Im just checking in again before the end of the year. I have been following a lot of the penandpaperstrength app stuff the past couple of months while I have been off bjj.

A little timeline of events...

I injured my left knee while training Bjj - trying to pass half guard with me left leg in the guard and my partner applied a hard knee torque and something popped. I thought I was done, I still get a chill now when I think about it. I think this happened around the 1st week of September. 4 months later and it still feels a little compromised.

Sep - 
Chin Up 51kg x 1

Nov - 
Snatch Grip DL 105kg x 5 
Bench Press 107.5kg x 1
Hook Grip DL 170kg x 3

Dec - 
Trap Bar DL 200kg x 1 
HSSS (Safety Bar) 100kg x 3 @6011
Front Squat 95kg x 5
Squat 155kg x 1 

Wed 29th 

Feeling pretty tired, just did squats and some mini band static shoulder work...

A. Squat 5 reps of 100,110,120,105kg


Tue 28th 

noon - East Coast nogi, did positional stuff, shoulder was a little sore but got through it ok in the end

pm - 4.5k row to complete the Dog Days of Summer Challenge

Mon 27th 

Row 30mins - 7034m

Hungover 😷

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Aug 27, 2018 at 6:29am PDT

Sun 26th

Did some light drills (nogi) with Ciaran and then 1 hour row

60min Row - 14,077m

So I had the choice of going to watch the pope, stick forks in my eyes or row for an hour. • It was a close run between the forks and the row... • I was dreading this, but much like a cold shower the anticipation is almost(!) as bad as actually doing it... • I was surprised at how comfortable I felt aerobically, I could have pushed for more meters but my #ocd was taking over - the plan was a 2:08avg split and 14k finish. DF was 95 - felt good at this actually, would have been way less than the last time I tried 60mins (I think I got 13.4k then)

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Aug 26, 2018 at 9:41am PDT

Sat 25th

A. Squat 5 x 5 100kg (first set no belt - by accident, felt ok)
B1. Neutral Grip chins 3 x 8
B2. 5kg Slamball pushups 3 x 10/10

Shoulder was a little sore after the pushups  - my right hand was getting pins and needles I think from tight forearms - did some yogaforbjj for the first time in a long time. I need to incorporate more stretching day to day.

Fri 24th

Row 2 blocks of

5 x 1min / 2min rest
@1:45 pace approx and 28spm +

A little more drag, a little more consistency. Trying to improve pacing at a higher gears. The target was ~1:45 split at 28-30spm. • I did 2 blocks of; 5sets: 1min Row / 2min rest. *during rest perform 10 push-ups.

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Aug 24, 2018 at 9:05am PDT

Thu 23rd

Row 5k - 21:30.4 one of my more consistent rows regarding pacing...

Post Physio 5k Row. Sore and exhausted today but just went into autopilot, pacing is improving...(target was 2:09split at 18spm) • #endurance before #power

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Aug 23, 2018 at 9:17am PDT

Wed 22nd

Row 5k - 21:31.7

Tue 21st 

A. Squat 3 x 5 - 110, 112.5,112.5kg (felt ok, was tired today though)
B1. Swiss Ball DB Flys 4 x 12 8kg dbs
B2. DB Row 4 x 10/10 20kg

Mon 20th

Sun 19th

SDSC Triathlon

10k Row - 44:44.7
20k Bikeerg - 43:08.0
2k Ski - ??
8k row - 36:52.2

I was pretty flat going onto the skierg - Neal was waiting for a skierg so I swapped back to the rowing machine.

Cant remember the previous days!! Left Shoulder still isn't great, definitely not able for bjj at the mo

Sun 12th

Rest (Howth walk)

Sat 11th

A. Squat 5 x 5 100kg

B. 2k Row (feet out drill)

Fri 10th

Row 2k Feet out drill

tried some light db bench press (15kg dbs) , some chin ups , some standing db rows
(left shoulder is still not great - sleeping is still the thing that is affected the most)

Thu 9th

2k Row, feet out drills. Skipped JiuJitsu as shoulder is still very tender

Wed 8th Aug

pre lunch - Squat 3 x 5 105kg


Tue 7th 

EC - Nogi, mostly positional drills, left shoulder is still bad from Friday


Mon 6th 

A. Row drills - feet out, 2k

B. Skierg 10 x 1min on / 1min off


Fri 3rd 

Gi and Nogi in SDSC (45mins more or less straight through) tough rounds, good for fitness


Thu 2nd 

EC Nogi

Tue 31st 

Noon - ECJJA nogi 

Mon 30th

3 rounds;
Ropeslams x 15;
KB swing x 8.
•
3 rounds;
KB Swing x 15;
Skierg x 2mins.
(Partner, I go, you go)
•
4 rounds of;
Ropeslams x 10;
Skierg x 1min.
(I go, you go)

Bitta training...same old same old. • 3 rounds; Ropeslams x 15; KB swing x 8. • 3 rounds; KB Swing x 15; Skierg x 2mins. (Partner, I go, you go) • 4 rounds of; Ropeslams x 10; Skierg x 1min. (I go, you go) • Finisher: defranco shoulder shocker 😷😷😷

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Jul 30, 2018 at 7:06am PDT

Sun 29th

2 hour walk to Poolbeg Lighthouse and back


Sat 28th 

noon - EC open mat (gi) 5 x 5min rounds approx. Sleep was shocking again last night with the heat and restless mind! Went to the 40ft afterwards for a dip.

PM trained with Neal and Neil at SDSC

Skierg Drills with Rope slams, hollow holds, pull ups ...

Saturday night , can’t stop won’t stop. 😎 • (😭😭😭😂) • @yakunchya @nealisdeadly

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Jul 28, 2018 at 1:42pm PDT

Fri 27th 

PM - SDSC beach muscles

A1. DB Bench 4 x 10; 30kg dbs
A2. Barbell Curls 4 x 10; 30kgs
B1. DB Seated Press 3 x 10; 15kg dbs
B2. Band Pushdowns 3 x 30;
C1. DB Lat Raise 3 x 12; 6kg
C2. EZ Bar curls 3 x 12; 28kgs

Thu 26th 

EC - nogi. Lots of heel hooks and knee reaps. love it!


Wed 25th

Skierg 2k test - I pussied out after 1k (fml), gave it a couple of hours and went back at it

7'32.4 - changed up technique after the weekends seminar - higher SR than before, felt my lungs going more so than arms. Was very tired but probably could have pushed more. Will re-test soon..

Got it done. Didn’t want to, but it’s done. Baseline established. Onwards.

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Jul 25, 2018 at 1:26pm PDT

Tue 24th

EC - nogi. Getting a bit of consistency again with bjj, enjoying it!


Mon 23rd 

Did a bit with Jane and Kev on the skierg...

3 x 90sec/ 30rest (at damper 1,4,10) holding a 1:55pace (straight into)
3 x 60sec / 30rest (at damper 1,4,10) holding a 1:50pace (straight into)
3 x 30sec / 30rest (at damper 1,4,10) holding a 1:45pace

Let’s do a quick workout she said, it’ll be fun she said... 😷😷⛷ • Thanks @jane.erbacher for another arsekicking 😂 • I love / hate this workout - really exposes technical weaknesses through fatigue. • Didn’t help it was one of the most humid days of the year (or at least it was in here...) 💦💦💦

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Jul 23, 2018 at 1:09pm PDT

Sat 21st / Sun 22nd

Jane Erbacher Seminar

Such a great weekend hosting the Project Ski and Project Row workshops with @jane.erbacher . • I can honestly say this was one the best seminars I have ever attended (never mind hosted). The attention to detail from start to finish shows how meticulous Jane is about her work and how much she knows. No stone was left unturned in her explanations but also in the back end systems where she provided information on hosting an event and follow up information on the content delivered over the weekend. I was blown away by the work she has put into this and how passionate she is in creating and delivering this seminar. • For myself, I thought I knew a lot about the erg and skierg but after this weekend I have realised I haven’t even scratched the surface. • I am excited to go back and relearn and apply it to my own training and coaching. I am also delighted and extremely proud of the effort the other coaches (and members!) put in here are the weekend. We are committed to being ahead of the curve and always looking to improve. • A huge thank you to everyone that came down over the two days and supported this. At some stage everyone came up to me and told me how it exceeded their expectations. • A huge thank you to Jane too, who has been amazing to have around the gym the last few days, we’ll miss her when she’s gone!

A post shared by South Dublin S&C (@sdscgym) on Jul 23, 2018 at 1:43am PDT

Fri 20th

AM - comp training with the EC crew in Royal Grappling Academy with Lachlan Giles

Brilliant training with @lachlan_giles this morning, thanks to the @royalgrapplingacademy and of course the @ecjja gang. • I love the fact I know so little about this game. Some golden nuggets to implement straight away ⚡️

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Jul 20, 2018 at 6:21am PDT

Walked around the Spink in the afternoon

Reviving this again!! 

Im not even mad - sometimes I get too bogged down in tracking things and just need to let myself off the hook a little. Back at it now, I feel like I am hitting a good spell to get going again...

Fri 13th(!) July 2018 

1pm
5 k row 19'58.8 / SR 20 , DF 128

Money in the bank 💰 • 5k at 20SR / DF 128. • Beach muscles with the boys later 💪🏻

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Jul 13, 2018 at 5:59am PDT

Wed 17th 

A. Squat 3 x 5 100,110, 110kg
B1. DB Bench 3 x 15 20,22.5,22.5 kg dbs
B2. RNT Split Squat 3 x 10/10 15kg dbs
C1. DB Lat Raise 2 x 10 10kg dbs
C2. Barbell Curls 2 x 12 30kg

Mon 15th

A. Bench - testing it out built up to 2 x 5 70kg (I cold feel the hand but settled a bit as it went on, didn't want to push things too much)
B. DB Tricep Floor Press 2 x 20 17kg dbs
C1. Barbell Row 4 x 10 50kg
C2. Facepulls 4 x 10
D1. KB Shrugs 32kg kbs
D2. Incline DB Curls 3 x 10 10kg

Sat 13th

A1. DB Seated Press 4 x 10 15kg dbs
A2. Bar Inverted Row 4 x 10
B1. Incline DB Bench 4 x 10 17.5kg
B2. Incline DB curls 4 x 10 10kg dbs 
C. DB Lat Raise 4 x 10 8kg

* grip / hand felt ok on the inverted rows - I seemed to naturally go for false grip though...

Fri 12th 

jumped in on a session with Aidan in the open gym

A. Squat 4 x 8 90kg
B. RDL 4 x 8 70kg
C. Ez Bar Curls 4 x 15 28kg
D. Band pushdowns x 100reps / 3 sets

Thu 11th 

trained with Ciaran in HQ

A. Squat - build to heavy 5 110kg, felt ok
B1. DB Bench 4 x 12 20kg dbs
B2. Facepulls 4 x 12
C1. DB Lat Raise 3 x 12
C2. DB Hammer Curls 3 x 12

I havent been tracking this for the past couple of months(!) as I broke my hand in the Madrid Open, doing a Marcelotine and basically pulled my own hand apart. I didn't realise I had broken it for nearly 2 weeks until I had to get an x-ray. Then I had to get surgery and a plate put into it - typical!! So no bjj for nearly 6 weeks so far. Healing is going ok, back for my final check up (I think) tomorrow.

#Repost @sdscgym (@get_repost) ・・・ Another injury to learn and grow from. Another opportunity to come back better. . Stocking up to help move through the various phases of injury repair -> inflammation -> proliferation -> remodelling. . Omega-3 and Boswellia extract, to help modulate inflammation. Glutamine to help with bone healing and immune system. Glucosamine (I’m aware of the inconclusive studies…). Vitamin C for collagen synthesis. Comfrey Oil - boneknit remedy for when the cast comes off... . Also not pictured Whey Protein, Creatine, ZMA, Turmeric, Green Tea, Pineapple / Bromelain. . I would generally introduce new supplements gradually but in the case of an acute injury involving surgical intervention, I’m having a supplement party over here 🎉

A post shared by David McConkey (@david_mcconkey) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:19am PST

In the past week or so I have been doing a small bit of lifting again. I started back on Squatting and am only at 100kg for 5 reps. Everything feels ok while doing them and I am enjoying training them again. The ego is thinking about aiming for PR's but I'll just take it week to week right now, the main aim is to get back on the mats asap.