Training Log: Entry 3743

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 5, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar Squats
4x6x352

Axle strict press from rack
3x6x168
5+1x168

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
4x10x75s

DB row
4x10x135

GHRs
4x10x60

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
15, 10

Notes:

• All the pain issues I was dealing with this weekend resolved in time for this workout. I do believe a part of that is having a set rhythm that my body is used to. It knows that, come Monday morning, it’s time to perform. I, once again, felt much stronger than I had any right to this morning, which is a pleasant change from the last cycle, where every workout felt like a miracle.

• I recognized today that all the work I’ve put into making low bar squats viable have paid off, but they are still not enough to make low bar a forever movement. I can still trigger that pain in my forearm just from getting into position: irrespective of if the barbell slips down my back. Ultimately this is a positive thing: I’ve come up with an approach to make this training phase even more viable, but it also means that it’s just that: a training phase. Bar/movement rotation will continue indefinitely.

• Very pleased with pressing performance. The middle week is the most satisfying. Rested 2 minutes for all but the final set of axle: went 2:30. Went 90-90-120 on the incline.

• Got through all 7 days of 16-16-17 chins last week, and opened up with 17 this morning, planning on doing 17-16-17. Kinda Doug Hepburn-esque.

• Weighed in at 82.9kg, and that’s post carb up. We did another sourdough pizza last night. I had 5 slices: 3 from the sheet pan pizza, 2 from the traditional pie pan, alongside 5 sourdough cookies (new recipe) with some raw local honey. The Valkyrie is really getting into the homemade sourdough and I’m absolutely loving it. Being able to fuel up with the cleanest carbs made from home is absolutely incredible, and the results are showing that my body is responding well to it. This has become less a gaining phase and more a reverse diet phase, as I’ve been slowing upping the food and seeing the scale stay the same. As long as the weights in the gym keep going up, I’m good with that.

• Rather than 10 minute walks post meal, yesterday I adopted the strategy of 10 minute hyung/martial arts open hand forms. It was honestly pretty enjoyable. Less anti-social than sulking off for a solo walk or time on the rower, getting to improve my martial arts and work on that hip pain I was dealing with. I may make this a “thing”. I truthfully miss being “all-in” with martial arts.

• Got a big ABC workout tonight with the family for ABF. Also an experiment with beef shanks in the sous vide. We have leftover pizza on standby if it’s a disaster.

 Training Log: Entry 3742

AM WORKOUT (1115)

Tang Soo Do class

Notes:

• This was a semi-decent workout. We did open hand forms/hyungs the whole time, which gave me a moment to have a revelation. I’ve been complaining about my hips hurting all week, and thought I had jacked it up in training somehow. But I realize that this is the new form that we’re learning

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• Look, specifically, at his feet. They’re supposed to always be pointing forward, and all movement is done via the hips. When you factor in that we spent 90 minutes of Wednesday just drilling this form, and that we’ve used every spare minute we have training this form so we can memorize it, it makes sense that my hips are a little achy. I’m hoping there will be an adaptation phase, and maybe it will even develop some stronger hips.

• Otherwise, just an active day. Lotta running around and getting stuff done. Because my hips have been so achy, I’ve held off on adding in more intense training. With it being Mass Protocol, this works out well.

 Training Log: Entry 3741

AM WORKOUT (0630 natural wake up, snooze until 0700)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 4, Workout …5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x330

Axle strict press from rack
8x158
2x5x158
6x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
4x12x70s

DB row
4x12x125

PM WORKOUT (1500)

GHRs
4x12x55

GHR sit ups
1x25

Notes:

• Day off work, so slept in and got the majority of the workout knocked out while the rest of the family was waking up. Cut out the “out of garage” part for later.

• Felt like the gravity was turned up today. Was just getting beat to hell by the training. Didn’t push the axle too hard, but got a PR on the DB press as a result, so I’ll take it.

• While doing my knee rehab stretches, I felt a small pop in my hamstring. Immediately stopped the stretch, and just feel a little tightness in the hamstring, but otherwise nothing too worrisome. I’ll see how it feels tomorrow.

• Been very active with family in town. Easy way to get in steps. Eating a little more as well, which is good for a gaining phase.\

• Valkyrie and kiddo still chugging away on the ABF, and I’ve been joining them at their weights as well, making it a tonic/recovery workout for myself. I feel like all the time pressing with lighter weights has been great for grooving my technique.

 Training Log: Entry 3740

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 4, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
4x8x231

(3) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
14x440

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x12x230

Dips
3x12x60
9+3x60

Axle curls
2x12x76
9x76
9+6x76

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hypers
3x15x360

Various ab work

Notes:

• Sleep continues to be less than awesome due to minor inconveniences. This was pretty funny though. At night, the kiddo knocks on our door and gives us the pug puppy when he starts acting up (the pup starts off the night in the kids room). I’m usually the one that wakes up to receive the pug. When my kid gave it to me, we didn’t exchange any words, just the dog, and I thought “the nightly pug deal”, and then I laughed to myself “hah! Pug deal. Like drug deal” And that amount of thinking unfortunately shifted my brain into “awake mode” for the next hour or so.

• This training day requires little motivation to get me to do it. I appreciate how little there is to it, yet how much at the same time. Anchoring off that set of deads is awesome. On that note, though I was 1 rep shy compared to last week, it was a moment of discretion being the better part of valor, because I was in no degree of pain but could feel my body giving me some warning shots there. Shut it down, walked away, felt great.

• And then I did a set of ab wheel and immediately triggered that familiar pain in my hips and forearm. So I’m going to just plain stop doing the ab wheel for the rest of this training cycle: juice isn’t worth the squeeze. I don’t feel any pain during my daily chins, minimal during squats, TONS during this movement, and there are like a jillion other ways to train abs.

• Breaking the weight off the mats for the deads was challenging but not miraculous. I think I have at least one more cycle in me.

• Weighed 82.7kg this morning. Despite only 1 meal yesterday, that’s a bump up in weight, but that one meal was a VERY sodium heavy meal of corned beef, so that tracks.

• Tang Soo Do was a moderate workout yesterday. Today is the 90 minute class. And I’m taking the next 2 days off work, so schedule is going to be a little off.

• I signed up for another charity strongman competition. It’s 8 Aug, and I’m currently signed up as a Masters LW of 220-. This event has 2 things I’ve always wanted to do: a caber toss and Dritvik Stones. What I love the most is that I’m excited about this competition. I had fallen out of love with strongman for a while, and these charity comps for fun are really bringing me back. It’s sorta like combat sports, how I’m having fun just showing up to competitions without actually training: I just want a pick up game. I’m already thinking about my training cycle for this, and picking up some new toys (to include a kilt). Details below.

 Training Log: Entry 3739

AM WORKOUT (0529 natural wake up, slept in)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 4, Workout 2

“VIKING RAID”

15 minutes

• 100m row

• 150lb sandbag carry

• Add 100m to the row each round

Notes:

• Finished the 600m row when the timer ran out. Finished the carry still. I had some lapping issues on the 3rd round, which ate into my time. Right elbow was being a little pissy, so I was moving slower. In general, my time is getting worse each week, and I imagine it’s navigating around the pain that’s a part of that, as the first week I was able to rip the bag off the floor. But this is why I cycle low bar squats, rather than keep them year round.

• Forgot to hit record. Oops.

• This is still a solid conditioning hit. I was thinking about it on the ride to work as well. I’m doing a solid job of leaning into this mass gaining phase, even if I’m not chasing scale weight. I’m staying conditioned “enough” without going stupidly deep into it, and prioritizing sleep seems to be benefiting my physique and strength. I’m not as fat as I anticipated being at this point in the training block. It’s really been more of a recomp phase at this point.

• Which, on that note, I weighed in at 82.4, which is the lowest I’ve been on a Tuesday/post carb up weigh in for this training cycle. Wild considering I had over 1000 calories in burger patties alone for dinner last night. I think that’s been my favorite part of this experiment: discovering maintenance, and just how much wiggle room it has. Especially as I’m fasting through today on my way to 12lbs of corned beef I have in my sous vide.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s “Wildcard/Cardio” week, and we’ll be attending a Saturday class as well, so lots of activity this week.

 Training Log: Entry 3738

AM WORKOUT (0345 wake up via dog, snoozed until 0400, but honestly a terrible night of sleep with windstorms)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 4, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x330

Axle strict press from rack
2x8x158
7x158
5x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
2x12x70s
2x10x70s w/4 rep rest pause on final set

DB rows
4x12x125

GHRs
4x12x55

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
20

Notes:

• It’s absolutely bonkers weather right now. Wind gusts up to 50mph, tore the fascia off my neighbors house and heard it scrapping all night, made it hard to sleep. Still having really vivid dreams as well, so it’s honestly like a mixed blessing to not be able to sleep much.

• As much as sets of 8 suck, I continue to feel unjustifiably strong on the squat. I think my right knee was just holding me back for longer than I realized. It’s awesome feeling healthy again, and figuring out to use my grip shirt has gone a long way to make the low bar squat more viable. I feel really locked in.

• For rest periods, it was 2 minutes on the squat, 1-2-2 on the incline press, 1s on the rows and GHRs. For the press, I went 2-3-2, seeing if resting 3 minutes would let me get in all 8 reps on the third set. Since it didn’t, didn’t seem worth repeating. Next workout, I’ll rest pause to get all the reps if I need to, similar to what I did with the incline bench. I was running a little short on time due to some morning logistics.

• Elbows are feeling good enough. I have awareness of them, but no agony. I got through all 7 days doing 3x16 chins. I may only go 2x16/1x17 for this week. These past few goes, I’ve been focusing on moving my body by contracting the lats, rather than pulling with my hands, and it seems to help move through pain. I’m also noticing better body awareness on the rows as a result. My hips are doing decent as well.

• Weighed 83.2kg this morning. Teetering between these weights. Wonderful family meal last night: another go with sourdough crust pizza, topped with pancetta, bacon, leftover kalua pork, pineapple and black olives. We had it cafeteria style on a baking sheet. I had something like 5 or 6 slices, and then 5 cookies with some raw honey. It’s awesome to have sourdough in the house: the Valkyrie is experimenting will all sorts of recipes. In turn, I’ve been considering how to work a cyclical or targeting ketogenic diet approach. I also used a 10 minute rower workout post meal ala the 10 minute walk, and that felt pretty nice.

 Training Log: Entry 3737

PM WORKOUT (1400)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 6

“Fran” Crossfit WOD w/no-kip chins

Time: 7:35

Notes:

• I had already gotten in 2x16 chins earlier in the day, and figured I’d get in the rest and then some with a classic.

• Been a LONG time since I’ve done this one. Haven’t felt healthy enough for it in a while. My right elbow/forearm is still kinda pissy over it, but I think it will adapt.

• Used to get this done around 4 minutes. Used to weigh 20lbs more as well.

• Along with this, I got in a 3 mile walk with the puppy while I wore the 20.4lb tac carrier earlier in the day. Good day of activity.

 Training Log: Entry 3736

AM WORKOUT (0320 wake up via windstorm, snooze until 0400 alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squats
4x3x367

Axle strict press from rack
4x3x176

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
4x8x75s

DB rows
4x8x145

GHRs
4x8x55

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
2x15

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

Band pull aparts
20

Notes:

• I felt really strong coming into today. Knee came ready to play, weights felt right, no significant sources of pain to contend with. I also skipped TSD last night: do wonder if there is a correlation there. But I’ve also been skipping that Thursday ruck to get in more sleep. I think I’ve just been making a lot of good choices.

• Elbow pain has resolved. I’m using a little more variety in my chin grip selection, which I think is helping. I’ve kept up 3x16 this week without interruption. I’m enjoying it, rather than feeling obligated to do so.

• Changed up the ab work to get the same rep total in fewer sets. Also had enough extra time at the end for a little more assistance work.

• Weighed in at 82.4kg this morning. I believe I have discovered maintenance. This FEELS really sustainable as well.

 Training Log: Entry 3735

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 4

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• 3rd week in a row I’ve picked this over getting in a ruck, and I think this is just going to be a way forward during Mass Protocol. This makes a lot of sense. Train the muscles hard, do work to help recover from workouts, get in some daily activity, save the rucking for Operator. Before, the ruck was something of a means to control nutrient partitioning and keep control over the intake, but given that I fast on these mornings now, that seems more effective. My physique and gym performance is reflecting as such as well. I think the extra sleep is also giving me more benefits than the ruck would. If I had something more significant to train for, things may be different. I DO have a 10 mile race in a month that is most likely going to hit like a freight train, but I can deal with that.

• My hips are a little achy from deadlifts, but not cripplingly so. The row was definitely just going through the motions and getting some flood flowing.

• Weighed in at 83.0. Housing a bunch of corned beef is probably a great way to up sodium.

• Tang Soo Do was active for 90 minutes but not terribly intense. Breakfalls/rollfalls for the first 45 minutes and 1 step self defense for the rest. New belts are nice, because we get new material. I was also recruited to help test a choke defense the black belts were working on. It was the typical “psycho strangle” choke, where you straddle the person and wrap your hands around their neck. They were effectively supposed to chop my elbows at the joint to break the grab, but noted that my arms were so large that all it did was make the choke tighter around their neck. So, basically, the defense only works if you’re being attacked by someone smaller and weaker than you. Back to the drawing board.

• We’re skipping TSD tonight, as my puppy is getting neutered and we’re going to hang out with him and make sure he’s doing ok.

 Training Log: Entry 3734

AM WORKOUT (0352 natural wake up, snooze until 0400 alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
4x3x256

(4) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
15x440

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x8x250

Dips
3x8x80
7+1x80

Axle curl
4x8x88

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hyper
3x15x360

Ab wheel
2x10

Band pull aparts
75

Notes:

• Been having some wild/vivid dreams these past few nights. Jon Heck and I were trying to get out of an escape room. Can’t make that stuff up.

• Was excited to train. This is definitely my favorite lifting day of the program. My right hip was a little buggy in Tang Soo Do last night, but it showed up to play today. Funny enough, it was the ab wheel at the end that gave it a little trouble.

• Pleased to get through the benches without my pec acting up, and I actually had some more reps in me on the mat pulls, but I’ve been appreciating being able to progress week to week WITHOUT being in agony by pushing too far. “Enough”, per Dan John. The break off the mats is getting harder, but it’s not “strength miracle” levels yet like it was last training cycle.

• Belt squats are feeling better each week. Getting my knee in a good way has gone far.

• Weighed in at 82.3kg this morning. Down half a kilo after eating an entire chuck roast. I think I could sell this diet.

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 Training Log: Entry 3733

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 2

“VIKING RAID”

15 minutes

• 100m row

• 150lb sandbag carry

• Add 100m each round, max rounds in 15 minutes

Notes:

• Finished the 6th round this time and was starting the second when time expired. Further than last week, not as far as the first week.

• My elbows are a little achy: a telltale sign I’m pushing the daily chins too hard. I am notoriously stupid for always upping my chin volume at the same time that I reintroduce low bar squats into the equation. It made the bag picks a little more tender than usual.

• I came up with an idea to make this even MORE “viking raid-y”: I could incorporate some heavy bag/Body Action System work into the workout. Row, get off the rower and hit the bag, then do the carry. It would fit the story of rowing to the shore, fighting the locals, and stealing their stuff. I’d have to come up with a specific combo or something like that, since I don’t have a round timer going, but it could be a fun way to work even more variety into this, and I have all this gear in my basement. Another approach would be to include a bag over shoulder first, to simulate throwing an opponent.

• Tang Soo Do is tonight. It’s one-step week, which is low activity, but we should get the results of our belt test back.

• I think Stan Efferding and others have been on point regarding the value of sleeping vs training, as these shorter training days will more sleep seem to be doing me some positives. I also just plain like this training day in general because it includes the coffee fast post workout. This has been one of my better nutritional experiments. The every other day intermittent fasting gives my guts a rest from the food, the mornings that I coffee fast are excellent “high speed/low drag” mornings where I don’t have to do a bunch of dishes before I go to work, whereas the mornings that I DO have breakfast are mornings where I just plain look forward to getting to have breakfast. With it being every other day, I look forward to each day due to the unique reward it brings. On my fasting days I go to bed thinking “Oh good: I get breakfast tomorrow”, and on my fed days I go to bed thinking “Oh good, I have an easy morning tomorrow”.

• On the above, woke up at 82.8kg again this morning. I am thinking to just let this training cycle play out a bit more naturally and see where I fall.

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Training Log: Entry 3732

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x3x367

Axle strict press
4x3x176

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
4x8x75s

DB rows
4x8x145

GHRs
4x8x55

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Notes:

• Got a little less sleep than usual, since the in-laws are in town and we stayed up a little later, but it was deeper sleep. Felt energized and ready. My right elbow is a little tender from getting it cranked in belt testing, and my right knuckle is the same from the board break

  

• As it was a backfist, and my instructor’s words were “They’re YOUR knuckles”. I said that, thankfully, I don’t have piano lessons any more.

• Boy I love this week. Triples are such a treat after 8s and 6s. Workouts go faster too. Felt strong, took the squats deep, knee is feeling solid. Managed to tweak something in my right trap putting the plates away overhead, so there’s a reason why you shouldn’t clean up after yourself.

• Incline DB benching felt the best yet.

• Weighed 82.8kg this morning, which means all those squats were over double bodyweight. That’s pretty cool. It’s been difficult for me to calibrate sub 400 to have any sort of significance, but those little reminders help.

• I picked today’s soundtrack because yesterday was the 32nd Anniversary of “The Downward Spiral”…and also the 33rd Anniversary of “Bevis and Butthead”

• Last week, I went all 7 days getting in 3x15 chins. I opened up today with a set of 16. We’ll see where this goes.

 Training Log: Entry 3731

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat
4x6x342

Axle strict press
4x6x166

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x10x70s

DB row
4x10x135

GHRs
4x10x45

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
3x10

Notes:

• Crazy storms last night, woke me out of a sound sleep and woke up drenched in sweat from the high humidity. Less than ideal for training. It’s funny how I have weekly motivators to get me going. On Monday, it’s because it’s our 1 night of the week we get to relax, so I don’t want to put off training there. On Wed, it’s the deadlift day, and there’s no opportunity to slide the training to the evening. On Friday, I know getting this workout in on the morning punches my ticket to start the weekend when I get home. Whatever it takes.

• Progress all around. Got through all the sets of strict press. 2 mins rest on the main cluster, 1 min on DB row and GHRs/sit ups, 60-90-120 on the DB bench.

• Knee continues to be in a good way, to the point that I forget it was hurt. I’m just feeling very “normal” again.

• Weighed 82.7kg this morning. Upped my breakfast intake a little by including some cheese and sour cream, but also just was thinking on my way to work that I’m not really training for anything in particular at the moment. I like where my physique is at, I’m getting stronger, I like fasting through 2 breakfasts per week, and I’m not hungry for more food. I may just let this training phase play out intuitively and see what happens. Room to manuever, if nothing else.

 Training Log: Entry 3730

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 4

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• This is traditionally my ruck day, but with our Tang Soo Do belt test on Saturday, I know I’m going to have a 2 hour workout ahead of me, and didn’t feel the need to stack up on that. And being in a recovery state from the flu, this seemed prudent as well. I have a 10 mile race coming up next month, so it’d be good to get in some manner of mileage, but I may also just join the Valkyrie for some long runs here and there.

• Body is feeling much better compared to last week.

• Weighed 82.9kg this morning.

• In-laws coming in today for the weekend, so a little more chaos than usual.

• Still keeping up with the daily chins and no elbow pain. Really kicking myself for not figuring out this grip shirt thing earlier.

• After observing a 2.8kg loss over the span of 9 years, I think we can safely rule out the “Vending machine chicken samosa diet”

 Training Log: Entry 3729

AM WORKOUT (0335 natural wake up, snoozed until 0400 alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
4x6x241 (smashed j-hook on 4th rep of first set)

(5) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
15x440

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x10x225

Dips
4x10x65

Axle curls
4x10x81

ASSISTANCE circuit

Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel
3x15x360/2x10

Notes:

• Despite the early wake up, I got good sleep last night. We’ve been getting to bed earlier these past few nights, as the family has been recovering from illness, and last night the kiddo came down with what we all had. So still netted about the same amount of total rest, and woke up feeling ready and recharged. I’m also over the flu, from what I can tell.

• Smashed the hell out of the j-hook on the first set, which is indicative of being out of practice with the bench. But also a great sign that the pec has healed, because that kind of chaos would have really torn it up otherwise.

• Those mat pulls were unique. The first rep felt rougher than last week: more a pull than a squeeze off the mats. And as that happened, I thought to myself “ok (tap), this is going to be (tap) a rough set (tap), so I’m just (tap) going to see (tap) how it goes (tap) but the big (tap) thing is that (tap) I need to not hurt my hip (tap) holy crap that’s 9 reps and I haven’t breathed yet (EXHALE tap), wtf is going on?(tap)” And suddenly I was 12 reps deep and matching last week’s 15 came relatively easy. As the set ended, I was at a crossroads, as I DIDN’T blow up my hip and I COULD have gone for another set…but decided discretion was the better part of valor, especially with our belt test at the end of this week.

• The curls continue to prove delightfully challenging. Despite my torn bicep, I may still have some room to grow here.

• We skipped TSD last night and are going to waive off the rest of the week unti lthe test at this point.

• Weighed 82.6kg this morning. I’m the second week in to the mass protocol:

  

  Threw in a tin of sardines onto my planned breakfast this morning.

Training Log: Entry 3728

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 2

“VIKING RAID”

15 minutes

100m row
Carry 150lb sandbag
Add 100m each round

Notes:

• Slower than last week: was carrying the bag after the 600m row when time ran out. Given I’m bouncing back from the flu, I’m ok with that.

• I threw myself a little pity party this morning when I woke up, telling myself I was going to just wait until the evening to do this, then I realized I felt just fine and got to it. Yesterday was ROUGH comparatively. That night, I took a night time Mucinex and, though I slept through the night, I woke up with a bad drug hangover and spent the day feeling sleepy. Last night I went without the meds, didn’t sleep as deep, but woke up feeling restored. But it could also just be that I’m on a healing timeline.

• My back felt much better this week compared to last, most likely because I’m further away from that strongman competition.

• In general, I’m a big fan of this. I like that I’m getting in the rowing and the carrying in a single workout. I may honestly move some more gear down into the basement to add some variety. It’s just nice to include carries as a regular thing, vs something I only do for competition prep.

• Weighed 83.0kg this morning. I’m still in a weird place between illness, but I think I’ll need to start intentionally upping the food intake to match the training demands.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. We’re skipping Thursday, since we’re testing for a new belt on Saturday. We’ll see how much the family can do tonight as it is, as the Valkyrie is still in a bad way with this flu.

 Training Log: Entry 3727

AM WORKOUT (0359 natural wake up)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 2, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x6x342

Axle strict press from rack
3x6x166
5x6x166 (failed the 6th)

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x10x70s

DB row
4x10x135

GHRs
4x10x45

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
3x10

Notes:

• As I was doing the squats, I thought to myself “I have no right to feel this strong”. I spent the weekend healing like it was my job, FORCING myself to be inactive as much as possible despite really great weather and a strong desire to get in a walk or some manner of general exercise. It was the right call, for even though I currently sound terrible and am producing a log of phlegm, I’m feeling significantly better. I also took a night time Mucinex product that totally knocked me out, and I got up a minute before the alarm feeling quite refreshed.

• The squats felt strong, the presses didn’t feel bad, but I overextended on the 5th rep of the final set and didn’t put myself in a good position. I spent the weekend with headspins, so didn’t want to push too much harder for that final rep.

• Everything else was solid, especially given the circumstances. I tried calculating my weights for this workout yesterday, and woke up this morning discovering that they were all kinds of jacked up. Don’t mix math and over the counter flu medicine kids. Which, on that note, my guts were a little messed up this weekend for using a medicine that had sorbitol in it as an artificial sweetener, so lesson learned there.

• Weighed 83.2kg this morning, and had a wonderful family dinner last night of spaghetti, a banana bread muffing and 3 of the Valkyrie’s cookies with some raw honey. I’ve also been hammering electrolytes and hot fluids to help my recovery.