Training Log: Entry 3685

PM WORKOUT (1400)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 3, Workout 3

SSB Squat
4x8x335

Lever belt squat
4x8x240

Axle strict press
5x161
2x6x161
5x161

(3) DB incline bench
2x8x85s
7x85
7+2x85

Dips
3x20
1x16+4

Notes:

• Small break from logging as part of the holidays. I actually got in a Reset 20s rower workout on Christmas eve as well.

• On the night of the 23rd, I did something in my sleep that resulted in me pulling a muscle in my right oblique. Getting old is fun. But for this workout, on the final warm-up set of the squat, I tweaked the holy bejesus out of it walking the weight out. I made a deal with myself that I would try out the first workset of squats, and if it hurt, I’d shut down the workout. It turns out I only experience pain in transitory movements. Like putting ON the belt hurts, loading the weight plates hurts, bending over to put on shoes hurts, but the actually lifting feels fine. So I made it through the whole workout, which was awesome, because those squats were a big victory for me.

• Rested 90-105-120 seconds on the squats, 1 minute on the lever belt, sub 2s on the press, 90-120-120 on the incline, and 60-90-120 on the dips.

• On the axle strict press, I avoided pushing myself too hard, as those movements were a little wonky on the oblique, due to the stabilization required.

• My one man war on my gallbladder Monday and Tuesday went about as expected, and I got pretty burnt out on eating big. I’ve enjoyed myself over the holidays, and had some of the Valkyrie’s wonderful peppermint cheesecake on Christmas eve, along with prodigious amounts of ham and some deviled eggs, but quantity is not nearly as it’s been these past 8 weeks. Also haven’t been able to get in morning weigh ins. Cruise is next week, and then we get to Operator and become a strongman again.

• I MAY be stupid and try to get in the final workout tomorrow, but realistically I’m thinking of just doing a jillion chin ups and calling it good.

• Valkyrie completed ABF. Got in the 30 ABCs on Monday and the 100 clean and presses today. Super proud of her, especially since the first question out of her mouth when it was done was “What do we do next?”

 Training Log: Entry 3684

AM WORKOUT 1 (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s Alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 3, Workout 2

(4) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
16+5+5x425

Reverse hypers
3x15x360

AM WORKOUT 2 (1030)

DB rows
4x8x150

Axle curls
4x8x83

GHRs
4x8x65

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Notes:

• Only had to come in for a few hours today, so slept in, got up at the Valkyrie’s alarm, got in the hardest part of the workout and chased it with the easiest part. Got the kiddo ready, fasted through breakfast, threw a rib on the smoker and got to work. Came back home and finished up the rest of the workout while the rest of the meal cooked. Ate it and went on a 90 minute weighted vest walk: excellent training day.

• Slight reduction in capability on the mat pulls, but I’m technically 6 days rested instead of 7. Small ache in my left glute during warm-ups, so I’m not 100%, but I felt plenty strong. I’m also getting large enough that my belt is fitting quite snugly, which could actually be impacting my positioning. I’m also pulling at the rep range now where small issues in the start of the set have exponential impacts.

• DB rows felt amazing. The heavy weight and lower reps really allowed me to hammer the parts of the back I wanted.

• I purchased a Rouge 150lb sandbag, to be delivered. I have a 150lb sandbag in my upcoming competition as part of a medley. I own an Ironmind sandbag already, it’s in my garage, and I contemplated carrying it down into my basement so I could train it in the early morning without waking up the neighborhood, and then decided to just treat myself to another sandbag. I can build this one IN the basement and have it live there. And the newer style sandbags are quite nice compared to the old style Ironmind bags. New training avenues to follow.

 Training Log: Entry 3683

AM WORKOUT 1 (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 3, Workout 1

SSB Squats
4x8x315

Lever belt squats
4x8x225

AM WORKOUT 2 (0800)

Axle strict press
3x8x151
1x7+1x151

(3) DB incline bench
4x8x80s

Dips
4x19

ASSISTANCE

Standing ab wheel
3x10

Lateral raise dropset
35x10, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xEmpty Hands

Notes:

• We’re in a “minimum manning” state at work, so I took today off. Slept in, got the first part of the workout done while Valkyrie took her shower/got ready, then paused, got the kiddo ready for kid’s club, dropped the dog off at day care, and resumed the rest of the workout. Also put ribs on the smoker for a post workout brunch.

• I was really on the clock for the first block of the workout due to the above circumstances, which is for the best, because left to my own devices I would have spent more time feeling sorry for myself. This was absolutely brutal. As is usually the case on the third week of Bravo with the SSB, it’s my back that is the limiting factor rather than my legs. 335 MAY be in the cards for the final workout, but it’s going to be a Herculean effort.

• 1 minute rest on all squats, 60-90-120 on the press, 1 minute rest for the incline and dips.

• Pec is feeling in a good way. Still not 100%, but strong and stable. Next week is my cruise/bridge week, and then I’ll run at least 1 Operator phase where there will be no flat benching for 6 weeks, which should mean even more time to heal.

• Weighed in at 86.2kg. Highest of the gaining block so far. Context was a LITTLE different, as there was no carb up meal last night and this was after the second workout, but I was still completely fasted with minimal fluids. And with the cruise coming up, I’m excited about being a big boy when this is all done. That said, with the new year upon my return, I’m contemplating 12 weeks of Operator to get me leaner and meaner before the next phase. I need to get in a little more running as well, as we have our 10 mile run in April, and it’ll be interesting to see how my knee does. I need to treat myself to some new running shoes as well.

• I noticed during Grace on Saturday that my lockouts were really clean, behind my head and strong. My cleans were also very snappy. I had a few reasons to attribute to this, but realized what it really was. I’ve been working out alongside the Valkyrie while she does the ABF, specifically the clean and press workouts, so that it’s “I go-you go” as far as rest times go. What this has done for me is give me a recovery workout and an opportunity to drill technique without accumulating fatigue. I noticed how sharp my lockouts were on the KB press, and realized it was EXACTLY how it felt on Grace. Really cool side benefit.

 Training Log: Entry 3682

PM WORKOUT (1400)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 6

Axle Grace

Notes:

• For those not in the know, 30 reps of floor to overhead (supposed to be a jerk technically) with 135lbs. It’s 136 with the axle.

• Time was 4:25. Used to be able to get this in sub 3. Used to also be over 200lbs. “The ghost of what I was/keeps getting in the way”

• Truthfully, I’m ecstatic about the outcome here. Last time I tried this, the cleans were a trainwreck (hence why I’m wearing my tacky shirt) and I had no pressing strength to speak of. This time, didn’t miss a single clean, and because my knee is still buggy I strict pressed a lot of the reps, which was awesome.

• Also, this definitely isn’t one of the recommended workouts for Specificity conditioning, but I wanted to do this, and that’s a pretty good sign for me. Also got that cool copper taste in my mouth, which I’ve had explained to me is something about blood oxygenation creating the taste of blood in the mouth during periods of intense training…I’m a political scientist, what the hell do I know.

• Walked away without new injuries, which is always a plus. I was like a stuffed sausage wearing a shirt underneath the grip shirt with the soft belt under the hard belt. Definitely growing outward. Leaning into this growth phase well. I honestly love gaining because of how simple it is. Train hard, feed the machine, repeat. It’s so purposeful.

• We were woke up at about 0500 this morning, but the pup went back to sleep and I got about another 90 minutes of sleep. That was pretty awesome. Fasted through breakfast and had lunch out with the family. Will log nutrition later.

 Training Log: Entry 3681

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 5

Chins (various grips)
5x12

DB rows
4x10x140

Axle curls
2x10x81
2x8+2x81

GHRs
4x10x60

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Reverse hyper/band pull aparts superset circuit
3x15x360/50

Notes:

• This workout continues to be a good idea. I’ve got 3 absolutely brutal workouts in Specificity, and then this one is a little more true to intent. The chins get me a solid pump and help reinforce movement patterns on the row, and ultimately I feel more restored. It’s also MUCH easier to talk myself into doing this.

• Rested 1 minute between chins, and as long as I needed to get the total reps. 1 minute on rows, 60-90-90 on curls, 1 minute on GHRs and sit ups.

• Tang Soo Do was a good workout last night, and we did some board breaks as well. There was a lot of short stopping on runs, which put my right knee in a bad way, especially after the squat workout. I’ve used motrin twice this week, and my guts are a little torn up. My doc suggested that I may have a CYP2C9 polymorphism, which would honestly explain quite a bit. Also would be why I am a very poor responder to general anesthesia.

• Weighed in at 85.2kg this morning. This is the first week I’ve stayed above 85kg the whole week. The gaining has been successful, despite no tracking, counting, and only eating carbs for 1 meal a week, along with only 2 meals a day in general. There’s honestly too many ways to succeed.

 Training Log: Entry 3680

PM WORKOUT (1515)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 4

SSB Squat
4x10x295

Lever belt squat
4x10x215

Axle strict press
2x10x138
8x138
7+4+1x138

(3) DB incline bench
4x10x75s

Dips
4x17

Notes:

• This time I COULD find a way to train in the afternoon. We had crazy windstorms last night, which the Valkyrie isn’t a fan of, and I decided to stay in bed with her vs get up and train. My schedule had the flexibility to allow me to train in the afternoon, and with this ball buster of a workout, it was a great call to do so. Coming in well fed with some coffee in my blood had me attacking the weights.

• Rested 1 minute between sets on the squats, which is always terrible, and then 60-90-120 on the press, 90-90-120 on the incline, and 1 minute on the dips.

• Knee felt outstanding. Felt like I was just squatting: not squatting hurt. Was able to move much faster and smoother in turn.

• Still had to keep tight on schedule here, and it kept me honest.

• Weighed in at 85.3kg this morning. Got in a 1:20 hold yesterday. Tang Soo Do was another 12 days of Christmas style workout. Final class for the year tonight.

Training Log: Entry 3679

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AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 3

(5) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
18+5+5x425

DB rows
4x10x130

Axle curls
4x10x78

GHRs
4x10x55

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Reverse hyper/band pull apart superset circuit
3x15x360/3x10

Notes:

• Kiddo knocked on the door at 0310 with the puppy. Prior to that, I had gotten some REALLY decent sleep, but once the alarm went off my motivation was pretty shot. Tried to figure out a way to skip training and couldn’t Tetris the schedule to make it happen, so got up and trained. Even thought about hanging it up before the first pull of the workset on the mat pulls. Ultimately glad I got in the training, but Specificity is definitely a short run program. It’s just hard to show up 4 days a week and have no margin for error as far as scheduling goes, but this makes me better for doing.

• Speaking of better, WTF at 18 reps. You can hear my soul trying to escape once the bar is down. Managed 8 reps in the first breath, and blew out a blood vessel under my left eye for my efforts. Hip actually feels better compared to last time I did this. The initial pull is STILL much harder than it should be, and this put some pressure on the right knee, which leads me to wonder if, upon getting the knee in a better place, my ability to break the weight off the floor might improve.

• Rest of the workout felt more like “hanging on” than training, but I got through it with a solid effort. Pulls occupy a very unique space in that regard. With pretty much any other lift I do, the goal is to execute the lift and train the muscle involved. When I do pulls, it really is “endure as much pain as you can until it’s over”. Like, I don’t even feel like I’m actually training anything: I’m just bracing and suffering for time. I don’t write this to be a martyr, but more just to document how unique this one particular movement is, and part of me wonders if it’s because I’m so naturally built for the exercise that I don’t need to think about anything else BUT enduring the suffering while I do it. Whereas the squat is so alien to my body that I have to think about a LOT of things.

• Tang Soo Do was a decent workout last night. I pitched to my kiddo a “12 days of fitness” workout idea, which they pitched to the head instructor, which we gave a try. Got through the 8th exercise before we ran out of time.

• Weighed in at 85.3 kg, and got in a 1 minute hang last night. Also, there is at least one other person in the masters category for my upcoming competition in Feb, so it’ll be nice to have someone to compete against.

 

 Training Log: Entry 3678

AM WORKOUT (0500 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 2

“RESET 020s” (rower)

5 rounds of 20 seconds max effort and 2 minute rest

Notes:

• Back on the schedule, with conditioning day today. Definitely needed this, because I woke up sore as hell from yesterday. Great bit of recovery.

• Wasn’t able to push as hard as I did on Sunday, but it makes sense given the early morning vs later in the day.

• Weighed in at 86.0kg. Trying to finish out strong, although I’m sure a lot of salty pork last night is also a contributor.

• Knee is really doing awesome these days. Focusing on fixing my walking pattern has reduced a lot of residual knee pain.

• Props to the Valkyrie: she’s still doing awesome on the ABF, and in the past 2 days did 22 rounds EMOM of ABCs and 90 reps of the DKB clean and press.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s “Wildcard Cardio” week, so hopefully a decent workout.

 Training Log: Entry 3677

AM WORKOUT (0345 wake up via dog, snooze until 0355)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 2, Workout 1

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x10x270

Lever belt squat
4x10x205

Axle strict press from rack
2x10x128
9x128
8+3x128

(3) DB Incline bench
4x10x70s

Dips
3x17
13+4

ASSISTANCE

Standing ab wheel
3x10

Notes:

* Kiddo knocked on the door early this morning with the dog.  Contemplated shutting off the alarm so I could assist, but the Valkyrie insisted she had the situation, so I got up and got in the training.  Glad I did, because as much as it sucked, it would have sucked more to try to repeat last week.

* Squats felt the best they had in a LONG time.  Felt just like squats: no knee pain to work around.  It was still present, but it wasn't the sole focus, and I felt myself easily moving through the reps.  Lever belt squats to follow were great too.  It gave me time to focus on just how much the 1 minute rest times REALLY sucked.

* Pec still has some moments of tenderness, so I'm keeping away from weights on the dips and just getting a good pump with the reps.

* Did a 1:30 timed hold yesterday with the fat gripz.  Really coming along. 

* Weighed in at 85.3kg this morning.  Wonderful carbby meal last night of baked spaghetti and 5 of the Valkyrie's cookies with some raw honey.  With Christmas coming, she's in full bake mode, so I had 2 Halfling oatmeal sweet nibblers (from the DnD cookbook: they're amazing), a snickerdoodle, a sugar cookie and a peanut butter blossom (we make them with peanut butter cups instead of kissses and they're incredible).

 Training Log: Entry 3676

PM WORKOUT (1400)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 5

Reset 20s: Rower

5 rounds of max effort 20 seconds w/2 min rest

Notes:

• Didn’t know if I’d get this training in, but found time today. I was actually pretty delighted with my effort on this: made it through all 5 rounds with a hard effort.

• Followed it up with a 3 mile walk with the dog while wearing a 20.4lb tac carrier in 25 degree weather wearing a t-shirt. Was good to get some cold exposure.

• I noticed I was still limping the other day, and that my knee hurt. And I realized I wasn’t limping because my knee hurt: my knee hurt because I was limping. By all accounts, I’ve turned a corner, but I’ve been walking with a limp so long that I forgot my normal walking pattern. So I’ve been forcefully correcting my gait, and I focused on that specifically during the walk. Knee felt great as a result.

• Knee also managed to endure sitting for 2.5 hours yesterday watching a stage production. The physical therapy is really paying off, along with focusing on where I can reduce pain in my life (flat shoes in training, knee sleeve, in Tang Soo Do, etc).

 Training Log: Entry 3675

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 4

Chins (various grips)
4x12

DB rows
5x12x120

Axle curls
4x12x68

GHRs
4x12x50

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Reverse hyper/band pull apart superset circuit
3x15x360/3x50

Notes:

• I am sore as hell. First week of specificity does that. Training motivation was low, as a result, but knowing this was going to be an easier workout and that getting it done bought me a ticket to my weekend got me through.

• Chins felt great. No pec pain, major upper body pump. I really need to train them like this more often, vs just sneaking in volume through the workout.

• Went with an extra set of rows because I used the wrong weight last session and this would have been a repeat otherwise.

• Tang Soo Do had us doing a lot of breakfalls last night. Fairly active.

• Weighed in at 84.4kg this morning. Doing a date night with the Valkyrie: got a 16oz ribeye in my future. Need to finish out this year eating big.

 Training Log: Entry 3674

AM WORKOUT (0525 wake up, 0700 workout)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 3

SSB Squats
4x12x245

Lever belt squats
4x12x195

Notes:

• We got to bed late last night, and my plan was to take up with the Valkyrie’s alarm went off. She ended up not setting it, so we naturally got up at 0525. Chaos is, of course, the plan, and it worked out that my kiddo had a late start with school, so I did the usual breakfast routine and had a little extra time before I had to leave, so I squeezed in the hardest part of the workout, with a plan to follow up the rest when I get home from work.

• Because of the tight timeline, rests were kept to a strict 1 minute, which made this fantastically ridiculous. I DID take video, which I’ll cluge together when I do the rest of the workout, but sets of 12 with the SSB with 1 minute rest is just never a good time, especially when it’s 20lbs heavier than the last time. My belt was wondrously tight from eating before training, but let’s also applaud my ability to eat over 1lb of meat and 8 eggs with butter and liver and then go smash a bunch of squats.

• Knee is feeling good, given the circumstances. Wore the sleeve again at TSD and it’s a real gamechanger. On that note, final class of the week tonight. Still not very active, but getting some technique work in.

• Woke up at 84.3kg. Been a consistent decline all week. Also got in a 1:20 deadhang off the fat gripz. Been seeing my trend on this ticking up.

PM WORKOUT (1520)

Axle strict press
3x12x118
1x11+1x118

(3) Incline DB bench
4x12x65s

Dips
4x15

Notes:

• Finished up the rest of it.

• Everything felt strong. I’m sure a combination of having that meal in me and 2 cups of coffee through the day helped, but was really driving hard on the press.

• Felt my pecs in the incline, to include the buggy one, and got a real solid pump as well.

 Training Log: Entry 3673

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, rough night of sleep due to windstorms)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 2

(6) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
17+6+5x425

DB rows
4x12x120

Axle curls
4x12x66

GHR
4x12x45

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Reverse hyper
3x15x360

Band pull aparts
2x50

Notes:

• We had something like 50mph wind gusts all night. Shook the entire house. Made it hard to sleep. Second rough night of sleep in a row: I was nodding off at my kid’s choir performance last night. I legit tried to Tetris my schedule as hard as I could to NOT do this workout, but couldn’t figure out a way, so just sucked it up.

• It’s not on camera, but I actually tried to do a set of the mat pulls at work weight and couldn’t break the plates off the mats. Just bent the bar. Wondering if I have a small injury, as usually that will limit my power off the floor. I took a minute rest, sacked up and made it happen, and hit a ridiculous rep PR compared to the previous cycle, so I still got some good in me. 17 reps was a lot, but not my absolute limit: I’m trying to stop shy of failure to allow for some growth.

• 1 minute rest for the rows, GHRs and abs. Curls went 60-90-90.

• Wore a knee sleeve to Tang Soo Do last night and it was an absolute and total game changer. Zero knee pain, far more mobility and flexibility, to the point that my head instructor called me out at how much better my kicks were looking that day. He had no idea I had the support on: just thought I had turned a corner. Definitely making this a way forward. We also earned another set of stripes on our belt, so that was cool. Class tonight and tomorrow.

• Pec is a little tender after those dips and push ups in class. I may 86 the dips and stick with band pushdowns for the remainder of Specificity, or do some slingshot push ups.

• Despite that ridiculous feast last night, I was .1kg lighter today, at 84.7. On the subject of food, I’m kicking around an idea for my January phase of training where, on non-lifting days, I fast through breakfast, having either coffee or coffee mixed with protein powder and just settle on the evening meal. This would shake out to 2 days a week, minimum, with possibly a third on weekends. The Valkyrie likes to make us breakfast on weekend mornings, and I’m not one to turn that down, but she enjoys a break every once in a while, so there’s room for a third there. Considering my breakfast tends to be about 1400 calories, this would mean eliminating 2800 calories in the span of a week, assuming I don’t try to overcompensate on the evening meal. Biggest concern would be inadequate protein intake for the day, but given how much I eat in general I feel like that’s really a non-issue. Food for thought, pun deliciously intended.

 Training Log: Entry 3672

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, rough night of sleep)

TACTICAL BARBELL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 1

SSB Squat
4x12x225

Lever belt squat
4x12x180

Axle strict press from rack
3x12x108
1x11+1x108

(3) Incline DB bench
4x12x60s

Dips
1x8x55, +4BW
3x12xBW

ASSISTANCE

Standing ab wheel
3x10

Lateral raise dropset
35x10, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xEmpty Hands

Notes:

• Finally back to the program. Hand was healed up enough.

• 1 minute rests on SSB squats for sets of 12 continues to just absolutely suck. Following it up with lever belt squats also sucks. For the press, I took 1 minute rest until the final set, which was 2 minutes. DB incline was 60-90-90 for rest, and dips was 1 minute.

• Knee felt ok. First set of squats sucked, but after that it got with the program.

• I didn’t even think about my pec on the first set of incline bench, and then thought “oh hey, I guess it’s healed”, but the dips showed me that it still isn’t 100%. No pain: just pulling. Playing it safe, but still getting in some solid training. In general, this was a solid workout. Specificity is marketed as pump and fluff, but when you cram it with compound lifts, it’s brutal.

• Weighed in at 85.8 yesterday and 84.8 this morning. Yesterday, it was like my body was shedding all of it’s water all day: weird post competition effect. Also got a 1:28 hang: new PR.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s one steps, so low activity. On that note, my general activity has dropped, since I no longer get in my lunch time walk. I have to get home and let the puppy out during that time, as the Valkyrie is no longer in a WFH situation. Just lends to this being a good time for gaining.

 Training Log: Entry 3671

GRAPPLING UPDATE

No hardware today, but I got 1 win out of my 3 matches, and my first ever win by choke, bringing up the number of submissions I know to TWO.

First match

Second Match (win)

Final match

The fingers in my left hand are swollen, so I won’t type much, but I weighed in at 194.4lbs for a weight class of 195 wearing a full set of sweats with my phone, wallet and keys in my pocket and a belly full of a typical weekend breakfast, so suffice to say I was undersized. Yet this was the first one of these competitions out of the 4 I’ve done so far where I didn’t feel overpowered by the competition. I moved dudes where I wanted them to move and made them not like tying up with me, and in the second match in particular you can see me really imposing my will while standing. I actually wanted to slam the dude when I got his back, but he fell as a defense.

I tapped early to both armbars: live to fight another day. I have some swollen parts, and Specificity Bravo is going to be interesting tomorrow, but considering I came in still undergoing physical therapy for my dorked up right knee and 2 weeks post pec strain, I walked away without much to worry about.

I grappled the same guy for match 1 and 3, which kinda sucked, because dude definitely had me figured out. But props to him: he was the better dude out there. I’m pleased that I never panicked while on my back, but maybe a little more scrambling would have been good.

I met my goal of winning at least ONE match, and did so going up a weight class and 2 age categories below where I should have been. The guy in the second match came up to me later and went “F**k you’re jacked dude!”, which is also cool.

40 years old, I grapple once a year, and I can still give someone a bad time: that makes me happy.

 Training Log: Entry 3670

PM WORKOUT (1400)

Buffalo bar squat
31x225

Notes:

• Got up at 0400, got ready to train, and realized I just plain didn’t want to do it. Competition is on Sunday, it’s the final workout of the program, I’ve already done the weights before, and I don’t see how 1 workout could make me better, but it could definitely make me worse. So I went back to bed and slept until 0515. I got off work early today though, and decided to get in something. My white whale is 50 reps at 225, and I felt like going for it today. Using the tacky shirt got me to overcome the normal difficulty of the bar rolling down my back, and I got an incredible leg pump from this, but I was struggling with how tight the belt was, and on rep 31 I felt something wanting to come back up, so I racked it. It’s still there waiting for me: I just need to come in with a strategy.

• Happy with how the knee and hip held up through this. Curious to see how I feel come Sunday. I’m not smart.

• Woke up at 86.0kg. 3kg gained in 6 weeks: solid.

• Got in a 1:18 timed hold last night. I went without a metronome, and that worked better by NOT knowing how much time was passing.

 Training Log: Entry 3669

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Deadlifts
16x405 (+1 rep PR, hell yeah)

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
5x8x230

Behind the neck barbell press
4x8x105

Axle curls
4x8x81

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel superset

3x15x360/3x10

Band pull aparts
1x75

Notes:

• 16 reps of 405 is a +1 rep PR from last time I pulled this.

  

• In a fair bit of irony, I was listening to “Somewhat damaged” from NiN’s “Fragile” album, wearing my torn up “somewhat damaged” sweatpants that have the words “broken, bruised, forgotten, sore” written on them, and right before the very first rep of the deadlift, the lever on my belt broke. The bottom half of the latch snapped off, so it was only secured from the top. Which means I actually pulled this without the belt fully latched, which is really pretty awesome. I had some more in me, but with the grappling competition on Sunday, I didn’t want to blow myself completely out. Right now, my left hip flexor is calling me an idiot, so it wa a good call to not completely send it.

• You’ll see that the lever belt also had a small mechanical issue in the middle of the set, so the irony continued. But my knee felt awesome.

• Stuck with the BtN presses. My pec is feeling pretty good, but, in turn: why push it on the last week of the program? I’ll continue letting it rest and heal and see what I can do in Specificity. BtN presses rock anyway. Same reason I cut out benches at the start of the workout.

• I DID manage a keg carry of 238.5 last night, but immediately after I went to Tang Soo Do and noticed that my knee, which had felt awesome all day, was tight and uncooperative. I’m going to read the tea leaves here and just put the Milo experiment on continued hiatus. If I can get my right knee recovered, I’ll be able to do more damage in the long run compared to if I keep hammering it. Also got a 1 minute hold.

• Weighed in at 85.0kg this morning. Growing well.

• Tang Soo Do on the schedule for tonight.

 Training Log: Entry 3668

AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s Alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 2

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• Ended up taking a total of 4 motrin yesterday, and as much as I didn’t want to, I think it was the right call, because my knee is feeling much better. Seriously felt like I had reset my rehab back to square one after yesterday. Zero issues on the rower, minus my hips feeling tight from sitting right after waking.

• Woke up at 84.7kg. I have until Thursday to decide my weight class/division for Sunday, and right now still no one else in my age/weight range, so unless that changes, I’ll be competing up a weight class and with the 30-35 year olds. Which, on the plus side, means zero worries about making weight.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. Weather is supposed to be warmer, so if my driveway has thawed I’ll take out the keg again.

• Valkyrie is going strong on ABF. She completed 15 ABCs on Sunday and 75 presses yesterday. She’s honestly outgrowing her bells, but we’re keeping it slow and steady for now.

 Training Log: Entry 3667

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, very good night of sleep)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x3x360

Axle strict press from rack
4x3x172

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Band pushdowns
4x21

DB rows
4x8x145

GHR
4x8x50

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Reactive slingshot push ups
60

Notes:

• Felt awesome in the training today. Knee was feeling smooth and springy, and I was able to get to depth on the final 3 sets without a break in motion. Pec has just the slightest bit of discomfort in it, and with the potential competition this weekend, I saw no reason to put it at risk, so stuck with the push downs.

• Valkyrie put the flannel sheets on the bed last night with the colder weather here, and it went a long way toward improving sleep quality.

• Push ups at the end were to get a little work through the pec. Cut out chins because it caused a slight amount of agitation.

• Regrettably, I slipped on the ice on the way in to work and really torqued my healing knee. Thankfully, the rehab has been going well enough that I managed to recover, whereas before I’m pretty sure I would have needed medical attention. Still sucks. On that note, the keg carry experiment may be on hiatus until conditions improve. But I did carry a 237.5lb keg last night with a 1:12 fat grips hold.

• Weighed 84.7kg this morning. There’s no one in my weight/age group currently, so I may just compete up a class and not sweat making weight.

 Training Log: Entry 3666

AM WORKOUT (1030)

10 minute EMOM sprawl and pummel drill

Notes:

• 4 sprawls, then just pummel until the minute is over.

• Got snowed in, so got creative. Not as exhausting as the sandbag workout, but still some decent stimulus, especially prepping for grappling. Got me used to that feeling again. Also, apparently my pec has healed, because I didn’t notice it on the sprawls.

• Sprawls were more burpees at the start, but by the 5th round I remembered how to do it.

• Got up at 0600 this morning: pretty decent sleeping in.

 Training Log: Entry 3665

AM WORKOUT (0530 wake up via dog)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 2, Workout 4

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat
4x6x337

Axle strict press from rack
4x6x161

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Band pushdowns
4x20

DB rows
4x10x135

GHR
4x10x40

ASSISTANCE

GHR
3x10

DB lateral dropset
35x10, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xEmpty Hands

Band pull aparts
50

Chins during warm ups

Notes:

• Day off work, slept until the kid woke us up because the puppy wasn’t going back to sleep

• Pec is less “injured” and more “annoying”, but I’m fighting all my instincts to absolutely bury it with stupid training. But I’m also delighted that I haven’t skipped a beat as far as training goes. Pretty much only thing I’m limited on is horizontal pressing, and I noticed that the chins were bugging it a little as well, so I cut them out of the main cluster.

• The pushdowns were decently challenging. Honestly, triceps are a neglected muscle for me, so this might be something moving forward as is.

• Huge milestone: I had completely pain free sets of squats for at least the final 2 sets, and possibly earlier. I NOTICED it on the final 2 sets, which is to say, I noticed I WASN’T in pain, which is a hard thing to notice, as we tend to more note when we ARE in pain. But this was awesome. Between the PT and switching to flats, things are in a good way, and using the tacky shirt has helped cure the elbow pain as well. We’re really making barbell squatting viable again.

• Didn’t film the GHRs. The space I normally use to film in was hot to the touch and would have melted my phone.

• Got my keg carry in early: 235lbs. Yesterday was 233.5. Also a 1:05 hang yesterday.

• Weighed in at 83.0kg this morning. Thanksgiving was yesterday: did one meal, with both drumsticks, all the skin off the bird, the “Pope’s Nose” (which I learned the term for that from “Binging with Babish”), and a few odds and ends pieces that had fat/skin/something chewy attached, alongside a substantial amount of deviled eggs I made with sour cream, primal kitchen’s avocado mayo, greek seasoning and MSG, a spoonful of stuffing, corn casserole, and half a biscuit with some Amish butter. 5 hours later, desert of 2 wonderful slices of the Valkyrie’s pumpkin cheesecake. No better way to take in carbs, and dropping a kilo after eating like that is pretty clutch.

 Training Log: Entry 3664

AM WORKOUT (0357 natural wake up)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 2, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
6x236
5x236 (sprained/pulled my pec)

(2) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
1x405

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squats
5x10x205

Behind the neck barbell press
4x10x95

Axle curls
4x10x76

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hyper/ab wheel superset
3x15x360/3x10

Band pull aparts
100

Handful of chins

Notes:

• On the 5th rep of the second set of benching, I felt that familiar cramp/crunch feeling of a pulled/torn muscle in my right pec. Racked the bar, still managed some chins, and decided to shut down the benching and live to fight another day. For my regular readers, I know your instincts will be to show me sympathy: please don’t. Nietzsche wrote in “Thus Spake Zarathustra” that one of man’s greatest sins is pity, and I fully believe that. I’m not a race horse: no one is going to shoot me. This is just a bump in the road that I’ll deal with. The fact I was able to finish out the rest of the session is proof positive of that, and I’ve already got a bunch of work arounds figured out based on how long recovery will take. I don’t really care about flat benching as it is, and I can still press overhead, which is the lift I actually DO care about. I’ve got plenty of toys in the gym, and a bunch of slingshots as well, so I’m in a good way. Specificity may be super bodybuilder friendly this time around, and that’s just fine with me. Chaos, as always, is the plan.

• That said, the workout continued off the rails on the mat pulls. 405 didn’t feel as heavy as 470, but it still felt much heavier than it should have, and I saw some stars. I’m thinking the CNS may just need a legit rest, and I may wave off next week and start the cycle over again when Grey Man ends and Specificity begins. I am somewhat tempted to shift to trap bar, since I have a max frame pull coming up in competition, but I also know that I specifically went back to ROM progression with a Texas Deadlift Bar because it always works for me. “And in a dream I’m a different me/
  With a perfect you, we fit perfectly/And for once in my life I feel complete/And I still want to ruin it/…Do you know how far this has gone?/Just how damaged have I become?/When I think I can overcome/It runs even deeper”

• Was pleased with the audible on the behind the neck press. Very juicy shoulder pump from that. That was originally the plan before I settled on weighted dips, so I may have just forced my hand on this.

• Lever belt squats continue to feel awesome having switched to flat shoes and bringing myself closer to the lever arm. Far more leg than hip.

• Ab wheel put a little pressure on the pec, but nothing terrible. Reverse hyper was actually more stressful. I’m a few hours post training now and more inclined to believe it to be a sprain/pull vs a tear.

• On the body POSITIVE news, I had my follow up physical therapy appointment yesterday. Knee pain is improving, but still present. Doc was pleased with my progress. Gave me some more stretches. I asked him, from an expectation management perspective, if pain free was a possibility for me, and he seemed pretty positive that, due to my muscle tone, I should be able to resolve the issue. He believes it’s primarily structural rather than musculature, and I just need to loosen up my hips and keep rolling out the IT band. Roger that.

• Carried a 231lb keg, fat gripz hold for 1:05 yesterday.

• Weighed 84.0 this morning. Can’t wait to feast tomorrow.

• Oh yes, I suppose I’ll have to see if I feel grappling ready in a week. Pecs are dumb, I’m just going to channel the spirit of Tra Telligman

• My editor has informed me that Tra Telligman is, in fact, not dead, and attempting to channel his spirit is, at the least, disrespectful.

 Training Log: Entry 3663

AM WORKOUT (0520 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 2, Workout 2

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• I actually considered doing some martial arts this morning instead, as I don’t find it terribly comfortable to go straight from sleeping to sitting in a rower. Tends to bug my hips. But it actually was ok this morning. I wonder if all the stretching is helping in that regard. I avoided stretching for years, primarily because, every time I did it, I’d get injured, but I’m thinking a more controlled/monitored approach will do well.

• Carried a 230lb keg, hung from fat gripz for a minute last night.

• Weighed 84.5kg this morning. I’m very much considering competing up a weight class come 7 Dec just to avoid having to worry about bodyweight. No one is currently in my age and weight class, and there’s some folks up a class, so that’d work well.

• Valkyrie completed another round of the ABF last night. That’s the 4th workout, and I think I’m going to cut week 2 there and get her started on week 3 next workout to compensate for our abbreviated schedule. She’s doing awesome with the progression. I actually think she’ll outgrow her kettlebells before the program is done, but I thankfully have no shortage of equipment.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. Basics/forms week, can be a good workout.

 Training Log: Entry 3662

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 2, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat
4x6x337

Axle strict press from rack
4x6x161

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x10x75s

DB rows
4x10x135

GHR
4x10x40s

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Chins throughout workout

Notes:

• All the protective measures I’m employing have been adding up. Using the tacky shirt is keeping my forearms happy, and the flat shoes are allowing my knee to recover more and more. I was also wearing compression shorts under my strongman shorts, since my hips were hurting yesterday, which made my belt magnificently tight. In general, I’m feeling my old self, as I’m training like my old self.

• I am excited for Specificity Bravo. I think something really clutch about Tactical Barbell is it’s interesting combination of doing the same thing all the time but switching things up frequently enough that it staves off ADD. I’m not bored of Grey Man so much as I’m tired of it: it’s hard training. It pairs well with big eating, but I can only do both for so long.

• With the flat shoes, I notice my warm up sets have me on my toes. I’ll need to work more on sitting back.

• Carried a 228.5lb keg last night and did a fat gripz hang for about 1:10.

• Weighed in at 84.3kg this morning. Didn’t carb up yesterday, and only had 1 meal, but it was a big one. Saving myself for this holiday weekend.

 Training Log: Entry 3661

PM WORKOUT (1215)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 1, Workout 6

10 minute EMOM sandbag sprawl and carry

Notes:

• 200+lb sandbag, sprawl 4 different directions, pick and carry

• This was a repeat of last week, but exhausted me more while also not beating the hell out of my elbows. I think using the grip shirt was the right move.

• Carried a 226lb keg yesterday and a 227.5lb keg tonight. Did a timed hold of slightly over a minute with Fat Gripz on my chinning bar. This should have even better carryover to my competition.

• Got up at 0615 this morning: kiddo brought me the puppy, because it wasn’t going back to sleep. That was still pretty much sleeping in.

 Training Log: Entry 3660

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 1, Workout 5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat (flat shoes)
4x8x315

Axle strict press from rack
2x8x148
1x6x148
1x7+3x148

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
2x12x70s
11x70s
10+3x70s

DB row
4x12x125

GHR
4x12x30

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
2x10

Chins throughout workout

Notes:

• Came into this just completely exhausted. I think a back to back sparring night was more than I anticipated recovery-wise, when stacked with that stupidly heavy mat pull on Wed. Training motivation was shot: one of those where the only thing that got me through was the thought of being able to spend Friday night with my family vs in the gym, so I got it done this morning. However, I also forgot that on Monday I trained in the afternoon, so I was comparing myself against that baseline, and in doing so I actually progressed really well today compared to Monday.

• I learned a lesson that was a long time coming from the belt squat: I have less knee pain when I squat with flat soled shoes. Honestly, I’m pretty angry with myself. I learned about squatting with flat soled shoes back in 2005, when I read “Beyond Bodybuliding” and Pavel Tsastouline wrote to “ditch your sneakers on steroids” and squat in Chuck Taylors, and I started doing exactly that and it transformed my squat. The most weight I’ve ever squatted in my life was in a pair of Chucks, where I squatted 502 in a meet and then 525 for 5 with wraps in the gym. And then I got a pair of lifters in 2014 because I thought it would have good carryover into strongman, and though I think Pendlay Dowins are a quality product and I love how my feet feel screwed in to the floor with how grippy they are, it just never had the same comfort that a pair of flats did. When I switched to that mutant high bar style I used for a few years, they really suited it…but that style itself didn’t suit me. I’m flat out not built to squat, with a short torso and long limbs, which means I use the style of squat we see with Steve Goggins, Layne Norton and Mark Felix: lots of forward lean, not a bolt upright torso. Flat shoes suit me. Thankfully, I have lots of them, and today I wore my NoBull high tops.

• Exhaustion was hitting hard through the workout, so the presses fell off a little, but I made some great progress on the incline bench, mainly because I forgot what I did last time so I beat an imaginary standard. Cut out a set of abs just for the sake of time.

• Double sparring class last night, got in a lot of great rounds. Really trying to work on moving off angle and sending strikes from there. Caught the Valkyrie with an awesome off angle sacrifice spin hook kick. Just happy I can move like that. The stretching is most likely helping out.

• Carried a 225lb keg yesterday, and then a 1min 50sec hang.

• Weighed 84.1kg this morning.

 Training Log: Entry 3659

AM WORKOUT (0350 wake up via alarm, very good night of sleep)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 1, Workout 4

“GO RUCK YOURSELF”

Treadmill walk w/20.4lb tac carrier

Speed: 3.5mph
Incline: 4.5
Distance: 5.25miles
Time: 90 minutes

Notes:

• This was the easiest ruck in quite a while. No real specific period of time where I was watching the clock. Found a docu-series to watch without commercial interruption and it went a long way toward distracting me.

• Knee doesn’t feel as awesome as it did on Monday, but my bad days are feeling better than my good days felt like before PT, so that’s a plus.

• Sparring last night was awesome. Made it to the finals without having to spar the Valkyrie, and beat our senior black belt in the second round. Last 2-3 in the final round against another black belt in a very close match. My mobility is improving with the stretching and reduced knee pain, but I’m noticing my connective tissue feels “loose”, as though it’s slipping in and out at times. We’re doing a double class tonight, so should be a good workout.

• Weighed 84.3kg this morning. Been a high sodium week with that kalua pig.

• Carried a 223.5lb keg, and got in a 1min 40sec hold immediately afterward. More challenging to hit the grip after the keg carry. Soon I need to dig out my rolling thunder and get to work on that.

 Training Log: Entry 3658

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 1, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
5x8x221

(3) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat pull
5+2x470

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
5x12x190

Dips/axle curl superset
3x12x60, 1x10+2x60
2x12x71, 1x10+2x71, 1x8+4x71

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel superset
2x15x360/2x10

Chins between sets

Notes:

• Training motivation was high. I genuinely look forward to the day I get to deadlift. That said, it was made clear to me today that I am exiting the realm of training and entering the realm of testing with the weight I am using on the mat pulls. I am proud of myself that I still somehow managed to break the weight off the mats and get reps in, but I keep trading more and more of my soul each week to make it happen, and I am surviving the sets rather than thriving. I have nothing to prove and nowhere to be, so I’m gonig to drop the weight back to 405 to finish out this cycle and try to beat my previous rep PR at that weight, then bring it up to 425 and just repeat and regrow.

• Bench weight was perfectly dialed in.

• If I wasn’t in a rush for time, I’m certain I wouldn’t struggle on the curls as much as I do. Using a lighter weight on deadlifts might also help there.

• Very happy I’ve figured out the belt squats. They went from destructive to therapeutic. I’m going to try barbell squats in my flats next workout. As much as I’d had to admit that I had it right all along back in 2007 and never needed a pair of weightlifters and just needed some Chucks (thanks Pavel), it may truthfully be the next step in mitigating knee pain. Be curious if I can squat deeper that way as well. I was never built for the movement, so maybe I need to break all the rules to make it work.

• Weighed in at 84.8 this morning. I’m feeling fluffier. That’s the goal.

• I hung from a bar for a little over 1min 45sec yesterday, without much difficulty. Going to try to ease myself back into grip training for a bit, but I think I’ve got a good shot there. I also re-read the rules and the hammer hold is a front hold rather than a side hold, and I thankfully have an oversized loadable hammer I won as a prize in a competition back in 2015 (my return to comp after ACL surgery), so that’s cool.

• Tang Soo Do sparring was really awesome last night. I got 3 matches, the final one against the Valkyrie. We went 1 to 1 on points, going into overtime. Typically, I leave some openings for her to chase/strike as a learning opportunity, but last night she scored a legit awesome final point with a spin side kick that had her foot turn in just such a way that she snuck it in between my guard, right into a floating rib. It was like a spearman finding the slats between the plates of armor. I said “oh, that was good”, fully acknowledging the point before the judges scored it, because I was just such a fan of how she sent that. We have another class tonight, and then doubling up tomorrow.

 Training Log: Entry 3657

AM WORKOUT (0515 natural wake up)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 1, Workout 2

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• Knee regressed a little, which is to be expected after a squat workout, but it regresses back to a better point than before. Moving forward.

• Sitting on a rower first thing in the morning is a little tight on the hips.

• Bodyweight was 85.3 this morning. Seeing some growth.

• Tang Soo Do sparring tonight.

• Did an official Day 1 of ABF with the Valkyrie last night. She’s really digging the program. Likes kettlebells, taking to it quite naturally. We did 2 rounds 2-3-5-10 and then 5 rounds of the ABC EMOM, along with a general warm-up and refresher on the movements.

 Training Log: Entry 3656

PM WORKOUT (1530)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 1, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x315

Axle strict press from rack
3x8x148
1x6+2x148

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
2x12x70s
9x70
9+4+2x70

DB row
4x12x125

GHR
4x12x30

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Notes:

• Was needed elsewhere this morning, so got this done after work. Moved quickly through the warm up and shaved off the chins to make some time up.

• Squats felt solid. I switched to wearing my tacky shirt so the bar would stay in place on my back, which should reduce my forearm pain.

• First time in forever I thought about actually squeezing my glutes on the press and it made a huge difference. I honestly think the physical therapy is helping there: I’m developing my glute meds and they seem to want to come out to play some more.

• Forgot my shoes for the GHRs/sit ups. Small impact on results.

• No weigh in this morning, but carried a 220lb keg yesterday and 221 tonight.

 Training Log: Entry 3655

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 6

10 minutes EMOM sandbag sprawl and carry

Notes:

• 4 sprawls each round, then pick and carry.

• Elbows were pretty achy on this, but seem to be doing better now.

• Was solid conditioning come the final rounds. Thinking this will pay off for grappling.

• Was woken up at 0525: dog wouldn’t go back to sleep. Feeling a little fatigued as a result.

• Knee continues to feel better as time goes on.

• Carried a 217.5lb keg yesterday.

 Training Log: Entry 3654

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 5 (final lifting workout of cycle)

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat (higher bar placement)
4x3x352

Axle strict press from rack
4x3x166

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x8x75s

DB row
4x8x125

GHR
4x8x40

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Lateral raise dropset
35x10, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xEmpty Hands

Band pull apart
50

Chins between sets

Notes:

• I’m carrying a bit of “blah” coming into these workouts, which I think it honestly just carrying forward fatigue from the weekend/start of the week getting woken up so much. We got to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual last night, but also spent the evening at my kid’s school music program, which absolutely drained my introvert battery and had me exhausted when I got home. Woke up this morning to the alarm and told myself that this workout was going to be the hardest part of my day, so if I got it done now, it’d be over.

• It’s been less than a week since starting physical therapy, and the results have already been very positive. I noticed last night that I had no knee pain while walking my dog, whereas typically that was a major source of it. The boxer is still a puppy yet stupidly strong, so she pulls the entire time we walk, and it’s like running downhill the whole time trying to fight her. Every step would be agonizing, but yesterday it just felt like a normal knee. In turn, this morning’s squat workout still triggered SOME knee pain, but not nearly as much as before. I’m not expecting miracles, but I AM appreciating how quick this gradual healing is.

• I moved the bar up higher on my traps to reduce elbow/forearm pain, and since my knee is in a healthier state I was able to get away with that. It’s funny how the pieces all connect.

• Camera cut out during the transition to the GHRs.

• Got in sets of 7 on chins between sets. Started the cycle with 5s. May just continue to gradually progress, if training timeline allows.

• Carried a 216lb keg last night, and weighed in at 83.3kg this morning. I SHOULD be heavier, but signing up for that grappling competition has me on the fence. Thankfully, I’m in no rush to gain: I’m in this for the long haul, but this is also just something I have to be aware of. Competition typically drives me to improve myself, but it also hamstrings me when it comes to pushing my bodyweight up, because I’m always right on the cusp of weight classes.

• Yesterday was another 2 cup of coffee day. I’m really enjoying coffee again, which is probably something I need to watch out for, but thankfully there is enough research out there that I can validate that 2 cups is perfectly fine and actually PROMOTES health, so let’s hear it for reality sculpting.

 Training Log: Entry 3653

AM WORKOUT (0345 natural wake up)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 4

“GO RUCK YOURSELF”

Treadmill walk w/20.4lb tac carrier

Speed: 3.5mph
Incline: 4.5
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: 90 minutes

Notes:

• This was even more painless than last week. First 4 miles just flew by. Valkyrie lubed up the treadmill belt last night (apparently it was loud enough that it was waking her up, so it was more for her benefit than mine) and I’m wondering if it helped make the experience less sucky in general. Also imagine my knee being in a better place helped.

• Which, on that note, I’m observing gradual improvement. Still pain, but less so. I’ve had a few drives in the truck where I realized my knee didn’t hurt, which it’s one of those things that you don’t notice until you’re ALWAYS in pain. Other times, the pain is there, but it’s less so. The stretching and foam rolling seem to be helping, and I’m trying to be diligent on the strengthening 2-3x a week as well.

• Carried a 215lb keg last night. Moved faster than previous few nights, which is interesting on the day I deadlift. Typically it’s one of my harder workouts.

• Tang Soo Do last night was a pure conditioning class. Not a stitch of martial arts done. I actually managed some jumping without knee pain: another victory there.

• Weighed 82.5kg this morning. Significant drop-off. Given I did 2 24 hour fasts leading up one big meal on Tuesday, I’m sure it’s impacting things. With my grappling tournament coming up on 7 Dec, it’s good to have some flexibility. I may have to compete up a class.

 Training Log: Entry 3652

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout …3?

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
5x3x246

(4) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
8+4+3x470

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
5x8x225

Dips/axle curl superset
4x8x80/81

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel superset
3x15x360/3x10

Chins between sets

Notes:

• Situation: Good night of sleep (we’ve finally figured out the puppy: we’re letting it share a crate with the other puppy, and that has pacified it significantly. No more 0200 wake ups) HOWEVER still spent the first part of the night with a stomach quite full of Brazilian BBQ. I was not quite “uncomfortably full”, but still very much “heavy digestion” mode, and, in turn, I’m feeling a little fatigued today. Alongside that, yesterday my hips were really aching when I stood for prolonged periods of time: the kind of pain I used to feel before I started Tactical Barbell. I’m feeling it a bit again post training, and I’m wearing compression shorts to help, but that is one of those signs of the beginning of the end. My elbows are also starting to ache again. The hips, I’m curious if sleeping on the floor for a few nights is the issue, or the sandbag workout, OR all the hip flexor stretching I’m doing as part of my PT. I’ll have to keep an eye on it. The elbows are a combination of low bar squats and sandbag work: I’m always stupid and do BOTH of those things at the same time. Need to get a little smarter.

• So all this said, my belt fit exceptionally tight today and I thought my deadlifts were going to be pretty awesome, but holy f*ck did they take a lot out of me. You can see the exhaustion and pain in the video. Once again: working miracles in that garage every single time I break it off the mats. I’m thinking next cycle will be time to reset the weight and try to beat some previous PRs. But I still got it done somehow someway. I do wonder if it would have been better without the aching hips. I still contemplate using my Spud break-in briefs, because they’re honestly pretty awesome. Biggest issue is the bar catches on them, which is why I wear the sweat pants to bypass my Cerberus shorts.

• Felt the elbows in the curls and the ab wheel, but the dips felt awesome, and I’m pleased with how I’m progressing on that.

• Carried a 213.5lb keg yesterday. Weighed 84.4kg this morning. I’m fasting through breakfast. Not out of martyrdom, not to punish myself for overeating at dinner yesterday: because I’m flat out not hungry. I’m still burping Brazilian BBQ, and it tastes more of blood than of meat due to what I imagine is an incredibly heavy iron content. I genuinely don’t want to think about food, and making my kid’s breakfast this morning made me slightly nauseous. Which I’d say, all-in-all, means I’m doing this whole “eat to gain” thing right. I’ve really been digging all the experiments with eating schedules, and, in truth, were it not for the family time aspect of it, I’d skip either breakfast or dinner and just do 1 meal a day. The trick is: you have to be capable of really putting it away at that one meal to pull it off. Which, as the Valkyrie remarked last night “I genuinely don’t know where you put that much food”

• We have Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s our 1 class of the week, due to schedule nuttiness. It’s Wildcard cardio night, so should get some manner of activity.

• Got the results of my X-ray back. Minor signs of arthritis in the knee, but nothing warranting PRP. I SHOULD be happy that I’m not as broken as I thought, but I liked the idea of some extra treatment. Next step would be to get an MRI to confirm a torn meniscus, but that’ll take some doing. In the interim, the PT is giving me relief. I’ll look into the celebrex I was prescribed, or the tumeric I was recommended, but I’d prefer neither.

• The numbering of the workouts is off for this week, as I’m not really sure what to consider yesterday to be.

 Training Log: Entry 3651

AM WORKOUT (0330 wake up via dog, 0520 training)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat
4x3x352

Axle strict press from rack
4x3x166

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x8x75s

DB row
4x8x125

GHR
4x8x40

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Lateral raise dropset
35x10, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xEmpty hands

50 band pull aparts

Notes:

• Rough night of sleep. Kiddo got me up at 0330 because the puppy was being a pain. Laid down next to it’s kennel for about an hour, took it outside, came back in, got ready to lift, then dropped it off with the Valkyrie because her alarm had gone off so I could train. You can see in the video the fatigue is hitting me, but I was still able to put in an effort.

• The little bit of physical therapy I’ve been doing has been paying off. Experiencing less day to day pain, and it was easier to hit depth in squats.

• Forearms are giving me the telltale sign that they don’t care for these buffalo bar squats and sandbag workouts. It’s why I keep swapping squat movements. I should be able to make one more training phase and then onto the SSB.

• No chins between sets today. Was trying to keep the timeline tight, since I had a later start.

• Weighed 83.5kg this morning. Slightly different circumstances than usual for the weigh in with the different schedule, but close enough.

 Training Log: Entry 3650

AM WORKOUT (1000)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MASS Week 2, Workout 6

EMOM sprawl and sandbag carry

Notes:

• 200+ lb bag, carried sideways vs bearhug this time. I’m a bit better at that pick up, which made it move faster and get me some more reps. Still meeting intent here: feel like this will have decent carryover to grappling.

• Carried a 216lb keg this evening.

• I’m digging this long weekend’s theme of finding out just how many ribs I can eat. Yesterday was the full rack of pork spare ribs, today was lamb back ribs, tomorrow will be beef short ribs AND pork baby back ribs, and then tomorrow at the Brazilian steakhouse will be plate ribs (but, sadly, sliced off the rib). Shame Vince Gironda isn’t around: I’m sure he’d dig this theme. 

 Training Log: Entry 3649

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, rough night of sleep)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squats
4x6x320

Axle strict press from rack
4x6x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x10x70s

DB row
4x10x125

GHRs
4x10x30

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Chins throughout workout

Notes:

• Kiddo got me up at 0250 because the puppy woke up and wouldn’t go back to sleep. Laid next to the crate for 10 minutes, then inch wormed out the room and got back to bed around 0315. Alarm went off and I thought about every possible way I could skip this workout and none of the COAs worked, so I got up and trained. In turn, motivation was stupid low, and you can see in the video that I was hurting.

• Aside from the evening, last night at Tang Soo Do just took it out of me. We focused heavily on breakfalls, so it was a lot of getting on the floor and getting up from the floor. The latter is the real workout, which Dan John has pointed out among other authors. I actually saw a really decent looking prison workout the other day that was almost like a bodyweight turkish get-up that emphasized this point. An hour of doing that just had me floored. I also think I need to eat more, which is what these next 4 days will be about with our feasting.

• First set of squats had too wide of a stance. I’ll need to be aware of that.

• Carried a 212.5lb keg yesterday and weighed 83.5kg this morning.

• First physical therapy appointment will be later this morning. I’ll see if I get anything out of it.

 Training Log: Entry 3648

AM WORKOUT (0350 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 4

“GO RUCK YOURSELF”

Treadmill walk w/20.4lb tac carrier

Speed: 3.5mph
Incline: 4.5
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: 90 minutes

Notes:

• Felt good again. Time passed pretty quickly, minus a few parts that felt like it sucked. Still keeping it reasonable and more in the realm of recovery vs an actual workout.

• Keg carry 211lbs yesterday. Weighed in at 82.8kg this morning. Been a lot of lean dinners this week. Pork tenderloin, chicken meatballs, and last night was venison ring bologna. But this extended weekend is going to have a LOT of feasting.

• Tang Soo Do was pretty low energy last night. One more class tonight.

 Training Log: Entry 3647

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
5x6x231

(5) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
10+5+4x470

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
5x10x205

Dips/axle curls superset
4x10x65/76

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel superset
2x15x360/2x10

Chins between sets

Notes:

• Last night, I had a subluxation in my right knee, the very knee my doctor yesterday remarked was “incredibly healthy for a 40 year old knee with no sign of damage) when locking out a kick in Tang Soo Do. It swole up a little and felt a little junky this morning, but as training went on it seemed fine. During the mat pulls, the weight felt a little heavier on the knee than usual, but zero issues during the belt squats. Honestly, switching to flat soled shoes has been a gamemchanger there, and I’m an idiot for not trying that sooner.

• Bench is perfectly dialed in weight wise. Rested 2 minutes between sets of that, then 1 minute on the squats. For the superset, I rested a minute after the superset was done, but had shorter rests between the dips and curls, just for the sake of time. I was moving slow today.

• Once again, I have no idea how I managed those mat pulls. It really is like a miracle every time it breaks off the mats, and then somehow I find 9 more reps, and then the next two pulls are easier than the first one. I have no idea if I’m on borrowed time on this, but I’m just going to keep riding it out as much as I can. When the wheels fall off, I’ll reset the weight and go for some rep PRs.

• Carried a 210lb keg yesterday, weighed in at 83.9kg. Funny to see the weight drop after eating 20 meatballs for dinner.

• Someone signed up in the weight class above me and 2 master’s categories below me for the grappling tournament, making him a young whippersnapper at the age of 31. However, I’m excited to have someone a little closer to my age, and this will mean I really don’t need to sweat making weight, so if no one shows up for my own category, there’s at least a chance I have someone to play with in Dec. It happens to be the same day as our Tang Soo Do holiday party, so it behooves me to move quickly.

• On that note: Tang Soo Do tonight as well. I’ll try to keep my knee in one place, although I truthfully wanted to experience a full dislocation just so I could have limped back to that doctor and been like “Hey, how about a second opinion now?”

 Training Log: Entry 3646

AM WORKOUT (0520 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm, rough night of sleep)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 2

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20minute recovery row

Notes:

• Kiddo got me up at about 0330, informing me that the puppy wouldn’t go back to sleep. Laid down next to it’s kennel for about an hour, then inch wormed my way out of the room to go sleep off the rest of the night in my own bed. It was honestly a pretty good ab workout, as I’m in no way being hyperbolic about inch worming: if, at any point, my upper torso was not connected to the floor, the dog would wake up and cry. So I had to move only my lower torso to drag me slowly across the floor to create the illusion I was still sleeping next to the dog. Remember when Conan had to do the same thing to escape from the slumbering wolves? Yeah, me neither.

• Semi-related news, but I’ve rediscovered a love for coffee I didn’t know I had. The cold weather brings it out of me. I’m limiting myself to 1 cup a day, in the morning, a few hours after breakfast. I have a tendency to easily become addicted to things.

• I tried to make this workout slightly more intense than usual while still keeping it low intensity. Basically focusing on a smooth transition between phases of the row, rather than anything herky jerky.

• Had my annual physical today, and it was a let down. Wanted to get some imaging on my right knee, but the doc just did a hands on exam, remarked at the incredible shape my knee was in for a 40 year old, and then offered some Vitamin M (iykyk) as a solution. Told him I flat out was NOT going to get on a daily anti-inflammatory protocol, especially after hearing about Nick Best losing his kidney doing that, and when I informed him that alleve makes my bowels bleed, he was at least willing to entertain a physical therapy solution, so I have that in my future.

• Keg carry was 208.5 yesterday. Weighed in at 84.7kg this morning. Tang Soo Do on the schedule tonight.

 Training Log: Entry 3645

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL Week 2, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat
4x6x330

Axle strict press from rack
4x6x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x10x70s

DB row
4x10x125

GHR
4x10x30

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Notes:

• Seemed to be running slow this morning: didn’t have time at the end of the workout for any additional assistance.

• Squats felt great. Very strong and smooth. Knee is in a good way. Bar placement was right. Got cold enough to wear a shirt, which meant the bar wasn’t quite as grippy.

• The lower rep sets bode well for pressing. Zero issues completing sets. Rested 2 minutes on the main, 90 seconds on the incline, 1 minute everywhere else.

• Keg carry yesterday was 207.5. I’m moving fast again with the lighter weight, and actually ended up tripping over my feet and tossing the keg to the ground on the return trip. Picked it back up and carried through.

• Called my weight pretty well this morning. Thought I’d be 84kg, was 84.1. Also, my resting heart rate jumped 5 points yesterday, from 39 to 44. Once again, this correlated with the day after I’ve had a large meal (the Brazilian steakhouse), which I feel points to a notion of NEAT increasing in the presence of increased food intake. I’ll get to repeat the experiment, as we booked another reservation on 11 Nov. It’s a great time to be gaining.

• On that note, family meal last night of spaghetti with piedmontese meat sauce, some sourdough fried in ghee, and a dessert bar of some leftover birthday pumpkin cheesecake, a banana bread minimuffin topped with some raw honey, and 2 of the Valkyrie’s peanutbutter Halloween cookies. She took some of the leftover chocolate candies we had, cut them up and threw them in the mix. Wonderfully delicious.

 Training Log: Entry 3644

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, really good night of sleep)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 1, Workout 5

MAIN WORK

Buffalo bar squat
4x8x308

Axle strict press from rack
3x8x148
1x6+2x148

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB Incline bench
3x12x65s
1x11+1x65

DB rows
4x12x115

GHRs
4x12x20

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Lateral raises
40x10

Notes:

• Squats felt absolutely incredible. Zero issues finding depth, knee only ached on the very first rep, smooth and strong. I always look at the video and don’t care for the depth, so I spend time during the squat in training ensuring that I’m going as deep as my body will allow. The low bar placement with my bizarre anthropomorphy just makes for ugly squatting. This was also technically less work than Monday, since I screwed up the reps on that workout, but considering I finally recovered from my DOMS, I ‘m good with that.

• Progress all around on the pressing. The GHRs also hit different doing it at the end of the workout vs breaking it up like I did on Monday.

• Tang Soo Do was challenging this week, and helped me identify that I’m dealing with two different issues with my knee, which is helpful. The tendonosis is resolving but the pain in the knee cap itself worsens with jump/snap kicks. Good to know.

• Keg carry was 203.5lbs yesterday. Weighed in at 82.9kg this morning.

• Going to get in some extra steps escorting my kiddo and their friends Trick or Treating today. They’re finally too old to trick or treat with dad, but at least willing to have a off in the corner chaperone while they’re out and about. I fully plan to “go as the Punisher” and don my skullshirt and leather jacket, just to make people think twice about messing around with that particular pack of kiddos.

 Training Log: Entry 3643

AM WORKOUT (0350 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 1, Workout 4

“GO RUCK YOURSELF”

Treadmill walk w/20.4lb tac carrier

Speed: 3.5
Incline: 4.5
Distance: 5.25 miles
Time: 90 minutes

Notes:

• This went really well. I’ve switched from watching television dramas/movies to documentaries, and it’s a gamechanger as far as steady state work goes. Dramas are formulaic in their delivery, which means you have awareness of the passing time as things move from first act to second act to third. Documentaries are a little more free form and, therefore, captivating. Before I knew it, the show was over and I was halfway done with my walk. It’s also nice to have a little lighter mood while I walk. Of course, this was also a lighter weight and lower incline than Operator, but it was a .5 increase in incline compared to last Grey Man cycle. I’m trying hard NOT to become the rucking champion of the world and to just make this a basic workout, but I can still make some small increases.

• My right knee feels the best it’s felt in a long time, so my experiment with the belt squat was a success. However, I’m noticing it has 2 different kinds of pain, and one seems like patellar tendonosis and the other seems like lacking cartilage, the latter triggered by the jumps we do in Tang Soo Do (which I did last night). I do something like a “Hatfield Jump” a s part of my warm-up on squat days, but maybe I should bring back just some basic jumps like I used to do in 5/3/1 and see if I can get myself reconditioned.

• On that note, Tang Soo Do was actually a decent workout last night. Had a different instructor than usual and he ran us through a solid lesson. Got to work some board breaks at the end too.

• Keg carry was 202.5 yesterday, and bodyweight was 82.9kg this morning. We’re going out to a new Brazilian Steakhouse for brunch on Saturday to extend my birthday (since celebrating on a Tuesday is hard), so I’m excited and so happy it’s gaining season. Also cashing in some birthday freebies on Friday: a sidekick of ribs at Texas Roadhouse and 6 free wings at Buffalo Wild Wings. Sign up for these places: they give out cool stuff.

• With the cold weather, I’ve rediscovered a love for black coffee. I am also still incredibly sore from Monday’s training. Dr. Chaffee would say those two things relate: curious to see.

 Training Log: Entry 3642

AM WORKOUT (0415 wake up via backup alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Week 1, Workout 3

MAIN WORK

Axle bench press
5x8x216

(6) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
10+4+4x470

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squats
4x12x180

Dips/axle curl superset
3x12x55, 1x8+3+1x55
2x12x68, 1x9+3x68

Notes:

• Had set my first alarm incorrectly. I need to set my back up alarm earlier, because I ended up shaving off some stuff out of this workout due to time constraints. Still hit the majority of the important stuff, but instead of 5 sets in the supplemental cluster, I went with 4. For a first week break in, I’ll take it.

• Weight is perfectly dialed in on everything.

• Once again, performing miracles with those mat pulls. The warm ups felt stupidly heavy, and I was feeling the DOMS, but when I went for that first pull it broke much easier than I anticipated it would. Kept the reps reasonable for a first week back.

• I had 2 minutes rest on the bench and 1 minute on the squats. Went too short on rests with the dips/curls, just for time.

• The belt squat felt a million times better switching from lifters to flat soled shoes. I also made an effort to avoid lockout at the top and keep tension in the quads. I used to do that all the time with my muscle building work: good to remember that.

• This workout was fueled by 2 slices of the Valkyrie’s pumpkin cheesecake last night. Could not ask for a better birthday cake, or better training fuel. Tang Soo Do was actually pretty low energy, but another class tonight.

• Keg carry yesterday was 201lbs. Weighed 84.0 this morning.