Deadlift - Find 1 Rep Max

I was not confident going into this 1RM lift. I had to scale my weights during the cycle and couldn't reach anything over 90% of my 1RM. Regardless, I was going to attempt something. Over 95% of my 1RM or a new 1RM was going to be my goal.

I warmed up to 365 lb. and started to add on 20 lb. each jump. I was able to lift 385 lb. and went up to 405 lb. This lift was about 98% of my current 1RM. My back was straight and my form look good. I decided to go up to 420 lb. to attempt a new 1RM. I gripped the barbell and pulled. The bar started coming up about two inches then I dropped it. I felt my core weaken and my back start to round slightly. I didn't want to continue and risk losing form. I reached a goal, hitting 98% of my 1RM. If I did more deadlifts during the cycle, I probably could have hit a new PR.

Jackie

Row (1000 m)

50 thrusters

30 pull ups

The last time I did Jackie it was over two years ago. My previous time was 10:53 and my new goal was to finished under 10 minutes. Pull ups were going to be the hardest movement to get through. I can handle the thrusters but the pull ups were going to be rough. The row was not bad. I kept a pace of 1:40-1:50 per 500m, which took me about four minutes to finish. The I thought the thrusters were going to be easier but it was a grind. I did 15 reps and then stopped. I rested for a few second and picked up the bar. Towards the end of the thrusters I was doing about 5-10 reps.

The pull ups were my weakest movement. I was not able to string more than five reps together and towards the end was only doing two or three reps at a time. I'm not sure how long I took to do the thrusters and pull ups but I finished at 10:48. I didn't know this was a PR until I entered it into BTWB. I was 48 seconds faster this time around. I thought I went over my previous time and this surprise made me feel better about the workout. Small victories.

Lift Heavy and Level Up!

Thyra, is a Daughters of the Flame warcaster. Daughters, are the Protectorate's assassins/ninjas. They are quick and stealthy which made me paint her a dark color. I tried a different technique on the face which came out better than expected but the eyes are off a bit. I didn't like the highlights on the cloth, and will need to practice more two brush blending or layering. I also didn't like the way the metals came out. I need to work on highlighting and washing. 

Overall, I loved painting this model. It pushed me to do better and try new techniques. It didn't come out the way I wanted it to, but I had a great time. I need to watch and read more tutorials and try it out on more minis. Thanks for reading and check out the minis below. 

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After sitting in my miniature drawer for a year or two, I finally fished painting the Devout. This was a fun and stressful model. I bought this model used and it did come with problems. The shield arm had to be modified since the connection was fragile and broke when stripping the old paint. This connection broke during painting but I was able to pin it back. It doesn't look great but it's holding up.

I had a lot of fun painting this model since I was trying to implement some new techniques. It did not turn out the way I liked but it means I need more practice. Also, I'm using my DSLR to take pictures. This should yield higher quality finished photos. Thanks for reading and check out the pictures below.

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I'm almost done with the Devout and I have to prime my next model to paint. I assembled Thyra earlier in the year to test out a list but now I think it is time to paint her. Small bits of the model are missing and the pose is a little off but it will have to do. The smaller model and details may be a hurdle that I will have to overcome. It's going to be a challenge but it's only going to make me better as a painter.

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Deadlift - 3x3 at 95% (405 lb.)

My goal was to try and complete one set of deadlifts at 405 lb. but after a few weeks of deadlifts, I knew it was a lofty goal. I worked up to 365 lb. and added 10 lb. every set. 365 lb. felt a lot heavier than what I was used to and I didn't want to make large weight jumps. At 375 lb. and 385 lb. I was able to complete one set, but I failed to get more than one rep at 395 lb. I decided to drop back to 385 lb. but I was only able to finish two reps in the set. I completed the last two sets at 375 lb.

I was frustrated during this strength session because I felt weak. 385 lb. and 395 lb. used to be manageable and I would be able to finish all three sets at this weight. I have to remind myself that I need to put in the work in order to maintain strength.

Partner WOD - 40 Minute Time Cap

Row (100 cals.)

100 wall balls (20 lb./10 ft.)

Rest 5 Minutes

15-12-9

Clusters (135 lb.)

Muscle Ups

Rest 5 Minutes

100 wall balls (20 lb./10 ft.)

Row (100 cals.)

This is a repeat workout that I did in 2015. I wasn't writing about my workouts back then so I can't recall how that workout went other than the result on BTWB. Previously, I modified the workout since I was not able to complete muscle ups then. We also reached the time cap at 40 minutes. I wasn't sure if I would be able to Rx this workout. I haven't been able to complete a muscle up since last year. I have been doing more strict pull up work and decided to try and complete a muscle up instead of scaling. Surprisingly, I made one rep and it felt like riding a bike. I did two more to get used the movement and I was ready for the wod.

The first part of the workout was divided evenly, the row was two sets of 25 cals. and the wall balls were broken up into five sets of 10 reps. The row went well, both of us kept a good pace and finished quickly. The wall balls were harder but not by much. Breaking the reps down into sets of 10 really helped. I was able to get some rest while my partner did some work. The last 10 - 20 reps were difficult but we powered through and before we knew it, five minute break!

The cluster muscle up workout was the easiest part. Since I was comfortable with the weight, I did the extra rep on odd sets. My rep scheme was 5-3, 6, 5 for this part of the workout. I did single reps instead of touch and go, resting for a second or two before the next rep of clusters. After finishing the clusters I moved on the muscle ups doing single reps as well. The rep scheme followed the clusters while my partner scaled the muscle up portion. This section went by quick and then we were able to rest for another five minutes.

The last section of the workout was a lot harder than expected. I knew it was going to be harder than the first section but I didn't think it was going to be as difficult. We powered through the 100 reps of wall balls using the same rep scheme. I almost gave up and broke up the sets into reps of five but my partner pushed me to keep going. After the last set of wall balls, we walked to the rower. We did lower the sets for this section, completing sets of 15 cals. instead of 25 cals. We did two sets of 15 cals. and two sets of 10 cals. We finished the row and the workout at 37:37.

The push was worth it. The last time I did this, I wasn't able to finish the workout and this time, we crushed it. I haven't been hitting my strength numbers recently but I'm satisfied with how my metcon times have been coming along. It was great feeling finishing that workout under time cap. Now I just need to push it and be faster next time it pops up on the whiteboard.

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Deadlift - 5x5 at 85% (355 lb.)

I haven't been hitting my deadlift numbers this cycle. I haven't been doing them consistently for the last few weeks and it shows. My 85% from my lifetime 1RM is 355 lb. I was only able to lift 325 lb. for 5. I'm also more cautious about deadlifts because of injury. I am not where I want to be but I am not in a rush to get there. Proper form will lead to progress eventually. 

For Time - 9 Minute Time Cap

30 pull ups

400 m run

50 thrusters (45 lb.)

This was a short workout but it was one of my favorites from the week. Pull ups were going to be the hardest movement but we would have some rest time on the 400 m run. I was not sure how well I would do on the thrusters but I was pretty sure I could do them in two sets, three at the most. My goal was to finish under seven minutes.

The pull ups went okay. I set a pace of about 5-10 reps a set and finished in about three minutes. The strict pull ups I have been doing at home are starting to pay off. The pull ups felt easier and I didn't struggle as much. I also felt more control on descents. I should start doing more gymnastics accessory work at home. I was able to finish the run in two minutes but I took about 30 seconds of rest before I started the thrusters. My first set of thrusters were 20 reps. My shoulders started to give out and I switched to doing 10 - 15 reps per set. After resting a good amount of time between sets, I finished the workout at 7:15.

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This model has been done for at least a month. Laziness combined with birthdays, family gatherings and general busyness, has stopped me from taking some finished pictures. I will try to be better going forward.

One of the things I need to work on is model prep. After painting, I started to see some mold lines and gaps that should have been filled. This was the first time working with Privateers new plastic which was great to work with. I need to focus on basic model prep and hopefully, future models will not have those glaring mold lines! Overall, I'm happy with the final mini. It's one of my bests minis which is encouraging. I looked at a few of my early models and I am proud of how far I've come. The only way to get better is more practice.  

Lift Heavy and Level Up!