Training Log: Entry 3316

AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)

**PHYREXIAN DREADNOUGHT** Phase 4, Week 1, Workout 1

1 min of axle continental and push press w/1 min rest

3x176

3x4, 2x3x156

SSB Front Squats

4xBar

4x115

4x135

4x185

5x255 (bar slipped on 5th)

20x190 (5lb PR from previous)

ASSISTANCE

5x7, 5x6 chins (various grips)

3x10 standing ab wheel

15x125 SSB good mornings

27 axle shrugs against average bands

100xAxle Poundstone Curls

50 band pull aparts

BREAKFAST

Moderate walk w/dog

Notes:

* Was wasting a lot of energy on the continental today.  Once again: don’t really have the pop first thing in the morning.  Lower back was a little achy as well, which I realize my training got a little jumbled this weekend with me hitting Grace and sandbag work on the same day.  One of the benefits of all that is my push press was coming along strong BECAUSE I couldn’t rely on strength to get me through.  

* Didn’t make any progress from previous workout on the press, but I weighed in at 80.3kg/176lbs post workout, which is the lightest I’ve been for a while, and bodyweight definitely impacts my pressing.  More to discuss on that, but I’m in a state where just maintaining the press is progress, to say nothing of seeing progress on my other lifts.

* Didn’t have as much bicep cramping on the front squat this time as last time, but still showed up a touch on the heavy set.  Slippage due to sweating was another issue.  5 reps on the heavy set matches my last workout rather than shows progress, but the follow on widowmaker was a solid effort.  I did have to do a re-rack on the 19th rep just because the bar slipped, but I moved quick enough that I got in the 20th without having a legitimate resting effort.  I may consider bringing out my grip shirt on these workouts, but with how much I’m perspiring and how hard it is to clean it, I don’t want to overutilize it in training.

* I forgot my own protocol on the chins and went with more reps than I needed to, but I was moving good on them so kept up with it.  Good to see it coming back.  The Poundstone curls were a real slog.  Everything else was what I needed it to be.

* Back to the bodyweight discussion: I’ve got 2 events coming up where I need to be a certain weight: a grappling tournament on 31 Aug where I need to be under 185, and a strongman competition on 14 Sep where I need to be under 181lb.  My intention was to lean out a little before both events so that I could eat UP to them, rather than go the other way around trying to lose weight while getting stronger at the same time.  I need to acknowledge that I have accomplished that mission, and now need to start INTELLIGENTLY reversing course.  My 2 pitfalls right now: I LIKE leaning out, primarily because it’s easy, I’m good at it, and the feedback is instant.  I just have to fast more and eat less, and I FEEL better when I do that because I don’t have a bunch of food in my guts, so I’m lighter and sleeker, and during periods of fasting I feel more alert/turned on due to heightened cortisol.  This is a slippery and dangerous slope.  My other pitfall is I’m a big dumb meathead who DOES like food, and I already caught myself thinking “ok, it’s gaining time, that means I can bring out more cheese and sour cream and pork rinds into my meals”.  Those are treats: NOT food.  I did that previously, and though I DID gain more weight by using that approach, I also just didn’t feel as good.  Specifically, my aggression was turned down when the dairy was turned up.  My alchemist theory was the presence of casomorphines just blunted me, but there’s also something to be said about hitting that dopamine trigger so hard and being “too happy”.  I have a LOT of meat and eggs to eat: what I need to do is start eating MORE meat and eggs while keeping the dairy still in a limited capacity.  I also have to keep in mind that I’m weighing myself post workout, which means I’ve lost a bit of water from sweat, but getting an 80.3kg weigh in on a Monday AFTER a weekend of high sodium eating out is a sign that my weight is in a good spot.