Training Log: Entry 3009

AM WORKOUT (0405 wake up via alarm) FASTED

**MESS (Mass-Easy/Strength-Simple)** Day 10: MMS Day 5

*EASY STRENGTH WORK*

Axle continental and strict press away/weighted chin superset
3x3x146
3x3x30

(3) Axle double overhand deficit deadlift
3x3x236+chains

Standing ab wheel
1x10

Reverse hypers
75x190lb

*Mass Made Simple*

Complex A (row-clean-front squat-press-squat-good morning)
3x5x125 (zero failures, 90 seconds rests)

Buffalo Bar Squat (1 min rests)
30x102
30x122
30x142

*10 minutes assistance work free-for-all*

Conan curls
Pull aparts
Lateral raise deathset
Tricep push downs
Kelso shrugs
Dips

Breakfast

2 mile walk with dog

Notes: 

* Came into this with some heavy fatigue: we finished up the kitchen cabinet painting project.  I tapped out early into it and managed to get 5 hours of sleep after several hours of painting, Mrs stayed up until 0300 getting it all the way finished, but, in turn, I came into the workout feeling not super strong.  Kept the weight light on the press and chins to work back into it and after that was done I felt solid.  

* Focusing hard on moving fast and smooth on the press.  And, actually, brought that focus to the complexes as well, which I think is why I had zero pressing issues compared to previous 2 runs.  I’ve been moving artificially slow, and it’s been meaning more time under the bar, which IS cool in terms of building muscle, but it has second and third order effects regarding getting through the set.  Where I really found a place to move quick was the cleans: I stopped pausing at the top of the rack and just rolled straight to the next clean, and then from there into the front squat.  It’s really a time bomb ticking: gotta outrun it.

* Deads felt solid.  Trying to get that grip set tight.

* I violated protocol on the squats and used the next highest weight classes prescription.  Glad I did.  That was fantastically challenging, especially with the short rests.  The squat style is feeling very natural now, and I’m sure it’s grooving all sorts of good motor patterns.

* Just in general, I’m really a big fan of Easy Strength so far.  Chaos is the plan, and duality and balance are real, so it’s awesome coming into each workout “knowing” what I’m going to do and it being the same thing 5 days a week.  Makes set-up simple.  Meanwhile, the chaos comes from the loaded carries always being different, from the conditioning work I throw at it, and from the madness that is linking Mass Made Simple into it.  Which I’m ALSO a big fan of (the parts I’m doing at least).  Another one of those programs that you need to DO before you can evaluate it.  It looks simple enough on paper, but going from those complexes into the high rep squats is QUITE a sensation.  The only “issue” is how prescriptive the program loads are, but I feel like this can be worked around by adjusting the squat style difficulty.  Perhaps a future run will be hands wide SSB squats, or front squats.

* The 10 minutes of assistance work at the end is something I stole from Brian Alsruhe and Jamie Lewis (dealer’s choice).  I like the idea of setting a block of time to do “whatever”.  

* Didn’t log it, but yesterday I got in a 3 mile walk with my kid and then 300 squats and 35 dips.  Should have Tang Soo Do tonight.