Training Log: Entry 3827

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

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR Phase 2

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 3, Week 2, Workout 2

17 chins
17 dips

FOBBITS on rower w/Niahanchi Cho Don

• 2 minutes rowing

• 1 Niahanchi Cho Don

• Repeat for total of 20 minutes

Notes:

• Getting out of bed this morning, my back seized up momentarily. I'm thinking that those keg loads are taking more than they are giving, and I may be reaching the point of leanness where performance is getting impacted. But this can also be some post-travel/competition silliness manifesting. My IT band was far more serviceable, and I was able to move in and out of a sitting position without employing blasphemy, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

• I was moving slower today than usual as far as time on the rower was concerned. I normally get about 14:10 row time, but today finished up sub 13:00, which meant I was spending more time on transitions and on the hyung itself. The latter part checks: I got some feedback to slow down on it and make each move intentional, so it manifested here. Still, when I pushed the rower for that 3100m distance, I got that done in a shorter time than usual, which speaks to me that the intensity on the rower was where I wanted it to be.

• Finally getting a break from our heat wave for the next few days. Will pick back up on the weekend, but it means that walking and Tang Soo Do will be far less miserable. On that note, it's sparring week, with our first class tonight, and the Valkyrie expressed interest on attending Sat as well, so we may get 4 days of sparring this week.

• Weighed 81.1kg this morning, which is the biggest jump I've seen between a Mon and a Tues, but with Mon having a very light carb load and being a post travel day, all sorts of variables are in play here. Still lightest and leannest I've been in a while, and my daily chins/dips are reflecting that, as they're far easier than usual.

 Training Log: Entry 3826

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR Phase 2

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 3, Week 2, Workout 1

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

SSB front squat
2xBar
1x135
1x185
1x225
1x275
2x325

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

Log clean and strict press away
5x5x165

Power keg load to platform
5x5x210

ASSISTANCE giant set

SSB front rack hold
3x30 seconds x 325

Hanging leg raise
3x10

Band pull aparts
3x25

Notes:

• I was genuinely considering not doing this workout at all yesterday, simply because my IT band was in agony from driving for 8 hours on Friday, sitting on a floor all day during a martial arts tournament on Saturday, then driving all day Sunday, but I rolled the holy hell out of it with a LAX ball and found myself able to walk painfree this morning so I got after it. I was able to hold together long enough to get it done, but sitting here at work it aches again. Will have to keep at it.

• Pleased with performance overall. The front squat double stalled on the concentric at about the midpoint, but we made it. Matched last week's effort at lower bodyweight (to follow), and focused on the log clean.

• Played the keg safe by keeping the weight the same as Friday and loading direct from the mats vs the floor, just focusing on the triple extensions. My IT band appreciated that.

• Weighed 80kg on the dot this morning. Explains why I'm looking so lean. That's post travel weight, so nothing is fully set yet, but I did a lot of fasting on this trip and I think it had an impact. Will write up a full AAR at some point.

• It is "kill you dead" hot today: heat index 112. I was sweating as soon as I walked into the garage, so today's session was a big endurance test.

Training Log: Entry 3825

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR Phase 2

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 3, Week 1, Workout 5

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

Log clean and press away

1.5x220 (failed second rep)

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

SSB Front Squats

5x5x220

Power keg load to platform

5x5x210

ASSISTANCE

SSB Front rack hold

2x30 seconds x 325

Hanging leg raise

2x10

Band pull aparts

2x25

Notes:

• Got this knocked out in the morning on a travel day. Logging on phone, so sparse details.

• Wasted too much energy on the clean. Strength is there for the press.
• 
  
• Keg was a good effort. Mixing up where the reps start.
• 
  
• Weighed 82.5kg. High for a Friday, but leanness persists.

Training Log: Entry 3824

AM WORKOUT (0430 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR Phase 2

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 3, Week 1, Workout 4

17 chins17 dips

Prowler sprints

5 rounds total w/high handles, 90lbs loaded on prowler

16 chins16 dips

Notes:

Times broke down to 40, 40, 45, 40 and 50 seconds. Substantial improvement from last week, and as far as averages goes I think that beats my best effort. Really focused on maximal output despite fatigue, which seems to be the most valuable attribute here. Acknowledge that it sucks but keep going.

Decent sleep last night. Woke in the middle of a dream. Honestly, a "hack" I use for this workout is I load up the prowler and weights in my truck the night before. When the alarm goes off, I think to myself that the truck is already loaded, and no matter what I'm going to have to UNLOAD that damn thing, so I may as well get in the sprint workout too. Absent that, the temptation to roll over and go back to sleep would be pretty high.

I really SHOULD start doing harness drags to prep for my competition. Maybe next week. This still has some solid carryover, and I honestly want to keep it in the rotation in general. As I've noted, it's basically a hill sprint where I can dial a yield.

Tang Soo Do, despite being 90 minutes long, wasn't intensive yesterday. More tournament prep. But we got our physical testing requirements done (for our rank, 50 push ups, 50 sit ups, and 50 jumping jacks) and about 15 minutes of hyung practice done, during which time I accomplished 23 Naihanchi Cho Dons, which was pretty good for the hips and shoulders.

Weighed 82.5kg this morning, which despite my all time low yesterday, this is a pretty high weigh in on a Thurs. All that said, I spent time looking at myself in the mirror last night and I've achieved the desired amount of leanness I am pursuing. I can see the vein on my sternum, which is the telltale indicator of leanness, and I know that if I were to drop 10 more pounds I'd be at "anatomy chart" levels of lean, which, with it, tends to bring kitten levels of strength. I'm going to keep on through the remainder of this week and see how I'm feeling after our tournament.

On the above, yet again I found a way to achieve my goals while "playing the game how I want to play it". No counting or tracking, no being hungry, no being a martyr at the dinner table, still going out to eat with my family, still eating ribs. Biggest interventions were introducing extra intermittent fasting days and transitioning away from whole eggs and leaning more toward egg whites, which, in turn, means that when it's time to reverse course, I can bring back the whole eggs and add a breakfast back into the week. Also pretty awesome to be able to continue getting stronger during this training cycle while only eating 1 meal a day 4 days a week and only 1 meal a week with carbs, despite the internet saying all of that is impossible.

 Training Log: Entry 3823

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR Phase 2

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 3, Week 1, Workout 3

SECONDARY MOVEMENT

Log clean and strict press away
3x5x155

SSB front squat
3x5x220

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

(6) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
8x425+chains

ASSISTANCE

Axle curls
3x5x98

Giant set of bodyweight reverse hypers-hanging leg raise-band pull apart
3x15/10/25

Lateral raise dropset

Notes:

• Alarm woke me out of a sound sleep. Slept well last night.

• Everything moved really well EXCEPT that mat pull. I came into it feeling that best I have in a long time, but it felt like it was welded to the mats when I went to break it off. ROM progression with chains is unique, because the highest starting point is actually the heaviest of the cycle, and then it gets lighter from there as the ROM increases, but in general I imagine I'm in need of a bridge week and some increased food and neither is on the horizon for the immediate future.

• My hip was aching a little early in the set of mat pulls, so I played it conservative. Between that and not pushing the reverse hypers too hard, I think I'll be in a good way.

• Tang Soo Do last night was pretty low intensity as far as a class goes, as we were working primarily on hyung presentation/perfection, but we arrived early and absolutely smashed 20 minutes of hyungs before that, which was a good workout. Valkyrie and I both got a stripe on our belts as well. We're getting closer and closer. 1 more class tonight and then our tournament on Saturday.

• Weighed 81.4kg this morning, which is the lightest of the entire training cycle. Wednesdays seem to be my lightest weigh in days: 3 days after the carb up/family meal and 2 days of intermittent fasting leading into it. Good data point to have. And being this light also explains some deadlifting performances. I noticed my belt fitting looser.

 Training Log: Entry 3822

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

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR Phase 2

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 3, Week 1, Workout 2

17 Chins
17 Dips

"FOBBITS" on rower

• 2 minutes on rower

• 1 Naihanchi Chodon

Repeat until 20 minutes total

Notes:

• Only real motivation struggle with the workout today is that I honestly feel more compelled to just do 20 minutes of pure Hyungs than hop on the rower, but the rower is great for my whole body recovery and general cardio, so I compromise. Tuesdays are my favorite days of the week, just because I get to sleep in and wake up when the Valkyrie does, and this little 20 minute workout gets me in a good way, especially paired with the fasting.

• Continuing to really focus on deep stances and hip work. I've also established a precedent of getting 3100m rowed during the total rowing time, so I try to meet that each week.

• Hips/SI joint are feeling absolutely incredible. Being painfree is such a novelty at this point, so I'm definitely celebrating it. Going to continue to do the things that keep me this way, so I can continue to perform my best.

• Tang Soo Do on the agenda tonight. Only 2 classes this week, with a focus on tournament prep.

• Weighed in at 83.1kg this morning, which is an uptick from yesterday but still lower than I was this time last week. Yesterday was apparently a test of my gallbladder which I failed, but that's the kind of "to failure" that I can get behind.

 Training Log: Entry 3821

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR Phase 2

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 3, Week 1, Workout 1

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

SSB Front Squat
2x325

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

Log clean and strict press away
5x5x155

Power keg load to platform
5x5x200

ASSISTANCE (giant set)

SSB front rack hold
3x30 seconds x 325

Hanging leg raise
3x10

Band pull apart
3x25

Notes:

• Wasn't particularly jazzed to get this done this morning. Woke up at 0340 and was able to go completely back to sleep and have some dreams in the 20 minutes before my alarm went off. This being the next phase AND having eaten so well the night before helped convince me to get up and get after it.

• That 2x325 on the front squat is new territory, so PR by default. It was a helluva grinder on the second rep, but it's great that I'm pushing myself into uncomfortable territory.

• Really tried to focus on pressing fast and strong with the low/light reps of this program. Now is the time to really get GOOD at pressing, rather than just strong.

• I'm still pushing the weight on the keg as I continue to progress. It's a great loading implement: really allows me to just dig in.

• My hips/SI joint are feeling awesome. Seems I've gotten a real handle on them. Biggest thing is coming to terms with the reality that Tang Soo Do DOES impose recovery demands on me, and adjusting. I was sleepwalking through it for a long time, but it adds up.

• Weighed in at 82.5 kg. a .8kg drop from where I was last week, and .6kg from 2 weeks ago, making this my lightest Monday weigh in of the training cycle. The system is working. Increase the fasting DAYS while keeping meals the same size, playing around a little with composition (emphasizing protein) and I am seeing small gradual drops in weight/fat while my strength is ticking up.

• On the headspace side of things, I've really come around on rest days. I used to get anxiety over the thought of them, and also find a way to shoehorn in SOME sort of stupid intense workout. Now, it's the opposite: the weekend rolls around and I think "I need to make sure I don't do anything stupid so that I'm in shape enough to get through my training next week" I do feel like age is a part of that equation. When you're younger and can recover from just about anything, you feel like any available recovery is a wasted opportunity. You get older, and you feel like any SPENT recovery wastes FUTURE opportunities.

• Chaos is the plan. We leave for our Tang So Doo tournament on Friday, so I'm going to get my workout done in the morning of travel, then ride in a vehicle for several hours before attempting to do martial arts. I'm not smart.

 Training Log: Entry 3820

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 5

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

Log clean and press
2xLog
1x150
1x170
1x190
3x215 (+1 rep PR)

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

SSB front squat
5x6x245

Power keg load to platfom
5x5x185

ASSISTANCE

Giant set of SSB front rack hold/hanging leg raise/band pull apart

2x30 seconds x335, 2x10, 2x25

Notes:

• Felt like absolute hell for this. Thinking the heat is really beating the helll out of me. In turn, incredibly delighted to finally hit that triple on the log, and the front squats were moving smooth despite myself.

• Cut the assistance short, as I was moving like the last round in a Rocky movie and figured it wasn't doing me any good any more. Punched my ticket to earn my weekend: good enough.

• Pretty light intensity at Tang Soo Do last night, but that was what we needed.

• Weighed 82.0kg this morning, .5 up from where I was last week on Friday. I have been mainlining electrolytes to try to get ahead of all this cramping I've been experiencing, so there may be a slight bloat factor. I'm looking leaner, so there's that.

Training Log: Entry 3819

AM WORKOUT (0430 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 4

17 chins
17 dips

4 prowler sprints w/90lbs on high handles

16 chins
16 dips

Notes:

• I felt absolutely exhausted coming into this, and my results confirmed that. First trip was 52 seconds, second matched that, then 66 and 68 seconds, at which point I called it. Last cycle, on week 3, I forgot that I was supposed to do light conditioning. This cycle, I remembered and ignored it. Today confirmed that it needs to happen for the next cycle. I imagine that hard deadlift workout accumulated some solid systemic fatigue. I made today "lighter" by only doing the 4 sprints vs the 5 I have been doing, but these were total slogs at the end.

• My resting heart rate has been elevated as well, which I attribute to the heat wave we've been dealing with.

• All that said, my SI joint feels incredible, and I'm having one of those rare "pain free days" today, where nothing in particular hurts. It's the damndest thing: wearing my strongman shorts to Tang Soo Do was actually causing the problem I thought it was solving. I'll continue to save that for just lifting.

• On that topic, TSD wasn't too physically taxing, but we ARE back on physical testing requirements prep for this month, which for our rank is 50 jumping jacks, 50 sit ups and 50 push ups, so I get to add that on top of my training. Sit ups are honestly slept on WHEN performed correctly. If you're actually moving your body through space via ab contraction, you're getting in a good workout. And on the subject of muscle contractions: been dealing with a lot of cramping during this heat. Chasing electrolytes as hard as I can.

• Weighed 82.2kg this morning. Continuing my trend of being .2-.3kg heavier compared to last week across the board.

Training Log: Entry 3818

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 3

17 chins
17 dips

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

Log clean and strict press away
3x6x175

SSB front squat
3x6x245

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

Deadlift

12x405+chains

ASSISTANCE

Axle curls
3x6x108

Circuit
Bodyweight Reverse hyper-Hanging Leg Raise-Band pull apart
3x12/10/25

Lateral raise dropset

Notes:

• The big goal for today was to not blow up my hip/SI joint, and I succeeded. Cutting out reverse hypers at the end may have helped, and I discovered that wearing my strongman shorts to Tang Soo Do may have actually been making things worse, as they were restricting my movement and forcing me to move in planes that were causing hip pain. Yesterday I went without and my hips felt awesome.

• Missed the very first log clean: caught the lever of the belt. After that, felt strong, and front squats were good.

• Too much low back in the start of the pull today, which I imagine was me trying to protect the hip. I don't have a baseline to compare against with this pull against chains, but the effort was solid, and bodyweight keeps dropping as I do that.

• Was totally gassed at the end of this: seriously debated how much I wanted to do lateral raises.

• TSD was pretty low energy last night as far as class itself went, but we got a decent workout prior to start drilling Hyungs. Tonight is the 90 minute class, so may have some more intensity.

• Weighed in at 81.8kg this morning. Continuing my trend of being up .2 from last week.

Training Log: Entry 3817

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

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 2

17 chins
17 dips

FOBBITS on rower w/Naihanchi Chodon

• 2 minutes on rower

• 1 Niahanchi Chodon

• 20 minutes total

Notes:

• Each week I don't want to do this, and each week I'm glad I did. Feet are a little tender from walking so much yesterday in my broken down Bearfeet shoes. My skin is DARK too from all time out in the sun.

• Really focused on deep stances and getting my hips into the Hyung.

• Ended up at over 21k steps yesterday.

• Weighed in at 83.2kg. A .1kg drop from yesterday, and about .2kg over where I was last week (for both days). With the wonderful holiday weekend I had: I'm good with that.

• Tang Soo Do tonight. It's one-step week, which tends to be low energy, but if we get there on time we'll have 15 minutes to drill some hyungs.

Training Log: Entry 3816

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 3, Workout 1

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

SSB Front squat
3xBar
1x135
1x185
1x225
1x275
3x320 (+1 rep PR)

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

Log clean and strict press away
5x6x175

Power Keg to platform
5x6x175

ASSISTANCE (circuit)

SSB front rack hold
3x30 seconds x 320

Hanging leg raise
3x10

Band pull apart
3x25

LUNCHTIME WORKOUT

12k step walk outside in the sun/nature

Notes:

• Day off work, but still got up early so I could see of the Valkyrie and get the kiddo ready for summer camp. Plus, I genuinely just hate training and want to get it done and over with. That having been said, I came into this feeling strong, and minus my left SI joint still being pissy, had a solid training session.

• Fought for that front squat. Happy I did. Press felt strong and I had some good cleans on it.

• Transitioning to the keg is the right move with the environment I'm working in, and given I'll be using more natural style stones for the competition, it might have better carryover anyway. Might even bring the sandbag in for a few reps, but the keg is easy to load up. Focused on getting the hips to pop.

• SI joint felt better on the hanging leg raises than usual. Good sign.

• Got in that walk around noontime. I have "lunchtime" there, but I'm fasting till my end of day meal today. Yesterday was the family meal: classic spaghetti with meat sauce with some sourdough rolls, and the Valkyrie experimented with some sourdough oatmeal cream pies for the 4th that were absolutely divine so much so that I had another one yesterday along with a slice of homemade cheesecake and some raw local honey.

• Which, despite a weekend of celebrating and that fantastic meal, I woke up at 83.3kg and am looking leaner than I have for a while. Things are moving in the right direction and the plan keeps working.

• Got in all 4 sets of 16 chins and dips last week. Started off this morning with 17 for chins and dips, and will finish out 3x16 for the rest of the day.

 

Training Log: Entry 3815

AM WORKOUT (0630 natural wake up)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 2, Workout 5

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

Log clean and press away
2xLog
1x150
1x170
1x190
2x215

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

SSB front squat
5x8x225

Stone of Steel to platform
3x170

Power keg to platform
4x5x150

Notes:

• Day off work, so slept in and got this done first thing. Wasn't feeling as strong as I expected, but I've discovered my bodyweight is really trending down, and with the heat of this week beating me to hell (my RHR is staying in a consistently elevated state), I believe I'm seeing the effects of accumulated fatigue.

• In that regard, despite log feeling very explosive this week for rep work, it biffed on today's max, but I matched last week's effort. Strength not regressing while bodyweight drops is an interesting form of progress.

• Front squats were beating the hell out of me, but I'm hitting depth very smoothly, which I'm happy with.

• Thought the stones had a chance today, but by rep 2 it was getting slippery, and rep 3 failed due to that. Called in my audible with the keg, which is much easier to manage, and honestly should have some decent carryover to natural stones. I believe I will be using it on the way forward. Only real issue is that the powder coating on it tears the hell out of my skin. I may bring back the sweat pants. I ran into similar issues last summer with my Milo of Croton experiment.

• Tang Soo Do was a decent workout last night. Doing some tournament prep for worlds.

• Weighed in at 81.5kg. Absolutely lightest I've been on a Friday this whole training cycle. A half kilo difference from last week, and 1.7 kilo difference from the start of the cycle. I do have some intention of making up for this over this long holiday weekend, but in general I'm seeing positive indications of leaning out and feel like I'm putting myself in an excellent position to gain during the fall.

 Training Log: Entry 3814

AM WORKOUT (0430 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 2, Workout 4

16 chins
16 dips

"Prowler Sprints"

5 sprints with 90lbs loaded on high handles

16 chins
16 dips

Notes:

• Wasn't quite as on fire as last week. Went 38, 42, 40, 52, 60 seconds for respective sprints, with about 5 minutes rest between. Last 2 were far more endurance events than sprint efforts, but I never stopped moving, which was the primary goal.

• It's funny I did better last week, because my SI joint was in agony at this point, whereas presently it's just minorly annoying. Think I got ahead of it yesterday.

• Tang Soo Do last night was moderately active. We have a young student in the class that takes up a disproportionate amount of attention from our instructor, so we weren't able to really drill down, but we moved quite a bit for the 90 minutes.

• Weighed in at 81.9kg, which is the lightest I've weighed on a Thursday for the entire cycle, and by a significant margin. It's also the smallest increase I've seen on a 2 meal day after 2 1 meal days, also by a significant margin. Also noticed signs of leaning out yesterday. I feel like my body has "activated fat loss mode". But this could also be why the prowler was a struggle: less bodyweight to put behind it. But from the photos, it's clear I didn't restrict yesterday.

• 2 Jul is always a significant date for me. 26 years ago, at the age of 14, on this day, I made the decision to "turn the ship around" and change myself physically. I was 5'9, 176lbs, and wore a size 36 pants, with no appreciable strength or muscular development. Having very little to guide me, I just started eating 1/3 of what I was eating at the time and just full sending it with whatever exercises I knew. Since that time, I got as heavy as 217lbs and as light as 146lbs, and this morning I'm practically right back to where I started at 180lbs, yet completely differently physically transformed. At 14, I had been studying Tae Kwon Do for 5 years, working toward a black belt and funny enough I'm about 5 years deep into Tang Soo Do right now, doing the exact same thing. I've been "stronger" compared to where I am now, but I also made sacrifices to get there that I no longer feel the need to make. And these days I eat the way that 14 year old me always wanted to and never knew that I could. As I was walking between sets of prowler sprints today, I reflected on how 14 year old me would think that 40 year old me is pretty awesome, and that's really all I could have asked for at that age.

Training Log: Entry 3813

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Cycle 2, Week 2, Workout 3

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

Log clean and strict press
3x8x160

SSB front squat
3x8x225

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

(2) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pull
14x405+chains

ASSISTANCE

Axle curls
2x8x101
6+2x101

Circuit (RH-HLR-BPA)

Reverse hyper
3x12x180

Hanging leg raise
3x10

Band pull aparts
3x25

Notes:

• I'm always able to talk myself into this day because it's just 3 sets of the secondary work, and just 1 big set of the main work. The little things.

• Log clean felt very powerful today. Really focusing on deadlifting the log, rather than rowing it, and then getting it high on the chest.

• Squats felt smooth after a few reps.

• I didn't push the deadlifts too hard. My SI joint on my LEFT side (atypical) was acting up all week after this workout last week, and was FINALLY feeling better for today. I felt find after the pulls, but then the reverse hypers seems to aggravate it. I cut out the ab wheel for similar reasons: I may need to rest the hypers for now. I don't think they're a bad movement, but I'm at an age where I'm noticing the impact of sticking with 1 movement for too long, and I'm wondering if I'm running into that here.

• The heat is absolutely slaughtering me. You can hear my heavy breathing through the workout, and I was checking my watch and my heart rate was consistently above 100 bpm, sometimes at 110, which doesn't seem too significant until you factor in my RHR is 42. We're supposed to get some relief. I'll see how stones are looking on Friday. We have the day off, so I may break up my training a bit that day.

• Tang Soo Do was moderately active last night, and I got some great one on one instruction on our new hyung. We arrived "late", which is to say, on time, so we didn't have as much extra time to drill hyungs like normal. With the heat, we still broke a big sweat.

• Weighed in at 81.6kg this morning: the lightest of the cycle so far. By .1kg compared to last week, but take all Ws: the system is working, and it's painless.