Training Log: Entry 3772

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 3

(3) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
11x455

DB rows
4x12x120

Axle curls
4x12x71

GHRs
4x12x55

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
30

Reverse hypers
3x15x360

Band pull aparts
3x25

Notes:

• Sleep wasn’t great last night. Got woken up a few times. Alarm went off and I was slow to get up. This was a faster workout in general, just due to the fewer movements involved. I think I can bump it up to 5 worksets on some movements.

• Unexpectedly weak performance on the mat pulls today. My belt was feeling a little on the loose side, and my weigh in confirmed I dropped 1.1kg from yesterday, so may have been under nourished. But also thinking those SSB squats on Monday had an interesting fatigue effect. My quads are still incredibly sore, and it made the GHRs like foam rolling from hell.

• DB rows felt great, SI joint wasn’t acting up. My forearm/elbow was completely pain free on the curls, which speaks to the value of rotating the buffalo bar OUT on occasion, as much as I prefer to stick with it.

• Walked away without too much battle damage. My left hip is a little pissed at me, but I’m feeling pretty good for a deadlift day.

• Last night’s Tang Soo Do was moderate amount of activity. Working hard on my next weapons form. We have the 90 minute class tonight, and are planning on skipping Thurs to make it to my kid’s drama performance.

• Weighed in at 82.7kg this morning: 1.1kg drop from yesterday. Going to have a 2 meal day tomorrow as well, then coffee fast on Friday. Actually thinking of making Friday a for real keto day, as we’re going to the movies in the evening, and I’m thinking of just sneaking a keto brick in there for my dinner.

 Training Log: Entry 3771

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 2

“ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• Opened up the workout with 19 chins and met 4100m in the 20 minute time. I had to do some mental gymnastics to fit this workout in, as it’s technically not in compliance with the Black protocol of Specificity Bravo, but I realize that protocol only requires 1-2 workouts per week, so basically this is a “free” workout vs one of the Black workouts. I’ll use stone loading to count toward my 1-2 workouts instead.

• I specifically opted for this workout because I knew my legs were going to be sore from day 1 of Specificity, and I wasn’t wrong. What’s worth appreciating is it’s both my quads. This is fantastic considering I’m such a hingey squatter, as it shows I can still get a quad training effect and it’s also great that it’s BOTH of my quads as it’s indicative of resolving the knee pain in the right knee. When I was in pain, I couldn’t activate the quad, and I was observing some atrophy there. And ideally this workout will help get some of that DOMS resolved.

• Weighed 83.7kg this morning. Coffee fast today, and then I realize I’ll have some wiggle room on where to put the next day of it. Since I’m lifting 4x a week now, it can be Thurs or Fri. Fri would be more ideal, as that lifting workout will be less intense than Thurs, AND I tend to eat a bigger end of day meal on that day. It would disrupt my “every other day” rhythm, but often disruption is a positive thing.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s basics/forms week, which can often be a good workout.

 Training Log: Entry 3770

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 1, Workout 1

SSB Squat
4x12x240

Lever belt squat
4x12x225

Say “f–k me”: max reps in a minute

Axle strict press from rack
3x12x113
8+4x113

(3) DB incline bench
4x12x60s

Dips
4x15xBW

ASSISTANCE

Hanging leg raise/band pull apart circuit
3x10/25

Lateral raise w/5lb
25 reps in 40 seconds

Notes:

• Sleep sounded like a much better idea than training this morning, but I was motivated by the fact that I had some excellent training fuel in my from last night and I’d be a shame to waste it (5 slices of homemade sourdough pizza and 5 peanut butter cookies with raw local honey). There was a little bit of the novelty effect of a new program as well, which rapidly went away as I was in the middle of sets of 12 with 1 minute rest.

• On that note: went 1 minute rest on all squats, then 60-90-120 for the axle, then 1 minute for everything else. The squats allow a little bit of cheating, since I can “rest” at the top compared to pressing, but the consequence is I’m sitting there with weight on my body. But in either case, it’s what makes Specificity a real nut-kick: high reps and short rest times. Complete opposite of Operator.

• VERY pleased with how the axle went. I was tossing it around. Also shocked with how well the incline went. Made a miscalculation with the dips (went with loaded weight, rather than factoring in bodyweight), but I may just keep them bodyweight as it is. They’re good for me. First time wearing my squat shoes on the lever belt in a long time: knee is in a good way

• Tried out the ab wheel and it’s still just not worth the squeeze. Right now, my body is feeling the best it has in a LONG time, and I think perpetuating that will do me some good. I’m still getting in some solid ab work.

• Got the full 3x18 on chins last week. Opened up this workout with 19, and should go 19-18-18 for the week.

• Weighed 83.5kg this morning. I ate well this weekend. Final 3 weeks of gaining and it’s been trending real well. Specificity is going to be a challenge, so it’s really time to knuckle down and fuel like a champ.

 Training Log: Entry 3769

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 9, Workout 5 (final lifting workout of cycle)

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x3x385

Axle strict press from rack
4x3x183

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB Incline Bench
4x8x85s

DB row
4x8x150

GHRs
4x8x65

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
30

Notes:

• Zero motivation to get this done today. Lotta self-talk. I got pretty beat up in sparring last night: lotta contact for “no contact”, and my elbows, knees and shins weren’t pleased. It’s also incredibly hard to care about the final workout of the program, because it really doesn’t matter if I do it, but I knew it was my ticket to a good breakfast and the start of my weekend.

• The above having been said, I was SO much stronger for this workout compared to Monday, despite it being the same weights. Warm-ups felt light and I felt strong. And after 9 weeks of low bar, my elbows don’t feel like they’re going to explode at a moments notice, so big victory there and good proof of concept. It’s also starting to warm up again, so be a good time to get out of the grip shirt.

• Third set of strict press was the strongest. Had a very good brace coming out. Need to remember to focus on that.

• I was pleased with my performance in sparring last night, even if I didn’t win the championship. Got to spar against 2 senior blackbelts and held my own, employing some solid angles and trickery, and the head instructor commented that my speed is really coming along, which is feedback I never receive. Being painfree goes a long way.

• Weighed in at 82.2kg this morning. Great way to start a weekend, and after 9 weeks of “gaining”, I’m the same weight I was when I started, much stronger, looking leaner and bigger. Successful recomp/reverse diet. I’ve got 3 weeks of Specificity Bravo and then my cruise/bridge week before 9 weeks of Operator/competition prep, so I’m in a good place to keep up the eating.

 Training Log: Entry 3768

AM WORKOUT (0430 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 9, Workout 4

Prowler “sprints”

• 4 sprints w/90lbs loaded

Notes:

• A repeat of last week’s effort with better outcomes. I was able to fully “sprint” the first round, and I never needed to stop for any round, whereas last week I would have to walk the last bit of the sprint for each round and had to just flat out stop on the 3rd round.

• Went with 4 minutes of rest for the first 3 rounds and 5 for the final. I was walking the length of the course between rounds, and discovered that walking it twice takes almost exactly 5 minutes, so I’m just going to do that from now on.

• Still meeting intent on this, which is huge for me. The sprint efforts are definitely having the desired effect, and I’m catching prowler flu at the end, while the adequate rest and recovery is allowing me to actually put in a hard effort each time. When I start Operator I’ll actually harness up to get some practice for the truck pull, but for now I’m just trying to get back into strongman shape.

• Opened up with 18 chins. In general, my body is feeling the best it’s felt in a while, and it’s from a string of good decisions vs my usual insanity. I’ve been increasing the daily chins by 1 per WEEK, and I’ve kept daily reverse hypers at bodyweight, with a result being that my elbows and SI joint are playing nicely, and my knee has resolved. I WAS quite stiff going INTO this workout this morning, but a combination of deadlifts and sparring will do that. Movement is medicine, and I felt better once the sprints were done…minus my jello legs.

• Sparring last night was solid activity. Had some long rounds with the Valkyrie, and ended up the dojang champion last night. Also had a moment to do 2 minutes on the bag all out, so got in some decent cardio there.

• Weighed in at 82.8 this morning. Noted that my abs were looking fairly deep. Was thinking about how, without a weight class concern for August, I really don’t need to change how I’m eating as Operator rolls around. Since I’m more active in summer, I think leaning out will happen a bit more organically.

 Training Log: Entry 3767

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 9, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
4x3x268

(4) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
14x455

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x8x285

Dips
4x8x90

Axle curls
4x8x88

ASSISTANCE circuit

Reverse hyper
3x15x360

Hanging leg raise
3x10

Notes:

• Strongest I’ve felt on the flat bench in a long time, which is kinda bittersweet when I think about how this is my last flat bench workout for a while. At least 14 weeks by my math. But I’m such a non-technical bencher that I get stronger just by getting stronger, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

• Was actually smart on the mat pulls and shut it down at 14 reps, despite having a 15th in me, because I could feel my hips/back giving me some warning shots. Wasn’t feeling as strong on the warm-ups today.

• "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" Those lyrics may as well be my training autobiography because, of course, since my SI joint felt good today, I wanted to get back on the ab wheel. I didn’t, because I understand my SI joint feels good BECAUSE I’ve been laying off the ab wheel, but literally every workout is a battle to NOT do something stupid because I can.

• Sparring was a bit of a mixed bag last night. Got in some good rounds, but the whole family got blatantly fouled with no one calling it. I got kicked in the back so hard at one point it caused me to stumble forward, which was followed up with a punch to my kidneys. I don’t mind contact…but in “no contact sparring” it’s a bit lame. Still a decent workout though. 90 minute class tonight.

• Weighed in at 82.3kg this morning. Always dig those coffee fasting days for the reset and the opportunity to really just eat ab libitum without consequence.

 Training Log: Entry 3766

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 9, Workout 2

“ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BLOAT”

18 chins

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• Barely cleared 4100m. I’m, of course, being stupid, and now getting competitive with my recovery row. But still meeting intent: this isn’t laborious, and I feel better after I’ve done it than before. Because each time I have to convince myself to do this vs just skipping the workout.

• In general, body is feeling good. SI joint and knee are playing nicely. Sun is out more, and we got in an evening walk last night. I’m able to get some more sun exposure, and in general it’s getting to be about that time where I’m more active in general. The year long plan seems to be shaping itself out well.

• Weighed 83.2kg this morning. It’s the coffee fasting day, which I find myself really looking forward to these 2 days per week. It gets me re-calibrated, and the mornings without breakfast are faster and lower stress.

• Sparring week for Tang Soo Do this week. Despite it being “non-contact”, I tend to get beat up on this week, so we’ll see how that plays out with the heaviest week of the program.

 Training Log: Entry 3765

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, benadryl coma)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 9, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat
4x3x385

Axle strict press from rack
4x3x183

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x8x85s

DB row
4x8x150

GHR
4x8x65

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
30

Notes:

• Did yardwork yesterday for 1.5 hours, and went for a walk in the evening while everyone ELSE was doing yardwork, and was feeling some allergies. Took 2 benadryl before bed and slept all the way through the night. Normally it doesn’t affect me like that, but I’m thinking the stuff we had was expired, as this was a new batch and VERY potent. You sleep long but not necessarily well on meds, and I woke up in a bit of a hangover, but was excited about triples week after eating the family meal last night and got after it.

• This is always my favorite week of the program, predictably because it has the fewest reps. That said, the warm-up of 335 on the squats felt much heavier than I expected, but then the working sets felt light. Funny that.

• First workout where all the presses went without an issue.

• Body is continuing to feel better. Really aggressively trying to get the SI joint to play nice, and it seems to be paying off.

• Opened up with 18 chins this morning. Got 18-18-17 all 7 days last week, now it’s 3x18.

• Weighed 82.2kg this morning. Stupidly light. Had similar GI issues as last weekend, just to a lesser degree, so some of the weight loss is there, but I also think the goal of reverse dieting has paid off and my metabolism is humming along. I ate very well last night: 5 slices of homemade sourdough pizza (larger slices than usual) with lots of meaty toppings and then 4 homemade peanut butter cookies and 1 mini sourdough muffin, all with some raw honey.

 Training Log: Entry 3764

PM WORKOUT (1500)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTCOL GREY MAN Week 8, Workout 6

3 rounds of 1 minute stone of steel loading

• 160lb stone

• 2 minutes rest between rounds

 Training Log: Entry 3763

AM WORKOUT (0359 natural wake up)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 8, Workout 5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x6x360

Axle strict press from rack
4x6x168 (1 rep PR from previous workout)

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
2x10x80s
9x80
9+2x80

DB row
4x10x140

GHR
4x10x60

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
30

Notes:

• Another Friday workout, another Friday where I need the carrot dangled in front of me to get moving. I actually do imagine part of this training ennui is a result of my recomp vs gaining strategy. When the food is high, the compulsion to get out there and make it work is greater, whereas, even though I’m seeing results in the weight room and through my physique, I don’t “feel” like I’m building Psychology is weird. But I got up a minute before my alarm, so that was good.

• The first set of squats I really felt like I was sitting back into the rep vs down, specifically on my way up from the hole. Just better balance in general.

• Was good to get all the sets of strict presses. I imagine there was a downstream effect on the incline bench as a result, but I still matched total reps from the previous week there.

• Tang Soo Do last night was a mixed bag of drills. Not a challenging workout, but with the humidity here it was still plenty sweaty, which may explain my weigh in…

• 81.9kg on the scale. Lightest I’ve been in a while, and I had a giant meal last night. Granted, it was my only meal, which has really just made this whole process sustainable. I enjoy being able to feast like that. But I also imagine I’m seeing the effects of humidity and sweat, because I was also plenty exhausted training in the garage this morning. Once I rotate the buffalo bar out, it will be back to shirtless training, which will save on some laundry.

 Training Log: Entry 3762

AM WORKOUT (0430 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 8, Workout 4

Prowler “sprints”

• 4 rounds of high handle sprints w/90lbs loaded on prowler

Notes:

• Stuck with the plan of actually doing this today. I train in a parking lot closeby my house away from residentials, so that I’m not waking up the world with the sound of metal on asphalt (btw: when it’s dark out, you can actually see the sparks fly off the prowler). I walked the distance I’m pushing, and it’s 110 steps for me (my normal stride, not toe to toe). A fresh “sprint” took about 48 seconds, where I was able to move quick for the first 5/8s of the length or so and then have to resort more to slogging it out at the end. That’s not QUITE the same training effect as an actual traditional sprint, but I feel like it will have some value in prepping for a strongman tractor pull event.

• Rested 4 minutes for the first 3 rounds and 5 minutes for the final. 6 minutes per round would have been more appropriate, employing a 6:1 rest to work ratio, but first time out and wanted to keep honest on time.

• In the future, I intend to use the harness to actually develop the skillset necessary for the event, but for now I’m just trying to rebuild my prowler conditioning in general, because I was definitely feeling the effects of the prowler between rounds, and after the final round I contracted some prowler flu, and when I got back home to put stuff away my legs were like jello.

• The biggest win of this all was meeting intent. I struggled with sprint work in the past because of “opportunity costs”. I couldn’t cope with the idea of spending 30+ minutes of training time to get in 4 minutes of actual training, and I’d always turn these into endurance workouts instead and just miss the point entirely. I kept the weight light enough that I could sprint, despite the blow to my ego only seeing a 45 per side. I kept the rest times long enough that I could recover, instead of trying to force myself to perform while I was gassed. Once again, appreciation to Tactical Barbell here, because every workout has a purpose, instead of every workout trying to be all things at once.

• I will also note that getting to sleep an extra half hour was glorious.

• Tang Soo Do last night was the 90 minute class and a decent enough workout. Since it’s the wildcard week, we went through a wide range of material. Tonight’s class is 60 minutes.

• Weighed 82.6kg this morning. Was looking over my past 8 weeks of weigh ins and this week is trending very similarly to week 1. Been a fascinating experiment.

• This showed up in my facebook feed this morning

• 

• I’ll be attending that brief. I’m trying to not get too excited, but a boxing match has been on my bucket list since I was in high school. If my schedule can support this, that would be awesome, and Tactical Barbell would be easy to make it all work.

 Training Log: Entry 3761

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 8, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
4x6x251

(5) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
15x455

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x10x255

Dips
3x10x80
7+3x80

Axle curls
10x86
2x10x81
8+2x81

ASSISTANCE circuit

Reverse hyper
3x15x360

Hanging leg raise
3x10

Notes:

• SI joint really seems to have resolved itself, and I managed not to aggravate it during the workout, so huge wins all around. Still doing the things that keep it happy, which includes swapping the ab wheel for the hanging leg raises.

• Mat pulls weren’t as successful as last week as far as wardrobe goes: bar kept snagging on my thigh. Need to pull up the knee sleeves a little more. But that makes the 15 reps all the sweeter. Feeling very strong on these compared to last time I handled this weight, and managed 9 reps in the first breath.

• Curl weight is just too heavy. Walked it back to last week’s weight, which was appropriate. Will adjust my max.

• Weighed 82.2kg this morning: a 1.3kg drop from yesterday. Also saw some veins on my abs. This has been a pretty awesome training block as far as outcomes go.

• Tang Soo Do last night was lower activity than usual. There is a tournament this weekend that only a few students are going to, so we focused on prepping them. Got in a little weapons work. Tonight is the 90 minute class, so most likely a little more focus.

 Training Log: Entry 3760

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 8, Workout 2

“ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BLOAT”

18 chins

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• Changing things up. In theory, I’m going to hit the sled/prowler on Thurs and do some stone loading on Sat, so my recovery workout slots into today instead. It seems to be a good call as well, as I’m feeling the best I’ve felt since the race. SI joint is not 100%, but it’s in a very good way, and I’m moving fairly painfree. Saw this manifested in the fact that I got over 4000m in the 20 minutes on the rower, whereas last week was slightly over 3700.

• Tang Soo Do “wildcard cardio” is the theme for this week. Should get in some decent workouts.

• Weighed 83.5kg this morning. Called it before I stepped on the scale. Getting familiar with how weights “feel” and my fluctuations.

 Training Log: Entry 3759

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 8, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar squat
4x6x360

Axle strict press from rack
3x6x168
5+1x168

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
3x10x80s
8+2x80

DB row
4x10x140

GHR
4x10x60

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
30

Notes:

• Had really good sleep last night, which made it harder to get up and train because I was enjoying it. I like to take the moments to celebrate this, because at the height of my illness, I was sleep avoidant, absolutely hated sleeping, and would get up to train at 0300 because I just couldn’t stand being in bed any more. Big contributor to today is that it’s become grossly humid, so I had a fan pointed directly at me all night, which the combination of cool breeze and white noise put me right out.

• I was a little naughty on the squats and caught myself putting the bar a bit low on the first set. My superpower is that, since I’ve dislocated my right shoulder 6 times, tore the labrum in it and experienced a few dozen subluxations, I can contort by upper body into bizarre positions to achieve a low bar that’s actually illegal in some federations. Cool for moving max loads, but tends to shift the emphasis away from where I need. It being grossly humid has also made it that I’m pretty excited about moving away from low bar and no longer wearing my grip shirt.

• Pressing strength was pretty solid for today. It’s been a struggle with my bodyweight not climbing up rapidly to meet demands.

• That GHR weight keeps changing not because I keep changing it, but because I keep forgetting how much is actually loaded in the vest. I confirmed that it is for real 60lbs, so we’re going with that.

• Went the full week doing 18-17-17 chins. Now it’s 18-18-17. Opened up the workout with 18. Also been including 10-15 unweighted reverse hypers with each session, to help with my SI joint.

• Weighed 83.0kg this morning. Hard to know if I’m looking at “real weight” at this point. The humidity is making me sweat more, I’m coming down from a high sodium week, and this weekend’s gastrointestinal atrocities are a contributor as well, but I had a wonderful meal last night of 6 slices of homemade sourdough pizza topped with all the pork (bacon, pancetta, and lean ham) along with olives and pineapple, and then 3 sourdough cookies and a sourdough brownie alongside some raw local honey. That meal ALSO helps motivate me to train on Mondays.

• ABF may be in a holding pattern. My kiddo is prepping for a track and field day at school, prioritizing running events and the Valkyrie has her next half marathon coming up in May (she’ll be completing 40 half marathons before turning 40 with this one: huge milestone).

 Training Log: Entry 3758

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 7, Workout 5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x335

Axle strict press from rack
2x8x158
2x5x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
12,11,10,9+3x75s

DB rows
4x12x130

GHRs
4x12x60s

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
30

Notes:

• Motivation was low for this one, but knowing this workout punched my ticket for the weekend was enough to get me moving. I actually felt much better physically than I expected to. SI joint is ameliorating (there is your SAT word) at an appreciable rate, and including some bodyweight reverse hypers seems to be helping.

• My pressing DID improve from Monday, but it was still rough. This is the hardest day of the program in that regard, so I’m going to hold onto the max and see how next week goes. I’m not putting on bodyweight at the rate I typically do when running Grey Man (I’m usually at about 86kg after 6 weeks), so being able to hold onto that rate of progression, especially into uncharted territory of an extra cycle, is not what I’d expect. This is still experimental.

• GHRs felt better than Monday, same with the sit ups, primarily as a result of the SI joint feeling better.

• Weighed in at 83.6. Heavier this week, which, again, some of it is most likely legit, but I’m also dealing with inflammation and a high sodium diet with all the ham I’ve been eating (and finished off this morning). Be curious to see how weight shakes out next week with a little “detox”

• Took the truck in for maintenance this morning. Had the opportunity to walk, but chose to sit, enjoy the free coffee and read more of “Eat like a Human” by Dr. Bill Schindler. I’ve been feeling a little sorry for myself (physically) for a bit here. I’m wanting to get things a little more “in gear” starting next week, but this was a good week to just ease into the next training cycle and recover from the previous weekend’s stupidity.

• Ideally, we’re going to get back on the ABF train tonight as family, assuming we all feel healthy.

• As much as it was a total war to get them, I am a HUGE fan of these knee sleeves from Elitefts. I genuinely did not appreciate how significant compression impacts performance until I was able to wear double ply knee sleeves through a whole training session. My knees feel like I’m 20 again, and I’m able to move squats smoothly and deeply. I’m actually holding the bar higher on my back now as a result. 

 Training Log: Entry 3757

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 7, Workout 4

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20m recover row

18 chins

Notes:

• I woke up feeling better than I have over the past few days, but hips are still super stiff, and sitting on a rower for 20 minutes didn’t do much to help that. But it was good to move in general.

• Tang Soo Do last night had a LOT of breakfalls. They’ve actually been somewhat therapeutic to my SI joint: like a cheap chiropractor. We got to work with one of the senior black belts for one-steps as well, and he’s 20, so he can take the falls a lot better and allow us to ragdoll him.

• Weighed in at 83.8kg. I’m sure eating ham for all my meals yesterday was an excellent approach to sodium loading. And it’s on the menu for the next 2 days as well, because leftovers rock.

 Training Log: Entry 3756

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 7, Workout 3

Open with 18 chins

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
4x8x236

(6) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
15x455

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x12x240

Dips
3x12x62.5
9+3x62.5

Axle curls
2x12x81
2x8x81

ASSISTANCE CIRCUIT

Reverse hyper
3x15x360

Hanging leg raise
2x10

Notes:

• Didn’t struggle to wake up for this one like I have in the previous weeks.

• My new knee sleeves make it that I don’t need to wear the sweats to prevent the bar from catching on my strongman shorts, and it also means I can have knee sleeves on for the deadlift. That may prove valuable. In general, these pulls feel a million times better than they did last time I attempted this weight, point of fact being that I had to abandon that cycle last time because it eventually became too challenging. I’m in a much stronger place this time around. 15 reps wasn’t my max today, but with my hip/back (I think it’s truthfully my SI joint) being the way it is, this was the right call to shut it down when I did.

• Bench press weight is perfectly challenging. Everything else COULD have been accomplished with a little more rest, but I was rushing. With this being mass protocol, the goal of getting in a solid pump and challenging myself was accomplished.

• Tang Soo Do last night included break/roll falls, which actually helped my back a little. I wake up pretty stiff/achy, but after I move around I’m in a good way. Better than I should feel, if nothing else.

• Weighed in at 83.3. A .9kg drop from yesterday, which is exactly what happened last week. I seem to be trending up half a kilo this week in general, with this recomp/reverse diet phase very slowly trickling the weight up.

• I need to make a habit of bringing back daily reverse hypers. That’s how I resolved this issue the last time. I also intend to sleep in tomorrow as well, but next week would like to bring back sled/prowler training to get a little more athletic and prep for the tractor pull.

 Training Log: Entry 3755

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 7, Workout 2

“VIKING RAID”

15 minutes

• 100m row

• 150lb sandbag carry

• Add 100m to row each round

Notes:

• Opened the day with 18 chins.

• This was like “Viking raid” and more “Viking retreat”, as I was hobbling. The race re-aggravated an old injury in my right hip/lower back that I’ve been rolling out for the past few days. But Chaos is the plan, because I woke up this morning and thought to myself “no way am I picking up a sandbag”, but once I took the dog out (in the sleet, because the weather here is bonkers) and came back inside I felt “good enough”. I moved slow, but I could still feel the conditioning hit from this.

• My forearm/bicep also continues to operate at “good enough” levels, which is a boon this far into low bar squatting. The grip shirt really solved a lot of issues. And I take comfort in the fact that my right knee has completely resolved. Victories where I can.

• Weighed in at 84.2kg. Highest of the cycle so far. I’m sure there’s still a lot of inflammation at play, but I’m also probably finally fully glycogen loaded, as I’ve noticed the past 2 days how much deeper my abs have looked. Which is also the funny thing, as I looked at myself in the mirror before the weigh in and thought “this is a good level of ‘walk around leanness’.”, and then stepped on the scale and saw the highest weigh in for the cycle. A sign of how the scale really only tells a small part of the story.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s one-step week, which is typically low activity, but break falls will be interesting. Our instructor knows that we ran the race, and he’s a recent spinal-fusion recipient, so he may show us a little mercy.

 Training Log: Entry 3754

AM WORKOUT (0340 natural wake up, snoozed until 0400 alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 7, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x335

Axle strict press from rack
3x6x158
5x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
2x12x75s
9x75
8+3x75

DB rows
4x12x130

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit ups
20,15

Notes:

• As you can see, I decided to do another cycle of Grey Man.

• Had to cut out the GHRs due to time constraints. I’ll knock them out later today.

• I felt much better than I should have felt after that 10 mile race on Saturday and decided to see what I could do this morning. I was absolutely delighted with how the squats went, and not surprised with how the pressing went. I didn’t push myself stupidly hard there, and just went with what I was capable of today. I actually kept the training max the same this cycle on the axle, rather than increase it, and will just get better quality reps. I’ll see how Friday’s workout goes.

• Rest paused on the DB incline bench to make up some reps, but not all the ones I missed

• Got some new knee sleeves from Elitefts, and they are total game changers. I noticed that my Mark Bell sleeves had split on the left sleeve and were no longer providing any actual support: just warmth. These sleeves are double ply, yet stretchy enough to not cut off my circulation so that I can wear them all session. And what I discovered is that, when my knees have compression, my joints feel stable (shocker) and my body has more confidence in movement, so the squat eccentric moves MUCH smoother than before. Previously, the first rep especially, it was like I was lowering a rope in a well trying to find the bottom: just gingerly and slowly lowering myself until I could find depth and then get back up. Now, I feel more confident just sinking to the bottom. I’m excited to see how this benefits my training. It was a BIG “to do” to get these damn things, because Elitefts Customer service SUCKS and their sizing chart is absolutely bonkers. It had me as a 3XL, which was also an 11” knee diameter (which is the kind of diameter you expect to see on a child). I wrote an e-mail asking about it, which went unanswered, and I called their service number and they basically just read the chart to me. I had to literally DM Dave Tate directly on facebook to finally figure out I should be a medium. It’s amazing how it’s STILL like this when it comes to lifting equipment. Nothing has changed since Inzer in the 80s.

• Got in a full 7 days of 3x17 chins. Today, I opened up with 18.

• Weighed in at 83.7kg. Heaviest so far. I absolutely earned it. I’d be hesitant to call yesterday a “cheat day”, because it wasn’t cheating, it wasn’t binging, it was just enjoying Easter and being with the family, but it’s the first time in maybe a decade where I spent the whole day running on carbs rather than just 1 meal. The Valkyrie has been exploring more sourdough options and made sourdough cinnamon rolls with icing from scratch, of which I had 2. She made sourdough biscuits to go with our 1 big meal of the day, which was bone-in ham along with a corn casserole, baked beans, deviled eggs, and olives. I had 2 of those biscuits with some local honey and butter, and then the absolute fattiest pieces of ham I could find. And then she made sourdough brownies completely from scratch, which I did 2 of those as well, and topped 1 with some raw honey. It felt great to eat these, physically and otherwise. Everything being made in the home from scratch with quality ingredients just hits right. I’m satiated when it’s done, rather than craving even more, and it’s incredibly enjoyable. I don’t feel sluggish afterwards. And I honestly couldn’t do it any better than to completely deplete any glycogen I ever had with that run and then replenish it all the next day. And then I trained and ate a meal of eggs and kalua pork, which is such an awesome “back on the diet” meal.

 Training Log: Entry 3753

AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via alarm, 0730 start time)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 6, Workout 5

10 mile race

Notes:

• For anyone that has been following along, I did absolutely zero prep for this. I did 1 4 mile run about 7 weeks ago, and have otherwise been doing the rower for my cardio, and even then, it’s been 20 minute workouts. I’ve cut out my rucking and have leaned full into the Mass Protocol.

• That’s not a smart way to train for a 10 mile race.

• I also ran this completely fasted, on 8oz of water and some electrolytes. And I drank no water during the race.

• Bad decisions make good stories.

• I managed to run it all without stopping, which is always my goal. My fascia in my foot held up, and my right knee feels ok. My right hip is pissed off at me, but it’s been that way for a few weeks, and setting a deadlift PR on Wed didn’t help (another bad decision). I certainly wasn’t having a fun time for a lot of it, but it was something I could endure. It was really the first half mile that sucked the most, because I was basically re-teaching myself how to run WHILE dealing with all those little niggling injuries.

• Also, there was freezing rain and snow at the start, which made things less than awesome. But at the end there was bacon, which is THE best post running food I’ve ever had. Bananas are for chumps: bacon has more potassium. This race is put on by a local Brunch spot, so they bring out the A-game, and the Valkyrie even let me have her bacon. Getting the bacon into my mouth was also the fastest I moved that whole race.

• 

• Ninja mode at the start

• 

• This photo taken with a slow motion camera similar to what was used on the set of “The Green Hornet” since Bruce Lee kicked too fast.

• No rest for the wicked: I had to immediately drive the Valkyrie back to our home so I could drop her off to take the dog to doggie day care while I took the kiddo to music theater, which meant riding in a truck for 40 minutes after having JUST run 10 miles without training. Once I dropped the kid off, I peeled myself out of my truck and then walked to the nearest rest room like I was in a Wild West movie.

• I am not aging gracefully. I’m 40 years old and kicking sand in the reapers face like a Charles Atlas ad.

 Training Log: Entry 3752

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 6, Workout 5

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x3x377

Axle strict press from rack
4x3x181

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) Incline DB bench
4x8x80s

DB rows
4x8x145

GHR
4x8x65

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
20, 15

Notes:

• Though I had the day off work, I still got up early to get this knocked out so I could have full time with my family. And, truthfully, I just plain hate working out so much that I don’t want to put it off any longer than I have to. Sleeping in is cool, but sleeping in and THEN having to work out kinda sucks.

• Yet another “I feel undeservedly strong” workout, which is such a contrast to last cycle’s “strength miracles” workouts. My right forearm/bicep was extremely pissy yesterday and I thought I’d reached the end of my limit on low bar squatting, but today there were zero issues. Lower back was a little sore, primarily from Tang Soo Do. This new form is really challenging the core.

• My right hip still flares up a little on the overhead press. This is what was bothering me 18 months ago when I first started Tactical Barbell, and it’s not as severe, but I may need to take more proactive measures soon to resolve it.

• Tang Soo Do last night wasn’t extremely exhausting, but moderate activity. Highlight was doing a partner self-defense drill where both individuals tried to grab the other while defending against the grab. Was paired off against the Valkyrie, and like a venus flytrap I waited for her to grab me, and then spun around and picked her up from behind in a psuedo-suplex. Of course, didn’t slam her, but lifting her a bunch of times was fun.

• Weighed in at 82.5kg. Repeat of yesterday’s weight. I honestly haven’t been looking at myself in the mirror much through this process, but today I noticed a degree of leanness I haven’t seen in quite a while. This recomp approach has really been successful. Going easier on the conditioning has put me in a lower cortisol state and seems to be allowing for more fat burning/loss. With how I’ve been able to eat through this process, I’m pretty jazzed about that.

• 10 mile race tomorrow. Bad decisions make good stories.

 Training Log: Entry 3751

AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm, best night of sleep in a long time)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 6, Workout 4

“ROW ROW ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20m recovery row

Notes:

• Every week, this is what I need when I need it. Alarm went off, I went to stretch, and every single muscle cramped. Got out of bed like the Tin Man, stumbled onto the rower, and went for no records whatsoever: just moved my body through space for 20 minutes and got some blood flowing. It’s one of those workouts where you consider skipping it because “what’s the point”, but it’s so much better to do it than to not.

• Opened up the workout with 17 chins.

• Weighed 82.5kg. Big contributor was last night’s Tang Soo Do class, which, as a 90 minute class, was an excellent workout. We spent the first half drilling techniques in increasing complex combinations that had us pouring sweat, and finished up with forms. Consequently, the “water weight shenanigans” I spoke of earlier are most likely still at play, explaining the weight drop despite the big meals yesterday, due to just how much we sweat. One more class tonight.

• I took the day off work tomorrow so the kiddo and I can catch the Mario movie. I’ve already got lunch in the sous vide (beef rib and beef shank), as we have our 10 mile race on Saturday and I’ll need to properly fuel. Still semi-undecided on the most immediate follow-on training phase, but part of that will be seeing how I feel after that race.

 Training Log: Entry 3750

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 6, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle Bench Press
4x3x266

Texas Deadlift Bar Deadlifts
12x440

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x8x275

Dips
3x8x85
7+1x85

Axle curls
4x8x91

ASSISTANCE CIRCUIT

Reverse hyper/Hanging leg raise
3x15x360/3x10

Notes:

• Sleep was good, so I didn’t wanna get up when the alarm went off, but I’ve been excited about this training day enough that I told myself, if I really wanted to, I could just walk away after the deadlift.

• On that note: I’m quite pleased with the deadlift. I noticed I was low backing it today, which seems to be me trying to save my hips, but even with that, the weight felt SO much lighter than my previous attempt at this weight. I’ve grown significantly stronger, and this was a 2 rep PR. I also saw places where I can chill out on the hips a little during the concentric. 12 reps was my goal and I met it. Grinded out a bit more than I should have, but so far no worse for wear. And the moonwalk afterwards was legit, as was seeing all the blown out blood vessels in my shoulders after my shower. I’m coming back to what I was.

• Benching was ok. Little bit of elbow pain to deal with. Felt it on the dips as well, and really showed itself on the hanging leg raise when I’d get off the bar. Felt more specifically in the bicep, similar to how my left felt before I tore it. Something to keep an eye on.

• Happy with how the belt squat is feeling these days. Far more viable movement when I don’t have knee pain.

• Tang Soo Do last night was a good traditional class of basics and forms. I’m really trying to get my stances deeper, now that my knees play nicer. Tonight is the 90 minute class.

• Weighed in at 82.8kg this morning: a full kilo drop from yesterday, despite eating like an absolute champ. Definitely some water weight shenanigans going on.

• On the topic of weight, this training phase has made me think I’ve got a decent year-round protocol going so far. Gain Oct-Dec, lean out first 6 weeks of new year, Recomp/reverse diet to June, lean out/be active outside for the summer, repeat. I’ve naturally fallen into the pattern and it’s really working well for me.