Training Log: Entry 3793

AM WORKOUT (0345 natural wake up, snooze until 0400)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Week 1, Workout 2 (off cycle due to travel)

15 chins
15 dips

SECONDARY CLUSTER

Log clean and strict press away
3x10x145

SSB front squats
3x10x205

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

(6) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
16x405+chains

ASSISTANCE

Axle curls
3x10x91

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

Notes:

• First day back to lifting, and I’m very happy with how I decided to approach it. 3 sets was just right to jump back in, and I may consider doing something like that for this first 3 week wave in general, but if I’m feeling good I’ll stick with 5…or upset Dan John and settle on 4.

• The grip shirt on the log is such a game changer. Just makes the whole thing move so much better. And also props to @PowPowPunishment for pointing out what an asset this is for front squats as well. When combined with the SSB, that bar will NEVER move.

• The order of exercises on this seems bizarre, but it’s primarily logistically driven. But doing the log first, I can clean up the training area and set up for the mat pulls while I rest from the front squats. Which is to say, if I had more training space, I WOULDN’T do it this way, but this is still making me stronger.

• I’m hitting depths in the front squat I don’t traditionally hit with other variants, and can feel my VMO responding.

• The front squat IS an excellent warm up for the mat pulls, as I felt quite strong approaching them. And I figured out how to shorten up the straps that hook the chains to the bar so I get more weight on the pull. 16 reps wasn’t my absolute limit, but was a good enough stopping point for today. No need to thrash myself and have to pay for it so far out from competition.

• I’m happy to keep those curls in. They’re good for me. And based on today, I still have time for a little more movement, so I’ll most likely bring reverse hypers back into this.

• Weighed in at 83.6kg, so a 1.4kg drop from yesterday. Weight is normalizing, as is appetite, as I still had no desire to eat post training today, so I’m making it another fasting day. Basically operating off the “easy fasting” protocol. If I’m not hungry: I’m not eating.

• Tang Soo Do was a moderate amount of activity yesterday. Tonight is the 90 minute class.

 Training Log: Entry 3792

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

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Week 1, Workout 1 (off cycle due to travel)

15 chins
15 dips

20 minute row (4160m covered)

Notes:

• Back on the program. This week is going to be a break-in week for the rest of this 12 week training block, due to my travel schedule. I’ll do my first day of lifting tomorrow, lift twice this week, and then get back onto 3x week lifting. This row helped get me back into the rhythm of training again, and the chins and dips are part of a daily 4 sets to accumulate (at present) 60 reps total.

• Slight PR on the row, which I’m not chasing, indicative of my general fitness still in a good place. After this bridge week (more like 8-9 days), my body feels completely pain-free. That’s a novelty for me, but also indicative that my body isn’t broken: it’s just always recovering. When I actually LET it recover, it’s fine. That’s good to know.

• I broke my streak of unbroken days of physical therapy during my cruise. I was still as diligent as I could be, but had a few days where it just didn’t happen, or didn’t happen all the way. Knee still feels good though.

• Weighed 85.0kg this morning. Travel weight is sorting itself out. I had a solid breakfast of eggs, salmon and some bacon yesterday, fasted all through the travel, and had a can of salmon, a can of tuna and some anchovies as a meal when I got home, just keeping up the fish theme from the cruise. Appetite is pretty low (understandably so), and I may end up fasting until dinner for the rest of the week to get my body back on track.

BRIDGE WEEK

This week happened to occur on a week where I am experiencing some slight illness and I will be on a cruise, so that worked out well.  Will resume logging upon return to normal training.

 Training Log: Entry 3791

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 4, Workout 5 (Final lifting workout)

20 chins

DB rows
4x12x130

Axle curls
4x12x78

GHRs
4x12x60

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
2x17

EVENTS

Stone of Steel to platform (5 rounds, 1 min on/2 min off)
3x190
4x4x190

Notes:

• Short night: got to bed late. It’s also a day off work, so not much incentive to get up early and get this done, but it meant I’d get more time with family, and this workout really feels like the “dessert” for eating my workout vegetables all week. It dawns on me how that analogy totally doesn’t work when I only eat meat, with no dessert or vegetables.

• All the weights felt reasonable. Good pump on the curls.

• Technique breakthrough on the stone. Light weight allowed me to figure out that if I lap the stone with my torso a little high and then squat down right before I go for the load, I can get it much higher on the extension. Much smoother load as a result. Nice to sort that out so early in the training cycle.

• Tang Soo Do sparring was pretty good. I was able to beat our resident Dojang bully by letting him foul on me a bunch until he got frustrated and then I speared him with some punches. However, my right shin eventually shut me down. It got smashed to hell on Tues and just hasn’t had a chance to recover, and I finally tapped out when the Valkyrie connected with a good blow. She read my eyes and mercifully ended the match when I left my guard open. Still, this was probably my best week as far as making stuff works goes.

• Weighed in at 82.6kg this morning: a practically 2kg drop from the start of the week. The swings got bigger toward the end of the mass building cycle, but I stayed around the same weight as far as trends go. This completes 13 weeks of Mass Protocol as a recomp rather than a dedicated mass phase, and I really dug it. I’m remembering this for the future. But now, I’m fasting until lunch, where I’m going to very much enjoy a Brazilian steakhouse, make that my one meal for today, and then continue feasting and recovering through the week.  

 Training Log: Entry 3790

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 4, Workout 4

SSB Squat
4x12x265

Look for hope: max in 1 minute.

• None found.

Lever belt squat
4x12x250

Axle strict press from rack
2x12x123
11x123
7+4+2x123

(3) Incline DB bench
4x12x65

Dips
2x12x47.5
11+1x47.5
10+2x47.5

ASSISTANCE

Hanging leg raise
2x10

Notes:

• There are no words in the English language that can properly convey how much I did not want to do this workout today. I am so burnt out and ready for my bridge week. I told myself so many lies to get myself out of bed and under that bar, and amazingly that first set felt absolutely incredible. Stupidly strong under the weight. The 1 minute rests took the wind totally out of my sails, but that was expected.

• Rested 1 minute between all squats and the dips. Presses went 60-120-120. DBs were 60-120-120.

• On axle strict press, really felt my triceps giving up at the end. I’ll be re-including my push press finisher at the end of the set for my competition prep training cycles, which should help a touch there.

• Sparring last night wasn’t terribly active, but I had an excellent match against our senior blackbelt. We finished the round tied at 1-1, but he had me dead to rights on my spin side kick and came in with a lunge punch during overtime. I gotta throw something different against him.

• Weighed in at 83.8kg this morning. Coffee fast today, and then a lot of glorious feasting coming up. Kiddo’s last day of school is tomorrow, it’s a half day, and they requested Terra Gaucha (Brazilian steakhouse) for lunch…so needless to say I’m coffee fasting until then tomorrow as well. We then celebrate a birthday on Saturday, with a request for homemade sourdough and a special birthday cake. I’m attempting a “fire and water” sous vide and smoke brisket on Memorial Day (Monday) and, when I presented all this to the Valkyrie and said “we’ll have to figure out Sunday”, she immediately suggested our favorite BBQ spot, to which I won’t turn down brisket 3 times in 4 days. And then, on Wed, I fly out for a cruise, which is just 4 days on a mobile buffet. It’s an excellent time for gaining.

 Training Log: Entry 3789

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 4, Workout 3

(7) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
5x470

DB rows
4x12x120

Axle curls
4x12x73

GHR
4x12x55

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
31

Reverse hyper/band pull apart circuit
3x15x270/3x25

Notes:

• Sleep was short and rough. Got to bed a little later than usual, and my mind started racing about work stuff around 0330.

• That mat pull was in the realm of “strength miracles”, which tells me that I need to cycle the weight back when I return from my cruise. I’m sure part of that is I’m in my 13th straight week of training without a bridge week, to include having set a PR last week, and I’m most likely extremely fatigued, but there’s also no rush, and lighter weights mean longer distance to stalls. No point in racing to a redlight.

• Left hip was a little upset with this. I noticed it was achy yesterday while I sat through a performance at my kid’s school. Just kinda short and tight.

• Everything else felt pretty solid. Reducing the weight on reverse hypers has been good. Movement is more tonic.

• I was the Dojang sparring champ last night, having beaten 2 black belts and 1 senior student on my way there. One of said black belts seems threatened by me, and expressed that my spin kicking me about 1 inch away from my parts full force, followed by calf kicking me, whereas the senior student punched me in the mouth hard enough to draw blood…in non-contact sparring…with no punches to the head. I’ve got a small limp from the calf kick, which impacted the pulls this morning. We’re doing some more sparring tonight: I’ll see how I hold up after that.

• Weighed in at 83.1kg this morning, which is a 1.2kg drop from yesterday and 1.4kg drop from Monday. Big spikes and big drops: think my body is really responding to the carbs these days. Perhaps a sign of improved insulin sensitivity.

 Training Log: Entry 3788

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO Week 4, Workout 2

“ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BLOAT”

20 chins

20 minute recovery row

Notes:

• Got 4175m done, 25m more than last time, once again without a specific effort to do more in the time. General fitness is up. I’m legit watching youtube videos of the “200 best gameboy games in chronological order” to pass the time while I row, which is an excellent distractor and totally not motivating to really push the pace.

• My body feels incredible. The return to low weight and high reps has been quite tonic. I’ll have to remember this in the future.

• Tang Soo Do is sparring tonight. Hopeful for some good activity.

• Weighed in at 84.3kg. Still quite high, but typically my Tuesday weigh in is higher than my Monday, whereas this week was a .2kg reduction. Curious to see how this unfolds.