Training Log: Entry 3743

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 5, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo bar Squats
4x6x352

Axle strict press from rack
3x6x168
5+1x168

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
4x10x75s

DB row
4x10x135

GHRs
4x10x60

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
15, 10

Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Training Log: Entry 3742

AM WORKOUT (1115)

Tang Soo Do class

Notes:

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

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

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

 Training Log: Entry 3741

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

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

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x330

Axle strict press from rack
8x158
2x5x158
6x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

(3) DB incline bench
4x12x70s

DB row
4x12x125

PM WORKOUT (1500)

GHRs
4x12x55

GHR sit ups
1x25

Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

 Training Log: Entry 3740

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 4, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
4x8x231

(3) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
14x440

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
4x12x230

Dips
3x12x60
9+3x60

Axle curls
2x12x76
9x76
9+6x76

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hypers
3x15x360

Various ab work

Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Training Log: Entry 3739

AM WORKOUT (0529 natural wake up, slept in)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 4, Workout 2

“VIKING RAID”

15 minutes

• 100m row

• 150lb sandbag carry

• Add 100m to the row each round

Notes:

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

• Forgot to hit record. Oops.

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

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

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

 Training Log: Entry 3738

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

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 4, Workout 1

MAIN CLUSTER

Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x330

Axle strict press from rack
2x8x158
7x158
5x158

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

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

DB rows
4x12x125

GHRs
4x12x55

ASSISTANCE

GHR sit up
20

Notes:

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

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

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

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

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

 Training Log: Entry 3737

PM WORKOUT (1400)

TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL GREY MAN Week 3, Workout 6

“Fran” Crossfit WOD w/no-kip chins

Time: 7:35

Notes:

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

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

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

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