Training Log: Entry 3242

I ended up sleeping in this morning.  At some point in the middle of the night, something hit my guts like a bomb, and though it wasn’t a big deal, it disrupted my sleep enough that sleeping more seemed like a solid strategy.  I have an annual fitness test today, and showing up to that having NOT done a widowmaker set of squats is probably a good idea.  I’ll also be mowing the lawn today, as it’s our one day this week without storms, and the family is planning on a walk in the evening, so I’ll get in enough activity that I can call today a DoggCrapp cardio day and call it good.  Will just adjust the schedule and do two workouts back to back on Tues and Weds to get back on schedule.

Want to spend a little more time talking over the weekend.  Hitting that PR on burpee chins was totally unexpected, since I’ve deprioritized that style of training recently.  I FELT really slow while I was doing it, the reps were far more agonizing than usual, I was fighting through it, but by actual objective measurements, I crushed it.  I’m imagining this is speaking to the significance of being recovered when entering training.  I’m training the least I have in quite a while and seeing solid results from it.  Once again, I’ve come back to abbreviated training: it’s all cyclical.  The trick is to recognize when this STOPS working, and be ready to pivot then, or even throw in the pivot just to throw in the pivot and keep things interesting.  I was absolutely and totally gassed when it was done, but that SHOULD be what happens when you beat a PR.  It’s good to know I have those reserves in me still.

On that note, that strongman sprint had me REALLY feeling in my element.  150lb log wasn’t heavy at all and moved smooth, and I was able to pump out reps for the full minute on the first round.  The KB throws were a little awkward, but I felt like I was getting a solid triple extension once I figured things out.  Conditioning held out pretty well.  I feel like this would be a solid approach for comp prep: DC during the week and a microevents day on the weekend ala a sprint workout.  I need to bring out the prowler to simulate a truck pull, and there is a yoke walk in this event that I may in fact train for as well.  

On the Tang Soo Do tournament front: I forgot a move in my open hands form, which most likely cost me a significant amount on my score.  I tend to forget that move in my training as well.  So we “fight” how we train.  I honestly scored pretty poorly on weapons as well, but there were 3 of us and the other dude REALLY screwed up his form, so I just had to not be the worse one: mission accomplished.  But sparring was what I cared about, and that was fun to win, even if it’s non-contact point sparring.  My biggest victory was a moral one: I flat out refuse to adopt the standard point sparring guard, which is like a fencing guard where you stance sideways so that you have a very small targetable area and can lunge with your front limbs.  I’m still using what I learned from boxing, Muay Thai and Bas Rutten: a squared up stance, hands “peek-a-boo”, and active movement defense.  My instructor said “You’re still using that guard…and you’re making it work!  It was really awesome to see that”.  That was big to get his blessing.  And he’s right: it’s something the other dudes aren’t used to seeing, and trying to figure it out was frustrating them.  My wife commented on how the final dude I went against was presenting his back to me, which is unsportsmanlike in the competition, because it’s a non-targetable area.  His reward was getting kicked in the stomach, primarily because my squared on stance meant I could hit him from either angle, haha.

The tournament was a great experience.  My kid took first in all their events and really just shined through and showed some growth.  Their opponent in their final sparring match was legit only throwing ONE move: rear leg roundhouse.  I keyed in on it and called it out to my kid “They’re only doing ONE thing!  Look for it”, and my kid immediately picked it up, circled out, switched stance and landed a jab for a point.  When it was over, they thanked me for pointing it out, and I was such a proud papa.

For the fitness test, I maxed out push ups and sit ups (51 and 52 in a minute) and plodded along with a 12:24 1.5 mile time, but I breathed through my nose the entire time and was comfortable, which was really the goal, and enough to get a 95/100.  I then got home, mowed the lawn and walked over 3 miles with the family.  Good active day.