Another Round of Max VO2 (Ugh!)...

I had the chance to work with Dustin Rippetoe (RKC II) again yesterday. We met in a local park and the basic skills of the RKC were evaluated, i.e. squat, snatch, press, TGU, clean, swing. As usual nothing escaped Dustin's eye and he provided a couple of tips to make my snatch stronger, TGU better, and double swings more solid in the knees. RKC Hardstyle is always a work in progress -- always seeking that perfect rep. However, he commented that all skills are very solid and any points of correction were just "picky."

The weather in the park was horrible -- winds were blowing over 30 mph with gusts over 60 mph! There was a lot of dust and pollen in the air, but I didn't notice any side-effects until I got home. My nose was really "stopped-up" -- which I couldn't afford since my training schedule required another round of MVO2! So, I irrigated my nose with saline (which is disgusting, but effective) and waited about 30 minutes in hopes of breathing better.

For this round of MVO2 I planned to do 39 sets of 7/7 reps, 15/15 with the 16kg bell. It went like this:

Warmup: Shorter warmup since I had been working with Dustin -- Z Health Neural Warmup; Joint mobility drills; ETK wall squats, halos, pumps -- focused on pumps and shoulder drills in preparation for MVO2

Workout:

• Plan -- 16kg bell, 39 sets of 7/7 with 15/15
• Actual -- 16kg bell, 35 + 5 sets of 7/7 with 15/15 + 30 seconds, i.e. at 35 sets I "cheated" and took and extra 30 second "breather" -- my muscles weren't smoked and my form seemed good -- I just ran out of air! I hope this was the effect of inhaling too much dust and pollen earlier in the day...I hope!
• Result -- 280 total snatches with a 30 second "cheater."

Final comment -- I still have a long way to go and June's coming!