My legs did not feel fully refreshed on Mondays the past few weeks and my right knee has been a little touchy during squats and swings. I am not suffering pain, but rather than going up with the weight that I use for squats or swings, I have stayed with the same weights I have been using for a while. I have however, made a significant move up to double clean and presses with 16 kg bells and have begun to do a few snatches with the 20 kg bell.

On days that are adequately cool, I do get-ups instead of clean and presses, but most days have been hot, so I have been doing clean and presses 3-4 days each week. I am doing ladders of 1,2,3, 3,2, 1 x 2 for a total of 24 reps. I am excited about the power I am generating. Rather than adding another rung to the ladder, I am adding more snatches. I recently tested doing snatches with the 20 kg bell and was surprised to find that I was okay with it, at least at relatively low reps. I have had a little trouble with tweaking my wrists during swings and clean and presses, so I am not doing many snatches. The most I have done with the 20 kg bell is 20 reps. I am more interested in establishing some consistency across the week than seeing how many reps I can get at this time.

I used to do pull-ups and chin-ups in every workout, but stopped nearly a year ago to avoid the shoulder problems I seemed to develop when I was doing 10 per day (or more). However, I am toying with the idea of going to a StrongFirst Tactical Strength Challenge in Marietta on 4 October where I would need to do pullups, deadlifts, and snatches with at least the 20 kg bell to compete as a Novice. So I have been doing 1 or 2 pullups most days for the past few days. So far, my shoulders feel fine. I would like to get back to where I can do 5 dead hang pullups before 4 October.

My current training program (5 days per week)

Prying goblet squats
16 kg kettlebell – 3 x 5 = 15 reps, 525 pounds

Goblet squat curls
16 kg kettlebell –3 x 5 = 15 reps, 525 pounds

Halos: 12 kg kettlebell – 3 x 10 = 30 reps, 780 pounds

Two-handed swings
24 kg kettlebell – 10 x 10 = 100 reps, 5600 pounds

Double clean and presses
16 kg kettlebells – 1,2,3 ladders = 24 reps, 1680 pounds OR

Get-ups
16 kg kettlebell – 5 x 1 L/R = 10 reps, 350 pounds

Snatches
20 kg kettlebell – 5 L/R = 10 reps, 440 pounds

Pullup – 1 rep

Hill Sprints – 3 x 70 yards = 210 yards