Training Log: Entry 3093

AM WORKOUT (0419 natural wake up)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE​​** Week 2, Day 2-Wheel of Pain

40 round EMOM workout

5 prisoner squats and 5 push-ups EMOM

100lb keg one motion overhead and carry between rounds

**10% Corollary​​**

5 rounds of 2-3-5-10 prisoner squats and push-ups
10 standing Wheel of pain
25 Conan Curls
50 pull aparts

Breakfast

Shorter 40lb vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* I like how this turned out.  It's like a Last Castle workout with a buy-in/harmony disrupter.  The squats and push-ups are simply to get in my daily 300, but really anything could fit into there.  Burpees are a pretty obvious choice, but front squats/KB squats would be dandy too.  I like getting up and down off the floor.  On that note: I should seriously consider some turkish get-ups at some point.

* I feel this is pretty close to the Wheel of Pain from Conan: the brutality doesn't ever stop, and there's no purpose to it.  We're not moving the keg to get it to a different spot: it's purely for the sake of misery.  It's pointless brutality.  And there's no way to make it end other than to simply do it until time runs out.  We're not going for rep goals.  Writing this as a story: our Cimmerian is condemened to the Wheel of Pain, but in addition to this punishment he is humiliated by being forced to perform on his master's call.  Similar to Conan fighting in the pits for entertainment, here we perform the prisoner's dance for the amusment of onlookers.  

* Front delts were really making themselves known between those push ups and pressing the keg overhead.  It's sneaky.  I got in 200 reps with the main workout, and finished up with 100 more to get my 300.

* You can tell it's cold since I'm wearing clothes, and, in turn, my walk with the wolf was cut short this morning because of it.  She's an older wolf, still has her dignity, and for that I don't want her to have to shiver and show weakness.  Plus, she'll be out later this evening trick-or-treating, so we'll get in some more steps.

* Light rations are rolling out well.  The famine is in full swing, and may be a short one depending on how effective it is.  Last night I ground up some piedmontese grassfed steak tips to turn into burgers.  They turned out fantastic, and practically zero fat.  Our Cimmerian is becoming lean and sharp, which will prep him for the upcoming war and subsequent feast.

 Training Log: Entry 3092

AM WORKOUT (0425 natural wake up, very good night of sleep)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICILE** Week 2, Day 1

Axle continental and strict press

5x141

5x151

5x156

Between sets: 3x4 chins w/chains

GIANT SETS (press-chin-pull)

Axle clean and strict press away

5x10x108

Chins

5x6

Band pull aparts

5x10

Done w/in 9 minutes

GIANT SETS (press-neck-abs)

Axle clean each rep and strict press

5x5x108

Neck harness

4 sets w/55lbs

Wheel of pain

4x5

10 tree of Woe shrugs

Axle clean and push press away

21 reps w/remaining time (40 minute workout total)

Breathing Squats

20x235 w/pull overs

25 Conan Curls

25 pushdowns

Lateral raises until timer ran out

Breakfast

40lb weight vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Trying a different set-up this week: 4 40 minute workouts and 1 20.  The 20 will roll into a “dealer’s choice” loadout, giving me a chance to get in a few odds and ends.  Adding 5 extra minutes to each of the other workouts allows for just a little touch of extra work.

* Managed to lift more weight this week and get more reps in at the end: total victory.  Chaos is the plan, but I also have a methodology on these set days for progression.  To quote famous 20th century philosopher Henry Hill “Fun within prescribed limits: this is gonna work!”

* Tweaked something in my left trap on the final set of heavy presses.  That’s not the trap that usually gets tweaked, so that’s progress: a new hitch. It’s annoying, but not debilitating.

* Really focusing on trying to move quickly where I can on the movements, not always being super slow twitch.  

* The squats are hitting just about perfect.  It’s weird to me getting the training effect with so little weight.  It sneaks up on me, compared to my low-bar style.  And laying crosswise on the bench for pull overs is opening up a lot more in me.

* Didn’t log anything yesterday, but I did actually train.  I also got in some great night walking, taking my kid to “Boo at the Zoo”, where we logged 10k steps trick-or-treating in some very cold weather and carrying a LOT of candy…and a pumpkin at one point.  Chaos is absolutely the plan.  I’ll link the training video

* Simple 10 minute EMOM where I did rounds of 5 prisoner squats and 5 push ups until the timer went, then 1 SoS to shoulder, then I set a Tabata timer and got 4 burpee chins every 20 seconds and 3 KB throws w/20kg bell.  That was intense.

* Had a very small carb up meal yesterday, and am officially beginning a Famine today, now that the training is sorted and my birthday feast has concluded, and with MANY feasts on the horizon, it seems like a good idea to baseline this with a Famine and bookend it that way as well.  My next cruise is 8 weeks from now, which allows for a 2 week famine, 4 week feast, 2 week famine, then feast on the cruise, reset and re-evaluate.  The Mrs already has another practice Thanksgiving qeued up for Veteran’s Day, so this will work pretty perfectly.

* On all of this, the food relationship continues to improve.  I absolutely enjoyed myself at Texas De Brazil and managed to find that delegate balance between eating to the point of enjoyment vs gorging to the point of physical illness (which boiled down to 90 minutes of putting away SO much meat), and then managed to enjoy a small amount of Birthday Brownies that Mrs made for me.  I didn’t restrict myself out of fear of eating brownies: I was legit just full from my mid-day meal still.  Felt no need to burn all this fuel off with extensive exercise after that fact, and still have my carb up the next day: I simply training as needed and living as much as I can.  Weekends are far more about being active and involved these days vs killer workouts.

* Birthday was fantastic.  Had an amazing breakfast, laser tag, Texas De Brazil for lunch where I ate meat for 90 minutes, and then we watched the DnD movie as a family.

 Training Log: Entry 3091

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Workout 5

Log clean and press away

3x150

3x160

3x170

Superset w/

3x5x115 DB rows

GIANT SET (press-chin-pull)

Log clean and press away

11x3x150

Chins

11x5

Band pull aparts

11x10

Buffalo Bar Breathing Squats w/pullovers

20x230

Poundstone Curls

100xAxle

Breakfast 

Walk w/Wolf

Notes:

* Maybe some more later.  Took the day off work to get some chores knocked out so I could enjoy the weekend, so off I go.  Wanna get in some more walking.

 Training Log: Entry 3090

AM WORKOUT (0420 natural wake up)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 4

40 rounds of 

* EMOM: 5 burpees and 3 Viking Thrusters w/90lbs on the axle

5 rounds of

* EMOM: 10 dips, 10 pull aparts and 2 Wheel of Pain

5 rounds of

* EMOM: 10 push ups, 10 pull apart and 2 Wheel of Pain

25 Conan Curls

BREAKFAST

40lb weighted vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Came up with this when I woke up this morning.  Elements of Kalsu for sure, but lighter load and strict rep count.  This allowed me to also get in a lot of my push ups and squats for the day, which I tend totaled out with that 10 round finisher (I’m counting each burpee as 2 squats, since I squat to get down to the push up and squat again to get up from it).  I was definitely hurting at the end, and was telling myself lies by round 4 to get me through the workout.  

* Been slacking on the story here, but since this is going to be an 8-9 week program run, that would get a bit cumbersome.  

* Weighed in at 172.6 this morning, and I’m carrying the kind of leanness that I’m used to seeing at the 166 mark, so that’s a good sign.  I might actually be putting on some muscle.  Or it could simply be a MASSIVE amount of inflammation that comes after a downweek and then jumping right back into training, as I continue to feel beat to hell.  That steak and eggs last night is sure to help though.  

* That little EMOM finisher at the end was pretty dandy.  Just about perfect 10% corollary at work: getting in some of the neglected stuff.  I’m proud of myself for seeking out direct ab and arm work.  Also happy I could get in the walk this morning: we had thunderstorms in the forecast but thankfully didn’t get rained out.

* I’ve definitely noticed the physique impact from focusing on getting in those 300 push ups and squats a day vs not.  It’s really a missing element there.  If I remain diligent, I get the reward.  Focusing on rep quality has gone a long way as well.

* Been meaning to document this “non-scale victory”, but I FINALLY got rid of all the “Nuts ‘n More” in my house.  I had given away the majority of my un-opened stock, but still had an opened jar in my pantry that I was keeping because I honestly didn’t want to get rid of it, but finally committed myself to the reality that I wasn’t eating that stuff anymore.  For others, it’s a fine product, but I was absolutely abusing it, and tossing it was proof that it no longer had that power over me.  Each trash night I’ve been having little celebrations like that: getting rid of keto treats and frankenfooods and science experiments.  It’s been liberating.

* I forgot the other NSV I meant to share from a few weeks back: I'm wearing a size 30 pant these days.  My 32s were fitting like a circus tent.  I legit don't think I've been that small a waist since 5th grade.

 Training Log: Entry 3089

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 3

7 rounds in 35 minutes of

* 2-3-5-10 20kg KB clean and press away

Between rounds, some manner of assistance exercise alternating between neck harness, Wheel of Pain, Tree of Woe shrugs, Chins, trap bar rows w/135, reverse hyper w/180, or band pull aparts

20x275 breathing trap bar lifts w/20x20lb pull overs

5 minute lateral raise dropset

Breakfast

40lb weight vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Chaos is the plan!  The original plan for today was taking the log out for triples and 10x5, but I continue waking up feeling like I’ve been beaten with a bat, so I called for an audible and went with something a little lighter.  Along with that, I had a plan to do breathing trap bar lifts, and this allowed for a much smoother transition from the pressing to the trap bar lift, since I could already have it loaded up and in place vs having to fully dismantle the set up and reassemble the log.  

* 2-3-5-10 straight out of the Dan John playbook.  I tried to be a little strategic with the assistance selection, going for longer assistance movements when it was time to recover for the 5s and 10s and shorter ones for the 2s and 3s.  Also tried to pick more “bitter medicine” assistance exercises: all those things I SHOULD be doing that I neglect.  Calf work is about the only missing variable, and maybe I’ll get that in next time.  Also need some direct arm work in there.

* I always wanted to try breathing trap bar lifts, but I’m not really sold on them.  You can see and hear me struggling, but in truth the biggest struggle was the feeling that my right bicep was going to tear at any moment.  I didn’t really get the full body fatigue that is found in the squats.  I’m going to continue with my approach to alternate movements, but I think next round is going to be breathing good mornings (so I’ll do breathing squats Friday, then GMs either Mon or Wed next week).  I can see how the magic circle was advised as an in between.  

* Got a little bit of pain in the left elbow that I need to keep an eye on.  Too early in the training cycle to have consistent elbow pain.  I noticed it at Tang Soo Do last night, which was in turn just an average kind of class, nothing special to report.

PM workout was 15 ladders of prisoner squats and push ups at 2-3-5-10 for a total of 300 for each in 20 minutes.

But the real brag is dinner

T-bone from the family farm, and Mrs perfectly executed the sunny side up eggs.

 Training Log: Entry 3088

AM WORKOUT (0415 natural wake up, 10 minute snooze)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 2

35 rounds of

EMOM: 2 keg one motions w/100lb keg

Between rounds: row

3.5 ladders of prisoner squats and push ups (70 total)

Breakfast

40lb weight vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Telling the story here: on the slaver’s ship, we’re rowing until we reach port, unloading the goods, loading the loot, then rowing to the next port.  And the drummer is keeping the beat the whole time.

* First time using my rower.  I got it cheap on Facebook market.  It’s actually a rower and a recumbent bike, which most likely means it’s not good at either one, but it was good enough for today.  Little learning curve on the seat locking in place a few times: I’m sure there is a bypass for that.  Didn’t really go all out on the effort: still breaking back in to training.  Whole body feels like it got beat with a bat from yesterday.  That “softening up” that John McCallum wrote about is for real.

* Was short on time this morning, so didn’t go too crazy beyond this workout, but that’s what makes “Chaos is the Plan” so outstanding: always room for changes, audibles, and playing things by ear.

* It was good weather for breaking out the weight vest on my morning walk.  Nice to get in a little extra conditioning.

* Later today I’ll get in some combat training…Tang Soo Do.  I can still work that into my LARPING.

* Nutrition for the week is in a weird place of post-cruise recovery and pre-birthday prep (I’m turning 38 at the end of this week).  I’ll be hitting up Texas De Brazil and engaging in NEAR full on nutritional debauchery, but since my wife and kid will be joining me I don’t want to spend 2 hours gorging myself to the point that I put the Gluttony guy from Se7en to shame.  But still: I wanna prep my body for maximal enjoyment, and today’s training was outstanding for that, because I’m already hungry.

 Training Log: Entry 3087

AM WORKOUT (0423 natural wake up)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 1

*35 minutes of pressing something over my head*

Axle continental and strict press away (3 weighted chins between rounds)

5x136

5x146

5x151

Axle clean and strict press away (5 chins and 10 pull aparts between rounds)

5x10x136

Axle clean each rep and strict press (neck work and tree of woe shrugs between rounds)

5x5x136

Axle clean and push press away

18x136

*10% COROLLARY (….VERY liberal 10%)*

20x225 breathing squats w/20 pull overs

5x5 “Wheel of Pain” (ab wheel)

5x10 dips

25 Conan Curls

1 minute of Tree of Woe shrugs

Breakfast

Walk with wolf

Notes:

* Putting my money where my mouth is with the new training block.  I’ve got 9 weeks until I go on another cruise, which is amazing (still planning on doing a post cruise write up as well), and no competition on the horizon (not that I would care anyway) so I figured I’d do a test pilot of “Chaos is the Plan: The Plan”.  I’ve also rediscovered my love for Rob Howard and the Hyborian universe of Conan the Cimmerian, so I’m styling this training block in that manner.  Get ready for some LARPING and self-aggrandizing.  

* I’ve boiled it down that I want to lift 5 days a week, so that allows for 4 35 minute workouts and 1 40 minute.  My rough skeleton of a plan is to have a day where I do 5x10 for supplemental and a day I do 10x3-5, both with a 5/3/1 style opener (so effectively 5/3/1 BBB and 5/3/1 BBS).  That would be Mon-Wed.  Fri I’m thinking making more Deep Water esque and going 10x10 with strict rest times, or perhaps a stupidly heavy day.  On each of those days, I’m going to conclude with some manner of 20 breathing heavy lifts (squat, trap bar or good morning), because I’m not gonna get that Conan build without some hypertrophy.  I’ll flesh out thoughts even more some time in that regard.  Tues and Thurs will be more WOD-esque overhead work.  I’ll be rotating all manner of implements as well.

* Borrowing more from Conan, I finally got my rower figured out, so I’m going to be including that in the training, as per his Grandfather’s time as a slave on a ship, and even Conan himself took to privateering.  I’ll be stealing a lot from “To Valhalla” as well, but as Chaos is the Plan, it’s really more a framework and a concept vs anything solid.  And, if nothing else, I’m excited about this, which is what really matters.

* Since I’m coming back from a solid week of not touching any sort of weights, I did my best not to completely blow my brains out on this one.  I still worked hard, but intentionally cut the weights lighter than I wanted, and still found them more challenging than I wanted as well, so it worked out.

* Dig my reference.  The ab wheel is the Wheel of Pain, hanging from the bar for lat shrugs is the Tree of Woe, I’m walking with wolves instead of my pug: you just gotta really buy in for the results you want.

* I’m keeping up with the beltless training.  I really like the habit it’s built in me.  If I find that I’m limiting myself because of that, I’ll change, because Chaos is the Plan.

* Gonna try my hardest to maintain my 300 push ups and squats per day, but not going to lose sleep if I don’t.

 Training Log: Entry 3086

Wild times are about to kick off.  I fly out for NYC in less than 12 hours.  Ran a 5k this morning as a family.  Got in 55 burpee chins in 5 minutes at some point today.

Had an outstanding post-race breakfast of an Abelardo's steak and egg breakfast burrito, no potatoes, extra steak, just eating the inside and throwing away the shell.  Find something more anabolic.

I suppose I will on this cruise!  No electronics: I'll be back next Saturday/Sunday.  Stay classy folks!

 Training Log: Entry 3085

AM WORKOUT (0423 natural wake up)

**MONUMENT TO NON-EXISTENCE: JASON VOORHEES EDITION** (Happy Friday the 13th!)

As many rounds as possible in 40 minutes of

* 13 thrusters

* 13 front squats

* 13 squats

* 13 deadlifts

w/95lbs

Follow-on:

240 push ups in 15 minutes

Notes:

* Got inspired to do this last night, coming up with ideas for the morning workout.  Been a long while since I ran a Monument, and it’s typically not something I do for an AM workout since it can get loud, but keeping the load light so I could run through multiple rounds seemed to be the solution.

* Had to drop the front squats a few times.  Ultimately, it was holding the rack position that was beating me up.  If I cross armed it, I may have had a better chance.

* Great way to cap off this week of madness.  Pushed me hard and got in some quality reps.

* On the subject of quality reps, that was the goal with the push ups.  I could have gotten more with some sloppy stuff, but I really wanted to get in some solid work, as I’m seeing better results/impacts from that.

* In-laws come into town today to watch the kiddo while Mrs and I go on the cruise, so life/nutrition/training will get busy and chaotic again, which is where I thrive.  It’s my last day of the famine and my goal was met.  I’m lean again and really postured to take advantage of all the great food I’ll have.  We’re departing out of NYC, which means I’ll get some amazing street pizza, and then will make it a goal to eat every animal while I’m cruising.

 Training Log: Entry 3084

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm, much better night of sleep)

**TOWER OF BABEL**

170lb Front Squats (bodyweight)

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

5 burpees between each set

Then 10 squats as a backoff

1 mile 40lb weighted vest walk

20 standing ab wheels

25 push ups

25 squats

25 band pull aparts

Breakfast

Walk w/dog

Notes:

* I keep forgetting the impacts of the famine, but I came into the gym this morning absolutely not wanting to do anything and moving real slow, and then remembered that this is how I tend to feel on the final days.  So it means everything is going according to plan.

* First time running a beltless version of the tower.  It’s a much faster transition this way: fewer places to hide.  I also set up inside the rack vs on the yoke, so it was a very quick turn around onto the burpees.  Tried to focus on the jump in the burpee.

* All this said, I wasn’t as floored as I was during my last run of this, which was forever ago.  Part of me thinks the belt might be worth using, because it allows for heavier weight used.  But it could also just be I’m not as strong and also in better shape, so I’m not putting as much stress on myself and recovering better.

* Took the page out of the Dan John Easy Strength for Fat Loss book and went for the walk afterwards, since we’re predicting severe thunderstorms tonight and walk opportunities are minimal.  Also got in those push ups and squats to get me to an even 100 reps total, counting the stuff from the burpees.  Keeping the ab work in because I tend to neglect it when left to my own devices.  

* Thinking about the future, I really need to get some DB rowing, GHRs and Reverse Hypers back into my training.

 Training Log: Entry 3083

AM WORKOUT (0425 give up via alarm: very rough night of sleep, kept overheating)

40 minute bodyweight circuit.  As many rounds as possible of

* 3 prisoner squats

* 3 push ups

* 1 chin

But EMOM, do 1 axle floor to overhead w/103lbs

105 rounds completed: 100 in under 38 minutes

Poundstone curls

100xAxle

Breakfast

Walk w/dog

Notes:

* Still just playing the week by ear and really enjoying how organically the process unfolds.  Was feeling beat up from all the heavy work so picked bodyweight, and also made this a way to get in high quality reps for my daily 300, because I noted that my chest and triceps have been pretty sore these past few days, and it’s BECAUSE I actually put in 300 quality reps of push ups vs the garbage partial reps I’ve been doing just to “get it done”.  There’s a balancing act among all of this, and discovering that is part of the fun.

* Prisoner squats have an added shoulder stimulus from raising my hands and putting them behind my head.  It seems insignificant, until you do it 300 times.  

* I’ll always dig a floor to overhead as a “catfish” movement.  Just something to break up the rhythm and keep me honest.  Without that, I’ll start to really slow down on the rounds and circuits, but knowing that I have A movement looming at the top of every minute is incentive to move quick.

* This is honestly like Kalsu turned on it’s head.  100 rounds of bodyweight work interrupted by EMOM floor to overhead, vs 100 rounds of floor to overhead interrupted with bodyweight work.

* I’m leaner again.  It still catches me off guard how my body will physically manifest illness now.  Whenever I come down with a small bug, my face gets puffy, the area around my eyes gets block, and my midsection will hold more water.  This didn’t happen before I transitioned my diet, which, in turn, leads me to believe that I’ve healed so much now FROM a state of perpetual illness.  My body is now in a state where day to day it is thriving, and when it gets sick it’s surviving, vs a state wherein day to day it was surviving such that, when I got ill, there was no physical manifestation to be had: I was already living it.  Pretty wild really.  I’ve got the Mrs to confirm this too, as she will comment on how my face looks puffy and how it looks better, and this morning she was agog when I came back upstairs post workout glow, telling me I was her eye-candy.  Good place to be.

* I’m also seeing the benefit of that practice Thanksgiving as far as large meal/carb refeed goes, whereas I didn’t experience that last week because of the illness.  Again: really cool to see how all of this goes.  And while I’m celebrating/documenting stuff, I’m about a month sober of energy drinks and coffee and experienced no withdraw when I just suddenly stopped.  Also, my dad reached his initial goal of 40lbs lost with his ketogenic diet approach, met with his doc, got his blood pressure meds cut in half (and he’s looking to just stop them entirely) and is going through a brief stabilization period before he takes on another 15lb loss.  Just doing absolutely awesome: super proud of him.

 Training Log: Entry 3082

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)

40 Minutes of Conditioning

EMOM

3 trap bar lifts w/225

5 dips

For the first 20 rounds, wear a 40lb vest and use low handles on trap bar

Next 10 rounds, high handles

Final 10 rounds, remove the vest

Followed by

20 standing ab wheels

Lateral raise dropset

20 pull aparts

.28 mile walk around block w/40lb vest

Breakfast

Walk w/dog

 Training Log: Entry 3081

Final day of 4 day weekend.  Got in my 300 push ups and squats with a focus on rep quality this time, and some weighted vest walking with the dog, and then this half hour murder session

30 minute workout

175 on squat (bodyweight-ish)

100lb log

As many reps of squats as possible, but EMOM do 3 Viper Presses

I got 78 total.  That was awesome.

Gonna be living off leftover turkey all week.  That's a GOOD week.

 Training Log: Entry 3080

Trained like a barbarian

Then ate like one

That was plate 1. There were more. Very certain I could take down a whole 18lb bird at this point.

Got in a 2+ mile walk w/40lbs to help digest

 Training Log: Entry 3079

4 day weekend, which means lots of living and not much writing.  I ate well and was active today.  Got in about 6 minutes of dedicated training

 Training Log: Entry 3078

AM WORKOUT (0415 wake up)

**JUGGERYOKE BONUS ROUNDS** Week 1, Workout 4: Shrugs and Squats (out of sequence due to schedule)

SUPERSET CIRCUIT (shrug-press/abs)

Axle shrugs against bands

8x3xStrong+light band

2xAMRAPxStrong band

Behind the neck press

4x8x100

Hanging leg raise w/10 lat shrugs

5x5

15 rounds of EMOM SSB Squats

15x245+chains

CONDITIONING

Tabata intervals of 24kg KB throws w/overhead squat on the 10s

Breakfast

Walk w/dog

Notes:

* Really appreciated this set-up compared to previous.  Shrugs against bands are easier to set-up and really drill into my traps.  Saving the squats until the end allows me to really give it my all.  The EMOM keeps me honest, although I should up the weight next time.  SSB definitely supports heavier loads and I feel less beat up.  I think I’m on board with 3 different squats for this program: front, buffalo bar and SSB.  The chains are still pretty awesome.  I’ll need to go a little heavier on BtN presses.

* Wheels completely fell off on the conditioning.  I’m wiped out.  Pretty sure I picked up some sort of stomach bug.  My guts have been twitchy, and I’m seeing my physique reflect illness by going completely flat despite the carb-up I did earlier in the week.  Just gotta wait for it to pass.

* May try to get in a little more walking today, if schedule permits.  I’ve been slacking on the daily push ups and squats.  Part of that is that I’ve really appreciated the mental freedom of no longer feeling like I HAVE to do those things any more, but I do feel like there’s a benefit to it.

 Training Log: Entry 3077

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)

**JUGGERYOKE BONUS ROUNDS** Week 1, Workout 3: Pulls, Bench and Squat

SUPERSET CIRCUIT (pull-incline)

High pulls

6x5x135

Incline axle bench

6x5x171

SUPERSET CIRCUIT (bench-abs)

Axle pause bench

6x1x261

Standing ab wheel

5x7

Buffalo Bar Squat (3 minutes on-1 minute off-3 minutes on)

54 reps (1 rep PR)

38 reps

92 reps total (2 rep PR)

.28 mile stumble around the block

BREAKFAST

Longer walk w/dog

Notes:

* More mixing it up: went with a traditional barbell high pull vs the trap bar.  Significant weight drop, first time performing this movement.  Really tried to focus on explosiveness and getting the elbows high.  Straps go a long way.  The incline is moving in a good direction, and my flat bench continues to climb.  

* Oh my god those buffalo bar squats.  I have no idea where that PR came from but I’ll take it.  Just so awesome to have the opportunity to dig like that.  Knees and hips are holding up pretty decent.

* Evening walks are on a bit of a hold as schedules explode, so I’m getting in what I can in the morning.  Not getting in much Vitamin D with the later sunrise, but the outdoor exposure is still good.

* “Stumble” is the right verb: once the bar was racked, I threw on my Bearfoot shoes and just lumbered around the neighborhood willing my legs to work again.  But the time I made it all the way around the block I had a bit more of a human stride.

* It was sparring night in Tang Soo Do last night, and I got to go up against our instructor.  It’s nice to be able to open up a little more.  My overall flexibility/mobility has really improved over the years since we started doing this, and I’ve got some pretty high kicks going now.

 Training Log: Entry 3076

AM WORKOUT (0423 natural wake up)

**JUGGERYOKE BONUS ROUNDS** Week 1, Workout 2

20 minutes of as many burpee chins as possible, AMRAP do 1 ab wheel roll out

127 total (2 rep PR from last week)

SUPERSET (curl-crush)

5x3x37.5 KB hammer curl

5x3x37.5 KB pull over skull crusher

1.15 mile 40lb weighted vest walk

Breakfast

Walk w/dog

Notes:

* Keeping up with what’s been working on this day, and then stacking on the conditioning work.  Just made my way through the curls and then threw on the vest and walked until I had to get back home and get on with my day.  Tried to focus on the chin portion of the burpee chin today.

* I’m feeling pretty well considering I competed on Saturday.  Occasional moments of feeling beat up or fatigued, but I can still perform well.

* Wife is taking Friday off, so I’m gonna re-arrange the week so that the next 2 days are my heavier days, and then Friday will just be a general activity day.

 Training Log: Entry 3075

AM WORKOUT (0425 get out of bed via alarm, was awake for hours, rough night of sleep)

**JUGGERYOKE BONUS ROUNDS** Week 1, Day 1

30 Minute EMOM

Round 1: 3x161 Axle continental and push press away

Round 2: 3x205 SSB Front Squat

Round 3: Either 3x115 weighted dip OR 3x32.5 weighted chin (used 57.5 on the first go due to mislead)

After EMOM

Hanging leg raise w/10 lat shrugs (1 min rest)

5x5

CONDITIONING

Ladder as many rounds in 10 minutes starting with

1 KB throw w/24kg bell

2 Goblet squats

3 push ups

Then, 2-3-4, 3-4-5, etc.  I got through the 10 and 11 of throw-squat before time ran out

Breakfast

Walk w/dog

Notes:

* Now that my competition is no longer happening in 2 weeks and I’m still slated to go on a cruise, I’m just going to run Juggeryoke for 2 more weeks (since Jamie has called it both a 6 week AND 8 week program) with a few changes as a proof of concept test for future runs.  In that regard, I really like the SSB front squat (big shock there) since I have far less slippage issue to deal with, but I can tell that, if I get lazy, I lose out on the upright torso and just let my body crumple forward, which is a unique training effect, sure, but not really what we’re going for with Juggeryoke.  Still, I think I’ll give it at least A training cycle, and be willing to move back and forth between that and a barbell.  I am surprisingly pretty comfortable with the axle, which I can thank Easy Strength for.  Weighted dips continue to just be awesome.

* Sticking with the EMOM format.  I like how honest it keeps me with rest times.  I am moving quick through this, but it’s decently heavy.  When I need to get stronger, I can up the weight and increase the rest times.

* That conditioning workout was clutch.  Lotta suffering in 10 minutes.

       

* Feeling the best I ever have after a competition.  Recovery is on point.  Going with a mini-famine approach leading up to this cruise so I can totally debase myself nutritionally.

COMPETITION WRITE-UP: STRENGTH GAMES V

I’ll start with the end: I came in dead last (4 of 4) and zero’d 2 events: the first one and the last one.  This was absolutely the hardest competition of my life, and a big part of that was coming in 10lbs under the weight limit.  This is a whole new body and a whole new challenge.  I am up for both.

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**PRE-COMP**

I ate the same breakfast I’ve been having every training day: 150g of egg whites mixed with 150g of beef bone broth with 1.5 scoops of Metabolic Drive and some powdered electrolytes.  A wild departure from my days of eating…nothing, so I could make weight, followed by some sort of sugary/fast food blitz.  I drove an uneventful 2.25 hours to the site and weighed in at 173.0 while wearing full sweats, shoes, and my strongman compression gear underneath.  

I set-up camp and actually dug into one of my meals before the first event: 4 hardboiled whole pasture raised organic eggs mashed into a paste with a serving of grassfed sour cream and 4oz (cooked) of ground venison, personally hunted and butchered by my wife’s Uncle.  Another departure from my glory days, which I’ll address next, but it was also weird being so hungry when I hadn’t done anything yet.  

**GOALS**

Since I knew I was super behind the 8-ball on this due to my bodyweight, this was going to be a different kind of comp for me: this was about personal growth.  My goals were to not eat any junk OR carbs and keep it as carnivore as possible.  Not because I felt like this was more noble, but more to simply see if I could, and how it would go.  The Metabolic Drive was the closest “exception” and I packed an emergency Finibar in case I found myself crashing, but otherwise it was just going to be that mashed egg/venison mixture, green tea and water.  

I also was going to go limited caffeine: only the stuff in the green tea.  I have a 3 week streak without energy drinks of coffee going, and I wanna see how long I can keep it going.  Again: no particular reason, just to see if I could.  In the past, I’d be about 2-3 energy drinks deep by the end of the day.  Did I “need” that?

The third goal was to not re-tear whatever it was I tore in my right knee on week 2 of “Juggeryoke”.  The first event was where I was most worried about that, since I did it on the log, but I was going to keep my eye on it all competition.

And final goal was to leave it all out there and have fun.  It’s the whole reason I signed up.

**EVENT 1: 200lb Log Clean and Press Each Rep**

I was excited about this event, since cleaning each rep is awesome and gasses competitors.  Then I got to actually handle the log we were going to use and realized this was going to be a “ WHO can get a rep” contest for the lightweights.  The log handles were STUPID far apart, like the Rogue 10”.  

First guy got the clean but no rep.  Second guy got in 2 of the grandest reps of all time with a jerk and a JPS-esque “press the log off the head” technique. 

I got set, got my head right, grabbed the log, went to clean it, felt it feel like a jillion pounds, got stuck midway, somehow through sheer force of will get it all the way to my chest…and knew that there was absolutely no way I was going to press it.  I let it crash, thinking that, if I could do better on another clean and not be so exhausted, I might be able to set up for a stronger press.  Well, that didn’t happen, and I didn’t want to re-tear my left bicep on an errant log clean, so after a few more attempts, I hung it up.  The guy after me got a jillion reps and was the clear candidate for first that day.

**EVENT 2: Max Trap Bar in 3 attempts**

I had been doing a ROM progression cycle on trap bar with 405lbs, so I knew I was good for that.  We were allowed to pick the starting weight in the rules meeting, so I asked for 400, knowing we’d go 20lb jumps from there.

The guy who also zero’d the log ended up asking for us to start with 380, and he missed that, so I knew if I got 400 I at least had a win there.  400 was grindy, but made it.  We were apparently pulling on the Eleiko Oppen bar, which was cool since it had knurl marks on the center of the handle, which made strapping in easy.  I had an issue with strapping in too far forward or backward in training and having the bar tilt.

No other MLWs went for 400, the next time one jumped in was at 460, so I went for that to match too.  460 felt WAY too damn heavy, but I pulled it.  Since we were doing “Rising Bar”, I decided to pass on 480 to allow me some recovery time, and asked for 500.  I really liked Rising bar for the strategic element of it, and it made a last man standing event tolerable.  I actually felt 500 ever so slightly start to break off the floor, but not enough to be worth chasing after.  My knee was holding up strong so far, and this was keeping it in place.

**EVENT 3: Sandbag and sled drag**

This and the 4th event are why I signed up: medleys in a competition.  I missed these so much.  Unlike previous comps, I did ZERO sandbag training to prep for this, which was for the best, because I usually end up tearing the hell out of my arms when I do that.  

I used some strongman cheating and put the sandbag on top of my feet as part of my set-up.  This gives a little bit of daylight between the floor and the bag, which allows for handholds.  I also ditched my competition shirt at this point and decided I was going to go for the Mariusz Pudzianowski/Jon Andersen Award for “Most Jacked Person at the Competition”, because if  can’t be the strongest at least I can look pretty while I lose.  You can actually hear some folks making commentary about it during this event.

The sandbag pick actually went pretty well, and the carry moved about as fast as I would expect with so minimal training.  The sled drag caught me off guard: about the only clue it was going to be so awful was watching the other competitors attempting the sled and being caught off guard.  So I went for the initial pull, realized it was going to be heavy as hell, and just leaned into it and pulled like hell, knowing that, if I ever stopped, I’d be dead.  Just like a shark.

I was surprised when I ran out of time.  I felt like I was moving at a good pace.  I had a slight technical error getting set up on the straps, and I lost a little bit of time on the bag, but ultimately I imagine I needed to move faster on the sled.

But I think this was the first time I had a sled in a comp where I didn’t fall backwards on my butt, so that’s a win.  This got me a last place finish.

**EVENT 4: Duckwalk and powerstairs**

Event was supposed to be duck walk 25’, do 3 reps of power stairs, then duckwalk it back.

Lotta dudes were struggling with those stairs, and I figured out where: those WIDE 100lb plates pretty much give you no opportunity to hinge.  I’m only 5’9, so I’m already sawed off as it is, but now that I have to take a sumo stance I was totally hosed.  

But also, you might be able to tell in the video: I about blacked out on the initial pick, and was basically jump zombie-ing forward until I went night-night.  I managed to fall forward, have the stars clear, do a quick pick and repeat.  I fell into the platform, corrected myself, and struggled futilely to get it to the platform.  But I gave it some solid effort, and loading my frame down with 100lbs over bodyweight was awesome for making every muscle in my body pop, so I got a cool facebook photo.  This, once again, got me last place.

**EVENT 5: Stone Medley**

I won’t bother listing weights and heights here, because as you saw on the video, it was a big goose egg.  This is the only event I have a bitter taste in my mouth about.  You might be able to see it in the video, but I was literally GLUED to the stone.  I applied a moderate amount of tack to myself, but the stone ITSELF was COATED in tacky from previous competitors, to the point that it was stuck to the platform.  So it didn’t matter about being strong enough to pick up the stone: I had to be strong enough to BREAK the tacky off the stone first and THEN pick it up, and then, once I got it lapped, it wasn’t going anywhere else.  With how high the platform was, my plan was to try to shoulder it, but I could never even get the momentum necessary, because it was like trying to walk through mud: each movement was about getting unstuck and then stuck again.

I realized at that point I’m a dinosaur in the sport: everyone else is using tacky shirts and stone sleeves and, in turn, has material that can help by pass the tacky issue, while I’m just applying sticky stuff to my body.  I the future, I think I’m just going to avoid tackying myself and just rely on what’s on the stone.  Zero’d here.

I will say that I got another great strongman win here: as I was standing there, bare chested and covered in tacky, another dude who was going that route was standing next to me.  He was definitely more “strongman built”.  He looked at me, there was a pause, and then he “Dude..are you, like, bodybuilding?”

I replied with “Nope: just not eating enough”.

He appreciated that.  Told me I was definitely the leanest dude there, and I said “Well at least I won that”. 

**LESSONS LEARNED**

I knew coming in this light was going to be a challenge, and it delivered.  Doing no specific training for the comp also added to that.  But, that’s really the big thing: I grew up.  Strongman isn’t my life anymore: it’s a thing I do for fun.  And that’s absolutely what happened: I had a blast and I DIDN’T have to change my life for it.  I kept training the week of the comp, went for a 3 mile walk with my family after it was done (and after having an AMAZING dinner at our favorite BBQ place where I got the biggest, fattest pork ribs I’d ever seen in my life alongside some amazing sliced brisket) and just treated this like it was an events day.  I intend to keep it this way: if a comp looks fun, I’ll sign up and have a blast.  And I got to help out some folks along the way: the guy who took second in my weight class cramped up BAD, so I gave him some of the electrolytes I brought and it totally transformed him.  I also let him use some of the goo gone and paper towels I brought for tacky removal and got him sold of WD-40.  And I got to meet a few awesome folks off reddit as well.  A dude named Jon introduced himself to me: “Dude, are you MythicalStrength?  I’ve been reading your articles for 6 years!”  That was really cool, and honestly was one of the highlights of the competition.

**WHAT’S NEXT**

Well, about that: I originally had a competition signed up for 14 Oct…but I just went looking for it and it’s gone: instead, having been moved to 4 Nov.  That’s a less viable date for me, and currently I’m the only person in the 181 weight class, so there’s very little incentive to go do it compared to just a hard events day at home.  I have a 5k signed up for 15 Oct, and then I go for a Disney Cruise on 16 Oct.  So now that I don’t have a competition looming, I’m probably going to do 2 more weeks of Juggeryoke with a few movement alterations leading up to the cruise and most likely do a mini-famine there so that I can absolutely eat my face off the whole time I’m cruising.  After that?  Chaos is the Plan.  But I’ll be at this weight class for the next competition, whenever that happens.

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Oh yeah, and I still trained today.