Training Log: Entry 3688

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 1, Workout 3

“GO RUCK YOURSELF”

Treadmill walk w/20.4lb tac carrier

• Speed: 3.5mph

• Incline: 4.0

• Distance: 5 miles

• Time: 1hr, 25min, 45sec

Notes:

• Been a long time since I did a ruck, and with how banged up my hip was yesterday, I took this easy and settled in. Still dealing with some plantar fasciitis in the left foot: I am in desperate need of new running/walking shoes, especially since we’re signed up for our 10 mile race in Apr again.

• Used this as an opportunity to continue to improve my walking mechanics with the right leg. This has gone a LONG way toward managing my knee pain. It was weird: I wasn’t limping because I was hurt, but instead I hurt because I was limping.

• Tang Soo Do was tough last night, primarily because my hip was in agony for the majority of it. Hard to get my kicks where I wanted them to be. It was our first 90 minute class, and it was pretty active. Things should go a bit better tonight.

• Weighed 86.0kg this morning. That’s a 3.1kg drop from Monday, but it’s also a weigh in after the walk, so there’s a hydration element at play. I’m coffee fasting until dinner again.

• Got in a 60 second timed hold last night. Head wasn’t in the right spot: was rushing.

 Training Log: Entry 3687

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 1, Workout 1

MAIN WORK

SSB front squat
3x5x220

Axle strict press from rack
3x5x151 w/1 push press per set

(6) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
19!x3x4x425

ASSISTANCE (performed as a circuit)

Reverse hyper
3x15x360

Standing ab wheel
3x10

Band pull aparts
3x33

Notes:

• First lifting workout back in quite a while. I was feeling a little rusty, but picked it up by the second and third set. Right arm kept cramping on the front squats: issue I’ve had for a while now. Forgot to tense my glutes on the first set of presses. Knee felt pretty decent throughout.

• That set of mat pulls was incredible. Really felt like my old self. Got 9 reps in the first breath, and honestly could have reached that 20th rep, but I could feel myself struggling. I actually cut the follow up reps short, as I could feel something in my left hip not playing nice. It’s currently tight/achy, but it’s a familiar pain.

• I like doing the pulls last vs first. Sucks trying to train after that effort.

• Got my sandbag filled last night. Props to Rogue: they make a quality product. Filling a sandbag used to be an afternoon affair, but I got this done in about 15 minutes. Should be able to get in some regular touches now.

• Had a 1:15 fat gripz hold last night. Time to bring it back.

• Weighed 87.3kg this morning: a 1.8kg drop from yesterday. Weight is going to need to normalize post travel. Also be curious to see how this fasting protocol impacts things. Since today was a lifting day, I had breakfast. Tomorrow will be a no breakfast day.

• Tang Soo Do was decently active last night. Kicks felt more fluid. Whole family got their third stripe. We’re 1 away from being eligible to test in the Spring, which was our goal. We have a longer class tonight, at 90 minutes.

 Training Log: Entry 3686

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

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 1, Workout 1

“INDOOR POWER INTERVALS”

5 rounds on rower
1 min max effort
2 min rest

Notes:

• Back on the program. Since I flew home on a Monday, we’re starting off with conditioning, and then will get in 2 lifting workouts this week before getting fully on 3x a week lifting with Operator. This is like a Fighter break in.

• Absolutely did NOT want to get up and train, after such a wonderful bridge week of recovery, but with my competition coming up on 21 Feb, I have something to work toward. I definitely need to get back into shape as well, because this was the easier version of indoor power intervals and it was totally gassing me.

• Weighed in at 89.1kg. As Kroc once said “If I was a soup, I’d be labeled ‘chunky.”. This is pretty awesome, as this is about 6kg gained in 10 weeks and 10kg gained from my most recent lowest weight. Doing this while eating in a manner that people SWEAR you can’t gain weight with (the carb eaters claiming it’s impossible to put on muscle without carbs and the carnivore zealots claiming it’s impossible to put on fat eating carnivore) is always a fun “so there”.

• Today is my first day of experimenting with coffee fasting. No breakfast after training, just allowing myself black coffee until dinner. Which, during my bridge week, I discovered that I REALLY like coffee, but I’m also not addicted to it, because I had one morning where I poured myself a big cup of it with breakfast, looked at it, said “I don’t want this” and dumped it right out. I realized I had just done it out of habit, but really wasn’t in the mood for a warm bitter beverage at that point. I also switched to decaf in the evenings and still just enjoyed the beverage. I like how it forces me to slow down to drink it. I also still seem pretty immune to the effects of caffeine, and part of me wonders if it really is just treating an undiagnosed form of ADD.

• Knee is feeling the best it’s felt in a long time. I can sit for prolonged periods without agony and walk without pain. Once I start training hard and heavy again, I’ll see how it feels, but if nothing else it’s a sign that nothing is irreparably damaged. Back is almost 100% as well, but I’ll see how training treats it. If nothing else, the rowing didn’t bug it.

• I’ll write a full up review at some point, but I read Stan Efferding’s Vertical Diet 3.0 (I know 4.0 is out there, but not on amazon) over the trip. I enjoyed the book, and as I read it was thinking that it’s definitely something I could do. It seems plenty sustainable and workable and balanced. About the only thing stopping me is the fact that what I’m doing right now is already working really well. I like being in ketosis/fat adapated, I like how I can effortlessly fast, and I like how simple this approach is. But I understand the value in dietary flexibility that something like the Vertical Diet provides by opening up the avenue for more food choices. I’m considering an experiment with it, as I feel like eating the foods that Stan includes would allow me to consume carbs without the normal terrible feeling I had when I ate them regularly. I’ve also considered implementing it in a seasonal approach, alternating between carnivore and Vertical. A consideration, if nothing else.

• Back to Tang Soo Do tonight.