've gone through some junk this prep and He has brought me through it with a whole new insight on training. It has produced by far my best effort and for that I am thankful regardless of what happens next weekend in Connecticut.