Shoulders: 6-12-25…

Three sets of:

Kettlebell Military Press x 6 reps (53)

Mutt Bar SBO Upright Row x 12 reps (44)

Banded Shoulder Press x 25 rep (Blue)

*132 reps total. 

The 6-12-25 drop set rep scheme (43 total reps in the set) includes rep ranges that vary from relative strength, to hypertrophy, and finally to muscle endurance. Combining the three into one mega drop set with short rest periods make this one way to get out of a strength or hypertrophy rut. If you’re short on time but want to train, this strategy is a good way to get in and out of the gym quickly.

AVG HR - 128 BPM

MAX HR - 141 BPM

Rest Day…

First rest day since March 20th. Much needed. 

Arms - 8x8….

DB Curls @ 40lbs (2 second eccentric)

Standing DB Triceps Extensions @ 75lbs

Cash Out: 

Pelican Curls - 5x5

Monkey Bars - 3 passes, 4 passes, 5 passes - 12 total passes. 

Biceps/Triceps Iso Flex 

AVG HR - 121 BPM

MAX HR - 147 BPM

Chest/Back…

Machine Incline Press 3x12 @ 150lbs (1/2 reps)

Power Floor Fly - 5x10 @ 50lbs* then, 1x12. Reverse Press @ 60lbs 

* “The power floor fly is basically a cross between a flye and a dumbbell bench press. The elbows stay at roughly a 90 degree angle. This is normally done on a flat or inclined bench.

With this floor version, the triceps should touch the floor but not the dumbbells. This makes the chest do more work without compromising shoulder health. Pause briefly at the bottom of each rep”. - T Nation

“Try the tempo-contrast method to maximize growth and improve the mind-muscle connection. It consists of alternating between slow and normal reps”. - T Nation

You start by doing two slow reps, then do two fast reps, two more slow reps, two more fast reps, and so on. Here's how it looks with pull-ups:

TEMPO CONTRAST PULL-UPS

• First Rep: Slow (6 seconds down, 3 seconds up)
• Second Rep: Slow (6 seconds down, 3 seconds up)
• Third Rep: Fast (2 seconds down, 1 second up)
• Fourth Rep: Fast (2 seconds down, 1 second up)
• Fifth Rep: Slow (6 seconds down, 3 seconds up)
• Sixth Rep: Slow (6 seconds down, 3 second
• Seventh Rep : Fast (2 seconds down, 1 second up)
• Eighth Rep: Fast (2 seconds down, 1 second up)

3 sets of 8 reps. 48 seconds of time-under-tension per set. 142 total seconds of TUT.! 

24 pull ups have never been so brutal

Cash Out: Alternating Hand Switch DB Row - 5x5 @ 75lbs 

AVG HR - 124 BPM

MAX HR - 147 BPM

@ Planet Fitness Clifton Park 

Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift…

10x10 @ 70lbs

“The Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift - often simply called a kettlebell RDL - is a hip-hinge exercise that primarily targets your hamstrings. 

While traditional deadlifts will use your quad muscles as well as your posterior chain, add kettlebell Romanian deadlifts to your workouts when you want to really focus on strengthening your glutes and hamstring muscles. Expect to feel a strong stretch throughout your hamstring when performing this exercise”. - Sweat

AVG HR - 122 BPM

MAX HR - 147 BPM

Kettlebell Military Press…

20x10 @ 35lbs*

Slow eccentric on last 3-5 reps of each set. 

AVG HR - 123 BPM

MAX HR - 145 BPM

Arms - 8x8….

Kettlebell Curls @ 35lbs (2 second eccentric)

Standing Kettlebell Triceps Extensions @ 35lbs

Cash Out: 

KB Hammer Curls - 3x3 @ 70lbs

Roof Close Grip Pull Ups - 2x5

Roof L-Sit Chin Ups - 5x5

AVG HR - 125 BPM

MAX HR - 152 BPM

Chest & Back - Ten sets of Three…

Reverse Kettlebell Floor Press: 10x3 @ 70lbs

Kettlebell Pendlay Row: 10x3 @ 70lbs 

Cash Out: Triangle Pull Ups 

“This variation involves moving your body between 3 points. Start from a dead hang and pull yourself diagonally up and to the left. Then shift your body as far as you can to the right. Finally, lower yourself back to the starting point. Repeat the motion, starting with the right side first”. - King of the Gym

AVG HR - 127 BPM

MAX HR - 161 BPM

Kettlebell Clean & Press…

10x5 @ 53lbs 

Cash Out: 3x2 @ 70lbs

AVG HR - 131 BPM

MAX HR - 165 BPM

As Dan John once famously wrote, "If all you did was clean and press, you could be awesome." While Dan was originally talking about the more common barbell movement, he offers this testimonial to anyone looking to tackle the dumbbell, or kettlebell, version of the versatile lift: “I've used the double and single kettlebell clean and press for the past 12 years and nothing has worked as well in my career for just keeping it together. It's my one-stop shop for training if I don't have much time."

The heavy dumbbell clean and press can absolutely be a "one-stop shop" for nearly any training goal.

Kettlebells - Shoulders…

Kettlebell Z Press - 6x8 @ 35lbs

Seated Kettlebell Iron Cross - 6x8 @ 35lbs

Cash Out: Chest-Facing-Wall HSPUs - 13-7

“The Z Press is a pressing variation that works the upper back, traps, shoulders, and core to facilitate better overhead mechanics, upper boy hypertrophy, and control. The lift starts with the athlete being seated on the floor with the legs straight, either in front of the body, of split open into a “V” for extra stability. By doing so, the lifter must learn to stay upright, braced, and fully open the shoulder joint/chest. 

Performed in a seated position, the Z press completely relies on the upper body. This takes the lower body out of the equation. Although it’s not an isolation exercise, the Z press is more isolated to the upper body than the overhead press due to the lack of lower body support. One of the main muscles worked is the upper trapezius.

The upper traps contribute to stabilization and movement in the scapula, making it an important muscle to keep strong. The Z press can target the upper traps and upper back muscles effectively. This makes it an effective way to add quality functional and hypertrophy work for those areas”. - Barbend 

AVG HR - 125 BPM

MAX HR - 143 BPM

Rest Day…

Trying to take more rest days. 

"Reverse Grip Kettlebell Lynne"…

Reverse Grip KB Floor Press: 53lbs

Underhand Kettlebell Row: 70lbs

Press: 15-15-15 reps 

Row: 30-30-30 reps 

Then, 

KB Bridge Press into Bridge Power Fly - 3x10 & 10 @ 35lbs

Alternating KB Row - 3x10 @ 53lbs, then 5x3 @ 70lbs

*rest as needed between sets and movements. Post reps for both exercises in all rounds.

Cash Out:

Archer Pull Ups - 3x3

“The archer pull-up is an advanced pull-up variation that involves keeping one arm straight while relying primarily on the opposite side to do the bulk of the pulling. You can think of this exercise almost as a one-arm pull-up with a self-assist.

Begin like you're doing a very wide pull-up, but bend only one of your arms as you pull your chin over the bar. Due to the asymmetrical nature of the movement, your torso will need to shift away from the extended arm as you pull, with the top position resembling an archer getting ready to fire an arrow”. - T Nation

AVG HR - 128 BPM

MAX HR - 159 BPM

Kettlebell Farmers Walk…

1.5 miles @ 70lbs. (35)

Always a lot harder than it looks on paper. 

AVG HR - 130 BPM

MAX HR - 160 BPM

Mutt Bar - Shoulders…

5 sets of 10 of:

Mutt Bar Bradford Press: 44lbs

Mutt Bar Overhead Raise: 44lbs

*Back-to-Back

Cash Out: Kettlebell 8 Press - 5x5 @ 35lbs

“Holding a kettlebell, press it out away from your torso until arms are parallel to the floor, with hands and elbows at shoulder level. Use your shoulder strength to draw a figure 8 with the kettlebell, then return to the start position”. - AthleanX 

AVG HR - 124 BPM

MAX HR - 159 BPM

The Bradford Press: "Begin with a standard front or clean grip position with the bar just above your upper chest. Press up like you would for a military press. But once the bar clears the top of your head you need to bring it behind your neck until it comes in line with your ears. And from there you press it back up and return to the front position. There’s no lock out at the top of the movement, and practically all of the work is done by your deltoids and upper trapezius rather than pressing the whole way up by using your triceps. That’s one rep. When you perform a standard shoulder press you find that you ‘lose’ tension at the top of the movement as the triceps extend to drive the weight upwards and take over.

But with a Bradford press you never give your delts any respite. They never get a chance to rest at the top of the movement. By minimizing intra-set recovery and momentum, you can place a huge stimulus on your shoulders through every rep and every set. Continuous tension helps you build muscle, even with lighter loads. When the muscle is in a constant state of contraction it suffers from a reduction in blood flow and therefore oxygen (this is called a hypoxic state)". - SpotMeBro.Com

Mutt Bar- Arms...

3 Rounds - 30 reps each round

Mutt Bar Curls - 55lbs - 8 Wide, 8 Closer, 8 Hammer Grip & 6 Wide 

Mutt Bar Extensions - 55lbs - Hammer Grip 

30 reps each round. 180 total reps

Cash Out: 

Isometric Static Flex x 5 

Stato-Dynamic Kettlebell Curls - 2x30 seconds/5 reps @ 35lbs 

“Sounds complicated, but it simply refers to doing one long isometric hold before your regular reps. You'd focus on contracting the target muscle as hard as you can. The position of the hold should be the one where you naturally have the most tension. For a free-weight curl, this is at the mid-range position, or when the forearm is parallel to the floor”. - T Nation

Here's how you do it:

Curl the weight up until your forearm is parallel to the floor. Then hold this position for 15-30 seconds (I like to progress by five seconds per week) while focusing on tensing the biceps as much as you can.

After the hold is done, bring the bar back down under control, then immediately start doing your reps.

Do 5-10 reps after the hold.

The hold has several effects and benefits:

You have 15-30 seconds to practice contracting a muscle. Contracting a muscle is a motor skill; the more your practice it, the better you get. And just like pretty much any skill, it's easier to do it statically or very slowly than with a dynamic action.

You sensitize the neuromuscular junction which will immediately improve your capacity to recruit the biceps during your reps.

You pre-fatigue the biceps during the hold so that even if you're not yet efficient at contracting the biceps, you'll still get a greater training effect than what you'd get by simply doing reps.

During the hold you accumulate lactate in the muscle. This leads to the release of local growth factors, which can help trigger growth.

You'll immediately feel the muscle more after the hold. If you feel the muscle more during your reps, you'll be able to improve 

your capacity to use your biceps properly.

AVG HR - 114 BPM

MAX HR - 144 BPM

Chest/Back - 20lb Vest…

Hand Release Push Ups - 10x10

Chest-to-Roof Pull Ups - 5x10

*20lb Vest

Cash Out:

Push Ups Isometric Hold - 55 seconds 

Pull Up Isometric Hold - 45 seconds 

AVG HR - 119 BPM

MAX HR - 147 BPM

Double Kettlebell Deadlifts & Russian Kettlebell Swings…

Double KB Deadlifts - 10x10 @ 53lbs

Russian KB Swings - 10x10 @ 53lbs

Cash Out: Double Kettlebell Swings - 5x5 @ 53lbs

AVG HR - 132 BPM

MAX HR - 163 BPM

Rest Day…

First rest day in almost two weeks. Didn’t sleep well last night. HR Variability was 15. The lowest it’s ever been. 

50 Reps - Shoulders…

DB Military Press - 20lbs

Bent-over Laterals - 20lbs

Military Press - 50-50-50

Bent-over Laterals - 25-25-25

“Ultra high-rep work (50 reps and up) requires a tremendous amount of intestinal fortitude and mental strength to lock yourself into that set and see the whole thing through. And this type of brutality works great as a finisher.

High reps create quite the pump. And bodybuilders have been using the pump for a long time. It's not just a fleeting cosmetic effect, it's a tool for muscle growth.

Metabolic stress, due to an increase in cellular swelling and potential for additional motor unit recruitment (through metabolic acidosis), can be a driver for muscle growth. Metabolic stress may increase growth hormone as well through the increased lactate response. High-rep work, done properly, is the driver for metabolite accumulation”. - T Nation

Cash Out: Slight Bent-over DB Upright Row - 5x10 @ 20lbs

AVG HR - 125 BPM

MAX HR - 162 BPM

Mutt Bar- Arms...

5 Rounds - 30 reps each round

Mutt Bar Curls - 44lbs - 8 Wide, 8 Closer, 8 Hammer Grip & 6 Wide 

Mutt Bar Extensions - 44lbs - Hammer Grip 

30 reps each round. 300 total reps

Cash Out: 

Isometric Static Flex x 5 

AVG HR - 125 BPM

MAX HR - 159 BPM

One-arm KB Power Fly & Row…

5 Rounds

One-arm Kettlebell Power Floor Fly : 70lbs

One-arm Kettlebell Row: 70lbs 

Press: 5-5-5-5-5 (25 reps each side)

Row: 10-10-10-10-10 (50 reps each side)

*rest as needed between sets and movements. Post reps for both exercises in all rounds.

Cash Out: 

Double KB Power Floor Fly : 3x15 @ 35lbs 

Around-the-World Pull Ups - 4x3/3 - 12 reps each side 

AVG HR - 124 BPM

MAX HR - 152 BPM

Run/Walk - 2 miles…

Alternating running and walking for 2 miles with 20lb vest. 

AVG HR - 133 BPM

MAX HR - 162 BPM

Mutt Bar - Shoulders…

5 Rounds For Max Reps

MB Klokov Press - 33lbs

MB Slightly Bent-over Upright Row - 33lbs

30-30-30-30-30 reps each. 300 total reps

Cash Out:

Mutt Bar OH Raise - 3x10 @ 33lbs

Mutt Bar OH Raise - 2x10 @ 66lbs

AVG HR - 116 BPM

MAX HR - 141 BPM

"Kettlebell Cindy Bro Style"... (AFAP)

AMRAP 20: 

5 Reverse Grip KB Pendlay Rows (35)

10 Wide Mutt Bar Curl (44)

15 CG Push Ups

12 rounds plus 5 reps - 365 total reps 

AVG HR - 130 BPM

MAX HR - 150 BPM

*You can do this workout two ways: as an AMRAP 20 as more of a CrossFit style workout or 10 rounds not for time focusing on recovery in between sets. 

You can also slightly change the exercises. 

For example: reverse Pendlay rows instead of regular Pendlay rows, EZ Bar curls instaed of regular barbell curls, close grip push-ups instead of regular push-ups. Etc…

“Power Floor Fly Lynne"

Kettlebell Power Floor Fly: 53lbs*

KB Bent-over Rows: 53lbs*

Fly: 15-15-15-15-15 reps 

Row: 15-15-15-15-15  reps 

*rest as needed between sets and movements. Post reps for both exercises in all rounds.

* “The power floor fly is basically a cross between a flye and a dumbbell bench press. The elbows stay at roughly a 90 degree angle. This is normally done on a flat or inclined bench.

With this floor version, the triceps should touch the floor but not the dumbbells. This makes the chest do more work without compromising shoulder health. Pause briefly at the bottom of each rep”. - T Nation

AVG HR - 121 BPM

MAX HR - 152 BPM

Russian Kettlebell Swings…

I did two-handed Russian Kettlebell Swings with the 32kg (70lbs) bell today.  First time doing high volume swings in a long while. The plan is to work up to 1,000. 

Swings - 32kg bell - 25 sets of 10 - 250 reps

17,500lbs total!  My grip is fried! 

AVG HR - 125 BPM

MAX HR - 156 BPM

Shoulders & Traps - Kettlebells - 10x3…

KB See-Saw Press - 10x3 @ 53lbs*

KB Iron Cross - 10x3 @ 53lbs*

*Superset

Cash Out:

 HSPUs - 10 reps

One-arm KB Military Press - 2x3/3 

AVG HR - 134 BPM 

MAX HR - 165 BPM

“Arms - Heavy 50s”…

Kettlebell Hammer Curls: 53lbs

Kettlebell Skull Crushers - 53lbs 

 *50 reps each

Curls: 15-10-10-8-7 reps 

Skull Crushers:-15-10-10-8-7 reps 

Effective and painful! 

Cash Out: Kettlebell Hammer Curls - 3x5/5 @ 70lbs

*rest as needed between sets and movements. Post reps for both exercises in all rounds.

“The hammer curl with kettlebells is a great bicep and biceps brachialis exercise that also heavily taxes the forearms as well as smaller muscles around the hands and wrists.  Due to the nature of the unique loading mechanism, the movement finishes with the kettlebells in an extended lever arm position, making it highly difficult yet extremely effective for placing constant tension on the arms throughout the movement”. - Advanced HumanPerformance.Com

AVG HR - 117 BPM

MAX HR - 141 BPM

"Heavy Kettlebell Lynne - 50s”…

Kettlebell Floor Press: 70lbs

Kettlebell Pendlay Row: 70lbs 

Floor Press: 50 reps 

Pendlay Row: 50 reps 

“If you’re looking to add size and strength to your back, look no further than the Pendlay row.

This exercise is a great way to target all of the muscles in your back, including the spinal erectors, lats, rhomboids, and traps making it a complete back exercise”. - WildNSwole

*rest as needed between sets and movements. Post reps for both exercises in all rounds.

Cash Out: 

One-Arm Kettlebell Pendlay Row - 5x3/3 @ 97lbs

AVG HR - 111 BPM

MAX HR - 148 BPM

@ Hopkinton 

Rest Day…

RIP RC! 💔💔💔