More Strength work

Warmup: run 400m (no side stitch), ME, 40 wallball in and 40 1P kb swings in alternating sets of 10. Wallball sets were with 14# ball except 2nd set was with 10#, DL skill practice. I still can't string them together at all, but they regularly get high enough. Also, my 1P KB swings are getting SO Much stronger. The first few reps of a set really easily get overhead now - i think I even managed to get my first 10 consecutive today, though the last few reps were much weaker.

WOD:
Deadlift 3x7
Warmup 10 x 45#
115-125(f r3)-115-120-120-125-125

Cashout: 100 air squats

(3 x 30sec static hold w/ active shoulders once we got home while Daniel made dinner)

Comments:
Well - I am definitely stronger than I used to be :-) Not too long ago, doing this workout at 100# would have been a challenge. Though there is something about this movement that just occasionally eludes me (usually around rep 3).

I was trying to be really good about form today, and I ditched any rep that felt like it was coming from my back instead of my legs. If I were being strict about it, I really failed more sets than just #2, because for several of them I had to make several attempts and shake things out a bit in order to get rep 3 to go up. I generally never had a problem with rep # 1 or 2.

Ironically set 7 was the best set I had all night. I finally decided to try the reverse grip, and all three reps went up, no problem. Made me want to try again with more weight, but I was already one of the last to finish.

While I was hanging around keeping nez company while she finished her set, I decided to work my air squat - keeping my form as clean as possible. So I did 100 squats - not for time, just slow and steady. My form on these has really improved. As long as I am being conscious about it, my knees hardly wobble at all now.

When we left, Max said he was planning on making us do something evil - but it's only 1RM clean and jerks. I'm a little disappointed it isn't a metcon-y thing since we've done straight strenght the past two days, but we did just embark on a "strength cycle" so we might as well take it where we can get it. I'm hoping to finally manage to clean 65# or more tomorrow.


Health:
I got my Direct LDL test back today - and the number was better than the calculated - but not much. 138 instead of 145. I was stressed about it at first, but I've done a little research, and there are definitely questions out there about whether high cholesterol really has the causal relationship with heart disease that current medical thinking says it does. And there are even some studies out there that say high cholesterol has some beneficial effects. Looking at it from a "whole picture" point of view: I am in the best shape I have ever been in pretty much every aspect - strength, aerobic conditioning, and body composition. As long as my good cholesterol stays high, I am not going to worry too much about the total or the bad.

Also - I assume this is completely unrelated - my right hand felt particularly numb/tingly this morning - it's better now, but still different than it usually is. No idea what that's about. Last night when I was finished with the 21 bench press reps of the empty bar my right arm really did feel as if it was going to give out on me - I wonder if it's related to that.

Sleep:
11:34 - 7:45 I got up around 5am and did not manage to go soundly back to sleep for the rest of the night. I know I slept some, because I remember a few dreams, but it was not restful sleep. I had a low grade headache (maybe dehydrated?) when I woke up, and I think that is the reason I was not able to get back to sleep. When I finally took some advil around 6:30, i had better luck getting back to sleep.

Food:
9:30 coffee w/ 3/4 cup milk.
11:45 cottage cheese with almonds & cinnamon - 1.25 cups
3:25 1 bowl "magic slowcooker chicken soup/stew" w/ almonds. It was delicious!
7:45 16oz milk
8:00 2.5 mango chicken sausages, 1 cup sauteed spinach, 2 oz walnuts
8:30 16oz milk
12:00a 2 zma
forgot to take my vitamins today - DOH!