Training Log: Entry 2365

SATURDAY

Settle in: this’ll be a long one.

First the training.

BBB BEEFCAKE, Week 3, Day 4

AM WORKOUT (0430 Wake up via dog)

CIRCUITS (chin-bench) plate rest between sets, 2 min before final set

Chins (underhand)

100 reps total

Axle bench press

5xAxle

5x156

5x216

5x246

5x276

SUPERSETS (bench-row) 2 min between sets

Axle bench press 216

5x10

DB rows 90

5x10

50 band pull aparts

DB bench press 90s rest pause (12 deep breaths between sets)

(Upright) 1x4

(5) 1x3

(4) 1x4

(3) 1x4

(2) 1x5

(1) 1x5

BW Dips 10+10+10+10+10

25 pushdowns

Poundstone curls

154xAxle

POST WORKOUT SHAKE

30 GHRS

20 Standing ab wheel

40 reverse hypers

PM WORKOUT (1600)

CONDITIONING: Going to call this one “Dan John’s Mistake”

Tabata intervals

8 rounds of 95lb thrusters

7 rounds of 45lb KB swings (first 2 rounds 2 handed, next 5 rounds 1 handed alternating each swing)

1 round 95lb thruster

Notes:

LIFTING

Starting my first of 2 12s, although with daylight savings one of them is an 11, so that’s cool. Got in the early bench workout, which allowed me to be tired enough to grab a nap before that conditioning workout.

The topset of bench was challenging but mangable. 275lbs is always a significant number to me. When I first got to college I got a wild hair to test my bench max after a few years of lifting, and I ended up at 275lbs. Anytime I move that weight on bench, it brings me back. 5x275 isn’t my best, but it’s something I’m happy with at this point in my life, with all the circumstances surrounding it.

I paused the first 2 reps of the first set of 216 and found out that wasn’t going to happen for the rest of the workout. This week was the right degree of heavy and challenging.

The weight on rows isn’t changing, but the technique is. Really focusing on the squeeze and contraction. Milking the most out of it.

I did much better on the DB benching than I anticipated. My arms are beat to hell from the log work, so getting the bells into position was a challenge, but strength for pressing was solid. Also, I’m doing this workout in my bedroom slippers because I’m too lazy to change shoes, so I didn’t have the best footing.

CONDITIONING

Alright, onto conditioning. The title is awesome. Dan John originally prescribed Thrusters for Tabata work in the way back when, and later walked it back saying it was a bad idea. Reading that something is a bad idea tends to get my attention, so I gave it a try. They will absolutely smoke you. I DID find that the press portion became the limiting factor over time, which is why I can imagine Dan preferred front squats for this. I tacked on the swings to get in more conditioning time and keep it Dan John-esque. Were I to do this again, I’d alternate rounds of thrusters and swings to allow recovery between the exercises. Another option would be thrusters 1 round, front squats the next. Could also do all 3. There’s so much room for modifications.

LIFE

My kid had their first Tang So Do lesson today and they are completely in love with it, so now we’re signed up. I was happy with the instruction. I’m VERY happy with the business practice. No contracts, month to month, about half the price of what we paid back in 1990s dollars when I was doing it as a kid: definitely not the “money machine” that a lot of martial arts schools end up as. The stances and basics are very similar to what I learned and what I was teaching my kid from Tae Kwon Do, so it’s nice to have some transferrable skills, and there’s a chance my kid can test out of the basic class, which is cool. I have to restrain from becoming the coach from the sideline with my kid, as this is ultimately what my kid needed. I loved training them, but it was becoming too stressful for both of us, and they didn’t have anyone their size to train with/practice on.

Also, the Tang So Do school is literally next door to a cupcake bakery. Kismet.

NUTRITION

Tried out the riced cauliflower oatmeal. It scratched the itch. I put too much cashew milk in it and turned it into more a porridge/soup, but then added in some Walden Farms chocolate syrup and thickened it back up. Good flavor too. I’ll add the pancake syrup next time. Might incentivize me to get their blueberry or strawberry flavor. Overall, I’ll call it a win, and it’s something else I can include alongside my breakfast.

On that note, I keep catching myself undereating. When I can find ways to shave off food total, I tend to take it. My instincts are still all backwards. That said, breakfast seems to be the meal where I allow myself the most leeway, so I keep loading it up with what I can. I still have my “thou shalts”, but even those seem to flex if I go totally off script. Such as today, where I had a Chinese buffet for lunch. I am proud of how I ate there today: no mental calculations or binging on veggies to get full or anything like that: I hit up the Mongolian grill portion, loaded up on meat and veggies, then did an “around the world’ trip at the buffet line where I grabbed 1 of each item that looked good. Which, if you’ve ever tried that, you’ll STILL have a full plate when it’s done: which shows just how MUCH food you get at a buffet if you load up the ladle.

I tried out Sunbutter tonight as part of my high fat meal, and I’m kicking myself for having not had it earlier in my life. It’s amazing, and pretty much pure fat, some protein and almost zero net carb. I can’t find solid information on the Omega 6 content, but I think I get enough Omega 3s to not worry about it. I believe this will eventually replace peanut butter in my diet, but right now I’m going to rotate between peanut butter, almond butter and Sunbutter. Should also help prevent me from developing allergies.

I’m still doing the high fat meal in the evening and then grassfed cottage cheese immediately before bed. I think it’s been good for me, but I’m falling slightly out of love with the high fat meal. It was originally to help me sleep through the night, but I’m still waking up about every hour after midnight. I like getting my fats in, the meal is yummy, but I don’t quite so much enjoy going to bed feeling like a gassy whale and waking up in the morning with a world ending bowel movement. I may take to alternating between high fat meals in the evening with high lean protein meals, or at least vary my fat source away from pure nut butters. Once again, no shortage of options.

On the digestion front, cleaning out my work water bottle was a game changer, and I’m actually digesting and absorbing nutrients. That’s a positive.

The program is getting challenging, so that should be the catalyst to keep eating big.

And on top of all that, here is the check in photo

I see myself thickening, which is good. I feel that explains the improved squat performance as well. The “waspish waist” doesn’t bode well for heavy squats. Question of, is my body thickening and my squats improving, or are my squats improving and thickening my body?