I was sore enough on Friday and Saturday to take both days off after lifing heavy on Thursday. I completed nearly the same workout on Sunday and Monday as I got back to work. I took things down a notch in terms of weight, while maintaining most of the volume, because I was worried about soreness in my elbow. Here’s what I did on Monday:

Double clean and press and front squat combo – 6 x 5 – 30 repetitions with 12 kg (26-pound) kettlebells
Two-handed swing ladders 2 x (5, 10, 15, 15, 10, 5) – 120 repetitions with 24 kg (53-pound) kettlebell
Kettlebell deadlifts 2 x 5 – 10 repetitions with 24 kg (53-pound) kettlebell
Farmer’s carry – 80 yards with 16 kg (35-pound) kettlebells
Dead hang pullups – 5 x 3 – 15 total
Wall pushups – 3 x 50 – 150 total

I did a double clean and press, returned the bells to the rack position, completed a front squat, swung the bells down and started over again with another double clean and press. The front squats were not demanding, but I may do 25 every day this week, so will hold off on increasing the weight for a while.

I had been swinging the 32 kg bell for a few months, but my lower back felt wrong on Friday and Saturday, so I decided to experiment with lower weight. I changed my rep scheme and added a little volume to make up for the lower weight. My back feels good, so I will stay with the 24 kg bell for a while. I added a few deadlifts in front of each swing ladder just for fun.

I did 3 pullups after completing the first 5 sets of double clean and press and front squat combos. I varied my grip each time – close underhand grip, wide overhand grip, wide underhand grip, wide overhand grip, wide underhand grip. My left elbow was painful with the first two sets, but I felt good for the rest.

I started the pushup progression from Convict Conditioning with 3 sets of 50 wall pushups on Sunday. My arms burned enough during the pushups that I decided to stay with wall pushups for a week or two and not progress to the next level right away. I did 50 wall pushups after my 6th set of double clean and press and front squat combos. My arms burned so much I worried I would not be able to complete 2 more sets. However, I managed to complete them by doing 50 more after each set of swing ladders. The third set was easier than the first set. The cleans and presses and the wall pushups were hitting my arms and shoulders similarly and I was more rested after swings.

I like to finish my sessions with a farmer’s carry. The 16 kg bells are starting to feel light, so I probably need to get a pair of 20’s or another 24 so I can keep the load demanding. I guess I could walk farther, but that would take more time.