Workout Diary: 13.4.16
Workout Diary – my first in a while!
So, I’m back!
First of all, my lack of workout diary updates have an excuse – I was injured! Nothing serious, just a slight disc strain in my back. A week or so of no exercise (I couldn’t), followed by a week of rehab-based exercise and now I’m 99% better and wanting to get in training again.
Following my injury my exercise was slow and rehab-focussed. I was building my range of movement back so I would be able to return and train properly. I’ve seen too many people rush back to training too quickly and didn’t want to be one of them. I believe in proper rehab – you do it badly, you do it twice. Check out my previous injury rehab posts…
Warm Up Superset Complex
2 Deadlifts, 2 Hang Cleans, 2 Push Presses – started at 40kg and added weight each set until I reached 70kg.
Cleans: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
These were better than expected. I started with a light weight, increasing with every set until I reached a weight I could cope with for a single. My current PB is 103kg, but I fell short of that with a lift of 95kg. I can’t complain – I haven’t done any Olympic Lifting for 3 weeks so it was to be expected.
Clean and Press: 5 x 3
I like this exercise because it’s an excellent conditioning movement. It’s not a full clean and jerk – essentially it’s a full clean and then you stand and thrust the bar above your head. Kind of like a clean-thruster combo.
The video I shot below shows the technique…
I was pretty fatigued by this point having not done any Olympic lifting in my workouts so I decided to quit the Olympic lifting stuff whilst I was ahead. I was satisfied with my performance on the platform so headed off to do some extra bodyweight work.
Wide Grip Pull Up/Push Up Superset x 4
I’m a fan of bodyweight training and it felt like a good option for tiring muscles. I opted for a superset, 6 reps of wide grip pull ups with 12 tricep push ups. The pull ups were tough given the amount of work my back had done with the Olympic lifting beforehand.
Double Arm Kettlebell Swings 1 x 20
I finished with a heavy set of double-arm swings. I’ve recently been noticing my hamstrings stiffening up because I hadn’t been able to stretch them with my back injury. I rectified this with a good set of heavy swings which had the effect of stretching my hamstrings. They haven’t felt tight since anyway!
It was my second weight training session since my injury, but my first Olympic lifting session. I came through unscathed which means I have a platform to build on again which is good because I have goals to achieve!
I’ll be back updating my training diary more regularly now!
Finally, as ever I’m giving away a FREE eBook ‘101 Health and Fitness Tips’ to everyone who subscribes to my VIP email list. By joining the list you’ll have access to exclusive content, discounts, offers and products from both me and selected partners. Click here to download!
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