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.