Ben Plotnicki

Mcgill big 3 for core stiffness and our old shoulder extension protocol to open up chest
+
A – Snatch pulls x 3 + Squat snatch x 1, rest 2 min x 6 sets

165-175-185×4
B – Back Squat x 3 reps @ 85-90%, rest 2 min and repeat until you start to really grind or mechanically compensate, or accumulate 6 sets

295 – a little lower than what I would predict my max to be but it allowed me to stick to protocol and accumulate the 6 sets
+
For time, 20 min cap
100 dumbbell snatches, 50 lb.
80-calorie row
60 burpees
40 muscle-ups

256

Exact same score as 2017 – however, I was done with the burpee a whole minute faster, had a better strategy. One thing I remember out the workout was then I felt like I was doing burpee in mud, today I just felt better overall. Shoulder created no limitations, my mental game is where I noticed my biggest limiter today. I was so afraid to push the limit with muscle ups while breathing heavy. I didn’t miss a rep but I had to rush the last set and made a pretty shitty attempt to do a double when I could’ve/should’ve done 2 quick singles. Even though this is the same score, I feel a bigger win today, and if we can just get over this mental fear of doing muscle ups when breathing heavy we will be in a good place.
+
10-15 min spinal decompression

done

Ido squat routine in full
Done – still a little tight in the hips but I think it’s slowly getting better. Yesterday definitely irritated it a little bit.

+
AB 3 min @ 150-200 watts
Row 3 min @ 1000-1200 cal/hr
Ski 3 min @ 800-1000 cal/hr
+
5 sets
2 min window at each machine, but try to get the work done in <60 sec then use remaining time to rest before rotating
14 cal ski
17 cal AB
20 cal row
(will be 30 min total start to finish)

Either these cals were just a bit low for me or my body was just feeling good today. Avg ski finish was 47 sec

Bike was around 48 sec

Row was the slowest until the last 2 rounds – 50 sec on 1-3, 43 on the last ones.

The last 2 sets I tried to push a little but still stay sustainable. Don’t’ remember avg ski, bike was staying in the upper 500’s, row was 1500 and 1700 on the last 2.

Mcgill Big 3
+
Mini band or skinny band distracted prone leg lifts for glute activation – 5 sets of 5 with 3 sec hold at top of each, rest as needed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PAFlOkRldw)
+
A1 – Banded ATYT x 6 times through, rest 30 sec
A2 – 1-arm alternating front plank x 60 sec (switch down hand every 10 sec)
A3 – Mini band around wrists scap circles with arms extended in front of body x 3/direction + mini band circles x 5 clockwise and 5 counterclockwise
A4 – Banded face pull into external rotation with slow negative x 8 reps, 3 sets, rest as needed

done
B1 – 1-arm DB high windmill x 5/side
B2 – 1-arm DB OHS x 5/side
B3 – 1-arm DB sots press x 5/side, 3 sets, rest as needed
(can elevate heels as needed on B2/B3)

Used my lifters today instead of elevating heels
+
For total reps
1 min AMRAP cleans @ 185
1 min AMRAP cleans @ 205
1 min AMRAP cleans @ 225
1 min AMRAP cleans @ 245
10-5-4-2(1f)

Came out really hot for the first minute, definitely took its toll on the other. On the 245 I had to rush to get the last attempt in and missed the last one trying to stand up out of the hole, just didn’t think I was going to be able to grind out of it.

+ (rest to recovery)
EMOM x 7
7 thrusters @ 95lbs
7 toes to bar
AMRAP AB cals in remaining time in the minute
36

Had no power after the 4th minute

didn’t realize there would be that little as time to get on the bike

+
C – Top leg supported side plank x 10 sec/side x 5 sets/side
done

AM
For time:
25 HSPU
25 TTB
50 alt. DB snatch (50lbs)
200 DU
50 SA DB OHS (50lbs)
25 TTB
25 HSPU

13:52

Both sets of hspu were unbroken. I went back and forth on this and decided to go for it on the first set. When i kicked up on the back end I thought about going for 2 sets but told myself in the middle that I needed to go for it, who cares how hard you are breathing, find out if you can go all the way, and if you miss a rep you miss a rep but you have to find out and go for it.

TTB – goal was to do it in 5 quick sets and take short breaks. On the back end especially I wanted to rest more in between my breaks but knowing I was close to the end that was about the only time I accepted the high heart rate and could hear you in my head “lot of breaths here.”

DB power snatch – ate my lunch and skyrocketed my heart rate and got me extremely uncomfortable. Probably should keep getting more volume here. I would say the hinging pattern was exhausting me if we had to pinpoint the exact specific that I wasn’t comfortable with.

DU’s – planned on breaking these on feel, but definitely knew I wanted to break. Just don’t currently feel as confident with big sets under fatigue currently.

DB OHS – that right side was a limiting factor on fast cycle time, left arm overhead I felt strong and smooth outside of the hip annoyance

A1 – Goblet hold reverse lunges x 12 alternating steps + 12 goblet squats, rest 90 sec

50×2, 60×2

On first set the walking lunges felt uncomfortable on hip and then got some release/good pop in the hip on the goblet squats. That loosened it up a little.
A2 – Glute ham raise eccentrics x 6, rest 90 sec x 4 sets

5 reps were solid, really had to fight to control eccentric on rep 6
B1 – Landmine lateral lunges x 6/side, rest 1 min

+25 – felt a little awkward on the effected hip, felt I had to push my chest forward to get good range of motion on both sides
B2 – Single arm opposite leg RDL x 6/side, rest 1 min x 3 sets

60×1, 70x 2

Balance wasn’t great today
C – Bear hug sandbag squats @ 3232 tempo x 5, rest 2 min x 4 sets

150lb
+
3 sets
Row 1000m @ 24 strokes/min
15 wallballs @ 30lbs
75ft HS walk
(rest 1 min)
AB 60 cals
15 hang power cleans @ 135lbs
30 heavy rope DU’s
(rest 4 min bt sets)

44:something – just wasn’t in it.

Biggest notable limiting factor other than not in it mentally was handstand walks under fatigue. My shoulder endurance didn’t feel great but breathing inverted was a tough task today.

mcgill big 3
+
Glute airplanes x 3/direction/side
Quadruped rockbacks x 4-5
Frog stretch x 20 sec
Pancake stretch with side bends x 4-5/side
2-3 times through
+
Walking samson stretch with half kneeling hamstring stretch – 20 alternating steps x 2 sets with some banded hip work between for glute activation
+
A1 – Single leg banded hamstring curls from prone x 12/side
A2 – Banded terminal knee extensions x 10/side
A3 – Mini band distracted glute bridge hold 30 sec with abduction pulses
A4 – Peterson step ups small box x 8/side
rest as needed x 2-3 sets
B – No hip contact squat snatches – 1 rep every 45 sec x 12

125 x 2 – 95 x 10

I felt so awkward without hip contact. Starting getting more comfortable towards the middle and end. It also felt like I was doing all the things a newbie with the lift does. I struggled to keep a solid bar path and that felt uncomfortable on the shoulder if it got a little out in front.
C1 – Eccentric focused single arm landmine overhead press from half kneeling x 5/arm (use 2 hands for concentric, then go on a 5 count with single arm eccentric), rest 30 sec/90 sec
C2 – Eccentric focused single arm landmine bent over row x 5/arm (same, use 2 hands for concentric, then 1-arm controlled eccentric on a 5 count), rest 30 sec/90 sec x 4 sets

I could feel my scap really working for control, and tried to really elevate the traps more on my right side to balance out those postions
D1 – Face down chinese plank x 30 sec, rest 60 sec
D2 – Face up chinese plank x 30 sec, rest 60 sec x 6 sets
These made my hips feel great. Was super tight and uncomfortable even after a thorough warm up but these were perfect.

+
10 sets, continuous effort
60 sec AB @ 175
60 sec AB @ 275
60 sec AB @ 375

Had to break this up into 2 sessions – as  I spent more time on warm up today. Body was tired and aches and pains. Used my bike at home which I think the outputs are pretty similiar to the Assault Bike, but the 375 felt a little more like work on it then the AB does. These wattages were much easier to hit though for me, but it’s truly hard to say and compare since I didn’t use the exact same model as we had been using previous progressions.
+
8 min diaphragmatic breathing from supine position with feet elevated and supported (breathe deep into belly through nose, exhale through mouth completely on an extended count, exaggerate the finish of the exhale)
done

Going to get my hip looked at and treated today so hopefully we will have a better understading of what’s going on. Overall, it has been progressivley getting better daily.

Lax ball plantar fascia rolling – 60 sec/foot
+
Barefoot calf raises with controlled eccentric x 10/side
Barefoot alphabet trace x 1/time through each foot, 2 sets
+
Banded ankle dorsiflexion x 10/side
Banded ankle plantarflexion x 10/side, 2 sets
+
Dynamic Activation (10yds each):
Knee Hug March
Lunge to Lizard
Single Leg RDL w Toe Touch to Kick
Ankling
Carioca (each side)
Side to Side Lunge w Jump
Ankle to Elbow
Butt Kicks
High Knees
Power Skip
+
Run 100ft progressive intensity, ending high effort, rest walk back to start x 4
+
Run 800m @ 85-88% effort, rest 1:1 x 5 sets, goal to keep finish times within 8 sec of each other
Today I had to run the hill for the 800’s (next time I’m finding a damn track). With that being said, I did sandbag this a little because I knew the demand for the incline would take its toll if I didn’t attack it correctly. So I kept it sustainable and was probably closer to 83% than 85%. I called it on the 4th set as my shoes were starting to rub a blister on my heel. The other negative with running the hill is how much hills light up my anterior tib without much exposure. Overall, felt pretty good

+
Half kneeling shortened hamstring isometric contractions – 8 sec/side x 5 sets/side, rest as needed
done

+
Quadruped thoracic rotations x 4/side
Glute ham raise negatives x 5 on a 5 count
Banded psoas march from supine x 5/side
3 times through
Done – got a few extra sets in of thoracic rotation

15min Relaxation / Parasympathetic Breathing – lying flat on back w/ hands on belly, feet propped relax spine. Inhale through nose, exhale through mouth — exhale longer than inhale, try to relax as much as possible with each exhale
+
20min Continuous Shoulder Movement Circuit
A – Foam Roll Lats / Scaps / Pecs – 30-45 sec per area
B1 – Side-lying Shoulder Windmill – 2-3 x 3-4 rotations ea side
B2 – Back to wall Shoulder Flexion – 2-3 x 3-4 reps keeping spine on wall from sacrum to neck
B3 – Quadruped Scap CAR’s – 2-3 x 3-4 rotations
C – Hanging hollow body hold from pullup bar with active scap depression – 60 sec
+
20 min Continuous hip/hamstring circuit
A – Mini band straight leg monster walks x 10 steps forward and backwards
B – half kneeling hip flexor stretch 30 sec/side, rest 30 sec x 2 sets/side (rib cage down, squeeze butt)
C – 30 sec glute bridge hold with active butt, 30 sec rest x 3
D – hip capsule mobilization (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bDjOB3w4xE knee pull ins and prone wipers) – do 5-6 of each variation
E – Adductor dips x 5-6/side (https://www.instagram.com/p/BiZ02qGHLkz/)
+
15 min easy AB, HR <120

This was the perfect day and week that I need. Shoulder is super achy, hip is too. But the hip hamstring circuit opened it up quite a bit. IF I stayed on my feet the hip/groin would get sore and uncomfortable.

A – Muscle snatch x 3/Pressing snatch balance x 3/Tall snatch pull under x 3, new complex every 90 sec x 4 (light load, prime the patterns and feel the positions out)

75 across

Shoulder was not happy and super angry
B – Squat snatch x 1/Hang Squat snatch x 1 – new complex every 90 sec x 6, stay around 75-80% effort for the day and accumulate good volume

135×3, 145, 165×2
+
AMRAP 15 min
4 ring MU
6 shuttle runs (25ft out and back = 1, so 300ft/round)
8 dbl DB cleans @ 50/hand
5+2

Did in a garage gym which was fine, however the ring set up was tough to manage becuase my feet would hit the ground so just opted to do them all as singles. My shoulder was not happy at all today but the later rounds it got pretty warm and was manageable.

A – Power clean – new rep every 15 sec x 6, rest 3 min x 4 sets

225-215-235-240
B – Single arm DB shoulder to overhead x 20 (switch hands every 5) @ 70lbs, rest 3 min x 2 sets (run up to it and take from floor)

1:24 – 1:14

Transitions weren’t smooth, stability on left arm/shoulder was shaky
C – Power jerk recoveries from high blocks/pins x 1.1.1, rest 8 sec/2 min x 4 working sets, build as comfort levels increase

235-255-270×2
+
For time
20 hang power snatches @ 95lbs
20 row cals
20 thrusters @ 95lbs
2:22

This was actually fun