When my wrist finally felt good enough for pressing a 20kg KB, I tested my 20kg KB clean+press rep max and found it had dropped from 5 to 2. So while the KB press and the pike push up are both overhead pressing exercises, progression in pike push up does not have immediate carryover to KB press. Gain in tricep strength in chest expander tricep extension exercises also did not have immediate carryover.
For my next training block, I was going to do The Giant 3.0 training block, but the recommended weight is the heaviest weight one can clean+press for 5 reps, aka "5RM" weight. Based on the test, the weight would be 16kg but it's just too light. I immediately thought of Iron Cardio as a possible choice for next training block. Iron Cardio also recommends a 5-6RM - technically in the press, not the clean+press - but I suspected I could work with the 20kg in Iron Cardio, because the Classic variation only asks you do 1 rep at a time of the press.
After the KB clean+press rep max test, I did a short Iron Cardio Classic workout. A couple of days later, I did a 20-min. Iron Cardio Classic session. The 2 Iron Cardio sessions convinced me that I can do Iron Cardio for a few weeks to get my 20kg KB clean+press rep max back up to 5. It's more likely the cause of my rep max dropping from 5 to 2 was lack of practice of the movement; rather than a loss of shoulder and tricep strength.
Thus I believe 2 weeks of Iron Cardio Classic, followed by at least 2 weeks of the example press focus program template found in the Iron Cardio book will get my 20kg c+p rep max back up to 5. The one concern is soreness in my right hip flexor and rotator from the front squats.
8/3
Iron Cardio Classic - each set is the "classic" sequence of 1 clean, 1 press, 1 single front squat with single kettlebell:
22 sets with single 20kg KB, thus 11 sets per side. 30 min. training time. Right-side hip muscles once again sore from single front squat.
Waiter walk (straight arm) with 20kg KB - 3 reps of 25 second walk per side
Hamstring mobility circuit - 2 rounds - hoping opening the hips more in straddle side bend will reduce hip sorness from single front squat:
- Good morning - 8 reps
- Elephant walk - 10 reps
- Straddle side bend w/ 4kg plate on stack of 2 puzzle mat tiles - 5reps w/ 10s hold on last rep
Modified Pigeon stretch - 2 min. per side - try to alleviate hip soreness.
8/4
Supine lying with tucked knees - 20 diaphragmatic breaths, 20 head rotations, 20 head nods
Side Plank - 6 sets of 5-breath holds per side - just trying to level up my side plank
Egg Roll - 15 reps
8/5
Woke up this morning with sore right hip flexor. Actually, it's been sore since the 8/3 Iron Cardio session. I've been feeling it whenever I squat down to pick up something. This article explains possible causes for hip pain related to squatting. It suggests I may have some sort of movement dysfunction when I squat. I don't remember feeling hip soreness the last time I did Iron Cardio.
I decided not to self-diagnose further, but instead turn to Sore Joint Solution to improve motor control, and hopefully eliminate the movement dysfunction. So for today i did a Phase 1 SJS session
Supine Level 3 - 30 diaphragmatic breaths, 30 head rotations, 30 head nods
Dead Bug - 20 reps
Side Plank - 5 diaphragmatic breaths, 5 head rotations, 5 head nods
Egg Roll - 15 reps
Dead Bug - 20 reps
Prone Level 4 - 30 diaphragmatic breaths, 30 head rotations, 30 head nods
Half Upper Body Roll - 15 reps
Dead Bug - 30reps
My Phase 1 performance hasn't dropped much despite months of not practicing. I just have to get back to 3 sets of 30 dead bugs, then I can resume Phase 2 practice. SJS allows you to move up to Phase 2 if you've hit all the progression standards for Supine and Prone, and are only lagging in Side Lying - in this case you're asked to begin SJS sessions with side lying practice before beginning any Phase 2 practice.
8/6
I do like Iron Cardio. However, I decided to lay off single KB front squat, due to the hip issues; and do a training block of The Giant 1.x with the 16kg KB. The purpose of doing Iron Cardio was to increase my 20kg KB clean+press rep max from 2 to 5. The Giant with a 16kg KB was proven to accomplish the same purpose. I initially chose Iron Cardio over The Giant because of the inclusion of the single front squat, and the numerous options for varying the workouts. Ironically, it's my problem with the single front squat that led me back to The Giant.
Today's training:
- General warmup - breathing in child's pose, dead bugs, hip flexor lunge stretch, the pump, cross crawls
- Anterior delt/chest stretch with band
- 16kg KB clean+press - 5 reps
- 16kg KB clean+press - 7 reps
- 16kg KB clean+press rep max - 12 reps - 13th rep was possible with high effort
- 16kg waiter walk for 30 seconds - 3 reps
- Circuit of 3 chin ups and 3 assisted pistol squats for 2 rounds
8/7
Sore Joint Solution Phase 1 session:
Supine Level 3 - 30 diaphragmatic breaths, 30 head rotations, 30 head nods
Dead Bug - 30 reps
Side Plank - 7 diaphragmatic breaths, 7 head rotations, 7 head nods
Egg Roll - 20 reps
Dead Bug - 30 reps
Prone Level 4 - 30 diaphragmatic breaths, 30 head rotations, 30 head nods
Half Upper Body Roll - 30 reps
Dead Bug - 30reps
Most progression standards for Phase 1 cleared, except for Side Lying.
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