2024 Sep Training Reflections

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Sep 01 was the day a plateau was cracked with the 32.5kg Dumbbell Press... 2 sets of 9 reps. A weight I've never moved beyond since the first try in Dec 2023. Told myself, I won't pickup the next ones at 35kg until I can do at least 8 decent reps at 32.5kg consistently.

Pulling PR AMRAP at 22 this time, 2 reps more than last month and a 40kg 1RM,detailed here

Most surprising was the carried over strength increase from all the pull training resulting in the first ever MuscleUps on Sep 11.

So how did all the PRs and achievement came so fast one after another in the span of just 2 weeks? I really have to attribute it to those month long RFP,  Russian Fighter PullUp training undertaken between mid Jun- early Sep this year. My own accounts of the RFP here.

Adding onto the month was a mental training of sort. Waking up each morning doing a fasted 5km run. No big deal except it's totally out of my comfort zone in the early hours of the day and running fasted. Scheduled for 30 days, started on  Sep 07 and will still have a few more days to go till Oct 06.

 

Good things doesn't last forever... Sep 14,  can't muscle up at all. Close but no cigar at the gym that day. Again the next day at the fitness corner with Nick. This was followed by trapezius strain from just doing 20 diamond pushup after a run!

TIMEOUT   Evaluated and took the next few days easy with light strength training to rest up/ de-load. 

Then came an impromptu text messaging with Eddie-- Next thing I know, another ~200kg worth of iron was dumped at my place :)  Watson Bars that can load up to 80kg with 5kg plates would be good for DB deadlifts at home. Not sure what else  to do with all these for now but it's sure good to have friends.

 

~20 Sep, the extra "mental training" runs each day began to take a toll together with the rest of other workouts. Got hit with a bout of neuro-muscular fatigue for another few days. But there was one big final "event" for the month... my "Quarterly No Training" 2.4km Run. 

While waiting for the rain to stop, decided on an impromptu full IPPT, Individual Physical Proficiency Test to include PushUp and my most hated exercise; SitUp

Happened to hit a PR for my 1 min AMRAP PushUp while doing the "IPPT" test... with 50 reps this time. 1 more than the last PR in Jun.

Stacking everything together in Sep - it was also sort of a prototype try-out of Hybrid Athlete training. Overall daily workouts are broken into 2-3 sessions a day with a lot of "greasing the groove" during office hours. As such I have to reduce the intensity/volume in order not to burn out or get into silly strain injuries because of the ego.

Definitely more tiring but all in all, it has been a really good month I must say, but will need to reflect further and address how to regulate time/ energy better....    3/4 of 2024 done!




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