Training Log: Entry 3272

AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)

75 KB swings w/57.5lb bell

2.6 mile walk w/80lb vest

90x230lb reverse hypers

50 band pull aparts

BREAKFAST

Moderate walk w/dog

Notes:

* I stopped logging training motivation, but today it was quite low.  I woke up at 0250 and my brain just wanted to think about stuff for a bit, so the 0410 alarm showed up earlier than I cared for, and I’m feeling pretty physically beat.  The lower food intake paired with this deceptively hard training is resulting in me being pretty damn sore all over.  But that was actually enough to entice me to do THIS particular workout: I knew that it would be tonic and restorative and set me up better compared to if I skipped it.  It really helps that I include the swings and reverse hypers on this day, because those definitely go a long way toward getting me back.  My knees are also in less pain than they were yesterday, which is a plus.

* Also worth logging that we got in a 3.5 mile walk as a family last night, and it was bright and sunny, so I got in a good amount of vitamin D.  

* Weighed in at 82.5kg this morning, which APPEARS as an upward trend, but I’m not being consistent with my conditions of weigh in.  I’ve been weighing after my post-workout shower, and these have been post LIFTING workouts, which, with my garage like a sauna, means I’m sweating out quite a bit.  This weigh in is post walking outside, significantly less sweat, so the fact I’m .1kg up looks to me more like a sign that I’m trending in the right direction.  I’ll need to get some honest first thing in the morning weigh ins soon so I can really figure myself out, but I’m 4 weeks away from the comp at this point, so I’m not concerned.

* On the above, worth documenting what actions I’ve taken to stop gaining weight and reverse direction.  Anyone familiar with my approach knows that I tend to intentionally introduce “weaknesses/flaws” into my nutrition so I can eliminate them when needed.  While I was gaining, I started including more dairy into my diet, primarily in the form of cheeses (goat and grassfed cow), ghee and sour cream.  Dairy’s primary function in nature is to make mammals fatter, and as a mammal I figure that’s pretty beneficial.  I was also including pork rinds/cracklin in my evening meal, simply because it’s a no-prep way to add energy.  I’ve since almost entirely eliminated these things, with the exception being when my Valkyrie makes me omelets on the weekend I’ll include cheese, ghee, and top it with sour cream, but even then I have a gaining vs non-gaining protocol for those ingredients (I use a reduced fat Jarlsburg swiss when I’m not gaining, and limited amounts of ghee/sour cream, whereas I go with full fat grassfed cheeses and larger amounts when gaining).  My midday meals have also become VERY lean: egg whites and venison or piedmontese steak, whereas while gaining I would have fatty cuts of meat like corned beef, roasts, lamb, etc.

* I’m thinking that Phryexian Dreadnought is going to be a phasic program, with these first few weeks getting me back into “strongman shape”, and then spending the next phase working up to a heavy topset and then a backoff widowmaker, so that I can keep volume low and intensity high.  That would at least be the case for the squatting and deadlifting.  For the log, I’m thinking I might get in 3-5 rounds of “1 minute max reps” to prep for comp conditions.  And then chins might just work their way in between sets.  Still keep it full body.  But, of course, Chaos is the Plan.

* Tang Soo Do tonight, night 1 of 3.  This is “Wildcard Cardio” week, which may mean some more exercise, or perhaps an opportunity to earn my final stripe to be testing eligible in August.