Ben Plotnicki

Day 3

Tabata intervals, 20 sec on 10 sec off x 6 rounds

Station 1 – Heavier cable DU’s

Station 2 – Wallballs

Station 3 – Hand release pushups

Station 4 – Strict wide grip pullups

Heavy cable reps – 35 – 29 – 24 – 29 – 31 – 29, wall ball – 12 across – hr push ups – 12 – 11 – 13 – 7 – 9 – 11 pull ups, 7-9-10-8-7-11 – the transitions at times got me and hurt my overall rep score more than overall capacity and endurance. I would say in round 4/5 is when i did find it a little harder to recover.

+ (rest 4 min)

Tabata intervals, 20 sec on 10 sec off x 6 rounds

Station 1 – Bike erg

Station 2 – Freestanding HS hold

Station 3 – Ski erg

Station 4 – single leg bottom of pistol isometric hold x 10 sec/side

Did not track calories on machines – freestanding hs got better as i went as i was able to consistently get a hold of 9 seconds on the last 3 round – pistol isometric hold is fun

+ (rest 4 min)

For time

100 1-arm DB strict overhead presses @ 35-40lbs (alternate arms every 25 reps)

5:50 – out the gate might have done too big of a set with my left hand, then when i switched to my right hand i didn’t feel as strong for as big of a set, but on the 2nd 25 there i definitely felt the more enduring of the dominant hand then the back half in general.

I did not get my swim in this week, i was really bummed about that, just poor planning on my part to set up the week to get that in and when i could’ve i did not maximize the time efficiently to get to the pool. Did a bro sesh on Friday and partner workout on Saturday.

Day 1

3 sets

5-6 65lbs BB high hang muscle snatch

5-6 65lbs BB low hang muscle snatch

5-6 65lbs BB BTN snatch grip push press

5-6 65lbs BB OHS @ 3221 tempo

+

3 sets

5-6 65lbs BB hang muscle clean

5-6 65lbs BB strict press

5-6 65lbs BB hang power clean

5-6 65lbs BB push press

5-6 65lbs BB zombie squat @ 3111 tempo

4-6 65lbs BB split jerk, alternate from foot each rep

These felt like workouts today. But felt better than the empty barbell did last week

+

Feet elevated back bridge hold x 25 sec, new set every 90-120 sec x 4-5, work on finding some range here through upper back ALONG with hip extension

Felt so much better today and even though still very hard I actually felt semi control today. 

+

Back bridge from GHD iso hold x 35 sec, new set ever 90-120 sec x 4-5. elevate a surface to drive your hands into off the ground, body line should look like the drill above but with lower body supported we can actually work on more strength in this position

Not sure if my back was not happy with any of the set ups I tried to find but wasn’t able to go over 20sec without feeling sick today. Last week this did make me feel dizzy but I could at least fight through it but not as lucky today

+

Face up GHD sorenson hold at parallel – 30 sec on, rest 90 sec (hands at sides easiest, hands overhead hardest)

Loaded face down sorenson hold at parallel – 30 sec on, rest 90 sec x 5 sets (hug a weight plate or light med ball to chest, drive contraction through hamstrings/glutes)

I actually did this first today as last week getting dizzy limited my ability to effectively do the face up hold, so didn’t want to miss out on this. 

Day 2

3 min bike, nasal breathing only

2 min bike, inhale through nose exhale through mouth

1 min bike, regular breathing

done

+

Every 3 min x 6-8 for consistency

Row 17 cals

Bike 17 cals

1:58–1:59–1:58–2:01–1:51–1:57—2:02 – i remember I only did 7 last week but that was due to a client showing up so i had time today but I felt the little bit of extra effort to get #7 and think there would have been a hard drop off on set 8

+

3 rounds, not for time

4/arm KB TGU, unbroken

8/arm BB suitcase deadlifts, unbroken, tough

12 1-1/4 BB hip thrusts, same loading as last week

Of these 3, i’m not sure which one is worse, but all feel highly effective – 44 on TGU, 95 on suitcase and 135 on hip thrust

Day 1

3 sets

5-6 empty BB high hang muscle snatch

5-6 empty BB low hang muscle snatch

5-6 empty BB BTN snatch grip push press

5-6 empty BB OHS @ 3221 tempo

+

3 sets

5-6 empty BB hang muscle clean

5-6 empty BB strict press

5-6 empty BB hang power clean

5-6 empty BB push press

5-6 empty BB zombie squat @ 3111 tempo

4-6 empty BB split jerk, alternate from foot each rep

Best barbell warm ups I’ve done in a while

+

Feet elevated back bridge hold x 20 sec, new set every 90-120 sec x 4-5, work on finding some range here through upper back ALONG with hip extension

Had to push down on a box as I was not able to use the wall to create the bridge

+

Back bridge from GHD iso hold x 30 sec, new set ever 90-120 sec x 4-5. elevate a surface to drive your hands into off the ground, body line should look like the drill above but with lower body supported we can actually work on more strength in this position

This might be one of the hardest single tasks I have done in a while, I do feel this will open up and improve these positions but by the last set I started feeling pretty dizzy and uncomfortable

+

Face up GHD sorenson hold at parallel – 30 sec on, rest 90 sec (hands at sides easiest, hands overhead hardest)

Loaded face down sorenson hold at parallel – 30 sec on, rest 90 sec x 4 sets (hug a weight plate or light med ball to chest, drive contraction through hamstrings/glutes)

Was able to feel like I could do the Sorenson face down but the face up just make my stomach queasy after the inverted work 

Day 2

3 min bike, nasal breathing only

2 min bike, inhale through nose exhale through mouth

1 min bike, regular breathing

+

Every 3 min x 6-8 for consistency

Row 15 cals

Bike 15 cals

Didn’t write down all times but was hanging around 1:40 consistently

+

3 rounds, not for time

3/arm KB TGU, unbroken

6/arm BB suitcase deadlifts, unbroken, moderate to tough

9 1-1/4 BB hip thrusts, moderate to tough

44 on TGU – 95 on suitcase and 135 on 1 ¼ – might have been able to go a little heavier on hip thrust but that was still pretty tough

Day 3

20 sec on, 10 sec off x 4 rounds

Loaded wall sit (35-45lbs in goblet hold)

Jumping air squats

Loaded front plank (35-45lbs plank on back)

HR pushups

Hardest part of all of this was the weighted plank – dang they were tough

*rest 4 min

20 sec on, 10 sec off x 4 rounds

Banded RDL yielding isometric (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYpHS8mIHOg – get a good amount of band tension here, can double up around feet or under low j-cups on rig)

Russian KB swings @ 24-32kg

Passive hang from pullup bar or rings

done 12-13 on russian swings

*rest 4 min

Every 3 min x 6 sets

Run 400m @ 85-88% effort

Still trying to map out exact distance around new building but I think i got it pretty close and then check google maps after and I was pretty close. All times were under 2 minutes but i do not remember exactly at this moment

Day 4

Swim 1-1

Dry-land Warm-up

Neck/Shoulder/Thoracic/Hip/Ankle CAR’s

Swim Warm-up

1 x 100; rest as needed – Freestyle swim

1 x 100; rest as needed – Kick w/ board (head-up)

Streamline Progression

Accumulate 6 maximal distance streamline push-offs (note furthest distance)

Accumulate 6 streamline push-offs + 10 alt flutter kicks

Freestyle Technical Progression

4 x 25; rest 15sec – head-lead kick (rotate to breathe)

4 x 25; rest 15sec – 2-arm lead kick w/ board (head down, lift head to breathe)

4 x 25; rest 15sec – 1-arm lead kick w/ board (rotate head to breathe)

4 x 25; rest 15sec – 6-kick Switch

4 x 25; rest 15sec – freestyle swim

x2 rounds

total – 1200yds

Friday & Saturday – partner workouts + Saturday open water 200m swim for quality and some pushing the pace

AM

5 sets

Row 500m @ 1:46-1:48/500m, rest to 2 min mark

25 wallballs AFAP @ 30lbs to 10ft

rest 3 min bt sets

Rows – 1:47 – 1:47.1 – 1:47.5 – 1:47.4 – 1:47.4

WB- 49-46-46-46-48

I needed a session like this, to boost some confidence. I know training has been hard and I have been giving the best efforts i have been capable of but there has been mental struggles, physical grinds, and this today was what i needed to feel. It was the perfect amount of hard. The row was sustainable, and played around with different efforts, going hard for 250 and throttling down, sustaining the whole way, breaking it into 3 parts of efforts, but hit my paces and then going unbroken with wall ball and feeling fairly fast and smooth.

PM

Squat snatch x 1/Hang Squat snatch x 1 – 5 working sets to find tough load for the day

185 – might have been a little more in the tank but this felt smooth and crisp

+

Snatch balance x 2/OHS x 5, rest 2 min x 4 working sets

185 – wasn’t planned to hit the same last load. Just made a little bigger jump as i was feeling a little wobbly in the beginning for the OHS. 

+

For time

21-15-9

strict HSPU

toes to bar

40 heavy cable DU’s/round

8:17 – i will call this a win, i had a plan and stuck to it 100%, i knew the shspu would be a grind so in the beginning was planning on being conservative with semi short breaks. For the 21 – 4-4-4-3-3-3, and did 21 ttb UB, just thought that was the best plan since i knew i was going to have to do smaller sets for hspu, then 3’s for the round of 15, i deviated a little here, was going to break it into one more set. 15 UB TTB, and in the 9’s i tried to transition quickly and was going to go off of feel, 4-1-X-1-1-2

AM

Every 6 min x 4 sets

50 heavy cable DU’s

15 power snatches @ 95lbs

30 GHD situps

5 power snatches @ 155lbs

15 bar facing burpees (keep a good turnover here, chest to ground quick in that pseudo worm technique, push these knowing there’s rest coming)

4:22 – 4:19 – 5:13 – 5:44 – it was the combo of the power snatch/ghd that started eating my lunch. Also, not sure if it was just this surreal feeling of being in the gym that is completely stripped of 99% of it’s equipment or not my normal breakfast, but didn’t feel 100% today. Just a lot going on with the gym move and I know my body feels good but know we are pushing it hard. Also with the gym situation I didn’t want to risk their desire to break down the rig they left for me so I went ahead and did the deadlift muscle up part right after this. Not ideal for performance but gave me a good change to push through the challenge. 

PM

Clean and jerk gauntlet

1 rep every 90 sec until failure. start at 225lbs, add 10lbs/make, have someone help you load weights if able

Went ahead and did this at home, not enough waits left at the gym or bars so just loaded up the bar in the garage. 275 was solid, 285 was a grind out of the whole and missed the jerk

+

Squat snatch speed ladder

1 rep each @ 145/165/185. rest as needed after

1 rep each @ 155/175/195. rest as needed after

1 rep each @ 165/185/205.

Only one bar used at home which i know takes away the stimulus but I think i did good for having to deal with that, 41 – 51 – and 1:41 – one miss @ 205 and I think I was just tired. Between sessions today and trying to help out at the new facility. 

+

For time

12-9-6 Deadlifts @ 315lbs

6-9-12 Ring MU

10:13 – set of 12 unbroken on the deadlift, might not have been the smartest thing but also, when there is no rubber matting you get ZERO energy from the ground, and gained a whole new appreciation for rubber matting. Muscle ups felt a little off, but since there was only a small piece of the rig left, the rings played a little different so was just working on managing this and having a strategy to deal with that in the workout. The round of 9 i really found my kip and hip extension so quite a few of those felt really good. And into the set of 12 just tried sense of urgency strategies and sets that I didn’t have to rest long.

AM

Paddleboard 800-1000m for efficiency

rest 5 min x 3-4 sets, pending distances and timing

Still might be able to get on the water tonight, but will also help with some gym transition work.

PM

Split jerks – 10 singles @ 84-88%, tech focus at a higher percentage, keep footwork crisp, rest as needed

From 230-245 – this was exactly what i feel my jerk has been needing

+

Front squats x 10 @ 185lbs (can take from rack), rest 30 sec

30ft dbl DB OH lunge @ 50/hand (play around with positioning, try to get some where you’re pressing them together like we talked about at camp), rest 3:30 x 3 sets

I did not like trying to press the db’s together. What felt the best is having the bulk of the db behind my center of mass

+

For time

10 1-arm DB power clean/push jerk @ 100lbs (5/side then switch)

40ft HSW (unbroken)

10 deficit kipping HSPU (4in)

40ft HSW (unbroken)

10 1-arm alternating snatches @ 100lbs

40ft HSW (unbroken)

10 deficit kipping HSPU (4in)

40ft HSW (unbroken)

13:50 there was some major victories here and some lessons learned…..for starters it wasn’t until my last db clean/push jerk that i learned how to be more efficient and effective, but i wasn’t about to start over just to prove to myself. That took the longest of everything the first 5 reps were done in about 1:21 and then the 2 missed reps really cost me even more time so finished here about 3:15ish. Last rep, on my right side i had a really good position where the heel of my hand was able to apply the most force, kind of a theory i had learned when throwing a punch and being supported by the ulna and it clicked right there at that last moment. I also missed 2 jerks on the right hand none on the left but the misses were due to not a good rack position and the longer i was in the rack the less likely i was to finish that rep. All hs walks done up my driveway and unbroken on all, however on the 3rd set – i could feel how hot the driveway asphalt was (i did wear gloves), and on the last walk i felt the good old blister starting to form but i was so close and wanted to be stubborn and finish the walk. Hs push ups werent fast but all unbroken and really made sure that i kipped first before pressinig. Db snatch, as soon as i positioned the db with a pronated grip I started moving it fast and efficiently but that wasn’t until rep 5 and then at that point was able to not rest but switching hands on the ground.

AM

5 Rounds for time:

12 DL – 155#/105#

12 TTB

9 HPC – 155#/105#

9 CTB Pull-Ups

6 S2O – 155#/105#

6 Bar Muscle Ups

Was planning on doing all 5 rounds, but was pushing to 4 rounds in under the 15 min time cap. At the 15 min time cap i had just hit 1 sto and didn’t get the 2nd one in. I really tried to pace conservatively in the beginning to manage grip and everything. After the cap i wanted to work on quick transitions as my focus, rested a little bit longer than game pace but forced quick aggressive transitions. Hands felt extremely raw after and had there been painfully one more round I do feel my hands would’ve torn

PM

Snatch – 8 singles @ 85-92%, rest as needed

185-190-195-200 – 2 @ each and these actually felt strong and solid

+

Clean and jerk – 5 singles @ 85-90%, rest as needed

255 x 3 – 265 x 3 – clean felt really good and jerk felt good and like butter @ 255, not hard but not crisp consistently crisp on all sets of 265

+

Deadlift triples with hand flash at bottom, 5 building sets, rest as needed

315-335-355-365-385 – the 385 was slow but actually felt really good and the 2nd and 3rd reps felt a little faster……I think if i have to i could’ve grinded through 405 for a double for sure and fought for the 3rd with everyhing i had.

+

Rope climb – 6 for time to 15ft, rest 2 min

Rope climb – 3 legless for time to 15ft, rest 2 min

Rope climb – 6 for time to 15ft

1:12 – elbow started  flaring up and didn’t not feel as smooth as descent was a few weeks ago, rope i used felt different and i didn’t trust it, but still tried to work through it. LL – 47 – elbow was not happy at all and called it here, but wanted to finish the 3 stubbornly even if it wouldn’t be at game pace. On a separate training note, they are definitely going to leave a small part of the rig up for me and some weights around so there will be some accommodation, not sure if a GHD will be left but even as stressful as it is they are attempting to work with me. And the rope will be left up as well so still can get most things in. But still going to work on other alternatives to be safe as well.

I would also say this has added a small amount of stress, overall the body feels great, was feeling super jazzed about the DT/gymnastics piece that i felt super in control of, and was excited to challenge the rope climb, but was a little frustrated that it didn’t go as smooth as planned, but the point i was getting to is, my body feels great but my hands feel raw…..thank goodness for a rest day.

AM

For time

100 burpees to 12in touch on wall

*switch direction you’re facing after 50

*goal finish – sub 6:10, or around 16-17/min. practice the worm tech in this setup. get chest to ground quick

6:26 – no repped myself 4 times and all 4 of those were jumping with the wall to my left…..I was easily on pace for the first 50, (this is a footnote that came to me in hindsight, when i could used to dunk a basketball which was a very short window, i was a 2 footed jumper and could only palm the ball in my left hand so would jump/dunk with the basket to my right)…..i found when the wall was to my left it took me a while “under fatigue to find the right jumping effort, a few were too much effort then a few were too short, hence the no reps, and then I found my rhythm…..I also found it harder, on the fly to simultaneously move both feet back and together and and find the rhythm of getting the chest to the ground first as opposed to a step back. So this was good exposure to practice those things. 

PM

3 sets

35 GHD situps

HSW up and over 2-3 levels of plates (build as you go if successful)

Heavy cable/drag rope 50 DU’s

rest 3-4 min bt sets

This GHD volume actually felt really really good, i wasn’t as fast off the machine as i would like but still happy that i kept a good cadence. I stopped in the middle set but didn’t need to stop in the 3rd set. HS walks over obstacle were a semi win today, my efficiency was up and down but there was a big connection of my feet getting way over to create the momentum i needed but I could also really feel when i did this and lost midline, so i got some good practice with that and did some ramp work like we worked on at camp and actually had one where I made it almost all the way up while kickinig up near the bottom. The key was not rounding my lumbar while getting the feet where they need to be. 

+

For time

30 box jumps @ 30in

30 kHSPU @ 2in deficit

30 box jumps @ 24in

30 kHSPU flat

30 wallballs @ 30lbs

30 ring pushups

13:54 – call this one 5 weakness and 1 strength where it doesn’t really matter…….was slow on 30 in box jump, deficit came out really good and felt good, and slowed down at 20, but at that point i caught myself wantinig to walk away from the wall and I made myself stay there, get learning and reminder, goal on 24 in box jump was to move steady and smooth, took one pause on top of the box around rep 22. The hspu on even surface started well but i was trying to be smart and not hit a wall, at one point I could feel the eccnentric control go and I kind of lost it and head slammed to my mat. At that point i just told myself, don’t hurt yourself and just try and keep rest short and sets manageable. When i got to wall ball, the first 2 reps my neck looking up after a few of the hspu did not feel great, so i just tried to block that out, and chip away. Not a great overall piece but there was some good efficiency lessons for me.

AM

For time

150 double under buy in, into

20 power cleans @ 95/65

20 chin over bar pullups

16 power cleans @ 135/95

16 chest to bar pullups

12 power cleans @ 155/110

12 strict pullups

8 power cleans @ 175/125

8 bar MU

4 power cleans @ 195/145

4 burpee bar MU, into

150 double under cash out

15:34 – This was a really fun workout……broke up all gymnastics movements except for bmu, strict pull up were broken up quite a bit more, knew i could keep a good sense of urgency by coming down and going back up on all, 95 barbell did 3 sets. UB first double under, and 50’s on the second, should’ve really pushed that a bit more, like a 50 then 100

PM

AMRAP 20 min

400m run

20 wallballs

20 burpees to 12in touch on wall (switch directions after 10)

20 1-arm alternating DB hang snatches

Due to a really big class, started at the wall ball because of wall ball space, so this really changed the dynamic of not being able to come out on the first run with some aggression, which those 4 movements combined made that run hard as shit. 3 + 60 w/about 75 meters into the run, however starting with the wall ball probably allowed me to get that extra set of burpee in.

PM (actually AM)

For time

40 bike cals

40 box jumps

rest 1 min

30 bike cals

30 wallballs @ 30lbs

rest 1 min

20 bike cals

20 BBJO @ 24in

rest 1 min

10 bike cals

10/arm 1-arm DB shoulder to overhead @ 75-85lbs

12:44 – this was hard as shit, but a fun hard as shit……the hardest bike effort was the last 10 cals, not sure if it was the cumulative fatigue, or so close or just knowing that to ramp up hot for a few seconds just to get done…..off the first 40 bike cals around 1:40 – hammered the first 20 cals, backed off slightly but stayed in the 500’s for the next 10 and damped for the last, box jump goal was just to keep moving. Wall balls, did 12 out the gate, 6, and then 12. Used chest to deck first on BBJO, and was great but at this point there was some fatigue so did a good job pushing through that, to a quick stop and breath to mentally gear up to push harder for the last 9 reps. On STO i warmed up with 95 and that was not going to happen, so it was either 70 or 95 and it would’ve been a lot of singles had I gone the 95 route

PM

Swim work, and my swim was for shit this PM, which was good practice because I think i was still a little smoked from the bike couplets. Just had a harder time of keeping my head down in the water and breath control but had to find ways to keep going whether head was open or combat side stroke. So this was probably a little more real world application of fatigue in a swim/competitive environment.