Training Log: Entry 3795

AM WORKOUT (0358 natural wake up)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Week 1, Workout 4 (off cycle due to travel)

PRIMARY MOVEMENT

Log clean and push press away
3xLog
2x150
1x170
1x190
3x200

SECONDARY MOVEMENTS

SSB front squat
5x10x205

Stone of Steel to platform
10x135
4x5x135

ASSISTANCE

SSB front rack hold
3x30 secondsx315lb

Band pull aparts
3x25

Notes:

• All I wanted to do was sleep more. A good sign compared to my sleep avoiding days, but I had no latitude in the schedule to pull that off, so I got up and did this. First morning where I found myself wanting breakfast, so my appetite has returned.

• The log is feel really strong. The shirt helps. 200 is a good place to work from. If I add 5lbs each week, that’s 60lbs by the time the competition rolls around, which shows that this ISN’T going to happen, so I can blunt my expectations there. The exact wrong thing to do is plan out progression on a daily max, but I know where I can build from here. That 3rd rep was a grinder, so I can try to get 200 smoother next week or go for a heavier double.

• 5x10 front squats weren’t quite as awful as I would have expected. Battling the humidity is the hardest part. I was dying in that grip shirt, and it came to show harder on the stones.

• Original plan was 5x10 on the stones. That MAY have been possible if there wasn’t a sweat factor to contend with. The tacky towel was failing, and I started slipping on the stone, which is exactly what led to my left bicep tear. Capped it at 5, which, due to the circumstances, was still a very solid workout.

• I really like how the weeks shake out with this protocol. The front squat builds through the week, starting with a 2-3rm, then 3x10, then 5x10. The press does the opposite: starting out with 5x10, then 3x10, and then peaking with the 2-3rm. I’m thinking the stone of steel can go 3xHypertrophy reps on Monday and 5x5 on Friday, with the deadlift in the middle.

• Tang Soo Do was challenging last night. We spent a good majority of class in the horse riding stance. My right knee is a little tender as a result.

• Weighed 83.2kg this morning, another .2kg drop from yesterday, resulting in a total of 1.8kg (very close to 4lbs) lost since Tuesday. Good data points all around there. I was able to painlessly fast 3 days in a row, which isn’t what I would prefer to do for the following weeks, but it’s good info to have.

 Training Log: Entry 3794

AM WORKOUT (0359 natural wake up, snoozed until 0425, also natural wake up)

OPERATION CORNHISTERKUR

TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR PRO Week 1, Workout 3 (off cycle due to travel)

“Prowler Sprints”

• 4 rounds w/90lbs loaded on high handles

Notes:

• Since this was an AM workout, this was on the longer course, so each sprint took between 48-55 seconds.

• Opened with 15 chins and dips as well. Took 5 minutes between rounds, walking the course. Focused on transitioning to nose breathing as soon as I was able to, really trying to master recovery between rounds.

• Prioritized never stopping during the sprint: just keep on pushing. And I keep writing “sprint”, but it’s most just “all out effort”, as after the first 12 seconds I know I’m slowing down.

• 4 rounds remains the right time to shut it down. Really making a point to emphasize “perfect practice” on this workout and not grooving garbage. By the time it was done, by quads were jelly and I was hands on knees after the final round. And I do believe it was this work that resulted in my improved conditioning for the 5k I did, and my continued improved general conditioning on display in my rower workouts.

• I opted for this workout today instead of the weekend because we’re getting a projection for thunderstorms this weekend, alongside the fact I need to mow my lawn sometime BEFORE that happens, which will also eat into weekend time. In turn, I’m glad to see the flexibility that exists in my schedule. On the micro level, I slept in an extra 30 minutes, which means I can also NOT do that sometimes and use that time for walking, rucking or hyungs. Opportunities abound.

• Weighed 83.4kg this morning. .2kg drop from yesterday. Fasting again today: still don’t have that morning appetite, but I can feel it coming close. I imagine I can resume a more normal schedule next week, but I’m also considering shortening the eating window and bringing lunch to work instead, eating a meal there and an evening meal. It’s fun to continue playing around with this.

• Tang Soo Do was a solid workout last night. 90 minute class with a lot of time spent doing hyung: open hand and weapon. Tonight is the final class for the week.

 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.