AM WORKOUT (1100, day off work, trained around lunch)
OPERATION CONAN: Initial Shocktrooper Assault
*Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol*: Grey Man-Cycle 2, Week 2, Day 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crw-NybxEcw
WARM UP
Roll out on LAX ball 50x180 reverse hypers 30 second squat stretch Sets of Bar (w/30 second stretch), 85, 195, 245 and overwarm walkout with 335
MAIN WORK
5x6x295 squats
Superset
5x6x128 axle strict press
(Hang from bar for 30 seconds between press and squats)
SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER
3x10x55/1x14x55 incline db bench
4x10x10lb NG chins
4x27 GHRs (off camera)
ASSISTANCE
3X10 standing ab wheels
TOTAL TRAINING TIME: 48 minutes
Notes:
* Keeping this brief for now, but got this in after breakfast before lunch. Day off due to federal holiday. Kept rests short and really crushed this workout. Hip was feeling great and I could move fast. Really just strong in general.
* Forgot to advance the incline DB bench weight, realized it toward the end, so went for max reps on the final set to compensate.
* I'd say based on the youtube thumbnail Operation Conan is a success so far. I weighed in today at 80.6 kg, which is a dropoff from 81.4 2 weeks ago, but between travel and that weigh in being artificially high, I'm trending in a positive direction.
* Got in a LOT of leisure walking today. About 6+ miles total, all outside in the sun. Walked the dog 3 times and went on a family walk.
* Today was the carb up meal: 2 generous servings of a rigatoni casserole with Italian sausage, 2.5 pieces of garlic bread, and 4 of my wife's wonderful pumpkin snickerdoodles with some honey (the local stuff and the stuff from Cozumel) and fairlife skim milk. We went out for breakfast, which was at First Watch, where I got a bacon and jack cheese omelet with butter and sour cream, 2 sunny side up eggs, a pork sausage and some bacon, and for lunch I had 5 patties from Culver's with butter, and the majority of my kid's leftover triple cheddar burger (I ordered a double, they put on an extra patty, never correct your enemy when they are making a mistake).
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3377
No food porn photos today, but still an awesome day. We got up early-ish so we could spend more time with my in-laws before they took off. Got in my 50 squats and push ups, Valkyrie made me my typical weekend breakfast, we saw off the in-laws, and I fasted through lunch. I was still pretty satiated from dinner the night before, and breakfast had me in a good way. Took the family through the Culver's drivethrough on our way to the Back to the Future musical though, so I got what was leftover of my kiddo's double cheddar burger.
Went to our favorite local Hawaiin BBQ place for dinner, and I got a loco moco (very light on the gravy, like 1 forkful), along with kalbi ribs and some bbq chicken. Very clutch. In general, I underate today for Operation Conan, but it's setting me up for a BIG meal tomorrow, as I'm breaking in my smoker with a LOT of ribs.
I also got in a fair amount of walking, and I got to do my mat pulls today, feeling about 95% back to normal now.
13+6+3x405 off of 6 mats. I MIGHT have had a 14th rep on that first pull, but this was still a big victory for me.
Started looking to the future. I have a cruise that leaves on 28 Dec. This means, sticking with Tactical Barbell, I can get in five 3 week cycles total (counting the one I've already done) before that cruise, which I can consider a bridge week. K Black recommends 4 3 week cycles of General Mass, followed by a bridge week and then 2 3 week cycles of Specificity. I'm intending on deviating from that, and doing the five cycles of General Mass, bridge week on the cruise, come back to specificity.
Once again: I am so excited to see this through. I love feeling this way.
Friday, October 11, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3376
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
Roll out on LAX ball 75x320 reverse hyper 60 minute walk on treadmill at 3.5mph pace and 4.0 incline
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Day off work today and I had some physical chores to knock out (taking the leftover wood from our deck project, loading it in the pick up and dropping it off at the dump) and was feeling pretty sore from this week, so I made this a legit recovery walk and just kept it light and easy. The reverse hypers still worked their magic. My hips ache, but not to an unreasonable amount.
* May try to get in another walk today. Weather is good and sun is out.
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3375
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
OPERATION CONAN: Initial Shocktrooper Assault
*Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol*: Grey Man-Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 2
Low handle trap bar lift
5x8x395
SUPERSET
Axle bench press
5x8x196
SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER
Belt squat (Fringe Sport Mammoth belt squat)
4x12x180
loaded Dips
4x12x20lb
Axle curls 4x12x48
ASSISTANCE
Standing ab wheel
3x10
33x10lb lateral raise
Total training time: 54 minutes
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Each and every workout is the best one I’ve had. Perhaps that’s the silver lining when you start the program really beat up. The first time I ran this week, I basically self-destructed each time I put the weight down with the trap bar, and I’d have the world’s slowest initial rep to mitigate pain and prevent re-triggering the issue. Today, I felt very confident in breaking the weight off the floor, to the point that I was able to regrip on the 4th set when the weight tipped too far forward and get in another rep off the floor. No twinges or feedback from my back on this, and, in turn, I tore through this workout and felt strong.
* Bench weight was perfect. I miscalculated the first time I did this. Got some room to grow. With the dips, I was going too light, and this was still fairly easy, but more challenging than bodyweight.
* Still playing it fast and loose on the belt squat. I’m really happy I can include this movement though. Great to get in more squatting.
* I’ve been a very good boy as far as program compliance goes. Those lateral raises are the only deviation. It’s honestly nice to have something so structured that I can shut off my brain and just get done.
* Tang Soo Do wasn’t too terribly active last night, but enjoyable. We got to make up our own one-step self defense protocols. At one point, the Valkyrie stopped defending and just wanted to try to stump me when it came to escaping from grabs, which was a blast. Broke out a lot of Bas Rutten self-defense style stuff.
* Schedule is still a little screwy with travel: this is the final lifting workout of the week, despite only being 2 workouts. I’ll get in a mat pull on Saturday, and get in walking on Friday. I have the day off on Monday as well, but I’m going to see if I can finagle getting in a lifting workout in the afternoon on that day.
* On the Operation Conan homefront for meals, last night we went Bavarian…esque.
For the Valkyrie and the Kiddo, we had some soft pretzels to go along with some sausages (which I’m going to offend my Bavarian/German/Austrian audience when I admit that, for the kiddo, it was a Hebrew national hotdog). Valkyrie is using “Factor” meal prep, and with that got some bison, pork, cheddar jalapeno sausages as a protein add on, so I grilled those up, and also threw in some Teton Waters grassfed beef polish sausages and some of those organic grassfed hot dogs I like, all 3 of which are on my plate, alongside some pastured sunny side up eggs, grassfed cottage cheese and pork cracklin’. I ended up having 1 more hot dog after this. I REALLY think that the cottage cheese is a fantastic lever for mass gain. It’s cheese, yes, which makes it hyperpalatable to me, but it’s so jacked up in protein compared to conventional cheeses that I feel it alters ratios in a beneficial way. I’m still trying not to overconsume it, but adding it to every meal seems to be working well.
* Which, on the topic of working well, caught myself post-pump and I’m filling back out again. Spending the summer getting lean was a positive move for sure, and definitely set me up to gain, but I was very stringy at the end. It’s good to look more like how I feel.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3374
AM WORKOUT (0352 natural wake up, snooze until 0400)
Roll out on LAX ball
75x320 reverse hyper
60 minute treadmill walk at 4.0 incline
First half mile was at 3.5 pace, then each half mile went up by .1 until the 3 mile mark, then did .25 miles at 4.1, then the remainder of time at 3.5 to get in 3.73 miles in 60 minutes.
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dogs
Notes:
* This continues to be one of my favorite parts of the program: it’s always just what I need when I need it. I woke up quite sore from yesterday’s training, specifically in my glutes, hamstrings and quads. Rolling out helped, and then movement was the medicine. Once again, said I was going to take it easy, which is why I started at 3.5, but I saw a portal and jumped through it, ala Jon Andersen. By the time it was done, I felt restored.
* Outside the scope of this workout, but I also really appreciate the simplicity of execution on this. I set up the gym the day before the workout, to speed up my mornings, and it’s awesome only needing to get 2 bars set up.
* Reverse hypers continue to be very restorative.
* Tang Soo Do tonight. We signed back up for 3x a week, which will start next week. Valkyrie has her fire lit up on getting after more rank, and my kiddo wants to be able to defend their crown. I think I might actually try to conquer this whole “loosen up” thing I keep getting told to do during my hyungs.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3373
AM WORKOUT (0359 natural wake up)
**OPERATION CONAN: Initial Shocktrooper Assault**
*Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol*: Grey Man-Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 1
WARM UP
Roll out on LAX ball
50x180 reverse hyper
30 seconds at the bottom of a squat
30 seconds at bottom of squat w/bar on back
Sets of Bar, 85, 175, and 225 for warm up, overwarm walkout w/335
MAINWORK
Buffalo Bar Squat
5x8x275
Superset
Axle strict press
5x8x118
SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER giant set
(3) Incline DB bench
2x12x55
2x12x50
NG Chins
4x12 (first 2 sets no break up, then stop at 10 and stop at 9 for next 2 sets)
Standing ab wheel
3x10
SUPPLEMENTAL EXERCISE
GHR
4x24
Assistance
50 band pull aparts
Total training time: Approx 50 minutes
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Best I have felt in a LONG time. No pain, and as such, I learned how pain begets pain and the opposite as well. Because my hips ached so much, I was moving really slow on the squats, which was putting a lot of stress on my knees, which caused my knees to ache. Since I could move faster through the eccentric today, my knees felt better. I’m still going to keep up the rehab, as it will now be prehab. But last cycle, this workout crippled me and I seriously wondered if I’d have to scrap the program, so this was a great sign.
* Kept rests close to 1 minute on the main work until the final set, which was more around 90 seconds for the squats. Kept it close to 1 minute for the supplemental work as well.
* The DBs were a bit too heavy for all 4 sets, but this is still progress to do 2 sets at a heavier weight. I can try to Hepfield this and just keep using heavier weight on more sets until I eventually get it on all 4. Similar progression for the chins.
* I realize that hip flexor pain I was feeling on my left side might actually be from the GHRs instead of the squats, as I triggered it during that movement. I need to ensure I remain diligent through the execution of it.
* My dog is enrolled in daycare now, so I’m not getting as much walking in the morning. Something to factor in.
* Tang Soo Do tonight. 1-step week, so it tends to be a little less physically intense.
Monday, October 7, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3372
Final travel day. Good chance I lost a little weight on the trip.
But also: can you imagine getting to eat like I ate on this trip and your biggest issue is being too lean when you get home? This is living.
Which, on the topic of eating, I got in a can of sardines at 0600 for breakfast
5 patties from Wendy's for lunch. $1.29 per patty: what a deal!
Texas Roadhouse to go for dinner. 2 sidekicks of ribs, with grassfed cottage cheese and pork cracklin
Operation Conan is a success. The Recon and Scouting phase is over: tomorrow is the Initial Shocktrooper Assault
Also, still managed 50 squats, 50 push ups, and over 11k steps today.
And forgot to mention it before, but on Saturday I did a 2 minute hang from bar challenge, just because I could
